“「Crystal Wall」!”

The crystal barrier in front of her split apart as if it had been cut apart by a sharp blade, and shattered into nothingness.

“Is that a slashing spider web!?”

“A present for you!”

The black wire mesh Tia threw expanded in mid-air, but failed to envelop the monster. Entoma simply passed through it like a phantom.

“Sure enough, she’s immune to any obstructing techniques!”

“Bah! Combat formation time!”

In order to maintain a distance from the battle maid who was closing in on her, Gagaran, kicked with the intention of pushing away her opponent.

Her boot collided with the maid, creating an astonishing metallic sound.

Gagaran retreated while focusing on maintaining the distance whilst joining up with the rest of the Blue Rose members. They gathered while paying careful attention for any area of effect attack.

"ChIKu, cHIkU, tHesE AtTAcks ...... So AnNOyiNg!!"

Whilst observing the maid’s jaw mouth which was muttering non-stop, Gagaran whispered to Evileye:

“Did you hear that sound just now? Her maid costume is just as hard as my armor; truly unbelievable.”

“It must be woven together with sturdy metal wires. Considering how thin it is, its hardness must be far above that.”

“Adamantite… looks like it is far above that too.”

“Oh, so it’s not just at the same level? The equipment is of such an unimaginably high quality that my earth magic is not of much use. She’s probably wearing equipment that reduces magic damage, too. Specialized attacks probably won’t affect her that much..”

“That means?”

Tia’s doubt made Evileye smile under her mask.

“We’ll finish this head on with overwhelming fire power.”

“That’s easier said than done, isn’t it? How do we pull it off? We are done for if we don’t act soon. It also uses talismans to strengthen itself.

“Everybody use your own most powerful technique! I’m going to use the insecticide magic.”

“...That’s easy to understand. Well, let’s go for our final strike.”

Although they said they would strike with overwhelming firepower in a single strike, in reality it was not that simple.

In general Evileye used ‘Sand Field: One’ or ‘Region Petrification’ to hinder the enemy, and support the warriors, but these methods would not work against that maid.

If they wanted to inflict damage, it would best to leave it to warriors like Gagaran to inflict physical damage. Evileye only needed to come up with contingency plan in case this strategy did not work. She had always believed focusing purely on attack magic was wrong, but the situation called for a desperate measure,

Magic casters that rely purely on magic to attack are second rate. This is what I personally think, but this time I will have to compromise.

Evileye began to adjust herself to the magic she was about to use.

Even though ‘Shard Buck Shots’ was the most effective method of attack, but her teammates would also be caught in the area of effect. The mana consumption of her original spell, ‘Vermin Bane’ was extremely large and was best reserved for when the opponent was about to summon insects. This meant that right now the most appropriate kind of skill to use was the hated acid-type magic.

The three exchanged a brief glance, confirming that their preparations were complete, and attacked together.

Evileye used ‘Acid Splash’ as her main attack whereas Tia, who had weaker firepower, mainly relied on her supporting items. Gagaran continuously activated martial arts, executing an unending barrage of attacks.

After a while, the tide of battle began to shift.

The opponent was indeed incredibly strong. Many types of spider webs, talisman-based magic attacks and summoned insects were launched in her offensive attack. Not to mention that her magic items were more powerful than those possessed by the members of Blue Rose.

Eventhough the number of consumables like recovery potions were starting to run out,  the insect maid steadily began to retreat.

If one was to ask what had caused the tide of battle to shift in her favour, Evileye would puff out her chest and reply “Companions!”

There was no doubt that Gagaran, Tia and Evileye were of an inferior race compared to this monster, but they still created opportunities nonetheless. Being able to attack and recover at the same time created a favourable situation.

In particular, having the means to do self-recovery and having supporting recovery through teammates was an enormous advantage. Gradually the situation became certain.

“As long as we don’t screw up, we can beat her like this!”

Part 3

Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 4th Day, 22:27

The outcome of the battle.

Finally, the insect maid collapsed to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Evileye’s mana consumption had been severe, and her consumables were almost depleted. From an economic standpoint, she was in a serious amount of debt.

“We’ve won!”

Gagaran who was covered in wounds declared their victory with heavy breaths. Not a single recovery potion was left, and she had external injuries, but her physical stamina was still holding up.

“Stab her throat.”

“Yes.”

Evileye agreed with Tia’s suggestion. The dying insect maid was still alive, as evidenced by the maid making chirping “Yeeh yeeh” sounds.

In this situation where it had already lost its ability to fight, the safest and most secure thing to do was to kill it without hesitation.

Tia who had taken up her sword and gone forward suddenly froze. Before Evileye could even ask “What is it?”, she already knew the reason for why she had stopped her movements.

“How about we end this right here.”

Unbelievably, and without anyone knowing when he had appeared, a man stood in front of the insect maid.

He wore strange clothing which had never been seen before. In Evileye’s knowledge, this was a set of garments which was worn in the south - a full suit. He also wore a mask which made it impossible to see his face.