kscans

Chapter 38 - Castle in the Sand, The Shifting Throne - Part 2

—A deafening roar reached her back, along with a defiant cry she had grown accustomed to. Suppressing her impatience, Sora kicked off the sand and calmly narrowed her eyes.

This battle was fundamentally different from any boss monster she had faced before. Haru had called it a "gimmick battle," and the simple strategy he had laid out for her, a game novice, was firmly planted in her mind.

The division of roles was extremely simple—while Haru drew the attention of the [Dusty Worm, Great Serpent of Dust], Sora would destroy a certain thing.

"Near the sand wall... a conspicuous azure color...!"

Repeating the features she had been taught, she scanned along the wall of flowing sand, searching for the thing that she was told she would "know it when she saw it"—

"...Found it!"

A clear foreign object floating on the sandy ground—a distorted diamond-shaped object dyed the same azure color as the great serpent, it was a giant scale about the size of a human.

Its overwhelming presence made it clear that it was not just a background object. Seeing it faintly glowing and wrapped in swirling dust, it was indeed something that even a game novice would recognize immediately.

"One, down!!"

Gripping the straight sword she held in both hands, Sora charged forward without hesitation and delivered a slash. A hard, metallic clang echoed as the sword strike was partially deflected and glanced off—

"...Hmph!"

Without resisting the impact that sent her reeling, she twisted her body, using her heel as a pivot to kick off the sand with her other foot and spin with great force.

The second strike, powered by the recoil and centrifugal force, flew—a deafening crash.

Struck in the exact same spot in quick succession, the scale shattered spectacularly, cracks running across its entire surface. As the dust that had clung to it scattered with a flash of light, the moment Sora confirmed the destruction of the first target—

"—————————————————!!!"

"Ah, uh... huh!?"

An overwhelming roar that shook the desert tore through the space, and a forced stun seized Sora's body. Dropping her sword, she reflexively covered her ears. Her gaze turned to—the great serpent that Haru was holding back, a change had occurred.

It wasn't its form that had changed, but its surroundings. As if transferring from the shattered scale to its master—no, that's probably what was happening. The dust that had clung to the scale until Sora destroyed it now surrounded the great serpent's giant body.

This transformation was just as she had been told beforehand... but seeing its already unrealistic majesty become even more so, her consciousness was momentarily captivated—and in that instant, a dull gray flash shot up from the ground with tremendous force.

The great axe, spinning with a vicious whoosh, tore through the dust, and the violence of its mass sent the great serpent's lower jaw flying.

A scream clearly different from the angry roar from before—before Sora's astonished eyes, a small shadow leaped into the air, chasing after the great axe it had just thrown.

As it passed the freely falling great axe, it kicked it, and then, using a method Sora still couldn't comprehend, it used the weapon it had summoned to its hand as a foothold to run up into the air.

A total of three jumps to reach about fifteen meters—unbelievably, Haru was now above the great serpent's head. In his hand was a great iron lump, too rough to be called a weapon.

"————————Daraaaaaaahhh!!!!!"

A roar, and then a deafening crash. The force of the fall, the extraordinary weight, and the fastest swing achieved through a dirty trick. A full-power blow, synergized by all these factors, struck the great serpent's head, and its giant body was sent flying as if it were a joke.

As Sora, who had stopped in her tracks, stood there speechless, her eyes met Haru's as he was thrown back by the recoil and began to fall—

"...Hmph!"

Inspired by her partner, who gave her a V-sign with a mischievous grin, Sora kicked off the ground with both feet and started running again.

This was no time to be dazed—despite Haru's relaxed appearance, it was they who were being cornered with each passing moment.

After taking a blow that would have easily sent a normal boss monster flying, the great serpent's HP had only been slightly chipped. In contrast, Haru's HP bar, which should not have been hit yet, had lost about 10%... and even now, at this very moment, it was steadily decreasing.

"There it is, the second one...!"

Haru's depleting HP, visible in the corner of her vision, was the time limit for this boss battle.

The gimmick of the battle with the [Dusty Worm, Great Serpent of Dust], the task that the players had to complete, was the simple and straightforward one of "destroying all the scales placed within the battle area."

There are a total of seven scales randomly placed within the circular wall of flowing sand. Since they are "placed near the wall" and "are glowing and conspicuous," the difficulty of searching for them is not that high.

However, as each one is destroyed, starting with the transformation of the great serpent from before, the burden placed on the players increases exponentially.

With the first one, a dust cloud that deals continuous damage appears around the great serpent, and with the second one—

"Hmph!"

At Sora's feet, who had just shattered the second scale, the familiar bubbles of sand burst. The girl, who had backstepped in a split second, saw the vicious jaws of a piranha tear through the space in front of her.

It wasn't just one. The next moment, the sandy ground around Sora began to boil all at once.

Sora, who had reflexively left the spot, kicked off the sand in search of her next target, almost screaming at the presence of the countless creatures that had jumped out behind her.

The boss, already difficult to handle, gets stronger, and then a swarm of fangs chases after the insolent one who broke the scales—the battle, which becomes more intense with each move, has only just begun.