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Mortal Combat on the 6th Floor, and the Meaning of Strength – Part 05

Fuck you, Marius.

Any lingering hesitation, regret, or fear had vanished upon reaching the cavern. There was only a burning desire to prove themselves.

“Lord Kinga!”

“Follow me! You can support while casting magic, right?”

“Of course!”

A woman in a sexy outfit—a nun’s habit but markedly different from Sophie’s or Liza’s— with a plunging neckline and thigh-high slits, ran behind Kinga while casting spells.

She wielded a long metal rod resembling a scepter in both hands, each weighing over twenty kilograms. Her magic emitted various lights—red, blue, yellow—all absorbed by herself and Kinga.

Support Magic belonged to the same holy attribute as Healing Magic, but its users were far fewer. Time and mana were limited, and what the faithful mostly demanded from Church personnel was the power of healing.

Support Magic worked great with adventurers or the military, but its effects were limited to a few individuals, making it less popular than Healing Magic as it couldn’t be integrated into large-scale strategies. Sophie, proficient in both, was a rare exception.

However, Kinga Wolf’s cleric specialized in Support Magic. And that wasn’t all.

“Strike after me!” the woman said.

“What? Why?!”

“You saw the battle just now, didn’t you? It’s covered with a magical membrane! If you attack after my spell hits, it should go through.”

“Tch, I see.”

“Let’s move.”

The woman herself could fight. She was a Battle Priestess.

“Here goes!”

Behind her, women wielding staffs unleashed their magic all at once.

Majority of the combatants in Kinga Wolf were women, and most of them were spellcasters specializing in long-range attacks. They were the perfect match against the chimera.

Fast arrows of light flew one after another. It was an intermediate-level fire magic named Rapid Fire. The dim cavern instantly lit up.

But even with their speed, the distance was too great. The chimera jumped sideways to evade.

“Haaah!”

The Battle Priestess arrived and swung her staff at the chimera’s foreleg. There was a strange pop, like a balloon bursting. It was the sound of the magical membrane being dispelled.

“Well done! I’ll treat you nicely later!”

Kinga leaped in from the side like the wind and struck.

“What?!”

But the chimera seemed to anticipate this move and dodged the attack with another sidestep.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

Gerhardt was there, as if anticipating the whole sequence. He held his battle axe high and swung it down. The blow slashed at the chimera’s foreleg, now stripped of its magical membrane.

“Gyaaaah!”

Black smoke spewed out like blood, staining Gerhardt black.

“Woooah!”

He swung his battle axe two, three more times, but by then, the chimera had jumped back.

“The monster can still jump, huh?”

“Hey, you! I don’t care if you’re the leader of Einbiest or whatever, but don’t go stealing my prey!” Kinga lashed out.

“Do that again,” Gerhardt said.

“What?!”

“I need another shot like that. This time, I’ll cut down its leg.”

“…”

Shrouded in pitch-black miasma, Gerhardt smirked, his sharp teeth gleaming in the darkness. His menacing visage left Kinga momentarily speechless.

“Y-You better not slow me down,” Kinga managed.

---

Meanwhile, Marius rejoined his allies. Liza used holy magic to cleanse the two tanks of the miasma.

“Keep those shields up.”

“Huh? Why bother? We’re safe enough from that monster here.”

“Just do it.”

Reluctantly obeying Marius’s firm command, the two raised their shields, while Marius signaled for the other Healer.

As Kinga launched attacks on the chimera, a voice from their group questioned Marius’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“Hey, Marius. Why would you provoke that guy? It’s not like you.”

“You want to know why?”

“Is there something we’re missing?”

“I didn’t want any attention on this.”

“Huh?”

Casting a brief glance backward, Marius received an elemental magic stone from the other Healer and inserted it into the scabbard of the Blue Flash. The scabbard clattered as the sword absorbed the magical energy.

“Hmm? Talking about the magic sword? Everyone knows it’s charged with magic gems.”

It wasn’t just the sword’s name that was well-known, but also its abilities and special characteristics.

“No, that’s not it. I didn’t want the chimera seeing it.”

“What?”

The tanks turned in surprise.

“Are you serious? You stirred up Kinga and his gang just to divert the chimera’s attention? So it doesn’t know the sword’s ability? Hold on. Why are you so wary of the chimera?”

“It’s fine if you don’t get it.” With the magic sword fully charged, Marius rose to his feet. “We have enough gems. Before we run out, the Blue Flash will tear the enemy to pieces. Just like it always has.”

“G-Got it.”

Marius’s true strength lay not in his magic sword or his brawn or his political clout, but in his meticulous planning and caution.

Witnessing it for the first time in a while, the shield bearer felt a shiver run down his spine. He finally realized that to Marius, the chimera wasn’t just another monster. It was an equal, perhaps even superior, adversary. That’s why he didn’t reveal his cards. He prioritized certainty, even if it meant using other adventurer parties.

“That’s the Lord Marius I know,” Liza praised.

“All right, let’s wrap this up,” Marius said.

His comrades echoed their agreement.

---

The Four Eastern Stars, led by Selyse, regrouped.

With the relentless barrage of Rapid Fire, the chimera found itself trapped. Kinga and the Battle Priestess coordinated their attacks, with Gerhardt launching follow-up assaults. Beastmen pulled out their injured comrades, while about ten of them joined the offensive.

Then, the Azure Blade Nebula joined the battle.

“Looks like we won’t have much action,” Sara remarked casually, but Selyse’s expression remained tense.

“Sara, don’t you feel something off?” Selyse asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You usually have a good sense for these things. Do you feel anything in this situation?”

Selyse knew from past experiences that Sara had keen intuition, which was reflected on her level 5 Instinct on the Soul Board.

“What’s bothering you so much?” Sara wondered.

“I want to know if we should retreat or not.”

“What?!” Sara’s eyes widened.

Serika and Sophie wore frowns.

“I was actually already considering retreating if Sophie found the enemy dangerous. And when we saw the advance party fighting, we joined. Right now, we can withdraw with minimal losses. So, I’m weighing whether we should keep fighting.”

“I-I see. Well, I think we can take down that monster,” Sara said.

“Is that so…”

Selyse still harbored doubts, but she trusted Sara’s intuition.

“In that case, let’s keep going. We’ll assist while the injured soldiers fall back.”

“Got it!”

“Affirmative!”

“Let’s go with that.”

Selyse wondered why she was so uneasy. For now, she decided to take action.

They were cornering the chimera. This plan should work.

Even if this didn’t reduce the number of monsters on the surface, killing this vicious creature would eliminate a significant threat from the outside world.

I don’t think a chimera of this size can leave the dungeon. There’s only a few narrow passages.

Selyse contemplated the possibility but dismissed it with a shake of her head. There might be passages they didn’t know about, and entertaining hypotheticals would breed hesitation. A single misstep in such a critical moment could lead to death.

For now, let’s focus on taking down this monster. We can see a path to victory. Even Sara believes we can handle it.

Selyse glanced at the chimera as she assisted in transporting the injured.

As the chimera retreated from the magical onslaught, shrinking in size, a gap opened between the front and rear units, allowing them to move the wounded safely.

“Oh, no!” Serika cried.

“What’s the matter?”

“They’re too far. They can’t protect the mages!”

Before Selyse could respond, movement at the frontline caught her eye.

---

Marius sensed it. They were pushing the chimera to its limits.

Black miasma seeped from all over its body, evidence of the damage it was receiving. It moved slower now. Marius was astounded at the success of their strategy and the cunning of the chimera.

The beast had several opportunities to strike back. The Beastmen moved rashly, and sometimes Kinga stepped too far ahead. But each time, Marius maneuvered himself differently and avoided disaster. He would pretend to use the Blue Flash, forcing the chimera to take evasive action instead of attacking. It was wary of Marius and his sword.

After Kinga joined the battle, they hadn’t suffered significant casualties, while the chimera continued taking on damage.

We can do this. We can bring it down even without using the Blue Flash.

Marius proceeded cautiously, opting to wear down the chimera gradually rather than swiftly ending it with his weapon. It was a simple yet solid strategy.

If necessary, he could still turn to the Blue Flash. He had enough magic stones in reserve, a fact that provided some reassurance.

But in battle, there’s no such thing as security, only complacency. When you’re certain of victory, that’s when you leave yourself vulnerable.

Just when victory seemed within reach, a vulnerability emerged.

“Hah! Take that, and that! Clear the path for me!” Kinga charged.

“Press forward! For our fallen comrades!” the Beastmen roared.

“Keep up the barrage!”

Spells rained down from the distance.

Marius was keeping the chimera in check during crucial moments. He gained a sense of omnipotence as he controlled the entire situation. But then, Gerhardt’s expression suddenly shifted.

“Stop! Fall back!” he roared.

The Beastmen froze, but Kinga charged ahead.

“What, feeling jealous because I stole the show, Chief?”

“It’s a trap!”

But it was too late.

The chimera shrieked. It bent down and, using its body like a spring, leaped. It cleared their hands, landing behind the vanguard.

There was a gap. Nothing obstructed the space between the chimera and the mages.