Frozen-Flame War Fortress (1)

"Hey, what the hell is going on? I never heard anything about this!"

"I-I don't know! This is the first time anything like this has happened to us, too!"

"I know it's hard to believe, but trust us! Please!"

Though the possibility was slim, I questioned them because I thought we might have been deceived. However, judging from Mac and Pop's tone, the blocked exit had apparently been completely unexpected for them as well. If this was all an act, then both of them should pursue careers as actors.

But why had this situation occurred? Two possible causes immediately came to mind. The first was that we had entered through the two entrances at the same time. The second was that we had positioned ourselves so that the boss was caught between us. Regardless of which was responsible, it was not as though we could escape this situation, so I decided not to think about it any further. There was no point.

"I understand. The question is what we do now... It looks like the boss is here."

While we were discussing the situation, the boss crawled up from the gaping hole in the center of the boss area. What emerged amid deep, earth-shaking thuds was a gigantic skeleton monster.

In appearance, it resembled a Great Bone Mount. However, its size was on an entirely different scale. Its enormous body was shaped like a hemisphere with a radius of roughly twenty meters. If its entire body was made of bones, I could not even imagine how many monsters' skeletons had been used as materials.

Six grotesque appendages that appeared to be arms and legs extended radially from that mass of bones. Each had three or four hooked claws, and I assumed it had used them to catch onto the walls and climb out of the hole.

It radiated cold throughout its body, and frost grew from the surface of its bones like spikes. The chill of the mist drifting all the way to my position made it clear that this frost was no empty threat and that the temperature was genuinely extremely low.

――――――――――

Race: Great Bone War Fortress Lv81

Job: War Fortress Lv1

Skill: 【Super Vitality Enhancement】

【Super Strength Enhancement】

【Super Defense Enhancement】

【Super Mental Enhancement】

【Freeform Transformation】

【Bone Absorption】

【Bone Manipulation】

【Bone Source Extraction】

【Split-Body Generation】

【Ice Bone】

【Flame Bone】

【Shatter Shot】

【Bone Storage】

【Status Ailment Immunity】

【Physical Resistance】

【Magical Resistance】

【Light-Attribute Vulnerability】

――――――――――

Great Bone War Fortress... Actually using 【Appraisal】 made its formidable durability clear. Its vitality and defense were enhanced, and it was resistant to both physical and magical attacks. It was inevitable that breaking apart this mountain of bones would become a very long battle.

"Giggigigigi..."

"What do we do?"

"What else can we do? If we cannot escape, then we have no choice but to fight. However, I do not know whether we will be able to coordinate properly with you. Therefore, let us maneuver so that the three parties surround it from three directions."

We had not encountered a single battle on the way to the boss area with Mac's group, so we had no idea how they fought. Entrusting our backs to one another without knowing each other's methods would only make both sides uneasy.

That was why I suggested splitting up into three forces and making use of the spacious boss area. I was also concerned about dividing our strength, but it would be a bigger problem if we got in one another's way instead of coordinating.

"...All right. But we've run away from it plenty of times. I don't even know whether we can hold its attention properly."

"Don't worry. Jigoro over there will..."

"Heeere I goooooo!!!"

Before I could explain the plan to Mac and the others, Jigoro, apparently unable to hold himself back any longer, charged at the Great Bone War Fortress. The Great Bone War Fortress fired bones at bullet-like speed toward the charging Jigoro. He ran in zigzags to evade them while closing the distance, then wrapped his legs in flame and struck it with a flying kick.

A dull cracking sound reached us, and Jigoro immediately retreated. When he returned near Eiji and the others, I could see that he wore a smile that could only be described as vicious.

He must have felt the impact and thought that, while it was not an opponent he could defeat easily, he would be able to enjoy the life-or-death battle he desired. Even though he was my brother in all but name, I still could not understand his desire to fight an opponent so powerful that he might not be able to win.

"I-Is your companion a monster...?"

"Izamu, I shall go as well."

Mac's group could not hide their astonishment at Jigoro's fighting style. All of them could do nothing but stare at him in a daze. I understood their feelings all too well, since even Iris and I, who had known him the longest, were sometimes surprised by him.

However, Genjuro, who was also a Battle Junkie, seemed to have been inspired by what he saw. He looked as though he was itching to charge in immediately. Of course, we would join the battle as well, but for now, I wanted to leave things to Jigoro and the others for just a little longer.

"Wait a moment. Gen... no, Ruby, I want you to take everyone over there."

"What about you, Izamu?"

"I'll stay with Mac and the others for a little while. I'll join you soon, so start fighting—but don't overdo it."

"Got it! Come on, everyone!"

I asked Ruby to act as leader solely because she was the only one who could rein in Genjuro if he ran wild. Ruby cheerfully answered and led the others to the designated location.

Now, why had I remained here? There were two things I needed to ask before the battle began.

"Mac, I have a question. Does anyone here know how to use 【Enchantment】?"

"Me! I can use it."

"That takes care of that. Now, is there anyone who can use 【Soul Arts】?"

"【Soul Arts】? What's that?"

As I expected. Not only could they not use 【Soul Arts】, they did not even know it existed. This was understandable. 【Soul Arts】 was a Skill that could only be acquired by priest-type Jobs—specifically, by priests who served Eefa-sama.

Apparently, there were no priests among Mac's group. That was one reason they had no choice but to flee whenever the boss's attacks intensified. 【Healing Arts】, the primary reason players chose priest-type Jobs, only dealt damage when used on Undead, and Undead could not learn it in the first place. That was probably why no players had chosen to become priests.

Now I understood Mac's circumstances. Good. My role in this battle was decided.

"I won't go into detail, but 【Soul Arts】 is magic that can heal even Undead. I'll cast it on everyone, so once I'm finished, I want Mac's group to go in the opposite direction from Ruby's party."

"I understand the part about surrounding it... But you really know a lot of things, don't you?"

"It's nothing special—just the result of a great deal of trial and error. Now, I'll cast 【Soul Arts】."

I felt a little self-conscious under Mac's admiring gaze as I cast Great Soul Heal through 【Soul Arts】. After finishing with everyone, I headed over to Jigoro and the others. There, Jigoro and the others were charging out one at a time and pounding the boss with their fists and kicks, while Eiji's group fought in coordination. They seemed to be letting them do whatever they wanted.

"Oh, Your Majesty!"

"I don't know what's going on, but we'll join you."

"Count on it. I came to cast 【Enchantment】."

Nenashi spoke in an unnecessarily grand manner, while Mikero spoke politely and closed several of the eyes in his cluster. Even while talking, the two continued attacking with vines and demonic eyes.

Eiji blocked the hail of bones with his great shield and knocked away the legs as they swung at them. Mott-san appeared behind him, closed in, and shredded the bones with his wings and claws. Then Nanako's summoned beasts charged in, creating an opening for Mott-san to withdraw. It was truly impressive coordination.

I could not help smiling wryly at the fact that Jigoro was not part of that coordination. They had probably decided that he would demonstrate his abilities better if they let him do as he pleased rather than forcing him into their formation. It was a bold strategy.

"Hnnngh! Much appreciated!"

"Who leads this party?"

"Mott-san does, boss!"

While casting 【Enchantment】 on everyone, I asked who was in charge. I had suspected it was Mott-san, and apparently I had been right. Eiji, Nanako, and Mikero were probably also capable of leading, but with this group, Mott-san was the natural choice.

"Mott-san, I propose that our party, your party, and Mac's party surround it from three directions. What do you think?"

"I see. That sounds good. We'll need to pay close attention to our positioning and movements, but we'll make it work."

"That would help a lot!"

Once I finished casting 【Enchantment】, I flew off again and rejoined Genjuro and the others. I quickly applied the buffs from 【Enchantment】 and the constant healing from 【Soul Arts】.

I had only been away for a short time, but some of them had taken heavy damage. Surprisingly, Genjuro was one of them.

"Grandpa, aren't you being a little too aggressive!?"

"Ho ho ho. No, I never expected flames to spurt out from the cut."

When I returned, one of the Great Bone War Fortress's legs had just been cut off. Genjuro was, of course, responsible, but flames had roared from the severed stump like a flamethrower.

In other words, Genjuro had been injured when he was showered with flames as he cut through it. His hard exoskeleton had been scorched, leaving it discolored and warped in places. His vitality had fallen to just under half, making it unquestionably a serious injury.

He had 【Fire-Attribute Vulnerability】, but training with shoddy talismans had allowed him to overcome it. If he had still possessed 【Fire-Attribute Vulnerability】, that attack might have killed him instantly. His steady efforts had saved him from certain death.

Ruby and Shifune were currently holding the front line, while Shio and Wool attacked from the rear. As Genjuro tried to recover with a potion, I immediately cast 【Soul Arts】 on him to heal him.

"Be careful, Genjuro. You are the greatest source of physical damage in our party."

"There is no need to worry. It won't happen again... However, I thank you for your concern."

After slowly recovering to just over sixty percent vitality, Genjuro once again gripped his swords and stood up. He opened his forewings and beat his hind wings, then resumed attacking with three swords. Perhaps reflecting on his mistake, he seemed to be maneuvering more cautiously and taking care not to suffer any further damage.

With Genjuro's return to the front line, Ruby and Shifune had some breathing room, so they withdrew, and I immediately cast 【Soul Arts】 on them. Since they had to close in to attack, avoiding every bone fired at them in retaliation seemed difficult, and both of them had lost a significant amount of vitality.

"Sorry I'm late. I'll heal and buff you right away."

"Thanks! And I'm sorry I couldn't stop Grandpa!"

"No, don't apologize. Stopping Genjuro after he got fired up by watching Jigoro's rampage was probably impossible from the outset."

"He's so energetic! That's a good thing!"

Shifune and I reassured the apologetic Ruby. However, after her grandfather's boundless vitality was praised, Ruby seemed unsure whether she should be happy or embarrassed. Her Slime body jiggled and changed shape irregularly, revealing her inner turmoil. Like Iris, she was highly expressive despite having no face.

"Ah, haha... More importantly, do you think this Union can win? I think it'll be tough, personally..."

"All we can do is make every effort to ensure that we win. To that end, I will probably have to fly around supporting all three parties."

My role in this boss battle was to provide precise support to the three parties. It was something only I could do, thanks to my many magical Skills and the numerous options at my disposal.

The boss possessed 【Light-Attribute Vulnerability】, so I believed I could contribute offensively as well. However, we had enough attacking power, so focusing on support would be better for the group as a whole.

We lacked information about the boss, and as expected, we had ended up facing an opponent above our level. But I was already accustomed to fighting stronger opponents. Let us tear down this mountain of bones together!