“Step back, all of you. I’ll handle this.”

As the ogre-like horde approached, Alec and the others moved forward to confront them, but Zighart, with intricate patterns shimmering around his mouth, stopped them.

“I want to gauge the strength of the monsters in this area… Might even lure something out with light. Sera, close your eyes for now, alright?”

He turned to her momentarily, adding this instruction.

“…Okay.”

Ah, he’s planning to use his flashy move.

【Dragon’s Lungs】.
Despite being a prized ability granted to him, Zighart rarely used it, seemingly satisfied after employing it once. Whether against Cymodoki or during the previous boss fight, he had it equipped but never used it—until now. The fact that he activated 【Dragon’s Lungs】 this time likely indicated he was going all out. Though the power supposedly doesn’t change, the frequency of its use might.

I wanted to watch, but having previously witnessed a blinding attack head-on, I reluctantly decided to forgo the spectacle. The monsters were closing in, so I obediently shut my eyes and covered them with my hands.

“Here I go… Light, come forth!”

“?!”

With those words, Zighart unleashed his magic.

A faint stinging sensation spread across my skin—was it heat or magical energy?

“Aaahhh…!”

The delayed sound of impact followed, confirming it wasn’t just a single shot. Two, three, four blasts… Zighart continued firing relentlessly, and the roaring sounds and heat didn’t subside. Though he mentioned using light to lure monsters, the overwhelming noise seemed to take precedence.

“Whoa…!”

I kept my eyes tightly shut, my hands still covering them. In the pitch darkness, the barrage of destruction sounded like unending thunder, accompanied by waves of heat. Even knowing it was an ally’s magic, the sheer intensity was terrifying.

Despite this, I managed to remain grounded, crouching atop the hovering 【Floating Orb】 that seemed to react automatically to the chaos. Perhaps I was improving in handling such situations.

As I marveled at my growth, I noticed the sounds had stopped. Had he taken them all out? Given the onslaught, it would be shocking if anything had survived. Toward the end, I didn’t even feel the heat—was Zighart holding back?

“Is it over?”

“Yes, it’s done. The monsters here don’t seem drawn to light or sound… or maybe it wasn’t enough?”

Fiora’s response came from directly behind me, startlingly close. I turned to find her gripping the end of the Cymodoki belt I wore.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure you didn’t wander off somewhere. You looked ready to bolt.”

“…Thanks.”

Apparently, I’d unconsciously tried to flee, but Fiora kept me in place. Wandering blindly in a dungeon could have been disastrous.

“Be sure to thank Teresa too. She stood as a shield in front of you.”

Realizing this, I glanced at Teresa, who had moved from beside me to stand protectively ahead. The heat I’d stopped feeling midway must have been because of her intervention.

“Thank you, Teresa.”

“Think nothing of it. I’m also Her Highness’s bodyguard, after all.”

She dismissed it lightly, smiling.

“More importantly, Sir Zighart and the others have returned. It seems they’ve left no stragglers.”

The male members of our group had ventured out to confirm the kills and clean up. Surveying the battlefield, I winced at the devastation. The slope, initially a few meters higher than our position, had been leveled to nearly the same height. Without even constructing footholds, Zighart had blasted through the terrain entirely. It seemed unlikely any remains—monster cores included—would have survived such destruction.

As they returned, none carried any artifacts. Perhaps they had been destroyed in the assault or buried in the rubble.

“Prioritizing speed for this test run worked out. At this level, I can handle them on my own,” Zighart declared. “Fiora, want to take the next round?”

“You’re more suited for flashy work, and if it doesn’t drain you, there’s no need to switch. Repeated attempts might even attract our target monster.”

“Fair enough. I’ll keep handling them for now. Everyone okay with that?”

The group nodded in agreement.

“By the way,” Zighart continued, “there’s a dense cluster of monsters deeper in. They’re farther from the wall, so once we progress a bit, I’d like to start firing from there. Thoughts?”

This man… he still had energy to spare.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Seria – 【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】 【Blessing of Mira】 【Wind Garb】 ・ 【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 【Fairy’s Eye】 【Dragon’s Lung】 【Amber Sword】 【Danrem’s Thread】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Feather】 ・ 3 cards

Seriana – 【Area Detection】 ・ 【】 ・ 28 cards
Elena – 【】 ・ 【Green Fang】 【Amber Sword】 ・ 3 cards
Alec – 【Strong Strike】 ・ 【Red Shield】 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・ 5 cards