“……Huh?”

At the moment Alec and the others were about to reach the boss, my vision suddenly began to spin.

It wasn’t like I planned to move in such a way, and it didn’t seem like the 【Floating Orb】 had gone haywire either.

What the heck is going on…?

I noticed the sensation of earth beneath my hands and feet. Normally, I’m always floating, and my hands or feet rarely come into contact with anything. Bewildered, I looked around and—

“Huh!?”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

I’m on the ground.
And not just that—I’ve fallen from the 【Floating Orb】 as well.

“Wha… what…!? Aaaahhh…”

As I flailed in confusion, I luckily spotted the 【Floating Orb】 nearby.
It wasn’t far—it had just rolled behind me.

Still, it had been ages since I’d set foot on the dungeon floor. The situation caught me off guard, and I panicked for a moment.

“Princess, are you alright?”

After clinging to the 【Floating Orb】 and regaining my composure, Teresa rushed over to me.

“I’ve got a few scrapes here and there, but I’m fine. …What just happened?”

Looking around, I noticed that I was about ten meters away from where I originally was.
The 【Amber Shield】 remained intact, but the 【Wind Cloak】 had been torn.

Did I get attacked without realizing it?

“That.”

Teresa pointed toward something.

“…It’s flying.”

To be precise, it was floating. The boss mantis, with a massive hole in its abdomen, was flapping its wings, scattering bodily fluids while hovering in midair.

That hole must have been from Zighart’s magic. Judging by its unsteady movements, it must be taking damage, but… it’s still alive?
Even though it’s being bombarded by magic, it’s blocking the attacks with its forearms.

“When it spread its wings, it released a massive burst of magic. At the same time, you were blown backward, Princess. Neither I nor Fiora felt anything, but perhaps the 【Wind Cloak】 absorbed the impact. The three front-liners seemed shaken by it, though they’ve recovered. Fiora and Zighart are keeping it in check now.”

“I see…”

So that was the impact. I must’ve been caught off guard, and while the 【Wind Cloak】 absorbed some of it, it ultimately failed, sending me flying.
How frustrating…

“If you’re unhurt, we should rejoin the others. We can’t predict what might happen next, and staying apart is risky.”

The male team’s strategy was to engage the boss directly while we stayed at a distance as a contingency plan.
But since the unexpected happened, it’s clear we need to adjust.

“Got it. Let’s go!”

I couldn’t make sense of it from here anyway. For now, we’ll regroup!

◇

“How’s it going?”

After reuniting, I asked Alec, who was standing idly, something unusual given his usual role on the frontlines.

“Sera? You were blown away, but are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. What about the situation here? Looks chaotic…”

He seemed to have witnessed my dramatic exit.
As curious as I was to know how I looked flying away, I urged him to explain the current state of affairs instead.

“As you can see, it’s still moving despite its condition. Zighart’s magic is pinning it in place for now, but we’re debating whether to wait for it to exhaust itself or find another way to finish it off.”

“The burst of magic triggered it?”

“Probably. Thankfully, the monsters here aren’t too powerful, so the three of them are managing for now.”

As Alec answered Teresa, his gaze shifted farther into the distance.

“It’s turning into quite the spectacle…”

I followed his gaze and saw it too.
The monsters I had paralyzed earlier were moving again.

It seems the magic burst acted like a stimulant, nullifying the paralysis from 【Purple Wings】. The toxin from 【Purple Wings】 is meant to paralyze rather than poison, so I suppose such an effect is possible.
We’ve inadvertently discovered a countermeasure to 【Purple Wings】’ paralysis.

More importantly, the monsters are now converging near the boss. Just like the Giant Apes earlier, they might be consumed by it.
The idea of the boss regenerating after such severe damage is chilling.

Recognizing the threat, Luban and Fiora were clearing out the monsters with magic, while August handled those that slipped through their barrage.

Zighart continued to restrain the boss, preventing it from moving toward its prey. Alec stood ready to shield him in case it shifted its focus.

“The boss is being held at bay, but the others are starting to struggle. Can you lend a hand?”

Fiora and Luban seemed to be expending more magic than usual. While Zighart appeared fine, he might have to deal with both the boss and the stragglers soon.

“Understood. Princess, shall we?”

“Yes, let’s go!”

It made sense for us to help.

“Alec, do you want to use a bow?”

Before heading off, I showed Alec the hair ring holding back my hair. With it, he could fire arrows to support Zighart from a distance.

“…No, better not. I need my hands free for emergencies. You should use it to provide support when you see an opening.”

“Got it! Let’s do this.”

With renewed determination, Teresa and I circled around the boss to assist the others.
It’s been a long battle since we reached these lower levels. Let’s finish this once and for all.

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

Sera ・【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Cloak】・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee’s Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・3 cards

Seriana ・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards
Alec ・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・5 cards