The beam fired from the bow struck the back of the boss mantis, which was lazily hovering in the air, without missing its target.

Well, ideally, it would have hit only one of its wings and caused it to fall… but I don’t have that kind of skill!

In any case, the power of my prized 【Danrem’s Thread】 hit directly. No matter how tough it was… or how much it tried to deflect my magic, it was hit while in a cracked state. It’s not going to end well for it… right?

“Hmm…?”

The boss mantis staggered and began to fall after the direct hit. As it fell, I could see its entire exoskeleton shedding. It had been dropping bits here and there before, but now it was peeling off all at once, like a car’s front windshield shattering… all at once.

After it fell, I had planned to turn it into a punching bag and peel off the exoskeleton after taking it down… but this wasn’t what I had expected. It seems the boss, suffering from fall damage, was unable to pay attention to me, the source of its troubles, and was struggling on the ground.

Its belly had a huge hole, and its legs weren’t moving properly, so it’s no wonder.

But… this is a chance!

I manipulated the 【Floating Orb】 and quickly closed the distance to the boss mantis.

Whether it had its exoskeleton or not, in its best condition, it wouldn’t be affected. But, continuing to deal damage little by little, with Zighart’s massive strike added, I was sure it would work. Perhaps the defensive abilities had weakened, whether due to magical enhancement or other reasons.

Now’s the time!

With the exoskeleton peeled off, its dull-colored body surface was exposed. Though it was long, its width and thickness weren’t too remarkable. It was said the core was in the chest, so the 【Shadow Sword】 should reach it… but I’m aiming for this!

“Hah!”

I swung my right arm toward the back of its neck.

While spinning, I passed over it, unable to see the result, but I didn’t feel it deflecting. Instead, there was a sensation of cutting through something transmitted to my fingertips.

“Hehe…”

This is it, isn’t it…?

When I turned around, I saw the boss mantis, now headless, collapsing onto the ground. The severed head rolled some distance away…

“I did it—!”

I raised both arms and shouted loudly, reporting my victory so that not only Zighart and the others nearby but also those fighting at a distance would hear. Oh no… I should have shouted something cooler like “I’ve slain it!”

Though the monsters over there were still numerous, the power-up from the Demon King species was now gone, and their coordination should break down. Once that happens, the others will finish them off. Then we’ll collect the remains and retreat from the dungeon.

While thinking about the post-battle situation, I suddenly heard Alec’s sharp voice.

“Seria!”

“Huh?”

I let out a sluggish voice and was about to turn around to see what was happening when something rushed at me from the edge of my vision. Then came the sensation of being hit and the sound of something hard cracking.

Something had broken through my 【Wind Garment】 and 【Amber Shield】.

“W-w-wha—…”

Having experienced it once before, I quickly activated the skills again without panicking, but… what was it…?

I turned to look at the source of the attack and saw the headless mantis flailing its scythe around.

“Ah… wha…”

Insects are certainly resilient, but this much? Even in my past life, I’ve had instances where I missed the kill and the head was crushed, but they kept moving… but to this extent? Is it because it’s a Demon King species…?

“Hah!”

As I froze in place, stunned by the abnormality, Alec rushed over and struck the mantis’s legs, following up with another attack to its chest and the base of its abdomen.

“…It stopped moving, huh?”

The headless boss mantis, which had been moving around, finally stopped after those two hits. Its legs were broken, and its body was torn halfway… I suppose this was enough to stop it from moving.

But… even though its exoskeleton was gone, Alec’s strength…

I know this well from kicking and slashing it myself. The 【Shadow Sword】 isn’t quite the same as a physical attack, but the mantis’s body was still tough, even without its exoskeleton. Alec just kept pummeling it with tremendous force… even with 【Strong Strike】 and 【Prayer】, the destruction was unimaginable.

“Hey, you good?”

The one asking was Zighart, who had come over in Alec’s place and was still keeping an eye on the downed boss mantis.

“Yeah. I was surprised, though.”

“I never expected it to keep moving without a head… Ah, looks like it’s finally dead now.”

He grinned and opened his right hand to show it to me.

“Yeah.”

I also opened my right hand and showed him. It was a Holy Coin.

Normally, only the person who delivers the final blow gets to determine if it’s theirs, but just like with the mid-tier boss monkeys, when a Demon King species is defeated in the dungeon, it seems the coin is given to everyone involved. Now that Alec had gotten his coin, he finally relaxed. He slung his shield over his back and walked over, showing me the Holy Coin he was holding in his left hand.

The sounds of fighting in the distance were gradually decreasing, so it looks like the boss fight is finally over.

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

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

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