Anime: Start by Being a Desperado! (Danmachi+Rakudai Kishi)

Chapter 52: Spartoi!

Chapter 52: Spartoi!

The battle continued on.

Finding her attack ineffective, Ais kicked off Udaeus's bone armor, trying to distance herself from the monster.

To her surprise, the seemingly immobile Floor Boss made no attempt to stop her retreat.

In the next instant, a jet-black pillar shot up from the ground where Ais was about to land, like a spear thrusting upwards.

"Damn it!" Trapped mid-air, Ais had no way to evade the incoming attack.

Crack—

Suddenly, the black pillar was sliced in half, and instead of the expected impact, Ais found herself falling into someone's arms.

"Don't rush in alone," Shiro chided gently, setting her back on her feet and lightly flicking her forehead.

"Sorry..." Ais mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"Do you need me to imbue your sword with magic?" Shiro offered.

Udaeus's most troublesome traits were its incredible defense and the deadly spikes it could summon from the ground.

Shiro's ability could negate the monster's defense, making it vulnerable to a single, decisive blow from Ais.

Ais weighed the options for a moment before shaking her head.

Ranking up required accumulating enough "great feats," essentially high-level experience points.

Defeating the Floor Boss through such a "cheat" would likely yield minimal rewards.

So, if she wants to become stronger, she will have to overcome this hurdle on her own without anyone's help.

"ROAR!!!"

Udaeus's roar interrupted their conversation.

Two black spears erupted from the ground beneath them.

Ais leaned back, narrowly dodging the spear that grazed her ear and disheveled her blond hair.

Shiro opted for a more direct approach, simply slicing the spear aimed at his face in two with a downward swing of his sword.

More spikes emerged from the ground, forming an endless forest of blades that forced Ais and Shiro to retreat in opposite directions.

This was the reason why Udaeus couldn't be defeated by sheer numbers.

While only its upper body was visible, its lower half was far from inactive.

Like the roots of a giant tree, Udaeus's bones were deeply embedded throughout the hall, creating a deadly minefield of spears.

Any attempt to escape would be met with a wall of black spikes blocking the exits.

The spears, launched with surprising speed and precision, relentlessly targeted the two adventurers.

Surrounded by a growing forest of black pillars, their only path forward was towards Udaeus itself.

Ais, with her superior speed, reached the monster first and engaged in close combat.

While the surrounding traps of spears were a nuisance, Udaeus's direct attacks were even more formidable.

With a single downward swing of its massive hand, Udaeus pulverized a cluster of spears, the shockwave leveling the surrounding ground.

"[Tempest!]" Ais barely managed to evade the attack and immediately invoked a more powerful magic, its intensity causing her muscles to ache.