BOOM—!!!
A thunderous crash echoed through the narrow tunnel. Mash raised her shield in front of her, blocking the attack of the massive creature before them.
"Miss Carmilla! Miss Xuanzang!"
After deflecting the attack, Mash shouted and swung her shield fiercely to the side, smashing it into the thing's leg. The blow made the monster stagger, and it finally let out a howl of pain.
It was a humanoid "creature," exceptionally tall—at least three times the height of a person. It had been waiting in one of the dungeon's halls, and now that it had been awakened, it had marked Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others as targets.
Though the scepter was heavy and sharp, it simply could not inflict effective damage on this thing. Carmilla once again raised her Iron Maiden in hand, whirling it with a howl of wind.
"Yah—!"
Xuanzang nimbly circled around the monster's front and struck the back of its knee with her monk's staff. The creature dropped to its knees, and Mash and Carmilla seized the opportunity, attacking its head fiercely from the front and rear.
BAM!!!
A heavy, muffled impact rang out. The monster's arms dangled limply at its sides, and after Mash moved her shield away and landed back on the ground, it toppled over to one side.
"The hostile unit has been incapacitated, Master. We succeeded." Letting out a breath, Mash nodded at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"Tōta, come on out! Your master was worried sick about you." Xuanzang trotted cheerfully toward the cell, as if she had not come to a dungeon to rescue someone, but on a spring outing.
"Ah, you have my thanks. That was truly a swift and deadly strike. Such skill is no simple thing." The man who emerged from the cell wore a bright smile as he praised