Normally, if an explosion goes off inside your mouth, you die. But the opponent was a Great Demon; I couldn't expect such an obvious conclusion.

For that reason, I prepared for the next move even with the thick mist blooming around us. And the form of that 'preparation' was to gather magical energy into my sword so I could counterattack whatever situation arose.

BWOOOOOOM!

[Damn human!!]

'What a persistent bastard.'

See? I knew this would happen. If it ended like this, the title of Great Demon would weep; as if he'd just roll over and die for me.

Of course, my hope was that Moby Dick would just cry and leave. But there was no way a Great Demon would obediently grant my wish.

Moby Dick ultimately surged up from the mist. The range was so wide that by the time I noticed it, it was impossible to dodge.

"Keugh!"

I heard the sound of Kimchi Dumpling coughing up blood from behind. It must have been caused by the whale shattering dozens of layers of barriers as it ascended.

But my own neck was on the line. I wasn't in a position to worry about Kimchi Dumpling.

Because with the barriers shattered, all that lay beneath me was thin air, and further below that, Moby Dick's open mouth.

"Demon Knight!"

[I will swallow you whole and digest you!]

My body plummeted downward.

"Tsk."

Still, I couldn't just take it lying down. That was why I gathered the magical energy in the first place.

'Slash him.'

Thus, I launched the magical energy I had previously gathered as an incredibly narrow and precise sword strike.

SLASH! A black half-moon blade of magical energy swept right through the whale that had brought the deep sea into the sky. Though whether it truly cut through, or just gave it a shallow nick, was yet to be seen.

FLAP!

Anyway, after slashing the whale like that, I was swallowed by its giant mouth.

Ah, I hadn't gone past its throat and its mouth was still open, so maybe 'swallowed' wasn't quite the right word?

Still, it was all the same that this was not a very good situation for me. Despite my certainty that I cut it, the sword strike seemed ineffective as there was no sign of it being sliced, and I was still falling.

But I couldn't just sit back and take it. In a final struggle, I stabbed my sword into the whale's smooth, damp tongue that didn't have a single bump on it.

However, whether because of my weight or the flesh being too soft, rather than embedding and anchoring itself, the blade sliced through the skin and dragged straight down.

What was worse, the whale was so massive that I couldn't even wedge myself between the roof of its mouth and its tongue to stop my fall. The distance was so vast that my feet couldn't reach.

In that case, was I bound to just helplessly fall down that abyssal throat?

Even if I went inside, I could probably torment Moby Dick by viciously carving out his flesh... but it was still better to torment him from the outside if possible. And diving from a 4,000-meter altitude afterward was a bit concerning, too.

But the die had already been cast.

Rather than despairing at the situation, I pledged to messily tear apart his flesh so the Great Demon would die in absolute agony, and tumbled down his throat.

BUBBLE, BUBBLE.

Suddenly, it was at that very moment that the sword strike I had launched earlier took effect, creating an opening.

A bright gray line was drawn across both sides before it split wide open, widening the gap even further.

[Y-You bastard, you finally...]

At the same time, everything around me began to violently froth with bubbles like boiling water. As if everything was about to turn into water.

The internal organs, the bones, the flesh, everything.

[To finally make me...]

And the instant all of it transformed into water droplets melting into the void, light seeped into the utterly dark surroundings, and the sky came into view.

"Demon Knight!"

"Hahaha, comrade. I got you!"

Right after that, my body was suddenly grabbed and hugged by something.

I panicked and almost slashed it, but thanks to seeing platinum blonde hair first, I barely managed to stop myself.

The Berserker's arm held my body firmly, and then the Inquisitor hanging on her back emitted a bright light.

THUD!

Our bodies rolled across the suddenly formed barrier of divine power.

Because the Berserker let go at the perfect timing, I avoided the fate of being crushed under the Berserker (who looked well over 100 kg given her physique) and the Inquisitor (who definitely topped 100 kg with her armor).

I survived.

"W-We succeeded, Berserker!"

"See! Didn't I tell you we could do it, Priest!"

I picked myself up right beside the Berserker and the Inquisitor.

My entire body ached from free-falling for dozens of meters and suddenly crashing into an incredibly flat divine power barrier. I was just lucky I didn't get a concussion.

But a saved life is a saved life. I scanned my surroundings without a word of complaint.

First, I had to figure out what happened to that guy, that damn Moby Dick.

"The demon is..."

Wait, where the hell did that bastard go?

I searched for Moby Dick, fully aware of the rapidly gathering clouds and the static electricity sparking all around, making the hair on my body stand on end.

Unfortunately, the form of the giant whale was nowhere to be seen.

"The wind has... gotten stronger."

"Is it a storm?"

However, just as the Berserker said, it seemed a storm was coming. In this place where the barriers were our only footholds, meaning there was nothing to stab our weapons into or hold onto to endure it.

Our hair and clothes flapped wildly in the wind, still frozen solid. I could almost hear a crackling sound.

[Yes. Taking it easy in dealing with the Hero and you was truly my mistake.]

Just then, a gloomy voice echoed from within the gathering dark clouds.

Raindrops went tap, tap, striking our cheeks and bodies. Given the altitude, they were closer to ice pellets, but let's just gloss over that.

[So, I will not hold back anymore.]

However, the slowly gathering storm clouds eventually covering the sky above our heads was not something we could take lightly.

A merman poked his head out from the ink-black clouds. Because of that, the mass of clouds where the merman was looked exactly like an upside-down sea.

[I will absolutely not die alone.]

Amidst this, the merman fluttering his fins and decorative cloths made his declaration. Eyes roughly twice the size of my head stared squarely at us.

The silver pupils within his black sclera gleamed wickedly like a snake's.

A groan was naturally swallowed down my throat.

[Let us see how long you can hold out.]

Wow, seriously. So that's Moby Dick's transformed state? And a form change means he's entered his second or third phase?

But wasn't he a bit too big to praise with a 'Wow, great character design'? Acting like he's about to throw a spear even larger than his own body is just crossing the line.

[Die.]

Furthermore, the moment that spear was thrown, it was even wrapped in lightning.

Judging purely by its appearance, the spear slowly descending toward our position was nothing short of divine judgment.

"This demon bastard..."

"I will pave a path!"

Regardless, we had to dodge that. And there was only one way to evade it: running outside its range.

Thus, the Inquisitor hurriedly expanded the barrier in one direction. They say real combat is the best training, and her skill at handling the divine power barriers seemed to be growing by leaps and bounds.

However, as it has always been, the Inquisitor was not a speed-based fighter. No matter how slow the spear's descent was, her pace made it far too close for comfort.

"Ha, let's run!"

"I-I can run too!"

"You're too slow, Priest!"

"...!"

And so, the Berserker ran with her slung over her shoulder, while I took the lead.

GROWL.

But to make matters worse, deep-sea monsters began raining down. Even in the corners where the Inquisitor hadn't set up barriers.

Even without barriers, they stepped on the clouds spread out right below us instead. No, they swam through them.

Then they targeted the path of the barriers or climbed onto them to aim at us.

It was annoying as hell.

"These petty pests are making such a fuss!"

"These bugs..."

I left the monsters in the rear to the Berserker—though I wondered what the hell was up with her physical strength to be able to carry a person in full plate armor with a large shield on one side while violently swinging a halberd with the other—and wildly fired off magical spears.

It didn't work on bosses with huge HP pools, but since magical spears were a useful attack against these trash mobs, dozens of them were swept away in an instant.

And just when we thought we had finally escaped the spear's range, the spear embedded itself right into the mist below.

The clouds, pushed aside like soft cream, instantly absorbed the lightning with a crackle and flashed brilliantly. Thunder boomed with a deafening rumble.

"Keugh."

However, it didn't end as a mere visual effect.

When the thunder spread out loudly in all directions, it also whipped against the barriers located right above the clouds.

Thanks to the Inquisitor giving it her all, they barely avoided shattering. But she couldn't avoid taking the blow herself.

Kimchi Dumpling coughed up blood once again. Drip, drip. I think it was the first time I'd seen her get a nosebleed.

CRASH!

Even so, it wasn't time for us to rest yet. Moby Dick had truly made up his mind and began relentlessly hounding us.

Not only did he throw another spear, but he also added homing water snakes and ice pillars to the mix to obstruct our escape.

The problem was that we had no way of striking him.

Even if I wanted to attack the main body, it was too high up, and even if I pushed myself to fire magical energy blasts, he would just hide in the sea of clouds above whenever the attack was about to reach him.

So, did he come down himself and give us a window to attack? It wasn't that either. The damn boss was truly just attacking unilaterally without giving us a turn.

"Sending only petty grunts, how cowardly! Come down yourself and fight us fair and square!"

Ultimately, the one who reached the limits of her patience first was the Berserker.

After splitting the heads of countless grunts with her halberd, she yelled out, her body soaked in their blood.

As for the Inquisitor? The one who had somehow been fighting with her mace at the very beginning was now slumped in one spot. It was because merely maintaining the footholds against the continuous attacks and protecting us from the occasional gales of wind had become too much for her to handle.

And finally, as for me...

'We just need to hold out.'

I absolutely did not despair.

Rather, I was in the middle of realizing that this—meaning, drying up and dying like this—couldn't possibly be our future.

Of course, it wasn't a baseless thought either. Where in the world would there be such an unreasonable and absurd boss?

Everything has a weakness. Therefore, that boss must have a weakness too.

It was just that it wasn't the type where you have to clear it by attacking.

'As long as we hold out.'

SLASH!

I gripped my sword, completely pulverizing the increasingly fierce offensive.

My body was somewhat battered from the attacks I couldn't deflect or smash in time, but there were no major injuries. That was enough.

'He'll die on his own.'

"You bastard."

Because I had a feeling that the attack I just deflected was weaker than the one I deflected earlier.

"Looks like you don't even have the strength to lift that spear anymore."

[... Die!]

As I thought, you bastard, you have a limit to your mana pool, don't you?

[A mere vessel like you!!]

Looking at Moby Dick, who had poked his head out, I pulled the corners of my mouth up into the most infuriating grin possible.

In my head, I was completely turning his clear strategy into text.

"Keep struggling, bug. The world will never flow according to your will, ever."

[... Wrath!!!]

I had half-guessed it when our attack turn simply wasn't coming, but that guy wasn't a boss you were meant to kill. He was a boss that would self-destruct on his own if you just survived for a set amount of time.

Just a moment ago, only thoughts like 'Should I smash my seal or not?' or 'This is seriously fucking impossible' were floating around in my head, but the very fact that I was now thinking 'This is doable' was the proof.

The guy was slowly running out of steam.

"Demon Knight, I..."

"Hold out."

"... Yes!"

If there was a variable, it was the Inquisitor's stamina.

I clenched my teeth as I looked at the waves of divine power purifying even her blood, and Kimchi Dumpling buried within it.

If I could do it instead, I would have. But because it's something only you can do, I have no choice but to push you.

I'm sorry, and I'm sorry again.

[You, at the very least, I will drag down with me!]

Therefore, the least I could do was bring her his severed head.

I watched Moby Dick who, as a last resort, emerged from the sea and charged straight at me with his spear. It looked as if a shooting star was hurtling toward me.

"Ha, finally...!"

"Somehow...!"

Even so, I didn't dodge. I wasn't the one who was supposed to dodge.

"Idiot."

"Pardon?"

"Are you calling me?"

"Jump down."

I held my two-hander straight.

"You're in the way."

Along with that, I channeled exactly half of the magical energy I had saved and conserved until now into my legs. Over-reinforcing my body, the overflowing black energy danced like flames.

"You're truly a bad guy."

"Demon Knight, what does that..."

"Hogging all the fun prey for yourself."

"Pardon?"

"When we go down, you have to spar with me one more time."

It was a flame that even the frigid air at 4,000 meters in altitude couldn't freeze.

"Berserker, I can't keep up with the conversa—"

"Here we go!"

"Waaah!"

And when the Berserker snatched up the Inquisitor and jumped right off, that very moment marked the end of all preparations.

Right before the barrier disappeared, I kicked off that foothold with all my might.

"If you thought I would cross swords with you, you're mistaken, bug."

[...!]

My body narrowly dodged Moby Dick's spear and stepped right onto the flat of the spearhead.

Being massive meant lacking precision like this.

"I will cut you down."

Of course, being small had its own penalties... but at least not right now.

「Indomitable Spirit activated!」

Going beyond pouring out my remaining magical energy, I converted all my remaining HP to draw out even more, and the resulting blade of magical energy cleaved the sky.

A black moon rose in the sky.