The battlefield did not welcome Rio and Ryota's arrival.
It recognized them.
The moment they entered the crimson-lit chamber, something in the atmosphere changed. The oppressive pressure filling the room seemed to grow heavier, as if the dungeon itself had acknowledged the presence of two players capable of challenging the being standing at its center.
The chamber was in ruins.
Collapsed stone pillars littered the battlefield. Deep craters scarred the floor. Crimson chains still stretched throughout the domain like veins running through a living organism. The air smelled of blood, burnt mana, and shattered stone.
Rio stood silently near the entrance and surveyed the battlefield.
Her blue eyes swept across the devastated raid party.
Kiraya's body lay buried beneath rubble after being struck down instantly.
Sumi had already fallen.
Fayzan was barely conscious.
Hinabi was covered in wounds.
Elias could barely remain awake.
The entire Burning Pride raid force had been reduced to survivors clinging desperately to life.
Rio's gaze lingered on them for only a brief moment.
Not because she was emotional.
Not because she was shocked.
She was assessing the situation.
Calculating.
Understanding exactly how dangerous the enemy before her truly was.
After finishing her evaluation, she took a single step forward.
"Elias."
Her voice wasn't loud.
Yet it immediately cut through the silence.
The exhausted guild leader slowly raised his head.
His vision was blurred.
His body was broken.
Even so, he recognized her immediately.
The white-haired swordswoman Kiraya had spoken about.
The player Fayzan had warned them never to underestimate.
Rio.
"...You..."
He struggled to focus on her.
"What are you doing here...?"
Rio ignored the question entirely.
Instead, she asked one of her own.
"Do we have permission to engage the boss?"
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then she added calmly,
"This is your raid."
The statement was simple.
Respectful.
Even now, she had no intention of stealing another guild's achievement without approval.
Elias stared at her.
Then he looked toward Allure.
Then toward the ruined state of his guild.
The answer came easily.
His pride had already been broken by reality.
"...Do it."
There was no hesitation.
No argument.
No attempt to save face.
"Kill it."
The moment he finished speaking, his strength gave out completely.
He collapsed back onto the shattered floor.
Ayame immediately rushed toward him.
"Elias!"
She raised her staff.
"I'll heal—"
Nothing happened.
Her spell failed.
Her eyes widened.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Panic immediately spread across her face.
"...No mana."
Her hands trembled.
"I'm completely out."
Without turning around, Rio opened her inventory.
Seven blue-glass vials materialized in her hand.
She tossed them backward casually.
Ayame barely managed to catch them.
The healer's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Medium Mana Potions?!"
Seven.
Not one.
Not two.
Seven entire potions.
Enough resources to completely change the outcome of the battle.
Rio's attention never left Allure.
"Focus on healing."
Her voice remained calm.
"We'll handle the rest."
Unfortunately, she never got the chance to say anything more.
Because Allure moved.
There was no warning.
No preparation.
No visible acceleration.
One moment it stood several meters away.
The next moment it was directly in front of her.
A crimson-black blade materialized in its hand and descended toward her neck.
CLANG!
Rio's Imperial Saber rose instantly.
Steel collided against energy.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the impact, ripping across the battlefield and sending debris flying in every direction.
Yet Rio didn't move.
Not even an inch.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"...Fast."
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't surprise.
It was acknowledgment.
The boss truly was fast.
Behind Allure, Ryota was already moving.
"Don't get too close."
His tone was casual.
His body was not.
The instant he spoke, he exploded forward.
Iron Steve, his massive weapon, sliced through the air toward Allure's exposed flank.
Allure reacted immediately.
Its free hand rose.
The space around it distorted.
Dozens of black blades materialized instantly.
Without hesitation, they launched toward Ryota.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Steel rang throughout the chamber.
Ryota didn't dodge.
He didn't slow down.
He simply swung.
Each incoming blade shattered against Iron Steve.
Some were deflected.
Others were broken apart entirely.
Not a single one managed to stop his advance.
"...Annoying trick."
He continued forward.
Then he shouted.
"INDRA!"
The tiny dragon perched on his head immediately responded.
A cheerful chirp escaped the small creature.
Then it leaped into the air.
Despite its tiny size, its body glowed faintly with magical energy.
The dragon darted toward the fallen raid members and landed beside Fayzan.
Without hesitation, it grabbed the larger player's collar in its mouth and began dragging him away.
Somehow, despite weighing less than a backpack, it succeeded.
Ayame stared.
"...What is that?!"
"No time."
Ryota's sharp voice interrupted her.
"Get them out."
Ayame immediately nodded.
She uncorked one of the mana potions and drank it.
Mana flooded back into her body.
Relief washed over her face.
Her staff began glowing once again.
Healing magic immediately spread across Elias.
Then Hinabi.
Then Fayzan.
They were still injured.
Still exhausted.
But they were no longer dying.
Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield, Rio shifted her footing.
Her saber pushed Allure's blade aside.
Then she stepped backward.
Only once.
Her free hand moved.
An inventory window flickered briefly.
A flintlock musket appeared in her grasp.
Without hesitation, she raised it.
BANG!
The bullet struck Allure directly in the shoulder.
The damage wasn't significant.
But it disrupted the boss's momentum.
Before it could recover—
BANG!
A second shot followed.
Then a third.
Each bullet was precise.
Calculated.
Relentless.
Allure turned slightly.
Its attention split between Rio and Ryota.
That tiny distraction created an opening.
Ryota lunged.
Iron Steve came crashing down.
But Allure reacted first.
It vanished.
Then reappeared behind him.
A hand grabbed his collar.
"...!"
The next instant—
BOOM!
Ryota slammed into the ceiling.
Stone cracked.
Debris rained downward.
His HP dropped.
Not critically.
But enough to hurt.
"...Tch."
Allure ignored him afterward.
Instead, it focused entirely on Rio.
Two black blades formed in its hands.
Longer.
Sharper.
More refined.
Then it attacked.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
A relentless barrage exploded across the battlefield.
Each strike arrived faster than the previous one.
Rio stepped back once.
Twice.
Then stopped retreating entirely.
Her Imperial Saber moved with perfect precision.
Every attack was intercepted.
Every strike was redirected.
Every killing blow was denied.
Even so, the pressure continued increasing.
CLANG!
A particularly heavy strike forced her arm downward.
Only slightly.
But enough for her to notice.
"...Stronger than before."
She remained calm.
Composed.
Focused.
Allure said nothing.
It didn't need to.
Its attacks communicated everything.
It had finally found opponents worthy of its full attention.
Above them, Ryota landed once more.
He rolled his shoulder.
"...You good?"
Rio didn't look away from her opponent.
"I've had worse."
A brief pause.
"You?"
Ryota smirked.
"Same."
The atmosphere changed again.
Allure spread its wings.
The crimson domain pulsed violently.
Chains throughout the battlefield tightened.
The pressure intensified.
But this was no longer a massacre.
This had become a duel.
Rio adjusted her stance.
Ryota rested Iron Steve against his shoulder.
Neither looked intimidated.
Neither looked afraid.
For the first time since Allure appeared, someone wasn't merely trying to survive.
They were fighting back.
The battle accelerated.
Steel screamed continuously as weapons collided again and again.
The entire chamber echoed with the sound.
Allure's assault became even more aggressive.
Two blades remained in its hands.
Two more floated around it like independent weapons.
Each moved according to its will.
Four separate attack vectors.
Four simultaneous threats.
No rhythm.
No pattern.
No openings.
Only pressure.
Rio's movements became increasingly refined.
Her sword traveled in small, efficient arcs.
Her footwork remained perfect.
Every step was measured.
Every pivot carefully calculated.
Yet even with her skill, she was slowly being pushed backward.
"...Fast..."
The word escaped her lips quietly.
Not as a complaint.
As an observation.
Then the attacks intensified again.
A downward slash descended from above.
A horizontal strike came from the left.
A thrust attacked from behind.
Rio blocked all three.
Then the fourth arrived.
CRACK!
The blade slipped through.
A shallow cut opened across her shoulder.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Ayame gasped from the rear.
"RIO!"
Rio ignored it.
The moment she was hit, she moved forward.
Her musket appeared instantly.
BANG!
The shot struck Allure's chest point-blank.
The boss staggered slightly.
That tiny opening was enough.
Rio's eyes glowed light blue.
[Unique Skill: Chronos Eye]
Time itself seemed to bend.
Not for the world.
Only for Allure.
Its movements slowed.
Its attacks became visible.
Not easy.
But manageable.
Rio immediately stepped forward.
Her Imperial Saber thrust toward its shoulder.
PIERCE!
The blade sank deep.
For the first time during the battle, Allure reacted.
Not with pain.
Not with anger.
With recognition.
Then everything changed.
It moved.
Faster than before.
Even Chronos Eye struggled to keep up.
Its hand shot forward.
Grabbing Rio by the head.
"...!"
BOOM!
She was launched across the battlefield.
Flying toward the ruined exit.
Yet even while airborne, she remained composed.
Her saber rotated in her grip.
Then she drove it into the ground.
SCRRRAAAKKK!
The blade carved a deep trench through solid stone.
Sparks exploded outward.
Her momentum slowed.
Finally, she stopped.
Kneeling.
Breathing steadily.
Allure didn't give her a moment to recover.
Crimson-black energy gathered in its hand.
Dense.
Violent.
Dangerous.
[Boss Skill: Eclipse Impermanence]
The attack fired.
A beam of annihilation surged across the battlefield.
Everything in its path disintegrated.
Rio remained calm.
She exhaled once.
Then raised her saber.
CLANG!
The beam struck.
The impact shook her entire body.
Her arm trembled.
Her boots dug trenches into the floor.
But she endured.
Then she twisted her blade.
Redirecting the energy.
The beam curved away.
BOOM!
It slammed into the distant wall.
The resulting explosion shook the entire chamber.
For the first time, Allure's eyes narrowed.
Elsewhere, Ryota grabbed Magumo by the collar.
"Get up."
Magumo blinked.
"What?"
"Earth Templar."
Ryota pointed toward Ayame.
"Protect her. Now."
Magumo hesitated.
Then his eyes found Hinabi.
She was awake.
Watching him.
That was enough.
"...Tch."
He slammed his hand into the floor.
[Warrior Skill: Earth Templar]
Stone erupted upward.
Massive walls surrounded Ayame.
A defensive fortress formed around the healer.
Ayame immediately continued healing the injured raid members.
Elias watched everything unfold.
Fayzan stood beside him.
"...She's holding it."
Fayzan's voice was filled with disbelief.
"Against that thing."
Elias slowly shook his head.
"...No."
His gaze never left the battlefield.
"She's pushing it back."
At the center of the chamber, Allure activated all four blades once again.
The assault resumed immediately.
Four attacks struck simultaneously.
Rio blocked one.
Deflected another.
Twisted past the third.
The fourth forced her backward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The battlefield around her began shrinking.
One blade slammed into the ground beside her.
Cutting off an escape route.
Another descended from above.
Forcing her lower.
The floating blades repositioned themselves.
Closing every angle.
Controlling every movement.
Boxing her in.
Overwhelming her through sheer pressure.
Yet Rio's expression never changed.
Her eyes remained calm.
Calculating.
Studying.
"...So this is your real pace."
Allure offered no response.
It simply attacked harder.
Faster.
More precisely.
For the first time in the battle, Rio was truly on the defensive.
She wasn't losing.
Not yet.
But she was being pressured.
Then a familiar voice spoke behind her.
"Oi."
Ryota stepped forward.
Iron Steve resting casually on his shoulder.
"You planning to do this solo?"
A faint smile appeared on Rio's lips.
Without looking back, she answered,
"I thought you liked watching."
CLANG!
She blocked another attack.
Ryota laughed.
"Not when you're hogging all the fun."
Then he stepped forward.
And the battlefield shifted once again.