Upon reaching the top of the second-floor stairs, we found ourselves in a large hall.

"The atmosphere's completely different now..."

The first floor had an ominous, villainous vibe. Creepy lamps, dark red stains on the walls that might have been blood—it was like the perfect lair for a villain.

But the second floor was a complete contrast. In one word, it was... "fancy."

The wallpaper was pink, decorated with colorful patterns—fluffy clouds and cute cartoon cats.

The girly design clashed with the monsters we encountered as we walked through the hall. I wondered if this was the personal taste of the demon lord's officer guarding this floor. Lost in thought, we reached a staircase.

"W-w-w-welcome... I-I-I-I've been expecting you..."

A girl with short hair and long bangs stood in front of the stairs. She was petite, even smaller than me, with twitching cat ears atop her head.

She had the characteristics of a beast-type monster.

"I-I-I'm Marin, the Right Hand's First Finger of the Demon Lord's Ten Fingers... I-I won't let you pass beyond this point."

Her eyes peeked out from behind her bangs, meeting mine for an instant before darting away. She was painfully shy; soon she was talking to a random spot in the distance instead of facing us.

"I-I've been holed up in the Demon Lord's castle for hundreds of years, a-a-and I still won't let you through."

Her stammering was intense, but the aura surrounding her was powerful. Even though she wasn't looking at us, there wasn't a single opening in her stance.

As I considered who should fight her, I felt a hand pat my head.

"Leave this one to me," Shannon said, stepping forward with a confident smile.

From what I could tell, Marin was a long-range magic type. She'd likely bombard us with spells from a distance to keep us at bay. Shannon excelled in close-quarters combat, which seemed like a bad match, but...

"Don't worry. I have a secret plan," Shannon said with a playful wink.

Her confident aura was contagious. We trusted her and prepared to move on.

The others exchanged glances between Marin and the stairs. When we dashed forward, Marin surprisingly didn't stop us. She kept her gaze locked on Shannon, ignoring the rest of us.

"Is it okay to let us pass?" I wondered aloud.

"I-I-I c-c-can't beat that turtle anyway... s-s-so I'll focus on taking you down for the Demon Lord's sake," Marin said.

"Too bad for you—you're the one who's going down," Shannon replied with a fearless grin.

With Shannon's voice echoing behind us, we climbed the stairs to the third floor.

I'd expected a change when we reached the third floor, but what we found exceeded my imagination.

"Wait... there's no floor?"

Even as I said it, it didn't make sense. The staircase ended abruptly, leading to empty space. Above us, a few floating blocks hovered like platforms.

The ceiling was so high that my neck hurt just looking up. The massive, open space stretched far beyond sight, though the area was well-lit.

Ivy and I could ride on Sanshita's back, and Icicle could use her wings to fly. The problem was Rey—he had no apparent way to move through the air.

"Rey, if you'd like, Sanshita could—"

"No need," Rey interrupted. She took a step into the void—and walked across the empty air as though it were solid ground.

She didn't cast a spell or create a barrier; she simply walked. I couldn't grasp how it worked. Air magic, compressing the air beneath him? But I sensed no magic at all.

We hadn't discussed our powers much, but clearly, Rey had grown stronger, just like the rest of us.

I guess I have too, I thought with a faint smile. Feeling competitive like this must mean I've matured a little, right?

The monsters here reflected the new aerial battlefield.

Thunder Garudas flapped massive wings, crackling with electricity. Bullet Wyverns fired hardened earth projectiles. Chimera-like beasts, sporting features from multiple species, roamed the skies.

All were at least second-class threats. But Sanshita, Rey, and Icicle easily dispatched them with single blows. We conserved our magic, relying on close combat, and reached the staircase leading to the fourth floor.

The stairs were embedded in one of the floating blocks. A lone monster hovered in front of them, flapping its wings to stay aloft.

The silver-haired figure had narrow eyes and blue horns jutting from its forehead. It wore a loose, blue kimono, arms crossed in its sleeves.

"I am Kagerou, the Right Hand's Second Finger of the Demon Lord's Ten Fingers. Pleased to meet you."

Kagerou's eyes narrowed.

They said nothing more, simply observing us. The silent scrutiny made me squirm.

"You're quite rude, sir. Staring like that will get you nowhere."

"Ah, my apologies," Kagerou replied, voice smooth. "I'm just surprised to see her here."

Their eyes were fixed on Ivy, who stretched atop my shoulder. Ivy and I exchanged uneasy glances.

The sound of flapping wings filled the air.

"Bruno, Ivy—I'll handle this."

Floating gracefully through the sky, sipping tea from a cup she had produced from somewhere, was Icicle.

With a swift motion of her finger, the emptied cup and saucer vanished into thin air.

It seemed Icicle, too, had gained a new power.

The way she used it was so distinctly her that it brought a smile to my face.

Kagerou stared at Icicle for a moment before smoothly stepping aside.

"Go ahead."

"…Thank you."

Sanshita carried Ivy and me upward to the fourth floor, alongside Rey, who soared through the air.

The path to the Demon Lord drew steadily closer.

The gravity of that fact settled in, and I swallowed hard —.

A short time earlier, on the second floor of the Demon Lord's Castle.

This floor was a curious contradiction: a fairy-tale charm juxtaposed with the menacing creatures that roamed its halls.

The walls were adorned with soft, fluffy illustrations of cats and dogs.

The ceiling, painted in vibrant, playful colors, was crowned with a sparkling chandelier.

As the monsters' movements and Bruno's battle reverberated through the floor, the chandelier swayed, scattering kaleidoscopic light across the room.

Amid this whimsical decor, two figures stood side by side: Shannon, her red hair flowing behind her, and a girl with perked-up cat ears — Marin, the Right First Finger of the Demon Lord's Ten Fingers.

After Bruno and the others had left, Shannon's playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a predator's sharp intensity.

The ferocity of a seasoned hunter gleamed in her eyes, but Marin remained unfazed.

She might look like a timid beastkin at first glance, but perhaps she was braver than she seemed.

'Of course, I don’t plan to lose... but I know so little about her.'

Information about the Demon Lord's Ten Fingers was scarce. Most intel focused on the left-hand members, who acted more openly, while the right-hand members stayed largely in the shadows.

As Marin herself admitted, she was a shut-in.

'That robe suggests a long-range magic specialist... but with those beast ears, she might be close-combat after all.'

As Shannon analyzed her opponent, Marin broke the silence first.

"U-uhhh… st-stalling won't help, so… I-I-I'm going to goooo!"

With that, Marin closed her eyes and crouched down.

Then came the roar.

A piercing, ear-shattering blast echoed through the air.

Marin's voice, charged with magical power, sent shockwaves in every direction, scattering destruction indiscriminately.

The omnidirectional assault, spreading in all directions without regard for up or down, naturally included Shannon.

"Guh?!"

The impact came with a crack like an explosion.

It was as if she had been struck by a blunt weapon, the force hurling her backward.

The surprise attack delayed her reaction, but thankfully, it wasn't powerful enough to knock her out.

Even as she was flung through the air, she regained her composure and landed with practiced ease.

"T-t-taking that hit without a s-s-scratch… impressive."

"Could you, like, talk more smoothly?"

"S-s-sorry… it’s how I’m b-b-born…"

Shannon flexed her arm as she stood, confirming that Marin was right — she was completely unharmed.

The distance between them had more than doubled, now roughly one hundred meters apart.

'That sound magic… tricky.'

Sound-based magic manipulated sound waves: silencing footsteps or amplifying noise to create shockwaves.

Its greatest strength was speed — literally moving at the speed of sound.

'Good thing it lacked power… or was that a feint?'

That first strike was likely just a test.

Shannon steadied her breathing, preparing a defensive spell in case of more dangerous vibrations.

Masters of sound magic could match sound waves to an object's resonant frequency, shattering it to dust.

She had to stay alert.

"Alright, my turn!"

The magical gears shifted as a magic circle formed beneath her feet.

The intricate design resembled butterfly wings, glowing in vivid purple light that surged from her toes to her head before fading away.

Shannon's figure blurred, leaving behind afterimages.

"—Grand Severance: Ultima Break!"

"D-d-d-deadly Claw!"

Marin raised her arm, intercepting an attack from behind.

Her elongated claws met Shannon's straight sword with a metallic screech.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, stirring the stairwell with a high-pitched whistle.

"R-r-rune-based magic? R-r-rare stuff…"

"Got it in one!"

Their blades clashed again and again, each strike deflecting or colliding with relentless intensity.

Marin was right: Shannon wielded rune magic, an ancient and nearly forgotten art.

It involved imbuing magic circles with predetermined effects, allowing spells to trigger almost instantly and with minimal energy consumption.

　On the other hand, compared to regular magic, its effectiveness tends to be lower—a drawback Shannon overcame by using the intricate and complex magic circles developed through the dragons' unique magical techniques.

　Because of this, Shannon could unleash a strike at maximum speed right from the start while consuming minimal mana.

　By maximizing the efficiency of her mana usage, she maintained her top speed continuously. Her long hair, flowing behind her as she moved with terrifying velocity, left a trail of light like a shooting star.

　The clashing of blades in close quarters rang out like a high-pitched prelude, while strikes closer to the hilt resounded with a heavy bass tone.

　From near the ceiling to just above the ground, in every direction imaginable, the rapid flurry of attacks composed a fierce quartet.

　Shannon's blows were all being parried by Marin.

　This was a test, a probing exchange for both of them.

　They broke apart momentarily to readjust, but neither showed any signs of fatigue.

'As expected of the Dragon Fang Sword… it can clash with my claws without issue'

　The sword Shannon wielded measured roughly one meter in length.

　Its surface had a pale, milky-white hue, like water-diluted milk, with a faint yellow tint near the hilt.

　The handle was wrapped in cloth to prevent slipping, and the sword itself was simple—lacking even a guard.

　Shannon's sword had no name.

　It was not crafted by a master artisan, and so it bore no inscription.

　It was simply a dragon's fang, ground and shaped using another dragon's fang. Nothing more.

　Whether it could even be called a sword was questionable—it was merely a carved, polished fang.

　For that reason, Shannon simply called it the Dragon Fang Sword.

　Though unrefined in appearance, the raw power it exuded was undeniable.

　The fang would never break and could only be damaged by another dragon's fang.

"Time to shift gears… Acceleration Device—activate!"