Watching Cerberus regenerate its severed heads, Lycia murmured softly:

“Hm… It seems, just like with the Hydra, we need to sever all its heads simultaneously.”

I shook my head.

“No… I don’t think that’s it.”

“Eh? What do you mean, Master?” Lycia asked, surprised by my response.

At first, I’d thought the same—that defeating Cerberus required cutting off all three heads at once. But soon, I realized that wasn’t the solution.

The reason lay in what we’d experienced in this dungeon so far. To reach this point, we were forced to split into three groups, each overcoming its own challenges. This dungeon didn’t reward a single individual’s strength; it demanded that everyone prove their ability to fight.

From that perspective, the answer became clear.

“It’s not enough to just cut off the heads simultaneously.

Based on how this dungeon works, it’s likely—”

“—! I see. So that’s the case,” Lycia said, catching on quickly.

“In that case, I’ll focus on supporting them.”

“Yeah. I’ll leave explaining the plan to the others to you.”

“Understood!”

Lycia seemed to grasp my intent perfectly and quickly headed toward Sheena and Elle.

Meanwhile, I turned to the remaining two.

“Flare! Tetra! Hold back on your attacks for now and keep things as they are!”

The two looked briefly puzzled by my instructions but nodded without hesitation. Their trust in me was something I couldn’t afford to betray.

“All right, it’s up to me now.”

The finishing blow would be their responsibility. My role was to create the opening needed to execute the plan.

As Flare and Tetra focused on defense, Cerberus turned its full attention to them, intensifying its attacks. At this point, the beast didn’t seem to notice me.

This is my chance.

I concealed my presence and circled around to Cerberus’s rear, avoiding detection by its three heads. My target was its tail—a known weak point for beast-type monsters. With all my strength, I drove my dagger downward.

“Raaaah!”

“Grrraugh!?”

The blade sank deep into its tail. It didn’t sever it, but the attack was enough to unbalance the beast. Even drawing its attention to me alone was a small victory.

“Let’s finish this—Decoy!”

All three of Cerberus’s heads turned toward me, abandoning their previous targets and charging straight at me.

“Too slow.”

Timing my dodge perfectly, I stepped back just as their attack struck the ground, causing the beast to stagger momentarily.

In the battlefield, even a single moment of hesitation could be fatal.

“Now, everyone!”

“Got it!”

“Understood!”

“Yes!”

Responding to my call, Flare, Tetra, and Sheena surged forward. Each had synchronized their attacks perfectly.

Flare’s blade severed one head with a clean strike, Tetra’s powerful punch crushed a second head, and Sheena—whose offensive capabilities had been my greatest concern—

“I’ll support you—Inferno Of Envy: Enshroud!”

“Take thissss!”

With Lycia’s assistance, Sheena’s blade was enveloped in black flames. Her empowered strike pierced through the last head.

“Yes!”

I let out a triumphant shout as the final blow landed.

The strategy was clear: the three groups that had been split apart earlier each had to take down one of Cerberus’s heads. That was the key to its defeat.

My theory had been correct.

Having lost all its heads, Cerberus didn’t regenerate. Instead, its body dissolved into a mist of magical energy, leaving behind a crimson-black magic stone.

Thus, we emerged victorious against the Tria Labyrinth’s boss, Cerberus.