The boss is really terrifying

"You say that this is gonna be safe!" Yuuto shouted at Alice, desperately running for his life. 

"Well, it is supposed to be but I think I miscalculated."

    A few minutes before. 

After planning on what they are going to do before entering the boss room, both he and Alice are now standing in front of it prepared to face the boss. For the most part Yuuto can't still believe that he agreed with this suicidal mission. 

"Getting cold feet." she asked. 

He looked at her. 'I think I am the one who is supposed to say that to you' he muttered. 

"Do we really have a chance to sneak past that boss?" he asked with a shaking voice. 

"We don't have any choice"

Just how many times he heard that praise, it is so much that he didn't care anymore to count. Every time that he would hear it, that praise would just mean noise to him. 

    "Let's go," he said as he pushed the door.

    Contrary to its large size, the door itself is lightweight. What welcomes them is a large hall with several pillars in the side, the boss room comparable to a large church minus the grim atmosphere. With several torches hanging from the stone pillars and the chandelier above the center, their eyes didn't have a hard time adjusting to the dimly lit room. In the center of the hall, the boss is silently sleeping. Just by looking at it, Yuuto is hit with its dark miasma. The miasma is not even comparable to the behemoth, the levels are too much apart. 

    It has the body of a lion, a head made out of an old man, and the tail of a scorpion. Without a doubt that boss is one of the monsters they called "Manticore." Unconsciously, Yuuto stepped back. 

    He looked at his side, there she saw Alice silently watching the beast. 'Is she scared?' he asks himself. Instead of being scared to shock, she is rather entranced by the presence of the manticticore. 

    Getting back to him though. His vision is slowly becoming blurry and his knees won't stop trembling. The fear brought by the miasma continues to assault him. Without escape from the sheer presence, his thoughts slowly go down. 

    "Hey, let's go" Alice whispers at him while patting him on the back. 

    He instantly breaks free from the miasma "ah- yes" he replied. 

    They lowered their backs, and continued walking around the Manticore. Yuuto can still feel the tremendous miasma and menacing miasma around the Manticore. Still he endured it, and focused on sneaking. 

    Few seconds later, Alice and Yuuto managed to get in its side. Silently, they made their way around it. Alice is in front while he is behind her. Suddenly, something hit his spine, the sheer form of fear and impulse to move kept ringing in him. Without any arguing he swiftly took back a step. In that moment, the space between him and her was transformed into smoke with a large impact. 

     "What the goddess is happening" he shouted. 

    As the smoke dissipates, a large clawed paw emerges out of it. His gaze slowly moved forward toward his side. 

    The silent hall shook and a large roar echoed through it. The once sleeping manticore is nowhere to be found in the center but instead standing just meters near them. Looking at the people who disturb its sleep. 

"Yuuto, run!"

Immediately Yuuto composed himself and began running. Into the other side, Alice already fired her swift-can't magic. Ten fireballs emerge out of nowhere, sizing like a children's ball. She rained the manticore with her magic. Oddly the manticore didn't even nudge. Though not as powerful as her large fireballs, the amount and continuous hitting should push it even a little. To not be moved a single point even with that attack, the manticore's title of being boss is not just for show. However, the manticore didn't even pay attention to the source of the magic, but rather on the one who is truly weak, Yuuto. 

    'Shoot, the boss saw him'

Without even thinking she doubled her input. In her back twenty fireballs emerged, no it was not enough. She raised its number again. With thirtyfive fireballs backing her up she attacks the manticore again. Alice with her all focused directed of her attack. As it hit, smoke disturbed her vision. 

She prepared her magic again. As she looks for any counterattack from the manticore. She noticed a single drop of blood on the floor. With that blood she managed to regain her hope. Even if it's a small drop, it would mean that they can damage it. 

The manticore roared once again. Getting annoyed at the pest that keeps disturbing him from hunting his prey. The manticore sprayed acid with its scorpion tail. Instantly the floor where the acid landed eroded. Alice took a step back creating a distance between the two of them.

'Finally, it's coming my way' she cheered. 

Alice, getting the boss' attention , retrieved all of her fireballs hanging in the air. She changed her spell to an intermediary spell called "Fire Lance '' , a spell similar to fireball with its long distance attack but it has much more piercing power. Ready for the counterattack, she pointed her staff forward. What she sees however is the image of Yuuto being chased by the manticore. 

"Alice!!! Help me" he shouted at her. 

"Just give me a second"

With a fire

Form with sun

Pierce your  enemy

"Fire Lance!!! " She attacked 

The fire Lance hanging in the air swiftly zoomed through the air, directly hitting the side of the manticore. Yuuto took that moment to increase the distance between him and the manticore. Getting a clear view of the boss, he noticed that there was blood dropping out of where the Fire Lance hit him. 

"Alice, fire another of that magic again"

"I'm already doing that." 

To win this fight, they need no he needed Alice. In order to get more time he needs to fight. 

He lowered his shoulder and relaxed his knees. Yuuto stared forward. To fight this monster he needs to erase his needless fear and look for any weakness even if it's small to get the advantage. He focused up front and observed the manticore.  

He out his sword upfront and grip its handle tightly

'The type of monster: 4-legged'

'Attack sources of the monster: Jaws, claws, paws, and scorpion tail.'

    With all the time he spent watching his teacher Yuuto developed an ability to instantly break down sources of movements and attack of beings. Though that does not mean he can instantly react to them. It will still all boil down to his own physical

"I need more time to break down its attack pattern," he murmured. 

The manticore dashed forward, its jaw opened trying to crush his small body. 'Attack source: jaws' before it reached him, Yuuto stepped back for a few centimeters. Though without losing its momentum, the manticore regained its front balance and slashed him with its large paws. 'Attack source: claws and paws' without having a space to move, he uses his sword as shield. The sheer force of the impact threw him off several meters, tumbling several times before he stopped. 

'Even with knowing the Attack Sources I can't still predict his attacks' 

As he tried to stand, Yuuto coughed out blood. Every time he would move he could feel that his body would break down. His bone is cracking, he can feel his blood getting out of his mouth and he is slowly losing his balance. The simple attack gives him this kind of damage, but what would happen when manticore truly becomes serious and attacks him. He doesn't want to think about it.

"I need to think of something or else I would die here."

His gaze moved towards Alice and an idea hit him hard like a flybull.