Kill The Boss I

They dove down at their own pace. The water was so clear. Really, really, clear, allowing Noir to see Fotia's undergarments, only if she wore a skirt instead of pants.

He thought of her as a kind of tomboy. Not because she wore pants or dressed like a man but because she gave off that vibe, especially after her recent demeanor–if the part where she cried and went emotional was excluded.

Suddenly, his mind went out of control. Not that he became crazy or anything. It was just his idea that was too wild.

Although Fotia can be a man who has a girl-like appearance and voice. Her voice is a bit deeper, though, but that's just wild when you think about it.

That was what a wild piece of Noir's thought was about. Fortunately, it didn't slip from his mind and into his mouth...

Anyway, it had already been a few minutes since they were underwater. Strangely, their lungs seemed to be in good condition. In fact, they breathed as normal as they did on land the further they went.

As Noir began to wonder, Fotia shouted to him. Her voice was clear despite being underwater, and bubbles came from her mouth's opening.

"Right there!"

Usually, the deeper the diver went underwater, the darker their vision would get.

But in their case, it was the opposite. The sunlight consistently lit up the water until its deepest part. But it could be because the lake wasn't deep enough.

Arriving at the bottom of the lake, they found a cave in which the ground was miraculously dry.

Looking at the wonder, Noir thought he should not have put his logic to the wonderland's logic.

They entered the underwater cave. The moment they passed the boundary separating the water and the cave, the water on their clothes was sucked dry by the magical air, returning them to their pre-dive state. Dry but cleaner.

"Hurry up!"

Fotia seemed to be in a hurry.

Noir raised an eyebrow while following her, wondering what would happen ahead in this one straight path that seemed to not have an end.

The deeper they went, the wall gradually changed from hard, jagged rocks into flat, patterned dungeon-like walls.

Noir counted that it had been almost five minutes since they ran nonstop, but they hadn't seemed to see the exit yet. Frustrated and tired, he shouted.

"How long is this tunnel?"

"If we keep this pace, we will arrive in... 30 minutes. Maybe?"

Fotia said, not looking back.

"30 minutes?!"

Noir retorted, and he stopped running immediately.

"Why did you stop?"

Asking the obvious, was she?

Noir took a deep breath, cooling himself down before speaking.

"You should have said it earlier."

Raising an eyebrow, Fotia was about to say something but was interrupted. Noir closed in and took her in a princess carry. Her face became more puzzled as she stared at the fox-masked man who wore a triumphant smile.

Before she could say anything, Noir spoke first.

"Hold me tightly, senior."

Oops. Noir accidentally called Fotia his senior. Although she already knew about Xue Yu's (Noir) real identity, he had promised to himself to call her by her name or 'kid,' not senior.

At that moment, Fotia's face was fully smug. This was why he refused to call her that.

Shaking his head, Noir threw the childish thought (because he lost already). It was not the time to regret what had been done.

Utilizing his [Azure Lightning], Noir gathered the lightning energy to his legs, enhancing his muscles and thus increasing his speed.

In the blink of an eye, he burst and reached the end of the tunnel in no time.

"?!!"

But that was not the 'end' he expected. Looking at the shape of the wall, it wasn't a turn either. In fact, it was a dead end. If he didn't stop, he would crash into the wall.

"Keep going. It's a U-Turn. But be careful. Stairways are waiting."

Slowing his speed, Noir made a U-Turn and was immediately greeted by the first step of the stairs. Fortunately, he heed the warning, allowing him to descend while maintaining his enhanced speed.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Noir passed three bodies on the ground. He didn't know if they were unconscious or dead, but he hoped it was the former.

"Boost up, Noir! Just a little more!"

Fotia said suddenly as soon they passed more and more bodies along the way. It kept increasing, from three to four, and then eight.

Adhering to the information Noir obtained, around twelve guards were supposed to protect the Wonderland Rift's boss entrance. It meant there were four more ahead of this path.

As expected, right near the opening to the supposed boss room, Noir saw four bodies stacked up at the small entrance.

"Go! Go! Rush it! And..."

Like the cheerleader she was, Fotia encouraged Noir.

Spark! Spark! Spark!

The intensity of the electricity resting on Noir's legs increased, amplifying the current effect. He became faster, and when he blasted the energy again, he was flying in the air after passing the opening.

Right beneath him, a dark-masked man was struggling to avoid countless tentacles that attacked him. Noir also caught a glimpse of something glittering at the very top of the mandragora-looking monster.

The area below seemed to be covered by water. Judging by how the man could step on it instead of drowning, it was probably shallow.

Feeling joyous, Noir stopped his movement forcefully and threw Fotia upward. He twisted his body, and with a bit of help from Fotia, Noir launched himself down as electricity sparked around him, turning him into a human bullet.

The closer he got to the Mandragora monster, the more crystal the image of what produced a glitter earlier. It was a fairy.

Fairy's Pond. Like its name, that tiny flying creature must be the boss monster.

"This is mine!"

BOOM!!!

Noir crashed down, killing the Mandragora and the Fairy in an instant. The electricity that spread on the water did not fail to claim another life. The masked man, the poor guy, got electrocuted and dropped to the ground.

Luckily, Noir landed on top of the Mandragora monster. So he didn't have to worry about getting electrocuted. Although, as a possessor of [Stormbringer] who mainly utilized lightning, electricity, and probably the wind, shouldn't he have resistance to his own element?

He didn't know yet. And he didn't plan to find it out. At least not here.

"Catch me, my prince!"

Noir's face immediately turned sour. His eyebrows couldn't stop twitching as he cringed after hearing those words.

Regardless, he still caught Fotia like a prince saving his princess.