The Conquest of the Great Tomb of Nazarick -2

As Shirou looked around, he couldn't help but feel disoriented. He had been walking down a narrow hallway just moments ago, but now found himself in a completely different location. The sudden change in scenery had caught him off guard, and he couldn't quite make sense of what had just happened. Despite his confusion, Shirou tried to keep a level head and take in his new surroundings. There was no telling what dangers or surprises could be lurking around the corner.

He stood in a common room cluttered with worn-out furniture that was either damaged or turned upside down. A worn steel chandelier hung from the ceiling, the candles casting the room in a saturated and dull luminescence. There were no windows, allowing only artificial light to provide the Players with sight. The room was neglected, dirtied with cobwebs and dust that covered everything in sight.

A glance back revealed a stone wall. There were no doors or passageways, nothing to show from whence they had entered, except for the one exit at the far end of the room ahead of them.

The second and perhaps most immediate and alarming thing he noticed were his party members. Or rather, the lack thereof.

"Huh? Emiya-sempai? What are you doing here?" The question came from none other than Peroroncino.

Peroroncino, who was not in his original party.

A swift headcount showed that it was himself, Touch Me, Peroroncino, Blue Planet, and Amanomahitotsu. Tabula was completely gone and unaccounted for. One member of their original party was missing entirely, with the other two being swapped around.

It took a few seconds before the rest of the party recognized what was going on.

"Shit…" He cursed under his breath.

It wasn't too hard to figure out what had just happened. The dungeon had split up their original pre-made party.

"[Tabula-san.]" Shirou quickly used [Message] to contact the Brain Eater.

"[I know.]" Tabula simply returned.

If there was one person Shirou could rely on for quick and decisive action and order, it would be the guild's resident intellectual.

"[We're down a member. Variable Talisman-san and Tigris Euphrates-san are also gone. Peroroncino-san and Amanomahitotsu-san have taken their places. " He informed, getting straight to the point.

"[Damn it...]" The magus heard the Brain Eater click his tongue. "[I'm with Wish III-san's party, and they lost Whitebrim-san and Garnet-san. The only good news is that we still have a full and decent party.]"

"[The others will no doubt be confused as well.]"

"[Just when I thought those shitty devs couldn't get any shitter, they pull this.]" Tabula lamented.

"[We'll have no choice but to make do.]" Shirou simply answered back.

"[And isn't that the kicker? We've come too far to even think of stopping now.]" Resigned Tabula. "[Check up on Momonga-san and his group, I'll check up on the others.]"

"[Roger.]" Cutting their transmission, Shirou established a new [Message] with Momonga. After a few seconds, he received a response.

"[Emiya-san? Is something wrong?]"

"[Momonga-san, is everyone still in your party?]" He asked, cutting right to the chase.

"[Ehh? Umm… yes…?"] He answered, confused about the sudden inquiry.

"[Looks like your party lucked out, Momonga-san.]" Shirou lightly commented.

"[Lucked out? What are you…? Oh-no…]" Momonga whispered in a tiny voice. The situation dawned on him.

"[The situation is bad, but it's not unsalvageable, Momonga-san.]" Shirou was quick to assure. The last thing they needed was for their Guildmaster to suddenly degrade to his usual pessimistic attitude.

"[What about the others? Were they affected as well?]" The undead asked after calming down.

"[That seems to be the case. The dungeon seemed to have swapped around the compositions of our parties. The good news is that things aren't as bad as they look. The other parties can still manage. Our group is the one missing a Player, but I am more than enough to compensate.]"

"[Damn shitty devs. I didn't think they would pull a stunt like this so early in the raid. So much for Moe-san's planning.]"

"[It's bad but it's not impossible. We'll keep you posted, Momonga-san. If worst comes to worst, it'll be all up to you, Momonga-san, and your party.]"

"[Understood… Good luck to you and your party, Emiya-san.]"

"[You as well.]"

The two said their goodbyes and ended the call. The rest of his party was waiting for him as he turned back to his dispersed group.

In the end, Shirou's party and roles were switched around to better accommodate their needs. Touch Me was more suited as the Physical Attacker, but he has the skills and specs to function as the party's off-tank, which was needed as Peroroncino was relegated as an additional Attacker. Blue Planet remained the Healer, with Amanomahitotsu taking up the party's role as a Wildcard. This left Shirou to fill whatever role or expertise was lacking, whether it be a Physical Attacker, Seeker, or Magical Attacker.

It was far from the most ideal of situations, but they would make it count.

With that dilemma settled, they then moved into formation. Positioned at the forefront were Touch Me and Shirou, serving as the vanguard, while Peroroncino assumed the role of the rearguard. Blue Planet and Amanomahitotsu formed the middle section, poised to extend support to either the vanguard or the rearguard as required.

With nowhere to go but forward, they opened the door, moving on to the next area. Shirou was half-expecting an underground complex, or a similar structure that would complement the tomb-like atmosphere of the dungeon. To his surprise, they were greeted by a vast hedge maze. The maze stretched far and wide in every direction, making it difficult to discern right from wrong. The green labyrinth was composed of towering hedges, acting as dividers and walls. The surroundings were shrouded in a misty veil, giving the maze a queer and unsettling horror movie atmosphere.

Fortunately, the ceiling was high and open to them, and they had just the right man for the job.

"Peroroncino-san, we need eyes in the sky. See if you can figure out how large this maze is and find out where the exit is." Shirou instructed.

"Roger that senpai!" The avian replied as he spread open his wings.

"Be careful, I bet those shitty devs accounted for Players with flight capabilities. There might be magic traps guarding the skies." Blue Planet warned.

"I'll be fine! No stinking trap or anything will ever take down the great Sky King: Peroroncino!" He proclaimed loudly as he launched himself into the sky.

His form was quickly enveloped by the mist a few moments later.

"Since when has anyone ever called him that?" Blue Planet wondered aloud.

The rest simply shrugged, chalking it up to his usual antics.

While Peroroncino was on aerial reconnaissance, Shirou scanned the area and strained his hearing as far as it could go, watching for any sign of trouble. So far, not a single monster or enemy has popped up, and he could not hear anything from inside the maze itself. This only roused further suspicion and unease as to what they'd encounter.

It would take a few minutes before Peroroncino returned to them.

"What are we looking at, Peroroncino-san?" Touch Me inquired.

"For starters, the maze is huge!" Peroroncino emphasized, stretching his arms apart. "Like, one wrong turn and you can get completely lost kind of huge."

"Were you able to find the exit? Where are we supposed to go?" Asked Amanomahitotsu.

"Sure did, and the best thing is that the fog doesn't cover up as much as it looks. I'll be able to direct you guys to avoid dead routes and where to go."

If that was true, then the maze appeared relatively straightforward. However, nothing in YGGDRASIL was ever as easy as it appeared.

"We'll leave it to you to lead us through the maze. Keep an eye out for anything unusual. Let's form up. I'll take the lead, and Touch Me-san, you'll bring up the rear." Shirou instructed.

"Copy that, Emiya-senpai!" Taking the air once more, Peroroncino hovered just above all the hedges, where they could still see and hear him.

The rest gave affirmatives and quickly took formation.

The group quickly started moving and entered the hedge maze. The group advanced farther into the maze by following Peroroncino's directions.

Even with Peroroncino's observation of the maze and its sheer size and scope, Shirou couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it than just a simple puzzle. He knew that the developers wouldn't have created something as seemingly harmless as a maze without some sort of danger lurking within its walls. But as they continued, Shirou couldn't help but wonder: if there were no enemies present, then what was the true obstacle of the maze?

Traps were the obvious answer. Only, they continued with no form of resistance whatsoever for a good five minutes.

As they continued to navigate deeper through the twisting and turning pathways of the maze, Shirou began to realize that there was something more to this challenge than just a simple walking puzzle. The intricate design of the hedges seemed to hold a deeper meaning, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation as they pressed on.

Every turn and every path looked identical to the last, making the journey almost indistinguishable. The surroundings remained unchanged no matter how many twists and turns they took, making it hard to differentiate between the right and wrong way. The walkways were narrow, tight, and enclosed by tall, muted green hedges that further intensified the sense of being trapped and lost. The mist acted as a veil, obscuring just enough of what was ahead, adding to the challenge.

Shirou could see where the challenge lies if a party does not have any form of advanced sight magic or flight, as their group was implementing.

One wrong move could be disastrous, forcing them to retrace their steps through the same surroundings. Every mistake, no matter how small, would cost them precious time and lead to confusion, leaving the party in disarray. While there might not be any enemies to hinder them, the challenge of figuring out where to go would leave them stalled and make the progress of everyone else that much harder.

Like a house of mirrors, the concept of direction was distorted the longer they reside in this maze. Left becomes right, moving backward to traverse forward.

There was almost a psychological bent to it. The very maze itself was playing tricks on the mind via their senses and surroundings.

"Turn right here, you guys." Peroroncino instructed when the party stopped at an intersection.

Taking their nth right turn, the group marched down another identical path. But this time, things were different.

"Hold it." Shirou stopped and held up his arms, signaling the others to stop as well.

"Emiya-san?" Touch Me said, as he and the others braced themselves. They scanned the surroundings with their eyes, but saw nothing.

Without a word, Shirou traced a simple longsword in his hand and tossed it forward. The weapon landed blade up, and not a moment later, dozens of spears shot out of the surrounding hedges.

Had the group continued, they would have been impaled and taken a lot of damage, maybe even killed.

When they entered the maze, Shirou remained completely vigilant. Even though he wasn't as skilled as Nishikienrai or Tigris Euphrates in detecting traps, his keen eyes and senses allowed him to pick up any oddity within the maze with relative ease. He was like a hawk, scanning his surroundings for any potential danger.

"Whoa… Nice catch, Emiya-san." Blue Planet complimented from behind.

"Thanks, but I wonder why we haven't encountered any traps beforehand." He said aloud.

"Perhaps the developers intentionally avoided placing traps in the beginning because they wanted to lure us into a false sense of security. By making us think this entire labyrinth was safe, the trap would catch us off guard. Sounds like a scummy thing they would think of." The crustacean Heteromorph shrugged.

With the danger of traps in their immediate future, they would need to play it safe from now on.

Shirou couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment lingering at the back of his mind. The task at hand was not as challenging as he had hoped for. In fact, it was more tedious and time-consuming than anything else. Considering the infamous reputation of simultaneous attack dungeons, he had expected a lot more from this particular mission.

What happened next proved him wrong.

"Where to, Peroroncino-san?" Asked Shirou. The group stopped in front of another intersection, this time with five alternate pathways.

"Umm… Take the second path to the left, then turn right." Following their guide's directions, they came to yet another long pathway.

Projecting several weapons, he measured the distance and threw them evenly to trigger any possible traps. They bounced and landed, triggering a few traps to activate. Deemed safe, Shirou took the lead. He managed to walk a few paces forward before the true trap activated.

A magic circle flashed to life the moment the silver-haired Player stepped forward.

'A magic trap!' His eyes widened at the hidden trap.

He rolled forward to avoid it, only to trigger a second magic trap the moment he recovered. This time, he was too late to escape.

The trap detonated, sending lightning shooting upward. Electricity coursed through his body as he let out a surprised and painful yelp.

"Damn… I got careless." He chastised himself as he dropped to one knee. It didn't hurt him as much as his HP indicated, but damn, was it painful regardless.

"Emiya-san! Are you alright?!" Touch Me hurried to Emiya-san's side, offering him a helping hand.

"I'll be fine." Shirou replied, accepting Touch Me's hand and pulling himself back up.

Peroroncino, who was hovering above them, couldn't help but wonder aloud. "Why the hell didn't the trap trigger like the others?"

"Clever." The party's blacksmith chimed in. "By luring us in at the beginning with the prospect of there being no traps, it leaves us open for the physical traps to get us. But they are also merely another part of the ruse, as we would be so focused on looking out for physical traps that we would disregard or forget about the possibility of any other traps."

"The question now is how to deal with these magic traps. They clearly have a distinct activation trigger from the physical ones." The druid added.

Narrowing his eyes, Shirou traced another weapon and broke it. Firing it forward, the weapon exploded and prematurely triggered another magic trap. Seeing his idea as a success, Shirou fired a few more, clearing the way.

"Well, that was easy." Amanomahitotsu commented, earning a few chuckles from the others.

As they cautiously made their way through the maze, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The magic traps scattered throughout the labyrinth added an extra layer of danger to their already treacherous journey. They proceeded with extreme caution, their movements were slow and deliberate as they scanned the area for any potential threats. The added vigilance slowed their progress considerably, as they were forced to double-check every step they took. After what felt like a small eternity, they finally reached the end of the maze. There, looming before them, was a massive wooden cellar door that led further down into the unknown depths below.

With Touch Me's help, Shirou managed to open it. There, a set of perfectly carved stairs were revealed, leading deeper into the earth. Torches lined the wall, providing the only form of light. The party walked down a seemingly endless flight of stairs before coming to the bottom. Exiting, they entered an underground complex.

Well, a complex wouldn't be the correct word, more like an expansive stone courtyard fitted underground, one that stretched out before them. The ceiling was held up by sturdy stone pillars. What stood out about the chamber and its surroundings was that the architecture wasn't completely natural. The designs of the floor, archways, and pillars were too polished, too smooth, and too man-made for any of them to be naturally occurring. The archways and buttresses seemed to be strategically placed to keep the ceiling from collapsing on top of them. As they looked up, they noticed rows of sharp stalactites hanging from the ceiling above, looking down on them. Finally, at the end of the chamber, they saw a set of closed double doors, waiting to be opened.

So far, the sole hindrances they've come across upon delving into the dungeons have been cunningly placed traps. The wide, open space before them presented a multitude of routes that could be taken in order to reach the door at the far end. The entire room, in his estimation, was likely riddled with these perilous contraptions. It would be akin to traversing a treacherous minefield, with no way of determining what dangers lie ahead.

Once the magus finished examining the entire area, a plan came to mind.

"Alright everyone, listen up." He addressed. "We've wasted enough time already back at the maze. It's time to speed things along. Peroroncino-san, on my signal, I want you to use the most area-covering skill you have. We'll try to trigger most, if not all, of the traps simultaneously. Blue Planet-san, prepare your most powerful barrier spell."

"Right away, Emiya-senpai."

"Understood."

The two replied in unison. Without wasting any time, Peroroncino elevated himself to the perfect height to unleash his skill while Blue Planet prepped his spell.

"[Trace Bullet: Burst]!"

"[Bolt Scattershot]!"

Shirou fired a salvo of projections across the room, as much as he could, aiming to set off any physical traps. Meanwhile, Peroroncino unleashed a barrage of solar arrows, each one designed to trigger any magical traps that Shirou's swords might have missed. The party immediately huddled up for the fallout that would come.

"[Gaea's Virtue]!" Blue Planet quickly erected a barrier around them, shielding them from what was to come next.

As Shirou had hoped, their attack triggered the hidden traps, setting them off simultaneously. He would almost say they got them all, although that was a debatable claim as the countless explosions and rocking from the trap going off made it difficult to tell which was caused by the traps and which was caused by their attacks. The entire room shook like crazy, with explosions and other manners of ear-deafening sounds bouncing off the walls and reverberating inside the cavern. The stalactites hanging from the ceiling shook loose and plummeted to the ground. Every spike sent tremors throughout the room, threatening to cause a cave-in, but the pillars managed to hold. It would take a full minute before everything died back down.

Once the dust settled, Blue Planet dropped the barrier, allowing the group to take in their new altered surroundings. The once spotless stone courtyard was gone, a wreckage of its former self with numerous cracks, broken tiles, burns and scorch marks, and large stone debris covering the area.

"Hwoooo!" Peroroncino whistled. "Great idea Emiya-senpai. Ha! Come on! The last one to the door is a rotten egg!" The golden avian egged on as he raced forward.

The others were quick on his tail.

"Slow down, Peroroncino-san! We can't rush forward recklessly." Touch Me called out.

Peroroncino slowed down but kept his jaunty pace, turning around and walking backward while facing them, allowing the others to catch up.

"Come on, you saw what we did. We totally got them all!"

"But that doesn't mean there might not be other surprises. Knowing the shitty devs, I wouldn't put it past them to put a secondary trap right after the first. There's the chance one or two might not have triggered." Amanomahitotsu cautioned.

"Oh, come on, Amanomahitotsu-san. What are the odds of tha—"

Click.

Peroroncino's dismissal died in his throat as the entire group froze upon hearing the clinking noise. As one, they turned towards the sniper. More specifically, his feet, where one of them happened to have landed on a pressure plate.

Robotically, Peroroncino turned his gaze back toward the rest of the party.

"Well fuc—AHHH!"

Peroroncino and the rest of the group taken by surprise and sent screaming as the ground suddenly gave way beneath them. The trap seemed to have caused a part of the floor where they stood to descend rapidly. The harsh sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air as the floor descended lower and lower.

Gravity was working against them as their bodies fell freely. Finally, the ride came to an abrupt stop. Gravity and momentum took effect, causing the Players to bounce harshly against the floor due to the turbulence. Aside from some minor damage to their HP, they were fine, albeit a bit disoriented.

What wasn't fine was that they were trapped at the bottom of the pit, enclosed by walls that rose several dozens of meters high.

"Peroronicino-san, please think and listen before you act!" Shirou reprimanded.

"I'm sorry, senpai." He apologized, ashamed of his amateurish behavior.

Tearing his sight away from the regretful archer, Shirou quickly assessed the situation. They were a long way down, but that meant there had to be some way back up. A lever or maybe a mechanism of some sort.

What confused him was the purpose of the trap. He half expected deadly spike traps waiting for them at the bottom, instead, they had gotten an impromptu roller-coaster ride. Where were the dangers, the enemies?

As he surveyed his surroundings, his eyes caught sight of peculiar semi-circular holes that ran along the walls and extended upwards. Initially, he had assumed that they would have to use the raised ridges on the walls to climb their way up. However, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by an eerie, garbled moaning sound that echoed through the space.

The noise picked up; the sound of something scraping against stone came from all around them. It wasn't until he spied a rotten and skeletal head that he realized the implications. Shirou's eyes widened. They were entryways! And by the sounds of it, there were several dozen more to come.

The undead freed itself from the narrow hole and unceremoniously smashed onto the ground face first.

Undead Walker – Lvl: 60

The mob took a bit of damage, but it was still alive. Unaffected by the drop, it shambled to stand upright. It wasn't just the one, as more undead popped out of the woodwork, appearing from the numerous holes. Their decayed fingers scratched against the stone, desperately trying to free themselves.

The situation in which the party found themselves was extremely precarious, despite the weak and easily defeated adversaries surrounding them. Trapped within the pit, their movements were restricted, and their ability to attack was severely curtailed. The limited space made it impossible for them to move freely and attack with impunity. Even the usually powerful Touch Me was unable to unleash his full range of moves due to the restrictive environment. Peroroncino's flight ability proved to be of little use, as the undead monsters emerging from the higher holes could easily fall onto him. Shirou's attempt to trace Broken Noble Phantasm's level of weapons was a recipe for disaster and would likely be the cause of their deaths more than the Undead Walkers. In short, the party was caught between a rock and a hard place, with little room to maneuver.

The undead didn't appear to be slowing down as they continued to crawl out of Root knows where. They risk being overwhelmed by the sheer rate at which the undead were spawning if they do not kill enough of them.

"Emiya-san!" Turning, it was Amanomahitotsu, and he was tinkering with an odd control panel on the wall. Recognition lit up in his eyes as he looked over the machinery.

"Can you get it on?" Shirou asked the important question.

"Yes, but I'll need time! At least two minutes!" The blacksmith answered back. Normally, the Seeker would be the one to disarm and reconfigure the trap. But with no Players with the appropriate job class, it was left to Amanomahitotsu to work on it.

"Peroroncino-san, snipe down any undead you can! Blue Plane-san, fall back to Amanomahitotsu-san, guard, and deal with any undead that come for him while he deactivates the trap! Touch Me-san and I will try and thin out their number." He quickly ordered, forming a perimeter.

Peroroncino raised his bow and fired as quickly as he could, culling the number of undead dropping onto them. Touch Me and Shirou brandished their weapons, slicing any that got too close. Blue Planet awkwardly raised his less-than-threatening shovel staff, ready to ward off any that got too close and slipped past the two vanguards.

The undead shuffled forward, their decayed bodies bumping into one another in the mindless movement. If there was one good thing about the lack of room in the enclosed space, he didn't have to worry about aiming as any one of his swings cleaved away at the undead.

Shirou decapitated any that stalked towards him while Touch Me hacked them to pieces. Peroroncino sniped at them from freefall while Blue Planet bashed their heads in, knocking them back with his shovel.

Fortunately, they were low-level mobs, being at level 60, making it so that the group didn't have to waste any skills or spells to kill them. One good attack, and they were dead. They were killing them fast, sure, but the undead were replenishing their numbers far faster than the four of them could kill them. At the rate they were going, they would drown from the sheer number of undead.

"We're slowly getting overrun here, Amanomahitotsu-san!" Shirou cried out.

"I still need another minute!" He shouted back.

Shirou stepped forward, ready to split an Undead Walker's head wide open, when he felt a bit of resistance in his movements. Something was clinging to him. A glance down showed a few undead without legs grappling with his stomach and legs. The weight shift pulled him off balance for just a second. Enough where Shirou was caught off guard for just a split second that the mobs capitalized on the opening and swarmed the silver-haired Player, knocking him to the ground.

They were relentless, pressing forward and dogpiling on him. Shirou quickly raised his left hand as several of the undead bit down on his limb. Their rotten teeth chewed away, but they were unable to do any large damage besides feeling like an insect bite. But it didn't help to resolve the claustrophobic feeling of having so many bodies press down on him.

"Emiya-san!" Touch Me cried out. He advanced to help, but the multitude of undead blocked his path.

Raising his right freehand with Kanshou, he was nanoseconds away from swinging, only to have another undead fall from above. It slammed onto his arm, knocking the Noble Phantasm out of his hand.

Another was rapidly approaching, its hands outstretched to take hold of any prey, and its mouth opened wide, ready to bite down on anything.

"Trace on!"

The zombie bit down on something as it lunged forward, but the flavor was cold steel rather than digital flesh. There, the barrel of the chrome silver and white pistol, Kanshou Alternative, was shoved right into its gullet. Shirou didn't waste any time in firing his weapon, the undead's head exploded, spilling virtual gray matter everywhere. He then placed several precise shots through the heads of the undead biting down on his left arm and body. Free, Bakuya Alternative was traced to join its partner.

"[Reinforcement]!"

His magic circuit fired up, spreading down his arms, legs, and onto the married gun. In a move of acrobatic fitness, he swung his body from the ground up, performing a miniature breakdance maneuver to get him back on his feet while knocking down any undead closest to him. Jumping to his feet, he lashed out with Kanshou and Bakuya Alternative, splitting the heads of the oncoming undead with the bladed under-end of the guns and firing his guns at any that got too close.

Managing to free himself and regroup with the others, he turned his guns towards the crowd of undead. Depressing the triggers, Kanshou and Bakuya Alternative unleashed a hail of bullets. They tore through the mobs easily, riddling them with holes and cutting a swath through the sea of Undead Walkers. A few of the shots even ricocheted, taking out more undead in the process. Within fifteen seconds, Shirou emptied all of his shots and, in turn, took out most of the horde.

"I've got it!" The crustacean Heteromorph exclaimed.

Shirou felt the floor kick for a second before they were launched skyward. Any of the undead that were still trying to escape from the wall were soon crushed to a fine paste by the speedy elevator. Within seconds, they were back on the surface before Peroroncino had triggered the trap. Killing the leftover undead proved trivial. And with that, they earned themselves a momentary respite.

As Shirou leaned against a sturdy pillar, he took a few deep breaths to recover his energy. Suddenly, he received a [Message] notification from Momonga.

"[Yo~ Free to talk?]" Momonga said conversationally.

"[Momonga-san… Is something… wrong?]" Feeling a bit winded, Shirou replied with effort.

"[Is everything alright?]" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

Steadying his breathing, Shirou answered back. "[We're fine. We just got ourselves out of a sticky situation, taking a moment to recover. How is everything on your end?]"

"[Our party has been doing fine. We're actually just outside the boss's room right this moment. The others have checked in during that time. Punitto Moe-san and Herohero-san party have started fighting their respective bosses already. Tabula-san party reached their boss recently and [Message] us a few minutes ago.]" Momonga replied, giving a detailed update on their progress.

"[It seems we're lagging a bit behind everyone else, huh?]"

"[Do try and hurry, we would like to complete this dungeon sometime today.]" Momonga teased. The lightheartedness in his voice disappeared for what was to come next. "[Unfortunately, I also have some bad news as well.]"

Shirou suppressed a sigh.

"[Lay it on me.]"

"[It seems those shitty devs are more sadistic than we thought. From what the others passed on, they each received an announcement once they entered the boss's room. Depending on the order of encounters that each party enters, the bosses get progressively stronger. With the last party…]"

"[…having to face the strongest.]" Shirou finished. His face twisted into a grimace.

Shirou understood his friend's concern. Out of all the teams, his party was the most skewered. They had no dedicated front-line tank save for Touch Me, but compared to either Bukubukuchagama or Variable Talisman, there was no competition for who was better for the role. Peroroncino's role as a long-range attacker, while useful, wasn't what the group needed. That left Amanomahitotsu the odd man out, as the only aid he could realistically bring was buffing the party with enchantments.

Of course, the fact that he and Blue Planet were present did offset the imbalance, but nothing was guaranteed.

Add to that the fact that now they would face the strongest boss within the entire dungeon, and they would have a tough fight ahead.

"[We can hold off entering the boss room until you find yours, our party is the most well-rounded, so we'll stand a better chance than yours.]" Momonga offered.

"[I appreciate the offer, Momonga-san, but I'll have to decline. If all else fails and we lose, there's still a chance for you guys to still win.]"

In a simultaneous attack dungeon, the loss of one party did not always mean the end of a run. In a scenario where one of the parties fails to defeat their assigned boss, another party could pick up where they left off and save the raid. If it came down to it, Shirou's group would try to learn as much as possible about the boss's abilities, attacks, and nuisances and pass the information on to them to give them a much-needed edge.

"[…Alright.]" Shirou could hear the restrained reluctance in his friend's voice.

He could understand his undead friend's apprehension. He wanted them to all succeed and share in the victory together. And by some miracle, they were so close to achieving their goal. All that was left was the home stretch.

"[Hey, no need for the doom and gloom thoughts. Leave it to us. After all, when was the last time I failed?]" He said this, trying to cheer him up.

"[Well… There was that one time with that dungeon in Muspelheim and the incident.]" Momonga brought up.

Shirou remembered the incident in question. Were it possible, his cheeks would have colored in the embarrassment of the memory.

"[That was one time! Plus, it was an accident.]" He coughed flimsily.

"[That accident almost cost us the raid!]"

"[We still beat it.]" Shirou argued back.

"[Barely. I, along with Touch Me-san and Warrior Takemikazuchi-san, were dead not even two minutes into the boss fight because of it.]" He countered.

"[Ok, fine. Well, besides that one time, I haven't steered you guys wrong yet.]"

"[Midgard and the Forever Lost Dungeon.]" Momonga said succulently, bringing up another infamous incident.

"[That was Luci*Fer-san's fault, and you know it!]" Shirou immediately retaliated.

"[Sure…]" He drawled out sarcastically.

Not a second later, the undead chortled before breaking into full laughter. Shirou felt his lips twitching, and he quickly joined Momonga, sharing in the laugh.

The two shared a short but much-needed laugh, lightening up the previously troublesome atmosphere.

"[If there's any incentive, I doubt the others will let you guys live down the embarrassment of being the only group to lose while so close to the finish line.]" Momonga playfully teased.

Shirou huffed good-naturedly. "[I think you mean Luci*Fer-san and Ulbert-san will take every opportunity to remind me and Touch Me-san of it. Oh gods, they would be insufferable.]"

"[Then all you have to do is win then.]" He said, half playfully and half seriously.

"[We'll get it done, trust me. Good luck in your fight.]" Shirou bid farewell, for the moment.

"[And to you as well. We'll see each other at the end.]" Momonga assured. With that, the [Message] ended.

Shirou pulled out a healing potion and used it. Hearing the news that the boss they would fight would be much tougher, it was important to conserve Blue Planet's MP for the upcoming battle. It was better to use consumable potions than to rely on their healer to heal them every single time. Those precious MP would be better put to use during the boss fight than in a small scuffle.

Back to full health, Shirou informed the others.

"If they have reached their bosses, then ours shouldn't be too far away either." Blue Planet deduced.

"I am more concerned about what we will be facing soon." Amanomahitotsu worriedly added, his large claw snapping anxiously.

"It matters not our foe or how powerful they are. We shall defeat them all the same! We wouldn't want to keep our friends waiting, now do we?" Voiced Touch Me.

"Well, bring it on!" Peroroncino smashed his fist into an open palm, feeling energized and determined. "Like hell, we're going to lose when we've made it this far!"

The party then double-timed it towards the door, throwing caution to the wind in the hopes of speeding through and avoiding any possible leftover traps. Thankfully, no other traps were triggered, and they made it to the end safely.

Opening it, the door led them to a small, darkened room. In the center was something that was referred to as a teleportation circle. They were often used and implemented in dungeons as a method of fast travel, either to different locations or boss arenas. Shirou was willing to bet it was the latter. And if that was the case, then they'll need to prepare.

The group spent a good few minutes quickly applying buffs and enchantments and downing as many potions as they could in preparation for the fight.

Another thing that proved to be a surprising boon was Shirou's level 10 [Chef] job class. Shirou was capable of creating powerful consumables that provided buffs and stat-boosting effects on par with Legendary grade potions and elixirs. It helped to supplement their overreliance on potions, allowing them to save it for any dire situation during the boss fight.

"Everyone ready?" He asked.

The rest of the party flashed a series of thumbs-up emotes. Satisfied, the party of five stepped onto the teleportation circle and disappeared.

[—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—][—]

As soon as the light from the teleportation circle faded away, the five adventurers found themselves in a courtyard housed within a mysterious underground temple complex. The location was massive and seemed to have been built ages ago. The walls were lined with old and crumbling buildings that had been carved out of the rock that encircled them, creating a sort of arena for the boss battle. There were also smaller buildings scattered throughout the courtyard. It was a daunting sight, and the group couldn't help but wonder what kinds of challenges lay ahead of them in this ancient place.

The sheer size of the chamber was what surprised Shirou the most. It made him doubt if they were still within the Tomb of Nazarick or if they'd be transported elsewhere. Dark clouds colored the air above them, concealing the ceiling and gave off the illusion of an open sky box, making it difficult to determine if they were still underground or not. The entire locale oozed with a sense of melancholy and dread.

They had expected to find the boss waiting for them the moment they teleported in, only to find themselves alone.

Carefully, everyone surveyed their surroundings, making sure that their backs were to each other as they looked for any sign of the boss.

An unholy scream ripped through the air, a sound born from the deepest and darkest pit of a nightmare. The sound of something had never once known the light of day. The party tightened their grip on their weapons, their eyes scouring the surroundings for signs of the impending boss.

Then came the rumbles.

The earth beneath their feet quivered and quaked, the vibration barely perceptible at first but growing more pronounced with each passing moment. Straining to listen, the sound of footsteps became louder and more defined, emanating from the direction of a dilapidated temple along one side of the enclosed wall. The noise persisted for several more seconds, then abruptly ceased. Complete and utter silence took over the grounds.

A silence so deep that one could hear a pin drop from hundreds of meters away.

In an instant, the oppressive silence was shattered by a thunderous explosion that ripped through the section of the wall where the rumblings originated. The sheer force of the blast reverberated across the area, sending a hailstorm of dust, rubble, and debris hurtling outward in all directions. Reacting on instinct, the party frantically scattered, seeking cover in the various smaller buildings that peppered the field. They huddled together as a lethal downpour of stone and debris pummeled through the flimsy shacks and structures around them. A thick cloud of smoke obscured the spot where the wall previously stood, and a colossal claw emerged from the haze, gripping onto one of the dilapidated buildings. Gradually, the boss emerged from the veil of dust, dragging itself forward with immense power and determination.

Shirou had seen his fair share of monsters and beasts in his long life. Some mythical and other monsterous.

But with the thing in front of him, he could confidently say he had never once in all of his life seen a creature like that, either in the past or within YGGDRASIL.

The boss's was colossal in size, easily dozens of meters tall and dwarfing the Players. Its lower body was extended backward, a total of six flat elephant-like legs on each side of its lower body supported the monster's upper frame. The boss's torso stood upright, covered in a thick carapace. It possessed only two arms, with sharpened spikes running along its limbs. Each of its hands wielded razor-sharp talons that could rip apart any man with ease.

The creature in question had four distinct heads, each one more terrifying than the last. The first head, with its reptilian features, boasted an angular structure and a long, gaping jaw filled with small, serrated teeth. From its head down to its neck, the creature's skin was adorned with muted brown scales, and a long, slithering tongue emerged from the corner of its mouth. The second head was reminiscent of a centipede, with a flat face and a chitin exoskeleton that ran down its head and neck. Its elongated skull was split, forming sets of deadly mandibles, while two scythe-like appendages extended menacingly from its cheekbones. The third head was reminiscent of a dragon, with pure red scales that covered its head and neck, along with black spikes that ran down its neck. A horn protruded from the center of its head, and its jaw was lined with sharpened teeth. Finally, the fourth head bore a striking resemblance to a demonic goat, with an elongated snout and a set of curved horns that rested on top of its head. This head was firmly attached to the body, unlike the others, which boasted long and sinewy necks. A long, lithe tail whipped around, its sharp spikes glinting in the light.

The four heads reared back before letting out a collective roar. The screech was so loud and powerful that the air rippled around them, shaking the ground with the force of an earthquake.

"So you have made it, impressive. No matter, you cannot hope to defeat us as you are now! You will die here and now!" The dragon head boasted.

"Deeeaaadddd… Ddddeeeeeaaddd!" The reptilian head drawled out.

"YOU ARE ALL BUT INSECTS BEFORE US! PREPARE TO BE CRUSH!" Screamed the demonic goat head.

"CCccCrrRRUUuSShhHH…YYYeeSSsSSS…" The centipede head hissed.

Yggseria: The Chimera Abomination – Lvl: 150

Its name appeared, and with it came a single massive health bar.

Abomination indeed, for that was the only word that could even hope to describe the monstrosity in front of them. An amalgamation of, well… honestly, he had no idea what the hell it was even. All he knew was that it was big, it was scary, and no doubt powerful.

The party did not waste any time and dashed forward and out of cover. Peroroncino took to the open air and soared as high as he could. Shirou and Touch Me dashed forward to meet the goliath of a boss, while Blue Planet and Amanomahitotsu kept a safe distance.

The crimson dragon head was the first to attack. Great balls of fire spewed forth from its mouth. Instead of firing towards the vanguard as Shirou thought they would, they instead targeted the backline where Blue Planet and Amanomahitotsu were stationed.

"[Trace Bullet]!" Quick to intercept, the fireballs detonated against his Noble Phantasm. The rest hit the hulking boss with ease but did minimal damage, as shown by its HP bar barely moving.

The centipede head clicked and hissed, jolting straight at him. Shirou tried firing some Noble Phantasm at the speedy mass, but the head continued unflinchingly despite the attack. He was forced to jump out of the way at the last second.

Above, Peroroncino sailed through the air and provided air support in the form of raining down bolts of solar energy. His arrows slammed against the chimera boss, but just like with Shirou's [Trace Bullet], the boss took minimal damage. Their attacks were like pesky bug bites to a boss of its size and HP.

The reptilian head lashed out, racing toward the avian Player. Peroroncino proved that he wasn't easy prey by ducking and diving to avoid its snaps.

Touch Me rushed forward, closing the distance with his sword raised. Reaching striking range, Touch Me readied a skill.

"[Devastating Pier—"

The chimera quickly reacted, revealing its fourth and final head's attack. The demonic goat's jaws opened and unleashed a devastating sonic howl at the oncoming paladin.

Touch Me raised his shield to weather the attack, but it proved too much as the powerful sonic attack knocked him back and off his feet.

Deprived of the ground on his feet to keep himself balanced, he flopped in the air before clumsily recovering his landing.

Befitting its sinuous guise and nature, the reptilian head aggressively lunged forward when Touch Me stood at his most vulnerable, akin to a venomous serpent attacking an unguarded prey. Its aim was to make a meal out of the Player, a feat that may have been accomplished had Shirou not intervened with the use of [Trace Bullet]. The head recoiled, expressing frustration through its hissing, as the magus disrupted its intentions.

"Appreciated Emiya-san." Touch Me thanked him.

Shirou simply nodded, and the two rushed back into the fight.

The boss may have been large and very intimidating, but at the end of the day, it was just a complex sequence of codes and programs. Just like any other boss, big or small, it had patterns that could be memorized and exploited. It didn't take long before the party uncovered them.

The goat head was the most defensive, only attacking if anyone got too close, unleashing a deafening howl to keep them at bay. The centipede head was the most dangerous, with its long reach and a penchant for attacking the Player with the highest Hate value, using its razor-sharp mandibles and sickle blades with wild abandon. The reptilian head was the most conniving, waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike and lunging forward when one of them was distracted. The dragon head was the most relentless, unleashing a constant barrage of dragon fire and fireballs, no matter the target. Not even in the backline where Blue Planet and Amanomahitotsu kept to was safe, forcing them to be constantly on the move.

Momonga was not joking when he said that the final boss would be the most difficult. Despite its relatively low level of 150, it proved to be a tough opponent compared to higher-level bosses like a level 200 raid or an End boss. This was due to the boss having several specialized defensive bonuses that made the challenge even greater.

[Protection Against Projectiles]: Reduces any projectile base attack damage.

[All Seeing]: The boss was capable of spotting any Players within the vicinity, bypassing any invisibility spell or stealth.

[Iron Defense]: Elemental attacks deal only half as much damage as intended.

[Breakdown]: Any physical attack launched has the chance to inflict crit damage and induce the [Confusion] status ailment.

The situation they were in was tough. Even a party as well-balanced as Momonga's would struggle against such a boss. It was a challenge to keep track of all four heads, each with unique attack patterns and moves to look out for. And on top of that, they had to make sure their own party maintained cohesion and didn't lose momentum.

Shirou, Touch Me, and Peroroncino continued their attacks, learning more about the boss as the fight progressed.

Observing that his typical approach of discharging low-level Broken Noble Phantasm was proving to be ineffective, Shirou switched to a different strategy. He projected his black bow and retreated from the front lines towards the rear end of the battlefield.

"Let's give this a try. Trace on!" Arcs of prana shot out of his hand to form the familiar corkscrew sword. As he ran, he readied Caladbolg II with his distinct black bow.

"My core is twisted in Madness…" He hastily incanted.

"Emiya-senpai, watch out!" Peroroncino warned from above as the dragon head decidedly fired out a massive fireball toward the fleeing projection user.

Caladbolg II was ready and notched as he skidded to a stop and swung on the heels of his boots.

"[Caladbolg II]!" He fired the Noble Phantasm.

The false spiral sword drilled through the air, meeting the dragon's fireball head-on. It was no contest to see which of the two respective attacks would prevail. Caladbolg II punctured through the fireball effortlessly, continuing on its path until it struck Yggseria with a resounding impact.

The attack hit its mark and detonated right in the center of the chimera. The massive boss staggered and wobbled from the explosive force. For just a second, it looked as if it would tumble over, but it regained its balance at the last second. Caladbolg II had done its job, dealing a significant blow to the chimera by taking away a good chunk of its HP and reducing it to yellow.

Shirou was already on the move, relocating to another spot to provide him with another opportunity to prime his more powerful Noble Phantasms.

"YOU ARE ANNOOYYYYINNNGGG!"

"AaaAAAannnnnnNNNNoOoOOOyyYYyYYIIiiinnggGg!"

Two of the heads shrieked in unison.

The boss then moved, walking towards one of the nearby buildings. As it approached, its long, slithering tail coiled around the base of the structure, while its sharp claws dug deeply into the masonry. Shirou felt his feet slowing down as he could only gape as the chimera ripped the entire building loose from its foundation. The boss lifted it high up above its four heads and turned towards Shirou.

"Oh fuck…" He whispered, taking a step backward as he noticed all of the eyes on the beast narrowing.

It then threw the ruined building at him.

He knew he couldn't dodge it. It was far too massive, and [Reinforcement] wouldn't provide him with enough strength and speed to get out of range in time. His only hope was to lessen the initial payload heading straight for him.

"[Trace Bullet: Maximum Fire]!"

His magic circuits exploded into action, channeling a massive amount of prana into them. He projected and fired numerous weapons towards the toppled building, causing a crackling sensation in the air like fireworks. Without hesitation, he continued to trace and fire as many weapons as possible, causing bits and pieces to chip away from the structure. However, his efforts were not enough to destroy the building completely.

It was far too large, and he was out of time.

"[Reinforcement]! Trace on!"

In an instant, a pair of colossal tower shields materialized in both hands of the magus. The activation of [Reinforcement] caused his entire body to radiate with an intense glow, augmenting every single part of his body to its utmost limit. With unfaltering determination, Shirou firmly anchored the shields in front of him, preparing himself for what was to come.

A force like no other slammed into him, rattling his entire body and slamming him down. Shirou was quickly buried under several hundred tons of concrete, stone, and debris. The building shattered instantly upon impact, being reduced into a mountain of rubble and burying the magus beneath it.

"Emiya-san!" The rest of the party cried out in unison. They were left stunned at the sight of their friend buried and possibly dead by the boss.

Distracted, Touch Me was taken by surprise when two of the heads rushed towards him.

"[Vanishing Striker]!"

At the last second, Touch Me used one of his skills and slashed at the reptilian head that attempted to swallow him whole. While he was successful in repelling one head, the same couldn't be said for the other. The insectoid head impacted Touch Me like a runaway freight train, sending him on a crash course with a building.

"Touch Me-san!" Peroroncino cried out and circled around. However, he didn't get very far before the goat head set its sights on him and let out a pressurized howl. This caused the Birdman to become disoriented and knock him off course. The golden archer had to quickly maneuver out of the way of the lunging reptilian head, dodging and diving to avoid its whipping tongue and monstrous jaw.

The druid and crustacean Heteromorph tried to run towards the rubble to pull their friend out, only to be halted by blasts of fire from the dragon head.

"Touch Me-san! Are you alright?!" Shouted Blue Planet as the two non-combative Players dodged the dragon's attack.

Slowly, Touch Me stood back up, with several scuffles and dents along his armor. His HP was reduced to yellow. The centipede head snapped back towards the insectoid paladin and lunged. This time, however, he was ready.

"[Heavenly Reflection]!"

Touch Me countered the charge attack by bringing his shield to bear. The ground shook beneath him as the centipede barreled towards him with immense speed. Despite the force of the attack, Touch Me managed to hold his ground and absorb the blow with his shield. His feet dug into the ground as he was pushed backward, but he stood firm, determined not to let the monstrous creature get the upper hand. As the charge attack continued, Touch Me's silver shield began to glow with a bright light. Tightening his muscles and with a burst of white energy from [Heavenly Reflection], he used his strength to parry the attack and backhanded the centipede's head away with his shield. The head kept its course and crashed into yet another cluster of ruin complexes. The centipede easily shook itself loose with nary a scratch, while the complex it was embedded in collapsed altogether.

Up above, Peroroncino saw it all happen. A light bulb suddenly lit up in his head as he was struck with a crazy idea.

"Touch Me-san! Hang back, I've got an idea to free Emiya-senpai!" Peroroncino called out.

"What?!" The paladin reasonably exclaimed.

"I need the boss's complete attention! Trust me!" Peroroncino urged.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Peroroncino-san..." Touch Me reluctantly relented, racing back towards the other to recuperate.

"Let's do this!" Peroroncino glared defiantly down at the chimera boss.

"[Solar Snipe]! Plus [Maximum Quiver]!"

The archer skill [Maximum Quiver] works similarly to a magic caster's metamagic, increasing the archer's skills and abilities. In this case, the skill allowed the Player to repeatedly fire a selected skill infinitely for a short duration without using up any arrows.

From the dark skies above, an onslaught of brilliant solar beams rained down upon the menacing chimera. The underground briefly lit up orange from the bombardment and explosions as Peroroncino relentlessly pounded the boss with his attacks. As the smoke dissipated, it was evident that Peroroncino had captured the undivided attention of the beast. The four heads of the chimera glared malevolently at the archer, ready to retaliate with their own devastating powers.

"AaaannnNNNnnooOOOOOooYYYYyyIIiinnnngGGg!"

"Kkkiiiiiillllll! Kiiiiiilllll!"

With lightning speed, the reptilian and insectoid heads lunged forward, their menacing jaws snapping hungrily. Unfazed by the danger, Peroroncino fearlessly swooped towards them head-on, his agile wings slicing through the air with grace. The others could hardly believe their eyes as they watched the avian archer execute a daring nosedive towards the dual threats, showing not a shred of hesitation or fear. Peroroncino was a seasoned veteran in the art of aerial combat and maneuvering, and he evaded the two heads with masterful finesse. Despite his best efforts, the two heads were quick to follow him like white on rice, their hunger driving them to attack. With a sudden burst of speed, Peroroncino tucked his wings inward and made a beeline towards the goat head, which unleashed another deafening roar at the brazen avian.

"Now!" Timing it at the last second, Peroroncino spread opened his wings, and executed a barrel roll, evading the attack. The shockwave attack completely missed but continued its course toward the two heads right on his tail. Unable to react in time, the howl struck the reptilian head. The attack was enough to stagger the head backward in pain. The same couldn't be said for the other head, as the insectoid head smashed through the attack as if it were nothing. The centipede's mandibles slammed into the horned goat head, its sickle bone blades digging into its body.

Yggseria roared in pain and anger, its entire body recoiled and swaying from Peroroncino's little trick.

"Why are you hitting yourself?" Peroroncino mocked.

"You pest!" The dragon head boomed. It opened its mouth and unleashed fireballs at the golden archer, all of which Peroroncino avoided with ease. Explosions rocked the air as he circled over the massive boss.

"Miss me, miss me, na-na na-na boo-boo!" Peroroncino mockingly sang.

With a growl of frustration, Yggseria lunged forward in pursuit of the pesky yellow fly, determined to crush it at any cost. The chimera lumbered after the airborne Player, its massive body proving to be a cumbersome weight that slowed the boss down considerably. Despite the best efforts of the centipede and reptilian heads to capture him, Peroroncino remained one step ahead, outsmarting his foes with ease. Even the dragon's fiery blasts proved ineffective, as Peroroncino deftly maneuvered his way through the chaos, always staying out of reach of his pursuers.

'Here should be close enough!' Peroroncino calculated, his eyes trained on the mountain of rubble. All he needed now was to bait them, just like last time.

"Come on, what's the matter? Should I slow it down for you all to give you guys a fighting chance?"

Peroroncino got a response in the form of an ear-piercing screech as the two aggressive heads made another attempt to attack him. With swift and calculated movements, he executed a perfect nose dive, effectively drawing the heads into a frenzied pursuit. Just as he was about to make contact with the unforgiving terrain below, Peroroncino gracefully unfurled his wings, adjusting his trajectory with precision. In a seamless display of skill and agility, he picked up momentum, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic collision.

He came in low and fast, the feathers along his chest practically touching the floor beneath as he flew mere centimeters above it.

His eyes were on the prize. There, the mountain of rubble lay untouched. A glance backward showed the two heads right on his tail and they were none the wiser.

He would need to time it perfectly!

'Come on, come on, come on, come on…' He chanted as he got closer and closer, and closer…

"Now!"

Peroroncino was quite the sight to behold as he gracefully tucked in his wings and landed in front of the pile of rubble. His feet touched the ground for no more than a second before he jumped and soared straight upward. Like a matador leading a bull, Peroroncino lead the heads into doing exactly what he wanted them to do. Unable to turn or correct its direction, momentum carried their course, and the heads slammed into the mountain of rubble. The force of the collision blew away massive chunks from the pile. The heads whipped around and bawled in pain, dislodging even more of the wreckage, which worked out in their favor.

"Emiya-senpai! Are you still there?!" Peroroncino cried out, his eyes scouring for Shirou's form. In that moment of hesitation, the dragon head launched a fireball at the avian archer.

"Peroroncino-san, look out!" Blue Planet warned, too little, too late, as the attack caught him in his blindside.

The force of the attack knocked him out of the air as he careened downward and crashed. More than 2/3rd of his HP was taken from just that. The insectoid and reptilian heads lunged forward, ready to end the golden archer's life.

Before Yggseria could deal the finishing blow, several streaks of sharp blue appeared and slammed into their sides, detonating.

Shirou emerged from the debris, his lower body still encumbered by the rubble, but he was free. With a flourish of his arm, his magic circuits ignited, sending streaks of neon lightning outward.

"Rarrgghh!" With a fierce roar, he willed more weapons to be traced and fired.

A storm of steel flew forth, striking and exploding upon contact with the boss. The explosions rattled the entire area, causing the boss to jerk back in pain. Blast burns and cuts marred the chimera's entire body from the onslaught of fire and steel that the magus wrought. With all the grace of an obese elephant, Yggseria staggered and tipped over, crashing backward into another row of buildings.

The boss's HP was lowered to red.

"Blue Planet-san, go help heal Peroroncino-san! Amanomahitotsu-san, help me pull Emiya-san free!" Touch Me pressed.

The two rushed to do as they were ordered. Blue Planet came to Peroroncino's side and quickly got him healed up. Touch Me and Amanomahitotsu got to work digging out their friend. Shirou was unable to hold back the wince and hissed in pain as his friends pulled him free from the rubble. His hand clutched his sides, and he felt some of his ribs were fractured.

"Are you alright?" Touch Me asked worriedly, seeing the state his friend was in. He knew that his friend felt every injury and damage to his virtual body, which reflected physical pain.

"I'll… live…" Shirou strained.

Pulling out a few potions, he drank them all greedily and applied [Alteration] to his body to help speed up the healing and stitching process. He could feel the potion and his magic circuits slowly but steadily mending the wound and correcting it. Avalon was a godsend, but some extra aid did not hurt. Within a few seconds, he was back to full capacity. Blue Planet was finished with Peroroncino as well, evident by his full health bar and himself back in the air.

And not a second too soon, as the boss slowly and clumsily got back on its feet.

The four heads glared at the party with baleful eyes. The boss radiated such hatred for them that the group couldn't help but collectively take a step backward.

"You worthless, miscreant, insignificant insects! You have annoyed us long enough!"

"YOU WILL BURN! BURN! BURN UNTIL NOT EVEN YOUR ASHES SHALL REMAIN!"

The draconic and goat heads shouted as one.

The dragon head opened its maws, and a magic circle formed in front of its jaw. This particular circle shone with a brilliant blue hue that contrasted sharply against the dragon's scales. Suddenly, a blazing blue fireball began to take shape, slowly growing in size and intensity with each passing moment.

It was winding up for an attack, Shirou recognized. That meant the next attack would be an extremely powerful one and most likely an AoE attack to boot.

Not even a minute after he was free, the situation had already gone south. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Quite literally in this case.

"Peroroncino-san, fly towards me! The rest, get behind Touch Me-san!" Shirou urged.

If the attack was fire-based, then he had just the Noble Phantasm in mind to counter it.

"Trace on!" Shirou's magic circuits sprung to life once more.

He searched the undulating landscape of Unlimited Blade Work with unwavering focus. Concentrating his thoughts, he located the perfect Noble Phantasm. As he did so, the prana coalesced into two majestic golden shields, each bearing a striking eight-pointed star. Delicately etched into the outer rim of the shield were ancient Norse runes, adding to the shield's already impressive appearance. The shield was truly massive, easily covering his entire body and then some, providing a formidable defense against any threat.

[Svalinn: The Shield that stands before the Sun – Divine Tier Shield]

"Touch Me-san! Catch!" Shirou threw the shield like a frisbee. The shield spun gracefully through the air before Touch Me caught it.

Peroroncino grounded and immediately fell behind Shirou, just as Blue Plant and Amanomahitotsu did the same for Touch Me. The two held their shields at the ready and steeled themselves.

The attack came no sooner.

"[Wild Fire Cataclysm]!"

The dragon then shut its mouth, consuming the all-encompassing ball of flame. Fire leaked from its mouth, licking its fiery scales. The glow from the azure fire gave off a beautiful contrast with the draconic heads' fiery red scales. The imagery didn't last as the dragon arched its head back before shooting forward and opening its jaw to release a stream of pure, concentrated blue flames.

As its name implies, the blaze was indeed untamed, rampaging through its surroundings with alarming speed. It spread relentlessly, its fiery tendrils stretching outward with an unquenchable hunger. The area surrounding the inferno was bathed in a ghastly light, an otherworldly blue that illuminated the dusky air. The heat emanating from the flames was so intense that even solid stone would yield to its scorching touch.

The flames licked what remained of the old and crumbling building and surrounding, their very stones liquifying and dripping like wax off of a candle. Anything it comes into contact with was quickly consumed and melted away.

Well, almost everything.

In the midst of a tumultuous sea of blazing blue flames, two shields glistened with shimmering golden light. Despite the overwhelming inferno raging around them, the shields remained unscathed, almost as if they were drawing strength from the flames. In the heart of the azure inferno, a small vortex swirled like a miniature whirlpool in a vast ocean, with Svalinn at its center. The radiant golden shield seemed to be absorbing the fiery tempest, creating a mesmerizing display of pure energy and power.

Svalinn, in Norse mythology, translated roughly to mean cold or chill. Legend recounted it to be a remarkable shield that could stand before the sun itself, withstanding the heat and power of the radiant star effortlessly. Very little was known of it, save for its legend and the speculation regarding its mythos. It was an obscure myth when compared to other, more common, and mainstream legends of old Norse.

The shield was yet another Noble Phantasm that was created from within YGGDRASIL. One of the few pure defensive styles of Noble Phantasm Shirou crafted. The shield was capable of negating practically any firebase attack, regardless of its strength or tier.

As the others in the party remained completely safe from the raging inferno, Shirou couldn't help but feel like he was slowly being cooked alive. The heat was almost unbearable, and the air around him was arid, making it feel like thousands of needles were raking against his skin. It extended inside his body as he felt his virtual lung dry up, gasping for air. Although the inferno was halted from harming him, it wasn't a perfect solution.

It felt so much like the times when he would overclock his magic circuits, resulting in them burning his nerves and, by extension, his skin and insides as well. But he would endure!

The attack finally came to a stop, Yggseria's breath attack letting up.

Besides themselves and the small space of ground they stood on, the entire arena was irrevocably changed.

The area surrounding the party was left charred and blackened, with the remnants of the once towering structure now reduced to a mere shadow of its former self. The intense heat had ravaged the building, causing most of it to melt and twist into deformed, molten architecture. The entire arena was reduced to a blackened kiln with only the party of five remaining in the center of the charred and singed cavern.

"Impossible!" The chimera bellowed in disbelief.

While Svalinn was capable of protecting against any firebase attack, Shirou did not stop there and designed the shield with a neat secondary ability to the created Noble Phantasm.

"Touch Me-san, throw it at the boss!"

Touch Me didn't understand the reason behind the instruction, but he had gone on numerous adventures with Shirou and had faith in his judgement. Therefore, the paladin followed Shirou's lead and hurled his shield along with him.

As the two golden disks spun through the air, the shields were set aflame, and fire similar to the one the shield absorbed jutted outwards, forming blades.

Shirou's creation, Svalinn, possessed the remarkable ability to not only counteract any firebase attack but also imbue the Noble Phantasm with the very essence of the attack - thus empowering itself in the process. The processed worked similarly to breaking a Noble Phantasm with the bonus of Shirou not needing to expand any additional MP to do so.

As the two golden shields began to spin, they were propelled forward with great force and velocity thanks to the blazing blue flames that enveloped them. The shimmering blue and golden glow that emanated from the shields was both dazzling and ominous, a testament to the devastating power that they wielded. Like lethal saw blades, they sliced through the air at breakneck speed, homing in on their target.

The spinning shields slashed deep within the abomination's flesh, one hitting the boss's shoulder blades and the other its belly before exploding spectacularly, releasing the boss's flames against it.

The chimera let out a horrifying, ear-piercing dying shriek as it burned. The wildfire spread quickly across Yggseria's entire gargantuan body as the hungry flames consumed the boss. The counter-attack rendered the boss's remaining HP down to zero.

Shirou had thought they had won the battle and beaten the boss. However, one thing immediately clued him in on something wrong. The body remained, whereas many times before, it would typically shatter into shards of polygons.

Instead, it persisted.

Slowly, the boss's dying screech devolved into an incomprehensible gurgle of sounds. It wasn't much longer before it was silenced.

The party was then treated to a disturbing sight. The only way Shirou would properly describe it was that the boss… melted.

The skin gave way first, melting like ichor and dripping off its body. The muscles and organs followed, liquefying and merging with the melted skin to reveal the bone-white skeletal structure beneath its body. Every inch of the virtual body's innards and flesh was reduced to a tar-like sludge that dripped and pooled carelessly on the floor. The heat caused the ooze to boil and pop, emitting an unpleasant, rubbery odor. The boss's immaculate skeletal remains was all that was left; not a scrap of flesh remained.

For a few seconds, all was silent.

Shirou quickly glanced back towards his teammates,, and while he could not read their facial expressions, he knew they were thinking the same thing as he was.

The fight was not over just yet.

As if called upon by their thoughts, the skeletal frame of the boss rumbled.

The distinct sound of something whirling echoed through the heated and barren arena.

There, within the center of the boss's ribcage, spun a glowing red orb. It gyrated, faster and faster, all the while emitting a pulsating crimson glow. Red veins coursed from the core throughout its skeletal body. They etched themselves deep into the marrow as the rumbling continued.

Shirou astutely observed that the markings were not haphazardly placed, rather, they seemed to possess a discernible pattern, almost resembling runes or some sort of mystical symbols. However, Shirou's curiosity was momentarily interrupted as the boss gradually came back to life.

Suddenly, one of its claws slammed onto the ground as the boss pushed itself back into a standing position. Despite possessing no muscles or tendons of any kind, the entire skeletal frame was able to hold itself together.

Shirou couldn't help but draw a similar connection between the boss's core and that of a Magic Core.

But there was another immediate concern that was at the forefront of his mind. The boss had a second stage.

Shirou was sure that Momonga and the others would have forewarned them had that been the case with their respective bosses. But that didn't come to pass.

That meant their bosses did not possess a secondary phase.

'Is this because we were the last ones to fight our boss?' Shirou speculated. That was the only reason he could think of. Plus, it would be in line with the shitty devs and their sadistic thinking by granting the last and most powerful boss a second life and phase.

His thoughts were put on hold as the skeletal remains of the chimera returned to life. Its once empty eye sockets flashed red, and in their place were crimson orbs. The four skeletal heads reared back and released a deafening scream.

Its health bar was replenished back to full.

"Do not think we shall fall that easily, intruders! We shall kill you all, in one life or another!"

"KKiiiiilllllll….KKkkkkiiiiiiiiiilllllllll…aaalllllllllll…"

"WE ARE YGGSERIA! THE ULTIMATE AND PERFECT CREATION! YOU STAND NO CHANCE FACING US!"

"cCCHHHHaaAAnnnNNNNcCccEEEeeE…. NNnNnnNNooOooOooOOOO…"

The four heads spoke in unison, their voices were disjointed and distorted.

"Scatter!" Touch Me immediately ordered upon seeing that the fight was not yet over.

"[Trace Bullet: Rapid Fire]!" Shirou launched a barrage of projected weapons as the group scrambled once more. Their aim was true, and they exploded upon hitting its chest.

For the briefest of moments, Shirou caught a glimpse of something peculiar flickering before being obscured by the smoke of his attack's detonation. The thought was immediately pushed to the background as the smoke cleared.

Yggseria took no damage from his attack.

"What?!" Shirou exclaimed in disbelief.

"[Crusher Wave Slash]!" Touch Me roared.

The paladin swung his sword, unleashing a magnificent crescent slash that was imbued with pure energy. The blow hit the boss, causing it to stagger for a moment. However, despite the powerful strike, the boss remained unscathed, as not even a minuscule fraction of its HP was depleted. Shirou, who was observing the battle closely, noticed the same odd red flicker that he had seen earlier just as the paladin's attack landed.

"What the hell?! Why isn't the damn thing taking any damage?" Peroroncino cried out. He unleashed a flurry of solar arrows upon the boss. They exploded against the chimera, but like the rest, there was little to no sign of damage on the surface.

Shirou focused all of his attention on the boss, his dichromatic eyes scrutinizing every single detail.

This time, the magus knew what he saw. The attacks never truly connected. Each time their attacks were milliseconds away from landing, the boss would flicker red before the attack would connect.

They needed more information.

"Everyone! Whatever you do, hold the boss off until I'm ready!" He called out to them.

"What are you planning on doing, Emiya-san?" Asked Blue Planet.

"Solving this mystery." He said nothing more, much to the confusion of his friends. However, they knew to trust Shirou and did as they were told, keeping the boss distracted as he got to work.

"Trace on!" With a single command, his magic circuits surged with power as prana began poured forth. In a swift motion, he flexed his fingers, the form of Caladbolg II took shape once again. Unlike the last time he used it, when the shot he fired was incomplete, this time he intended to utilize the Noble Phantasm to its fullest extent.

"My core is twisted…" Shirou recited the incantation, filling the sword with prana and breaking it apart in the process. Streaks of dark crimson prana surged from Shirou's body into the Noble Phantasm, imbuing it with immense power. "...in madness!"

The chimera boss was too slow to react, turning around only to be met by the fully charged Caladbolg II. The Noble Phantasm was primed and ready to unleash its might.

"[Caladbolg II]!" He fired.

The Caladbolg II was released and instantly reached its maximum velocity. However, just as the corkscrew arrow was about to make contact, it abruptly stopped mere centimeters from its target.

No, it was more accurate to say it was halted.

Caladbolg II continued to spin, but it was unable to pierce through the odd barrier that protected the boss. However, it was thanks to the Noble Phantasm that the party had a good look at what was going on. A almost transparent red sheen covered the entire chimera, protecting it.

Without any obstructions, Shirou could see the rune-like etching across the creature's body pulsed, casting an eerie red glow that seemed to act as a second layer of skin, shielding it from harm.

Despite its best efforts, the Caladbolg II was unable to penetrate the barrier and eventually, its rotation and spin slowed until it exploded. The smoke cleared, revealing the boss to be unharmed, like before.

However, they had resolved one of the new mysteries regarding the boss. The red barrier functioned as a secondary health bar, slightly overlapping the original one, and displayed a depletion of approximately 25% due to the attack. This discovery shed light on a previously unknown aspect of the boss's capabilities.

Shirou had initially suspected that Caladbolg II would not deal much damage to the boss. However, he was surprised to find that the attack was weaker than he had anticipated. Unlike the previous incomplete version, this one was on par with the attack that defeated Berserker, an End Boss who was much more powerful than a mere level 150 Raid Boss.

The only logical explanation for the low damage output was that the boss boss must have been under some kind of modifier or buff that was likely caused by a passive ability or skill.

Shirou quickly assessed what little information they could glean from the boss. Firstly, it was clear that Yggseria could still take damage, ruling out any invincibility ability or mechanic, which was a relief for Shirou.

Secondly, the boss had a form of defense buff that greatly reduces any damage dealt to it. This was evident from the minimal damage caused by a fully charged Caladbolg II.

Thirdly, the boss had a passive ability that created a barrier, which was etched into its bones. This shield-like defensive ability was represented by a second health bar and protected the boss's true health bar. As long as the barrier was active, they couldn't inflict any significant damage on the boss.

Despite their efforts to unravel the mystery, there were still a few small but crucial pieces of the puzzle that they were missing. Unfortunately, Shirou and the rest had to flee from the boss's renewed assault, without being able to ponder their next move.

"Emiya-san, what should we do?" Amanomahitotsu deferred to the leader of the party. They all saw how one of his strongest attacks did close to nothing to truly damage the boss's HP.

"There's nothing we can do but wait and test out its defenses…" Shirou reluctantly ordered. "Divert their attention and keep them as far apart from one another as you can! Amanomahitotsu-san, stay close to me. Blue Planet-san, go with Touch Me-san! Peroroncino-san, keep on firing at the boss! We need more information!"

At this point, it was clear that attacking it head-on was a futile effort, as it was nearly impervious to their spells and skills. All they could do now was survive until the boss revealed more of its tricks.

The next two minutes saw the group practically running laps around the boss, desperately avoiding its attack. There was no longer a pattern to its move set or attacks, only randomness as the chimera switched targets between the three groups seamlessly.

What made it all the more challenging was that nowhere was safe as the entire arena burned down, leaving nothing left but the open ground. This left the Players only with the choice of running and counter-attacking whenever one of their heads would attack.

"Damn it…" Shirou muttered under his breath as he dodged a fireball.

Four minutes had passed since the reveal of the boss for its second phase, and no headway was made. Shirou's and Peroroncino's prodding attacks yielded little result. Were they perhaps missing something fundamental about the boss, or perhaps it was just that long?

As he thought of this, a sound pierced through his thoughts.

A high-pitched whirring sound resonated through the air. It came from Yggseria. Crimson lightning began to generate and crackle from the core's rapid rotation. The rune-like carving running along its entire skeletal body lit up in a burning red glow. All four heads unhinged their jaws as a pulsating, magic circle formed. Immediately, several more flashed along the ground and into the air.

"Everyone, move!" Touch Me warned.

"[Nova Burst Quasar]!"

The four skeletal heads let loose beams of super-condensed bursts of crimson energy. The burning rays traveled everywhere, across every surface, leaving behind a glowing trail and exploding a second later. The massive AoE attack fired everywhere, bathing the entire surrounding in an apocalyptic glow.

Countless explosions rocked the field, forcing the party to scramble just to avoid the attack.

Amanomahitotsu was unlucky enough to be caught by one of the beams.

"Agrrh!" He let out, and half of his HP was lost from the attack.

"Amanomahitotsu-san!" Shirou knew the crustacean Heteromorph wouldn't survive the subsequent burst of energy that came after the initial beam. He used [Reinforcement] and tackled both himself and the blacksmith to the ground. They managed to dodge within a hair's breadth of the following explosion.

"T-thanks. That was a close one." Amanomahitotsu gratefully thanked his rescuer.

Shirou was just about to reply when a sudden noise caught their attention. It was a hissing sound that seemed to be coming from the boss once again, even after the explosion had subsided. The chimera suddenly came to a halt, and its eyes and the glowing runes that adorned its body slowly began to fade away until there was nothing left. Bursts of steam were discharged from the chimera's skeletal chest, more specifically, the orb, as its ribcage opened up, allowing a clear view of it. The crimson core slowed to a complete stop, and the boss remained motionless, as if it were powered down or something similar.

It was big, it was red, and it was glowing. Thus, video game logic dictated that it was its central and final weakness.

"Target the core!" Shirou exclaimed.

Peroroncino and Touch Me didn't need to be told twice before the two unleashed as much of their powerful skills as they could. Shirou fired his traced weapons, Touch Me rained down slashes, and Peroroncino loosened bolts of solar energy.

And for each hit, they lowered the boss's HP gradually.

Finally, they were making some headway in the second phase!

The attackers managed to lower the boss's HP down to roughly 60% before the ribcage closed up. The orb began to rotate once more and breathed life back into the boss. Touch Me retreated as the reanimated skeletal chimera stood back up, showing no sign of worse for wear. The three let up their attacks, as there was no point now. The group watched as its secondary health bar was refilled, bringing it back to full strength.

As Shirou watched this all unfold, the final piece of the puzzle came to him.

"Everyone! We're dealing with a Timed Boss!" He shouted for all to hear.

"Shit! Of all the bosses…" Shirou heard Touch Me lament under his breath, and with good reason.

Timed Bosses were a category of bosses that were considered the most annoying types in the game by the player base. These bosses were not difficult to beat because of their inherent strengths or unique challenges, but rather because of the rules and mechanics that Players had to obey to defeat them.

Players have dubbed them 'Stall Bosses', as they had a tendency to stall the game, or alternatively, as 'Timed Bosses', due to their timed invincibility mechanics. The concept of 'Timed Bosses' has been prevalent in the gaming industry since the early twenty-first century, and game developers often use it to prolong the gameplay and create the illusion of difficulty.

It essentially boils down to the boss having only one specific weakness for which Players could attack and damage the boss. However, were it only that, there would be no challenge, and thus developers often implemented another mechanic: invincibility. For the majority of the fight, the boss was invincible or close to invincible in one form or another. After a set amount of time, the boss would reveal its weakness, allowing the Players to progress with the fight. This opening would only last for a brief moment—enough time for Players to progress the fight but not enough to finish it immediately.

Rinse and repeat until the boss fight concludes.

It was more of an obstacle than a challenge or an engaging battle.

The time wasted waiting for an opening to attack and to progress the boss battle forward merely simulated the pretense that the battle was indeed long and arduous when, in reality, the fight was being extended by design. Battles and fights such as these were purposely designed to be time-wasters.

It can be quite challenging to stay alive in a prolonged battle. The longer the fight drags on, the greater the chance of making a critical error that could result in defeat or even death. This was why Players often find themselves attempting the same task over and over again, which can be quite tedious and monotonous.

It would come to explain many of the mysteries associated with the second phase of the chimera boss battle. Its sudden and nearly impenetrable defense was a mechanic of the boss fight and acted as a passive skill in the form of a barrier, reducing any attacks and damage taken to an absurd degree. The boss's timed mechanics forced the members of Ainz Ooal Gown to adopt one of two viable options. Either wait out the time or relentlessly attack the boss in an attempt to break through the secondary health bar to reach its core and main health bar.

Both have significant cons that could lead to a party wipe if chosen carelessly.

For one, they would need to use their most powerful spells, attacks, and skills to even make a dent in the boss's secondary health bar to reach its primary health bar. Meaning, they would be draining themselves far faster, and this could lead to a situation where they would have nothing at the crucial moment later on in the fight should the boss battle persist.

While waiting seemed like the safer option, the five-minute wait time felt like a small eternity. Shirou saved Amanomahitotsu in the nick of time the first time, but there was no guarantee as the boss fight continued. The future battle could take anywhere from fifteen to twenty more minutes added on to them, and no doubt they were feeling weary themselves from the already arduous and tiring boss fight before with the chimera's first phase.

The projection user pondered their next move, scouring the depths of Unlimited Blade Works, searching for a Noble Phantasm that might provide their party with the solution they so desperately needed.

A faint idea struck him, watching as the defensive skill lit up once again to protect the boss.

If so, then—

[Message]!

Shirou almost tripped over himself thanks to a sudden [Message] notification popping up directly in his line of sight.

It was from Momonga.

Recovering mid-step, he answered the [Message] to ask if his friend needed something, only to be cut off by him instead.

"[Emiya-san! Are you there, Emiya-san!?]" Momonga's erratic voice screamed through the [Message]. What gave Shirou pause was the sheer urgency and panic in his voice. Something he had only heard his undead friend speak in the direst of situations.

"[I'm here! What's the situation?]" Shirou responded while sidestepping a lung from the fanged skeletal reptilian head.

"[Bad!]" Momonga simply said.

Shirou couldn't help but feel a cold pit forming in his stomach. Out of everyone within the guild, Momonga was perhaps the most cautious and heedful Player he had ever met. If someone like him was saying things were bad, then things were not looking good.

Swallowing, he asked the question. "[How bad?]"

"[Very, very bad…]" The Overlord gravely replied. "[It's…]"

The distant sound of an explosion from Momonga's side of the [Message] cut him off for a few seconds. He could even hear a few of his guildmates screaming in the background. This only made Shirou grow further concerned.

"[Momonga-san! What's the situation?!]" He asked again, dodging another lunge attack.

"[We've beaten our boss, and then we were transported to this floor with the others. That's when everything went wrong. We're… Damn it! [Boost Magic: Wild Storm]!]" Momonga paused in the middle to utter the name of a spell. Another series of explosions were heard through the [Message].

"[We're being overrun!]" He answered back, forgoing any tact.

"[W-what?!]" Shirou reasonably exclaimed.

The shock that they were still in combat after they had beaten their respective bosses almost allowed Shirou to be nailed by an attack from the chimera.

"[I've been trying to coordinate the others, but there's just too many. They just keep on spawning! We're surrounded by an endless horde of constantly respawning mobs. There's no end to them!]"

Another pause, the faint sounds of distant orders being shouted, and explosions echoed in the background of the [Message].

"[We think it'll stop once all bosses are defeated! We need you guys to hurry it up!]" He pleaded, his voice completely frantic. This was the first time he had ever heard Momonga sound so on edge and helpless.

'I'll just be adding another nail in the coffin.' Was Shirou's grim thought. Especially for what he has to tell Momonga next.

"[We're trying, but the boss got a second phase. It's a Timed Boss with some kind of super defensive skill and it's capable of resisting our most powerful attacks. It also has a five-minute window!]"

"[Fuck!]"

Shirou paused for a second, again. Only this time, it was for an entirely different reason.

The voice that so eloquently summed up their situation was not Momonga.

No, it was Ulbert.