Chapter 6: The Tracksuit and Masked Man Appears

At the signal of its movement, we charged forward without hesitation.

Shion, with her superior agility, took the lead. I followed close behind, ready to handle any unforeseen dangers.

It was a strategy that defied conventional combat norms—something no ordinary duo would attempt.

Typically, dungeon combat starts with the tank drawing the enemy’s attention. It’s the first lesson taught in explorer training.

But we had decided to overturn that convention to take down the Archangel.

Shion dashed toward the Archangel.

The distance remaining: just a few meters.

The chanting had only begun—barely a second had passed.

We’ve got this. We can make it.

“The Archangel’s weakness is at the back of its neck, just below the nape. While it’s chanting, it’s wide open. Strike during that window.”

There wasn’t enough time to circle around to its back.

With that in mind, we devised an alternate plan.

Shion glanced back at me, giving a sharp nod.

“Now—GOOOOO!”

That was my cue. I grabbed Shion and threw her into the air.

Yes, you read that right—I threw her.

Propelled by my strength, Shion soared into the air in a graceful arc.

Twisting midair with a half-spin, she soared over the Archangel, landing perfectly on the other side.

She successfully positioned herself behind the monster, where its weak point was located.

Without hesitation, Shion swung her blade in a horizontal arc.

The air itself seemed to split with a sharp swoosh.

“AAAAAGH…!”

The strike landed true, directly on the Archangel’s weak point.

Writhing in agony, the Archangel dissolved into particles of light before disappearing entirely.

“Did… did we do it…?”

I murmured as I watched the glowing particles vanish completely.

Left behind on the ground was a mana crystal—one larger than I’d ever seen before.

“Hah… hah…”

Shion was panting heavily, her shoulders heaving. I’d never seen her this exhausted before.

《That was insane…》

《No way that just happened》

《It was too fast to see!》

《Did we just witness something incredible…?》

《Wait, that blog was actually right?!》

《Yeah, no kidding. Is that blog legit?》

《Also, isn’t that mana crystal absurdly huge…?》

The comment section was in an uproar over our teamwork.

Everything had gone just as the blog had described.

The monsters, their behavior patterns—it had all been accurate.

Without the blog’s guidance, we wouldn’t have stood a chance against the Archangel.

And as for defeating it solo… the difficulty was unimaginable.

“…Whew. See, Kanade? I told you it was true, didn’t I?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Shion smiled as she sheathed her sword, then picked up the mana crystal and exclaimed, “Wow, it’s huge…”

《That’s massive!》

《Looks like it’s worth 50,000 DP or something.》

《Thicc.》

《Shion-tan, one more time!》

The comments were exploding as Shion examined the mana crystal. Sure, it was unusually large, but honestly, that wasn’t what mattered to me.

What mattered was that we were now certain.

That blog was completely, undeniably true.

And that meant—

…someone had cleared this dungeon all the way to the fifth floor.

Solo.

“Well then, let’s head back.”

“Y-Yeah.”

We both took a deep breath, ready to retreat.

That’s when I sensed it—something approaching.

“…!”

“This could be bad.”

Before us appeared two Archangels.

Both raised their hands simultaneously—the signal for an attack.

This was bad. One we could handle, but two at the same time…!

《Two of them?! No way!》

《Run away!!》

《This is terrifying!》

“Run, Kanade!”

“O-Okay!”

At Shion’s quick command, we bolted toward the dungeon’s exit.

But it didn’t look like we’d make it in time.

That’s when Shion stopped in her tracks.

“What are you doing, Shion?!”

“I’ll hold them off! You go, Kanade!”

“No way, Shion!”

“Just go!”

It seemed Shion was determined to act as a decoy.

Was she feeling responsible for bringing me here? She didn’t need to bear that burden—none of this was her fault!

When I turned back, the Archangels had finished their chant.

From their arms, lightning burst forth—

CLAAAANG!

“Kyah!”

“Wha—what was that?!”

The sharp clash of metal reverberated.

The Archangels, poised to attack us, suddenly dissolved into particles of light.

What just happened…?

“Huh…?”

I saw a mysterious figure standing before us.

Shion, equally stunned, was staring at them.

A jet-black tracksuit.

A strange mask.

And… sandals.

“………”

“H-Hey, wait!”

Before we could gather our thoughts, the figure turned and left without a word, leaving us frozen in place.

《W-Who was that?!》

《I didn’t see anything!》

《Weren’t there two Archangels?!》

《It looked like both were taken out at the same time…》

“There’s no doubt about it. That was them,” Shion said firmly.

“…Could it be, the one from that blog?”

“Yeah. It must be.”

No one else could pull off a feat like simultaneously defeating two Archangels, something it had taken the two of us everything we had to handle just one.

“…I’ve found them.”

Shion’s quiet words lingered in my ears.