We entered the boss room and everyone took their positions. Ted took the frontline. With his large shield in his left hand, a double-bladed axe in his right, and the wind protection barriers summoned by the Elf, he became the indestructible wall that would defend us.
For him the Elf put in effort and summoned a decent spell.
I positioned myself to the right of the Bear, placing his shield between me and our terrible enemy's dominant arm. I became the sword that would bring down the fearsome beast. I summoned a thin layer of ice that not only provided protection but also increased the power of my blade.
I'll show Sabrina that my water magic is useful after all!
Sabrina positioned herself to the left, more distanced. With her venom-coated daggers, she would become the downfall of any of the boss's companions who tried to protect him.
Mary and the Elf stayed in the rear. Mary summoned a light magic with a passive healing effect, creating a safe area that would maintain our physical integrity. Even the Elf made herself useful: besides the protective magic that enveloped the Bear, the sound of her lute disoriented the enemy.
The Queen... huh, where's the Queen? When I noticed, she was approaching the boss, making a "time out" gesture with her hands.
"Stop, stop, stop. He's just a Clan Chief Orc. There's no fun in all of us ganging up on this poor guy," the Queen said as she approached the boss.
Everyone was looking at each other with confused faces — even the Orc boss. Then the Queen made the orc kneel and drew her sword. Was she going to kill him alone? Of course not. With a touch of her sword on each of the boss's shoulders, she declared:
"I, Lilith, Queen of all demons, hereby name you Pigtail, King Orc of this dungeon."
As soon as she finished speaking, a magic circle expanded beneath the boss's feet. A mist of dark energy rose from the circle and climbed up his body. Black lightning emerged from him.
Little by little, the orc transformed, becoming bigger and more sinister. By the end of the transformation, he was nearly twice my size. Even the Bear looked small beside him.
With a shrill roar, the now King Orc summoned a legion of orc soldiers who surrounded us.
"Now it'll be fun to kill you," she said, admiring her own work with a malicious smile.
We barely had time to process what the Queen had done because the King Orc attacked immediately. Ted reacted quickly and blocked his attack with his shield. But the King Orc was now much stronger and pushed him back.
I was now like a warrior stripped of his shield: completely exposed. But my training with Sabrina had not been in vain. Compared to her real torture sessions, fighting that orc would be a walk in the park.
With a thrust, I gained speed and, before the orc could strike again, I landed a strong blow to one of his legs, throwing him off balance.
Before he could recover, a massive furball wielding a two-handed axe fell onto him, forcing him to raise his sword to defend himself. The Elf had used a tornado to hurl the Bear against the Orc. A deafening crash echoed through the boss room.
Taking advantage of the Orc being stunned, I struck another blow, this time to his torso. But this time, he managed to retaliate. Before I could retreat, the Orc punched me with his free hand, sending me flying. I was hurt, but Mary quickly healed me.
The legion of summoned orcs, though intimidating, was harmless — the Queen and Sabrina pulverized any that came near.
The Elf attacked, launching blades of wind at the Orc. Mary also joined the attack, launching balls of light at the monster. They didn't cause much damage, but served as a distraction, allowing the Bear to keep striking the orc with his axe.
I took advantage of the enemies being occupied with my companions to try something new. During my fight against the Tarantula, the Queen's power that flowed through my body had helped me evolve my understanding of my own strength.
I began to concentrate mana in my body. My main element is Light; since most light magic consists of healing spells, I had never paid much attention to it, focusing only on my secondary element.
But I don't need to use my mana only to cast spells. That was what I realized with the Queen's dark energy that had circulated through me.
I started to emit a golden aura. The temperature of my body rose, melting the ice layer I had previously summoned, forming a mist that reflected the golden light I was emitting.
I was focused, but for a moment, I caught a proud look coming from the Queen. Was I doing something special? Taking another step toward the goal of my training? I would have to figure that out later, because now I was ready.
Waiting for the exact moment, I directed part of my mana to my legs and most of it to my sword. When the opening appeared, I launched myself forward, becoming a blur of golden light.
Almost instantly, I reappeared. I was already beyond the King Orc, my sword dripping blood. I had sliced the boss in half, a clean diagonal cut starting from his shoulder.
The Queen ran towards me, jumped into my arms, and gave me a passionate kiss. Probably the most passionate kiss we had ever shared. I didn't know exactly what I had done right, but something had definitely changed.
Something was beginning to shift between us.