I hate being in pain, so I think I'll make a full defense build

Chapter 513: Defense Specialization and Stun Resistance

Bofuri

Chapter 513 – Defense Specialization and Stun Resistance

As Maple was repeatedly abducted by the boss, as expected, Kasumi and Sally started playing a different game of dodging lightning. Since they didn’t have the luxury of making Haku dodge as well, Kasumi quickly returned him to the ring and focused on evasion.

“There are ones targeting us directly and ones targeting where we’re dodging to.”

“I know that…! But it’s really relentless.”

“Hang in there. I’ve got healing ready.”

Kasumi’s movements weren’t bad, but even with an understanding of the mechanism, it wasn’t possible to dodge perfectly without the support of [Mind’s Eye]. This is why most players allocated points to HP and the [VIT] stat.

However, thanks to Sally’s perfect dodging and Maple’s incredible toughness, even though the boss was efficiently attacking all three players, this peculiar battlefield maintained its balance without collapsing.

“Isn’t this good training? If we lower the boss’s HP, its attacks will become fiercer.”

“That’s… true!”

Getting used to this now would make dealing with the intense attacks in the latter half somewhat easier.

After countless cycles of Maple being restrained, falling out of the boss’s mouth, and rolling to the ground, Kasumi, like Sally, had learned to dodge the lightning and was leisurely waiting for Maple to be restrained again.

Suddenly, a joyous shout came from Maple.

“I did it! It’s complete!”

“Oh, finally?”

“My dodging has gotten pretty good too.”

The words [Stun Immunity] shone brilliantly in Maple’s skill list. The skill, secured after hours of effort, freed Maple from relying on expensive anti-stun items and accessories.

“Now, it’s finally time to counterattack. We’re used to the enemy’s attacks by now. Let’s see their next move.”

“Yeah. And Maple, you might benefit from being caught now! Here it comes!”

“Okay! Come at me!”

Maple neither could nor intended to dodge the boss’s attack, which came rushing in with a terrifying speed and electricity. Instead, she spread her arms wide as if inviting the boss to devour her.

As the boss’s jaws snapped shut, Sally and Kasumi, standing on either side, slashed at it, dealing damage.

With their objective accomplished, there was no reason to let the boss go. The same was true for Maple, who was carried off. She was no longer stunned, and she took no damage. Now, Maple was not just unrestrained but could engage in close-quarters combat thanks to her high defense—this was the worst possible situation for the boss.

“[Deploy Armaments], [Commence Attack]!”

Her extending weaponry spewed a barrage of bullets into the boss’s mouth. The short one-meter range didn’t matter at this distance.

A flood of damage effects erupted from the boss’s mouth, resembling a breath of fire. It was clear that even a highly defensively tough boss like the serpent couldn’t withstand this barrage.

“[Ancient Weapon]!”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“She’s the only one who can get that close.”

The sky lit up with blue and red lights and explosions, like fireworks, mingled with damage effects and retaliatory lightning. However, it was evident that the boss couldn’t counter this onslaught with its current attack pattern.

Sally and Kasumi focused on evasion, prioritizing safety and watching the boss’s HP and movements closely. The violent rumbling started after Maple had reduced the boss’s HP to about half during one of her many restraints.

“Kasumi, look out below!”

Sally and Kasumi, along with Maple, who was falling after being released from her restraint high above, noticed the changes.

Thick, purple lightning burst from the ground, writhing and surging toward the three of them right after Sally’s warning.

“…!”

“Don’t worry about us!”

“[Eighth of the Swords: Gale]!”

The reactions of the three were different. Maple decided to take the attack to see what would happen, as they had some leeway and could anticipate the next move. Sally was confident she could dodge the big attack. Kasumi, worried that taking damage would limit their future actions, aimed for a precise evasion.

As a result, their movements functioned as intended, and the thick lightning bolt engulfed only Maple, who was falling.

With a loud sound, Maple’s vision was filled with purple light, and about one-third of her HP disappeared along with the damage effect.

“Ouch…”

“[Heal]!”

Sally provided immediate healing, catching Maple as she fell to the ground, holding her securely as they moved. Despite the significant damage from the piercing attack, Maple squinted but had a satisfied expression, indicating she felt the equipment was effective.

“The equipment is working.”

“Yeah! It was definitely worth making it!”

“Let’s keep this up and push through the remaining half.”

“Right!”

Since the attack could penetrate defenses, Sally repositioned Maple on her back and began running again.

Despite carrying someone and being debuffed, making her movements awkward and unsuited for fighting, Sally’s dodging remained more accurate than Kasumi’s, which was impressive.

“Hats off to you… Sally! Hit it when you get close!”

“Maple, I’m counting on you!”

“Roger!”

With her hands occupied carrying Maple, Sally focused solely on closing the distance, entrusting the attack to Maple.

Sally compensated for Maple’s lack of mobility, while Maple focused on defense against anything other than piercing attacks.

By neutralizing most of the attacks and only needing to avoid the new attack, the surging lightning, Kasumi and Sally’s burden was reduced.

Thanks to Maple not being dragged around by the boss and being under Sally’s control, they regained the protection of [Loving Sacrifice].

From here, it’s just a matter of swiftly closing in on victory.

“What about [Devour]?”

“I used it in my mouth.”

“Approach for an attack with [Ancient Weapon], please. [Machine God] is a bit difficult to balance.”

“Understood!”

“Maple, can you draw its attention?”

“[Provocation]!”

A black cube floats next to them. To keep the enemy within its range, Sally runs with Maple on her back.

By having Maple use [Provocation], all the lightning comes at them. Sally’s confidence, no, her conviction, is what led to this.

With the belief that they can dodge it all, Sally decides to shoulder Kasumi’s burden as well.

“Thank you, [Ninth of the Swords: Demon Strike]!”

With both of them drawing attention, Kasumi is completely free to increase her damage output by sacrificing HP and “VIT,” closing the distance rapidly in anticipation of the boss descending to the ground, starting with [First of the Swords: Heat Haze].

The boss heads straight for Maple.

However, there’s one crucial difference now, something absolutely decisive: Sally is literally Maple’s legs.

With Sally’s flawless steps, she narrowly dodges the charge, and just as Kasumi and the boss’s head are about to meet, she positions Maple’s weapon within reach of the boss, trapping it between Kasumi and Maple.

“Great job, both of you!”

“[Bewitched Sword: Purple]!”

“[Ancient Weapon]!”

A tremendous attack strikes the wide-open mouth from both sides. With a flurry of damage effects, it chips away at the boss’s HP, until finally, with a resounding parry, leaving behind a blinding flash of purple lightning, the boss’s form disappears.

“We did it!”

“The damage calculation was spot on.”

“I could observe Maple’s damage output, so I could calculate with confidence. But… would you mind waiting until I return to my original form? It’s a bit… uncomfortable to be outside like this.”

“Of course.”

“Sure! Let’s take it easy!”

“Thanks.”

In order to secure the necessary damage to defeat the boss, Kasumi had no choice but to shrink, and until she returned to her normal size, the three of them spent some leisurely time, unwinding from the battle fatigue.