Yep, a boss fight at the end of the dungeon. It's really an enduring trope that won't go away anytime soon.

Combined with the fact that the same thing happened back at the Reversed Garden, I'd say I pretty much have seen it coming already.

Malavac opens by sending jabs of its beak hands towards me. I manage to dodge them all just fine though the first one nearly hit me since I didn't expect he'll use that kind of attack right away.

I do some quick slashes to Malavac's legs, which doesn't seem to faze it at all.

"Fireball!"

I see from the corner of eye Lilia, sending a massively-sized ball of fire towards Malavac. It responds by creating an air barrier from one of his beak hands. It blocks the thing completely.

Damn, that barrier's something alright.

"Penetrating Vortex Spin!"

I lunge forward, my sword stabbing Malavac right on its stomach.

And it fails to even make a dent.

"What?"

Paralyzed with the failure of my attack, I become an easy picking for the Roc.

It crashes its beak hand into me, sending me flying across the big room and making me hit the wall.

"Akira-sama!"

Lilia, for the first time in her life, feels a bile of anger burning in her body.

Her hero Akira-sama, the one that has been so good to her, was thrown away like a worthless rag just like that.

Glaring at Malavac, Lilia shouts "STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU VILE CREATURE!"

With a ferocity that surprises even herself, she begins her assault.

She teleports behind Malavac using her "Flash Walk" short-range teleportation magic. And she casts it without an incantation, something she's never ever done before. Somehow, it all comes naturally for her, like an instinctual knowledge born out of a primordial wisdom.

Then, she casts another fireball, once again without any incantation. The Roc manages to block it with its air barrier right before it connects with its back.

But at that moment, she already teleports right under it.

"Cold Touch."

She puts both of her hands on the guardian's steel skin.

A burst of frost springs forth from the place where the two touches. It quickly covers up the entire body of the Roc Guardian, immobilizing it from any further movement.

Then, she teleports away, intending to put a safe distance away from Malavac.

"O great power that commands the world. Lend this humble servant of yours strength. Grant me your sacred permit to borrow the manifestation of ice and snow."

Indeed. She intends to use the time she just bought to fire off a high-tier powerful spell that needs a long time to recite.

But before she can finish, a beam of light suddenly comes out from the Roc's singular eye. It shatters and melts the ice binding it, making it able to send out a gust of wind from its beak hands towards Lilia to interrupt her casting.

And it works. Lilia cancels her spell before quickly casting another quick spell that turns her lower legs into a really heavy metal. She intends to use it as a weight so that she wouldn't be thrown off balance, and possibly flying to the wall behind her, from the fierce wind.

However, she forgets a certain part of her body that should've been protected too.

"Kyaaa!"

The hem of her dress flutters furiously. She tries to hold it down but to no avail. It still exposes her cute tight panties to the world.

As embarrassment filled her face, she feels the power that has been possessing her disappear. Now she has no idea what to do next.

However, all that is enough to buy time for me to recover.

"Penetrating Vortex Spin!"

I try the technique once more.

This time though, I aim at a different spot.

"Take this, you bastard!"

I hear a sound of a glass shattering into a million pieces as my sword pierces hole where the singular eye of the guardian lies.

When I retreat away from the boss, I notice that the eye is now gone. Yes, my sword has indeed destroyed it.

Without its eye, the guardian is now blind. It shoots out its air blast in chaotic directions, as it doesn't know where to shoot anymore.

God, I really should've just gone for the eye from the beginning. Guess I'm beginning to get overconfident.

With the coordination of the Roc now in tatters, I can easily keep on slashing at it, while Lilia attacks from the distance with her fireballs and meteor spell.

It stands no chance. It's only a matter of time until it is defeated.

This boss really is more of a puzzle boss, since it's nigh-impossible to keep a constant attack without any mistakes for about an hour without destroying its eye first.

***

"Oh, look, Akira-sama! A door just appeared!"

As the guardian has promised, the path will open when we defeat it.

"After you, my lady." I bow, thinking I'll give the privilege of the treasure discovery to her first.

'Why, thank you, kind Sir." She giggles, still in euphoria after our victory over the boss, overriding her shy personality. She even does a little curtsy that shows off her underwear, though I don't know if the showing part is intentional or not.

The door leads to another corridor - man, the Phantasma really loves their long, narrow corridors - and at the end of it...

"O-oh... oh... Sister!"

Sister? Could it be?!

Lilia runs as far as she can, I following behind her.

"Sister! Oh, Sister! It is you!"

She leaps towards the familiar figure--

--and she goes straight through it, landing on the floor with her exposed shimapan-clad butt up on the air.

Aand, touching reunion scene ruined.

I look at the figure again.

Yep, she looks just like her painting in the castle,. Same reddish brown hair, same freckles in a straight line across the top of her nose. And the same nonexistent breasts which my perverted mind can't help noticing.

Unlike her painting, she's wearing a modest green dress with a thin white apron-like garment over it. Her head is covered by her ribboned straw hat while her feet is covered by her black stockings and boots.

It's not a terribly princess-like attire, I think to myself. Maybe it's her outing clothing.

She's flickering in certain interval, showing that she must be a hologram of some sort.

Then, she speaks.

"To anyone who receives this message, I beg you. Please, tell the king that his daughter is fine and alive. There's a reason why I cannot return to your side now.

"And, to you, dear Lilia, be brave. You're going to be a real princess very soon, and to be a princess means to have the honor and courage to hold your head high with pride.

"Soon, our kingdom shall fall into dark times and you will probably suffer. But remember this. I will always be with you even if we're separated far, far away. I am also fighting for you and Father's sake. So please, do not lose hope."

With that, the message repeats. It seems that's the end of it.

"O-oh, sister!"

I see Lilia covering her face with her hands; a muffled sound of her crying heard from it.

I can only look away. I am never good with sad stuff like this.

Then, I notice something. A shield is hanging on the wall.

It's this Phantasma ruin's legendary item!

I take it and look at its stat screen.

Sapphire ShieldWeight ClassLightDefense1000DescriptionA shield that used to belong from the bygone age of the Phantasma era. It possesses unrivaled durability without sacrificing any of its user's mobility.

I hold it on my left hand and I feel just how light the thing is.

Damn, if I am accustomed to use shields, I'd use this motherfucker in a heartbeat. Too bad I'm not a "sword and shield" kind of swordsman. My Vortex Spin needs two hands to use after all.

For now, I'll just take it with me.

I look to Lilia again, noticing that her sobbing has ended. She now just stares at the hologram of her sister in front of her.

"It's alright, my lady. I promise you, we will find her someday."

I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

She responds by turning her head towards me and smiling, with tears still remaining on her eyes.

"I know. It's just that... it's been a long time since I've last seen dear Sister..."

And then, we left the room; with heavy steps carrying us back to the castle.