Chapter 17 – The Road to the Demon Ogre Boss

Right now, I was trying to rest after eating scorpions and salad. I felt exhausted from everything we had been doing these past three days, so I decided to sleep for a bit. I told the others I would take the last watch, and before I knew it, I was already asleep.

A few hours later, Mizuki woke me up. I thanked her and prepared myself for my turn on guard duty. It was already four in the morning. Just three hours until seven—then I’d wake everyone up.

As Mizuki went to sleep, I stayed on guard. I didn’t know what kind of creatures might appear in this dungeon, but I had to be brave and alert to anything that came my way. To pass the time, I counted things in my head: eighteen black rocks, twelve yellow ones, nineteen red, thirteen blue, and so on. At least the heat here was more bearable than in the desert. It was quiet and almost peaceful… but I knew it wouldn’t last. After breakfast, we’d face the Ogre Demon Boss.

From a distance, I could see some insect-like creatures lurking in the dungeon corridors—small, venomous things. They weren’t really a problem for me, though. I kept watch over the area and made sure nothing got close to my friends. Still, I realized that this was harder than I expected.

When I thought about what awaited us after this mission—the Queen of Demons herself—I felt a shiver run down my spine. The idea scared me, but I believed that with my friends, we could overcome her… or at least I hoped so. Then again, if I worried too much about the future, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the present, right?

Meanwhile, my friends stirred in their sleep. Not quite sleepwalking, but little movements, the way people twitch or murmur in their dreams. It was oddly fascinating to watch, but I forced myself to stay focused. Nothing bad could happen on my watch.

Half an hour passed. It was 4:30 a.m. The sun still hadn’t risen, and I was getting hungry, but I held it in. I just had to last until seven.

Finally, the time came. At seven o’clock sharp, I turned to the others and said:

“Wake up, girls. It’s seven. Time for breakfast.”

Their eyes lit up the moment they heard the word breakfast. They were clearly starving. We ate what little food we had left—just enough for the five of us. After packing up our things, we began our march deeper into the dungeon.

The silence was unsettling. Only our footsteps and the faint wind echoed through the stone halls.

“Stay sharp,” Kori said. “It’s just ten minutes on foot until we reach the boss.”

Akane nodded nervously. “Got it, Kori. We’ll stay alert.”

Mizu cracked her knuckles. “I’m ready to slaughter that ogre.”

Mizuki smirked darkly. “I’ll cut that bastard’s head clean off.”

I took a deep breath. “That’s the spirit, girls. We can do this—but let’s keep our heads clear and our feet steady.”

They all agreed, and we pressed forward.

Not long after, we spotted a group of small ogres with a larger one leading them, about five hundred steps ahead. Luckily, they hadn’t noticed us yet.

Akane immediately unleashed a barrage of fire bullets from her flame gatling, while Mizu erected barriers to protect us from incoming attacks. The fiery onslaught wiped out nearly all of the smaller ogres, leaving only the largest one alive.

Enraged, it charged straight at us. I unsheathed my katana and, with a swift strike, severed its head. Blood splattered across my blade, but Kori washed it clean with her water magic.

With that done, we marched on. Just five more minutes until the Demon Ogre Boss.

The deeper we went, the more foul the air became. A rancid stench, like raw ham, made us cover our noses. And then, at last, we saw him.

The Demon Ogre Boss sat upon a throne like some grotesque king, issuing orders to lesser ogres. When he noticed us, he grinned.

“Well, well… magical girls. From the moment you stepped into my dungeon, I knew what you were. I see you’ve managed to survive all the way here, from that far-off kingdom of yours. But don’t think you can kill me. I won’t let myself be slain so easily by children who pretend to be warriors. I hope you’re ready… because I won’t be as soft as my soldiers. Prepare yourselves.”

In a flash, he leapt from his throne. Standing nearly three meters tall, his monstrous form radiated overwhelming strength. My eyes flickered with appraisal, and his stats appeared before me:

Monster Race: Demon Ogre Boss
Attack: 100
Defense: 30
Intelligence: 80
Speed: 80
Endurance: 100
Stamina: 50
Element Type: Wind
Elemental Weakness: Fire
Rank: A

Everyone froze, shocked by the numbers.

But Akane clenched her fists. Fire was his weakness. She was our trump card.

“Akane,” I said quickly, “prepare a devastating attack. We’ll buy you time.”

“Got it, Taiyaki. Just hold him off for me!”

The ogre laughed, his voice shaking the walls.

“So you think I’ll just let you do that? I’ll kill the red-haired fire girl first! Don’t hate me for it—this is the way of demons and humans! After I slaughter her, the rest of you will follow. Humans can’t kill me. This is the greatest day of my life! Now… here I come!”

He charged at Akane, but all of us leapt to intercept.

Mizu shielded her with barrier after barrier. Mizuki, Kori, and I attacked with everything we had, but our blows barely scratched him. This wasn’t like the ogres I’d fought before. This was a true Demon Boss—smarter, stronger, deadlier.

Gritting my teeth, I transformed my katana into a bazooka, and then into armor wrapped around my body. Channeling energy into my hands, I struck a stance from an anime I used to watch as a kid.

“Let’s see you handle this, you bastard! Ka… te… Ma… te… Ya… te… BAAAAAAAAAA!”

The blast struck him full force, and he roared in pain. But it wasn’t enough.

He glared at me with burning rage.

“That… was a true attack,” he growled. “But now you’ll pay for daring to wound me, foolish girl! Feel my real power. You’ll be the first to die by my hand. Prepare yourself… Say goodbye to this world!”