The Queen's Bodyguard

Thud—the vibrations rattling the bodies of the fleeing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠monsters, the overwhelming pressure. An endless malice stabbed at my skin from the boss-like creature right in front of me. Stronger than any boss I'd faced so far. …Though to be fair, the ceiling kept getting raised every time anyway. But the aura I felt this time was on a whole different level.

Thud. Thud. The boss slowly approached us.

"What… the hell is that…?"

The two of them panicked too. It was just that ridiculous in power and appearance. Its massive legs, sleek like giant shields, made anyone hesitate to approach. The tough-looking exoskeleton planted doubts about whether attacks could even land. And those three-pronged tails at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the back. What was this, a hydra? It screamed boss from every angle.

"Everyone, snap out of it!"

"Jiha-ssi?"

I yelled at the two of them and pointed at the boss.

"I'll take that thing on. In return, you two handle the scorpions down below."

My plan was simple. I'd deal with the boss while they took out the mobs that might get in the way. Truth be told, I wanted to just wipe them all with Hell's Furnace Fire, but… I couldn't repeat last time's mistake. Until I fixed this damn flaw, that skill was off the table.

"Wait, Jiha-ssi, that's too reckless! We should get out of the gate first…!"

"You think we can make it out now?"

They tried to stop me and urged us to retreat, but it was already too late. While we were panicking, the scorpions chasing the orcs and goblins had surrounded us. And I didn't think we could break through that encirclement with the two of them in tow. We'd probably just all get crushed or torn apart by that boss trying to escape together.

"Here I go!"

Better to kill that thing somehow and mop up the rest in one go. Way more efficient.

Thud—thud—I leaped over the approaching scorpions and charged straight at it.

Kuueeek—!!!

The roar scraped at my eardrums. Whoosh—! Thunk—crack… Tails flew at me as it registered my presence. Its bulky body turned slowly, not even facing me properly. I dodged the tails and activated Appraisal Eye.

"This… won't be easy…?"

I'd tried to figure out what kind of boss it was, but it just left me stumped instead. Whoosh—! Thunk—crack… While I was checking the appraisal window, the tails came flying again. Yeah, not the time for this. I'd find an opening once we started fighting. I didn't close the distance directly. Instead, I circled around, probing its patterns and status. And I spotted them—small gaps here and there. The neck, joints between legs and body. Surprisingly full of weak points. Even those massive front legs had thin connections to the torso. My strength and blade probably couldn't cut through the armor. Even with Hell's True Taste, it'd be tough. So.

Taat—shaaaah—I'd target those gaps as much as possible. I used Cleansing to bind its front legs, the biggest ones. Not fully like a scorpion, but.

Kuuek! Tremble. Tremble. It froze for just a moment. And I didn't miss that window.

Taat—like a tachyon, I leaped onto the boss's back. Sure, tails might be risky up here, but I'd bound them even tighter than this clumsy torso, so I could ignore them for now.

Kuueeeek—!!!

"Hold still, you little shit!"

I steadied myself after nearly slipping off the surprisingly narrow back and slashed hard at the thin part between its front legs. But.

Clang—!

"Sigh—I figured as much."

The blade aiming for the front leg joint rang out like it hit steel and bounced off. What the hell was the 100% condition for that thing? Every time I swung, these messages popped up intermittently. I'd ignored them so far, but I guess I'd have to fix it eventually.

Kuueek—!! Shrrrrk—!

It roared and broke free of the bind. The water streams I'd used fell limply. But the tails were still tied. I scrambled up its back. Piercing was out, so I aimed for those gaps I'd spotted earlier. I shifted from its back toward the head.

Kuueek?! It shook wildly to throw me off in panic, but its sluggish movements couldn't shake me.

"I've shucked plenty of clams in my time."

I grabbed its head. And.

Clang—! Clang—!! Clang—!!!

I kept hacking down. Even as the blade dulled and the edge wore away. Kept going.

Kuueek—?! Of course, clams don't work exactly like this. But that wasn't the point.

Clang—! When about half the blade had worn down.

Kuueeeek—!!!

It finally reacted like I wanted. The roar. Right as the boss threw its head back with that bellow, a tiny gap opened between head and torso. That's why I'd provoked it on purpose—to force the roar. A bit reckless, maybe. But from what I'd seen in that brief ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠observation, I was dead certain it'd roar.

"Just die already, and we'll all have a happy year, you fucker."

The boss's roar and that split-second gap. I aimed my blade tip right there. My other hand went to my pocket.

"Good thing I brought this."

Whoosh—! The moment the blade tip plunged toward the gap. Splurt—! I slapped what I'd pulled from my pocket right onto the blade's path. A transparent container holding purple liquid. The barbecue sauce I'd prepped from my bag.

Stab—! Drip—drip—Kuuuwaaaah—

The blade buried in its neck. The sauce trickling down along it, seeping in. The flesh inside turned purple. Mission accomplished on all fronts. Not perfect, but the bodyguard's movements had definitely slowed. But I didn't stop.

"This is holy shit, you motherfucker…!"

I gripped the embedded blade tight. Sauce wasn't the best match, but I activated Holy Endowment—it should deal enough damage to this brute.

Fwaaaah—!

Kuueeeeng—!!!

A pale golden light burst from the gap between its mouth and armor. Something exploding rippled through my nerves to my brain. Dead? This should do it. Guessing that, I yanked the blade free. I didn't drop my guard, but the tension eased and strength drained from me.

"I… got it…."

Slap—

"No, snap out of it, Lee Jiha. You crazy bitch."

I nearly let a super dangerous line slip. As the light faded bit by bit, the boss's status came into view.

"…Fuck!!! "

Whoosh—clang! It didn't die? I felt the impact too, damn it? It hadn't twitched, so I'd thought it was done. I smacked away the tails flying madly at me. Numb shock ran through me. Clang—! Clang—! I flailed to escape its back. One step, one step. Pushed back by the incoming tails, I reached the head end when.

Whip—!

"Guhk—!"

A tail lashed like a whip, slamming my gut dead-on. Vision blurred. My gaze twisted; the upside-down bodyguard filled my sight. And.

Kuuaaa—!

A green flash gleamed from its maw for a split second. Urk—fwoosh—! Chill—!

"You… insane bastard…?!"

Ominous sound and blinding light. Instinct screamed danger. My body reacted on autopilot. I threw up the thickest water barrier I could with Cleansing.

Kuuaaa—shrrrrrr……

Green liquid poured from its mouth. Drip—splatter… Gulp— The first barrier caught it and it fell. It didn't rot the grass—it melted it outright. The sour, stinging stench made snot run from my nose. Acid. Not poison—straight-up acid. Extremely potent, no doubt. The first barrier melted away. By the time the second was nearly gone.

Krrrar… The acid spray stopped. I let out a brief sigh of relief. Then.

Whoosh—

"Kuhk—?!"

Floating in the air, I barely dodged an incoming tail by twisting my head. That's when.

"It's… smirking…?"

This fucker? Its mouth, dripping acid solution, curled up. A blatant sneer aimed at me. And.

Alarms blared in my head. Its massive front leg moved. Whoosh—boom—!

"Ughraaa—!!!"

Overwhelming mass. Crushing pressure and pain that stole my breath squeezed my chest. Vision flickered. All I could sense through the wind was that I was about to smash into something. Splat—!

"Cough—"

A brutal impact from my back. Broken ribs piercing my lung? Blood sprayed from my mouth with each cough. Every inhale tore me inside. These damn rib fractures never got less painful… Thump—thump—

"You… cockroach… even poison…."

Heartbeat pounding in my ears. Purple veins bulging in my hands. It hurt like hell. The quiet wind brushing my ears in this space—it felt like I was alone here. Eyes drooping, strength draining from my whole body. And.

Crackle—!

"Get the fuck outta here, you gross shits!!!"

The two burst into my view. Seoyeon, her arms cracked like shattered statues, unleashing electricity. Taegun, ribs and side torn open. Ah… fuck, I should've bailed. Regret flashed through me. But it was way too late for that now.

Stab—

I didn't even have strength to lift my head. But.

I struggled. Forced my head up, arms moving despite no power left. Fear of death? Turn it to rage. Until I splashed that smirking face with EF killer…

Pii…!

"Whitey…?"

And that resolve always flowed to the devoted ones. Whitey on my nape shed white tears from its eyes and clung like it was burrowing into me. That sight filled my vision. And.

Fwaaaaaah—!

Intense white light swallowed the forest. As it faded, what appeared was.

"Jiha-ssi…?"

A black-and-white haired angel with shimmering white wings.