Princess Clau Belltree stood at the forefront of her all-female guard, sword raised, armor cracked and half-melted by corrosive acid. The cavern air was thick with the stench of rot and ozone. Before them loomed the **Dark Shoggoth**—a towering, pulsating mass of black slime, countless glowing eyes and jagged maws staring down, tentacles writhing like living nightmares.
The monster reared back, its core swelling with dark energy. A massive orb of concentrated malice formed at its center, crackling with destructive power, aimed directly at Clau and her team.
Clau's heart hammered. She knew this was the end. The blast would incinerate them all—no escape, no second chance. She closed her eyes, gripping her sword tighter, ready to meet death with dignity.
The orb surged forward in a blinding rush of shadow and force.
Then—silence.
No pain. No explosion. No death.
Clau's eyes snapped open. She blinked in confusion. The cavern was gone. The oppressive darkness, the choking stench, the roaring monster—all vanished. Instead, she and her entire team stood on safe, open ground outside the shrine ruins, under a starry night sky. The entrance to the cave was sealed behind them by fallen boulders, but they were unharmed.
Her teammates gasped, looking down at their tattered, acid-eaten armor and exposed skin, cheeks flushing with sudden awareness.
"What… just happened?" Clau whispered, sword still raised instinctively.
A familiar voice cut through the night.
"That was really close."
Sekai Kuzuno stepped out from behind a nearby rock, hoodie up, hands in pockets, grinning like he'd just pulled off the easiest trick in the world.
"I did what I had to do to save you," he said casually, shrugging as if teleporting a group of half-naked princesses and warriors out of a death trap was no big deal.
Relief washed over the group, though Clau's face burned bright red at their exposed state. One of her archers quickly tried to cover herself with what remained of her cloak.
Fury, leaning against a tree with arms crossed, shook her head and smirked.
"Enemy of Women."
Sekai laughed it off, tone light and joking.
"Hey, this is the thanks I get for saving them?"
Clau tilted her head, still trying to process.
"How… how did we get out? The entrance was blocked by rocks no human could move."
Sekai shrugged casually.
"Gankichi, my summon, moved them."
A small, sturdy golem lumbered into view from the shadows, confirming his words with a low, satisfied rumble.
Clau stared at Sekai. She remembered their first meeting—when she had been dismissive, rude, a total bitch toward this strange, hoodie-wearing outsider. Yet now, watching him banter so casually while standing between them and certain death, a spark of curiosity softened her earlier judgments.
"Allow me to express my gratitude," Clau said, bowing her head with newfound respect. "Hero Sekai, you saved us from the jaws of death. I don't know how you did it, but you have my thanks." She straightened, voice warm. "Milord is a true hero—you not only saved me, but my subordinates as well."
Clau's female teammates dropped to one knee in perfect unison before Sekai, their remaining armor glinting in the moonlight.
Sekai waved a hand, grinning wide.
"Whoa, no need to thank me—I got all the thanks I need to enjoy this," he mused silently, replaying the memory of carefully carrying their frozen, half-naked bodies out of the cavern and arranging them in that neat line by boob size like a private victory reel.
He cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Anywho, Clau, that black slime-monster—what was it?"
She met his gaze firmly.
"It's a darkling that drove the world to the brink of destruction, called the Dark Shoggoth."
Sekai's brow furrowed.
"Tied to the King of Darkness?"
Clau nodded.
"They're like subordinates—lesser shadows serving a greater void."
Sekai's pulse quickened. *My main quest is here; this is like a miniboss!* Excitement flickered behind his casual mask.
Clau tilted her head, catching the spark in his eyes.
"You sound thrilled?"
She continued,
"Anyhow, as the result of the war hundreds of years ago, the monster should've been sealed."
Fury crossed her arms.
"Sword nor black magic will harm this entity."
Clau stepped forward.
"Centuries ago, a powerful cleric used white magic to bind the beast."
Sekai hit pause on his controller, freezing the world in a hush. He dashed back to the village, rounding up every cleric he could find. He even took his time to peek up each girl's skirt at their panties with a mischievous grin. Then he gather d them in a large pulley cart and had Gahkichi pull them to the destination.
Time resumed. Ninya clapped in awe.
"You instantly gathered hundreds of people!"
Sekai opened his mouth to explain it wasn't instant, but Ninya was already chattering away.
The clerics blinked in confusion, suddenly surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
One stammered, "Where… are we?"
Clau raised her voice with royal authority.
"I am Clau, Princess of BellTree. I need you all to gather the strongest healing magic you have and cast it into the cave!"
The clerics nodded, forming a glowing circle of white-robed figures.
All pooled their mana, hands shimmering as they unleashed a blinding cascade of light. The beams struck the cavern mouth, drawing the Shoggoth's attention like a swarm of angry hornets.
The beast roared and surged outward, a tide of black slime and fury.
The clerics screamed and turned to flee, but Sekai stepped in front with Clau, making it look like a heroic teleport.
Clau ushered them to turn around and attack once more. Each cleric steeled their nerves and gave it their all, beams of pure white magic lancing into the monster's core.
The Shoggoth writhed and weakened, nowhere near dying but clearly irritated, its surface bubbling with rage.
Yet suddenly, a jagged cut tore open the Shoggoth's belly, and out burst Leafa, the swordsmaster, dripping with black ichor. She didn't know the Shoggath's slime melted her clothes as she was previously fighting it.
"Don't tell me you thought you could have your way with me, you monster!" she snarled, smirking at the puddle that had once been the Shoggoth.
With the creature weakening, she'd seized her chance to escape—but never expected her naked form to be seen by the gathered villagers.
"What the hell!" Leafa shouted, arms crossing over her chest as eyes widened around her.
Clau stepped forward with a congratulatory speech, praising Leafa's valor and the salvation of BellTree.
Yet Leafa's glare locked on Sekai, sword half-raised.
"You again? Shall I put you to the sword!"
Sekai raised both hands, innocent this time.
"Fury," he called, "is the monster dead?"
Fury nodded grimly and confirmed it was, while glancing at Leafa's flustered red face—cheeks burning, eyes wide with embarrassment and fury—and thought to herself:
*Sekai is dead too.*