True God In Another World (Tensura x Tbate)

Chapter 80 - The Widows Crypt Pt.2

Arthur Leywin POV

"HAAAHP!" Professor Glory's battle cry echoed through the dungeon as she charged at the smaller queen, her twin swords trailing fire and sand.

I kept my magic use minimal, sticking to basic sword techniques against the endless waves of snarler minions. Dawn's Ballad sliced through another beast, and I caught sight of Lilia across the chamber. She was handling herself well, her wind magic creating protective barriers while she picked off targets.

"Watch your left!" I called out to her, noticing a snarler trying to flank her position.Lilia responded with a quick water whip, knocking the creature back.

Between strikes, I checked our defensive line. Curtis and Claire were holding steady with just minor injuries. The extra training was paying off. Lucas had even stopped showing off - a sure sign everyone was getting tired. Some of the other students looked ready to collapse.

During a brief lull, my attention drifted to Professor Glory's fight. She was somehow pushing back both queens - monsters that should be solid B-class - by herself. Something about her technique caught my eye. At first glance, I thought she was launching ice shards, but...

"Art, focus!" Lilia's sharp warning snapped me back just as a snarler's claw grazed my arm.

"Thanks," I called back, mentally kicking myself for getting distracted.

"Your welcome," she shot back, combining water and wind to create a slicing attack that took down three snarlers at once. Not bad - she'd definitely improved since our training days.

My mind kept working on what I'd seen though. Professor Glory was a dual elemental augmenter, specializing in earth and fire. Those couldn't have been ice shards. Then it clicked - glass. She was turning sand into glass mid-battle while fighting two boss-level monsters.

"KRRAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The queen's death scream drew everyone's attention. Professor Glory had taken down the smaller one, though not without cost. Her armor was dented, blood running down her face.

"All right!"

"NICE!!"

"Go Professor!"

The cheering echoed everywhere. Watching one queen fall gave everyone a second wind - even the exhausted spellcasters started throwing magic around with renewed energy. I almost smiled myself, until I noticed something wrong with the surviving queen's behavior.

The celebration lasted exactly three seconds.

"GRRRRAAAAAAHH!!!"

The impact sent Professor Glory flying through our front line. She crashed through several minions before stopping. My stomach turned as I saw what had caused it - the larger queen was... eating its dead companion.

It wasn't just eating - it was devouring with terrifying efficiency. Each bite seemed to make it grow larger. The scene was wrong on every level.

"Art..." Lilia's voice had lost its earlier playfulness. "This isn't normal, right?"

"No," I replied, mind racing through everything I knew about dungeons and mana beasts. Snarler dungeons were supposed to be simple. That's why they were perfect for training. Minions on lower floors, one queen on the tenth. Queens never left their floor, and they definitely never worked together. They were so territorial they'd kill each other on sight.

So why were there two queens? And why were they so much stronger than any record indicated? Even accounting for the usual gap between books and reality, this was wrong.