Please to Kitsune-sama!

Chapter 112 : Kitsune-sama Challenges Shizuoka Dungeon (3)

After the swarm-type Rock Golem vanished, what dropped on the ground were countless small magic stones. The pile of clattering stones must have been equal to the number of bodies in the swarm. Inari swiftly gathered them into the Divine Concealment.

Behind where the swarm golem had dispersed, a path now opened. That was likely the true route forward. Which meant the swarm of Rock Golems had been deceiving Inari. Yet… Akai had not mentioned anything like this. Perhaps it had never been confirmed before.

“Well, I suppose I can simply report it when I return.”

Inari brushed it off lightly, but in truth, discovering something new within a fixed dungeon—one that had been cleared many times before—was no small matter. And this was not just any discovery, but a gimmick and monster that directly affected dungeon conquest.

If such a thing had gone unreported, then it meant every awakener who had come before had either encountered it and failed to notice, or been fooled entirely. It would never reach the general news, since it happened inside a dungeon, but it would definitely spread through the awakener-exclusive network. A new fact that branded past conquerors as careless would ripple out, stirring no small waves.

Inari, of course, thought nothing of such things. She pressed on, defeating more golems, until she arrived at what seemed to be a wide plaza.

It was as if the rocky mountain had been carved out to form a great open chamber. Lined along the walls stood massive, intricate stone statues.

And at the center, watched over by those statues, a colossal Rock Golem knelt as though in reverence. The boss monster: the Mega Rock Golem. Roughly eight meters tall, it was famed as a powerful boss.

Yet… Inari felt something strange. Something was off.

“What is this…? Could it be…?”

Her unease was natural. Normally, one should feel an oppressive aura from a boss-class monster. But from the Mega Rock Golem, she felt nothing at all. It was like staring at an ordinary rock shaped into a golem.

And as if to prove her suspicion correct, its body began to crumble away, stone by stone. It was not slain by another—there was no system message to indicate a dungeon clear.

Why? Seeking the answer, Inari noticed that among the many statues, the largest one was trembling.

A figure of regal majesty, as though depicting a king of antiquity. Grasping a massive greatsword, its stone eyes glowed, and it began to move.

Yes, this was the true boss monster: Colossus. Said to have appeared during the Monster Disaster, yet with no record of its defeat and not even a single captured image. Dismissed as one of the “Unconfirmed Monsters,” many believed it had never existed at all. Until now.

And now, Colossus raised its massive blade and struck at Inari. The arrogant blow, full of certainty that it alone would suffice, shattered the ground—yet Inari had already slipped aside.

“One surprise after another…”

She casted foxfire, but it splashed uselessly against a wall of light that manifested before Colossus.

“Oh?”

It was the first time her foxfire had ever been blocked—but hardly shocking. The true surprise was that no such monster had appeared until now. Calmly, Inari abandoned foxfire as a strategy and transformed Kogetsu from sword into bow. Her swordsmanship was never particularly refined, and she had no experience cutting down such an enormous foe.

“Ka-hahahahaha!”

Colossus’s stony mouth twisted in a grin as it laughed, swinging its sword. It saw Inari’s shift to a bow, but cared nothing for it. Whether she chose melee or range, it had no intention of letting her escape.

Indeed, the might of that blade was beyond what ordinary awakener could hope to endure.

“There is no way I could clash with that weapon. And that barrier earlier… unless my attack is overwhelming, I cannot be sure.”

Thus, Inari drew her bow. And Colossus, sensing her intent, swung down its massive sword to crush her before she could act. If she were destroyed before releasing her power, there would be no problem.

But arrogance remained arrogance—and it blinded it to its own mistake.

“Now then… let this be the end.”

The arrow of light fired from Inari’s bow blazed forth, piercing Colossus’s sword, its head, and the radiant barrier meant to shield it. All of it shattered in one instant.

What dropped to the ground resembled a crown. Inari tossed it into the Divine Concealment, and before her eyes, the familiar system messages appeared.

[Boss] Colossus Defeated! 

Dungeon Clear Complete! 

Reward Box Obtained! 

All survivors will now be expelled for dungeon reset.