Each team took their time observing the chamber as they arrived. They all entered through nearby doors on the same side of the circular cave, confirming Sheko's theory that all the caves led directly to the same place. Finn was waiting for everyone to gather, preparing potions to pass before a final planning session for the fight.

Suddenly, Sheko and the others turned toward another entrance, positioned on a level below his,

its ruby doors ajar as the loud sound of a motorcycle echoed through the cave. The source of the noise soon appeared: a young woman riding a monocycle made of sunlight, leaving a trail of sparks behind her. She paused at the edge of the terrace, and the monocycle transformed into a young girl wearing a long, radiant dress made of the same yellow sunlight.

"We made it in time!" the woman shouted back toward the entrance she had come from. Her team quickly followed, stopping at the same spot to take in the vastness of the giant cave.

Sheko had thought the main cave entrance above was enormous, large enough to accommodate dozens of parties without them interfering with each other. But now, as he looked around, he realized just how vast the boss's chamber truly was. The ceiling was about 15 meters high, stretching over a hundred meters to the other side, and another 30 meters down to the bottom of the egg-shaped chamber. To his horror, he saw the trees and, more importantly, the unicorn at the center—the boss monster. It was three times the size of a normal horse, easily bigger than an African elephant, and it was staring back at them, seemingly indifferent to the assembling raid.

Emilia entered next through the tanzanite doors, her imperious gaze scanning the chamber before spotting Sheko, Mai, Raggedy, and her daughter. Without hesitation, she jumped down to their level, landing steadily but with improper form. She quickly closed the distance and placed a hand on Nue's shoulder, releasing some of the tension as she congratulated her daughter on defeating the Basilisk so quickly, her tone carrying a hint of ridicule—a skill unique to mothers, Sheko thought.

"Thanks, Mom, but honestly, Sheko did a lot more than I first expected. Just don't die in the first 10 seconds, right?" Nue said, directing the last part to Sheko.

"Duly noted, but I still saved you afterward," Sheko replied, matching her teasing tone.

"Sucks about the spear, though. It's totaled," Sheko added, taking out the remains of his spear. Its head was left stuck in the ground of the emerald cave, and its shaft was bent in several places.

"Yeah, that won't do against that beast. I only have a guess at what it is, and if I'm right, raid boss or not, I wouldn't be able to take it on my own—not even with the best equipment money can buy," Emilia responded. "I don't have a spare spear with me. How are you with a sword, though?" she continued.

"No way I can handle a huge sword like yours. I don't even know if I could dodge while wielding something like that," Sheko answered, waving his hands before she could take out a sword.

Emilia, however, ignored his protests and took out a conventional longsword, its length curved and adorned with glowing runes. "I don't expect you to use a sword like mine; I'm not crazy. This is a 'whole longsword,' a well-designed standard magic blade. Less specialized builds often get one when they reach their first high job. It adds 10% from each stat other than HP, MP, SP, and STR to your attack power. Don't break it, you hear me," she said, her tone carrying both a warning and a threat.

If it's a weapon high-rank jobs get, then I better listen to her. I'd be stuck paying her back if I break it. Sheko took the weapon, swinging it experimentally. Nue and Emilia watched him skeptically but refrained from commenting.

As they spoke, one of Finn's friends approached Sheko's group, handing Mai and Sheko three potions each. "Any of you need immediate healing?" he asked. Both of them answered in the negative, and he nodded. "Come join us—Nue and Emilia, as well. We're almost ready to start, just waiting on two more groups. Not sure what's taking them so long; Finn said they're probably topping off since Stain's group was almost spent after their mini-boss. He sent Lorence to check on them," the young healer added.

"Thanks, James, right?" Sheko replied as he started walking in the same direction.

The healer missed a step and corrected him with less enthusiasm, "Jake. Don't worry about it."

Sheko winced and didn't continue, while Mai and Raggedy snickered behind him. Mai sipped her MP potion and exclaimed, "Amazing! It completely filled my MP and even gave me overmana. Apparently, mage burn too, but Raggedy took care of that."

They joined the others and saw Stain's party not far away, climbing up the 5-meter-high terrace with some assistance from Stain and Lorence, Sheko had assumed.

Just as the last party member reached the top, shouting erupted from the Citrine Cave as the final party charged through the doors, leaping down into the crystal forest. For a moment, everyone except that reckless group froze, stunned by their madness. The Prism Unicorn, the raid boss, rose to its full height, black flames igniting around its hooves as it let out a deafening blare. The reckless party froze in their tracks, their summoner stumbling down.

Emilia was the first to react, quickly followed by Prismo. Both began shouting commands: "Spread out!" "Seek cover!" and "Apply any beneficial effects while you still can!" Contrary to these orders, Sheko, Mai, and Raggedy ran in the same direction, dropping to a lower level and taking cover. Raggedy, not fully hidden, stayed exposed. Sheko couldn’t see what was happening beyond the treeline, but a blinding light illuminated the area where he had last seen the reckless party. When the light dimmed, Sheko peeked out just in time to see the summoner flying through the air, faster than when he had been struck by the basilisk earlier. Remarkably, he appeared mostly intact, with some bruises and bleeding, despite likely being kicked by a hoof almost the size of his torso. He was caught mid-air by his pack of summoned shadows, but the rest of his team was nowhere in sight.

Well, who would've thought we'd get Leeroy Jenkinsed? I'm going to kill that moron. Screw Kaizo; he's someone for later. This guy is right in front of me. Sheko took a moment to compose himself. Later, we'll grief him like civilized people. For now, we have a raid to manage.

Just as Sheko and his group prepared to go on the offensive, a powerful blast struck the Prism Unicorn’s ruby-colored side. A white cloud of frost enveloped the boss, quickly freezing its trunk. Must be Prismo and his giant cannon, Sheko thought. Another blast followed, but when the frost cloud cleared, the Unicorn was unscathed. Its hide had turned sapphire blue, and its mane was gleaming purple. It blared once more, the purple hue spreading to its clear crystal horn, and it shot a beam upward. Sheko initially thought the Unicorn was confused and attacking wildly, but then he realized the beam was aimed at the ceiling.

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The beam was absorbed by a mural on the ceiling, spreading colors across it before redirecting beams of light downwards, bathing random sections of the cave. Moments later, a rain of sharp, bullet-sized crystals began to fall.

The crystals pelted the raid group. While the cover offered some protection, it did nothing for their flanks and sides. Everyone scrambled, trying their best to dodge. Nue spun her staff in a blur, blocking the crystals, while Raggedy threw itself over Mai to shield her. Sheko tried to retreat but took a hit to his arm. The crystal pierced through it, causing significant pain, but luckily, it wasn’t a fatal blow. Still, a hit to the head could be lethal.

Meanwhile, Finn was already taking command, dodging the crystal rain while issuing orders through Loki. He split the parties into roles: Mai was assigned to the ranged DPS group, positioned in pairs to spread out the Unicorn’s aggro. Nue joined the melee DPS, while Sheko was designated as a Tank, with a focus on survival. Raggedy was left on standby.

Tank? Tank? How the hell am I with the tanks? I might die if that thing gallops over me, Sheko panicked internally but kept running toward the danger as instructed. He noticed he had accumulated some stacks of his Red Cape skill from the boss's initial attack. Who makes a boss that starts with a battlefield-wide attack? Oh, right. That makes perfect sense, actually.

As Sheko and the other melee fighters closed in, the Unicorn predictably charged at the center of their group. The sound of its hooves on the crystal grass echoed like breaking glassware. Everyone scattered, trying to avoid the massive creature. Stain struck its side, while Sheko threw a knife at its neck, surprisingly chipping the crystal body.

"I was sure this thing was indestructible! This might not be as bad as I expected!" Sheko shouted.

"You're welcome," Stain replied, much to Sheko's surprise.

Their exchange was cut short as Emilia struck the Unicorn, the sound of cracking crystal resonating through the chamber. She raised her giant blade for another strike but had to abort the attack when the Unicorn attempted to impale her on its horn. She managed to block the strike, holding her ground for a few seconds, but the towering beast pushed her back. A wave of magic hit the Unicorn’s flank, distracting it. Though the spells didn’t cause much damage, the Unicorn blared, shifting its colors once again to emerald and ruby, while a part of its neck still remained marked in blue. The red from its mane spread to its horn, just like before.

Sheko pushed as much as he could with Odysseus, trying to pivot the Unicorn's aim, but it was too powerful and resilient. It fired the beam anyway, striking the ceiling once more. This time, the raid members were more prepared, but that didn't mean they all had the speed to dodge. Sheko threw a Lethal Spring out of the red light that enveloped him, using Odysseus to link himself and the spring, gaining just enough distance before the lights transformed into pillars of fire.

Even with buffs from Finn and another master, three members of Stain's team were instantly disintegrated in the flames. There was no way to resurrect them, as there was nothing left to resurrect.

“We have to break its horn!” several people shouted at once. With confirmation from both Prismo and Finn, the melee fighters began to focus on the Unicorn’s horn, which was nearly as long as a person. The Unicorn turned its attention to them, and each member took their turn trying to break the horn whenever an opening presented itself. But after Emilia struck it without effect, they quickly realized they were wasting precious time on an impossible task.

Meanwhile, the reckless summoner ignored Finn’s orders and joined the frontlines, resulting in another raid member nearly being killed when cornered. The Unicorn began kicking wildly, creating a safe zone around itself as everyone scrambled away. Taking advantage of the brief lull, the ranged fighters unleashed their attacks without fear of hitting allies.

Either I’m getting used to its speed, or it’s slowed down a lot, Sheko thought, narrowly dodging another hoof aimed at his face. Just as everyone began to relax, the Unicorn shifted colors again, turning green and yellow. Realizing what was about to happen, Sheko shouted, “Prismo, what element was the boss using in the Topaz Cave?”

“Didn’t check today, but it was electricity yesterday. Good catch. Everyone, get ready for lightning!” Prismo bellowed.

A second later, the Unicorn shot a beam at the ceiling. But instead of lights and expected lightning, black clouds began to seep out of cracks in the mural above, quickly filling the entire ceiling and crackling with yellow surges. Some of the masters were caught off guard, narrowly saved from trampling by Emilia and Nue. Damn, I was only safe because of my position. The Unicorn usually doesn’t attack until after the AoE ends… or maybe it’s meant to target fliers, which we don’t have, Sheko thought, feeling a brief sense of relief.

But he was quickly proven wrong. The lightning surged faster, striking one of Finn’s party members, then he was struck again then two more times before a ranged master wielding a bow was struck next. The strikes came faster, almost exclusively targeting the two masters. Why is it only attacking those two? How are they even still alive? he wondered as the bowman finally fell, burned to a crisp. The other fighter, however, remained unharmed and seemed even stronger, electricity wreathing around him.

Wielding a double-pronged staff, the fighter raised his voice, which thundered across the cave: “Tame the Skies, Zeus!” He began to gather the lightning to himself, then launched himself at the Unicorn, looking like a figure from myth. The Unicorn rose to meet him, but the master’s spear pierced the Unicorn’s chest a few centimeters deep. Electricity surged through the beast but had no effect.

“Damn it, electric immunity! Don’t just stand there—keep attacking!” he yelled, and everyone redoubled their efforts. Thanks to Finn, they were aware when the Unicorn hit 70% HP, though it might have been obvious by its sudden color change. Instead of taking on the color of any specific cavern, it now glistened like a diamond.

“Anyone know what that means? Did we miss a cave somehow?” Sheko shouted in alarm.

The Unicorn didn’t shoot a beam this time, but something changed. The dark clouds parted, revealing sunlight that bathed the raid in a warm glow, reminiscent of sunrise. The crystal forest surrounding them began absorbing this light and transforming.

Finn quickly shouted, “It’s healing—stop it, now!”

What sadist designs a regenerating boss? Sheko thought, then yelled his suggestion with Finn. They disagreed.

“Attack the ceiling!” Sheko called.

“Attack the forest!” Finn countered, then quickly revised, “Split efforts! Half on the ceiling, half on the forest. Melee fighters, slow it down and offset the healing!”

“So keep doing what we were already doing. Got it,” Stain replied with a hint of sarcasm. Despite his tone, he followed up with an impressive attack. He threw three vials of water into the air, then delivered a barrage of punches, distorting the air around his fists. The vials exploded, not with water, but with lava, covering the Unicorn. Prismo joined in, blasting the lava-covered Unicorn with frost magic, encasing the monster in cooled basalt.

Sheko, meanwhile, chipped away at the Unicorn’s leg with his borrowed sword. Every bit matters if it prevents a wipe from whatever else this thing has up its sleeve. As he continued his attack, he noticed the girl on the monocycle speeding up as she circled the Unicorn along the cave walls. She had been shooting weak light projectiles, but now, a stream of light shot from her, growing larger as her speed increased. Eventually, the river of light connected with the forest, and the crystals began to absorb it. At first, it seemed her efforts were wasted, but soon the entire forest grew blindingly bright. Suddenly, a cascade of shattered crystals filled the clearing, angering the Unicorn as the crystals began to disintegrate.

The girl slowed, then dropped several stories. Sheko wasn’t sure if she survived, but her display had been impressive. Second strongest team here, my ass, Finn. What am I even doing here?

He nearly fell as the ground beneath him transformed into a barren crater, dotted with clear crystal spots along its edges. Great, another boss surprise.

He didn’t have time to linger as the mural on the ceiling started breaking apart. Smaller pieces fell first, followed by giant slabs of crystal. Acting fast, Sheko marked one of the crystals next to him with his sword and threw a knife at an incoming slab, stopping it just before it would have crushed him. However, the clear crystal broke before Odysseus's tether, and he only had a second to run from under it before the Unicorn, broke free from its basalt prison, now focused solely on him, its form sprouting enormous, razor-sharp rainbow-colored wings.