I was Reincarnated as the Villainess's Older Brother, but it seems My Sister is Obsessed With Me. And for Some Reason, the Male Love Interests are also Doting On Me.(BL) - Chapter 15

A Dullahan…? But that’s an advanced monster. This dungeon was supposed to be a beginner’s trial course. Why was it here?

Clang!

I didn’t even have time to think—the Dullahan lunged at me with terrifying speed, forcing me to block its attack with everything I had. Holding my ground was all I could do; I couldn’t even attempt a counterattack.

As I struggled under its overwhelming strength, Stefan Raveles conjured a barrier of water between us. Thanks to him, I managed to gain some distance.

“Even I might not be able to defeat that thing.”

“If you think it’s tough, then what the hell are we supposed to do…?”

The monster didn’t give us time to strategize—it turned its attention to Stefan next. The sound of clashing steel echoed as their swords met. Both fought with precision, but even Stefan was being pushed back.

If even he was struggling, I didn’t stand a chance.

Waiting for Louis would be the safest option. But when would he be back? Five minutes? Ten? Could we even hold out that long?

At this point, survival was more important than trying to defeat it. With that in mind…

“Stefan! Close combat is too risky! Fall back—I’ll handle defense. You hit it with as much magic as possible when you see an opening!”

“Got it!”

I had never used defensive magic before, but I had played countless RPGs. Time to put that experience to good use!

I quickly cast a spell, forming a wall of ice between Stefan and the Dullahan. Immediately switching to wind magic, I tried to slow it down with air resistance. The barrier shattered in seconds, but it was enough to create some distance.

Once Stefan was back at my side, I wasted no time launching my next spell.

“Ice Field!”

The ground turned to ice, causing the Dullahan’s horse to slip—briefly. Unfortunately, it recovered almost instantly.

“Clive, you perform best under pressure, don’t you? I won’t let you show me up!”

Stefan fired a water bullet straight at the Dullahan. It looked like a direct hit—until the Dullahan reflected the attack right back at us.

Oh hell no.

“Freeze!”

I clenched my eyes shut and cast my spell instinctively. Just in time, the incoming water bullet solidified into ice.

I seriously thought I was going to die…

Wasn’t this thing way too powerful? In games, you just circle behind it and mash buttons to win. But in reality, getting behind it was damn near impossible.

“It deflected that? Fine. Let’s see how it handles multiple shots… Clive, cover me!”

“R-right! Leave it to me!”

Stefan fired several water bullets in succession. This time, the Dullahan didn’t reflect them, but its shield blocked every single one.

Wait… That shield…

Was that… a human head?!

I really shouldn’t have looked. The missing head was already horror material, but this? This was nightmare fuel.

Mother, I take it back! You’re not the scariest thing in the world! That thing is!

In games and guides, these things were just drawings. Seeing it in real life was a different story. It was going to haunt my dreams. No way was I going to the bathroom alone tonight.

As I stood frozen in horror, the Dullahan turned toward me and began advancing. Pure terror took over, and I did the only thing that made sense in the moment.

I begged for my life.

“I’m sorry! I swear I didn’t mean to make your horse slip! Please don’t come any closer!”

“Why are you apologizing to a monster…?”

I kept throwing up ice walls while Stefan continued his barrage of magic, but nothing was working. Worse yet, it looked like the damn thing was regenerating.

I even tried lining up ten ice walls in a row, like those famous shrine gates in Kyoto. Didn’t help. They got shattered just the same.

At this rate, we were going to run out of magic before it even broke a sweat.

Its weakness was supposed to be fire.

“Damn it. Our attributes are useless. If only we had a fire mage…”

Stefan must have been thinking the same thing, because for the first time, he looked uncertain.

Fire, fire… There had to be something…

“…I might have a plan.”

“Clive?”

“Switch! You handle defense!”

I scrambled through my bag, pulling out two lanterns and a flint.

“What are you—”

“Just watch!”

I lit one lantern, then picked up the other and poured its oil into my mouth.

“Are you an idiot?! Spit that out right now!”

Stefan lunged to stop me, but I held up a hand to signal him to wait.

I turned toward the Dullahan, took a deep breath, and spat the oil in a fine mist—right into the lantern’s flame. At the same time, I boosted it with wind magic.

FWOOOOSH!

A massive fireball engulfed the Dullahan.

Did… did that do it?

The battlefield was filled with smoke, making it impossible to see. Slowly, the smoke began to clear, revealing—

A slightly charred Dullahan.

…That was it?!

I was screwed. That was my best move. My ultimate attack. And all it did was scorch the thing a little?

Was this really the end of my second life? I had wanted to live longer this time…

“Why is there a Dullahan in the lowest level?”

…!?

That calm voice… Could it be—?!