Chapter 80

The time spent on the eighth floor unexpectedly became longer, but I wanted to reach the eleventh floor before the day changed.

Ideally, I wanted to advance as many floors as possible, aiming for five floors a day. I hoped that if I could grasp the pace of exploring the dungeon, the conquest would be faster, but I also knew that the enemies would become stronger and more complex traps would await as I progressed.

After breaking down the tent and putting it into Véronne's magic storage basket, I thought about carrying the luggage myself, but she didn't seem to mind. Given that she was a former Demon King, her physical abilities were exceptional, so there was no need to worry.

"Hehe... You really are thorough with the 'ladies first' principle. That's what makes you so adorable, Master."

"Wh-What... I wasn't thinking anything special."

"Just by looking at your eyes, I can tell you were about to offer to carry the luggage. But don't worry, I can lighten the load with magic. I'm a woman, so I don't mind being treated kindly... in fact, I appreciate it when you do."

"If you say so, I can carry it too. Everyone else did."

Miralca and Yuma's large leather backpack, filled with their changes of clothes, was on my back. At first, I suggested leaving unnecessary items behind, but as we delved deeper into the Demon Kingdom, the amount of women's equipment and clothing only increased. I had tried to tell Miralca multiple times that not changing clothes every day was part of a real journey, but she insisted on changing every day.

At the time, the reason Cordy didn't entrust me with the luggage was clear now. Aileen, like me, was a wild type who didn't need to change clothes, but she gradually became more particular about cleanliness under Miralca's influence. Yuma, being a cleric, insisted on bathing every day—how we managed to complete the Demon King's slaying journey in three months is a mystery.

"Why are you looking at me with such a distant gaze? Do you not want to focus on me?"

"Probably, Dick is reminiscing about something. He has a thoughtful look on his face, as if this beautiful lake brings back memories."

"Yeah, I guess. I was just thinking about a lot of things."

"About Dick's past... We still don't know much. We need to learn more..."

"Miss, let's focus on conquering the dungeon for now. We'll have plenty of time to talk once we return to the surface."

Neither of them seemed to let their guard down in battle just because their perception of me had changed. I wanted to count them as part of our fighting force, but we couldn't forget the difference in ranks. Even if an opponent was easy for us, we should avoid letting them face it carelessly.

"Master, there's no longer any threat on the eighth floor. However, the next floor... According to Cordy's reconnaissance, something strange is happening."

"Strange... In this dungeon, I'm not surprised by anything anymore. Cordy, what did you find?"

"It's that there's no sign of life at all. There were many fossilized bones of magic beasts scattered around, but according to Yuma, there were no undead spirits, which should normally be present."

"Yes... It's possible that the undead spirits were purified for some reason. However, the spirits of magic beasts in the dungeon often possess other corpses to create undead creatures. The fact that this isn't happening at all is unusual."

When undead spirits possess corpses, they create undead creatures. The Dragon Bone Swordsmen and Ghoul Eaters we fought on the fifth floor are examples of this. They often carry paralyzing toxins, but with caution, they aren't too difficult to handle.

A cleric is essential in an adventurer party because if undead spirits aren't purified, they can become enemies later. However, the ninth floor has bones but no undead spirits.

In some places, undead spirits can't exist and are purified, but that's the most convenient explanation. It's better to remain vigilant.

"Let's go down and see for ourselves. I want to see the situation with my own eyes."

Aiming for the ninth floor, we started walking. The Aquarians in the lake, perhaps having learned their lesson from Aileen, didn't show themselves until we left.

◆◇◆

The ninth floor was a cave with rock walls. The blue-black stone walls extended like a winding path—sound echoed well in the spacious area, but there was no sign of enemies. Only a dry wind rustled through the cave.

The Dragon Chimera should have passed through here, but there were no footprints. However, upon closer inspection, there were signs of destruction on the walls. It seemed that large creatures had fought here not long ago—I deduced as much.

As Cordy had said, there were bones of magic beasts, though they were weathered and barely recognizable. They were so old that they crumbled at the slightest touch, looking like white ash. They must have been bones for a very long time.

Yuma seemed to have purified the area when she and Cordy came here earlier, so there was no lingering miasma. Cordy and I, who are strong against the undead, walked at the front, but as I was about to think that there were no signs of enemies—

After walking for a while, a beast-like voice echoed from the depths of the cave. It sounded like many voices at once, as if many creatures were speaking simultaneously. Whether it was from the ninth floor or the tenth floor, something unusual was definitely ahead. The voices were so unsettling that Lotte turned pale and lost her words.

However, Sherry remained calm. With the power of the snake spirit, she had grown stronger—though it would be good to measure her strength with an adventurer strength gauge, for now, we had Véronne's data recorded, and we would analyze it after returning to the surface.

—But if we proceed, Sherry and Lotte might have to join the battle.

"... Dick, I'm fine. I won't hold you back."

"Miss... If you realize you can't keep up, it's better to hold back..."

"I'll protect Lotte. I think I can do it now... I'm the older sister."

"Understood. If we can handle it, that's best, but in an emergency, you must protect yourselves. Something unusual is ahead."

"There might be an enemy even stronger than the Dragon Chimera... High-ranking monsters often have special abilities, so we need to assess what they can do."

Tension spread among everyone. The path downward was wide, and an indescribable sound continued to echo.

"Mr. Dick... There's something very ominous on the next floor. Lost souls are concentrated there..."

"The souls you're talking about are the undead spirits of the monsters on this floor. If they're gathering on the lower floor, it means..."

"Collecting undead spirits over a wide area... It has the same power as Beatrice...?"

Aileen seemed to realize something too. Beatrix, the Reine of the House of the Six Demon Princes, could summon undead spirits just by living in a mansion, which is why it was called a haunted house.

There are other monsters with such abilities. Beatrix, a high-ranking demon, could have an equivalent in this dungeon.

"Either way, we have no choice but to go... Everyone, cast enhancement spells. When the battle starts, I'll give instructions..."

"It's fine, just like usual. We're prepared for it."

"I hope this time we face an opponent that's a bit easier to fight, but this dungeon doesn't seem to be that simple..."

"Aileen, it's fine. With the party together, we won't be caught in a bad situation."

Miralca placed her hand on Aileen's shoulder. Aileen smiled, seemingly relieved.

"Miralca is so brave when everyone is together... You didn't like scary things, right?"

"That's not true... I just don't like being surprised. With this formation, Dick will handle any ambush."

"Right, Dick, it's a big responsibility. If an enemy suddenly appears, don't be shocked and scream."

"I don't think it'll come to that... Anyway, let's go."

In the past, I used to command from the back, but that doesn't mean I can't do it from the front. Cordy and I moved forward, and she was incredibly reliable, brimming with determination to respond to any situation.

"I haven't felt nervous before a battle in a while. Now, I can feel it... There's definitely a 'monster' ahead."

"Approaching it head-on, knowing it's there, is quite nerve-wracking. Did you notice the walls?"

"There are burn marks. This place was a battlefield... In this dungeon, monsters fight each other, and the strongest one stays."

The enemy is stronger than the Dragon Chimera and has defenses that can withstand a Chimera's breath. And it's gathering undead spirits.

What that means. After walking for about thirty minutes and descending the slope to the next floor, I found the answer.

"—Cordy!"

"!"

—Light Sword, Light Barrage—

Cordy summoned her light sword and unleashed a storm of light projectiles at the darkness ahead without hesitation.

Several beams of light raced through the space, and the vast chamber was revealed in an instant. I used the 'Light' spell to create a glowing sphere and threw it upward to explode, providing light. It should last for about fifteen minutes.

However, as Cordy's light projectiles struck the giant form of a Dragon Chimera, which was revealed by the light, Cordy and I were momentarily speechless.

"What... is that...?"

—Countless undead spirits were floating around the skeletal body of a dead dragon. Each spirit exploded upon contact with Cordy's light projectiles, but more spirits emerged from the ground to protect the dragon.

"Ooooo... Ooo..."

The skeletal dragon couldn't roar, only causing the wind to vibrate. That was the sound we had been hearing.

The skeletal dragon was like a small hill. Even if the light projectiles reached it, they could only chip away at it.

Its hollow eye sockets glowed. Then the skeletal dragon opened its jaw and breathed out—not fire or any other element, but a compressed mass of undead spirits.

—Spirit Cannon—

"Kuuuuuuu!"

(Yuma, lend me your power...)

I deployed a 'Barrier Cage' to protect the party from the attack. At the same time, I borrowed Yuma's purification power—since we were in a party, I could use the power of my allies at any time. I had learned this technique to share my magic power when a party member's magic power ran out, and it was useful now.

—Magic Sword, Evil Soul Purification—

"Uooo..."

I used the magic sword created with Yuma's power to cut through the spirit breath that could affect the entire party. I was confident that an effective attack against spirits would cancel it out, but it consumed more magic power than expected to purify the spirits. The number of compressed spirits was far greater than anticipated.

Perhaps because I had blocked the breath, the skeletal dragon began to target me persistently. If I didn't act as a decoy, it would target the others. I had to keep the dragon's attention and be ready to use 'Evil Soul Purification' at any time.

"Everyone, avoid the attack's trajectory! I'll draw the target!"

After deflecting the attack, I gave instructions to the others. Aileen had already started running, ready to assist me by engaging the skeletal dragon in close combat.

Her body was enveloped in red battle aura. She had already determined that she needed to go all out to defeat this enemy.

"—Yaaaaa! Rāsha Zangetsu Kick!"

The skeletal dragon's bony forelimbs, covered in spirits like armor, blocked Aileen's kick aimed at its neck. The spirits exploded, but the bones of the arm were not shattered. Aileen immediately followed up with 'Shura Zan'ei Fist,' creating six illusions to launch a fierce attack.

What Aileen was aiming for—of course, to wear down the enemy's defenses and find an opening to shatter its skeletal structure. Even if she couldn't do that, she continued to attack relentlessly, trying to strip away the spirit armor.

"—Aileen, fall back!"

"Ku...!"

A chill ran through me, and I shouted. The skeletal dragon, while defending against Aileen's attacks, was about to launch an attack that would engulf everything around it—my prediction was correct.

—Impure Isolation—

"Ko... such...!"

Aileen's reaction was understandable. From the dragon's feet, a mass of spirits, seemingly as powerful as its breath, shot up in columns in all directions.

If she had continued her close-range attack, she would have been caught in it. Even with her body enveloped in divine battle aura and my enhancement magic boosting her defenses to the limit, a direct hit would not have been harmless.

That attack felt like 'death' itself. Since touching a spirit drains life force, being pierced by a mass of spirits would drain all life force.

I had Aileen fall back, but the skeletal dragon swung its arm, turning the mass of spirits into a blade to attack. Aileen, focused on evasion, had a determined look in her eyes to counterattack—then.

"—Yuma, please!"

"Yes... I will purify them... Lost souls, ascend to heaven!"

A purifying light emitted from Yuma's body. The skeletal dragon reacted, preparing to breathe, but before it could, its entire body was exposed to Yuma's light.

"Kuuuuu!"

The skeletal dragon let out a pained cry. However, even though the spirits covering its surface were purified and disappeared, the light did not reach the dragon's core—Yuma's power, capable of purifying the entire capital, could not strip away the dragon's armor in one go.

"Kuuuuu!"

(Dick, that skeletal dragon is gathering a vast number of spirits from the ground beneath its feet... It's drawing them out and using them as power. But to reach the dragon's feet with purifying power, we need to defeat the dragon...)

Yuma's voice reached me. Connected by magic with the entire party, I could read and respond to their thoughts without using magic items.

(Yuma, keep bathing the dragon in purifying light to slow down the regeneration of its armor. Miralca, can you set up a destruction array at the dragon's feet to dig through the ground?)

"Yes, I'll try. But I'll be defenseless during the incantation..."

(It's fine, I'll cover you. Dee, you need to destroy the dragon's core! It's in the chest, where the heart is!)

The core—the part of the monster that can be considered its true body, which I obtained when defeating the giant slime. It exists in this skeletal dragon as well.

The skeletal dragon, which has gathered a vast number of spirits from the countless monsters that have died on the ninth and tenth floors over a long period, uses countless spirits for both attack and defense, possessing a power equivalent to an army of undead. It is fitting to call it a 'Spirit Armored Dragon.'

It's difficult to move it from its position. If we can't strip away its armor, we need to increase the density of our attacks to the point where regeneration can't keep up—Cordy's storm of light projectiles and Yuma's purifying light are not enough, as the regeneration speed is still faster.

(If we can increase the density of our attacks a bit more, regeneration should stop... I need to destroy the armor around the chest and the core at that moment. But if I join the attack, the rear members will be in the path of the breath...)

The power of that breath is extraordinary. Cordy might be able to defend against it, but I can't risk hitting the other party members with a 'maybe.'

The skeletal dragon continues to counterattack by shooting bone spears from its wings, swinging its arms, and lashing its tail at Cordy and Aileen. The fact that their defenses haven't been broken is a threat in itself.

I want to increase the number of attacks, but the master is focused on protecting Miralca and Yuma from the bone spears the skeletal dragon occasionally shoots at the rear.

The other combatants are Sherry and Lotte—whether their attacks can contribute to breaking the armor is uncertain.

—But with the current Sherry, perhaps. Her strong will seemed to respond to my thoughts.

(D