Chapter 30

Dormione's black skull was slammed against the wall and fell to the floor.

Dormione, convulsing, tilted his skull and looked up at Lambert.

"T-this can't be... I, I was supposed to live forever, to eventually unravel the truths of this world... This can't end after just a few hundred years... Why, why... I was supposed to have a body that could survive until the end of the world... Ah... Ahh... My wisdom is flowing out with the mana... being damaged... Ahh..."

Lambert silently readied his greatsword, pointing the blade at the crack in Dormione's skull.

"L-Lambert! K-killing me will be a loss to the world, to the Regius Kingdom! It's not too late... please... there's a bottle marked 23568 in the other corridor..."

"Sorry, I smashed it when I came through."

Lambert had indeed destroyed several potions and undead creatures as he passed through the corridor.

However, he hadn't bothered to remember each numbered item.

Moreover, Lambert had no intention of taking Dormione's words seriously.

"At least take my papers... take them outside!"

Lambert swung his greatsword horizontally.

The skull split in two and was slammed back into the wall by the impact.

"Even that monster is finally finished, I suppose."

As Lambert said this, the upper half of the skull embedded in the wall glowed with a redder light.

"Sorry, Lambert. I knew you'd do this, though."

Lambert readied his greatsword again, and Dormione continued.

"Relax. I'm now melting my own mana, my will, to use as maintenance energy. I can't do anything now. But, I apologize for the lack of creativity, just like last time."

As Dormione said this, the entire underground labyrinth began to vibrate.

"Come with me, Lambert. I'm actually quite lonely. If you won't listen to any of my requests, this is the only way."

Dormione's laughter echoed.

Lambert crouched and thrust his greatsword.

"I'll go ahead, but hurry and follow."

Lambert thrust without slowing down, shattering the upper half of the skull into pieces.

Due to the mana wasted on tentacle attacks, Dormione's skull no longer had its original hardness.

It turned to dust and scattered on the water.

A piece of the ceiling fell next to Lambert.

Lambert lowered his greatsword and glared at the ceiling.

The underground labyrinth had already begun to collapse.

(I need to hurry. Your Majesty... no, Fiona, I hope you're safe.)

Lambert turned and started to retrace his steps.

As he ran down the long corridor, an undead creature that had been in a cage was blocking the path.

"Out of my way!"

Lambert exuded a killing aura, and the undead creature shuddered, retreating cautiously.

"Haah!"

Without stopping, Lambert swung his greatsword and cut down the undead creature, then continued running.

He proceeded cautiously, avoiding falling debris from above, but suddenly a loud noise came from behind, and he turned around.

There, the two hands of the metal block, which had been pursuing him while slamming into the walls, were approaching.

Compared to when Dormione was around, the precision of the hands' movements had significantly decreased.

The repair ability seemed to have been lost, with parts of the surface peeling off, and the little finger of the left hand was missing.

However, the destructive power and speed of those hands were still formidable, and Lambert found them troublesome.

Fighting in a collapsing labyrinth was out of the question.

Moreover, during the previous battle, the primary purpose of those hands was to protect Dormione.

Now, with nothing to protect, the metal block's hands would undoubtedly try to crush Lambert with all their might.

"You're persistent..."

Lambert dodged the attack of the approaching right hand by jumping forward.

Before he landed, the left hand was already coming at him, so he struck the wall with his greatsword to push himself away.

The left hand struck the spot where Lambert had been, leaving a clear handprint on the floor.

Lambert stepped on the back of the left hand, jumped up, and thrust his greatsword into the ceiling crack.

He landed on the left hand and kicked off to gain distance.

The ceiling Lambert had cut collapsed, and sharp debris pierced and impaled the left hand.

The immobilized left hand was buried under the collapsed ceiling.

The remaining right hand immediately attacked Lambert, but dealing with one was much easier.

The greatest challenge had always been the coordinated attacks of the two-handed golem.

Lambert gripped the blade of his greatsword and struck the right hand with the hilt.

Lambert's greatsword, like his armor, was made for the Four Demon Generals using a special alloy, making it much heavier than it appeared.

The hilt, in particular, had a higher ratio of mithril and was made heavier.

This was to shift the center of gravity of the heavy greatsword slightly toward the handle, reducing the user's openings caused by centrifugal force.

By deliberately holding the blade and striking with the hilt, Lambert could create a large opening but deliver a sharp, cutting blow with the centrifugal force.

However, this was not an easy feat.

With less strength, the centrifugal force of the greatsword would pull the user off balance, making it impossible to stand.

Only with Lambert's strength and swordsmanship could this become an effective attack.

The hilt of the greatsword was swung down at the right hand.

The right hand, with its coating worn off from hitting the walls, could not withstand the blow, and one of its fingers was torn off at the base.

But it didn't end there.

Eight consecutive strikes mercilessly shattered the metal block's right hand.

"Haahhh!"

Lambert kicked the right hand, which had lost all its fingers.

The right hand had no way to guard or deflect the attack.

It flew backward, hit the wall, and was buried under the debris.