The Wrath of the 63rd

The 72nd dungeon of Solomon’s ranking. It is a place that boasts the most frequent changes in ownership—sometimes changing hands three times a day—making the dungeon of Andromalius little more than a slaughterhouse for low-level demons who dive in like moths to a flame. And yet, the current Andromalius had managed to protect his dungeon from all sorts of riffraff demons and adventurers for a remarkably long time—a full three weeks.

It was a small-scale dungeon without a single 3-star unit, but Andromalius had scraped by, mobilizing every soldier he had and even those he didn't. The source of his defense was wealth. Thanks to his unique ability to easily locate treasures, whenever his soldiers were on the verge of death, he would simply hire new mercenaries to keep the dungeon secure. Occasionally, there was a risk of being usurped by someone stronger, but Andromalius survived by stroking their egos.

That was how Andromalius survived. Now, it was time for him to climb the stairs, one step at a time, starting from the bottom. "Skeleton Knight. Do you know how I managed to climb this high?" Andromalius complained to the 3-star Skeleton Knight he had summoned for the first time yesterday. "I started this dungeon master life three weeks ago. Sucking up to the powerful, killing the weak. After clinging on desperately and keeping my head down, the Seal Contention finally began. Heh heh."

The information provided by the high-ranking mercenaries he had so diligently praised and flattered was also a valuable asset. Who invaded whom, who held a seal—he knew it all. And fortunately, Andromalius did not possess a seal. 'If I had one, I’d be screwed.' His dungeon was already like a crumbling shanty town; if he had been granted a seal, the chances of it being snatched away immediately would have been high. Andromalius stroked his chest, surveying his dungeon. All that remained was to climb up to the rank of Legion Commander with his 3-star Skeleton Knight.

"Dethrone Dantalian, dethrone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seere! And if I just keep climbing one step at a time... heh heh."

Kkeureureuk. Suddenly, the Skeleton Knight drew its sword. Andromalius was on edge, fearing the knight might betray him to loot his belongings, but the Skeleton Knight, like a loyal knight, stood firmly in front of its master. It was facing an 'enemy' that had appeared in the dungeon. Andromalius gulped and checked the system notification.

"No, are you insane, you crazy bastard?! Why is the 63rd picking a fight with me, what the hell?!" Andromalius couldn't hide his shock. There had been no declaration of war, and even though failing to defend would result in a massive surprise attack penalty, the enemy had come to attack him.

"Skeleton Knight! Don't just stand there, go out and intercept them! The moment they cross the traps, mobilize the skeletons and kill them all!" After ordering his subordinates to intercept, Andromalius pulled out a notebook filled with information he had obtained by sucking up to higher-ranking dungeon masters. The grimy, hand-stained notebook was his most precious treasure. "63rd... 63rd... Andras? A maze-type dungeon? A pain in the ass to conquer? The name is different, isn't it?"

The moment Andromalius realized the discrepancy, a commotion erupted from beyond the long corridor. S... S... S...

"What...? Wrath?"

The echoing sound was becoming clearer. Andromalius pricked up his ears, focusing on the sound. The word that seemed to start with 'Wrath' and end with 'th' was clearly an echo that hinted at the opponent's identity. "Don't tell me... Andras herself?!"

WRATHHHHHHH!! A bizarre resonance shook the entire dungeon. Terrified, Andromalius checked his crystal ball. Thanks to Solomon's system, he could see the invaders through the eyes of his skeletons. Those who had emerged from the portal at the entrance were...

Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath! Wrath!

Crow soldiers were charging in, shouting "Wrath." With their upper bodies hunched, arms strangely bent backward, and eyes gleaming, their charge shattered the traps and pulverized the skeletons. "......I'm screwed."

Over a hundred enemies had invaded a dungeon that didn't even have thirty units. Andromalius felt dizzy, unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality. "D-does that bastard have no honor?!" Even if it was a contention, how could a 4.5-star entity launch such a massive attack against a dungeon whose master was a mere 2-star?

'Could it be?' Did they mistake him for holding a seal? Watching his skeletons being mercilessly destroyed by the crow soldiers' claws, Andromalius made a decision. The opponent was a far superior powerhouse, the kind of enemy one had to defeat by cleverly using one's tongue. Wrath, Wrath, Wrath!! There had to be a leader for this crow army shouting "Wrath."

Andromalius hurriedly stripped off his formal attire, changed into shabby, worn-out rags, and ran through the dungeon. The crow soldiers stopped their advance upon seeing him, and Andromalius slid to his knees, performing a full prostration. "Please, wait!!"

He might barely win if he fought them one by one, but there was surely a leader commanding the troops. Knowing that fighting them would mean his head would fly off, Andromalius sought to survive with his silver tongue. "......Are you the master of this dungeon?"

Andromalius's heart sank at the beautiful voice he had never heard before. Thinking that even just hearing her voice made him want to covet her, he lifted his head slightly. There stood a black-haired beauty in a black-feathered dress, looking down on him. "Ah..."

"I won't ask again. Are you the dungeon master?"

"Ah... I was so mesmerized by your beauty that I lost my senses. Yes, I am Andromalius. I am insignificant and lowly, but I dare to occupy this humble seat."

"Is that so? I am Andras." Andras squatted in front of Andromalius and lifted his chin with her sharp claws. "A message from my Master."

"Master...? Didn't you say your name was Andras...?"

In an instant, Andromalius's heart plummeted. He recalled that the name of the enemy dungeon master known through the system was not Andras. The existence before his eyes—Andras—was not the dungeon master. She was merely the vanguard. Andras whispered, her blood-red lips curling upward.

"'Ah, this is what we call a slaughter,' Wrath."

"Pardon?"

Slash. With the illusion that the world was splitting into six pieces, the system that had brought him to this position left its final farewell before Andromalius.

Ah. I have died. Andromalius lost consciousness. The 72nd-ranked dungeon he had desperately protected for three weeks had been snatched away—not by a rebellion, but by a massacre from an existence nine ranks higher than himself.

"The rewards are definitely stingy since I just raided a 72nd-rank dungeon. Even the magic stones they hoarded are just lowest and low-grade. It’s just the amount you’d get from running a slime sub-dungeon for a day. Tsk, what a waste of effort."

I had ambitiously opened a portal toward the 72nd dungeon, organizing the Andras Army led by Andras herself to infiltrate the enemy lines. The contention system remained, keeping the portal's direction open, but Andras and her troops had cleared the dungeon in just three hours.

"......." Shaitan pouted, her lips protruding with a dissatisfied expression.

"Why? Are you disappointed because I bullied someone weak?"

"...It's not that. But if you consider your honor, Master."

"Honor doesn't put food on the table. What's the point of making a name for yourself after you're dead? You have to do well while you're alive."

I embedded the Dimension Stone Andromalius left behind into our dungeon. We already had enough ghouls for undead, and the dungeon was too pathetic to entrust to Meari. In the end, Andromalius's dungeon became a sub-dungeon of ours.

"I'm not one to talk, but this is a bit much. A slaughter? It's beyond bullying a child. This is..." Gremory also criticized me. As she said, it was self-deprecation, but Gremory and Shaitan were worried about my actions after Andromalius.

Dantalian, Seere, Decarabia, Belial, Amducias. These were the dungeons ranked 71st through 67th, climbing one step at a time from the bottom. I intended to trample every one of those dungeons from the bottom up. Even if it meant bearing the disgrace or danger that followed.

"You might be labeled a ruffian who only beats up the weak, Master."

"Right. Just as you ignored me, others will ignore you too. 'Wow, look at that thug who only raids dungeons lower-ranked than himself!'"

"And the masters of the upper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dungeons... no, the entire demon race doesn't favor such people. Proof of strength is proven by defeating those stronger than oneself. Just as you overcame the offensive of the 56th-ranked dungeon, which was several steps above you, and even occupied it."

"So let's rethink this. People make mistakes in life, right? It'll be known soon enough that we took down the 72nd. But if we keep occupying them all from the bottom up, it's quite dangerous."

"Calm down. I know both of your concerns well." I had already anticipated their strong opposition before installing the portal in Andromalius's dungeon.

"This battle will draw significant aggro, and those above me will look down on me. 'That Orc bastard, a piece of trash who doesn't know honor and only bullies the weak.' Then, eventually, someone will come to attack me. It’s a good justification, isn't it? The veterans coming to eliminate the loser who bullies newbies."

What kind of content would the veterans who abandoned the war against the Human Alliance have? It was to coddle the newbies who didn't know any better, only to crush them later if they dared to rebel. That was the reality of the current dungeon contention.

"But the board has changed. The one who flipped the entire board is none other than the management, the Demon King. From the start, this contention is a paradigm shift led by the Demon King. It's a battle royale where the seven who survive, regardless of honor or whatever, are the final winners. Shaitan, you are the proof of that."

"...Other than functioning as a seal, what meaning does that have for me?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"The Demon King gave the seal called Shaitan not to the 1st through 7th, but to a 63rd-rank like me. What does that mean? It means no one knows who might have them. It's strange for the 63rd to have a seal if the six from 1st to 6th don't, right? Who knows? Maybe he sent it to Andromalius. Of course, after eating him, I found out it wasn't him."

"That's true."

"While the demons are misunderstanding, I'll strike from the bottom to the top like a jackal. And if the day comes when I meet the owner of a seal while climbing from the bottom..." I drew the edge of my hand across my throat. "I'll snatch the seal and devour their entire force. And eventually, after growing in size, I'll create a force where several legions are combined. It's not like the seven legions have to be seven dungeon masters, right? The Demon King gave us a hint. By any means necessary."

"But didn't that mean the Demon King was... the Goddess?"

"That might be the intention, too. But think about it. How good does this sound?" I raised my finger. "Me, Lime, Ryun, Eila, Gremory, Andras, Meari. Just like that, seven people are already accounted for. If I make the beings within our legion the seven legion commanders, isn't the game over? Is there a law that says a Demon King's legion commander must be a demon? In the end, isn't it enough to overcome all adversity and beat down everyone who attacks me, whether they are weak or strong?"

"......Just how far are you planning this picture, Master?" Shaitan was looking at me with a face that seemed exhausted, yet entranced. I spread my arms wide and grinned.

"This entire world is my canvas. Yes. I will dye the world in my wrath."

With Wrath.