187. Sublimation (1)
187. Sublimation (1)
- 1 -
Stained glass shining in a medley of colors, much like that of a cathedral. But what was depicted there was not a god or a saint, but the figure of the Demon King.
At the very top, the place that should have been brightest was instead painted dark, a form looking down upon the earth.
Below it, light passing through red glass symbolizing the burning surface world brightly illuminated the interior.
"Wow..."
At the spectacle that could only be called an art of light and magic, one of the unnamed Alraune sighed in admiration.
Hearing that, the demon Talaran smiled and turned his head.
"At last, Lady Libertas is stepping onto the Elite stage. It must feel quite invigorating, Grimm."
At the words of the Mammon Company Arbitration Department head who had mediated in this dungeon's last war, the Eastern Continent Sales Department head, Viscount Goblin Grimm Du Rol, nodded in agreement.
A smile filled his face.
Because for a Dungeon Lord to rise to the rank of 'Elite' meant they had moved beyond mere survival on this continent and had begun to exert their own power.
"Of course I'm pleased as well, Talaran. I've invested a great deal in this one. But it seems those two rascals over there are truly enjoying themselves."
Talaran, who had turned his head to follow Grimm's gaze, spotted two succubi sitting in the same row of seats as them.
"The day has finally come... it's finally come...!"
"Senior... you look happy..."
"Of course I am! I'm sincerely happy!"
"Enviably so... but I can't deny it either..."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing..."
The pink-haired succubus Scarlet, and the blue-haired succubus Marie.
Among them, Talaran's eyes, which had discerned the look of an illegitimate child sheltered under a superior's wing, gleamed sharply.
"That one's offspring, I see. I heard she was a headache."
"She's become quite docile lately. It's been ever since she met Lady Libertas."
Talaran, catching the meaning behind those words, nodded.
Even if Libertas were a true 'rascal,' she possessed an overwhelming pressure that compelled one to mind their speech and actions.
"A person who stirred up all sorts of storms even at the mere Advanced stage... what will happen once she climbs higher..."
"Ha. You don't mean a word of that."
Though his tone was one of concern, Talaran's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he spoke.
Grimm, looking at him with a dry laugh, glanced back at the massive door situated behind them.
Because he was curious when Libertas would reveal her beautiful visage.
*Already an Elite...*
Meanwhile, Lady Kyricia forcibly suppressed the jealousy rising within her, along with a sigh.
After promising cooperation with Libertas during the last war and barely surviving that pandemonium, she had renewed her resolve and continued her self-training and dungeon expansion without pause.
And as a result, she had successfully achieved ascension to the Elite rank just recently.
Yes. 'Just recently'.
*I lingered at that stage for years and barely climbed one step...*
Yet a junior and rival who had appeared out of nowhere had already risen to the same level as herself.
She had no intention of placing Libertas, who had faced three Dungeon Lords including herself and seized victory, on an equal footing with her, but wasn't this still excessive?
"Haa..."
Kyricia sighed, struggling to control the jealousy in her heart, and waited for the protagonist of this stage to appear.
Still, the comforting point was that the person in question was her 'ally'. Although she knew it was nominal at best, and her side had never done anything ally-like so far.
- Is that really Director Daniel?
- I'm amazed as well.
On another side, key figures carrying out Libertas's missions across the continent were also in attendance.
They hadn't come in person; it was remote participation using mindless Skeletons imbued with their mana, used like puppets.
- A body without wings is inconvenient.
- But it's better than not participating at all, right?
- Don't you agree?
The Skeleton with a sturdy build housing Kamaya's spirit nodded resolutely and looked up at the platform.
A single person was ascending to that spot.
Dung—!
As the light created by the self-luminous stained glass filled the hall, the sound of a drum signaling the start of the ritual rang out.
Along the central aisle laid with a red carpet, black marble pillars lined the path, each pillar alight with a purple flame.
Crystals hung from the ceiling, diffusely reflecting the dim light coming through the stained glass in all directions, creating a mystical and heavy atmosphere.
Cheok.
In the very center.
A single person stepped down onto the high platform built atop the stairs.
A Black Knight draped in a black cloak with a red lining, her bleached platinum-blonde hair fluttering.
It was Evangeline, taking on a false appearance.
First, she bowed her head once toward the Demon King depicted in the stained glass as a sign of respect, then she turned to look over the assembly and opened her mouth.
"Distinguished guests who have visited us. And beloved colleagues and subordinates of the dungeon. I hereby announce the commencement of the ascension ritual of Dungeon Lord Lady Libertas."
Evangeline looked down below the platform.
Eyes glowing in various colors—black, blue, or purple—were looking up at her.
Among the crowd of undead who possessed intelligence and knew manners, a few exceptions stood out.
The fact that the exceptions were few was not a particularly regrettable thing for her.
What was important was that everyone except a very small number could send sincere congratulations to her master, and that those who could not were unable to compromise the safety of this occasion.
Making known the greatness of her master to the outside world could wait until later.
"Soon, Lady Libertas will enter. Please greet her not with cheers, but with enthusiastic applause."
Hwareuk!
As soon as Evangeline's words ended, the purple flames soared high in unison.
The bizarre radiance pouring through the stained glass met the flames, dyeing the entire hall in dark light.
"Now... my master enters."
Deolkeok!
Along with those words, the massive doors opened.
Ttogak.
Before stepping onto the red carpet, a single footstep echoed.
She revealed herself.
"Wow..."
Scarlet's sigh of admiration rang out, and Marie, placing her hand silently over her heart, swallowed her awe.
Sarak.
Libertas, having revealed herself, still wore a black dress, but over it she had draped a red cloak.
Her black hair, let down longer than usual, swayed as if it would brush the floor behind her, and on the pale white face revealed beneath it, solemn emotion swirled.
On the surface of the cloak and over the dress, gold embroidery threads traced magical patterns here and there, and the mana naturally flowing from her body added light to those patterns.
Seureureuk
The one who had entered ahead of her before she herself came in was Yuran.
Walking backwards, she scattered mana before her, and that mana became black or gold flower petals, embroidering the red carpet laid before Libertas.
"She is entering."
When that process ended and Evangeline's words fell, she began to move.
Challang
As she took a step, the golden crown floating above her head and following her made a light jingling sound.
Below the dress, her pale white calves appeared and disappeared, making onlookers feel a sense of breathless suspense.
Her figure looking straight ahead without a single tremor captured her characteristic noble aura perfectly.
Jeobeok.
Reaching the foot of the platform across the red carpet, Libertas slowly ascended the stairs.
The crowd felt the air hold its breath with each of her steps.
"I can feel the power. She has more than enough qualifications already."
Talaran murmured, sounding interested.
"No. The qualifications were already in place."
Grimm shook his head, a sense of awe in his voice.
"That person cannot be measured merely by the power she possesses."
Reaching the platform, Libertas first lifted her head toward the figure of the Demon King drawn in the seven-colored glass.
At that moment, as if in response, the darkness of the stained glass deepened.
She noticed immediately.
A certain 'presence' there.
But she paid it no mind for the moment and gestured toward those waiting in the shadows of the platform.
Kung!
The Skeletons, moving under Shue's direction, ascended the platform and set down the coffins containing the prepared sacrifices so that they occupied the vertices of a triangle.
Directly above the steps opposite the stained glass was Arpina's corpse, and the coffins at the other two points contained the corpses of Elite-grade magical beasts, a wyvern and an ogre.
Uung...!
A faint humming sound came from the magic circle already drawn on the floor. The black scepter held in Libertas's hand resonated with it, glowing dimly.
A scepter symbolizing the dungeon's power.
It had been crafted and offered for this ritual by the representative of the 'Ash Heap Artisan Corps,' the dungeon's contracted merchant.
"We are ready."
"Same here."
When Mure and Sonia, who were standing by in case of unforeseen magical accidents, sent their signals, Libertas nodded and turned her body to face the crowd.
"As the lord of this dungeon, I now intend to take on a new rank."
Her voice resounded.
It was imbued with power, and the space that felt that power began to stir.
Some undead unconsciously lowered their bodies under the overwhelming pressure.
"My people gathered here shall bear witness."
With those words, Evangeline brought out a purple crystal orb.
A crystal orb containing the mana to activate and stabilize the sacrifice ritual.
Inside it, a black mist was swirling.
- At last, this moment has come...
By now, her true self would be in central Hysen. The Myrmekian Queen, Orea.
The black eyes of the Skeleton housing her soul watched the ritual, filled with awe and loyalty.
*If my teacher becomes even stronger here, what will happen...*
Amelia, Libertas's human vassal lord, looked up at her master and teacher with eyes filled with fear and awe.
"Our one and only black sun. Our king of kings."
Libertas placed the crystal on the table rising from the center of the altar, rested her hand upon it, and looked up at the ceiling.
Her gaze turned toward the figure of the Demon King at the very top of the stained glass.
- ...
She had felt a single gaze from there the entire time.
The gaze of a supreme being who would have no reason to attend the promotion ceremony of a single Dungeon Lord.
*So the symbol of faith can truly become the eye of the one receiving that faith...*
The symbol was no longer just a symbol.
Though it was merely an object, a decoration revering the Demon King, only prepared as a formality for the ritual.
"Today, here, your child seeks to receive your blessing and reach a higher step."
Libertas decided to play along with the rhythm of the owner of the gaze who was pretending not to watch.
"「O heart. Harbor your strength.」"
As she opened her mouth and whispered, the dungeon core hidden in the chandelier emitted a light.
The light the dungeon core originally possessed would have been mere white, but now the light it emitted was closer to a purple hue.
Bathed in that light, Libertas lifted the scepter, drove it into the center of the magic circle, and uttered the activation phrase.
"「Lord, Ascension.」"
Along with the voice that shook all directions, the hall became tinted with darkness.
The source was the power flowing from Libertas herself and her core.
And...
Kureureung...!
The power extending from the figure of the Demon King.
"This is..."
"That person has come...?"
"No way...! It's true she's extraordinary, but to personally attend the ascension of a mere Dungeon Lord...?"
The first to notice 'his' presence were the strongest among those present, Myur Relix and the two department heads of the Mammon Company.
But slightly later than them, Libertas's three closest aides also realized what had happened.
"To your positions."
Evangeline stood on the front steps, and Yuran and Lin Xue stood to either side of her, preparing for the sudden situation.
They had to give the crowd the impression that the situation was under control.
They knew nothing major would happen, but it could take longer than expected.
*Master...*
Evangeline's gaze was fixed straight ahead, but her awareness cautiously shifted behind her.
The other two aides were the same.
The darkness deepened, and the moment everyone's gaze gathered in one place.
In the sudden stillness that descended, a single ray of dark light pierced through the stained glass and came down.
- 2 -
Within a space wholly black.
I opened my eyes.
- Still.
And soon realized he was before me.
- A splendid child it is.
His voice, speaking as he looked at me, was filled with interest.
I looked up at him straight on.
The figure of two burning eyes looking down at me.