309. The Ultimate (2)
309. The Ultimate (2)
- 1 -
After finishing the last preparations, I stood before the mirror.
I saw the reflection of a girl in the mirror.
She was wearing ceremonial robes adorned with platinum cross ornaments and faint floral patterns embroidered on them.
Clothes more splendid than those at the 'Ascension' ritual when I rose to the elite grade. Clear mana flowed over them.
But this time, I wasn't planning to hold a grand ceremony like that.
'Only the minimum formalities.'
Because I didn't have the time to prepare a lavish ceremony.
"My lord. I shall escort you."
"Alright. Let us go."
The maids lifted the hems of my skirts and followed, and Ran carefully took my hand to escort me.
Thus, all together, we slowly moved along the stairs.
The 5th floor, the Core Room. There, all preparations had already been completed.
The magic circle drawn on the smooth black floor had purple mana pulsing through the deep grooves carved into the black marble, as if it were alive and breathing.
Inside it, complex characters were engraved, and at each vertex, shining magic stones were embedded, sparkling.
"Master. All the sacrifices are prepared."
"You have worked hard, Shue."
"Not at all."
A total of twenty-five demon beasts were confined in iron cages all around.
Most of the demon beasts were dead, but some were still alive, or only parts of them were present.
- How did you even find me...
One of the three high-grade demon beasts was the leader of the ratmen secretly operating beneath Zehir, the capital of the Kingdom of Hilsa.
One might wonder what nonsense this talk of a ratman is.
In short, what affects the quality as a sacrifice is solely the individual's ability, not the perception of their species.
- That White Wolf bitch...!
This fellow had been captured by Shue, who had been dispatched to Hilsa.
He must have felt wronged.
He seemed to have hidden well, but he couldn't hide from her who possessed 'knowledge of the future'.
"So this is the core."
The second demon beast could not be brought here at all, so its most vital mana organ was extracted and brought.
"A kraken, huh. I'd like to see one."
"It's not much to look at. Though someday there will be an opportunity..."
A giant cephalopod demon beast, a kraken.
The heart of that ocean demon beast, universally infamous beyond measure.
That was my second sacrifice.
"Lady Sonia and Chief Jarax must have gone through much trouble to send this intact."
"Yes... it seems so."
This one was caught in the eastern sea of Ulland.
In other words, it was originally Astaroth's demon beast, but this time Sonia's party succeeded in hunting it and sent the core to me.
- Kyaaaak!!
The last demon beast was a hydra caught a week ago in the strait south of Aririt.
It was a sub-adult with only five heads, but even so, it was a monster possessing high-grade power.
The hunters were apparently a married couple belonging to one of the Continental Thirteen Star Guilds, the 'Flag of Glory,' which had been guarding Agares's Demon Realm border. They found it too bothersome to bring the hydra to their base, so they sold it on the spot, and the one who bid successfully was Echidna.
'Anyway, a married couple...'
Even if adventurers make good money, adventuring as a married couple while risking such danger is not common.
Because of that, I wondered if they were people I knew, but I had no time to confirm it now.
Echidna hadn't even met them in person.
I decided to let go of the lingering attachment.
"You've all worked hard. Thanks to you, preparations are already complete."
I looked around.
Three high-grade demon beasts. Twenty-two elite demon beasts.
The three alone were extremely powerful, but the others were not easy opponents either.
Ogres, wyverns, and others that, once they appear, are enough to become inland nightmares.
I had gathered only those ferocious or cruel entities that did not stop devouring humans even while other demon beasts were retreating into the forests.
These would open the path of the Ultimate for me.
"Master."
"You three. Welcome."
"Of course we must come."
The ones approaching were the three monster queens, excluding Orea.
Harpy Queen Kamaya.
Alraune Queen Nirvana.
Lamia Queen Echidna.
They were now wild monster queens who had become dungeon lords.
They would assist with this ritual in place of my absent close aides.
It would have been better if two of Evangeline, Esther, and Saya were here.
But Evangeline and Esther were currently in Hylash to keep in check the army moving on the northern continent.
Saya was busy moving with Talhan to grasp the drastically changing continental situation and, if possible, steer it to my advantage.
Fortunately, the capabilities of these queens who had become dungeon lords were not to be underestimated either.
"Great Master. I am still skeptical."
Among them, Kamaya stepped forward as the representative and spoke.
"The Ultimate is an important process."
Her characteristic low, strong voice held concern, and even her usually resolute eyes seemed somewhat drained of strength.
"Defeating the Demon Realm Marquis, and beyond him Dantalion, is Agares's test—yet you, Master, have already completed the Eclipse Plan without their assistance, have you not?"
"I agree as well."
Echidna also stepped forward and spoke.
Wearing a human-like ceremonial robe, she placed a hand near her collarbone and drooped the tips of her eyebrows.
"The enemy's declaration of war was two days ago. The appointed day is today. However..."
Her reverse-colored eyes with white pupils gleamed with worry.
"If we rush the Ultimate ritual like this, the later Transcendence ritual will require more sacrifices and power. Even if we incur some losses, we should gather our forces and repel this battle..."
"Three Queens."
It was Yuran who cut in.
"My lord has fully considered and is carrying this out. He values the lives and souls that could be lost in this fight more than the toil and losses required for the greater power needed in the next ritual."
She finished speaking, her golden eyes flashing resolutely.
"Moreover, have we not prepared so many sacrifices for this stabilization? Please cease excessive worry. The losses here will be minimized."
Originally, the minimum number of elite demon beasts required for the Ultimate ritual is twelve.
But considering the ritual was being conducted hastily, we had hunted ten additional ones.
I knew that the rituals of my other close aides would be postponed further, but now was the time to strengthen myself.
To drive a blade into a dungeon lord's heart, one must ultimately be a dungeon lord oneself.
That is because only then can the enemy's power be absorbed as intact as possible.
"I understand your concerns."
I gave a warm smile to the three monster queens.
"I am confident that even with our current forces, we won't need to retreat against a Demon Realm Marquis."
"In that case, Master..."
I raised a hand to stop Nirvana as she was about to speak, and continued with a smile.
"But as Yuran said, each and every one of you is precious to me. I do not want to lose you, and even if I do, I have no intention of making that loss meaningless."
I headed to the center of the magic circle that would preside over the ritual.
"In any case, as I am now, it's difficult to confront Dantalion. Even if I surpass his subordinates, it means I could easily fall to his attacks. My limits are clear."
As I took one slow step after another, something was boiling inside me.
Power burned through my veins.
The mana flowing on the floor of the magic circle responded to my footsteps and glowed brighter.
As if resonating with or attuning to the mana my body emitted.
"Therefore, my resolve will not change."
Finally standing at the very center of the magic circle, I threw off the cloak draped over my shoulders.
"Let us begin the ritual."
I nodded to the queens and my trusted aides.
The queens drew near to my side, and Shue and Yuran prepared to step outside.
Kwang!!
A great commotion was already audible from the floor below.
The walls shook, and from afar the screams of dungeon monsters grazed my ears.
I forced myself to remain composed and closed my eyes.
Calming my mind, which tried to expand my senses across the whole dungeon without focusing on the ritual, and suppressing my agitated heart.
Even with just the two of them, it should be possible to stall the enemy's strongest who would come here.
What I had to do now was finish this ritual as quickly as possible.
- 2 -
Deep within the small mountain that had long been linked to Clarent Fortress and now shared the same name as the city.
"By order of His Grace Duke Dantalion—!"
From there, a roar echoed deep into the dungeon.
"I, Marquis of Foulness Botis, shall bring ruin to the Dungeon Lord Libertas!!"
Jjeojeojeok—!
Space was torn vertically.
Within the sense-distorting fog, a demon emerged.
Jeban Botis.
Dantalion's most trusted aide, and the Marquis who had served him the longest.
It was the appearance of an invader.
'A cave, huh.'
Botis looked around and clicked his tongue inwardly.
In the corridor lined with obsidian pillars, carvings and decorations were delicately engraved.
The place where he had appeared was deep within Clarent Fortress.
One of his secondary objectives was to reveal the location of her dungeon, so this was an unsatisfactory situation.
'She has no etiquette either.'
Moreover, there was no sign of the enemy dungeon lord who, by rights, should have come out to greet them immediately after their entry for war.
Of course, he also had no intention of observing the 'rules of war' among dungeon lords now established in the Demon Realm.
He considered such things to be observed only by those without power or might, and when he recalled the continent's distant past, he found them absurd formalities.
However, the truth was this.
'A pity. It was a chance to kill her in one blow.'
But he had to move rather than waste time on regret.
The location of the dungeon core, or the lord, was usually the lowest floor or the highest floor.
Therefore, Botis divided his army into two.
"Adjutant. You go down underground. I shall go up."
"Sir!!"
"Everyone remember. After today, the master of this dungeon will be me!"
The decision did not take long.
Libertas was an arrogant one who had not knelt even when meeting the gaze of his lord Dantalion head-on.
Thus, he was certain she would be on the upper floor, not underground.
'I shall make her pay the price for her arrogance.'
The army following Botis numbered over a thousand: his own forces, Dantalion's forces, and even mercenaries and demons directly hired from the Demon Realm—the elite unit Dantalion had prepared for the dungeon assault.
Even split in half, five hundred.
Knowing well that a typical elite-grade dungeon lord commanded at most two thousand monster troops, Botis considered this not a war, but a punitive expedition.
"Too leisurely."
He muttered as he ascended.
In the exceedingly long corridor resembling the interior of a palace, not a single monster was in sight.
Nevertheless, the elite soldiers thoroughly scanned their surroundings as they advanced.
The soldiers, having ascended to the upper floor and entered the first room, surveyed their surroundings with slow steps.
"They probably gathered together to face us, knowing they'd be subjugated if separated."
Sneering under his silver mask, Botis looked at the very next door he saw.
Chwaaak!!
As soon as he opened the door, sticky black tentacles suddenly lashed down from the ceiling.
The monster soldiers at the front were dragged up to the ceiling with sharp screams.
"It's a trap!!"
Soon after, magical blue flames erupted in various places.
The dungeon's automatic defense system had activated.
"... Hah. They're struggling."
Botis sneered and raised his hand.
From his fingertips, mana spread out and turned the tentacles to stone, shattering them, and the blue flames quickly cooled and vanished.
"Pathetic."
He looked at the ceiling.
More precisely, he looked in the direction beyond it, where the presence of numerous monsters could be felt.
"There you are..."
A hissing voice escaped his narrowed eyes and lips.
Guessing that Libertas was there, a cold killing intent flashed behind his silver mask.
In his mind, he vividly pictured himself holding Libertas's head and laughing, drunk on victory.
But he did not know.
Whether he was the prey or the hunter.
Even that he was repeating the same delusion someone else had long ago, upon seeing her.