314. Deeper (1)
314. Deeper (1)
- 1 -
"... Kaff!"
At the last moment, Kallin twisted his body and avoided a fatal blow.
Though the attack had completely pierced his stomach, he had at least managed to protect his heart and lungs.
He had barely survived. But survival alone was the problem.
The blood flowing from his pierced abdomen pooled on the floor.
Death had come right up to the tip of his nose.
"Damn... damn..."
Decades of memories flashed before his eyes.
The day he first entered the adventurer's guild.
The day he set out on his first adventure.
The day he lost his first comrade.
And up to the day he earned the qualification of an elite adventurer.
The final scene he faced at the end was unlike anything he had expected.
Not glory, not tranquility, not even wretchedness...
Just betrayal.
"Peil... Jera... Alke..."
The corpses of his comrades, with whom he had endured hardships and mapped out their futures together, lay strewn everywhere.
And he himself would soon become one of them.
What had killed them was neither a monster nor a dungeon lord, but a hero they had believed would explore the dungeon alongside them.
"... Why... why on earth...?"
Jin Soha looked down at Kallin with emotionless eyes.
The black shadow that had been constantly writhing beneath her feet began to slowly wrap around Kallin's body.
"Tell me...! You're a hero...!"
At Kallin's outcry, Jin Soha resolutely shook her head.
"There are no heroes in this world. Even those Three Suns you all revere are merely beings who drift according to their own desires."
"Don't compare... the likes of you, a traitor, to them...!"
"...!"
The Dark Elf listened to the curses and screams of the dying with a practiced expression as she raised her hand.
From the corpses of the adventurers scattered about, a black light emerged and gathered at her fingertips.
It was soul, and simultaneously, shadow.
When a portion of her own shadow wrapped around Kallin's neck, she paused briefly and furrowed her brows.
"I'll kill you... I'll kill..."
And only after watching the final moments of Kallin writhing on the floor did she collect his soul.
"It may be fortunate for you. Instead of becoming part of this dungeon, you will become my summoned creature."
After reciting that single phrase, she turned to look back at the queens, with the souls gathered at her fingertips coiled around her.
"As for the humans..."
"A novel sight indeed. Perhaps it is because it has been so long..."
Facing the monster queens, who were staring at her with eyes mixed with terror and misunderstanding, Soha briefly recalled the reason she had come to this place.
About the one who had caused the continent's greatest adventurer, the Dark Elf 'Nix' Jin Soha—called the 'Empress' or 'Empress of the Night'—to rise to the central continent.
A week ago, she had met a wicked connection after a long time.
[There is something I need you to do, contractor.]
[Dantalion...]
Active in the southern continent while keeping Agares in check, she was in fact a contractor of the Demon Archduke Dantalion.
It was something the world would be horrified to know.
That one of the continent's greatest heroes was already 'corrupted'.
If it were revealed that she was not the only one, the continent would fall into panic.
'It doesn't matter.'
For her wish, she had to uncover all the secrets of this continent.
There could be no demon more suited to that task than one who bore the name of 'secrets'.
[She caused my subordinate, Wepar, to betray me.]
Wepar. Soha knew that name as well.
A marquis of the demon realm who had the potential to soon rise to lord-class.
The fact that an elite-grade dungeon lord had subdued and turned such a being was extremely unusual.
Even considering that she had been far from her own dungeon and alone.
[So you called on me?]
[I ask this of you. Since I cannot move personally.]
Jin Soha was surprised.
By the situation where that arrogant archduke was bowing his head to her, even slightly.
At the same time, curiosity arose.
About the existence that had made that arrogant archduke bow his head to her.
[The price will not be small.]
[No matter what price is paid, it will be better than losing yet another subordinate.]
[Keep your promise.]
Shaking off her thoughts, she flicked her hand.
As her fingers moved as if tuning music, the shadows that rose from the floor began to take on the forms of black human figures.
- Die...
- Let us become just like you...
Wraiths who held the equipment they had in life in their hands, glaring at the enemy with red eyes.
Their resentment was directed in two directions.
At Soha, who had made them like this. And at the monsters who were still alive even after their own deaths.
- Alke...!
Calling out the names of the comrades he had in life, 'Kallin', who stood at the forefront, drew a red magic sword.
With the heart to vent his resentment, swinging the sword he had wielded in life, in order to drag his own soul even further into the abyss.
- 2 -
"Kup...!"
Kamaya's wing was soaked in blood.
Red blood dripped from her half-torn wing, wetting the ground.
It was an injury sustained while trying to protect Echidna from Soha's surprise magical attack, so it was not meaningless, but the fact that it was a serious wound remained unchanged.
Hwareuk -
The red longsword of a high-ranking wraith fell toward Kamaya.
Teoong!
The black sword of an elite dungeon lord blocked it.
"Hoo...!"
Peok!
Orea put all her strength into her greatsword and pushed the wraith away.
Not ending it there, she pressed forward and cleaved the wraith vertically once more.
- Jera...
But the wraith, murmuring its comrade's name, quickly restored its form.
And rushed in again.
Faster than in life.
With movements more soaked in killing intent.
"Keuk...!"
Teoong!
Orea, who had deflected his sword strike once more, inspected her own blade.
A non-metallic sword and armor made by mixing Myrmekian chitin and ironwood.
Her armaments were harder than any metal on the surface, but now they were full of scars.
'The situation is not good...'
Kamaya stopped the bleeding on her own wing and scanned the surroundings.
The battle had already been ongoing for over thirty minutes.
Jin Soha had personally proven why she was called the 'Empress of the Night' and what a monarch-grade adventurer was.
The defensive line at the entrance to the core room, which the queens had desperately guarded, was now narrowed to a width of barely a few steps.
A powerful enemy who had come right up to their noses, and behind their backs, someone they had to protect.
A cold sweat ran down the brows of the monster queens.
Kwakang!!
Kamaya's gaze turned toward the sound of an explosion that burst out from the other side.
Botis's tentacle, which had bored into the ground, burst through the wall again and tried to attack Shue, but Shue swiftly twisted her body and dodged the attack.
"Damn it...!"
However, blood was dripping from her left arm, and her white officer's uniform was dyed red and torn all over, making it difficult to recognize its original form.
"Heu-eup...!"
Yuran's pain-filled groan rang out.
Her beautifully fine hanbok was already stained with blood, and her golden eyes showed clear signs of exhaustion.
Botis's black tentacle had pierced through her shoulder and come out, but she bit her lip tightly and continued her spell.
"「Samido (Four Tails Guidance) Gold Fire Triple Lotus Soul Transfer」..."
Golden flames bloomed from Yuran's fan.
Hwareuk!
The brilliant golden flames began to engulf the tentacle that had impaled her.
From the burning tentacle, a black fate aura rose.
Botis contorted his face in agony.
"Euk...!"
The moment the black tentacle was withdrawn, Yuran staggered in the air and knelt down.
The golden flames were healing her wound, but they could not restore her consumed strength.
Kagang!
On one side, Saya was confronting Botis's swollen hands.
Her pink eyes flashed gold as she expressed her fury, and her sword, which moved like a shadow, also moved like lightning, slicing off the enemy's appendages.
But her body was also full of wounds.
Bright red blood ran down her arms and legs, and a deep scratch mark remained on her cheek.
Kudeudeudeuk!
Botis's body transformed even more hideously.
Each of his four arms split into dozens of tentacles and coiled around the vicinity.
Shue threw herself to dodge the tentacle flying toward her, but at that moment, she lost her balance due to the black slime that filled her vision and crashed into the wall.
"Keuheok...!"
As Shue's scream rang out, Saya's expression twisted with rage.
Her golden hair fluttered as if dancing in a windless space.
"「Soul Slayer」!"
Saya's sword moved like lightning, digging into Botis's body here and there.
The moonlight-like sword flashed dozens of times in an instant and sliced off Botis's tentacles.
But it was only for a moment; new tentacles that sprouted again wrapped around Saya's legs and slammed her down onto the dungeon floor.
Kung!!
"Keoheok!"
'The war situation over there is not good either.'
Botis, having revealed his true power, showed an appearance befitting the epithet 'Marquis of Ugliness'.
His outward appearance had grown grotesque, but that meant he had grown even stronger beyond it.
Even so, Kamaya had to focus on the battlefield where she herself was.
"There was definitely not this level of powerful momentum just before. He couldn't possibly become this strong simply by becoming a wraith..."
Echidna spat out poison-tinged blood and muttered.
Before her eyes, her elite monsters and three wraiths were clashing their weapons in a fierce melee.
They were enemies who had pressed in when Echidna showed signs of being flustered.
"That woman... is using her power."
Nirvana spoke as if crushing the words.
It was as she said.
At the rear of the battle line, Jin Soha was controlling the wraiths, clutching magic circles in both hands.
Wraiths that surged in like waves and drove in like a storm.
Directly confronting a frenzy-filled charge that they themselves might have used against humans in normal times, both the queens and their monsters were unable to come up with any effective measures.
"Wait. I don't see the enemy commander."
"What?"
At Orea's words after fending off Kallin once again, Kamaya focused mana into her eyes and looked around in all directions.
The figure of the Dark Elf was not visible.
If Kamaya had not been a harpy, she would not have been able to find her again.
"There!"
A shadow moving along the ceiling of the dungeon.
Before they knew it, Soha had positioned herself behind the queens.
"She headed for Master's room!"
"I will go."
The moment Kamaya was about to spread her wings, Soha's whisper was heard.
"I never said I was leaving you behind."
Chararak!!
Something that had sprung out from her shadow fell around the queens.
A black and thick liquid. But it was 'shadow'.
"「Fangs of Aksha」."
As if answering Soha's voice, dozens of black fangs rose up and surrounded the queens.
Peopeopeopuk!
"Keuuk...!"
Orea raised her arm to cover her face, but the exploding shadow fangs pierced through her armor as they were.
A burning pain that burrowed into her very bones swept through her entire body.
It was the same for the other queens.
"To this extent...!"
Echidna tried to right her spirit, but her body was already being encroached upon by the shadow.
A voice that whispered incessantly into her spirit was heard.
- Kneel.
- You will become comfortable.
- Accept it.
"Nonsense...!"
"「Lamp of Purification」!"
As Kamaya shouted, white flames rose up from the queens' bodies.
The sacred fire pushed back the shadow and momentarily created space to breathe.
But that was all. It was insufficient to drive out Soha's power.
"Foolish."
The Dark Elf slowly approached the queens.
"For mere monsters."
One step. Another step.
"Soft things that cannot even bear to see their own subordinates get hurt."
A cold sneer settled on her black-painted lips.
"So where is your master?"
The shadow writhed beneath her feet as if dancing.
"Did she not throw you out as sacrificial lambs in order to become strong herself?"
Her voice was low and seductive.
Like a fruit laced with poison.
"Do not worry. I will not erase you. Become mine and find comfort."
"Do not speak nonsense!"
Echidna shouted as she shook off the curse.
"Because our Lady, our Master, is the one who will open a new future for us!"
Soha hesitated for a moment at those words and the situation, then drew a thin smile on her lips.
"Loyalty and a master-servant relationship among monsters. Interesting. Though I do not know if your master truly thinks of you as much as you think of her."
A hand spread open along with a mocking voice.
From that hand, black power overflowed like tar.
If one looked closely into that black liquid, the eyes and teeth of vengeful spirits clamoring in an uproar were visible.
A power whose essence was shadow.
But through distortion upon distortion, it had become a power that could no longer be seen as mere shadow.
The queens instinctively took a stance to clash with that power, but that power was not directed at them.
Kwakang!!
The sound of the transparent barrier that had been there shattering like glass rang out.
The power that flew toward the transparent barrier leading to the core room had broken the barrier.
The defensive barrier the queens had put up with all their energy and thought.
Soha had been analyzing the structure of that barrier all the while she was dealing with the queens.
"No!"
The queens' screams rang out, but Soha was already moving.
Her body melted into the shadow and shot toward the core room.
But.
Deolkeok!
Soha's shadow was scattered by the mana that burst out as the door opened.
"... What is this?"
Jin Soha felt a sensation as if all the hairs on her body were bristling.
The door to the core room was opening from the inside.
Beyond the door that opened like that, only darkness filled it.
That darkness was similar to hers, and yet...
'... It is deep.'
Its quality, its texture, was different.
Ttogak.
That footstep gave one the feeling as if hell itself was walking.
"You've been having quite the good time playing, I see."
From beyond the darkness, a glare filled with mana surged up.
"It is now your turn to play with me."
It was the moment when a deep connection arrived.
"Empress of the Night."