Obsidian Princess and the Seven Dwarves -3- The Heroine's Final Stand
Of course, if we went all out, the entire underground space housing this subterranean city would collapse and get buried wholesale. So it was a precisely controlled strike, dialing back the power just enough to hit only the Death Worm.
-BOOOOM!!!
The result? No damage to the city's ceiling elsewhere—just the Death Worm's body exploding right on target.
"Looks like all that practice paid off. Good work, everyone. High-five time!!"
"Auu!!"
"Uue!!"
"Fuaa~"
"Dau!"
"Nyanya!"
"Hau!"
-Clap!!
My Living Death servants and I raised our hands in unison, slapping them together mid-air. With seven of them, you'd expect tangled limbs or off-beat timing making it a mess—but our linked minds ensured perfect synchronization. No mishaps.
-Fwooooosh…!!
At the same moment, the Death Worm's wreckage began plummeting from the sky. Sticky fluids and massive chunks soaked in them—what a disaster if they hit the ground. No need to imagine.
[Corpse Repository]
-Slurp!!
I sucked the debris and corpse straight into the Corpse Repository mid-air, before it could smother my Living Death girls or worsen the already hole-riddled city with its overwhelming mass. No hands needed—that's one perk of the skill.
-Hummm…
'Hm, no other threats around.'
To be safe, I sharpened my senses and spread my mana wide, scanning the city and surrounding earth. Nothing.
"Dau."
"Nyanya~"
Masa and Nero hadn't picked up anything else through our mental link either.
"Alright. Let's move."
With threats cleared, my Living Death crew and I headed for the central Volcanus Temple, site of the Obsidian Princess's tomb.
As we approached, a faint energy grew stronger, stirring mild curiosity. Probably the lingering echo of Volcanus's divinity, by the feel.
"Hmm… The aura from that Death Worm feels vaguely similar to the temple's."
"Fuaa~"
"Hau."
-Nod.
Mari, the magic specialist sensitive to such energies, and Sia, the devout cleric versed in the holy, nodded in agreement.
Volcanus's aura matching the Death Worm's hinted at some connection—but who knows. Shrugging off the suspicion, we entered the temple.
-Hummm!!
As expected of a god's temple, the divine pressure inside pushed back against me, just like the Luminus temple in that swamp.
'But weaker than Luminus's.'
Long abandonment played a role, but more importantly, Volcanus was a dead god. Of the seven creators of this world, three had reincarnated as Demon Kings, four were worshipped now—including Luminus. Only she truly lived. This was just echoes of echoes.
-Hummmm!!
I spread my intent and divinity-infused aura wide, and it vanished instantly.
-Whispers…
-Pleeeease…
-The princess…
-Please… our… king…
"That way, then."
The many lingering spirits—fitting for a tomb in a dead god's neglected temple—whispered the Obsidian Princess's location in my ear. A living god's temple like Luminus's wouldn't spawn these, but time and death bred them aplenty.
"You lot scout around for anything useful. I'll drain some fluids from my new friend here."
"Auu!!"
"Uue!!"
"Fuaa~"
"Dau!"
"Nyanya."
"Hau."
They nodded. Kangjang, Dena, Mari, and Masa set off to actually hunt valuables per my order. Nero just slipped into my shadow. Probably yawning lazily, as usual.
I hadn't meant a serious search—just keep busy while I worked. Still, slacking off on my command was cheeky, even if she knew the intent.
'Gonna punish her with a good spanking later.'
Sia, yet to depart, spoke up.
"Hau?"
"What? You want to purify this filthy pagan temple into a holy site for me?"
"Hau!!"
Sia proposed cleansing this heretic shrine into a cathedral for her master—me.
"Do whatever you want."
"Hau♥"
With permission, Sia bustled off eagerly.
Separating from the girls, I descended the underground passage, disabling security traps along the way. Finally—
"Here we are."
A massive, majestic door emerged, engraved with eight knights in metal armor battling monsters.
-Whispers…
-Whisper whisper.
The spirits said this commemorated the Obsidian Princess and her seven knights. She lay beyond.
"Fire and iron, and the past burning with vengeance, glory of ancient days."
-Grrrrrind!!
Reciting the spirits' password, the huge metal door swung open—no extra effort needed.
First to appear: countless dwarf-crafted treasures, gems, and ornaments honoring the occupant.
'Useless.'
Treasure to gawk at and snatch, even for normal folk or dwarves. To me? Shiny trash.
Deeper in mattered more.
"Finally."
Eight coffins. Seven smaller, ornate ones—dwarf-sized—and one enormous black one they encircled protectively, grander still.
"Hmm?"
The central coffin was bigger than expected.
'Right, the Obsidian Princess was pure-blooded Dwarven…'
I didn't know their build, but it was huge.
"Guess we'll see when I make her."
Reaching for the Obsidian Princess's coffin—
Material: the freshly slain Death Worm. Result: supreme earth-attribute undead, [Marbr-Horde]. Corpses long buried, absorbing earth's power over eons, assimilating with the land into a demigod-tier horror.
I'd considered Necro Smith for blacksmithing, but that's mid-tier. This fit minerals and earth better.
"Alright then."
Magic and skills primed.
"Awaken."
The ancient dwarves' northernmost city, Rocktustaji.
-Clang clang!!
"Hold the line!!"
"Glory to the earth folk!! You shan't pass!!"
A tidal wave of massive monsters surged in. The fortress of Bitan, built to stem periodic beast floods, fell to an unprecedented horde.
Dwarf leaders ordered troops and civilians to retreat to the rear fortress. Evacuation began orderly and swift—but the attackers' numbers overwhelmed.
"Ngh!! We can't hold!!"
"No!! Hold!! If we break, our kin die!!"
The front couldn't hold. Unprotected, thousands of evacuating civilians faced slaughter. Rear fortifications incomplete, the dwarf kingdom itself teetered.
"Ngh…"
Despair gripped the commander vowing to defend to the last, biting his lip till it bled, staining his thick beard.
Helplessness eroded his mind.
And then—
"Heh, what's with that dog-shitting face, Commander?"
"P-Princess!?"
Heroes arrive in such moments. Unbelievably for a dwarf: towering height and bulk, sharper elf-like ears, dark skin like desert dark elves—but taller, more muscled. No mere dark elf.
[Dwarven]
Ancestors of modern dwarves, adapted from elf-like forms to underground life. She was the kingdom's princess, greatest great warrior, last pure-blooded Dwarven by atavism: Skarletta Burninghammer.
"Reinforcements, Commander."
"B-But the capital said fortification work made extra troops impossible…"
"Yeah. So just me and—"
-Clank!!
Seven armored dwarves appeared behind her.
"—my knights. Sneaking out on Daddy dearest."
"What!?"
"Why so shocked?"
Her brash, reckless nature already worried her king father. Now she'd gone rogue. Strongest or not, the horde was too vast.
"We'll buy time. You evacuate the rest."
"But Princess!! Then—!!"
"Said my piece. I'm off!!"
With that, Skarletta left command for the front lines.
"GRRROOOO!!!"
"KRARARA!!"
Monsters filled the tunnels like a monstrous tsunami, charging the fortress. Walls crumbled, useless. Other dwarf soldiers lay slaughtered miserably.
-Step.
"Word of warning."
Skarletta arrived amid the carnage.
"Won't tease cowards. Anyone who wants to run, go."
Her seven knights snorted.
"Hmph! Princess!! After all our time together, you don't know us!?"
"Ruuun!? That's for cowards!!"
"Yeah yeah, anyone fleeing here loses beard privileges."
"Hahaha!! Perfect day to die."
"Flee and nightmares haunt ya!!"
"Survive this, Princess buys drinks!! That's enough!!"
"Then the priciest booze!!"
-Hahaha!
The boisterous knights readied weapons. Skarletta grinned ferociously, hefting her massive one.
"Let's go, lads!!"
-Oooh!
Thus began the desperate battle. Eight warriors versus a million-strong horde. Even titans have limits without transcending armies.
Yet Skarletta and knights held long, staving the tide effectively. But monsters swarmed from all sides, felling knights one by one. Finally—
"Cough… damn…"
Skarletta, who solo-sliced near a million, reached her limit.
-Thud!!
Mountain of monster corpses piled around her. Ironic shelter: it blocked further assaults on her exhausted form.
But death loomed. Fatal wounds everywhere. She was a walking corpse. Life's flame would soon gutter.
"Ahh… damn…"
No regrets. Relief, even. She'd died shielding her people. Gods and ancestors would approve.
Her life? No complaints. Lived wildly, ignoring "unladylike" jabs.
But—
"Ahh… still, y'know…"
One lingering wish.
"Wanted to fuck…"
Dying a virgin.
"Cough… wonder if sex… feels good…?"
Wanted to try once…
With that sole regret, consciousness faded.
And then—
-Hummmm!!!
Pale light pierced her dimming eyes. A figure appeared.
"You're safe now!! I'm here!!"
The words reached her fading ears. A whisper in her heart: 'I want you.'
"Ahh… is that so…?"
Skarletta focused her closing eyes on the figure.
The face—
"What…."
Handsome as hell?
To her, he was perfect: rugged manly face, confident smirk, her size but superior muscles. Ideal type.
'Fuck, wanna pin him down and ride…'
"Fine… take me…"
You'll do. With that, darkness claimed her fully.
"Muuu!!"
"What woman matches my height? Wait, she's hot, so whatever?"