~ Chapter 25: The Final Battle ~

[Yandrea’s point of view]

The Core World was once a peaceful and beautiful floor. It was considered by many, including myself, as the crown creation in this entire dungeon. After I built the Hidden Floor, however, it became the second best. Now, it has been transformed into a deadly area where we could unleash our powers to their fullest without worrying about the destruction they would cause.

As I saw the enemy army descending the stairs, slowly approaching their entrance to this floor, I took one last look at my creation before it was going to be reduced to ash. While there were bad memories, there were also good ones too intertwined with the construction of this place. The villages were made by each community, each species bringing their own unique touch to this place. The lion emperors, while reclusive and lived mostly among the trees, they built their homes using nature magic by shaping the way plants grew and skillfully hid them from sight using optical illusions. The forests were their home. The ornaks, while they were many in numbers, lived in a tight group, taking care of their own. Their village was filled with the marks of their past generations, the playfulness of the children and the hard work of the adults. By comparison, the ellyarians were more careful with their buildings, but no matter how much they tried, the eventual scratches of the young or the accidents of the adults still happened.

There were many signs all around that proved to show this was not the place where an emotionless Dungeon ruling over a pack of monsters lived but rather where families and civilizations were born and prospered.

If had a body like they did... I could have walked among these streets, breathed in the air, felt the cold and heat on my skin... looked up at the sky and wonder if I was seeing the same thing. The world was vast... Tuby taught me this, but did it have a place for me?

What I built... what I raised... what I created... this was all that I knew, and now... I had to give it all up... I had to let it be turned to dust... so that we would have something to bury our enemies with...

Yet, it was hard... to give it all away... So, I took this moment to make peace with myself... Floating atop the pyramid, I closed my eyes and waited... waited... for the moment when I would have to set fire to everything.

[Prince Kasimir’s point of view]

There was no sign of the others... The scouts I sent back could not find a way past the gates that closed behind us.

The path we took was like the burrow of a worm, taking left and right turns but ultimately being a straight line going down. There were small paths here and there along the way, but all of them reached a dead end, a huge wall of granite. While there were traps and monsters scattered about, none of them posed a serious threat, they were minor annoyances at most. There were no boss monsters in sight or monster waves lurking about.

It was quiet... too quiet...

My army of 78000 was tired and their morale was shaken. My elite forces led by Jevim Pyrtore, an upstart noble who caught my eye, while they carried themselves with pride and honor, still showed the marks this accursed expedition left on all of us. Tired eyes, dirty armors, wounds and cuts, bruises, and unstable Magic Energy, it was as if I was looking at troops barely hanging on the front of a battlefield. Maybe this was not so different... seeing what was awaiting us at the bottom of these stairs.

As we approached the exit, I called over the leader of our scout troops, Kamilla Sherbeth, a reiss and Deputy Commander of one star ranking.

“You called for me, your Highness?” she asked bowing her furry head to me.

Instead of heading with Prince Regius, she stayed behind, with me, as per my orders. There were some forglore here too, not only nelves. There were also mercenaries and leftover adventurers among our troops, who surprisingly survived with the help of artifacts and potions. They were skilled in surviving; I could give them that at least.

“Scout ahead and tell me what awaits us on this floor. Return alive.” I ordered her.

“As you wish.” Kamila bowed her head and then turned around, her tail snapping in the air, a sign of annoyance.

I lifted a hand up to stop Jevim from chopping her head off. Spilled blood among us was the last thing I needed.

As our army reached the Core World, also known as the 9th Layer of this dungeon, I was left both surprised and marveled by what I saw. It was definitely another world: lush trees spreading left and right, a giant yellow light crystal at the top acting as the sun, showing accurately the time of day. A golden pyramid was at the very center where I was told that the Crystal Body of Yandrea was located.

Our mission was clear now, reach that point, defeat her and enslave her again.

Once we succeed, we would paint the heroic tale of my success! I, Kasimir Azafassar Teruk Despino, would appear as the Hero who stopped the savage and destructive Yandrea and brought her under our control! The many sacrifices, the many deaths that took place would just be there to further enrich the beauty of my story! It was brilliant and amazing! I, the HERO, was not helping a rebellion, I was quelling a monster and silencing the danger to all the nations! With this, the Despino Republic could even become the Great Despino Empire!

I smirked as the future I envisioned was now in my sight. Reaching out my hand towards the golden pyramid, I grabbed the core... Yes, it was all within reach, yet... what was this that I was seeing?

Kamilla Sherbeth came out of the forest, fleeing, desperation in her eyes. Her left arm was gone, her right eye was cut, her armor was now painted in the color of her blood with various degrees of marks left on it, slashes, cuts, smashes.

As she ran closer to us, reaching out her hand towards us, a spear came flying from behind her, impaling her on the spot.

The army stopped and held up their arms. Javim stepped in front of me, sword unsheathed and shield raised.

From the forest, a single ellyarian came out, his tail swaying in the air as his cold eyes glared at us. There was no fear on his reptilian face. He stopped next to Kamilla’s body and pulled out his spear. With a single move he shook off the blood on it and then pointed the now clean tip at me.

“The Upper Kingdoms have no right to rule us! They have no right to enslave us! This place shall be your grave! This, I swear to you, as Samraus Orogaki of the Ellyarian Tribe and General of the Great One’s Army!”

“Great One? Is this how you call Yandrea? Do not worry, after we kill you all, we will make sure she obeys us like a loyal dayuk again!” I laughed and then lifted my hand up. “However, I doubt you will see that end.” I smirked and lowered my hand.

Kivarn Eskos, my 1 Star Deputy Commander, released a magic arrow aimed at him. The power of that attack should have killed him. Among us, he was the best when it came to ranged damage, however, as soon as the projectile approached the reptile, a granite wall appeared before him, shielding him.

A moment later, the wall crumbled down and that lizard was gone.

“Samraus Orogaki... he might prove to be a nuisance. If you meet him again, make sure to kill him Jevim.” I ordered.

“Understood!” he bowed.

“The rest of you! MOVE OUT!” I ordered.

The moment we took our first step forward... the floor lit up and from the sky, countless fireballs rained down on us. Each one, on impact, exploding...

I closed my eyes and focused my power on my Magic Armor to shield myself from any potential damage. When I opened my eyes again, there was only chaos before me.

In a fraction of a second, thousands were killed and thousands more were gravely injured. Smoke was rising up in the sky from every corner of the map with soldiers screaming and panicking. It was as if the gods above were angered and chose to cast down their wrath on us. However, in this dungeon, there were no gods. My people prayed day and night to the gods, hoping that they would grant us a blessing or something, anything to keep us safe on this journey, but none answered... The gods in this dungeon were dead.

Looking up, I saw someone floating up in the sky... a man... wearing a pointy hat?

[Tuberculus’ point of view]

The punitive force, the army of the surface kingdoms, descended upon our home. As they were making their way through the traps and corridors I designed together with Yandrea, there was little time left to prepare or change anything. I thought back at what I saw in Koin, at the civilians and warriors there, at how they saw life, at how they experienced wealth and poverty.

For me, only a simple glance was enough to let me know just how a civilization faired. Were they rich? Were they poor? Were they happy? Were they sad? Such simple questions were what popped in my mind, each one with the purpose of testing my resolve... Was I able to kill?

It comes an age when one gets tired of the world, of the noise cast down from it, and all that they desire is the silence of death... or maybe that of simplicity and peace. This was why they often said that war... war is for the young and energetic.

Nanya once told me that for her, war was second nature. As a demoness, she was eager to unsheathe her claws and pounce on her enemies, however, this did not mean she desired it. Because one knew the terrible bloodshed that war brought was why someone like Nanya, someone strong, was able to speak out against it.

Politics were usually what caused wars on Allasn, Thorya, and Sorone. The young and foolish kings wanted war for one reason or another, and so they ignited the sparks. It was not often that I heard of wars of liberation, holy wars in the name of their gods, wars for resources, wars of defense, wars of revenge. Sometimes, a country would lay low and not move a single inch at their border for decades at a time, waiting for that foolish prince or king to accidentally or willingly start the fire.

The problem with fires... was that they tended to consume everything. This was why, in almost all the wars that I had witnessed so far, the main reason why it started was forgotten. Why were they fighting? To this questions a soldier will answer in a lively manner at the beginning, a confused way when it reached a stagnant point, and in a tired way closer to the end. Wars started because of foolishness, they continued because of uncertainty, and ended when both sides grew tired of the fight.

For humans, war was a game of life and death... played by children and young adults, by the greedy and foolish.

I am certain that to these words, someone would cry out at me that it was for their deceased family, their murdered friend, the land that they lost, their god that was insulted. Common folk had common reasons. Noble folk had noble reasons. Religious folk had religious reasons. However, at the end of the day, if you were to strip them of the identity our mind gave them, then you would end up with the same thing. No, it was not different depending on the case, it was always the same thing... always…

After all, a human’s life was fleeting, and anger as well as rage for the death of someone could come to pass with forgiveness and time. The gods always made sure to punish the guilty, but starting a war or killing those who had not directly taken action was ridiculous. If you killed someone else just because he belonged to the same country that the soldier who killed your friend belonged to, then you were nothing but a cold murderer. No, belonging to the same nation, even an enemy one, never justified the mindless slaughter or death of others.

Politics could be changed and reforms could be overturned when a single noble chose to gather allies to do so. There was no need for war just a simple debate according to their own laws. Thus, claiming a political party was eternal... was beyond foolish. Politics changed together with people and they only mattered for the short years that those individuals found themselves in power. Leading a war... slaughtering civilians for their current political beliefs was insane.

Religion was never dictated by the believer but by the gods themselves. At one point, I had the opportunity to speak with an Apostle of Nazra, the Goddess of Justice, and at that time, I had a great difficulty understanding his words, however, as I grew older, it became as clear as day. He told me that no matter how much you thought your deity was on your side, they never were. Gods were in another league from us mortals, they viewed things in a different manner. To claim that we killed or fought in their name was heresy in itself. After all, what god was unable to fight for themselves? if Melkuth so desired, he could stop an entire war by himself. He could stop a mortal’s heart in its place and to everyone it would appear as though it was a natural death... So was their true power.

Then there were the wars of liberation, for resources, and for defense. Those were the most common but also the most foolish. Instead of trying to find a peaceful solution, of finding a way that pleased both sides, whether it was because of greed, envy, or sheer madness, they would wield their weapons and try to strike the enemy. In these wars, no matter who you asked, they would claim and fully believe that they were in the right. The attacker needed or had the right to claim those lands, while the defenders because they were initially theirs. These attachments to land, to riches, to resources were what instigated them all...

Now, were they in the wrong for defending themselves or the others for attacking? None of them were in the right and so none of them were in the wrong. War was never about right or wrong, freedom or subjugation, justice or injustice, no... it was never about that. It was a game... a game of life and death meant to paint a heroic or tragic story for the future generation. After all, unless the gods allowed it, no war could bring a civilization or even a species to their end. More than once, this was proven.

As such, my war... this war... what was it about? It was a theatrical play written in blood for the young ones and a means through which Yandrea could prove her own worth to herself, as for me... an excuse to experiment with my abilities.

After all, if you thought about it, was this necessary? If you could accept the possibility that Yandrea might need a longer time to get over her traumas and fears, that the civilizations of the Core World were always free and could act independently of each other or if they wanted to coexist as one people, then you would be left with a simple question: Was living underground in this make-believe home truly what we wanted? The answer to this question, if it was no, then we could leave. The path leading us to the surface out was already built, so all that we had to do was use it. As for Yandrea, she just had to pull back her Dungeon Territory and for me to push a cart with her Dungeon Core in it... So simple... and we would have been gone... By the time this punitive army reached the Core World and learned what happened to her, we would have already sailed far away...

But... this would have meant that everyone implicated in this war was aware of all of this at some level and agreed with it. Awareness was one thing but agreeing with it was another. All of these civilizations thrived on war and combat. As for Yandrea, she was a Godlike Dungeon, it was second nature for her to prey upon an army like this.

I pondered about this time and time again, wondering if there was something I left out. My old age and wisdom could not shift the burning desires of the young. All that I could do was to motivate myself to participate... I did not want to lose Yandrea, this was what I told myself, this was why I ultimately fought.

I understood war but had no solution for it, maybe this was not my role?

Thus, when the time came for me to step up, while our troops were hidden among the trees, I flew up in the sky and waited for Samraus Orogaki to make his declaration. Yandrea protected him by summoning a wall in front of him, and quickly pulled away with a [Telekinezy] grasp. This was also my signal to begin our first attack.

A Supreme earned their rank when they were able to cast an ability that was considered devastating against an entire army or a large area. Body reinforcement abilities needed to be so insanely powerful that they became real monsters on the battlefield. As for casters like me, I had to create or learn a spell that could make an entire battlefield tremble at the mere sight of it.

This was [Infernal Storm]. A terrifying spell that used the [Dark Cloud Illusion] spell that covered the sky in stormy dark clouds, then generated anywhere between 1000 and 2000 [Magma Bomb Spears] that were aimed directly at the ground below. This was a spell that used the highly dangerous [Magma Bomb], a combination of [Earth Toss] or [Boulder] with a core of [Fireball] modified with the [Compressed] attribute. To this, the [High Velocity] and [Spear Shape] attributes were added to the final product, resulting in a spear of magma that exploded upon touch.

I could make it even deadlier by adding an [Ice Drop] inside each [Magma Bomb Spear] after the [Fireball] was turned off. What would happen would be that the rapid change of ice into water and then into steam would result in a rapid expansion that would detonate the molten rock that trapped it in a tight space into a rain of tiny magma spears. If I added a [Spear Shape] modifier to an invisible shell around it, then any of the magma drops passing through it would take the shape of a spear, further increasing the damage it would cause.

As for why a spear or sharp point? Well, Magic Armor depleted faster and gained an increased chance of shattering if the attack was concentrated into a single point rather than on a large surface. This was the reason why mallet or club attacks needed to be far more powerful than an arrow or spear attack.

When I released this attack, my intent was clear and my resolve was solid. Out of all those who were down below, none had to survive to the end of the day. Who happened to die now, who had families and who did not want to fight anymore, such things mattered not. The fact that they were here meant that willingly or unwillingly they were set to attack us. Their survival meant our death, it was that simple... Was I a hypocrite? As long as I made sure not to find joy in my killings and stop when I needed to... I would never become one...

I guess, rather than overthinking it... I should just go with the flow and see where my actions take me. I will learn the truth then as well... whether I relish war or am repulsed by it. I thought as I looked down at the surviving soldiers.

“Attack the enemy army!” I ordered using [Voice Amplifier] spell.

My voice could be heard throughout this entire forest.

Ornaks, ellyarians, lion emperors and automatons all rushed out, ready to defend their home and lay down their lives for those who were now heading to the surface in a mass exodus. We were all aware that if we failed today, there would not be a second chance. Everything would be lost. If worse came to worse, I would have to flee together with Yandrea and leave the others behind.

Still, the fact that I was now a Supreme Ranked Adventurer gave me a boost of confidence that I had never experienced before.

“[Cold Wave]” I cast as I aimed at the group of survivors.

This spells created an area where the temperature dropped below the freezing point. It ate heat and with it caused them to rapidly deplete their Magic Armor. I timed it in such a way that when the two armies clashed, my allies would not be affected by it. Sure, they would feel a freezing cold but it would not be the agonizing chill that these elves were subjected to.

Those whose Magic Armor was already shattered turned into ice sculptures, while the others focused on keeping their warmth. There, the prince, was cursing at me from down there and then I saw him jump towards me, sword unsheathed.

“Oh? It seems he is the only one with a bit of courage?” I wondered as I unleashed a [Shattering Fire Whip].

As the name described, it was a whip made from fire, while the transformative attribute of [Shattering] was added as a result of what was inside the fire, an ice whip covered in ice spikes. The moment the whip touched the enemy, the heat and cold lost the barrier between them and exploded with thermal fury.

This was exactly what happened to the prince, using the whip, I slapped him back into the ground.

At the same time, the two armies clashed.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Samraus engage in a duel against one of the commanding elves. I kept my focus on the prince, who was now chanting something and conjuring up a series of spells.

“[Slip] and [Wind Blow].”

These were two very simple spells that any beginner could cast. The first one simply created a slippery layer with Magic Energy. Even if you cast it underneath someone’s feet, the Magic Armor would usually nullify it, however, if you added a force to it, the sudden change would make it work. Experienced adventurers would never fall for such tricks...

“Gah!” the prince slipped, causing his cast to fail.

“I guess... I was mistaken?” I wondered as I tilted my head to the right.

He got back up on his feet and unleashed a magic attack at me. I used a layered [Spell Barrier] to deflect the attack, which was sent far away to an unpopulated area.

Seeing this, he jumped back up towards me, pouring Magic Energy into his sword.

I was a range caster. My weakness was close range combat. I jumped back and avoided the [Aerial Slash], the wave of Magic Energy moved just a few inches away from my Magic Armor and struck the ceiling, leaving a deep cut in it.

“That was close.” I said and then turned around. He was flying towards me.

Fury in his  eyes? Or maybe it was madness? In this final battle, after months of struggling in a dungeon that tried to kill them at every step along the way, madness was the staple state of mind. I pointed my hand at him and unleashed a wave of fire, a [Raging Flame Breath].

“GAAH!” the prince screamed, but he still pushed himself forward, his sword cutting through my flames.

I pushed myself out of the way with a [Wind Blow]. The moment I was off his path, he turned midair and slashed at me, the edge of his sword shined with a bright white light that took its shape.

“This... “ I said as I cast a [Layered Barrier] in front of me.

The light slash struck me at full strength. The barrier spells I conjured up were destroyed and my own Magic Armor was reduced by almost 20%. If I did not use that defensive spell, it would have gone down much lower... But then... I saw them... rapid strikes of those same light slashes.

Using bursts of fire and precise wind control, I pushed myself out of their path. I moved at sharp angles, barely avoiding those attacks. The world around me was spinning. The sky turned to the ground and then changed again... I was spinning. I was falling. I was flying.

While I did not have the time to see where his attacks were landing, I could tell from the corners of my eyes that they each carried a significant destructive force. The light slash cut through the trees and rocks like they were made of paper and then exploded upon impact with the ground, sending a shockwave around it. The ground was uplifted, the ceiling and walls were carved into as if a massive beast gouged the granite with its bare claws.

When the attack was over, both of us were floating in the air, breathing hard. It was exhausting to cast so many maneuvering spells one after another. My Magic Energy Pool had depleted considerably, especially after I had cast that Supreme Spell. However, my enemy did not appear to be in his best shape either.

I smirked and to the left and right, I cast two spells.

[Shadowless Snake] was a spell that used an elemental shadow snake summoned creature combined with the ability of the darkness element to hide it from sight.

The two snakes were hidden among all the smoke and clouds around us, completely invisible to the naked eyes. I moved back, taking my distance from him. I needed to recover my Magic Energy before I could attempt more deadly attacks. This adversary was surprisingly sturdy.

“Are you afraid now?” the prince mocked.

“Of what?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Of the might of the Despino!” he declared lifting his sword up.

Looking down, I saw Samraus, by coincidence, attacking the negvar elf commander and beheading him. The man’s head rolled on the ground as his body fell limp on the ground. The enemy army, disorganized and quickly losing morale, they were not doing too good. While we were lower in number, we had the home advantage. The lion emperors lured the enemies into the forest or prowled together with the ornaks. The automatons stood there in front of everyone with their unwavering will and unmatched strength, immovable mountains that took on all the enemy attacks.

Then my eyes moved a bit to the left of the field, where I saw Yandrea casting spells at the enemies. Rather than using spells, she was actually changing the floor of the dungeon, adding traps and changing the terrains to further help us.

Still, something did not feel right...

Looking back at the prince, I saw him smirk.

Why is he smirking? I wondered.

[Yandrea’s point of view]

I flew around the battlefield, helping out my soldiers as much as I could. My role in this battle was not to use my spells to attack the enemies but rather to offer support by changing the dungeon and adding split second traps that would either kill or prevent the enemy from gaining and advantage against us.

From the moment the battle started, I was here to offer support. With the prince heading towards Tuby to fight against him, their biggest damage dealer was now gone. Samraus took on one of the enemy commanders, and I immediately changed the floor where the enemy soldiers advanced, giving it a wave form. This would cause them to stumble and lose their footing. Their knights almost fell over when I did this.

The lion emperors used this advantage to pounce on the soldiers, while the automatons moved forward, becoming solid steel barriers between the enemy and the ellyarians behind them, who proceeded to cast long range attacks. Arrows and spells flew through the sky, aimed at the back line of the enemy.

The commanders and field leaders were the most troublesome of them all, as they could both defend and attack. It was not easy to reach that rank in their armies, both skill and background was needed. Nobles often than not fought to the death for such an honor, or so I was told. This just meant that they were annoying targets, but we also had our own warriors.

Samraus Orogaki, the ellyarian who was now engaged in mortal combat with the commander and right-hand man of the prince, Jevim Pyrtore. Their swords clashed and sparks flew all around. Their enchants were crying as if they were about give away at any moment, rendering the weapons defenseless against a powerful blow. One was calm while the other was smirking, a mocking gaze in his eyes as he believed he held the undeniable advantage over his adversary.

At the same time, Mystera Orogaki could be spotted at the back line, commanding her troops to take down as many enemies as possible. Guizbia Shakari was not far from her. With her mighty two-handed sword, she was cleaving the soldiers in half. With a big smile on her feline lips, she was enjoying the bloodshed in its full gory glory.

There was a reason why the usually coward ellyarian was now in the front, exchanging blows with the second in command of the Crown Prince. Two years ago, Samraus became a father, and now he was filled with determination to not only protect the mother of his children but also protect all the young ones who were now fleeing towards the surface.

As a curiosity that came to my attention was that outside duels like the one between my husband and the foolish royal of the Despino Republic or the one between Samraus and Jevim, where powerful attacks were being exchanged, there were no other engagements of a similar or higher magnitude. The reason for this was because in a battle where thousands were clashing swords, you could not know who your spell would hit or who was going to attack you next. The basic rule was that while the leaders were engaged in duels, the soldiers had to prioritize taking defensive actions over offensive ones to avoid accidentally attacking their own comrades.

As for me, the reason why I was not wasting my Magic Energy to attack them directly was because most of my spells were very powerful and could have easily harmed both enemy and ally alike. With the exception of the back lines, there were no other areas where I could attack them. However, there was another reason. If it happened that we would need to flee from them... then I would have to focus entirely on my Magic Armor while casting attacks on those following us, even changing the whole terrain to stop them from catching us. In order for this to happen, most of those here would have to die and from the looks of it... we were the ones on the path of victory.

Hm? Is it just me or are there far less here than they were at the beginning? I wondered as I looked around the battlefield. Indeed, there were some missing troops... maybe a few thousand?

Looking back towards the pyramid, I felt a chill and quickly cast a [Search] spell to identify the life signs in the area... the answer came back... around 4000 troops were heading towards my core.

Why did I not see them? Did they use an artifact to hide themselves? I thought and then rushed towards them.

I quickly cast explosive traps right in front of them. They were weak, they could not pierce the armor of a Emperor Rank Adventurer, however, they were good to signal the others of the approaching enemies. My body was protected by several layers of reinforced glass and the pyramid itself with various defensive systems.

Three traps were triggered and exploded. I flew above them and activated the summoning circle in front of the stairs. Level 600 monsters appeared. Three of them were long range casters, Terror Screams, a specter-type monster that could instill fear in their targets. Cytrions appeared in front of the of the Terror Screams. These creatures had scythes for arms, heads of lizards, and the lower body of a spider. They specialized in poisoning the enemy and dissolving their armor. Their weaker versions, on the upper floors, were the most dangerous and annoying enemies for the soldiers of the punitive army.

The stairs themselves were also covered with a metal sheet connected to a Lightning Crystal that would make all the creatures who touched it to be struck by a powerful bolt of electricity. It was powerful enough to stop most adventurers in their track. I have witnessed this several times back in the Endless Labyrinth, although those crystals were at least ten times weaker than this one.

Sometimes, I wished I could just grab these foes with my [Telekinezy] and just squeeze them to death, however, as everyone knew, Magic Armor had the property of interfering and protecting the user from the various magic energies cast at them. Thus, this spell would have been nullified or severely weakened depending on their own expertise in defense against the magical arts. Wasting energy on such spells was... impressive but not recommended unless your reserve of Magic Energy was far greater than that of your targets.

Usually battles revolve around two simple equation. If my Magic Energy expertise was greater than my enemy’s, that meant I needed far less Magic Energy than they did in order to cause the same amount of damage. If my Magic Energy Pool was greater than that of my enemy, in a match where our skills were the same, I would come out the winner every time. Then, depending on how you cast your spells, what spells you cast, how they worked in synergy with other spells or countered those of your enemy, you could end up winning or losing.

By comparison, warriors did not require a great reserve of Magic Energy, they needed skills and knowledge on how to weave their spells into their close combat attacks. For a warrior, his sword was his wand, his armor doubled as a Magic Armor, his skills, which were given the added plus of a physical strike could become more powerful and less costly than a spell cast by a mage.

Tuby told me, that in a 1v1 battle against the Crown Prince, who was primarily a melee fighter Supreme, there was a very low chance for him to win. Mostly because he specialized in large area attacks, ally support, and back line long ranged attacks. Winning would only happen if by the time he reached this floor he was mentally and physically exhausted. This was why, I tried my best to disturb the prince as often as I could... and prayed... every day, I prayed... to whatever god was listening to me... to help Tuby... to help us all.

However, now that he was fighting the Prince, I had to focus on my own foes.

“If I am to say what the strength of a Dungeon is, then it’s not in spells or monsters. It’s their seemingly infinite creativity through which they create traps and labyrinths that weaken and defeat the enemy before they even have the chance to face them directly.” was what Tuby told me a long time ago.

Flying up to my body, I summoned here my own means of fighting. It was a creation meant to be used by a Dungeon. A bipedal creation that stood at 6 meters tall, with a strong back covered in metal plates that were 1 cm thick. The legs were connected with powerful joints and moved with mechanical muscles. The two arms were covered with similarly thick muscles but had various weapons installed in the forearms. On the back, coiled around the waist and acting as an extra layer of armor as well as a weapon in itself was a mechanical tail that could extend to 12 meters. The head was a ranged weapon with eyes made from magic crystals rather than optical sensors. This thing had a mechanical body similar to an automaton but lacked their ability to think by themselves. It was bigger, sturdier, with a head that was meant to act only as a diversion for their attacks. In short, it was a puppet.

Using [Expert Puppetry], a spell I cultivated on my own and an improved version of the [Puppetry] spell which was an evolution of the [Forced Control] spell. The latter could be used in battle as a way to force the enemy’s attack to change direction. The second one allowed for the user to freely control an inanimate object as long as it had the ability to move. The one that I used allowed me to fully control the body of an inanimate object with the same precision and skill as I would control an organic body.

As I saw the world through the eyes of the puppet, I looked down at my now metallic hands with four fingers each and tightened them into fists. I turned my head and saw my Crystal Body floating above a single point in the air, enchanted glass walls protecting it from the outside attacks.

Looking back at the stairs, I dashed towards them and jumped off. [Wind Flow] and [Reduced Weight] were cast on my body as I slowly descended.

The fight at the bottom of the stairs was in full swing with countless bodies of both monsters and enemies spread on the stairs. The Lightning Crystals have apparently been discovered and destroyed. There were scorch marks in the places where they were installed. The Magic Circle that was summoning monsters still held on but not for long. The attacks of hundreds of enemies were taking a toll on it. I estimated no more than a minute before the spell collapsed and vanished. I only hoped that it would continue to spawn monsters until the very last second.

As I descended, I took out a pair of ranged weapons, initially integrated in my limbs: one on my left arm and the other on my right arm. Each weapon used several magic crystals to create a chain reaction of spells which would result in a single one similar to an Emperor Rank attack spell. Depending on the sequence of spells I triggered, various type of combined spell could result. As such, various elemental attacks rained down on my enemies.

The bombardment began and the soldiers who noticed me already took defensive positions. Someone jumped at me from within their ranks, a forglore. His three eyes were filled with rage as he brandished his axe at me. I turned and kicked him in the side. His Magic Armor shattered and as soon as I was in the right position, I attacked him with my tail, piercing his heart.

 I was slowly falling, so I tossed the dead body aside and turned my attention to the thousands of targets on the stairs. With a wind spell, I pushed myself away from them and maintained my altitude, then I began my bombardment again. At the same time, I changed the shape of the stairs into a flat polished surface. Most of them slipped and began to slide down unable to keep their balance.

While keeping my distance and attacking them from a distance was a good strategy, I did not have enough Magic Energy to keep it up indefinitely. The soldiers, although there were many among them who fell victim to my attacks or traps, were all at the very least in the Emperor Rank league. I could not keep up this assault, this was why, after I estimated that almost half of them were dead, I landed on the steep edge of the pyramid, right next to the slippery slide.

I switched my cannon for a pair of elemental swords just in time to avoid the attacks of several soldiers. They came at me with murderous intent and desperation, everything was at stake in this battle. With my nimble body, I jumped back and avoided their attacks, spikes on the bottom of my feet kept me from sliding down as I landed on the metal slide. They jumped at me again, this time going for ranged attacks. I activated the round shield on my left arm and hid behind it. The attacks were powerful but ineffective.

With a single slash, I counterattacked and cut through several of them at the same time. My tail then unfolded and pierced the head of the one trying to go behind me. I had to apologize, but the head they were aiming at nothing more than a decoration, the illusion of weakness that was not there. I was overseeing the whole area from above, skillfully controlling this puppet body with [Expert Puppetry]. Those who tried to hide in the chaos of the battle or attempted to go around me, in the hope that they would reach my real body, were discovered right away. I changed the weapon on my right arm to a spell canon and aimed it at them. Penetrating shots were fired at them, each one went straight through the flesh of the monster they used as cover and clashed with their Magic Armor. Those who tried to go around, found themselves knocked off the side of the pyramid, falling in an uncontrollable tumble.

A knight covered in a cloaking spell tried to stab me in the back, but I avoided the attack at the last second and then smashed his face with my fist. His Magic Armor was almost shattered but the impact was noticeable. He was tossed back several feet and was barely caught by his comrades.

I continued to fight like this while we were slowly advancing to the top of the pyramid. The negvar elves were nimble, the reiss were pestering, the forglore were walls of flesh. My swords clashed with theirs, sending sparks across the lean path. My shots were scattered among them, some shattering their armors, while others just forcing them back. It really made me question the strength of this puppet of mine and whether or not I could change it into something better, something more advanced, maybe independent of me yet at that same time needing me to supply it with my energy. It would then be like an automaton or just a split version of my mind? Was there even a better skill than [Expert Puppetry] that I could use?

If this goes on, this body will eventually break down. I thought as I saw their numbers go down, but at the same time, fragments of my puppet’s armor and body were flying everywhere.

It was not as if I was invincible. Even if I could see everything around me, there was still some delay with the control of the puppet. When an attack landed, another soon followed. Once these organics realized that they could overwhelm me, they immediately applied the strategy, and I had to quickly come up with a counter strategy, all at the same time while I continued to pester them with traps.

Now, there were less than a thousand of them left, and we were approaching the last quarter of the pyramid. The puppet’s body was in shambles. The right arm was gone, ripped right out of its socket. The kneecaps were destroyed, making it difficult to maintain balance. The head was destroyed. The chest armor was hanging by two bolts. The back armor was gone and the spine had been damaged by a sword slash. The core was exposed from the left side. My puppet’s movement was now beyond difficult, making it almost impossible to dodge the next attack.

“This is the end!” shouted a forglore knight as he stabbed the puppet’s chest with his sword.

For his bravery, I said: “[Detonate]...”

It was a spell command that caused the core to overload with Magic Energy and then generate a powerful explosion that sent the pieces of the puppet flying in all directions with a deadly force. To end this dance of puppets, I released a lava trap at the top of the stairs and a wave of lava flowed down... or that was how it was supposed to be... the ending drop... the final strike...

“GOLDEN CHAINS OF SUBMISSION!” someone shouted.

Then, chains of golden light sprung forth from the artifact in his hand and rushed towards my Crystal Body like a lightning strike from the heavens.

It... It can’t be... I thought in shock as the crushing pain came.

“GYAAA!!!” I screamed as I felt my entire being shattering.

The mental chains were like fishing hooks dragged across the fragile skin of an elf, digging into their flesh, pulling the tissues apart as the red life fluid rushed outside, exposed to the air.

It was as if someone hammered down a thousand nails in my head.

Every thought... every movement... became a torture in itself...

The silver chains did not even compare to this one... When was that last time I felt this... a hundred years ago... or more? When was it?

The horror... the terror... the pain was strangling me, wringing me down for every single drop of sanity. I wanted to flee from it... I wanted to run away... But where to? How?!

I could not...

My body shook, my magic energy fluctuated with pure madness. Everything was spinning around me... There was no way to control it... I could try to fight it... but how? HOW COULD I FIGHT THIS?!

It hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurst... I cried inside my Inner Mind.

I did not even realize when I was back inside my body. Everything was a blur.

It was terrible... terrifying...

Time was now flowing weird... my mind was fading in and out of consciousness... Pain surrounded me... and I did not feel as though I could fight against it. How could I? Was I meant to ask for help? Beg for mercy?

Beg... last time I begged... I begged for mercy from them... to stop it... to stop the pain... Why was it? Ah... I remember...

They killed her... They killed my friend... Anyetta... and I... I snapped... and I wanted revenge... I fought against them... I unleashed everything that I had against them, but they crushed me like I was nothing.

“Tuby? Am I destined to go through the same pain again?” I asked inside my Inner Mind, but he could not hear me here.

“What did he tell me to do?” I wondered.

“Do I beg now?”

“Should I ask them to stop hurting me?”

“Should I scream again... please... no more... please.. it hurts?”

“They don’t care, do they? They like it when I suffer... I want the pain to end... Why must I suffer? Why?”

I looked up and saw Tuby’s spare cloak floating in front of me.

“That...” I reached out and grabbed it, bringing it close to me.

This scent... it was Tuby’s. I closed my eyes and hugged it close to my chest.

“What did he say?” I wondered as I cried, my tears flowing down my cheeks and then flying off into this seemingly endless space.

It was hard to remember. The images of the past were jumbled up and the sounds were mixed up. It was hard to focus, yet I still tried... it was a precious gift...

“Fight against it... You are strong... Never forget... You are strong...” was what he told me, but it seemed as though every sentence was from a different moment in the past. Did he know? Did he know that this would happen to me, so he kept repeating those words time and time again?

“Fight... I must fight the pain...” I said and looked up; it was as if I was moving bare naked through a field of broken glass.

Despite wanting to scream in pain; despite being unable to hold back my tears, I persevered and pushed forward.

Out there, he was waiting for me...

“Tuby...” I said with a whimper and opened my eyes.

Then... Pain again... My Crystal Body was pierced by something... not enough to kill me, just enough to harm.

In front of me... a man was standing... bleeding... black hair...

He turned to look at me... a soft smile stained by fresh blood. He was losing consciousness... His body pierced by a golden sword stained in his fresh dripping red blood... I felt his warmth...

“NO! TUBY!!!” I screamed and then... nothing... darkness...