~ Chapter 27: Unleashed ~

[Yandrea’s point of view]

To be whole again was something that words could not describe. It was a sensation that encompassed my whole being. I felt that now I was truly capable of doing everything that I wanted to do. I was unstoppable. I was in full control of myself more than I ever was.

The black cat was now gone, she vanished at some point, however, I did not need her guidance anymore. She helped me enough… As for who she was, I could only guess that she may have been a goddess of some sort. No one else could reach out into my Inner Mind like this, no one could know me like this.

Now I knew what I had to do as well. Outside, Tuby was not dead yet. The shock of seeing him injured like that only shocked me to the point where I entered what could be called the Panic Mode of a Dungeon.

In this state, all my resources were focused on processing my emotions, thoughts, and knowledge. It was a failsafe system to allow me to regain my critical judgement in a moment of high intensity. In here, time flowed differently. A single second outside was the equivalent of a year or more in here.

Thanks to my Adult Aspect, I was now able to see things much more differently, and I had gained a knowledge that I had chosen to forget all this time… the creation of a humanoid body.

“In our current state, there is no way for us to win unless we gain the upper hand. The Crystal Body is far too inefficient, and I have already reached my maturity stage. There’s no longer any need to carry on as a child Dungeon. The question is how do I want to look like and how powerful will I be?” I wondered and then brought myself to an area of my Inner Mind where all my knowledge was stored.

Here, I could see the blueprints of everything that I had ever created as well as the information I needed to reshape my body. This was the same type of information that I used to heal someone. After all, how could I weave my Magic Energy to bind and shape their tissues if I had no idea how their body functioned?

Standing in front of this repository, I began by drawing the blueprints that I needed to build my perfect form. What I knew for certain was that I wanted my body to be genetically compatible with Tuby and for the sex to be female. There were different beauty standards I had to consider as well as conformations for the internal and external structure of the tissues and organs. All of which had to be in direct connection to the DNA of this new species.

There were a lot of things to consider. Was I going to have natural hidden weapons like claws or spike bones? Was I going to be the type to have big mammary glands or small ones? Were there any patterns that my skin and hair would produce? Were my eyes going to be able to see more than a human’s eyes. There were so many things to choose from, however, unlike before, when this Inner Mind body was created on a whim based on the negvar elf species, this time, I would consider my final form much more seriously.

How beautiful was I going to be in Tuby’s eyes?

I could not wait! But I also had to remember that there were plenty of pests out there that I had to remove so that Tuby would only glance at me!

Well, I had time… for now.

And for each iteration, I would have to change my form in my Inner Mind so that I could get a grasp on how my new body would feel.

Thus, the sands of time began to flow, each drop another second, each wave another day, each dune another year. Decades passed as I weaved together the body I would use from now on as my adult form.

“Finally… I’m ready to return to you, Tuby~!” I said with a smile as I looked up.

Time slowly returned to its normal flow, and I opened my eyes to the outside world. I felt the pain of the stab on my Crystal Body, and I saw my beloved husband, with his life hanging by a thread. I pulled him into my Inner Mind, stealing him from the outside world.

Healing him was easy now that I knew how his body worked. With precise control, I removed the dead tissue and connected the healthy tissue. The blood vessels that were cut were sealed up or reconnected. The nerves were reattached. I amplified his natural healing ability so that his body would generate the much-needed cells, which I guided towards the missing parts in his tissue.

By the time I was done, his body was all healed up without leaving so much as a single scar. I looked down at his sleeping face and planted a small kiss on his lips.

“Tuby… we’ll see each other soon.” I said before leaving the Inner Mind.

For him only hours would have passed, but for me, it has been more than a century.

Outside, the Core World was being bombarded by spells, with most of them cast down on my allies, my children who were being merciless hunted down by the soldiers of the punitive army.

My sanctuary on top of the Golden Pyramid had been destroyed completely, even the Birth Altar on which I previously stood was now shattered in pieces. No Dungeon would be born in this place after I left.

Then again, there would be no more Dungeons anywhere on this continent. In my memories, after the Despino Empire captured me, they proceeded to eliminate all existing Dungeons with their Chains of Submission artifacts. They only had the gold ones back then, but I would not be surprised if through research and an agonizing perseverance they managed to push through the technological barriers the artifacts presented.

They were not a creation of their genius but rather a lucky find in some ancient tomb. Who knew who made them, but they would not pose a threat to me anymore. These artifacts worked only if I believed that I was weak enough to succumb to them, only if I feared the on whom wielded them against me.

I moved my body in an upright position, floating just a few centimeters above the floor. At the same time, I healed my own wound. The crystal cracked and restored itself to its previous form.

After it was over, I looked up at the ceiling and spread out my perception until I became aware of everything that was happening around me.

“It is time…” I said with a calm tone in my voice.

My Dungeon Territory, which spread to all the corners of this dungeon from the top to the bottom was what sustained this fragile construction. There were two things I had to do, first of all, I created tunnels underneath the survivors of my army and sent them directly to the Hidden Floor. Then, I focused on the entire dungeon and began to absorb both my Dungeon Territory and all the bodies, monster remains, weapons, armors, and relics scattered across all the floors.

This entire process was urged by a deeply ingrained instinct. I knew that it was time for me to build my body. I knew what I had to do. I just had to will it. Up until now, the bastards on the surface managed to expertly prevent me from doing just this. Well, not anymore! I was finally set free from these chains they arrogantly cast upon me.

My entire Dungeon Territory alongside all the biological and inorganic matter scattered across 762 floors, including those that formed the paths from the surface and those that were merged into one, returned to me and filled my entire being with an overwhelming energy. The pressure was enormous. I could feel my entire Crystal Body crying out to release it, to feel the sweet breath of relief, but I held on, I needed all this energy.

The next step in my transformation was to use this enormous energy to build my new body and infuse it with Magic Energy. Thus, I closed my eyes and initiated the process of my rebirth.

My body was covered in a cocoon of light. Inside, my Crystal Body first melted into an amorphous goo and then began to change itself according to the blueprint of the body I had designed. Cells were formed, they multiplied, they connected with each other and formed tissues and organs, they transformed and specialized just like it happened to the fetus in a woman’s womb. The only difference was that my body grew into a fully matured one.

Meanwhile, my consciousness was only there as an outside observer. I could tell what was happening to me, but I had no means of stopping or influencing this process.

Maybe this process took a minute or less, maybe more, it was not possible to judge the flow of time in this state. However, when the physical transformation of my old body into my new body was over, the last step took place and my consciousness was connected to it.

One by one, all of my senses were activated, and I began to feel the world around me.

My first gesture after being reborn was to stretch out my hand to the sky and then flex my fingers. The sensation was similar to the one I had in my Inner Mind, but this one felt more… real?

I tried to get up on my feet but like a fawn that was just born, my legs gave in, and I fell on the floor.

“Hahaha!” I laughed, and I heard my voice for the first time.

I touched my throat and then looked down on my body. All of my features were there. I had mammary glands that were big enough for me to hold them in my hands. A single line of scales ran down on my left and right side, each one was a storage device for Magic Energy. My waist was similar to that of negvar elf woman, but the insides were different. While my inner organs were more similar to Tuby’s, they were perfected and transformed to resist even to the strongest of poisons. My skeleton was similar to a human’s, but I added a prehensile tail which ended with a fluff of hair that hid behind it another small Magic Crystal, through which I could cast spells just as I would with my own hands. My hair went just a little past my shoulders and was of a different pink color, closer to lavender. My toes and fingers were protected by nails, which I could grow into curved claws if needed. As for hidden weapons, I had a metallic bone spike hidden in each forearm. When released, it came out between the bones of my palm. There were no nerve endings there, and the skin barrier was made to be regenerated with ease. The path the bone spike took was actually a tegument connected all the way in the back with the propelling muscle.

My body was quite similar to Tuby’s in appearance, even my face was designed to resemble closer to a human than an elf. The cat-like eyes remained, while the pointed ears were transformed into two pairs that had a high degree of mobility. One set was for normal sound, while the other one was for extreme sounds like high frequency or low frequency. The eardrum, when needed, could be protected in both ears by an extra layer of skin for added protection at high pressures.

In terms of raw physical ability, I was much stronger than a forglore, much faster than a reiss, and more agile than a negvar elf. My eyes had a double crystalline lens and an extra type of photoreceptor cells, which allowed me not only to have a better perception but also to see the light that was normally invisible to all other creatures. My nose also carried infrared thermal radiation receptors similar to those in the body of Queen Skara.

“Who are you?” the voice that was directed at me came from a soldier who was holding in his hands the spoils he found around this place, some silverware and gold cups.

“Me?” I asked tilting my head to the left and smiled “Your death.” I answered and then jumped towards him.

While I was still having trouble controlling my body, I was learning very fast.

“Huh? ARGH!” the man screamed as I grabbed him by his head and then slammed him into the floor.

His Magic Armor shattered, while the floor, now lacking the strengthening effect of my Dungeon Territory, was cracked. A crater was formed underneath his body. The man was still not dead, but as soon as I pulled back my head, I formed a fist and the metal spike pushed between my hand bones and stabbed him right in the neck.

I watched him struggle for a moment, his terrifying eyes begging me to spare him. I moved my hand up, the spike pulling against his bone and flesh, tearing his apart.

He was dead now.

I pulled back my spike and got up. The blood of that fool was now on my newly born body. So, I used a fire spell to burn it all away.

My skin was highly resistant to both thermal and chemical attacks. For me, a fire bath was pleasant not terrifying, although I had to protect my hair with magic.

“Now then, I should wear some clothes.” I giggled and then snapped my fingers.

From within my Inner Mind, the combat gear I had prepared appeared before me. It was similar to the armor I saw on my Warrior Aspect. Surprisingly, the blueprints for it were hidden well among all the knowledge stored within the repository of my Inner Mind.

I put on the armor and then spread out my Dungeon Territory to encompass the entire Core World. Now I knew where all of my targets were located.

I smiled.

“I guess it’s time to hunt.” I said as I took out a spear from my Inner Mind, a powerful weapon that was akin to a divine item, capable of easily destroying all of my foes here.

However, this was just the preparation. There was still one last step to take… One final step…

There was still a lot of Magic Energy in my body, and if I a were to pull up my current status, it would look like this:

[Name]: Yandrea

[Species]: Dungeon Lord

[Race]: Godlike

[Level]: 1

[Strength]: 2780

[Agility]: 1890

[Intelligence]: 3750

[Magic Energy]: 27750

[Magic Energy Regeneration]: 245 Magic Energy Points per Second

[Allegiance]: The Goddess of Heroes, #&% G$) of D38yhdf%

[Spouses]: Tuberculus Firerage

[Slaves]: None

[Pets]: None

[Minions]: None

My level was relative to how much extra Magic Energy I absorbed in my body. The adventurers saw this as a Power Number or something similar, and their belief was that it went up either with age or with luck. They never made the connection between Magic Energy and this value.

To define it in a different way, you could say that the level was the value of your personal experience in your current body. Depending on the species, there were skills and abilities hidden behind a higher value, especially in the case of Dungeons.

As for the garbled text in the allegiance category… I had no idea what that was, however, I could somewhat feel that it was an important deity to me, while the first one, The Goddess of Heroes, I was almost 100% certain that she came to me in the form of that cute black cat.

Thus, I focused on absorbing the overflowing Magic Energy that remained after my transformation as well as the one around my Dungeon Territory. Controlling the flow of magic was an innate trait, as well as one I managed to master over the course of the many centuries I spent slaving away for the kingdoms above the ground.

In a matter of moments, I went from level 1 to level 17 and then 35, 58, 78, and so on until I reached level 453. I stopped here, when the Magic Energy on the entire floor was consumed. Even the Magic Crystal on the ceiling was now empty. Darkness covered the entire floor.

“It’s not nice. I should give it a bit of a spark.” I said with a smirk as I pointed my hand at it and then snapped my fingers.

The Light Crystal was infused with Magic Energy and shone in a beautiful blood red light… almost as if a terrifying monster had descended upon this land.

I walked up to the edge of the Golden Pyramid and with a smile on my lips, I jumped off.

With a single push, I launched myself in the middle of their camp, where their survivors were panicking because of the sudden change of light.

“Bath time!” I shouted and unleased around me a wave of hot lava.

Screams of panic emerged all around me as I basked in the glorious music of Magic Armor shattering, flesh burning, and agonizing pain washing over all those who were unlucky enough to be caught up in this humble attack of mine.

With my spear in hand, I pushed forward, stabbing a forglore in the chest. Twisting the handle, I poured my Magic Energy in the shaft and unleashed an explosive fire spell at the tip, right inside his body. He let out one last agonizing scream before his upper torso was torn apart into a thousand pieces, scattering his remains all over the place.

I then pulled the shaft and moved it to the side, making the tip cut into the flesh of two other nearby forglores.

My slaughter continued, but with every death I caused, I also absorbed their bodies, turning them into my raw materials and another good dose of Magic Energy.

“[Expert Puppetry]!” I chanted after I pulled out from my Inner Mind two puppets similar to the one I used before.

These two moved according to my wishes and began to attack the soldiers left and right, moving away from my body.

There was no more hesitation in my actions, no more fear, no more regret. I attacked left and right, mercilessly taking down all those who stood in my way. Their cries and begging fell on deaf ears.

The puppets did their job, taking them down, reducing their numbers, and feeding me with Magic Energy that increased my level.

Meanwhile, my real target… he was closing in. The prince, the bastard who attacked my husband, the piece of trash who hurt my Tuby, he was coming here!

“How dare you!” he shouted from far away as he attacked me with his long-ranged attack.

I stomped my foot on the ground and two barriers of reinforced granite formed in front of me, blocking his strikes.

He stopped midair, but I struck the ground with the pummel of my spear and a fire column sprouted from underneath him, scorching him in midair. He rushed out of it, and this was the moment I was waiting for. Clenching my left fist, I jumped towards him.

We met midway, our eyes locked. There was confusion in his and madness in mine. I struck him hard in the face, his Magic Armor cracked. His body was flung far away, crashing into the trees, the rocks, and whatever other obstacle was on the way.

I began to laugh and then summoned two more puppets. They dashed to the left and right, hunting down more of his soldiers.

While on the ground the blood poured from those who invaded this land, in the sky, the sun of our land blessed us with its madness. I wanted to do more… This was not enough.

So, I looked down, and after locking onto all those soldiers on the ground, I created spike traps right under their feet. They triggered immediately, impaling some, seriously injuring others, and barely scratching a few. Then I absorbed the traps alongside the bodies they claimed.

Panic was spreading across the entire Inner World.

“RAAAH!” Kasimir rushed at me with bloodshot eyes, mad and angered by the punch I gave him.

I allowed him to close in, but I avoided his attack and kicked him with my knee in the stomach.

“What? Are you mad that a woman is beating you in every single idiotic game you challenged me in?” I asked and then sent him flying into the ground with a roundabout kick in the back.

“GAH!” his Magic Armor cracked.

“Don’t worry, I will take my sweet time killing you~! HAHAHA!” I laughed, madness in my voice.

This… was a part of the Darkness, the sadistic mad woman who was broken by the scum of this world.

“You know? Every Supreme supposedly has a Supreme spell. As a Dungeon, I should have one too, right? Even if I can technically reproduce every single one of them… But, it has to be something unique to me… something that represents me…” I said as I looked down at the prince who was now glaring at me.

He was cautious.

I snapped my fingers and the four puppets whom I had sent out were retrieved. Then, I released from my Inner Mind 20 puppets that were a bit different from the previous ones. These ones resembled me in appearance and size. They each carried a spear, and while they looked weaker they were not to be underestimated.

“The show must go on…” I made an elegant bow and then cast my ultimate spell “[Bloodthirsty Puppet Mayhem]”

All the 20 puppets came to life simultaneously and released that same maddening cackle that the Darkness had. With eyes that reflected no emotion only death, they began to dance around me as if they all had a life of their own.

“What is this?” the prince wondered.

“This is the consequence of your foolish actions…” I replied and then all the puppets rushed at him, cackling like maniacs, moving in patterns that made no sense.

Spears began to fly towards the prince. Punches, kicks, and bites were added to the ordeal. His Magic Armor was being pummeled constantly by these attacks that were no weaker than my own.

“Gah! Stop! How dare you!” he cried out but to no avail.

Mad puppets could not be reasoned with. As for myself, I hid among the chaos, slowly approaching him.

Each step I took, I saw him struggle against my attacks.

Around us, there were a few survivors, who, when they saw their royal highness in danger, tried to rush over to help them. My puppets, however, appeared behind them, stabbed one in the heart with the spear, and another’s heart was ripped out by sheer force. Another’s head was twisted, while another’s belly was split in half, his insides pulled out and spilled on the floor. Another’s jaw was ripped out while his friend’s intimates were crushed with the pummel of a spear.

The puppets were faster than the previous models. They were stronger and carried more powerful enchants on them. The supreme spell I cast also gave them a small degree of independence, which allowed me to control them. I was merely telling them what my intention was, where I wanted them to go or how to attack, and they obeyed to the letter.

Prince Kasimir was now with his back at me. He was unaware of my presence as he struggled against the brutal hit and run attacks of the puppets. The cackling symphony around us would have frightened even the most hardened warrior.

“You! Who are you?! Why are you attacking this prince?! Do you not know of the consequences of doing so?! GAH! STOP!” he demanded, he called out, he questioned, but all to no avail.

I struck his back leg with the pummel and forced him to kneel on the ground. At this point all the puppets smacked him at the same time with the pummel of their spear. His Magic Armor shattered, forcing a groan of pain to escape his throat. Then, like starving Dayuks, they rushed at him and pulled apart his armor and clothes. The metals bent and snapped, while the fabrics were torn to pieces, destroying the grace of the once proud prince.

“Gah… You… won’t… get away with… GAH!” I did not let him finish his nonsense as I struck him right in his mouth.

Teeth and blood spilled out from his foul orifice.

“I did not permit you to speak.” I spoke with a cold voice.

He lashed out, trying to grab me, but the puppets held him down, digging their claws into his flesh.

“GAH!” he screamed in pain once more.

“You know, prince…” I looked down at my hand as I grew my nails and turned them into curved claws. “I never expected you to be so… weak.” I looked back at him.

“I am not weak!” he growled back.

I showed him a gentle smile and then reached my hand out to his right arm. My claws dug into his flesh and when I pulled back, his muscles and skin was torn.

“GRAAH!” he let out a distorted scream of pain.

“An injury like this… is nothing.” I said and then stabbed my hand in his guts.

He spat out blood, and for the first time, there was fear in his eyes.

“You harmed my Tuby, prince. Nobody harms him. Nobody is allowed to hurt him… not you, not anyone.” I grabbed his innards and then pulled.

“NO! NO! NO!” the man screamed as he saw himself disemboweled.

He desperately struggled to free himself from the hold of the puppets, but they were relentless. They were merciless. All he managed to achieve was to cause himself more wounds.

“Right now, there are not that many soldiers from your army left alive.” I looked into his eyes. There was a serene calm in mine. “Maybe you are confused as to who I am, so let me give you a hint… I am the one you came here to suppress. I am Yandrea, the Godlike Dungeon.”

“What?” his eyes grew big.

“Now, let me tell you what this means…” I leaned closer “I am no longer in my Crystal Body form. I can move freely. I can abandon this place completely. The moment I do so, the entire dungeon will collapse. There is no way for you or any of your soldiers to escape to the surface.” I smiled “Now, think about what impact this will have on those three nations that are so dependent on my existence…”

“N-No…” his lips trembled as he began to realize the implications of my disappearance.

“You did not think of this when you went to stab both me and my husband earlier?” I let out a sigh and shook my head “You are just like your ancestors, an idiot and a half, sadistic and spiteful, a foolish creature who cannot empathize with anyone… Well, it’s a good thing you will die here. As for the nations up there… they will all be destroyed one way or another. Without me, their economy will collapse, their society will crumble… their military will fall.” I looked into his eyes and then stabbed my claws into his belly.

“Guh!” he spat out blood as he looked at me with desperation and fear… so much fear.

“Goodbye, Prince Kasimir… May your name be forgotten and your legacy destroyed. May your kingdom be shattered and your family eradicated. May the gods listen to me and may they show no mercy for the murderers on the surface.”

“Please… no…” he begged.

“I wonder… will Anyetta feel avenged if I do this?”

“Who?” he was confused.

I said nothing more and instead unleashed a torrent of fire inside his body.

“GAAH!” as he screamed with his last spark of life, the flames engulfed his body, eating his inside, charring his skin and flesh.

He died like this.

The pathetic end of this man brought me no pleasure, but I did feel avenged. I pulled back my hand, but I left the fire to go on.

“Kill the survivors.” I ordered my puppets, and they obeyed.

Half an hour later, I was looking at the charred remains of the prince, his black bones now forming a pile on the ground. The scent of his burnt flesh was pungent and disgusting.

The puppets returned one after another as they finished their hunt. Their cackle continued. Their eyes remained as monstrous and uncaring as before. When all life was snuffed out from this floor, I absorbed the remains of all except for this pile of ash before me.

“It’s time to go…” I said as I got up and absorbed the puppets into my Inner Mind.

My level was now 634.

While I waited for my puppets to do their job, I decided that it was better for me to completely destroy this place, so I absorbed the Golden Pyramid, the Light Crystal above, and then from every single floor all precious materials and minerals that I could find. The structure was now barely holding on. I gave it no more than a couple of years before it would collapse if not less as a result of some random earthquake.

This floor now felt empty… There were signs that at one point someone lived here, but not anymore. I then made my way down to the Hidden Floor, where I grabbed everything but the support columns.

“Another empty floor…” I mumbled to myself as I cast one last glance at this place.

This dungeon was now devastated, broken, shattered, ready to collapse, but… there was one place that I would leave behind untouched… the floor of memories deep underneath my feet. That place was the tomb of the old Yandrea.

“Goodbye, Anyetta… I’m sorry it took so long to avenge you.” I made a solemn bow to the ghost of my past and then, with a confident look in my eyes, I stepped inside the tunnel leading to the surface.

A smile of joy and relief blossomed on my lips as I thought about the unchained and unrestrained future in front of me.