Third Dungeon Battle: Battle 8
Team Dragon King wound up losing without even getting anything done.
Reasonable. That’s the word that crossed through my mind. Team Dragon King was constantly repressed by the floods and slaughtered by the Black Armor in the Dungeon Battle.
“Well, the Sahagins would’ve been annihilated if I sent them against that boss though.”
We didn’t have a problem like that thanks to the Black Armor, but they would’ve been nothing but sacrifices to a big shot like that Poison Wyvern. That would’ve set us back.
“Ichika, how is it going on your end?”
“A little more. The Sahagins arrived, I can win.”
The Sahagins and the shark were tossing a big skeleton that was the boss about in a room that got submerged.
In particular, it looked like there was a Sahagin Rider on a swordfish that looked rather strong. From the looks of its bones, it’ll be defeated in a bit as Ichika said.
“What about that Black Armor that went to our side? It didn’t go and defend.”
“They’re going all out on their offence, aren’t they. We should use [The Big Ball] again!”
“Yeah. Let’s put it to use while the Black Armor is in the lower floor. While we’re at it, collect the first floor’s water and dump it outside.”
Since Team Dragon King’s gate, which had kept on gulping down our water, ended up being closed, if we don’t discard it ourselves the water would acc.u.mulate pretty fast.
We’d look like a true submerged dungeon if we didn’t.
“What is Core 666’s Black Armor doing?”
“It turned back in the middle floors. It looks like she wants to continue after meeting up with the other one.”
“… Would it be a nuisance if they met up or would that be a good thing? I mean, I could take care of them both in one go… Rokuko, what do you think?”
“It’d be a nuisance either way, right? At the least, Core 666 has [Summon Skeleton] after all.”
Core 666, aren’t you getting tired of using [Summon Skeleton] so much?
I’m the same with [Summon Gargoyle] though, so it’s not like I can say anything.
*
Well, I tried bas.h.i.+ng the second Black Armor with [The Big Ball], but it challenged it head on and stopped it. They really are going with the brute force approach, its feet even cut grooves into the ground as it slid back.
Moreover, [The Big Ball] broke. That being the case, I can’t reuse it…
However, it had a lot of scratches on its armor, so it looks like it finally took some damage.
“Hmm, it didn’t come with any Skeletons, so it’s probably getting information from Core 666. I was wary of that. That’s why I let them learn that they can [Cope] with the iron ball by using it against them the same way again, then I’ll hit them with it along with the water current in the upper floors.”
“Well, there will be two of them, so it feels like they’ll be able to deal with it…”
“So that means we need take care of one of them in the submerged area, right?”
If we can. If.
Now then, the two Black Armors came into the submerged area. The orichalc.u.m wire has already been seen through, so they probably won’t get caught by it.
“Rokuko, send out the Gargoyles and the octopus. Kill them if possible.”
“Okay~, going!”
*
# Team Demon King’s Point of View #
“Shall we go then?”
[Un.]
They walked into the submerged area.
Skeletons in the lead, they advanced slowly so that they could cope even if a water current suddenly sprung up.
The pa.s.sageway was basically one way. It intersected with the direct route that had orichalc.u.m threads strung up in it four times.
… There were several Gargoyles in the straight route’s intersection. They couldn’t see the thread easily, but it wouldn’t allow them to advance.
The Gargoyles used magic despite being underwater. It’s true that it inanimate-types didn’t have to breathe, but the kind of offensive magic that Gargoyles could use underwater was practically ineffective.
Water or fire, the surrounding water would just get in the way.
By process of elimination, they’d probably only be able to throw rocks at them. It’d do some damage to the Skeletons, but it wouldn’t even be able to leave a scratch on the Living Armors made out of black steel.
“Should we just ignore them and keep going?”
[I’ll go first, then.]
The Living Armor manipulated by Core 666’s master went first.
The sound of rocks. .h.i.tting them was noisy.
The first crossroad had the threads to the right—it looked like there was a pocket of air beyond it, but the Living Armor didn’t need to breathe.
Circ.u.mventing the first orichalc.u.m thread pa.s.sage, they finally made their way to the place where the Gargoyles were earlier. It had been just a few steps away from them, but since they had to go all the way around to avoid the dungeon’s trap, it was very troublesome.
The Gargoyles had gone further in, past the next orichalc.u.m thread pa.s.sage, and once again threw stones to hinder them. Rather than to hinder, it was more like they were just trying to annoy them.
Just then, a water swimming through the water appeared.
[… An octopus?]
“What’s this? It’s the first time I’ve seen this monster… Jiji-sama, do you know?”
[Yes… I believe it’s a monster called an Octopus… I don’t know it well.]
Core 6 wasn’t too informed about monsters in general. He paid even less attention to particularly weak monsters. He naturally wouldn’t remember its characteristics.
That’s why he was a little surprised when it suddenly caused everything to go pitch black.
“c.r.a.p… I can’t see at all in this.”
[Watch out for attacks. Solidify your defenses.]
The stones kept hitting them, ringing as loud as ever. A few seconds later, they were able to see.
The octopus was gone, though.
“What were they trying to do?”
[I wonder? Well, it’s alright. Let’s continue.]
“! Wait!”
Ignoring the stones being thrown by the Gargoyles, the master’s Living Armor walked forward.
[… Wha—!?]
They were underwater, but the armor collapsed under its own weight and—as is, its body fell into pieces. The Living Armor had died.
[I was killed…! Aidi, what happened!?]
“The floor, it rotated. You were killed.”
When she’d confirmed it on the map, they’d rotated exactly ninety degrees.
The Gargoyles attacking them from their left side moved perfectly in sync with the rotation, escaping as the Living Armor fell into pieces. There was no wire between the groups.
She hadn’t made use of the Skeletons despite being able to keep summoning them as long as she had the magical power to. It was too late, but she regretted not having them go first.
[666. Calm down. Advance while paying careful attention to the map.]
“Understood, Jiji-sama… Master, I will punish you later.”
When Core 666 tried to walk, this time, the water’s flow fluctuated.
“—Skeletons!”
The skeletons linked together into a formation parallel to the flow of the water to deal with it.
Immediately after that, an intense blast of water attacked them. It was hard for her to deal with because they were already underwater and couldn’t see the water’s timing.
[Wait, Aidi! The floo—!]
“! Cra—…”
She had forgotten about the spinning floor.
It was hard to deal with the current even at the best of times, so now that she was taking the brunt of it head on, the Living Armor’s ma.s.sive body lost its footing. The Skeletons were swept away by the water current and chopped into bits. The fragments of the Living Armor her master had been operating was chopped up as well.
She was flying towards the wires.
“—Haaaaaah!!”
Griiiiing!
Holding out her magic sword to act as a s.h.i.+eld, struck it against the orichalc.u.m threads.
The magic sword didn’t break. It endured.
“Aha! As expected of [Indestructible]! It didn’t break!”
Verifying just how st.u.r.dy her magic sword was, she laughed happily.
[Hoh… you added it?]
“Yeah, it used a lot of the 500,000 DP, but it was worth it!”
Once she had gotten used to the current, she escaped down her original route.
She’d gotten into a tough spot, but she survived it.
Like that—Core 666 made it through the submerged area.