Published at 25th of March 2019 11:13 pm

Chapter 25: Day 241 to Day 250

Day 241

Thanks to Asue, we spent the night in an underground lair. We could have relaxed in a broken camp, but we decided to spend the night underground.

The ground was stable, so we did not have to be afraid of changes in the landscape. Because monster appearances are pretty rare, it was possible to relax.

Besides, even if monsters did decide to attack us while we slept, we could still deal with them. Nonetheless, it would obviously be better if there was less unnecessary work. It was a good thing there were no monsters that could move underground. This lair will remain because it is quite convenient.

While staying underground was more dangerous in the event of an attack, there was only a certain direction in which the monsters could attack from. In addition, Asue's fortified walls made it much easier to defend under such circumstances. As well as the main entrance of the cave, we had created 3 more exits which I had concealed through [Hide]. Even if one collapsed, there was nothing to worry about.

Using my new skill [Greater Summoning: Demonkin], I created strong guards and positioned them outside the cave. They could act as an alarm if anything were to happen.

The [Black Orc Guard Knight] was armed with a huge black shield. The [Black Minotaur] held a large axe in one of its hands. They were spread apart to protect each doorway and to better cope with incoming monsters.

Even against the local monsters, they were capable of holding out for some time, and so no one would be caught off guard.

The only problem was that the inside of the cave was very hot. It was enough to possibly induce heat stress. To counter this, we decided to use the [Skeleton Centipede].

It had solid framework and we added heat-resisting magic items to cover the walls. As a result, the intense heat died down to a pleasant sort of warmth.

Thus, we were able to sleep peacefully in the [Fleymus Mountain's Flame Dragons].

Further on in the dungeon, sleep will probably be harder to obtain because of the constant and relentless attack from monsters. One needed to sleep soundly now as it might be the last chance to do so.

As such, we slept soundly, recovering completely from the exhaustion of yesterday.

We woke up at around the same time, exchanging greetings while leaving the cave. Although there was no sun out here, [Fleymus Mountain's Flame Dragons] was as bright as day due to the lava that flowed everywhere. With bright lights everywhere, it was difficult to find a dark area in the dungeon.

Well, that wasn't really a problem so we went out to have breakfast. Breakfast was important as it would allow us to have a reserve of energy for today's conquest.

Having a delicious breakfast will significantly affect the results. As a result, today's main dish was the [Black Orc Guard Knight] and [Black Minotaur] who had finished their security task.

Because of their [Divine Protection] and strong abilities, they looked pretty tasty.

Upon having such thoughts, drool flowed freely from my mouth. We did have the option of not eating them because they were a solid fighting force, but their presence would certainly attract packs of monsters.

Having more members in a party will result in more monsters appearing to go up against them. At the moment, we were already at the limit and if we considered taking them with us, I could not imagine how many more monsters would be attracted.

In the first place, taking them with us was completely unnecessary. I can just as easily summon them on the spot if needed.

Therefore, taking risks and dragging them along was not an option. But at the same time leaving them behind feels like the wrong thing to do.

Summoning can be classified to 3 types: [Lesser Summoning], [Intermediate Summoning], and [Greater Summoning]. Starting from [Intermediate Summoning], summoned beings have intelligence. [Greater Summoning: Demonkin] results in demons possessing an average person's level of intelligence.

They can express human emotions, and communicate clearly with others.

Compared with the puppets summoned with lower skills, they were living organisms. They were also completely subordinate to my will, and if necessary, would not hesitate to give up their lives. Note: Rou probably meant sentient beings rather than living organisms

If I were to leave them, they would most likely wait and continue battling monsters. The last thing they would say would be "Master… I'm sorry if I disappointed you … and left this world before you…" or something along those lines.

Moreover, in order to determine their fighting strength, I had sent one earlier to the lava golem. He died uttering such words so I'm almost sure of it.

Not that it would matter whether they have intelligence or not, but it seems strange to leave them here rather than to eat them.

So in order to save us the trouble of cutting them to pieces, I gave them the order to destroy each other. While waiting for them to finish, we started preparing to leave. After waiting a little, I took apart the last remaining demon and we were left with a big pile of meat.

Since blood was still over the food, I removed it using [Hydro Hand]. Since heat generated on the ground was high, I placed a large pan on some rocks and fried the meat.

The thick meat of the [Black Orc Guard Knight] and [Black Minotaur] was an indicator of how good it was. The sight of it being fried stimulated the eyes and ears and the smell was enticing.

Subconsciously, I started remembering the grill feast with all the roasted pork and high-quality beef. After thinking that eating only meat is bad for one's health, I gathered some vegetables sprouting in the labyrinth and washed them. The combination of the soft meat melting in the mouth and the fresh, crisp vegetables is the best!

Consuming mouthfuls of meat and vegetables furiously, I start thinking of adding [Devilish Blue Flame Trent] bits. This would add a subtle sweetness that oozes when chewed and would certainly make this better.

Ability learned: [Plant Control]

Eating this delicious food and even getting an ability, I am obviously lucky today. Maybe something good will happen in the conquest.

…

Gaining the strength for today and checking our equipment, I contacted Rusty Iron Knight and Doriane who had awakened as one of the 18 Demon Warlords.

I wonder what caused the awakening of the 18 Demon Warlords. I asked how each were different from before and after the awakening as well as the current news. Summarizing what I heard from the both of them, I still did not understand why.

When they came to their senses, they already had their respective titles, and it is difficult to explain in words, even for me.

Indeed, since "the passage of time and the fulfillment of the conditions were met" they had both awakened.

Apparently, these conditions are unique for all, I concluded from listening to their stories.

After the awakening, we realized that the overall effect was the cumulative growth in abilities and an incredible leap in the ability of a few particular ones.

Rusty Iron Knight, a fighter, got a significant boost to his fighting abilities and Doriane-san made significant progress in the field of aromatherapy and relaxation.

Curious on how strong he became, I decided to arrange a fistfight between Rusty Iron Knight and Avenger.

The fight early on between Avenger and Rusty Iron Knight was close, forcing him to go on the defense reluctantly. [Note: The fight before "Rusty Iron Knight" awakened.]

This time, not only was Rusty Iron Knight able to strike back, he was able to fight with Avenger on equal terms.

After a short standoff between them, Rusty Iron Knight rushed towards Avenger.

Rusty Iron Knight threw strong left and right combinations which could have broke rocks. Avenger ducked the approaching punches so swiftly that afterimages could be seen.

Counterattacking, Avenger threw a hurricane-like uppercut.

Sensing that his jaw would be crushed if it hit, Rusty Iron Knight dodged by bending backward.

Although a direct hit was prevented, Rusty Iron Knight's posture crumbled.

Avenger, not missing the opportunity, continued with a low right kick. An ordinary person would have had a fracture but Rusty Iron Knight was able to endure the attack with his foot.

Enduring the destructive power of the kick, Rusty Iron Knight threw his palm at the chin of Avenger. He avoided this by twisting his neck.

Rusty Iron Knight, hoping for this, placed one arm around the neck of Avenger and fixed the other hand around the back of his head.

While both skillfully breaking Avenger's posture and restraining him, Rusty Iron Knight started kneeing him with a level of strength that would surely put a dent in iron.

Because the neck hold limits one's movement, it is difficult to prevent continuous knee kicks. Because the force exerted from the hands and feet are different, it is hard to stop the force of the kick.

If Rusty Iron Knight's opponent is unable to break free from the restraint, his internal organs or his head might be crushed to a pulp. His relentless attack was indeed that devastating.

However, his opponent right now was Avenger, one of the figures chosen by God. He would not fall, even at this level.

Avenger was able to block most of the knee attacks approaching his body even though his movements were restrained. But still, his defense cannot be said to be perfect so a number of shots were able to hit their mark.

Avenger was rapidly shaking his head to loosen the hold while enduring all the attacks coming at him. Not missing the opportunity at one attack's interval, Avenger threw his shoulder at Rusty Iron Knight's chest.

The violent collision blasted Rusty Iron Knight away and he endured the severe pain without a change in expression. It became hard for him to breathe but still, he did not fall.

He certainly failed to win, but he was able to get in a couple of serious blows and give Avenger a tough fight. For Rusty Iron Knight who, in a short time, was caught up in strength by his own pupil Redhead (currently located in the Royal Capital), this strength gain was most welcome.

After the bloody morning workout, Avenger had a warm smile on his face, satisfied that the new power had given him a decent rival.

They were the couple who pursued strength greedily, and were suited to each other. They could easily be called either the best of friends or the worst of rivals.

As for Doriane-san, the constant guest of "Hot Springs Village" Parabellum, she was ready to judge her skills by using Father Elf as a test subject.

It was still early in the morning, but Father Elf was already awake and heading over in order to take a morning bath. He was just in time for the experiment.

He was reluctant at first, but after realising that he could experience the new development of Doriane-san for free, he happily agreed.

His once proud appearance now seemed like a mere illusion as a relaxed smile appeared on his face. Well, it's best to leave it at that.

Secreting a unique massage oil from her palm, Doriane-san stood over the half-naked Father Elf lying prone on the massage bed. She skillfully massaged the skin of Father Elf without any wasted movements.

The unique oil was gradually absorbed by his skin, and its effect began to emerge. In less than a minute, the consciousness of Father Elf began to float. Drool began to drip out of his mouth through the hole in the massage bed that had been designed exactly for this situation. It was proof that her abilities had profoundly grown and that he was experiencing unbelievable pleasure.

Recently, Father Elf had become accustomed to the massage at the hot springs. I wondered what had become of her skills to make him enter such a trance.

It will be necessary to try it out after capturing this dungeon, I thought, looking at the happy face of Father Elf.

…

After finishing with the investigation, and leaving the details to these two, we started today's conquest.

After a short walk, we came out of the treasure area, into a very different terrain from the previous zone.

Cliffs extending endlessly with a height of about 50 meters were to the left and right, and from the edge began a wide river of lava; the shore on the opposite side could not be seen.

Crossing this vast river, you would get to the gates of the spiral tower located in the heart of the volcano. However, the flow of lava to the opposite shore seemed endless. It was not going to be easy to cross.

There were three factors that made crossing difficult.

The first obstacle was the enormous heat emitted by the river. It was possible to go by jumping from the hillside, but the jump would be difficult. About 50 meters in, the heat could seriously burn us and we could become grilled meat. In fact, in order to make sure, I made a clone for reconnaissance and it burnt up without even traveling a few hundred meters. If this happened from the radiation of heat alone, what would happen if one was to fall? Well, I'd be fine but the rest would die for sure.

The second obstacle were the areas where gravity behaved strangely. Above the main flow of the river, some areas had huge chunks of metal floating in the air without melting despite being exposed to steam and the radiant heat of lava.

While some were suspended in the air, the other blocks of metal were not. Even if you tried to fly to get across, you had to be careful of the areas with irregular gravity.

I thought that these lumps of metal would be pretty hot, but from the observations of Kugime-chan, they absorb the heat emitted by the lava river and compress it. As a result, the surface was quite cold, even for those that were just on top of the river. After I tried touching one with my hand, it was just a little warm.

The temperature thus posed no problems. The metal lumps varied in size and their distance from each other ranged from a few meters to hundreds of meters away, so although they moved slowly, you could choose a route and move to another one before it broke. Thus, choosing an optimal metal lump and route, it would be possible to cross the river of lava.

It's just that there were not only places with weak gravitational pull, there were also places with strong ones, sometimes making floating lumps of metal fall into the river of lava with a splash.

This is probably a trap for explorers with the ability to fly. Even if one could fly it still wasn't safer than choosing a path from the metal blocks. If caught off guard, falling metal mass would become a serious threat.

It would be impossible to relax here with things being pulled up to the sky. The irregular gravity makes metal blocks float in the air and countless streams of lava also float around, looking like huge snakes hovering in space.

Although the smaller streams seemed fairly safe, it wasn't the case. We just witnessed a spectacle where one covered several blocks of steel. And at that size, if you are not lucky enough to escape, even your bones would surely disappear.

Lastly, this was also a living area for dungeon monsters. They were like those encountered before, but there were also some other demonic species.

For example:

[Steel Demonic Monkey]: Has dark red colored skin, a muscular metal-like body and two wings.

[Bloody Red Devil Rider]: Rode a pale white horse with a steel mane and held spears, lances and kite shields. It wore sinister-looking armor on its body dyed with the blood of its prey.

[Large-mouth Shark Devil]: It has a huge body of more than 10 meters, covered with black and silver scales. A third of it's body was an incredibly large mouth with lots of individual sharp teeth the size of a dagger.

[Lesser Lava Demon]: Standing at around 2 meters, with a lion-like head with dark red horns and crimson-coloured skin. Also on its back were bat wings, and his feet were like those of a predator with sharp claws. They also held a variety of weapons.

The [Lesser Lava Demons] were also accompanied by their top form [Greater Lava Demon], who were around 3 meters tall.

Some waited on metal lumps, others flew around, and others appeared with the eruption of lava.

In such a place where it was necessary to constantly monitor the entire environment, it was going to become a huge struggle for us.

Because of the possibility of falling chunks of metal into the lava, boulders, or eruption of lava flows in this place, we needed to be fast on our feet and also in destroying enemies.

But there were those with weak endurance like Kugime and Seiji. Also, Irofu and Kanami were quite weak to heat, and even though we can take measures against the heat, we could not assure that there would be no accidents.

So I carried Kanami-chan on my right shoulder. Meanwhile, Minokichi had on his shoulders Seiji and Irofu. Asue had Kugime, and Supesei was on Burasato.

With this we had good mobility while not greatly reducing our combat capabilities. With preparations finished, I ran ahead, Minokichi, Asue, and Burasato-san followed.

Incoming dungeon monsters were easily detected by Kugime-chan thus they were not able to ambush us and we were ready for them.

Let me explain a little more. Sitting on my shoulder was Kanami-chan armed with [Failnaught] obtained from the Elves.

Drawing the bow with the strength of a [Vampire Noble - Variant] until it creaks, she produced bluish silver magic arrows, [Demonic Freezing Arrow], created from her strong ice magic and released at frightening speed.

The arrow released slips through the defense of the approaching [Steel Demonic Monkey] and hits its forehead.

When the arrow pierces the body of the [Steel Demonic Monkey], the magic in the arrow is released. Red spikes from the creature's own frozen blood pierces its body from the inside.

Though the damage from the attack was great, it was not enough to kill the devil with its high life force. It had high resilience, and these wounds would disappear in a few minutes. Only this time he was not so lucky with the environment.

The surrounding flames instantly melted the ice. The water evaporated so quickly resulting in a steam explosion that scattered pieces of the [Steel Demonic Monkey] around leaving in its place only his equipment.

finished editing til here (nyaaaarp) and I shall continue (Fruf)

On the other hand Kugime, with mystical rays emanating from her, triggered an attack from a [Large-mouth Devil Shark].

Her voice produced rays in different directions, and after a while it became a collateral attack. Truth was that the power of it was not quite big, but the furious [Large-mouth Devil Shark] immediately jumped out from hiding at this point. Irofu threw small knives [Note: That may be covered in something?] into its metal fins, after which it began to decompose, robbing it of the ability to move.

As expected, with its fins completely rotten, it no longer had the ability to move. Struggling to move like a fish on land, the [Large-mouth Devil Shark] became easy prey.

Here it suffered kicks from Asue, who was carrying Kugime. From these kicks, the local monster flew. Moving like so for a while, we arrived at a little oddly shaped, fairly large lump of metal which had [Bloody Death Devil Horsemen] waiting in a line.

There were 10 of them, with well-coordinated movements, pointing their spears at us. They rushed forward. Because of the awkward shape of the metal lumps, we had nowhere to flee from them.

As there was nothing else we could do, Minokichi took a defensive position. His defensive stance looked unbreakable but the [Bloody Death Devil Riders] continued to accelerate, aiming at his stomach with spears from all sides.

Just a few seconds before the collision with Minokichi, a huge chunk of iron shot up from the ground in front of him.

It was not me, but Asue-chan. Conventional riders would have crashed into the obstacle, but the [Bloody Death Devil Riders] spurred their horses to jump.

Suddenly I witnessed a heroic spectacle. With their feet off the ground, the [Bloody Death Devil Riders] could not dodge any attacks, and they took the strongest of Supesei's heat magic that she had recently learned. The magic was called [Demonic Bullets Lava Dragon].

Having released more than a dozen fire blocks, each of which was about the size of an ogre, she mercilessly shot them at the [Bloody Red Devil Riders].

The strength of the shells was able to completely destroy the mighty ramparts, and her opponents faced certain death.

In addition, these lumps in collision with the enemy had the effect of exploding. Even if they somehow managed to avoid the attack, they would all get caught in the radius of destruction, and be knocked down by the blast and shrapnel.

In the end, there were still a few surviving [Bloody Death Devil Riders] but they were wounded and their movements became very sluggish.

To finish them didn't take long. Nonetheless, this meeting had caused reasonable difficulty.

It was extremely dangerous to linger in one place as the strength of the monsters quickly increased. They ignored all injuries except the most severe wounds. As a result, they were able to move forward very quickly.

With difficulty we finally managed to cross the river of lava in a couple of hours, and saw the entrance to the spiral volcano.

The battle with the monsters on the top of the metal lumps had taken a lot of time, but we had finally almost reached our destination. Yet in the way was a large obstacle. It was a local field boss. He was waiting for us on a huge block of metal, right in front of the spiral volcano.

Dungeon boss called [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"]

It was a 7 meter demonic version of the Minotaur. The major differences were the huge black bat wings on his back and the ominous looking armor which he was wearing. Instead of the usual axes, he was armed with a huge black scythe.

Of course there were differences in the details. Covering his whole body were black and red bristles, which would probably injure us if we touched them.

Between the two horns on his forehead was a third golden eye, which was superimposed on the enemy, giving a variety of negative statuses such as [Demonic Eye].

I had [Demonic Gaze Immunity] and Kugime-chan and Kanami also possessed [Demonic Eyes]. But the others wouldn't be able to fight him head-on quite so easily.

Note: can't find Rou's ability in the list, maybe Complete Evil Eye Resistance or Nullify Negative Status Effects?

First ever edit to fix a name and link (Rikone)

The [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"] aimed a black substance from his mouth as us while waving his scythe. Black fire erupted onto the ground and he smashed his scythe downwards. Amazingly, it turned into a black tornado which quickly approached us.

[Dungeon Boss [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"] successfully defeated]

[As a bonus for the first elimination of the boss will be sent a box of treasure [The Monument Flaming Demon Cows]].

It had been an extremely difficult battle, but we had won in the end.

[Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"], out of all the monsters that we met here was undoubtedly the strongest. Despite his appearance, he was very nimble and covered in shadow, making it difficult to see him. He also moved 3 times faster than what we had thought.

His incredible strength was enough to counter the defence of Minokichi-kun. And while he was very strong in close combat, he also used a black substance which had a [Cursing] effect.

Those touching it immediately fell under some negative status, which was active for a long time. It was sticky like musk and hard to remove. Protection from it was quite difficult, so even owners of [Resistance] could not relax. It also caused excruciating pain to its victims. I had experienced it once, and I was not so eager to do so again. [Note: Is it just me or does this sound nasty~~]

Those were his strengths, so I basically had to take him on by myself while covering the rest.

If that wasn't enough, [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"] also had the ability to summon other demons.

If I did not have [Greater Summoning: Demonkin], we would have been overwhelmed with crowds of [Taurus Demons].

A few dozen wouldn't be difficult to deal with, but several hundred would be nearly impossible.

Nonetheless, we defeated the [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"], and safely reached the entrance to the spiral volcano.

It didn't seem wise to continue with such injuries and fatigue, as it would make going further much more difficult. I had already collected some new trophies for my item box, so it was decided to spend the night in front of the gate.

There was certainly a chance that we would get attacked by very strong monsters, but the intervals between attacks were less here. Thankfully, we could rest and recover.

We had [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"] and [Taurus Demons] for dinner, and went to bed early in preparation for tomorrow.

Ability [Hellfire] learned.

Ability [Aspect of a Demon] learned.

Ability [Soul Hunting Scythe] learned.

Ability [Lesser Summoning: Fiend] learned.

Ability [Intermediate Summoning: Fiend] learned.

Ability [Greater Summoning: Fiend] learned.

I wonder why [Summon: Fiend] rose from Lesser to Greater straight away.

Using the Skeleton Centipede increases comfort even in a harsh environment, and thus we could comfortably relax for the rest of the day.

Today's [Synthesis] results:

[Lesser Summoning: Fiend] + [Intermediate Summoning: Fiend] + [Greater Summoning: Fiend] = [Summon Archfiend]

[Escape] + [Emergency Retreat] = [Emergency Escape]

[Black Demon's Charge] + [Elephant's Roar] = [Black Demon King's Mad Advance]

[Improved Cutting Power] + [Increase Stabbing Force] = [Great Slash Penetration Enhancement]

[Vampirephilia] + [Blood Eater Beast] = [Blood Vampire]

[Storm Sword Dance] + [Acrobatics Sword Dance] = [Dance Song Sword Storm]

[Black Demon's Roar] + [Wyvern's Roar] + [Wailing Wyvern's Body] + [Ghost Cry] + [Voice of Death] = [Death-dealing Roar (Desperado)]

--

Day 242

Using yesterday's synthesis of [Summon: Archfiend], I was able to call on a [Black Taurus Demon Lord].

As expected, I could not summon the [Taurus Demon Lord "Adada"] as it was a dungeon boss of the [God] class. It turns out that there really isn't anything that can be done about that.

True, there wasn't ever a high chance of succeeding, and the fact that I was able to summon the [Black Taurus Demon Lord] is lucky in itself.

After I level up my summoning even more, maybe I can call on him, but until I do I won't be able to find out.

I immediately decided to gauge the strength of the summoned [Black Taurus Demon Lord], and he was quite strong.

I consumed a relatively large amount of mana while summoning him and it took quite some time. However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

He seemed strong enough, he could fly, and his body could engage in a variety of abilities.

Since I wanted to know what else I could summon apart from the [Black Taurus Demon Lord], I tried many things that seemed possible. It was likely that with this skill, I would soon be able to call upon something else as well.

As we had done with the [Black Minotaur], we had Black Taurus Demon Lords for breakfast.

Their meat was a little tough, but with every bite my mouth was filled with a huge amount of meat juice, the taste of which I quite liked.

Of course it wasn't as good as the [Taurus Demon Lord Adada] which we had eaten yesterday, but the difference wasn't that noticeable. Overall, we all thought it was excellent meat.

Yet, I wonder how delicious it would be if I gave it to the Sisters to prepare?

Now it has become necessary to quickly finish the dungeon so I can ask them to cook it!

Speaking of which, we finished breakfast and revitalized ourselves, and were ready to conquer the spiral volcano.

In order to get to the top of the volcano, we had to climb the spiral road that twisted up and around its slope.

One could immediately fly to the top, but there were likely to be traps involving high gravity areas.

Or there might even be something even worse. Just before reaching the summit, the volcano might erupt, and there would be nothing you could do to avoid being cooked alive.

There were black clouds gathering around the summit, and a large amount of lightning strikes could be seen within them. I decided not to fly to avoid being struck by the lightning. Putting all things together, gravity, lightning, or whatever traps there could be, the bottom line is that I just did not want to fall from that height.

En: I had to add text it was hard to understand with out explaining it. If you could word this paragraph better please do so. I took most of what follows from Google translate. I hope it acceptable. ~MH

Anyway, it didn't matter what might have happened while flying, because many in our group could not do so. So there was no alternative than to walk up the slope.

The spiral mountain road was made of solidified lava, about 1 meter wide, which made it a difficult trip.

The path was large enough to climb, but when fighting groups of monsters, the space would become quite narrow.

To progress, we would inevitably have to fight off waves of monsters that were waiting for us.

Running away wasn't an option, as there was nowhere to go, and if we turned our backs on the enemy we would immediately be destroyed. We had no choice but to fight.

The place was enjoyable in terms of the difficulty of the individual monsters encountered. Each monster was quite strong but not overwhelmingly so.

The strength of the demons that this dungeon could provide was equal to that of a [Demigod] class dungeon boss. However, the difficulty arose as they would be attacking in groups.

Ed; this paragraph was a headache I think I grasped the meaning, if you think I'm way off and have a better translation please change it. ~MH

Fortunately, the [God] class monsters (of the Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain dungeon) were pretty small, and the size of their groups wasn't too big. And even if we encountered a large group, our party contained more than a few fighters.

In this place, the individual field bosses were much stronger than the mobs of monsters, but overcoming them through our sheer numbers was easy.

In fact, at this level, Minokichi or Kanami could come here and defeat monsters quite comfortably.

I found that this was much easier than when I conquered the underground [Demigod] Rank dungeon.

There were some problems, but there wasn't any serious injuries.

Nonetheless, the numbers of monsters was extremely large.

We fought battle after battle without rest, and with the accumulated fatigue, the motions of my friends became much slower.

Of course, we were being treated by Seiji, and he relieved us of our fatigue, but removing it was no simple task.

This started to exhaust us, and there was also some damage to our equipment.

It wasn't damaged to such a degree that it would break, but our reactions had became slower and large amounts of scars have been carved into the armor.

Although there was a lot of damage, our frequent maintenance ensured that nothing was destroyed. Just in case of an emergency, we should be more careful in the future.

As we continued up the slope we found a small den in the evening. I summoned a [Black Taurus Demon Lord] and made him guard the entrance. With that, we could spend the night without any problems. However, tomorrow is the battle with the boss of the dungeon.

Thus, for the sake of tomorrow's battle, today we will prepare and rest.

The results of today's synthesis:

[Giant King's Supreme Strike] + [Giant's Iron Hammer] + [Armor Collapse] + [Overkill] + [Surging Destructive Fists of Flesh Crushing] + [ Pressurized Thunder Cannon] = [Divine Destruction of the Black Demon]

[Illogical Adamantine Strength] + [Berserker Mode] + [Heightened Stamina] + [Body of Giant Elephant] + [Herculean Strength] + [Rhinoceros Bone Body Armor] = [Renovate Tyrannical Power of the Black Demon]

[Pyrokinesis] + [Hydro Hand] + [Electromaster] + [Aero Master] + [Earth Control] + [Plant Control] + [Photon Ruler] + [Gravity Law] + [Elemental (Spirit User)] = [All Creation]

[Echoing Arms of the Thunderstorm] + [Bright Red Arms of Boiling] = [Bright Arms of the Thunderstorm]

[Unhealing Cursed Wound] + [Curse Flame] = [Sizzling Cursed Wounds]

[Improved Digestion] + [The Swallow of Great Whale] = [The Ingestion of Giant Whale]

--

Day 243

After resting, our group was in an excellent state. Most of our mental and physical fatigue was gone, our mana was replenished, and my comrades were eager for battle.

We were ready for the forthcoming battle with the boss that was undoubtedly going to be difficult.

We checked the state of everyone in the group and examined all of our equipment.

We repaired even the smallest damage to make sure we didn't lose because of it. We were fortunate that the main damage we sustained were small holes in our clothes.

After checking over everything several times, we had breakfast as usual. After finishing his mission of protecting us, the [Black Taurus Demon Lord] was served as breakfast with vegetables and rice that we had gathered in the maze. We ate for longer than usual to enjoy its taste.

The breakfast took place in silence. We all understood that, depending on how this battle plays out, one or more of us could die. Naturally, we're not going to lose, but this could be our final meal together.

Knowing this, our faces were filled with determination.

What lay ahead of us was not just the strongest monster here, but the original source of all the power in this place, a being that was on a higher level of existence than us.

Thinking about our overall safety, the right option would be to retreat here.

By now, we had had achieved a good result, and there was no need to take a risk which had such a high chance of death.

Besides this dungeon, there are still many places where you can gain power and then come back with confidence.

But that wasn't our style, and there was not even one mention of turning back.

Besides, did any one of us even know how to return back from here?

Probably not. All those that were gathered here were fools for not thinking about that earlier.

Having finished a long breakfast with a little break, we proceeded to the top.

The end of the spiral mountain road was 100 meters from the caves, but there were no monsters in sight.

At the end of the long path was the volcano crater, looking like the entrance to hell. We were so close to the lava that it would be hard to get any closer without starting to burn.

If you were unfortunate enough to fall down you wouldn't even reach the bottom. Long before that you would burn up and be turned into ash.

Despite drinking the [Cooling Liquid] and wrapping themselves in heat-resisting cloth, the skin of Kanami-chan and the others slowly began to roast.

At the center of the crater, there was a huge lump of iron floating in the air. As it was flat and round, with a diameter of up to several hundred meters, it was a place suited for battle. It looked like someone had prepared a God's Arena.

Several blocks of steel led to the arena, but the boss was nowhere to be seen.

From what I could tell, stepping onto it would cause the path to it to immediately disappear. This would be followed by the appearance of the dungeon boss in the center.

That is, the identity of the boss would only be revealed after we stepped onto the arena. But once that happened there would be no turning back.

All this was well understood, and we exchanged glances and nodded silently.

So the decision was made and we set foot onto the floating chunk of iron.

Hovering on a fiery abyss, was the arena on which we were going to put our lives on the line.

Truly a suitable place for the boss of the dungeon.

On the way to the arena, as expected, the lumps of metal immediately fell straight into the abyss.

A few seconds later, after we were on the scene, all of them were gone. The place was shook by a deafening roar so powerful, it seemed the world was about to crumble.

This roar, not just imposed for all to hear, had various bad effects - in the worst case it could even kill.

After that first attack, I used [Phased Array Radar] and [Sense Area], feeling a huge living being directly above us in the volcanic crater.

Looking at the black clouds, I saw a scarlet coloured flying object.

With folded wings, he dived into the arena. When he was almost at the surface, he spread his broad wings to significantly soften the blow of the landing.

The wind generated by this sudden deceleration was immense. Seiji-kun and Kugime-chan almost flew off the arena.

It was still not fully able to reduce the momentum of the fall, resulting in a very strong impact. I thought that he was going to flip over the entire arena.

Fortunately the shaking did not last long, and when it stabilized, a few dozen meters from us stood the creature that we had come to slay.

The creature that had fallen from the sky was a huge scarlet [Wisdom Dragon].

The official name of this place was Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain, so it should have been expected. I really did not want to be surprised after meeting a dragon here.

The length of its body, which exceeded 100 meters, was flawlessly covered with beautiful scarlet scales. The membranes on the wings looked like they were made out of steel, and his muscled legs easily supported a body that weighed several tens of tons. Overflowing with energy, these same legs ended in huge claws, which were not inferior to demonic swords.

((Note: Changed Purple to Scarlet. Scarlet is red. Royal purple is actually red. Crimson is red. It should be a RED dragon, and it is what you would expect from a dragon that lives in a freaking volcano. And the claws looks severe, not brutal.))

Behind his back were wings that easily exceeded 200 meters in length.

From his neck, which was as thick as his body, there was a head resembling a cross between lizard and a crocodile.

He curiously studied us with his 9 golden dragon eyes.

From his huge jaws, capable of swallowing a whole house and armed with sharp white teeth, came a burst of dragon flames.

It was a titanic sentient being, with a gaze able to rob foes of their fighting spirit.

And now that gaze was set upon us.

"Well done for getting here, to the final test. My name is [Ignatos], proud heir of the [Dragon Emperor Red Flame], [Scarlet Dragon Emperor]. Under the oath between me and my wife and God, I stand here as the owner of the mountain."

"If you don't want to be wiped out by my fire, you can try to take my life. I am putting my life on the line, so I'll fight you with my full strength."

He made his statement in a deep, resonating voice.

Originally, dragons, on par with the giants, were the most powerful race in the world.

And even among others this eye-catching scarlet Dragon Emperor was equivalent in power to natural disasters. He was indeed was the ruler of [Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain].

Standing before the Emperor of Red Dragons, and influenced by only one thing, Kanami-chan and the company swallowed their saliva, tightening their grip on their weapons.

Note:(This was originally "tightened their arms" but I didn't think it literally meant their arms)

We fully understood the wonder of this creature, but right now we were preoccupied with other thoughts.

How would his thick legs taste? If we were able to split his thick skull and eat its contents, would we still experience the same pleasure? If I absorbed his inner power, how strong would it be?

If we were to snatch his heart and fry it, what would it smell like? And how many days would it take us to gobble up such a behemoth???

Thinking only of this, we looked at the [Scarlet Dragon Emperor] as a rare and super high quality ingredient.

Faced with this unprecedented attitude towards himself, the [Emperor of Red Dragons] looked on with discontentment. Well, who cares?

Now, we only wanted to catch the scarlet dragon. This was the most delicious of all the ingredients that had been shown before us!!!

We would eagerly devour the flesh of the [Scarlet Dragon Emperor]!!!

Thus, for the sake of satisfying our appetite, we started to hunt the dragon.

--

Day 244

Honestly, we didn't consider the risks. Just why did we have to prioritize our appetite first?

There are no regrets though, so we'll just have to be careful. As much as possible, I'd like to stick with it till the end.

The battle against the Crimson Dragon Emperor had been going on since yesterday. But on today's morning, we're finally about to finish.

It was terrifying. After all, the Crimson Dragon Emperor was ridiculously strong. The damage we sustained was enormous.

Us 9 demons continued to fight until today. However it was only Minokichi-kun, who boasts a strong body,Kanami-chan, who was acting efficiently in the back, and me, who still has some hidden trump cards, that were still able to fight.

Thankfully no one died. The other six demons wouldn't be moving for a while due to their current conditions.

First up, Burasato-san had attacked at close range with great intensity.

Thanks to her experience and skill, she was able to crack through the tough dragon scales with her sword techniques, managing to damage the thick dragon shells. By combining her abilities, she was able to deeply cut the flesh underneath, causing the dragon to steadily accumulate damage.

While in the middle of the battle, Burasato was somehow able to dominate the purple dragon blood by force.

The Crimson Dragon Emperor's blood contained a large amount of dissolved magic, turning it into a dangerous substance that can cause one to die from madness if they came into contact with it.

Even though she is a Blood Lord Subspecies specialized in controlling and using blood as a weapon, what she did was definitely not an easy task.

It was a reckless move, something that a normal Blood Lord wouldn't even think of in the first place. Even if they were able to control it, using it would only result in death.

However, Burasato took things slowly and carefully, making it possible.

All of the draconic blood controlled by her converged into a giant sword-like weapon.

After that, she swung it with all her might in combination with her Sword Techniques.

The length of the dragon blood sword was nearly dozens of meters and yet despite that, the speed at which it was swung was almost impossible to see. The attack succeeded in cutting the roots of the two pairs of wings that grew on the back of the Dragon Emperor.

Draconic blood has the capability to inhibit one's abilities, and with Burasato managing to take control of the blood, the Crimson Dragon Emperor seemed to be affected by his own blood as well.

With its regeneration slowed down and having lost its means of escaping to the sky, the enemy was now inevitably locked in combat.

Although it was a magnificent result, the price to pay for using dragon blood was heavy.

Although Burasato had only wielded it momentarily, she began vomiting blood repeatedly and her whole body became dyed in red. Beneath her armor, her skin and muscles were being torn apart.

As such, her body was in tatters. It was the price to pay for doing something so reckless. Still, her willpower kept her fighting while she was being healed.

After reaching her limits, Burasato went to the rear to the recover and drank several recovery potions. Even if one was at their limits, with several potions ingested for recovery, they would be able to recover.

After her came Supesei-san. She dealt a staggering blow to the Crimson Dragon Emperor thanks to the magic that she was able to prepare, using the time given by our vanguard.

Regrettably, the Crimson Dragon Emperor had the skill [Flame Nullification] and as a result, Supesei's powerful Fire Magic had no effect. Still, she made full use of her wide variety of magic by combining them together, playing an active role in many occasions.

Since she was fighting from the back, she did not suffer any severe physical injuries. However, due to the consecutive use of high-powered magic, her once enormous magic power was now depleted.

The side effects were quite strong but thanks to a last minute [Mana Vitamin] and [Concentrated Mana Potion], she didn't suffer from magic deficiency. Although if she had acted a little more recklessly, she would have lost consciousness.

Right now, she was lying down besides Burasato, waiting until her magic power naturally recovered slightly.

In order to protect those in the back from the Crimson Dragon Emperor's flames, Asue-chan had brought out a conveniently sized lump of heat absorbing metal and held it with all of her might. The lump of metal was something I had collected back in the large river.

Although it cannot completely stop the Dragon's flames, it was still able to absorb most of the attack and protect those in back.

However, after ten minutes of resisting, the lump of metal could no longer endure the heat and resulted in severe burns on Asue's arms and legs.

It was only due to her equipment and Seiji-kun's treatment that her limbs were not fully burnt. Nonetheless, the burns on her limbs were still quite severe.

In addition to that, her endurance had reached its limit due to the intense movements she had undertook. Right now, she was lying down and recovering in the same manner as Supesei.

As for Seiji and Kugime, since their bodies were not physically fit, they had passed out from magic deficiency.

Because Seiji pushed himself to the limit in healing everyone, he had eventually run out of magic power.

Among us 9 demons, only Seiji and I can heal others. But, because I was busy dealing with the dragon, it was all up to him to perform the necessary medical treatment on the others.

As a Saint Lord subspecies, Seiji has the capability to heal everyone. He has never had any problems. That was up til now.

While I did help out, it was only a bit in order to close the gap. Seiji-kun had to use his abilities beyond conventional limits.

Even if he was vomiting blood, he probably would've continued healing everybody. If it weren't for him, someone probably would have died.

As a result, he started suffering from magic deficiency. Right now, he's sleeping peacefully with the others. Once he gets up, I intend to praise him for his great efforts.

Kugime-chan observed the whole body of the Crimson Dragon Emperor. Every time she foresaw an attack, she would inform everyone about it. At this particular time, she was looking for the very few weak points that were common to all of Dragon kind.

There was only one weak point in the scales of the dragon's body; the part known as the[Dragon's Reverse Scale].

Naturally, there are probably countless number of scales covering that part but looking for another weakness right now was impossible.

Besides, the Dragon was spewing out a lot of magical power which hampered Kugime-chan's perception.

You'd need the same amount of magical power to cancel the effect. Though Kugime-chan managed to do it somehow, she started to bleed from her eyes and nose due to the extreme strain it caused on her brain. Still, she managed to find the weak spot.

However, due to this, Kugime-chan ended up with Magic Deficiency. Although thanks to her, it was now possible to find and attack the [Dragon's Reverse Scale]. She did great.

As for Irofu-chan, she kept the dragon from flying.

She played an active part by using her corrosive attack while hiding herself behind everyone else.

Unfortunately, when Burasato cut off the wings, Irofu was caught by an attack from the tail of the Crimson Dragon Emperor. As a result, she got blown away by the impact.

Although she managed to escape the fate of being fully crushed, she still suffered grave injuries, her lower half having been turned to mush.

I quickly treated her with my [Blood Elixir] though she didn't regain consciousness. For now, I rolled her close to Supesei while healing her.

Among everyone, Irofu had the most severe injuries. Well, she did mumble the words 『Overwhelming pathos…… a handsome man and a wild beast…… dripping with sweat as their flesh clash……』 , so it was unlikely that she would die.

Irofu-chan; she probably wouldn't die even if someone tried to kill her.

With the current condition of six Demons, only us 3 Demons were left standing up against the Crimson Dragon Emperor.

As the dragon was stuck to the ground, his strength had been reduced to approximately a quarter of what it had been at the start.

The accumulated damage on his beautiful scales was visible and most of his strong limbs had been severed. His four wings are already gone, half being severed by Burasato-san's blood sword and the other by me and Minokichi-kun. Right now, the severed parts were lying around somewhere nearby.

Some of his huge internal organs had already spilled out from the numerous injuries surrounding his body, having been pushed out by flowing blood.

He was still alive even in this state. The Crimson Dragon Emperor was truly really strong.

It doesn't matter. It wouldn't change the fact that he will die soon.

With the Starving Impaler of A Thousand Thorn (Kazıklı Bey), I pierced the reverse scale located on his throats. Half of my spear's handle was buried in his throat in the process.

Pulling it out, I then followed by thrusting the vermilion spear towards the golden eye located in the middle of the dragon's forehead.

I then triggered the spear's special ability, [Army of the Bloody Vermilion Spear], annihilating the dragon's brain and other internal organs.

However, even though most of his brain had been destroyed, the Crimson Dragon Emperor did not die. Rather than dying, he even tried to bite me.

- This kind of vitality, isn't it ridiculous!?

Not wanting another counter attack, I activated [Unhealing Cursed Wound].

With this, even [Flame Nullification] would not be able to stop the Abnormal Conditions (Bad Status).

Even if it only impairs his regenerative ability a little, he would still surely die.

As expected, what life was left in the Crimson Dragon Emperor disappeared from his eyes.

With this, I guess we've finally captured [Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain].

[Field Boss ［Crimson Dragon Emperor - "Fleyv Ignatus"］ has been successfully subjugated]

[As a bonus for being the first to subjugate, the treasure chest [Crimson Emperor's Tomb] will be given]

…… Huh. Apparently, there's still more.

Hearing such a shocking announcement, I couldn't help but feel exhausted. While contemplating the announcement, I quickly collected the treasure chest and the body of the Crimson Dragon Emperor.

After that, the missing ladder reappeared.

It seems like we can finally leave the arena.

Soon, there was a new spiral path leading to the bottom of the crater.

The wall of rocks in the crater changed to accommodate the new path. It was also possible to go back to the dungeon entrance by flying or by going through the floating mass of metal located on the opposite side.

In addition, I sensed several creatures flying from the bottom of the crater.

According to [Phased Radar Array] and [Sense Area], there were 6 of them.

Moreover, there was a unique reaction that made it seem like their bodies had just been created.

If I were to guess, it looks like the dungeon boss who created them was waiting at the bottom of the crater.

Moreover, the opponents are troublesome when I think about it. The 6 flew up with great vigor from the bottom up towards the arena, showing their true appearance.

Three "Heat Dragons", two "Fire Dragons", and one "Flame Dragon". However, they felt more like a single entity.

The length of the Heat Dragons were around 15 meters, the Fire Dragons around 20 meters, and the Flame Dragon around 30 meters long. After having fought against the Crimson Dragon Emperor, they might look small when compared to him but they're still huge.

By the way, it is said that a normal Heat Dragon is capable of fighting against a Fomorian.

Normally, it's not something I would consider as an enemy. However, taking into account the benefits it receives from the dungeon and the geographical advantage, it's now a formidable opponent.

Including the Fire Dragons which are higher-ranked Heat Dragons, and also the Flame Dragon which is even more powerful, we cannot fight them carelessly.

While I started planning, the six dragons remained hovering dozens of meters above us.

Together, they simultaneously used their [Dragon Breath].

Their dragon breath mixed into one seamlessly, significantly raising the heat.

Just one breath was already strong and now there were six of them combined.

If I were to try and endure the attack with my [Resistance], I would be overwhelmed by the heat.

If it hits the arena, it would instantly cover the entire place with crimson flames.

Not holding back at all, I used [All Creation] on the descending breath, compressing it as it approached. I thought it would be harder but compressing it was easier than expected.

Even though the fire ball was made by six dragons, it couldn't be compared to that of the Crimson Dragon Emperor.

Though it's certainly strong, the power is still not to that extent.

The once huge fire ball had been reduced to one meter in size. While it continued to burn, I still kept on compressing it.

I wonder what would happen if I used [Greater Compression] on it? I tried it out.

As a result, the breath became thumb-sized and resembled a precious gem that was shining brightly.

Putting that aside, the dragons were left dumbfounded after seeing such a spectacle.

Having obtained this Flame Gem, I ate it with the help of [Absorb Magic].

After doing so, I felt satisfied. It was the unique feeling of something which had been lost being replenished.

To be frank, it wasn't delicious since there was/it had no taste. Still, a fireball made from the magic of six dragons was more than enough to recover my own power.

I felt relieved for managing to absorb the magic power of the dragon's breath. Knowing this however, I couldn't help but think that I should've done this from the start. Well, I'll just keep that tidbit to myself.

Meanwhile, the dragons were now descending straight towards me. They probably thought that their breath was useless against me.

And it looked like they had decided to kill me up close and personal. With their eyes set on me, they roared fiercely and bared their sharp fangs.

Anyways, fighting them head on would just exhaust me. Instead, I used [All Creation] to increase the gravity around them by a factor of ten.

Unable to withstand the burden, the dragons crashed onto the arena one by one.

The impact was terrific, managing to tear and rip through their tough dragon scales. I guess I could say that their posture during their fall was bad? There was even one which had all of the bones in its thick limbs broken.

Though the pain angered them, they couldn't move at all due to the powerful force weighing them down.

They writhed painfully as they continued to endure the force.

I approached the dragons while keeping my guard up. With my vermillion spear, I stabbed each dragon once and gouged their hearts out.

After doing so, I then collected all the corpses.

For managing to obtain a large amount of Dragon ingredients, I am thankful.

However, even though I've already defeated the dragons, there were more coming up.

This time, I could perceive 12 of them, twice as many as before.

Even if it's that much, I think I can still deal with them no matter what.

However, there were six demons that couldn't move and if I tried to protect them at the same time, the fight could become very tough.

Even if they were to advance or pull back, there were still a lot of risks.

Besides, even though Minokichi-kun and Kanami-chan can still move, they can't fight at full strength. Even with a Gods [Divine Protection], even if their minds and bodies had been toughened by daily training, as a species, there surely exists a physical limit.

Having just finished the fight against the Crimson Dragon Emperor, the two would likely reach their limits if they attempted to fight the dragons without any rest.

In this case, I was the only demon who could still fight.

Still, I don't know if even [Summon Archfiend] can keep them safe and if possible, I don't want such a disadvantageous situation to appear.

In this situation, wouldn't we get eaten by the dragons? Or maybe we would just be burnt down to the ground and turned into ash.

I'd want to avoid that at all costs.

There are others waiting for us to return and I still want to do some more things.

In that case, I can only propose an absurd plan.

First, I will have Minokichi-kun and Kanami-chan protect the six demons in the arena.

Meanwhile, I will head down to the bottom of the crater and reduce the number of dragons so that the two could handle them. After doing so, I will go and defeat the Dungeon Boss by myself.

By doing so, the capture can be completed and I can return without any regrets. It's something that can't even be called a plan.

When I told them, they complained about it but… well, there's no other choice.

Because it's a plan mixed with my own interests, I just listened to their complaints.

For some reason, unrelated complains were mixed in as well though I just set those aside.

After hearing out their words, I carried out my plan.

As for them, they said something like 『Well… Since its Aporou, there's no helping it.』 before letting me go.

It was probably the result of the trust that I have built from them since the beginning. They most likely believed that I would be able to carry out this absurd plan.

Entrusting them with the rest, I jumped off the arena.

Minokichi-kun blamed himself for his weakness and injuries, but was determined to succeed in his goal of protecting the other six demons.

Although she worried about my safe return, Kanami-chan waved goodbye with a beautiful smile that would have charmed anyone looking at her.

"Well then, I'm going, I leave the rest to you."

Holding onto a red spear and cursed spear, Aporou, the black demon Apostle Lord, jumped off the arena. As Aporou began to fall, a tremendous amount of pressurised hot air blew past him. He had avoided the normal route which was the spiral path along the walls of the crater. As a result, he approached his destination extremely quickly.

Because of the speed of the fall, the temperature change was immediate, and very soon the heat reached a point where the fireproof outfit in which he was dressed reached its limit.

The magic items, which had cost a lot of money and up till this time had performed their duties properly, disintegrated in less than 10 seconds from the beginning of the fall.

The heat did not weaken, but only intensified, and it began to disintegrate the armor that protected his upper body, leaving him in his pants alone, which were now his only armor.

Fortunately, having [Iolite Liquid], [Refractory Mucus Secretion] and [Complete Fire Resistance], he was not in any real danger.

The fall was only safe because he was Aporou, and so the heat was still easy to deal with. Anyone else in his place would have turned into ashes long ago.

Below the arena, there was only a blazing inferno.

But in these flames of hell there were still monsters.

These monsters were dragons, long known as one of the mightiest species. Covered with bright red scales, and possessing a huge body, they carried destruction with them.

They approached in a group of twelve.  6 [Red Dragons]  4 [Flaming dragons]  2 [Purple dragons]

If the dragons were to attack outside of the dungeon, they held enough power to easily destroy a large kingdom.

The 12 Dragons looked down on the defenseless demon who was seemingly taunting them.

Unlike the wyverns, dragons have sharp intelligence.

To them, it appeared that he had decided to commit suicide by jumping off the arena.

And even if this wasn't the case, a demon capable of flight, in the eyes of dragons, looked pretty pathetic.

To them, he was seemingly bringing himself on a platter for lunch.

The manner in which he wanted to commit suicide also seemed stupid. And so the dragons thought, who knew nothing about Aporou.

However, they had to obey the orders of Ardour Mother Empress Dragon, "Mustaria Ignatos" and kill the intruder at any cost. Using the magical power contained in their throats, they directed their flames towards Aporou.

All at once, the twelve of them opened fire.

The sight of it was like a volcanic eruption, and it seemed like anything within attack range would be turned into ashes. If such an attack hit directly, then perhaps even Aporou would not survive.

However, that was before he had evolved. Instead, Aporou just smiled wickedly.

If a lizard has just learned how to fly, tell it not to be conceited.

"On the road"

[[[Rou|Aporou]] used combat art [Multiple Lightning Cross]]

[[[Rou|Aporou]] used combat art [Killer Breath]]

Due to the profession [Holy Knight (Crusader)], he was able to use [Crusades Attack]. Even without [Groin Attacks] and [Multiple Lightning Cross], it still has great damage. It had a large radius of destruction, and thus was an excellent fighting art.

In addition, Aporou had the ability [Grand Cross Smash], adding a bonus to the attack and further increasing attack power. It was enough to punch their breath. As well as this, he held the profession [Dragon Slayer] and combat art [Killer Breath].

As the name states, this combat technique was very effective against breath attacks.

Aporou performed just two fighting techniques with his spears, but in the next instant the area in front of him was covered in red flashes. The space in front of him exploded with large amounts of cuts and strikes.

The flames, previously on course at Aporou, were cut into 4 pieces as easily as paper.

However, although the flames had been split into parts, they had not yet lost all of their power. As such, the attack was not completely prevented.

Luckily, the cuts resulted in the flames splitting around Aporou and escaping upwards towards the sky, leaving him unharmed.

They rose hundreds of meters with a terrible roar, and finally dissipated near the top.

This slightly surprised Minokichi-kun and the other demons at the top, but they were unharmed as it did not quite reach them.

The first attack of the dragons was a complete failure.

As such, the dragons were stunned to see Aporou unharmed from their attack.

Even after witnessing his response, they could still not comprehend how such an action was possible. Because of their confusion, their next response was even slower than that of the wyverns.

Laughing at the dragons, Aporou activated the [Death Dealing Roar (Desperado)] and used [All Creation] so that anyone apart from the dragons wouldn't be harmed.

"Die."

The short phrase had enough strength to instantly kill 6 of the red dragons.

With all of their life force drained out of them, their enormous bodies crashed to the ground.

The rest of the dragons which had survived, the flaming dragons and purple dragons, did not die. However, it could not be said that they had escaped the attack unharmed.

The flaming dragons had become dull in their movements and their speed had visibly decreased.

They beat their wings desperately while trying to maintain their flight, releasing huge amounts of energy.

They could not understand what was happening to them.

The strongest of the three types, the purple dragons, only slowed down slightly.

Realising that part of their group had perished, the dragons recovered from the attack and glared at Aporou angrily.

The Dragons then focused on him with magical power burning in their eyes.

Usually, living organisms would be rendered helpless under the concentrated power of such a gaze, and some may have even died.

For dragons, this common method of attack allowed them to suppress the opponent's attacks and allow an easy victory.

If they had used it against any normal opponent, it would have been quite effective.

Unfortunately, it was the wrong move to make as the opponent they faced easily surpassed the classification of 'normal'.

And so, throwing their evil glances at him, the dragons stared straight into the eyes of Aporou.

He responded by activating [Deadly Evil Eye], and immediately the predator became the prey.

The dragons could have eventually recovered from the negative effects of [Deadly Evil Eye], but they were still under the influence of [Death-Dealing Roar (Desperado)]. Thus the effect of the attack was multiplied and the power was significantly increased.

Almost immediately, the 4 flaming dragons stopped beating their wings and fell into the fiery abyss.

As things stood, 10 of the 12 had already lost their lives without much of a fight.

The scene was not something that the average person could fathom, but even for [The Legendary Hero], it looked quite unreal.

The remaining dragons were a superior species than the others.

Although they had been reduced to a weaker state by their injuries, pride allowed them to roar and with bloodshot eyes they flew at him as though he was their sworn enemy.

"Gaaooooooo!!!"

In response to this, Aporou grinned ferociously.

He looked as though he had been waiting for a good catch of catfish which had just ran straight into him.

"Shii??"

Transparent black wings grew behind Aporou through his [Elytron Generation] and rapidly beat the air. The power of the wings sent strong waves of air away from him.

The distance between him and the purple dragons seemed to instantly disappear as he flew forward. [Aporou used combat art [Headhunting]

His Job [Vorpal Punisher] and Battle art [Headhunting] made both his red and cursed spears coordinate in the timing of their attack.

Two sets of red flashes later, the heads of the purple dragons were cleanly cut off.

The power of the blow was such that the durable dragon scales provided no resistance, easily cutting through the flesh.

The severed heads of the purple dragons retained their life for just a second, enough for Aporou to see his victorious reflection in their eyes.

"Beautiful, the blood of this purple dragon."

He tore off the necks vigorously, ejecting a huge fountain of blood. Since it didn't evaporate from the heat, he poured it all over his own body.

Since dragon blood was high in magical potency, spilling it on oneself in such a quantity was quite dangerous. An ordinary person would immediately begin to collapse in agony from the pain, and it would not be surprising if their whole body began to disintegrate.

"Oh, this thing is better than I thought. It doesn't feel that bad".

Indeed, the blood served the opposite effect on Aporou, and strengthened him instead of inflicting any harm.

After activating [Bloodsucking Vampire], the fresh purple dragon blood further replenished Aporou's strength.

He then retained his self-control, and the blood on his whole body gradually evaporated. He quickly collected the bodies of 12 dragons, and began to hurry downwards towards what he was sure was certain hell.

During his flight, Aporou encountered three waves of ferocious dragons. The number of dragons increased as well as the quality of their attacks. Soon, the fighting had increased in difficulty and he could no longer kill them instantly.

Enough time had passed since he had left and there could soon be an attack on Kanami-chan and the other demons. Now that he considered how long he had been flying, it was likely that the battle had re-begun in the arena.

He was not really worried about their ability, but rather if they were able to recover in the time that he had bought them. However, he was now approaching the bottom of the volcano and had no time to be distracted by someone else's battle.

"This…truly, it is huge".

He saw lava that glowed like the sun, and in it floated an enormous mass of metal, the "final arena."

The temperature here was so intense that his internal organs began to bake from the heat. Here, at the bottom of hell, one dragon waited for Aporou.

This dragon was quite similar to the one that the 9 demons had just beaten.

It was probably of the same race or a close relative species.

This one differed from the Crimson Dragon Emperor in that it had two pairs of huge arms instead of wings on its back, and 10 horns shaped like a crown protruded from its head. The shape of the dragon was also slightly different.

But these differences can be attributed to the gender and individual characteristics of members of the race.

Aporou was not surprised because he did not even care.

But what surprised Aporou was the fact that, for some reason, this dragon was even stronger than the Crimson Dragon Emperor.

The lower part of the dragon was not even in the final stage as it was submerged under lava, and its body lay in a cave carved into the wall of the crater.

Although it was not entirely visible, Aporou could sense its size using [Sense Area]. Its total length was longer than the Crimson Dragon Emperor's body by at least 150 meters, and if its hands were to be held apart, its wingspan would have been more than 300 meters.

As such, its other body parts were also huge in scale.

In front of this massive dragon, Aporou looked like an ant compared to an elephant.

In addition to the huge body, its aura was overwhelming due to the magical power it possessed.

Its power made you feel like you would disappear if its gaze was directed upon you.

If the opponent facing the dragon did not have a strong will like Aporou, he would die with fear on the spot.

The huge dragon looked at the intruder into its lair, and opened up a mouth which could have easily engulfed a building.

"Congratulations, you managed to defeat my brother; and to get here, you are quite worthy." "I am [Musutaria = Ignatos], direct descendant of the proud [Red Flame Dragon Emperor Doragon)], according to the contract with [The God of Rebirth] I defend [Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain]."

The voice of the Dragon Empress was shockingly beautiful.

It was produced at an extraordinary volume and surprisingly said with a hint of affection, lightly shaking the surroundings.

Aporou was confused because he had expected the empress to be furious after the death of the Crimson Dragon Emperor.

"Before we fight, I'd like to thank you."

"Why? I have killed your husband".

The empress bowed her head slightly, and the surprising action puzzled Aporou once again. However, it didn't seem to be a threatening gesture.

"I do not care so much about that. You are the first person to have reached this far. Thousands of challengers have attempted to do so, but none apart from you succeeded. So I thank you for succeeding, and finally bringing a change to my never-ending stagnation in this place".

After ending her speech, the fiery Dragon Empress opened her mouth wide. Inside her mouth, which was strewn with huge fangs, an incredible amount of magical power began to accumulate and compress. Under the compression, the mana began to distort space, and the air took on a unreal and strange appearance.

Looking at this, chills ran through Aporou's body.

He had a premonition of certain death.

If he did not move instantly, he would die.

And even if he did try to escape, his death was still extremely likely.

Using [Sense Area], he grasped the unimaginable scale of the attack. Even if he used [Emergency Escape], he could still not avoid the range of the attack.

Thus, Aporou realised that an unavoidable, fatal attack was about to be released right at him.

"To start …"

"Kaa ……"

Instantly, Aporou leapt into action, setting up his defense while the Dragon Empress prepared to attack.

Using [All Creation], he created countless layers of vacuums by influencing gravity. It acted almost like a black hole.

The power of the field was enough to distort light, and slightly attract any organisms towards it. If an organism was to get too close to it, they would be ripped to shreds.

Aporou had to resort to using such a formidable attack as part of his defense. With its help, he was also able to attract a huge mass of metal which was floating in the lava beyond the final stage. The size of it was huge, easily weighing several hundred tons.

However, it would just float around if it wasn't held in place. Using the ability of his red spears, he replicated several hundred copies and forcibly secured the lump of metal onto the final stage.

Although some of the metal's ability to resist attack fell due to being drilled into by the spears, it was nonetheless quite indestructible to many strong attacks.

The remaining spears also formed a shield wall in front of Aporou.

The size and layers of his present defense were more than enough to prevent the attack of any enemy he had encountered previously. A normal attack would not even leave a scratch.

However, he still had a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be enough.

He turned his silver hand into a semi-circular shield to protect himself from the front, and equipped his armor which had the added attribute of the [Red Bear Beast King's Prestige]. As a result, his fire resistance increased drastically.

For extra measure, he enhanced his body with the [Black Demon Laminated Dragon Scale Armor]. This also led to a boost in his current armor and it started to cover him in a black aura due to the [Black Undead Knight's Cloth].

To increase the defense of his silver arm he activated the profession [Shielder] and [Shield Wall] [Lesser Physical and Magical Damage Reduction], which also resisted against magical attacks.

He then sacrificed most of his mobility for added defense through [Endurance]. The effect would activate for a short time while he defended. However, it would switch back after the Dragon Empress' attack, allowing him to go on the offense.

Even with all of this, Aporou did not think his defense was perfect. However, it was the best he could do in the short time period before the Dragon Empress' attack.

The Empress released her blistering attack, the [Breathing Flame End], which could not be controlled upon release as it was too powerful.

The entire arena exploded with a storm of white flames, reaching Aporou instantly. "……"

The resulting impact battered Aporou, and he struggled to maintain his balance. His teeth began to crack, but he paid no attention to them.

The lightning fast attack was so incredibly hot that it evaporated everything it touched.

The dense layer of vacuums managed to take away some of its momentum, but the sheer force of the attack pushed it through.

The huge mass of metal held for 10 seconds before it too was consumed.

Amazingly, the heat surpassed the absorption limit of the metal, and it began to distort in shape.

This caused a small gap in the mass of metal. The small hole was enough for the flames to burst through, and consume the metal from the inside out.

Aporou's barrier of spears also met the same fate.

Having smashed through his first three layers of defense with only a small loss in power, the flames reached Aporou's silver shield. Such an item was nigh indestructible, and yet the flames still surpassed the amount of heat it could absorb.

Even though the Empress was a servant of the divine, she could not completely destroy the silver hand. While it did not disintegrate, it was warped terribly out of shape, not managing to stop the attack either.

The white flame then reached the black aura that covered his armor.

Although his armor had been reinforced with a plethora of abilities and it provided some resistance, it couldn't suppress the attack completely.

The aura scattered, and then the armor began to melt. The flames met the ability-enhanced skin of Aporou.

Although he had always imbued his skin with large amounts of abilities, it still wasn't enough, and the flames finally overcame his last layer of defense.

The strong smell of burning flesh permeated the air.

The flames had been reduced to a fraction of their original power by the combined might of his defense, but even so Aporou was left barely hanging on to his life.

Somehow managing to make one last effort, he activated [Hyper Speed Regeneration].

And so began the endless process of destruction and regeneration. He knew that if he lost focus for even one second then he was dead.

The flames brutally attacked both his body and his mind, and he almost didn't manage to pull through.

Luckily for him, everything had a beginning and an end.

"… Uuoooaaaaa!!"

The roar from Aporou could finally be heard as the effects of the attack wore off.

Flames that could have easily melted a kingdom were eventually reduced to a more bearable heat. The direct attack was over after Aporou managed to outlast the deadly flames. He managed to survive, just barely.

Afterwards, he collapsed onto one knee. His breathing was ragged and heavy, and his shoulders shook badly. His body smelt of burnt meat.

"Ooooh! I'm glad you managed to survive that! That was excellent!".

[Breathing Flame End] had melted most of the surface of the final stage and lava filled the surroundings. Breaking through the surroundings walls, it had reached the very [Border Circle].

Without the outer circle, the attack would have definitely left a scar on the face of the huge continent.

An attack like that would have traveled for days. All that came before it would have been vaporized. It would have left a lifeless desert of molten earth in its wake.

The Dragon Empress was awfully glad that Aporou had survived her attack.

"After being here forever, I even forgot how to hold back. Who would have thought an apostle lord would be able to suffer my attack and only collapse!! Although you carry the patronage of the great god."

"You can be proud of yourself, you can truly be proud of yourself! The one who took a direct hit from my breath and lived. From now on you will be known through legend!"

"As expected from the past tests, as expected from the chosen one of the supreme god."

The fiery Dragon Empress, having a lot of abilities, easily recognized the hidden divine favors in Aporou.

Before, no one had been able to ascertain Aporou's divine blessings.

Hearing this, Aporou thought it would become necessary to block the leakage of information in the future.

Just at this moment, Aporou replied to the fiery Dragon Empress.

"As expected, it was hard."

While he survived, the damage done to Aporou was not insignificant.

His armor, having suffered serious damage, was 70% destroyed and his body suffered from severe burns. Some parts of his body had become charred meat.

The living body armor may have survived, but the silver hand which took most of the damage was severely warped out of shape.

Aporou had made a priority of protecting the head and not the body. Inevitably, this resulted in his body not fully being protected by the living armor and the damage in those regions was very severe. In particular, everything below the elbow in his right arm was missing and the rest was charred to the bone.

Even with the incorporation of [Severe Pain Resistance], the pain violently attacked his body and brain.

Even after receiving such damage, Aporou restored his body with incredible speed and further reinforced his body.

Under the influence of [Elixir of Blood] and [Hyper Speed Regeneration], the burnt skin was restored and replaced with a new layer.

Nonetheless, the restoration of his lost right hand was difficult. He had to salvage an arm by taking out the meat of the Dragon Emperor from his item box, and absorb it with [Infused Liquid Restoration].

[Ultra-recovery] and further modifications enabled Aporou to enhance his physical state once again.

Several times stronger than before, Aporou pointed the cursed spear and red spear towards the fiery Dragon Empress.

Even after such an overwhelming attack, there was no despair in the eyes of Aporou.

In fact, they were filled with even more determination, focused on the fiery Dragon Empress.

"Oh, you're able to move already! I thought I would have to wait until you had recovered, but this is even better!"

"I really needed a battle like this to dispel the boredom I have felt for so many years".

Having said that, [Ardour Mother Empress Dragon] finally came out of her cave and stepped onto the final arena in her entirety.

This time, she attacked with one of her hands, which were located on her four dragon wings.

A huge hand with wide range and enhanced with long claws attacked extremely quickly despite its large size.

The impact was like a collision with a large truck at full speed. Aporou crossed the red and cursed spears to protect himself.

The blow was extremely fast and made a screeching sound upon contact with the spears, creating a bunch of dazzling sparks.

Aporou had superbly parried the lightning fast claws with his two spears.

To fend off such an attack without using combat techniques was an unheard level of skill for ordinary people.

"Oo! Even that attack was easy to fend off for you! What frightening skills you possess."

In the wake of the first strike, a second hand came swinging at him from the Dragon Empress.

It was much stronger and faster than the previous one, but it was also easily parried. Without a pause, it was followed by three, then four, then five attacks, merging into a continuous series of strokes.

Screeching noises were heard and sparks were scattered each time the opponents clashed, the impacts carving out pieces in the final arena.

"Guuu!"

Even Aporou was surprised that he was able to fend off this dance of fatal blows.

The Dragon Empress was 75 times larger than Aporou.

Even if it was easy to parry every attack, each blow could be fatal to the mosquito-like Aporou.

"Even at this level, you still avoid being harmed by my attacks? You still resist?" The final arena was painted several times by blood under this barrage of attacks, but Aporou was still alive.

That was because he had used a lot of abilities at the right times, and his reflexes had sharpened through the long time spent training in combat techniques.

As a result, he had no wasted movements and his attacks looked like a beautiful dance.

But even for Aporou, the Dragon Empress' constant attacks prevented any counterattack.

No victory could be attained only by parrying.

To win, going on the offensive was absolutely necessary, especially as precious time was slipping away.

"Even with this damaged body, you are trying so bravely. It is a very magnificent spectacle … And what kind of attack will be enough to break you, really …"

"My next move will be interesting, how will you deal with it?" [Sizzling Meteorite]

The Flame Dragon Empress raised her hands to the top of her wings, and with the help of her huge magical power, used a type of magic known only to Dragons.

She summoned a flaming meteor 65 meters in diameter which came crashing down on the final stage.

Coming under such an attack, even Aporou would be crushed. The attack, unlike the claws, came from the top and was much bigger, which made parrying impossible.

In order to get out of this dire situation, Aporou decided to use one of his hidden trump cards.

Ogre Orb Liberation

The mixture of black, red and golden colored Ogre Orbs embedded in his breast and on both elbows and knees simultaneously melted.

The substance completely enveloped Aporou's body.

The huge fiery meteorite was called forbidden magic [Dragon Magic: Sizzling Meteorite] and had the power to destroy a small country. It approached from the sky at a high speed and was aimed directly at Aporou.

Its majestic appearance looked like a sun was falling on the arena and it raised the temperature of the final stage even higher.

The Empress retreated to avoid the direct impact, and the meteorite crashed onto the final stage without any interference.

After that, everything was consumed by a sea of flames. The earth quaked from the titanic blow and the walls shook so hard that they began to crumble.

First there was a bright flash. It was not the type of flash that would blind you, but the type that incinerated everything.

Then, the sound wave came, louder than the roar of the dragon. The physical destruction was like the sound had the force of a hammer.

A moment later came the shock wave. Any living thing within the radius of impact would have turned to mush upon contact as it spread outwards in the final stage. Obliterating fragments scattered everywhere at high speed.

The destruction caused by the meteorite covered the entire arena. "Hmm. I overdid it a little again?"

The incredibly strong final arena had been partially destroyed by only one of the Dragon Empress' magic attacks.

The Empress had survived the destruction of the meteorite due to her dragon scales. The Flame Dragon Empress, who was bathed in flame, carefully looked around the arena.

But as a result of the impact, the area was still covered with flames and debris, and it was not surprising that she could not find her target.

However, that was unavoidable.

The area where Aporou had been standing had been destroyed, and torrents of lava and debris filled the spot. Rising plumes of smoke caused a thick fog which enveloped the arena.

It might have been different if there had been any sort of movement from him, but in this situation, even the dragon's eyes could not find him.

"Umm. I think he failed."

"As expected, it was too much. I should have at least found out his name."

After not finding Aporou or feeling more of his presence, the Flame Dragon Empress thought he was dead.

It could be felt that her face expressed disappointment, because although a dragon's emotions are rather difficult to understand, it was easy to judge by the tone of the voice.

After waiting a long, long time, she finally met the creature she had wanted to fight, and now regretted using such an overwhelming spell.

Suddenly, she noticed a shadow moving in the corner of her field of vision.

"Umm, that's …"

Turning her head, a cold shiver ran through the body of the Flame Dragon Empress.

It was a very uncomfortable feeling, like having ice travel down your spine.

Before the Flame Dragon Empress could understand what was happening, her instincts kicked in, forcing her to evade the deadly attack.

She quickly crouched, flattening her body to the battle field. She was still about the size of a house, but these actions saved her.

"Adddhhh!"

Since she had become a dungeon boss, this was the first time she had felt such pain.

It was felt as if her whole back was violently burning.

Aporou had originally gone for a fatal wound to the neck, but instead her wing-arms were completely ripped apart.

"What is it?"

From the stumps, a huge amount of blood exploded outwards.

The blood vessels in the Dragon Empress were extremely thick. Her heart circulated blood with a very strong beat, and constantly sent out enormous volumes of blood.

As a result of the thick artery being severed, there was a large fountain of blood, irrigating the entire battlefield like rain.

This rain of potent blood would cause instant death if not evaporated immediately.

However, there was one more creature in addition to the Dragon Empress who was bathed in the blood.

"Ohhh, how delicious!"

Completely, covered with blood that he enjoyed as if it were expensive wine, the creature licked off chunks of meat which were left on the red spear.

Fallen into a trance, as if it have caught a great ingredient was none other than Aporou.

However, Aporou now looked significantly different from how he had looked earlier.

"Fuwa Fu wa wa wa wa wa!

"It's serious! Great, just great! This overwhelming aura, this arrogance!"

"As expected from the chosen one of the [Great God], who so admirably managed to get to here!"

Aporou, who was staring at the Flame Dragon Empress, stood on a fairly large fragment of the final stage.

And all of his body except for the silver hand was covered with the gold, black and red suit, the color of his Ogre Orb.

Unlike other armors and exoskeletons, this gold and black suit tightly hugged his body, and was similar to the ones he had worn in his previous life.

But unlike those, which were made of elastic materials, this one had the hidden ability to freely transform.

Constantly changing, the suit grew another pair of hands the same color as the suit and he became the four-handed demon.

He had transformed as a result of the activation of the Ogre Orbs, whose properties were different for each individual.

For example, a Fire Lord would have received a flaming great sword, and a Wind Lord would have received emerald armor. That is, each Lord would receive his own individual style of combat methods upon activation.

In the case of Aporou, he had received the whole body armor. All at once, it was a weapon with an infinite number of variations and forms.

Aporou had finished eating the chunks of meat left on his weapons. Rather than being held by him, they were now attached to his forearms.

As a result, his main arms were free to attack through the hydraulic punch, made through the Ogre Orbs.

You would expect that his spears would get in the way of his fighting, but instead they shot out at high speeds with greater attack power and destruction than could be attained by fighting by hand.

Even if it was to be a problem, it wasn't worrying because he was Aporou.

"OOOoooooooo!!!"

Equipped with his spears on both arms, Aporou roared using [Death Dealing Roar (Desperado)].

It was the voice of death, hunting out the life in living beings.

But in order to take the life of the Flame Dragon Empress, it was not strong enough. In fact, he was not even able to impose any negative status effects.

In terms of attack, it would have been a meaningless roar.

But having absorbed the blood of the Flame Dragon Empress and using the skill [Bloodsucking Vampire], Aporou had significantly increased his strength and now throbbed with a huge amount of energy.

After absorbing the shower of blood from the fiery Dragon Empress, he headed straight for her, accelerated by the ability of the [Black King's Mad Advance]. His lightning attack was faster than sound.

"Shaa!"

But the Flame Dragon Empress would not just stand there in silence, she was not that weak.

She struck with her right forearm using magical power.

It was a terrible blow, also exceeding the speed of sound.

The sharpness of her claws would easily be able to penetrate Aporou's defenses.

But Aporou narrowly avoided it by leaping with perfect timing. If he had sped up, or hesitated for even a second, he would have turned into a spray of blood.

But having avoided it, he flew forward without stopping.

At the same time, the armor on his feet transformed into a sharp knife, which carved out distinctive footprints.

He used the techniques of [Penetrating Physical Damage] and [Greater Strengthening of Penetrating Attacks] together, and collided with the Dragon Empress.

"Ooooooooo!"

From the feet to the knee, from the knee to the waist, from the waist to the back, from the back to the shoulders, he attacked every part of her body with the red spear, amplifying the damage at each site. He easily penetrated the Empress' dragon scales, slicing through the muscles and getting to the bone.

But there was still not enough in it. It was not strong enough to kill the Flame Dragon Empress.

Even if his body was heavily soaked in blood from [Bloodsucking Vampire] and his abilities increased from the Ogre Orbs, there was still a huge difference in size.

Even with the previous attack, where he was able to cut off the dragon's hand-wings, it was only due to the fact that the Empress had weakened her vigilance.

Her body contained a huge amount of magical energy, which made it possible to withstand the attack, and each attack would be immediately countered.

This is precisely why Aporou did the following.

Immediately synthesising a combination of abilities, he activated the [Renovate Tyrannical Power of the Black Demon] [Divine Destruction of the Black Demon].

After using it, there was a huge illusory hand which was capable of interacting with matter, raising Aporou's physical abilities to a completely different level.

"Oooooorraa!"

The illusory fist directly hit the stomach of the fiery dragon empress with an impact similar to a meteorite, with a huge shock wave. At the site of impact, a storm of lightning exploded outwards.

The blow that Aporou had just landed to her stomach was more than just terrible, it's strength was such that it was impossible to imagine.

This single attack by the relatively tiny Aporou was magnified in impact several times, with a size comparable to the mountain-sized Dragon Empress.

At the point of impact, dragon scales were broken or dented inwards, and the durable dragon armor easily broke apart.

The lightning burned countless wounds on her body, and blood gushed out from all of these.

With the blow exceeding even the Dragon's carapace in strength, bones broke with a thud, and ruptured some of the internal organs.

The powerful attack was so unexpected that the shocked fiery Dragon empress gasped for breath, and even so, the attack was still not over.

"What was that!!??"

A golden thread was attached to the body of the Dragon Empress.

Due to her collapsed posture and shock, she could not counterattack, and did not have time to concentrate on magical defense.

Using the golden thread released from his auxiliary arm, Aporou shot onto the shoulder of the fiery dragon empress, and this time attacked with his hydraulic punch.

It struck with amazing speed, around 10 times per second, and was well suited to the destruction of the thick armored enemies.

In addition, Aporou possessed the profession of [Master Spearman] and combat maneuver arts [Lotus Flower Spear]. His red spear and cursed spear radiated with a murderous aura of crimson.

[Aporou used combat maneuver arts [Lotus Flower Spears]]

The attack became stronger with [Continuous Thrust] and [100 Blossoms 1000 Spears], improving the power and speed of each blow.

As a result, [Continuous Thrust], [100 Blossoms 1000 Spears] and [Triple Stab] along with the hydraulic punch greatly increased the attack speed, attack power and attack range.

The dragon armor was drilled through as if it were paper.

The cursed spear and red spear penetrated the body of a fiery dragon empress like a spoon through pudding.

With his spears drilling deeper into her flesh, even the Dragon Empress probably felt some fear.

Her pain-filled roar echoed throughout the arena.

"Gaaaaaa!!"

At this point, because of the magical power in her body, her armor ignited in a quick burst.

The temperature of her burning armor was much hotter than the meteorite and the lava. Even Aporou was in danger, so he decided to quickly retreat before his body started to fry.

While doing so, he managed to gather the Empress' right hand which had been gouged out by his attacks.

They glared at each other across the battlefield.

Aporou ate the first-class meat of the fiery dragon empress whilst keeping an eye on the Empress.

Then the fear of the fiery Dragon Empress was replaced by rage and her whole body erupted in hot flames.

Her evil glance was brimming with magical power, and caused a distortion of the force field in between them.

"Fu fu wa wa wa wa wa wa."

"The frightening truth of such a dreadful creature. No chance that he can destroy this flesh so easily. However, his sufficient strength to obtain flesh and increase his force is what makes him less afraid."

The severed wing-hand as well as the chopped off right arm had already begun to recover.

First of all, the Empress had incredible regeneration. In addition to that, she had an ability higher than [Fire Resistance], higher than the [Complete Fire Resistance] and even higher than [Immunity to heat]. She had [Heat Absorption], which allowed her to absorb the surrounding heat of the lava, generating a huge amount of energy to accelerate her recovery.

This place was the perfect battleground for the Dragon Empress.

While the Empress could recover this way, Aporou could eat her severed leg, increasing his strength.

Together with the acquisition of this power, his ogre orbs also changed. These changes were more like full evolution, rather than improve.

And in less than a few tens of seconds, a full recovered Dragon Empress attacked just as Aporou finished eating.

In battle their forces were equal, with every single attack having the power of changing the local landscape.

This battle for life and death was such that is was like a myth descended from the pages of legends.

■ ■ ■

The battle carried on until late, largely due to the fact that the fiery dragon empress just had incredible recovery and stamina.

Frankly, I did not think one single demon could win this battle.

But you should try the meat once…I almost went to heaven with delight.

When you consider that and take into account the pros and cons, the pros probably still outweigh the cons.

Soaked in her blood, I'm enlightened. It was unimaginably rich, and I can only compare it to the taste of first-class wine which has had long-term exposure.

Although to be honest, that was still not sufficient to describe the taste.

Just one bite and my fatigue is completely removed.

If you ask me of what it can be compared, it was too great to be compared with anything I had ever eaten before.

--

Day 245

The sun is probably already setting outside.

I can't confirm that though while in the spot of the decisive battle. Still, we somehow finished our fierce fight against the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress] which took almost an entire day.

Since I'm still alive, looks like I win this time.

Although I was able to win with my own power, to be honest, it's really hard to say if it could even be considered as a victory.

My battle with the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress] kept on going thanks to instantaneous recovery. Near the end, the 8 Demon Generals, which includes Kanami-chan, were in the vicinity and we performed a combined attack from the sky against the Dragon. As a result, they all [Ranked Up].

For the members who evolved, their powers weren't equal but it was enough to create a large gaping hole in the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress'] body.

Even though we killed her by chance, since I received quite the damage from her wrath and got severely weakened, it's hard to consider it as my victory.

Sadly, I couldn't subjugate the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress] by myself. I feel grateful however, since if I didn't have backup, the results might have become the opposite. I have no complaints.

No matter what, being alive means there's still hope. If I die, I wouldn't be able to enjoy my life to its fullest.

Even though there will be hardships, I think I'll just enjoy it slowly and carefully.

While thinking on the ground, I stare at the corpse of the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress]. It's quite difficult to even move one finger. With wounds all over my body and being only a step away from "Magic Power Deficiency", I'm like half-dead right now.

Ever since I reincarnated, I never fought something like the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress]. It was my first all-out battle. At that time, I used [Self Replication] to keep myself hidden and prepared [Complete Restoration] in case I instantly die from an attack. I even used my ogre orbs, using all abilities that I kept hidden as a trump card.

Even so, it was quite a dreadful story as I couldn't raise the odds any further. I would've been killed multiple times if it weren't for [Complete Restoration]. I am grateful to the bottom of my heart for having such an insurance in hand.

Despite that,[Fervor Absorption] wasn't enough to maintain my complete restoration ability. Also, the Heroes who died here before had turned into "Demi Dragonewts". Thinking about it, the capabilities of the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress] are quite terrifying.

It has been said that the [God of Reincarnation] that sometimes appears made this place impossible to capture.

It's a bit inconvenient that [■ Beast's Domain Protection] changed into [Divine Beast's Domain Protection] only now but since it made it easier to handle my abilities, this time, I should be able to fight much better with someone who has the same ability.

If possible though, I don't want to fight something like the [Mother Flame Dragon Empress] for a while. After defeating her with all my strength, I think that would be fine.

There's a lot of things to think about but since I could easily fall asleep like a log right now, it would be troublesome to hold on to those intentions.

Once I wake up and recover, I'll eat until my belly's full. While thinking of various things, I lose consciousness just as I catch sight of a crying Kanami-chan and the others approaching me ――

［Dungeon Boss ［Adamaza Empress Dragon］ has been successfully subjugated］

［Cleared the conditions for [Mountain Dragon's Blazing Flames] of the God's Lost Psalms, [Defeating the Empress] [Core Fusion] [Feudal Lord Denial] has been accomplished］

［All participants will be given the Special Skill [One who subjugates Divine Beasts]］

［All participants will be given the Special Skill [Dragon Flame's Principle]］

［As a bonus for being the first to subjugate, the treasure chest [Corpse Treasure of the Empress] will be given to all participants］

［As a privilege for conquering, the ban on the use of the Warp Gate is lifted］

［Please note that only those who conquered the dungeon can use the Warp Gate］

［For those who have Awakened the Psalms／The key figures of God's Lost Psalms, a part of the [God of Reincarnation]'s divine power will be granted］

［As the collector is an important figure of a Greater God, the quality of the Divine Power collected will be inferior］

［Portions of the Divine Power rejected by this rule will be turned into an object］

［Yatendouji has obtained [God of Resurrection's Dragon Jewel - Ignatus Fuorna] !!］

It seems like something appeared nearby.

A treasure chest or something similar had appeared. I couldn't confirm it though since I can't move my body.

［By clearing the release conditions [Demigod's Dungeon Conquest] and [God's Dungeon Conquest], Yatendouji's locked special skill [■■■■] will be released.］

［Yatendouji has obtained Special Skill [Dungeon Plunder]!!］

［The effects of the Special Skill [Dungeon Plunder] allows complete mastery and ownership of the conquered dungeon.］

［Conforming to the conditions, it is possible to seize the ［Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain］.

［Will you do so?］

［≪YES≫ ≪NO≫］

Well. While thinking about it, I temporarily choose ≪YES≫.

［Special Ability [Dungeon Plunder] has been invoked.］

At this moment, control of the ［Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain］ will shift from the [God of Reincarnation] to Yatendouji］

［From now on, please manage the dungeon at your own discretion］

Oh? Isn't this nice? Is that all?

I try to think further but as it turns out, there's not much time left. Most of my consciousness has already been swallowed by darkness ――

［Level has exceeded the minimum value.］

［Because the special Conditions ≪Emperor Slaying≫ ≪Great Hero's Annexation≫ ≪Single Demon Annihilation≫ ≪Standard Border Transgression≫ ≪Great God's Declaration≫ ≪God's Verse Conquest≫ have been cleared, it is possible to [Rank Up] into [Demon King of Destruction (Destruction King) - Transcended Species (Superior Species) ]

[Rank Up]?

［≪YES≫ ≪NO≫］

Without any hesitation, I select ≪NO≫.

Even as an Apostle Lord, I already know that I am capable of fighting against the likes of the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress]. Abilities would be harder to learn as well, something that I want to avoid.

Therefore, I selected ≪NO≫ in regards to becoming a [Demon King of Destruction - Superior Species].

[≪NO≫ was selected］

［Other choices will be displayed.］

［Because the Special Conditions ≪Emperor Slaying≫ ≪Army Corps Unification≫ ≪Dominion Construction≫ ≪Standard Border Transgression≫ ≪Great God's Declaration≫ ≪God's Verse Conquest≫ have been cleared, it is possible to [Rank Up] into [Demon Emperor of Conquest - Superior Species]

[Rank Up]?

［≪YES≫ ≪NO≫］

There are other choices?! No. Thinking about it, since it's a choice, it's only reasonable that there would be other options available!

I unintentionally retort.

I select ≪NO≫ again. Since I don't have any reason to become a Demon Emperor, I reject the idea of turning into one.

[≪NO≫ was selected］

［Other choices will be displayed.］

[Because the Special Conditions ≪Emperor Slaying≫ ≪Emperor Factor≫ ≪Greater God's Involvement≫ ≪Conformity with a God's Cause≫ ≪■■■■≫ ≪■■■■≫ ≪■■■■≫ ≪■■■■≫ have been cleared, it is possible to [Rank Up] into [Vajrayaksa Overlord - Living God Species (Vizra Species) ]

[Rank Up]?

≪YES≫ ≪NO≫

Eh? What's this? I didn't think that the Demon King and Demon Emperor were good ideas but for Overlord to suddenly appear, I can't help but think about it.

If I were to follow [Intuition], it would be ≪YES≫. But, when I think about abilities, it would be a ≪NO≫.

Troubling. This is quite troublesome and worrying about it is also troublesome as I'm already sleepy.

This time, I decide to follow [Intuition].

I choose ≪YES≫ then fall asleep from exhaustion.

［Yatendouji's Special Skill [Dungeon Plunder] will change according to the condition [Living God Rank].

［Yatendouji has obtained [Dungeon Plunder - Howls of the Underworld]!!］

［As Yatendouji has achieved [Living God Rank], [Formal Wife of the ■ Demon] and [Consort of the ■ Demon] will be changed to [Formal Wife of the Overlord] and [Consort of the Overlord] respectively.］

［The titles [Formal Wife of the Overlord] and [Consort of the Overlord] will be granted favor in normalcy］

［By clearing the release condition [Living God Rank], Yatendouji's locked special skill [■■■■] will be released］

［Yatendouji has obtained special skill [World Enemy - The Gluttony]!!］

--

Day 246

After the fight and ranking up into a Vajrayaksa Overlord, Rou spent the next 4 days asleep. He awakens on Day 250.

--

Day 250

It feels like I've been dreaming for a long time. I'm very sure that it was a dream of me fighting… or I think it was a nostalgic meeting with someone.

I might have heard some important things but I can't recall the details. Well, it's a dream anyway. It can't be helped to forget the details when waking up. For now, I'll stop thinking about it and focus on my current state.

Upon waking up, the first thing I see is something quite strange, tinted with a mix of black, red, gold, and silver. It looks just like metal. From touch, it's quite warm and elastic. It's like I'm inside a body of sorts. However, rather than being unpleasant, it's actually quite comfortable.

I am completely wrapped by something similar to an eggshell. From what little I remember, looks like it formed around me. Anyway, it's my Ogre Orb. Also, looks like some long thin threads where extending from my body.

It might be a bit late for me to realize but since silver was mixed in with black, red, and gold, I am pretty sure that my Ogre Orb had also changed when I ranked up.

Though it's fine, I still wonder why the color had suddenly changed. Perhaps, before I slept, after having suffered grievous wounds throughout my body and in order to heal and keep myself safe, I made it unconsciously.

Whether that's true or not though isn't obvious. Well, it's a trivial manner. Since I'm still alive, I won't question it.

After a quick check, my body seems fine so I decide to quickly get out. Upon getting out of the shell formed from my Ogre Orb, I appear once more around the place where the decisive battle took place. Not much had changed since I went to sleep.

The first thing I notice is the corpse of the [Mother Flame Dragon Empress]. It seems to be covered in ice made out of powerful magic.

The magical ice is very thick and it'll be difficult to melt and shatter it. For a moment, I think about who could form such a thing but quickly understand that the ice closely resembles Kanami-chan's magic.

Definitely her. She took the trouble in preserving the corpse of the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress] with ice until I wake up. She's still a considerate wife as always.

After thanking her consideration, I start paying attention to the lava rising around the decisive battlefield. It is still emitting extreme heat like before but the lava appears to have cooled down, having turned to black. I wonder if it's because of the powerful magical ice that is currently located in the middle, or maybe it's because I became the owner of this place. Still, the lava seems to have lost its vigor.

Although it's still quite hot, its cooler at least compared to before. Thanks to my [Rank Up], even if my body is exposed right now, it will take time for me to turn black from the heat. Well, my skin's already black anyway.

After confirming my surroundings, I start checking out my body. While I feel a little bit taller than my original height of two meters, the broadness of my arms and legs has not changed that much.

However, my whole body feels so powerful that it can't even be compared to before. The difference is like between heaven and earth.

As a test, I lightly swing my fist, creating countless gales which strike the wall of rocks in the distance like thunder, shattering and scattering pieces of rocks around. This time, I slowly raise my foot and just like before, violent winds appear and strike the wall once more in the distance, leaving scars similar to the aftermath of a bombing run.

I'd like to say that both were just weak attacks but they had considerable destructive power. Without even using any abilities, doesn't this mean that most monster won't even be considered a match against me? Still, if I have this much while not being serious, I'm a bit anxious in just how much strength will be displayed if I go all out.

I'd first need to learn how to control my strength for my everyday life. Also, it feels like various abilities also improved greatly in order to keep up with the physical strength I got from [Rank Up].

Since I'm a bit hungry, I try to create a [Black Taurus Demon] using [Summon Archfiend]. It looks like the summoning time has been substantially shortened. Also, not only is the amount of magic consumed easy to recover in an instant, the equipment and ability of the summoned being has also been enhanced.

Even though I haven't tried out the other [Summon] abilities yet, I feel like they are now easier to use thanks to my current condition.

While thinking how pleasant it is, I continue eating the [Black Taurus Demon] energetically. I then check and try to trace my finger on the golden tattoos covering my whole body.

The tattoos have changed a bit. Why it changed somewhat interests me so I sort of try to feel it out. It looks like the patterns have various effects when utilized such as increasing my offensive power.

I'd like to investigate later but for now, I'll examine other things. Originally, I had three horns but now, it had increased into five sharp and thicker horns. They have sharp edges and are slightly curved, extending as if they were trying to pierce the sky. It looks almost like a crown.

As an Apostle Lord, my hair was silver gray in color but now, it is silver white. Since the length's still the same which is up to my waist, I bundle it all into a pony tail and tie it with my golden thread.

My red eyes had changed into golden eyes but other than that, not much else has changed. I think it's a waste to change too much so I'm fine with just this.

Surprisingly though, I now have four arms. The two new arms were located near the shoulder, just below the armpit. I can move them without any problems. They were a bit longer than my original arms but thanks to that, it is unlikely that the two new arms would interfere with my original pair.

Before, my left arm was the only silver arm but looks like it had expanded as well. Not only to my right arm but also to my two new arms.

Namely, right now, all four of my arms had turned into silver arms. Moreover, it looks like silver arms have been strengthened compared to before along with the help of the [Fury of the Haughty King (Beowulf) ] which is currently equipped in my right arm.

It looks like the [Fury of the Haughty King (Beowulf) ] cannot be equipped at the same time as the exoskeleton. I thought it got destroyed when my right arm along with the armor got incinerated by the fire breath of the [Mother Flame Dragon Empress], but looks like my worry was for naught.

Even though I became an Overlord, I apparently still have Ogre Orbs. The orbs have a unique hue of black, red, gold, and silver which is the most prominent color.

There is an orb in the center of my chest, in my four elbows and four hands, both knees, in my navel, and in both sides of my shoulder.

In other words, there are 14 Ogre Orbs in total. This is far more than the original 5 I had previously. I wonder what will happen if I use all of the orbs at once.

Even just one orb is already powerful. Now being a Vajrayaksa Overlord, I wonder if I could even face an enemy that would force me to use them.

Next, I take notice of the fact that I am currently wearing some sort of personal armor. In addition to my former pants, there is a clothing similar to the mantle found in Hagoromo plays.

It's quite comfortable and it resembles the design of a kimono with a black color, decorated with gold and silver. I personally like it.

It's quite light, enough that I can't feel the weight so it wouldn't interfere with my movements. I try stretching it as much as I can yet there are no signs of tearing, making it a very reliable armor. Checking myself more though would just be troublesome.

While thinking if there are any more changes to my body, I hear someone from behind me. Turning to my back, I see Kanami-chan who is out of breath.

While I wasn't sure at first, I believe she teleported here based on the warp gate emitting a pale blue light at her feet. She probably sensed that I was awake and quickly went here without a delay. After [Rank Up], it looks like Kanami-chan has become even more beautiful.

Her peerless skin is just as pure as maiden snow. Her beautiful hair has no split ends. The movements of her slender and flexible limbs are refined and full of grace. Her narrow waist looks nice and easy to hold. Her breasts are neither too big nor too small, are appropriately shaped, and looks very soft. Her fascinating cherry lips would make anyone throb from just staring.

But the most outstanding part of Kanami-chan is her exotic presence which rules the surroundings. No matter which gender, one can't help but admire her. To see Kanami-chan in tears, slightly shaking and covering her lips with both hands, I must say she looks quite lovely.

Even though I'm admiring her unintentionally, it's not a joke. After falling in love once again, Kanami-chan runs straight towards me.

Her terrific speed is slightly faster than the speed of sound. Like the impact of a cannonball and casually creating a shockwave, she embraces me as I open my 4 silver arms and hold her firmly in return. Such an aggressive embraces would've blown away a person but for me, I remain immobile as I received it.

Rather, I was quite afraid of accidentally hurting Kanami-chan as I stopped and held her. However, it looks like my worry was for naught.

Unless I hug her seriously, the current Kanami-chan should be able to put up with it for a bit.

Embracing her closely, my nose is getting tickled by Kanami-chan's fragrant scent. My lust is being stimulated right now. However, since she is complaining to me while crying, I can't follow my desire.

She keeps on repeatedly hitting me in the chest with all her strength, creating sounds similar to a carpet bombing. As my punishment for making her worry, I just accept it. I weave words while comforting her at the same time. I think she might be pouting a little bit right now.

Looks like I made her seriously worried. After all, several days had passed since the fight with the [Flame Mother Dragon Empress]. At that time, she saw me in my half-dead state and with my body in tatters. Since I got wrapped up in a shell in order to recover, she could not confirm my current state.

In other words, Kanami-chan's worry had piled up until this moment, where it had all erupted. So, rather than meeting everyone right now, I instead create a cover made out of the [Skeleton Centipedes] to prevent any hindrances or observations of us.

Rushing inside, we perform a night battle. Since I got permission, it was inevitable. Looks like Kanami-chan really wants a child.

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