Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: After the Battle with a Powerful Enemy
I thought a Wraith had appeared, but I ended up encountering a Lich, the mid-boss of Floor 7.
Since this is an irregularly discovered floor, are the monster appearances different?
If adventurers were suddenly dropped into a place like this, surviving would be difficult.
In the very first room, there remained things like the remains of adventurers.
Using those legacies, we were able to defeat the Lich, and Sana acquired new equipment.
It is a black dress with beautiful embroidery and lace.
However, it is a Breast-Curtain Dress.
Yes, these drop items seem to belong to the same series as the equipment Kaorulko acquired.
As we progress through this dungeon and keep defeating Liches, will all the girls end up wearing Breast-Curtain Dresses?
No, wait—when the girls deliver the final blow, they get the Breast-Curtain Dress.
Then, what happens to the boys' equipment?
My interest never wanes.
While enjoying Sana's eye-pleasing Breast-Curtain equipment, the mature thing to do is to casually let it pass.
Casually, unobtrusively.
I definitely did not recommend the Breast-Curtain equipment because I wanted to see Sana's lower breasts.
It was purely for her sake.
If she wishes to level up as an adventurer, that equipment should be essential.
In that case—even if there are some downsides, there are no other choices, right?
"Darling!?"
I was glared at by the Princess—Baretella.
"You didn't get this angry when it was Kaorulko."
"My equipment too, if I slide it up like this—I can make lower breasts."
She slid her chest armor up, demonstrating the creation of lower breasts.
"Yes, yes, let's stop that kind of thing."
"Kyaa!"
I dodged all of her slightly serious Pokapoka attacks.
Because if they hit, it really hurts.
It's not Pokapoka; it's Bokoboko, Dokadoka.
"Come on, Princess! We have to move forward."
"I know!"
She turned her nose away and began walking down the corridor.
I followed along, using the rubble I took out of my Item Box to trigger and disable traps.
For now, there don't seem to be any traps.
If there are survivors, this is the only direction to run.
If there were traps, they should have already activated, but if they are step-on traps, maybe I just happened not to step on them.
Since it is an unexplored dungeon, it is better to prioritize safety.
If I get seriously injured here, I'll have no choice but to return to the surface.
Maybe Iroha will say she stays behind.
If this becomes a final parting here, it would be quite painful.
It wouldn't be so bad if it were just a temporary party I had only just met, but Iroha is not like that.
As we proceeded cautiously, a wall came into view.
"A wall?"
Kaorulko answered my words.
"No, it splits into two paths."
"Right or left, that is the question."
I leave the decision of which way to go to the Princess.
She is the leader, but...
"I think it's the right one..."
Sana, who was looking at the corridor, whispered softly.
"Alright! It's the left one!"
The Princess decided on the left, but I have a feeling it's becoming a massive flag. Is it just my imagination?
—Anyway, since the leader decided.
We proceeded left at the T-junction.
The dimly lit corridor flickered with faint magical light, and the damp stone walls created a heavy atmosphere.
Drifting solely in this narrow space were nothing but our footsteps, quiet breathing sounds, and the air filled with unknown terror.
Ahead of the corridor was a fairly large room.
It would be better to call it a hall rather than a room.
It was empty, with nothing visible.
"What is this? Did we miss it?"
"Cherry Princess, wasn't the right path the correct one after all?"
Iroha raised a slightly dissatisfied voice.
"It's a result!"
Well, I thought so~ but—I started to get a bad feeling.
The air in the room suddenly grew heavy, as if something invisible was surging forward.
The entire space became chillingly cold, making it hard to breathe.
Silently, only an unstable silence spread.
"Hey, isn't something wrong?"
I felt as if something invisible was drifting inside the room, and it seems Iroha is also sensing the abnormal air.
"Gwooooo!"
Suddenly, a roar like an angry shout came from the back.
At that moment, it felt as if the darkness had grown even deeper, and with a rumble from the ground, something suddenly appeared from there.
At first, it was an uncertain thing like a flickering shadow, but that shadow gradually took shape, and an abnormally large outline emerged.
I took out a camera from my Item Box and started recording video.
Its form was pure black darkness itself.
Its glossy black skin reflected faint light, emitting an abnormal glow, and its massive body reached almost to the ceiling.
It radiated an overwhelming sense of intimidation that crushed the viewer.
Its body, as if countless muscles were tangled together, showed its flesh mass unnaturally rippling with every movement.
Its face was intermediate between a beast and a human, with sharp eyes glowing red in the darkness.
A terrifyingly long row of fangs lined its mouth, and just by exhaling lightly, the surrounding air made a low growling sound.
The image of the red-skinned monster I fought before overlapped in my mind.
"Isn't this similar to the Lesser Demon we encountered before?"
"Darling, this is not a Lesser!"
"—Does that mean it's a real Demon?!"
I want Kaorulko's prediction to be wrong, but it seems that is the correct answer.
"We should run—"
I looked at the corridor we came from, and before I knew it, it was closed.
It wasn't that a door closed.
It was a state where I had no idea where the entrance was at all.
This is a room where we can't escape unless we defeat it.
"Gwooooo!"
The demon's roar echoed through the hall.
At the moment it reached my ears, it wasn't just a sound; a sensation as if the existence itself was pressing down on me struck me.
That tone was sharp, carrying a piercing coldness, causing fear that directly gripped the hearts of those who heard it.
A chill that pierced the skin ran through my whole body, as if my very soul was locked in an ice cage.
I am fine—the Princess and Iroha are fine too.
I glanced back.
Kaorulko is fine, and Sana and Koeda seem to be enduring somehow.
"Sana! Sorry, lend me that staff!"
"Eh?! Y-yes!"
Judging by the battle with the Lich—this isn't a magic staff, it's a blunt weapon.
If so, it would be more effective if I, who has a higher level, held it.
"Koeda! Give me a buff!"
"Yes!"
Through the magic Koeda chanted, Iroha's body was enveloped in particles of blue light.
"Mages, focus on defense! This thing uses magic!"
The Princess gave the order.
Since the Lesser Demon used magic, this higher species might use it too.
Probably magic stronger than that red one.
"Yes!"
The mages responded in unison to the Princess's voice—but.
In the darkness, like flowers suddenly appearing, the monster's mouth slowly opened.
A faint light from deep within the monster's throat.
It was weak like a small spark, but instantly grew in strength, and as if cosmic dust was gathering, countless particles of light were drawn from the surroundings and sucked into the monster's mouth.
"It's magic!"
The Princess shouted, but Kaorulko was already preparing magic.
"Protection!"
Every time particles of light gathered in the enemy's mouth, the air vibrated with a buzzing sensation, and a faint energy sound that pierced the ears echoed.
As the demon's mouth opened wider, the accumulated magic was released all at once.
The pitch-black hall suddenly became as bright as midday, and the place where three people were standing was enveloped in a flash of light.
The shadows of things existing in the hall rose sharply on the floor and walls.
"!"
"Darling!"
The girls are worried, but now that I've cast the magic, this is the chance.
Since the Princess also trusts Kaorulko, she will move to attack.
While spitting out magic, the enemy is defenseless.
I, the Princess, and Iroha simultaneously rushed at the demon from all four directions.
"Oraaaaa!"
Quickly approaching the monster where the remnants of magic remained, I swung the staff I borrowed from Sana.
I am right-handed, but I swing the bat from the left batter's box.
"Gwooooo!"
"Darling!"
As the demon's right hand attacked aiming at me, the Princess who stood between us and the enemy slashed upwards at a 45-degree angle with her sword.
A finger like a log fell, revealing a white cross-section.
Something oozed out slowly, turning into a waterfall-like flow.
Probably, since they are using a weapon enchanted with magic, they can deal damage to this giant monster.
With a normal sword, the attack shouldn't penetrate.
"Thank you, Princess! One-legged strike! Just meat!"
Lifting my right leg and putting all my strength into it, my horizontal full swing flashed.
A sharp wind-cutting sound tore through the blackness, and at a speed invisible to the eye, it swept away the monster's knees.
In an instant, along with a flash and a dull impact sound, the monster's lower legs flew into the air.
"Ugaaaa!"
Black mist-like blood sprayed from the severed surface, and the monster's massive body swayed unsteadily.
Unable to support its lost footing, the giant body collapsed onto the ground.
"Haha! This really is a blunt weapon, isn't it!"
The enemy has an opening.
I glance toward the mages.
Starting with Kaorulko, everyone is safe.
As expected, Empress.
"Oryaaaaa!"
Iroha raised her sword with both hands and jumped, using the fallen monster's body as a stepping stone.
The blade shone white in the magical light.
Without any hesitation, straight toward the enemy.
She swung her sword down aiming for the monster's head.
"Oh!"
I am watching from below, so I don't know the details, but it looks like Iroha's sword bisected the demon's head.
For a normal living being, this would surely be fatal... but the opponent is a monster.
You never know until the very end.
"Store!"
If I can't store it in my Item Box, it is still alive.
"Gebobobo!"
With its head split in two, the demon raised its upper body.
A giant arm like a black flesh mass attacked Iroha, who was on top of the monster.
"Nwoo!"
She barely avoided the attack by using her sword as a shield, but the impact sent Iroha flying horizontally.
She was slammed onto the stone floor and rolled around.
"Iroha! You bastard!"
I took out a large Magic Stone and a slingshot from my Item Box.
The Magic Stone is one filled with plenty of my magic power.
I spun the slingshot at full power and fired the Magic Stone at the demon.
The black Magic Stone containing blue light hit the monster's shoulder area.
Flesh exploded, and white bones were exposed like a Japanese hedgehog.
"Gyuooe!"
A scream that shook the bottom of the earth gushed from the monster's throat.
"It's still alive?!"
If it doesn't die even after taking so much damage—could it be invincible?
A thought like that flickered in my mind.
"You bastard! Die already!!"
What flew into my field of vision from outside was Iroha.
Holding up her glittering blade, she made a huge jump—attacking the near-dead demon again.
A diagonal slash from a huge jump that made one mistake thinking it would reach the ceiling—the blade bit into the demon's shoulder, which looked like a lump of black muscle.
As the silver steel bit into the flesh, momentum carried the tip to slam into the floor, sending orange sparks flying.
"Gu..."
As the crushed head stopped moving while spraying blood, the monster's upper body gradually split apart.
Black things overflowed, and entrails flew out.
Iroha, who was nearby, was drenched from head to toe like a fountain.
White light began to envelop her body, which was standing and looking up slightly.
Level up.
The fact that this started means the monster is completely dead.
This was a stronger enemy than the Lich.
It might be a mid-boss class of Floor 7, or a monster of Floor 8.
If that's the case, leveling up is natural.
"Store!"
I stored the demon's body inside my Item Box.
Since this one doesn't seem sellable, it'll be a souvenir for the university professor.
"Darling!"
"Princess, are you okay?"
"Of course."
I am alerting the surroundings, but it seems there is no sign of the monster.
Leaving the alertness to the Princess, I go to where Kaorulko and the others are.
"Is everyone okay?!"
"Yes", "Y-yes, we're fine...", "We're fine."
Koeda is shaking quite a bit, her knees laughing.
She seems to have been scared quite a bit.
Well, if it wasn't us, we might have died instantly if we encountered such a monster.
"Thank you, Sana. I'll return the staff. This really is a blunt weapon."
"Eh?! Even though it's a magic staff, it's a blunt weapon?!"
Koeda is surprised by my words.
"Really, it's twisted, haha."
It seems this dungeon has no intention of letting us clear it properly.
The mages were hit by the demon's powerful magic, but it seems there is no damage to the walls or anything.
Is there something like an indestructible attribute?
Well, if the entrance was destroyed and we could escape, it would be over there.
But with a door, we could use the trick of putting it in the Item Box.
Worried about Iroha as well, I head toward her.
Although the monster's body is in the Item Box, there is something like a black cloth at that location.
Is it a drop item?
Since it was a powerful monster, I hope it's a good item.
At that time, a sound like an earthquake echoed in the hall.
It was a sound like something opening.
This means we can proceed forward.
"Oh!"
While searching for where it opened, it seems Iroha's level up has finished.
Even so—she is completely black, like she was covered in ink.
"..."
"Hey Iroha, are you okay? Princess, please cast Clean on her."
"I understand—Clean!"
As blue light soaked into Iroha's body, her muscular physique appeared—but—was it the effect of the battle?
Or perhaps the effect of the buff cast before the battle, her muscles were twitching and writhing spasmodically.
Her exposed skin was flushed red, and sweat was spurting from her whole body.
The weapon she was holding was rolling on the floor.
"Hey, Iroha."
"...Wooooooo!!"
Suddenly, she formed a fist and screamed while shaking her whole body.
That voice was not just a sound, but like a torrent overflowing from inside her body.
It shook our bodies as much as the roar of the demon she defeated.
"What?! Is she broken?"
The Princess said something strange.
"I don't know, but does this kind of thing happen?"
"I don't know if it's because of the buff, but when in a state of extreme excitement from battle, they attack without distinguishing friend or foe."
"Eh?! Isn't that the so-called Berserker state?"
"That's what it's called."
That's what it's called—what do we do?
"Uuuu..."
While talking with the Princess, Iroha turned toward us.
Drool hung from her mouth, her eyes were full of madness, and she clearly was not in a normal state.
"Iroha! Wait, wait!"
At my words, she took a step forward.
At the same time, a white trail appeared in my eyes, and goosebumps rose on my back from the killing intent.
"Gwaaa!"
This was a serious attack filled with real killing intent.
This happened before, but she is now leveled up and has magic buffs attached.
I dodged her left straight, and when I dodged her right uppercut, I reflexively counterattacked.
I delivered a right body blow to her steel-like abs.
Like before, her body is big, so it hit her lower abdomen.
Since I reacted to the killing intent, I returned a fairly serious attack myself.
"Nwoh!"
A voice leaked from Iroha's mouth.
Her body spasmed, and she twisted her body on tiptoe.
"Hey, are you okay?!"
"Nwoh! Oooooooh!"
As she stood still there, various things leaked from her lower body.
The spurting substance traveled down her thighs, knees, and ankles, creating black stains on the floor.
It became a stream, spreading like a sea.
"Iroha."
It seems the attack has subsided.
The killing intent is gone too.
I attacked on the spur of the moment, but the result was lucky.
I reached out my right hand to approach her—but she grabbed both my shoulders with god-speed.
It wasn't an attack, and there was no killing intent, so I couldn't react—but...
"...Darling, take responsibility..."
She approached me with a red face and teary eyes.
"Responsibility—nnnn!"
She lifted me up and kissed me.
My feet were dangling, and in this state, I can't do anything.
Well, if I was serious, I could kick and escape, but Iroha has no killing intent—so I let her be.
I was pushed down, and my back hit the stone floor.
"Ouch."
"Darling..."
She started taking off her lower equipment.
Hey hey, what is she planning to start?
I was passive thinking a kiss was fine, but I didn't think it would go this far.
I definitely stopped her.
"Wait, wait, what are you planning to do in a place like this!"
"Isn't it obvious..."
As she said, she was fully prepared.
"There's no time for that! What about your sister?"
"We'll think about that after doing this for now!"
"Hey hey hey."
"I can't hold back anymore!"
Although the aggression is gone, it seems she is still in a state of extreme excitement.
While being licked all over by Iroha, I ask the Princess for help.
"Princess!"
"If it's come to this, you can't stop it, right? Let her do as she pleases. She said she wants to."
"Is that okay! —Even so, why are you taking off your clothes too, Princess?!"
She slid her equipment aside, revealing her skin.
Since it's bikini armor, it's convenient for times like this—no, that's not it.
"Please wait! Why are you suddenly doing such a thing!"
Since the two of them suddenly went bare and started doing various bad things, Sana flew over.
"That's right, Sana. Say it more."
"You can't do something like this, right? Stay back."
At the Princess's provocative words, Sana's face turned bright red.
"W-what is that! I can do that too!"
She lifted her Breast-Curtain.
Naturally, two large things appeared.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Somehow, an unlimited one-on-one match started in the middle of the dungeon with the three of them.
I didn't intend to do it with Sana, though.
—Anyway, if I do that kind of thing with her, the healing power I worked so hard to get will disappear, so I won't do that kind of thing.
Looking at Kaorulko, who is not participating, she seems to be exasperated.
I thought about what to do if she joined in, but it seems she is keeping watch over the surroundings.
As expected, a capable woman.
The other one, Koeda, is peeping at us with great interest.
Don't mix in with us~.
With all that, we ended up entering an unlimited one-on-one match in the dungeon.
I think we don't have to do this in such a place, but since the fire is lit, it can't be helped.
Anyway, if we don't put it out, there's nothing we can do.
We can't move forward either.
Since I was also hungry from the battle, I'll have a meal after it's over.
"Nm~?"
I—found something interesting on Sana's white back.
There is a black pattern.
It doesn't look like a bruise; it looks like a symmetrical geometric pattern.
Should I ask her about this?
Maybe she is worried about it.
I can't bring myself to ask.
While thinking that, Iroha climbed on top of me for who knows how many times.
Are we still going to compete?
What about my sister—I was thinking—
"..."
I feel like I heard something.
Is it my imagination?
"Iroha! Wait a minute."
"What is it—Darling should just sleep quietly..."
"Just wait!"
"..."
Sure enough, I heard something.
I restrained Iroha who was hugging me, silenced her, and listened closely.
"W-what is it..."
"Just wait!"
"...Zakenna..."
This is definitely—someone's voice!