Chapter 457: Promise From the Dead

The body doesn't think. The mind does nothing but think.

The body mindlessly digs through Lustrilis's flesh. The mind ponders how to divert the humans' attention.

Even as flames engulf my face, even as the stench of rotten flesh stabs my nostrils, even as the skin across my entire body reddens and cooks, my hands don't stop. My skin might be charring, but I search, and search, and search again.

Maybe it doesn't even exist.

Maybe it's just not where I'm looking, or maybe it won't turn up no matter how hard I search. Being a synthesized beast born of taboo, it might not exist at all.

After all, I was the one who had pulled out Asmodine, the core of the level 95 monster that Lustrilis had been before, when it was still [Asmodine].

A plant monster with its pistil removed may have just been running on the leftover body after its magic stone core had already been extracted.

But that doesn't mean I can give up.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If I don't at least try to find it down to the very last second, I might regret this moment for the rest of my life.

"Master!! The humans are smashing through the walls and coming this way!!"

Lune, flying above on Halphas, screamed down at me.

Since we needed to flee before the humans made it through, Lune and Halphas had stayed behind as the rearguard to relay information. The Slamia and Lime were tearing through the maze as fast as they could, but the knights were breaking through a dungeon maze like it was nothing.

I had to farm fast and clean.

Most people don't know where a pig's heart is. If you've never butchered one yourself, the best approach is to use existing knowledge.

Just as a human's heart is in the chest, a pig's would be too. The heart certainly wouldn't be near the rear end; it'd be near the lungs.

The same goes for plants.

The same goes for monsters.

If Lustrilis truly was a creature that bloomed the pistil called Asmodine at its very center, then its core would undoubtedly be somewhere on the inside.

"FUUUUCK!!"

Not where Asmodine's womb had been; the central column of Lustrilis where Asmodine's thighs connected downward. I clawed left and right through the flesh and barely reached it.

And then.

"Holy shit, jackpot...."

I found it. I seized the large, walnut-like object before my eyes with my flame-scorched hands.

The "egg," encased in flesh far denser and harder than anywhere else, wouldn't come free no matter how hard I pulled.

Hissss...

Like a flame guttering out, my tattoo began to fade as well. At the same time, the pain I'd been forcing myself to ignore through Blood Flow Acceleration began piercing every part of my body. My lungs, which had been swallowing flame with every breath, stung as if struck by lightning.

I squeezed out the last strength I had and crossed my hands to activate the tattoo. The red aura sparking from my fingertips flickered, but the recoil from overuse kept it from reaching past my wrists.

Glow.

But it was enough. If I could get power into just my hands, if I could suppress the pain even for a moment, that was all I needed.

'Honestly, I couldn't even catch Astaroth, so a highest grade magic stone should be a fair consolation.'

If the Goddess was watching, may she bring divine punishment upon that ignorant fool who cut off the elves' ears.

If Solomon was watching, may he grant one final reward to me, the one who triumphed over the legion.

And if the divine tree was watching, may it give one last burst of strength to me, the one who synthesized elves on a whim.

"...Koff."

Something surged up in my mouth. Dark red blood ran down my chest. At the same time, the tattoo's power went out.

So this was as far as I got. With what looked like a highest grade magic stone right before my eyes, was I supposed to just retreat?

In that instant.

Crack.

The surface of the egg squirmed, and a face emerged. Venomous eyes that were the spitting image of someone I knew; my heart dropped the moment I saw that face.

"Why are... you...?"

Unable to speak, she moved her lips silently in place of words. Her eyes brimmed with hatred and fury toward me, but despite it all, she left me one final message.

Take care of my daughter, and the elves.

Hissss.

The face vanished. The shell I'd been gripping crumbled away. And from within, a fist-sized sphere, shimmering in brilliant rainbow light, revealed itself.

"...."

I received it in both hands. Like a midwife cradling a newborn, I accepted it with the utmost care and held it close to my chest.

"I'll take good care of it. Grandmother of my future grandchildren."

I clutched the precious magic stone in my hand. At the same time, the heaps of flesh that had been crushing my body all around me began to lose their strength and collapse, one by one.

"Whew...."

I was screwed. I didn't have the strength to crawl out. I sank to my knees with the highest grade magic stone pressed to my chest.

"Son of a... huh?!"

The ground suddenly gave way beneath me. My body dropped, only to be met by a soft, cushion-like sensation. My body, burning hot from the flames, began to slowly cool against the cold touch.

"Stupid master."

Lime pulled my head tightly against her chest. The chunks of flesh raining down from above were blocked by the Slamia, who had risen behind me as a living wall.

The tremendous weight lasted only a moment. Lime and the Slamia ate through the earth with their backs, burrowing out from below. Cradled in Lime's arms, I escaped from Lustrilis.

"You risked your life for one highest grade magic stone?"

"It was worth... koff."

I could barely speak. The moment my tension broke and the tattoo's power faded, pain from every inch of my body began gnawing into me.

"Hey, hey! The humans are about to come pouring in, you know?! Master! Stay with me!"

"...The retreat...?"

"We're the only ones left!"

Through my hazy consciousness, I scanned my surroundings. Thankfully, every single soldier in our legion had escaped the dungeon as ordered. I was the only one who needed to jump into the fire.

"...Lune. Take this."

I handed the highest grade magic stone to Lune. Because it was Lune and no one else, I could trust her with even a stone of the highest grade.

"Take it and head back first."

"...You'd better come back alive."

Lune cupped my face and briefly pressed her lips to mine. The rough surface of her chapped lips tasted as sweet as biting into a ripe peach.

"Ah, yes. This is the dead ki... koff."

I couldn't even finish my joke before blood leaked out. Lune fixed me with a murderous glare, and I raised my hand to touch her ear.

"...Even if I die, I need to at least touch an elf ear before I go.... I'm fine. Hoo, Lune. I'm so glad you're the one who stayed. You're the only one... who can save me."

Lime, Lune, Halphas.

Just the right people happened to be here. I placed Lune's hand on my stomach.

"...do it like this."

Just before the humans arrived.

I relayed one final plan to the three of them and closed my eyes.

***

"You still haven't reached the central chamber?"

Andaihal, having descended to basement level 1, was somewhat exasperated at the knight order's struggles with the maze.

"Your Excellency, the maze is complex. What's more, it's alive and shifting as we speak."

"Alive and shifting?"

Anthonius's words piqued Andaihal's interest. Dungeons were like another world where magical phenomena occurred constantly, but a maze that moved on its own was something even he had never heard of.

"You don't mean the maze itself is a monster, do you? That would be dangerous. The knights won't suddenly get absorbed into the walls and devoured, will they?"

"Nothing like that. It's just that the ceilings ahead of us keep collapsing. Fortunately, the knights are using their aura to break through quickly."

"That's a relief, then."

The mood between the two was amicable. There had been some clashing of opinions regarding the assault, but nothing serious, and the dungeon operation was going well enough to be called smooth sailing.

On top of that, they'd rescued the dark elves the dungeon's monsters had been holding hostage; the achievement was considerable. Even if they failed to completely destroy the dungeon, the humans had more than done their part just by saving the dark elves.

"Your Excellency, what happened with the elves?"

"Apparently some ritual is needed to purify the dark elves. They said the demonic energy built up from being violated by incubi has to be cleansed before they can normally, well, do it with humans."

"Excuse me?"

Anthonius tilted his head, wondering if he'd misheard.

"Is that really true?"

"Sir Knight, don't tell me you'd like to have a go with the dark elves yourself? We already know from the market report that elves can engage in intercourse with humans. Weren't you the one most shocked when that intel came in?"

"W-well, that's true, but...."

You could do it with a dark elf. Once the demonic energy in a dark elf's body was gone, you could have intercourse with one. Perhaps the dark elves might even revert to being regular elves.

"I'm a bit uneasy about it, though."

"I understand your concern. You don't really think the elves would stab us in the back, do you?"

"...Your Excellency, please maintain some dignity in your speech...."

"Does it matter? As long as the meaning gets across. Oh, looks like we're almost through."

The cave wall blocking their path crumbled. A wave of scorching heat from deep inside the dungeon washed over them, making their bodies flush. The Marquis's knight order, having emerged from the end of the maze, arrived at a wide-open cavern.

"What's that...?!"

A corpse was burning there. A monster, seemingly dozens of beings fused into one grotesque mass, was being consumed by raging flames.

"Oh my, you're late."

And beyond the blaze, a black-haired woman sat perched atop a charred monster, greeting the knight order. Anthonius instinctively sensed the strength of the woman, the demon, wearing a hood shaped like a bird with a yellow beak, and drew his sword.

"Who are you?! Identify yourself!!"

She was his equal, or stronger. Anthonius's tension rippled through the entire knight order. There was only one of her, thankfully, but the fact that she sat alone beside the corpse of a creature dozens of times her size seemed to speak volumes about her ability.

"Me? Halphas."

The woman crossed her legs atop the belly of the demon she was sitting on. The sight of her shapely legs, clad in slightly sheer black stockings visible below her thighs, made the knights involuntarily swallow.

"Master of the 38th of Solomon's 72 dungeons."

"...!!"

"I'd heard this place was Astaroth's dungeon, though."

Andaihal stepped forward calmly and attempted conversation. Fortunately, Halphas showed no hostility toward the humans.

"It was. Until just now. This is what used to be Astaroth."

Halphas lazily pointed at the burning corpse.

"I fought it, killed it, won. Figured if I left it, it'd start reeking, so I'm burning it. But then...."

Heh. Halphas lifted one leg and planted her foot on the thigh of the demon she was sitting on. The blackened, naked body beneath her looked like a pot-bellied orc, and Halphas gripped the orc's shaft with her stocking-clad foot.

"I was gonna play with this cock to pass the time while I waited, but who are you people? If you're here to fight, can we push it back a bit? I'm feeling pretty worked up right now."

Whoosh.

Halphas flashed a smile and radiated killing intent. The knight order didn't fall back, but they couldn't charge in recklessly, either.

"...."

They could feel a razor-sharp gaze from somewhere, as if something was targeting their throats. They felt they could block the first strike, but there was no telling if they'd survive the next. That instinct roused the knights' survival reflexes.

"We are knights of Marquis Leo's household. We've formed an alliance with the Legion of Wrath and came to rescue the elves kidnapped by this dungeon."

Andaihal stepped forward and raised both hands. At the clear signal that he had no intention of fighting, Halphas idly spun the cock she'd grabbed with her toes.

"The Legion of Wrath? Hmm, we're the Legion of Pride. You've got the wrong address."

"...A different legion?"

"That's right. The 7 legions the Demon King reorganized... oops. Well, I guess it doesn't matter? Anyway, it's not our legion."

Halphas waved her hand dismissively and laughed. She'd been playing with the orc's cock, and when she lifted her toes, sticky, translucent strands glistened between them.

"You came to rescue elves? Sorry about that. There were only dark elves here."

"...What did you do with them?"

"What do you mean, what did I do? I took them as my spoils."

Halphas set both feet alongside the shaft and alternated stroking it up and down. The orc pinned beneath her kept twitching. Aside from tormenting the cock with her feet, Halphas seemed to have no interest in the humans.

"The incubi had them captive, so I rescued them all and sent them to my dungeon. Well... demon or elf aside, I'm a woman too, so what happened to those girls rubbed me the wrong way. Got a little pissed off, so I slaughtered every incubus in here. That's... not so different from what you guys did, is it? You absolutely reek of blood."

"...Well."

Anthonius was at a loss for words. If what the demon before them was saying was true, then what she and the Marquis's knight order had done wasn't all that different.

"More importantly, that's an interesting story. You've formed an alliance with the Legion of Wrath? Hmm, fascinating humans. In that case."

Halphas pressed her big toe down on the tip of the orc's cock and aimed it at the humans.

"How about making a deal with our legion?"