Victor’s Delight
The Living Armor being able to move despite having no head was within my expectations.
Because of that, I didn’t hesitate and attacked mercilessly. We won’t stop attacking until it’s completely stopped moving.
However, the orichalcum wires had weights attached to both ends, so we can’t hide it.
Therefore, by using decoy weights, I tried having them fall into a situation where they thought that they’d avoided the wires.
To be specific, the final orichalcum wire that the Black Armor dodged was a [Half Set] that the Sahagins concealed by holding the weights directly. There was nothing between the weights, so they had to avoid getting found out.
There may have been a sense of something being wrong like the surrounding monsters’ movements being off or their speed being too slow or maybe something else, but it’d be absurd to think that they’d both realize and perfectly cope with it their first time seeing it. It’s the so-called death by ignorance. I mean, they should’ve at least dodged up or down.
I read about this a while back in a manga. In the middle of the night, there were [two] cars with a single headlight on each rushing towards a victim. If the victim avoided it thinking that there was only [one] car, he would’ve been run over by the second car. The manga’s protagonist, a master sniper, realized that there were two engine sounds though.
Well, we were able to get to the Dummy Core after destroying the Black Armor, so we didn’t need to go out of the way and purposely kill Core 666. As expected, it was in the armor.
[Looks like the game’s over. Congratulations, Team Sovereign! It’s your victory!]
[Father] spoke. Looks like we really won. I was a bit doubtful about it since the last bit went so fast, but it definitely happened since the judgement call came out.
Core 666 was wrapped in light and disappeared. [Father] probably returned her.
… Oi, is it alright to leave the leftover bits of that armor here?
“We did it, Kehma! We won! Yaaaay!”
Rokuko shouted out, cheering while bouncing up and down in delight. Are you a kid?
“I get that you’re happy, so calm down a bit.”
“Fu fufufu fu fu fu, this is my win as well as Haku Ane-sama’s! Double the happiness! There’s no way I could calm down!”
“Then just calm down twice.”
I just stopped her bouncing by holding my hand against the top of her head for now.
I mean, I could see what was under her skirt. It was immodest. Even though I have a foot fetish, that doesn’t mean I dislike other things. Thighs and butts are good too.
“Meat, Ichika, good work to you two as well.”
“That was tiring…”
“I’ll be expectin’ a suitable bonus~”
After operating the Golems and sending detailed instructions to the Sahagins and Gargoyles, the two girls were on the ground, exhausted.
Once our victory was determined, Haku-san smiled.
“That went smoothly now, didn’t it, Kehma-san? I thought you would give 666 the finishing blow for certain, though.”
“Hahaha, I wasn’t something we needed to do to win after all.”
Would I really be a Hero after destroying a Dungeon Core? I was worried about what would’ve happened to me, who was also a Dungeon Master, but I mainly didn’t want to increase my troubles by purposely killing a core belonging to the Demon King faction. In the first place, it’d be an indirect destruction through using a monster, so it wouldn’t have done anything.
… No, something still might happen after I go to sleep and wake up. I can’t relax yet! [1]
A communication came from Team Demon King.
When I approved it and connected, a monitor that looked like a full size mirror showing Core 666 appeared in the air. She’s wearing that same red dress from when she disappeared from the dungeon a bit ago.
[I lost.]
“I won. Fufu.”
Rokuko threw out her chest in pride.
Seeing that, Core 666 smiled in delight.
[695. Let’s have a one-on-one duel next time.]
“No way, I’m quitting while I’m ahead!”
[Oh? How lonely. Even though we finally became rivals (best friends) through this Dungeon Battle…]
“Best friends? B-best friends?”
[Yeah. Rivals (best friends). Weren’t we already friends? And now we had this mock battle (played together). How about we not hold ourselves back with each other like Jiji-sama and 89-sama?]
“U-umm, I’m happy that we’re friends… but aren’t there some strange nuances there?”
Oi, Rokuko, are you sure? This friend of yours is the battle junkie-type that’d cut you from behind with a smile on her face.
My eyes met with Core 666’s through the monitor… at least I think she’s looking at me? Well, it’s probably being transmitted?
[Are you my rival’s (best friend’s) master?]
“Yeah. I’m Rokuko’s master.”
[Really. 695, your master calls you Rokuko… Could I do the same? We are friends, after all.]
“Oh? Sure! We’re friends after all!”
[Fufu, thank you, Rokuko. You can call me Aidi then, it is what my master uses for me. Ah, Rokuko’s Master-san, you can use that too, alright? It’s easier for humans to refer to us like that.]
As she said that, Core 666—Aidi, turned towards me.
[Are that dungeon’s gimmicks due to you?]
“… … … No, they are due to Haku-san… Senior Core’s training.”
[Hoh, so you did make them. As expected, it seems that the cause of Rokuko’s rapid growth is due to her master.]
I tried to trick her through a bit of deception, but it looks like she caught me.
[Let’s do this again sometime.]
“Please spare me that.”
[It was practically a one-on-one this time as well, but we’ll not let that trash join in next time.]
“Did you not hear my refusal? Is your hearing bad…?”
[You’re looking for a weak point to attack me with next time? So you’ll be attacking my ears… I can’t wait.]
Uwaaah, she’s not understanding me. So troublesome…
[Even so, it’s vexing that I was so close to the end.]
“Hmm?”
[The core room was just after that room filled with those monsters, right?]
“I don’t think we would’ve lost even if you made your way through that room.”
[Heeh… I wonder what that means? Was there still a way to go? It seemed to me that you’d placed all of your forces there for a decisive battle though?]
… She’s pretty sharp. In truth, there had only been a core room passed it.
“I’m fine with answering that, but I’d like to asked a question instead. How did that sword stop the orichalcum? Is it made of good materials?”
[Hmph. Alright. Even though I’m the one to say it, it’s just made of ordinary magic iron. I gave the magic sword the [Indestructible] ability to deal with the orichalcum—though with you asking that, could it be that human-type cores don’t have the [Enhancement] option in the menu?]
Enhancement… was there something like that? Have I not unlocked it? Or maybe it doesn’t exist for us in the first place?
[At the least, magic sword-type cores have [Enhancement] entries that they can use to strengthen themselves by using DP. I used almost all of this Dungeon Battle’s DP to purchase [Indestructible]—ah, that should be enough of a reward (service) to the victor? Now for you to answer my question.]
“Ah, sure… I never thought that we’d both have the same idea.”
[Same idea?]
“Yeah, our core was also mobile. It was moving about in our dungeon though.”
I attached it to the ammonite’s shell and had it always dart about underwater.
In truth, particularly when Core 666 entered the Monster House, I had it go outside of the dungeon (but still inside of the domain) through a flood room and hide near lower levels.
[… I see. So you had that sort of strategy.]
“However, even though moving your Dummy Core around is fine… you’re a fool.”
[? I thought it was a good idea though? You seem to have been using it as well, so aren’t you a fool then?]
“Wherever the Dungeon Core was, wouldn’t it have been our win by defeating you? Isn’t that all pointless if you come to our dungeon like that?”
[… Huh!?]
[Well, you had [Indestructible]… It would’ve been fine enduring whatever in your magic sword form when push came to shove… at worst, you would’ve been restrained until the end of the Dungeon Battle—I told you that before the Dungeon Battle, remember?]
[Ah, right.]
I saw a boy with dark red hair behind Aidi. If Aidi’s were like fresh blood, his was more like blood that had darkened after sitting for a while… is that her master? If he’s human, he’s even younger than me.
“Are you her master? … A human?”
[Yeah. You too? This is my first time seeing a human master… Given your appearance, you’re from another world?]
Come to think of it, I’m in my jersey. Did I just give them extra intel?
“Yeah, this is my world’s pajamas.”
[Pajamas…? Wearing pajamas for a Dungeon Battle… what a strange person.]
“Umu. They’re easy to relax in. Isn’t it important to be relaxed during a challenge?”
[… Well, whatever. It won’t matter next time… I’ll cut it.] [2]
“Ye—”
When I tried to say something like ‘Yeah, see you next time~’, their master swung the sword that was hanging at his waist. The mirror-like monitor disappeared with a shattering sound… I guess that was him ‘cutting it’? [3]
Even though I was wanting to talk a bit more with a fellow human master…
Ah, but I guess I gave killing him in that Dungeon Battle a bit of thought, didn’t I? I mean, killing the Dungeon Core is the same as killing the Dungeon Master.
Well, it’s all good. With this much, we’re acquaintances now. In this world, that amount of blood lust is normal. Normal, I say.
“Ah, wait, Kehma. Can I talk with Team Dragon King?”
“Hmm? You have something you want to talk with them about?”
“Just a bit.”
“Sure then, go ahead.”
I didn’t really have a reason to refuse her, so I gave her my permission.
The mirror appeared once again, so it looks like they approved it. Ah, that’s a huge snake. There’s even a slug and a frog standing next to it.
[What!? 695, come to gloat!?]
“Hey hey, how do you feel? Hey, how do you feel? You always, always made fun of me, but now it’s all my win, ah, and it’s your complete defeat! So, how do you feel now? There are three of you, but you couldn’t do anything, are you frustrated? You all going to cry? Hey, hey! Say something!”
[Hey, you really came to gloat!?]
“Obviously! I, the winner, am great, and you are all stupid! Bye!”
[Ah, oi, don’t run awa—]
Vwoom.
The monitor disappeared just like how an old TV would turn off.
I guess I was wrong earlier about him saying he was going to turn it off? [4]
“… Phew… that was refreshing!”
“Y-yeah. Good job.”
“This was all thanks to Kehma! Thank you, Kehma!”
Rokuko smiled in such a way that it looked like a major weight was lifted from her, a true smile.
I couldn’t say anything in response to her, so I just patted her head.
[Well then, once again, congratulations 89, 695. Now for the reward.]
A communication from [Father] appeared… Is it here?
Reward time, that is.
Footnotes:
Golgo 13 reference. Return
He only says ‘cut’ in the original Japanese. This is meant to be open-ended in the way that it could mean ‘I’ll kill you’, or ‘I’ll cut through that relaxation’, as well as something that appears in… two lines from this. Return
It also means ‘turn off’ and ‘sever connection’… Return
Again, a bit awkward due to the open-ended statement losing quite a bit in translation. My apologies.