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[Absolute Command Rights] Used Effectively
(Core No. 666, Aidi’s Point of View)
Hiding behind a monitor to slip by enemies, then begin a counteroffensive… I see, what an interesting strategy.
Aidi thought to herself.
“Rokuko’s Master really doesn’t think like other people…”
He was effectively just really good out plotting against people, but it was a very reliable thing for a Dungeon Core’s partner.
In truth, Rokuko and Kehma were such a good pair that they’d went against Haku in an equally-matched Dungeon Battle and managed to come out with a win.
Then again, reality rarely provided [Equally-Matched] fights. Even if Haku had just planned to educate him and was negligent, it was a fact that he took advantage of that. If there were no holds barred and a 600 seriesNewest Series core had to go against one of the initial series cores like No. 89, they’d stand no chance.
To put it simply, despite actually winning, he would have thought something like [It’s fine even if I lose].
… It was the same before Rokuko and Aidi had their Dungeon Battle, too. Aidi’s Master had said [Let’s invest the DP into our Enhancement. Why don’t we have some fun with this as a test?].
In other words, he thought it was okay to lose this, too.
However, Aidi had absolutely no intentions of losing this.
“Fufu… Haah, haah, this is getting fun…”
She wasn’t in pain at all, nor was she tired. She was still obviously panting, though. It was an entirely wasted motion, but it was of no matter since she wasn’t fatigued at all.
Aidi was given an [Order] by her Master before this through the Absolute Command Rights: [You don’t feel tired during battle and don’t need to breath].
It was a seemingly insane [Order], but as she was truly a Core, it turned out to work rather well.
Dungeon Cores didn’t ordinarily have to breathe nor did they feel fatigue, it was even fine to call her current body an incarnation or avatar.
Wouldn’t something grow tired even if it forgot that it should? Yes, but it was more weird for something that was originally unable to grow tired to feel fatigue. Even needing to breathe was unnatural.
If the same command were given to a human, their body would quickly reach its limit and die. Aidi, however, was a Dungeon Core.
Therefore, the current Aidi had a body that [Was not fatigued and had no need of breathing].
“Hah!”
She easily slew the gargoyles coming at her while she searched for Core No. 564’s mansion. Then, after she defeated another group, she moved some of her red hair out of her eyes and regained control of her breath to take a rest—to act as if she were fatigued.
Why was she doing that? In order to draw our more of her enemy’s forces. Then, if things went well, in order to draw out Core No. 564 himself.
Aidi knew—this Dungeon Battle’s victory condition was to touch the core.
This didn’t extend to touching their avatars. However, if you killed the incarnation, you would win due to there no longer being an opponent… This was also something pointed out by Kehma and the others in their Dungeon Battle in the previous year.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t be a loss for them if Aidi herself died. Although it would be a personal defeat for Aidi if she did die, it wouldn’t be the team’s.
Aidi obviously didn’t intend to die, but she was in the comforting position of [It is fine to die].
“What a cruel man Rokuko’s Master is, huh? He said it was fine even if I died.”
Even while saying that, she thrust her sword at a succubus who’d been summoning gargoyles from behind cover.
Making sure she’d cut off the monster’s escape route, she closed in. The succubus attempted to charm her, a desperate, last-ditch effort. Aidi just smiled amiably back at her.
Thinking the charm worked, the succubus seemed to be relieved for a moment. Aidi then mercilessly cut her down.
“Aw, I wound up killing her on reflex since she charmed me. I can’t help but want to kill adorable girls.”
With that, she’d acted as if she’d been charmed.
Yes. It was an act. Charms wouldn’t work on Aidi. She’d been [Ordered] to [Not be affected by status conditions], after all. Mental conditions wouldn’t work on her. Even affects caused through poisons would be invalidated by the core’s functions.
If she were to receive one, it could only be to the extent of something like a blindfold over her eyes.
Yes, exactly like the situation she found with this room laced in a [Darkness] trap.
This room was the next room, it was entirely dark. Opening the door, it was so dark that it was unnatural.
The black [Darkness] would probably remain even if she completely wrecked the room. The dark wall was just that sort of three-dimensional thing.
She didn’t sense anything breathing inside the room, but she did sense hostility. Likely an undead that didn’t require breathing or an inanimate-type like a gargoyle. There could also be some other trap.
“Hmph. This looks fun.”
Aidi walked into the [Darkness] unhesitatingly.
Immediately after she took her first step, arrows were fired at Aidi.
It was a concealed trap that couldn’t be seen from the doorway and that would fire at the first person to enter.
However, Aidi cut down the arrow mid-flight and dove into the darkness as if dancing. She moved through the room avoiding traps as she swung her sword about, precisely cutting down an enemy.
“Oh. So there was something there? I didn’t notice, what a lucky strike.”
It wasn’t a lucky strike, of course.
It was visible to Aidi. Gargoyles and skeletons were hidden in the darkness, stealthily aiming at her. To say how, it was because Aidi was originally a [Magic Sword-Type] Dungeon Core. There were some magic swords that had eyes as a necessity rather than as a happenstance, but Aidi wasn’t like that.
In other words, she didn’t need her eyes to see. Therefore, if she was [Ordered] to [See your surroundings even within darkness], she could. And so she could.
Aidi found herself smiling within the [Darkness].
“Kusu kusu. Rokuko’s Master is great and all, but my Master won’t lose either. Perhaps I should reward him when I return?”
Aidi and her Master made effective, valid uses of [Absolute Command Rights].
She wouldn’t tire, didn’t need to breathe, and wasn’t affected by status conditions. She could see in the dark and destroy her enemies.
She didn’t stop single-mindedly killing her enemies.
Dungeon Cores were capable of this through the proper use of the [Absolute Command Rights].
It was a completely different combat style than what Kehma—who’d completely abandoned the [Absolute Command Rights]—had taken. This was how Aidi fought.
But then again, if she brought that up with Kehma, he’d easily include that stratagem into his and say something like [Well, you are our frontline. Alright, I’ll support you from the back, so have fun].
And that would be that.