Chapter – 65
I could feel the astonished gazes of the people around me focusing on the caster of the barrier—me.
<Why… how…!>
<I want to tear this apart…!>
Opsculia, far beyond level 20, couldn’t even leave a scratch on my ultimate barrier. I had no intention of dragging this out.
I unleashed my divine power.
As I stirred a storm with pure energy, Opsculia’s mask gradually slid backward.
Rei and Ash, with their keen senses, looked on in bewilderment.
“This… divine power…?”
“Sister… who are you…?”
Facing an S-rank boss, there was no time for idle talk. I silently stared at Opsculia beyond the barrier.
<Kyaaaak…!>
Opsculia’s mask, losing in the clash of power, was flung far away.
‘Architect.’
[‘The Architect of the Tower of Trials’ waits nervously for your command.]
‘I’m afraid you’ll still need to write a report.’
[‘The Architect of the Tower of Trials’ lets out a deep sigh.]
[‘The Architect of the Tower of Trials’ admits they knew this would happen the moment you agreed to help without demanding a reward.’]
Indeed, they knew me too well.
Honestly, I hadn’t even taken a deposit in case something like this happened.
It was a reassuring answer for me.
‘Thank you for understanding.’
I calmly took the ceremonial sword, Serpens, out of my satchel.
The blade, subtly segmented along its length, let out a beautiful metallic hum. As I ran my left hand along it, Serpens glowed with a pure white light.
The group’s eyes widened in astonishment once again.
“T-That’s… an aura…?”
“How can a healer…? You’re a healer, but…”
I smiled faintly and gave them instructions.
“Stay in here for a moment.”
Stepping out beyond the silver fortress, the outside world was nothing less than hell.
I walked alone, treading over writhing phantoms on the floor.
Standing in the center, Opsculia’s mask hung above me from the ceiling, shouting:
<Undigestible prey…!>
<Eliminate…!>
Phantoms lunged at me from all directions, snapping their jaws in competition.
It was like a tsunami of chaos crashing from every side.
I channeled aura into my sword and sliced through them. The menacing wave burst like fragile bubbles.
But the sea of phantoms showed no sign of calming. A prolonged battle this way would only drain me, and victory seemed unlikely.
‘I’m slower at cutting them down than they are at rushing in.’
Then—
[<System> Warning. ‘The Devouring Legion’ is approaching.]
“…!”
I saw enormous walls rising ahead. The rear looked the same.
A phantom wave of unprecedented size from both sides was about to crush me.
“Aylet!”
“H-Healer…!”
Kraaaak!
Two legions collided like mountains, engulfing me.
Phantoms pressed down on me, weight and suffocating pressure consuming my body.
“No!”
“Sister!”
I could hear Rei and Ash’s frantic voices from afar.
Feeling slightly guilty for worrying them, I began a divine spell.
“Exorcism.”
<Kyaaaak…!>
<Kyaaaah…!>
Phantoms piled atop me erupted like fireworks.
Because they were so densely packed, it took a few seconds for the chain reaction to reduce everything from closest to farthest into dust.
The central chamber was clearly cleared. I smiled at Opsculia, who had already lost half the Devourer phantoms to my attack.
“Much easier to deal with them all at once.”
A sigh of relief came from afar as Opsculia’s mask expressed anger.
<How dare…!>
The phantoms attacked again.
<Indigestible…!>
<Tasteless prey…!>
And that counts as an insult?
I thought, cutting down the insignificant phantoms with my sword.
<Talking during a battle…? I’ll teach you a lesson, Aylet.>
“Yes, sir.”
I turned the devouring phantoms into dust while replying.
“Shut up. You’re nothing but a pet.”
In the original story, Opsculia was the demon lord’s pet.
Ah, but wait—I just made the same mistake.
Calling a pet a pet wouldn’t have a taunting effect. I added more words as I swung my sword.
“Not even cute.”
<…!>
“You actually chose to raise something like you? Your master has terrible taste.”
There was a reaction.
<D-Dare to insult my master…!>
<Y-You lowly mouth…! Insulting…!>
<I won’t forgive you…! Never…!>
Phantoms connecting the mask to the ceiling stretched out. Opsculia, grotesque like a yokai, lunged at me.
<I thought you’d be careful… but you’re already coming down. Truly tank material.>
“Of course. Whose student do you think I am?”
Kraaang!
No sooner had I spoken than the mask and my sword collided. Opsculia snapped its shark-like teeth, attempting to bite me.
Sparks flew like fire at every clash of Serpens and the mask.
Krazzik!
My blade grazed the mask’s right cheek, leaving a tiny crack.
But as a few phantoms on its neck were absorbed, it fully healed.
The real body, with both defense and regeneration, was tough to handle.
‘First, I need to deal with its regeneration.’
I frowned slightly, blocking Opsculia’s attack with my sword.
Kaaang!
“…!”
Opsculia bit down hard on my blade.
<Heehee…!>
<I’ve got you…!>
The scraping of the teeth against Serpens sounded like metal grinding.
I tried to pull my sword back, but it wouldn’t budge.
<Aylet.>
Agnes’s warning rang in my mind.
<It’s over, tasteless prey…!>
Phantoms shot out from behind the mask like tentacles. I had no time to cast a divine spell.
I had to drop the sword and retreat—if I were an ordinary swordsman, that is.
“Serpens.”
The ceremonial sword responded to my call.
The segments not held in its teeth stretched like a snake, slicing through the tentacle-like phantoms.
<How…!>
“You thought you had me, but actually I had you.”
<Impossible…!>
I wasn’t stopping there.
The extended segments of Serpens passed behind the mask, targeting the phantoms controlling it.
It was hunting time.
While I clashed with the mask, the backline of phantoms was being slaughtered.
<H-Heeiiit…!>
Over time, the phantoms forming Opsculia’s neck thinned.
The sword’s destruction outpaced the phantoms’ regeneration.
Opsculia’s neck visibly narrowed. At the final strike—
<Kyaaaak!>
The mask shrieked, releasing the sword and retreating.
Dangling by its now-thin neck, the mask attempted to flee to the ceiling.
Meanwhile, its neck was healing in real time.
I had to end this before it ascended and its defenses restored.
“Huuh.”
I channeled all my aura into Serpens and whipped it like a lash.
‘Hit!’
Swoosh!
Finally, I cut through the phantoms attached to the mask.
<Kyaaaah…!>
The mask fell like a puppet with its strings cut. Opsculia’s real body crashed upside down to the floor.
Uuuuurgh…
Guuuuh…
Phantoms crawling on the floor rushed to try to upright the mask with their bodies.
But when I approached, they trembled and hid behind the mask.
“Disappear.”
I incinerated the surrounding phantoms with divine power.
If they reconnected the mask to the abyss, it would all start over.
I raised Serpens and held it horizontally.
With its link to the abyss severed, the weakened body cracked and shattered in places.
Opsculia’s mask made a pitiful plea.
<S-Save me…>
<I…>
<I was just… hungry…>
Thwack!
The blade pierced its forehead.
Creak… crack, creaaak!
A crack formed across the mask. Realizing its impending end, Opsculia screamed.
<No…! I’m scared…!>
<Master…! Save me, master…!>
<Carpeios…>
Clang! The mask shattered like porcelain.
<Master… I miss you…>
The mask fragments turned to black dust and were blown away.
Uuuuuurgh…
Guuuuh…
The remaining devouring phantoms were pulled into the abyss.
Drik, drdrik! The mouth-like abyss was covered again, the hole sealed.
[<System> Congratulations! You have defeated the dungeon’s master, Devourer Opsculia, ranked 711th in the Demon Realm.]
[<System> The demon territory ‘Slime Breeding Cave’ is now owned by dungeon raider Aylet Rodeline.]
