Blackthorne and his group scanned through the dungeon, taking down any foe as they obstruct their path with relative ease under his skilled leadership and firepower.
As they went deeper into the dungeon, they finally found the princess and her knight.
Tension mounted on both sides as the companions who were eluding the assailants were now cornered, while the assailants were unable to locate Roland and Albert, whom they considered a greater threat. The fear of the unseen is a natural instinct, after all.
“Where is Roland?” asked Blackthorne with his eyes still calculating his next moves.
Instead of a reply, Elara roared a battle cry as she launched herself towards Blackthorne and his group.
Sighing he raised his weapon with a disappointed look. “I wanted truce but if it’s not an option for you, then what can I do” he declared.
Maintaining distance she stabbed the group members, puncturing lungs and other abdominal organs piercing through their medium armors as if they were just for show. Her raw power behind each stab were powerful enough to pierce through multiple foes, stacking them together in her blade.
Gently pulling back and readying herself for another stab, she would leave the unfortunate receivers of death with a wide-open stomach, blood, intestine gushing out.
She would use her sweeping attack to cover wide areas and attack multiple enemies without batting an eye. Clearly confirming her position and skills as expected of a second in command in the royal army.
Never staying in one place, she was so fast, it would seem like she was using a spell called Blink – a spell high-level battlemages use in battles. However, it was her sheer physical strength and physical speed alone.
“Fine, I guess I will step in after all” Blackthorne cursed “All of you are useless” he spat angrily.
Now the battle became extremely disadvantageous for Elara. She knew the skills of the hound. She had seen them herself in the past. The ruthlessness when attacking, his calm and composed nature even in extreme situations, and his vast experience in violence made him a threat even for Sir Roland who was at least 100 levels above her.
Her spear clashed against his dagger; she could already feel her arms numb. “Is that all there is? Huh, to think I was considering we ally ourselves until the dungeon situation is solved” he mocked. “Now where is that senile old bastard, I want to talk to him man to man” he grinned wide showing his rotten teeth as he licked his blade.
“Aye dumbfucks!, while I dance with this lady, how about you all capture that Sera girl?” he yelled at his group sending shivers among his subordinates.
"Her name is Crown Princess Seraphina Alexandra Everhart, and you are not allowed to utter it with your filthy mouth!" Elara roared, her determination fueling her charge with all her might.
Blackthorne calmly whispered “smoke screen” and a subordinate threw a ball in-front of Elara blocking her view, then another assailant stabbed her in the back. However, trusting her instincts Elara rolled forward, barely missing the tip of the poisonous dagger.
As she regained her balance, Blackthorne seized Elara by the throat and hoisted her up, her body pierced by several daggers that elicited flinches of pain. With a forceful motion, he slammed her face into the ground, leaving her on the verge of losing consciousness.
The remaining group members then started kicking her in the guts and open wounds.
Soon the poison also started spreading her bloodstream, turning her complexion blue.
Blackthorne then started walking away from the fallen Elara asking his subordinates to follow him. “Leave her now, she will die anyway, let’s find the bitch then we can negotiate with the old man.”
Wearing a satisfied grin, Blackthorne and his group set off in the direction where they had spotted the princess fleeing. Meanwhile, Lady Elara raised her hand in their direction, as if signaling that the fight wasn't over yet and that she was still prepared to continue the battle.
----------------------------------------
Knowing her lack of combat power Princess wasted no time running and hiding herself from the assailants in deeper sections of the dungeon. Due to earlier commotion by Blackthorne’s group, she luckily was able to avoid any attention from dungeon guards as they kept getting aggro’d by his men.
The dungeon seemed almost indifferent to her presence, but she quickly pushed that thought aside, focusing on her escape from the group. The stakes were high – if they succeeded in killing her, there would be no heir to the crown, and the new king would become the legitimate successor after her demise.
As the sounds of approaching footsteps grew louder, she made a swift decision to continue running deeper into the massive dungeon. In the distance, she could hear the clash of battle between the group and the guards, but they proved to be no match for Blackthorne, whom they called the "hound" of the new king.
Soon, she stumbled upon a giant gate and her eyes widened.
Before her stood a towering gate, adorned with breathtakingly intricate designs of golden flowers and precious gems. Its beauty was so mesmerizing that even a royal who had been raised in luxury would be captivated by its splendor.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Upon hearing the impending danger, she made a swift decision to enter the gate. As soon as she stepped inside, a sigh of relief escaped her lips. The room she found herself in was vast and engulfed in darkness, with no one else present except for a towering guard statue. The statue possessed four hands and two legs, each arm equipped with a different item – a spear, a very long sword, and two objects that resembled rolled up scrolls due to their cylindrical shape however, she had never seen a metallic scroll.
As she tried to look through the room, she found a smaller door that was sealed by chains and talismans. Shapes of skull drawn with two bones forming a cross.
As she attempted to comprehend the architecture of the massive room, she found herself in, the sound of voices from outside the door reached her ears, alerting her to the presence of others nearby.
“Look, it’s the boss room, said one of the assailants”
“We actually reached it by ourselves” added another
Blackthorne's mind raced with various thoughts as he recalled his past as an adventurer. Though experienced, he couldn't shake the memories of an S rank dungeon he had encountered before. The horrors he had faced in that dungeon still sent shivers down his spine, causing him to feel less confident in the face of the current situation.
Even though Blackthorne had grown stronger over the years, improving his levels and various stats, the guards in this dungeon were undoubtedly more formidable than the S rank monsters he had once fled from.
Yet, against all odds, he had managed to lead his small group to the boss room, losing very few members along the way. The remaining members now consisted of the most promising assassins and formidable fighters, a testament to their skill and determination.
Nevertheless, Blackthorne couldn't help but be amazed by the idea of conquering an SSS legendary rank dungeon without the support of a kingdom's army. It seemed unfathomable, yet he stood at the threshold of achieving it. His confidence surged, and a faint smile curved his lips as he checked his items and carefully examined both his own and his group's status, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.
“It looks like that bitch entered the boss room alone” a member of Blackthorne’s party said mockingly.
As she heard Blackthorne's confident words, a wave of realization washed over the young princess. Her initial relief dissipated, replaced by mounting tension and fear. She was but a young royal, never having faced the harsh realities of the world or encountered dangers of such magnitude. She lacked the knowledge of adventurers and had no means to identify boss rooms or the challenges they posed. However, she had read stories, tales of brave adventurers and their struggles against mighty bosses. And now, standing before the giant statue in front of her, she knew that it was the very boss she had read about in those stories.
However, as if the dungeon ignoring her existence, the boss remained indifferent towards her. Standing tall with weapons drawn, but still…lifeless.
In that moment, the giant door swung open once more, illuminating the dark room. Torches flared to life along the walls, and the floor began to glow, revealing intricate designs. Then, the eyes of the colossal statue glowed a menacing bloody red, adding an eerie and foreboding atmosphere to the already tense room.
As if responding to the awakening of the giant statue, hundreds of dungeon guards emerged from hidden passageways, flooding into the room. What was once a vacant space was now overcrowded with the menacing presence of these guards, surrounding the princess and her companions. The situation had taken a dire turn, and tension filled the air as they found themselves vastly outnumbered and facing the ominous challenge ahead.
With a mighty roar, the colossal boss signaled the start of the battle. His massive spear came crashing down, stabbing the ground where the assailants stood, still ignoring the presence of the princess. The boss, along with the dungeon guards, launched their assault on the group, unleashing a flurry of attacks. The battlefield became a chaotic scene as the assailants fought for their lives against the overwhelming forces before them.
In a matter of minutes, the group's numbers were halved, despite Blackthorne's valiant efforts to keep the giant boss focused on him. The remaining companions found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of dungeon guards, struggling to hold their ground against the relentless onslaught. With each passing moment, the situation grew more dire, and it seemed as though their chances of survival were dwindling rapidly.
With the chaos of battle consuming everyone's attention, Seraphina seized the opportunity to slip past her assailants and the dungeon guards. Astonishingly, they continued to ignore her presence, allowing her to make her way toward the sealed room. This room appeared to be ancient and forgotten, marked by a rusted iron door adorned with magical circles etched in what seemed to be blood. The mysterious door held an air of ominous secrecy, hinting at untold secrets that lay within.
In a sudden turn of events, one of the assailants spotted the Princess and began to pursue her. However, to his surprise, the guards surrounding him quickly took cover and moved away from his path. The tension in the room intensified as the assailant continued his relentless pursuit.
Suddenly, a blinding light emitted from one of the cylindrical weapons held by the giant boss, and in a split second, the assailant was disintegrated into multiple pieces. The shocking display of power left everyone in the room speechless, including Blackthorne and his companions. The boss's control over its guards and the devastating weapon it possessed revealed that they were facing a far more formidable foe than they had imagined.
During the chaotic battle, Blackthorne felt a moment of intense frustration and contemplation. He clutched something of immeasurable value, an item so precious that its worth surpassed anything he had ever possessed. It was a special scroll, a last resort he kept safely tucked away in his storage ring. This scroll contained a grand tier magic, a devastating force that he had intended to use in a desperate financial situation or unleashing its power upon anyone who manage to land a fatal blow on him.
This scroll was not something he had acquired through legitimate means; rather, it was a treasure he had stolen from an S rank dungeon, an act that had caused a disastrous outbreak decades ago. To return such a powerful artifact to a dungeon was a decision that left him feeling deeply unsettled. The internal struggle between his desire for survival and losing such expensive item made him cough blood.
The other disadvantage of using the scroll was the nature of magic it would unleash. This world was not a game, neither he a master magician with granular level of control of mana.
This meant that if he released the magic, it would also kill his subordinates.
Loss of lives continued to mount in the relentless battle. he finally made a decision that would alter the course of the fight. With a determined yet sorrowful expression, he finally tore open the special scroll he had clutched tightly for so long.
In an instant, the dungeon room was consumed by an enormous storm of magical energy. Thunder roared and lightning crackled, striking everything in its path—except for Blackthorne. His body remained untouched amidst the chaos, shielded by the potent magic he had unleashed.
As the dust settled and the storm subsided, Blackthorne looked around at the aftermath of his decision. The once formidable guards and assailants now lay defeated, their threat nullified by the unleashed magic. The room was eerily silent, and Blackthorne stood at the center, both victorious and burdened by the consequences of his actions.
Amidst the aftermath, regular dungeon guards had been reduced to mere ashes, their bodies completely vaporized by the overwhelming power of the unleashed magic. The once-formidable assailants and Blackthorne's subordinates had met a similar fate, leaving no trace of their existence on the dungeon floor.
As the dust settled, the giant boss lay in a pitiful state, its massive frame now stripped of its formidable limbs. The once imposing creature now struggled, crawling with fierce determination towards Blackthorne. Despite its grievous injuries, its eyes still burned with a fiery desire to eliminate the intruder.
Blackthorne lifted the enormous cylindrical weapon, which was now unequipped by the monster. With memories of its destructive power still haunting him, he managed to wield it despite its size and aimed it at the giant boss, hoping to activate its devastating capabilities. But as he pressed various buttons, nothing happened. The boss inched closer, undeterred.
Boss Battle Stage 2 begin!!!
A prompt materialized above the boss, but Blackthorne paid it little attention as he swiftly dropped the cylindrical weapon. He had no time to waste on a weapon he had no idea how to use as the limbless monster rolled relentlessly, following a linear path until it collided with a wall, causing the entire dungeon to quake. Debris from the ceiling rained down unpredictably, adding to the chaos and making the boss's movements even more rapid and dangerous.
Blackthorne's brow was glistening with sweat, and exhaustion weighed heavily on him, yet he continued to leap and dodge, desperately searching for an escape from this unforeseen turn of events. The situation had escalated, and his mind raced to devise a plan for survival amidst the ever-increasing peril.
Just then, he started looking for the princess, wondering if she also perished under his scroll’s grand tier spell. To his astonishment, Blackthorne realized that the smaller door on the opposite side of the room, away from the entrance, was now unlocked. Seizing the chance, he swiftly made his way towards the door, ready to dodge the boss. He planned to use the giant’s body momentum as a wrecking ball and crush the wall along with the smaller door and kill the princess with it.
However, his plan hit a snag as the boss hesitated.
----------------------------------------