The Third Dungeon Battle: Conclusion

The red-haired girl was clearly too small to have been inside that armor. This was Core 666's humanized form.

"Core 666 has separated!"

"Separated. She can do that?"

Blood-red long hair, blazing crimson eyes. As if declaring armor inelegant, she was an ojou-sama dressed in a red-based dress with white frills. Her appearance perfectly matched the fire-attribute image.

True to that image, Core 666 produced a fire magic sword as if growing it from her hand. She swung it down at the restrained Black Armor, cutting off the chains binding it… She must have cut a bit too deep, as the Black Armor itself had a gash in it.

The freed Black Armor clenched its empty fists and stood back-to-back with Core 666.

The Sahagins threw more chains at them, but this time the two of them managed to handle and evade them together. —The movements were different from before. This meant the master was operating it now.

But did Core 666 come out from inside the armor and humanize?

—No, that's not it. That magic sword, it looked like it grew from her hand, but did it actually? In other words, the magic sword is part of her body—

… Could that [Magic Sword] be Core 666's true, non-humanized form?

"Haku-san. Could magic swords actually be monsters?"

"Oh? You didn't know? Seventy percent of what the world calls magic swords are monsters."

A shocking fact was casually revealed.

Magic swords aren't items but monsters. Seventy percent of them.

Well, if Living Armors exist, it wouldn't be strange for Living Weapons to exist too. I just never expected them to be called magic swords…

… Ah, come to think of it, our magic swords are Golems too.

In that case, to make a magic sword—

"Kehma, what do we do?! How can we win?!"

"Whoops. I was lost in thought… Well, let's deal with the Black Armor first. Golem squad!"

I had the Golem squad prepare the orichalcum wire.

The same ones from the submerged middle floor area. We'd collected and brought them here.

For easy transport, they had iron weights attached to the ends, so there's no problem throwing them as is.

"Do it!"

Mixed in with another wave of chains, I had them throw those with iron weights on both ends.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

# Team Demon King's Side #

 

"Fufu, this isn't where it ends!"

When the Living Armor she was operating got bound by chains, Core 666 first released the magic sword.

Then, humanizing from the magic sword, she grasped a sword with the same abilities as the magic sword that was her true form using a skill called [Doppelganger], and cut off the chains restraining the Black Armor.

[Doppelganger] was a type of clone, but if the [Doppelganger] sword was destroyed, she would die too. That kind of skill.

"No time to summon Skeletons. I'll leave the armor's operation to master. Let's handle this together."

"Got it."

Leaving the Black Armor with the Dummy Core still in its abdomen to her master, she slashed away the incoming chains with her flame-clad magic sword. Her master also manipulated the Black Armor, brushing away chains with its empty hands. One person couldn't handle it all, but with two, they could. They covered all directions.

"This way, we can manage."

"Yeah."

Chains were thrown again. Once more, Core 666 used her magic sword and her master used the armor's hands to deflect them—

But the hands and neck of the armor she tried to brush them away with were cleanly severed.

"Huh?"

Something with extreme sharpness mixed in with the chains passed mere centimeters above Core 666's head.

Two heavy iron weights thudded to the ground. Between them stretched a taut, extremely fine thread. Despite being so thin, it somehow didn't bend or break while supporting the weights. That fine thread was the same orichalcum thread that had sliced the Black Armor to pieces earlier.

"Same as before, huh… Way too sharp."

"Oh my, Master. Look what you've done to my armor…"

"Sorry."

"… Well, I suppose I should have expected this since I let you handle it. I can't leave my back to you anymore… Your legs are intact, at least. Master, just keep running around. It'll be a bit harder, but as long as you watch only what's in front while running forward, you should be fine."

A Living Armor won't die from this much. But chains were thrown at it again, along with that supremely sharp orichalcum thread.

Core 666 intercepted and blocked the orichalcum thread with her [Indestructible] magic sword. It fell to the ground… She had to be careful not to cut her own feet.

"The orichalcum threads have iron masses on both ends as markers. The armor doesn't have [Indestructible], so dodge carefully."

"Yeah. Aidi, be careful too. Only the sword has [Indestructible]."

They split up. If they were going to run anyway, splitting up would divide the enemy's aim.

The Tentacle Slime returned at the moment they separated. Its target appeared to be the Black Armor that couldn't use magic attacks. Conversely, Core 666 aimed at it.

Then another set of weights flew at each of them. Core 666 didn't dodge, blocking with her sword.

The Black Armor evaded by moving far to the side—but its body was sliced horizontally in half.

"Wha—"

"Huh?"

The orichalcum thread caught by the magic sword fell to the ground.

The Black Armor's upper body crashed to the ground with a clang, followed by its lower half collapsing to its knees.

They didn't understand what had happened. The Black Armor should have dodged the thread. Yet it was cut in two.

Even a Living Armor would die if the largest central torso part was sliced clean in half.

The Dummy Core hidden in the upper body tumbled out of the now-lifeless wreckage. Fortunately, it appeared undamaged, but deep in enemy territory, with the armor that protected it gone, their defeat condition was now completely exposed. The outcome was clearer than day.

Core 666 tried to rush over, but the Tentacle Slime blocked her path.

Even though the fire magic sword was effective, it couldn't instantly kill a slime full of liquid. Moreover, the Tentacle Slime could extend tentacles from two or more directions simultaneously, so blocking with a single sword left openings.

The Dummy Core was picked up by a Golem, and before Core 666's eyes—

—With a crack, it shattered and lost its light.