Raid Dungeon Battle (9)

An hour had passed since the fortress defense began in the boss room and the undead Cores filed their Dungeon Battle applications. The minimum preparation time was over, and finally, the first victim—the Dungeon Battle against Core Number 695—began.

Gates opened in the artificial dungeons stationed across the Holy Kingdom. These were Undead Dungeons that had been set up across the land by the Pope himself—loyal weapons trained and nurtured by Core Number 10.

They were precious weapons, saved for a critical moment like this. If not now, then when? The enemy was the allied army of Core Number 89, a top-ten ranked foe. There was no reason to hold back. The plan was to isolate and eliminate the enemy forces one by one within the Undead Dungeons, gradually weakening Core Number 89's army. In the end, victory would be theirs.

If they destroyed an enemy dungeon, it could be converted into an undead and added to their own forces. The more they defeated, the stronger they became. Time was on their side.

"[Command ADBAll Dungeon Battle: AAttack]"

Core Number 10 issued the order for a full assault to his undead Core subordinates.

Preparation had taken far longer than just an hour—they had been mobilizing forces ever since Core Number 89's assault began.

Once the command was given, everything else ran automatically. The undead may have limited intelligence, but they weren't mindless. This allowed Core Number 10 to focus fully on the boss room's siege defense.

"—[Create Undead]"

Using magic, he killed an intruder—likely a plant warrior from Core Number 219—and turned it into an undead, sending it back to its side. This alone made it difficult for the enemy to attack with weaklings, as any careless move would bolster their opponent's strength.

Therefore, the most logical course for them would be to hold off until their elites had gathered.

But once the elites did arrive, Core Number 10 would simply use one of his trump cards to deal with them. And those elites, once defeated, would become his own. The stronger the enemy, the greater the benefit of converting them into undead… Effectively, his forces were infinite.

Again, time was on their side.

As they continued stalling, the undead Cores would systematically eliminate Core Number 89's subordinates. Ultimately, victory would belong to Core Number 10.

Besides, the enemy's invasion had clearly been rushed. That initial attack using holy water was a reckless, cost-inefficient blitz. They had probably spent a fortune on that amount of holy water. It had been, at best, a mutual wound.

There was likely a reason they couldn't afford to waste time. Which meant—once again—time was an ally to Core Number 10.

"Still, getting completely overpowered in that initial clash really hurt…"

Yes, the damage from the holy water had been severe. Core Number 10 resolved to make the pitiful lamb—Core Number 695—pay for that pain.

Core Number 695, dearly cherished by Core Number 89. Yes, Core Number 89 would be finished off by Core Number 695. The look on their face would be priceless. A dark smile crept across Core Number 10's lips.

… Now then, a dungeon in the 600 rangeLast Lot should be about 80% conquered by now, right? After all, they were being attacked simultaneously by 15 Cores. The sheer numbers alone should have overwhelmed them.

Core Number 10 checked the undead Cores' status.

"[Command DDungeon66DBDungeon Battle: MMap] … Hm? What's this? Core Number 695's map isn't displaying?"

During a Dungeon Battle, the enemy dungeon's map should update as areas are invaded. But for some reason, only the information that there's a gate was shown—none of the usual green dots representing allies had appeared.

Oddly, the undead Cores could see the map just fine…

"A bug? Well, I've never used this many at once before… hmm, maybe that's all it is."

Core Number 10 decided to send in a Zombie to check directly. It was sent through the gate into the dungeon—the dungeon had originally an animal-type Core that had turned into a cave-type dungeon.

He tilted his head as he looked at the gate.

"Hm? It's pitch black on the other side… Ah, a Dark Zone?."

A Dark Zone restricted all visibility—a space of three-dimensional darkness like black mist.

Dungeon maps would update as monsters recognized terrain. So if there's a Dark Zone right beyond the gate, the map won't update just by looking through it.

But even one step into the dungeon should allow recognition via the Zombie's sense of touch.

"Surely it's not a death trap that kills anything before it can take a step?"

Even if there were traps, over fifteen hundred undead from fifteen Cores had charged in. With bodies that were already tough… They should have been able to walk over their fallen comrades if necessary.

"In that case… Is the lack of map data from the undead Cores due to interference from the Dark God? Hmph, maybe I went a bit overboard."

Determined, Core Number 10 directed one of his own Zombies to enter the gate for direct observation.

Immediately, the Zombie's vision went dark. That was expected, since it entered the Dark Zone, but then—

"… No reaction? An instant-kill trap!?"

Core Number 10 clicked his tongue. The Zombie had been neatly killed. He summoned another and sent it in.

"… Tch, another one gone! Damn it! [Command ADBAll Dungeon Battle: SSet]"

Frustrated by the repeated losses, he had the undead Cores prepare monsters. He slipped his own Zombies into the joint assault by all fifteen Cores, thinking surely one would make it through.

"[Command ADBAll Dungeon Battle: AAttack]!"

A simultaneous assault from fifteen locations. Let's see you block that—or so he thought, as all units entered the gates.

"… Wha—what? No way! All fifteen units lost contact!?"

What the hell is happening? Core Number 10 raked his fingers through his hair, tearing out strands of white from his humanoid form.

"Could it be… punishment from the Dark God!? Damn it!"

He suddenly considered that using undead Cores—entities outside the original rules—might have incurred divine wrath.

With a gasp, he opened the Dungeon Menu, accessed the GP section, and transferred 1,000 GP to the Dark God. A portion of the wealth he'd accumulated over the years living as the Pope in the Holy Kingdom.

He also sent a request:

"Father, please forgive me with this. At least let us conduct the Dungeon Battle properly."

A few seconds later, the Dark God replied:

"Hey, Number 10. What are you talking about? I haven't done anything."

"Liar! This has to be your doing! What else could explain it!?"

He followed up with another message in the request box:

"There seems to be a problem with the Dungeon Battle gate. This must be your doing, Father."

… And received a reply.

"Seriously, I'm not involved. I swear to God—I'm not lying."

For the Dark God, a high-ranking deity, to swear on his own name meant it wasn't a lie—lying would risk his very existence.

There was more to the message:

"Since you paid 1,000 GP, I'll tell you this: it's not a bug. It's the work of your opponent in the Dungeon Battle."

"… Wait, what? That means… Core Number 89 did this!?"

Core Number 10 suddenly realized—the phenomenon currently occurring was Core Number 89's counterattack.