It was the control room, situated at the very deepest level of the
A room that could be called the Dungeon's core, prepared to manage every event that took place within its corridors.
A large monitor stood at the center of the room, displaying the ongoing battle against
The control room had been redecorated—all manner of meaningless ornaments and devices that served no purpose other than to blink and flicker had been set up throughout.
"So it begins,"
"Yes. Everything is proceeding as planned,"
Ramiris sat in an elaborately crafted chair made specifically for her, hands clasped together beneath her chin in a pose dripping with significance. Benimaru stood at her right side, staring intently at the screen as though trying to devour it whole.
The two of them seemed to think their presence was all about setting the right mood…
"Stop fooling around and get to work!"
"Ow! Come on, that hurts when you fold it up first! Where's the affection for your beloved brother!?"
"Nonexistent. None of that matters, so please get serious!"
Shuna's response cut him down without mercy.
Stepping forward to defend Benimaru—or rather, to pile on—was
"What do you think you're doing, Lady Ramiris…? If you don't knock it off, I'll report to Lord Rimuru, you know."
"Hey! What are you saying!? I'm being totally serious!"
Caught off guard by Beretta's retort, Ramiris panicked. Her theatrical posturing evaporated in an instant, and she began desperately making excuses.
"Benimaru, you too. This isn't a game—realize that a genuine crisis is bearing down on us,"
He'd just been playing along with Ramiris, enjoying the air of composure—but apparently the serious-minded among them were not amused.
*(This is why I can't stand people with no sense of fun…)* *(Right? A little playfulness never hurt anyone. It's not like Rimuru would get angry over something like this…)* Exchanging glances, Benimaru and Ramiris silently shared their inner thoughts. But they read the room and decided to stop fooling around.
The truth was, the situation was anything but favorable.
The main screen also displayed the floor levels currently under enemy assault. According to the readout, the enemy had already pushed all the way to the threshold of the fiftieth floor's boss chamber.
It was a terrifying speed—one that would erase every previous record.
And yet, despite this dire circumstance, both Benimaru and Ramiris maintained their relaxed demeanor.
Which made perfect sense…
Earlier, an order had arrived from Rimuru directed at Benimaru. Rimuru had shared his predictions of the enemy's strategy along with countermeasures.
If Rimuru had gone so far as to provide all of that and then expected them to simply be defended by him, then what purpose would Benimaru and the others even serve?
Both Ramiris and
Benimaru had voiced everyone's resolve to Rimuru, who had been concerned about the Dungeon's combat readiness. In return, he had received the order: defend the Dungeon to the last!
As for Benimaru himself, he hadn't fully recovered from his depletion against Kazalim, but he felt no particular anxiety about it. After all, the concentration of magicules inside the Dungeon was incomparably denser than outside. He could visibly feel his magicule reserves replenishing.
Moreover, having once released his magicules to their absolute limit, he sensed he could now blend and absorb the energy of "Void Collapse" more smoothly. As if pouring into an emptied vessel little by little, mixing it in alongside fresh magicules.
*(Ha! With this, I can really start to control Void Collapse properly!)* The Dungeon's upper-tier defensive forces were all intact, and in the worst case, he himself could sortie. The enemy's movements were predicted, their strength confirmed. There was not a single cause for concern.
"Right then. Time to get serious about this. Lady Ramiris, what's his current erosion rate?"
"Let's see… about fifteen percent as of now. Still plenty of room to spare!"
"Understood. Then we'll initiate the operation once Gozuru and Mezuru on the fiftieth floor are defeated."
"Yes, that works. My preparations need a bit more time anyway, so the timing is just right."
"Then let's begin."
With that exchange, Benimaru started issuing detailed orders for the operation.
Ramiris, too, resumed her own work.
Gozuru and Mezuru fell quickly, respawning at the deepest level. They entered the control room looking thoroughly ashamed.
"Good work! Well, take your time and rest up."
"There's no excuse for our performance, Lord Benimaru. We wanted to at least wear the enemy down a little, but…"
"It seems we couldn't even serve as obstacles in front of those people…"
"Don't worry about it. It's not that you're weak—it's that they're strong. Everything is going according to plan, so rest easy."
Gozuru and Mezuru hung their heads before Benimaru, but his words seemed to bring them some relief. With solemn expressions, they took the offered seats.
And then— "Now then. We will proceed with the operation as planned! All personnel, take your positions!! The operation is hereby in effect.
"Upon recovery of the Demon Lord Guardian Colossus, the operation transitions to its second phase.
"Everything is proceeding as planned. Execute your tasks without panic! Leave the fighting to the combat squad!!"
Benimaru gave the order.
A wave of tension ran through Ramiris's Dragon Kings and the Dryad operators led by
"Then, Lady Ramiris, I shall sortie as well."
Beretta addressed Ramiris with a bow.
"Mm! Losing is fine, but dying is absolutely not permitted!"
"Heh heh heh, what a joke. If I lose too many times, it'll become a habit. This time, I intend to win."
With those parting words, Beretta vanished from the room via Spatial Transfer—teleporting to where Zegion was already waiting.
And so, the battle inside the Dungeon quietly escalated in intensity…
—————— The guardian of the sixtieth floor was the Demon Lord Guardian Colossus.
A brute-force machine commanded to eliminate intruders, unleashing overwhelming destructive power.
And yet, before
"Jeez, that was a pain to deal with… It was absurdly tough, honestly…"
"Seriously though, why does it dissolve into particles of light and disappear? Don't tell me… this golem is going to regenerate too, right…?"
"That's impossible, surely. Well, even if it did, it wouldn't be much of a threat. I would agree with you if you called it troublesome, though."
Dino did find the notion of an artificial golem regenerating to be unreasonable, but when he recalled Ramiris's wicked grin, a nagging doubt lingered.
*(That girl… it might actually be possible…)* Ramiris herself didn't pose a threat in terms of raw power, but her allies were another matter entirely. If the immortality she granted within her domain of the Dungeon was factored in, the danger was beyond imagination.
Besides, Ramiris's abilities were inherently unreasonable—there was nothing strange about them affecting even artificial constructs. From Dino's perspective, Ramiris's "Labyrinth Creation" was just that dangerous.
"But suddenly there aren't any enemies around. Floors sixty-one and above were supposed to be crawling with undead, weren't they?"
"Now that you mention it, I only see lower-tier undead, and nothing but trash at that. If anything, the upper floors were more troublesome than this?"
Just as Pico and Galatia pointed out, the floors they descended after defeating the Demon Lord Guardian Colossus were completely devoid of enemies.
Zero, however, knew the reason. He had personally witnessed
But he saw no reason to share that information, so he remained silent.
"Eh, they probably went to help with Dagruel's defense or something," Dino said matter-of-factly—and hit the mark.
Zero heard this and considered that he might need to revise his assessment of Dino slightly upward. He'd always thought Dino was a fool, but his situational awareness was sharper than expected.
"Wait, so they took every last monster in the area with them? Is that even possible?"
"And honestly… using monsters roaming freely inside the Dungeon as a military force… that feels like cheating, doesn't it?"
"Don't ask me. Go complain to Rimuru if you've got a problem with that."
With no enemies to fight, Dino and the others exchanged idle banter, apparently bored.
Watching them with cold eyes, Zero spoke up.
"Listen, all of you. I'm returning to the sixtieth floor to focus on seizing this Dungeon's authority. I've been eroding and traversing it simultaneously, but synchronization is only at about fifteen percent so far. However, I have succeeded in sealing the teleportation function. Everything above the sixtieth floor is now my domain.
"Corroding below the sixty-first floor will still take considerable time. At this rate, we'll be here forever. I'm leaving the rest to you—buy me as much time as you can."
He had already analyzed most of the enemy's strength. By sending in a small force, there was no risk of being divided.
The time was almost right. From the moment he entered, the root ability he had spread throughout the Dungeon had allowed him to seize partial authority over its powers. Now he wanted to focus entirely on the erosion and finish this mission quickly.
Sealing teleportation meant that direct attacks on Zero within the Dungeon were now impossible. His judgment had been to send Dino and the other three ahead to run rampant, giving Zero the opening he needed to dedicate himself fully to seizing control.
"Sure, leave it to us!" Dino responded with vigor.
Zero nodded at his reply, said "Go wild, then," and turned on his heel.
Back in the sixtieth floor's boss chamber, Zero confirmed that the surroundings were secure. He then unleashed the full power of the Ultimate Skill "Demon Dragon King"—which had evolved into its complete form—and began the erosion of the Dungeon.
For the purpose of a complete takeover.
"Demon Dragon King" possessed the ability to send roots into the earth and create infinite copies of itself, but its original function was "Energy Absorption" from its surroundings.
By assimilating with the natural environment around it and becoming one with nature, it could achieve infinite regeneration. That was the true essence of the Ultimate Skill "Demon Dragon King"—its correct mode of use. Any environment drained of its energy would be destroyed and annihilated.
By assimilating with this Dungeon, Zero could seize its authority. If he succeeded, he would be able to steal Ramiris's "Labyrinth Creation" authority for himself.
And even if he failed, he could still nullify the ability by canceling it out. If it came to that, his side—with four Awakened Demon Lord-class fighters—held the advantage in raw combat power.
*(At worst, I can drain this Dungeon's energy and destroy it entirely. Either way, the enemy will have nowhere to flee. If they try to escape in a panic, Mai's concentrated bombardment can wipe them all out. Though once I've fully assimilated with this Dungeon, their escape won't be permitted anyway—)* Zero was confident of victory.
The Dungeon's gift of immortality was troublesome, and its ability to manipulate dimensions and space made a legion-level assault seem impossible. But if the Dungeon's own power was sealed, all that remained was for them to trample over the enemy.
He did not consider it laughable that Dino and the others were so wary of the Dungeon. It was, after all, a genuinely dangerous ability. But for Zero, the more dangerous the Dungeon was, the greater the reward upon seizing its power.
*(Victory— for Velda!)* Zero sat cross-legged and directed his consciousness toward the Dungeon's erosion.
Dino and the other three pressed onward, leaving Zero behind. Though Dino had put on a brave front, inside…
*(You bastard. From the start, I never had any intention of counting on you. But with Velda watching, I can't just run away… And given my history with Rimuru, I can't afford to be reckless either… Ahh, what a pain!!)* All manner of conflicting emotions swirled within him.
Which was exactly why he felt so refreshed after the annoying Zero was gone. He'd felt like he was being watched the whole time, and it had been making him uncomfortable.
Either way, fleeing was no longer possible.
Resigned, Dino and the others moved forward.
"So anyway~ that guy is super annoying! What does he think he is?"
"Agreed. So high and mighty with his orders. Honestly, I don't like him. Why are you listening to him, Dino?"
"Yeah! Dino, why don't you just take him out?"
"Sure. If we kill him, I'll cooperate as long as Velda doesn't find out."
"that guy" referring to Zero!? Dino thought, but he just laughed it off vaguely. There was no way he could get away with it, and frankly, it was too much trouble.
And so, Dino and the others arrived at the seventieth floor—which was, of course, completely empty.
"Like I figured, Adalman must have deployed too. If he'd still been here, it would've been a pain, so this is a lucky break!"
Dino looked on the bright side.
Pico and Galatia agreed, and they pressed on.
But even below the seventy-first floor, no enemies appeared.
"That's weird. These floors used to be crawling with insect-type monsters…"
The moment Dino voiced his puzzlement— "Ho ho ho ho! You've arrived, Dino! I'm going to make you regret betraying me last time—starting right now!"
Ramiris's cackling laughter echoed through the area as the structure of the floor suddenly shifted.
And then, four figures appeared:
The ones who would welcome Dino's party.
"Tch. They actually showed up—" Dino looked up at Zegion and groaned.
"Hmm? Dino, why are there only three of you?" Ramiris asked.
Dino turned to look for Ramiris and spotted her three-dimensional image projected on the screen ahead.
*(She's so extra about the weirdest things…)* He let out a sigh and answered listlessly.
"One of them's running late because of other business."
Ramiris gave a little "I see" and then dropped a bombshell: "Well then, Dino—you'll be fighting Beretta and Zegion~!"
Dino stared blankly, unable to comprehend what he'd just heard.
But once those words reached his brain and he chewed through the meaning…
"Don't be ridiculous, you idiots!! There's no way I can win!!"
Dino's shriek, upon finally grasping what Ramiris had said, echoed throughout the Dungeon.