novelraw Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Chapter 158
The black gate of the dungeon had appeared on the grounds of Kiyomizu Temple.
Due to the Dungeon Break, the gate had been destroyed and expanded, and dungeon French bulldogs were constantly pouring out.
Sword Prison White Night watched the scene with a remarkably cold gaze.
He was a young man with white hair.
With delicate, handsome features, a hundred women would surely turn to look if he walked through town.
He and a few companions had infiltrated the camp where the Dungeon Foundation was conducting a scale survey, massacred the Foundation staff, police, and the self-defense forces, and seized control of the dungeon.
Now, the only one remaining in the blood-drenched, deserted camp was White Night alone.
"White Night-sama, the repairs and reinforcement of the barrier are complete."
The one who spoke and appeared within the temple grounds was a girl dressed in a gorgeous kimono.
"That so-called secret weapon of the Foundation seems to be even more violently domineering than I imagined."
"The barrier can withstand even tactical nukes... but even with repeated repairs and reinforcement, it'll only last three more hours."
"Three hours? Wasn't it supposed to be an unbreakable wall? That damn Takenoko, spouting nonsense."
White Night peered into the farsight crystal.
This crystal was an anomalous substance.
Although it had distance limitations, it was an incredibly convenient item capable of observing the desired location.
Reflected in the crystal was the receptionist girl, whipping around her red ponytail, shouting "Hi-ya! Take that! Hyaaah!" like she was pounding mochi, smashing the barrier with a sledgehammer.
The unbreakable wall supplied to White Night by the Faceless Man Alaragi creaked with each strike, and the cracks gradually spread.
White Night had assumed the Foundation was launching missiles, energy weapons, or some other more vicious attacks, and was left speechless at the sight.
Because it was, unbelievably, brute strength.
"Could that be the trump card known as Outer Sea Six Paths... Hm, is she insane?"
"She's been pounding away like that for about thirty minutes now."
"I see, so she is insane."
White Night pondered.
(Our Sword Prison Society's goal is the resurrection of the sword god Vermi Ria, who is said to have ascended to godhood with only the sword in the old world, a land ruled by deities. That's why I've agreed to Takenoko's request...)
If we fight the Outer Sea Six Paths and are destroyed, all is lost.
Takenoko's support is critically important to the Sword Prison Society.
After all, Takenoko has succeeded in recovering part of the sword god's sacred body, and has said that once the "errand" is done, she might hand it over to the Sword Prison Society.
With the sacred body, they could rapidly approach the sword maiden Vermi Ria.
Refusing was not an option for White Night.
From the start, reviving the rulers of the old world required sacrifices on the scale of hundreds of thousands or even millions.
White Night and his group didn't think twice about killing thousands or tens of thousands of Kyoto citizens in the process. That's why they had accepted the "errand." Or so they thought.
"It seems it'll still take some time for the dungeon boss to appear, but we have breathing room. If things get dangerous, we can retreat thoroughly. No need to be loyal to Takenoko."
"White Night-sama, I have some unfortunate news."
"What? Is there something beyond the Foundation's monster showing up?"
"It appears Lord Steiner has been defeated."
"......Steiner?"
White Night narrowed his eyes.
"The dungeon monsters are being hunted at an incredible pace. The enemy's combat capability is astounding—they'll likely reach here soon."
"Could an S-rank explorer have infiltrated...? I thought I was keeping an eye on explorer movements."
"We've received reports of a swarm of black monsters."
"A skill that summons and commands familiar monsters, huh. What a nuisance. If even Steiner was taken down... then the explorer must have considerable power. We can't deal with that using fodder. I'll handle it. If the monsters stop spawning, it's over. We have to eliminate the one commanding the monsters first."
"Yes."
"You handle reinforcing the barrier. Bind that Six Paths girl to it as tightly as you can."
White Night glanced at the ones who had stood motionless at his side.
They were towering blue-skinned men with sewn-on smiling faces.
Muscular bodies over 2.5 meters tall were stuffed into trench coats, suppressing their overflowing violence and cruelty.
These were synthetic humans provided by the Faceless Man.
"Then, I'll head over there. Please take care, White Night-sama."
"Yeah."
The girl headed off with the synthetic humans to gather "sacrifices."
After seeing her off, the man also headed for the battlefield.
Having parted ways with Finger Man, Bradley had borrowed a Norwegian Bakeneko and was guiding civilians to safety.
Since the civilians couldn't leave the barrier, they had taken refuge in the shelter built by the Dungeon Foundation, waiting for the chaos to end.
Bradley struck the barrier from the inside with his naginata.
It didn't budge. It absorbed every bit of impact.
Nothing came back. No sound, no feeling.
It was an eerie barrier.
"This is hopeless."
Bradley returned to guard the shelter.
The shelter had been built underground so as not to ruin the town's scenery.
Only the entrance was above ground, and going down the stairs led to a vast space capable of housing 300,000 people, resistant even to missile attacks.
When Bradley entered the shelter, the civilians immediately erupted in noise.
"I-Isn't that A-rank explorer Bradley!?"
"Bradley's here! We're safe now!"
"Lord Bradley, please defeat the monsters!"
"A horde of hideous French bulldogs came rushing from the direction of Kiyomizu Temple!"
"Bradley-sama, please give me your autograph!"
"Is that kitty your new partner?!"
"What's its name?!"
"Did you quit the venomous snakes?!"
Being ranked 6th among A-rank explorers earned him considerable civic recognition.
Especially Bradley, whose androgynous features and sharp eyes made him popular with both young men and women. Online, the "Is Bradley a man or a woman?" debate raged daily, and people found ways to interpret him however they liked—desiring him as both male and female, creating total chaos.
Bradley was aware of this, which is why he'd volunteered to protect the panicked civilians.
(Frustrating as it is, I can't take on the Sword Prison Society. I'll do what I can.)
"Bradley-sama, a horde of French bulldogs!"
A flustered Foundation staff member managing the shelter came running up.
French bulldogs had broken through the shelter entrance and were invading.
"Tch, hey Bakeneko, it's your time to shine."
"Nyaaah~♪"
The Norwegian Bakeneko was unusually fond of Bradley and would follow his commands faithfully.
Using cat punches and its fluffy split tail, it scattered the horde of dungeon French bulldogs, roughly equivalent in strength to level 20 monsters.
Bradley summoned the venomous snakes.
He didn't let any of the escaping monsters get close to the civilians.
"Well, well. No wonder the sacrifice accumulation's been going slow—you all were getting in the way."
A creepy voice echoed throughout the shelter from the sky.
And then, with a roar, the ceiling of the shelter collapsed.
"Wasn't this supposed to withstand missile attacks!?"
Civilians screamed and scrambled to avoid being crushed by the falling ceiling.
The sky became visible from within the shelter.
As they looked up, a massive shadow invaded.
It was a 2-ton truck. Unbelievably, a truck had fallen in.
Bradley leapt instinctively, kicked the malicious truck that was about to crush a kid, and sent it flying toward the wall.
"Thank you, Big Brother Bradley!"
"Brat. Stay back."
The child's mother rushed over and, with a panicked expression, carried them away.
(I can't believe French bulldogs could break the shelter's ceiling...)
Bradley and the Norwegian Bakeneko looked up at the sky together.
What they saw was a scene almost too unbelievable to trust their eyes.
There was a dragon.
A mythical beast like a long snake, the kind you'd see painted on a folding screen.
Soaring with light on its back, the dragon flew gracefully, with a human silhouette riding upon it.
It was a girl, about high school age, clad in an elegant kimono.
"'Dragon Thunder'"
When the girl murmured those words, the sky suddenly began to darken.
In the next instant, rain began to fall, and a white lightning bolt descended with a thunderous BAGOooooON!
The lightning twisted, then at the last second changed course to fly horizontally just above the ground, striking the Norwegian Bakeneko and blasting its fluffy body away.
"Nyaaahhh~!"
"Norwegian Bakenekoooo! ......Tch, is it too late for them?"
Bradley looked up at the sky.
"I see—so that's what destroyed the ceiling, something more powerful than a missile......"
As he found an odd sense of acceptance in the cause of the collapse, despair crept in alongside it.