The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 140

EP.140 The Blood Ruler (2)

 

Arcane was puzzled by the unexpected presence.

“Baalzerith….”

She repeated the name with disdain. She had heard that the Arch Lich resided in this dungeon, so why was Baalzerith here?

“Why are you here?”

Arcane had always disliked Baalzerith. Deep within her, she harbored a deep-seated inferiority complex towards her. Despite having nothing but good lineage, Baalzerith received favorable treatment, which Arcane found infuriating. Simply because she was a vampire royal and a 5-star, a faction naturally formed around Baalzerith.

In contrast, how much had Arcane herself struggled? She had worked tirelessly to cultivate her dungeon and build her power, yet there were limits. She despaired at the reality that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch up to those born with innate advantages. This despair gnawed at her pride.

If she had such a background, she could have risen higher. Why didn’t she have it? Over time, she even grew envious.

However, the day she heard of Baalzerith’s downfall was immensely satisfying. Learning that Baalzerith was indebted to the Demon World Association made her feel as if she could fly. It seemed fitting for someone with no real abilities to meet such an end. Now, all attention would surely turn to her.

The Succubus Queen had long disappeared, and Baalzerith had fallen. Arcane believed she would become the star of the social circles hosted by the Association. That was until the Arch Lich appeared.

Arcane grew jealous of the Arch Lich, who had stolen the attention she believed was rightfully hers. She came to this dungeon to eliminate the Arch Lich, only to find the detestable vampire instead.

“……”

Arcane pondered quietly. She needed to find out why Baalzerith was here. As far as she knew, Baalzerith should have been tied to the Association, unable to repay her debt. Why was someone who should be with the Association here?

The first word that came to mind was ‘trap.’ The Association had been the one to provide information about this dungeon. They had also instigated the conflict by claiming the Arch Lich was here.

‘Could it be…?’

Did the Association set this up to lure her in? But Arcane shook her head. If the Association wanted to deal with her, would they go to such lengths? The Association had even provided her with an elixir to forcibly raise her to 5-star. If the Association had intervened directly, she wouldn’t stand a chance. There was no need for them to go through such convoluted measures.

‘Then there’s only one explanation.’

Something must have happened within the Association. That’s why Baalzerith escaped, and the Arch Lich intercepted her.

‘This makes sense as to why the Association dislikes the Arch Lich.’

More precisely, it was the will of the Association’s manager, Sernu. But there was no need to distinguish between the two in the current situation.

Simultaneously, Arcane was busy calculating the current situation in her mind. If the Arch Lich had indeed intercepted Baalzerith with the intention of rebelling against the Association…

‘Wouldn’t it be my chance to resolve this?’

If she could solve this situation, it would be akin to earning a massive favor from the Association. Resolving such a troublesome issue would likely result in the Association offering their full support. With the Association backing her, creating a powerful dungeon and faction would no longer be a dream. She could even interfere with human nations.

Arcane adjusted her stance, dreaming of a future paved with flowers.

“Hoo.”

Her power had grown exponentially. With her current strength, she could not only face the Arch Lich but also that detestable vampire. No, she would overwhelm them. The time she had spent feeling hollow was finally over. Now was the chance for her revenge.

“I’ll show you the difference in our power.”

Her voice, laced with madness, growled. Before she even finished speaking, Arcane dashed towards Baalzerith with lightning speed.

– Boom. –

Her tail, swung with all her might, struck Baalzerith’s torso, sending her flying. Baalzerith’s body crashed into the wall, scattering debris.

– Boom— Thud. –

Arcane mercilessly pounced, striking Baalzerith, who was buried in the wall, with her tail. The wall crumbled, and dust rose.

“Kehek… Cough…”

Seeing Baalzerith coughing and staggering, Arcane felt a surge of exhilaration.

“What… What are you doing? Who are you to attack me?”

Baalzerith spat blood, gasping for breath.

“Hahaha! You don’t recognize me? Well, you never cared about my existence in the first place.”

The sudden attack left Baalzerith bewildered, but her confusion only fueled Arcane’s rage. Arcane sank her fangs into Baalzerith’s neck.

“Gyaaah!”

Crimson blood spurted out. The Lamia’s venom began to spread through Baalzerith’s body via her neck. Watching Baalzerith writhe in pain from the spreading poison, Arcane laughed in triumph.

Looking down at her fallen opponent, Arcane’s confidence soared.

“Kekeke, where do you think you’re going? How could you act so high and mighty when you’re this weak? You’re nothing to me now. Understand?”

– Boom— Boom. –

Her powerful tail struck Baalzerith’s abdomen. Dark blood gushed from her mouth.

“Kek…”

Baalzerith’s desperate cries of pain brought Arcane immense pleasure. She continued her relentless assault, giving Baalzerith no time to recover. As her opponent grew weaker, Arcane’s excitement grew uncontrollable.

– Boom. –

Her tail kept striking Baalzerith.

“To think I felt jealous of a wretch like you!”

– Boom. –

“I can’t believe I envied you!”

– Boom. –

Arcane couldn’t contain the rage and hatred boiling within her.

– Boom— Boom. –

The wall crumbled, and blood splattered. She laughed maniacally as she drove her claws into Baalzerith, who seemed utterly incapable of fighting back. Only the final blow remained. Smiling, she bared her fangs, looking down at her prey awaiting death.

“Come on, beg for my forgiveness. Who knows? Maybe I’ll spare you. Hahaha.”

She laughed cruelly, grabbing Baalzerith by the hair and lifting her. But Baalzerith’s mouth remained shut, only groaning in pain. The once-envied Baalzerith had fallen pathetically under her assault. Even though she had the Association’s help, this event would significantly shift the balance of power.

“…How boring.”

Seeing her opponent unable to do anything, Arcane’s excitement waned. All that remained was to sever this ill-fated connection. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into Baalzerith’s neck, something happened.

Baalzerith began to rise from the ground.

“……!”

No, something was off. It was as if someone was controlling Baalzerith, her movements were unnatural. Then, Baalzerith’s eyes opened. Her pupils were now a deeper, more intense crimson than before, glowing with a vivid scarlet light.

But that wasn’t all. The blood splattered around began to float in the air, writhing like living creatures and being absorbed by Baalzerith.

“What is this…!”

Arcane stepped back in shock and fear. Baalzerith’s body, which had been damaged by her attacks, was healing. Wounds closed, and broken bones realigned. Baalzerith slowly tilted her head.

Her eyes burned a fierce red, and her golden hair flowed wildly. She looked the same yet subtly different, exuding an air of arrogance. Despite the detestable expression, fear was the first emotion that surfaced.

“No… No…”

Arcane screamed, sensing an instinctive danger. But it was too late.

– Whoosh. –

In the blink of an eye, Baalzerith had grabbed Arcane by the neck. Looking at Arcane’s pale face, Baalzerith spoke in a low, chilling voice.

“How foolish to lay a hand on my descendant…”

Her voice was cold and eerie, as if it belonged to another being.

“Ugh… Ugh…!”

Arcane groaned as her neck was squeezed. The ‘being’ cast a cold gaze at her.

“You are unworthy of touching this blood.”

With a wave of her hand, the scattered blood swirled violently.

“You must pay for your sins.”

A wave of crimson blood spread in all directions, dyeing the entire area red. It was as if the entire space was engulfed in the flames of hell.

Arcane was paralyzed with fear at the sight unfolding before her. Her entire body trembled, and cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her heart felt like it was about to burst.

“This… this can’t be… how…?”

She couldn’t even form coherent sentences, her voice trembling as she stared at the being before her. The being extended a hand, and the surrounding blood began to gather. The droplets writhed as if alive, coalescing into a massive shape. The blood formed a giant scythe, glowing with a crimson light.

“You were arrogant, child.”

The being referred to her as a child, despite her being a 5-star Lamia. Arcane was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence that she couldn’t utter a word.

“I will grant you a merciful death, considering your pitiable state.”

With a cold voice, the blood-formed scythe was aimed at Arcane’s neck.

“Please… spare my life…”

She wanted to scream that there was nothing merciful about being killed, but she couldn’t speak. Tears streamed down her face. Why was this happening? Where had things gone wrong? Why did she have to meet such an end?

Her thoughts were cut short as the scythe sliced through the air. With a whoosh, Arcane’s head was severed cleanly. Her head flew through the air and landed on the ground. At that moment, a crimson mist exploded from her body. Her torso burst apart, filling the air with an overpowering stench of blood. The bodies of the other Lamias also exploded in a chain reaction, filling the area with a bloody mist. The ground was soon soaked, forming pools of blood. It was a gruesome scene of slaughter.

“……”

The being raised a hand, gathering the scattered blood on the ground. The droplets merged into a small orb, transforming into Arcane’s soul stone. It was a 5-star grade. The soul stone floated slowly before being absorbed into Baalzerith’s fingertips.

“How dull.”

The being looked up at the ceiling with a bitter smile before Baalzerith’s body collapsed to the ground.

====

***

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– All intruders have been repelled! –

“It ended quicker than I thought.”

I had been observing Arcane, the leader of the invading Lamias, until just a moment ago. The issue was…

“Is there a problem on the second floor?”

After Arcane headed to Area 1 of the second floor, she had an intense battle with Baalzerith.

No, it wasn’t a fierce battle. It was a display of overwhelming power. Baalzerith had crumbled helplessly before that power. Yet, Baalzerith hadn’t given up. Just when it seemed over, she had risen and charged again.

“Is this a bug?”

The screen turned red. While other Areas displayed normally, the area where Arcane and Baalzerith were fighting turned red, obscuring everything.

“At least it ended well.”

In the end, all the invaders were repelled, and the dungeon was defended. Baalzerith must have defeated Arcane.

‘She’s stronger than I thought.’

To rise again after taking such a beating showed incredible determination. As I pondered this, another alarm rang.

– Baalzerith (★★★★★) wishes to submit to your dungeon. Do you accept? –

[Yes] [No]

“What?”

Why did Baalzerith want to join my dungeon? The sudden reward left me stunned. And it was a 5-star monster, no less.

“Should I accept this?”

Initially, I had been suspicious of Baalzerith, thinking she might be a spy sent to infiltrate the dungeon. I had even ordered Celia to place her in a specific Area. But now, it seemed irrelevant. Although the screen had turned red, it was clear that Baalzerith had defeated Arcane.

“Well, there’s no reason to refuse a free 5-star.”

However, I hadn’t forgotten that she had initially rejected my offer to become my lieutenant.

“Since there’s no trust yet, tell her to provide minimal support.”

“Clink!”

Maru made a sharp sound with his jaw. Now, how many 5-star monsters did I have in my dungeon?

‘Death Knight, Goblin Lord, Necros, and Baalzerith.’

That made four 5-stars. Including Celia, who was a 6-star, I had a total of five monsters that were 5-star or higher. That was more than I had expected. As I pondered how to utilize them, a new alarm appeared.

– The number of 5★ or higher monsters in your dungeon has reached a certain threshold. –

– A special reward is granted! –

– You can now create a satellite dungeon. –

– The satellite dungeon must include at least one 5★ or higher monster. –

– As an additional reward for creating a satellite dungeon, you will receive a 4★ monster selection ticket! –