Chapter 87 The Living Dungeon (1)

We dive into the belly of the beast.

That was my second suggestion to Ysabelle. Logically speaking, we had two options. Either we wait for luck to strike, or we decide our own fate by diving deeper into Eyghon. Judging from how we were able to use magic within the Demon Lord, there was a high chance that we could damage him from his insides.

If we waited inside Eyghon’s mouth, we might be waiting for an outcome that might never come. However, if we found the Demon Lord’s weak point, we could exploit that and create our own opening, giving us a definite method of escaping.

Ysabelle concurred with my idea as well. After all, no one wanted to be a sitting duck. It did possess a higher amount of risk, but that was a chance we were willing to take.

Enter into Eyghon’s stomach, find a weak point, and potentially breakthrough by exploiting said weakness.

At least… That was what the plan should be…

“W-What on earth?”

“…”

A sharp exclamation escaped from the dainty, cherry lips of the gorgeous black-haired beauty as her eyes widened in tandem. I was in a similar state as well. After all, as we descended deeper down the fleshy tunnel, I was expecting yet another wall of flesh that was laced with corrosive acid that could melt the average human down in seconds. Yet, what greeted us wasn’t the organ that all living creatures should have…

But desolate ruins that had been reclaimed by mother nature.

Traces of what used to be a civilisation could be seen with broken pillars and shattered pieces of marble laid all upon the rocky terrain. Sparse forestry grew from the gaps of the abandoned ruins, making it look like a relic from an ancient dynasty that had fallen millions of years ago.

“This… This is the inside of Eyghon?” I muttered unknowingly. “Are we under some sort of illusion spell?”

This wasn’t the insides of a living creature! Fearing that we had come under some sort of spell, I inspected myself time and time again, and yet… My eyes weren’t deceiving me. Besides, there were no traces of magic here, given the anti-magic properties that the walls possessed. And given that Ysabelle was looking at the exact same thing, I doubt that we were both hallucinating.

“Eyghon… Wasn’t an Outer Demon?”

“It seems so…”

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. However, what lay before us was practically impossible, so what was the truth?

“It seems… That Eyghon was never a living creature in the first place. No, to be more precise… Eyghon is a living dungeon.”

An artificial creature, one that was designed to capture anything it eats and store them within this holding area. That was the best theory I could come up with. Perhaps it was a prison that was crafted to seal magicians within it, and since no Human or Werewolf was physically strong enough to break through its defences, it was the perfect jail.

But if that’s the case…

“The Outer Demons… May not be as unsophisticated as we’d initially thought.”

“Y-yeah,” Ysabelle agreed while nodding her perfectly crafted head. “Creating such a monster, no, machine… Their technology far surpasses anything humans can create.”

“A machine, huh?”

Ysabelle’s words carried multiple implications. For one, humanity had always believed that the Outer Demons were mindless beings that invaded our lands just for food. However, if there truly was a higher intelligence at play, that would change the way we looked at Outer Demons entirely.

What if…

What if the Outer Demons sent over were just scouting minions meant to test humanity’s strength? What if the beings behind the Outer Demons had a higher purpose that we were unable to comprehend? And most importantly… Why were they doing this?

These were all questions that humanity needed to solve. Alas, that was at the bottom of my priorities right now.

“If Eyghon was a machine, we might have a chance of escaping.”

“What do you mean?”

“Every machine has a core, Ysabelle.” It didn’t matter if this living dungeon was created by a higher intelligence or not. If it’s anything like a computer, there must be a power-off switch somewhere. “A battery or a power outlet. If we can find that and destroy it, we might even be able to destroy this Demon Lord once and for all.”

“I see…”

Of course, destroying Eyghon might be a little too optimistic. Maybe if we could find the core, we could disrupt the Demon Lord enough to jam the anti-magic fields or even find an escape route. Naturally, this was all theoretical, but it was worth a shot.

And just when we were about to take another step towards our freedom, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the massive interior of the Demon Lord, shaking the ground and knocking us off our feet.

The ruins that lay before us began to break apart as they slowly conjoined together telekinetically, gradually taking the shape of an ivory dragon. At the same time, numerous Outer Demons emerged from the hidden crevices in the arena, all of them similar to the minions that usually surrounded the mighty Eyghon.

“It really is one thing after another, huh?”

Ysabelle immediately went into battle mode as she summoned out her obsidian blade, swinging it around wildly as she stepped in front of me. She was probably thinking of dealing with these enemies all on her own and keeping me out of harm’s way.

Well… I wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Jin?”

“Let me deal with them.”

I pushed Ysabelle back and raised up my dominant arm. Without magic, I was nothing more than a meat shield that could regenerate infinitely. However, now that I am able to use my magic… There was no way some feeble Outer Demons would harm Ysabelle under my watch.

In just a split second, my magic power was channelled to my Vampire Aspect, summoning out my Soul Armament instantly. The ring of my thumb glowed in a beautiful rainbow hue as more magic power was being emitted out by the millisecond.

From cast to spell… It barely took one second. That was how efficient I’d gotten over the months I’d spent training. And that was fortunate as the enemies seemed to be gearing up for something big.

“Genesis: Cataclysm.”

Using the most powerful named spell I could conjure, I sent out a shockwave of magic power, creating a deadly tempest that whirled with tornadoes going at mountain-tearing speeds and lightning bolts that brought forth the wrath of Zeus himself.

As if I’d called upon the apocalypse, the world within Eyghon changed, breaking down the enemies all at once. The bodies of the Outer Demons were ripped by the howling winds while pillars of lightning continuously struck with impunity, charring anything that it came in contact with.

“J-Jin… Y-you…”

Ysabelle shot me a wary look as if she had been hit in the face with a rock. Her mouth was hanging, and her agate eyes, flashing.

Ah, come to think of it, Ysabelle had never seen me fight before. And the last time she checked, I was nothing more than a cripple who couldn’t get out of bed without the nurse’s help. So it was natural for her to have this odd reaction.

“Are you shocked?” I laughed out loud. “Didn’t I say that I could protect you?”

“…”

A faint blush coloured her rosy cheeks, and her elegant neck began to redden. Coupled with the sweat that dripped down from her face, I dare claim that no Vampire could resist such a sultry sight. My fangs were about to protrude out, hopefully to claim a bite of the beauty’s sweet blood, but alas…

“AWOOOOOOORRRRRRRRR!!!”

The Dragon that was formed from the ruins burst forth from the rubble, revealing the pristine ivory hue that dazzled the masses. Compared to the weak Outer Demons that perished in the Cataclysm spell, the Dragon was completely unharmed.

Once it claimed the sky for itself, the mysterious monster sent out dozens of white shards that easily pierced the ground surrounding Ysabelle and me, narrowly missing out on ripping our flesh. And before I could comprehend the Dragon’s intentions, I felt my magic power receding back into the inner reaches of my soul, completely sealed off from emerging once again.

“Tsk, anti-magic again!” I spat in annoyance.

I’d spent most of my time as a Vampire honing my magic. I’d reached a level where I could stand toe-to-toe with a top Shadowfiend from the Bloodborne House and even won a duel against the mighty Sirius Moonreaver. It was a feat that I could take confidence in, but now that my magic was sealed…

Argh! I should have trained my physical body more!

Well, it’s a little too late for regrets now! I steeled myself and prepared to fight against the Dragon in close-ranged combat. Perhaps if I could remove those shards from the ground, I could regain my ability to use magic.

Such thoughts flowed through my mind as I attempted to make a cohesive plan to defeat the enemy before it could kill me.

However, I didn’t need to do any of that. Why?

“Hiyaaa!!!”

Ignoring my mental turmoil, a black flash bolted past my elbow and gushed right at the massive artificial Dragon. The black-haired dancer waltzed past the ivory shards like a figure skater floating on ice, finally making her way to the monstrosity that dominated the skies.

Initially, the Dragon attempted to float even higher to prevent the Amazonian warrior from ever approaching it. But Ysabelle didn’t care about height. Leaping up like a rocket breaking through the stratosphere, Ysabelle found her way above the Dragon’s head. With her trusted black claymore in her hand, she carried the momentum forward and swung down with every fibre of her physical prowess behind that one sword.

Like a comet crashing onto the Earth, the Dragon broke the floor with its landing, groaning out in pure agony as most of its motor functions had been impaired. Wobbling around like it was tipsy, the Dragon was in no shape to attack and was, by all means… concussed.

And Ysabelle wasn’t going to let it recover.

Moving at a speed my eyes couldn’t follow, Ysabelle showed exquisite footwork as she flickered past all of the Dragon’s wayward movement. The Dragon attempted to defend itself, but Ysabelle was too agile. No matter what it did, the black-haired Amazonian would find a way to evade by a hair’s breadth.

Once she got close enough, Ysabelle sent numerous cuts with her heavy swings, breaking apart the tough exterior of the anti-magic Dragon. After two dozen slashes, its ivory chest was unable to handle the pressure, and it finally caved in, revealing an indigo core within.

“Die!!!”

Ysabelle yelled out with a sparkle in her eye.

One simple thrust.

That was it.

One thrust and the Dragon’s ferocious eyes lost all of their colours. The bindings that glued the monster together broke apart, turning the Draconic Demon back into the ivory ruins that were littered all over this inner world. However, my attention wasn’t on the fallen victim but on the victor that walked back toward me.

Her confident expression as she walked away from the crumbling Dragon. The beads of sweat that fell off her hair as she brushed it. And finally, the way she swung her massive claymore onto her back like a berserker Viking who had just torn down a citadel with her own hands.

Oh god…

I think I fell in love.