Ignoring the firstborn's attempts to stop me, I took a step forward, channeling my energy into the end of his wooden spear.
"I will subdue you if you don’t stop!"
His threat was clear and filled with hostility, but I couldn’t help but smile at the shimmering aura before me.
Because I could see what that aura was—or rather, what it was imitating.
He had merely coated his mana on the outside to make it look impressive, but the insides were filled with the Evil God’s power.
It was only natural to think so. This dungeon was created by an Evil God, and the boss would undoubtedly be influenced by that, right?
Especially since this "prince" serving as the keystone of the dungeon was so pathetic that even I, back when I had just entered the academy, could have easily beaten him; he must have been heavily affected by the Evil God.
"What?♡ Are you trying to give me a massage with that?♡ Wow~ So threatening~♡ I hate massages, you know~♡"
Through my giggles, I heard the sound of the spear slicing through the air as it came flying toward me.
Is he really that easy to provoke?
With such a hot temper, there's no way he’ll ever become a gentleman.
And the trajectory of that attack was far too predictable.
At this point, it felt like he was begging me to block it.
With a grin, I raised my shield to deflect the attack, only to feel a sharp pain travel up my arm.
Even with a parry, this is how much I suffered?
The remnants of my injuries from facing Duke Burrow still lingered, but the sheer strength of the firstborn was considerable.
If this battle drags on, my defenses might crumble.
"I’ll say it again. Step back."
"Are you trying to look cool in front of your little brother?♡ Deep down, you want to run away because you're scared, but you’re just putting on a show~♡ You coward!♡"
So, the action I needed to take was simple.
I had to turn this fight into a short battle rather than a long one.
Smash the opponent before I got exhausted and collapsed.
It was a strategy that contrasted with the lessons I had learned from facing the skeleton days earlier, but this time it should work out.
I already understood how my opponent would move.
"If you won’t step back, I’ll have to subdue you!"
"Go ahead♡ If you can♡"
With confidence in his voice, I carefully observed his movements.
I was confirming whether my initial assumptions about the scenery of this boss room were accurate.
And the moment I blocked the firstborn’s spear, I became certain.
Just as I had guessed, he was utilizing the Burrow family’s spear technique.
This makes it easier.
After all, the Burrow family’s spear technique is at a disadvantage against me.
It seems like a martial art that was created based on the ideology that anyone can win if they can dodge well and hit.
Using the spear’s long reach to accumulate damage on the opponent, gradually widening the gap until they are overwhelmed.
This spear technique passed down through the Duke’s family is undoubtedly an excellent martial art.
Even the old man had commented on its solid foundation while watching it.
But there is one flaw.
The idea of wearing down the opponent until they perish can only be executed when one maintains composure at all times.
If one loses that composure, then it’s not the enemy who will wither away but themselves.
"Were you trying to give me a massage?♡ Why are you just swinging at thin air?♡ Is there an invisible man around?♡"
Like the firstborn, who was unable to control his emotions and wildly swung his spear.
"Hey, Mr. Invisible!♡ Is the massage great?♡ Are you disappointed because you lack strength?♡ But what can you do~?♡ A coward swinging a spear like a pathetic weakling!♡"
I have been bored to death watching Jackal wield the Burrow spear technique in the academy's sparring classes.
While watching him duel with others, I had been plotting how to respond to it.
Even though that cowardly and fearful Prince Jackal always ran away, it seems my strategy was indeed correct.
Look at him.
With a complete physical condition, full stamina, and better physical specs than me, the Burrow firstborn can’t do anything but flail around.
Well, I can't say this is entirely the firstborn's fault.
He had clearly made an effort to maintain his composure, and he was trying his best to uphold the principles of spear techniques.
However, all those efforts were rendered meaningless in front of the mesugaki skill.
What could I say? The mesugaki skill is a game-breaking, balance-shattering cheat.
Tariki, who created this dungeon, would probably start trembling and scream, "That mesugaki!" after a few provocations.
"How does it feel to have your little brother see you being made fun of by a girl?♡ Embarrassing?♡ Shameful?♡ Angry?♡"
As my taunts continued, the firstborn's movements became increasingly frantic.
Instead of maintaining the basics of the spear technique, he focused solely on how to teach a lesson to the mesugaki in front of him.
Thanks to that, I was able to easily identify various weaknesses of the firstborn.
Because he swung his weapon recklessly without thinking about what was behind him, the gaps in his defense became wider.
He didn’t pay attention to his footwork, so his stance was unstable.
Sometimes he took steps forward without thinking about distance control.
"By now, doesn’t your silly little brother think, 'My brother is such a pathetic loser'?♡"
I could see the firstborn rushing toward me, losing his rationality beyond the shield.
Having waited for that movement, I purposely lowered my shield to expose my head.
It was an obvious trap that told him to target me.
If he had been rational, he might have doubted it, but he had already been consumed by his emotions.
It was faster for him to lash out than to be suspicious.
The moment he charged in without a second thought, I dodged my head and ducked.
Then, I pushed my body with the shield to trip him.
I tried to finish him off with a blow from my mace.
But I failed.
Before my mace could strike the ground, the firstborn’s body scattered.
As I steadied my ragged breath and raised my head, I noticed the scenery around me shifting.
The wide meadow of the duke's family sprouted trees and then transformed into a forest, leaving me unsure of where the boss room was.
"Monster!"
I turned my head at the enormous shout that seemed to shake the leaves.
There was a broken carriage.
Beside it were either dead or dying individuals.
Standing in front of them was the firstborn, now fully armed, unlike before.
"I’m your opponent!"
Is this the second phase?
He’s quite desperate.
After getting wrecked just a moment ago, he should be cowering in fear.
After all, if the spear technique he’s using is from the Burrow family, he’ll likely be trounced again.
Or has he developed a weird taste while being provoked by me?
<Don’t let your guard down, girl. You never know what might happen.>
‘I know, Grandpa.’
After all, Tariki loves to dig for weaknesses. I’m not letting my guard down.
I didn’t conserve my divinity while fighting just for nothing.
As I retorted to the old man and lifted my shield, suddenly, my steel wall warned me of danger.
Even though I was far from the firstborn.
And even though I heard no sound around me.
I didn’t doubt the steel wall's voice.
Because it had saved my life so many times until now, I moved my shield according to that voice.
And as soon as my shield reached the position the wall had mentioned...
It was shoved back, and pain surged through my arm.
By the time I finally regained my senses, my body was already floating in the air.
Ah.
This is bad.
When the darkness that had colored my vision faded back to normal, the first thing I felt was pain.
There wasn’t a part of my body that wasn’t hurting, making it hard to distinguish where the pain was coming from.
Next, the familiar scent of blood I had experienced throughout my time in the dungeon invaded my senses.
Then I felt something gripping me.
At this point, I knew what was about to happen, so I forced my heavy eyelids open.
Before me were the corpses of knights. The corpses of maids. The corpses of attendants. And then someone else’s as well.
“Ugh!”
...
Since my senses weren’t normal, I couldn’t tell what had just happened.
All I could do was speculate that I might have been kicked in the face because I heard ringing in my ears and felt intense pain in my face.
As I tried to rise, my arms were too weak to support me.
No, it would be more accurate to say that I couldn’t exert any strength.
No matter how hard I struggled to get up, my body continued to press down on the corpses beneath me.
Did my bones break?
Damn, this is really bad...
“Gah!”
Something kicked me in the side.
It seemed to be an intent to turn my body, and while the impact wasn’t strong, it was still enough to inflict pain on my already wrecked body.
Fear began to creep up my spine.
I wasn’t yet at the point of overcoming that fear.
But I knew exactly what the outcome would be if this continued.
“Gah!”
Just as I tried to gather my wits, someone stomped on my throat.
With the heel of a shoe, pressed down painfully, making sure to inflict the maximum discomfort.
“Did you think you’d won?”
In the midst of my screams, I heard the voice of Nakrad.
“Did you think this dungeon was nothing to worry about?”
His voice, filled with a hint of laughter, suggested that he was certain of his victory.
“You should have suspected something. Why is it going so smoothly for you?”
So, it wasn’t an intention to mentally attack me.
I see now. Ah, I get it.
The corpses that were spread before me were not just to torment my mind.
They were observing me, assessing how I approached the dungeon.
And they must have figured it out.
They realized that I relied on my hearing.
Yeah, that’s right.
These guys are not mere game enemies.
They are sentient beings capable of thought, reasoning, and judgment.
Of course, they would be pondering how to best take me down.
How foolish I was.
“How could you beg for your life like that? Do you really think a little girl like you could keep her virginity even while being raped by a monster?”
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts!
There’s no part of me that isn’t in pain.
Somewhere in the depths of my consciousness, panic was starting to set in.
I had just been kicked hard.
“Please! Help!”
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“Who? Who will come to save you?”
The pain was overwhelming, and it started to suffocate me.
“Please! I don’t want to die!”
“Then beg for mercy from your God!”
My thoughts were scattered, lost amidst the pain.
I didn’t want to die.
I didn’t want to die.
“Help me! Aramadi! Please, I need your mercy now more than ever!”
In that moment, as I cried out in desperation, I felt the divine energy swell within my heart.
And I knew.
I still had one chance left.
One last opportunity to drive my mace into Nakrad’s face.