Chapter 79: CH 78

Chapter 78 – A-Rank Ace

Thanks to Sol, I came back to my senses and began to back up.

“―Ugrrraaaaaaaaaa!”

“Fuuuuck, that huuuurts!” (Kuzuhara)

The black ogre unleashed a deafening roar that made me involuntarily cover my ears. The force from the sound was so terrifying that it caused cracks to appear in the floor and walls.

A moment later, the black ogre swung one of its metal rods down, smashing it into the ground with great force. A tremendous wind pressure slammed into us as if a missile had detonated right where its club landed.

My body was blown away easily by the force, but Sol once again caught me from behind.

“…Sol? Thanks.” (Kuzuhara)

“Don’t worry about it. It was my Master’s order to protect you.” (Komon)

“I see…! What about Ryudou?!” (Kuzuhara)

I looked around to see what was happening and found him hiding in a big hole in the ground.

A hole? How in the world did he make that hole…?

Is that another one of his abilities? If it was, there were still things we didn’t know about his power.

But right now, I was more concerned about the sudden appearance of this mysterious monster than about Ryudou.

“What in the world is that black thing…?” (Kuzuhara)

“That’s an A-Rank monster called a black ogre.” (Sol)

“A-Rank…!” (Kuzuhara)

She told me that the difference in power was especially large among the higher ranks.

“As expected… it really is strong.” (Kuzuhara)

“It’s not merely strong. It was said that in the past, a black ogre destroyed a whole country alone.” (Sol)

“A country? ….Haha, that’s insane.” (Kuzuhara)

Such was the strength of an A-Rank monster. It had the power to destroy a country alone. It was truly a living weapon.

“But why did it appear all of a sudden? It looked like those guys got sucked into the Core though.” (Kuzuhara)

“Sol doesn’t understand it either. It seems like the two giant ogres were fused together by the power of that Core.” (Sol)

It certainly looked that way to me. However, I had never seen or heard of a Core having such a power.

Sol was about to defeat the red giant ogre when this had happened. It looked as if the Core had moved of its own volition to protect the giant ogre.

Does this mean that the Core has a consciousness?

And it doesn’t want the dungeon to be cleared. Is that why it tried to fuse with the giant ogres to eliminate us and protect itself?

“If that’s the case, it’ll be super troublesome.” (Kuzuhara)

I had no idea that such a phenomenon could even occur. Seriously, anything could happen in a dungeon.

If Sol didn’t know, then Komon must not have expected the situation either.

Now then, what should we do…?

I surely didn’t have the power to take on a monster like that. On the other hand…

“Sol, can you fight it and win?” (Kuzuhara)

“…Unfortunately, Sol doesn’t think she can defeat it solo.” (Sol)

If it was impossible for Sol, who was already plenty strong, it would be even harder for me. That meant it would be the same for Ryudou, who probably had the same level of power as me…

“Kukukuku…. Hahahahahhhahah! Good! Great! You! I’ll settle for you!” (Ryudou)

Ryudou, who had crawled out of the hole before we even knew it, was staring at the black ogre while roaring with mad laughter as if he had gone insane.

“Come, my pawns! Be useful to me!” (Ryudou)

In response to his words, the ground around Ryudou rose up as zombified humans emerged from below.

“…?! Even they got…!” (Kuzuhara)

The people who had been on my side just a few hours ago were standing there in a transformed state. Even though they had betrayed me, I didn’t want to see the guys who had once been my friends and comrades like this.

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Soon, under the direction of Ryudou, the zombies began to head towards the black ogre one after another.

Naturally, the black ogre didn’t sit still and began to intercept them, swinging the metal clubs in its hands.

With each swing of its clubs, the zombies were being crushed and pulverized with a single blow. It was a sight that made me want to avert my eyes, but the mangled zombies gradually regenerated themselves and got back up to attack again.

Ryudou truly had an immortal army in his hands.

This was probably the reason why Ryudou was so confident. He had absolute confidence that he wouldn’t lose to me because he had the power to control zombies that couldn’t be killed even if they were defeated.

“No matter what kind of monster, they will always have a limit when it comes to stamina. As long as they continue to move, they will eventually tire and create an opening. All I have to do is assess the situation from on high and make the final move. Come now… Dance for me, in the palm of my hands!” (Ryudou)

More and more zombies continued gathering. They were all rushing towards the black ogre like a tidal wave.

Each time the black ogre attacked, the zombies continued to close in, unafraid of its attacks. But in the end, there was no way it could deal with all the zombies crawling in from every direction, and the zombies gradually began to cling onto it.

However, the zombies’ attacks weren’t that big of a deal, and no matter how much they bit or hit the black ogre, it didn’t do much damage. But upon closer inspection, it was possible to see that the places where the zombies had bitten were decaying.

“Even if I can’t win alone, I can just force my way through with the sheer power of numbers. Don’t think for even a second that a monster who can only wield violence can win against my ingenuity.” (Ryudou)

This was the power of numbers. Perhaps this was the strength of an army.

The black ogre was ever so gradually being worn away by the slowly accumulating damage from the zombies’ attacks.

In fact, I could see that the decaying areas were increasing at a visible rate.

I couldn’t help but shudder when I thought about what would happen if all of those zombies turned on us. No matter how much I kicked and punched them, they wouldn’t die, and they’d only continue to come at us. On the other hand, if I got bitten, it would be the end.

Even though he had kept the zombies away from us at first, we would eventually run out of stamina, as Ryudou said. What a dreadful strategy.

“If the black ogre is really going to be defeated like this…” (Kuzuhara)

This was a grave situation. At this rate, my defeat was set in stone.

That black ogre was the Core Monster, which meant that it was fused with the Core. The dungeon could be cleared as long as we defeated it. If things stayed the way they were now, Ryudou would overtake me.

“Is that really so?” (Sol)

“…Sol?” (Kuzuhara)

“This man certainly had quite the strategy. It would have worked just fine if the opponent was some half-assed monster. But this is an A-Rank we’re dealing with here… A freakish monster beyond reason, you know?” (Sol)

As if to prove her words, something surprising happened in the next moment.

Suddenly, flames erupted from the black ogre’s body. However, the flames were just as black as its body.

The zombies that came into contact with the black flames burned up one after the other, disappearing without a trace.

“…! What the hell…?!” (Ryudou)

As expected, Ryudou shouted out in astonishment.

“….Black flame.” (Sol)

“Black flame? What’s that, Sol?” (Kuzuhara)

“As the name suggests, they’re the black flames that this guy controls. Sol has heard that anything that the flames touch will be incinerated in an instant.” (Sol)

“Even zombies wouldn’t be able to regenerate after being annihilated to such a degree, huh?” (Kuzuhara)

It was an unexpected weak point, but in the first place, having the ability to make zombies disappear in an instant was truly amazing. This was why A-Rank monsters had power outside of reason.

“Damn you, piece of shit! After I went through all that trouble to find people that I could use!” (Ryudou)

When I looked at Ryudou, who was shaking with frustration, I saw that he was holding something in his right hand. It was long and slender, kind of like a fish, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a giant seed.

There was an eerie, bluish-purple aura exuding from the mass. I had no idea what in the world it was. But I had a hunch that it was nothing good.

“Ryudou! What is that thing in your hand?!” (Kuzuhara)

I decided to ask him upfront. I didn’t know if he would talk about it, but it didn’t hurt to mention it.

But Ryudou, with a sulky expression on his face, unexpectedly provided me with an explanation.

“Listen and be amazed, idiots. This is the trump card of my skill, <Rotten Path>―<The Seed of Rotten Evil>.” (Ryudou)

“Seed of… Rotten Evil?” (Kuzuhara)

“Kukuku, there’s only one left now, but that’s plenty. With this, I can turn any monster into a zombie at will and use it as my pawn.” (Ryudou)

“What?!” (Kuzuhara)

If that were to happen, that brutal monster would become Ryudou’s weapon, and my chances of winning would be even slimmer. And more than anything, if Ryudou got his hands on such a violent creature, this world might be turned into a hellscape. This was something that we absolutely had to stop.

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