"『How dare you, human?!』" she roared, her voice trembling with rage as one of her precious body parts was severed.
"『I will kill you all!!』" she screamed, her fury fueling her as she dashed straight toward us.
Emilia wasn't about to let that happen. With a sharp swish, she intercepted the queen's hair-blade, blocking it entirely with her dagger.
But the queen's second blade moved faster than expected, piercing Emilia's left arm. "Ahhh!!" she cried out, her voice filled with agony.
Mino, quick to act, darted forward and scooped Emilia up, retreating to safety.
"Guys Re- &#&#-£." I tried to order, my voice reverberating eerily.
"Guys, go attack her!" the unexpected voice came out.
Eru, Gen, and Lucas sprang into action, charging at the queen with all their might.
The queen's lips curled into a wicked grin, her blade flashing through the air. Gen didn't even have time to react before he was sliced cleanly in half.
"Ahhh!!!" Eru's scream tore through the air as she froze, staring in horror at Gen's lifeless, severed body collapsing to the ground. Blood pooled beneath him, soaking the dungeon floor.
"What do you think you're ordering?!!" Lucas shouted, his voice breaking with fury as he turned to glare at me.
No... That wasn't my intention. I only wanted them to retreat. It would be suicide to attack her! What went wrong?! My eyes widened as the realization dawned.
(Master...) Mino's voice echoed in my mind through thought communication, pulling me out of my panic. (That's the effect of the dungeon queen's dialogue manipulation.)
(What?) I blinked, stunned by the revelation. My heart sank as I processed the bombshell.
Her ability wasn't just physical; it twisted the mind, bending intentions with her words.
(Her ability's weakness is hand signals,) Mino added, his voice steady despite the chaos around us.
Weakness? Hand signals? I clenched my fists, struggling to regain control of the situation. If I couldn't outmatch her power, I'd have to outthink her.
This woman...
I raised my hand in a sharp motion, signaling everyone to shut the hell up. The room immediately fell silent, with not even a whisper escaping.
(Mino, you're capable of treating Emilia's wounds, right?) I asked through thought communication.
Mino gave a small nod and quickly ripped a piece of her clothing, wrapping it tightly around Emilia's injured arm to stem the bleeding.
Something felt... off. A nagging thought gnawed at the back of my mind. I glanced at my wrist, my eyes locking onto the Dungeon Bracelet. The green light that normally pulsed with life was dead. I triple-tapped it, but nothing happened.
(Master... the Dungeon Queen's authority has rendered the bracelets useless,) Mino informed me, her voice calm but firm in my mind.
So that's why. Of course, this dungeon wouldn't let us rely on such conveniences.
I clenched my fists, the beginnings of a plan forming in my head. It wasn't a good plan—it was outright reckless—but it was the only way forward.
I signaled the team with sharp hand gestures: I'll attack on my own.
The Dungeon Queen's wicked grin grew even wider, as if she had been waiting for this exact moment.
I stepped forward, unsheathing my weapons. Excalibur gleamed with radiant light as I slid it out of its case. The sword's glow was mesmerizing, almost as if it was alive. I ran a hand along its blade, feeling the power pulsing within.
"You're going to shine this time, Excalibur," I whispered, my tone soft yet determined.
The Dungeon Queen moved first. Her hair-blades lashed out like vipers, aiming to tear me apart. I met her attack with a surge of energy, my scythe slicing through the first wave of blades while Excalibur deflected the rest.
The clash was deafening. Sparks flew as metal met metal, the air around us charged with the intensity of the fight.
Her smile never wavered, and neither did mine. Each of her strikes was precise, deadly, but I was faster—just barely. Perhaps it was Mino's power flowing through me, or perhaps it was sheer adrenaline, but for the first time, I felt evenly matched with this monstrous queen.
From the corner of my eye, I saw my team frozen in place. Mino watched with quiet intensity, while Emilia clutched her arm, wincing but refusing to look away. Lucas's expression was a mixture of awe and jealousy, his grip tightening on his weapon as if yearning to join the fray.
Then came the voice.
Notice: Excalibur Laser can now be used.
Notice: New skill acquired: Death Spell.
Death what? The name alone sounded absurdly dangerous.
Analyze this for me, I thought quickly.
Analysis complete: Death Spell is a high-tier skill capable of instantly killing an individual. However, it does not completely destroy their soul, leaving the potential for revival by a necromancer. The skill cannot target groups and has a cooldown of one week.
I smirked. Interesting.
"Alright, Excalibur. Let's see what you've got!"
I lowered the blade to 30% power, knowing anything more could obliterate everything around me. I raised it high, the light from its edge intensifying until it filled the entire dungeon chamber.
"Excalibur... LASERRRRRRR!!!!!"
The beam erupted in a brilliant surge of light, its heat scorching the air with degrees of nearly 1000°C. The Dungeon Queen barely managed to dodge in time, but her left arm disintegrated into ash, leaving her stumbling to the ground in pain.
Suddenly, she laughed. Her laughter broke the silence, eerie and distorted, echoing through the dungeon walls.
"『Hahahahaha... HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!』"
Her voice was madness incarnate, and it sent chills down my spine.
"『Come out, my children!』"
The walls trembled as an army of monsters poured into the chamber. Creatures of all shapes and sizes surrounded us, their glowing eyes fixed on me and my team.
Eru and Lucia froze in fear, while Lucas gritted his teeth, barely holding his weapon steady.
Mino acted swiftly, raising a barrier around the group. The shield shimmered, holding strong against the monsters' assault.
(Master...) Mino's voice was soft in my mind, tinged with worry.
I turned to her and smiled, warm and reassuring. (Don't worry. These are nothing more than small flies.)
With that, I stepped forward, my scythe glowing ominously in one hand and Excalibur burning bright in the other.