'There's no more time to waste...'
Before entering this dungeon, there were 3 days left until the main scenario starts.
If the time inside this dungeon is the same as outside, I've already spent a day, and even if it's different, I don't know exactly how different it is.
There's a way to exit the dungeon, but I'd regret wasting my 500,000 coins by just leaving, and I only now learned that if I exit the dungeon, re-entry is prohibited for a day.
'In that case, I need to clear this dungeon quickly and get out.'
So, I came to Shin Tengu Tower, which is the center of the dungeon and where the ruler, the boss, is.
"Well... shall we go?"
Then, I walked into Shin Tengu Tower.
The inside of Shin Tengu Tower was peculiar.
The walls and floor were densely covered with branches or roots of iron-like plants, and strange objects that I couldn't understand what they represented floated densely in the air.
"I need to go that way..."
Upon finding the central spiral staircase, I headed towards it without hesitation and began climbing the endlessly continuing spiral path.
[The story of Reincarnation Paradise continues]
[The story of the Ruler of Paradise continues]
After climbing for a while, the faint stories of the ruler began to be heard.
[The trait King of Spirit Beasts is strongly activated]
As the trait activated regardless of my will, the stories became clearer.
[The story of Reincarnation Paradise is struggling]
[The story of the Ruler of Paradise continues while in pain]
Amidst feeling the pain and suffering of the stories, a heavily cracked pink fragment gently descended from the sky, and I lightly grasped it.
[The story fragment Ruler of Paradise feels your warmth]
[....Yuseong...ssi?....Why...did you...come...here.?]
"To end this paradise..."
[Why...?]
"Because... this is not a place for me..."
[Why....? Humans seek...happiness. Humans, dislike failing.... That all, is achieved... here, but you deny... that?]
".'Because there's no future here...."
At my words, the story fragment paused for a moment and said to me.
[Fu, ture...?]
"Yes....future... If I stay here, I won't be able to move forward to the next step, and I'll forget how to look back. If that happens, the possibility of growth will disappear, and in the end, I'll lose the future and collapse in that place, rotting away....I hate that.., so I'll keep moving forward... To do that, I'll end this paradise..."
[The story fragment Ruler of Paradise quietly nods at your words]
[I see... I understand... Please... go... up... there... she is... waiting... for you... I hope... she too... realizes...]
[The effect of the trait Lamarck's Giraffe is exerted]
[You have devoured the story fragment Ruler of Paradise]
[The one loved by the story fragment Ruler of Paradise feels your warmth]
Then, the story fragment was absorbed into my heart area, and I went up.
"Is this the top floor?"
After climbing for a few minutes, the top floor I arrived at was an indescribable dreamlike space.
In the middle of such a space, a girl was standing.
"Hello.... You must be the ruler of this Eden, Ruler..."
"..."
"Why aren't you saying anything? Then only I feel awkward? Rinne"
At my words, Rinne let out a short sigh and looked straight at me, saying.
".....Since when... did you know?"
"From the beginning"
At my words, Rinne said "I see" with a bitter expression.
"I beg you... please go back... and forget everything.... the truth of this Eden and my identity... if you forget only those things.... you can continue the paradise—"
"Paradise.... In my eyes, this place is not paradise.... This is just a cage... a place that forcibly imprisons birds with brilliant possibilities and futures, feeds them feed called happiness, makes them forget the world outside the cage, and forces them to enjoy fabricated things. Do you think such a place can truly be called paradise?"
"Here... everyone can live happily... anything is possible... and anyone can feel happiness and joy.... If you forget everything... I'll make you happy as you wish, Kuro-ssi....."
At my words, Rinne made a shocked expression, then with a determined look, she looked at me and said.
"...Then... there's no choice..."
With those words, pink spheres and angel-like somethings began to form around Rinne.
"Are you going to use force?..... Then... Star Platinum!"
Come out!
Looking at Rinne like that, I immediately deployed Star Platinum.
"What is that....?"
Rinne looked exactly at Star Platinum in surprise, and I felt疑问 and surprise that Rinne, who isn't a Stand user, could see Star Platinum exactly, but since that wasn't important now, I shook my head and immediately prepared for battle.
Boom!
As I jumped with my body stats averaging over 170 due to items, traits, and skills, the floor shattered with a roar.
"Star Platinum!!"
Ora ora ora ora ora ora!!!!!
The guardians rushing at me were instantly crushed and crumpled by Star Platinum's fists, turning into scrap metal.
[Activating exclusive skill Blade Dance LV 7]
I swung my divine relic, the Flame Dragon Slaying Sword, in the form of a greatsword as if dancing, cutting down the guardians and energy bullets.
[Activating exclusive skill Fury of Urvashi LV 4]
Crash!
Swinging the sword in that state, intense lightning struck, burning the guardians, and as a result, when the surroundings were covered in black smoke, numerous energy bullets flew at me through the smoke.
"I already expected that..!"
Quickly changing my weapon to Eleven Blossoms, I activated a skill.
[Activating skill Plum Blossom Sword Original: Slash LV 3]
[Activating skill Path of the Gale LV 4]
"One Sword"
Activating Path of the Gale, I cut through all the energy bullets flying at me with Eleven Blossoms and rushed towards Rinne, preparing to swing my sword, but....
"!...Star Platinum!"
Ora!
Thump!
The quickly deployed Star Platinum blocked the greatsword swung by a guardian trying to ambush from the side with one hand.
"Throw it away!"
Ora!!!
Star Platinum immediately threw that guardian far away, but the guardian landed lightly.
'What is it? That guardian?.... It looks somewhat peculiar compared to the others...'
That peculiar guardian looked slightly different from the others... overall, it had a princess-like outfit with purple accents here and there, and the greatsword it held resembled Sandalphon overall.
"....What is that....! Zadkiel!"
At that moment, I felt some intense heat from the direction right next to me, and sensing it, I immediately used Zadkiel to create a wall of ice.
Swoooooosh!!!!!
As soon as the ice wall was created, powerful flames covered me, but blocked by the ice wall created by Zadkiel, it didn't harm me at all.
"This time, a different one?"
Looking in the direction the flames came from, there was a guardian holding a giant halberd.
This guardian had a fairy-like outfit with red accents here and there, and the halberd it held resembled Camael.
"! This time, from the ceiling!"
[Activating skill Black Dragon's Flame LV 9]
As soon as I spewed a giant black flame towards the ceiling, numerous ice pieces poured down like rain from the ceiling, and most of the ice pieces evaporated in the Black Dragon's Flame, and I lightly avoided the few surviving ice pieces with Path of the Gale.
"Magical Charge 100% Fire!!!!!!!"
Booooom!!!!!!!!
Firing Supernova at the ceiling, the two guardians hiding in the ceiling immediately avoided the Supernova, and one of those guardians fired a beam at me.
[Activating exclusive skill Darker's Protection LV 2]
Ting!
As Darker's Protection activated, the beams flying at me were reflected and flew towards the guardian, and the guardian lightly avoided the attack and came down to the ground.
'A small guardian riding a giant rabbit and a guardian in a bridal outfit....'
The small guardian with a raincoat flipped over, with blue accents here and there, was riding a giant rabbit, and the guardian in a bridal outfit with white accents here and there had something like panels floating around.
"..... Since there are probably more hiding.... why don't you come out?"
At my words, six more guardians appeared from behind me.
Each: a guardian in a witch outfit with green accents holding a broom, a guardian in an idol outfit with purple accents with a keyboard and organ pipes around, a guardian in a nun outfit with gray accents holding a book, a guardian in an outfit reminiscent of a criminal with navy blue accents holding a chain with a pendulum at the end, similarly a guardian in an outfit reminiscent of a criminal with a purple spear, a guardian in a hybrid outfit that seems to mix a cheongsam and a fairy's wing robe with a yellow staff.
"Ha.... perhaps..."
[Affirmative: Perhaps that perhaps is correct]
"Really...."
It seems these guardians are made based on the spiritual power of the spirits.
'But I can understand Tohka, Yoshino, Kotori, but where did they get the spiritual power of other spirits? Originally, Metatron's spiritual power, since Angel doesn't exist in this world right now, there's no normal way to obtain it... unless....'
[Affirmative: It seems that upon entering this dungeon, they absorbed part of the spiritual power currently held in Eden and made them based on that]
"Tch.... it's become troublesome.... but even so.... you can't stop me!"
With Path of the Gale activated, I immediately rushed and threw ice pieces with Zadkiel.
Swoooooosh!!!
Then, the guardian swung the clone Camael to block the attack, but that wasn't the main point from the start.
[Activating stigma Nameless Three-Stage Thrust LV 1]
"First step sound breakthrough, second step无缝, third step absolute cut! Nameless Three-Stage Thrust!"
The guardian using clone Camael, who had appeared before it in no time, immediately took a guard, but it was in vain.
This Nameless Three-Stage Thrust, which包含 the 'first thrust', 'second thrust', and 'third thrust', cannot be blocked by half-hearted defense.
Poof!
With the sound of something bursting, the Nameless Three-Stage Thrust hit, and the guardian using clone Camael, with its heart area burst, collapsed.
"Fortunately, it seems they don't regenerate...."
I was worried if they had implemented Ifrit's super-regeneration ability, but fortunately not.
[It is presumed that the spiritual power was insufficient to implement up to that point]
"Is that so?.... Then.... the others should be similar...."
With a smile, I first tore apart the clone guardians with Haniel and Michael, which have annoying abilities, then fired at the clone Metatron guardian shooting beams at me by charging magic into Bla Mikazuki's Quis ut Deus and literally blew it up, then used Omnipotent Cube to turn the guardians with Raphael into cube steaks, and completely burned the guardian using clone Zadkiel with Black Dragon's Flame.
'Now, all that's left are the clones of Gabriel, Raguel, Sandalphon only.... wait.... the count is one short?'
Only then did I feel something strange and quickly counted the number of guardians.
10
Just by hearing, it seems all are there, but since there were two Raphael guardians, there should be +1 more here.
'Then the guardian not here now is.....'
"Camael, Haniel, Raphaels, Sandalphon, Zadkiel, Metatron, Michael, Gabriel, Raguel, Zap....kiel..?...! Damn it!"
At that moment, clone Zapkiel guardians jumped out from the shadow at my feet, and subsequently, due to clone Gabriel's Rondo, clone Raguel's Future Gadget, etc., my movement was sealed for about 2-3 seconds.
It was only 2-3 seconds, but for Rinne, that much time should be enough.
"I'm sorry..... may you have a peaceful and good dream... Eden Paradise Lost..."
With those words, plant root-shaped tentacles that sprang from the ground instantly began to wrap around me, and I tried to quickly escape, but the tentacles were one step faster.
'Paradise Lost is mental-type.. then ■■'s Wall—'
[Exclusive skill ■■'s Wall is briefly asleep]
'What!? Why of all times now.... damn it... consciousness....'
Thus, with ■■'s Wall briefly asleep, I was vulnerable to mental attacks, and soon my consciousness sank as if falling into a deep sea.
[Exclusive skill ■■'s Wall slowly opens its eyes]
[Exclusive skill ■■'s Wall grasps what happened]
[Exclusive skill ■■'s Wall assesses the situation and lets out a sigh]
[Exclusive skill ■■'s Wall urgently pulls your mind into the wall]
"Snap out of it"