SWDnovel Chapter 1646 - 1646: Fighting Like a Dungeon Master
Chapter 1646 - 1646: Fighting Like a Dungeon Master
The musings of what some may call a "demon lord."...
Do you know why we create dungeons?
It's not because we truly want to protect our treasures; if we did, then we'd just use powerful monsters or curses.
It's not because we need living spaces for our monsters and minions; there are plenty of ways to make such safe havens for our kind.
It's not even because we needed a way to control the human populace, as there are millions of much cleaner or messier ways to do so.
No, the reason we make dungeons is simply because... we're bored.
Creating dungeons is a bit like how normal humans make vivariums or greenhouses.
However, our hobbies come with the added bonus of making our names feared throughout the land.
Especially since, unlike those hobbies I mentioned, I can actively take control over the dungeon like it is an extension of my body.
That said...I wonder if there are others that can do the same...
________________________________________
'Logos. Pathos. What the fuck am I starring at right now? It looks like a dragon made of paper and...wait...are those books as scales?'
'...'
=If puns could kill, I think our Lord would've keeled over by now. =
'Not untrue,' Zhen Liu agreed. 'But for now, let's see if these assholes can handle this Bookwyrm before the real event...'
...POV Switch...
"What the fuck is that thing?!"
"It's a Bookwyrm! Wait...why do I know that word?!"
"Who cares! Just burn it!"
[Ember Enforcer!]
[Imperial Fire Blast!]
Despite the lack of coordination, members of both the Erupting Dawn Empire and the Sacred Flame Theocracy had enough sense to them to try and release fire attacks against a monster that looked like it was made of paper.
Unfortunately, their expectations were not met.
The paper dragon did not catch fire as they had anticipated when the attacks made contact; it only barely singed the skin at best. As such, Lauvanne and the warriors investigating the pillar alongside him were still in danger.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
"Whoa!"
ROAR!
The Bookwyrm snarled and roared before rearing its head back and attempting to lunge and devour Prince Lauvanne and the warriors accompanying him.
(Un)Fortunately, the prince and his men were a touch faster than the Bookwyrm and were able to get out of the way faster than the beastie could sink their teeth into them.
The warriors off to the side raised their guards in anticipation of the book pillar being destroyed by the Bookwyrm's attack and having to deal with the shrapnel and fallout.
However, that didn't happen.
The moment the Bookwyrm sank its teeth into the pillar before it, it merged with the structure instead.
Like a serpent diving into the sea, the Bookwyrm disappeared into the pillar of books before the eyes of the watching warriors.
Needless to say, this sight caused their blood to run ice cold.
"Oh... that's not good."
"It dove into that specific pillar, right? So that means it needs to reappear from that pillar, right?!"
"I...I don't think that's the case in the slightest."
"Godsfuckingdammit!"
Now that the realization that these pillar-like bookshelves weren't as safe as they thought they were, the two groups of warriors began to group up in order to cover their blind spots.
"Can't believe I have to work with you assholes!"
"The feeling is mutual; now pay attention before that fucking bookwyrm thing attacks again."
"Why the fuck does this weird energy make us swear so fucking much, FUCK!"
Whether or not it was on purpose, the Erupting Dawn Empire and the Sacred Flame Theocracy warriors had more or less divided themselves into two perfect half circles with one another.
Having their backs turned towards each other would've definitely made for an excellent opportunity for someone to stab the other in a surprise betrayal attack. But alas, the situation had made these mutual enemies into reluctant allies.
That said, whether or not their hacked together teamwork will actually amount to anything was questionable at best.
Especially when the Bookwyrm was just the beginning.
…
'Ok, I have to admit, that bookwyrm thing is actually pretty cool.'
'Is there anything else in the chamber I should be aware of, or are these guys goin to get harassed Jaws-style until we separate them for the kaijin to have a turn?'
= I…actually have something in mind. A bit more traditional than the bookwyrm thing, though. =
'Oh?'
=Did you know that some of the stone zakos have gotten their hands on the books about European fantasy and folklore?
'Oh boy.'
…
Grrrr…
"OH SHIT IT CAN COME OUT OF THE OTHER PILLARS!"
'FUCK!"
Below the feet of the gathered bastards, the bookwyrm had popped its head out of a book pillar that was definitely not the one it had initially dived into.
The beast, however, did not immediately make moves to attack from below. Instead, it began to swim around and through the other pillars, like a shark waiting to leap out of the water and strike.
The Erupting Dawn Elites and the Sacred Flame False Crusaders made sure to keep their guards up as the bookwyrm continued to silently swim beneath their feet. However, this turned out to be a mistake on their part.
They were so focused on what was going on below them that they failed to realize that there was movement going on above their heads.
Heavy arms of stone began to stick out from above as the monstrous beings attached to them pulled themselves out of the book pillars.
These stone beings had horrifically carved faces that were the stuff of otherworldly nightmares.
As they directed their gazes downward, they saw that gathered mortal warriors had more or less turned themselves into a perfect target.
As murderous intent filled their gazes, this feeling of raw killing rage eventually attracted the attention of some of the warriors who were a touch more sensitive to such emotions.
Turning their heads upwards, they saw the gargoyles fully pry themselves free from the pillar of books in preparation to attack. Needless to say, their eyes went very wide at the sight.
"Uh...your highness? I think our problems are about to get a whole lot worst," General Legante said as he prepared to defend his liege.
"What are you—OH FUCK!"
As soon as Lauvante screamed about the incoming ambush, it was too late.
The newly freed gargoyles proceeded to leap from their perches and dropped towards the group of warriors like, well, like stones being dropped into a pond.
At least half of the warriors did their best to fire attacks in the direction of the falling gargoyles, while the other half kept their eyes on the bookwyrm. Although, this turned out to be an entirely pointless effort.
As soon as their aether arts made contact with the gargoyles, the [Chaos] composing their bodies would break down the attacks in an instant.
"Fuck! It's not working!"
"We have to dodge or—OOF!"
"Prince Galban!"
Before the warriors could even comprehend the idea of dodging, several of the gargoyles had gotten close enough to straight up tackle and grab the warriors and drag them down...but not into the abyss, nor the bookwyrm itself.
Instead, as if this place wasn't screwy enough, strange portals began to appear out of nowhere and suck in the gargoyles with their respective victims.
These portals had nothing in common with one another, neither in terms of power composition nor look, but they all still gave the same ominous feeling of inevitable death to the aether warriors.
By the time the last of the gargoyles were gone, over half of the group had been spirited away.
"Oh fuck, oh fuck! Are they dead?!"
"Well, some of the taken were actually living corpse warriors, so..."
"YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I MEAN!"
Unfortunately for those left behind, they weren't going to have time to figure out what the fuck was going on.
ROAR!
Sensing the weakness of the warriors, the bookwyrm turned upwards and charged.
...POV shift...
"Well, that was hilarious to watch," Zhen Liu said with a smile as he watched the live feed of Logos's gargoyle zakos kidnapping several of the False Crusaders, several of the Erupting Dawn Elites, one of the two abbots, and one of the princes.
When Zhen Liu fell into the [Library of Nowhere] via his trap gate, he had fallen directly into the observation room that Logos and Pathos used to control the entire space.
From this point, Zhen Liu could see and direct the kaijin and zakos with more precision than if he was relying on his mental connection with them.
Not only that, but he could now also where the enemy was being moved to without relying solely on zako and kaijin senses.
"So...where are we directing these bastards?"
<=Boss chambers.=>
"Bitching."