Chapter 18: Let’s Fight the Strongest Monster!

“Haa… What a shame. The haul wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.”

On the forty-ninth floor of the hidden dungeon, I—Klaus—let out a deep sigh. To explain why, I need to detail the mechanics of this dungeon. In the game, the «Great Eltria Labyrinth» determined boss rewards based on two conditions. The first was simple drop luck. The second was which heroine accompanied you. For instance, the «Royal Family Ring» I obtained last time only dropped because Sophia, a royal, was in the party. The same applied to other heroine-specific items. High-rarity items should still drop during solo runs, but this time, I got nothing noteworthy.

Pondering this, I tilted my head. “Maybe the protagonist has some unique condition tied to them.”

In the game, you couldn’t remove the protagonist from the party, so I might’ve missed a mechanic. Regardless, one thing was clear: to get high-rarity items, I’d need to return with game characters. With that conclusion, I faced forward.

“Well, I’ve come this far. Might as well take down the deepest floor’s boss before heading back!”

Shifting focus, I headed to the fiftieth floor—the dungeon’s deepest layer.

『GROOOOAAAAR!!!』

The moment I stepped into the boss room, a deafening roar shook the dungeon. Bracing against the howling wind, I looked up at the creature. “…To think I’d face this thing so soon.”

A dragon, larger than the Red Dragon I’d defeated hours ago, stood before me. Its glossy silver scales shimmered under the dungeon’s magical light. Its aura sent shivers even through me. Its name: «Severance Dragon: Oltram». In the game, it was a level 150 SS-rank monster, one of the world’s rarest. For reference, the Demon King, fought at the story’s climax, was also level 150. Many players felt Oltram’s raw combat power surpassed even the Demon King’s.

As someone aiming to be the ultimate final boss, this was an unavoidable foe. Time to test my current strength.

“Let’s go, Oltram!”

『GRRRR!!!』

Gripping my «Rusted Sword», I charged. Oltram roared and rushed me with agility defying its massive frame. “Here it comes…!”

I readied my sword, focusing entirely. Instantly, Oltram’s claw flashed toward me. “Guh!”

I blocked with my sword, the clash ringing like metal on metal, numbing my arms. (Heavy…! Worthy of an SS-rank monster!)

Admiring it inwardly, I faced Oltram’s relentless assault. It swung its tail, slicing the air like an invisible blade. “Tch!”

I ducked, narrowly dodging. The wind pressure alone was chilling. But I wasn’t about to just take hits. Seizing a moment, I counterattacked. “Haa!”

『GRR!?』

My full-force swing grazed Oltram’s silver scales but couldn’t inflict deep wounds. Its scales were like top-tier armor. I stepped back, reassessing. (Stronger than any monster I’ve fought… Since reincarnating as Klaus, this is the first foe I’m not sure I can beat.)

Cold sweat ran down my back, but my blood boiled with excitement. “That’s right! If I falter here, I’ll never become the final boss!”

Suppressing my thrill, I focused on Oltram’s movements, closing the distance. (There!)

Threading through its attacks, I thrust my sword, piercing between scales with a solid hit. 『GUOOO!』

Oltram writhed in pain. I pressed the advantage, striking repeatedly. “Haa! Sei! Fu!”

Each hit dealt slight but certain damage, slowing Oltram’s movements. (…Almost there?)

I stayed vigilant, knowing the real challenge was coming.

『GROOOOAAAAR!!!』

Oltram’s roar echoed, its body enveloped in a silver aura—divine yet terrifying. The aura surged with crackling sounds, its pressure now otherworldly. “This is Oltram’s true form…!”

When Oltram’s HP dropped below 50 percent, it entered an enhanced state, boosting all stats and gaining a troublesome trait. 『GRAAA!』

“—!”

A silver slash burst from its mouth. I leapt aside, barely dodging. The slash bisected the ground where I’d stood without resistance. I gave a wry smile. “As expected, «Dimensional Severance» is in play.”

In its enhanced state, Oltram could imbue its mana with severance properties, enabling its unique ability—«Dimensional Severance»—a literal one-hit-kill that cut through anything. A direct hit would kill even me. But I had a counter. 『GAAA!』

“«Magic Reflection»!”

『GARU!?』

My spell reflected the silver slash, striking Oltram’s body and carving a gash in its scales. “Hmm, as expected, «Magic Reflection» works on Oltram’s mana. Since it’s enveloped in severance mana, the damage isn’t huge, but…”

I had a defense against Dimensional Severance. The issue was landing a finishing blow. “Just reflecting slashes won’t cut it. Is there a better strategy—?”

For a while, I traded blows with Oltram, searching for a breakthrough. Then, an idea struck.

(It’s risky, but it’s my only shot to turn this around!)

I stopped reflecting Oltram’s mana. My unique magic, «Magic Reflection», absorbed and converted enemy magic into my own before reflecting it—but with some tweaking, I could store it instead. My plan was to amass mana beyond what Oltram could counter and unleash it for a one-shot kill. The flaw? My body couldn’t hold dozens of shots’ worth of mana—it’d be obliterated by the severance effect before I could release it. I needed a medium to store it.

I glanced at my «Rusted Sword». “I don’t know how it works, but you’ve never shown signs of breaking. I’m betting on your potential!”

Pouring absorbed mana into the sword, it miraculously held dozens of shots without breaking. “…Seriously? It was a long shot, but it actually worked…”

I’d considered retreating if this failed, but now the game had changed. I faced Oltram squarely. “Time to end this, Oltram.”

『GAAAAA!』

Raising my mana-charged «Rusted Sword», glowing silver, Oltram roared warily. Suddenly, a massive black gate appeared behind it. (Whoa, that’s new to the game!)

I felt a thrill at the unexpected spectacle.

But excitement lasted only a moment. Oltram unleashed a colossal Dimensional Severance with its remaining strength. I met it head-on, swinging my destruction-charged sword.

“Take this—«Dimensional Rupture»!”

Blinding silver light erupted from the rusted blade, engulfing Oltram’s body and erasing it instantly. And then—

◇◆◇

“Summon the most ferocious entity to destroy the capital…?”

Facing the sudden appearance of «Gate Link of the Otherworld», one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Eleanor repeated his words. Gate Link nodded. “Exactly. The being I’m about to summon far surpasses that ugly pig lying there. You’re exhausted—nay, even at full strength, you couldn’t resist.”

“Tch!”

Eleanor instinctively knew he spoke the truth. Gate Link’s sinister mana marked him as stronger than Blazek, likely a match for the entire Royal Knights. Adding another force made their defeat certain. “No way…”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Eleanor, Sophia, and Chloe despaired. Only Marie stared at the enemy expressionlessly. Seeing their reactions, Gate Link grinned. “Good, that’s a fine shade of despair. Let’s make it even darker!”

With that preamble, he declared his intent to summon the most ferocious being to destroy the kingdom, chanting the spell. The black malice swirled, forming a massive gate, its aura terrifying even commoners unaccustomed to mana. “What’s this ominous vibe…?”

“Something’s coming to kill us!?”

“No! Someone save us!”

Their desperate pleas only fueled Gate Link’s glee. “Too late. The «Gate» is already linked.”

Raising his arms before the giant black gate, he signaled its opening. “Kuh, is there nothing we can do…?”

“Even maxing out the sword’s mana might not be enough,” Sophia said.

“Such a monster exists…?” Chloe muttered.

Realizing their fate, the three faltered. Only Marie watched impassively. Gate Link savored their despair. “Now, come forth, incarnation of destruction, bringing despair to these fools! Answer my call and wield your power—”

“—«Dimensional Rupture»!”

“…Huh? GWAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

It was a shocking sight. As Gate Link chanted, what emerged from the gate wasn’t a monster but blinding silver light. It engulfed Gate Link himself, its destructive attribute erasing his resilient body at terrifying speed. “What is this!?”

He resisted desperately, but reality was merciless. The erasure continued. “No way! For a Heavenly King like me to fall to such nonsense—!”

With a final scream, Gate Link vanished completely.

“““…”””

Eleanor and the others stood dumbfounded. Only Marie smiled, saying, “As expected, Master is the greatest in this world.”

Thus, the century’s greatest crisis—the Four Heavenly Kings’ assault—was resolved.

◇◆◇

After Gate Link’s demise, silence enveloped the capital. What was that light? Was Gate Link truly gone? Considering all possibilities, Eleanor glanced at Marie, who’d said something intriguing. “Marie-kun, you seemed to know about that light…”

“Yes. It was undoubtedly my Master—Klaus-sama,” Marie replied.

“Klaus-kun?”

“Klaus-sama!?”

Eleanor and Sophia’s eyes widened at the name. “Of course. Only Klaus-kun could wield such power,” Eleanor said.

“He protected us from afar,” Sophia added, gazing skyward, thinking of the boy.

Chloe, the only one unfamiliar with Klaus, thought, (Hmm, some amazing guy named Klaus, huh? Still, he’s no match for the one who saved Anna!)

Smirking proudly, she pictured her benefactor, oblivious that they were the same person. Switching gears, Chloe said, “Whatever. The crisis is over, right? I’m beat, so I’m heading back to meet Anna.”

“You sure? Reporting your help could earn a reward,” Eleanor offered.

“Not interested. Catch you later if we cross paths!”

Chloe left dashingly. Eleanor watched, thinking her a justice-driven figure. Meanwhile, behind her—

“By the way, Sophia-sama, since you know Master’s name, may I ask about that ring?”

“Er, Marie-san, was it? You seem… different from earlier,” Sophia said, unnerved by Marie’s quiet smile and approach.

As Sophia, pressured, was about to explain, a heavy voice echoed. “Hey! What’s going on here!?”

All eyes turned to Alden, leading a host of knights. Spotting Sophia, he paled and rushed over. “Sophia! Why are you here, with the treasured sword!?”

“To defeat the cause of this chaos, of course,” she replied confidently.

“Reckless! It was a Demon King executive-level mana signature!”

“Actually, it was one of the Four Heavenly Kings,” Sophia corrected.

“What!?”

Alden was speechless. Eleanor stepped forward. “Pardon me, Your Majesty. Allow me to explain.”

“…Eleanor. Very well, go ahead.”

Eleanor recounted everything: Blazek, empowered by Gate Link, wreaked havoc, and the four heroines subdued him. Then, Gate Link tried to summon a destructive entity using Blazek’s malice. “Destroy the capital!? We must defeat him—”

“No need. It’s already done—by Klaus-kun,” Eleanor said.

“What!?”

Alden’s eyes widened, stunned that the crisis was resolved by Klaus Renford. He knew Klaus could defeat executives, but surpassing a Heavenly King was unimaginable. Trembling with awe, he asked, “Where is Renford now?”

“He likely fired a mana blast from afar, so he’ll return soon,” Eleanor replied.

“…I see. To think Renford was such a hero.”

Alden muttered in admiration. At that moment, Sophia and Eleanor collapsed. “The strain of using so much mana…” Sophia said.

“The backlash from my ultimate technique,” Eleanor added.

“Rest for now. We’ll discuss this later. You both did splendidly,” Alden said.

Nodding, they dragged their weary bodies away. “It’ll take days to recover,” Eleanor said.

“True… How about stopping by the Academy? They have excellent rest facilities,” Sophia suggested.

As they left, Alden spoke solemnly. “We arrived late, to my shame, but there’s still work to do.”

Turning, he addressed the watching citizens grandly. “The Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings who attacked this land were defeated by Klaus Renford, head of the Renford Viscount House! We shall hold a feast to celebrate! Prepare for the hero’s return!”

“““WOOOOO!!!”””

The citizens roared with joy at Alden’s words.