Chapter 237

As the song intensified, the barrage of bombs grew even fiercer.

Tesillid continuously replaced his Aura Blades, preventing the Explosive Singer’s seeds from descending to the ground.

Bang-bang-bang!

A long chain of explosions erupted from left to right, painting the vision with fiery light.

The wind pressure wildly ruffled Tesillid’s silver hair.

It was overwhelming firepower, but after the explosions subsided, the number of bombs remained the same.

Tesillid’s expression hardened.

‘This has already surpassed what an ordinary Aura user can handle. It’s better to make Aillet go back…’

But then, something unbelievable happened.

“I’m going first, Tesillid!”

“……?!”

Aillet was striding up the stairs, passing him.

“Ah, Aillet…?”

Before he knew it, Aillet was showing him her back, not even her side profile. It was a complete overtake.

Tesillid, without stopping his mental manipulation of the Aura Blades, intently observed Aillet.

How? How is that possible?

He wondered if she was forcibly breaking through, enveloped in an invincible divine skill, but that wasn’t it either.

She, too, was equally busy dealing with bombs using the seven Aura Blades allowed to her.

She was following the dungeon’s rules well.

But there was a crucial difference. Tesillid’s eyes widened to their limit as he noticed it.

‘Her Aura Blades…’

She wasn’t drawing new ones to use.

Aillet’s Aura Blades didn’t disappear even after piercing the bombs.

The implication was clear.

‘Aillet knows the orthodox method.’

It was like having a model answer right before his eyes. From that moment, Tesillid focused all his attention on observing Aillet’s movements.

Information obtained with excellent dynamic vision was processed by superior insight.

“Ah.”

The answer pierced his mind.

Then, what hadn’t been visible before began to appear.

It was the judgment line.

There was a judgment line on the stair five steps ahead from the one they were currently standing on.

Aillet aimed for the fleeting moment when the bombs touched that judgment line and destroyed them with her Aura Blades.

Doing so not only prevented the Aura Blades from disappearing but also caused other bombs within a certain range to explode together.

‘This was it.’

Tesillid’s sword changed after gaining this realization.

He destroyed the bombs that touched the judgment line at the exact same timing as Aillet. The result was successful.

After mastering the method and trick, Tesillid allowed himself not a single mistake. As a result, the time it took for the stairs to open gradually sped up.

The thrilling sense of speed increased his immersion.

Perhaps it fueled his excitement? For some reason, it even felt like he was vigorously beating percussion instruments in time with the music.

‘This is kind of fun… Ah, what am I thinking during a subjugation battle?’

Tesillid quickly collected himself and returned to being a serious Holy Knight.

If both knew the rules, it was naturally advantageous for the person with more available Aura Blades.

They could expand their covered area horizontally, thus processing more bombs that touched the judgment line.

In other words, it was the difference between playing a rhythm game with 7 keys or 10 keys.

Thanks to this, Tesillid quickly caught up with Aillet.

“Aillet, I’m here.”

“Huh?”

Aillet’s expression was one of fright.

“To figure out the rules already. No!”

“…That’s harsh for someone on the same side.”

It was a reaction that made him wonder if she thought he was an enemy.

Tesillid unknowingly let out a chuckle.

Somehow, a competitive spirit grew a little. Since things had come to this, he felt like winning the wager against her.

Aillet and Tesillid competitively cleared the note bombs and ascended the stairs.

At this point, even Cavalensha couldn’t help but be surprised. Her song faltered.

<Of the Chaos Evil God, gasp! Her, her return…! H-heek!>

They were now twenty stairs ahead. A distance sufficient for an Aura user’s vision to distinguish a pale face.

“…”

Tesillid’s eyes changed. A strange light swam once around his smooth pupils.

At that moment, he exerted extreme concentration and deployed his will. His full power, laden Aura Blades swept the battlefield.

KWA-AAAAAANG!

With endless chain explosions, all the stairs in front of him opened.

Reaching the summit in a single breath, he flicked his wrist once and looked back at Aillet.

“I think I won, Aillet.”

Following his elegant command, an Aura Blade flew towards Cavalensha.

At that moment, the handsome man’s smiling face in the backwash of the explosion was terribly charming.

However, Aillet did not stand still either.

“Silence Skill!”

The incantation was chanted. Cavalensha was currently within range of Aillet’s skill.

Aillet’s Silence Skill and Tesillid’s Aura Blade struck Cavalensha.

<…!>

The sharp blade deeply cut her neck, rendering her vocal cords useless, and the holy light gagged her mouth.

It was almost simultaneous.

Cavalensha, having lost her voice, stumbled, unable to even let out a moan.

Bzzzzz-.

The majestic piano performance ceased, and a long, high-pitched scream, like a shriek, emanated from the brass horn.

The bombs, which had been wildly erupting across the city, abruptly froze in mid-air.

It was as if time itself had stopped.

…Gulp.

The magic army and Holy Knights outside the pyramid stairs swallowed dryly, looking at the bombs frozen in the night sky as if taxidermied.

Tension and thrill flickered across the faces of those watching the boss from afar.

However, the atmosphere at the top of the stairs was quite different.

“I did it first.”

“I think I was first.”

“Agnes, a ruling please.”

“I ask for a fair and strict judgment, Saintess.”

<…Just catch her already.>

In fact, it was unnecessary preaching.

Even as they bickered, Aillet and Tesillid were diligently moving their swords.

“Oop…! K-oop…!”

With the megaphone off, Cavalensha’s raw choking sounds were directly transmitted.

Regrettably, her state was not enough to gain Aillet and Tesillid’s pity.

Tens of sharp blades occupied Cavalensha’s surroundings.

“…!”

Sharp white lights pierced their retinas. Fear crossed Cavalensha’s face.

‘N-no!’

The powerful rules of the dungeon were a double-edged sword. While they bound the enemy, they could also bind oneself.

The two humans standing before her were those who had climbed to the top by adhering to the rules. She had no choice but to allow them to attack.

Ten and seven Aura Blades, each of a different nature.

They poured down like a barrage of fire, condemning the powerless demon.

CRUMBLE! BOOM! CRASH! KWA-AAAAANG!

Successive explosions engulfed Cavalensha.

Each time a sword light flashed and a thunderous roar erupted, the dust cloud incrementally swelled in size. The height of the stair’s summit gradually eroded.

The boss battle continued on the obstructed battlefield.

After a long time, no signal for fire support was sent to the forces waiting outside.

Because Aillet and Tesillid alone were enough.

It was about ten minutes later.

A massive explosion, as if combining all previous attacks, shook the ground.

KWA-AAAAAANG!

Everyone watching the battlefield intuitively knew. It was the finale.

A thrilling impact was transmitted through the hand gripping Serpens. It was the exact sensation of a sword strike landing directly.

One more strike.

One more strike would surely end Cavalensha’s breath.

However, within the sharp sensory range, Cavalensha’s presence could not be felt.

<Aillet!>

Agnes’s urgent call became the signal.

Tesillid and I simultaneously imbued our respective swords with aura. Serpens and Libra each drew a semicircle, sweeping a wide area.

WHOOSH!

The sword wind blew away the dust in the area, clearing their vision perfectly.

And at that moment, we witnessed an astonishing sight.

Tesillid and Agnes both exclaimed in surprise.

“The Burst Gate is…”

<What? Why is that here?>

Ssssss.

The Burst Gate, originally located at the bottom of the pyramid stairs, was now ascending to the top of the stairs.

We instinctively knew. The Gate had clearly come to personally welcome the battered Cavalensha.

“…”

Cavalensha looked back at us. Her bloodshot eyes held malice, as if saying she couldn’t die like this.

The Gate transformed into a black hole. The black abyss of the Demon Realm exerted a powerful gravitational pull.

Not only Cavalensha but also the surrounding debris began to be sucked into the Gate.

Tesillid and I were no exception.

“Aillet!”

“Yes!”

There was no reason to let the nearly captured Cavalensha go.

Tesillid and I willingly threw ourselves into the vortex-like whirlwind.

SWISH!

Our bodies crossed space.

[ You have entered the SS-rank dungeon, ‘Lonely Opera House’.]

Upon stepping into the dungeon, the surroundings fell silent as if by magic.

The environment that unfolded was a long, straight corridor.

A red carpet was laid on the floor, and bizarrely shaped bronze reliefs on the walls looked down at us.

At the end of the dark and gloomy corridor, a pure white light slowly flickered.

It was as if it was beckoning us to come. Agnes confirmed it too.

<She’s in there.>

Tesillid and I exchanged glances and began to walk.

We suppressed our presence but walked at a rapid, almost running pace.

Upon reaching the end of the passage, the space around us suddenly expanded greatly.

A magnificent opera house, adorned with red drapes, welcomed us.

Cavalensha was waiting for us in the center of the stage.

Like a broken marionette, her body was not normal. She looked like she would soon lose her breath even if left alone.

Nevertheless, Cavalensha smiled a bizarre smile at us, as if enjoying something.

“I, won’t, die, alone!”

It was the moment her resentful voice scratched out from her damaged vocal cords.

CRACKLE!

The curtains opened, revealing a hidden mechanism.

<A piano?>

As Agnes said, it was a grand piano. But the interior visible through the lid’s gap was not ordinary.

It was filled with unlit red candles.

Of course, they weren’t real candles.

Given Cavalensha’s moniker as the Explosive Singer King, an object immediately came to mind.

‘Dynamite…!’

TA-DA-DA-DAN! TA-DAN!

Chilling notes were played.

[ Warning. Self-destruct code has been entered.]

Privilege for the Possessor