Day 241-250/Day 241

Day 241
Thanks to Asue, we spent the night in an underground lair. We could have relaxed in a broken camp, but we decided to spend the night underground. The ground was stable, so we did not have to be afraid of changes in the landscape. Because monster appearances are pretty rare, it was possible to relax.
Besides, even if monsters did decide to attack us while we slept, we could still deal with them. Nonetheless, it would obviously be better if there was less unnecessary work. It was a good thing there were no monsters that could move underground. This lair will remain because it is quite convenient.
While staying underground was more dangerous in the event of an attack, there was only a certain direction in which the monsters could attack from. In addition, Asue's fortified walls made it much easier to defend under such circumstances. As well as the main entrance of the cave, we had created 3 more exits which I had concealed through【Hide】. Even if one collapsed, there was nothing to worry about.
Using my new skill【Summon: Greater Demon】, I created strong guards and positioned them outside the cave. They could act as an alarm if anything were to happen.
The【Black Orc Guard Knight】was armed with a huge black shield. The【Black Minotaur】 held a large axe in one of its hands. They were spread apart to protect each doorway and to better cope with incoming monsters. Even against the local monsters, they were capable of holding out for some time, and so no one would be caught off guard.
The only problem was that the inside of the cave was very hot. It was enough to possibly induce heat stress. To counter this problem, we decided to use the Skeleton Centipede. It had solid framework and we added heat-resisting magic items to cover the walls. As a result, the intense heat died down to a pleasant sort of warmth. We were thus able to sleep peacefully in the Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain.
Further on in the dungeon, sleep will probably be harder to obtain because of the constant and relentless attack from monsters. One needed to sleep soundly now as it might be the last chance to do so. As such, we slept soundly while recovering completely from yesterday's exhaustion.
We woke up at around the same time and exchanged greetings while leaving the cave. Although there was no sun out here, Flames of Fire Dragon Mountain was as bright as day due to the lava that flowed everywhere. With bright lights everywhere, it was difficult to find a dark area in the dungeon.
Well, that wasn't really a problem so we went out to have breakfast. Breakfast was important as it would allow us to have a reserve of energy for today's conquest. Having a delicious breakfast will significantly affect the results. As a result, today's main dish was the【Black Orc Guard Knight】and【Black Minotaur】who had finished their security task. Because of their【Divine Protection】and strong abilities, they looked pretty tasty.
Upon having such thoughts, drool flowed freely from my mouth. We did have the option of not eating them because they were a solid fighting force, but their presence would certainly attract packs of monsters. Having more members in a party will result in more monsters appearing to go up against them. At the moment, we were already at the limit and if we considered taking them with us, I could not imagine how many more monsters would be attracted.
In the 1st place, taking them with us was completely unnecessary. I can just as easily summon them on the spot if needed.
Therefore, taking risks and dragging them along was not an option. But at the same time leaving them behind feels like the wrong thing to do.
Summoning can be classified to 3 types:【Lesser Summoning】,【Intermediate Summoning】, and【Greater Summoning】. Starting from 【Intermediate Summoning】, summoned beings have intelligence.
【Summon: Greater Demon】results in demons possessing an average person's level of intelligence. They can express human emotions, and communicate clearly with others. Compared with the puppets summoned with lower skills, they were sentient organisms. They were also completely subordinate to my will, and if necessary, would not hesitate to give up their lives.
If I were to leave them, they would most likely wait and continue battling monsters. The last thing they would say would be "Master... I'm sorry if I disappointed you ... and left this world before you..." or something along those lines.
Moreover, in order to determine their fighting strength, I had sent one earlier against a Lava Golem. He died uttering such words so I'm almost sure of it. Not that it would matter whether they have intelligence or not, but it seems strange to leave them here rather than to eat them.
So in order to save us the trouble of cutting them to pieces, I gave them the order to destroy each other. While waiting for them to finish, we started preparing to leave. After waiting a little, I took apart the last remaining demon and we were left with a big pile of meat.
Since blood was still over the food, I removed it using【Hydro Hand】. Since heat generated on the ground was high, I placed a large pan on some rocks and fried the meat.
The thick meat of the【Black Orc Guard Knight】 and【Black Minotaur】was an indicator of how good it was. The sight of it being fried stimulated the eyes and ears and the smell was enticing.
Subconsciously, I started remembering the grill feast with all the roasted pork and high-quality beef. After thinking that eating only meat is bad for one's health, I gathered some vegetables sprouting in the labyrinth and washed them. The combination of the soft meat melting in the mouth and the fresh, crisp vegetables is the best!
Consuming mouthfuls of meat and vegetables furiously, I start thinking of adding Blue Flame Devil Treant bits. This would add a subtle sweetness that oozes when chewed and would certainly make this better.
【Ability learned: Plant Control】
Eating this delicious food and even getting an ability, I am obviously lucky today. Maybe something good will happen in the conquest.
----
After gaining the strength for today and checking our equipment, I contacted Rusty Iron Knight and Doriane who had awakened as one of the 18 Demon Warlords.
I wonder what caused the awakening of the 18 Demon Warlords. I asked how each were different from before and after the awakening as well as the current news. Summarizing what I heard from the both of them, I still did not understand why.
When they came to their senses, they already had their respective titles, and it is difficult to explain in words, even for me.
Indeed, since "the passage of time and the fulfillment of the conditions were met" they had both awakened. Apparently, these conditions are unique for all, I concluded from listening to their stories.
After the awakening, we realized that the overall effect was the cumulative growth in abilities and an incredible leap in the ability of a few particular ones. Rusty Iron Knight, a fighter, got a significant boost to his fighting abilities and Doriane-san made significant progress in the field of aromatherapy and relaxation.
Curious on how strong he became, I decided to arrange a fistfight between Rusty Iron Knight and Avenger. The earlier fights between Avenger and Rusty Iron Knight were close, forcing him to go on the defense reluctantly. This time, not only was Rusty Iron Knight able to strike back, he was able to fight with Avenger on equal terms.
After a short standoff between them, Rusty Iron Knight rushed towards Avenger. Rusty Iron Knight threw strong left and right combinations which could have broke rocks. Avenger ducked the approaching punches so swiftly that afterimages could be seen. Counterattacking, Avenger threw a hurricane-like uppercut.
Sensing that his jaw would be crushed if it hit, Rusty Iron Knight dodged by bending backward. Although a direct hit was prevented, Rusty Iron Knight's posture crumbled.
Avenger, not missing the opportunity, continued with a low right kick. An ordinary person would have had a fracture, but Rusty Iron Knight was able to endure the attack with his foot.
While enduring the destructive power of the kick, Rusty Iron Knight threw his palm at the chin of Avenger. He avoided this by twisting his neck. Rusty Iron Knight, hoping for this moment, placed one arm around the neck of Avenger and fixed the other hand around the back of his head.
While both skillfully breaking Avenger's posture and restraining him, Rusty Iron Knight started kneeing him with a level of strength that would surely put a dent in iron.
Because the neck hold limits one's movement, it is difficult to prevent continuous knee kicks. Because the force exerted from the hands and feet are different, it is hard to stop the force of the kick.
If Rusty Iron Knight's opponent is unable to break free from the restraint, his internal organs or his head might be crushed to a pulp. His relentless attack was indeed that devastating. However, his opponent right now was Avenger, one of the figures chosen by God. He would not fall, even at this level.
Avenger was able to block most of the knee attacks approaching his body even though his movements were restrained. But still, his defense cannot be said to be perfect so a number of shots were able to hit their mark. Avenger was rapidly shaking his head to loosen the hold while enduring all the attacks coming at him. Not missing the opportunity at one attack's interval, Avenger threw his shoulder at Rusty Iron Knight's chest.
The violent collision blasted Rusty Iron Knight away and he endured the severe pain without a change in expression. It became hard for him to breathe but still, he did not fall.
He certainly failed to win, but he was able to get in a couple of serious blows and give Avenger a tough fight. For Rusty Iron Knight who, in a short time, was caught up in strength by his own pupil Redhead (currently located in the Royal Capital), this strength gain was most welcome.
After the bloody morning workout, Avenger had a warm smile on his face, satisfied that the new power had given him a decent rival. They were the couple who pursued strength greedily, and were suited to each other. They could easily be called either the best of friends or the worst of rivals.
As for Doriane-san, the constant guest of "Hot Springs Village" Parabellum, she was ready to judge her skills by using Father Elf as a test subject.
It was still early in the morning, but Father Elf was already awake and heading over in order to take a morning bath. He was just in time for the experiment. He was reluctant at first; but after realizing that he could experience the new development of Doriane-san for free, he happily agreed.
His once proud appearance now seemed like a mere illusion as a relaxed smile appeared on his face. Well, it's best to leave it at that. Secreting a unique massage oil from her palm, Doriane-san stood over the half-naked Father Elf lying prone on the massage bed. She skillfully massaged the skin of Father Elf without any wasted movements.
The unique oil was gradually absorbed by his skin, and its effect began to emerge. In less than a minute, the consciousness of Father Elf began to float. Drool began to drip out of his mouth through the hole in the massage bed that had been designed exactly for this situation. It was proof that her abilities had profoundly grown and that he was experiencing unbelievable pleasure.
Recently, Father Elf had become accustomed to the massage at the hot springs. I wondered what had become of her skills to make him enter such a trance. It will be necessary to try it out after capturing this dungeon, I thought, looking at the happy face of Father Elf. 
----
After finishing with the investigation, and leaving the details to these two, we started today's conquest. After a short walk, we came out of the treasure area, into a very different terrain from the previous zone. Cliffs extending endlessly with a height of about 50 meters were to the left and right, and from the edge began a wide river of lava; the shore on the opposite side could not be seen.
After crossing this vast river, you would get to the gates of the spiral tower located in the heart of the volcano. However, the flow of lava to the opposite shore seemed endless. It was not going to be easy to cross. There were 3 factors that made crossing difficult.
The 1st obstacle was the enormous heat emitted by the river. It was possible to go by jumping from the hillside, but the jump would be difficult. About 50 meters in, the heat could seriously burn us and we could become grilled meat. In fact, in order to make sure, I made a clone for reconnaissance and it burnt up without even traveling a few hundred meters. If this happened from the radiation of heat alone, what would happen if one was to fall? Well, I'd be fine, but the rest would die for sure.
The 2nd obstacle were the areas where gravity behaved strangely. Above the main flow of the river, some areas had huge chunks of metal floating in the air without melting despite being exposed to steam and the radiant heat of lava. While some were suspended in the air, the other blocks of metal were not. Even if you tried to fly to get across, you had to be careful of the areas with irregular gravity.
I thought that these lumps of metal would be pretty hot, but from the observations of Kugime-chan, they absorb the heat emitted by the lava river and compress it. As a result, the surface was quite cold, even for those that were just on top of the river. After I tried touching one with my hand, it was just a little warm.
The temperature thus posed no problems. The metal lumps varied in size and their distance from each other ranged from a few meters to hundreds of meters away, so although they moved slowly, you could choose a route and move to another one before it broke. Thus, choosing an optimal metal lump and route, it would be possible to cross the river of lava.
It's just that there were not only places with weak gravitational pull, there were also places with strong ones, sometimes making floating lumps of metal fall into the river of lava with a splash. This is probably a trap for explorers with the ability to fly. Even if one could fly it still wasn't safer than choosing a path from the metal blocks. If caught off guard, falling metal mass would become a serious threat.
It would be impossible to relax here with things being pulled up to the sky. The irregular gravity makes metal blocks float in the air and countless streams of lava also float around, looking like huge snakes hovering in space.
Although the smaller streams seemed fairly safe, it wasn't the case. We just witnessed a spectacle where one covered several blocks of steel. And at that size, if you are not lucky enough to escape, even your bones would surely disappear.
Lastly, this was also a living area for dungeon monsters. They were like those encountered before, but there were also some other demonic species.
For example:
* Steel Demonic Monkey: Has dark red colored skin, a muscular metal-like body and 2 wings.
* Bloody Red Devil Rider: Rode a pale white horse with a steel mane and held spears, lances and kite shields. It wore sinister-looking armor on its body dyed with the blood of its prey.
* Large-mouth Shark Devil: Has a huge body of more than ten meters, covered with black and silver scales. A third of its body was an incredibly large mouth with lots of individual sharp teeth the size of a dagger.
* Lesser Lava Demon: Standing at around 2 meters, with a lion-like head with dark red horns and crimson-colored skin. Also on its back were bat wings, and his feet were like those of a predator with sharp claws. They also held a variety of weapons.
* Greater Lava Demon: Stronger versions of the Lesser Lava Demons who accompany them and were around 3 meters tall.
Some waited on metal lumps, others flew around, and others appeared with the eruption of lava. In such a place where it was necessary to constantly monitor the entire environment, it was going to become a huge struggle for us.
Because of the possibility of falling chunks of metal into the lava, boulders, or eruption of lava flows in this place, we needed to be fast on our feet and also in destroying enemies.
But there were those with weak endurance like Kugime and Seiji. Irofu and Kanami were also quite weak to heat; and even though we can take measures against the heat, we could not assure that there would be no accidents. So I carried Kanami-chan on my right shoulder. Meanwhile, Minokichi had Seiji and Irofu on his shoulders. Asue had Kugime, and Supesei was on Burasato.
With this, we had good mobility without greatly reducing our combat capabilities. With preparations finished, I ran ahead while Minokichi, Asue, and Burasato-san followed. Incoming dungeon monsters were easily detected by Kugime-chan thus they were not able to ambush us and we were ready for them.
Let me explain a little more. Sitting on my shoulder was Kanami-chan armed with【Failnaught】obtained from the Elves. While drawing the bow with the strength of a【Vampire Noble (Variant)】until it creaks, she produced bluish silver magic arrows,【Demonic Freezing Arrow】 that were created from her strong ice magic and released them at frightening speed.
The arrow released slips through the defense of the approaching Steel Demonic Monkey and hit its forehead. When the arrow pierces the body of the Steel Demonic Monkey, the magic in the arrow is released. Red spikes from the creature's own frozen blood pierces its body from the inside.
Though the damage from the attack was great, it was not enough to kill the devil with its high life force. It had high resilience, and these wounds would disappear in a few minutes. Only this time he was not so lucky with the environment. The surrounding flames instantly melted the ice. The water evaporated so quickly resulting in a steam explosion that scattered pieces of the Steel Demonic Monkey around leaving in its place only his equipment.
On the other hand, Kugime, with mystical rays emanating from her, triggered an attack from a Large-mouth Shark Devil. Her voice produced rays in different directions, and it became a collateral attack after a while. The truth was that its power was not quite big, but the furious【Largemouth Devil Shark】 immediately jumped out from hiding at this point. Irofu threw small knives into its metal fins, after which it began to decompose while robbing it of the ability to move.
As expected, with its fins completely rotten, it no longer had the ability to move. While struggling to move like a fish on land, the Large-mouth Shark Devil became easy prey. Here it suffered kicks from Asue, who was carrying Kugime. From these kicks, the local monster flew. After moving like so for a while, we arrived at a little oddly shaped, fairly large lump of metal which had Bloody Red Devil Riders waiting in a line.
There were 10 of them with well-coordinated movements as they pointed their spears at us. They rushed forward. Because of the awkward shape of the metal lumps, we had nowhere to flee from them. As there was nothing else we could do, Minokichi took a defensive position. His defensive stance looked unbreakable but the Bloody Red Devil Riders continued to accelerate while aiming at his stomach with spears from all sides. Just a few seconds before the collision with Minokichi, a huge chunk of iron shot up from the ground in front of him.
It was not me, but Asue-chan. Conventional riders would have crashed into the obstacle, but the Bloody Red Devil Riders spurred their horses to jump. Suddenly I witnessed a heroic spectacle. With their feet off the ground, the Bloody Red Devil Riders could not dodge any attacks, and they took the strongest of Supesei's heat magic that she had recently learned. The magic was called【Demonic Bullets Lava Dragon】.
Having released more than a dozen fire blocks that were each about the size of an ogre, she mercilessly shot them at the Bloody Red Devil Riders. The strength of the shells was able to completely destroy the mighty ramparts, and her opponents faced certain death.
In addition, these lumps in collision with the enemy had the effect of exploding. Even if they somehow managed to avoid the attack, they would all get caught in the radius of destruction, and be knocked down by the blast and shrapnel. In the end, there were still a few surviving Bloody Red Devil Riders, but they were wounded and their movements became very sluggish.
To finish them didn't take long. Nonetheless, this meeting had caused reasonable difficulty. It was extremely dangerous to linger in one place as the strength of the monsters quickly increased. They ignored all injuries except the most severe wounds. As a result, they were able to move forward very quickly. With difficulty we finally managed to cross the river of lava in a couple of hours, and saw the entrance to the spiral volcano.
The battle with the monsters on the top of the metal lumps had taken a lot of time, but we had finally almost reached our destination. Yet in the way was a large obstacle. It was a local field boss. He was waiting for us on a huge block of metal, right in front of the spiral volcano.
Dungeon boss called【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】. It was a 7 meter demonic version of the Minotaur. The major differences were the huge black bat wings on his back and the ominous looking armor which he was wearing. Instead of the usual axes, he was armed with a huge black scythe. Of course there were differences in the details. Covering his whole body were black and red bristles, which would probably injure us if we touched them.
Between the 2 horns on his forehead was a 3rd golden-eye, which was superimposed on the enemy while giving a variety of negative statuses such as【Demonic Eye】. I had【Demonic Gaze Immunity】and Kugime-chan and Kanami also possessed【Demonic Eyes】, but the others wouldn't be able to fight him head-on quite so easily.
The【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】aimed a black substance from his mouth as us while waving his scythe. Black fire erupted onto the ground and he smashed his scythe downwards. Amazingly, it turned into a black tornado which quickly approached us. 
【Dungeon Boss【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】successfully defeated.】
【Yatendouji has been awarded the【Monument of the Flaming Taurus Demon】as a first time subjugation bonus.】
It had been an extremely difficult battle, but we had won in the end.【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】, out of all the monsters that we met here, was undoubtedly the strongest. Despite his appearance, he was very nimble and covered in shadow, making it difficult to see him. He also moved 3 times faster than what we had thought.
His incredible strength was enough to counter the defense of Minokichi-kun. And while he was very strong in close combat, he also used a black substance which had a【Cursing】 effect.
Those touching it immediately fell under some negative status, which was active for a long time. It was sticky like musk and hard to remove. Protection from it was quite difficult, so even owners of【Resistance】could not relax. It also caused excruciating pain to its victims. I had experienced it once, and I was not so eager to do so again.
Those were his strengths, so I basically had to take him on by myself while covering the rest. If that wasn't enough,【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】 also had the ability to summon other demons. If I did not have【Greater Summoning: Demon】, we would have been overwhelmed with crowds of Taurus Demons. A few dozen wouldn't be difficult to deal with, but several hundred would be nearly impossible. Nonetheless, we defeated the【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】, and safely reached the entrance to the spiral volcano.
It didn't seem wise to continue with such injuries and fatigue, as it would make going further much more difficult. I had already collected some new trophies for my item box, so it was decided to spend the night in front of the gate. 
There was certainly a chance that we would get attacked by very strong monsters, but the intervals between attacks were less here. Thankfully, we could rest and recover. We had【Taurus Demon Lord - Adada】 and【Taurus Demons】 for dinner, and went to bed early in preparation for tomorrow.
【Ability learned: Hellfire】
【Ability learned: Aspect of a Demon】
【Ability learned: Soul Hunting Scythe】
【Ability learned: Summon: Lesser Fiend】
【Ability learned: Summon: Fiend】
【Ability learned: Summon: Greater Fiend】
I wonder why【Summon: Fiend】rose from Lesser to Greater straight away. Using the Skeleton Centipede increases comfort even in a harsh environment, and thus we could comfortably relax for the rest of the day.
Today's【Synthesis】results:
【Summon: Lesser Fiend】+【Summon: Fiend】+【Summon: Greater Fiend】=【Summon Archfiend】
【Escape】+【Emergency Retreat】=【Emergency Escape】
【Black Demon's Charge】+【Elephant's Roar =【Black Demon King's Mad Advance】
【Improved Cutting Power】+【Increase Stabbing Force】=【Great Slash Penetration Enhancement】
【Vampirephilia】+【Blood Eater Beast】=【Blood Vampire】
【Storm Sword Dance】+【Acrobatics Sword Dance】=【Storm-Song Sword Dance】
【Black Demon's Roar】+【Wyvern’s Roar】+【Wailing Wyvern’s Body】+【Ghost Cry】+【Voice of Death】=【Death-Dealing Roar (Desperado)】
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Category:Novel
Category:Re:Monster Volume 6