Chapter 348: Masochist Hourglass

Chapter 348: Masochist Hourglass

The Black Dragon’s judgment was swift.

—KIEEEEEE—!!!!

He widened his eyes, momentarily stunned as the breath of immense
heat froze in reverse.

Thump! Thud!

The Black Dragon, instantly closing its maw to cut off the breath,
began to move its massive body again.

Sensing a crisis in the Mana clash, it seemed to decide to rely on
its innate physical prowess.

Balkan, too, matched its movements, running back towards the portal
to lure the Black Dragon.

The arrogant demon worshiper Ignorion was considerably flustered by
the unexpected turn of events.

‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go?’

It was a Black Dragon.

A monster of the 32nd floor, no less!

Even the slothful demon worshiper, who controlled monsters through
drugs and experiments, hadn’t fully dominated this beast.

No matter how strong that man was, a direct confrontation would
require him to brace himself for considerable damage.

Even if he had faced multiple demon worshipers, this wasn’t a monster
that could be dealt with so calmly.

And yet.

Against a monster that would have caused even seasoned mid-level
adventurers to flee in despair or panic, he was leading the battle.

That influence spread outwards, inspiring his party members as well.

Thanks to him, the insignificant beings who wouldn’t have even dared
to look at the Black Dragon were diligently carrying out their roles
under their party leader’s command.

For Ignorion, who had been trying to kidnap Ellie while Balkan’s
group was panicking, this was the worst possible situation.

Moreover.

‘Something…’

Is getting closer.

Closer and closer.

Something was approaching.

Ignorion squinted at something, his eyes irritated by the steam
created when Balkan blocked the breath with the ice wall.

Finally, he saw a man in dark armor at the end of his gaze.

The distance between him and the man who had briefly held his own
against the Black Dragon was reduced to around 100 meters, and when
the gaze of the helmeted figure turned towards him.

Damn it!

Ignorion realized that Balkan was trying to take him down along with
the Black Dragon.

Just as Ignorion desperately opened a portal to escape to the
surface, his body abruptly stopped.

Where do you think you’re going?

Denshi, who had been observing the situation from a distance, flashed
her purple eyes and wrapped Ignorion’s body in threads of Mana.

The master smiled at the timely support from his slave, who had been
assisting him in battle for a long time.

Gotcha.

Kuh—!

Balkan, who had instantly made contact with Ignorion, grabbed
Ignorion’s peacock wings roughly.

You should take the pet you summoned with you.

And tore them off.

Kuaaaaaaack!!!

Snap!

As Balkan snapped Ignorion’s peacock wings just before he crossed the
portal, her expression twisted in pain.

Balkan didn’t stop there and threw Ignorion at the Black Dragon.

Grrr————!!!!!”

The Black Dragon, already pushed back by the breath and chasing after
the one who was provoking and running away, angrily struck down at
the one thrown before it.

Wa, wait a sec—

Splattttt!!!

Ignorion, colliding with the Black Dragon’s forefoot with the sound
of flesh exploding, was sent flying.

Like a pigeon burst by a baseball.

The peacock beastman, all the peacock feathers plucked out by the
impact of the Black Dragon’s forefoot, was slammed into the ground
far away.

Crack—

The guy, slammed into the ground at tremendous speed, left a large
crater in the ground and was buried in the earth.

Balkan stared at Ignorion for a moment, then turned his gaze forward
again.

Thump, thump, thud!

The Black Dragon, unable to use its wings due to the narrow area, was
running like a dinosaur, and Balkan could see it.

It was difficult to maintain balance because the ground on the 10th
floor was shattered and shaking violently every time it took a step
with its overwhelming mass.

But now there was no need to move any further.

Because the 9th floor portal was right behind him.

Balkan stood still.

A series of provocations and struggles.

And the Black Dragon, enraged to the point of madness by the elusive
tag game, had its eyes fixed only on him, stomping and rushing in,
losing its reason.

Whoosh—

As the Black Dragon, which had reached the front of the portal,
reached out its forefoot, a huge shadow fell over Balkan’s head.

Krrrrlrrrlrk——!!

The Black Dragon cried out as if pleased to see it.

The prey that wore its claws as armor was exhausted.

Having endured the breath with his bare body and continued to flee,
he couldn’t possibly have any stamina or Mana left.

The Black Dragon drooled at the thought of finally capturing the prey
that had been running away like a rat, and at the same time, the
enemy that had given it a sense of crisis by suppressing its breath.

Balkan knew when explorers and hunters let their guard down.

Just before capturing the prey.

Nuer!!

Ttu-ahhh!

The hunter, who failed to account for the prey’s struggle, was
instead eaten by the prey.

Whoosh!

Seven massive chains, accumulated by the dark elf mage Nuer chanting
seven times, flew towards the Black Dragon.

Kieeeeeeeck—!!!!

The Black Dragon screamed as the massive chains instantly wrapped
around its neck, four legs, and both wings.

Thud!

Even in that situation, perhaps thinking that it had to finish off
the insignificant being that had opposed it, the Black Dragon
desperately reached out its forefoot to grab the prey.

But where the Black Dragon’s forefoot reached, there was only a
portal shimmering with blue light.

Bunny.

The Black Dragon’s gaze turned to where the voice came from.

Clang.

He, holding up an ax near the Black Dragon’s ankle, said briefly.

Spit it out.

The Black Dragon’s breath that Bunny had swallowed wrapped around the
ax.

Crackkkkk!

The moment the oversized ax, covered in crimson breath, struck the
Black Dragon’s ankle and tail.

Kieeeck———!!!

Whoosh—

The Black Dragon was swallowed into the 9th floor portal with a
scream.

***

Thud.

Balkan, seeing the Black Dragon swallowed into the 9th floor,
collapsed to the ground.

‘That was close.’

Both in terms of Mana and stamina.

In addition to using the blessings of the Time of Judgment and the
Flag of Victory.

He had squeezed out almost all of his Mana to the point of Mana
exhaustion by overworking his cold Mana to freeze the Black Dragon’s
breath in reverse.

‘It would have been too dangerous to follow it to the 9th floor and
finish it off.’

Except for the carelessness at the end, the Black Dragon still seemed
to have energy left.

It was indeed a boss-level monster in the deepest part of the
labyrinth, a formidable foe.

Clang.

He opened the entrance hole of the armor to release the heat that had
filled the armor when he endured the Black Dragon’s breath, but it
just came off.

It was because the heat of the breath had melted half of the armor.

Moreover, the armor, which had been heated by the breath and then
cooled by the cold of the ice wall, was expanding or twisting in
places.

…Zirnier is going to be angry again.

The image of the blonde tanned half-dwarf waving a bottle of alcohol
upside down and ranting about how he had broken this good armor again
was vivid in his mind.

Although there was some minor damage.

The rewards and harvests were enough to blow away the bad thoughts.

The injured were safely evacuated, no party members died… and most
of all.

Wriggle. Wriggle. Wriggle!

Balkan saw the byproducts fluttering far away.

The Black Dragon’s tail, covered in dark scales and about 5 meters
long, and the Black Dragon’s ankle, as tall as himself.

Those parts of the Black Dragon’s body were wriggling violently like
live octopus.

To get so many byproducts of a living Black Dragon like
this…! How much is this worth!

Jubel, who had put the injured into the portal and returned, smacked
his lips as he looked at the Black Dragon’s tail and ankle.

Just one of those scales is more expensive than a decent jewel!
Balkan! We’re rich now!

…We?

…Huh?

As Balkan drew a line with Jubel while looking at the byproducts, the
cow beastman’s nipples perked up.

I’m kidding. Just help me up.

Damn it! You scared me!!

Perhaps he had taken it to heart that he hadn’t saved her for a
moment when she was caught by Ignorion.

Balkan grabbed the hand that Jubel, who was sweating profusely and
smiling, held out and got up, exhausted, and looked around.

The 10th floor, where the Black Dragon had rampaged, was full of
craters and traces of scorch marks from the breath’s embers, as if a
bombing had occurred.

Balkan approached the two exhausted elf mages.

The dark elf Nuer and the half-elf Ellie.

Nuer, who chanted the great magic to bind the Black Dragon’s body,
and Ellie, who opened the portal magic to move dozens of people, both
had pale complexions.

Are you both okay?

……

……

Even with the worried question, the two black and white elves could
only move their lips, and didn’t seem to have the energy to say
anything properly.

Mana exhaustion is severe.

Rubia, the blonde bun-haired tanker who was protecting the two, said
with a bitter face.

I and Jubel were relatively energetic, so we transferred some
Mana to them, but it didn’t improve their condition… For now, we
should lay them down by the fountain and watch the situation a bit.

Let’s do that for now.

Balkan nodded with a bitter expression.

The Black Dragon, bound by chains and terrain, must be struggling
somewhere on the 9th floor, but it was impossible to go back up the
labyrinth and return to the surface with the party’s strength halved.

But even in this situation, there was a solution.

Balkan headed to a place that was particularly noticeable among the
craters created by the Black Dragon.

A crater with traces of someone being buried in it.

Ah, Master.

Denshi, who had taken the peacock beastman out of there and tied him
up with Puppeteer’s Mana threads, smiled brightly.

I think he’s just fainted without dying, but I tied him up just
in case.

Good job.

Um… Master? I also, used a lot of strength… When we get out
of the labyrinth later…

Was it because he had said that he would give Ellie a stamp of praise
after the request was over?

Denshi glanced at Ellie and fidgeted with her collar.

Crack!

Keheck…!

Balkan grabbed Denshi’s neck roughly without much hesitation and
strangled her.

Kkeuheut…♡
Heek, now, you’re giving me a reward, hit, kkeu, heueueuk…♡

Denshi’s expression, with her neck grabbed by thick, firm arms with
veins bulging, and dangling in the air, was flushed as if she was
happy.

Balkan gently stroked Denshi’s head while holding her neck, then
lifted the neck of the peacock beastman she had captured with his
other hand.

Kkeuleuk, keuk, keuk—!

Unlike Denshi, who calmly enjoyed the pain as pleasure.

Ignorion, the peacock beastman held in the other hand, flailed his
limbs and coughed as if he was about to suffocate.

In Ignorion’s eyes, which fluttered open in the face of intense pain,
was reflected a man wearing half-melted armor.

You have two choices.

Two futures were presented from the man’s mouth.

First, admit all your past sins and be punished, abandon your
faith in demons, and become a portal magic errand boy and betray
other demon worshipers.

Ignorion, who was about to kick him, telling him not to talk nonsense
from the first suggestion.

Second, have your neck broken and die like this.

Froze like a stone when faced with eyes full of murderous intent.

The time to think is until Denshi is strangled and reaches Mazo
climax.

Glance.

Ignorion’s eyes turned to the female next to him, who was trembling
happily with her neck strangled.

You better decide quickly.

Crackkkkkkkkkkk!!

As Balkan put strength into his hand, a stream of transparent liquid
flowed out from between Denshi’s shorts.

…It didn’t seem like there was much time to think.