Ch.223[Chapter 223] Variable Appears

Sir Dominic came down to the first floor with Catherine.

Surprisingly, Slaton Vex, whom Sir Dominic was looking for, was right there as soon as they reached the first floor.

“Don’t retreat! If you retreat from here, it’s where His Majesty the King resides! Fight to the death for His Majesty! No, fight even after death!”

A soldier with a sword and pistol shouted from the balcony.

“That’s the captain of the guards.”

Catherine said.

“The boss of the first floor. Normally, he should have fought you, but…”

Catherine glanced at the mass of flesh.

“Now he’s desperately shouting to stop that anomaly.”

At Catherine’s words, Sir Dominic took in the current situation of the first floor at a glance.

“Fools! Your recklessness will soon become my strength!”

In the middle of the lobby was the writhing mass of demonic flesh, Slaton Vex.

“For His Majesty the King!”

“Aaagh!”

And there were guards either thrusting spears at Slaton Vex or being devoured by him.

“I will provide support. All maids are in intruder elimination mode.”

And there were Bisque Doll maids standing on chandeliers and terraces, drawing daggers attached to their prosthetic arms and legs.

The balance of power seemed roughly even for now, but Sir Dominic knew well that this balance would soon break.

He knew that demons couldn’t be harmed much unless their true names were called.

Therefore, Sir Dominic decided to move according to his instincts rather than continue observing the situation.

“Slaton Vex!”

“Urgh!”

Sir Dominic called out the demon’s true name in a booming voice.

Once again, Slaton Vex writhed in terrible itching and pain as if being gnawed by termites.

However, Slaton Vex felt he could endure it.

Unlike when he first encountered Sir Dominic, Slaton Vex had raised his rank by devouring maids and guards along the way.

“…This is manageable!”

“But it’s still difficult nonetheless!”

“Eat, eat more!”

“Hahaha! It’s time for the glutton to feast!”

The mass of flesh split almost in two, revealing an enormous mouth.

That mouth instantly swallowed dozens of guards surrounding Slaton Vex.

Then Slaton Vex regained his composure.

The itching and pain like his skin being eaten away became bearable.

“This is it! This is it! Now I can fight on equal terms!”

Slaton Vex’s hundred mouths made a terrible laughing sound.

This place was a dungeon, and new guards were born from all directions to replace those who had died.

This meant that no matter how much Sir Dominic called out the true name to weaken Slaton Vex, he could offset the restriction by endlessly devouring them.

Truly a space prepared for Slaton Vex!

“…Heh.”

But Sir Dominic lowered his head and laughed.

He laughed so bizarrely that he could treat that terrible laughter as ‘nothing.’

Yes. This is how a demon should be. Ugly and filthy enough to kill without hesitation—that’s what makes a demon.

Sir Dominic raised his head.

His eyes were already fixed on Slaton Vex, filled with madness and killing intent.

In a way, it was like the gaze of a fanatic in love, making Slaton Vex flinch.

…And Slaton Vex became enraged.

How dare he, Slaton Vex, be frightened by a mere mortal?

Slaton Vex was a demon who had ruled through the fear of others.

For such a demon to be dominated by the emotion of fear.

It was utterly humiliating.

Slaton Vex’s forty-five brows furrowed.

Seven heads twisted viciously.

“How dare a mortal look at me with such eyes!”

Slaton Vex charged at Sir Dominic.

The largest central eye was looking at Sir Dominic, and the largest mouth spewed curses at him.

And the surrounding mouths chomped on the guards and maids in their path.

A situation where an ordinary person would understandably go mad with fear.

But Sir Dominic… Yes. Besides his strong mental fortitude, he had adult and aversion filters activated.

Such things couldn’t shake Sir Dominic’s firm resolve.

Sir Dominic put his shield forward.

And the special ability [Cinematic] assisted Sir Dominic, showing a miracle.

Slaton Vex’s teeth touched the shield that Sir Dominic had tilted up to create a slope.

And Sir Dominic, maintaining that posture, lifted the shield and flipped it backward.

Slaton Vex’s massive body floated over Sir Dominic’s head as it was thrown.

“…?”

Slaton Vex couldn’t regain his senses from the sudden feeling of sky and ground switching places.

Only after smashing the marble floor with a crashing sound did Slaton Vex realize that Sir Dominic had flipped his massive body backward.

“Sir Dominiiiiic!”

Slaton Vex, even more enraged, charged at Sir Dominic again, breaking the floor.

“Slaton Vex! Slaton Vex! That accursed name!”

Sir Dominic called out Slaton Vex’s true name while spewing all kinds of curses.

And spinning his body, he stabbed one of the many eyes with the edge of his shield.

Due to the shield swung with all his might using his entire body and the edge concentrating all that power to a single point, one of Slaton Vex’s eyes disappeared.

“Augh! Aah! Aaaah!”

Slaton Vex writhed in pain amplified by the true name.

No, he couldn’t writhe.

The probabilistic stun effect of Sir Dominic’s shield attack triggered, and Slaton Vex had to endure the pain without being able to move.

But Slaton Vex was indeed a powerful demon.

In less than a few seconds, Slaton Vex broke free from the stun and regenerated a new eye.

And rather than charging at Sir Dominic, he prioritized actions to restore his body.

He rushed at the guards and devoured them miserably.

“Slaton Vex!”

Sir Dominic called the true name again, but Slaton Vex only flinched without stopping his feast on the guards.

Only after hundreds of guards and maids had disappeared did Slaton Vex return to his complete form.

“Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!”

“The freshest meat was the trained human flesh!”

Despite having eaten so much, Slaton Vex felt like he could still devour thousands, tens of thousands, millions more.

It was because the Glutton Entrée and Gourmet Entry he had eaten first created synergy with his abilities.

“Now I am complete.”

Slaton Vex arrogantly mocked Sir Dominic.

“Infinite sacrifices! Infinite recovery power that even true names can’t penetrate! Continuously increasing rank! Everything points to my victory.”

Sir Dominic looked up at Slaton Vex.

Frustratingly, there was nothing wrong in Slaton Vex’s words.

Although Sir Dominic showed strength in prolonged battles with his terrifyingly robust stamina, high stats providing sustained combat power, and damage reduction from the special skill [Rider], Slaton Vex was an upgraded version of Sir Dominic.

Truly a situation where all balance had shifted to Slaton Vex.

There might be a difference in how long it would take, but Sir Dominic instinctively predicted his own defeat.

Yet Sir Dominic was still smiling.

It was because of Sir Dominic’s characteristic of becoming happier the more difficult the situation, even when it was so arduous that there was no more hope.

Now Sir Dominic was ready to charge at Slaton Vex with his sword and shield.

With a brighter smile on his face than ever before.

“Ha, how foolish. Very well. It is the privilege of the strong to teach this foolish mortal his place.”

Slaton Vex chomped on a few terrified guards even though there was nothing left to recover.

And he raised his thick arm full of blood vessels, swinging his palm with sharp claws down toward Sir Dominic.

Just as Sir Dominic raised his shield at an angle to deflect the impact.

“Hmm?”

Slaton Vex uttered a questioning sound at the strange sensation.

Having swung his arm at Sir Dominic, he should normally feel the impact of hitting him.

But no matter how much he swung his arm, there was no feeling of reaching Sir Dominic.

Slaton Vex’s eyes turned toward where his arm should be.

And all those eyes became surprised.

Slaton Vex’s arm was floating in the air.

The cleanly cut cross-section came into Slaton Vex’s view.

Slaton Vex’s arm was separated at the shoulder joint.

“…Aaaah!”

Slaton Vex screamed.

Only after realizing he had been cut did the severed part recognize itself as cut and begin spurting blood.

Slaton Vex’s toxic blood touched some guards, causing more casualties, but soon those positions were filled with new guards.

“Who! Who cut my arm—”

Slaton Vex roared in a fit of rage.

But Slaton Vex’s fit soon stopped with the appearance of someone new.

“Who dares—”

Thud. The ground shook.

“In my territory—”

Thud. The ground shook once more.

Sir Dominic turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

“Cause a disturbance?”

Thud.

There was a giant wearing full armor made of dragon teeth—

“Is it you?”

Thud.

Finished with Black Dragon leather—

“Or is it you?”

Thud.

With a cape made of tanned Red Dragon and Gold Dragon leather fluttering behind—

“It doesn’t matter who.”

Thud.

Holding a greatsword forged from dragon teeth.

“The crime of disturbing this tower…”

Click.

That greatsword was probably twice Sir Dominic’s height—

“Pay with your life.”

Boom!

The giant swung that greatsword with one hand, cutting off another of Slaton Vex’s arms with just the air pressure.

“Fear.”

The giant grabbed the greatsword with both hands and drove its tip into the ground.

And covering the end of the handle with both hands, he looked down at Sir Dominic and Slaton Vex with an arrogant posture.

“—The Slaughter King.”

Another variable had appeared.