"Shield, accept!　Then a blow!

　I'm in control of the dragons, under Carotta's command, the holy knights holding their sturdy shields guarded the tail of the rampaging worm, and the rest of the holy knights behind the shields jumped out at once to strike a blow at the worm, which was caught and stopped for a moment.

　That's a solid attack.
　But at this rate, it doesn't seem to be able to do much damage - though, since I'm running rampant with the dragons, is this the only way to attack.

　The three adventurers had been buzzing with excitement until a while ago, but now Grifa is leading the way in the shield role, Reyes is using his bow to eliminate the skeletons that are approaching him, and LeRoyce is using his main firepower to fire a powerful spell at the worm.

　It's a good thing that the two of them were in a position to be able to help each other, but with such a huge enemy, she becomes the attacker.

　--The trouble with this worm is that it's not just a worm, it's an "undead" worm.

　One of the main characteristics of the undead is that they are active even though they have already lost (・・・・・・) all of their HP (・・・・・・).

　The undead are born from being controlled by magic, from a strong grudge you held before you were born mixed with magic, or from a complete coincidence.

　I don't know about the demons from the dungeon, though. My wraith girls are born of a strong grudge, but they aren't evil at all.
　Wraiths in this dungeon are usually quite hostile toward the living.

　Anyway, that's why the undead are classified as demons, but they are different from ordinary demons because they have a total loss of HP and are not living beings.

　They aren't living things, so even if you blow their heads or hearts off, they still function normally, and they'll continue to move forever until their magical power is gone inside their bodies.

　Therefore, to neutralize it, you can either override it with your own magic and take control of it--or break it into pieces.

　The latter is the goal.

"Nellll, use the dragon to stop the rotten worm for a moment!　Then I'll give you a big one!

　I yell out to Nell over the thunderous roar as I maneuver the dragon.

Got it!

　She is the only holy knight who is not part of the ranks, showing the agility of a brave man, and she is the only one wearing a three-dimensional battle as if she were wearing a three-dimensional motion device to slash the worm with her holy sword.

　This is a three-dimensional battle, using the flying debris and the bodies of the earth dragon and the worm as a foothold.

　The holy sword already has some kind of magic attached to it, and it emits a faint light as it did when it was attacking the wraiths not long ago, and every time it is slashed, the light spatters around it, making it look super cool.

　My daughter-in-law is not only cute and cool, she's enemyless.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.

"All right, I'll let you have your cue!

"Okay, but I thought you guys would be happy to give me a signal as soon as possible!

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

'Oh, well, there's still time to spare!　Well, let's get the griffers to do a little more up front!

"Hey Reyes!　Your master, he's a total pain in the ass, you can't do anything about it!

"Unfortunately, leader, I don't think it would take a brave little girl, the wife, to talk to the master about things and make him listen to you!

　That's absolutely right.

　--So much for the joke, let's get ready to kill this thing.

"----!

　The worm lets out an unspeakable roar and rages like a madman, biting at the neck area of the dragon with its uncanny mouth full of fangs.

　The neck could be a weakness for any ordinary creature. ...... Unfortunately, just like you, my dragon is not a living being.

"Pull out!

　At the same time as I give the command, the head of the bitten neck crumbles to pieces, returning to a mere clod, and the torso of the dragon escapes from the worm.

　Suddenly, the dragon's head is gone, and the worm's numerous fangs cut through the sky, momentarily losing sight of the dragon.

　The gap is huge.

　The head is gone, only the body is left, but this is earth. It's dirt.

　In less than a few moments, a new head forms at the damaged part, and the worm sees an opening and thrusts its fangs out from above, slamming it to the ground.

　The pinned down worm will try to flail out just as it has been up until now, but it's not going to let it go ...... so easily, is it?

"Go!

　I've created two more, smaller than the first, but newly created dragons, and I can run them into the middle of the worm's body and down its tail, changing the dragon's form into fetters as it bites into them, blocking its movement.

　The worm is pinned down, unable to move.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, this is the dismantling time!　Bring that rotten thing back to the corpse!

"Oh!

　At my signal, the men who were waiting for me all move in unison to attack.

　The first one to jump in is Nell.

"Huh!

　I'm going to be the one who has the holy sword at the top of the stairs, and I'm going to dive into the worm's bosom in a single step, and I'm going to release a slash with a blade that emits an extremely powerful light, as if a lot of magic energy has been poured into it.

　The worm's body is carved into an oversized slash as pieces of flesh fly off as if it were to explode.

Orac!

　Next, I .
　I activate the two roaring magic circuits and beat the worm to a pulp.
　Nell's is "as if it's going to explode," but in my case it's just going to explode, causing the worm to detonate and creating a mass of charred meat.

"Shhh--

　And then Carotta rushed in, the power of the blow is not as strong as me and Nell, but in the space of a second, countless slashes are unleashed to expand the worm's wounds that are being gouged out by the two of us.

　The holy knights and the trio of adventurers each attack the same spot as one, and even though they may not be able to produce that much power individually, they are able to concentrate their efforts to inflict solid damage.

　A storm of attacks from each of them.

　And so for a while, we continued to be swarmed by the motionless worm.


　　　* * * *


...... It's a little hard to be an old man.

　Thrusting his hands into his knees, Grifa exhaled loudly as if he was tired, "huh ......" .

　--Rolling beside us is a worm that has been dismembered by countless pieces of meat and has stopped moving.

　It is completely silent now, but this thing had been moving for a while even in this state. 　It's extremely creepy.

　Indeed, that's why the undead are. Just die if you're dead.

Well, it's a good thing we beat the worm, but the key to this cemetery is: ......

...... Maybe that's it.

　What I'm pointing at is a door.

　There are some differences in design, but they are similar in size and shape to the doors leading to the true throne room at ...... in my home.



　Perhaps there is a throne room in this dungeon ahead.

...... There's no doubt about it, that door, the one that led to the Demon King's place last time.

　Grifa affirms my prediction with a nod of her head.

Hmm ...... finally got here. So let's take a short break here.

"...... in this graveyard?

Isn't it tasteful and good?

　He grinned and said so with a carotta.

I'd be more or less willing to agree with that statement if there weren't ...... real pieces of meat lying around.

Well, that's a difference of opinion.

　You'll be able to see that you're not in the least bit charming, but you can't help but smile at the female knight for saying such things so bluntly.

　You're a dependable captain.

You will be able to find out the best way to make your life easier. It's a good idea to have a good time.

"How?　Let's hear it.

　She raised one eyebrow dubiously, and I continued to speak.



"I'd like me and Nell to take on the demon king alone.