“…!”

“What? Already?”

Confusion flashed across the faces of the Black Knights.

We haven’t even entered the gate yet… Why did the gate already open?

It was obvious that something had gone terribly wrong.

But there was no time to question why. If the demons had escaped, we had to enter the dungeon as soon as possible and defeat the Demon King.

In the rush of the moment, not to mention who was first, the last seven kicked the ground toward the gate.

Robur and Tragula also headed for their unit, while Anasta, Jeanne, and the Red Wolf unit ran to their positions. There was no time to lose.

I could see the other expedition members frantically confronting the demons on either side of the Black Knights’ rush.

Everyone was confused by the unexpectedly broken silence.

“Their levels are higher than I thought!”

“But we have to do it fast! In a little while, when the big demons come out, it will be even more unbearable!”

“I’ll help you!”

Each expedition team collaborated and the voices against evil passed by.

I said after Meyer.

“The Demon King Gate showing up early, and the demons slipping out when no one has entered it yet… This time it is a little strange. Something has changed, that’s for sure. We have to be more careful.”

The fact that there had never been a situation like this in a game made it even more unsettling. Meyer also grunted low at the different aspects of the first round.

If the Demon King’s magi was even more gigantic than I expected and this happened…

No. Don’t jump to conclusions.

The dice had already been thrown and we had to go with whatever was waiting ahead.

Soon we stood in front of the main gate. The wide-open main gate repeatedly distorted as if to tempt us.

Just before entering the final dungeon, the Black Knights took a small breath in front of the gate.

Even Axion and August, who had been so far unperturbed, seemed to tense up, their mouths stiffening.

I said in a cheerful voice that also served to recall the jovial atmosphere.

“Now, once we’ve finished this, we’ll be out of this nasty lie.”

“That’s nice to hear at such a time.”

Nova welcomed my words wholeheartedly. Axion quickly regained his normal composure and said playfully.

“There were a lot of magic experiments I wanted to study in the dungeon.”

“Then Axion will live in the dungeon for the rest of his life.”

Sevi made a fuss. Axion glanced at Sevi as if he were cute and immediately ruffled his hair.

“You little rascal!”

“Ah, don’t!”

The others smiled as they saw Sevi and Axion making a fuss.

The moment the uneasiness that had been holding the expedition team down eased, Meyer blurted out. All at once, the voices that had been chattering earlier disappeared, and everyone’s eyes turned to Meyer.

Meyer looked at the expedition members and handed them his last wish.

“As I said, I follow Jun’s directions in the dungeon.”

“Yes!”

“I will obey the Tyrant’s orders!”

“Oh, seriously.”

I frowned at the sudden outburst of my title. Sevi, the person who surprised me, quickly went behind Nova and hid.

Now he was not afraid to joke around even in front of Meyer.

It seemed like only yesterday that when he first joined the team, he was paying attention to Meyer’s face and every one word he said…

Still, not bad. No, in fact, it was even better.

Even if he wasn’t, I was inwardly concerned about taking Sevi who had just turned 16 to the dungeon, but I really appreciated every time he evoked the atmosphere in this manner.

“Anyway… Let’s go!”

I was the first one to step over the gate, shouting.

Meyer and the rest of the Black Knights entered the gate, startled and out of breath.

Anyway… They all seemed to be people who would not see me alone in the dungeon for even one second.

And so we entered the dungeon, where countless hordes of demons greeted us with a gleam in their eyes.

It was the beginning of the final battle.

***

” 「Fire Rain!」”

“August, please put a spell of recovery on Nova!”

“「Light of Purification!」”

“Thank you!”

“There’s a hole in the back, Meyer! Please back it up!”

“Okay!”

“Sevi! Cover Julieta!「Firm Skin」!”

Everyone was a little less focused as they continued to deal with the onrushing demons.

I repeatedly scolded the expedition for maximum efficiency at the moment when we were perfectly aligned without a single second’s error.

If I could cast the attribute conversion spell on Meyer and make him manifest holy power, we could conquer even such small demons with relative ease, but it was not yet the right time.

As the other expedition members lacked a little in level, they had to level up by pouring experience magic to the end.

No matter if we kill the Demon King, it would be meaningless if we all went home dead.

“Large demons will appear soon. Don’t get too far away, stick together, and keep an eye out for the ground!”

***

Axion internally marveled. He had never been in a dungeon with Jun, but she acted like someone who knew about dungeons.

The same was true this time in the Demon King’s dungeon. Not only did she go as far as she could as if she knew the way, but she also easily saw what kind of demons would appear when, how they would approach, and what kind of attacks they would make.

‘I wondered why she wanted to give personal instructions on an antidote, it was for a time like this.’

He had no idea that there was a scorpion-type demon that attacked with poison in the Demon King’s Castle.

That was not all.

Axion rolled his tongue when he saw the trio of the special unit.

Every time he and the special forces conquered a dungeon, he was amazed at their abilities above their levels, but after they reached almost the same level as him, he was beyond amazement and in a state of wonder.

While giving, the attackers disperse to break the streak and attack the eyes.

Wyverns mainly attack straight ahead when they are in the air, so look at their heads to avoid them, and after two attacks, they will descend to the ground, so attack at that moment for a moment.

Spider demons have a weak spot under their jaws, but be careful not to get too close because they will spit out spider silk.

The cobwebs are flammable and can burn well in fire, but they should be used appropriately because they are lighter and can be checked by wind magic, ensuring mobility for melee physical attackers…

Countless diverse demons blocked the way ahead, but the trio of the special unit responded like flowing water.

It was as if… they knew the strategy for all the demons in the Demon King’s Castle.

‘She’s worked very hard on them… She kept them so well trained that they exceeded the 60th level in any number of ways. Still, she gladly brought them in for their third year as a member of the Demon King’s War.’

Well, what kind of person is Jun…

When it comes to dungeon raids, she was really a person who evaluated only on the basis of abilities, drying up Axion himself, August, and even Meyer.

If the trio had not met her high standards of competence, she would not have even taken them into consideration in the first place.

Just as Axion marveled a little at the trios’ ability, a black goblin jumped over Julieta and Nova and aimed for their rear.

It was a sudden and unexpected situation that no one could have handled.

Jun hurriedly shouted at the one whom the demon was after.

“Axion!”

No matter how skilled Axion was, he was not as reflective as physical strikers.

Frustrated, Axion stepped back quickly and widened the distance. Then he hurriedly tried to cast a spell, but he didn’t have enough time.

Ttak!

At that moment, an arrow shot with a ping of the strings.

The arrow narrowly grazed the goblin’s arm just before the black goblin attacked Axion.

That was enough. At the moment the goblin hesitated, Axion even finished casting.

“「Blazing Arrow」 !”

There was no way to survive when it was pierced by a fire arrow shot from a distance. The burning demon quickly became ash and scattered.

The demon was safely disposed of, and Sevi, the party who had drawn the bow, exclaimed with a frown.

“You’re always talking so well…! I was surprised!”

The situation was very tense. Looking at it, it seemed that he chose the bow over the magic he had to cast.

Although it was somewhat underpowered to pierce the goblin’s arm, it was quick and accurate, as he had joined the Black Knights as an archer.

Nova shouted belatedly.

“I’m sorry, Axion!”

“It’s alright, it’s alright. It happens.”

Axion swept his heart away. He never thought he’d ring the bell of his own life so vainly. No matter how difficult it was to get people to go, it was still true, and loss of humanity was almost inevitable.

Axion quietly admired and sent a word to Sevi.

“By the way, wow… I was really surprised. Thank you, Sevi. I’ll pay you back for my life.”

“That’s enough for your life, were you thinking about something else? Just concentrate.”

Sevi snapped and turned around. If others saw it, they wouldn’t be able to tell who had older experience.

What a shame. Axion chuckled and raised his glasses. He couldn’t just let his mind go and be pushed back by his juniors.

His eyes sparkled through the lenses of his glasses.

After the brief incident, Axion flew around. His sudden surge of concentration made Jun smile with satisfaction, saying, “As long as the results are good.”

And so, under Jun’s direction, the Black Knights wasted no time, easily breaking into the Demon King’s castle step by step.

Only half of the way to the main building remained.