Part 1
The silence of the first floor was different.
t wasn't tension.It wasn't threat.It was resignation.
The creatures that lived there—weak blue slimes—barely moved.
They bounced clumsily, sliding through ancient ruins as if time no longer held meaning for them.
None dared to attack.
Despite having no brains, their survival instinct made them retreat.
Yamato walked at the front, never looking back.
At his side, two presences matched his pace exactly: Lina, wrapped in her white mantle like wounded light, and Selka, dressed in black as if the fire of the Void still smoldered in her shadow.
Behind them walked the Heralds.
Seiryu, his first and most loyal general—flawless, eyes scanning everything but himself.
Elizabeth Tepes, the immortal vampire of the night—moving with predatory grace and an unreadable smile. Second-in-command.
Zero, the ice colossus—marching in silence, his armor humming with magnetic energy that froze the ground beneath him.
Satirus, the demon of deception—spinning his staff as if rehearsing his next grand performance.
Darwin, his dusty glasses and distracted gait whispering endless formulas under his breath.
And closing the formation… the latest additions.
Malyss, the maiden of mist, marched in perfect step, followed by her five Abyssal Maids, identical like ceremonial statues.
Just behind them came the triplets—Elyra, Nyra, and Myra—succubi with the forms of eternal children, mirror-like eyes, and mismatched smiles.
They hadn't spoken for a while, but their presence alone warped the air around them, as if the threads of fate twisted with each of their steps.
No one spoke.
Because they didn't need to.
Eliza floated forward with a soft sweep of her crimson cape, gliding to the front of the group.
"My Lord…" she said, her smile barely restrained. "I smell human blood. Fresh. Likely adventurers."
Yamato didn't flinch.
"Interesting. Move ahead with Seiryu. I want them interrogated."
"As you command, Lord Yamato."
Without wasting a second, Eliza vanished in a swirl of red mist. Seiryu followed like an orderly, silent shadow.
The group stopped.
Yamato turned on his heel, casting a hollow—but final—gaze across all his Heralds.
"It's time to make something clear," he said, never raising his voice. But each word fell like a sentence.
"I don't care what you do outside this dungeon. I'm not your owner. I'm not your god. I'm not your conscience."
He paused, letting the words settle like slow-acting poison.
"I have only two rules."
"First: when I give an order, you carry it out. No hesitation. No interpretation."
The second rule followed without emphasis.
"And most important of all…" he said, letting the weight hang— "Don't get in my way."
His voice didn't change in tone but the temperature on the floor seemed to drop a few degrees.
"If, once you leave here, you decide to play with your new powers—burn small cities, start wars—go right ahead," Yamato said, turning slowly.
"But if it draws the attention of enemies we're not ready to face yet… that's a problem."
His gaze shifted to Selka—without accusation, without anger.
"Like, say... burning down an entire kingdom."
Selka didn't respond.She simply smiled.But this time… with restraint.
Everyone understood.It wasn't censorship.It was strategy.
Yamato continued forward. At the exit, Eliza and Seiryu were already waiting for him.
At their feet, five adventurers—Bound, bloodied, alive.And terrified.
"Good work," Yamato said, looking over the prisoners. "Let's see what news the outside world has for us."
He approached silently.
Crouching before the adventurer who—unlike the others—wore polished, well-kept armor, far too pristine for someone of low rank.
"You must be the leader," he murmured, calm and unthreatening.
The man swallowed hard.
"P-please, sir… don't kill us. I beg you."
Yamato stared with hollow eyes.
"Don't worry. I promise I won't kill you. Not you… not your companions."
A flicker of relief crossed the man's face.
"As long as," Yamato continued, "you answer my questions clearly and directly. No games."
He extended his hand.
Nanobots began to pour from his arm like metallic vapor—taking the form of a living, undulating tentacle, ready to act.
"I'd prefer not to extract information by force," he added calmly.
"Y-yes, of course! Just… please don't hurt us…"
"Where are you from?"
"W-we're adventurers from Valia! A city north of Valdheim's capital…"
Valdheim… so this dungeon belongs to that filthy kingdom.
Yamato nodded—more to himself than the prisoner.
"Do you know anything about the summoned heroes?"
"No! I swear! I only heard rumors! They say the heroes lead expeditions against demonic attacks… in the Mist Valley! That's all! I never saw them in person!"
"Mist Valley. Heroes. Demons…" Yamato repeated under his breath, thoughtful.
He withdrew the tentacle. The nanobots disintegrated into the air like metallic dust.
"I know where we're going next."
The adventurers let out shaky breaths. Some even cried.Relief spread—until Yamato turned to Eliza.
"Kill them."
"W-what?!" the leader gasped, panic and betrayal crashing together. "You made a deal!"
Yamato didn't turn around.
"And I kept it. I said I wouldn't kill you."
Silence.
"I never said my companions wouldn't," he added, emotionless. "And I can't allow witnesses to our exit."
Eliza stepped forward. Her shadow fell over the adventurers like a funeral shroud.
"Feast time," she whispered, licking her lips.
"You lying bastard! I curse you!" the leader screamed— Just before Eliza's elongated nails slit his throat.
The others screamed. Some tried to crawl away. Others just begged.
None survived.
Eliza danced among them like a predator in ecstasy.Her dress soaked in red.Her tongue traced cheeks and bones.She drank warm blood.Tore flesh that still throbbed.Cracked bones with the leisure of a damned gourmet.
Yamato didn't look back.He simply walked forward—Crossing the threshold.
The light of the surface enveloped him for the first time in months.
The world… had no idea its end had just begun.