Of course, Sren didn't believe that. Fiona's intelligence wasn't so high. She couldn't possibly think of deceiving a 4th Circle Demon and even act upon it!
Something appeared fishy. The Dark Mage immediately ordered Fiona to return as he felt Jake was controlling her somehow.
Well, he indeed was doing just that, but it was a permanent control which could not be affected by distance.
Jake told the homunculus to go back with an extra order which he sent straight to her mind.
''Daddy, you too…?'' She asked in an innocent voice but Jake didn't answer her.
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared beneath the homunculus and the demon. As spatial fluctuations appeared in the mana field, Jake immediately realized that it was another teleportation magic circle.
Before his Negation Aura could activate, he and Fiona disappeared from the scene.
On the 69th Floor of Tartus Dungeon.
Jake abruptly appeared in what appeared to be the insides of a boiling volcano. The air was scorching enough to instantly turn a normal human into ashes. The ground was made of rock beds with red lava flowing between them.
Pillars of lava occasionally rose from the ground and shot into the bright, white ceiling. The smell of sulfur was in the air.
''Well, isn't it nice…?'' Jake was surprised to see this floor replicating some characteristics of Hell.
He should panic right now, but his pride didn't let him think that any monster, even in such an environment, could lay a finger on him.
Jake was instead interested in knowing whether that demon had visited Hell. Most 'visitors' below the 4th Circle would become 'permanent residents' most of the time.
Those at the 4th Circle or higher had a chance to return… only if some Earl or Marquis didn't fancy their soul though.
As Jake looked around, he saw that some 3rd Circle Pit Fiends, Infernal Demons, and Soulsuckers were spawning from various mini teleportation circles.
''Oh… Oh dear…'' Jake suddenly felt the urge to laugh and then he couldn't help but become angry.
Sending lesser demons to fight against an Earl? Had this dungeon master lost his mind?
'It seems he simply has no idea…' Jake thought as he looked at his opponents.
Sren was trying to use the tactic of cutting steel with steel. Against a demonic creature, demons themselves had to be more effective. Except clerics and paladins, of course. But they weren't in his dungeon.
'He's wrong… I thought there would be some challenges, but against these?' Jake shot up in the air with his black wings and looked down on the lesser demons.
The aura of his Black Devil bloodline pressured them and his title as a Demon Earl sent waves of warning to their minds.
''I'll give you two options, submit or die,'' He said as all the boiling mana of this volcanic floor converged toward him.
At this moment, immense lava pillars precisely shot from the ground and tried hitting Jake, who was floating above.
''Hmph, petty tricks!'' He maneuvered through air with his high agility, dodging every lava pillar trying to hit him.
The demons below weren't sure whether they should follow their dungeon master's order.
Unlike Jake, who could corrupt anybody and have absolute loyalty, Sren relied on a more practical method.
Threat.
He was stronger, thus he could order around the monsters in his dungeon.
However, now that someone as powerful as or even more powerful than Sren had appeared, the demons hesitated. Also, this wasn't just anyone.
Jake was a Demon Earl!
One who would automatically be considered their superior in Hell. Just as thoughts of submission appeared in their minds, the demons realized they had already given their True Names to Tartus Dungeon Master.
''Kuh… Aren't we just sacrifices then?''
''T-This is ridiculous!''
Some Pit Fiends and Soulsuckers voiced their complaint. But they didn't dare to step back as the Earl neared them.
If that Dark Mage even muttered their True Names with the intent to kill, they would die on spot. And it wouldn't be a painless death either.
Even if they tried fighting, what could lesser demons do against an actual Earl? Though Jake was one of them, these demons didn't think he would be any kinder than an exorcist.
Woo!
Multiple crimson flames shot toward Jake. It appeared the Infernal Demons had made up their minds. If they were going to die, they would die struggling!
Immediately, the pit fiends also followed up. Nearing the demon Earl, they swung their maces and tails hoping to injure him.
The soulsuckers, on the other hand, just waited to die. Not that they didn't want to live, struggling felt meaningless to them.
Their innate ability was literally sucking the soul of their opponents. However, that only worked if the opponent had lower Will than them.
When these thin, white demons tried to attract Jake's soul, they were instead met with harsh backlash. The Will and Intelligence of this Demon Earl was way higher than theirs!
Boom! Boom!
At this moment, something unexpected happened. The infernal demons began self-exploding their mana cores!
It was a brutal way to commit suicide, but dealt immense damage to anyone in the vicinity. An explosion of a 3rd Circle mana core contained power similar to one full-blown 4th Circle attack.
''T-That dungeon master…!'' The pit fiends and soulsuckers immediately realized that Sren was invoking their True Names to explode their mana cores.
''He's treating us as one-use weapo-''
Boooom!
Every demon surrounding Jake exploded at once. The chaotic mana shattered the rock beds and splattered lava all over.
A mini quake ran through the 69th floor and even affected those above and below. It was as if an actual volcano had erupted and Jake was in the middle of it.
On the 72nd Floor, Sren laughed seeing the distorted scene of explosion on a crystal mirror. He was sure that this force could rival a single 5th Circle attack, and it was bound to kill this foolish demon!
''Hah! You thought I was going to let you kill them?''
The bony Dark Mage was extremely pleased with his tactics. From the start, his aim had been to bomb Jake. Sren couldn't do that with other monsters, but with demons it was possible because he had their True Names.
Fiona, who had been teleported beside him, looked closely at this scene while hiding her sense of dread. However, a trace of happiness appeared on her face when she began seeing a faint, tall silhouette still standing.
''What?!'' Sren's shout echoed in the core chamber.
On the 69th Floor.
Jake stood there like a statue. The earlier attack had completely burned off his clothes and he remained naked in the pool of lava.
His body wasn't injured in the least and it appeared as if he was unconcerned by the lava's heat either.
At the last moment, Jake had tried using the Sphere of Darkness, but knowing that it wouldn't make any difference against an explosion of such caliber, he did something ridiculous or rather…
He did nothing at all.
Jake had just stood there, knowing that he might get killed. It was completely foolish and utterly arrogant! But… it kind of worked because of his overpowered skill, [Negation Aura].
[Ding! You have committed a prideful sin. You gain 9,052 Evil Points!]
Actually, that had been the best course of action. As Jake moved a little, he immediately began trembling and sweating. It was not his mind, but his body reacting to the earlier attack.
Splash! Jake walked forward and knelt on a rock bed. He stayed there for a few seconds and stopped his trembling. Then he glanced around with a smirk on his face, mocking the master of this dungeon.
…
''How? Why?!''
Inside the core chamber, Sren appeared to have lost his mind. Invoking the True Name of so many demons had cost him a considerable amount of mental strength.
Also, using [Teleportation] to bring up those demons from the 60th floor drained him of his mana. At the moment, he had no way to stop Jake from descending to the 70th floor.
He wanted to at least teleport Jake to the 42nd floor and occupy him with Kaine. This demon should also be exhausted after dealing with that explosion, no matter how he did it. If Nyssa could also join, they ought to be capable of defeating him…
He would have to replenish his mana for that, and he had to be quick! Sren stopped using the mirror to reflect the images in his mind and lethargically walked toward the dungeon core.
''Lith, you note the demon's location… Use the chimeras on the 70th floor to delay him if needed…'' Sren passed his orders to the dungeon fairy.
Just as he turned to examine the homunculus, he sensed that she wasn't standing in her previous location.
''Daddy…''
Before he could realize the threat, a sharp sword had already pierced through his heart.
Whoosh!
Sren's body disintegrated into multiple black threads of mana. The lighting in the surroundings dimmed and the dungeon core pulsated with extreme energy.
''What have you done?! Fionnaaaa!''
The Dark Mage's shrill cry shattered all the magic light crystals on the 72nd Floor. The Dungeon Fairy appeared absolutely terrified seeing the unstable dungeon core. It looked like it was about to explode.
Suddenly, a purple light shined from one of Sren's rings which had fallen to the ground. It shot toward Lith, who cried madly after touching the ring.
The dungeon fairy's translucent wings rapidly turned black. The earlier mana threads converged toward him and began turning Lith into something else.
At the same time, a tremendous mana wave shook all of the Tartus Dungeon.
Clang! Clang!
The Adamantine chains binding Yvonne vibrated endlessly. The dragon girl saw a chance and immediately shouted at Fiona.
"Quick, cut these chains if you want to live!''
Having an immature mind and in a panic, the homunculus obeyed the Crimson Dragon and shot toward her. Fiona's hands, which had turned into sharp swords, landed on the mana-sealing chains while chaos ensued in the dungeon.
On the 24th floor, all adventurers ran to take shelter under a giant yellow shield. Under the joint casting of multiple C-Rank mages along with the blessings of clerics, a dome shield was made to shelter other adventures from the falling debris.
Ruxa, Erin, Perry and the centaurs were also taking shelter under it.
''Something must've happened on the lower floors.''
''Master…''
They looked at each other with worried expressions and faced the ground.
…
Ting! Ting!
Fiona managed to cut the adamantine chains after half an hour. She transformed her hands back to normal after that and slowly backed off.
The dragon girl weakly plopped to the ground once the chains stopped holding her. Yvonne's hands, legs, neck and waist had black marks of clogged blood.
Being chained for more than a hundred years, these were the evidence of her suffering. She felt her body and slowly stood up.
''Ah!''
Yvonne felt a familiar, almost dream-like feeling of mana finally flowing in her body. Her dormant mana core began rotating again. Genuine joy blossomed in her heart as she greedily absorbed the mana.
Her 5th Circle aura rose and Yvonne's senses reached the dungeon fairy, who was suddenly getting larger and larger.
''Grr…'' A low growl came out of the dragon girl's mouth.
''So you're still not dead…''
Hatred and Anger boiled inside her and dragon scales reappeared all over her body. Yvonne hadn't fully recovered enough for her to transform, but with mana at hand, she could use draconic magic.
The dragon girl's right palm turned into a three fingered claw which she pointed at the Dungeon Fairy.
At this moment, Sren was trying to transfer his authority of a dungeon master to Lith… Along with that authority, his soul was connected as well. If he succeeded, he would become a very limited entity, a fairy as well as the master of the dungeon.
He could never go out of Tartus, but that was still better than dying.
A red flare illuminated all of 72nd Floor as Yvonne fired flame attacks at the enlarging dungeon fairy. However, it appeared she was slow and the merging of the dungeon's authority with Lith's being was successful.
With that, the Dark Mage's powerful soul wiped off that of the young Lith. Now the fairy was actually Sren. Like the cry of a banshee, invisible mana literally howled from the dungeon fairy's body.
It disintegrated the incoming huge flames. Normally, a 5th Circle being's attack, now matter how injured or weakened that being may have been, wouldn't be so easy to thwart.
But because Sren had immediate access to the rich mana of the dungeon core, he could do it. However, that greatest strength became his weakness as well.
As the Dungeon Fairy, he would now die if the core is harmed.
Yvonne, the dragon girl, of course knew about this. But even she was hesitant to touch the core which had absorbed a lot of her powers in the past 100 years.
The dragon glanced at Fiona who actually had her eyes closed right now. She could hear her daddy's voice.
Jake had already reached the 71st floor and he could reach the 72nd anytime now. His Magipathy let him sense what was actually happening in the lowest floor.
''Tch, I didn't know he had such a card up his sleeve!'' Jake hurried through the forest, having no time to marvel at the castle floating above.
Jake actually never expected Fiona to succeed. But if she succeeded, he'd thought the fight would be over then and there.
Jake liked to solve things using the least time and resources. But even he didn't think things would go this way.
'So my authority as a dungeon master can be transferred to another entity per my will…?' Jake had been unaware of this fact.
As he sped through the forest, he arrived at the cave from where rich mana was flowing out.
''What?!''
Now that Yvonne wasn't restricted by the mana-sealing adamantine chains, her aura was ever more powerful. Jake could immediately sense it at the entrance to the 72nd Floor.
''So that's the secret you've been hiding…''
He hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to descend. Although warning signals were flaring in his mind, Jake was excited to see a pureblooded dragon.
He fell freely from the entrance and spread out his wings at the last moment, gliding himself forward.
Jake had no time to appreciate the ancient architecture on this floor. He wasn't surprised to find that no monsters were here to stop him.
As Jake flew closer and closer to the large door, he could also sense the dense and unstable dungeon core.
The condensed mana was chaotic due to what had happened to the dungeon master. If the core of Tartus Dungeon exploded, the whole Saelther Canyon would collapse.
Naturally, those inside would die unless they were of the 5th Circle. Jake was taking a tremendous risk by just being here, but with the risk there was a reward as well.
This whole dungeon could be his. Its value was even greater than Jake's own dungeon!
Whoosh!
He finally entered the core chamber and a mental attack immediately hit his psyche. Multiple stone golems rose from the white floor and tried to stop him. It was Sren's doing.
''Hmph!''
Due to the fact that his bloodline was about souls and emotions, mental attacks rarely worked on Jake. His intelligence stat was actually lower than the Dark Mage… or rather the Dungeon Fairy's.
But Jake's Will was higher and that let him defend his mind from breaking. Though a sharp pain in his head dizzied him for a couple seconds.
Shiing!
The moment that pain subsided, Jake equipped his scythe and began cutting the hordes of golems trying to block his way.
These mindless puppets were huge and had bodies made of granite. It took him a considerable amount of strength and technique to destroy each stone golem.
''Daddy!''
Fiona cried at this moment and went to help Jake. Yvonne and Sren were tied in a fierce fight. Thankfully, the size of this core chamber was immense. It was as big as 10 football stadiums combined.
The dragon and the fairy were using purely magic based attacks. Being of draconic descent, Yvonne, despite being barely 190 years old, was a genius at controlling mana.
However, most of the mana in this dungeon, especially inside this core chamber, was in control of Sren. That was why he was capable of fighting a recovering 5th Circle dragon without losing out.
If not for the unstable dungeon core leaking too much mana which Sren himself couldn't handle, he could've even defeated Yvonne!
But this would not last for long. Someone else had joined the fray.
''Explosion!'' The voice came as a surprise to Yvonne who was fully focused on her battle with the dungeon fairy.
She was about to shield herself when a violent ignition took over Sren's 15 feet tall body.
As Jake flew closer and chained his first attack with more explosions, the dragon girl realized the newcomer was helping her.
'A demon?' Yvonne's eyes widened seeing Jake. She shouldn't be so surprised but demons or devils above the 3rd Circle were rare outside of Hell.
'It seems he and this girl are on the same side…' She thought, seeing the homunculus fire pink Alchemic Beams at her own creator.
Boom! Boom!
Jake and Fiona's fierce attacks troubled Sren. When the Crimson Dragon also joined, they quickly began pushing him back. If this went on, he would be mentally exhausted and unable to control his mana and body.
This transfer of authority and forceful merging of his soul with Lith's body had quite a few demerits, of course. It could be said that the Dark Mage had bitten off more than he could chew.
He also needed time to stabilize his own condition and adapt to this huge body. Though he may be well-versed in magic, giving his opponents endless trouble with hexes and dark spells, Sren was a complete noob in hand-to-hand combat.
The demon, the dragon girl, and the homunculus had high physical stats, and they surely used that power to their best abilities. Especially Yvonne, whose Strength, Agility and Stamina were all in the realm of 5th Circle.
Finding that things were extremely unfavorable to him now, Sren immediately contacted Nyssa and Kaine.
With his extended control over the dungeon, he sent teleportation magic circles to their locations, planning to summon them to the battlefield!
Two large teleportation circles appeared on the battlefield. From one circle came the sound of snakes hissing and from the other came various grunts.
Yvonne and Jake quickly targeted the magic circles from where spatial fluctuations were intensely spreading.
The dragon girl opened her mouth and breathed a beam of hot flame. Jake opted to use [Shadow Spears].
As Nyssa and Kaine tried exiting from the teleportation circles, they had to defend the incoming attacks before they even stepped foot on the 72nd Floor.
This made Jake's side have the upper hand. At this moment, Fiona faced the Dungeon Fairy and uttered a long high-pitched shriek.
Sonic Cry!
It was another one of her Unique-grade skills. As soon as Jake heard it, he couldn't help but feel a dizzying sensation in his head even though the cry wasn't directed at him. It was as if he was listening to several jets taking off at once.
The fierce shockwaves that threatened to destabilize his footing swept away Sren.
While Fiona's attack temporarily occupied the large dungeon fairy, Jake quickly churned various thoughts in his mind. With the Fel Mistress and this werewolf joining, things might get tricky.
But at this moment, Yvonne's amber eyes shone brightly. Dragon horns, wings and tail emerged on her body and a peak 5th Circle aura dominated the area.
Jake felt a sense of inferiority to this dragon. He stopped his movements and tried kneeling, but suddenly stopped himself. Cold sweat flowed on his back as he realized Yvonne was transforming.
Sren also noticed that and tried to stop her with his strongest spell, Life Extermination. It was a powerful, and in most cases, a sure-fire curse which resulted in the target's death.
Sren hadn't planned on using it so early as he could only invoke the spell once a day, it took some of his own lifeforce to cast.
But now that things had come to this stage, he had no reason to hold back.
A dark beam shot from his hand, as if it was slicing reality itself. As Yvonne's body began enlarging, she wasn't able to cast magic to shield herself.
''Hiss…''
''Aooo…!''
Kaine and Nyssa tried to stop Jake and Fiona from protecting the transforming Crimson Dragon. Jake had the time to go and use Sphere of Darkness in front of Yvonne.
When he thought about it though, he decided not to help her. With the dragon girl's vitality, it was highly unlikely that she would die. The spell might seriously injure her, of course.
'But that means I would have a chance at corrupting her… Even if she remains unharmed, it would still be a good thing…' Jake thought as he dodged the poisonous bites of Nyssa's snakes.
Chiii!
The dungeon fairy's spell, powered by the dungeon's immense mana landed on Yvonne's scales. She was still in the middle of transforming and the dark beam spread like poison on her body.
The 5th Circle Crimson Dragon fully transformed and shook the entire 72nd floor with her roar. The Life Extermination curse targeted her soul as well as her body.
While Yvonne cried in agony and internally fought the curse's power, the dungeon fairy rapidly tried absorbing the mana he had just expended. Sren didn't have a mana core in his body and relied entirely on the dungeon core.
Finding the opportunity, Jake forcefully disengaged from Nyssa. She was repeatedly firing Rays of Petrification on him, but his Negation Aura wasn't letting her succeed.
Instead of helping Yvonne, Jake instead dashed toward the large dungeon fairy with dangerous glints in his eyes.
[Icicle Rain]
He pointed at Sren who temporarily had no way to defend himself. Sharp shards of ice fell from above and immediately began pinning the dungeon fairy to the ground.
The icicles this time were bigger and longer, Jake's skills had leveled up. This opportunistic attack dealt fatal injuries to Sren.
Especially his wings which no longer had the fairy dust. Sren furiously began chanting to counterattack the demon even though he was low on mana.
However, Jake was a few steps ahead of him. Unlike the fairy, he didn't need any incantations to cast magic. Jake began bombarding Sren with Shadow Spears.
''Daddy, he's behind you!''
Tiiing!
At the same time, he deflected the werewolf's sharp claws with his scythe. Kaine had stopped fighting with Fiona and went to interrupt the demon, who, at this rate, might just kill the dungeon master.
Suspiciously though, Nyssa didn't try fighting with the demon again. She was using less power in this battle. Although it wasn't obvious, Jake had a feeling that she could do better.
As a mature 4th Circle Gorgon, she definitely had great physical strength and speed, but she was fighting passively even with the homunculus.
Roaaarr!
''You darn pest!'' Yvonne, who was fighting the curse, let out multiple roars and swept her large wings.
While she rose up, the wind blew dust and debris on the floor. As she opened her mouth, Jake noticed a ball of rotating fire inside.
For a moment, his heart stopped at the immense power behind it. Then his mind took over and Jake abandoned attacking Sren. He instead flickered out of the way, taking Fiona with him.
A huge breath of flame roasted the air and landed on the dungeon fairy the next second. Nyssa managed to save herself in time, but Kaine couldn't.
The flame passed through his body, taking the werewolf's life and his pitiful howl away.
As a desperate measure against this full-blown 5th Circle attack, Sren created a translucent black shield out of his fairy wings.
Unfortunately, the Crimson Dragon's wrathful flame burned the shield like a paper.
Jake paid special attention to the dungeon core and saw that it was getting extremely chaotic. If this kept on, then it might really explode.
Jake's agitation increased, and he even considered helping the dark mage. But unexpectedly, Yvonne's flame died out, preventing Sren from dying.
''She's transforming back to her human form…?'' Jake muttered and suddenly noticed a severe weakening of the dragon's aura.
'The curse… it took her a lot of strength to survive that, and fire such a powerful attack… She has thoroughly exhausted herself.' He then looked at the dungeon fairy who was in a half-dead state.
Jake realized that this was the perfect opportunity to corrupt them both!
Jake dashed toward the dungeon fairy who was completely immobilized. He first used [Demon Eye] and checked Sren's current status. It was chaotic with all kinds of weird skills and titles. Most likely the effect of a human and a fairy merging.
Jake didn't pay much attention to that and focused on the attributes. It was currently low. Without wasting another second, he used [Degeneration Halo] but limited its range.
Of course, Jake was also interested in having the dragon girl, but he wasn't sure he could corrupt them both at once. For a 5th Circle being, and especially a dragon, he had to be more careful.
Though there was no threat of reverse-corruption this time, Jake might lose his mind by trying to bite more than he could chew.
"Gaaah!" Sren suddenly cried and began twitching. The seed of corruption was entering his mind.
The process was similar but it was tediously long. Jake found himself fighting the fairy who should've already died. He had expected Sren to have a resilient mind though. He was a mage, after all. A dark mage.
But being in such a pitiful condition, no matter how good his mind's defense was, it couldn't stop Jake. Within half an hour, Sren finally broke down. Dark patterns appeared on his face and he stopped struggling after a while.
[Ding! One individual successfully corrupted.]
Jake was expecting the dungeon fairy to acknowledge him as the master, but it appeared Sren had passed out. It was a miracle that he could even put up a defense on his psyche for so long.
Feeling that the seed of corruption had fully settled down on Sren's mind, Jake internally rejoiced. He really did it on the first try!
Jake quickly turned around and examined the dragon girl. He went to her without showing any ill-intent. A dragon's vitality was extremely high, her body had already patched all of her internal injuries.
She'd even eliminated the curse. Though she was still exhausted. Crouching beside Yvonne, Jake gave her a hand. She was hesitant at first but knowing that the demon had helped her, the dragon girl stretched out her own hand.
'It's soft…'
As he caught it, Jake couldn't help but wonder at the power held by such a fragile body. In her dragon form, Yvonne was a legendary monster. But in her human form, she could be compared to a delicate flower.
Without warning, he suddenly began eating her emotions to recover his mana, and surprisingly found out that it was affecting Yvonne's soul as well.
''Ah! You…" She held her head and glared at him, realizing that this demon was doing something to her.
However, Jake ate even her anger. She was unable to feel anything and became silent. Her twisted expression went back to normal. The moment Jake saw that, he once again used [Degeneration Halo].
"Gah!" He felt a heavy jolt in his head and stumbled several steps behind.
Jake felt that he should retract the halo, but it was too late now. His seed of corruption had already penetrated Yvonne's mind.
'No…' Jake felt like his brain was getting fried. The dragon's soul was too powerful. Her will and intelligence were both at the 5th Circle as well!
Blood leaked from his ears and nose. Jake bit his own tongue and knelt on the floor. Before him, Yvonne sat naked in a vulnerable position. She was looking at the ceiling with vacant eyes, unable to feel anything until something stimulated her body.
However, even in such a weakened state, Jake was truly struggling to corrupt her.
Boom!
Sounds of battle came from behind. Fiona and Nyssa were fighting. It appeared the homunculus was trying to shield Jake, who was clearly breaking down.
His hands were shaking, and Jake held on to his reaper. Experiencing head-splitting pain, his eyes bulged. But Jake didn't give up yet. If he did, then the dragon would realize what was happening.
Once Yvonne recovered, she would surely kill him. So either he corrupted her or he died trying.
"Arrghhh!" Jake gritted his teeth and hit the ground with the back of his scythe's handle.
Crimson blood dripped on his squirming shadow. As he glanced at the red-haired dragon girl, Jake could see some faint black lines appearing. He couldn't help but smile.
Yvonne began frowning and biting her lips. With her hands clenched, she suddenly looked at the demon. Eyes red like blood, they had grown darker.
Whoosh!
The girl moved like a ghost and caught Jake. Her right hand had turned into a dragon claw. Those sharp nails dug into his neck and she slowly lifted him.
Jake wasn't concerned about being unable to breathe, but if she severed his neck, that would kill him nonetheless.
"Ah!" Yvonne suddenly loosened her fingers.
Jakee could feel that she was getting affected. He didn't think about the pain or his condition and singularly focused on his seed of corruption.
In the next hour, a fierce battle of minds occured. The dragon girl sometimes got control of her body and tried to kill the demon at once, but she never succeeded.
Extreme exhaustion prevented her from completely crushing Jake with her superior strength. She tried to use magic attacks but they all somehow didn't work.
Currently, Jake was being immensely prideful by trying to make an actual dragon his puppet. The Negation Aura was at its best.
As time passed by, the lines on Yvonne's face became thick, dark patterns. At a certain moment, she felt something break in her mind and everything went black for a moment.
'It's done!' Jake took a hot breath as the dragon girl dropped him on the floor. She stumbled back and stood completely still.
[Ding! One individual successfully corrupted.]
[Congratulations, one of your skills has leveled up!]
[Degeneration Halo (lvl. 2 → lvl. 3)]
[Ding! You have committed a prideful sin. You gain 27,088 Evil Points!]
[Ding! You have committed a greedy sin. You gain 45,210 Evil Points!]
System notifications never made him this happy. Although his whole face was wet with his own blood, laughter escaped Jake's mouth.
"Ha…Haha…" It was weak at first but became louder and louder. Jake clenched his Black Reaper and used Blood Regeneration on himself.
As the light of magic began healing his wounds, Jake muttered to himself while looking at the dragon girl now kneeling below him.
"Fuck… Hah, Hah… I nearly died".
''Hisss… This demon…''
Observing them from a certain distance, Nyssa didn't feel good. She could not understand what had happened between the demon and that dragon, but it didn't bode well for her.
She was hoping the Crimson Dragon would wipe out this demon and end up extremely injured. Then, she would kill the dragon and take the dungeon's authority from Sren.
This was the reason why she had saved her energy. From the start, Nyssa had been scheming to become the new dungeon master. This gorgon had been in Tartus for more than anyone else, except for the fairy, Lith.
She was one of the few who lived here before that mysterious man sealed the Crimson Dragon here. Indeed, Sren had thought it was his secret but the sly Fel Mistress knew about Yvonne as well.
Actually, she knew more than Sren ever did, but never told him.
Last time, Nyssa had lost her opportunity to become the master of this dungeon. Thus, she'd stayed silent and waited for this day, when someone powerful came to challenge the Dark Mage's power.
Nyssa absolutely hated being under someone.
That was one of the reasons she had sent Sapheisa and Ruxa to another dungeon. She had been originally planning on killing the master of the newly spawned dungeon and living there.
But who knew this demon was so powerful? He had even made a dragon kneel.
As the dungeon core began stabilizing, Nyssa knew she had lost this chance as well. It frustrated her to no extent!
But she knew fighting for it was meaningless now. Instead of wasting her time here, she ought to flee.
But… flee to where? Could she find a place safer than Saelther Canyon? The outside world was dominated by greedy humans, they would kill her kind for their selfish intentions.
Should she submit to this demon then? Her mind quickly denied it, but this was the only option left.
''Hiss…''
Nyssa's curvy body turned into a dark green snake. She glanced at the aftermath of the previous battle and turned around, slithering to the upper floors.
For now, she would have to return to the 56th floor. With that weird girl guarding, there was no chance to go near the demon or the dungeon core.
…
Two days later, on the 71st floor of the Tartus Dungeon.
Inside the floating Herion Castle, Jake sat on a throne while the homunculus, the dungeon fairy, and the dragon knelt below him.
''Yvonne,'' Jake called. He had recently learned her name.
''Go and bring that gorgon here.''
''Understood.'' She turned into a blurry afterimage as soon as she heard him.
It felt nice to order someone higher in rank than him. Jake leaned on the throne reserved for the dungeon master. Actually, he hadn't gotten the authority from Sren.
Due to the unexpected merging between a dungeon master and a dungeon fairy, those black mana threads or the Dungeon Authority became a catalyst for union.
If Sren tried to transfer them, he would die on spot, making the dungeon core explode. So it appeared he would remain as the master of Tartus Dungeon, but with someone above himself.
This wasn't too bad, actually. Controlling Dungeon Masters seemed more reasonable instead of personally taking charge over other dungeons. Jake could be sort of like the main head here, with multiple branch heads under him.
Jake stood up and stretched his left hand. On its middle finger, he wore the control ring of the Herion Castle. This whole structure was one big artifact itself.
Other than the wide variety of rooms, this castle had many long range weapons and defense mechanisms. Sren claimed that he had created it with the help of thousands of monsters in a span of 50 years.
It appeared he was not just a dark mage, but someone with great knowledge on magical technologies. In other words, an Esoteric Artificer!
''Go to the 72nd floor and focus on recovering yourself,'' Jake told Sren, the dungeon master and its fairy.
''Yes, master,'' Sren began chanting after saying this.
Very soon, a teleportation magic circle appeared below his feet and the fairy disappeared suddenly.
Jake felt it was a pity he couldn't steal such a useful skill. He would have to be at least one rank higher for him to use [Skill Steal].
Jake shook his head and flew toward the lobby, beckoning the homunculus to follow him. After a while, both of them exited the floating castle and went higher and higher.
Jake began climbing the floors and Fiona followed. She asked a few times where they were going, but when Jake slapped her a few times, she obediently shut up.
'I hope they didn't worry too much… Heh…' He was thinking about his women on the 23rd floor, of course.
Jake had left them there the day before yesterday. The dungeon had experienced some extreme quakes last night, so they were bound to be worried.
It took him and Fiona about half a day to climb up to the 23rd Floor. Because both of them could fly, it had taken them such a short time.
If they went by foot and without rushing or using their skills at all, two and a half months would go by trying to climb up. And that was without dealing with the monsters which spawned all across the floors.
As they entered the 23rd Floor, Jake immediately flew toward Pitts Town. Surprisingly, it still stood without any damages done. Did the tremors not reach here?
''Daddy, I can see them!'' Fiona flew below Jake and pointed at a certain part of the town.
''Hmm…'' Jake squinted his eyes as he saw them on the road.
Quite a few adventurers were surrounding Erin, Ruxa, Perry and the centaurs. It appeared a fight was just about to happen, and the adventurers clearly had the upper hand.
''What's this about?'' Jake flew faster toward the city, being mildly irritated that these lowly adventurers would dare surround his women.
''Don't lie, I can tell who you are!''
''You all are monsters!''
A thin swordsman and two mages were standing in front of Ruxa and Erin. A 3rd Circle Priest and some knights surrounded Bella and Ella from behind.
It appeared the clerics had found out about these women's true nature by using Detect Evil. At the moment, the dungeon was in turmoil and rogue adventurers were threatening to disrupt the town's security. Sensing monsters among people alerted everyone.
''That priestess is also not one of us,'' A female cleric shouted religiously. ''She who obeys God's will does not scandalously show her body like that!''
Perry was wearing clothes that accentuated her attractive curves. Although her priestly robes hid her shoulder and back, it was open at the front. Thus her cleavage, smooth belly and even her long legs were clearly shown.
''Hmph,'' Perry snorted.
She didn't care what they thought. She was only wearing it for her Lord and master, Jake. Perry turned around and walked toward Erin. Her hips naturally swayed, and men couldn't help but gulp seeing this scandalous priestess's ass jiggle.
Seeing the attitude of a lower-ranked priestess made the other priestesses irritated. How dare she?
''This is absolutely unacceptable!'' An old 3rd Circle Priest shouted. He was about to raise his staff when a deep voice came from above.
''What's unacceptable?''
An immense aura suddenly covered the entire Pitts Town. Everyone sensed the presence of someone at the 4th Circle. For almost all people, the distinction between ranks was absolute and it was more so at the higher ranks.
The moment he arrived, the adventurers looked above and found two people descending. Jake and Fiona landed among the centaurs who rejoiced to see their master again.
''This… uh…''
The earlier priest began stuttering. He realized that the new tall man and that weirdly-dressed young woman were both on these suspicious women's side.
However, some adventurers still thought that maybe this mysterious 4th Circle man would listen to them.
''T-They are monsters! Sir, they might be deceiving yo-'' The speaking swordsman's head popped like a watermelon due to extreme blood pressure.
''Noisy.'' Jake clicked his tongue.
The surrounding adventurers, who were ready to attack Ruxa, Erin, and Perry, suddenly felt chills as they watched this scene. What just happened? That 3rd Circle beastkin Swordsman died… like that?
''Get out of my sight before I start popping more heads.'' As he said this, Jake didn't even glance at the shocked adventurers.
They backed away while having sweat on their foreheads. Why was this man supporting monsters? That red-haired woman was clearly a vampire and the other one was most likely some kind of transformed beast…
''What? Didn't you hear him?'' Ruxa walked forward and taunted the adventurers.
''Ehe…'' Perry giggled and went to greet Jake. Erin had already ran up to him.
The adventurers of Pitts Town gritted their teeth and slowly backed away. Against a single 4th Circle being, even if they all used up their lifeforce to attack, it wouldn't be enough. And there were two of them.
Suddenly, the earlier old priest's head popped. This made the adventurers remember what Jake had said.
''Run!''
''He is a monster himself!''
Everyone immediately left from that place as if they were avoiding a plague, regretting they had ever surrounded those women.
Clinging to Jake, Erin glanced at the fleeing people. She disdainfully rolled her eyes and looked up at her master's face.
''Come closer, you all.'' He said while closing his eyes.
Ruxa, Perry, Bella and Ella came closer at his call. They waited as Jake stood in silence for a few seconds. Suddenly, a large purple magic circle appeared on the ground below.
The women recognized it and excitedly closed their eyes as well. Immediately, Jake and the others disappeared under numerous spatial fluctuations.
…
A day later, inside a luxurious room of the floating castle.
''So that's what happened…''
''Does that mean this dungeon is yours, master?''
''Yes.''
Jake had just finished recounting yesterday's epic battle. Well, most of it was told by Foina. She didn't exaggerate anything but even Erin thought she was embellishing her master's achievements too much.
That was to be expected, however. Some things were truly ridiculous and Jake might have even lost his life yesterday. While telling about the battle, he didn't really omit anything as he felt no need.
Thus, everyone now knew that Fiona was a homunculus and that their master had a young female dragon under him.
''What about the mistress… I mean Nyssa?'' Ruxa sat beside Jake and held his large hand.
''I've already 'talked' with her. She won't give me any trouble,'' He replied.
After teleporting yesterday, Jake had ordered Yvonne to thrash that gorgon to the ground first.
He would be a fool to not corrupt Nyssa as well. Although she tried to play subservient, he didn't really buy it. Being a schemer himself, Jake understood the crafty gorgon very well.
'She would be a good tactician.' He stroked his chin.
Jake had never thought he would conquer the entire dungeon and even have such huge gains in less than a month. Now he had a 5th Circle dragon, a 4th Circle gorgon, and a powerful dungeon fairy who was also a talented artificer!
Not to mention the thousands of monsters in this dungeon. To be completely honest, he could just go to the capital and take the throne of Grimbow with such a huge force.
Adding this with his own dungeon's monsters, the wyvern and numerous 4th Circle beings under him, Jake could completely crush the royal family and the nobles combined.
He was sure that Yvonne could defeat the Royal Commander, Bors de Philips. Although he was a powerful warrior knight at the 5th Circle, dragons were unparalleled in the same rank.
However, Jake didn't feel like starting the coup so early. He wanted to play around in this province for a while, and spread his influence.
The Evil Points in Jake's system had crossed 10 Million today and that delighted him. Just another month and he would be able to buy that Demonic Dragon bloodline! He was waiting for that day.
''I'll be sending you off to Karsuda tomorrow,'' Jake said to the women around him.
''Ehhh!'' Bella and Ella expressed their surprise at once.
''You aren't coming?'' Perry asked, tightly holding his right arm. Ruxa held his left arm.
''I need to stay here for a while,'' He shook his head and stroked Erin's hair. She was hugging him from behind.
''Yvonne will take you back to the Dungeon of Sin.'' Jake glanced at the dragon girl who awkwardly stood there. She had never seen these women before, nor did she know where her Demon Master's dungeon was located.
Knowing what she was thinking, he chuckled and waved his hand, ''I'll tell you about it later.''
''But for now…'' Jake held Perry's chin and stood up. ''Come with me.''
As their master and the priestess went to another room, Erin and Ruxa pouted in jealousy. However, they couldn't really complain as they had their turns already this morning.
''Master, you seem hasty…'' Perry giggled, feeling Jake's hands on her long thighs.
They were inside a rather small room which was fully marbled. Laying on her back on a double bed, Perry had her legs up.
Her naked master slowly pulled down her transparent, black stockings. His fingers scraped her soft flesh, going from her lower thighs to knees, then the calves, and ankle.
Jake threw the stockings and clutched her feet. They were small and soft. He let them slip from his hands, and bent down.
Perry spread her legs in anticipation. She wasn't wearing a panty underneath her stockings. He could see her delicate, pink pussy.
''Cwh…'' Jake kissed it and began licking, as if he was tasting a fine dish.
''Ah~'' Perry's delightful moan sprinkled an erotic flavour into the air of this room.
The sound of Jake's lips sucking on her juicy cunt mixed with Perry's sweet moans, and it aroused them both.
Jake's fingers clenched the flesh of her thighs as he slid his tongue through her slit.
''Mrrmm~'' Perry's eyes rolled in pleasure and she looked down. Seeing her master's hard dick, she slowly moved her legs.
'Oh?' Jake felt small toes tickle his rod. He found that Perry was rubbing it with feet, which were surprisingly warm.
''M-Master, do you like it?'' She patted Jake who had his head buried between her thighs.
''Mrrmm… Not bad,'' He replied while tasting her pussy. His long tongue hit her sensitive spots and Perry clutched the bedsheet.
''Annhh~ It feels so good…''
Her feet trembled as she rubbed them against his hard cock, pulling the foreskin back and forth. The fragile softness and feminine warmth sent tickling sensations of pleasure into Jake's mind.
His little brother throbbed, overjoyed, caressed between Perry's little feet. She turned and twisted her them while Jake's tongue rolled inside her canal.
''Annhh!'' Perry could feel something welling up inside her. That feeling was rising…
''Master, I'm… Ah~ I'm cumming…!''
She closed her eyes as her body trembled. Perry jerked in orgasmic pleasure, and sweat trickled off from her smooth skin.
Playfully licking his lips, Jake straightened himself and looked at her. Perry stopped rubbing his member with her feet.
The Dark Priestess had her lower body naked and upper body covered with a white shirt.
Perry placed her thin wrist between her breasts whose flesh trembled with the slightest movement. She slowly spread her legs more and gave Jake a side-eyed glance.
Face flushed, eyes moist, and breaths heavy… It was too tempting to stare at a vulnerable woman who just had an orgasm.
''Hah… Hah… Ravage me, master~''
Jake climbed on the bed as he heard her. He couldn't wait any longer. Spreading her wet pussy with his fingers, Jake smoothly slid his hard rod inside.
He then hugged her slender thighs with his left arm and grabbed one of her juicy boobs with his right arm.
Jake's hips moved on their own. He hadn't fucked his priestess in quite some time.
''I want it rough, master…'' Perry seductively bit her lower lip and placed her legs on his shoulders.
Jake smiled. ''You know I always like it rough.''
''Ah!''
Jake rammed his fat cock all the way in and began powerfully thrusting, smacking Perry's delicate pussy which tightened in pleasure.
''Mrm… Annhh! Annh! Yes, like that~''
The double bed rocked under the force of Jake's thrusts. He tended to be aggressive during sex.
Jake ripped Perry's shirt and grabbed her jiggling breasts. Squeezing them, he fucked this beautiful woman who lay under him.
Pah! Phah!
The crisp sound which came from pounding her wet pussy led Jake to become more rough.
When her master ravaged her like a beast, it aroused Perry more. Looking into his dangerous eyes, she cried, ''Harder!''
Pah!
Jake slapped her left thigh and bent it against her belly. His meaty cock plowed Perry's dripping cunt, clapping her booty in rhythm.
He leaned down and suckled her hard nipples. When Jake lightly bit them, Perry jerked as if a jolt of electricity had passed through her body.
''T-That…! Master, annghh~''
Being stimulated like that, Perry felt her pussy getting hotter. As Jake railed his beautiful dark priestess, she hugged his neck and cried in pleasure.
''Shh… damn sexy…'' Jake gasped and kissed Perry's mouth, subduing her moans while roughly pounding her.
''Mmm… Mrrmnnh…''
Caged under her master's warm embrace and restrained by his strong grip, Perry was unable to move at all. As their kiss broke, saliva dripped from her lips.
Paht!
Straightening his upper body, Jake slapped her right thigh and bent it as well. He could feel how she got more submissive while getting fucked.
''Annhh! Ah! Mnnh, yes~''
Perry squirted while trembling. Feeling her master's dick sliding in and out of her canal gave her indescribable pleasure.
She tightened her insides more as her knees turned weak. Perry glanced at Jake and cried, ''More, more!''
Hearing those words in a sharp womanly voice roused Jake. His dick suddenly throbbed and thick threads of cum shot inside her.
''Annhhh~'' Tears flowed from Perry's eyes as she felt the hot dick milk pouring into her womb.
''Master's semen…'' She looked down and rubbed her belly in happiness. But Perry suddenly realized she was infertile currently.
Letting out a sullen pout, she placed her small hands on Jake's abs. He could taste the unexpected change in her mood.
Jake leaned over. She hugged him and whispered, ''I want to get pregnant too, master.''
…
Later that afternoon, Jake ordered Erin to retract her remaining vampiric essence from Perry's body. The Dark Priestess's fangs disappeared and the excessive whiteness on her skin gained a healthy wheat color.
With the vampiric essence gone, Perry could finally bear children. Though she had his cum from earlier, Jake felt a bit unsure. So he fucked her again in the evening, and came multiple times inside her.
Of course, that got Erin and the others a free excuse to have sex again. Jake didn't mind it, though.
As they would be leaving tomorrow, why not have another round with them? In the end, he fucked them all until they were thoroughly satisfied.
At midnight, outside the room where Jake stayed with his women, Fiona took a peek with mana sense and immediately ran away.
She had heard cries and slapping sounds coming from inside, and a question kept bugging her mind.
'What did daddy do with them in the room…?'