Dungeon Builder's Harem Book 03 Ch. 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Her father?

That shocked me. Slepkavi died while I struggled to understand. Her father had died. So what was this thing before me that had just tried to murder Halia? The moment she declared that she stood with me, he had tried to murder her.

That anger blazing in me burned with a dark rage.

"Kill him!" I snarled.

All four of the will o' wisps fired ball lightning at him. The balls of plasma surged out. A rip opened in front of the shadowy figure--in front of Anguin Vobria. They vanished through it while he dove to the ground and rolled to his feet to dodge the other two.

From that rift, the two ball lightnings shot at me. I darted to the right, my armor clanking. They hissed by me and burst on the wall. As I did, Garnet and Mrs. Lucina took to the air. My little sister had her whip of darkness in her hand, but what good would that be.

The wildhounds leaped in from three sides. Marwo, Ci, and Gwyllt all snarled. He flowed, his blade slashing. He cut Gwyllt's head off then pivoted and cut Marwo in half. Ci landed on his back, her claws going to his throat.

He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. She struck the ground at his feet. He slammed his foot down into her neck and broke it. All three of my wildhounds vanished. My stomach lurched, remembering how fast my other monster girls had succumbed to this monster.

From Mrs. Lucina's halo, a beam of bright light fired.

Anguin's dark rift opened again to catch it. I cursed and started to run to the right, expecting the beam of light to fire at me. Only when her light hit his rift, it burst into an explosion of light. Anguin raised his hands to cover his eyes, cursing.

Light magic! That was what I had to use. Of course. The opposite of darkness. I had only one real attack spell with Light. A pity, but it was a powerful one. I stopped running and snarled the words for Dazzling Sword.

"Blinding brilliance hardened, let the light of Lord Shamash cut!"

A sword of light flashed into existence to his right and slashed at him in a blur of radiance. He twisted out of the way, letting it slash past him. As he did, his sword hacked through the air. A blade of night hurtled at me.

I threw myself to the right, hitting the ground in a clatter of metal. It hissed over me.

I gained my feet as Paanee slithered at Anguin from the right. The will o' wisps fired their ball lightning. A new rift opened. I gained my feet and broke into a run. The attacks flew back at me. I snarled and barked out the words to another Dazzling Sword.

The blade slashed where he stood. The bastard was fast. Paanee spat poison that missed. Another beam of light shot down that the shadowy figure was forced to dodge by rolling. He could dodge narrow attacks with ease.

What about something wider?

"Ocean's fury crashes into the beach, let the passion of Lord Enki flow!"

Sweeping Wave burst behind him. A wall of water crashed down on him. Anguin vanished in the current, swept by it. I followed his progress and just as he was about to stop, knocked on his back the spell, another spell tumbled from my lips. Frozen Fall.

"From above it falls, let the ice of Lord Anshar crush!"

A block of ice appeared over him and hurtled down at his body. He slashed his blade, striking the ice and splitting it in half. The two chunks struck the ground on either side of him, bursting into shards that harmlessly spread over him. He gained his feet.

"Water's crushing weight surround, feel the grasp of Lord Enki squeeze!"

Watery Grasp engulfed him. He couldn't dodge the sphere of water that surrounded him from all sides. I had him trapped. I smiled at that. Could he drown? We were about to find out. But then the water ball was shrinking. The surface rippled, distorting what was happening.

Mrs. Lucina cried out above. The water was spraying over her. It burst out of a shadowy rift and drenched her wings. The torrent knocked her out of the air. She plummeted to the ground.

* * / *

Mrs. Bella Lucina tumbled to the ground, her wings drenched. The angel screamed as she flapped them hard to arrest her fall. The water was gushing out and raining across the battlefield. The ball that held the shadowy knight, Halia's father, was dwindling by the second. Mrs. Lucina's halo flared bright as she flapped her wings hard.

They caught the air. She felt the bite. The lift. She banked out of her fall, her breasts nearly smacking into the floor. She banked hard to avoid Paanee who slithered behind the ball of water. The spell failed and the shadowy knight landed on his feet in a puddle.

Paanee launched in at the bastard, the naga springing forward in a blur of blue scales and fluttering hair. He turned to attack her. Mrs. Lucina fired a beam of light. It flared bright. Only inhuman instincts let the shadowy knight throw up his dark void. Her light annihilated it.

Paanee struck the knight. She slithered around him, her tail wrapping about his body. She crushed him, her big boobs heaving as she held him tight, pinning his sword arm to his side. She hissed out her fury.

"Lord Leo!" she cried. "Take him! I am ready, Lord Leo!"

"Paanee," Leo cried as Mrs. Lucina realized what the naga asked.

"I love you, Lord Leo!" cried the naga.

"Blinding brilliance hardened, let the light of Lord Shamash cut!"

As he spoke those words, Mrs. Lucina could see the anguish on his face. The sword of dazzling light appeared and slashed in. It cut through Paanee's body. As it did, the shadowy knight jumped with all her weight on him. But he didn't get away clean.

He roared in pain as the sword cut him.

Paanee fell apart and then vanished in motes of light. The enemy staggered, a deep cut in his back that spewed shadows. He staggered and snarled. He whirled on Leo, umbral blood spraying behind him and splashing on the tiles.

"Evil never succeeds, Blight!" roared the shadowy knight as he slashed a shadow blade at Leo.

Mrs. Lucina's halo pulsed. Another blast of light shot at him. Lightning balls fired from the will o' wisps. The shadowy knight tumbled forward, all the attacks missing him. He came up and slashed twice at Leo, hard strokes that sent two different blades of night.

Her heart clenched as Leo threw himself out of the way of one and right into the path of the other. The blade struck him.

* * / *

"Big bro!" Garnet screamed in fright as the blade of night struck Leo.

Such fright crushed the succubus's heart.

But instead of cutting her big brother in half, the Static Aura he had cast while running through the dungeon burst to life. It sizzled and crackled, swallowing the spell and then spurting out. Such relief swept through the succubus.

She had to do something.

Anguin raised his arm. Halia's terrible father went to cut Leo in half again. Fury swelled in her. Not only had this horrible thing tried to kill her big brother, but he had tried to murder his own daughter. Rage hissed through Garnet.

She swooped down and cracked her whip. It seized his sword arm. He swung and she yanked, knocking him off-balance. It also sent her tumbling from the air. She hit the ground on her knees and slid, hating the pain.

"Little bitch!" he snarled.

But the attacks surged in at him. Light fired from Mrs. Lucina. The will o' wisps fired their ball lightning. A dazzling sword flashed into the existence and swung at him. And now Isatu attacked. The dragon-puppy rushed up and billowed fire from her mouth. A roiling flood of reds and oranges rushed at Anguin.

"Take that!" Garnet hissed as he jerked his arm free of her whip.

He dodged the light, sword, and ball lightning, but the flames had spread wide. As he rolled to his feet, they were on him. But right before they would engulf him, his damned void ripped open. Garnet puffed out her cheeks in annoyance as it swallowed the fire.

Mrs. Lucina screamed.

Above, the angel blazed like a torch. Isatu's fire jetted out of a hole near the ceiling and immolated Mrs. Lucina. Garnet cried out in shock as the beautiful MILF crashed to the ground like a flaming meteor. She hit hard. Her body lay there. She rolled onto her side, still somehow alive.

Alive but in so much pain.

Garnet gained her feet as Anguin raised his sword again. Her whip cracked out and struck him. Isatu hissed her fury while the will o' wisps fired new blasts of ball lightning at him. His shield swallowed one. Isatu drew in her breath at that moment.

Anguin jerked hard on his sword arm.

Despite having him bound in her whip, the force of his movement ripped Garnet from her feet. The succubus screamed as she hurtled through the air and then struck Isatu as she gathered in her breath to unleash more fire.

Garnet screamed in pain, one of her wings breaking on the impact. Then she bounced and hit the ground in a tumble. She rolled to a stop, crying out in agony. She blinked to see Anguin standing over her. He raised his sword.

Her big brother saved her.

The dazzling sword appeared over Garnet and slashed at Anguin. He cursed and slammed his shadowy blade into it, parrying. The magical blade burst into bright light. Anguin snarled and stumbled back.

The injured Garnet rolled from him and gained her feet. She gasped, her ankle throbbing with pain, her wing crumpled. She lumped away from the bastard as more attacks flew at him. Garnet had to do something else.

She spotted the stunned and kneeling Halia.

* * / *

I ran towards Mrs. Lucina. Somehow, she was still alive.

My metal armor clanked around me. The Revitalize I had cast still empowered me. I had all the energy I needed. I just had to find a way to kill him. Hurting Paanee had been so hard, and it hadn't been enough. The bastard was bleeding but he lived.

I knelt over Mrs. Lucina and put my hand on her blackened skin. The words to Mend Flesh rose in my mind. I opened my mouth to speak them when the whimpering angel cried out. She lunged up, her hands planting on my breastplate, and threw me back.

I landed with a clatter a heartbeat before a blade of shadow whipped past me and cut Mrs. Lucina in half. My angel-MILF had a beatific smile on her lips before she vanished. Pain and fury tore at my heart as I gained my feet.

I immediately had to dive to the ground to dodge a redirected ball lighting. My will o' wisps had to keep firing at him. Keep the pressure on him. He couldn't be allowed to just act as he wanted, but it was a deadly game.

I came up and snarled, "Ocean's fury crashes into the beach, let the passion of Lord Enki flow!"

Sweeping Wave rushed at him. Suddenly, the middle of the torrent of water vanished, swallowed up by his damn shield. He stood there and let the water surge past him. Garnet cried out, her battered body struck by the water, knocking her down before Halia.

Anguin slashed his sword at her.

"NOOOO!" I roared.

He cut my little sister in half.

* * / *

The severed half of Garnet's body landed before Halia. The stunned paladin stared down at Garnet's cute face twisted in pain. Then she vanished into motes. The sight slapped the shock from Halia. The turmoil that had utterly seized her broke.

She could not believe that her father had become such a monster. He was beyond anything she had ever heard of. Nobody came back from the dead. And no man had this much power. He was bleeding darkness. It spilled out of him and yet he kept fighting.

"FATHER!" roared from her lips as she stood, holding his blessed sword before her. It buzzed with her own fury. "What are you?"

His head turned to her. "Daughter," he said coldly. "You stand once more. Do you truly--"

"What are you?" she snarled. "What foul thing has taken you and turned you into this monster?"

"Monster?" He pivoted around a ball of lightning that nearly took him then slashed at another one of Leo's Dazzling Swords. "I am no monster! I am a miracle! A saint! Returned to fight against the builders and to cleanse the world of those who ally with such maggots." He stared at her with such vitriol. "You are no daughter of mine!"

He slashed his sword at her. Words spilled from her, "Lady Sherida, shield your paladin!"

The Lady of Light answered Halia's prayer. A shield of radiance burst before her and devoured the shadowy blade. Her father might have been returned by the Lord and Lady of Darkness, but the Goddess Sherida had blessed Halia's path.

She did no wrong by aiding Leo.

The shield vanished, revealing Halia's father charging at her, his face twisted in rage.

Isatu leaped at him from the side and crashed into him, knocking him off his charge. He stumbled and whirled, slashing his sword at her. The dragoness's wings flapped as she jumped back, easily clearing the blow. Her scaled boobs bounced.

A ball of blue lightning crackled in from behind. Anguin's shield of darkness swallowed it and fired it back at Leo. Halia roared and charged in at her father, raising his former blade. He was a cursed thing. Twisted and foul.

She would purify her father's soul and free him.

She swung at him. He spun out of the way and lifted his blade to cut her in half. A light burst beside him, strobing with intensity. He snarled and reeled back from Lord Leo's magic. Halia pivoted and slashed.

He blocked with his shadowy blade. Their weapons held in the bind, her blade buzzing against his umbral sword.

"Father!" she hissed. "I'm going to save you!"

His face twisted with repudiation. "Look at you, Halia. I never thought you would grow up into a whore!"

Her words slapped her as he knocked back her blade. She stumbled and barely kept her balance, her heart slashed to bloody wounds.

"You are such a disappointment," Anguin said. "I hope your mother isn't alive to see you squeal on a dungeon builder's cock!"

"Father!" she screamed at him. "That's not what I am. Lady Sherida has--"

He lunged his sword at her. She gasped and swept her sword before her to parry, but his words had shaken her. She botched it, striking his blade but not in time. The point punched through her golden armor and into her guts, tearing open her flesh. She gasped at the cold shock.

"F-father," she croaked, staring at him.

He raised his foot and kicked her off. She fell onto her back, blood spilling from the wound. A cold shock filled her as he stood over her, a sneer on his lips. Contempt. Hatred. Her father despised her for loving a dungeon builder.

* * / *

"Halia!" I screamed and rushed at her. I had to save her. I had to kill this bastard. There had to be a way.

Anguin spun around and slashed his sword twice before him. Two blades of shadows rushed at me. I dove to the side and rolled in a clatter of metal. They hissed by me. I needed to get to her and not get killed in the process.

I couldn't afford for him to attack me while I healed Halia. Mrs. Lucina's death burned through my mind. A spell that the bastard Led had used to great effect arose in my mind. Bent Light. The invisibility spell.

"Light can bend, let the lie of Lady Sherida hide!"

I vanished as I gained my feet. I rushed to the right. Anguin stared out at me and snarled. I could feel his frustration that I had vanished. Then he spun and slashed, but not fast enough. Isatu gored him with her dragon horns. Spurts of shadow burst from him. Then she flapped he wings and jumped back before he could cut her in half.

I had to kill this bastard. As much as I wanted to heal Halia, she wasn't dead yet, but I was invisible. I had the chance to end this. I had my lightning spear in hand. I moved behind him as he slashed at Isatu. The dragoness dodged his attacks, moving with speed and strength.

I crept behind him, Halia whimpering nearby. As long as she made noise, she lived. I could still save her. But I had a chance to end this. I gripped my spear in both hands and aimed at the middle of his back.

I lunged and thrust.

My spear slammed into Anguin's back and burst out his chest. He stiffened, shadowy blood spraying from him. I ripped the weapon free and drew back to attack again. I would take the bastard out.

But he spun around in a blur, spraying inky shadows behind him. His sword slashed in and struck my side. He hit with such force he cut through my steel armor and then crashed into my granite flesh. The stone protection cracked. His blade cut into my flesh. I gasped at the pain. I crashed to the ground.

"Hiding with light," Anguin said. "An honorless coward like all the builders."

"Lord Leo!" hissed Isatu. She slashed with her claws.

She drove back Anguin, but he responded with his own slashes. My dragoness was not like my other monster girls. She could die forever. And how long could she avoid his attacks? He was fast. Dangerous. Too dangerous.

How the hell do I beat him.

"Graven wounds pulse in pain, let the healing of Lord Dumazid flow!"

Mend Flesh flowed into me, knitting the wound in my side. He slashed a blade of shadow at Isatu. The dragoness threw herself back like she was doing the limbo. It flew over her body. She landed on her back with a grunt.

Anguin turned and lunged at where I lay. He couldn't see me, but he heard me spellcasting. I rolled to the side in a clatter of metal. His sword buried into the stones. The ball lightning flashed in from the will o' wisps on the side.

"Bitches!" he growled and slashed his shadow blades at them. He had ignored my will o' wisps up until now. Svyte and Zaibas were killed before they could react. Kibir tried to dodge, but it still caught her deep in the belly. She fell on her side, blue plasma spilling from her. Sviesos spun out of the way and threw another blast of lightning.

He swallowed it and fired it at where he heard me moving. I dodged it and snarled out the words to Dazzling Sword. Anguin whirled and parried it, more darkness spilling from his body. Enough inky blood of a dozen men coated the floor around him.

Kibir died of her wounds as Anguin slashed two blades of darkness at Sviesos. She screamed as she died. Isatu roared and breathed fire. It gushed out at Anguin, but his shadow void ripped open and the flames rushed at me.

"Fuck!"

I threw myself back and just avoided being barbecued.

"I can't beat him, my Lord!" Isatu shouted and then dodged a blade of darkness, her wings throwing her to the side. "Release me. Halia is dying, and I do not have the strength to fight him."

Halia was dying...

I stood alone with Isatu. Fara waited in the hallway. She would only die if she came in here. Anguin was watching the dragon, ready to react to her attacks as she circled him. I stared at my spear.

I had rammed it through his body, and it didn't kill him.

All my monster girls were dead. He had carved through all my power. My magic was useless. My spear. My servants. All I had was Isatu. It had taken all of us to bring her down in her dragon form. Was she enough to beat this thing?

What choice did I have? The words rose in me. I could feel the Mana Vein. I seized one of the three that flowed through my domain. As I did, I thrust it towards Isatu and spoke the command. Power blazed through me.

"Ancient and beloved lineage, let the true nature of Isatu shine! Accept my sacrifice of power, Lady Usumgallu and Lord Palil, and awaken your descendant!"

Fire exploded from her. A great eruption that drove back Anguin and me. I darted from her as the flames swelled into a shape. A massive dragon. Wings stretched wide. Tail swished behind her. Horns thrust from her head. A beast of prowess.

The flames vanished and there she stood in all her glory. Isatu the Dragoness. She roared, flames crackling in her maw. Her talons dug into the stones of the floor, crushing them. Anguin didn't hesitate to rush at her.