12. One Down, One To Go

"I won't be defeated that easily!"(Guram)

He shouted at me while blocking my slash with his spear that he already pulled back in a very fast speed after he used it to thrust at me.

I want to prolong this fight as I can actually learn how to use the blood duke sword style.

After all learning from my own remembrance is more effective than learning from someone else knowledge.

Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury time to do that as I'm currently on a mission and I need to do it fast.

Guram then screamed with all his might and suddenly jumped at me while holding his glowing white spear.

I noticed his glowing spear, that mean he is using some kind of skill with his spear.

I tried to move away quickly but I didn't respond fast enough to avoid it.

The spear hit my dreadnought armor but fortunately my armor stopped his attack to go any further but I still can feel the pain.

I shouldn't think about other stuff when I'm in a battle, I will lose focus and this will be the result of my recklessness.

but even though it's painful, I acted normal against his attack and instead grinned at him.

"Why don't you surrender yourself, don't you see that you're already finished?"(Vestia)

"You are as despicable as your master, hah!"(Guram)

Guram made a swing attack but I dodge it by stepping backwards and then I attacked him back with my dual sword style.

"Gugh!"(Guram)

He groaned while blocking my attack with his spear.

We got in a lock position with our weapons in between.

"Don't you care about your subordinates? Look at how miserable their condition are right now *chuckle*"(Vestia)

"Shut your fucking crap you lowly monster!"(Guram)

"*Chuckle* Woah relax there... Do you really want to do this, why don't you turn your head to the right a little and see how your little younglings doing"(Vestia)

"Stop blabbering your fucking mouth, I won't fall for that cheap tricks of yours."(Guram)

"Cheap tricks you said? *Chuckled* How about we check whether is it as you said, a cheap trick of mine or is it real?"(Vestia)

I grinned evilly at him.

While we were fighting, his 5 guardians were already defeated and captured but this guy was to focused on our fight to the point that he didn't even noticed that we were the only one who still fighting until now.

I stop pressuring him with my swords and back away from him and stop attacking him any further.

I intentionally gave him some space to breath and check his surrounding.

When he got a good look to his situation, his face changed into a look of bewilderment.

"Now look to your surrounding Guram, you don't have any chance to win anymore. Don't you even realize that my own subordinate has already stand by in front of your dungeon heart? Ha ha ha now kneel and beg for your dear subordinates lives."(Vestia)

When he looked towards where his guardians were tied up and that his dungeon heart was already in my hand, he immediately lose his will to fight.

But that was a mistake as we are still in a battle.

For him to lose his focus on me like that, I immediately use this chance to attack him.

Using my fist, I punched him hard on his jaw and made him fall to the ground from that force.

I kicked his spear away from his hand.

Since I hit him hard on the face, it made him dizzy for a few seconds but those few seconds were all I need to deal with him.

I stomped his arms and legs and broke his bones, and then I proceed to crouch and gripped his head with one of my hand.

"This is my payback for before."(Vestia) I whispered in his ears before I proceed to do what I was about to do to him.

I raised his head and smashed it the next moment to the ground.

"Argh!"(Guram)

*Thud!*

"Urg-ah!"(Guram)

*Thud!*

I repeat it again and again until I felt satisfied.

When I'm done, he already lose his consciousness.

In the end I didn't get a chance to use my armor 'dread slash' ability against him.

I asked my subordinate how much time had passed and he answered that it's only been two hours.

That means it took me only 2 hours to defeat a 20 floors dungeon.

That was a very fast record.

I ordered the blood duke along with 5 A-rank monsters to brought the captured guardians and Guram back to the camp first while I will lead the team for another attack to the [Steel] demon lord Zatril dungeon.

I don't know why but the system quest only told me defeat the demon lords and not kill them.

Valakh also made the same order to me that if possible to not kill them and bring them back alive but if I deemed it to be impossible to accomplish then I may kill them.

There must be something that I don't know about and I'm afraid to expose my identity if I asked the others.

I think I will ask Lucia later.

I lead all of my troops outside of Guram dungeon and proceed to advanced to Zatril dungeon.

On the way there, I found the small team I had set up before and I integrated them to my team as there's no need for them anymore to stay here.

When my troops reached there, there was a small defense troops guarding the dungeon entrance.

I didn't want to waste any more time and ordered my troops to attack.

"Charge!"(Vestia)

With that small amount of guards, it didn't take long for my troops to take them down.

I can't even call it a fight, it was more like a massacre than a fight.

But the faster we can conquer the dungeon, the faster I can complete the quest.

Just as I did back in Guram dungeon, I also ordered my troops to attack Zatril dungeon and advance as quick as they can.

It take about 5 minutes to advance for each floor as there was only a small amount of guards in every floor but it took much longer to pass those floors who are meant for defensive purpose.

Unlike Guram dungeon which purely only has dead traps, Zatril dungeon has more defensive traps such as multiple steel doors in a small cave like floor, a labyrinth that need time to find the right path leading to the next floor, and others.

In the end it took us more than 4 hours just to reach the last floor and the same as what Guram did, Zatril also put all of his remaining troops on the second last room.

But unlike Guram who made it a wide plain area, Zatril instead build a defensive bastion there and that notch up the difficulty to deal with him.

But even with a defensive bastion there, it didn't change the fact that he will surely lose, after all he only have less than 30% of his troops here.

I gave the order for the F-rank to head the charge first while I ordered some of the monsters who have massive build to attack the gate.

I also let all of the S-rank monsters including the guardians to charge as well and they jumped over the wall to confront the enemy guardians.

Since I was the one who give the order all this time, Zatril looked down at me from the bastion and shouted.

"Is this some kind of last ditch effort of your lord? To bring down another lord with him?"(Zatril)

Hearing his question made a smirk appear on my face.

What a bliss for being ignorant right?

But where the fun if I reveal the plan just right out of the bag.

I was disappointed when Guram realize that their plan had failed but not this time.

"Well, at least we will bring you down, just like how we did to that [Spear] demon lord."(Vestia)

I talked while pretending to be tired to him to show that I just finished a fight with Guram and haven't recovered yet.

After all I already know some information about how they usually act from Garock.

Guram was a high tempered person so if he got to angry then he will sight of his surrounding but at the same time he was a little bit of a coward as well so if I can overwhelmed him enough then I can take him down easily.

While for Zatril, he always do his thing very efficiently and were one of those demon lord who actually use their heads to think and not controlled by their arrogance for being a supreme one or something along like that.

And now I will use his strategical mind to think that I was really tired after a fight with Guram and made him confront me by himself.

"So you have already got Guram..."(Zatril)

"Well, you will follow his fate soon.'(Vestia)

He knew that his current situation was not good and there's no mistake that he will eventually fall even he fight back with all his might.

I started to sprint toward him with my twin blood swords both held in my hands.

But just as I jumped and about to attack him, he shouted.

"Wait! Let's make a deal!"(Zatril)

'Now that's what I'm waiting for'(Vestia) I thought.

I didn't continue my attack and stood silently in front of him, waiting for what's coming next from his mouth.

I also make sure to glare at him to make him think I don't want to be bothered with some lousy deal.

"Let's stop fighting with our troops and have a duel instead, just both you and me. If I lose then I will follow you to your lord and a pledge my loyalty to him. With that, your lord can use me to back stab the others. But if I win, I want you to leave me and my dungeon alone. Not a bad deal right?"(Zatril)

"Do you think I will trust your words so easily like that?"(Vestia)

"I will let you take hostage of my dungeon heart to if you win so I can't betray you. Look, if you choose to kill me and my troops then you will only have one less enemy but will still face the enemy alone but if you win trough the duel then you will have one less enemy but in the same time you also will gain an ally."(Zatril)

For the next 3 minutes, I made a thinking gesture in front of him to made him think that I was contemplating his proposal, but I still make sure to show some hesitation on my face.

"I will add another deal here, I will only fight you with only one hand."(Zatril)

'Ha ha ha! Got you!'(Vestia)

"Are you looking down on me!?"(Vestia)

"I didn't mean that, seeing your current state, I can see that you are still fully recovered from your fight with Guram, so to make this duel fair I will restrict myself to match your current state."(Zatril)

"You are very confident to win huh? So you look down to me that much! Alright I will accept to duel with you! everyone heed my orders, stop your attack now!"(Vestia)

"If that how you interpret my intention than do so. Men put down your weapons!"(Zatril)

the both of us stopped our troops fight and went down to a wide area to have our duel there.

I'm very sure that some of the guardians of my side heard our talk before so they didn't voice any rejection.

They even noticed that I was acting all along as they knew that I'm still in my top condition, not how Zatril describe me to be fatigued from my previous fight.

The troops made a circle around us and that circle will act as our duel stage.

I went in first and then followed by him.

We stood on the center of the circle.

Me with both of my blood swords and Zatril with a long steel sword on his right hand.

We stood still for a few seconds before starting our attack.