The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 116: Coronation of the Queen (1)

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 116

EP.116 Coronation of the Queen (1)

– Plan revised. Tell the Death Knight King to show as much power as possible and then pretend to be dead. This plan will make Princess Elena both queen and saint. –

Celia’s orders were straightforward. Necros handed the paper with the orders to the Death Knight King. After confirming the instructions, the Death Knight King began to walk forward slowly. It was time to unleash the power he had been forced to conceal.

In that moment, the atmosphere changed.

“……”

Red clouds formed in the sky. Lightning flashed between them, accompanied by thunderous roars. Soon, black lightning struck the ground. The black lightning hit the Death Knight King directly. At the same time, a massive aura of darkness enveloped his pitch-black armor. His helmet, sharp like horns, revealed glowing red eyes beneath it. The dark aura didn’t stop there. It gathered behind him and formed enormous wings.

If a demon had just walked out of hell, it would look like this.

Those who saw the Death Knight King’s transformation began to tremble uncontrollably.

Deputy Commander Riana could only gasp at the sight before her. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded as if it would burst. The Holy Knights who had survived the earlier attack were also paralyzed with fear, barely able to stand. They clung to their swords with trembling hands, leaning on each other for support.

There was nothing they could do.

The knights led by Princess Elena were in the same situation. They exchanged fearful glances and took hesitant steps backward. Someone’s sword and shield clattered to the ground, but no one had the courage to pick them up. Even the Holy Knights, sworn to vanquish evil, were terrified. The knights were no different. The fear of death weighed heavily on them.

However, Princess Elena was the exception among the humans.

Princess Elena glanced back. She saw the faces of the citizens who had followed the knights.

But now, everyone was fixated on the monstrous figure before them. The overwhelming fear left them incapable of even thinking about fleeing. In contrast, Princess Elena’s face remained calm. She had been briefed on the situation.

A shadow had approached Princess Elena moments ago. Everyone was too distracted by the monster to notice the princess and the shadow. The shadow discreetly handed her a note. The note contained Celia’s words.

Upon quickly reading the note, Princess Elena’s eyes widened.

‘To think they actually summoned a 7-star being….’

The note informed her that the being before her was a 7-star entity named the Death Knight King. Princess Elena was genuinely impressed. She especially revered the great one that Celia always spoke of.

‘Such immense power….’

This was something no nation could achieve, an overwhelming power that even the denizens of the demon realm couldn’t approach. Elena desired power. That was why she had made a pact with Celia.

‘Just how powerful is this being?’

Even she couldn’t fathom the extent of its strength. It was truly limitless. Princess Elena felt a surge of intense joy knowing such a being was aiding her.

She recalled a time from her childhood, before she entered the royal family. She had been an ordinary girl who once watched a play on the streets. The play depicted a love story between a prince and a princess, and it had made her heart race.

Just like the girl watching the love story in the play, Elena now gazed at the Death Knight King. The love story in the play was fiction, but the scene before her was reality.

‘To think they would help me this much.’

Princess Elena had already gained significant recognition through the Arch Lich and the Dullahan. When monsters approached her, her knights and Maru would defeat them. Everything was part of a prearranged script, ensuring Princess Elena’s victory. The citizens who witnessed her triumphs would cheer her name in excitement.

She had already received ample support. With this level of recognition, she could get closer to the throne. However, it seemed others didn’t see it that way.

‘You want a more definitive result, don’t you, Lady Celia?’

That’s why they had played the 7-star card. This was the privilege of the powerful—the ability to shape situations to their will. Princess Elena led her horse and stepped forward in front of the knights.

====

***

====

“Princess, you mustn’t! It’s too dangerous!”

Lenon, her loyal knight, tried to hold her back, but her resolve was unshakable.

“It’s alright, Sir Lenon.”

Princess Elena reassured him.

“We can do this.”

She spoke words of hope.

Clad in silver armor and leading a white horse, Princess Elena advanced. Lenon’s eyes caught sight of Maru closely following her.

‘Why is she so confident…?’

Lenon couldn’t understand. The being before them was a monster they couldn’t possibly defeat. Even if all the nations on the continent united to form an expedition, could they even capture it? Facing the monster with their current forces would be a futile death.

They would surely die.

Yet Lenon was conflicted.

‘Am I really such a worthless person?’

He watched the resolute figure of Princess Elena moving forward without hesitation, followed faithfully by Sir Maru.

‘Sir Maru is here just to aid the princess.’

Even though he had once been a Holy Knight, Sir Maru stepped forward confidently. It was a stark contrast to the terrified Holy Knights around him.

‘Is this what courage looks like?’

No, this wasn’t mere courage. It was a duty and salvation that came only from those who sought to save humanity.

Lenon clenched his fist tightly.

“Princess! I will join you!”

And he ran forward.

He didn’t know what the outcome of his choice would be. It might end in a futile death.

Still, he made up his mind.

Though he had risen from a commoner to a knight, he had faced countless discriminations. Even as the princess’s bodyguard, the prejudice didn’t disappear. But Princess Elena was different.

‘I will repay the grace the princess has shown me!’

He would protect her, even if it meant facing death. That was Lenon’s duty. With Princess Elena leading, Maru and Lenon advanced. Seeing this, the knights, whose morale had plummeted, began to lift their heads.

The situation had been too easy until now. Having constantly faced the 5-star Arch Lich, the knights had momentarily let their guard down. But the appearance of an overwhelming presence had made everyone bow their heads in fear. Some were even tempted to flee.

But look at Princess Elena, stepping forward with courage. If the princess could muster the bravery to advance, what were they, the royal knights, doing?

“Y-Yes! We still have hope!”

One of the knights shouted.

‘Hope.’

Yes, if they retreated now, the Sael kingdom would fall anyway. Why had they become knights? To protect the royalty? No. To safeguard the royal family? No. On a smaller scale, perhaps, but that wasn’t the absolute goal and purpose of a knight.

They had picked up their swords and sworn eternal loyalty to protect the kingdom. To preserve the joyful memories with their families, the days spent building camaraderie with their comrades.

It wasn’t that there was no hope. Even a small glimmer of hope would move them into action!

The knights picked up their fallen swords and shields. They weren’t shouting about chivalry, which had now become a faint memory.

Even their liege, the princess, was leading by example, striving to protect the kingdom. Now it was time for the knights to show their oath.

====

***

====

The knights raised their swords high and advanced. The mages began chanting their spells. The citizens, who had been standing idly, picked up anything that could serve as a weapon and followed. Princess Elena’s fearless actions instilled hope in everyone.

– Thud. –

– Thud. –

At that moment, the Death Knight King took a step forward. Each step made the ground tremble. The surrounding buildings seemed to shudder in fear, collapsing as if they were trembling. Dust from the crumbling structures partially obscured the Death Knight King’s figure.

【Kuhahaha! I am death. I am despair. I am the king of death who will bring you your demise!】

The monstrous voice that echoed caused everyone to shiver. Of course, it wasn’t the real voice of the Death Knight King. It was Vetter, standing behind him, who was speaking. True to his reputation as a master of disguise, his acting was top-notch. The Death Knight King merely unleashed his power as ordered. From now on, Vetter would handle the dialogue.

【Hehehe… Pathetic humans, struggling to survive like ants! Come forth, Princess Elena!】

Necros turned his head upon hearing Vetter’s lines. Why would the monster know Princess Elena? But the words had already been spoken. Necros simply recorded it in his notebook.

– Loss of coherence. Vetter is getting too immersed in his role. –

However, the people didn’t care. They only focused on Princess Elena, who was bravely confronting the Death Knight King.

“Princess Elena….”

There was someone who was more interested in Princess Elena than anyone else. It was Deputy Commander Riana. Even she, a Holy Knight, had been trembling in fear. But the princess’s actions were fearless. Her dignified demeanor created a butterfly effect, giving hope to the people.

‘How shameful.’

For the first time in her life, Deputy Commander Riana felt ashamed of herself. She had always lived with pride in being part of the Holy Knights. The Holy Knights were her identity, and she was the embodiment of the Holy Knights.

To Riana, the Holy Knights had always been a source of pride. But now, she felt no pride—only shame. If even an ordinary princess could act so bravely, what was she doing?

Even now, Princess Elena was confidently approaching the monster.

‘He called himself the King of Death, didn’t he?’

She would report everything that happened here to the Order. And she would also have to report about Princess Elena.

“I don’t know if we’ll survive….”

Deputy Commander Riana picked up her fallen sword. It was no ordinary sword, but a sacred sword provided by the Order to Holy Knights. If she gave up now, she wouldn’t deserve to wield it.

Riana stood up and shouted.

“Believe in the light of the Goddess!”

Her voice echoed through the air. The Holy Knights, hearing their deputy commander’s words, began to regain their composure. Despite losing comrades to the monster known as the King of Death, they couldn’t just stand by. Doing nothing would dishonor their fallen comrades.

Riana clasped her hands together.

“Goddess of Light, let your merciful light descend upon this land tainted by sin.”

As she prayed, light emanated from her hands.

“Defeat evil and illuminate the darkness with truth. Grant us hope. Guide us!”

Riana’s power, a wide-area buff, took effect. As her prayer ended, a dazzling light poured down from the sky. It was as if the heavens had opened between the red clouds.

In the light pouring from the sky, one figure stood out to Riana’s eyes.

It was Princess Elena.

The princess moved forward with resolute determination, even in the face of despair.

‘Perhaps true hope lies there.’

The thought briefly crossed Riana’s mind.