Galahad stood amongst the ashes and scattered remains of the enemy denizens trying to relate to their desperation. The enemy monsters were fighting fiercely but they lacked any coordination, which was odd. His most elite triarii spearheaded the final assault on the inner sanctum. The enemy was smart, he had to give it to them. They found three false sanctums and all of them were defended by the most elite enemy monsters. The Thunderbolt and Death Heralds Legions took casualties, but it was expected. The enemy Core was silent but they felt its fear mixed with... hope. That was strange but the enemy was very nervous. They were near...

"The enemy is pushing us hard, Galahad. The weapon systems of Gladius and Longsword are overheating and we will need at least half an hour to cool down, even with the help of the water mages and a further five to rearm and rest. I can give you two hours at most but after that, I will have to jump away." Admiral Sparrow's voice was calm despite the content of her message.

A few Legionnaires who were carrying the magi-radio were standing nearby.

"Understood, Admiral," Galahad replied. "How many more Monsters are you detecting?"

"I don't know..." She sighed. "We are currently facing the biggest swarm we have ever fought in this war. We have killed tens of thousands of them and they are still coming. What's worse, they can hide behind the trees and our radars won't pick them up until they move. So, I can't even give you estimates of how many of them remain."

"That's problematic." Galahad nodded with a sigh. "In case of your retreat, we are going to stay here to the very end. I don't think we could retreat without the cover provided by your ships."

"Gods... We will lose weeks of progress if you all die."

"That's the risk of our line of work, Admiral." Galahad pointed out with an amused voice. "The other side wants to win as well."

"Before we withdraw, we will send a few more missiles but I won't be using everything." She ignored him.

"Very well. Give us a fifteen-minute warning before you jump away."

"Of course. Good luck, Galahad."

"Be safe, Admiral."

Galahad looked at the sky, trying to spot Dauntless but it was pointless. The ships of the Royal Fleet were nearly ten kilometres away, safely in territory that was nominally under Arcadian control. However, thanks to that, he spotted a strange, empty spot. It was devoid of any mana, enemy attention, or anything else. It was an empty space, far too empty to be honest. Without changing his tactics or warning anyone, Galahad personally went to investigate. But instead of approaching that place discreetly, he dashed towards his forces standing nearby, only to jump directly into the masked part of the Dungeon at the last moment. He pierced the illusion with a sword in his hand and hid behind his shield. Suddenly, the spot wasn't so empty anymore. A low-rumbling growl turned into a guttural roar as a large silverback ape threw a punch at Galahad. He managed to block it but the power of the hit threw him back and left a small dent in his shield.

It wasn't easy to leave a mark on the Dwarven Steel of Avalon. Galahad knew that the enemy was strong, possibly stronger than he was. However, it didn't matter any longer.

"Surrender now to my Lord, and you will be spared." He addressed the bonsai tree that seemingly grew from a flat rock.

"Never. I-I won't b-betray, Lord V-Vestargo." The Core's voice replied with a nervous stutter, surprising Galahad. It was a female voice, terrified but anticipating something. "He is f-f-furious with your M-Master! I-I d-don't want to d-die!"

The silverback was eyeing Galahad with hate. He was almost certain it was the Scion of this Dungeon, maybe even a Voice. Galahad lowered his weapon so as to not appear threatening. However, he felt something strange. It was as if the Core was telling him one thing while it meant another.

"My Lord pushed back the forces of Vestargo." He tried and looked at the gorilla who doodled something in the dirt. It just nodded briefly but Galahad wasn't sure if he guessed right.

"It doesn't matter! The Forest of Lord Vestargo will regrow! It is eternal!" The Core announced loudly, too loudly if she were only addressing him.

The silverback leapt forward but its movements were clumsy and unbalanced. He unleashed a barrage of furious punches that, while certainly looked dangerous from the side, weren't powerful enough to harm the Death Lord. He easily blocked attacks while also allowing the enemy to push him back with his last punch. The silverback was grinning at Galahad as he jumped at him with its fist raised over its head. Galahad stepped aside and, with each enemy strike, the Death Lord was certain that the enemy Scion wasn't trying to win. It was a spectacle, most probably directed at a single recipient - Vestargo. The Death Lord hit the ape a few times but he deliberately left only a few scratches on the gorilla. The enemy roared and replayed its attacks. Once Galahad realised that the enemy tried to communicate somehow with him, he quickly formulated a plan. He could only hope that he was right because, if he was wrong, he was going to die.

Galahad pretended to lose footing and was immediately swept aside, pushed deeper into the sanctum. He hit a wall made of vines which bounced him through a notch right next to the Core. The gorilla Scion roared but two Praetorians joined in. Galahad stood up and clasped his hands on the large emerald entangled between the branches of the bonsai tree. For a brief second, the Scion and the Core were connected, and no one could hear them.

"Save us!" She cried in Galahad's thoughts, but she didn't have to.

"My Lord will save you!" Galahad responded in his thoughts while loudly, with a cold voice, he ordered. "Yield."

Using his powers, he spread a Death Zone in the inner sanctum. Galahad felt a few beings immediately die and he saw a few bugs drop from the ceiling. 'Observers' crossed his mind while the silverback roared painfully and slumped to the ground. He seemed far weaker than he should be but Galahad had no time to dwell on it. Now, Galahad was drinking the mana of the Dungeon and, to his surprise, he discovered how tight the grip of Vestargo was over his Vassals. He doubted that he could wrestle the power holding this Dungeon but, he smiled, feeling an unimaginable power sweep over Core and sever Vestargo's connection and influence in an instant. Lord Theon intervened, facing Vestargo in a domain beyond what was possible even for Scions. But the moment wasn't going to last. If Galahad was wrong and she was truly loyal to Vestargo, everything was for nought.

"I surrender!" She screamed.

Galahad felt the familiar presence and relaxed. The Praetorians helped the severely wounded silverback and were already treating his wounds. Galahad's vision darkened for a moment and he dropped to one of his knees, feeling weak. But it lasted less than a second. He rose to his feet and felt a power like never before. He had obtained another title but it was wiser to not embrace it until he got stronger. The Core was gone, certainly summoned to Avalon, but the Dungeon was reshaping itself already. The rainforest was torn down and replaced by a fortified city. Even the ape monsters disappeared, causing Galahad to shake his head in disbelief. The architecture was different from Arcadia which meant it was something the Core chose.

"Fortify the perimeter." He ordered as the forest around them dissolved. There was a lot of work to do if they ever hoped to defend this place. "Put CIWS and artillery on the walls asap."

•••

O'llina. Before the cursed forest swallowed land and infernal bugs devoured all her people, she was known as O'llina. One of the few Dungeons that survived the madness spread by the Chaos. Within her walls, mortals were safe and thrived. For centuries she grew and became wiser. But in her foolishness, she was unprepared for what came after the darkness was repealed. Other Dungeons, crazy and corrupted, sought domination over the world. They clashed and waged wars like mortal rulers but they were petty and clumsy in their conquests. For decades, she resisted them and tried to reason with them but rarely succeeded in convincing them to change. The Mortals living nearby were strong thanks to her and they often helped her defend the attackers until that one day.

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The day that Vestargo came...

The Mortals were powerless to stop the endless waves of bugs and, those who stayed, died a horrible death. She was subsumed a few days after the last Mortal died and, though she expected to be killed, something even more horrible happened. She was enslaved and forced to give all of her mana to her new Master. Then she had to kill Mortals. They died in the breeding hives of Vestargo's Vespids, a repulsive race of monsters who, somehow, became a people of the world. She couldn't do anything to protect the people she loved and every disobedience was punished with unbearable pain. Vestargo was a cruel and mad Dungeon who managed to obtain power beyond her imagination. He had subsumed dozens of weaker Dungeons and forced them to do his bidding. To her shock, she realised that most of them were supporting Vestargo and his sick goals while only a few of them were like her. The years passed in pain, both physical when she defied the will of the tyrant and emotional torment when she was powerless to stop innocents suffering. The only thing that stopped her from rebelling and ending her enslavement forever was the hope that, one day, someone would push back on Vestargo. The years turned into decades and centuries while she waited. Her hope slowly withered and almost died until, one day in the ninth century of her enslavement, the news she had waited so desperately for finally came.

Someone declared war of attrition against Vestargo.

She wanted to dance and sing like her long-dead Mortal friends would during their celebrations but she became careful. Palattia of the Fruit Forest Dungeon was killed when her scion was captured. The servants of Vestargo claimed she was insidiously killed by the Righteous Dungeon when she refused to serve him. O'llina knew it was a lie. Palattia was in a strategic location and she hated Vestargo even more than herself. If she was offered an escape from the clutches of the mad tyrant, she would have accepted any offer. It was hard to imagine someone worse than Vestargo, after all. But Palattia was killed and O'llina wouldn't learn the truth from Vestargo and his minions. As news spread, stories about the enemy that mercilessly burnt Vestargo's forest and slaughtered his beloved Vespids by the score did not differentiate them from bug monsters. This enemy was hated in the forest but it was apparent that Vestargo was afraid. In the last weeks, many rumours had spread among the cores enslaved by Vestargo and one of those rumours gave her hope more ground to grow.

The enemy was saving Mortals and many Mortals served in his armies. She clung to that rumour and refused to believe otherwise.

Finally, one day, Vestargo ordered her to prepare all her monsters for war. She deliberately made her monsters weak and unfit for war. She played as dumb as Vestargo always claimed her to be and, meanwhile, the enemy rapidly approached. Vestargo was observing her so she did everything to appear loyal. She was happy to sense his glee every time she praised him in front of the enemy who couldn't even hear her. It was then that Vestargo made his mistake. For her loyalty, Vestargo decided that she was worthy of his trust and he revealed to her his plan. His most powerful minions and all Vespids would retreat deeper into the forest and set up an ambush. Once the enemy forces entered O'llina's Dungeon, they would be trapped and killed. She praised him for this brilliant plan and celebrated in her core because this was her only chance. She also learnt the name of their enemies: Arcadians.

The enemy came. Her salvation finally arrived and she was confused when they stopped, waiting for something. Vestargo was nervous but he waited in his ambush. She ordered her weakest minions to attack the enemy and it was approved by the tyrant. Never before had she witnessed a slaughter so terrifying. For a moment, her heart sunk in despair when she realised the enemy monsters were undead. She was scared that she was wrong and the rumours were fake. Lords of the Undead never cared about Mortals and the Dungeons populated with them were always malicious. But then, the fire that scared Vestargo rained upon his monsters waiting in ambush and she almost cried in relief. Mortals... The weapon used by the Arcadians was a strange magitech and it was brimming with mana that came from Mortals. She decided to risk everything.

And now... She faced demands she couldn't resist and was bound to the will of someone extremely powerful. She was fighting but he gave her a simple choice: she would submit or die. With a lack of choice, she decided to live and pledged herself to her new Master. For a brief moment, she was afraid that she made the greatest mistake in her life but now she was standing before her new Master.

"We don't have much time but, if we succeed, there will be plenty of time for you to learn everything." He said and, while his presence was overwhelming, his voice was pleasant and calm. "What's your name?"

"O'llina, M-Master..." She managed to stutter out in fear.

"You have nothing to be afraid of. I have seen your memories." He said softly. "I'm not your Master either. You can call me your Lord, your King, or your Emperor and, if you don't know the difference between a ruler and a slave master, you will soon learn. There is much to discuss and even more to do. I called you to explain to me one thing. Who did you refer to when you asked my Scion to save 'us'?"

"There are others like me within the Ancient Forest..." She replied against her will.

"Like you?" He inquired further.

"I detest Vestargo. I hate him so much that I've risked everything to serve you." She screamed, but this time in defiance and on her own. "Vestargo enslaved more Dungeons. I know about ten, of which four would rebel if given a chance."

"Very well." He said and she was once again within her own domain. "It's time for you to act... Remember to still be his faithful servant."

She couldn't do anything but observe how her Dungeon was rebuilt. Her walls were tall and made of enchanted stone, with massive towers that housed weapons that were the bane of the Vestargo's bugs. A distant and well-known power demanded her attention and, in shock, she focused on the connection that should have been severed.

"O'llina! What's going on?!" Vestargo's voice buzzed in her mind causing her to tremble.

"I-I don't know! I thought that I was subsumed by the enemy but I can still hear you, my Master..." She replied, not understanding what was going on.

"I see... They must have taken control of your domain but your loyalty protected you. Don't worry. My main army is approaching from the north. Keep the enemy busy and I will keep you safe-" He suddenly fell silent and O'llina felt, once again, the presence of the Lord of Arcadia.

"You fool." He laughed and she started screaming, feeling her mana drain away. "Now I know where your minions are. Thank you, O'llina, for your help; now you can powerlessly watch as I destroy your beloved master that you served so faithfully!"

"Ah... I made a mistake. I will save you, O'llina." Vestargo snarled and his presence vanished.

She suddenly felt her power return and couldn't understand what was happening.

"You did well, O'llina. I'm sorry that I didn't warn you but there is too much at stake. I must defeat Vestargo, otherwise, the world might be destroyed." As he spoke, she felt the Arcadian weapons waking up on the huge warships and set ablaze the part of the Ancient Forest Vestargo showed her.

"I..." She felt weak but steeled her resolve. "If you wish to live in peace with Mortals and stop Vestargo's madness, then there is nothing you have to apologise for, my Lord."

"Millions of Mortals willingly call me their Emperor, O'llina." At his reply, she realised that she could control her denizens.

"Can I change my minions to something more fitting to fight Vestargo?" She asked carefully.

"Of course. However, before you do anything, you should talk with the other Dungeon Cores in my service." His voice faded. "There is much to do and the battle is not won yet."

O'llina felt new spawners appearing within her grounds and fusing with buildings in an ingenious way. For a moment, she wondered why her new Lord created a huge lake but then she sensed something huge approaching. Mortals! She could barely believe it but they were here. The huge airships landed on the lake and the water started boiling around their hulls. The undead scion walked towards them and O'llina could only watch in terror as he stopped in front of the Elven woman.

"That was a close one, Galahad." She shook her head. "I wasn't really sure we would hold those two hours. As you can see, the overheating was real."

"I'm surprised it was that bad." The Undead Lord shook its head, making O'llina nearly gasp in shock.

Undead shouldn't act like that! She barely understood anything.

"No one thought that we would be forced to fire for hours without end!" She ruffled her hair. It was apparent that she was exhausted. "Thanks to Ian we could use the hulls of our ships as heat sinks. It helped a lot but created other issues. Like turning our ships into saunas! If not for air conditioning, we would have been baked."

"That's unacceptable! I will inform Lord Theon immediately." Galahad shook his head. "I hope you haven't suffered any casualty because of it."

"Fortunately, no. A few burn marks in engineering where my boys worked miracles to keep us firing." She yawned. "But I don't think it's over and my battle group is in no shape to help you. We will use Dungeon Jump to retreat and regroup..."

She fell silent and smiled when the sky over O'llina's Dungeon darkened. Another group of airships appeared, led by a similarly huge airship. They separated their ranks and immediately turned their weapons against the Ancient Forest and Vestargo's armies hiding within it.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am." O'llina heard an amused voice and she couldn't discern where it came from. "We were ordered to relieve you by the Emperor. It's our turn to have some fun, Ma'am!"

"All right, Raviil." The Elf chuckled. "We are getting out of here, Galahad so better get the hell off my ship."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am!" He laughed as he turned away and waved his hand as he walked back on the wharf.

The original eight ships disappeared as soon as he put his armoured feet on the wharf.

"I don't understand anything!" O'llina finally shouted in frustration. "What is going on here?!"

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