36 Hidarus Challenge Finale Part 2 : Beating The Odds (1/2)

Before we opened the entrance to the battlefield, I decided to give a speech while sitting on Obsidian's back. Luckily, since Obsidian stood 10 feet tall, I was given a vantage point of the army that I put together.

”104...Troops...Strong. But Troops are nothing but a group of soldiers who pledge allegiance to their commanders and kill without worry. We are more than that, my friends. For I am a Dungeon Master and you are my citizens. You are not pawns to played on a crimson chessboard. You are valued citizens of the Dungeon, who will not allow your nation to fall into the trenches of nothingness. A wise man once said that 'Great empires are not maintained by timidity' because when you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear. If Hidarus has the balls to challenge me to war then he obviously has the balls to lose it. However, war is not won by one man, foolishly thinking that all it takes to conquer the world is sheer will and conviction. A wise man once said that 'we sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us'. It may be true that you are mobs summoned by me to protect the Dungeon, which is inevitably tied to my life. But who needs a speech when you have Griffin and a Succubus risking their lives to protect us! Who needs a speech when you have this giant Dire Wolf and the best god damn architect Orune has ever known! Who needs a speech when you have Dungeon members of incredible talent willing to join a Dungeon who hasn't even completed its first week? It's strange, it's unusual, and it's damn near atypical. But my Citizens, I ask you one question: If the road to being an Overpowered Dungeon was easy then what's the fucking point!”, I shouted passionately.

”Yeah!”, shouted most of the troops.

As the troops of war accumulated excitement, Briggs was stroking the beard on his face, smiling throughout the rest of the speech.

”So who gives a fuck about a war speech when we have a war to win! When we have DP beckoning us to free them from their captors! When we have a god damn Dungeon City to build! Open those motherfucking doors and let's take what we god damn deserve!”, I shouted passionately.

As the smiling Cyclops and Minotaur opened the Dungeon's doors, the mobs began to walk out of the Dungeon with large smiles on their faces. They began chanting as I took the position to lead them into battle.

”Jordan! Jordan! Jordan! Jordan! Jordan!”, said the chanting troops.

”Hehe...awesome”, I said to myself.

”Nice speech, lad! I didn't know you had it in you! But we should revisit the plans that you laid out, right?”, Briggs asked.

”Yes. The plan is still the same. You and Obsidian will split 16 B+ and 30 A rank units. It looks like Krotos is dealing with 5 A ranks at the moment but I want him and Helora on Behemoth duty. Judging from my knowledge of games, I think I'm supposed to beat the Draconic Valkyrie to achieve an early victory. I think I'll kill some B+ ranks before facing her. I would send Helora and Krotos to face her but I don't want the Behemoths destroying the Dungeon. I'm the last person other than those two who has the ability to fly, thanks to Vargoz and Hidara. It's fitting for the Dungeon Master to face the boss anyway, you know?”, I said smiling.

”You're welcome by the way”, Hidara and Vargoz said simultaneously.

”Yeah Yeah Whatever. Just make sure you guys actually keep me unscathed this time! Obsidian! Place me on the ground. It's time for you to satisfy your animal instincts, my friend. I'll probably just slow you down anyway, right? You can be as brutal as you want to be! You may not be as graphic as Vargoz but I know you like gore and slaughter as much as the next Dire Wolf!”, I said petting his head.

As Obsidian slowly put me down on the ground, he started to make a few whining sounds. However, as I gave him a quick head rub, he was ready to do what he always wanted to do. Of course, that was killing enemies in ways that made Mortal Combat seem like a tame experience. Since I was always a person who liked my gore to be a moderate experience in the games I played, I'll spare the more...graphic details of Obsidian. It's important to note that the same beast who whines about my departure is the same animal that decapitated a minotaur and favors dismemberment as it's go-to option. Despite these disturbing facts, Obsidian always acted as if he was just a regular dog from the earth, which may be attributed to the Domestication feature of the Dungeon's System.

”I wish you luck, lad. May Father Hidarus Give Us Strength In Battle!”, Briggs said happily.

”Alright, you god damn Golems! Let me see what you're worth! Slimes! Master Jordan tells me you can become armor for the Golems so you're with me! Orcs! Half of you are supporting the Golems! The rest of you will support Jordan and Obsidian. I would give a speech but I have assholes to snipe!”, Briggs said enthusiastically.

As Briggs sat on the shoulder of one of the golems, the troops began charging towards the left side of the battlefield. Once they got past the double door entrance of the Dungeon, they rapidly advanced towards the frontlines of the army. It seems that the B+ troops that assaulted the Dungeon were the only specialty troops that were B+, as the rest of the B+ army were either Demonic Soldiers, Minotaurs, or even Corrupted Orcs. In my opinion, the Dungeon members shouldn't have any trouble wiping them off the map but the Corrupted Orcs are a bothersome opponent. According to Mera's Encyclopedia, Corrupted Orcs are Demonic/Hellish versions of regular Orcs. They're stronger than orcs of the same rank and can last longer as well. Their unique ability is the nullification of pain, primarily from the nullification of all emotions during the corruption process. On the battlefield, Krotos was currently launching multiple bombardments of various elements while hovering 20 ft above the ground. As I performed a quick whistle, I was happy to see that Obsidian knew what I was doing, as he immediately began sprinting towards the frontlines. The troops eagerly followed behind him as I tried to get accustomed to Vargoz and Hidara.

”I know you told me that I could fly but how exactly do I do that?”, I asked.

”It's not hard. Just picture flight and fly in the air”, Vargoz said.

”Ok...I guess I'll fl-”

If only it was that simple.

As soon as my feet left the ground, I felt as if I was flying at the speed of Mach 2. Naturally, I had the reaction that any person would have in this situation.

”What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck!”, I panicked.

”You're a dumbass, Vargoz. Did you really forget about the restraints? You know he can't control all this power at once. Did you think he was still relying on whatever small amounts of power you had left?”, Hidara teased.

”Fuck you, bitch! I know what I'm doing! Let's see...I think it's 4th generation magic? Or maybe 5th generation? Hm...”, Vargoz said pondering.

”For the love of...here! I'll do it then! Before we find ourselves without any oxygen from this altitude!”, Hidara said annoyed.

As my speed began to stabilize, I began to float in the air above the battlefield. The positive effect of losing control was that I had an incredible view that could only be described as breath-taking. The negative effect was that I was only 100 ft away from the Draconic Valkyrie, as we both stared at each other in the face. She had a form similar to Helora, with Dragon wings, horns, and tail on an overly attractive female form. If I remembered correctly, Helora told me that the Valkyrie's name was Hedra and that she was an A rank Junior Valkyrie. While she looked like a nice person, I knew what it took to be a Draconic Valkyrie for Hidarus. It was anything but nice.

”Oooh! Are you the Dungeon Master? This may be strange but you have an appealing face! If you were a citizen of D2, we probably could've gone on a date and watch a Dungeon Battle. But I have to say, you look pretty decent despite having such a young Dungeon!”, Hedra said happily.

”Spare me the bullshit, Hedra. I know what it takes to become a Draconic Valkyrie! You're not fooling anyone”, I said.

It was easy to be fooled by the seductive beauty of a Valkyrie. But Draconic Valkyries, while appearing attractive and pure on the outside, were sadistic and dangerous beings. Luckily, she wasn't an Hidarian Valkyrie. Those S+ Valkyries can and will kill Gods if they wanted to. Just thinking about them makes me feel sick to my stomach. However, any Valkyrie that gets acquired by Hidarus is usually one of the best in the realm. Even if she was an A rank, I couldn't afford to slip up against her.

”Fine. But I honestly do feel like you are an attractive Dungeon Master, you know. Too bad I'll have to cut such a pretty head into two...maybe three parts. It's a shame really. But to join the Hidarian Valkyries and work alongside our God of War, I have to prove myself to Father Hidarus. This is my first assignment as a Hidarus Challenger but I think destroying this Dungeon and fileting your bodies will secure my position. Just look below you, Dungeon boy. Your friends may be strong but do you really think you stand a fighting chance against me? Against the behemoths? You're just a small link in this little Dungeon you have going here. It's a shame that the Dungeon has to die with you but it's because the fat dwarf has some great design taste. I'll try to make his death a clean and painless one”, Hedra stated.

”Thanks but I'm afraid you'll have to wait, correct? Hidarus Challenge rules state that the Dungeon has to defeat a behemoth before you can attack them directly. Unfortunately, that means I also can't kill you so we'll have to continue this chat later”, I said.

”You know, you're smarter than you look. Since I'm starting to grow fond of you, I'll let you in on a little secret. If you manage to defeat me, you'll automatically complete the challenge and be rewarded by Hidarus. The reward for this type of difficulty is...lucrative. It's important to remember that the Hidarus Challenge was created to test your ability and worth as a Dungeon Master. Even as we speak, Hidarus is eagerly watching this Dungeon's members to see if the Dungeon's historic rise to power was warranted. I am the person who will determine if this little shit show can continue. We know about the power in that sword so make sure our fight is an enjoyable one, Jordan. Hidarus is watching both of us”, Hedra said.

Before Hedra snapped her fingers to teleport, she taunted me as she blew a kiss towards me. She was wearing a revealing outfit while being well endowed, which was hard to resist. Naturally, any man who appreciated the female body would be powerless against it. As she finally teleported, I let out a large sigh.

”--sigh--”why do I always attract the crazy ones?”, I asked.

”Why do you care about that slut anyway? The only woman that you need is Hidara, right? Right? Right?”, Hidara said confidently.

”Imagine possessing the blood of Hidarus and still becoming this ignorant. Anyway, we need to clear out a large amount of the enemy forces before Helora kills that Flame Titan. The last thing we need is to fight Hedra, the Troops, and the Titans at the same time. That's a losing battle that we don't have to play. Instead, we can take this opportunity to show you what this sword can do. Ever since the fat dwarf modified the sword, Hidara has found some new abilities tied to it. Despite her bitchy personality towards me, she's smart as hell. Since time in her dimension goes slower, she has spent a large amount of time improving her knowledge. In your world, she would be called a 'Scientiast'. Or is it Scientist? Who cares! Just launch the sword like a spear towards an area with no allies”, Vargoz said.

”Are you sure?”, I asked.

”Yes. Just trust me on this, Jordan. You won't be disappointed!”, Vargoz said happily.

”If you say so Vargoz...”, I said cautiously.

As I held the sword like a spear, it began to quickly shapeshift into a trident. As black branches began to twirl around my right arm, a large orange marking appeared on the back of my right hand. On it was the initials ”VH”, which was most likely referencing Vargoz and Hidara. As I threw the trident, it began to exhibit explosive speed that made it comparable to a missle. I knew it broke the sound barrier since an almost deafening sonic boom was heard seconds after I threw it. As it began to pick up speed, the trident began to glow as bright as a flare, as it's red light caused the hostiles to move from its incoming destination. However, such an effort proved useless, as the trident landed on the battlefield with an explosion similar to a mini-nuke. As the 100 ft radius explosion took the attention of the battlefield, the branches on my arm forced me to move my hand back, as if I was Kratos trying call the Leviathan axe. To my surprise that's exactly what happened, as the trident quickly returned to my hand as fast as it left from it.

”Holy shit”, I said amazed.

The comparison to a mini-nuke was valid, as the 'fallout' from the explosion was the spread of Hidara's taint. The 10 B+ hostiles that were in the radius died on impact but the 15 A ranks that were still standing took on a modified form.

”Do you like it? We call it 'Hidara's Branch' since I have the naming rights for it. Our Trident used to only provide devastating damage to an area but since you were a summoner, I was able to modify it so we can perform 'Monster Manipulation'. We can perform some Monster Empowerment, Mind Control, and Advanced Summoning with this Trident. Unfortunately, it can only be used once per day since it's a huge drain on my power”, Hidara said.

”Yeah. Luckily, the mobs in the blast radius are automatically sacrificed so we usually recover in 24 hours. As for the survivors, well...you'll see”, Vargoz said.

As Vargoz turned back into a sword, I flew down towards the battlefield to see the effect of the attack. To my surprise, the hostiles were not only undead but they were going berserk against their former allies! Branded on the entire right side of their faces were neon purple markings, as their eyes began to glow purple and their mind became tainted. However, I knew that this was no time to watch the hostiles, as I needed to prepare for the Draconic Valkyrie's arrival.

I decided to fly towards Krotos, who was finishing up his fight with a few A ranks. I attempted to contact Helora while flying to his location.