I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game

Chapter 575

Both incarnations of White Night had died.

The Tower Master White Night died when the tower collapsed, and the Jiangshi White Night died during a party operation.

Physically and materially, that's how they died. That's why it was possible to acquire the twin magic cores.

However, the consciousness of Tower Master White Night was transferred to this device with the tower's collapse, and afterwards, forcibly swapped consciousness with Jiangshi White Night.

It's a bit complicated, but... Anyway, what's contained in this device now is the duplicated and confined consciousness of White Night.

I had considered destroying this device entirely, but kept it just in case...

I never thought I'd actually need to use it.

"How's purgatory, bearable?"

I asked mockingly, and White Night trembled as it looked around.

"How long has it been since you imprisoned me here?"

"Let's see, about half a year?"

"What?! Don't joke, just half a year...?! My consciousness felt like it was trapped for eons...!"

Does time flow slowly in the darkness of that switched-off device? Or, does time flow at all?

I couldn't possibly understand the experience of the consciousness within the device, but it seems living inside it wasn't exactly pleasant. This was good information for me.

Since I need to blackmail this mass of data from now on.

"White Night. Let's cut to the chase."

I interlocked my fingers and coldly spat out.

"Do you want to stay trapped there, or... do you want a new body?"

"..."

"I won't ask twice. Decide now."

The skull-shaped mass of data seemed perplexed. The stuttering lich finally responded.

"What if I refuse?"

"I'll switch it off again. You can continue your contemplation in the darkness as you have been."

White Night eventually muttered softly.

"...Give it."

"Hm?"

"The body, give it...! Please, I beg you... don't leave me in this nothingness...!"

Facing the pleading White Night, I smirked.

"Alright. You agree then?"

I took White Night's device and left my office.

"Shall we go see your new body now?"

We headed to the backyard of the lord's mansion.

Here lies the new 'body' I prepared for White Night.

I brought White Night's device to the front of the 'body' lying neatly under a white blanket in the backyard, turned the screen to show White Night.

"Here it is."

"...What?"

White Night was visibly startled, then urgently asked me.

"Wait, you're joking, right?"

"No, not joking."

"Don't... don't be ridiculous. You're telling me to..."

White Night let out an angry scream.

"To enter the body of a fly?!"

Yes.

What lay before me was the most intact among the enemy corpses we had collected from the battles.

A fly the size of a large dog.

"Why? It's possible, right?"

I sneered.

"You're a necromancer. A lich. A sorceress who can transfer consciousness into the body of the undead. This fly is also a corpse, and all you need to do is make it into a jiangshi with your magic and then transfer your consciousness into it."

"It's not a matter of possibility!"

White Night trembled.

"Don't be ridiculous, stop it...! I am White Night. The Grand Sorceress! How can I... into such a filthy insect's body..."

"Then go back into the abyss of darkness."

As I moved my hand over the switch of the device, White Night urgently shouted.

"Wait! Just a moment! Anything but that, please!"

I clicked my tongue and glared at White Night.

"Look, White Night. Don't try to negotiate with me. You're in no position to be picky."

"..."

"Choose. Do you want to be in the real world, even if it's in the body of a fly? Or would you rather stay nobly... trapped in that darkness?"

White Night hesitantly asked me, trembling.

"Explain... what do you want me to do, putting me into this fly's body."

I smiled broadly. He's taken the bait.

This means the first phase of my plan has been achieved.

***

To put White Night's consciousness into the body of the fly, I began the process of turning the fly's corpse into a jiangshi.

While our side's magicians prepared according to White Night's instructions, Dearmudin, who joined as the leader of the magicians belatedly, called me with a pale face.

"Prince Ash. There's something you must see immediately."

"Yes?"

"Enough talk, this way. Hurry."

Dearmudin ran ahead to the teleport gate, then quickly jumped in. I followed suit.

We arrived at the lookout tower.

Built on a mountain far from the monsters' invasion route, this spire was under construction to monitor the overall invasion status of the enemy.

Since the original reconnaissance base had collapsed during a previous defensive battle and we were in the process of moving here... it wasn't fully functional yet.

Anyway, why here?

"Trying to get a closer look at the King of Flies from this location, I observed it from here and..."

Dearmudin handed me a telescope.

"See for yourself."

"...?"

I looked through the telescope.

Far away, in the vast expanse of the sky, the King of Flies was stationary. In a pose like a Buddha meditating, floating above the wilderness as night approached.

"I see the King of Flies, but what..."

I couldn't finish my sentence.

Twinkle.

A faint magical light twinkled beside the King of Flies's large abdomen.

Twinkle. Twinkle. Twinkle.

Yellow, light green, blue.

Three different colors of magical lights were blinking at regular intervals.

Am I seeing things?

I rubbed my eyes and looked through the telescope again.

But it wasn't an illusion. It was definitely real, shining magical lights.

"Those lights... could it be, a signal?"

It was clearly an artificial signal, no matter how you looked at it.

Dearmudin explained to me, seeing my confusion.

"It's a pattern of lights left by magicians in their workshops. They mark their primary magical elements."

"...!"

"And those three colors... lightning, wind, water. There's only one magician on this front who handles all three elements."

I lowered the telescope and turned sharply to Dearmudin.

"...Junior."

Dearmudin nodded calmly. I murmured in disbelief.

"Are you saying, Junior is alive?"

***

"Hmm~"

Junior stretched languidly, dressed in a swimsuit.

In a southern resort bathed in quality sunlight.

Lying on a sunbed next to a pool filled with cold water, it was an afternoon spent reading a magic tome I had been researching.

Drops of water condensed on the surface of a glass filled with an ice-cold beverage, sliding down. Junior took a sip through the straw of her drink.

"Ah, this is nice."

Pushing her sunglasses up slightly, Junior looked up at the sun beyond the parasol and murmured.

"Everything's perfect... now all I need is to find myself a handsome lover..."

No sooner had she spoken than someone approached with heavy footsteps.josei

‘Could it be? Really?’

Junior turned her head slowly towards the sound with a flutter of excitement.

‘Who could it be?’

And, against the dazzling sun...

"Get up."

...stood a stout, bald old man.

A dirty-bearded dwarf with a face smeared in blood, sweat, and weariness.

"Huh?"

Junior made a dumbfounded noise, unable to adapt to the sudden shift in scenery.

Not that she was completely sure of her own tastes yet, but even so, this seemed a bit off...?

Then the bald, bearded dwarf clenched his teeth and swung his hand.

"Wake up, I said!"

Slap-!

Her cheek turned with a jerk, stars exploding in front of her eyes.

That’s when Junior fully woke up. She sprung up like a jack-in-the-box from her lying position.

"Gasp... Gasp...?"

Breathing heavily, Junior finally took in her surroundings and realized where she was.

Inside a massive structure shimmering in darkness.

Surrounded by the enormous eggs of giant flies.

And mountains of various animals and plants...

"This is, the King of Flies's stomach... the hatchery..."

Shivering, Junior quickly looked to her side. Huge maggots were swarming over the body of a large goat, already paralyzed and asleep.

Just as Junior was about to scream reflexively, the dwarf's broad hand covered her mouth. She barely managed to suppress the scream.

"Shh!"

The dwarf whispered urgently, trying to silence his breath.

"Calm down. Quiet! Make any noise, and we're all dead. So, shh...!"

Junior, finally calming down, recognized who was beside her. She whispered back.

"...Kellibey? You’re alive...!"

"Of course, I'm alive. Did you think the last survivor of the Golden Branch expedition would die here?"

Grumbling, Kellibey crouched down almost to the ground and gestured for Junior to follow. She crawled after him on all fours.

Wriggle wriggle...

Right next to where she had been lying, the maggots were having a feast on the goat’s flesh.

Realizing she could have ended up like that if she had slept any longer, Junior felt nauseous.

She diligently followed Kellibey through the tunnel.

It wasn't long before they came to a spacious room. All the survivors affiliated with the World Guardian Front were gathered there. Kellison and Chain were also there.

"Everyone's safe...!"

As Junior exclaimed happily, Kellison grimly smiled and trembled his lips.

"...It's too early to say that."

"Huh?"

"Shh! Everyone, get down!"

As soon as Kellibey spoke, everyone instinctively lay flat on the ground.

Confused, Junior followed suit when she saw Kellibey gesturing urgently from the ground.

Thud thud thud...

Shortly after, hundreds of adult flies appeared in the corridor next to the room.

The flies each carried paralyzed deer, antelope, buffalo, and more, stacking them neatly in the next room before swarming out again.

"...This is literally inside their belly."

Once the adult flies had all left, Kellibey whispered.

"We’ve been captured as food. If they notice us moving, we'll be just another meal for the maggots."

"How did you break free from the paralysis...?"

"Our dwarf skin is thick. Paralysis needles barely affect us."

Dwarves inherently possess high resistance to physical status ailments. It seemed they benefited from that trait here.

But among the fallen crew, there were still many who had not awakened. Kellibey clicked his tongue.

"...Lucky, too. Those who were heavily hit by the paralysis are still unconscious."

Junior noticed Chain was still among those unconscious.

It appeared Kellibey had been moving around this hatchery, gathering survivors and bringing them here.

"So... what now?"

As adult flies swarmed in once more, Junior whispered to Kellibey, lying flat pretending to be dead.

"We can't just lie here forever!"

"We need to escape."

"Escape? How?"

That's when Kellison, crawling over, grinned and took up the conversation.

"With a dwarf’s specialty."

Click! Click! Click!

As he spoke, the dwarves menacingly took out their tools, ready to work.

"We dig a tunnel."

Junior’s jaw dropped in disbelief, but Kellison lovingly held his hammer and signaled Kellibey.

"My father used to throw me into tunnels to raise me from a very young age, all for a day like today. Right?"

"Exactly. Our race has been preparing for a day like this for generations...!"

The dwarf father and son chuckled wickedly, pressing their tools against the floor of the hatchery.

"Let's drill a mine shaft through this monster's belly...!"

"Make it nice and big!"

--TL Notes--

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