Dungeon of Lust: Managing Otherworldly Beauties

Chapter 309: Shard of Solace

Once past the threshold, Ximena stopped.

Three beasts stood in front of her — Champions, evident by their non-beetle nature.

One was a mantis, another a wolf-man, and the last something without likeness to anything she’d seen before.

Ximena glared at them…

Then leisurely walked forward, passing their corpses as they fell to the ground and shattered before being swallowed by the dungeon.

Beyond them lay an orb upon a pedestal.

Without fear or hesitation, Ximena placed her hand on it and fed it Aether.

A moment later, a trickle of water reached her ears… followed by whizzing of vibrating strings.

Before Ximena even cared to begin studying the surroundings, she used her fabric to swat down a mass of arrows that had been shot down at her.

The arrows changed course, plunging into the shallow swamp water surrounding Ximena. She found herself stranded in the only patch free of the nasty black muck.

Looking up into the murk, she spotted her assailant perched on the bough of a beet-red, leafless mangrove tree, six arrows clutched in one hand as they prepared to fire again.

‘Dragonkin?’

In the distance, she noted more vague silhouettes jumping around from unnaturally large tree to tree — all winged and scaly. More dragonkin.

There were no signs of beetles in sight.

Meaning, it would be these poor dragonkin suffering Ximena’s unguarded fury.

Although…

Ximena looked down at one of the arrows, which sat atop the frozen black water.

While the archer fired another volley, Ximena casually used her fabric to swat the attacks away while bending down and picking up the arrow.

‘Hmm…?’

The arrow had a red shaft and an egg-white spearhead, with no fletching.

But it wasn’t the color or design that was peculiar.

Ximena watched as the arrows she deflected clanked off the frozen water around her.

‘They’re resistant to freezing.’

Plus, the material seemed to match the scales and teeth of the dragonkin…

Done with her inspection of the arrows, Ximena stood with her back straight as she looked in a circle around her, staring at the seven dragonkin hiding around in the dark fog.

Ximena, with a vacant smile etched on her face, spoke in broken ancient Emanian:

“Hello.”

A few of the warriors cocked their heads in surprise, seeming to have understood her, but none dared to respond. Instead, it looked like they were coordinating some attack, having already figured out that they’d die if they got close to her.

Not that it would have mattered. Ximena knew only a few more words in their language.

“Die. Enemies.”

The seven moved in unison, dashing from tree to tree, shooting arrows as they ran. The first few arrows were effortlessly knocked away, but as the numbers increased, a few began to pierce the fabric, becoming stuck in it.

Stepping forward onto the black water, it froze under her feet, allowing Ximena to calmly walk toward the nearest tree. As she sauntered, two chains escaped from either of her wrists and snaked around her arms a few times.

More arrows flew, shot from five of the dragonkin — the other two were only spectating — some of which even made it through and smashed into her crystal armor, chipping at it.

But she paid it no heed as she lashed both chains forward, wrapping them around the trunk of a tree.

Curiously, the dragonkin standing on a branch looked down in confusion, then nocked another arrow and shot.

A crack sounded below it. Followed by another, then another. Until the tree was groaning and crying, splinters of wood dropping into the freezing water.

Simultaneously invoking [Frostbite] and pulling, Ximena began to do to the tree what she did to the last beetle she killed with the chains.

Sensing something was wrong as the tree began to sway, the dragonkin jumped in the air just in time as one last tug from Ximena snapped the base of the tree, sending it crashing into the black water.

Yet, having taken too long to take flight, it hadn’t generated the proper force needed to carry its heavy body.

As the red dragonkin glided away, a branch smacked its tail, sending it plummeting toward the inky water; however, it never did get the chance to go under.

Before it could, one of the chains wrapped around its waist…

In the blink of an eye, Ximena recalled the chain.

The dragonkin was now right in front of her, struggling to free itself.

With pleading eyes, it looked at her as she drove her hand up and gripped its scaly neck, her fingers latching onto the scales.

At this harrowing sight, the other four fighters grew antsy and recklessly dove closer, increasing their attack frequency.

In response, Ximena let both of her chains dissipate, then reform and assist her sash in knocking away the arrows.

Ximena’s eyes narrowed as the beast began tearing at her crystal bracers, trying to get her to let go while closing its eyes.

“Why are you still alive?”

Tightening her grip, Ximena began to increase [Frostbite]’s pressure, yet it was of little effect.

The dragonkin weren’t exactly immune to her ability, but their scales provided a measure of protection.

However… there were no scales inside its body.

With her other hand, Ximena began pulling at its jaw.

Fervently, the scaly beast resisted. Resisted enough that it had given up attempting to break Ximena’s grip on its throat in favor of trying to hold its own mouth shut. But Ximena was simply too strong for a regular Dungeon Warrior.

She eventually succeeded.

A tiny gap formed.

As Ximena fought to keep this gap open, a tiny chain slithered out from her palm and entered its mouth.

The chain fought its tongue, then froze it and shattered it, sending the bits down its throat. The bits got stuck and would have resulted in choking to death. But choking was much too merciful for the mood she was in.

So, the chain pushed deeper.

Shoving the tongue shards with it, [Crystal Chain] found its way to its stomach. She invoked [Frostbite] again, freezing and shattering the lining of its stomach.

As its stomach acid poured out into the rest of its body — especially corrosive due to its species — Ximena let go and stepped back.

Coughing up blood, acid, and bits of its organs, the dragonkin fell to its knees, then blinked its eyes open. Its eyes which immediately froze.

In its suffering, the Ice Princess found a small shard of solace.