Sinner System-Chapter 556: Final Dungeon - Final Floor (Part 10)

"Good work, guys. Looks like I need to resummon some of you, so-...," I began, as I approached the Apostles.

"<No, I don’t think you should waste your Mana. As much as I hate to admit it, Luxuria, Invidia and I aren’t going to be much help against the Demon Lord. All three of us together struggled to take down a single Archdemon, after all>," Responded Superbia prudently.

"I mean, I’ve got plenty to spare, this won’t put much of a dent in it. Plus, if I end up being the one who has to fight the Demon Lord, I’ll want all seven of you alongside me, and naturally, at your best," I replied, after taking a moment to mull it over.

"Hey, um, maybe I’m just being paranoid, but...what if there’s an unexpected trap or something up ahead? This Final Dungeon has been nothing like any Dungeon we’ve been in before, so, like, what if there’s another unexpected surprise laying in wait for us?" Chimed in Cleo warily.

"That’s not a bad point, actually. It’s certainly a valid concern, we can’t afford to be careless. We shouldn’t just assume that this floor plays by the same rules as the previous floors. The first ring of pillars caught us off-guard, and we were caught off-guard again in the second floor, when we found out that keeping our distance isn’t enough to avoid the roulette," Nodded Aria thoughtfully.

"So, then, what’s the plan? Anyone got any ideas?" Chimed in Jaden.

"<Hey, I know! Boss, let me go on ahead, I’ll use my Stealth to get a look and then report back. That info should be useful, it could help with better planning the next move>," Suggested Invidia with a gleam in his eyes.

"That could work, I definitely don’t see any reason not to do it. The Apostles don’t trigger the roulette, so I don’t think there’s any risk," Spoke up Ciel in response.

"It’s more or less what we were doing in the floors before you added Avaritia to the Apostles, except now we know exactly which direction to go, and we’re pretty close too. So, it shouldn’t delay us more than a couple of minutes or so," Pointed out Aria objectively.

"Alright, then. Avaritia, exactly how much further is it before we reach the Demon Lord?" I asked her.

"<We’re quite close, Master, not much farther at all>."

"In that case, I’ll be counting on you, Invidia, go scout out the situation ahead of us," I prompted him with a nod.

"<Got it, you can count on me. I’ll be back soon, Boss>!" He replied with a thumbs up, before turning invisible as he began to head forward.

"Okay, in the meantime...let’s take one final break. This is it, guys, the final battle of this war. Let’s make sure we’re mentally prepared and ready for it," I remarked, as I took a seat on the floor.

"Sounds good, this’ll probably be the toughest battle of our lives," Nodded Jaden, following suit, as did the others.

"Yeah, it definitely won’t be easy. But we’ve come this far, so let’s see it through," Responded Aria, a determined look on her face.

"Agreed. I know I’m not powerful enough to defeat the Demon Lord if I have to fight him alone...but if nothing else, I want to blast the shit out of him," Declared Ciel, a dark gleam in her eyes.

"Me too...by the time it’s over, I want him to deeply regret starting this war, before he dies," Added Cleo with a grimace, clenching her fists.

"Definitely agree with that. I just wish I was strong enough to make a real difference," Petrus sighed wistfully.

"Same. It’s too bad I can’t heal you guys once you’re inside the ring of pillars," Nodded Brid, a frustrated look on his face.

"I can relate, my Enchantment Magic is of no use during battle in this Dungeon. At the very least, I’ll try casting my most powerful Enchantments on you guys before the roulette begins," Chimed in Jax.

Hm...it’s risky, since if he doesn’t cast fast enough, he could end up getting dragged into the roulette, or into the shadows before he finishes casting.

But we’re way past the point of playing it safe.

His strongest Enchantments cost a fair bit of Mana to cast, especially if he casts them on all of us, but-...

<Invidia has returned>

Oh? That was fast.

"<Emerge, Apostle of Envy: Invidia>," I chanted, getting back onto my feet as he appeared before me.

"<Hey, Boss. Think it might be good news...there’s no ring of pillars ahead. The Demon Lord is right by the wall, seated on a throne. I didn’t see anyone else around, but the Demon Lord noticed and blasted me before I could really take a good look around the entire space, so yeah>."

"Wait, there’s no ring of pillars? Does that mean we don’t have to fight him one on one?" Responded Jaden, his eyes widening with a glimmer.

"<I mean, I can’t say for sure either way>," Shrugged Invidia uncertainly.

"If it really is the case that we can all fight him at the same time, that’s a definite gamechanger," Remarked Aria, looking cautiously optimistic.

"Yeah, looks like we’ll have to rethink and discuss our strategy, while still staying on-guard for the possibility that we will have to fight him one at a time, after all, as we’d assumed," I nodded in response.

"There’s also that Archdemon, Spektar, to consider. Given that we know absolutely nothing about him, we can’t afford to overlook him," Added Ciel warily.

"Agreed, we need to be as thorough as possible with our planning. With room for flexibility, of course, since things rarely ever go perfectly according to plan. But, at the very least, we should consider the possibilities and be prepared to react accordingly," Surmised Jaden prudently.

"Alright, then, let’s take our time, really think things through...and then end this, once and for all," I declared, as I glanced around at the others...