My Dungeon Life: Rise of the Slave Harem

Chapter 1517

As the two women battled, Lydia’s spear meeting First’s blade, there was also fighting going on all around them.

“Terra, you’re in the way again!” Bernice snapped, trying to get a shot.

“I was going to get that one!” Shao complained as her strike missed thanks to a fly-by spell pushing the enemy away.

Elaya shrugged dismissively.

As the battle continued, more and more mishaps occurred. First put on a mocking smile as she glanced at Lyda.

“You truly call this a harem? Look at them bicker. They’re about to fall apart.” She chuckled.

Lydia’s brow furrowed, but rather than respond, she shouted. “Terra!”

“Ah! Lydia?”

“I know you’re large now, but shoving through a crowd like a bull was never your strength!” Lydia declared. “You need to do what you do best. You need to protect everyone. You have dominion over the ground. Control the earth, and turn it to our advantage. Defend everyone!”

“Y-yes!”

“Celeste… I know you’re fast, but you can’t be everywhere at once. Rather than trying to suppress the entire field, concentrate on a few people.”

“Okay!” Celeste replied.

“Shao, every hit doesn’t need to be fatal. Stop trying to get a perfect assassination. Instead, try to weaken your enemies and make them susceptible. Work with the others to weaken them down and hit them when they least suspect it.”

“I will!”

“Miki, you should be in the front lines. Get behind Terra and make it easier for her to redirect traffic. Astria, take advantage of this grouping.”

“Yes.”

“Bernice, you need to support Faeyna. She’s not used to battle, so you need to keep them from taking advantage of her inexperience.”

“Right.”

“Elaya, focus on weakening the enemy. Any distraction or damage you can do won’t matter if there they are strong enough to withstand it. Whittle them down, just like we do in a dungeon!”

“I-if you insist.”

In moments, Lydia shouted out orders to every girl, and the entire atmosphere of the fight seemed to shift. Terra created walls, segregating off groups of girls and forcing them to line up on her. Astria began to bombard them, her spells that had once spread out over the entire battlefield were now concentrated on a space a tenth the original size. At the same time, Miki’s death aura struck them, making it difficult for them to block those spells.

Faeyna began to attack more freely with her broom. Any time an enemy tried to get around her, Bernice would send them back with a bullet or two. Shao’s attacks always came right after a friend, causing the enemy to unbalance and get even more damage. The battle that had been equal had suddenly shifted into a one-sided slaughter, and the reason for it was none other than Lydia. She had seemingly changed the course of the battle.

This wasn’t because she was a great leader or some skilled strategician. It merely came from her intimate understanding of every woman present. She knew their strengths and their weaknesses, and she was able to call out the best in them all. While this was happening, she was still fervently fighting First, who grew increasingly frustrated as she saw her girls being pushed back more and more. Some of them started to retreat or fall.

“Third, help Forth!” She tried to call out. “Flyers, go after those damn fairies!”

Even though she was barking out orders too, her people continued to fight in a disordered fashion that seemed to become more disorderly the more they were pushed back. They seemed to ignore her completely.

“They’re not listening to you anymore,” Lydia observed calmly.

“What do you know of it?” First spat.

“When people grow panic and afraid, when they are overwhelmed, it takes respect, trust, and love to listen. The girls listened to me because it isn’t just Master they love. They love each other too. That’s why they bicker because deep down, we’re family!”

Chapter 1518

First took a hit, forcing her to flip back. When she hit the ground, she saw several of the other girls on her side were similarly being defeated. A look of rage crossed her face and she jumped back to her feet.

“Family?” She sneered. “What family?”

With a roar, First’s body started to revert into her beast form. She dropped her weapon and then lunged out, attacking Lydia in full force using her claws instead of her sword.

“Do you think that will change the outcome of this fight?” Lydia asked as she blocked the other woman’s rapid strikes by spinning her spear.

“You think you’ll win this?” First snarled. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through, what I’ve had to give up? I’ve done everything for my lord, and in return, I will be his side forever!”

“As one of those?” Lydia cocked her eye at the puppet-like women still standing behind a frowning Lord Roth.

“What do you know of it?” She snapped back her claws moving faster and faster. “You’re just a dumb prostitute who never grasped her proper place.”

“I know my place.” She responded calmly. “My place is wherever Master is. As long as I’m by Master’s side, I am happy. That’s why I work so hard. That’s why I fight so hard. It’s all so that I can continue to be with Master, so I’m worthy of being with Master. He makes me want to be a better person.”

“That’s nonsense!” She growled. “You just want something from him! Admit it!”

Her attacks were growing more and more frantic, and each strike caused blood to run from her fingertips. Her body was covered in sweat, and the fury inside her seemed to be growing more and more, but the more aggressive she became, the calmer Lydia became.

“I admit it…” Lydia smiled, and then her spear glowed as she activated a skill.

There was a strike of lightning as her spear struck out, but she hit with the back of the spear instead of the front. First could only look on in horror as her body flew back, slamming into the ground a hundred meters away. She immediately tried to get up, but her body didn’t respond to her. She collapsed back down as the beast form dissipated. Lydia pulled back her spear and began walking toward First. She didn’t have the same predatory movements as the other woman, but a gentle smile on her face and a calm, confident stride.

“St-stay away!” First screamed, trying desperately to back away, but Lydia only grew closer and closer. “Who-who are you?”

“I want everything from Master, and I will give everything to Master. It’s because I love him, and only him and no one else in this world will ever do. He gives me all of my strength, and he asks for little in return. I honestly wish Master would ask for more, but I came to realize something. Master only asks for what I can give, so if I want Master to depend on me, then I must be able to handle it. I am Master’s. Nothing less, nothing more.”

“I-I can’t lose!” First cried out. “My lord… he’s watching.”

“Do you know what would happen if I lost?” Lydia asked. “Master would hold me, and comfort me, and love me. His love for me isn’t contingent on anything. Wouldn’t you also rather have unconditional love? You keep asking if you’re worth King Roth’s time. Did you ever wonder if he’s worth yours?”

“Y-you…”

Lydia stopped over First, putting her spear against the woman and pushing her to the ground.

“I won, but that doesn’t mean it’s over.” Lydia held out her hand. “You don’t have to be the best there is, just the best you that you can be.”

First hesitated for a second, confusion painted on her face. Then, her hand slowly started to reach out toward Lydia.

“Lydia!” I shouted as King Roth suddenly moved, appearing right behind her.

His blade slammed into Lydia’s back and erupted out the front, impaling her.

Chapter 1519

“Lydia!”

“No!”

First watched with wide eyes as the surprised Lydia was lifted into the air with the blade still in her, and then with a roar, she was thrown away like discarded trash. A trail of blood came behind her body as she was tossed across the battlefield, landing about where they started their fight. She rolled several times before coming to a stop. He had her spear in one hand, and the blade in the other. Casually, he lifted the spear and then broke it in two before tossing it aside.

“Get up!” King Roth roared at First.

She got up to her feet as quickly as she could, stumbling slightly in the process. King Roth didn’t offer her a hand, instead, looking over the battlefield with scorn. Over half of the remaining woman had fallen. The remaining few were beaten and tired, and they had already been pushed back nearly to the point that King Roth was standing.

“M-My lord…” First spoke, blood leaking out of her lips.

“Go finish off that tigress. She can never be in my harem. Even if she’s not tigerkin, she could birth a tigerkin, and I won’t risk it.”

“M-Master… but she’s… been defeated.” First’s words slipped a bit as she realized that it hadn’t been her who had defeated the tigress, but the other way around.

A backhand slapped her across the face, and she collapsed back to the ground. “Stupid wench! Who do you think you are to disobey my order! You should be glad I even gave you a chance after such a pathetic display!”

As he cursed her out, he kicked First several more times. She let out cries, trying to cover herself. The other lionesses looked back worriedly, and in their distraction were pushed back any more. It turned out that while most of the other women hated First, the other lionesses respected and loved her as their queen. That didn’t help them at that moment.

“Leave her alone!” I cried out.

I had been crawling across the ground to Lydia. I was almost to her, but I had frozen when I had seen what he was doing to First. It seemed overly cruel, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. King Roth finally stopped kicking her, turning to me with a hateful look on his face. First looked my way too with her dirty, bruised face, her eyes filled with tears.

“If you want it done, it’s best to do it yourself!” King Roth snarled, gripping his blade menacingly. “I have seen my death, Deek Deekson, and it won’t be at your hands! You are nothing to me! Look at you lying there on the ground so miserable. Your harem is supposed to be your strength, yet it seems like they’ve only become your weakness. You’ve given them everything, and still, you will die here. That’s laughable.”

“You only use them as tools! You’re unfit to be a harem master!” I snapped back angrily as I reached Lydia’s side.

I grabbed her head and using the little bit of mana I had, I tried to heal her. It nearly caused me to fall unconscious, but her eyes began to flutter open.

“Hehehehe…” King Roth laughed. “Let’s see how high and mighty you are when I taste all of your women in front of you! Harem, attack!”

He threw his arm forward, and suddenly the door burst with hundreds of women. He had finally sent the horde out. As they started to flood past First, her eyes finally looked away, a bit of sadness on them.