Leaving the fifth basement floor behind, we finally reached our destination: B6F, the final level of the dungeon. The aesthetic seemed to have been carried over from the floor above, as the space resembled a grand audience chamber.
Because it took the form of an ancient castle, the ceiling had long since collapsed, allowing the moon's radiance to pour inside and provide a modest amount of light.
While the previous golems had remained invisible until Roze-san called them forth, the guardians of this floor were present from the moment we arrived.
At the far end of my gaze, a jet-black king sat upon a massive throne. Clad in ominous, pitch-black full-plate armor, he sat before a colossal sword—at least five meters long—thrust into the ground behind his seat. With the moonlight streaming in from behind, the greatsword looked like a black crucifix.
Standing quietly before the king was a silver golem. It resembled a mannequin, though it was dressed in a prim maid outfit.
"So those are Kuro’s and Ein-san’s..."
"Yep," Roze-san replied. "That’s the Silver Servant El Criestel and the Black Emperor Class of the End. These golems are unique; the mechanism is designed so that no attack can even touch the Black Emperor Class of the End until the Silver Servant El Criestel is defeated."
"I see. So while managing a two-on-one fight, you have to prioritize taking down the Silver Servant El Criestel first..."
They certainly looked formidable. Having Kuro's golem remain in an invincible state until Ein-san’s golem was dealt with would be a massive headache.
However, anyone who managed to reach this depth would have already bested Sneering Moonlight Luminax. That meant they had already overcome a simultaneous battle against four Six Kings Golems.
"...Does this fight have some other trick up its sleeve as well?"
"You bet! Once the Silver Servant El Criestel is defeated, the Black Emperor Class of the End transitions into its Final Form."
I knew it. Honestly, Sneering Moonlight Luminax had felt like it might be the stronger opponent at first glance, so I figured there had to be more to this. As I suspected, there was one more level to climb...
"Since we’re here, I’ll give Kaito-kun a special demonstration. Black Emperor Class of the End, transition to Final Form."
The moment Roze-san spoke the command, the Silver Servant El Criestel shattered into glowing particles, which were promptly sucked into the massive sword behind the throne.
A silver light ignited within the blade. Then, five more lights poured down from above: red, brown, green, white, and purple. They likely corresponded to the Six Kings Golems we had encountered on the way down.
As the lights merged into the greatsword, the Black Emperor Class of the End gripped the hilt and drew the weapon. In that instant, a violent tremor shook the earth, and the ancient castle literally shattered into pieces.
We were enveloped in a dazzling light. When it finally cleared, we were high in the sky. Debris from the castle floated all around us, and we were standing atop the drifting wreckage.
Floating before us, with the moon at its back, was the Black Emperor Class of the End. Its armor had shattered and vanished, and its physique had shrunk slightly, but its presence was on a completely different scale. It felt... comparable to the real Six Kings.
Though its face was a featureless black void, its dark magic power had manifested in the shape of a long coat. In silhouette, it looked remarkably like Kuro carrying a greatsword.
"This... this is an incredible pressure."
"It’s amazing, isn't it? The Final Form of the Black Emperor Class of the End can only be triggered when every other golem has been destroyed. In this ultimate state, having absorbed the power of all the golems, the Black Emperor Class of the End possesses enough combat power to actually trade blows with the real Six Kings!"
"In other words, it’s a fusion of all seven golems."
"Exactly. However, the Black Emperor Class of the End's Final Form can only function within this dungeon. Outside, even with the most advanced pseudo-barriers, its power is simply too intense and would shatter the environment. It’s impossible to use this form anywhere else."
No matter how much preparation was made, it couldn't be deployed on the surface, but within these walls, it was truly the ultimate boss. I felt that anyone capable of defeating this entity would truly deserve to be recognized as a new king.
In fact, it seemed highly likely that clearing this dungeon served as a certification for becoming the Seventh King. In that sense, this place was less of a simple attraction and more of a trial for kingship.
"Can you... change it back?"
"Sure, no problem. Black Emperor Class of the End, deactivate Final Form."
Following Roze-san's words, light enveloped us once more. The scenery shifted back to the throne room, and the Black Emperor Class of the End and the Silver Servant El Criestel were back in their original positions.
Good grief, this dungeon was truly absurd. Then again, the combat power of the entities on B5F and B6F was clearly abnormal. Since Kuro and Alice were the ones handling the updates, they had probably powered them up significantly compared to the original designs. Yeah... they clearly had no intention of letting anyone actually finish this thing.
Serious-senpai: "...Well, if the performance of the sword you get for defeating an opponent like that is that, I suppose I can see why the gods call it a toy."