A voice came from behind Eren, making him feel a sudden chill down his back.
He spun around, his sword ready to strike, only to find himself facing a figure that seemed to have materialized out of thin air.
It was a woman, her eyes filled with a sense of amusement. She wore the robes of a sorceress with a lightning pattern that appeared to be alive, swirling like a stormy night.
“It’a a sharp sword. You should be careful, or it might hurt someone,” the woman said as Eren’s sword was stopped by an invisible force before it could touch the woman.
Even though he wasn’t using the Holy Sword or the Sword of Radiance, it was still surprising that his sword was stopped with such ease.
“Who are you?” Eren asked, not lowering his weapon.
The woman smirked, her gaze flickering between Eren and the immobilized Sea Dragon Empress.
“Is that what you should ask a person after entering their home?” The woman asked in return. “But I must say, you are quite an interesting pair.”
Hearing her words, Eren was taken aback for a moment. Then, he frowned slightly. How could this woman be the other of this place? Was she the final boss of this dungeon? But why was she here in the first place?
If it was a final boss, it should’ve been at the end of the dungeon. Her appearance here was no different than the final boss of a world appearing in the beginner village where weaker monsters were supposed to reside.
‘If she is the owner of this place, she will not be affected by the suppression of this place. Can I kill her without revealing myself?’ Eren thought, observing the Sea Dragon Empress momentarily.
“With her, I can at least feel the familiar scent of the Dragons. But you…” The mysterious woman also observed Eren with great interest. Even she couldn’t decipher just what kind of scent he had.
It felt similar to a dragon’s scent but it was also very different at the core. It was as if this was a corrupted scent, made by many forces.
She grew even more amused as she felt Eren’s killing intent which was directed at her.
“Do you want to kill me? Aren’t you a little too young to have such dreams?” she asked Eren, who felt conflicted. In the end, it was better to reveal himself than to die here.
“Hmm?” The woman was still observing Eren when she felt a cracking sound. Her brows furrowed, noticing a small crack in her shield.
Even under the suppression of the maze, the young man had managed to leave a crack on her shield? It spiked her interest in the young man even more.
“It is surprising, but if that’s all you can do, it’s far from enough,” she said as the crack on her shield healed instantaneously. “Why do I feel like you are still holding back a lot?”
The Minotaur, still holding the Sea Dragon Empress, as if it was awaiting the command of the woman.
The sorceress waved a hand dismissively, and the creature obediently released its grip, allowing the Empress to land on the ground.
The Sea Dragon Empress coughed repeatedly, her chest heaving up and down.
The Minotaur then stepped back, standing quietly at the side.
“Why did you help her?” Eren asked, suspicious of the woman’s intentions.
“Help?” The sorceress laughed lightly. “Think of it as leveling the playing field. It looked like you were holding back because you were worried about her safety. So you don’t need to hold back. I hope you can entertain me.”
“It has been a long time since I had a little fun. The last person who came here was a little brat who didn’t even offer me any entertainment, dying like an ant.”
The woman raised her hand. A hole appeared in the wall, the laws of the space shifting. From the hole, multiple bodies fell out lifelessly.
The people were wearing the attire of the Holy Church. Amongst the bodies, Eren even found the corpse of a Cardinal.
It was the team that had entered the dungeon for exploration. He had thought that they were most probably lost in the maze. He didn’t think that they were already killed.
Even if a Cardinal wasn’t at the top of the food chain, it was still not someone that could be killed with such ease.
Eren finally understood why the woman had the Sea Dragon Empress freed. She thought that he was holding back because he was worried about her safety.
Eren didn’t know if he should laugh or cry at her assumption that couldn’t be far from truth. The only reason he didn’t use his true strength was because he still had used of the Sea Dragon Empress for the future.
He couldn’t reveal his real identity as the enemy she hated with all her heard. If that happened, she might attack him at the same time as this woman.
“If you are so interested in fighting strong people, then why don’t you just leave this place?” Eren told the woman. “I can guide you to some really strong people that will give you more than just entertainment.”
As long as she was willing to fight, he could easily guide them to the Overlords. No matter who won, it was not a loss for him.
The woman only smiled in response. She raised her hand, making the ground tremble. A wall came out of the ground, separating the Sea Dragon Empress from them.
“If you can make me bleed, your friend would still be alive when the wall goes down. And if you can’t, you might find nothing more than a corpse.”
She completely ignored Eren’s suggestion, still focusing on him only. Even if he told her that he could guide her to stronger people, she didn’t seen to care.
Eren could only be disappointed at her response. As she was so eager to fight, he couldn’t avoid a battle. But before that, he decided to check her stats one last time.
“Identification.”
