SSS-Rank Overlord: Defend the Dungeon or Die-Chapter 176: Episode

The capital, Baltricia, was burning. As the Kantaim Kingdom army pushed toward the royal castle, the remaining soldiers lost their will to fight, their purpose forgotten. This was the city his father, Condrick Balconis, had protected for so long. It was the city of his birth, the place where he had grown up, and he knew how precious it was.

’‘One day, Rinal, when you inherit the throne, you will sit here and watch over all your people.’’

’‘His Highness is so brilliant, he will surely become a righteous king who cares for his people.’’

’‘You’ve returned from your magic training with Sir Hendrik. You’ve worked hard, Your Highness.’’

Countless memories filled the halls of the royal castle. Whenever he stood beside his father, looking down upon the city, he had felt the immense power of the Agnis Kingdom. He was the prince of this kingdom. One day, he would have to follow in his father’s footsteps and lead it. The responsibility was a heavy weight on his shoulders, but his faithful retainers had always been there to support him.

That was why he hadn’t been too worried when his father led the army into an all-out war with the Kantaim Kingdom. The king always had trustworthy men by his side. He had been certain they would return victorious.

But the army that returned numbered a mere twenty thousand. The formidable generals were mostly dead, and his father had been captured by the enemy.

’‘An army of one hundred thousand is heading for the capital?!’’

’‘We can’t let our family fall! Let’s hurry back to our domain. This place is finished!’’

’‘It seems this is the end for the once-mighty Agnis Kingdom. His Highness remains, but he is still too young.’’

The nobles who had once loudly pledged their loyalty had fled to their own territories, leaving only twenty thousand soldiers behind. Fortunately, Kubic and Deis had arrived with ten thousand reinforcements, but they were still at a crippling disadvantage. He, the prince, had no choice but to lead the defense of the capital himself.

Prince, the sole heir of the Balconis family, protector of Baltricia, the heart of Agnis—he shouldered every burden, trying to hide his fear. But as the Kantaim army drew closer, the pressure became unbearable. Even with two loyal retainers at his side, his anxiety only deepened.

Then, Hendrik Proiss arrived from the Agnis Magic Tower, and his anxiety slowly turned to relief. Hendrik had been his magic tutor, a master who held a special place in his heart. He believed Hendrik could save them. But that was just him relying on another, a testament to his own weakness.

’‘Hendrik, you see that and still tell me to do nothing? I can’t bear it. I will rescue Father from those vicious bastards!’’

’‘Why... why did one of our own archers shoot Father?!’’

’‘What gives you the nerve to come back? Hendrik, get out. I don’t even want to look at you!’’

Hendrik had clearly been trying to protect the kingdom, but Rinal had responded with nothing but childish tantrums. He had only wanted Hendrik to cooperate with the others, to be honest with him, but he had resented him for choosing a different path. Now his father was dead, and the enemy was inside the city. As despair consumed him, he realized he had no one left to lean on.

"W-What happened?!" Kubic’s voice cut through his thoughts.

"Take a look over there," Hendrik said.

"Gasp! A-A Dark Soldier? How dare you!"

The very room where he had made his fondest memories with his father had been breached. Kubic was fighting the intruder, but Rinal could see no hope. The city was in flames, the enemy was inside the castle. The fall of Baltricia was only a matter of time.

"I-I couldn’t protect it," he whispered. "The capital my father protected... I’m the only one left, and I’m letting it fall!"

"Your Highness! You must come to your senses!" Deis urged.

"Aah... I’m not qualified to be a prince. Brilliant? Talented? What a joke. I can’t even protect a single city!"

Guilt and regret washed over him. If only he had thought more carefully, if only he had listened to his retainers, it wouldn’t have come to this. Rinal collapsed to the floor, utterly defeated.

Just then, Hendrik, who had been standing silently, let out a deep sigh.

"Haaah. What a damn mess he made. No wonder his relationships are a disaster."

"...Hendrik?" Rinal looked up, confused.

"Ah, Your Highness, please keep your head down. We can’t let the enemy see your face," Hendrik said, his voice suddenly sharp and commanding. "Deis, protect His Highness. Do whatever it takes."

He exuded a completely different aura as he turned his back. Deis, stunned, could only nod dumbly, while Rinal simply blinked, bewildered by the sudden change.

---

[Connecting to Hendrik Proiss, the Great Mage of the Agnis Kingdom.]

[Synchronizing with Hendrik Proiss’s information.]

[General memories are being synchronized.]

Taehyun found himself inhabiting the body of the character he had been watching on the screen. Hendrik Proiss. The only Great Mage of the Agnis Kingdom and Rinal’s former tutor. According to the memories flowing into him, he had come to the castle from the Agnis Magic Tower after hearing news of the Kantaim army.

’I’ll figure out the overall situation later,’ Taehyun thought, his mind racing. ’Right now, I have to deal with that thing.’

He had been swapped into the mission in place of Seonghwi, but his first priority was the Dark Soldier at the door.

[Dark Soldier Playana]

Playana, leader of the Dark Soldiers. Heires must have received the second mission objective as well. She had likely sent this one to infiltrate the castle and gather intel on the key figures. If it saw Rinal’s face, they were finished.

Taehyun immediately cast Wall of Earth to shield Rinal and Deis.

[Wall of Earth has been cast.]

[A wall of earth imbued with mana will be generated for a set duration.]

A solid wall of earth erupted from the floor in front of them. It had its own mana durability; the Dark Soldier wouldn’t be breaking through it easily. With the prince secured, Taehyun strode into the fierce battle between Kubic and Playana.

"What is the meaning of this, Hendrik!" Kubic yelled, startled by his sudden appearance.

"...Mage," Playana grunted.

"I thought we needed to get out of this room," Taehyun said calmly. "And Kubic, aren’t you on my side? Why are you glaring at me? You should be protecting His Highness. Get a grip!"

The Great Mage of Agnis shouted with an authority that stunned Kubic. The kingdom’s greatest knight, flustered for a moment, quickly regained his composure. He was right. His duty was to protect the prince. He readjusted his grip on his sword, his eyes fixed on Playana.

"For a mage, you’re making sense," Kubic conceded. "I’ll cooperate for now, but don’t get the wrong idea. Everything I do is for His Highness."

"Isn’t that true for both of us?" Taehyun countered. "Now, let’s drive this thing out of here!"

"Just don’t get in my way. Hmph!"

Kubic surged forward. As befitted the kingdom’s finest knight, he unleashed a dazzling flurry of sword strikes, pressing Playana back. Meanwhile, Taehyun quickly reviewed Hendrik’s skills and began to draw upon the mana in his new body.

’A Great Mage wouldn’t only have these skills. The ones in the information window are just a fraction of his true power. I learned that much from Raimond.’

The dark mage Raimond had only been able to use a portion of his skills when he crossed over as a mercenary. But this mission took place in Hendrik’s original dimension. That meant he should be able to use all of his innate abilities, not just the ones listed by the System.

[Flame Lance has been cast.]

[Ice Lance has been cast.] 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

A spear of fire materialized in his right hand, one of ice in his left. These skills were nowhere to be found in the information window.

’That idiot Seonghwi didn’t even bother to check for this. That was his mistake.’

The mana flowing through him felt familiar, awakening memories of skills long unused. With practiced ease, Taehyun began to support Kubic.

[Flame Lance has hit Playana’s left leg.]

[Kubic Alons has deflected Playana’s attack with the flat of his sword.]

[A binding spell has hit Playana.]

[Kubic Alons’s sword has slashed Playana’s torso.]

Under their coordinated assault, Playana’s injuries began to mount. Kubic drove it back into the hallway and lowered his stance.

’A deep thrust!’

It was a powerful two-handed lunge. Seeing his opening, Taehyun immediately cast Frozen Circle to block any potential counterattack.

The floor around the Dark Soldier instantly froze over. Kubic seized the opportunity and thrust his sword deep into its chest. But at that moment, Playana unleashed a wave of dark mana, shattering the ice and propelling itself backward.

"...Escape."

Without a second glance, it turned and fled down the corridor. Kubic started to give chase, but Taehyun stopped him.

"The enemy likely sent it to scout. His Highness’s safety is our priority. Think carefully."

"Ugh... I know that much," Kubic grumbled. "Don’t give me orders."

"Hah. Does it look like I’m giving you orders? I’m simply making a request, for the prince’s sake."

"You have a way with words," Kubic admitted, then looked around. "By the way..."

He scanned the hallway. The knights who had been stationed on the top floor were all dead, slain by that single Dark Soldier. The occasional bodies of maids suggested it had fought its way up from the lower levels. Taehyun examined the corpses, grinding his teeth in frustration.

"They believed in His Highness and followed him until the very end. Dammit!"

Kubic fell silent, his gaze heavy.

"We must protect the prince, no matter what. With so many dedicating their lives to him, we cannot let their sacrifices be in vain."

"...I know that much," Kubic said, his voice low.

An unspoken understanding passed between them. Together, they returned to the room.

---

[The Resistance Faction has used Member Swap.]

[Target is Resistance Faction Member Taehyun Yoo.]

[Seonghwi Hyun will be moved to the Colosseum arena.]

Seonghwi had finally used his Member Swap. He had revealed his trump card the moment the second objective began. His opponent was now the Dungeon Master of Balak, Taehyun Yoo—the very opponent Heires had been waiting for.

"So we finally face each other," she whispered, a rapturous expression on her face. "I’m so looking forward to this, Taehyun."

She blushed, her body trembling with excitement at the mere thought of fighting him, even if it was only through a mission.

Just then, Playana, the scout she had sent to the royal castle, returned. It began healing its wounds with dark mana as it delivered its report.

"...Prince, unconfirmed. Confirmable targets: knight and mage."

"Oh my. You already fought Hendrik? The knight must have been that Kubic fellow, the kingdom’s greatest. A shame you couldn’t confirm the prince and the others."

"...Um."

"Look at you. Even for a low-level ego, this is just pathetic. Return to your post for now."

The Dark Soldiers were little more than corpses animated by dark mana, following orders through a fabricated consciousness. They lacked any real judgment. Heires watched Playana shamble away before turning her attention back to the mission.

[Kill the Prince]

[The only remaining heir of the Balconis royal family is now Rinal Balconis. If Rinal escapes the capital and allies with the nobles, it would be the same as creating a new enemy. End the royal bloodline with the prince.]

’So, I’ll have to invade the royal castle myself.’

The Kantaim army was still bogged down in the middle of the city. Her attempt to identify Rinal in advance had failed. That meant she would have to lead her troops and storm the castle personally. Heires looked at the Agnis forces blocking her path and smiled.

"I wonder what choice you’ll make, Taehyun."

---