by Park Saenal
Then was he shrinking back because of fear? This was hard to deny. It was a lie to say that he wasn’t afraid of the Demon King who had killed Seuron with one blow and lifted Weldon up with one hand. However, the basic character of a tanker was to ‘confront fear.’ If Weldon was a person who couldn’t confront fear, he wouldn’t have become a tanker. So, why couldn’t Weldon shake off the hand of the Demon King?
“Huung…”
It was because the fingers touching his forehead, cheeks, and neck conveyed a strange sensation to him. The sensation was close to pleasure, and Weldon didn’t want to miss this pleasure. He couldn’t escape from the hands of the Demon King. The rankers saw his heavy breathing and realized belatedly…
‘Is it bewitchment magic?’
‘An incubus type? He looked cool from the beginning.’
‘Shit, this is a headache.’
It was outside the field magic.
“Shit! Don’t be absent-minded and use your shields!” Goshar shouted to the magicians as he protected Weldon by covering him with earth. Then the confused people started to move in the same direction. The melee used their ranged skills on the Demon King, while the magicians overlapped several layers of shields on their allies being attacked by the field magic.
Still, it was too late. This was a storm created by the Grid who had eaten the candy. The rankers who entered the field for even a few seconds were already walking the path of death.
“This…!”
“What damage…!”
The number of gray pillars increased, and the magicians became impatient. They tried to find allies who were still alive, but their targets were burned to ashes every time. It was meaningless.
“Regas, stop.” Pon stopped Regas, who was about to fly into the Demon King’s field to rescue his allies, and looked at Jishuka. There was a huge firebird behind Jishuka.
“Fly Up!”
The red phoenix unleashed a rain of fire. The skill released from this myth rated Red Phoenix Bow was different from the skill of Grid’s reproduced legendary rated Red Phoenix Bow. It was much more powerful and had the ability to heal all allies within range.
“Wah!”
The players and spectators had already witnessed the scene where Jishuka’s red phoenix had killed the heavenly king and rescued her allies. They didn’t doubt that Jishuka’s red phoenix would save the players who were trapped in the evil Demon King’s field. Yet…
“Bah,” The Demon King scoffed and reached out toward the red phoenix. The huge red phoenix was sucked into the Demon King’s hand, disappearing without a trace. This was the Skill Deletion effect attached to Dark Bus’ Ring. Grid was prepared to bring out all his cards today. It wasn’t just for the compensation but for Yura as well.
‘You can’t go anywhere.’
The surprised players were frozen like stone statues after seeing the red phoenix disappear. Grid turned his gaze toward the camera, conveying his will to Yura who was watching the game.
***
『 No, what is this? Isn’t it a provocation? 』
『 It is obvious, no matter how I look at it. 』
The commentators were horrified when the camera zoomed in on the Demon King’s face. It was as if the Demon King was saying, ‘The heroes, whom you believe in and are cheering for, are just bugs to me.’
Grid would be sad if he knew this. Feeling conscious of Yura, he was displaying a smile that was as gentle as he could make possible, but the world thought of it as a rotten smile.
『 As soon as I spoke, the storm was lifted! 』
『 The power of the skill is strong, but the duration seems short. It should also have a long cooldown time. The players must aim for this time. 』
『 Players Regas and Pon are taking the lead! Ah! After Player Pon’s spear pierced the Demon King’s feet, Player Regas’ kick has raised his chin! What a pass! 』
『 Damian’s buff is concentrated on Chris and Jishuka! Player Chris’ sword tried to cut down the Demon King, but the Demon King avoided it! 』
『 The Demon King is very conscious of Chris’ attack. You can see that he is never getting hit. Ah! Even the Demon King can’t avoid Jishuka’s arrow! 』
『 Player Jishuka’s arrow pierced the Demon King’s chest, and he can’t swing his sword! 』
It was a really exquisite move. Jishuka was well aware of the fact that the Demon King had a higher defense and health than the four heavenly kings. Rather than attempting to hit a mortal wound, she attacked his right hand which held a weapon. It was to cause a physical constraint where he couldn’t use weapons. The Demon King tried to swap the weapon to his other hand.
『 Mei Xiao’s cloth is binding the Demon King’s left arm! 』
『 Katz’ bloody storm and Peak Sword are attacking the Demon King! 』
The 400-against-1 fight had started. The players, who had fought the four heavenly kings twice, joined forces to hit the Demon King thoroughly. The Demon King, who seemed like he would never collapse in his first appearance, was now being hit one-sidedly.
The players and spectators cheered. However, the Overgeared members knew the identity of the Demon King and got shivers.
‘It is a trap!’
There was a reason why the Demon King stood in place and maintained the disadvantageous fight. He would definitely be aiming for something but they realized it too late.
-Kuhahahaha! The sound of the Demon King’s laughter came from the other side. The players’ gazes naturally turned toward that direction. They were baffled. The thought that the Demon King who attacked them was just a clone and that the real Demon King was the one laughing filled the minds of the players.
Unfortunately, this was a false judgment. The laughter in the distance was just a trick that Grid set up with the Alarm spell.
“I will seal one eye.”
“…!?”
The players looked away from the direction of the laughter back to the Demon King. Then they saw it. The Demon King had escaped from the encirclement.
“Kneel Down.”
The skill was originally named 100,000 Army Blockade Sword. It dealt 20% damage to all visible enemies and had the ‘blockage’ effect for three seconds. Blocked targets couldn’t move, and their skills or magic would also be sealed off. The disadvantage was that it consumed fighting energy, but the Undefeated King’s swordsmanship exerted great power when facing a large number of people and it now neutralized all players. The melee fighters who were using skills and the magicians who were casting magic—they were forced to their knees simultaneously.
“…” The commentators, audience members, and viewers went silent. It was shocking to see hundreds of rankers kneeling before the Demon King.
“Kuek…! Kuoock…!”
The battlefield became calm like the previous fierce atmosphere was a lie. Some people couldn’t understand, some people trembled with fright, and some others were angry. Only one person…
“…” Only Sword Saint Kraugel was standing upright and watching the Demon King. Everyone’s gaze was on him. They wanted Kraugel to protect his colleagues from the Demon King. However, Kraugel didn’t meet their expectations. He just stood still.
“Let’s compete in the final showdown.”
This was the promise he had made with Grid last year. Kraugel didn’t want to ignore his promise with Grid, even if it led to defeat and criticism from the world.
‘We will fight one on one.’
Grid read the message in Kraugel’s eyes as he grabbed the neck of the Chinese representative Mei Xiao. His answer was, ‘Yes.’
Chapter 956
[The party member ‘Mei Xiao’ has died.]
“No!”
“Dammit!”
The players were either disgusted or furious as they witnessed Mei Xiao falling without being able to resist. It wasn’t because they made friends with Mei Xiao during the short period of the National Competition though. Rather, it was because Mei Xiao had the power to persistently bind t
he opponent. She was one of the powers necessary to defeat the Demon King.
This was why Grid had suppressed the players’ movements with 100,000 Army Blockade Sword and snatched Mei Xiao instead of harming as many players as possible. Grid had recognized Mei Xiao as a threatening opponent and hit her as soon as possible to increase his chances of winning.
‘I won’t fall until I am left alone with you.’
Grid looked through the gray pillar, which was created due to Mei Xiao’s death, and gazed at Kraugel who was standing far away. A great number of blasts was heard as he used Fly. Dozens of arrows, daggers, and spears flooded toward Grid. The fortunate thing was that in this urgent situation, there was no magic. None of the magicians aimed attack spells at Grid. It was thanks to the effect of Duke of Wisdom that was properly activated during the Demon King’s Appearance, giving the distorted perception that ‘using magic against the Demon King will be poisonous.’
Lantier’s Cloak reduced the damage done by physical attacks such as stabbing, cutting, and throwing attacks by 20%, and it also had a 10% chance of blocking attacks. The Demon King version came in the form of wings that wrapped around Grid to minimize the damage.
[You have suffered 5,900 damage.]
[You have suffered 7,990…]
[The attack has been blocked!]
[The attack has been blocked!]
[You have suffered 7,540 damage.]
[You have suffered 4,620…]
Grid was able to withstand the intense bombardment of the players who were classified as ‘world-class.’ The time that the four heavenly kings endured had been one hour and 38 minutes. For the current Grid whose total health exceeded 1.9 million, his high defense became a more powerful weapon than usual.
‘I’m really going crazy!’
‘He doesn’t have any heals, right? If he can heal himself, this fight will last for more than half a day.’
The players tried not to show it, but they were greatly agitated. Their skills were either blocked or dealt less than 10,000 damage. It was absurd. They used basic skills with a short activation time to track down the Demon King trying to escape. Even so, the monster didn’t receive more than 100,000 damage…? Considering the fact that most players participating in the Demon King subjugation were using high strength unique weapons or legendary weapons, the Demon King’s defense was too high.
“Shit. What the hell? Is he covered in myth-rated things?”
“His stats are too high.”
“Get out of the way!”
The players’ momentum was dying down due to the high defense and fraudulent characteristics of the Demon King. At this moment, a white horse leaped across the rocks toward the Demon King in the sky. One of the 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom was sitting on the white horse. He had curly hair, a neatly arranged beard, and eyes deeply set in bronze skin. It was the emergence of Pon, who had been popular for a few years with his typical South European good looks.
“I will go with full force, so be careful.”
The Overgeared members were aware of the identity of the Demon King, and Pon was the same. However, Pon didn’t hesitate at all. Grid had become the Demon King behind his colleagues back and instantly turned into an enemy. This was the National Competition. There was no need to discuss friendship on a stage where those participating dreamed of honor and rewards.
“Rail Spear!” Pon gripped the spear tightly, and it became a white line.
He wasn’t the slightest bit shaken. The perfect white light stretched out beautifully and created a white boundary in the sky. It was like a comet penetrating through the universe that was Demon King Grid.
[You have suffered 41,300 damage!]
“Kuek…!”
The greatest advantage of Rail Spear was the damage achieved through its speed and the certain amount of defense that it ignored. Grid couldn’t avoid it and felt a splitting pain in his back. The white horse staggered as it fell to the ground, and Pon grinned at the Demon King.
“Does it hurt? It is a spear made by our leader.” Pon touched a black spear made from Belial’s remains.
His words told of how proud he was. The Overgeared members, including himself and Jishuka, were able to become strong like this because of Grid. Grid laughed.
‘I was able to make such items because of all of you.’ He couldn’t say these words because he was currently the Demon King.
Grid avoided some of the wyvern’s breaths pouring from above and turned like a spinning top. He aimed his weapon at the eight players who took the lead to jump off the ground after Pon.
“Tear Apart.” (Link)
“…!”
Pon’s Rail Spear only created one straight line while Grid’s Link drew 30 lines. The attack power was low compared to Pon’s Rail Spear, and there wasn’t the ‘certain to hit the target’ effect. The advantage was that it was difficult to avoid, and it became more powerful as the energy blades overlapped. By default, Grid’s stats and items significantly exceeded Pon’s.
“Cough!”
“Cough…!”
The eight players had believed they could do it after seeing Pon’s great leap against the Demon King. Nonetheless, they were hit by the Demon King’s great blow and turned to gray. A large amount of blood spilled out as they died and froze on the ground. The commentators were in a stupor.
『 The players couldn’t respond to the Demon King’s attack just now? 』
『 No. The assassins reacted and tried to avoid it, but they failed. They don’t have any flying ability, and it is difficult for them to operate in the air. 』
『 A perfect tanking power and even higher attack power… I don’t know who can knock him down. I’m not a player, but my headache is getting worse. 』
『 The best way was for Player Jishuka and Player Mei Xiao to neutralize him. This is much more difficult now that Mei Xiao is dead. 』
『 Um…? No, this…? 』
『… 』
The commentators of each country fell silent at almost the same time. It was because while analyzing the Demon King, one person came to mind. He was durable, strong, could fly, and had field magic.
‘…Grid?’
Yes, the Demon King resembled Grid. However, the commentators didn’t let the name Grid emerge from their mouths. It was because the Demon King didn’t have golden hands that moved on their own. Moreover, the Demon King seemed much stronger than Grid. If they mentioned Grid, the absurd formula of Grid > Demon King > fighting 400 players would be made. Thus, they thought it was better to refrain from saying anything.
Meanwhile, some spectators and viewers were rioting. Most of them were Chinese.
“Kraugel, what the hell are you doing? Why are you only watching?”
“Kraugel killed Mei Xiao! Kraugel dropped the Chinese star!”
“Is he waiting to come out until his colleagues are exhausted by the Demon King in order to win medals? What a small-minded guy!”
“He is a despicable bastard who moved countries many times!”
The Chinese people claimed that Mei Xiao was dead because of Kraugel. They felt desperate after the death of Mei Xiao, China’s only hope, and were angry at Kraugel for ignoring Mei Xiao’s death. The people from other countries saw this and thought it was an absurd case of finger-pointing. There was no obligation for the players to help each other when the rewards for the event was based on contribution.
“Even so, it is a bit disgusting.”
“Yes. The other players are cooperating with each other while he is being blatantly greedy alone…”
“He doesn’t need to care about image anymore since he has already been pulled down from the top spot. Let’s see if he can win the gold medal alone as he planned.”
“He won’t be able to hold up his head anymore if he doesn’t win the gold medal.”
In the end, many people started criticizing Kraugel. Kraugel had anticipated this situation, but he didn’t care. In the first place, he participated in t
he National Competition because of Grid, not honor.
『 Ahh! The players have started fighting back! 』
In the midst of the tumultuous atmosphere, the commentators started shouting loudly. The Japanese representative, Katz, was gathering the blood of his colleagues.
“Blood Spear.”
Eight spears made of blood flew out and pierced the Demon King. Regas jumped up and hit the Demon King while Zibal rode the pegasus and pushed the Demon King with a mysterious magic power.
[The pegasus’ energy is slowly consuming your mana.]
[The pegasus’ energy is slowly consuming your stamina.]
[The pegasus’ energy is slowing down the accumulation rate of fighting energy.]
[The pegasus’ energy is slowing down your mana regeneration rate.]
[Resistance has failed.]
‘This is tricky. It isn’t a coincidence that he won against Yura.’
The pegasus had the peculiar nature to consume the resources of all enemies within a certain range while hindering recovery. This was a big threat to Grid. The benefits that Grid gained as the Demon King were his health and stamina. There were no mana-related benefits. The pegasus was a big threat to Grid, whose skills consumed a large amount of mana.
Grid thought for a moment before deciding it was better to use Transcend and strike at the pegasus. The battlefield was wide and the pegasus was fast. The shields of the magicians also overlapped in several layers, making it hard for him to penetrate through them. There wasn’t even a chance to aim for a gap. The onslaught of Chris, Jishuka, Regas, Pon, Katz, and the Overgeared members made Grid’s spirit rise.
“1,000 Ton Sword!” Chris’ powerful blow struck Grid in the chest.
[You have suffered 61,700 damage!]
Jishuka’s arrow pierced Grid’s thigh and made him unable to trigger Revolve in time. This meant he suffered a severe blow. Chris swapped between Grid’s Greatsword and Yetima’s Greatsword while activating the power of a Tyrant. This made his strength comparable to Grid’s. The players confirmed that the Demon King’s health gauge was reduced by one-tenth and felt hopeful.