Chapter 84: Chaos and Hero (2)
A dazzling spark split the air and the enemy’s formation like lightning.
A powerful electric shock that burned dozens of enemies in one go.
However, unlike the disruption in the rear, the front lines, where elite units of Nol and Kobolds were deployed, proved to be formidable.
“Ugh…”
The lasers from the Nol focused on Chae Yeon, who was unleashing a powerful electric strike.
Quickly bypassing the discharge, she narrowly blocked the laser attacks aimed at her.
“It seems there’s no Execution Authority. Considering we’re still alive, I’d say that.”
Chris passed by her, letting out a fleeting chuckle.
As he stomped his foot, jagged rocks surged from the ground, killing and impaling several enemies.
But those who had once been ravaged by just two S-rank Hunters had now evolved significantly.
“What’s that? Now they’re not even trying to hide it.”
Chris let out a laugh of disbelief.
A massive machine, piloted by a Nol, clanked into view on the battlefield.
It was a bipedal vehicle, the size of a tank, proudly displaying its powerful firepower.
“Fire!”
It was naturally a target. The tank shells and anti-tank rockets flew in, causing explosions.
However, the vehicle, wrapped in a layered barrier cast by nearby Kobolds, emerged unscathed as flames erupted from its large cannon.
“No way…”
Chae Yeon, whose face was covered by the shockwave, gritted her teeth at the horror unfolding.
A hellish scene unfolded in an instant, a sight she had desperately wished to prevent now lying before her eyes.
“Wait. There are others with a sense of justice like you.”
“Ji Chang-hyun, branch leader.”
She was about to rush out but held back.
Without hesitation, Ji Chang-hyun brandished his sword and charged in.
Flames engulfing his entire body, his sword unleashed a flurry of red slashes.
With a single blow, he cut through the barrier, the machine, and everything surrounding them. In terms of that momentary impact, he could easily be called a one-man legion.
Where he struck, flames erupted, incinerating everything.
Considering the current units of Nol reinforced by the Stars Academy’s tactics were on par with existing C-rank Hunters, it was an immense power.
“In my Hunter days, it was less glamorous and grand than when I was using flames, but I look stronger now. I’ve gone beyond S-rank. It seems everyone grows, huh? Even the two of us would struggle against him.”
Chris murmured with a sense of futility as he watched the scene.
In fact, existing rank distinctions had lost their meaning. Evolutionary units and Hunters had all been enhancing their stagnant powers in their own ways.
“But do those guys also share the same fate?”
Chris stepped forward again.
A black knight clad in armor charged toward Ji Chang-hyun. That was definitely neither a Nol nor a Kobold.
[The crude magic or archaic relics they use are of a different kind… Perhaps it’s indigenous sorcery of this land? It seems there’s no Execution Authority, and facing the limits of their abilities, they have no choice but to employ desperate measures. It’s clear that finishing this is the Player’s command.]
The meaning of the Player echoed in his mind. Just as he said, the enemies were indeed scrambling now.
They tried their best to defend, but the inherent genetic differences were too vast.
To stop beings like Ji Chang-hyun, Chris, and Chae Yeon—who had crossed a certain threshold—appropriate adversaries must be prepared or overwhelming firepower employed. But the enemy had no such luxury now.
As Chae Yeon prepared to charge again, she glanced back briefly.
‘Will it be alright?’
The rear was being attacked. And he was there.
She wanted to rush to help right away, but the Player, believing they had gained the upper hand, commanded the charge.
*
“Useless! Fool!”
“Shut up! Be quiet!”
“Total defeat, total defeat! We can’t hold them!”
In the dark castle, the Nol wearing a crown was jumping around, shouting in distress.
The Kobold war chief facing the Nol was truly feeling the same way.
The enemies were too strong. Both races had received grace from capable Players, but their inherent limits were unavoidable.
They were ultimately low-class demons who had been living as slaves, while the opponents had ruled a developed world with intelligence and civilization for eons.
‘…The world is indifferent.’
The Kobold war chief sighed helplessly.
He didn’t know the exact reason, but his Player, who had taught him various magics, was currently extremely busy.
He was aware of the danger, but there was no way to aid him now.
Having continuously received help, accepting that reality meant they were merely set for defeat, a bone-chilling feeling of powerlessness gripped him even more strongly after gaining intelligence.
“Those pathetic traitor races seem to have finally realized their place. Is living in a noble’s mansion comfortable?”
But at that moment, someone unmistakably appeared in this space that should have contained only two.
The startled war chief glared at the Nol, but the Nol shook his head in equal astonishment.
“Don’t misunderstand. I came here of my own volition.”
He emerged from the darkness. A sharp-toothed grin beneath a drawn hood revealed his identity.
“A high-ranking demon!”
As the Kobold war chief recognized the figure, he raised his staff, while the Nol hastily pointed a pistol from his possessions.
But the opponent merely chuckled at their actions.
“Foolish… Hurry and tell your two leaders, or rather that ‘Player’ of yours, if they wish to trade with me. If they agree to the deal, I can restore the power you waste commanding pathetic ‘units’ like you.”
“W-How…”
“It’s really hard to even speak for a Kobold, eh? Just relay the message. As one who once led the glory of this demonic realm, I cannot sit idle while my land is trampled by mere humans.”
He tossed back his hood and grinned widely.
Startled by the black goat’s horns sprouting from his head, they froze, recognizing his identity.
“The Demon King..!”
“I’m the former Demon King. The current one is still asleep.”
He corrected the Kobold war chief.
“…The one you’re referring to says, ‘How can I trust you?’ that the crude magic of this demonic realm would be of no use.”
“Hah, you’re a funny one. But fine, I do admit that to some extent. I, too, and the entire demonic realm were but frogs in a well, realizing how vast this world and universe are. So, foolish Kobold, relay this to your Player right now. You are but a dust particle. Who knows what disasters might sleep in your world that you are unaware of?”
He smiled quietly.
The Kobold war chief was flustered. Even with the contemptuous words, his Player showed no response. It was as if he had been hit directly.
“You should think carefully. The whirlpool of fate you are caught in is ultimately about survival of the fittest—that is, the strongest survive. Don’t show unnecessary pride; extend your hand. A deal with me will surely bring benefits.”
“F-First, I want to hear more.”
“Us!? Our Player too!”
Both the Kobold war chief and the Nol leader received a message from the Player.
He smirked, as though he had expected this.
“I am an indigenous being outside the confines of the game and am free from its rules. Being unaffiliated, I have traveled throughout the demonic realm, meeting the species fighting with those Earth dwellers. I have made my decision. I will lend my strength. In exchange, I want the knowledge and technologies you obtained from your Players. Various spells, sorcery, spirit arts, swordsmanship, spear arts, particle weaponry, martial arts, and so on.”
“T-That’s…”
“All of it will become my power and can simultaneously become yours as well. Once a Demon King, I still have my power extending throughout this demonic realm. I can immediately mobilize an army of phantoms numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and a biological legion spread across the land. The formidable seal cast across the entire demonic realm by the hero sacrificing their life was indeed a powerful seal, but it was breached by a mere orc trained in the spirit arts of this other world.”
The initiative had completely shifted to him.
The seals that had maintained their existence on the demon tribe and demonic realm for ages were easily dispelled by the powers of another world. Now, indigenous forces capable of being mobilized like the Earth’s allied forces could emerge.
A force that had once ruled this land under the high-ranking demon tribe.
“Survival is paramount, isn’t it? Set aside useless competition and deal with the most dangerous enemies first.”
He looked up and shouted into the air.
It was not a message directed at the Kobold war chief or the Nol leader. It was a message meant for their key players.
[Say yes.]
[Accept it! Quickly!]
And the cornered Players eventually accepted the offer.
“Then, I suppose you should first spare our lives for the moment.”
The deal established, he stepped out of the mansion and soared into the air.
In his eyes, a desolated and barren landscape, heavily tainted by magic, unfolded before him.
He had once been the lord of the demonic realm, the master of this land.
At this moment, with the seal over the entire demonic realm unleashed due to the current Demon King’s self-destructing death alongside the hero, he partially regained the power of the past.
‘The spirits of magic, the link to my heart, amplify the magical energy accumulated in my dantian.’
And at that moment, he was able to unleash a fragment of his power explosively, beyond his peak.
What made this possible were the technologies provided by the intruders from another realm. The vessel of the Demon King, adeptly absorbing them one by one, exponentially amplified that magic.
“I command you, demonic realm, that you may attack your enemies.”
For the first time, he unveiled himself on a grand scale, having secretly assisted the demonic forces throughout.
This was partly because the Kobolds and Nols on this front were weak, and he believed that it was finally time to take a stand.
