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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 103
The violent explosion overturned the earth, carving out a huge crater like a valley.
If this were reality, such a thing would be impossible with just an explosion, but this was a game world.
Everyone was so stunned by the sheer power that they couldn't even react.
Not only the leading trio excluding Seonghyun, but also everyone who had been about to follow them onto the battlefield stopped in their tracks.
It was a sight that left them speechless.
Even the boisterous Meiran couldn't laugh, so it was only natural that the others fell silent too.
Even the gasps of admiration and shouts had died down.
Everyone simply stared at the sky where the ranking was displayed like an electronic billboard, clicking their tongues in amazement.
Seonghyun was surprised too.
‘It’s stronger than I thought?’
Then again, he had never detonated this many Death Legion members at once with this combo before.
It made sense he wouldn't know.
Should it be said that the Necromancer is a class that truly blossoms on the battlefield?
Seonghyun looked down from the sky at the Legion of Calamity, a large portion of which had been wiped out, as if searching for something.
‘By the way, where could the former Legion Commander be?’
After scanning for a while, he spotted something in the distance.
A being in the form of a skeletal knight.
However, he also saw something strange.
A faint, teal-colored figure sticking right next to the skeletal knight.
Seeing that shape, so familiar to him his whole life, Seonghyun tilted his head.
‘A ghost?’
Why was there a ghost over there?
4.
The ground trembled finely, and nearby stones rolled about.
Cracks could be seen splitting parts of the earth, as if an earthquake had occurred.
However, the skeletal knight standing upon that ground advanced, seemingly feeling no emotion whatsoever, clad in its sword and armor.
-…….
The fierce roar that once commanded its entire legion.
The shrieking commands to carry out orders.
The intelligent eyes that once surveyed the battlefield.
All long lost.
How long had it been?
It didn't know.
It once roamed this place, sweeping through countless towns and cities.
When finally nothing lived in the resulting wasteland, it had fallen asleep.
But it had awakened again.
The reason?
Unknown.
Its soul was already lost, its intellect gone.
It simply woke up.
So it would just kill every living being on this land.
For what purpose?
-…….
Unknown.
But one thing was certain.
The reason for its awakening lay where the tremors originated on this land.
Therefore, it raised its sword and issued a command to its soldiers.
Soldiers whose light had faded, many of whom had disappeared long ago.
Even if only a fraction of its soldiers remained.
It was fine.
If it killed everything, its own soldiers would increase.
As the skeletal knight's abyss-like eyes gleamed darkly, the teal-colored ghost beside it—a form identical to the skeletal knight, visible in this world only to Seonghyun—bowed its head low and muttered.
-A new master has appeared... yet I show such disgrace. I wish my soul had truly vanished.
It was shuddering at the embarrassing past its physical body was creating.
-It seems Nocturnium is nearby too, huuuh. If I show my state to that petty fellow, I doubt I could maintain my sanity any longer. Please, someone stop me.
5.
The Legion of Calamity.
True to its name, it was a calamity itself.
An endlessly swarming legion.
Individually, they were insignificant, but when tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands gathered, they became a tidal wave that swept everything away.
'Many drops make a shower.'
Wasn't that the phrase that best suited the situation?
It was fortunate that the number of users was also considerable.
Otherwise, the users would have been pushed back long ago.
Of course, there was also the contribution of star players who were each worth a hundred—no, over a thousand.
Kurosawa Ren, wielding his blades like a storm and spreading shadows to engulf the Legion of Calamity.
Junhyuk, handling various elements to launch wide-range attacks.
And Meiran, manipulating spears of light, detonating light in all directions to sweep through the Legion of Calamity.
Not to mention the Demon King, Seonghyun, who summoned beings from the Netherworld, leading another legion to dominate the battlefield.
There was absolutely no sign of being pushed back.
After the explosion combo, Seonghyun wasn't using large area-of-effect skills.
Yet, his rank remained astronomically high.
[Contribution Rank]
[1st 『Seonghyun』 - 69,415 Points]
[2nd 『Meiran』 - 22,884 Points]
[3rd 『Junhyuk』 - 17,827 Points]
[4th 『Kurosawa Ren』 - 17,614 Points]
[5th 『Trang』 - 13,161 Points]
……(Omitted below)
Even though he wasn't using wide-area skills, the gap only continued to widen.
There was a reason why the usually boisterous Meiran was quietly spamming skills without pause.
There was no tension or anxiety on her face, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant expression either.
Within her expressionless face, a slight hint of anger could be read.
For those who knew Meiran, it was a rather unfamiliar sight.
She was always cheerful and boisterous.
Even Junhyuk and Kurosawa Ren, who had known her for quite a while, were cautiously observing her, seeing this side for the first time.
And to be fair.
‘I’m not confident I could even beat those summons the Demon King commands.’
‘...Never mind those executive-looking ones, if even the small fry formed a team and came at us...’
Both Junhyuk and Kurosawa Ren felt tense even facing Seonghyun's summons.
What if those summons were ranked individually?
Both of them wouldn't be 3rd or 4th; they'd likely be pushed out of the top 5 entirely.
That thought alone was terrifying.
Wasn't Meiran likely thinking something similar?
‘She’s always been the best until now.’
‘It makes sense her pride would be crushed.’
That was their guess.
But it wasn't entirely correct.
‘I can’t even follow in his footsteps, can I?’
The more she fought, the more she felt it.
What if she charged at Seonghyun right now?
100 battles, 100 losses.
No, even a thousand, ten thousand, she would lose every time.
In the first place, it was highly likely she couldn't even reach Seonghyun.
Just breaking through those executive-looking summons seemed difficult.
She might be able to roughly match the young man who controlled the surrounding earth to sweep the front lines, but beyond him, there was that summoner with the horrifying mole-like appearance, the slime-like woman who fought while freely changing her form, and the demon knight fighting with crimson blood.
Against those three, she would likely be defeated without even landing a counterattack.
She couldn't handle even one of them.
So, did she have confidence fighting Seonghyun one-on-one?
Not at all.
‘He’s truly incredible.’
While she had certainly grown up being coddled and praised within her guild, objectively speaking, Meiran's talent was immense.
Her Legendary Rank class was amazing, but her truly outstanding talent was her innate gift for wielding weapons and reading the flow of battle.
That's where her strength stemmed from.
But right now, she could glimpse countless such talents not only in those summons before her but in Seonghyun himself.
She could even vaguely see that they were all several steps above her.
Seeing things she couldn't even comprehend yet, it was only natural her words lessened and her expression stiffened.
However, she wasn't frustrated or angry.
Quite the opposite.
There was only one reason her expression was hardening.
‘I have to capture even just one thing in my eyes.’
With that thought, she tried her utmost to absorb everyone's combat into her sight.
Since Seonghyun hadn't said anything specific, she desperately struggled to learn even one small thing.
Amidst the battlefield where various thoughts, worries, and ideologies mixed, Seonghyun keenly observed the battle, assessing the overall situation.
Fiora occasionally transformed into a small dragon, unleashing her breath weapon to sweep through enemies; Nocturnium summoned giant arms to devastate the surroundings and detonated its hands for wide-area attacks; Balthar spread crimson blood, slicing through everything; and Barpur, befitting the 1st Legion Commander, personally tore the Legion of Calamity apart while manipulating the undead to turn the tide of battle.
Naturally, the viewers went wild.
-Isn't this completely different from the Anemor raid?
-Is that really the same person????
-Crazy, seriously;;;;
-I really can't believe he's in the same level range????
-All the people who backed Meiran, step forward;;;;
-This isn't even a game;;;;
Well, since Seonghyun wasn't looking at the chat window, opinions like that didn't matter.
In Seonghyun's mind, there was only one thing: how to win this war.
Balthar, Barpur, Fiora, and Nocturnium—the four of them were fighting hard, but they couldn't handle the overwhelming absolute numbers.
They weren't being pushed back for the moment, but...
"Hmm."
Seen from the sky, the numerical disadvantage was clear.
Watching the battle situation where the enemy numbers gradually increased, it was evident that if things continued like this, they would start getting pushed back soon.
He had to find a solution.
Should Seonghyun step forward and launch wide-area attacks here?
‘No.’
Wide-area attacks.
He still had many left.
Since he had been waiting, the cooldowns for his Explosion skills were already finished, and the same went for FJet-Black Fallen Thorns and Black Sun.
However, using these wouldn't definitively turn the tide of battle.
It could provide a temporary advantage.
But exhausting most of his mana for that brief moment?
That was a foolish choice.
What was the very best option?
Wasn't it already decided?
"All four of you, hold your positions here."
-...Understood.
-Kuhahaha! As expected of the Lord! This Balthar shall prepare the foothold for victory right here!
-H-hyehhh! Understood……. P-please be careful.
-1st Legion Commander Barpur! I shall receive your command-sir!
Nocturnium, wanting to protect its Lord but reluctantly accepting the order; Balthar, laughing heartily, seemingly pleased with Seonghyun's decisiveness; Fiora, accepting the order while expressing concern; and even Barpur, whose dialect slipped out in his nervousness while formally acknowledging the command.
Seonghyun entrusted this location to the Legion Commanders and used his still-active flight skill to head towards the far end of the Legion of Calamity.
As Seonghyun shot forward rapidly, the viewers couldn't help but be surprised again.
-Huh???????
-What the???????
-Heyyyy, where are you going?????????
-Why is he leaving all his summons behind??????
-Is Necro a class that plays separately from its summons like that???????
-No way, right?????
Naturally, this was Seonghyun's broadcast.
In other words, the camera inevitably moved as Seonghyun moved.
[Rapid-Where are you going!?]
Even Rapid, usually thorough about separating public and private matters, was surprised and sent an urgent message.
However, Seonghyun replied as if it were no big deal.
[Seonghyun-Have to go take out the enemy commander. There's no chance of victory like this.]
[Rapid-What???]
[Seonghyun-If things keep going like this, most users will run out of mana or stamina and inevitably get pushed back.]
It was sound reasoning.
Rapid didn't offer any counter-argument.
And Seonghyun sent no further replies, simply flying straight ahead.
How far did he fly?
As he flew over the Legion of Calamity, flying undead occasionally attacked him.
Banshees, translucent wraith-type undead, and Gargoyles, among other flying monsters, charged at him.
“Kyaaaaaa—!”
“Kieeeeeeee!”
While flying, Seonghyun simply clenched his hand, grasping a teal spear in the empty air, then threw it at a Banshee without hesitation.
With his other hand, he summoned a Black Magic Shot and fired the projectile towards a Gargoyle.
Shuuuuuuuuk——!
Shiiiiiiiik——!
The Wraith Spear cut through the air and accurately pierced the Banshee's forehead, blowing its head apart.
The Black Magic Shot embedded itself in the Gargoyle's chest, and with a crunching sound, disintegrated the Gargoyle's body into dust.
The Banshee and Gargoyle scattered in mid-air.
But how could those two be the end of it?
Countless creatures charged towards Seonghyun, determined not to let him reach their master.
Seeing them, Seonghyun extended his index finger.
Then, from his fingertip, a single drop of dark red blood coalesced.
Normally, crimson blood would flow, forming hundreds of Blood Swords, but this was different.
From the incredibly dark red—no, slightly purplish—blood, hundreds of Blood Swords formed, gleaming ominously.
Receiving Seonghyun's command all at once, the Blood Swords extended towards the hundreds of Banshees and Gargoyles like loyal knights.
As hundreds of Blood Swords embroidered dark red lines across the empty air, the Banshees and Gargoyles were simultaneously drenched in dark red blood as the swords exploded.
Bang! P-p-p-p-bang! Bang! Bang!
But that wasn't the end.
Infected by the Blood Poison, the Banshees and Gargoyles plummeted downwards, and where they crashed among the Legion of Calamity, another skill began to spread.
Blood Plague.
As all the undead in the vicinity were engulfed by the Blood Plague and the Blood Poison detonated, the ground soon became saturated with a mist of blood.
The viewers were watching all of this, but for a moment, they forgot even to type in chat, simply staring blankly at the screen in awe.
Because tens of thousands of monsters had been swept away in an instant.
In such a situation, Seonghyun could rightfully have felt triumphant, but he didn't.
Acting nonchalantly, he calmly passed through the area and reached a certain spot.
There stood one wearing worn-out armor and a helmet riddled with holes, holding a chipped sword.
Yet, a skeletal knight who stood taller than any other.
Seonghyun had come face-to-face with the master of the Legion of Calamity.
And also.
-Hoooo, to think I'd meet the successor like this... you foolish body, unable to even distinguish heaven from earth!!!
The ghost of the skeletal knight was there too, berating its own body.
Seeing this, the thought occurred that he might gain more from this than expected.
And just then, a message appeared before Seonghyun's eyes.
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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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