Chapter 216
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Ruler of Steel - 3
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In war, what is the most crucial element when preparing for a fight against the enemy?
‘Information about the enemy.’
If you can grasp the enemy's strength, you can predict their strategy to a certain extent. The path to victory lies in listing all possibilities, selecting the most likely scenario, and responding accordingly.
And in this regard, it was necessary to keep in mind that the enemy was also gathering information about your own forces.
‘To catch the enemy off guard, you have to deliver an astonishing blow they could never predict.’
For example…
「What is this, this absurd…」
The Demon King’s Castle, which had been soaring toward the black portal floating in the distance, turned its large, central eye toward the sky.
The Players present, and indeed the entire world watching the live broadcast, all directed their gazes upward.
“Look, look at that!”
“...What’s happening now?”
Moving there, obscuring the sun, were massive rectangular objects… entire buildings, each dozens of stories high.
Ruuuumble—!
The unbelievable sight of buildings floating into the sky only to plummet back down was precisely the kind of astonishing blow the enemy could never have anticipated.
Lee Hyun-wook focused all his concentration on lifting those buildings.
‘If I don’t move them carefully, they’ll collapse.’
Their sheer size and unimaginable weight required him to apply his metal control over a vast area just to maintain their balance.
Otherwise, one side could crumble like a sandcastle.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook recalled something he had heard in his past life.
‘—Hyun-wook, if you’d had just a little more time, would you have lifted this entire building we’re standing on and dropped it like a giant meteor? Hahaha… a real shame for you, isn't it?’
Those were the mocking words Gordon Price had spoken as he killed him in his past life.
But not even he could have imagined that it would actually come to pass.
Each building weighed over a hundred thousand tons… Being crushed by that would be far more horrifying than most bombs.
And due to their immense volume, there was no way to escape.
Lee Hyun-wook’s hand sliced through the air, gesturing from the sky toward the Demon King’s Castle.
“Here, this is what you prophesied.”
「.......」
At that moment, the Demon King’s Castle aimed its tentacles at the sky, and light began to gather at their tips. It was the precursor to the castle's signature beam attack.
“—Too late.”
But the buildings were already falling under the pull of gravity, crashing down upon the Demon King’s Castle just before it could fire its beam.
Kra-kooom—!
「Kraaaaaaah—」
Just like that, the Demon King’s Castle began to plummet to the ground.
‘…The perfect strike to block its escape.’
No matter what kind of assault was launched, the colossal castle would have simply ignored it, ascended vertically, and vanished through the black portal.
But even the Demon King’s Castle couldn't withstand hundreds of thousands of tons of weight. It slammed into the ground and was driven deep into the earth.
Kra-boooooom—!
The impact created a dust storm that engulfed Seoul.
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Lee Hyun-wook immediately raised his Mana Messenger.
“—Deploy War Box, drop the Moglays now!”
A ‘War Box’ was currently hovering in low orbit over Seoul. And now that the sky was clear, the War Box could finally perform its function.
Soon, two streaks of light blazed down from the sky. Lee Hyun-wook detected them and guided their trajectory.
Immediately after, the billowing, pale dust storm split apart with a whoosh, and the Moglays slammed into the Demon King’s Castle’s crash site.
The impact was so immense that the ground turned liquid, sending waves through the asphalt… An even thicker dust storm erupted, completely obscuring the northern side of Seoul.
“Uh… is it over?”
Emilia Müller asked from behind him. She couldn't see a thing, so she had no way of assessing the situation.
But Lee Hyun-wook, through the effect of <One-Eyed King's Insight> via Hugin and Munin, could see straight through the dust.
He slowly shook his head.
‘…Not yet.’
His eyes could see tentacles writhing beneath the building debris, clearing away the wreckage in an attempt to fly again.
He couldn't allow that.
‘All of you—go!’
At Lee Hyun-wook’s gesture, the Moglays floating around him shot forward.
They flew like Tomahawk cruise missiles, crashing into the concrete rubble and unleashing consecutive shockwaves and flare webs.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—!
In just a few seconds, dozens of shockwaves and red heat rays bloomed chaotically over the crash site. Green fountains of blood erupted as the castle's veins were severed, and finally, a few of its tentacles were torn off.
A bizarre cry echoed out.
Skreeeee—!
It was the scream of the Demon King’s Castle.
‘Don’t be impressed by that. This is just the beginning.’
Next, AD-2s flew in, unleashing a torrent of countless metal weapons toward the crash site.
Thud—thud—thud—thud—!
Lee Hyun-wook then ‘Shattered’ them, repeatedly inflicting damage on the Demon King’s Castle.
His assault was relentless. He even Shattered the H-beams embedded within the buildings, using all his firepower to persistently chip away at the castle.
With sickening thuds, green liquid repeatedly sprayed into the air.
‘Good. I have to end this here, definitively, no matter what it takes.’
How many times had he let the Demon King escape?
‘That bastard can open wide-area portals at will and move unpredictably. I can’t give him even the slightest opening.’
Just a moment ago, the fiend had almost passed through the portal.
If that had happened, another city would have become his prey, and things would have become much more complicated.
Right here, right now, even if it meant half of Seoul was destroyed, he had to pin that thing down.
C-c-crack—
And so, Lee Hyun-wook lifted several more collapsed buildings. He dropped them onto the Demon King’s Castle once again.
Around that time, Laputa arrived nearby.
Wooooo—
It was accompanied by dozens of airships.
- *Tchk*—All fleets, prepare for combat.
It was Director Woo Seong-mun’s voice.
The airships spread out, maneuvering to encircle and surround the crash site.
Their plan was to block the sky with their hulls, preventing the Demon King’s Castle from taking flight.
Bundles of ropes dropped from the airships like rain, and Players descended along them, landing on buildings and roads.
- Firepower Team 11, preparing wide-area flame magic!
- Firepower Team 14, preparing wide-area current magic!
Countless similar communications followed. An army of thousands of Players had entered the battle.
- *Tchk*—Don't wait for orders! Unleash everything!
Soon, the skies of Seoul were painted with the vibrant colors of wide-area magic.
They all rained down on a single point.
It was what one would call an indiscriminate bombing.
Boom—boom—boom—boom—!
The ground, already weakened by the impacts of buildings, the Demon King’s Castle, and Moglays, cracked with a sharp sound. A massive sinkhole opened up in the middle of downtown Seoul.
“—Don’t mind that, keep pouring it on!”
The concentrated assault continued for several minutes…
“Cease fire—”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s command, the entire force came to a halt.
Kim Se-hee and Kodo Koshiro then created an updraft, clearing away the thick clouds of sand and dust that had risen.
The scene at the crash site was revealed…
Whooosh…
No fewer than seven buildings had been dropped on it, but they were all crushed so finely that no trace of their original forms remained. It looked like a pile of rubble at a quarry.
Moreover, everything was coated in a viscous green liquid… likely the flesh and blood of the Demon King’s Castle.
Looking closer, the spherical shape of the Demon King’s Castle was half-protruding from the center of the debris.
It showed no signs of movement.
“Is it… is it over?”
The one who muttered this was Park Jun-mo.
Everyone’s gaze immediately fell on him.
“Ah, what I just said was a bit…”
“Saying something like that at this timing is just asking for bad luck…”
The one who answered the ominous question was Lee Hyun-wook.
“No, not yet.”
His eyes could still feel countless movements writhing inside the Demon King's Castle.
And sure enough…
- Warning! A ‘Domain of Malice’ is beginning in this area!
* All monsters will be greatly enhanced. (+100%)
* All Players’ curse immunity will be reduced. (-30%)
‘Is this… the Demon King’s domain?’
The meaning of this system message was simple.
‘He’s decided to fight to the death.’
In other words, the final battle would take place here.
‘It’s about time I brought that out.’
Lee Hyun-wook turned on his Mana Messenger and spoke.
“Ah—Laputa, please deploy Project GS for combat.”
At his words, a single airship flew from Laputa.
A square object was dropped from it.
Whoom— Thud—
It was a large case made of adamant, with <GS-M> inscribed on its surface.
Lee Hyun-wook imprinted it onto his right hand while looking around.
Countless Players were gathered in the area.
Lee Hyun-wook called out the name of just one of them.
“…Inferno, where are you?”
The crowd parted, and a strange heat filled the air. A woman with a shimmering heat haze rising from her entire body appeared—Inferno, Han Ju-hwa.
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the greatsword she was holding, Laevateinn, and spoke.
“Was the power I gave you, by any chance, insufficient?”
“Ah…”
Han Ju-hwa looked puzzled at the question.
Lee Hyun-wook continued.
“Then this time, I will make sure you have plenty.”
***
The entire world was witnessing the scene unfolding in Seoul.
- You are with the <Kill the Monster> channel, watching what could very well be the final moments.
- We express our gratitude to the heroes fighting for this world, and we will continue to cheer them on until the very end.
No one could look away, knowing that the very existence of their world—their own lives—was at stake in this battle.
Still, the current situation could be considered positive.
- Ah! The Demon King’s Castle has finally fallen!
The Demon King, who had suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of Steel Rain, resorting to escapes and counterattacks, was now having his castle—which he was surely aboard—pummeled one-sidedly in the middle of Seoul.
- It’s been about ten minutes since it crashed… and there’s been no reaction, right?
- Yes! There’s a high probability that it has been retired! I certainly hope so!
- From what I understand, the Demon King’s Castle is one of the Demon King's greatest weapons. In fact, one of the objectives of the world quest was to destroy it. This situation… is very positive, wouldn't you say?
- Yes! We mustn't let our guard down, but it seems clear that Steel Rain and our human race have the upper hand!
But just then—
「Do you have any idea… what I went through… to get this far, only to be stopped by pathetic worms like you…」
A voice, a scream filled with hatred and fury, echoed out, causing the orderly Players to quickly take cover.
The excited broadcast commentators were forced into silence.
It was the voice of the Demon King.
Simultaneously, a beam of light shot up from within the building debris with a thud.
And from the hole it created…
Kraaaah—!
All sorts of monsters began to pour out.
They were high-grade monsters like Titans, Ancient Red Drakes, and Ice Trolls.
Even after defeating monster armies several times, an overwhelming number still remained.
“—Fire!”
As if waiting for the command, all the Players launched their prepared magic, which rained down upon the monster army.
However—
- Uh, it doesn't seem to be working!
Somehow, the number of monsters barely decreased as they charged through the smoke from the explosions.
The Players at the forefront had no choice but to hastily retreat using portals and teleportation.
Kuaaaah—
Grraaaah—
The sight of them rampaging through the city was utterly terrifying. Broadcasters everywhere let out gasps, and viewers around the world were gripped by the fear that these creatures could come crashing to their own doorsteps.
- Th-those monsters have been enhanced by the Demon King. That’s why they don’t seem to be retired even by the wide-area magic of most Players!
- Does that mean each one is strong enough to require a raid?
It seemed only the attacks of A-rank and S-rank Players were having any effect.
But then, the Players' attacks subsided.
- Huh? Why did they stop attacking?
With the assault gone, the monster army pushed forward even faster.
- Ah! Look over there!
The broadcast camera then focused on top of a building.
Two people were standing there.
- It’s Steel Rain and Inferno!
They were known as the number one and number two in terms of Player firepower at this point in time.
- But what is all that?
- Gasp! Could it be…
Floating all around them were numerous objects…
Fwoooosh—!
They were all Laevateinn.
Their crimson blades, seemingly forged from magma, writhed and pulsed, emitting a heat that layered the sky with a thick haze.
The heat caused the average temperature across Seoul to rise in an instant.
“Ugh—I can’t breathe!”
“It’s so hot, I’m getting dizzy!”
Even their allied Players couldn’t handle the intense heat.
Lee Hyun-wook and Han Ju-hwa moved their hands in unison.
The floating Laevateinn swords, along with the ones bound by a dozen flame ropes extending from Han Ju-hwa’s hands, all shot forward at once.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—!
As they slammed into the monster army, powerful flames erupted as if missiles had exploded.
Then, with every movement of Han Ju-hwa’s hand, the flames surged and swirled, sweeping away the monsters.
“How is it? Is this enough for you now?”
She nodded in response to Lee Hyun-wook's question.
Before he arrived, she had obtained two Laevateinn swords and thought she had gained sufficient power. She couldn't imagine becoming any stronger…
Yet she had still hit a limit and felt despair once more.
But Lee Hyun-wook had shattered that limit with such ease.
“Now, wipe them out as you please.”
The flames erupting from a total of 75 Laevateinn swords held enough heat to melt downtown Seoul—Han Ju-hwa controlled them, creating a massive wave of fire.
Lee Hyun-wook, in turn, began to move the metals he had scattered about, tempering them in that fiery wave.
‘And by doing this, the metal melts easily without me having to use Metal Fusion on each piece.’
The wave of fire and the wave of molten metal intertwined, truly becoming magma as they crashed down upon the monster army.
Charrrrr—
Some of the molten metal fused back together, forming chains that wrapped around the necks and limbs of monsters trying to escape the wave.
Kraaaaaah—!
One by one, Moglays flew into the bodies of the screaming creatures, and their numbers began to dwindle rapidly… It was the moment the last monster army was annihilated in vain.
Lee Hyun-wook looked down at the Demon King’s Castle and said.
“It’s all over.”
The Demon King, Gordon Price, would be hearing this voice.
“You lost to me.”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly flew toward the half-destroyed, limp Demon King’s Castle.
Airships moved to escort him on both sides, but he held out a hand to stop their approach.
- *Tchk*—Approaching alone is dangerous.
It was Director Woo Seong-mun’s voice.
“…In any case, I’m the only one with the Hero’s Privilege who can kill the Demon King.”
Just then, the head of the Demon King’s Castle split open with a crack, and blood vessels spilled out.
A man walked out from within.
A murmur spread through the crowd behind Lee Hyun-wook.
There was no one who didn't recognize the man's face.
“Hey, that person is…”
His name was Gordon Price, the true form of the Demon King.
However, at present, he was known as a missing tycoon and a spiritual pillar for Players, so almost no one knew he was the Demon King.
He approached and looked up at Lee Hyun-wook.
“Yes, I lost.”
Lee Hyun-wook frowned.
Gordon Price slowly raised both hands and came a little closer.
He was holding a spear and shield. They were none other than ‘Achilles’s Armament Set.’
That meant he could activate the ‘Blessing of the River Styx’ at any moment and become invincible.
Lee Hyun-wook positioned the Moglays directly above the man’s head.
The man spoke again.
“Now—let’s talk again, one last time. Even if you beat me here, nothing will change. You will eventually have to destroy this world. That is the main story and primary objective of this game.”
Lee Hyun-wook let out a disbelieving scoff.
“Are you… a failed test subject, now lecturing on the direction of the experiment? Isn't that like a lab rat discussing bioengineering?”
“...I am, as you know, a quasi-transcendent being, one who has reached a level equal to them. It means I was chosen by them, on the verge of becoming one of them.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked down at him with a cold smile.
“But now, you’re fated to be discarded.”
Dozens of Moglays plunged toward him.
At that moment, Achilles’s Armament Set emitted a white light, and his body was enveloped in a golden glow.
Simultaneously, his eyes shone with a golden light.
- Warning! You have fallen under ‘Mind Control (Sensory Restriction)’!
* All senses will be temporarily and significantly reduced! (-50%)
“—Kuh!”
The moment he met that gaze, Lee Hyun-wook felt his connection to Hugin and Munin sever. His senses, including sight and hearing, became distinctly duller.
That wasn't all.
- Warning! A ‘Mind Control Field (Mass Confusion)’ is opening in this area!
* Players below a certain level will lose consciousness or enter a ‘Marionette’ state.
This was a skill Lee Hyun-wook had never experienced before.
Gordon Price had, until now, operated from the shadows or as the leader of the Villains, always letting the Necromancer or other Villains do the fighting.
In other words, all that was known about Gordon Price’s abilities was that he was a telepath skilled in mind control.
‘Has it reached its peak and become this powerful?’
A wide-area mental domination skill… an unbelievable ability.
At that moment—
Boom—!
Lee Hyun-wook was struck by magic flying from behind him and thrown forward.
- *Tchk*—Our allies, they’re being controlled!
That was Emilia Müller’s voice.
Han Ju-hwa, too, was dodging the assault from allied Players, surrounding herself in flames for protection.
Shouts and explosions echoed from all over the allied camp. It seemed that everyone except the S-ranks, like Emilia Müller and Han Ju-hwa, had turned against them.
Lee Hyun-wook moved, dodging the onslaught of attacks flying from all directions.
‘Dammit, my body won’t move as I want.’
It was likely due to the ‘Mind Control (Sensory Restriction).’ He felt distinctly heavier, and the incoming attacks seemed faint.
Just then, a bundle of tentacles shot up from the ground and wrapped around his legs.
“Gah!”
Creeaak—
He tried to move the Moglays to cut them, but because of the sensory restriction, the Moglays wobbled in the air as if drunk. Thick tentacles erupted from the ground and began swatting away the incoming Moglays.
Gordon Price started walking toward him.
“Haha—from all the battles I’ve fought, and though I may have been pushed back temporarily, I’ve won them all in the end… you should never forget that it’s not over until it’s over. A single judgment can decide victory or defeat.”
“Hyun-wook, you were too arrogant, too drunk on victory. That is your downfall.”
As he spoke, a tentacle on the floor offered up a white spear, which he grasped.
Even at a glance, it emanated an extraordinary aura.
Gwooooo—
Lee Hyun-wook looked at it and was able to check its information through his Insight Lens.
[Item Information]
- Name: Mistilteinn Spear (Myth)
- Effect: This attack contains the power of deicide and ignores all defenses. It will vanish after taking blood 5 times. (Current uses remaining: 1)
A weapon that could only be used to stab five times, but could kill anyone in a single blow… In his past life, powerful heroes had fallen to that weapon.
“Now, Steel Rain… it’s time to truly see the end.”
With Achilles’s shield in one hand and the Mistilteinn spear in the other, he walked slowly toward Lee Hyun-wook like an executioner.
But Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t break free from the tentacles.
Lee Hyun-wook twisted his body and moved his lips.
“Yes, Mistilteinn… I knew you’d have it.”
In his past life, it was Gordon Price who had obtained Mistilteinn. In addition to that, he had collected other myth-grade items like the Spear of Longinus to easily assassinate heroes.
Literally myth-grade weapons… Just by securing them, the Villains had gained an overwhelming advantage.
“You all had them, so of course we were bound to lose… But when I think about it…”
Lee Hyun-wook gestured with his head toward the Mistilteinn spear.
“Obtaining the seeds of those myth-grade items and nurturing them was impressive, but when it came to actually weaponizing them, it seems your imagination was severely lacking.”
“What?”
“They’re all primitive spear forms. In my opinion, that’s a huge waste.”
To create those myth-grade items, one first had to obtain a ‘seed,’ nurture it through a complex process, and then forge it into an item.
Lee Hyun-wook himself had obtained the seed of Mistilteinn as a reward from the 4th wave and had gone through a long, patient process of nurturing it by having it parasitize Yggdrasil.
Just recently, he had entrusted it to the blacksmiths to be made into an item.
But it wasn't in the form of a spear he had experienced in his past life. That was the simplest, but not the most efficient, choice.
“...I mean, it can be made into something much better.”
Weren’t there far better weapons available now?
Shiiii—
Just then, gray smoke billowed from the imprint on Lee Hyun-wook’s left wrist. A single Moglay shot out, severing the tentacle that was restraining his upper body.
At that moment, Gordon Price kicked off the ground.
“—Useless! You’re finished!”
Hundreds of tentacles shot up from the ground, obscuring Lee Hyun-wook’s vision.
Gordon Price transformed into a tentacle himself, hiding among them, and the Mistilteinn he held vanished from Lee Hyun-wook’s sight.
“—With this single blow, it’s game over for you!”
Then, gray smoke erupted from Lee Hyun-wook’s right wrist—from it emerged the adamant case inscribed with <GS-M>.
“The same goes for you.”
Click—
And it opened—
“What I made with Mistilteinn is…”
Its form was…
Click—
“—A shotgun.”
One that could only fire five shots—
But could kill anything with a single blast—
Ka-boom—!
The shotgun that could kill even a god, roared to life.