Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: 61-3. Demonic God Transformation
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Scattering ash.
Ice and snow melted completely from the heat.
The village burning amid people's screams.
'Is this the end?'
Kwon Ki-seok stared at his mutilated body and forced a hollow smile.
The pain ripping through him like knives was relentless.
At first, everything had seemed to go smoothly.
After getting pulled into the game with his friend, he'd actually met the character he loved from the game.
His first impression of Sophitia Kolthart wasn't great, but they'd grown close enough.
He'd proven he wasn't an enemy by knowingly eating the poisoned food.
"F-Flintz. Are you okay...? You're bleeding so much! We need to get you treated right away…."
"I'm fine."
He barely managed to keep a straight face as he glanced at the black-haired girl behind him.
The grand duchess known as Iron Blood, on the verge of tears because of him. He didn't want to see that.
It made him feel like he was being compared to the Black Knight somewhere out there.
Originally, he'd thought that if he just repelled the northern raid from history and cured Sophitia's heart condition, everything would be resolved.
That would prevent the tragic future.
But the world wasn't that forgiving.
The northern capital, Kaprostia, was burning because of a white-haired magician who appeared out of nowhere.
'...Getting possessed by a game character was weird from the start.'
Kwon Ki-seok realized this world wasn't a game but reality during the fight with the Demon King.
What game simulated pain so vividly?
And even NPCs having real emotions was odd.
Five years before the original [Knight Heart],
Ten years before the sequel [Black Heart].
The Demon King he'd just fought used cards and dressed like Magic Hat, the final boss of [Black Heart].
Why was she in a woman's form here?
A ponytail with wolf ears, like some magician.
'...No way the Demon King is a real human too.'
He'd always thought it was male.
The voice, the appearance.
In the sequel, it was the epitome of a Demon King, pitch black.
'You saintess fetish freak. What the hell did you do...?'
Just now, Magic Hat had taken a form similar to the Nameless Saintess.
Someone must have possessed first and stirred things up.
Licht had handled monster raids when he wasn't around, and the Black Knight's feats of subjugating the Demon King up to the north were legendary.
After posting Lee Soo-hyun's攻略 guides on the community and getting possessed,
Kwon Ki-seok had spent time figuring out the world and meticulously planning.
'I got careless.'
Knowing the future didn't mean he could handle everything.
Against the Truth Demon King, he was just flailing helplessly.
"Call the guards, and you'll live. Just hold on a bit…."
"No need. I've been hit by her authority. Soon I won't even recognize you."
All he could do was protect Sophitia behind him.
Without the holy sword, he couldn't stand against the Demon King.
By the time he'd gathered all the ingredients for her heart disease cure and delivered it, the Demon King invaded the north.
Something impossible in the original history.
He'd overestimated the harsh, barren northern climate keeping the Demon King away.
"But who the hell are you... to go this far for me...?"
The grand duchess with black hair and bear ears.
Her icy eyes and hands trembled.
What should he say?
Sophitia was pressing her palm against his deep rib wound, blood pouring out.
Kwon Ki-seok, in Flintz's body, let out a long sigh.
Flintz.
A vampire character with white hair and red eyes.
Unlike Licht with his knight skill bonuses, Flintz specialized in mana circuits.
Mana circuits were like blood vessels.
Thus, a special character who could use all kinds of magic with blood.
Kwon Ki-seok had used this for the hidden spearman class.
'...Why'd I pick that nickname.'
Playing with the nickname "Northern Grand Duchess's Husband."
He'd only managed to protect one person. Just Sophitia.
What if it had been his real body, not possession?
That guy was operating here as Licht too.
"......"
Blood dripped to the floor.
His consciousness faded, muscles went slack, and he collapsed with a thud.
'...I protected the one I loved. That's enough.'
Even in another's body, his feelings weren't fake.
In his fading memories, something flashed.
"Your husband from the future?"
"...What crazy talk in this situation!"
Sophitia might forget him soon too.
But he forced a casual smile, acting like it was nothing.
"....Hey, it could really happen."
The taste of blood in his mouth was bitter.
Vampire character or not, he couldn't stop the bleeding from whatever attack it was.
"I thought a calculating guy like you would ditch someone like me. Grand Duchess."
"Don't... judge people in black and white. Flintz."
Sophitia struggled to support the blood-soaked man.
How had he known about her family's hereditary heart disease?
The Demon King had approached when she was alone in the palace.
Flintz had saved her, risking his life.
"Shouldn't I repay you for the elixir you saved me with?"
Then the heart disease wasn't a lie either.
The grand duchess's heart was opening to the white-haired, red-eyed spearman.
"...Is that it."
"My holy power alone probably isn't enough. If we get to the guards, they'll surely heal you…."
Or maybe they'd been alike since they first met.
The two dragged their stone-heavy bodies toward the guards.
'……These words were originally from Sophitia.'
In his blurring vision, Kwon Ki-seok recalled past memories.
With his last strength, he desperately tried to leave a clue for subjugating the Demon King.
People fleeing in panic from the flames.
Acrid smoke blinded their view.
"This way!! That area's collapsing soon!"
"There are people in this building!!"
The bone-chilling cold was gone; only scorching heat filled the north.
A horrific scene of screams and ash. This is why I hated writing it.
"..Damn, one step too late."
We'd arrived straight from Pantos's temple to the north via Dennis's 3D magic circle.
"My god…."
I let out a hollow breath at the devastated northern landscape.
This hadn't leaked out because it was the Demon King's doing.
The authority of the Demon King, opposite to the Hero's name.
But the head was already dead. How did we lose the info war?
I might've stayed clueless without the status window.
"What... the hell happened? Licht."
"With things this bad, how hasn't word reached the Empire...?"
Pine covered her mouth and surveyed the surroundings.
Buildings ablaze everywhere, crumbling.
I habitually rubbed my chin.
I thought after the monster raid, no big incidents left.
'As expected, reality diverges from the game.'
I felt the reason my info kept mismatching lately.
The War Demon King being twins, the Truth Demon King being female—all due to this.
Plus, the Empire and north seemed rivals but were allies.
Pine and Sophitia had been friends since childhood.
Something this big happening? They should've known.
"Demon King's work, right? Professor Dennis."
"I know without you saying."
Originally, the north was the final bastion the Demon King couldn't approach. Without a word, Dennis and I tried summoning rain to douse the flames.
"Licht. I'll go ahead."
"..Be careful. Soo-hyun."
Pine and Kainel, true to heroes, evacuated nearby residents first.
Ariel spotted a distant mountain fire and set a counterfire to contain it.
When did she grow so much?
Now they were reliable comrades and friends I could trust my back to.
"Tenacity, mutual love."
I placed a hand on my chest and drew the black sword.
A clone spawned immediately. Unlike my main body, it now wore the Black Knight helmet.
The helmet of conviction gifted by the Nameless Saintess.
All clones sported striking black helmets like the night sky.
I probably didn't need it anymore.
To protect her, I didn't have to wear this helmet.
As we focused on rescues, saving people,
A woman in a long black coat and cloak from head to toe.
Contrasting small, cute bear ears.
"Pine..!! It's you!!"
Grand Duchess Sophitia appeared, leading her guards from afar.
Shattered windows proving the Demon King's raid.
After sorting the north's crisis with the bear-eared guards, we headed to the half-destroyed palace.
"Sofi, what the hell happened to make the north like this...?"
"Magic Hat invaded. Pine."
Pine froze mid-step.
Probably recalling the trauma when Empress Bellin nearly died.
"A-Are you okay...? Sofi...?"
"Yeah, I survived... but…."
The northern grand duchess led us to a door, dismissed the wary guards.
A luxurious door, like for nobility.
"But I couldn't protect this person."
According to Sophitia, a man had saved her, risking his life during Magic Hat's raid.
"Licht. Can you restore him? Any way?"
"....."
Opening the door revealed a white-haired man.
Healers sweated profusely treating him, but his face was pale like the sick.
'Pillar husband vibes to anyone.'
The name Flintz was unfamiliar, but it was Kwon Ki-seok's appearance from the game.
"....I'm begging you. Hero of Conviction."
Sophitia gazed sadly at the unfocused man.
The haughty grand duchess bowed to me.
How close had they become?
Kwon Ki-seok couldn't speak, but reached out, gesturing like conveying something.
Magic Hat had done something to him.
I spotted something at his gaze's end and his chess-like hand signs. It clicked.
If facing Magic Hat caused this,
She blocked his speech, so find clues in his chess specialty.
"……If there's a chessboard nearby, please bring it."
Strategist versus man of action.
That was the difference between me and him.