Party of Supremes (7)
“At that time, I will be a king.”
It felt like the words of a true sovereign. Gremory could sense it.
The declaration he had just uttered, and the fearless expression on his face because of it.
It was no mere arrogance—it was certainty.
‘A king……?’
The word “king” dredged up memories of those ancient rulers even demons had hesitated to face.
The hegemon who never bowed to demons.
The tyrant who rampaged through the demon realm like a madman.
And during the Great War between humans and demons...
‘One human king united the entire continent.’
His subordinates were the finest warriors humanity had to offer.
Trailing millions-strong armies, he had driven the demon Agares—who sought to invade the human realm—back in terror.
He had ultimately succeeded in forcing Agares and his legions to retreat.
It wasn’t kings themselves that demons feared.
It was those with legendary epithets.
And now.
The holy aura emanating from the Twin Dragon Swords flung back behind his shoulders.
‘He saved the Ares Church and earned the right to wield the power of good.’
It flowed from Hyun-soo, just as the legends described.
Saint's Aura Flows
The air around Gremory grew still.
All noise cut off, everything slowing to a dreamlike crawl.
Her gaze captured Kabel, Bahala, and Lukio charging toward her.
He had gathered humanity’s strongest.
‘A true sovereign……?’
Gremory’s eyes shifted back to Hyun-soo’s rear.
To the blacksmith—no, the future king—floating in the sky behind him.
She envisioned the million-plus army awaiting her and her legions upon her release from the seal in two years.
The reason he showed no fear.
Because right now, he was ascending to the throne.
Gremory’s mind went blank.
‘My seal……’
He would gather even more allies around him.
‘My spoils...’
Would empower his subordinates.
‘Two years...’
A mere blink for this man of infinite potential—more than enough to claim the throne.
Suddenly, her blocked hearing roared back to life.
Sword Cry
Hundreds of unprecedented, razor-sharp blades rained down upon her.
Among them all, Hyun-soo was still the weakest.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-kwang!
But his damage rivaled theirs.
Through the profundity of the Twin Dragon Swords, her artifacts shattered to pieces.
“Kyaeeeeek!”
The demon swept by the blades, and the final inscription etched into the Twin Dragon Swords proclaimed the moment.
Blood-Dyed Mountains and Rivers
Demon blood stained the world.
The end of the demon hunt drew near.
***
-13% HP
Gremory's HP Falls Below 17%
13% HP deleted. Hyun-soo’s achievement.
But the situation wasn’t favorable.
Hyun-soo’s HP sat at 44%.
Kabel and Bahala were below 15%.
Lukio was at 28%, but afflicted with Burn status, his movements dulled, though his attack and defense had surged dramatically.
He commanded Bahala and Kabel, who were closing in at breakneck speed.
Unlike them, if Hyun-soo’s HP dropped below 10%, he could unleash Asnium’s power to avoid forced logout.
Kair's Power
Thick demonic energy erupted from Gremory’s battered form.
Kair.
Current 1st Legion Commander. Unusually, Kair served as the legion’s priest.
His authority: buffs.
Gremory borrowed her legion commanders’ powers, currently at 70% output.
For 1 minute, draw 100% power from all legion commanders.
Legion commander power usage time halved!
Cooldown reset to minimum.
Gremory’s eyes widened in frenzy.
“Die before you become king.”
If she won here, Hyun-soo’s path to kingship crumbled entirely.
Along with everything else.
Without pause, another power activated.
Azaka's Power
The charging party faltered.
One Gremory was already overwhelming.
Azaka commanded the most demonkin.
Two hundred demons surged forward, blocking her path in a frenzied charge.
Left: Bahala. Right: Asura. Above: Lukio.
Front: Hyun-soo.
He knew it.
The three could break through the demons.
But for him now, it wouldn’t be easy.
Not a matter of raw power.
Unlike Kabel, Asura, or Lukio, Hyun-soo wasn’t a god-tier controller, as the world rated him.
What he had was stubbornness, audacity, and will.
Feeling the clash begin behind him, Hyun-soo locked eyes on Gremory.
His blood boiled.
The situation wasn’t all bad.
When they first clashed, no black light flowed from Gremory.
Meaning no materials for Skill Harvest.
But now...
The most valuable materials in the Second Ares gleamed from her.
She was the key to Hyun-soo’s greatest growth.
And the Hyun-soo, once filled only with stubbornness, audacity, and will, had spent months in Atlas.
But after logout, his life differed from others.
Every night before bed, over two hours of mental training through visualization.
‘Sometimes, imagination becomes reality.’
A lesson from Sword King Barad.
Now, feeling that if he fell, the whole party would collapse.
Facing seventy incoming demons, Hyun-soo took a deep breath.
“Huuu……”
Turning mental training into reality.
Break but Do Not Yield
Hyun-soo focused solely on the moment, slashing into the demons.
Thrust, slash, step back, then kick off the ground and charge.
In his frenzy, he closed on Gremory rapidly.
Kabel and Bahala watched in awe.
‘When did he grow this much?’
‘Insane... his growth rate is too fast.’
They marveled.
“Kyahaha!”
As the four converged, Gremory unleashed her power, as if anticipating it.
Sensing this was her final stand.
She borrowed Rusper’s power, the 22nd legion commander who struck 100% accurately.
Rusper's Power
Rusper’s greatsword struck multiple foes in one space with unerring precision, its lethality acknowledged even by legion commanders.
Chieeeek—
In an instant, four greatswords summoned from rifts targeted their abdomens.
Gremory exulted; the party despaired.
‘A direct hit...’
‘Forced logout.’
Bahala and Kabel’s HP was critically low.
But as if the system sensed their iron will to win—
Wuuuung!
The Transcendent+ Desire Dagger at Hyun-soo’s neck erupted in black light.
Desire Dagger’s power.
Emergency Storage
2% chance to store and reflect enemy's trait at 70% power.
The greatswords lunging at the four dissolved like mirages.
Rusper's Power
Hyun-soo gripped the necklace, thrusting his hand forward. Greatswords fired from the space before Gremory.
Puuuuk!
-12% HP
Gremory's HP Falls Below 12%
“Kyak!?”
She panicked.
Luck?
No. Only possible because Hyun-soo forged the irrational Desire Dagger.
Gremory’s face paled further.
That greatsword had dealt fatal damage, creating this opening.
Led by Hyun-soo, left, right, sky.
Humanity’s four strongest encircled her.
A first.
Gremory this close to all four.
The other three wouldn’t waste the chance Hyun-soo created.
Hyun-soo had led this time, and with this gap, a power they’d planned together activated.
Time Continuum.
Moving multiple times in a split second.
“Asura Quick Blade.”
“Sword God Soar.”
“Demon's Movement.”
“Ghost Step.”
Four ghosts advanced. To seal the demon.
In the fleeting 1 to 3 seconds.
Su-ga-ga-ga-gak
Kwa-ra-ra-ra-rak—
Pu-pu-pu-pu-puk—
Kwak, jjeok, peo-peo-peok, u-du-du-duk—
-7% HP
Gremory's HP Falls Below 7%...
-5% HP
Gremory's HP Falls Below 5%...
Unable to react, Gremory couldn’t even scream.
Her rapidly wounded body dreaded the seal.
Yet.
-2% HP
Gremory's HP Falls Below 2%
As the four’s Time Continuum ended, Gremory barely clung to life.
Gelbert's Power
She made one choice.
Gelbert shook armies within 2km with shockwaves.
Pu-hwaaak!
The massive wave halted the four humans momentarily.
Peul-leook!
The transcendent demon spread wings, fleeing at irrational speed.
This prison’s master was Gremory.
As she burst through the ceiling at light speed, relief smiled on her face.
Tok—
“……?”
She frowned in confusion.
A harmless arrow had thwacked her.
Hyun-soo’s mouth opened.
“It’s over.”
“???”
Gremory’s puzzled expression shifted as she plummeted like weighted with ten tons.
Ku-hwaaak!
The four awaited her.
Not one missed—swords sliced upward perfectly.
Seo-geeeek!
Kwaaaang!
Gremory’s eyes, crashing to the ground, fixed on one man last.
Hyun-soo.
-Remaining HP
Gremory's HP Reaches 0
The four didn’t relax.
Transcendent demons held unknown variables.
And the rewards for slaying her remained a mystery.
They silently stared at the pinned Gremory.
At that moment.
Not just them swallowed dryly, watching him.
CEO Lee Se-jin shot to his feet.
“It... actually happened?”
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
Thus, no certainty.
Only knowledge.
If real, Ares for users would change vastly.
And elsewhere.
Branch managers felt it too.
US Branch Chief John stared shakily at the screen.
Gremory pinned, surrounded by four apex humans.
“Proving the impossible possible for users... to the world?”
All branch chiefs knew.
They fell silent, staring. Then, a notification hit deniers.
Facing it, every hair stood on end.
Back to now.
The four still unrealizing.
Bahala: new awakening.
Asura: protected what he must.
Lukio: century of vengeance.
Hyun-soo: proved absurd growth path.
The tale rang out as World Message, spreading worldwide.
Proving seal success, aweing the world and them.
*** Amid endless notifications, Hyun-soo regretted one thing.
The black light from Skill Harvest, potential materials.
But probabilistic, nothing harvested.
Lost in regret, overwhelmed by alerts, he heard clearly.
‘Why didn’t I know this?’
Slaying legendary monsters, users expect Legendary Artifacts.
Gremory was Transcendent.
Tucked among alerts.
One erased harvest regret.
‘Transcendent Artifact……!’
An immense score.