Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Demon Sword King
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" Demon Sword King."
I'm going to draw one more Hyperion. And with that.
I'll make a spare sword with sockets filled for combat.
Crack!
The ground beneath the Demon Sword King's feet caves in. He tries to shake off my sword and escape, but once we're locked in a contest of strength like this, backing down for the weaker side is as good as saying they want to die.
'At the very least, he needs to break my stance.'
Naturally, he knows that too.
Slash-!
In an instant, pitch-black energy explodes from the sword he's holding. It soon takes the form of a jet-black giant, swinging to smash into my body.
"Hyperion."
[Ha... I'm really here again.]
The pitch-black energy exploding from Hyperion also morphs into a giant's shape, blocking the other version of myself that was attacking me.
[Then shove it aside.]
Boom!
Thanks to that, I can continue the strength contest without interruption.
Crunch!
A dangerous sound comes from the Demon Sword King's shoulder.
His previously relaxed face twists like a ferocious demon, thick veins bulging out.
'He's holding up pretty well.'
The Demon Sword King's physical abilities are truly remarkable. Of course, once someone reaches the level of an absolute expert, their external martial arts are never ordinary, and when aura envelops the body, even a child's strength can tear through composite armor like paper.
'But it's not enough.'
No matter how strong, it's not enough to overcome the power to rip dimensions bare-handed.
Screech!
When I release my left hand from the two hands gripping Hyperion, the overwhelming force pressing down on the Demon Sword King causes Hyperion to waver.
But his stance has completely collapsed, making it impossible for him to shake it off and stand.
"You bastard...!"
"First one."
Crack!
My left fist slams into the Demon Sword King's face. I aimed to burst his head open, but a shield of aura deployed like a barrier blocked it.
It was excellent defense, but the problem is that the positioning between him and me hasn't changed at all.
Screech!
My left arm pulls back again. Muscles contract, tendons creaking like bent rebar. The aura swirling around my body strengthens my flesh while concentrating in front of my fist.
"Another one."
Crack!
The shield of aura blocks it again. But unlike before, when it fully withstood the blow, the Demon Sword King's head tilts sharply this time.
[I've assessed the situation. Little bro! There are three transcendent-grade monsters that appeared on Lute Planet. One was obliterated by a quantum bomb, and another is being handled by the guardian constellation Powerforce.]
Tom Holiday's voice comes through the pre-linked telepathy channel into my head. I send back telepathy.
[The rest?]
[Mook mobs numbering tens of thousands are still clashing with the military. Gatsu's handling that, and the barrier setup is nearly complete, so no worries there. Just focus on that guy.]
[Got it.]
I sever the telepathic link and raise my left hand again.
Crack!
Blood bursts from the Demon Sword King's nose. His bloodshot eyes gleam with terrifying killing intent. And just as I'm about to strike his head again.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Heaven Extinguishing.
Slash!
A line appears on my neck, and blood sprays out.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art's life-saving absolute strike.
The desperate sword strike that overturns victory and defeat pierced through the aura and my extreme intent body's defense!
Pop!
The moment my stance crumbles, the Demon Sword King unleashes brilliant footwork and shoots into the sky.
"Arrogant whelp! Relying on your mighty flesh to act so brazenly..."
Clack.
But his ascending body halts. Because my left hand has seized his ankle.
The Demon Sword King steps on empty air with the mystic art of Void Treading and swings his sword aura to sever my hand, but with my inherently tough body further clad in aura, a casual sword aura like that won't even scratch it.
Sizzle...!
If the wound I took had been fatal, I would have logged in. I'd have gone to Ardenia for healing, taken ample rest, and come back.
But right now. I don't need to. The wound on my neck is already healing.
Even the curse-like intent loaded into the sword aura couldn't stop the regeneration.
"I've got a rough idea. Of your level."
In other words.
I don't even need to log in against this guy.
"Boring."
I swing him around by the ankle like a ragdoll.
Kaboom!
The immense impact makes the earth heave like waves. Even the Demon Sword King, wrapped head to toe in aura, can't fully deflect the blow and vomits blood.
"......"
Honestly, I want to let go of the hand holding him.
I want to let him recover fully and fight again at his best.
To test how strong I've become, to see what my current self can do.
"Hmph."
But I shake off the stray thought with a snort.
I'm here to work.
Great Vessel Late Bloom
Light Flash
Crack.
Before anyone knows it, Hyperion has cleaved into the Demon Sword King's head. So fast that no one—not even me—properly registered the motion.
And right after.
Boom- whoosh!
A monstrous roar erupts alongside a shockwave.
"Uwaaak! Save me!"
"Kkaek! Kaek!"
"Mueoooong!"
The soldiers surrounding us tumble chaotically to the ground and get flung far away.
If not for the Demon Sword King's protective aura neutralizing some of the physical force, this much is mild; if I'd swung that strike into empty air, they'd all be dead.
"Done... and... Kasim."
Just calling his name parts the air as Kasim appears.
No need to explain his purpose.
Clatter!
About ten items materialize.
And at that moment.
Hum!
The transcendent weapon Zero Sum glows.
[The stored drop adjustment amount decreases.]
[Legendary 311 → 301]
[Mythic 1 → 0]
'Guaranteed Hyperion!'
Pop!
The items vanish as soon as they appear.
Instead of opening my inventory to check, I hop onto Kasim's back. Kasim was summoned for item recovery, but I can't make it too obvious.
Boom!
The takeoff is as rough as ever.
From Kasim's back, I reactivate the telepathy line.
[One transcendent down. Heading to take out another.]
[...Wow. What the hell, so fast?]
[No time to even buff him. And his wounds heal so quick, no need for heals...]
I soar high into the sky, listening to Han Seokdu and Shin Jiyeon's voices.
"Kieeeek?"
"Pitpitbitbit gitgitbalbal!"
"In rapture, we writhe! We worship Him and continue eternal praise!"
Outside the city, a tidal wave of monsters surges on.
Fortunately, Lute Planet's soldiers and police are holding it back well.
"Keep firing! Don't let them get close!"
"Commence bombardment!"
Boom boom!
Kung!
The oncoming monsters fall helplessly under the barrage.
'They're holding better than expected?'
The level distribution of these monster outbreak monsters isn't gradual.
'Levels 8 to 10. Then straight to level 20 transcendent-grade monsters.'
No in-betweens. In Revenge terms, it's like jumping from regression or hero-grade straight to mythic, skipping legendaries.
The opposite of Ardenia, where the fields are packed with legendaries.
'And not many monster types. Mostly overlapping...'
In the 34th Earth's case, sometimes no mooks appear at all—just a flood of transcendent-grades.
The epitome of half-assed.
'Feels like scraps left over from making transcendent-grades or something higher...'
That's when I think that.
Whoosh.
A wind blows in. A massive head whizzes past me in the sky.
"Huh?"
[Hahaha!]
With a cheerful laugh, a colossal giant dives into the swarm of monsters swarming like ants.
Kaboom!
"Gigantification?"
[The mooks are fine, no need to worry. That's Gatsu's specialty.]
Surprisingly, it's Gatsu's Giggas, Karelin. The Giggas, which was at most tens of meters tall, has grown to hundreds!
Considering that Giggas become hard to control with ether transmission if they're too oversized relative to the Iron Heart's output, this size is abnormal.
His Giggas, looking even bigger than Landworm at a glance, tramples and sweeps the ground, scattering monsters like ants.
That's not all.
Pop pop!
Monsters that somehow break through the barrage and cross the line have their heads explode like self-detonating.
Overwhelming prowess on a scale that leaves animals shrieking at the approaching foes staring in bewilderment.
And along with that.
"Ow... it hurts... huh?"
"The wounds..."
Injured people groaning on the ground start opening their eyes one by one.
Shin Jiyeon's Nightingale, burrowed deep underground, is sniping healing spells across a dozen kilometers radius like a marksman.
[Thanks to you taking out the Demon Sword King so quick, we've got breathing room. Barrier's complete too, so don't worry about here. Handle the remaining transcendent.]
I whistle in amazement.
[Definitely... having reliable comrades makes a difference.]
[Cocky little bro. Honestly, I didn't expect you to one-shot a transcendent, so I launched the prep spell anyway. How are you this strong right after hitting transcendent?]
[Triple, they say. Triple!]
[Wow, unreal. At this level, you're matching the chief, right?]
[You a divine race or what? Right?]
[Heard you're the game master's hidden son. For real?]
I chuckle at the noisy comms channel.
[Let's finish the job first.]
[Yeah. Target's 35.45 km northwest. Guardian constellation Powerforce is a star-grade Giggas boasting transcendent-level combat power, but it's struggling protecting civilians. Hurry.]
[On it.]
I end the comm and gaze northwest from Kasim's back soaring through the sky.
[Level 22]
Eye of Prophecy. Deep Eye
"That's the one from before."
The moment I think that.
It [sees] me.
Thud!
Suddenly, I realize I'm not on Kasim's back flying through the sky, but standing on a plain littered with corpses.
"Oh, mental attack."
It's so novel experiencing this for the first time. The situation bio-force cultivators relatively weak to mental arts fear most.
But as an absolute expert and Atman, I'm not that vulnerable.
"Release."
Above all, there's an even easier way.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud!
I close my eyes and focus on my heart pounding wildly.
Thud. Thud. Thud...
The heartbeat slows.
Thud.
And when it finally stops. The Dimensional Awl Heart's function pauses briefly.
Shoooo!
Before I know it, I'm back in reality.
"Ah... been a while since I felt this."
Foolish ghosts can't recognize talismans, so even a transcendent-grade mental interference peels off effortlessly.
'Of course, past experience tells me it won't even faze mid-tier or higher transcendents...'
But right now, no issues. I restart my briefly halted heart and open my inventory.
Time to check something more important than Deep Eye's miscellaneous attacks.
Pop!
I ignore the flashing gold in the floating inventory window. Legendary, great, but not the priority now.
"Guaranteed Hyperion!"
So saying, I check the mythic item.
[Call of the Extreme Cold (Level 20)]
Mana Coefficient 2.0
[Eternal Ice (Epic)]
[Soul Freeze (Epic)]
[Empty]. [Empty]. [Empty]. [Empty]. [Empty].
"...Huh?"
But Hyperion isn't there.
Instead, a bracelet that looks utterly random and unrelated to the Demon Sword King.