Demon of War (2)
The Demon of War who had barged onto the battlefield bared thick bloodlust toward the man before her eyes.
My skin's prickling like crazy!
Where the hell had this monster come from?
"You there—what's your name?!"
"...Yeon Je-seong."
"Pfft! Haha! As expected of Academy City's Student Council President!"
That explained the overwhelming strength.
Her opponent was the hero who, with just two people, had repelled the Plague Demon, former of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Even accounting for the other being one of the Seven Powers, a Divine Spirit, it was obvious this guy was no pushover.
But even so, for Death to get shattered without putting up any fight...
The Demon of War drew up her full battle spirit while coldly gauging the man's power.
Considering that Death, who outranked her, hadn't even been able to lift a finger, a head-on clash wasn't wise.
Unfortunately, though, skulking around from behind wasn't her style.
Only raw power!
A pure clash of strength against strength!
That all-out struggle was her sole value.
And so, Yeon Je-seong, who made her skin crawl, was—without exaggeration—the perfect opponent for her.
"Grraaah... You came at just the right time. War."
"Hey hey! You look like hell, Death!"
At that moment, the Demon of Death staggered over, barely having patched up her wounds.
"Be careful. That guy's stronger than you can imagine."
Treat him like top-tier Seven Powers at minimum!
As she added that warning, he flashed a feral grin and slammed his fists together.
BOOM!
"Nice! To think I'd find a foe like this in Rischel, just fooling around to kill time...!"
A heavy shockwave rippled out, followed by the Demon of War's fierce shout.
Soon, yellow battle spirit erupted from her body, sharpening her aura to a razor's edge.
Yeon Je-seong slowly assumed a stance as he eyed the Demon of War, then spotted the Demon of Death prepping her next attack and lightly kicked off the ground, retreating.
A black spear poured into the spot he'd just vacated.
As the death-infused spear stabbed into the earth—already cracked and split—the ground shook violently, throwing off balance.
"Puhaha! Come on, come on! Let's get this going quick...!"
"Die...!"
The Demon of War charged with a savage lunge, seizing the opening, while the Demon of Death swung her hand, launching another black spear.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Hey! Don't run away!"
"Then pick up the pace."
Yeon Je-seong coolly shot back at War's light jab, dodging the incoming spears while smoothly deflecting her assault.
The Demon of War instantly pulled back far, then unleashed her full authority.
"Let's see if you can dodge this...!"
"Hup...!"
"No chance!"
Sensing an eerie foreboding from the Demon of War standing still and emanating yellow energy, Yeon Je-seong rushed her in one burst—only for the Demon of Death to move in personally, checking him to cover her ally.
"Hurry it up, War...!"
But that lasted only a moment.
After a brief exchange, the Demon of Death flew off into the distance, and a fist thick with dense aura hurtled toward the Demon of War.
But just before it connected—
A sword appeared out of nowhere to block it.
"...!"
CRASH!
No—not block. It simply deflected him sword and all.
As Yeon Je-seong's expression subtly soured at the sudden interloper—
The Demon of War burst into booming laughter, drawing his full attention.
"Kuhahaha! Rischel, huh? More decent chicks than I thought...!"
And with that, a swarm of knights emerged, surrounding the Demons of War and Death.
"You lot..."
As doubt filled Yeon Je-seong's eyes at these strangers—
His gaze sharpened coldly upon closer inspection.
"..."
The knights blocking his path were all covered in wounds, large and small.
But they shared one thing: every last one bore fatal injuries.
—Yes, just like warriors slain in battle.
"Your doing?"
Yeon Je-seong quickly concluded, murmuring tersely. The Demon of War nodded readily.
"Yeah, that's right. My authority is War! Not only do I grow stronger on the battlefield, I can command the corpses of the fallen!"
The madness of the battlefield and the grudging souls of the dead had become the authority called War.
The Demon of War had dominated frontlines for ages with this power.
She'd never settled things with her hard counter, the Divine Spirit, but that was just bad matchup.
If it was a battlefield, she was certain even the famed Army God could fall to her.
Sensing the tide had turned, the Demon of War let out a hearty laugh.
"Look! The guys who were fighting back-to-back with you until just now—they're your enemies!"
"..."
"An endless legion of the undead, reviving no matter how many times you kill them!"
That was her—the army of war!
Arms spread wide in brazen confidence, the Demon of War didn't stop there, drawing up energy and bellowing on.
"But this ain't enough! I know Rischel's fairies won't touch you!"
So time for her trump card!
As she shouted, three coffins materialized above her head.
Each etched with ancient patterns, they brimmed with ominous energy anyone could sense.
Tatiana, charging toward Yeon Je-seong, spotted one and froze in shock.
"That's from the Great Forest...!?"
But her surprise was brief.
One coffin creaked open, and the corpse inside slowly rose—only for Yeon Je-seong to thrust his fist into empty air.
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted simultaneously.
Blinding flash followed, forcing Tatiana to squeeze her eyes shut instinctively.
When she opened them, Yeon Je-seong's hand was blocking the incoming sword.
"Another corpse?"
"Haha! What do you think? Once called a hero."
"Not bad."
Even in death, the experience lingered in the body, it seemed.
Yeon Je-seong parried the barrage steadily, appraising the corpse coolly.
Superior-rank Hero level.
Considering it was a corpse, probably not a true ranker in life.
Its strikes were sharp enough to make him think so naturally.
As he blocked, Yeon Je-seong glanced at the remaining unopened coffins.
If the others are this strong, it's a proper trump card.
The most influential demon on any battlefield, indeed.
War hinged on game-changing powerhouses, after all.
Not content with commanding the dead, she had three at near-heroic elite levels—no wonder she was hard to handle.
Meanwhile, Tatiana gritted her teeth as corpses grabbed at her feet, summoning a spirit.
"Thunderbird—sweep them away!"
KYOOOO!
A lightning-wreathed bird appeared at her call, scattering bolts around.
But the blocking corpses had no intelligence.
Undeterred by the blinding thunderbolts illuminating the ground, they charged her.
She summoned another spirit, shooting Yeon Je-seong an anxious glance.
I'll be right there...!
Spirit spells clashed with knight blades in a thunderous boom.
───
An unexpected development.
Yeon Je-seong thought so as he dodged the relentless sword thrusts.
"What's wrong? Scared, Yeon Je-seong?!"
"..."
Parrying the Demon of War was easy enough, but the swords stabbing at her openings and distant magic barrages were annoying.
"War! Don't hold back against him!"
"...!"
The Demon of Death, who'd already tasted a fragment of his power, and the mindless ranker-tier corpses were launching sharp checks.
This'll just drag on.
Her authority had already turned the area into chaos.
The Round Table was barely holding with their aid in this disadvantageous spot, but reviving dead shattered that fragile balance.
Unless he cleared the field fast, damage would mount.
The tide might even turn their way.
Aser's side is taking longer than expected. Something must've happened.
Aser, whom he'd thought would arrive soon, hadn't shown—likely tied up too.
No reason to waste more time here.
"Die...!"
"It's over!"
The Demon of War was unforeseen.
But now? It was an opportunity.
A chance to take two of the Four Heavenly Kings at once.
Couldn't pass that up.
Opponents: Demon of Death and Demon of War.
Death was already gravely wounded.
Facing two Heavenly Kings was burdensome, but one heavily injured changed things.
I've got a solid shot at winning.
He'd seen their skills firsthand.
Both underperformed.
Should be manageable.
Problem: the two coffins hovering in the air.
This moving corpse was already superior-hero ranker-tier.
Who knew what lay in the others.
Hope this one's the strongest... but unlikely.
Slightly weaker or stronger rankers seemed rational.
"Damn! Keep dodging, will you?!"
"Time's up! Pin him down, Death!"
"...! Got it!"
Suddenly, their movements shifted.
From wild swings aiming to land any hit—
To herding him in a specific direction.
The second coffin in the air began creaking open.
Time-delayed technique.
No incantation from War, so likely an auto-triggering ritual.
How long passed?
As I dodged and counterattacked, a knight plummeted from above—I instantly retreated.
THUD!
A massive crater formed where the knight landed, and a hulking armored giant rose from it.
Shield proportionate to its bulk in hand, it charged me.
Startled by the heavy-yet-swift assault, I blocked the shield with my foot—only for a sharp sword to thrust from behind.
"Impressive."
I tilted my head to evade the precise stab, caught the incoming fist from the side.
Using my raised leg as pivot, I spun once, shield and all, sending it flying—then black spears rained down, filling the sky.
Faced with the flawless barrage, I swiftly drew up aura, raising my arms to shield my face.
"Manga Style, Hardening."
Manga Style: Hardening
I spread the drawn aura over my body, enveloping it.
My skin turned black, tanking the falling black spears.
"Well done, Death!"
"...!"
SCRAAAPE!
Seizing the instant opening, the Demon of War struck my gut; a sharp sword pierced my heart from blind spot.
Followed by a massive shield smashing down on my head.
"Urraaagh...!"
Judging I needed to keep momentum after taking one hit, she unleashed merciless flurries from her fists.
The ranker corpses joined in perfect sync.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
CRASH!
The unrelenting combo buried my defending body into the ground, carving a huge crater.
"Outta the way, War...!"
As they pulled back, a colossal guillotine blade plummeted from above.
CRUNCH!
The heavy impact ended with my spot engulfed in dust clouds. They panted, scanning.
"Haa... haa..."
"...Got him?"
But with those words, the dust blasted away, revealing me unscathed.
"...My clothes are torn."
Definitely a powerful combo.
My aura-guarded outfit was ripped like this, after all.
But the demons didn't see it that way.
"Tanked it with his body...? *Cough*...!"
"Hey hey, for real...?"
Shocked at my pristine state, the Demon of War's eyes bulged wildly; the Demon of Death vomited blood as damage caught up.
But shock was fleeting.
The Demon of War grinned ferally, charging like a beast.
"Good! Let's fight to the death!"
"Perfect—you use fists too."
I smirked at her ferocious charge.
She was a pure martial artist using punches—ideal for warming up.
My hand sliced through empty air.
"—!?"
Sensing something wrong, her eyes widened.
My hand plunged into the void, drawing a pitch-black gauntlet...
"It's been a while since your stage. Gonggi."
And simultaneously, the final coffin hovering in the air began to creak open.
I glanced up to check the new foe—and froze at what slowly descended.
"..."
The brief aura from drawing my gear vanished instantly.
I stared silently at the corpse planting its feet on the ground.
Mistaking my demeanor for fear?
"Hahaha! You recognize her, huh? Even you can't ignore this!"
"..."
"This is my trump card! The masterpiece among countless corpses! The Ma-wang Army's pride—our finest!"
Ignoring his ecstatic rant, I observed the corpse closely.
Silver hair once beautiful now dulled and lusterless.
Fierce eyes full of wildness now vacant and empty.
Her proudly flaunted tail and ears now limp toward the ground...
"...Ah."
Familiar, yet not.
I knew her.
How could I not?
A bit changed from what I remembered, but recognizable at a glance.
Then his shout pierced my daze.
"That's right! The hero who died battling the previous Ma-wang!"
"Former Seven Powers, the Divine Beast Neria—that's her...!"
A fan-favorite from Academy City's Dropout Hero 2.
Great Chief of the beastkin splitting the Great Forest with the Elf Queen, who with Hero Alex subjugated the Ma-wang and fell.
The likable character gamers raged over killing.
Top-tier performance true to Seven Powers status—my go-to like comfort food.
And she...
"Even you can't face our Four Heavenly Kings and a Seven Powers at once...!?"
"Lend me your power, Gonggi."
RUMBLE!
Pitch darkness enveloped me.
For a split second, a black tiger flashed within—but met my eyes and vanished, leaving only its power.
I pushed my aura to the limit.
GRRRR!
"Urk...!"
"Wh-what the...!"
Dense aura pulverized my footing, cracking the earth apart.
With her in my heightened view, I kept surging aura—the Demon of War sensed danger and readied herself.
"Last gasp, huh? Fine! Let's clash our strongest...!"
"Hey, you..."
She screeched like a banshee, shoving corpses forward; they assumed attack stances on command.
We stood in silent standoff briefly.
Then, aura maxed, I intoned the familiar technique.
"Realm King Fist, 2x."
Realm King Fist: 2x
■■■■■──!!
In a world where sound couldn't reach, I slipped past the sluggish thrusts and blasted the Demon of War away.
"Die...!?"
KABOOOM!
"You've crossed the line."
A beat later, the roar echoed, shaking the earth.