The Wrath of Carbanog

Flash!

The spear in Tae-hyun's hand erupted with a blinding radiance, unleashing the divine power of Carbanog. The true power of the spear, awakened at last by his monumental achievement!

A brand-new skill: Carvanog's Wrath.

Tae-hyun didn't even have a spare second to check the details. The situation was far too critical, leaving him no room for leisure. He activated the skill immediately.

"—Carvanog's Wrath!"

"!??!"

Tae-hyun was actually taken aback by how incredibly normal and useful the skill was. Wait... a skill this good? From him?

But more important than Tae-hyun's temporary buff was the state of their opponent. What had happened to Pagroak?

"!"

Both Tae-hyun and Carbanog were stunned. No matter how much power Carbanog had lost as a weakened deity, a god was still a god. A divine authority unleashed directly should have been utterly unbearable for a mortal! Yet, he was actually resisting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it!

‘Now is not the time to be embarrassed, Carbanog! Get a grip!’ Tae-hyun urged. Without Carbanog's divine assistance, this battle would turn incredibly ugly.

"—Aaargh! How dare you...! How dare you!"

Pagroak thrashed in agony. Carbanog's holy power was still tormenting him. Parts of Pagroak's body kept rapidly transforming into a fluffy white rabbit and back again as he struggled. Truly, the power of Carbanog was nothing to scoff at!

"—Ca... Lord Carbanog...!"

Nekanet-sal cried out, his voice choked with sudden emotion. "Lord Carbanog!"

"—I was wrong, Lord Carbanog!"

‘He can't even hear you, you know?’ Tae-hyun thought dryly.

"Nekanet-sal! Since things have turned out this way, we have no choice! Let's kill Pagroak and escape together!"

Nekanet-sal shook his head at Tae-hyun's words.

"—It is already too late."

"?"

"—It means it is too late now that the Hungry Chaos has noticed. I made a contract with that entity. There is no escape."

The Hungry Chaos was meticulous. It would never stand by and watch Nekanet-sal walk away.

Rumble— Crash! Boom!

Right on cue, the sky of the fortress in the alternate dimension split open, and an immense, oppressive power began to pour down.

A direct command from the Hungry Chaos itself! Upon hearing those words, the undead legions went into a frenzy. From all directions, the army rushed toward the top floor where Nekanet-sal stood!

"—I am already beyond saving. But I cannot allow you, who reminded me of Lord Carbanog's name, to be captured by the Hungry Chaos as well!"

Tae-hyun was bewildered by the sudden deluge of gifts. But Nekanet-sal did not answer; instead, he gripped his staff tightly.

"—In the name of Nevuchadnezzar, I shall fight! I will make sure you are sent back outside. I shall fight like a true Nevuchadnezzar!"

‘I don't think the real Nevuchadnezzar was that kind of guy, though...’ Tae-hyun thought, sweating inwardly.

"—You are utterly delusional."

Pagroak, having regained his composure, spoke through gritted teeth. Though his arm kept transforming into a rabbit's leg and back due to Carbanog's curse, he intended to ignore the ridiculous affliction and fight.

"—Do you think you will even get the chance? I will slaughter you and that Apostle of Carbanog beside you together."

"—Just try it!"

Whoooooosh!

Determined to go down fighting, Nekanet-sal began to gather his mana like a madman, prepared to die right here. Pagroak gasped in shock at the sheer magnitude of the power.

"—Are you trying to blow yourself up?! You absolute lunatic!"

"—Hell Mana Lightning!"

Crackle! Zap!

Pagroak gritted his teeth and raised his defense. At that exact moment, his arm turned into a rabbit's, causing him to drop his shield.

"—Aaaaaaaargh!"

"—Haha! This is the power of Lord Carbanog!"

"—Do you think such cheap tricks will work?!"

No matter how much Pagroak was battered, his strength recovered in an instant. Even as Nekanet-sal channeled immense mana to unleash grand magic, Pagroak stood firm. He believed that if he just dragged out the time, Nekanet-sal would collapse on his own.

And that was indeed the case. Though Nekanet-sal was holding on by using various skills, there was a limit to his endurance now that he had been abandoned by the Hungry Chaos. On top of that, the undead legions were swarming in from all directions.

‘Damn it. I can't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handle this alone.’

Tae-hyun gritted his teeth, pulled out bombs, and hurled them in every direction.

Boom! Bam! Crash!

The undead legions flying through the air hissed and screeched as the explosions halted their advance.

Despite the warning from the Hungry Chaos, the black mages cast their spells without hesitation. If they were going to be dragged away by the Hungry Chaos anyway, they would rather die together!

Rumble, crash, boom!

The mana condensed frantically, triggering a series of massive explosions.

Hearing the barrage of system alerts behind him, Tae-hyun gave up on checking them. If he lingered to watch, he might get swept away to some bizarre, unknown place himself!

"Gusirek! What are you doing?! Run! Why are you so slow when you're as big as a mountain?!"

"—You... try running... after being tortured... you... damn... mortal... bastard!"

To think he had leveled up three times without even defeating a boss monster or killing them directly! It was a testament to just how threatening the fortress and the undead legions had been.

‘...Carbanog. Don't cry. They might have been blown somewhere into the rift and still be alive.’

The followers of the Karbanog Church had always been famous for their incredibly tenacious lifespans. They were definitely alive somewhere!

‘They were actually growing on me...’

Tae-hyun felt a pang of regret as well. Both Nekanet-sal and the black mages could have been of great help, but they had vanished due to the interference of the Hungry Chaos. He would never forgive it!

‘Ah. Wait. I should have asked how to lift Alexeos's curse.’

Because he had been so focused on the Demon Duke Gusirek, he had completely forgotten to ask how to break the curse placed on Alexeos.

"Kim Tae-hyun!"

From afar, Lee Se-yeon came running, leading a highly unusual entourage: an undead army, her guild members, and even the church NPCs!

"What on earth happened?!"

"It's a really long story..."

Tae-hyun pondered how to explain it. Where should he even begin?

"...Wait. Isn't that a demon?"

Lee Se-yeon stared in bewilderment at the ridiculously massive demon standing next to Tae-hyun. No matter how she looked at it, he was definitely a demon. And with a build that huge and an appearance that terrifying, he had to be a named boss... Could it be?

"No way...?"

"Oh, this guy? He's just a lesser demon named Gusirak," Tae-hyun replied smoothly.

Gusirek stared at Tae-hyun in utter disbelief. What does this damn mortal take a Demon Duke for?!