I'm Taking You Down with Me, You Bastard!

"I'm definitely taking you down with me, you bastard!"

Crash!

Monroso lunged forward, kicking off the ground. Thanks to his demon-mutated body, his Agility was no joke.

He's fast!

Cain, standing nearby, tensed up. If that attack landed cleanly, it would be fatal—

Thud!

"Where do you think you're going?"

But Tae-hyun reacted with practiced ease. He didn't even need to rely on his Luck-based evasion.

No matter how fast he is, it's a straight-line movement. All I have to do is read it and counter.

"Urgh!"

Having stunned Monroso with a rapid succession of Multi-hit strikes, Tae-hyun quickly leaped backward.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Instantly, the Orcs' attacks began raining down on Monroso.

"Squeal! You sworn enemy!"

"Squeal! I'll grind you to pieces and chew on your heart!"

"Keep it up! Go, Orcs, go!"

"Argh, that absolute bastard!" Monroso shrieked as he was pummeled.

"That guy is getting more and more proficient at using the demon blood!" Saruon warned.

Tae-hyun understood the warning all too well. If they didn't take him down quickly, things would get dangerous!

Tae-hyun brandished the Greatsword of Edaor and equipped the Armor of Edaor. Both were pieces of equipment that made him worry about vengeful demons hunting him down every time he wore them, but now was not the time to be picky. Even if it was risky, he had to maximize his combat power. Both items possessed anti-demon combat options. For fighting demons, there was simply no better gear!

"Summon Lesser Demon! Boiling Hell!"

Tae-hyun activated the skill embedded in the Greatsword of Edaor. Seeing this, Saruon cried out in surprise.

"Is that Edaor's weapon? You stole it!"

"I have no intention of giving it back!"

"...I didn't mean it like that! I'm telling you to use Demon Blood and Demon's Fighting Spirit!"

"...?"

Tae-hyun tilted his head. Both were skills that buffed demons. Unless he had a permanent demon companion, wasting MP to buff a temporarily summoned Lesser Demon was a net loss.

"Why would I use those now? It's just a temporary summon, so it'll disappear in a bit anyway."

"Not that thing! I'm telling you to use them on your slave over there!"

"...?"

"...??"

Tae-hyun and Cain locked eyes.

"Since when did you become a demon...?"

"Do you think I wanted to become one?!"

"Now is not the time for that! If you have Edaor's weapon, you need to make the most of it!"

"Alright, alright."

Tae-hyun cast Demon Blood and Demon's Fighting Spirit. On Cain.

"Wait, are your item restrictions lifted right now?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then take this."

Tae-hyun handed the Armor of Edaor to Cain. It was a piece of equipment equipped with tanking skills like Energy Drain and Demonic Vitality, and it even had a chance to absorb mana upon attacking. Rather than Tae-hyun, Cain needed it more. After all, Cain's evasion was severely lacking.

"Kim Tae-hyun...!"

Cain looked at Tae-hyun with deeply moved eyes. No matter how much Tae-hyun scolded him, he always delivered moments of profound emotion like this. Friendship shown through actions, not just words!

"I told you, now is not the time for that!" Saruon urged anxiously from the side. Indeed, although Monroso was constantly being pummeled, he was gradually unleashing a wider variety of skills. It was a relief that Karag and the corrupted chieftains were staying still; if they had joined the fray, it would have been game over already.

"The... the Count's power... I can feel it! Demons, emerge! More! Sacrifice the Orcs here to summon Edaor—"

Tae-hyun flinched. He realized he had to take Monroso down as quickly as possible.

Patter, patter.

"Lord Tae-hyun!"

"...?"

A human voice echoed from behind. Tae-hyun was puzzled to hear a human voice instead of an Orc's. Who could possibly be coming here now?

"There's no way to escape from here!"

"..."

It was Ed-an. Tae-hyun, Cain, and Saruon stared at him with utterly pathetic looks.

"Why... why are you looking at me like that?"

"And here I was wondering who it could be..."

"Saruon is one thing, but why did you even bring this useless human along? Wouldn't Galakpad have been much better?"

"My thoughts exactly."

When all three of them criticized him at once, Ed-an felt incredibly wronged. How could they say such things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when he had shown such loyalty, doing everything he could to survive and carry out the task Tae-hyun had assigned him!

"How can you say that after how hard I've worked?!"

"Oh, really? Did you manage to steal something from the warehouse?"

"...I was planning to steal something under the cover of the chaos, but a fire broke out in the warehouse..."

Because the Great Chieftain had just gone on a wild rampage, all the nearby warehouses had been completely demolished. As the trio's gazes grew even colder, Ed-an hung his head low. It wasn't my fault...!

"Sure. Good job. Just go crouch in that corner."

"I told you we should've brought Galakpad!"

"That Galakpad fellow certainly possessed impressive strength," Saruon muttered.

As the three of them whispered among themselves, a deeply hurt Ed-an went and huddled in the corner.

"I... I am still a Great Thief..."

"Ah, shut it."

"I will definitely prove my worth—"

"Just stay quiet."

"Squeal! That Monroso bastard is too sturdy! Bring weapons that can damage demons!"

"Squeal! Bring out the weapons blessed by the shamans!"

"Squeal... but the warehouse was destroyed..."

"Squeal! Shoot silver arrows then!"

Rendered immune to Tae-hyun's attempts to sow discord, Monroso was steadily growing stronger. He opened gates to the Demon Realm nearby, summoning demons to serve as his minions, while simultaneously transforming further into a demon himself. The proof was that Monroso, who had only used close-quarters physical attacks until now, was gradually casting demonic magic.

"Why is that Karag bastard just standing there? Why isn't he rampaging?!"

"It seems he's recovering after expending so much power earlier."

"Everything that guy does is just annoying."

Tae-hyun grumbled as he approached Monroso.

"Get out of the way! Anyone who can't deal damage, back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off. You're not helping anyway!"

"Hehehe... Fine. I shall kill you with my own hands. Come!"

"Hey, it looks like some kind of event is going on over there."

"Can't we move?"

"No!"

Jang Ssu-an said firmly. The players murmured, but they couldn't bring themselves to disobey Jang Ssu-an, who had displayed flawless leadership throughout this quest. That was how brilliant his judgment had been.

Jang Ssu-an quietly asked Lee Da-bi, "Um, Kim Tae-hyun isn't answering his whispers right now. If we let them move..."

"Ah, I said no! Are you going to act on your own again?"

"N-no... I was just asking..."

Jang Ssu-an shrank back. Since Tae-hyun had practically spoon-fed him to save him from ruining things multiple times already, Jang Ssu-an couldn't argue back. What on earth is he doing that he can't even answer whispers? Shouldn't we go help him? Jang Ssu-an pondered, but no answer came.

"Huh? Look at those guys, they're heading over there!"

"Jang Ssu-an! They're moving on their own!"

But as always, there were bound to be those who refused to listen. A few parties among the players waiting in the fortress opened the gates and rushed out. Sensing that some quest was unfolding in the innermost fortress, and with Jang Ssu-an blocking them, their curiosity and greed had been ignited.

"Let's go! Why do we have to listen to that guy anyway?"

"Yeah. Who does he think he is?"

"If we go and clear it first while everyone else is just sitting around, we get all the loot! It's a jackpot! If we're lucky, we might even get a territory...!"

In their eyes, visions of a territory in the Auston Kingdom danced enticingly.

The battle between Tae-hyun and Monroso had escalated to an entirely different level. Having rapidly mastered demon magic, Monroso used demons summoned from thin air to bind Tae-hyun's feet, unleashing a barrage of powerful magical attacks to strike him in the meantime. No matter how godlike Tae-hyun's control was, it was impossible to dodge everything when faced with such tactics. However, Tae-hyun possessed one more weapon.

"What is this?! What kind of..."

Having dealt with Tae-hyun's pure control-based defense until now, Monroso was utterly bewildered to witness Tae-hyun's Luck-based evasion. In the meantime, Tae-hyun steadily chipped away at his health. As the Greatsword of Edaor cleaved through the air, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠demon blood splattered from Monroso's body.

"That's it! That's how you weaken Monroso!" Saruon slapped his knee and cheered from behind. Cain looked at him, utterly dumbfounded.

"Aren't you going to help?"

"Well, I don't really have a way to help right now..."

"...You're not much different from Ed-an."

"W-what? What did you just say?"

Patter, patter, patter.

"...?"

A sound echoed from behind in the middle of the battle. Everyone was startled. Who was it?

"We're here! Ah! Lord Tae-hyun! We've come to help—"

The party that had rushed out of the fortress first had finally arrived.

"Huh? Where are the Orcs? Isn't this the innermost fortress?"

"If they're not here, that's even better! Let's hurry up!"

"Wait, there's a massive Orc standing over there..."

Smash!

"...Aaaaargh!"

The newly arrived party was instantly sent flying. Karag, who had just opened his eyes, had swiped at the party loitering in front of him. Tanks, damage dealers, healers—it didn't matter. They were wiped out instantly!

"...What's up with them?"

"No idea. I bet Jang Ssu-an pulled another stupid stunt."

"We got word from the party that went ahead!"

"Oh! What did they say?!"

The players waiting in the fortress brightened up. Their friends had stayed behind in the fortress.

If the quest is underway, I'm rushing out immediately.

I can't be the only one left behind.

"...Uh... they said they got wiped out instantly."

"...What?"

"Seriously? I mean, what did they even do to get wiped out instantly? Without even a chance to run? Is this a joke?"

"They're probably lying to hog the quest for themselves..."

"Screw it! I'm going too!"

"Hey, wait!"

And a moment later.

"...They said these guys got wiped out too."

Patter, patter.

Another sound of hurried footsteps approached. Tae-hyun, still locked in combat with Monroso, clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Ah, why do these useless bastards keep coming in waves just to die?! If they're going to come, they might as well all come together and act as human shields!"

However, the newcomers this time were not a player party.

Thud, thud, thwack!

"It's the Orc Royal Guard! The Orc Royal Guard is here!"

"Squeal! Orc Royal Guard! Over here! What took you so long?!"

"...!"

...! Both Tae-hyun and Monroso were taken aback. Tae-hyun quickly calculated. What happens if the Orc Royal Guard shows up right now?

"Orc Royal Guard! Hear my command! Kill all of these traitors!"

Monroso shouted, suddenly brimming with confidence. At this, the Orc chieftains who had been attacking Monroso scoffed in disbelief.

"Squeal! Monroso, have you lost your mind?! How dare a deceiver who tricked the Great Chieftain command the Orc Royal Guard!"

"Squeal! Orc Royal Guard! That bastard deceived the Great Chieftain! Tear him to shreds!"

The Orc chieftains roared in fury, but Monroso merely sneered.

"Fools! The Orc Royal Guard obeys the Authority of the Great Chieftain, this sacred relic! And in whose hands does this relic rest?"

"...!"

"...!!!"

Monroso held up the Authority of the Great Chieftain and shook it mockingly.

"Your Great Chieftain has lost his mind and fallen to corruption! In other words, the only one who can issue commands is me, the holder of this necklace! Not you unqualified rabble!"

"Squeal! You absolute bastard!"

The Orcs hurled curses, while Monroso laughed in their faces. And right then, Ed-an materialized directly behind Monroso.