The Ultimate Meat Shield
"Listen, demons! Your master, Mosrak, has deceived you! He probably promised you victory when he brought you here, but look at the state of things now!"
—!
"You are completely surrounded! What's more, I have this massive army and even the angel Yohas on my side!"
*Murmur, murmur—*
You possess the Supreme Eloquence skill. Your threats are perceived with vivid realism.
The morale of the surrounded demons is plummeting rapidly.
"Do you know what these are? These are the weapons of the Demon Dukes I have hunted down and slain!"
The demons' morale drops even further!
"You saw that trap earlier! Don't think that was the only one! We have dozens more prepared just like it!"
The demons'...
With every word Tae-hyun spoke, the demons' morale plummeted. Yet, surprisingly, they still refused to surrender.
The demons are warily watching their master, Mosrak.
In their hesitation, they will not surrender easily! Persuade them further!
Wait, shouldn't they have surrendered by now? For mere demons, they sure are stubborn... Tae-hyun grumbled inwardly. Even though their morale had hit rock bottom, they were still hesitating.
Carbanog advises that you must deliver a stronger shock.
How am I supposed to shock them any more than this?
Carbanog advises you to use the name of the Avatar of Archisus.
I don't think that's going to work...
He had just threatened them with all sorts of extravagant claims to no avail. Would threatening them in the name of the Avatar of Archisus really make a difference? Still, Tae-hyun decided to follow Carbanog's advice.
"You fools! I am the Avatar of Archisus! If you do not surrender, I will 'Archisus' you!"
—Aaaah! Aaaah! Aaaaaah!
—Aaargh! He said he's going to 'Archisus' us!
—I don't want to die!
The demons are falling into a state of panic due to terror!
Mosrak's command authority has vanished.
The demons are beginning to flee.
The demons are beginning to surrender!
—You absolute fools! Do not be deceived by that Archisus bastard!
Mosrak fumed with rage. He had intended to win back the demon warriors he had yielded to Tae-hyun to sow chaos in the rear, but his plan had completely backfired. Even the subordinates he had brought with him were turning their backs on him!
—Shut up, Mosrak! You've been tricked by Archisus before! How dare you drag us along to face the Avatar of Archisus with a track record like that!
—You deceived us, Mosrak! You lied to us!
Loyalty was a foreign concept among demons. The moment the tides turned, they would ruthlessly discard the master they had been serving just seconds ago.
—You brainless idiots... Do you think they can keep this up for long? If we combine our strength and hold out, they cannot defeat us! Trust my words! What is my title? Am I not the Duke of Schemes!
Damn, he's sharp. Tae-hyun flinched inwardly. Mosrak certainly had a keen eye. If this battle dragged on, Tae-hyun's side would be at a disadvantage. Unlike Mosrak, who could continuously summon more demons, Tae-hyun's pre-prepared bombs and siege weapons would eventually run out. Furthermore, Cain's overwhelming power, which was currently keeping Mosrak at bay, was only a temporary transformation.
—Cut the crap! The true master of schemes is Archisus! You're just a loser who got tricked by him!
—Silence! If anyone mentions me getting tricked by Archisus one more time, I will rip your tongue out!
—You are no longer fit to be our master!
—We are siding with Archisus!
Watching the chaotic infighting unfold, Tae-hyun smiled warmly.
The Superior Demon Welhauron has joined the Mora City army.
The Superior Demon...
The Intermediate Demon...
In an instant, Mosrak's forces scattered, leaving only him and a few of his direct demonic beasts. Even Mosrak seemed visibly flustered. Tae-hyun's instincts kicked in. It was time to wrap this up!
"Cain, charge! Yong-yong! Heuk-heuk! Golgol-i! Yohas! Pour everything you've got into this! We finish it here!"
A boss monster of Mosrak's caliber was bound to have a few hidden skills up his sleeve. They had to end this as quickly as possible before he could use them! If Cain could bind Mosrak's feet while the rest of them poured in their damage...!
Psssssh—
The transformation duration of the Amalgam Giant has ended.
Returning to original state.
You have absorbed too many essences! You have temporarily entered a cursed state.
"!!!" Cain checked his status window in sheer horror. The Curse of the Amalgam was a penalty that drastically reduced all stats and rendered him unable to move for a set duration. It would wear off eventually, but with Mosrak standing right in front of them...!
"..."
—...
The faces of Tae-hyun and his companions, along with the demons who had just betrayed Mosrak to side with Tae-hyun, all crumpled in unison.
—You baaaastaaaards... Mosrak's low, drawn-out growl sounded incredibly ominous.
"Attack!"
—Attack! Attack! If Mosrak recovers, we're completely doomed!
The demons were actually more proactive than anyone else. Since things had come to this, they absolutely had to kill Mosrak! The final all-out assault of the Mosrak raid had begun.
—You... you treacherous scum... and you, Avatar of Archisus... I will kill you all!
Mosrak is beginning to cast [Duke's Barrier] around himself!
Solid barriers, resembling dozens of layered shields, blocked their attacks. Tae-hyun's party poured on their skills to breach the barrier, but Mosrak's defense was formidable. It was his hidden trump card!
[Duke's Barrier] absorbs physical attacks.
[Duke's Barrier] absorbs magical attacks.
[Duke's Barrier] is restored by Mosrak's power.
—Avatar of Archisus! Do something!
—Yeah! Avatar of Archisus! You're the Avatar of Archisus, aren't you?!
These turncoat demons were placing absolute, unconditional faith in Tae-hyun, despite having just met him! Tae-hyun found it absurd, but now was not the time to argue. He definitely needed to do something.
Do I have to slip inside the barrier and use my arrows? I thought I could finish this without wasting any...
At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through Tae-hyun's mind. He still had one more trick up his sleeve.
"I've got a great idea!"
—Oh! What is it?!
"Come here!"
—?
Tae-hyun grabbed a nearby Superior Demon. Then, he activated a skill.
Living Bomb
—????
As the demon panicked, Tae-hyun drove the point home.
"Don't move!"
—W-wait, hold on. Is this... are you trying to... blow me up? Surely... surely not, right?
The demon tried to break free in sheer terror. Seeing this, Tae-hyun shouted to the other demons.
"If this guy sacrifices himself, the rest of you will be safe! But if he runs away, one of you will have to die in his place!"
—!
—!!!
The other demons immediately scrambled over and pinned the victim down!
—Y-you bastards?!
—Sorry, buddy.
—Let's trust the Avatar of Archisus!
—You sons of bitches! It's easy for you to say when you're not the ones dying!
Meanwhile, Tae-hyun finished casting the skill.
"Throw him!"
Whoosh— BOOOOOOM! The destructive power was on a completely different level compared to their previous attacks!
[Duke's Barrier] takes massive damage and begins to fracture!
Engineering skill...