The Second Hero's Fall
"Saving someone can never be a loss. And the saving won't be my job—it will be up to Rozamy and Mia!"
"That's right! I'll do it!" Rozamy declared.
"I will help in any way I can! So please!" Mia pleaded.
It would be Rozamy, with her ability to open portals, who would actually rescue them. And Mia would provide support!
"Please trust me."
Faced with a resolute voice that brooked no argument, Taejun fell silent. No matter what anyone said, Yunjae was the only one who could control the situation right now!
"Then, Rozamy, Mia, let's go together! First, we'll enter the exposed part of Elysium and move inward!"
"Got it!"
"Oppa, I'll help too!" Akemi stepped forward, volunteering to join them.
"I'm the fastest at finding people! If Rozamy and I move together, it'll be way quicker!"
"Akemi..."
Everyone looked touched by Akemi's eager offer to help.
"I want to help too, but there's nothing I can do." Mari looked slightly downcast, worried she might only drag them down.
"We just need to do our best where we can. Mari, please cheer us on with Goddess Lupinus." Yunjae, now fully adept at comforting her, patted Mari's shoulder reassuringly.
"You must come back safely."
"Yes! I promise!"
Then, Yunjae summoned Gae Bolg into his right hand.
"Well then!"
"Yeah!"
At that moment, whirrr! Rozamy opened a portal. Yunjae was the first to leap into the dimensional gate shimmering in the middle of the living room.
"Let's go!"
Whirrr! Yunjae was the first to step through Rozamy's portal and set foot on Elysium.
"How could this be..."
He let out a deep sigh at the surrounding environment, where not only living creatures but even the earth and sky felt utterly dead and hollow.
Yunjae didn't truly understand what it meant for everything to be destroyed. But seeing it with his own eyes, he could finally comprehend why Lupinus and Rozamy had despaired so deeply.
"W-What is this?!" Akemi, who followed right behind him, gasped.
"Oh my goodness..." Mia's face was pale with shock.
Even Mia, who had already witnessed her world crumbling, hadn't expected her homeland to be this desolate.
As she stood there, deeply shaken, Rozamy, who had already experienced this, held her hand with a look of profound sorrow.
"...You have to brace yourself. This is only the beginning."
"Yes."
But who could truly understand the despair of a collapsing world? The horror of watching everything except oneself perish and vanish into nothingness.
As Rozamy looked on the verge of tears, weighed down by the guilt of having served as Mamon's messenger to save her own world, Akemi also shivered involuntarily at the aura of death creeping in from all directions.
"It's scary here."
"But we don't have time to waste. Finding survivors is our top priority right now," Yunjae said, turning to look at the three of them.
They had come to rescue any survivors who might still be holding out in Elysium. If they took too long, this parallel world would collide with Earth, resulting in total annihilation.
"Right!"
"But this place is too vast. We have no idea where any survivors might be."
Yunjae nodded slowly at Rozamy's words.
"You said the Great Demon King Gainax invaded this world. If so, they must still be here. He'll know something!"
Mamon had summoned this entire world, and aside from a few areas, most of it wouldn't have felt the full impact of the dimensional shift yet. Therefore, Great Demon King Gainax and his subordinates had to be stationed somewhere inside!
"Is he planning to just blow away a Great Demon King too?" Rozamy suddenly realized the implications. This world contained not only the living beings of Elysium but also the Great Demon King and the monsters sent by Mamon—and Mamon was prepared to discard them all.
"I suppose..."
To Mamon, they were nothing more than replaceable parts. If sacrificing a single Great Demon King could eliminate Yunjae—who possessed the power to destroy entire dimensions—it was a bargain.
"Then we must go to them. Mia!"
"How?"
"Take my hand. And picture where they would be!"
"But even if they know, they won't just tell us!"
Yunjae smiled brightly at Akemi's concern.
"Don't worry. I can just tame them."
If he dominated them so they couldn't hide their secrets even if they wanted to, that would solve everything!
"Alright! Let's move fast!" At Akemi's energetic shout, Mia nodded with a determined expression and took Rozamy's hand.
"Gainax will be in the Holy City Elysha, right in the center of Elysium!"
She desperately visualized the Holy City Elysha—the sacred sanctuary of the elves, once filled with peaceful, gentle light!
Whirrr! In that instant, Rozamy opened another portal.
"Here we go!" Yunjae shouted as if telling them to brace themselves, and leapt in first!
Rozamy, Akemi, and Mia followed immediately. Flash! Riding a beam of light, they materialized in the skies above the Holy City Elysha. But the expressions of Yunjae and his companions instantly darkened.
"So you actually came. Impressive."
Sitting on his throne with a smirk, as if he had anticipated their arrival, was Great Demon King Gainax!
"W-What is this?!"
"He expected us to come here!"
The demon, with his ash-gray skin and crimson eyes, flicked his finger. "Screeeech!" Hundreds of thousands of monsters gathered there unleashed a torrent of flames all at once.
"Ah, aaah!" Mia and Akemi's eyes shook violently at the unfathomable sight.
Taunt
In an instant, Yunjae drew all the attacks toward himself.
"Boom, boom, crash!" Flames erupted with a deafening roar, but...
MISS!
That was the only word popping up above Yunjae's head at incredible speed!
Nova Field
At that exact moment, a colossal thunderclap exploded from within the flames!
"Kaaaa-boom!" Earth-shaking lightning swept through the monsters in an instant.
Chain Lightning
"Crackooom!" The newly cast skill amplified the devastation even further.
With every surge of lightning, hundreds and thousands of monsters disintegrated. No matter how vast their numbers, they stood no chance.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the hundreds of thousands of monsters were vaporized or charred to cinders. Mia's jaw dropped at the overwhelming spectacle.
"Ah..."
This was the true power of the Hero!
While Mia, Akemi, and Rozamy were left reeling in awe at this transcendent power, Great Demon King Gainax leaped up from his throne, shocked by the unfathomable destruction.
"You insolent pest!"
Grab! But that was his own problem.
Yunjae snatched a flying monster out of the air and completed its taming in a split second.
"The last survivors are gathered at Ashubal, on the southern edge! They aren't under attack right now! Go there and rescue them first!"
At that very moment, Great Demon King Gainax suddenly materialized in front of Yunjae and swung his sword.
"It is meaningless!"
Clang! With a sharp ring, Yunjae blocked Gainax's blade with Gae Bolg.
"Oppa!" As a startled Akemi cried out, Yunjae smiled warmly and spoke.
"I'm counting on you all."
Crack! Before his words even faded, Yunjae twisted his body and kicked Gainax square in the head!
Crash! Blown back by the immense force, Gainax snarled and swung his sword toward Rozamy.
"Do you think I will let them leave?!"
Whoosh! A devastating gale of sword qi erupted, fitting for a Great Demon King, but it struck Yunjae instead!
"What?!"
"Ah! I'm sorry, but my aggro is still active on you!"
Because of Taunt, he couldn't attack anyone else even if he wanted to!
"You son of a bitch!" Infuriated, Gainax lunged at Yunjae.
"We have to go save them! Quick, to Ashubal!"
They couldn't afford to waste another second. At Rozamy's shout, Mia nodded and grabbed her hand.
"Ashubal!"
Whirrr! Once again, a portal opened.
"Oppa, we'll be back!" With Akemi's shout, the three of them vanished into Ashubal.
"No matter what you do, only destruction awaits!" Gainax roared, mocking their efforts and declaring that the dimensional collision was inevitable anyway.
"We won't know until we try! Radiant Veil!"
Radiant Veil
Yunjae summoned Radiant Veil. Since Gainax was locked in close combat, he wouldn't be able to avoid taking damage if caught within the barrier.
"Do you really think that will work on me?" At that moment, Gainax let out a dark chuckle.
"What do you mean?"
"I wonder how Lupinus is doing." As the demon's eyes burned with pure hatred, Yunjae's eyes widened.
"Could it be...?"
"Yes! I am the second Hero, Dodorian!"
Yunjae's pupils dilated even further.
"Ah! Wait a minute! Dodorian?! That sounds like it belongs to a completely different franchise! Like Dragon Ball!"
"...What?"
"And why is your name suddenly four syllables?!"
Dodorian, the second Hero, stared at him with an incredibly bewildered expression, utterly baffled by what Yunjae chose to focus on.
"Hmph, you're just as foolish as Lupinus. In any case, I am Gainax now! Great Demon King Gainax!"
He charged toward Yunjae, his sword suddenly erupting with a brilliant light.
Flash! A radiant glow burst from the massive blade.
Swoosh! Yunjae swiftly dodged the attack, but a look of confusion quickly crossed his face.
"...Shining Strike?"
The very skill he had used to defeat Kadmus and Halles! Why was Gainax using it?
"Even with the power of a Great Demon King, this skill remained with me. That is why your holy power will not work on me!"
Holy power immunity! It seemed that during his days as a Hero, he had possessed the Paladin class, just like Yunjae.
As Gainax gloated over this advantage, Yunjae nodded slowly.
"It doesn't really matter. Actually, I wasn't planning on using Gae Bolg this time anyway."
At those words, Gae Bolg vanished from his right hand.
"What?"
Soon, a crimson light began to billow from Yunjae's entire body.
"Demonic Sword Slaida."
Simultaneously, the Goddess's Sacred Armor worn by Yunjae was enveloped in pitch-black darkness, transforming into a sharp, imposing set of black armor.
And in his right hand, Slaida materialized—an exceptionally thin and long tachi, so razor-sharp that it felt as if it could sever anything with the slightest touch.
"You... don't tell me you've mastered the Demonic Swordmaster class as well?!"
"If destruction is the goal, I should use the form suited for it." His eyes glowing with a faint crimson light, Yunjae pointed Slaida at Gainax.
"Please excuse me if I get a bit rough. I don't have much time."
"Excuse you?" Gainax's face contorted in fury. Excuse me if I get a bit rough? And because he doesn't have much time?
"You clearly have no grasp of the situation!"
Gainax had already ascended to the rank of Great Demon King and laid waste to all of Elysium. To think this brat dared to speak so insolently to someone with the power to destroy an entire world!
Boom! Unleashing a mysterious, glowing holy power, Gainax closed the distance and appeared in front of Yunjae in the blink of an eye.
"I am Great Demon King Gainax!"
As he swung his demonic sword, Dycun, a devastating force blending both demonic mana and holy power erupted from the blade.
"Kaaaa-boom!" With a deafening roar, a radius of several hundred meters ahead was instantly engulfed in a blinding flash.
The speed and destructive power were incomparable to Domian's. It was a strike so fearsome that even someone as powerful as Yunjae would surely take significant damage if hit directly.
"I have one question, though."
However...
"You bastard!"
Yunjae, who had materialized behind Gainax without him even noticing, showed not a shred of agitation. Still enveloped in the crimson aura of his Demonic Swordmaster class, he simply thrust forward. Squish. Slaida pierced cleanly through the back of Gainax's neck.
"First Domian, and now you... why is everyone's footwork so terrible?"
"Gah!"
"Raaaargh!"
Though his pierced throat prevented him from speaking, a Great Demon King would not lose his life or suffer a fatal blow from an injury of this caliber!
Gainax swung Dycun once more. Flash! A blinding beam of mixed mana and holy power shot toward Yunjae.
"You've never entered a high-tier field, have you?"
Slash! Effortlessly dodging the attack with fluid footwork, Yunjae swung Slaida and sliced across Gainax's forehead.
"Ah! Or maybe you just never managed to clear one."
Flash! A crimson light flared in his eyes. At that moment, his health bar, which was always completely full, instantly dropped by half.
Blood-stained Soul
A skill that amplified damage by 1% for every 100 HP consumed! It was a skill that turned ordinary attacks into ultimate-tier strikes, but because of its massive health consumption, he had never used it when hunting Mamon.
Yet, there was no denying that Blood-stained Soul was the strongest damage-amplifying spell in Mamon Saga—and now, it was active.