Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Undead Legion (2)
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'Sorry.'
Kang Hyun-soo apologized silently to the Mad Blood Witch Yuka.
Truth be told, he hadn't wanted to shove the antidote into her mouth out of the blue either.
But.
'The situation is urgent.'
His summons were beings made of mana and demonic energy.
That was why, even if they were destroyed in battle against undead monsters, the lich couldn't revive them as undead monsters.
They had no physical bodies to begin with, so it was only natural.
However.
'Players are a different story.'
The number of players who had fallen and civilians who had been sacrificed so far was truly staggering.
Thanks to that, the liches were turning the dead players and civilians into undead monsters even now.
The problem was that those undead monsters weren't targeting his summons.
'They're going after the players and civilians.'
They had formed an encirclement, but the undead monsters numbered over several hundred thousand.
And since he'd only deployed his humanoid summons, Kang Hyun-soo's forces didn't even reach 13,000.
'I need to take out the liches fast.'
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
His sword, infused with blood-red aura, mercilessly shattered the Death Knights blocking his path.
And at the same time.
'Legion Composition.'
He revived the destroyed Death Knights as his summons.
'I thought it might not work since they're undead monsters without life, but...'
Fortunately, it succeeded.
Undead monsters were created by infusing demonic energy into a corpse and binding souls to make them move.
Strip away the corpse and demonic energy, and they operated on the same basic mechanism as Kang Hyun-soo's summons.
The only difference was that Kang Hyun-soo used stats to form their bodies instead of corpses and demonic energy.
That was why, even with the same base, his summons possessed greater combat power than the undead monsters.
"You insolent human!"
"Kill that human!"
The liches flew into a rage.
They couldn't revive his summons as undead monsters, yet Kang Hyun-soo was turning their undead monsters into his summons.
How could they not be furious?
What was even more absurd was.
"The fallen dead aren't rising."
"How can this be?"
The Death Knights that Kang Hyun-soo had turned into summons wouldn't rise again, even when the lich tried to infuse them with demonic energy.
It was because the souls that formed the core of the Death Knights had become bound to Kang Hyun-soo's One-Man Legion class.
As the Death Knights fell and became his summons.
The tide turned in an instant.
Kang Hyun-soo closed in on the liches.
"Corpse Explosion!"
"Bone Explosion!"
The liches unleashed powerful attack skills against him, but.
The defensive skills embedded in his Guardian Ring activated in succession.
Pung! Kwang!
They were effortlessly blocked, achieving nothing.
"Now, be on your way."
Whiiik!
His attack pierced through the Death Knights' guard and assault skills.
Pajik! Kwajik!
The liches, whose close combat prowess was abysmal, were shattered in an instant.
'Legion Composition.'
Kang Hyun-soo tried to revive the liches as summons.
'Huh?'
Unlike the Death Knights, the liches didn't become summons.
'What's going on?'
Kang Hyun-soo was taken aback, but.
In truth, this was only natural.
The lich's body wasn't its true form.
The real body was its Life Force Vessel, where the lich's soul was stored.
'Deal with them first.'
Kang Hyun-soo quickly cleared out the liches.
As he did, the number of undead monsters rapidly dwindled.
That's when he spotted an Arch Lich wearing a crown.
'That's the boss.'
Kang Hyun-soo charged toward the Arch Lich.
"Stop that human!"
"Protect our lord!"
The Death Knights surged forward like a tidal wave, but.
"Out of my way!"
Before Kang Hyun-soo, armed with the Goddess's Tear and his Divine stat.
Kwajik! Pung!
They crumbled all too pathetically.
Its effect was halved against Demon Realm nobles with dense demonic energy, but.
Against lesser demons, the Goddess's Tear and Divine stat displayed invincible might.
"You're the one interfering again."
Red glows flared in the empty sockets of the Arch Lich's skull.
'Feels familiar.'
A memory from the past surfaced in Kang Hyun-soo's mind.
"You wouldn't happen to be that guy from back then, would you?"
A Demon Realm noble contracted with Orpheus, the Fourth Duke and traitor of the Rokto Empire.
'As expected, undead type.'
But.
'Why is it so weak?'
The Arch Lich exuded considerable demonic energy and death aura, but.
'It seems weaker than an Orc Lord.'
Even weaker than a quasi-baron Orc Lord, not the viscount-grade Kashku.
'No way a Demon Count is this level.'
It was probably not the true body.
'Still, need to take it out.'
If he played his cards right... he could boost his Divine stat easily, just like last time.
'And as a bonus, weaken that guy's main body.'
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Kang Hyun-soo swung toward the Arch Lich, his blood-red aura laced heavily with Divine stat.
At that moment.
Fwoosh!
Dark blue flames erupted, and the Arch Lich's demonic energy and death aura exploded in power.
Kwaaaang!
"Not bad?"
Kang Hyun-soo was pushed back.
The Arch Lich's once pitiful demonic energy and death aura.
'It surged past baron-level.'
It was thoroughly pissed off.
"I'll claim your worthless life."
With those words, the Arch Lich unleashed a barrage of powerful attack skills.
And at the same time.
"Rise!"
It summoned a horde of elite Death Knights, clearly a cut above the ones Kang Hyun-soo had easily felled so far.
'Oh ho.'
Kang Hyun-soo's eyes sparkled.
'Talk about a windfall.'
He couldn't turn liches into summons with Legion Composition, but.
'Death Knights are fair game.'
He could make as many as he defeated into summons.
'Thanks for the gift.'
This was a chance to gain a ton of useful summons.
Provided.
Kwaaaang!
"Urk!"
He could actually defeat the Death Knights.
'Not a pushover.'
The empowered Arch Lich hammered him with powerful ranged attacks and suppression.
The high-defense Death Knights guarded the Arch Lich.
On top of that.
'The Death Knights' attack power is no joke.'
The Death Knights spewing pitch-black auras possessed combat prowess rivaling top named players.
Kang Hyun-soo found himself not just unable to reach the Arch Lich, but surrounded by the Death Knights.
"Kuhuhu! Blame your own arrogance! After death, I'll turn you into an undead to serve me eternally!"
At the cry of the Demon Count controlling the Arch Lich.
"Legion Summon."
Kang Hyun-soo called forth his summons as well.
"Kuwooo! Protect the master!"
Leading with Kashku, the Orc Lords unleashed tremendous might, smashing the Death Knights.
And then.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The Doppelganger King Taliman, disguised as a Death Knight, struck the real ones from behind.
"Legion Composition."
As the Death Knights shattered, Kang Hyun-soo swiftly used Legion Composition to revive them as his summons before the Arch Lich could.
With the situation like this.
The tide turned in an instant.
"Wh-what is this?"
The Demon Count controlling the Arch Lich was considerably flustered.
It wasn't just the reversal of fortunes.
"How are you controlling my minions?"
Kang Hyun-soo had turned the Demon Count's own minions—the Death Knights—into his summons.
"I'll figure that out later."
Having easily subdued the Death Knights through his summons, Kang Hyun-soo.
Kwajik!
Plunged his blood-red aura-coated sword into the Arch Lich's skull.
"Urk!"
As the skull shattered, the red glow in the Arch Lich's eyes slowly faded.
"Just you wait. Next time, I'll tear you apart."
To the words of the Demon Count controlling the Arch Lich.
"If you want that, stop descending into these puppets and come in person."
With that, Kang Hyun-soo twisted his sword.
Pasak!
Completely pulverizing the Arch Lich's skull.
[You have eliminated a Demon Realm noble's avatar and permanently absorbed its demonic energy.]
[The Goddess's Tear EX-Rank purifies the permanently absorbed demonic energy, converting it into the special stat Divine.]
[Your Divine stat has increased.]
'Satisfying as always.'
Last time it sent an avatar and beefed up his Divine stat nicely, and this time was no different.
'If an avatar gives this much, how much will the main body yield?'
It would surely grant a new achievement too.
'Come in your true body next time.'
In the past, the Demon Count had been a daunting foe for Kang Hyun-soo.
But now?
'I can handle it.'
Kang Hyun-soo had grown dazzlingly, and so had his summons and commanders.
If he mobilized all his summons and commanders?
Even if the Demon Count showed up in its true body, he was confident he could take it down.
And if he turned the fallen Demon Count into a summon?
'I'd get even stronger.'
Kang Hyun-soo looked around.
Even with the Arch Lich gone, the undead monsters were still rampaging.
But those small fry?
'Easy cleanup.'
Kang Hyun-soo swept through the undead monsters at high speed, radiating blood-red aura.
Soon after, the undead monsters were completely eradicated.
'Great efficiency.'
His Divine stat had risen considerably.
And the Orb of Demonic Energy was fully charged.
Thanks to that.
-All original power has been restored.
The Doppelganger King Taliman, who had monopolized the demonic energy generated by the Orb of Demonic Energy, regained his full pre-summon strength.
'Still a ways to go.'
Even though he'd absorbed the orb's stockpiled demonic energy multiple times.
In truth, regaining his full original power was thanks to Kang Hyun-soo's commander appointment and Commander’s Blessing.
'We can get stronger still.'
With the Orb of Demonic Energy?
He could restore their original power even without commander appointments or blessings.
And beyond that.
'The Doppelganger King Taliman, born from a Demon Baron base, could aim higher.'
His Demon Dragon Karas, Doppelganger King Taliman, Kashku, and the other Orc Lords were all summons based on Demon Realm nobles.
'But they had clear limits.'
Because they couldn't grow.
However, obtaining the Orb of Demonic Energy changed everything.
'Multiple orbs would be ideal.'
But even with just one.
'It can strengthen all my summons, albeit slowly.'
The one drawback was that they emitted demonic energy.
Demonic energy was the hallmark of demons.
To avoid needless misunderstandings, Kang Hyun-soo hadn't summoned Demon Dragon Karas at all in this battle.
He'd only called summons that could appear human via Legion Unification.
The reason he'd funneled the orb's collected demonic energy to Doppelganger King Taliman was.
'Taliman can conceal not just his appearance, but his demonic energy to some extent.'
Thanks to the doppelganger's unique ability to disguise demonic energy as mana.
But his other summons couldn't.
'I need to think this over more.'
His summons would grow stronger, but.
If they emitted demonic energy and became unusable?
'It could backfire.'
Especially in the Saklant Empire, not the Rokto Empire, he had to be extra cautious.
'Time to head back for now.'
The undead monsters were annihilated.
Moreover, the Saklant Empire players who'd been holding off the undead were subtly wary of Kang Hyun-soo and his summons.
'They've probably figured it out.'
Low- and mid-level players might not know, but.
Named and ranker players would have heard of the Dark Knights and the title Demon-Slaying Blood God.
'Wish we could get along.'
Kang Hyun-soo belonged to the Rokto Empire.
Relations between the Rokto and Saklant Empires weren't great.
-Form up and exit the capital.
At Kang Hyun-soo's command, his summons began withdrawing from the capital in perfect order.
'I can unsummon them the moment we leave the city.'
As Kang Hyun-soo tried to slip away quietly.
"Might you be the Duke of the Rokto Empire, leader of the Dark Knights and the Demon-Slaying Blood God?"
A player who looked like a Saklant Empire noble approached and asked.
'No need to deny it.'
The Saklant Empire owed him a huge debt.
Plus, he'd pretended to withdraw to avoid suspicion.
'It might bruise their pride a bit, but they have no reason to hold a grudge.'
Besides, they already vaguely knew his identity, so denying it was pointless.
Instead.
'I should milk it for all it's worth.'
That way, he might hope for some alliance between the Rokto and Saklant Empires down the line.
"Yes."
At Kang Hyun-soo's reply, the man smiled and spoke.
"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the Saklant Empire wishes to meet the Duke Demon-Slaying Blood God in person to praise your salvation of the capital and bestow a fitting reward."
'Huh?'
He'd expected mere platitudes.
'The emperor wants to meet me, a potential enemy duke?'
He hadn't expected Emperor Karl XIII of the Saklant Empire to make such a decision.
From Kang Hyun-soo's perspective?
'Nothing bad about it.'
It was a no-brainer yes.