Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Harvest Festival (3)
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'Perfect.'
A bright smile bloomed on Kang Hyun-soo's lips.
Two demon barons and one demon viscount from the Demon Realm had been obliterated without even getting a chance to use their full power.
And yet.
'Our side has basically zero casualties.'
He hadn't even needed to use Equivalent Exchange.
The battle situation had been so overwhelmingly favorable that there was no need for cooldown-heavy skills like Skill Amplification or Ice Shield.
If there was one regrettable thing?
'Why am I the one who drew the short straw?'
Kang Hyun-soo hadn't earned any achievements, nor had his existing ones grown.
'Well, my subordinate commanders did rack some up.'
Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
'Guess it's gonna be hard to farm achievements off low-tier demon nobles from now on.'
This was proof of just how much stronger he'd become.
'I've secured the Rokto Empire, and the Saclant Empire is firmly under control.'
On top of that, he'd brilliantly repelled the orc horde invasion and the undead horde that would come years later.
'And compared to before my regression, casualties are practically nonexistent.'
All his efforts over time had piled up to produce these results.
'Things should stay quiet for a while.'
Dragonkin monster legions, doppelganger legions, orc legions, undead legions.
He'd repelled a total of four massive offensives with minimal losses, while bolstering his own forces.
Even from the Demon King's army perspective, launching another large-scale assault anytime soon would be a stretch.
'But why do these guys keep pouring in troops?'
As Kang Hyun-soo wore a puzzled expression.
Pzzt!
A lich crossed through the dimensional gate.
And at the same moment.
Shaaa!
Explosive demonic energy erupted.
'Strong.'
Kang Hyun-soo's face hardened.
The demonic energy radiating from this newly appeared lich far surpassed that of the archlich he'd just taken down.
-Risen dead, awaken.
At the new lich's command.
Roooar!
The undead monsters that had been annihilated up to now revived once more.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Players who had died in the battle were reborn as liches, death knights, and ghouls.
The problem was that not only those who'd just died, but even ones presumed long dead were resurrecting as undead monsters.
'High-tier demon noble.'
Kang Hyun-soo's expression grew grave.
The high-tier demon noble had appeared far earlier than in his previous life.
'Did Count Rimmonshitz come in person?'
Things had gone awry.
'I have to eliminate him.'
If he failed to take out Count Rimmonshitz?
All their hard-earned gains could crumble to dust.
Thud!
Kang Hyun-soo launched himself forward.
At the same time, Doppelganger King Taliman, Orc Lord Kashku, and the two newly summoned baron-level death knights joined him.
'Beastification, Skill Amplification.'
He activated Beastification and Skill Amplification—skills he hadn't needed until now.
Simultaneously, he maxed out his divine and poison stats.
"Protect the lord!"
But death knights pouring through the dimensional gate behind Count Rimmonshitz blocked Kang Hyun-soo's path.
Boom!
Aura and demonic energy exploded, sparking a fierce clash.
The issue was that taking down these death knights was nothing like before—they weren't easy prey anymore.
'That guy's the problem.'
Count Rimmonshitz was continuously infusing the death knights with demonic energy.
And that was just the start.
Shaaa! Crunch!
A barrage of curses and attack skills from Count Rimmonshitz rained down on Kang Hyun-soo's group like arrows.
'It's a lich, and its attack pattern is definitely ranged.'
Getting close was impossible.
Worse, their side's casualties were mounting.
Kang Hyun-soo's summons were vanishing one by one.
In particular, Count Rimmonshitz's AoE attacks were rapidly claiming lives among the Saclant Empire players.
And those who died were resurrecting as undead monsters.
'I'm countering with legion composition...'
Unlike Kang Hyun-soo, who used Legion Composition focusing on elite talent, Count Rimmonshitz was waging a war of attrition, reviving anyone who fell.
The one-sided advantage flipped to a stalemate in an instant, then reversed entirely.
The silver lining?
Pzzt!
Boom boom boom!
Roooar!
Song Hana, Fist Emperor, and Yuka—his subordinate commanders—continued to shine steadily.
Yuka in particular was churning out new golems the moment one shattered, steadily filling the gaps left by Kang Hyun-soo's vanishing summons and the fallen Saclant players.
'Can't let this turn into a prolonged war.'
Their numbers dwindled while the Demon King's army swelled.
Kang Hyun-soo pressed the attack even harder, striving to cut off Count Rimmonshitz's breath.
Meanwhile.
Count Rimmonshitz, who had reversed the battle the moment he crossed the gate, was considerably flustered right now.
'Why isn't my demonic energy recovering?'
Countless people were dying.
Countless citizens watched the clash in the capital with terrified eyes.
Naturally, all the negative emotions and the blood of the dead should have restored his demonic energy and replenished his losses.
Why else would demons risk crossing into the Atlantis dimension despite the dangers?
For the fast track to promotion.
Yet Count Rimmonshitz wasn't promoting—he couldn't even recover his spent demonic energy.
'It's that guy's doing.'
Count Rimmonshitz quickly pinpointed the cause.
Demon-Exorcising Blood God.
All the negative emotions surging from every direction and the blood of the dead were being sucked into the Demon-Exorcising Blood God.
'He has the Orb of Demonic Energy.'
Count Rimmonshitz grasped the situation in a flash.
'Foolish orcs.'
They'd handed over a precious treasure only for the enemy to snatch it.
'If they thought it'd be taken, they should've just destroyed it.'
Realizing the Orb of Demonic Energy was blocking his recovery, Count Rimmonshitz's expression turned desperate.
Past blunders had already cost him significant permanent demonic energy loss.
Crossing the dimensional gate had burned more.
To turn the tide, he'd raised undead hordes and spammed high-powered attacks, losing even more permanently and expending reserves.
He'd dared such reckless investment because?
Confidence that a massive slaughter would restore his permanent losses.
But now the Orb of Demonic Energy made recovery impossible.
'I need to seize the Orb of Demonic Energy. Without it, victory's out of reach.'
Having decided, Count Rimmonshitz unleashed a furious assault on the Demon-Exorcising Blood God.
Kang Hyun-soo and Count Rimmonshitz reached the same conclusion.
'I have to eliminate Count Rimmonshitz as fast as possible, or the tide will keep turning against us.'
'Take out the Demon-Exorcising Blood God and claim the Orb of Demonic Energy, or I lose.'
Kang Hyun-soo and Count Rimmonshitz targeted each other, pouring everything they had into the onslaught.
'Skill Amplification, Ice Shield.'
Kang Hyun-soo aggressively reused his long-cooldown skills.
With Equivalent Exchange, cooldown burdens were way lighter, making it feasible.
'Even if I get demoted, securing the Orb lets me recover fast.'
Count Rimmonshitz too endured extreme permanent demonic energy hits, endlessly reviving his lich and death knight summons to keep fighting.
Yet victory teetered without tipping either way.
'Running out of Equivalent Exchange slots.'
Kang Hyun-soo grew anxious.
Even chaining long-cooldown skills to boost his power hadn't seized momentum.
To add insult, the defensive skills stored in his Guardian Ring were depleting fast blocking Count Rimmonshitz's barrage.
Count Rimmonshitz was just as on edge.
Reviving summons amid his onslaught had snowballed his demonic energy losses.
At this rate, he'd really get demoted—from demon count straight to baron level.
'Damn it all.'
By now, he should've crushed the Demon-Exorcising Blood God and claimed the Orb.
But things had tangled.
'What now?'
Kang Hyun-soo and Count Rimmonshitz were both anxious.
But Count Rimmonshitz's desperation ran deeper.
This was the Atlantis dimension.
Reinforcements from across Saclant Empire and its vassals were flooding in via dimensional gates upon hearing of the massive undead invasion.
'Time to use those guys.'
Count Rimmonshitz's eyes locked on the Demon King's minions.
'Right by the human emperor.'
He'd gleaned their power structure via Marquis Marius.
'Target the human emperor, and troops will have to divert.'
It was already a gamble.
He had to play every card available.
-Kill the human emperor.
Count Rimmonshitz issued the order.
But.
'These damn fools.'
The Demon King's minions didn't budge.
'Worthless humans can't be trusted after all.'
Count Rimmonshitz resorted to his final gambit.
-Descend into your contracted humans.
He ordered his demon subordinates to forcibly possess their contractors and seize bodily control.
-Understood.
As his demons attempted forced descent.
Shaaa!
Demonic energy exploded from the bodies of aides near Emperor Karl XIII.
"Demon King's minions!"
"Suppress them now!"
The imperial guards flew into chaos.
The demons forcibly possessing the minions charged at Emperor Karl XIII with all they had.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A fierce melee erupted.
Loyal Duke Richard and the imperial guards shielded Karl XIII with their lives.
At that moment.
-Risen dead, awaken.
Count Rimmonshitz revived the fallen imperial guards as death knights.
The situation flipped in a heartbeat.
"Block them! Protect His Majesty with your lives!"
Loyal Duke Richard bellowed at the top of his lungs, staving off the Demon King's minions and undead onslaught.
Meanwhile, Kang Hyun-soo, mid-assault on Count Rimmonshitz, scowled.
'You bastard.'
The moment Emperor Karl XIII came under attack.
The imperial guards wavered first.
Then Saclant Empire players started eyeing the rear over the front, slowly falling back to guard the emperor.
He wanted to rush to Karl XIII's side.
But turning his back meant certain death, so they backpedaled instead.
'You bastards.'
The pressure eased.
Worse, the imperial guards and Saclant players fretted over the emperor's safety, their focus splintering.
With just his commanders and summons, Kang Hyun-soo couldn't hold Count Rimmonshitz and the undead—this was a fatal blow.
'You think I didn't see this coming?'
To Kang Hyun-soo, Karl XIII was a staunch backer—and a vulnerability.
Naturally, he'd prepared countermeasures.
'Summon Swap.'
Kang Hyun-soo swapped the summon at Karl XIII's side with Doppelganger King Taliman.
"From now on, I'll protect His Majesty."
"Oh, Lord Ri!"
The instant Doppelganger King Taliman stepped up.
Crunch! Slash! Boom!
The demon-possessed minions and undead were swept away in a flash.
Infused first with the Orb's demonic energy, Doppelganger King Taliman boasted top-tier combat power among Kang Hyun-soo's summons.
No way the minions and undead could stand against him.
With the emperor secured.
"Take down the demons!"
"Waaaaah!"
The guards and Saclant troops, hearts previously elsewhere, refocused and unleashed a fresh barrage.
-Playing interesting tricks, are we?
Count Rimmonshitz glared at Kang Hyun-soo.
"Why? Plan fail, feeling antsy? How's it feel wasting demonic energy and slaves for nothing?"
At Kang Hyun-soo's taunt, the red glow in Count Rimmonshitz's eyes flared brighter.
-Does it look like my plan failed?
"What?"
Count Rimmonshitz's scheme to assassinate Emperor Karl XIII via Doppelganger King Taliman and sow chaos had flopped.
So why the confidence?
-This was just a test to confirm how vital that human emperor is to you.
"What?"
As Kang Hyun-soo blinked in confusion.
Whoosh!
Count Rimmonshitz and his elite liches and death knights vanished.
Roooar!
Lower undead like skeletons and ghouls appeared in their place.
"Damn it!"
Kang Hyun-soo, startled, checked the palace interior via his commanders' views.
'Worst case.'
Count Rimmonshitz and his elite liches and death knights emanated potent demonic energy and killing intent.
They charged straight for Karl XIII to kill him.