Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Satan's Deception
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Yoo Sora created a red syringe and placed it on Ma Jeongwoo's forearm.
Jeongwoo's body swelled up, growing as massive as a heavyweight bodybuilder. He took a deep breath, gripped the axe handle tightly, and let out a spirited shout.
“Hraaah!”
He swung the axe with tremendous force, slamming it into the base of the World Tree.
Boom!
The burning World Tree shook violently as ash rained down.
The ground trembled enough that the other demons would surely have noticed.
Ma Jeongwoo didn't stop and kept swinging his axe relentlessly.
The other players who had come along with him held off the demons, buying time.
Even in that brief clash, their strength was clear.
Among the knight class, renowned for excelling at stable hunting, these were royal holy knights who wielded sacred power.
All a dozen or so players were holy knights. It was a respectable choice, even if they all shared the same class.
Naturally, it was the most preferred job in a place this risky—the one farthest from death.
On top of that, in a hell swarming with demons, a class using holy power was tier 1.
Jeongwoo glanced at them with a pleased expression, then resumed chopping at the tree.
“Michael!”
Michael scanned the surroundings through his telescope before shouting loudly.
“Okay!”
Michael aimed his grenade launcher at the sky and chanted a spell.
[Angel's Canticle]
As he activated the skill, a glowing orb shot into the air and burst like fireworks.
Cascading light enveloped the area. Wounded players were healed, and the demons' bodies melted away.
-Kyaaak!
Watching the scene, Kim Yeonhee gripped her dagger tightly.
“Ma Jeongwoo! Is there anything I can do to help?”
Boom!
Ma Jeongwoo set down his axe and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he replied.
“Phew—not yet. The time hasn't come.”
“When will it?”
“After the World Tree falls.”
“After the World Tree falls?”
“Yeah. When the World Tree collapses, a new gate will open here. Cheonjae told me not to explain about the gate yet, so just wait.”
Kim Yeonhee tilted her head.
“……Who told you not to explain?”
“Cheonjae.”
“Kim Cheonjae? Why?”
“……You'll find out soon enough.”
* * * * *
We were fending off an endless wave of demons when—
Ding!
A new system message arrived.
[The main event of the seventh round begins. The first boss will arrive soon.]
[Time remaining: 10:04:59]
Had two hours already passed?
I'd only been spectating the battle, and now the first boss of this round was about to appear in the blink of an eye.
Of course, the Leviathan handling the south was gone, so I had nothing to worry about.
All I had to do was quietly hold this position.
Still, who would the first boss be? The bosses in this round appeared randomly, so it was impossible to predict, but they were all far from easy opponents.
Each one possessed power close to the word "ruin" itself.
Leviathan had a fatally exploitable weakness that let me take it down solo, but the other demons weren't like that….
Pat. Pat. Pat.
I stood up and dusted off my rear. Looking up at the World Tree, I could see it shaking.
Faint vibrations traveled through the ground.
Even from this distance, Jeongwoo's power reached all the way here.
“I wonder if he's doing okay.”
In the moment I looked away, Gawain approached me.
He placed the Balrog's head right in front of me.
Thud.
“My lord, the mission is complete.”
“……Well done. Take a seat on the stairs and rest for a bit.”
“Yes, sir!”
I placed my hand on the Balrog's head and chanted Revive.
[‘Balrog’ is a special summon that consumes 10 population.]
[Will you use the skill?]
I only had 1 population left right now—just the imp that got taken out by a hellhound earlier.
“……Hold on.”
[Entering summon standby mode.]
I'd have to wait until the lifespans of my previously summoned demons ran out.
As I gazed at the Balrog's head with satisfaction, Park Gyuhwan climbed the stairs, drenched in blood from head to toe.
“Phew—. Mission complete.”
Park Gyuhwan approached with a demon's head in hand, his eyes half-closed.
His armor was badly torn—he'd clearly pushed himself too hard.
“……Good work. You sit on the stairs and rest too.”
“Understood.”
Gawain and Park Gyuhwan glanced at each other briefly. I pretended not to notice and placed the two heads beside me.
A Balrog and a demon.
Monsters way beyond what regular demon soldiers could handle.
‘Is it really okay for things to be going this smoothly?’
This was the seventh round—demon difficulty.
[As of now, the first boss of the seventh round's main event appears.]
[The King of Lust ‘Asmodeus’ has entered the field. Please exercise caution.]
It was finally starting.
Asmodeus—Satan's right-hand man, known as the greatest enemy of the divine realm?
For the so-called King of Destruction to be the first boss….
-Kyaaaaah!
A scream echoed from the east.
“S-save me! I'm gonna die!”
Cries for help followed.
That was where the Chinese players were. What the hell was going on?
“……It's already here?”
I looked toward the east.
I had a rough idea of what might have happened, but I couldn't leave my post.
If I sent the troops here to help them, I'd be the one in danger.
If I went myself, the unit would be left without a commander—I couldn't move rashly.
I glanced at Gawain and Park Gyuhwan, who were resting.
They were worn out too; I couldn't send them into another fight.
The only thing I could do right now was hold position.
“……Damn it.”
Was Asmodeus really that overpowering a boss?
Even the King of Destruction shouldn't be able to take on every single Chinese player at once, I thought.
Not just ten, but twenty high-level players.
Plus, it had only been two hours since the game started—still early game.
With Angel's Call active, they shouldn't be losing to demons. It didn't make sense.
‘……No.’
During the five-year gap I knew nothing about, maybe new demons had been created.
Satan had the dancer skill ‘Mirror Room,’ after all. Asmodeus probably had some new ability too.
“Hmm.”
Every possible thought ran through my head.
Fail the event in the seventh round, and everyone dies. No way back.
If the east collapsed, it was game over for all of us.
“……No helping it.”
I slowly walked out onto the battlefield and sliced down my own soldiers with my scythe.
In one sweep, the necks of several imps and a hellhound fell.
Counting the downed ones, I had a generous twenty.
“Revive.”
[Reviving the Lava Zone Guardian Legion Commander ‘Balrog.’]
-*Balrog: A powerful large demon that tears enemy flesh with its burning whip.
[Reviving the Ruler of the Heavens ‘Demon.’]
-*Demon: Uses sharp claws and fast-moving wings to snatch enemies' lives in an instant.
Two massive monsters materialized before me.
[Current population remaining: 159/160]
With a stern expression, I gave them orders.
“Make sure no other demons get anywhere near the cathedral.”
The two demons in mute mode nodded to me.
Why mute mode? Demon-type monsters had foul mouths—I didn't want to deal with their chatter.
The Balrog swung its burning whip, sweeping up the smaller demons.
The Demon shot into the sky at high speed and began shredding the gargoyles flying near the cathedral.
After confirming their prowess, I returned to the front of the cathedral.
“Gawain, you have experience as a knight commander, so take charge of the skeleton unit. Just hold the entrance.”
Gawain slammed his greatsword into the ground as he replied.
Thud.
“Leave it to me.”
“Park Gyuhwan, take the demon soldiers I summoned and sweep the battlefield. Ignore the low-level demons—focus on taking the enemy leaders' heads.”
Park Gyuhwan drew his pistol from his waist and replied.
“Understood.”
* * * * *
I turned my steps eastward through the cathedral interior. It was an emergency, and I couldn't move the troops, so I went alone.
Passing the high colonnade path and exiting the east gate, I saw the Chinese players locked in combat with demons. Most were dressed in Shaolin robes.
Did they change into battle attire? It was completely different from what I'd seen them wearing earlier.
“Haaap!”
One of them swung a long wooden staff, batting away demons. A green glow at the tip suggested a mage's ‘Weapon Enchant’ skill.
‘……No problems at all?’
The Chinese players were fighting superbly. They were overwhelming the demons, piling their corpses into towers.
I sought out their leader, the druid.
“Everything alright?”
The druid dismounted his bear and replied to me.
“Yes. How about the south?”
“It's gone. I heard screams begging for help and came to check, but there's no issue?”
“Screams for help? No way…… We don't even have any wounded.”
“Really?”
“Yes. This boss, Asmodeus, will come eventually, but it'll take about thirty more minutes to reach us.”
“……Right.”
Of course.
The summoning point for demon bosses—Lucifer's bedroom—was quite a distance from here. Even moving straight here would take time.
The druid looked around before saying to me.
“Maybe you misheard?”
“……Guess so.”
“Hahaha! Even the legendary high-level player makes mistakes like this.”
“A mistake, huh?”
“To take time out of this chaos just to come check—yeah, that's a mistake.”
“……Fair enough. I'll head back then.”
“Yes, sir! Good work.”
“Yeah, see you.”
I walked back south without a backward glance. I had no idea what was going on. I kept thinking about it while traversing the cathedral interior, but those screams had definitely come from the east.
-Kyaaaaah!
Another scream rang out.
This time from the south.
“Huh?”
No way.
That was the direction I'd just come from.
I sprinted full speed down the corridor.
When I emerged from the cathedral, I couldn't hide my shock.
Park Gyuhwan—my loyal retainer—and Gawain were crossing swords right in front of the cathedral.
“……What the hell are you two doing.”
My voice halted their movements.
A surge of rage boiled up. They'd ignored my order to guard the entrance properly and were fighting each other.
Gawain suddenly dropped to his knees and said to me.
“My lord! This guy isn't Park Gyuhwan. He's one of hell's great demons—Satan.”
“……What?”
Park Gyuhwan knelt just as quickly in response.
“No! That tiger bastard is the damn Satan!”
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