Chapter 84: The Queen's Arrival
Chapter 84
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Queen's Arrival
Oriax's golden armor was practically destroyed, leaving his upper body completely unprotected. Durandal's strike hit Oriax's chest. Despite the bare skin, the blade couldn't cut through. It felt like striking a steel plate.
Kang-seok gritted his teeth.
Instead of striking again, he put some distance between himself and Oriax, who was still struggling to regain his balance from the Lightning Kick.
The Lightning Kick had definitely been effective. As proof, Oriax staggered and fell on his rear.
Muscles like steel. That's why slashing attacks were useless. The only effective method seemed to be direct blows with a blunt weapon.
His lips felt dry. Durandal was incredibly sturdy, but it wasn't shaped for bludgeoning.
Something else. Something that could deliver simple, brute physical force more effectively!
“Take this, young man!”
It was a somewhat strange way to address him, but Kang-seok instinctively knew he was being called.
Kang-seok quickly turned his gaze to see a Player in ivory-colored enhanced armor—Christian—throwing a massive war hammer his way.
It looked slightly different from the one Christian normally used; it seemed to have belonged to a fallen Player. The hammer was so enormous it couldn't even be compared to the demolition hammers seen at construction sites, and its weight was substantial.
Moreover, Christian had thrown it with such incredible force that catching it mid-air was out of the question; Kang-seok had to worry about dodging it first.
CRASH!
The war hammer slammed into the ground.
After swiftly leaping aside to avoid it, Kang-seok looked at Oriax. He had already recovered from the shock and was getting back on his feet. There was no time to delay.
Kang-seok quickly reached out and grabbed the war hammer. Even with his superhuman strength, far beyond that of an ordinary person, it was too heavy to lift easily.
A golden war hammer, with a wolf's head sculpted on one end.
“Uoooooh!”
Like a shot-putter, Kang-seok used centrifugal force to swing the hammer's head in a wide arc, striking the thigh of the barely-standing Oriax.
A spark flashed from the point of impact. It was the enchantment effect of his magic gauntlets.
It was such a ferocious blow that the recoil sent a jarring shock through both of Kang-seok's arms. Oriax's steel-like skin and muscles remained intact, but he couldn't withstand the attack itself.
He collapsed as if his legs had given out, letting out a scream of pain.
It was effective.
Kang-seok put strength into his arms once more. He swung the war hammer in a circle above his head and brought it down on Oriax's lowered upper body.
BOOM!
This time, Kang-seok also lost his balance and fell. But it was nothing compared to the blow Oriax had taken. Oriax's massive body staggered violently in the direction of the impact.
“Joining in!”
“Push forward!”
Christian and Daniel Kim charged at Oriax.
The one advantage the Players currently held over the demonic beast was, without a doubt, their numbers. The mages also changed their attack patterns. Instead of pummeling Oriax with magic, they began to focus on sealing his movements.
“Activate Trap Card! Constricting Vines of Light!”
Kim Ha-neul, who had sent back the Lion of Light, Aphen, that he had been riding, activated a new magic card.
Thorny vines made of light shot up from the floor and ensnared Oriax's legs.
“Gravity Fall!”
“Paralyze!”
A gravity field pressed down on Oriax. A mass of chains bound his arms, and a paralysis spell slowed his movements, if only slightly.
The time they had bought.
As Oriax barely managed to shatter the gravity field, he was met with the war hammer swung by Christian. Daniel Kim struck Oriax's ankle with a mace, and Kang-seok, too, swung the war hammer again to smash into him.
A chain reaction. Each attack was a single blow, but together they created a continuous flow.
Oriax couldn't break free. Even for a transformed demonic beast, there were limits.
Moreover, Kang-seok wasn't attacking Oriax randomly. After the first blow, he relentlessly targeted Oriax's right arm. Under the continuous assault, Oriax could no longer grip his war hammer.
“RRAAAAAH!”
He roared. It was a final burst of strength—a last-ditch struggle.
Shattering the various spells that bound his body, Oriax swung his arms wildly. Daniel Kim, unable to dodge in time, was sent flying, and Christian, who had been focused on attacking, also failed to evade completely.
After sending the two men flying, Oriax clenched his fist. He swung it at Kang-seok, who was closest.
A split second. A moment of choice.
Kang-seok let go of the war hammer. Staring straight at the roaring Oriax, he drew the sheathed black sword, Durandal, once more.
The incoming fist. It was terrifying. He wanted to look away. It was like a dump truck rushing straight at him.
But Kang-seok gritted his teeth and stared straight ahead. To dodge the attack by moving just enough, he had to watch it until the very end.
The wind pressure split the air.
Oriax's giant fist tore through the space right beside Kang-seok.
An evasion with barely enough space for a fist to pass.
Kang-seok kept running. He plunged into the embrace of Oriax, who was bearing down on him.
Durandal couldn't deal an effective blow to Oriax. Therefore, the Players watching Kang-seok prepared for the next move.
Christian quickly picked up the war hammer and stood up, while Seong Yu-jin rushed at Oriax to buy time for Kang-seok to disengage. Choi Yu-ra swapped her heavy weapon for an anti-materiel sniper rifle and aimed at Oriax's eye.
Kang-seok looked straight ahead.
Oriax's upper body. It was different from before. The continuous blows had damaged his muscles and torn his skin. An opening had been created.
A place no longer protected by that steel-like flesh.
He thrust Durandal in.
Though the skin was torn, Oriax's muscles, boasting a steel-like density, were still there, so he couldn't plunge it deep. But this was enough.
Ignoring Oriax's left arm descending from above, Kang-seok focused the power of the Black Flame Dragon into the black sword, Durandal.
Though the depth was shallow, it was inside the enemy's body.
Power exploding from within!
→↗↑↖← + HS
“Knight of Knights!”
A jet-black sword emerged from the tip of Durandal. It tore through Oriax's muscles from the inside. The wound widened, and the blade of light finally pierced through Oriax's back.
Oriax coughed up blood.
And Knight of Knights wasn't over yet.
Following the sword of light was a crest of light. The one symbolizing the glorious 'Absolute Knight Order'!
Kang-seok was also pushed back.
The crest of light struck Oriax's chest, sending his massive body airborne. Blood gushed out. The blood spewing from Oriax's mouth and the blood pouring from the wound in his chest stained the air red.
Seong Yu-jin approached Kang-seok. She raised her shield, protecting him from Oriax's blood, which melted the ground like hydrochloric acid.
Everyone was exhausted, but the Players rallied their strength once more. Now was the time to finish Oriax.
“Lightning—Kick!”
It was different from before. With John's help, Park Hyeong-sik soared high into the sky and then plummeted down, striking Oriax from above.
Oriax, who had been launched into the air by the crest of light, was slammed back into the ground. A tremor that seemed to shake the entire tower ran through the floor, and cracks appeared.
Christian brought the war hammer down on Oriax's head.
Kang-seok breathed heavily. He staggered and was about to fall when Seong Yu-jin quickly reached out to support him.
His right arm was numb, making it difficult to even hold Durandal. So Kang-seok sheathed it without hesitation. There was no need for him to deliver the final blow.
Amidst the Players' barrage, Oriax couldn't put up any proper resistance.
“Haa… haa…”
Releasing the Black Flame Dragon, Kang-seok leaned his body against Seong Yu-jin's shoulder.
He recalled the other demonic beast he had intentionally pushed from his mind. The demonic beast Vapula, with the head of a lion and the body of a griffin.
The Players were fighting well. Under the command of a red-haired male Player, they were systematically cornering Vapula. It wasn't on the brink of complete defeat like Oriax, but it was clear a similar situation would arise soon.
Vapula's entire body was already stained with blood, and its movements had become much duller than before.
Two demonic beasts appearing on the same floor. The sacrifices had been great, but they had managed to secure victory.
But this was only the sixth floor. Given the high ceilings, it seemed there would be fewer floors than he'd thought, but it was still likely there were more than ten.
Could there be other demonic beasts? How many more would they have to face before meeting Raum on the top floor?
Suddenly, a loud laugh echoed in his mind.
Snapping to his senses, Kang-seok quickly looked toward Oriax.
It was just like with Andras before. A dark blue sphere of light formed above Oriax's corpse, and from it, Oriax's voice boomed.
“Hahahahaha! Splendid! You defeated me fair and square!”
There wasn't a hint of resentment in his voice. Instead, it was filled with boisterousness.
Kang-seok felt Oriax's gaze. Even though it was just a sphere of light, he felt it was looking at him.
“Take this, warrior. Consider it proof that Oriax acknowledges your victory.”
A dark gray object rose from Oriax's corpse and flew toward Kang-seok. It landed with a thud right in front of Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin.
It was a round, palm-sized object that looked like a shield.
Oriax's attention shifted toward Choi Yu-ra.
“And you, girl with the gun—if there's something you want to say to that man, don't wait until it's too late.”
“W-what are you talking about?!”
Choi Yu-ra, standing some distance away, could only fluster and couldn't answer properly.
Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin, unaware of the context, tilted their heads in confusion, but Park Han-yeong and Kim Kang-san wore wry smiles for a moment.
The Demonic Beast Oriax was defeated. Oriax himself acknowledged this fact. Instead of leaving behind a grudge, he paid his respects to the Players.
Then his tone changed.
“But don't celebrate yet. The real battle is about to begin.”
The battle that's about to unfold.
Was he talking about the future battles in Raum's Tower?
No.
That wasn't it.
It was a silent death.
The seven Players standing near the stairs leading from the fifth to the sixth floor didn't even realize they had died. A red line was drawn in the air, and along that line, the Players' bodies were sliced apart.
They then turned into light and vanished.
Kang-seok and the other Players instinctively turned around. A chilling sensation ran down their spines.
Oriax laughed.
“Hahaha! That's what I meant. She's here.”
He left one last message and disappeared.
The one standing there alone was a being with a humanoid appearance and size, unlike the demonic beasts they had faced so far.
She wore a blue dress stained here and there with red blood. A pair of large, beautiful blue wings sprouted from her back, and dark blue hair rested upon her milky-white skin.
[Quest: Defeat the Demonic Beast Raum.]
[Number of Players challenging the quest: 78/511]
Raum, appearing on a lower floor instead of the top.
The drastically reduced number of Players.
[Ah, the Players who were on the lower floors...]
Iris couldn't finish her sentence. But it was enough.
Her grief-stricken voice and the presence of Raum before them told Kang-seok everything he needed to know.
Just like with Aden, the King of the Gnolls. Just because it was Raum's Tower didn't mean the Demonic Beast Raum had to wait on the top floor.
The Players weren't the only ones who could divide and conquer.
The Players were split among dozens of rooms. Though their numbers reached three hundred, each room contained ten people at most.
The Demonic Beast Raum smiled brightly.
She spread her pair of blue wings.