Chapter 424
Chapter 424
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 424
Chapter Title: Demon King of Sloth
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"Pro...tection?"
It was a perspective he had never even considered.
Protection?
Lee Soo-hyuk's gaze followed Rasilius upward. As he looked at the sky peeking through the clouds, Hailz's words came to mind.
"That's... the ceiling."
"A ceiling mimicking the sky perfectly, unbreakable by any magic."
"Hey, what the hell are we trapped in?"
Soo-hyuk had the same thought.
For a long time now, he had always felt confined within this tower.
But if Rasilius was right, the tower's true purpose was something entirely different.
"What do you mean by that?"
"That's all for the story. I woke up after so long and ended up talking too much. If you want to hear more, join us. You won't regret it."
Rasilius had gone into such detail precisely because he wanted Soo-hyuk that badly.
And sure enough, the bait he dangled had worked.
A tale that would begin someday. The reason for the tower's existence. Humans, demons, and gods.
It felt like all these pieces of a puzzle were scattered about. To fit even one piece together, he needed the rest of the story.
"How about a bet, then?"
So Soo-hyuk proposed.
"If you win, I do as you say. If I win, you tell me everything you know."
"Winner takes all?"
"That's your way, right? I'll play along."
The reactions exploded fiercely.
Lee Soo-hyuk defecting to the demons? It was truly something no one wanted to imagine.
Just like the three Demon Kings, Soo-hyuk was a kind of asymmetric force for the players. The very existence of such figures deterred full-scale war.
But if that Lee Soo-hyuk switched sides to the demons?
The demons could invade right that day, and it wouldn't be surprising.
Sneer-.
Rasilius had thought that far as well.
"No regrets?"
"You really need a name change."
Rasilius tilted his head as if to ask what that meant.
"Not Sloth Demon King, something like Passion Demon King. Why are you so fired up?"
"You just don't get it."
Rasilius's wide-open eyes slowly began to close.
"The slothful ones always burn short and intense."
The moment Rasilius's eyes closed.
Rumble-!
With the sound of thunder, Soo-hyuk flashed into existence right before Rasilius's eyes.
First strike wins. It was to attack before any technique could be used.
But.
Whoosh-.
The surrounding air twisted, and the world went dark.
Rumble-!
The sword sliced through the pitch-black void. It was all noise, no substance—Rasilius had already vanished from there.
Soo-hyuk stood in place, turning his head to search for Rasilius.
The presence was completely gone. Not just Rasilius, but the temple itself had disappeared.
And even.
'No chat visible.'
Scratching his head with the flat of his blade, Soo-hyuk opened his mouth.
He meant to say something like, "We were gonna bet, where'd you go?"
'No voice either.'
No sound came out.
It felt like standing in a starless universe. The only sensation was Rasilius's demonic energy.
As he stood still in this blackened world.
Thud-.
His gaze dropped at the sound from below.
The sound of his knee hitting the ground.
Before he knew it, Soo-hyuk was on his knees on the floor.
He could feel the strength slowly draining from his body. With one knee down, the urge to drop the other pulled at him.
If I sit, I'll want to lie down. If I lie down, I'll want to sleep.
This primal desire took hold.
A space where everything felt futile. Soo-hyuk eventually knelt fully, head bowed.
But his spirit wasn't broken yet.
'The principle is similar to a formation.'
A space that manifested so quickly he hadn't even noticed.
No way it could be created without limits.
If so, the demons would have overrun the Middle Realm long ago. Players would be wiped out.
'No opponent to fight... that's why too.'
Even Rasilius wasn't entirely free in this space.
A vicious sea of futility that dragged even the user under.
There was only one way to break such a space.
Tzzzzz-.
By smashing it with raw power.
If he let this futility consume him without acting, he'd lose before the fight even began.
Move before sinking deeper into greater emptiness. Before this impotence spread like poison.
That was the way to win this battle.
Tzzzzzzz-.
All the powers that had sustained Soo-hyuk until now unleashed fully.
Boom, boooom-.
Grrr rumble-!
It sounded like all the thunder and lightning pent up inside him were set free.
The dark space brightened in an instant.
Soo-hyuk rose from his kneeling position. Standing once was hard, but once up, strength returned to his grip.
What he needed now was full power.
A charge without looking back.
Kiiiiing-.
The sword moved.
Kaboom-!
The thunderously swung blade unleashed a mighty strike and didn't stop.
Direction didn't matter.
Soo-hyuk swung thunder and lightning intent on obliterating everything, seen and unseen.
Like firing lightning bolts from the sky with his sword, he didn't relent.
Nine slashing strikes unfolded in succession. Flashes passed in an instant, and as one ended, another began.
Nine strikes ended, then nine more. And another nine.
He drew out power endlessly. It had been ages since he'd poured mana at such speed, building fatigue.
Crack-.
A rift appeared in the seemingly endless space right then.
Through it, a form resembling Rasilius flickered briefly.
"There you are."
Flash-!
Soo-hyuk blinked and shot forward like light.
Lightning struck atop Rasilius's body. His hazy eyes widened, teeth gritted.
Bang-!
Rasilius, sword to the chest, crashed through the temple wall.
Soo-hyuk charged into the rubble. Then, a long arm extended from the debris.
Thud-!
A fist slammed his body. Soo-hyuk's sword countered. They traded blows, clashing again.
The temple crumbled under their heightened power duel. Demon corpses below, even Belzerion's body, were buried under rocks.
"You don't know how to enjoy sloth."
"That's not enjoying—it's addiction. Once you can't stop, you're trapped forever."
"High praise. Like saying it's a drug."
"That's why you're losing today. Days of sloth piled up and ruined you."
Sneer, Rasilius's lip curled.
"We'll see."
That confidence came from faith in the other Demon Kings.
Lust and Greed—they wouldn't lose.
But Soo-hyuk had faith too. Heavenly Demon, comrades—none would fall easily.
Of course, he wasn't just going to wait and believe.
Tzzzzzzz-.
Lightning from his heart spread through his body, heating it up.
Soo-hyuk charged again.
Kweeeeeeng-.
Kaboom-!
Scattering lightning demolished the temple. Their battlefield turned to ruins.
Rasilius, unable to match the speed, took a sword to the gut. His body was so tough the blade barely pierced.
Like hit by a blunt weapon, he slammed into the ground. Rasilius sprang up from where the sword had felled him.
Looking around, he searched for Soo-hyuk.
Then again, kwang-!
Rasilius's waist bent, body soaring upward.
Whoosh-.
Rasilius rocketed high, piercing thick clouds.
A round hole formed in the dark clouds, revealing the sky. Rasilius halted abruptly above the clouds.
"Grgh-."
His face twisted, one hand clutching his throbbing waist.
Blood stained his palm. Black blood dripped from the gash.
How long since he'd seen his own blood?
Minor wounds dotted his body. The dripping blood felt alien, like someone else's.
Bloodshot eyes glared. Baring white fangs, Rasilius roared like a beast.
Krakakaka-!
Grrrrr-.
Clustered clouds shivered and dispersed finely. Soo-hyuk, hidden within, emerged.
Katzzzz, tzzzzz-.
Soo-hyuk gripped a massive spear with both hands.
Lightning gathered from scattered clouds formed a long spear, growing larger by drawing more from the clouds.
"Preparing that while hiding, huh."
Rasilius felt true crisis for the first time.
Even from afar, his body tingled from the output. And the spear was still growing.
In response, Rasilius activated his technique.
Snap-!
The world turned gray.
Time seemed stopped—everything slowed, then halted.
The gathering lightning in the clouds, the spear-throwing motion, even his quickening heart.
All ceased.
Authority of Stasis.
The Sloth Demon King's strongest technique.
In this moment, only two things moved without Rasilius's permission.
Rasilius himself, slowly, and Soo-hyuk's thoughts.
In the gray world, Soo-hyuk's mind raced.
'What a damn annoying power.'
Sloth leading to impotence, futility.
Its ultimate form stopping everything.
Better a fistfight than this.
Fortunately, Rasilius struggled to move freely here too.
He approached sluggishly, like a wriggling worm.
But halted vs. slow were worlds apart.
Once he reached Soo-hyuk, it was over—neck snapped, heart ripped out.
'How to break this...'
A voice echoed in his head.
He thought he'd misheard. It had been so long since he last heard that voice.
Suddenly, the world Soo-hyuk saw turned white.
Cloud-shrouded ground and blue sky.
Nothing like the Demon Realm. A vast world without end, but only one being present.
Waiting for Soo-hyuk there was lightning.