Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 278
>Chapter Title: The Fourth Legion Leader Awakens
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Meanwhile, before they could even recover from their shock.
While Babylon was gaining the upper hand thanks to the Heavenly Demon's intervention.
"No way."
"My God."
A similar reaction came from Do-hyun's side, where the battle was raging a short distance away.
Thud! Thwack!
Stab—slash, slice!
It wasn't from the guild members locked in massive combat.
Unlike them, who were unaware of the situation here, these were the ones who could watch over Do-hyun and Demian.
The two guilds' vice masters: Ravaon and Marpad.
'What am I seeing right now?'
Even when the Kasin Church barged in, or when they were pushed back deeming it useless for the fight.
Not even when the zealot was matching Leon blow for blow.
He could confidently say they hadn't been this shocked.
Thud.
"Urgh......"
"Ow, my hand's numb. Damn, he's tough as hell."
Of course.
Those were just sudden variables or surprises, but this was something else entirely.
'The master... the master is on his knees?'
Demian Alexander.
The iron-blooded tank, father of all tanks.
The man always ranked number one as Godos's strongest tank was on his knees.
Whoosh.
A cold sword pointed at his throat.
His shield lay discarded, too heavy to hold, and viciously scarred from blocking blades—there wasn't a spot untouched.
For Marpad, who idolized Demian, it was a shocking sight.
The first time he'd ever seen such a scene in his life.
'This can't be real. Something must be wrong.'
'The master lost one-on-one? No, impossible.'
'Ah......'
The world muffled like he was underwater, reality fading away.
Then a voice from the left yanked their heads back to the surface.
"Looks like that's over on that side."
"...Seems so."
It was the Empress and Arthur.
They'd been in a brutal close-quarters clash but glanced over, then sheathed their locked blades.
The Empress frowned at Arthur holstering his sword without hesitation.
"What're you doing? Dropping the fight midway."
She didn't like this fresh opponent quitting cold.
But Arthur was resolute.
"Xiao's side was losing too. We needed to seize momentum here, but Demian's down. What's the point in continuing?"
"You never know. You or that guy might win."
Arthur glanced sideways at her words.
He could feel Leon's sincerity in his bloodshot eyes and slashing form.
So focused he hadn't even noticed Demian kneel.
It had been ages since Arthur saw him this serious, yet the zealot matched him effortlessly, swinging that massive greatsword.
"Who knows."
He smirked enigmatically.
His uncertain expression shifted to calm resolve as their eyes met.
"He asked me to lend my strength to secure a sure victory and block any wild cards. Not to go all-out in some uncertain deathmatch with you, Empress."
That settled the debt, as far as he was concerned.
The Empress nodded, finally getting it.
"Tch, no wonder it felt half-assed. Lame."
"Speak for yourself."
"You weren't even fighting properly—ruins the fun."
"Could've ended it quick and helped Kaiser instead?"
"Help? Him?"
She flicked her ear like she'd heard the dumbest thing.
Then smirked and spat.
"My ally ain't so pathetic he'd lose to that slowpoke."
"...I see."
The top tank had crumbled in an instant, but Arthur didn't argue.
He'd seen Demian lose without landing a single hit, just like she said.
'Once. Just once, and it was over.'
Objectively, Demian's stats dwarfed Kaiser's.
Kaiser was strong for his level, sure, but that was it.
Stronger than most rankers, but clearly weaker than Top 10 Guild masters.
Demian, meanwhile, topped the Top 10 in defense.
Their fight was egg meeting rock.
'...But he pierced through.'
Slowly, but surely.
Dodging every lethal blow, landing every strike without fail.
After disarming the shield, his obsessive precision and killer instinct left even Arthur impressed.
'Demian's high defense became his weakness.'
If that defense had gone into speed or damage, it'd be different.
He could think of a few who would've turned the tables.
Even so, the guy was absurd.
Easy to say, but humans lose focus—yet this man was a machine, zero mistakes.
Could I have done that?
He shook his head at the thought.
'I'd like to test him sometime.'
While Arthur quietly burned with rivalry, Demian was burning inside.
'Damn it all...!'
What the hell was this?
Shame and rage kept his head bowed.
Marpad's gaze from behind felt piercingly clear.
'What went wrong?'
He'd had the win in the bag.
Any gambler would've bet on him without hesitation—yet here he was.
The Empress interfering? Kasin Church crashing in?
"Nice yapping earlier. Gone quiet now?"
Demian snapped his head up at the intruding bass voice, grinding his teeth.
"This... this is impossible."
"Impossible my ass. Guy's playbook never changes."
"I was superior in every way. So why am I the one kneeling?!"
His near-scream drew eyes.
"...Master?"
"Why's the master...?"
"Arthur gave up too?"
"What? Does that mean we lost?"
The guild members' pupils shook wildly.
Demian's fall—their pillar—hit hard.
Morale shattered; they floundered clueless.
Not just them.
"Demian? Why're you just sitting the... "
"Eye off the prize?"
"Damn it! Back off! This isn't the time..."
"Heretics get only death."
Leon's eyes shook too, facing the zealot.
Far more desperate now.
Never imagined losing to a lower-level scrub.
"M-Master! Big trouble!"
"The Heavenly Demon appeared—Cheonoechoen's getting crushed. We need to send support... Master?"
Xiao's side was chaos too.
A robed man rushed in reporting, then froze at kneeling Demian.
What're you doing there? his eyes screamed.
"Ah......"
He shut his mouth late, but damage done.
"...Cheonoechoen's losing? What about us?"
"Wait, wasn't the Heavenly Demon on our side? Now half the masters who agreed are out."
"Did we just break our code?"
"N-No one said anything like this!"
Guild members learned the situation and panicked like breakdowns incoming.
Morale gone, will to fight evaporated.
"Purge the heretics!"
"Yes!"
"Arghhh!!"
"G-Get away! We don't wanna fight anymore!"
"Damn it, not now. Run!"
No way they could face charging Kasin Church properly.
Fleeing desperately, they died even more pathetically.
"Ah...... Aah......"
Demian took it all in, then dropped his other knee.
His guild crumbled.
The tower he'd built with care collapsed uncontrollably.
"Everything in my favor—why'd it end like this?"
Do-hyun approached the despairing man, answering like it was obvious.
"'Cause you're weaker. What else? If I were weaker, I'd be the one kneeling."
"......"
Demian shut up.
Deep down, he knew.
The Empress and zealot didn't flip the overwhelming win.
Not Harrington or the Heavenly Demon's betrayal.
"Ah......"
He just hated admitting it.
His pride, the ultimate defense, was just a slightly tougher sandbag.
He was the clueless one.
"If you're gonna crush someone, be ready to get crushed back."
Do-hyun recited coldly to the dazed Demian.
"Though looks like I don't even need to step in this time."
"...What?"
"You broke the code, right?"
"......"
Breaking the unspoken rule meant losing Top 10 Guild status.
Overwhelming support might slide, but this pathetic loss...
"Exciting. Wonder what your future holds."
"You fucking bastard Kaiser...!"
Demian raged, rising with his own words thrown back, but a blizzard blinded him and a white lion wrapped his body.
—!!
Staggering mid-motion, he glared up with bulging eyes.
Heaven's Punishment stabbed down.
Slash—!
That was it.
A Top 10 Guild master's end—utterly pathetic and hollow.
He'd never know exactly how he died. His last memory.
Thus, he missed it.
Ding—
The cheerful alert at death.
It rang simultaneously for fleeing guild members, pursuing Kasin Church.
And before Do-hyun, Empress, Arthur—everyone.
"...Huh?"
"What's this? Something appeared?"
"Eh?"
Not just that.
Boom!
Thud!
Each step of some massive thing shook the ground.
"Aaagh!"
"Keurgh!"
"What the fuck... What is this!?"
"F-Fuck, run... Gurk!"
Crushed sounds and horrific screams followed from behind.
Growing closer—they realized.
"...That's our guys?"
"It's coming our way... Huh?"
Screams from Top 10 Guild allies.
The source wasn't just approaching—it was right here.
Halt.
Fleeing guild members, pursuing Kasin Church.
Do-hyun, Empress, Arthur—everyone froze at the simultaneous message.
"Why's this bastard still charging!"
"Atonement in death."
...Except Leon and the zealot.
Their fanatical duel looked set to continue, but fate intervened.
"Fuck! This crazy bitch... Huh?"
Unable to take the zealot's pursuit, Leon leaped back to land—then the sky darkened.
No, just where he stood.
"What the..."
Instinct screaming danger, Leon whipped around.
Crunch—!
[Caught in 'Grasp of Ruin.']
[Warning! Getting grasped means instant death.]
[Player 'Leon' has died.]
Something clutched his head, crushing it like a walnut.
The labyrinth went dead silent at the shocking sight, broken only by gasps.
"Insane......"
Followed by curt curses.
No one called it out.
Everyone felt the same.
—...Master, no way that's.
—Liza......
—Hmm......
"...Yeah, it is."
Do-hyun tensed too.
But unlike them, the icon above his head was an exclamation, not a question mark.
[The labyrinth's statues are over half destroyed.]
[A powerful being sealed in the Forbidden Labyrinth has awakened.]
[Encountering the Sealed Abyss, 'Ruin's Fourth Legion Leader.']
'...It's here.'
The moment he'd seen it with Truth's Eye, guarding the red something.
It had finally appeared.