Chapter 267 - Interlude 4-2. Demon King (3)
3.
[Health increases by 15.]
[Strength increases by 20.]
[Life Recovery increases by 8%.]
Ignoring the endless stream of system messages, Kim Buja’s hands never stopped moving. He pulled out one enhancement potion after another, chugging the elixirs he had been saving for this very day.
He had spent the last few months hoarding every item from the “Daily Gifts Galore!” event, all for this moment. Most of it had been useless junk, but on this continent, with its poor infrastructure, even junk could become a valuable commodity. The items ranged from simple rations to light consumables that would prove useful in a war.
He had distributed them among the outnumbered soldiers. Before the battle began, he had finalized his preparations by using the gold he’d received from both Earthlings and continentals to provide food buffs for the entire army.
The cost of that alone—before the first war cry had even echoed across the field—was already incalculable. He couldn’t begin to imagine how much more he would have to spend from this point on.
He didn’t have time to do the math.
If we lose, it’s all over anyway.
With the grim thought that this was the end, he poured everything he had into the fight.
Perhaps because of his efforts, the human forces did not easily buckle under the charge of the demons and monsters, who were drenched in the rain of blood. A thick blanket of holy power spread across the battlefield, driving back the miasma, and weapons imbued with that same power were a tremendous help in cutting down the demonic tide.
This was a true war.
It was the end, or a new beginning.
The start of a war that would decide the fate of the continent changed the mindset of everyone on the battlefield.
No one retreated.
Normally, the sight of grotesque demons, soaked in blood and charging with the intent to drag you down with them, would inspire a primal fear. Anyone would be overwhelmed by terror and unconsciously take a step back. Yet, no one did.
They all understood.
If they retreated here, it was over.
This was the final bulwark of the entire continent. If they lost this war, those monstrous bastards would charge straight for their families and loved ones without a shred of hesitation.
What would be the point of surviving alone?
Their families. Humanity.
If they could protect them by sacrificing their own bodies, they were willing to die alongside these monsters.
Not everyone gathered here was a knight. In fact, the majority were soldiers who had never received proper military training. They had gathered the continent’s elite, but to stand against the Demon King’s remaining army, they had no choice but to fill over eighty percent of their ranks with regular soldiers. Knightly honor and unwavering loyalty were too much to expect from them.
However, they too had grown up with the stories.
They knew what it meant to protect someone. They knew that there were heroes protecting the continent from the Demon King’s invasions in the past.
But there was one crucial difference between those stories and this reality: the continent was never saved by a single hero.
Stepping onto the battlefield, everyone felt it. Even if history only recorded the name of the hero who defeated the Demon King, the blood and sweat of the countless people who stood by that hero’s side—killing even one more demon to weaken the Demon King’s power—was just as vital.
And so, they did not retreat.
Even as they fell, they held the formation, thrusting their swords at the charging demons.
“Raaaah! Die!”
“You damn devils!”
“Kiieeee!”
On a battlefield where blood and flesh became one, the deaths of one or two soldiers were nothing. The atmosphere grew only more feverish as reason crumbled amid the chaos.
Even so, a golden wave swept over the surging demons.
SCREEEEEE!
Thousands of demons melted away, letting out agonized screams.
A breath attack.
A true dragon’s breath, incomparable to the one Kim Buja had used through Polymorph, rained down upon the human army as they fought with everything they had.
In response, mid- and high-ranking demons from the rear rushed at Hwangdo.
“Kyuuuuuuuu!”
How dare you!
Having grown stronger after devouring Cassius’s heart, Hwangdo no longer felt fear. Instead, he unleashed his fury upon those who dared to charge him.
“You’ve grown up well, my boy.”
It was a dangerous moment for Hwangdo, but Buja trusted him and leaped from the dragon’s back. He wanted to fight alongside him, but his destination was not this swarm of mid-ranking demons. It was the heart of the battlefield, where the Demon King stood.
“That armor’s expensive, so try to take their hits there!”
“Kyuuuu!”
There was little worry that Hwangdo’s golden scales would be pierced by any ordinary attack. However, a dragon’s head, which was not covered by scales, was its most obvious weak point. To protect it, Buja had strapped protective gear over Hwangdo’s head. Now, brimming with even more confidence, Hwangdo unleashed his full power on the charging demons.
Meanwhile, Buja landed and sprinted straight toward Kallis.
Kallis and the elite unit were carving a path directly toward the Demon King, who had brazenly taken the lead. The demons rushing them were several times more numerous and powerful than those that had targeted Hwangdo or the main army.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
But Kallis was strong. He was the greatest knight on the continent. At his side were the Tower Master, the saintess, and even the Pope, all protecting him. There was a time when they had pointed swords at one another, faces flushed over political disputes, but now they stood together. Whether for their own interests, their lives, or the peace of the continent, they fought as one, their combined presence a brilliant force that tore open a path.
Even high-ranking and top-ranking demons could not block their advance.
After all, this continent was not their home turf either. Although they had offered sufficient sacrifices to open the gate, the offerings had not been perfect. They were merely enough to open a path; the penalties for crossing into this world could not be completely erased.
The combat power of these penalized demons was still staggering. It was enough to make one wonder what it would have been like to fight them in the Demon Realm.
If we hadn’t weakened the Demon King’s army beforehand, would a push like this even be possible?
In such an extreme situation, thoughts like these were all that kept them going. They had to empty their minds and focus on moving forward. Only then could they forget the pain wracking their bodies.
At the same time, their instincts returned.
A sense of victory.
The confidence that had been crushed and hidden away for months finally re-emerged.
We can do this.
At this rate, we can even take down the Demon King.
This kind of confidence could sometimes allow a person to draw out far more power than they normally possessed.
THUD!
The Demon King knew this. He had no intention of giving the humans any more hope.
As the Demon King descended before Kallis, the demons around him fell back. It was not out of some presumptuous notion of letting their king face the enemy alone.
It was worship. Reverence. An instinctive belief that their filthy bodies must not be allowed near the Demon King’s feet.
At the same time, there was fear. The fear that at any moment, for any reason, the Demon King’s mood might shift, and he might erase their insect-like existences. Because of these emotions, the demons could not bring themselves to stand by his side. The low-ranking demons didn’t even dare to meet his gaze.
Naturally, a stage was set for the Demon King and Kallis.
If this were a novel, the Demon King would only appear after the hero’s exploits had shattered his army. That would have been the proper order of things.
But the real Demon King was not like that. He had descended personally to stand at the forefront. His lips were curled in a smile full of interest. He was here to show that the King of the Demon Realm was not someone who simply sat on a throne and issued orders. He was here to prove that the title of Demon King could only be attained by someone strong enough to defeat every other demon in their realm.
VWOOOM!
The greatsword strapped to the Demon King’s back let out a powerful thrum. Responding to the resonance, he drew the weapon and poured his demonic energy into it.
VWOOOOOM!
The sound alone was enough to make hearts pound in terror. The power erupting from him was so overwhelming that it was hard to believe he was under any penalty at all.
Kallis’s expression hardened. This power was beyond anything he had imagined. He was still the greatest knight and swordsman on the continent, but he had aged. In the end, he was only human. There was a fundamental difference in the physical makeup of humans and demons, a difference in the countless years they had endured.
Can I win?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly erased it. He had thought the same thing in every battle against the masters he had faced on his journey here, not just against the Demon King. But it had never mattered. If anything, such thoughts were a hindrance, doing nothing to help him on the path to victory.
He would fight.
He could do this.
Kallis drew his sword. Fortunately, he was not alone. From behind, countless buffs wrapped around his body. If this had been a formal duel between knights, he would have been scorned, but he felt no shame.
This was not a duel. This was a fight against the Demon King, who had invaded their continent. It was a war that could not be fought alone, a battle that could not be won by one person. To win, they had to do whatever it took. Even if it meant selling their souls, they had to see it through.
For the restoration of the fallen empire. For the last remaining bloodline of the emperor, he had failed to protect.
At that moment, he sensed someone at his side. Kallis didn’t bother to turn his head.
“Protect the princess.”
“You can count on me.”
It was Kim Buja. Originally, he was supposed to step in at the very end to deliver the final blow. Yet here he was, standing beside Kallis, face-to-face with the Demon King.
What is he thinking?
The power radiating from the Demon King was indeed so overwhelming that cheap tricks would be useless. Was Buja planning to face him head-on and wait for an opening? If Kallis died before that opening appeared, the plan would be meaningless.
“If I’m going to die, I’d rather die fighting alongside you,” Buja said with a grin.
Kallis gave a small nod. Even with the two of them, the Demon King was so strong that their doubts remained.
He was also smart.
With a flick of his finger, the demons who had formed the stage all charged at once.
“What a fucking bastard.”
Buja let out a disbelieving laugh at the brazen order. As he watched the demons swarm toward them, he pressed his back against Kallis’s. Charging the Demon King now would be insane. The Demon King might have sent his minions forward precisely to bait them into doing just that.
He wouldn’t give them the fight they wanted. It was the most basic, textbook strategy.
“He really is a dirty coward.”
Hurling what was, for the Demon King, the highest possible compliment, Buja swung his sword. He had thought this was the final battle, but it seemed there was one more gate to clear. Or perhaps the Demon King wouldn’t step forward until his entire army had been spent. This was the same Demon King who had remained patient even after four of his legions were wiped out.
In gaming terms, this was a hell-mode boss with advanced AI. A boss with absurd difficulty who was also smart.
There was only one strategy.
“If he won’t come out, we’ll just have to drag him out.”
They needed enough power to shatter his plan.
Along with the Heavenly Earrings, the Demon God’s Armor Set began to shine.
At the same time, the saintess began to pray.
The sky, filled with nothing but darkness, was pierced by a single shaft of light.
An angel descended.
The Scythe of Judgment slammed down onto the battlefield.
* * *
