Chapter 277
Sweating coldly, Seong couldn’t help but feel tense as he realized the true power of that technique.
He thought he only needed to be cautious of the Forbiddenz after summoning the demons.
But this was unexpected.
After defeating the Forbiddenz, he’d face the finals.
It didn’t seem like it would be easy.
Of course, he’d noticed something off about Gam before.
Was it the strange atmosphere?
That wasn’t the reason.
“...Seong, did you see it too?”
“...Yeah.”
“Gam’s soul is half-exposed.”
Helena’s words were met with Seong’s silent nod.
Those who had been in a ghost state before, like Seong, could see ghosts, and Helena could see it too.
Gam’s soul was half-exposed.
And there was something else filling that empty space.
“......”
As Seong kept his mouth shut, Helena spoke again.
“That’s one of the demon techniques.”
“Demon?”
“Yeah, I told you before that demons and majo are different, right? Demons from hell aren’t as evil as people think. On the other hand, the evil demons people often think about are majo. They’re the ones who make contracts with souls and corrupt them.”
Seong nodded in agreement with Helena’s words, as he had heard it before.
But for that to be a majo technique...
Could it mean that the demons were handling souls, like Seong?
He thought that, but Helena seemed to read his mind and shook her head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Hmm, really?”
“Yeah, I’ve worked with majo techniques before, so I know.”
“......?”
Then wouldn’t that make Gam the Demon King?
Seong thought for a moment, but—
“Why do you think that?”
Helena narrowed her eyes as she asked.
Seong quickly shook his head.
It was a little scary.
At any rate, after Seong shook his head as if to avoid it, Helena continued explaining.
“It’s a technique that lets you implant your mind into someone else’s body and control them... But I don’t know who did it... Probably...”
“A swordsman. A really strong one. And if they’re related to the Rieskan Kingdom...”
“Yeah.”
Helena nodded in agreement.
Seong continued.
“It must be a sword saint.”
He knew Gam had looked down on him, but he never imagined he’d go so far as to implant his mind into his knight.
If you implant your soul into someone else, can you retain some of your original power?
Seong didn’t want to believe that, but if not, the strength he displayed didn’t make sense.
Helena explained to Seong, who didn’t fully understand.
“You can’t bring all [N O V E L I G H T] your original power, but you can bring some of it.”
“Some...”
In other words, the power he was displaying wasn’t even all of it.
But even with just some, it was hard to handle.
If Seong were asked to break through the Ice Crystals of Chill and the Curtain of Frost, of course, he could break them.
But if he were asked to do so while casually swinging a sword like that, it would be impossible.
Even Seong himself would have to put considerable effort into breaking it.
That alone gave Seong an idea of the gap between him and Gam.
Still, he couldn’t give up.
He had to acquire the weapon infused with demons to obtain the conditions for becoming the Commander of the Undead.
“Heh... I’ll have to think of a way to win.”
“...It won’t be easy.”
Helena’s words were the first time she’d ever spoken so seriously.
Seong, although tense, nodded as if it was fine.
In all honesty, he was thinking of giving it a shot no matter what.
If he used all his strength, maybe?
Thinking this, Seong decided he’d have to prepare everything for his subordinates.
With everything in place, Seong watched Gam walking down to the arena with sharp eyes.
Could it be that the Sword Saint himself would take action?
And then.
‘To think he was connected to demons...’
This meant that perhaps demons had a deep connection to Helena’s death too.
Once the match was over, he’d have to ask Helena about it.
1.
What seemed like a match that would go exactly as expected had now changed completely.
The tides had turned with the unexpected appearance of the new challenger, Gam!
The audience was also overwhelmingly excited.
From the perspective of the viewers, there was nothing worse than watching one side inevitably win.
–Lol I honestly thought the Demon King was gonna win 😂.
–This changes everything lol.
–Guess even named NPCs are different huh;;;
–Featherwing Knights are kinda famous, but they don’t seem like “named” level, right?
–Plus, he’s not even the leader?
–He wasn’t that strong just yesterday though;;;
Some were raising doubts.
It was strange to see such a drastic change from yesterday.
But so what?
Most of them were enjoying it.
Suspicious or not,
The fact that a special NPC was strong was undeniable.
They were guessing that Gam might be one of those special NPCs.
What was interesting now was the heated debate over who would face Gam next.
Most were betting on Seong to win, but—
Hadn’t there been similar cases before with someone like Gam?
That’s why some were wondering if the Forbiddenz might actually beat Seong.
–Lol I hope the Demon King loses this time.
–Lol honestly, I like the Demon King, but it’d be weird if he keeps winning like this.
–Forget that, the Forbiddenz are strong too.
–Lol if the Forbiddenz unlock the magic seal, things might be different.
As more people started rooting for the Forbiddenz,
Fans of the Demon King began to fight back.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
–Did you forget what happened when the alliance was defeated by Apophis? 😂
–Yeah, the Forbiddenz are nothing. If you want to beat the Demon King, bring Gam.
–Lol you’re just talking nonsense with the Forbiddenz 😂
–They’re strong against individual opponents, but if the Forbiddenz had the same breakthrough power, it’d be a different story.
–Yeah, what’s “different” about it? 😂
There were a fair number of people predicting the Forbiddenz would win.
But most viewers were still betting on Seong, the Demon King.
After all, his track record was hard to ignore.
He’d reached Apophis faster than most single-rankers.
That’s why fans believed in him. Even though they liked the Demon King...
This time, the ones betting on the victory of the Forbiddenz were those who thought it was time for them to fall.
But unfortunately.
–Who do you think would win if Gam and the Demon King fought???
–Lol, honestly, I have no idea.
–Maybe Gam? His overwhelming swordsmanship is unforgettable...
–Honestly, I agree with that 😂.
–The Forbiddenz aren’t really even a match.
–I agree.
Some were still rooting for the Forbiddenz, unsure of the outcome.
But in all honesty, most wanted to see the battle between Seong and Gam more.
It seemed like the Forbiddenz were barely a concern.
Sure, they were strong.
But did they show any potential that could rival the overwhelming force of Gam and the Demon King?
Unlikely.
The majority wanted to see the fight between Gam and Seong.
While the conversation flowed in that direction, the match continued.
The Round of 32 was all wrapped up.
As expected, Seong and the Forbiddenz made it to the Round of 16.
They faced each other, and the team drawn against the Featherwing Knights in the Round of 16 forfeited.
It moved along quickly.
And now, the long-awaited Round of 16 match between Seong’s team and the Forbiddenz team was right around the corner.
Hoooh.
The waiting room was filled with a murderous energy.
The Forbiddenz stood up from their seats as if they had completed their preparations.
A dark energy rose ominously, and it slowly became darker, taking the shape of demonic power.
Their leader, Jaya, led the way and spoke.
“Release all the demons.”
“Of course, leader.”
“Absolutely, boss.”
“We’ll cover you from the back, boss.”
There was no playful smile as usual.
Their words were full of grim determination.
Gam didn’t even consider the public’s opinion.
He knew what they were saying, but now, he had no time to care about such things.
The biggest obstacle in front of him was Seong.
His mind was filled entirely with the thought of defeating him as he ascended to the arena.
And with a bright light, the arena appeared.
As Jaya stepped forward into the shining arena, something was heard.
Click, click, click.
The sound of someone walking.
The sound of footsteps, almost like the beat of a heart, felt to Jaya and the Forbiddenz like a heartbeat.
With the slow, deliberate footsteps, someone appeared from the opposite waiting room.
Wearing a crown made of black crystal and a mask of dusky gray, if darkness could take the form of a person, this would be it.
It felt like the very essence of pitch-black darkness was walking toward them.
As the King of Darkness appeared on the arena, which had just been bright, it seemed as though the light itself grew dimmer.
The Forbiddenz frowned as they watched him.
Truly a strong opponent.
But they, too, began to unleash their demons and gathered their strength.
However, why?
“...They’re not even looking at us.”
“...Unbelievable.”
“...Tch.”
Keron, along with Beltaine and Ired, looked on at Seong’s team with a look of disbelief.
The Demon King’s team.
Naturally, they were looking at the Forbiddenz, but it seemed like they were looking past them, at someone beyond them.
Of course, the Forbiddenz knew this.
Gam.
Even after seeing his overwhelming performance, they couldn’t help but be concerned.
But for the Forbiddenz, the bigger mountain was Seong, the Demon King, not Gam.
Even if they hadn’t considered it,
Was it that the Demon King didn’t even see them as worthy enough to consider?
Their pride was certainly hurt.
But their leader, Jaya, spoke calmly.
“Don’t be disturbed. Right now, we are the challengers.”
He didn’t use the word “weaker.”
Challengers.
Like those who climb a mountain to conquer it.
They had come to face that great mountain.
They approached with the spirit of challengers.
At Jaya’s words, his teammates nodded fiercely, their eyes narrowed.
Unleashing their demons, they stood ready for battle, and Seong, too, felt the weight of their strength and nodded.
“So now, they look at us.”
At Jaya’s words, the teammates laughed, and Seong prepared himself.
His hands were glowing with violet flames and black darkness, and his subordinates around him were preparing as well.
Helena stood with a black parasol, smiling slightly, while Fiora, with a horrifying sound, began to change her form.
Also, the elven swordsman, Silvanor, drew his sword, assuming a stance, ready to launch an attack at any moment.
Even with Seong alone, the pressure felt almost impossible to handle.
But the Forbiddenz weren’t deterred.
They, too, raised their demonic energy, readying themselves with every ounce of strength.
The special effects of their demonic power.
They were thinking of using those to face their opponent.
As both sides faced off, the relay spirit’s voice echoed.
[The match begins!!!]