Chapter 279
[He’s—he’s just too strong!!! The Forbiddenz!!! All members except for leader Jaya have been retired!!!]
The battle between the followers ended in just a few exchanges.
However, the fight between Jaya and Seong was not yet over.
And it wasn’t because Seong was holding back or anything like that.
Just as Helena had said, Seong was doing exceptionally well.
It was simply that Jaya was far stronger than the other three, so it was taking more time.
From the very first clash, it was clear—this was different.
Even though the undead had been swiftly culled by the Forbiddenz at first, still, nearly a thousand undead charged toward Jaya, and Seong unleashed his signature explosive combo.
Toxic clouds bloomed from corpses, and the undead bodies themselves detonated in a relentless bombardment.
Jaya, using her greatsword as a shield while activating a skill, managed to withstand the attack.
Of course, it wasn’t without injury.
But considering she’d taken that bombardment head-on, the wounds were minor.
“...Incredible.”
Jaya couldn’t help but admire Seong.
She had known he was strong, but she hadn’t expected to expend that much skill power just to survive what she thought was mere bombardment.
Seong felt the same way.
He looked at Jaya and let out a short breath of admiration.
Of all the enemies he had faced so far, she might be the strongest.
Maybe comparable to the Reaper in terms of skill.
It was baffling that she hadn’t shown up in Apophis before.
[Both players are amazing!!! Seong unleashed a powerful explosion!!! And Jaya blocked it as if it were nothing!!! Both players are doing excellently!!!]
The broadcast spirit cried out dramatically—but no one thought it was overblown.
Even the viewers watching could only gasp in awe.
– Wow;;; She blocked that???
– There weren’t that many undead, but... isn’t this the first time anyone’s blocked that?
– Fr fr;;; Jaya's a mystery!!!
– lmfaooooo Jaya’s legit strong though.
– A real clash of experts. This is rare stuff!!!
As the two continued to battle, the chat exploded with hype.
Everyone watched, captivated.
Seong was no different.
She’s strong.
His explosive combo—something that had never been blocked before—had barely scratched her.
That was rare.
The power alone would’ve obliterated a frozen crystal.
Seong, now intrigued, decided he needed to fight harder.
At that moment, Jaya charged in with her greatsword, aiming to close the distance.
Her speed was blinding—almost too fast to follow.
But Seong didn’t move. He raised his violet flames and the pitch-black darkness in response.
Even though this was a space with a debuff that forced him to use twice the mana, he had more than enough reserves, so he boldly activated Inferno Lord and Dark Monarch.
Fwoooosh—!!
Ssssss—!!
The violet flames burst forth like fire from the depths of hell, and the darkness flew like sharpened blades.
The pitch-black slash reached Jaya first, and she swung her greatsword in response.
Claaang—!!!
It felt like cutting through thick metal, a heavy impact jarring her grip.
The darkness wasn’t something to take lightly.
And then the scorching heat came flying in. She swung her sword again to create a gust of wind.
Fwooooom———!!!
But the heat didn’t fade.
It wrapped around Jaya, and the flesh on her arms blistered as if boiling.
Pain seared through her—but she couldn’t afford to lose focus for even a moment.
[Jaya blocked the attack, but she still got burned!!!]
Even though she’d clearly blocked the attack, she was injured.
Such attacks weren’t common.
More than that—
– Holy crap, that must hurt;;;
– Burns are the #1 most painful status effect in Eternal World;;;
– She tanked that and still grabbed her sword and charged??
Just like the viewers were saying, Jaya gritted her teeth, eyes wide, and gripped her sword.
She expelled a surge of demonic energy, the blade sharpening with magic.
Within it was a refined technique—one that resembled Devourer’s Secret Art.
It wasn’t quite a full-fledged monarch-tier awakening skill, but it definitely held its essence.
Was this a special effect of weapons imbued with demonic energy?
No—it was more likely a testament to Jaya’s skill.
She’s mastered it.
Seong thought, raising a curtain of darkness to block the incoming demonic slash.
The black veil rose, and the demonic slash struck it directly.
BOOOOOOM——!!!
The ground trembled violently.
Both the demonic slash and the veil of darkness vanished at the same time, as if canceling each other out.
And Jaya dashed straight through the dissipating curtain, charging at Seong.
But at that moment, violet flames swirled through the air.
A blazing inferno, like a vortex, surged up from hell itself and engulfed Jaya.
The whirlwind of violet fire was nothing short of a calamity.
“Grkkhhh.”
It was a weaker attack than Seong’s original explosion.
But while Explosion struck all at once—this flame vortex gnawed away at Jaya continuously.
She tried to block it with demonic energy, but it wasn’t enough.
So she swung her greatsword, cutting through the violet firestorm, and finally broke free.
The heat had been so intense—that once she escaped, it felt like she’d stepped into an arctic wasteland.
It had been so hot just moments ago, that even normal temperatures now felt icy cold.
But worse than that—was the damage to her body.
Her arms and torso were in tatters.
Her gear was half-melted and barely hanging on.
The only thing intact was her greatsword, imbued with demonic energy.
Maybe that’s why...
– Whoa;;;
– This is the first time Jaya actually looks pitiful.
– Jaya’s strong too, but...
– The Demon King is just on another level...
– I mean, this is karma. After all that raiding, she had it coming.
– For real, lol. Serves her right. Our guild got wiped by her once too;;;
Maybe it was because of her past misdeeds—but there were more people enjoying her downfall than feeling sorry for her.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
There were far more chats expressing satisfaction.
But Jaya couldn’t afford to care about any of that.
Because the enemy before her now was simply too overwhelming.
The moment she escaped, she swung her greatsword and unleashed a flurry of demonic sword strikes.
Yet Seong’s darkness permitted no attack to touch its master, and the flames continued to scorch and eat away at Jaya without end.
It was truly fire and darkness befitting a demon.
Jaya’s eyes trembled.
[Ah! J-Jaya is starting to falter from her once overwhelming momentum!!!]
Was it because her stamina was slowly draining?
Unlike at the beginning, Jaya’s condition grew increasingly unstable.
Not due to sheer damage—but as if her spirit itself was being carved away.
Jaya could feel it too, deep in her bones.
Damn it.
At first, she had promised herself she wouldn’t waver no matter what.
But now, that resolve was crumbling.
And it couldn’t be helped.
...The sword.
No matter what skill she used, all her attacks were blocked.
Meanwhile, Seong’s attacks, though bit by bit, kept landing.
Could she possibly overturn this...?
Was she even capable of it?
Those doubts... spread like hellfire through Jaya’s mind.
And then, sensing something behind her, Jaya turned.
Standing there was Seong.
No—an even more massive form than the original Seong, a giant.
But what was far more terrifying than his size—was that the giant didn’t look at her.
Didn’t even glance downward.
As if she didn’t matter in the slightest.
As if she wasn’t even worth noticing.
That thought gnawed at her heart.
“L-LOOK AT ME!!!”
Jaya’s mental state finally cracked.
The broadcast spirit, seeing this, muttered in confusion.
[Ah, Jaya has turned around and is shouting desperately at something behind her. Did she get caught in something??? She’s trembling like she’s consumed by terror!? Could this be one of Seong’s skills!??]
At those words, viewers started flooding the chat.
– Looks like she’s mentally broken?
– But turning around like that all of a sudden is weird...
– Wait? The Demon King—there’s a new color rising?
– Yeah, what’s that?
Just as one viewer pointed out,
Seong now had not only violet flames and pitch-black darkness, but also a rising ashen aura.
It was none other than the Lord of Abyssal Terror.
He had blocked all of Jaya’s attacks with darkness, worn down her body with fire, and now was eroding her mind with fear.
No one had noticed when he began using the Terror Lord, but at that very moment, Seong’s sharp gaze locked onto Jaya.
But Jaya wasn’t facing Seong anymore—she was confronting the fear in her own heart.
And when Seong extended his hand toward her, the darkness that had only defended until now surged forth—and pierced Jaya’s heart.
Shlukkk——!!!
“Guhhk!”
[She turned her back and took a critical hit!!! Jaya snaps out of it and charges at Seong once again! But she’s still on her feet and moving fast!]
Her heart pierced, the illusion of fear shattered from the massive damage, and Jaya finally came to her senses and lunged at Seong.
That single blow hadn’t ended her.
But the light in her eyes began to fade.
Though her weapon still held its demonic energy, each swing was weaker than before.
Because the will behind them had been shaken, the strikes lacked force.
And with such feeble blows, her demonic sword couldn’t penetrate Seong’s darkness.
Meanwhile, Seong’s flames and darkness continued to eat away at her body.
[Ahhh! It’s over!!!]
A mind consumed /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ by fear doesn’t last long.
Her worn-down body and spirit soon collapsed.
Thud.
As she fell to the ground, Jaya could feel the demonic energy leaving her body.
She felt her demonic greatsword, Tyraving, begin to dissolve.
And as it vanished, she closed her eyes, thinking:
This really is the end.
Just like Jaya’s sword, her demonic spear and wand were also drained of energy and absorbed into Seong.
The demonic weapons all gathered and entered Seong’s inventory.
[You have acquired demonic weapons. (4 / 5)]
A message appeared—only one remained.
However, instead of looking toward that final reward—Seong raised his gaze to the audience.
There stood a knight watching him—his eyes fixed downward.
It was the Sword Saint who had taken over Gam’s body.
He stared down at Seong with a mocking smile.
Then his lips moved.
“That, too, will be mine.”
As if declaring a prophecy.
At that sight, Seong narrowed his eyes and locked eyes with the Sword Saint.
Now, only one step remained.
But he could already feel that it would be a grueling one.
Just like the Forbiddenz had sensed—
Seong had never been looking at them from the start.
Before the name Sword Saint, the Forbiddenz were nothing more than a shallow hill.
[The winner is Team Seong!!!]