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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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-Raus! This isn’t what we discussed! Make a decision quickly!
The urgent voice of his ally, transmitted through Violet’s communication, made Raus tear at his hair.
‘Damn it.’
Contrary to expectations, Allen Blake hadn’t attacked alone.
The person who accompanied him was a graduate of the Hero Academy, someone he had seen at the meeting before.
And she was currently cleaving a Demon Lord in two with a single sword strike.
‘They said her ability consumed holy relics.’
Yet, she used them without hesitation.
It was unusual for a newly appointed hero who had just received holy relics.
‘What should I do?’
The restrictions within the barrier were severe, making it impossible to match their strength.
But if he escaped outside the barrier, fleeing would be easy.
The Central Sea Islands also seemed to be in danger; perhaps abandoning this place and assisting them would be a better option.
‘The 72nd Demon Lord’s awakening was uncertain anyway.’
Above all, he wanted to live.
He hadn’t become a Demon Lord to die in a place like this.
He wanted to survive and witness the world’s destruction.
‘There’s no other choice then.’
He looked down at the other Demon Lords fighting below.
This battle seemed unwinnable.
‘Nothing will change even if I hold out longer.’
Victory or defeat ultimately hinged on the 72nd Demon Lord in the White Tower.
And the White Tower was currently sealed.
Even if they lost this battle, if the 72nd Demon Lord successfully awakened inside the White Tower, they could still win the war.
‘Then I must withdraw from this battle.’
He didn’t want to participate in a losing fight.
Just as he spread his wings to escape outside the barrier,
-Raus! There’s an intruder in the White Tower!
“What?”
-It seems to be the real princess!
The real princess suddenly appeared in the White Tower?
He looked at the prison tower outside the castle.
The princess should have been imprisoned there.
He hadn’t heard anything about her escaping.
‘What’s going on?’
The princess’s inexplicable escape.
Moreover, she infiltrated the White Tower without being caught.
But…
“What difference does it make if the princess is inside?”
She was just the real princess.
Even if the 72nd hadn’t awakened yet, there was no way she would lose in a fight.
But the situation Violet relayed was different.
-It’s a stalemate.
“What?”
-Their powers are almost equal.
That changed things.
“Damn it.”
He immediately changed direction towards the White Tower.
He hadn’t wanted to divert Allen Blake and Yuseora’s attention to the White Tower, but now that there was an intruder, he had no choice.
He had to hurry and assist the 72nd Demon Lord.
The moment he reached the white spire, a wind blew from somewhere.
And a man blocked his path.
Dull blond hair.
A black cloak with gold embroidery, signifying a hero.
It was Allen Blake.
“I can’t let you interfere.”
Interfere?
So he knew the princess had entered.
He was blocking his path to prevent him from interfering with her.
He didn’t look that strong.
But for some reason, he emanated an aura similar to Libero’s.
Judging by his past achievements, this wasn’t someone to be judged by appearances alone.
‘I might die if I fight him.’
He didn’t want to fight a battle he might lose.
Moreover, since he primarily fought using Chaos Beasts rather than his own strength, fighting within the barrier was suicidal.
As he contemplated escape,
-Raus.
It was Levia’s voice.
-Attacking the Gate’s heroes without permission is one thing, but there was something you failed to report? If the operation on your end fails, you will be held responsible.
There was nowhere to run.
Then…
‘Do I have no choice but to fight?’
He fully unleashed his demonic form.
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“Sky Splitter!”
Yuseora’s attack split the sky… no, the Demon Lord.
I rushed in and finished it off.
“It’s fortunate they’re not good at cooperating.”
She was right.
Demon Lords often acted individually, so coordinated operations were rare.
They weren’t used to joint attacks.
‘But…’
I looked anxiously at the White Tower.
Elsie would be fighting inside.
The problem was Elsie’s limited time.
30 minutes.
The duration of the Awakening Pills I gave her.
Within that timeframe, Elsie could fight on par with the 72nd Demon Lord.
Considering Elsie’s will and Optical Camouflage, I judged that she could win.
But…
Barely five minutes remained, and there was no sign of Elsie’s victory.
If she had won, ‘that light’ should have been visible.
Of course, I believed Elsie would win.
But believing and feeling anxious were different things.
Yuseora seemed to sense my unease.
“Go help her.”
“Yuseora?”
“If you’re that worried, go help her yourself. I’ll handle the Demon Lords as best as I can.”
“But…”
Then she would run out of Sacred Replicants.
But Yuseora smiled confidently and said,
“You can’t be stingy with holy relics when rescuing a comrade.”
She was right.
“Then I’ll leave it to you!”
I channeled the Authority of the Wind into my feet.
And started running towards the white spire.
Then,
‘What’s that?’
I saw a figure approaching the white spire from above the castle.
Wings sprouting from its back.
It was a Demon Lord.
‘Damn it!’
I accelerated further.
Accelerating beyond control, I instantly blocked his path.
I could finally see his face.
‘Demon Lord Raus.’
He wasn’t the strongest among Demon Lords.
The hero in the same carriage with him from Basil to Sak hadn’t even recognized him.
But he was still a Demon Lord.
Fighting a Demon Lord alone, without Yuseora.
If it was Raus, it might be doable, but it was still dangerous.
But I had a reason I couldn’t back down.
“I can’t let you interfere.”
Going to help Elsie was impossible now.
I had to leave the lower levels to Elsie, as originally planned.
But I could at least stop him from interfering with her.
‘Gravitus Replicant.’
I made the sword light.
Then heavy, striking him with it.
The difference in power was undeniable.
‘I’m being pushed back.’
Even with the power of Gravitus Replicant and the Authority of the Wind, my lower base stats couldn’t inflict significant damage on a healthy Demon Lord.
Even if I landed a blow, he would just regenerate.
And while Raus was considered weaker, that was based on his combat prowess, not his durability, which was no different from other Demon Lords.
I didn’t want to use the Awakening Pills here.
I had given two to Elsie because she desperately needed them, leaving me with only four.
They were valuable items that could turn the tide, so I wanted to save them.
‘And for now, stalling him is enough.’
If the goal was to hold him back, being slightly weaker didn’t matter.
With that in mind, I began to fight him seriously.
Five minutes remained.
With the belief that Elsie would succeed within that time.
Raus asked me,
-You’re really Allen Blake?
He was suspicious because I couldn’t inflict any significant damage.
“I am. Why?”
This was the real me, without any buffs.
But he was also stuck fighting me, so he wasn’t any different.
-Move.
“Do you think I’ll move just because you told me to?”
-The princess is probably dead anyway.
“If you think so, why are you even trying to go in there?”
I wouldn’t move, no matter what he said.
The fight continued, and finally, five minutes were almost up.
Then, I felt something from below.
And…
A massive pillar of light erupted from the ground, piercing even the barrier in the sky.
It signified the activation of the Royal Sword, the traditional sign of a new monarch.
It also meant Elsie had successfully claimed the Royal Sword.
‘She did it.’
With the Royal Sword taken from the 72nd Demon Lord, there was no hope left for the Demon Lords here.
That’s how it should have been.
But Demon Lord Raus, who had been staring blankly at the pillar of light, suddenly smiled.
-Are you serious, Violet?
He was definitely smiling.
And then, unbelievable words came from his mouth.
-You’re saying the 72nd also successfully awakened?
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