Ch.306307. Final Battle (3)

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!! CLAAANG!!

Sword against sword, the crimson devil and the black warrior-god clash, swinging their weapons at each other.

KWAAAAAAANG!!! KWAAAANG!!! KWAAAAAAANG!!!

The shockwaves alone pulverize all nearby rocks, as space itself distorts, warps, and then returns to normal in repeated cycles.

The two, despite being 10-meter giants, move with unbelievable speed, exchanging thousands of blows per second. Each clash involves a mental battle utilizing the full information processing capabilities of the god and demon lord, with exchanges happening at a dizzying pace.

After clashing like this for several hours, Bjorn-Duke inwardly revised his assessment of Satan’s fragment.

‘…His swordsmanship is more skilled than I expected!!’

First, unlike before when he seemed like a specialized fighter focused on overwhelming with raw specs, Satan’s fragment now wielded a sword containing well-honed, albeit somewhat wild, sword energy.

Though his style was still offense-oriented and relied on bold moves, these weaknesses were somewhat compensated by those flames, resulting in a swordsmanship style that was quite troublesome to deal with.

And one more thing he discovered was the mechanism behind this Satan fragment’s power.

Perhaps because it originated from a game, his “Rage” operated in a very game-like manner, simply put, it worked by accumulating and utilizing stacks.

Whenever he was hit or angered, “Rage” stacks would accumulate, and as these stacks increased, all his stats including physical abilities and various resistances would gradually rise—a passive ability.

Additionally, these “Rage” stacks could be consumed in certain amounts to gain various special effects, including the ability to “nullify an opponent’s attack.”

That strange phenomenon where Satan’s fragment remained unscathed no matter how much Bjorn-Duke attacked him before he grew gigantic was probably the result of combining these two abilities to defend against Bjorn-Duke’s attacks.

Since the Rage stacks needed to nullify one attack were fewer than the stacks gained from being hit, no matter how much Bjorn-Duke struck him, the fragment could nullify the attacks and still have stacks to spare…

When Bjorn-Duke tore away and absorbed “Rage” from the creature, what he took wasn’t simply “Rage” stacks but part of the “Rage” system itself, so now the creature probably couldn’t use special abilities based on Rage.

Of course, even without special abilities, these Rage stacks alone were quite burdensome for him.

《■■■■■■■■■■───!!!》

《……………………!!》

The creature, with the aggressiveness of a rabid chihuahua, built up Rage stacks from its anger at Bjorn-Duke’s refusal to fall, and then built up even more stacks from its rage at Bjorn-Duke still not falling despite all its accumulated Rage—a perpetual motion machine of anger.

Unlike in Dungeon & Adventure, there seemed to be no limit to this stack accumulation, so as time passed, Satan’s fragment, having built up more and more “Rage,” began turning increasingly red and becoming faster and stronger.

KWAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAANG──────!!!

‘───Kuk!’

───KWAAAAAAAAANG!!!!

Moreover, this change in combat power also affected the intensity of the flames emanating from his body, turning what was initially harmless fire into a serious threat.

How could he defeat an opponent who didn’t rely on special abilities but fought with pure, amplified stats? What trick or strategy could bring down such an equal adversary—

‘───Hmm? Wait, this might…work!’

Suddenly, a method occurred to him.

※ ※ ※

At the same time, Satan’s fragment had lost its rationality due to the excessive “Rage” stacks it had accumulated.

Yet it was still one-sidedly pushing Bjorn-Duke back in close combat, as the combat power increase from accumulated Rage stacks far outweighed the loss of intelligence.

KWAAAAAAAAANG───!!!

Besides that, its ability to perform at a considerable level on instinct alone played a significant role.

It swung its flame-wrapped sword, using the trajectory to restrict its enemy—Bjorn-Duke’s movements, while simultaneously firing heat rays from its face to exploit any openings.

Of course, Bjorn-Duke was no easy opponent. He blocked the attack by emitting an aura in the form of black mist, then leapt backward to create distance—

Toward the retreating Bjorn-Duke, Satan’s fragment formed a barrage by firing short, consecutive heat rays from its face.

Having experienced this attack more than once, Bjorn-Duke used the blade of his greatsword like a shield to deflect the attack while steadily creating distance, and then.

《───■■■■■■■■■■!!》

《───HAAAP!!!!》

In the next moment, energy beams emitted from the tips of their blades collided as both put their all into the attack.

A white beam, glowing from heat compressed to the extreme, repeatedly consumed and was consumed by a beam so black from condensed dark mist that not even shadows were visible.

The collision between light and darkness, the two energies, eventually began to amplify until they mixed together, causing a magnificent explosion.

CLAAANG!!

From within that explosion, the two charged at each other, swinging their weapons, and once again the two giants entered an eternal battle where one must die for it to end.

However, some things had changed.

Unlike before when Bjorn wielded his greatsword reduced to the size of a one-handed sword, he now skillfully enlarged it to be even taller than himself, using its size and weight to demonstrate combat prowess that unified offense and defense.

Meanwhile, Satan’s fragment no longer stuck solely to using a sword—it slashed with its claws, used its long tail like a bludgeon, spread its wings for balance, and even took to the air to rain down attacks from a distance.

The two began fighting in more feral and cruel ways, but…

《……..Keu, hup!!》

《────────────■■■■■■■■■■■■■!》

At some point, distinct cracks began to form in Satan fragment’s armor and skin, and then—like a chrysalis splitting open—a massive fireball emerged from within, revealing itself.

With a body made of blazing flames, it took the form of a massive red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns, each head wearing a luxurious golden crown and spewing flames like rivers—a monster.

This being, which could be called the Red Dragon of Revelation or the False Prophet, possessed power beyond description. The fragment, momentarily able to summon a piece of its true form, had now become an entity capable of sweeping away a third of the stars in the night sky with a single swing of its tail.

Having returned to the true form of ‘Satan,’ this massive ball of flame—Satan’s fragment—charged at Bjorn, unleashing a torrent of fierce attacks as if to demonstrate why it was called the adversary of God.

Six heads—one with a smile of ‘Pride,’ one rolling its eyes with ‘Greed’ for weapons, one dripping saliva in anticipation of ‘Gluttony,’ one unable to overcome the boiling ‘Lust’ in its heart, one forcing itself to lift its head despite its ‘Sloth,’ and one looking at Bjorn with eyes full of ‘Envy.’

And finally, the last head of ‘Wrath,’ taking the form of a dedication to anger, completely enraged.

Having revealed its true form, it unleashed a fierce attack for a long time, biting, kicking, and throwing Bjorn, displaying the maximum power of the primordial devil—

At some point, ‘Satan’s’ fragment, having restored its armor and returned to its demonic form, growled as it glared at the battered Bjorn.

After the repeated fierce attacks, Bjorn’s armor was largely damaged and in tatters, and except for his amulet and greatsword, none of his equipment remained intact.

So it—Satan’s fragment—looked at Bjorn with greedy eyes, wanting to devour this delicious-looking prey in one gulp—

《───KEUHEUEUEUEUNG!!!》

────KWAJIK!!!

At that very moment, a massive blood-covered wolf that had been quietly hiding by folding space appeared with a roar and bit into the nape of Satan fragment’s neck.