Duke Bakeri.
He was a Demon of Ruin who operated on the opposite side of the Enterprise Union.
More than 100 heroes had fallen to his spear. The number of corpses he had trampled reached into the millions.
If the world he was active in were to be destroyed, he would lose his battlefield, yet Duke Bakeri did not stop. There were almost no demons capable of halting their own desires. He had even fought fiercely with demons from the other three legions over the few intact parts of the world that remained.
Therefore, he rushed forward without hesitation upon hearing news of a new battlefield. He was even more delighted when he heard that a formidable enemy called the Outer Mind resided there.
‘No matter how strong he is, he’s still just a human.’
Faced with a Demon of Ruin like himself, the human was bound to be paralyzed by fear. Even if the man didn’t succumb immediately, he would eventually crawl on the ground, pissing himself and begging for his life once he was pushed to the brink of death.
The other Demons of Ruin around Duke Bakeri shared the same sentiment. They had heard that the Allied Forces of this world had destroyed the Bluestone Fortress, but they believed that was only possible because the rabble had banded together. In a Gate that opened so suddenly, the demons held a clear advantage.
“I want to see their faces pale with terror soon,” Duke Bakeri laughed lowly.
Whether it was humans, elves, or Metra, destroying and killing was the favorite pastime of a Demon of Ruin. This shared nature was also the reason why demons could manifest Great Magic more easily than other races.
*Creeeeeak.*
Finally, the Gate opened. Elves, humans, and Metra were gathered together as if they were a single mass. Duke Bakeri trembled at the intense pleasure he would derive from crushing and tearing them apart.
His spear, a Magic Beast itself, wailed for blood.
“I’ll give you plenty,” Duke Bakeri said as he stroked the blade of his spear.
The eyes attached to the weapon darted around, searching for prey. However, something was strange. Even though those insignificant beings saw him, a Demon of Ruin, they did not flee. Duke Bakeri, who had expected them to fall into a panic and trample one another while scattering in all directions, was puzzled.
‘Is this a world that knows nothing of demons? That shouldn’t be possible.’
The Enterprise Union was a world that had fought demons numerous times. Fear of demons should have been etched deep into their souls.
“What peculiar creatures.”
While some individuals showed fear, far more did not. On the contrary, there were some who pointed at Duke Bakeri as if they were anticipating someone else’s arrival.
“Will you be able to stay so calm after seeing blood and hearing screams?”
Duke Bakeri began to walk. Deep footprints were left in the ground.
Directly in front of him, a figure clad in bio-armor rose into the air. A cheer erupted. The vibrations were so intense that the glass windows of nearby buildings seemed ready to shatter.
“So it was because of that thing.”
There were individuals whose mere presence brought peace of mind to those around them—the ones called heroes. Duke Bakeri especially loved killing such people and watching the crowd become dyed in the color of despair.
“I suppose you’ll come to me on your own.”
Just as Duke Bakeri expected, Choi Kangjoong slowly crossed the threshold of the Gate. A drone equipped with a camera followed him.
“You must be the Outer Mind, I presume?”
“Correct.”
“I am Duke Bakeri. Remember it well. For it is the name of the demon who will take your head!”
“No. You’re a coronation gift for my friend.”
“Hmm?”
“I decided to give him a demon’s head as a coronation gift.”
“Heh heh heh. You dream big. Try it if you can.”
Duke Bakeri raised his spear and cast Great Magic. His Great Magic was simple. It manifested the absolute ‘will to hit’ to the extreme, rendering the enemy’s evasion or defense useless. It was a technique that even distorted space for the sake of the attack. He had seen countless people die simply because they could not block his first thrust.
‘How are you different from them?’
As soon as Choi Kangjoong entered his range, Duke Bakeri lunged with his spear. The solid spear, extending in a straight line, distorted strangely as it sliced through the atmosphere.
Choi Kangjoong crossed his Chitin Blades. The two sturdy blades accurately blocked the spear’s path.
*Clang!*
The sound of the Chitin Blade and the spear colliding rang out. Although he should have blocked it, the Survival Sense—Gratis’s Evolution Code—flashed like a bolt of lightning.
Choi Kangjoong twisted his shoulder to the left. However, he could not completely avoid the attack that even distorted space.
*Thuck!*
The spearhead pierced Choi Kangjoong’s chest. Ruinous Demonic Energy invaded his body. It was an amount that would have turned the insides of an S-class Hunter into mush.
“How does it feel?”
“Dammit.”
“It must be painful.”
“It’s not that. I wanted to show everyone a perfect performance, but I got stabbed!”
“Bluff all you want.”
Duke Bakeri thrust his spear again with lightning speed.
Choi Kangjoong analyzed Duke Bakeri’s Great Magic. Though he only had a fraction of a second, he was able to connect the brains of all the Apocalids to finish the calculation before the spear reached his Chitin Gauntlet.
‘He connected his will to a phenomenon.’
It was Great Magic that forcibly applied the will of ‘hitting’ to reality. Now that he knew what it was, counteracting it was simple. The source of the Great Magic was Duke Bakeri’s will to hit. He just had to distort that.
Choi Kangjoong used Root Magic as he spun his body to the side.
*Swish!*
The spear grazed past his shoulder. Duke Bakeri was flustered.
“How did you dodge that?”
“I distorted your Great Magic.”
“That’s impossible!”
“I could even do it to a Dragon Lord’s Great Magic.”
“That must have been a mere lizard, not a Dragon Lord!”
*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Duke Bakeri thrust his spear in rapid succession. Choi Kangjoong avoided the strikes by twisting his waist or blocking them with his Chitin Blades. Even as a savage barrage of combos poured down on him, his feet did not move a single step.
The public, seeing Choi Kangjoong’s overwhelming dominance, cheered.
“Whoaaaaaaa!”
Duke Bakeri’s face contorted. To think that those things, who should be screaming and groaning, were rejoicing. This should not be happening.
“I’ll erase you and plunge them into a swamp of terror! You all, fight as well!”
The Demons of Ruin surrounded Choi Kangjoong. Though they were weaker than Duke Bakeri, they were under the influence of his Great Magic, so they could not be ignored. Since their attacks were guaranteed to hit once launched, the damage would eventually accumulate.
“Watch with your soul! Watch what happens to the world you tried to protect!”
Choi Kangjoong was surrounded by numerous demons. Nevertheless, no one thought he was in danger. Not the elves, humans, and Metra gathered in the square, nor those watching the footage transmitted by the camera drone.
Iselin, who was in the Grand Hall, sat in a relaxed posture, leaning against her backrest.
*Thump! Thump!*
The two Rutals summoned by Choi Kangjoong landed. The ground was gouged out by the landing of the Rutals, which were much heavier than they appeared due to their high density. The two beings drew the Chitin Blades of their middle legs. The actions of the two individuals were perfectly identical, without a single flaw.
“What are these…?”
“It would be a bit unfair if only we were the ones dying and being scared. No, it would be incredibly unfair.”
“What…?”
“Demons need to know it too. The fear that their world might end.”
Choi Kangjoong summoned the Central Command Giant. The 80-meter Apocalid floated into the air.
**[Eliminate. Consume.]**
The Apocalid World unfolded. Furthermore, the two Rutals and the Central Command Giant were currently part of the Demon Eater Fleet. The fleet’s characteristic, Magi Suppression, weighed down on the demons.
Duke Bakeri’s Great Magic faltered. The demons’ bodies became heavy.
*Slice. Slice.*
Demons’ heads, severed by Rutal’s Abyssal Claws, rolled across the ground. Duke Bakeri felt goosebumps at Rutal’s swordsmanship. Such concise yet powerful attacks were not something that should come from a monster. It was a level of swordsmanship that could only be seen in a warrior who had practiced endlessly or a Demon of Ruin obsessed with the blade.
‘Can I win?’
The sight even made a Demon of Ruin, who usually fought regardless of the odds, pause to reflect.
*Slice. Slice.*
While Duke Bakeri hesitated, the Rutals approached him. A trail of demon corpses stretched out behind them. Duke Bakeri pushed aside thoughts unbefitting a Demon of Ruin and thrust his spear.
*Clang!*
The spear was easily blocked. It wasn’t just blocked; it became firmly wedged between Rutal’s four Abyssal Claws. In the moment Duke Bakeri hesitated to retrieve his spear, Rutal 2 approached like an arrow and swung its Abyssal Claws.
*Slice. Slice.*
Duke Bakeri dodged urgently, but his left arm and left leg were severed. Death Mana invaded his body, pulverizing his flesh. Rutal activated its boosters and moved behind Duke Bakeri. The movie-like scenario where Duke Bakeri would win after having both his front and back exposed to the enemy did not happen.
*Slice. Slice.*
His remaining limbs were severed by Rutal, and his head was cut off by Rutal 2.
*Thuck.*
Rutal pierced the head with its tail and held it high. The cheers supporting Choi Kangjoong grew even louder.
*Rumble.*
Meanwhile, the demons were not staying idle. A Gate opened, and a one-kilometer Magic Beast emerged. It looked as if eight legs had been haphazardly attached to a torso made of smaller Magic Beasts clumped together. Regardless of its abilities, its sheer size alone would classify it as an S-class monster.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The Magic Beast charged forward. It was like a massive mountain was moving.
“Kuongi, Breath.”
Kuongi, who was far away in the Demon Realm, fired its Breath. Choi Kangjoong opened a Gate.
*Kaaaa-boom!*
The Breath that passed through the Gate struck the Magic Beast. The Breath fired by the Apocalid, which was ten times larger, easily pulverized the Magic Beast and swept away the surrounding demons and monsters.
Choi Kangjoong opened a Gate while summoning Battle Titans. Apocalids poured like a waterfall from the multiple Gates opened around him. Only now did the demons realize that this was not their playground, but a festival for their enemies.
“Kill him! Kill him quickly!” shouted Duke Bakeri, who was now only a head.
Even though he had weakened after losing his body, killing Choi Kangjoong was his only way to survive. However, the demons hesitated. They felt fear at the sight of the Duke, who could use Great Magic, being defeated in an instant.
“Don’t let a single one escape.”
A Central Cannon Giant leaped and landed in the middle of the demon formation. Demons were crushed into paste under its massive feet. When it fired its Flame Emitters from its middle legs, the demons caught in the fire screamed in agony.
“Fight! If you don’t fight, you’ll die!”
A Count-level demon shouted as he cut down a demon attempting to flee. “That thing is just a monster! It’s just big! Climb onto its back!”
The demons leaped. The Central Cannon Giant struck the demons with its shield, but a few managed to climb onto its back. Due to its physical structure, nothing but its tail could reach them, making it a spot where they could attack with ease.
However, Rifle Scouts were lying in wait there. A Rifle Scout opened its mouth. Its torso muscles contracted sharply, firing Kaitin Spikes.
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The demons pierced by the Kaitin Spikes fell. Those with parasites attached to them rolled on the ground, trying to tear them off. The Central Cannon Giant simply trampled over those demons.
“Breath.”
Fifty Super Titans fired their Breaths simultaneously. The Breaths, reaching this place through the multiple Gates opened by Choi Kangjoong, left long, deep scars on the earth. It was obvious what became of the demons who stood where the ground was sizzling and melting.
Demons of Chaos rose into the air. They were intending to launch a Chaos Magic bombardment. Immediately, a Central Bomber Giant took flight. The Fighter Giants attached to its belly and back fired their Chitin Cannons. The Demons of Chaos fell like autumn leaves before they could even cast their magic.
The more the demons were thinned out, the louder the cheers became. The corners of Iselin’s mouth curled up even further. The singer on the stage began to sing with even more excitement.