Chapter 1526
Gamigin’s soul vault—larger and taller than Baal’s castle, and the expression of Gamigin’s vanity—was brutally torn down. The building that boasted the history of having the largest scale in h.e.l.l and showed off its dignity had been reduced into an incredibly ugly ruin.
“The main obligation ends here.”
In the center of the ruins, Leraje stood in a b.l.o.o.d.y pool. It was a puddle made from the blood flowing from her wounds. It wasn’t that they didn’t intend to stop the bleeding. Kraugel and Yura just didn’t have the means to help her.
The body of a great demon was completely different from humans. It wasn’t just the appearance. The structure of the blood vessels and organs in the body were also different. The mucus spreading from her sweat glands and pores and enveloping her dermis proved that she was different from humans. Human cures were useless to her.
“Huhu, your facial expressions are strange. Why are you sad just because I’m dying? Rather, it is right to rejoice.” Leraje, who eventually fell down to the ground, laughed in spite of herself.
The expressions of Kraugel and Yura reflected in her dark eyes were very stiff. They seemed to be swallowing their pain, so it was strange to her. It was all the more so because they didn’t show their emotions well. Her heart was itchy. Beriache came to mind for some reason.
“Cough, cough... Go back. There isn’t anything you can do here... for the time being...”
All the h.e.l.ls that could be overcome had been occupied. Half of the h.e.l.ls had gone under Leraje, and Baal’s authority was greatly reduced. Finally, today—
Leraje succeeded in not only destroying all of Gamigin’s subordinates, whom even the great demons feared, but also Gamigin’s external heart. This meant she had broken the link between the inherent power that strengthened Gamigin, the souls trapped in the vault, and Gamigin. Gamigin would’ve been greatly weakened.
It was the best performance Leraje could do. However, it was somewhat lacking to be called a perfect performance. Just before the heart was destroyed, some of the souls flowed to Gamigin. There were three legendary souls among them. It was a disappointing result for Leraje, who put everything on the line.
“Our work means that Gamigin has lost a great deal of her power and combat effectiveness... still, it is unreasonable to think that she is weaker than her prime. As you have experienced... demons belonging to Baal’s faction are protected by some invisible force. It must be Zeratul’s protection. The human world... your world will be in danger...”
“Stop.” Kraugel blocked Leraje’s words and laid her straight down. The blood that broke through the pierced chest reddened the mucus on her skin. Perhaps she would die soon.
A great demon’s death. It was the death of the 10th Great Demon. It was originally an event to be pleased about. Great demons were humanity’s greatest enemy. Yet on the contrary, Kraugel and Yura’s hearts were heavy. They even felt a faint sadness.
Leraje was a great ally. It was infinitely close to a strange fate. The two of them gained too much from being with her. They carried out various communications in the process of cooperating with each other.
Kraugel and Yura had noticed it from a certain point. There were emotions such as sadness, disillusionment, and sympathy in the way that Leraje looked at the demons and demonic creatures. It wasn’t just when she was looking at her enemies, but also her own subordinates. Her determination to get revenge on Baal and h.e.l.l was a heartful, true one.
“I trust Youngwoo-ssi,” Yura’s voice awakened Kraugel from his thoughts.
“The surface will be safe even if we don’t go back,” Kraugel agreed.
It was hard to think of Grid and the Overgeared members losing, even if the demons and demonic creatures had Judar’s protection. Of course, the overall damage would be great. Apart from the Overgeared members and rankers, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to easily target Judar’s protection.
Judar’s protection made a target close to invincible. It was difficult to kill them unless the ‘weak spot’ created in specific parts of the body were targeted. Even the positions of the weak spots varied from individual to individual. Depending on the position of the weak spot, it was generally impossible to attack with ordinary skills.
Nevertheless, this didn’t mean there was a reason for Kraugel and Yura to return and help right away. It was a matter of efficiency. Even if the two of them went up to the surface, their limit was to protect one battlefield. Of course, that alone could save tens of thousands of lives, but it wasn’t enough of a reason to abandon Leraje.
That’s right. Kraugel and Yura intended to stay in h.e.l.l. It was to protect Leraje by her side as she recovered. This was a personal desire and also a judgment on the whole.
Leraje was a must for humanity. In h.e.l.l, she was like a cancer cell. She was a being who would gradually lead h.e.l.l to ruin if she lived without dying. Moreover, she knew the past, or the truth, of h.e.l.l. She had to survive for the new episodes or quests that would occur in the future.
“Me too... I know Grid’s skills...” Leraje remembered it. Grid’s swordsmans.h.i.+p that made her use both arms. “Among the overflowing people... a skilled man who raised alertness within me... however, that isn’t enough. Gamigin might’ve lost her power, but with Zeratul’s protection, she will be comparable to being immortal. The fire of life that doesn’t go out will burn until the earth is destroyed. Grid alone won’t be able to stop her...”
So you guys should add some strength.
Leraje spoke up to here before shutting her mouth. It was because her vocal organs were damaged after her internal injuries worsened. She could barely breathe and her heart was pounding.
“......”
Kraugel and Yura stood up. They stood back to back as if they were escorting Leraje. Demons who smelled death were flocking. They weren’t Gamigin’s subordinates. All of Gamigin’s demons that were stationed at the soul vault had long been killed.
“Are you confident you won’t regret it?” It was Yura’s question.
Currently, Kraugel stood at the crossroads of choice. The work of h.e.l.l was none of the business of the Sword Saint. In the first place, if the great human and demon war was won, then h.e.l.l wouldn’t be able to intervene on the surface as much as before. Rationally, the best option for him was to kill Leraje directly with his own hands. The prize for killing the 10th Great Demon would be huge.
“There are many low quality hyenas everywhere,” Kraugel murmured. It was a rebuke toward the demons who came to target the dying Leraje.
This answer was enough. The two people pulled out their swords and grasped them side by side. They became a gateway protecting Leraje.
The demons didn’t even snort. There were no signs of fear. Leraje had lost her undefeated reputation. Compared with the performance of destroying Gamigin’s soul vault, the ugliness of retreating several times during the process of destroying the soul vault was more important to the demons. It was because Leraje’s reputation itself was built up on the basis of invincibility.
The demons feared her because they thought she was invincible. Now she was no longer invincible and was even dying. She was appetizing. Their eyes were turned so much that they left the Sword Saint and Demon Slayer behind.
A fierce exchange of blows began.
Kraugel and Yura deftly counterattacked the attacks of dozens of demons and reduced the number. There were thousands of demonic creatures pus.h.i.+ng behind the demons like waves, but the two people weren’t shaken. They had reached the state of their mental state being as smooth as a polished mirror.
“I told you... to go...” Leraje’s words that she barely let out one syllable at a time permeated the ears of the two people, “Grid... can’t... die...”
The biggest reason why Leraje didn’t want Grid to die had nothing to do with favorability. It was because he was the Blood King. He was the key to rallying Beriache’s direct descendants and inserting a knife into Baal’s heart. Leraje was obliged to protect the key. It was because the purpose of her life was to get revenge for Beriache. However, Kraugel and Yura didn’t know the inside story.
‘When did he seduce a great demon?’
‘Does he have a lot of women like this in reality?’
The two people misunderstood, but they remained unchanged in their att.i.tude. They trusted Grid and decided it was best to protect Leraje. Their goal was to move her to the black crystal castle. In front of them—
“Leave this place to us from now on.”
The head of the Overgeared h.e.l.l branch—the red-skinned demon, Glant, appeared. The manager of the black crystal castle was dispatched to help his superior. He signed a contract with Yura and was reliable. It was the same for the succubi who accompanied him. They were Grid’s subordinates. He couldn’t take them up to the surface because they were s.e.xually suggestive no matter what they wore.
“We are good enough for these small fries.”
It was shortly after the particularly strong demons were killed by Kraugel and Yura. Additionally, Glant had used the study left behind by Dantalion as the manager of the black crystal castle. It was to carry out the important task of translating the books in demon language into human language. In this process, knowledge was acc.u.mulated and he was strengthened. It wasn’t comparable to when he begged Yura for his life.
“Please... Grid...” Leraje, who was on Glant’s back, fainted. She worried about Grid until the last minute.
By this point, Kraugel and Yura were uneasy.
‘How strong is Gamigin?’
Gamigin had already lost to the Braham and Kyle duo. Yet looking back, Gamigin wasn’t accompanied by any legendary souls at the time and it was before she received Judar’s protection.
‘Why is Leraje so concerned? Is the compatibility of Judar’s protection with Gamigin that good?’
The two people made a reasonable guess and exchanged looks. In any case, there was no reason for the two of them to remain in h.e.l.l. Glant carried Leraje on his back and was already breaking through the enemy line. There was no reason for the two of them to challenge areas that even Leraje didn’t dare to target. It was time to return to the surface. Thus, they came back to find...
“I got involved for no reason.”
Gamigin was on the verge of being defeated. It was in 7 minutes and 31 seconds. In this short time, the 4th ranked Great Demon, who received Judar’s protection, was killed by Grid. If it was to this extent, it was safe to say that Leraje didn’t know Grid’s skills properly.
‘She is the 10th ranked Great Demon.’
It might be different when Leraje and Grid first met, but the current Grid was definitely superior to Leraje. This meant that it had become impossible for Leraje to measure Grid. It was natural that Leraje didn’t know. The speed of Grid’s growth was unmatched. Now he had achieved a great growth once again.
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has ri....]
First of all, he gained 26 levels. The experience gauge, which had risen to 90% in the process of making Gujel’s Sword and Dao, became very colorful and beautiful. It was a sight that could only be seen by grid in this world. The normal method that players gained experience was to steadily and slowly fill it up through ‘hunting.’
Of course, quests often resulted in multiple level ups at once. Yet even if it was multiple levels, it was still in the single digits. The experience of gaining dozens of levels at once was exclusive to Grid. It was an experience that even chaebols or Youngwoo’s parents didn’t have, despite being armed with legendary items from level 1. There was a limit to the experience gained from monsters.
There was no limit only in raids. It wasn’t because the status or level of the raid target was high. It was because they were beings with backgrounds that could influence the worldview. This was even the case despite Gamigin dying right away.
The souls of 300 great heroes and nine legends in history were in his grasp. Souls who could exert influence even after their death. What would happen when they were liberated? The world had room for all types of changes. Just like right now.
[Gamigin’s death has liberated the soul of the ancient legend, Tzudan.]
[Tzudan has expressed his deep grat.i.tude to you. You have received valuable information in return.]
[The hidden quest ‘Legend of Five Steps’ has been acquired. A legendary cla.s.s change book can be obtained with the quest reward.]
[Tzudan says he has been in pain for too long and now he wants to rest. However, he remembers being caught by the river of reincarnation, so he can’t believe in ascension. Is there no rest for the dead?]
[Gamigin’s death has liberated the soul of the ancient legend, Haksen.]
[Haksen has expressed his deep grat.i.tude to you. You have received valuable information in return.]
[The hidden quest ‘Forgotten Magic Tower’ has been acquired. A legendary cla.s.s change book can be obtained with the quest reward.]
[Haksen is surprised to see Braham. It is said that this is the ideal he wants to reach. If time permits, he wants to remain in this world and watch Braham.]
[Gamigin’s death has liberated the soul of the ancient legend, Filewolf.]
[Filewolf has expressed his deep grat.i.tude to you. You have received valuable information in return.]
[The hidden quest ‘Iron Filled with Moonlight’ has been acquired. The moon night iron can be secured as a quest reward.]
[Filewolf looks at the world where the traces of the giants have disappeared. He wants to rest quickly in order to forget this terrible solitude. However, he is afraid of the river of reincarnation.]
[The souls of the forgotten heroes have expressed their deep grat.i.tude to you. The memories of their lifetime are faint. They are sorry that there is nothing they can tell you. If possible, they hope they can stay by your side and help you even a little bit.]
The king of souls. The raid rewards were beyond imagination and worthy of an existence with this terrible nickname. The stories that disappeared in history once again reappeared in the world. Grid monopolized all of it. The cla.s.s change books of the ancient legends and the moon night iron thought to be extinct. Moreover, this wasn’t the end.
[The hidden quest ‘Soul Savior’ has been acquired.]
[Soul Savior]
[Difficulty: ???
There are far more legends trapped in Gamigin’s soul vault than you know.
Recover the souls scattered all over h.e.l.l. You are the only resting place for those who are afraid of the river of reincarnation.
Currently released legendary souls: 3/9
Currently released souls of heroes: 100/300.]
The Overgeared G.o.d Grid"s Techniques included the Granting an Ego skill. It was literally a skill that gave an ego to an item and it was possible to turn an existing item into an ego item. Of course, the higher the level of the ego being granted was, the more powerful the item would be. Depending on the conditions, it could be a concept higher than an ego item. The soul itself was the ingredient needed for Granting an Ego.
At this moment, Grid gained enormous resources. Every time he got a legendary soul, he would receive a quest that gave him huge rewards.
‘First of all, the 10 meritorious retainers can all become legends.’
He would make the Overgeared Guild invincible. It happened the moment Grid was filled with great ambition...
Something was caught in Grid’s artificial senses.