Chapter 231  

As Loki’s lightning bolt fell upon Acedia's head and touched the ground, the party's previously slow movements accelerated. Simultaneously, the thorns wielded by Acedia seemed to have pierced through Do-Jin's head.

When Do-Jin's figure faded like a mirage and disappeared, Acedia frowned and turned his gaze toward Yu-Seong and Loki, who both stood before him.

- You are...?

"Shh. If you say it carelessly, I might get really angry, you know? Then, you would die," said Loki as her ominous smile reached her eyes.

Acedia's mouth twitched and commented, "Interesting. I thought they were quite decent for being bugs, but they have certainly exceeded my expectations.”

"Well then, shall we start playing?"

The group, as if they were waiting for the flow of time to return to normal, simultaneously attacked Acedia from all directions. Swords, spears, axes, fists, and mana bullets seemed to leave holes all over Acedia's body in an instant.

- You're still slow.

However, amidst the faintly scattered figures, Acedia, who appeared in the air, yawned leisurely before displaying a smile. At the same time, thorns were sprouting out from his entire body once again.

"Would you like to take a moment to look here?"

Acedia turned his gaze toward the small voice as his eyes widened. He could see that Loki's mouth was wide open, with violet lightning crackling in all directions. In that moment, what crossed Acedia's mind were not the petty threats of mere humans. Then, he swiftly turned his body and shot all the thorns he had prepared at Loki.

In an instant, Loki's figure, swiftly engulfing the lingering lightning bolt around her mouth, vanished into thin air. It was as if it had been an illusion.

-...?!

Acedia came to the realization that he had been deceived. As soon as this realization hit him, Helen's Homunculus Fist tightly gripped Acedia while Rachel's ax descended upon his head, aiming to shatter it.

Clang-!?

Gritting his teeth, Acedia swung his horns to block Rachel's attack. He then exerted all his strength as his thorns wildly shot out toward Helen's fist.

- How dare you toy with me?

"Ughhh! Now's the time, kiddos!" shouted Helen.

Blood streaked from the corner of her mouth as she smiled and took a step back.

"Buffalo Dash!" Bernard shouted loudly as his fist was thrust forward.

This time, instead of mere horns, the form of a charging buffalo emerged and crashed into Acedia in an instant. With both hands pouring out his full power, Acedia raised his head and threw the charging buffalo into the air.

Then, Yu-Seong, stepping on the air and ascending, shouted as lightning bolts crackled in all directions, “Meteor Spear!”

After the Buffalo Dash, a spear, which had grown enormous like a missile, blocked Acedia and pushed him back. However, that was all. It failed to inflict any significant damage on him, and he even managed to evade the Meteor Spear.

- Is this all you've got?!

Right beside Acedia, who smirked with wild eyes, dozens of magic circles surrounded Do-Jin who appeared in the space with a fierce stance.

"Antareus," called Do-Jin.

In response to the ongoing summoning, a black dragon emerged from the air and threw itself into the magic circles surrounding Do-Jin. Immediately, Do-Jin's appearance underwent a change.

‘That's...?’

Horns sprouted from Do-Jin’s head while his eyes sharpened like those of a reptile. Even his arm, which held the swinging sword, transformed into that of a mighty dragon. A thick aura of mana generated above his sword as Do-Jin swung it swiftly.

None could see Do-Jin’s movements, not Yu-Seong or Bernard, let alone Rachel and Helen. Even Acedia himself couldn't keep up with the lightning speed of his sword, which sliced through him hundreds of times in the blink of an eye.

- Krraaah-!

Acedia screamed as he was torn apart and scattered into the air.

"What the heck, Gold Nugget? Your friend... What was that just now...?" Rachel asked Yu-Seong.

Even Loki stared wide-eyed at Yu-Seong.

‘I don't know either! That... That technique, or appearance, was never in the original novel!’

It was as if Do-Jin had transformed into a different species at that moment. If one had to call it something, it could only be called a dragonkin.

Do-Jin, who displayed swordsmanship far surpassing his rank, was pale. Stepping back, he said, "Finish it, Choi Yu-Seong. Now might be the perfect opportunity.”

'Although I originally intended to be cautious in using Loki to conserve mana, but…'?

The fragmented form of Acedia, which was already in the process of regeneration, was gradually returning to its original shape.

"Just a little more time..."

Before Yu-Seong could finish his sentence, Bernard’s Buffalo Dash erupted once again with great force.

"I guess this is the end for me too..." Bernard kneeled and collapsed in place. Just as Acedia's head, in the midst of regeneration, expressed surprise while blocking the attacks, Rachel's ax flew toward him.

Thunk-!?

Helen formed a giant fist to catch the moment Acedia's head exploded. She said, "If there's anything, now is the last chance, Choi Yu-Seong.”

It might be possible to achieve victory without using the seal stone. Yu-Seong, with an anxious expression, looked at Loki who gathered purplish energy at the corner of her mouth. As the purplish energy rapidly condensed, the mana that filled Yu-Seong's entire body fell to the ground like fuel being poured into a high-speed engine.

'It doesn't matter. Go ahead and take all of my mana.'

In fact, this was the opportunity that Do-Jin had made by unleashing his hidden secret technique that hadn't even appeared in the original novel.

Gripping this very chance tightly, Yu-Seong squeezed out every last drop of mana and poured it all into Loki. Blood trickled from his mouth.

‘Please, Loki.’

This time, it was not a joke.

Yu-Seong shouted with all his might, "Storm of Destruction!"

Loki, with a satisfied smile curling up at the corner of her mouth, released a long, purplish beam of light that gathered around her mouth in response to that shout.

Crackle-!?

Thanks to Yu-Seong's mana infused within it, the lightning that emerged scattered in all directions. It overwhelmed Acedia's entire body and dug into the ground.

Booooom-!?

A tremendous roar erupted nearby and extended far into the distance, gradually fading away. At its conclusion, Loki, having unleashed all the energy from her mouth, fell to the ground in a powerless state instead of dissipating into the air. She then said to Yu-Seong, "Ah, hey. Sorry... I fell a bit short..."

"What...?" exclaimed Yu-Seong.

Loki closed her eyes, and her figure became transparent as she was sucked back into Yu-Seong's subspace.

It happened in an instant, accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound that seemed to tear through the air. Four kilometers away, sparks began to bloom, but it was already too late to react. Right in front of Yu-Seong, Acedia, who had regenerated at some undisclosed moment, emitted a dark and furious aura in all directions. With an angry glare, he extended his sharp thorns past Yu-Seong's forehead.

"Ah..."

Guided by Helen grabbing the nape of his neck, the trembling Yu-Seong was thrown outside the battlefield. He couldn’t stop shaking.

‘My mana is…’

With almost no mana left, Yu-Seong felt sudden symptoms of exhaustion to overcome him.

- I’ll kill you, and obliterate you all forever. You worthless vermin!

Consumed by anger, Acedia's next target was Helen. However, once again, someone with fluttering red hair stood in his way.

Rachel extended her ax, swinging it relentlessly like a raging tempest. She collided fiercely with Acedia's fists in the air.

Booooom-!?

Amidst the successive explosions, a bright smile spread across Rachel’s face. The many wounds spreading across her body did not dampen her mood. She exclaimed, "You're amazing, Demon King! Truly amazing! I will kill you. Since that's my destiny! Ahaha!"

- Arrogant woman.

Along with a deep voice that suppressed a loud laughter, thorns sprouted from Acedia's knee and pierced through Rachel's abdomen.

"Cough-!"

With a sputtering sound, Rachel spewed blood. She swayed but refused to stop, continuing to swing her ax at Acedia.

-... What?

Already consumed by madness, Rachel seemed to have forgotten pain as she relentlessly swung her ax. However, unexpectedly, it was Acedia who began to falter under her relentless assault.

"Die, die, die! Aha, ahaha-!"

Was it truly her destined fate? Rachel charged toward death. As for Acedia, he grew tired of Rachel’s relentless determination and unknowingly took a step back. It was as if they were approaching the completion of the original novel.

Just as Rachel's ax struck Acedia's neck, sending him flying, black light poured out from Acedia's eyes and cascaded over Rachel's head.

This time, it truly felt as if time had stopped. Rachel's rigid gaze, with her body frozen, briefly glanced at the sky. A black darkness descended upon her forehead.

‘Huh? Am I...dying?’

Before the thought could even complete itself, someone forcefully pushed her body.

Crashhh-!

Time, which had been flowing slowly, suddenly sped up as Rachel collapsed to the ground. She clutched her abdomen, blood spilling out. "Ueeek-!"

Then, her gaze shifted to the man who had taken the hit from the black beam in her place.

"Gold Nugget...?"

After retrieving a mana potion from his subspace, Yu-Seong had regained his strength before rushing forward. He was the one who had pushed Rachel aside. As a result, his arm was torn and bleeding.

‘Why did I do that...?’

In fact, Yu-Seong was certain that it would have been better for Rachel to die in this battle. However, when faced with the situation before his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to witness that sight.

Acedia's foot came crashing down over Yu-Seong's head as he let out a bitter smile.

- You're constantly getting in the way!

This time, it was Do-Jin who threw himself forward and unfurled a magical barrier.

Boom-!?

Amidst the thunderous sound, Do-Jin, with blood spilling from his mouth, raised his hands and expanded the magic circle while staggering.

- Both of you... Really...!

Withstanding Acedia's attacks that were full of frustration, Do-Jin, gasping for breath, shifted his gaze. He said, "Choi...Yu-Seong...!"

Yu-Seong, receiving treatment from the summoned Green Wind Spirit Cat for his partially torn arm, clenched his fists tightly. He knew that Do-Jin had also reached his limit.

‘There's no other way now.’

The time had come to use what he had considered to be his last resort. Just as Yu-Seong made a decision, he turned his gaze toward Helen.

Behind Acedia, Helen took out the seal stone and looked at Yu-Seong. She said, "Kiddo, you remember how I said that you wouldn't have a chance, right?"

Then, a burst of light erupted from the seal stone in her hand to envelope Acedia's body.

Acedia's eyes widened as he tried to shake off the power using his usual strength, but it proved to be more stable than he expected.

- And what the heck is this?"

Surprised by the unexpectedly stable activation, Helen tilted her head in surprise.

"I will bind your time..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Yu-Seong dashed forward and thrust his spear into Acedia's shoulder, which was just in front of Do-Jin's magic barrier.

Unfortunately, Helen only partially knew about the seal stone.

‘You’re right about the method of activating the seal stone, but you’re still unaware of the additional sacrifice required.’

With a secret action known only to Yu-Seong, in a language incomprehensible to anyone, an artificial stillness spread throughout the surroundings.

At that moment, Yu-Seong turned back and glanced at his companions. With his lips curled into a determined smile, he said, "Don't worry. I won't..."

Yu-Seong's words were left unfinished, because a bright white light started to spread widely starting from the surroundings of Acedia. Then, an explosive burst of seven-color light surged from the ground to seemingly devour them whole.

"What... What just happened?" Helen exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

In a state of confusion, she rushed toward the cascading beams of light that resembled a waterfall. However, her efforts were in vain.

Thund-!?

Helen, as if hitting a wall, was stopped by the barrier of seven-color light. As she tumbled to the ground, she shook her head vigorously and questioned, "Why...? How...?"

The energy of the seal stone had intertwined with the power contained within the Philosopher's Stone. Startled by the situation that she had created herself but couldn't comprehend, Helen quickly tried to leap forward again, but the outcome remained unchanged.

"Choi Yu-Seong…?!" Do-Jin yelled.

"Gold Nugget!" shouted Rachel.

"This crazy…!" exclaimed Bernard.

Do-Jin, Rachel, and Bernard all joined Helen, pointlessly attempting to break through the barrier of seven-color light. However, no matter how fiercely they attacked, the light stood firm, gradually solidifying and transforming into an impenetrable form.

Before the final barrier of seven-color light soared up like an ice pillar in Antarctica, the group helplessly sank to their knees and let out sighs of despair. "Ha..."

Indeed, it was the day when Yu-Seong and Acedia, the Demon King, had been sealed together for the first time.

***

- What have you done, human?!

As Acedia gave a horrified scream, Yu-Seong removed the spear that was embedded in the Demon King’s shoulder. He looked at the shapeless world of seven colors all around him.

"...Did it work?"

Yu-Seong breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming the sight.

- I asked, what on earth have you done? If you don't want to experience pain worse than death, speak up!

Acedia growled like a beast, giving threats in a low voice.

With a playful smile, Yu-Seong replied, "Here? Well, it has various names, but..."

Feeling a serene sensation emanating from somewhere within the barrier of seven-color light that illuminated their surroundings, Yu-Seong's eyes sparkled as he trembled. He revealed, "Usually, it's called the sanctuary of the transcendent beings."