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Chapter 218: The Third Trial (6)

Vulcan.

He had seen him in the second trial.

Overwhelming level and power.

Skillful handling of his beloved Flame Devil.

He was an extremely difficult opponent.

If they had fought to the end back then, he would have lost his life.

\'I survived by blinding him and running away.\'

Now was a time much earlier than the second trial.

Logically, the current Vulcan should be much weaker.

It would be a time when he lacked the time and experience to level up.

But... .

The whip swung so fast it was almost invisible.

[\'Hayang\' shares attributes with its owner!]

[\'Absolute Zero\' attribute can be used!]

[Ice resistance increased by 120%...]

Thud!

With the sound of air bursting, his body was pushed back.

Kim Minwoo frowned.

\'He\'s stronger?\'

His technique was still lacking.

But his physical abilities were much stronger. The heat from the whip was also stronger.

Even with the cold, the antithesis of fire, surrounding his body, the heat was seeping into him.

\'Was Vulcan stronger in the past?\'

Perhaps it had something to do with the Great Demon Lords. Maybe something like Vulcan being attacked and ruined by the Great Demon Lords would happen.

\'Well, it\'s not hard to understand.\'

The fact that all the Great Demon Lords were joining forces to catch Vulcan was strange to begin with.

Paimon alone was not an easy opponent. But the fact that they were joining forces meant that Vulcan was that strong.

After exchanging a few blows, Vulcan\'s eyes were sparkling.

—I was going to kill you in one hit. You\'re surprising.

"Who do you think you\'re dealing with?"

It was time to go into serious mode.

His side job was a swordsman, his main job was a necromancer.

It was time to return to his main job.

He summoned Cedric and Merhen.

—It\'s Vulcan!

—I see. Are we fighting?

"Yes. Like we always have."

The difference in power before and after the Legion Commanders joined was like night and day.

A necromancer should fight like a necromancer.

[Curse of Aging (D)+9 is activated!]

[The gap is too vast!]

[The curse doesn\'t work!]

[Curse of Weakness (S) is activated!]

[The gap is too vast...]

Oh dear.

Sadly, the curses didn\'t work.

But it didn\'t matter.

[Heart of the Legion (SS) activated!]

Strengthening allies was also a method. The connection with the two Legion Commanders strengthened.

An extremely short time, dividing one second into ten, twenty parts. Thoughts were conveyed closely, and each other\'s intentions were instantly understood.

[Rampage activated!]

[For 10 minutes, the power of all magic is increased by 30%!]

[Magic can be stacked and used up to five times!]

[The Dragon\'s Aura manifests!]

[\'Manifestation\' state.]

[Lasts for 30 minutes.]

[Strength, Agility, Stamina increased by 50%.]

[\'Dragon Blood Slash\' can be used.]

Dragon wings fluttered behind the two Legion Commanders.

—Necromancer?

"You, watch your eyeballs."

—...What?

Slap!

Magic bound Vulcan\'s feet.

Cedric\'s spear and the Shadow Sword.

And Vulcan\'s whip clashed, causing the cavern to shake.

* * *

Gulp.

Vice Captain Kalrung swallowed.

\'How can a mere human...\'

Fight so well?

Vulcan was the greatest Balrog.

He was so strong that even high-ranking demon lords, ranked 20th or higher among the 72 lords, had to worry about being overwhelmed by his power. Even the seven Great Demon Lords of the demon world didn\'t dare to underestimate him.

That was Vulcan.

And now, that Vulcan was exchanging fierce blows with a human.

A tiny spear and sword blocked the swings of the giant whip.

Cleverly executed magic tightly bound Vulcan\'s limbs.

Each time, Vulcan clicked his tongue as if annoyed.

—You\'re nimble like a rat!

"Thanks for the compliment."

Hundreds of whip strands filled the cavern as they lashed out.

It was a meticulous attack, strong enough to severely injure even Kalrung if he tried to approach.

But the human he was seeing now... .

He was blocking or dodging all of them, steadily closing the distance.

\'He\'s skilled.\'

It was as if he knew where the whip would strike.

Vulcan was clearly faster and stronger, so why couldn\'t he land a single hit?!

—I told you, right? He\'s an amazing human.

Longlong said with a smug smile, as if feeling proud.

—Indeed... he is amazing.

Kalrung admitted it.

If they were to fight without Vulcan, he doubted they could win even if the entire mercenary group attacked.

—But... shouldn\'t we stop them?

—Stop them?

—If this goes on, someone\'s really going to die... and that can\'t happen.

—I know that... but how? They\'re both fired up!

Demons love to fight.

Balrogs weren\'t much different.

Vulcan was already immersed in the battle, almost in a trance.

If they tried to stop him, who knows what kind of scolding they would receive.

Stop fighting because the human is an ally?

That was also an incredibly vague reason to stop a fight.

Vulcan hated humans.

Even he, the Vice Captain, didn\'t know if they would join forces or not.

\'If there was a plausible reason, maybe...\'

That\'s when it happened.

Flap!

A Balrog flew in urgently with news. Kalrung\'s eyes widened when he heard it.

The news that the Great Demon Lords\' armies had started to move!

\'No way...\'

Were they really joining forces to attack them?

\'I have to inform the captain!\'

Kim Minwoo and Vulcan were now within striking distance.

It seemed like a disaster was about to happen.

This wasn\'t because he was worried about losing a valuable asset...

It was because of the Great Demon Lords that he had to move urgently.

Having hypnotized himself with this thought, Kalrung hurriedly intervened between the two.

—Captain! Stop! The Great Demon Lords have moved!

* * *

Kim Minwoo\'s body leaped.

Just before the sword touched his blinded left eye.

Just before Vulcan\'s whip struck his body.

They stopped.

If either of them had had a different intention, they would have been seriously injured. One would have lost an eye, the other would have been cut in half.

But that didn\'t happen.

Vulcan had inwardly acknowledged this small human through the recent battle.

Kim Minwoo had no reason to weaken Vulcan, who might become an ally in the future.

Losing an eye would lower his combat power.

Of course... .

If Kalrung hadn\'t intervened at the right time, they would have really drawn blood.

\'It can\'t be helped.\'

A battle can\'t be stopped just because you want to stop it alone, right?

Vulcan was in a kind of trance. He was immersed in the battle, swinging his weapon almost instinctively.

If he had stopped alone, it would have been a suicide ending.

Fortunately, when Kalrung\'s words reached him, Vulcan\'s eyes cleared, as if he had regained his senses.

Thanks to that, they were able to stop.

"Fighting more would be foolish. Don\'t you think?"

—...Damn it. You\'re lucky, human.

"You too."

—Not giving an inch, huh?

"If I yield, will you acknowledge me? Then I\'ll yield a little."

Vulcan chuckled.

For some reason, he started to sense a similar scent from this unfamiliar human.

—No. You have to fight back to claim your rights.

That was the relationship between Vulcan and the Great Demon Lords. Those who tried to tame him and Vulcan, the wild horse.

There was always a power struggle, and thanks to that, he was able to protect his rights. Of course, this mess happened because he didn\'t bow his head obediently.

Anyway.

It had been a long time since he had swung his whip to his heart\'s content. Although the human was insignificant, he realized that there were different kinds of humans.

At least Kim Minwoo was a being worthy of respect in the demon world, where strength was valued.

Vulcan\'s expression became serious.

—Kalrung. Did they really move? All seven of them?

—We\'ve confirmed four Lords who are close to here. The 7th Lord Paimon, the 5th Lord Marbas, and... the 3rd Lord Agares and the 6th Lord Amon.

—Oh no.

Vulcan grimaced.

None of the four Lords who had revealed themselves were easy opponents.

He and his mercenary group were strong, but that was when facing one Lord.

Two or more?

\'It will be difficult. I didn\'t think they would actually move...\'

When Kim Minwoo had told him the news.

He was able to tell him to get lost because he thought his skills were insignificant, but... .

The decisive factor was that he thought it would be difficult for the cunning Great Demon Lords to unite.

And he didn\'t expect them to move so quickly.

"It\'s hard to unite once, but it\'s easy to gain momentum."

—...I agree.

"You should have bowed your head and lived."

—...Are you one to talk?

"At least when I bow, I bow properly."

Kim Minwoo shrugged. At least he didn\'t go around bumping into everyone like Vulcan. If he did clash with someone, it was always in a prepared situation.

But Vulcan was different.

Judging from Paimon\'s memories... .

\'It seems like he\'s been stirring up trouble everywhere.\'

The reason he had sought refuge with Paimon was that he had antagonized the top Lords and had no one left but Paimon.

A sharp sword that harms its owner.

Perhaps Paimon had accepted that sharp sword with the unfounded belief that he could handle it?

And this mess was the result.

"So, what are you thinking?"

—...Since they\'ve united, they\'ll definitely try to catch me.

"How about hiding in a wasteland or something? You\'ll be able to survive, right?"

—...No. Do you know why I antagonized the Great Demon Lords?

"There was a reason? You didn\'t just fight mindlessly?"

—Huh... really.

Vulcan laughed bitterly.

—I\'m the hero of the Balrogs.

"So?"

—I received the legacy of our race.

"...Legacy?"

Just then,

Kalrung, wide-eyed, hurriedly interrupted the conversation.

—Captain! If you say that...!

—It\'s fine. Isn\'t he an ally who said he would help us? What\'s the point of keeping it hidden?

"So, what is this legacy?"

—The Demon God\'s Stone.

"...The Demon God\'s Stone?"

—I can\'t show it to you. It\'s embedded in my heart.

"What does this stone do?"

—It strengthens demons. Also, according to the adage passed down in our race, it allows us to encounter the Demon God. Though I\'ve never met him myself... .

Kim Minwoo tilted his head.

"One question. Are Demon Lords and the Demon God different beings?"

—Don\'t humans have a god? Think of it as similar. A Demon Lord is a kind of king. The Demon God is a divine being.

"Aha. So, a god-like being? Someone whose whereabouts are unknown, and whose existence is uncertain?"

—...The Demon God exists. You ignorant human.

Vulcan snapped.

It seemed he believed quite strongly in the existence of the Demon God.

"You believe in a god?"

—At least the stone embedded in my heart doesn\'t lie.

"Ah, that kind of concept?"

—That kind of concept. Anyway, I have a treasure... and the higher-ranking Demon Lords probably suspect it. They must have sensed it. The Demon God\'s energy... .

Was that why Vulcan was so strong?

Now he could understand the situation a little better.

"So that\'s why you\'ve been so prickly?"

—If I acted politely, do you think they wouldn\'t covet the treasure? No. There\'s no being more greedy than demons. Especially the Lords. They would do anything to raise their rank.

He pondered for a moment.

The Vulcan he saw in the second trial wasn\'t this strong.

Conclusion...

\'It was taken.\'

The stone embedded in his heart was taken.

Then he would have most likely died.

Or even if he barely survived, his power would have been greatly weakened.

\'Was he resurrected by the Death Lord?

Or was the stone taken, but he barely survived?

It was still uncertain.

"How did the Balrogs get it?"

—...Once upon a time, the number one Demon Lord in the demon world was a Balrog. I heard he received it as a gift from the Demon God.

"...Really?"

—Yes. It\'s a very old story, but... but they couldn\'t hold onto the top rank for long, and the Balrogs\' status gradually declined. I heard they even lost the position of Lord. After that, they never regained the Lord\'s position.

"The demon world is a meritocracy, right? With your strength, you could easily become a low-ranking Lord, couldn\'t you?"

At those words, Vulcan\'s face turned bitter.

—Even a low-ranking Lord is a coveted position. They won\'t give it to us Balrogs. They fear us. Who do you think spread the rumor that Balrogs are simple-minded and quick-tempered?

"The Demon Lords?"

—Yes. It\'s them. Of course, we do have those tendencies... but not all of us. But that\'s how we\'re treated. In every territory! By all demons and devils! We\'ve lost our reputation and our power. No demon wants a Balrog to become a Lord!

The Demon Lords keeping the Balrogs in check.

It was quite an interesting story.

Even more interesting was the Demon God\'s Stone.

"You can tell me about it? What if I get greedy?"

—Human. The Demon God\'s Stone can\'t be used by anyone other than demons. Does that answer your question?

"Aha."

—So... is your earlier offer still valid?

"What offer?"

—Didn\'t you say you would help?

"I did."

—You\'re not going to back out now, are you? If you do, my \'bias\' that humans are cunning might continue.

"Oh, you admit it\'s a bias?"

—...Yes. I definitely learned that there are exceptions, like us Balrogs. I saw it today.

Vulcan stared at him intently.

His eyes were reminiscent of Puss in Boots.

From his perspective, he must be in a situation where he needs all the help he can get.

"I\'ll help you."

—Really?

"Of course."

It was a matter of recruiting a useful worker.

Of course, he had to lend a hand.

The answer was already decided.