Chapter 549 Defense Specialization and Demon King 4

While watching everyone else, Sally and Dread fought side by side in a furious, fast-paced duel. The Aberration before them had unnaturally long arms ending in hooked claws, striking faster than either could move. Among the summoned Aberrations, this one stood out for its speed—and both fighters reacted in an instant.

They cut across the path to the 【One-Night Castle】 without using a single skill, trading delicate blows with the Aberration. Any pause from a skill’s recovery would be fatal against this foe. Drawing on every buff and debuff, they ground away its HP bit by bit. When it leapt in, Dread stepped in fearlessly, dodged the claw, and countered by slicing its arm. When it spun back at Sally, she knocked the claw aside and scored a deep wound. Their style was nearly identical: parry the strike, carve out a safe gap, then land the counter.

“…!”
The Aberration’s lost HP triggered its next move: a spinning sweep of claws all around. Like clockwork, Sally and Dread backed up to evade, then moved in again—only to sense each other’s intent at the same moment.

“【Icicle】!”

“Shadow 【Shadow Dive】!”
Sally launched skyward as Dread slipped into the shadows. Both knew instinctively they had to bet everything on that dodge. True to Dread’s 【Godspeed】, he vanished—and deep claw marks raked the ground wherever he had been. As the ground stilled, the Aberration slowed and became visible once more.

“What a pain…”

“If we just keep our distance, we can handle it… or maybe just deflect it.”

“Yeah… that might be better.”

“You suggested it—but can you really deflect its claw?”

“You think I haven’t improved since that first event where we crossed blades? Learning this trick was tough.”
Though not as flawless as Sally, Dread brimmed with confidence. Just as Sally had learned his instinctive dodges, he had mastered her incredible parries.

“Understood. I trust you.”

“Good. Let’s do it.”

“Right.”
The Aberration lunged again, closing the gap in an instant and swinging its invisible claw.

Whiiing! Dread’s weapon rang out as he blocked it.

“Hah!”
Sally, too, batted the claw aside as if it were visible. Even with the faint wound on Dread marking its attacks, if such easy deflection were all it took, they wouldn’t be here. Each time it struck, it only gained more wounds. When its speed finally faded and it stood wounded all over, it was the Aberration—not them—that looked beaten.

“If you have no more tricks, keep attacking until you die.”

“No need for tricks. They’d just be a bother.”
They stood side by side, weapons ready. Come at them—dive into death yourself. No mighty skill, no magic, no invincibility, no healing was needed. They believed only in their own technique.

They weren’t built to be shattered by a mere Demon King’s lackey. With their ultimate weapons—pure combat skill—they cornered the fast Aberration. Its relentless onslaught, instead of harming them, only sped its own path to ruin.

At the Demon King’s front, Payne and Mii—among the strongest of Maple’s crew—faced an Aberration guarding the way. This one braced a massive spear and shield, blocking all before it.

“【Shatter Holy Sword】!”
Payne swung his blade. The Aberration perfectly parried, then countered with its red spear—piercing Payne’s shoulder as he finished his skill motion and splintering sparks flew. Yet Payne’s high stats and multiple damage-reduction passives kicked in, and he barely felt a thing. Even if he took several more hits, Misery’s healing would keep him standing. His overwhelming base performance—taking hits without real harm—was his greatest strength. He had no real weak points.

“【Guardian Holy Sword】!”
He twisted his blade past the spear’s guard. As they traded blows, the Aberration—lacking healing and defensive skills—would be the first to break. A no-holds-barred slugfest, but the odds were in their favor.

“【Flame Emperor】【Eruption】!”
Mii unleashed searing flames to engulf the creature. Accelerated by 【Flare Accel】, Mii moved with an unexpected speed for a mage, standing firm even amid the chaos. Maintaining the perfect distance—just outside its spear range—she hammered it with fire. With Payne drawing it close, Mii could strike freely.

“【Flame Lance】【Inferno】!”
No shield could block it. The powerful magic tore through armor as if it weren’t even there. Beyond, the Demon King—protected by a massive shield—still chanted spells. That was their true target; this Aberration was only in the way.

“【Scorching Heat】!”

“【Holy Sword of Radiance】!”
Confident they couldn’t lose a raw HP contest, they pressed the assault. They stacked self-healing and damage cuts to nullify its strikes, finally blasting the Aberration apart. With that barrier gone, Payne and Mii stepped forward toward the Demon King.

“Mii, blow that last Aberration away.”

“Right. Full power.”

““【Awaken】!””
Their bond’s bridge flared, and Ray and Ignis appeared.

“Ray, 【Flow of Light】【Full Mana Release】”

“Ignis, 【Burn with Me】”
Payne was wreathed in holy-drake light; Mii in phoenix fire. Their damage and range soared. Payne’s sword shone as Mii’s staff erupted in flame. At the peak, their combined strike became a single, apocalyptic blow.

“【Holy Drake’s Light Sword】!”

“【Slaughtering Inferno】!”
Blinding radiance and fire filled the arena. Their maximum power blew the Aberration’s shield—whole and intact—straight aside. The resulting fire zone, laced with extra holy-sword damage, would cripple the Demon King’s minions. Their strike made a huge impact, and the two watched beyond the flames for the Demon King’s next move.

Through the twin lights sliced a single shadow, darting like a bullet. From behind the fallen shield-carrier Aberration, the Demon King suddenly tapped out a pair of wings, grinning as she zoomed toward them. Though her HP had dipped, it was nowhere near enough to match their previous strikes—she had let that Aberration take the hits instead. Payne welcomed close combat.

“【Scorching Heat】【Crimson Wave】!”
Launching fire at Payne’s back, Mii snarled, “Don’t think you can pass so easily!” The attack was wide-ranging, but the Demon King flew straight into it, then swept her swords to swallow the flames.

“I see…!”
While Payne raised his sword, she vanished in an instant—an ability like 【Godspeed】. If an Aberration could do it, why not the Demon King?

“Ray, 【Sacred Guard】!”
Ray raised a defensive spell. The Demon King dodged the barrier and reappeared, her twin swords slicing deeply into Payne’s shoulder and scattering gory sparks. Payne’s HP—never wavering from Aberration spears—dropped by over sixty percent. The weight of her blades became a visible wound.

If it had been anyone else, that blow would’ve killed them. Gritting his teeth, Payne tried to counterattack. He swung, but she soared aside and struck in the momentary gap. Her inhuman speed, power, damage cuts, and healing meant Payne couldn’t trade blows evenly. Facing those swirling blades, he searched his usual arsenal for the best option.

“【Cover Move】!”
Into that split-second clash, the joker intervened. Maple, guided by Hinata’s 【Gravity Control】, swooped into the gap between Payne and the Demon King.

“Yahhh!”
Like Payne, Maple took the full brunt of the sword flurry—yet her HP didn’t budge. Exploiting her unique stats, she shattered the damage trade: she rammed her greatshield into the Demon King, triggering 【Devour】 and carving away a hefty chunk of her HP. It was a special card even the Congregation of Holy Swords lacked. Maple’s fierce counter tore open the Demon King’s defenses and forced her to retreat.

“You alright?” Maple called.

“Yeah! Thanks to you!” Payne gasped.

“Maple, Payne! Watch out—she’s coming again!”
The three guild masters watched the front lines as the Demon King’s crimson aura flared from her swords. Her magic circles for summoning Aberrations—once lighting her wings—faded away. Maple’s clean Devour hit had pushed her into her next attack pattern.

As the tiny Aberrations spawned by the falling magic dwindled—and the larger ones summoned to counter them fell before the party—the Demon King leveled her blazing swords at them again. Then, a massive red magic circle bloomed under their feet. It didn’t cover the whole room, but it was impossible to dodge.

“【Formation Change】!”
As planned, Lily’s trump card sprang to life. In an instant she moved everyone back inside the safety of the 【One-Night Castle】. They looked on as the circle before them flared with a fiery crimson light—an unmistakable prelude to her next, devastating wide-range attack. The Demon King had just declared,

“This is where you fight me.”