111 – 49. Lucifer’s Apostle (1)
“We’ve arrived.”
“Is it finally time to meet Lucifer?”
Looking at the Demon Lord’s castle that had arrived unnoticed, Ian bit his lower lip.
It might seem like tension, but it wasn’t. It might not be the same for others, but for Ian, who had fought countless battles against demons, there was no particular excitement.
There was simply a different reason.
‘Normally, I would have fought based on the strategy I gained while playing the boss battles. But this time, I can’t fight according to the strategy.’
Since obtaining the power of the Apostle, Lucifer might not exhibit the movements Ian knew.
That thought made him uneasy.
‘During my gaming days, the final boss I encountered was Azidahaka.’
In the original work, Lucifer was the boss encountered just before facing Azidahaka, the Apostle of the demons.
It was quite challenging, being right before the final boss. I died a lot.
Of course, through that experience, I had almost memorized Lucifer’s patterns. But this time, it wouldn’t be much help.
“Becoming the Master means being able to use powers. Naturally, the patterns would change.”
If I just relied on the previous patterns, I might fall victim to the newly added attacks.
In the end, Ian couldn’t help but forget the image of Lucifer that remained in his memory.
“Changing the final boss means they won’t let me have an easy time, since it’s the last battle.”
Laughter once again welled up at the absurd reality.
He had come all this way, enduring hardships, but couldn’t even receive a shred of mercy. Isn’t that too much?
“It feels unfair.”
Loneliness filled his mouth. His chest even started to feel numb.
However, the only emotion Ian felt was that it was the end.
There was no fear or anxiety before the final battle.
The reason?
Isn’t it simple?
“…But even so, I can’t just come all the way here and be scared. It’s the end. If I just finish this, everything will be over.”
He could put an end to everything that had weighed on his shoulders day after day.
Freedom. If he could obtain that glory, even if he faced an enemy with little information, he could hold his sword without trembling in fear.
Swish!
With determination, Ian drew Lebryon from his hip.
He forcefully kicked open the doors of the castle where the Demon King Lucifer awaited.
Thunk!
The door opened with a roughness that made it seem like it would break. On the other side, Lucifer slowly rose from his seat as if he had been waiting.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Let’s begin.”
“Good. Let’s see this through to the end, mortals!”
Lucifer responded to Ian’s light provocation by raising his magic.
Finally, magic began to cover the inside of the castle, and at the same time, Ian also started giving orders to his comrades.
“I trust that you all know your roles. Let’s go.”
“Don’t hesitate, let’s go!”
Following Hexar, who pulled out his axe and charged forward, Ian also pounded the ground.
***
From Noble mtl dot com
The structure of the hero party was simple.
The front line consisted of the main tank Hexar and Ian, while the back line was handled by Illian.
The middle was the responsibility of the holy maiden Glendia and the hero Ariel.
“In the game, Glendia and Illian were positioned in the back line, and Ariel and Hexar were in charge of the front line.”
Ian didn’t think highly of the party’s formation.
First of all, it was daunting for Ariel, who had to survive until the end, to be in direct contact with the enemies…. But the most important thing was that they couldn’t fully utilize Ariel’s attack power.
“The ones in charge of the front line don’t get proper opportunities to attack. The priority is to protect our allies from the enemy’s assault.”
The presence of Glendia and Illian in the back line.
Because protecting their lives was the tank’s top priority. Unless it was truly the perfect timing, the ones in the front line would focus on blocking the enemy’s movements rather than attacking.
In other words, it is nearly impossible for those in the vanguard to deal damage.
“How powerful is Elysion’s strike? Is it worth saving?”
It would be unbearable to witness the waste of the most powerful weapon.
Therefore, Ian decided to switch positions with Ariel.
Placing the Holy Maiden next to Ariel was also for that reason.
“Illian is a veteran among veterans. Even if he is alone in the rear, his crisis escape ability is outstanding, and his elven physical abilities far surpass humans.”
It is impossible for Glendia to keep up with Illian’s movements and take care of him.
In that case, it would be better to let Illian rampage alone and focus the Holy Maiden’s buff on Ariel.
“Ariel already overflows with divine power as a warrior. If she also receives the Holy Maiden’s buff….”
Becoming the main dealer of the party would not only be enough, but it would also ensure safety.
With thorough calculation, Ian formed the party like that.
Kiiing! Kyaah!
“Kuh! What kind of power is this!”
“It’s going as expected.”
Ariel’s strike began to rip Lucifer apart as if it were a display.
Her attack, which had already been fatal to Lucifer, was even more formidable with Glendia’s buff.
“It was a miscalculation.”
Lucifer, who used magic to heal his wounds, let out a bitter laugh.
In fact, the one he had aimed for as the top priority was none other than Ian Volkanov.
After all, he was the one who had taken care of all his comrades.
Although he had been closely observing his battle since he defeated Leviathan, he had always been listening to the news before then without fail.
“Even though I prepared myself, knowing that he would attempt an attack in an unexpected way… I ended up being played.”
Even if he had defeated Azidahaka and gained his power, he had decided to approach the battle with him as a formidable opponent. So he was dumbfounded when he was hit by such a blow.
“I can’t afford to underestimate him anymore. Even if he has gained power… he might crumble if pushed too far.”
With a rising sense of crisis in his heart, Lucifer opened his eyes.
Although he made a mistake, as the damage was minimal, there shouldn’t be any major problems if he concentrated from now on.
“It seems like the main attack is entrusted to the hero… In that case. It would be best to defeat that guy first.”
At first glance, it may seem that everything will be resolved if Ariel Volkanov is subdued. But Lucifer did not act rashly.
As it could be a trap, he had to handle each and every action with caution.
“Just having a comrade by his side is not enough, and judging from the heavy armor to increase the number of enemies, it won’t be easy to finish it quickly. If time drags on, others will rush in soon.”
If he decided to target her first, it would result in a significant loss.
Lucifer already knew what action he had to take at that moment.
Kwooo! Crack!
The boiling magical current from his hand is directed towards the party.
What Lucifer aimed for was none other than Ian Volkanov, the vanguard.
Since he couldn’t defeat the hero anyway, he decided to take down the most obstructive person first.
“Although it is certainly a good posture to protect the hero. You must not have realized that it puts your life in imminent danger!”
Ian, who was constantly blocking the attacks pouring towards Ariel without a break, would undoubtedly think that the magical lightning he unleashed was aimed at Ariel.
But what if that lightning was actually targeting Ian?
“In a state of confusion, his timing will be messed up, and he will be forced to defend hastily. That’s when I can slowly wear him down and kill him!”
Lucifer’s fierce attack, claiming to dry up the vanguard first. The plan was starting to sink in to some extent.
Kwa-gwagwagwa!
“Argh!”
“Hecar, can you hold on?”
“… Can I hold on? No issues so far. But…”
Kwa-gwagwagwa!
“Ugh! If it continues to concentrate on our side like this, it might get a bit tough.”
Moans escaped from Hecar as he unfolded his defensive barrier against Lucifer’s onslaught.
Like lightning pouring down from the sky, each strike was far from trivial.
Kugu-ggung!
“Damn! What the hell did he do? Such power coming out.”
Despite perfectly blocking the attacks, the recoil was causing his arm’s sensation to disappear to the point of numbness.
Of course, the comrades behind were not just standing and watching.
“Hey Hecar! Bow your head!”
“Brother! Should I join the vanguard too?”
Ilian took advantage of Hecar’s defense gap to shoot an arrow, and Glendia redirected the buffs intended for Ariel towards the vanguard.
Shiiyik! Kuooo!
A magical arrow approached in the blink of an eye. However, the arrow effortlessly pierced through Lucifer’s body.
“Where are you shooting? That’s my afterimage.”
“Huh… What speed.”
As if in disbelief, Ilyan and his colleagues stuck out their tongues.
Lucifer couldn’t bear the sight of humans who, aside from a feigned attack, could only desperately block without launching a proper offensive. He burst into laughter.
“This is ridiculous….”
At the same time, Leviathan’s words echoed in her mind.
Realizing that Baalzephon and Mammon had fallen, she rushed to her castle, spitting venom as she spoke.
“We cannot leave Ian Volkanoth as he is…. Even though he’s human, he’ll attack us in ways we didn’t anticipate. He definitely said that.”
Leviathan advising on creating variables… Ian Volkanoth was indeed an unpredictable opponent.
Wasn’t it evident from his actions of disrupting the boundary between reality and illusion to capture Releases, who came to inflict harm on him in the fantasy realm?
Moreover, during the attacks of Baalzephon and Mammon, he somehow found and pushed back using the power of ancient gods.
“Even when dealing with Leviathan, he, an unchosen one, wielded the Holy Sword to stab her.”
Admittedly, Ian Volkanoth possessed the ability to turn the tide of battle by utilizing unforeseen variables, even against stronger enemies.
However, Lucifer didn’t feel obligated to blindly follow Leviathan’s advice.
“Hecar, I’ll take care of his attacks now.”
“Please do, Ian.”
As the lightning began to subside, Hecar and Ian swapped positions.
Meanwhile, Ian started infusing mana into his body.
Lucifer meticulously read each of his movements.
“He perfectly immobilized his legs. In that case!”
Having decided to use the sword to buy time for posture adjustment, Lucifer surged forward, pounding the ground.
“Leviathan… Your advice was good, but there is one thing you overlooked. No matter how well you prepare for variables, it’s just a trick in the face of overwhelming power!”
Ian muttered, watching himself rushing forward.
Lucifer instinctively sensed that the opportunity to bring Ian down had come.
He must have judged that Ian would charge at him once his stamina ran out while trying to restrain him from a distance.
However, Lucifer’s choice was to rush in and start the attack.
As a result, Ian, who was preparing his sword, had no choice but to mess up his timing.
“Ether!”
Whoosh!
Of course, Ian had started to bring out his celestial thread to block the approach.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know your predictable moves?”
“…So you’ve read me.”
As the extended celestial thread caught Lucifer’s body, he also reached out and grabbed the thread.
Crack!
“Argh!”
“The hand of the ancient god extending from your back… You may be able to handle it freely, but there is a disadvantage! It won’t detach from your body!”
Trying to prevent Lucifer from approaching by extending his hand, Ian ended up being caught without any room to move.
Even if he wanted to strike with the celestial thread, Lucifer had already deployed a magical barrier for protection.
There was nothing he could do. Ian was cornered.
“Now, let’s finish this!”
Lucifer gathered his magic and began aiming at Ian.
“Do not even think about defending!”
Of course, he was no ordinary mage. Sitting in the seat of a wizard and wielding the authority to ignore defense, Ian Airos would effortlessly penetrate through any defense, no matter how formidable.
Unless he used the celestial numbers created as a divine tool. But all he could use was a sword!
Now, if he just unleashed it, he could erase all traces from this land without a trace.
Lucifer, having made up his mind, gazed at Ian.
Kwaaang!
Without hesitation, he began to shoot magic in a straight line.
“It’s over, Ian Volkano!”
“Oh, no, Ian!”
As the magical beam approached, the faces of the party members turned into despair, and it was the moment when Lucifer’s smirk seemed to tear at the corners of his mouth.
“Haven’t you heard from the already dead? You have plenty of tricks up your sleeve.”
“Yes, what the hell!”
When Ian, who had thought of parrying with his sword, was busy fumbling with a ring while keeping the sword stuck in the ground.
What the hell is he doing all of a sudden?
At the moment Lucifer tilted his head in confusion, something strange happened.
Shiiiing!
“What, what!”
“Did Lucifer’s attack… get absorbed?”
The moment Lucifer’s beam was sucked into the portal created by manipulating the ring.
In the face of the inexplicable phenomenon, Lucifer’s mouth hung open in astonishment.
‘Infinity Ring. It’s not something you’d keep around for no reason.’
Ian raised the corner of his mouth, looking at the grim expression of the guy.
From Noble mtl dot com