Chapter 190

Lajeare looked at Balthar with an expression of utter disbelief.

In an instant, he had torn off Damien's neck and passed by.

So fast that even Damien had not perceived it, and even Lajeare had momentarily lost track of his movement.

That was why he could not understand.

Let's say Serphina was a famous being that even he knew.

Although she was nothing compared to her past self.

Wasn't she a witch who had existed since ancient times?

So he could at least understand that.

But he could not understand how Damien had lost to the likes of that crude demon without even perceiving it.

Even if the power granted to Niera and Damien was minimal.

They were not familiars who would fall so futilely.

‘What on earth…….’

Lajeare could not even begin to understand.

However, Seonghyun looked at him and asked.

“This is my victory again, right?”

“……It is.”

The words would barely leave his mouth, but.

Lajeare had no choice but to say so.

This can't go on.

That fellow's familiars are stronger than I thought.

So, should I grant a little more power?

He wavered for a moment, but soon Lajeare shook his head.

Let's not waver.

‘Even so, as long as my most powerful familiar comes out, it is my victory.’

It did not matter if the two he had brought out were not his strongest familiars.

Even so, his familiar that had received all his power would surely be the strongest.

He was a little surprised, but.

Unlike his own body's power, Lajeare's eyes were excellent, so he was certain.

‘That demon is stronger than expected, but it's fine.’

Slightly stronger than Serphina? No, he was so strong there was almost no difference.

Still outside his calculations.

As Lajeare summoned his third familiar.

This time, too, it formed a male figure.

A vampire with its mouth cleanly sealed, completely unable to speak, appeared.

No, rather than a vampire, his form with no hair and a tail was closer to a ghoul's, but aside from his mouth and tail, he resembled any other vampire.

His tail had a sharp thorn shaped like a syringe, and he too bowed his head, showing his loyalty to Lajeare.

“Bartolo. Go and bring me victory.”

“……”

Although there were no words.

He responded with a gaze that seemed full of loyalty.

As if vowing that he would win without fail, he climbed onto the arena.

Seonghyun also summoned from the underworld.

This time, a knight with only bones, wearing armor.

As Leonik appeared.

Bartolo, who had climbed onto the arena, frowned.

To think it was just a skeleton.

That was the look on his face.

On the other hand, there was one more person who was also frowning.

A demon knight, whose frown.

Quickly turned to shock.

-L-Lord! Don't tell me, did you send me out first because I'm weaker than Leonik!?

He shouted as if that were more important than the match.

On the other hand, the newly summoned Leonik was delighted, bowing his head and shouting.

-The Knight of Ruin who will bring victory to our great Lord, the 2nd Legion Commander! And stronger than the demon knight Balthar! Leonik Evoke! I greet you!!!

-This punk!!! You're still just a greenhorn training under the Master!!!

-Hoho, the Old Master said it was your turn now!

-Heok!?

Watching the two of them, who were acting as if they were in a skit, Seonghyun shook his head.

In any case, there was no time for this now.

Seonghyun looked at the two and said briefly.

“Leonik.”

-Yes! I will go and win!!!

At Leonik's booming reply.

Balthar pouted, but.

He did not say anything more to Seonghyun.

It seemed that was because he was his Lord.

However, Seonghyun shook his head as he looked at the two.

He had just sent them out together because they were of similar skill.

To think they would react like this.

The three of them, including Serphina, Balthar, and Leonik, were all similar in strength.

That was the only reason he had sent them out together.

However.

“Hmph.”

Serphina also seemed a bit offended.

Is the ranking among the familiars really that important?

He could see why they would think that.

As he was thinking that maybe he needed to sort out their rankings sometime.

Leonik climbed onto the arena, erasing the thought from his mind.

While Seonghyun was lost in other thoughts.

Lajeare was looking at the skeleton knight Leonik, who had climbed onto the arena, with a puzzled expression.

For some reason, he could not feel a strong aura from any of them.

It was the same for Balthar just now, and for Serphina as well.

But the moment they exerted their power, they became strong.

He watched with bewildered eyes.

This time too, as soon as the orb signaled the start, Bartolo rushed forward with his sharp tail leading the way.

However, Leonik, who sliced through that tail and brandished his Dominion Swordsmanship, cut through Bartolo's neck and limbs, and shot out from behind Bartolo as if sliding.

Shhrk—!

Tududuk.

The sound of cutting was definitely heard only once.

But it was the sight of Bartolo, with everything from his limbs to his tail, completely severed.

Watching it, he once again felt that something was strange.

At a glance, Leonik also looked weak to Lajeare.

But when he exerted his power just now…….

‘He unleashed a powerful force.’

Does that mean they usually suppress their aura?

Lajeare closed his mouth again at the incomprehensible sight.

Seonghyun might have asked again, but he did not.

Because he knew well that he had already won.

And so, as Leonik also came out victorious.

Lajeare's mind became quite complicated.

If he considered only the fragment of power he had just felt, his own strongest familiar would have more than enough to win.

But what was this sense of unease?

Thump—!

Thump——!

Thump———!!!

‘……How unpleasant.’

The unpleasant beating of his heart.

Lajeare felt it unpleasantly and ground his teeth.

Geudeuk.

It was vexing, but the current Overlord's familiars were formidable.

Could Helena have made such a bet, having considered even this?

Or was he just being played in the palm of Helena's hand?

He could not know.

But right now, he had to move as if he were a puppet.

For now, he had to keep the dagger hidden in his bosom tightly concealed.

Until they were drunk on the joy of victory and let their guard down.

With that thought, Lajeare summoned his fourth familiar.

This time too, with the intention of throwing her away.

The blood formed a human shape.

And this time, a noble and elegant woman was created and greeted Lajeare gracefully.

“Artemia greets the eternal Lord of Blood, Lord Lajeare.”

“……Artemia.”

Towards Artemia, who greeted him so.

Lajeare spoke.

“You must hold out as long as possible and draw out the enemy's skill.”

It was a rather incomprehensible command.

It was not an order to bring back a victory.

However, Artemia accepted Lajeare's command at once.

“……I understand.”

She might be insufficient to achieve victory herself.

Her Monarch had never once made a wrong judgment.

So Artemia thought so as well and quietly climbed onto the arena.

On the opposite side, as a teal portal opened to summon a familiar.

Something in the shape of a very small girl walked out.

Judging by appearance, was she about 10 years old?

Of course, she was much smaller than that.

A small, slime-like girl, barely 1m tall.

“……???”

Artemia looked at her, then turned her head to look at Lajeare.

You really just want me to hold out?

Against an opponent like that?

That was the exact look on her face.

Lajeare, too, was momentarily confused and stared blankly at the scene.

And so.

-H-Heee? Ah, hello.

Even her appearance was timid beyond compare.

Looking at her, Artemia turned her head again to look at Lajeare.

As if to ask if those orders were really correct.

Artemia had never once disobeyed or questioned Lajeare's orders before.

But this time, she could not help it.

You really want me to just hold out against that opponent?

Lajeare still nodded his head.

Because you never know.

At the same time, he thought.

‘Is he trying to deceive me?’

Is he doing this by deliberately sending out a weak familiar?

However, the atmosphere of the other familiars was different from before.

Just a moment ago, when he had summoned the skeleton knight, the demon knight whose pout had reached his chin or even Serphina had looked somewhat unable to understand.

But now, as that timid-looking girl came out to the arena.

They were nodding their heads with expressions that said, ‘That makes sense.’

Is that girl stronger than those three?

It was unbelievable, but.

He had to trust his own eyes.

Thinking so, he had not changed his order to Artemia and had only nodded his head.

The orb that appeared as both of them climbed onto the arena.

And looking at it, the slime-like girl said.

-P-Please take care of me.

At her still-timid appearance, Artemia was puzzled but tried to act as defensively as possible.

And so, as the orb signaled the start.

The slime-like girl's arms turned into blades.

And her legs transformed into those of a cheetah.

Her upper body, though he did not know what kind of being it was, transformed into a physique that looked exceptionally outstanding.

Fiora's form vanished, leaving deep footprints in the arena.

She was so fast that Artemia could not even react, but in the moment she felt relieved because her entire body was protected by a defensive aura.

Shhrk.

Artemia's head, now flying through the air, could see her own body from which it had been detached, but it happened so fast that not even a drop of blood had spurted out, and she realized.

That girl is a monster.

A monster that she could not have done anything about, even if she had her full power.

Realizing that, Artemia died instantly.

Lajeare, too, the moment he saw all of it, felt his thoughts come crashing down.

A girl whose movements even he had lost track of.

Looking at Fiora's form, he wondered if his familiars could really win.

But he could not stop, having come this far.

The last familiar.

Lajeare squeezed out all his power, even betting his own life, and created a new familiar.

A summoning different from all the ones before.

Seonghyun, too, watched it, and his eyes showed a peculiar light, as if he was interested.

As if he thought, he's finally summoning his strongest familiar at the end.

As Lajeare looked at Seonghyun, he thought.

‘It's too late for regrets.’

No matter how great Helena was, she could not have predicted this.

‘With this familiar, I will tear even that successor to shreds in the end.’

A familiar created by squeezing out all his power.

“Sebastian!!! Answer my call and reveal yourself!!!”

At Lajeare's almost desperate cry, countless drops of his blood mixed before him and formed a single shape.

And so, a handsome man with long, flowing black hair appeared.

He bowed his head towards Lajeare and said.

“Aah, our Monarch. Answering your call, your Monarch's loyal sword has come.”

At his appearance, which was so loyal it was even reassuring, Lajeare finally smiled.

Now, his victory was certain.

With that belief, he shouted to Sebastian.

“Cut down that wicked Overlord and his minions.”

“Yes, I shall.”

The vampire called Sebastian also showed excessive confidence as he climbed onto the arena.

Seonghyun also smiled and opened a teal portal.

And in that moment.

Lajeare felt that something was strange.

It was Sebastian, who had just climbed onto the arena, emitting a ferocious aura.

A familiar clearly more powerful than the strength shown by Seonghyun's other familiars.

However, Seonghyun's familiars were looking at Sebastian and laughing as if he were pathetic.

What is this confidence?

The moment he was about to express his puzzlement at the thought.

A sound was heard clearly from the teal portal.

Ttokak, ttokak.

The sound of those footsteps that had once ravaged this castle.

Is this a nightmare?

No.

This is reality.

As Lajeare's eyes trembled violently.

A woman with luscious red hair, whose appearance was more noble and elegant than any other being in the world, walked out of the teal portal.

As she walked into the arena.

Even Sebastian trembled in fear.

“Hello? Lajeare?”

“Y-Y-You, h-how!? How can you come out in this place!!! Helena!!!”

Sebastian cried out, as if in a roar, with an expression of disbelief.

Sebastian, who was even more afraid because he had been killed by Helena before, turned his head to look at Lajeare as if to ask what he should do.

“……Was all of this your plan?”

He could see Lajeare already floundering in a pit of despair.