Chapter 284

Seeing the Sword Saint's soul scream and get thrown back, Seonghyun watched with a dazed expression.

When the Sword Saint's own energy was full, he couldn't even think of attempting it.

There was no opening, and no opportunity.

He was only able to try when his energy had significantly dropped.

‘So this was also possible.’

In a dazed state, Seonghyun looked down at his own hand.

With a painful scream from the soul, Gamu's body crumpled forward as if breaking down.

Thud.

Gamu's body collapsed limply.

And behind it, a soul tries to escape.

Not the Sword Saint's soul, but Gamu's own soul.

Seeing Gamu's soul, which had originally been halfway out, trying to escape the body that had used excessive energy, Seonghyun urgently waved his hand again, causing Gamu's soul to inhabit its original body.

If it was possible to send a living soul out, wouldn't it be possible to make it inhabit a body?

He had never thought of such a thing when seeing souls that had occasionally left their bodies.

But trying it this time, it seems possible.

“Kul-kuk. Cough, cough.”

He coughs and gulps, as if his held breath has burst out.

He hadn't regained consciousness.

But it seems he survived.

Seonghyun let out a sigh of relief seeing it.

Everything from the battle to what happened after was a blur.

Next to the exhausted Seonghyun.

“Hoo.”

“You actually did it?”

Helena approached and said.

Seonghyun chuckled and nodded.

He could belatedly hear the voice of the announcer spirit, who was chattering away noisily.

[Ah!!! T-truly amazing!!! I thought he was being pushed back from start to finish!!! But with all his vassals, he seizes victory!!!]

He knew he had been loudly cheering for Seonghyun's victory for a while now.

But due to fatigue and Gamu's body, he only heard it now.

Just like the announcer spirit, the chat window was in an uproar.

-Wow!!!!!!!!!

-What was that at the end?!

-Didn't he do something like firing a palm blast???

-But there was no skill effect?!??!??

-He actually won this!!!!!!!!

-This comeback victory is so thrilling!!!!

-Wow, the Demon King is really the Demon King!!!!!

As the people were cheering and rejoicing.

Seonghyun stood there, looking exhausted.

He wanted to collapse right there.

But he didn't.

He had rarely gone all-out like this in the game before.

A severe fatigue washed over him.

It was then.

Helena looked at Seonghyun and said.

“How about you raise a hand for them, since they like it so much?”

“……Hmm.”

He wasn't usually the type to enjoy such things.

But for some reason, he felt like it this time.

And so.

As Seonghyun raised a fist towards the broadcast screen.

[The winner!!!!!! Team Seonghyun!!!!!! Raises a fist of victory!!!!!!]

-Congratulations on the win!!!

-Keuheueueu!!!! The Demon King is the Demon King after all!!!

-Congrats on the win!!!!!

-To actually win this!!!!

-That was a close one!!!!!!

-That was so cool lol

-fr lol

The viewers also chatted heatedly.

And then.

The vassals approached Seonghyun.

Why are they coming over?

As Seonghyun had that thought.

Helena smiled playfully and shouted.

“Our monarch has won the battle, are you just going to stand there!?”

As Helena said that.

The vassals gathered and lifted Seonghyun up.

And they each chattered and shouted.

“Hmph~! Of course not!”

“Let's go!”

“Of course not.”

-M-me too!

-Piaeeeeee!

-Kkaeeeeee!

-Kuhahahaha! That was amazing!!!

-Mutter mutter

-Ah'm here too, y'know!

-Praise to the lord's victory!!!

Seonghyun, who was being tossed high into the air, chuckled and enjoyed the victory for a moment.

The announcer spirit also chattered on, offering congratulations, and the viewers also excitedly enjoyed the atmosphere through the chat.

To seize victory against an unbeatable foe with his vassals and have a victory ceremony with them.

Along with that romantic scene.

A final system message congratulating him appeared.

[You have won!]

[Congratulations!]

[All rewards can be received by visiting the Serul Spire Magic Tower.]

[As an additional reward, 『Galactic Sword Dance』 will be added to the Legendary grade item, 『Hero Hindel's Sword』.]

He had obtained everything.

8.

The capital of the Rieskan Kingdom.

And in the most secret room of that capital, a room that no one could enter, a powerful shock echoed.

Kuwaaaaaaah——!!!

As if something had fallen from the sky.

A massive shockwave bloomed.

But mysteriously, nothing happened to the surrounding objects or physically.

Only a small line of blood trickled from the corner of the mouth of a man lying in the secret room.

Feeling it, the man who had been lying down rose from his spot, his eyes trembling finely as if in disbelief.

The master of this secret room, the pride of the Rieskan Kingdom, and one of the nine heroes whose fame as a hero was renowned throughout the continent, the Sword Saint, Rochein Delgarte Rieskan.

As soon as he woke up, he recalled what had just happened.

‘I lost?’

An incomprehensible phenomenon.

No matter that he had only sent his consciousness and the body was like trash.

Was it possible for him to be defeated?

‘He returned…… the soul.’

He had so easily expelled his soul, which had forcibly possessed a knight named Gamu, and sent it back here.

Does this make any sense?

‘No one can interfere with the soul.’

No matter if it was a god.

No, even if it was the will of the world, higher than the gods, it cannot interfere with the soul.

The demon magic he used was a power that only dealt with his own soul.

As proof, he had made Gamu's soul stick out slightly, but he couldn't do anything to the soul itself.

Of course, the Sword Saint only knew this by a slight feeling.

He couldn't see souls, so he didn't know for sure.

But how could that brat directly interfere with a soul?

‘Is that why the will of the world didn't move?’

Because Seonghyun could return his soul anyway?

His mind became complicated.

This was also incomprehensible.

He faced another problem.

Tremble, tremble, tremble.

He felt fear and looked down at his finely trembling hand with shaken eyes.

He was scared?

Of that brat?

He couldn't believe it.

No, that couldn't be.

The Sword Saint denied the fact.

But why?

Even though his soul had been shocked.

The emotion he had felt towards Seonghyun at that moment was vivid.

An infinite sense of favor.

‘……Why do I feel like I want to help that brat…….’

Of course, now that he was back in his own body.

That emotion was gradually fading, and because he was forcibly shaking it off, he was able to come to his senses quickly.

However…

He was afraid that emotion would rise again.

The fear he felt towards Seonghyun stemmed from this emotion.

An incomprehensible phenomenon.

An Overlord who handles souls.

‘Could the previous Overlord have been the same?’

Perhaps that was the case.

Only then did he begin to understand Over Palace's behavior a little.

If he had entrusted his body to that emotion, perhaps.

‘I would have become like that too.’

However, upon returning to his physical body, he was able to regain his reason thanks to the intense magic energy.

It seems.

‘I must be careful.’

Unlike before, the Sword Saint's perceived danger level of Seonghyun had risen sharply.

Afterward, as the Sword Saint tried to rise from his spot.

Stagger.

For a moment, he lost his balance and swayed.

“……”

It seemed that the blow he took while in his soul state was the main cause.

There was no way to heal a soul.

He had to wait for it to heal naturally.

He wanted to find a capable knight right away and have Seonghyun pursued.

But if he approached in his soul state again, he didn't know what might happen this time.

He would have to send capable men.

‘They must not be noticed by Over Palace. I'll have to deal with him when he enters the territory of the Rieskan Kingdom.’

It was impossible to know how long it would take.

Moreover, even if they found him, he wondered if they could even handle him there.

But he had to try as much as he could.

Otherwise, it was clear that both the Rieskan Kingdom and he himself would be finished.

‘It seems he has noticed that I have joined hands with the demons.’

It seems he had to hurry.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘Hmm, and just in case. I should also take care of the owner of that trash-like body.’

Remembering Gamu, whose body he had borrowed.

The Sword Saint left the secret room.

Vowing revenge.

0.

Finally, the message that he could go to the Magic Tower to receive the winner's reward appeared before Seonghyun's eyes.

As if he had calmed down a bit.

He was able to come down.

After the boisterous affair passed.

When both the broadcast screen and the announcer spirit had disappeared.

He could see the Featherwing Knights belatedly rushing to Gamu.

While remaining cautious, as soon as they confirmed that the Sword Saint's energy had disappeared, they ran over with tears in their eyes.

And then.

“Senior Gamu!!!”

“H-he's alive!!!”

“H-his consciousness……!”

“Kkeu, kkeueueueu.”

Gamu, who had been unconscious, let out a small groan.

Confirming that he was alive, the Featherwing Knights embraced Gamu and shed tears.

“Keuheup. W-we're so glad you're alive.”

“We’re so glad!!!”

“Truly…… truly……”

At such a heartfelt reunion, Seonghyun tried to tactfully withdraw with his vassals.

He was worried that if he stayed, it would become awkward for everyone.

Just as Seonghyun was about to leave.

“Ex…… cuse me.”

“……?”

A shield knight suddenly stopped Seonghyun.

Seonghyun turned around, a little surprised to be called.

Were they going to hold him responsible?

Thinking that might be the case, he cautiously turned his head.

It was the opposite.

“Thank you, truly, thank you.”

“I-I never imagined you would defeat the Sword Saint.”

“……Thank you so much. For saving our senior.”

Receiving such thanks.

Seonghyun, who had just been wondering if they were going to ambush him, felt a bit embarrassed and waved his hands as if to say it was nothing.

“Ah, no, it's alright. It was a tournament, after all.”

“Still, thank you.”

“We mean it.”

“Really.”

As they all expressed their gratitude like this.

Seonghyun didn't know what to do.

At his unexpectedly awkward appearance, Helena and the vassals smiled slightly, and an embarrassed Seonghyun cleared his throat.

“Keum-heum.”

“And please be careful.”

“He is known as a hero, but……”

“He is a vile man……”

“Ah, yes, I know.”

Seeing them warn him to be careful of the Sword Saint, Seonghyun nodded in understanding.

“We will have to hide our identities and flee as well.”

“I suppose that was our fate the moment we failed our mission.”

“Player Seonghyun, please be careful too. You must be careful, even if you are an outsider.”

After hearing their plea and replying that he understood.

They all expressed their thanks repeatedly and disappeared somewhere with Gamu.

To think he would hear such things even from his own knights.

He wondered just how vile he had to be for them to say that.

Separately from that.

‘It is a bit of a shame.’

He had thought he might gain memories or experiences by squeezing the Sword Saint's soul this time.

But though he had inflicted pain in the process of squeezing it.

He hadn't gained any memories or experiences.

That was truly a bit of a shame.

Still.

‘I got Galactic Sword Dance.’

He had obtained Hindel's memories and experiences.

Isn't that enough?

‘Alright, then shall we go get the next reward?’

It was time to fulfill one of the conditions for the Necromancer Lord.