It would be a battle of endurance. Grid predicted that it would take at least an hour to raid Hell Gao. First of all, Hell Gao’s attack pattern was too difficult. It was the first time he had experienced such a diverse, extensive, and irregular pattern. It was possible to cope by maintaining the Transcend state as much as possible to freely use Shunpo, but that meant the overconsumption of stamina. It would only lead to self-destruction.

‘Stamina is always a problem.’

Attack power and survivability could be covered with items. The problem was that stamina was different. Stamina often held him back, so he gradually felt irritable. In the end, Grid decided it was best to rely on Mercedes’ Keen Insight. However, following Mercedes’ order led him to moving one step behind Mercedes and it was difficult to find a chance to strike compared to fighting on his own.

Furthermore, his ultimate skills like Sky and the five fusion sword dances struck, but didn’t exert as much power as he thought. Hell Gao’s abilities were above Grid’s even though he lost his body, borrowed the body of a demonic creature, and hadn’t fully recovered his magic power. This was the majestic power of a single digit great demon.

‘...I thought I would die first.’

Grid hadn’t expected this type of development. Hell Gao’s ultimate attack that was used the moment he entered phase two ended up making the raid easier. Hell Gao had all 33 of his spells returned to him and his health gauge quickly reached the bottom. The combination of a transcendent person who recognized all attacks and Flower Revolve that reflected all attacks in the field of view could be described as the realm of art.

“Kukuk...! Kukukuk!!”

Was it because the shock was too big? Hell Gao became bloody and suddenly burst out laughing. Hell Gao’s remaining health was less than three-tenths. It was so small that it wouldn’t be strange if he entered the final phase.

Yes, the raid wasn’t over yet. The real battle was starting from now on. Grid and Mercedes were tense and tightened their grips on their weapons. Meanwhile, Hell Gao lay there and watched the blue petals.

“What a trivial thing.” Hell Gao wasn’t talking to the humans. The words were for the owner of the body that he had borrowed for a while.

“......!”

“......!”

Grid and Mercedes were stunned. It was because Hell Gao talked to himself and then dug at his own eyes with a sharp hand. The red, bloodshot eyeballs were pulled out and rolled around in his hand.

“It is useless to have eyes that can’t even see the speed of the magic that I shot.”

Hell Gao’s body was engulfed in flames that moved like living creatures as his body slowly rose and stood upright. He tightly grasped the eyes he pulled out and caused them to burst. Then he stood still and started to breathe deeply.

“Sigh.”

Hwaruk!

“Sigh.”

Hwaruruk.

Every time Hell Gao took a breath, the burning fire around his body gradually subsided. He killed the pressure that seemed like it would burn the whole world, and became smaller and quieter. Then he disappeared completely.

“Haaaah...”

In the end, black smoke emerged from Hell Gao’s mouth and nose as he let out a breath. His face, chest, neck, back, shoulders, arms, pelvis, and legs—Hell Gao’s shell fell apart. The exposed flesh burned red like lava while the wriggling blood vessels were burning black.

This was Hell Gao’s magic—fire itself. Hell Gao absorbed it into his body and the demonic creature’s body started collapsing because it couldn’t withstand the heat. It was the start of the final phase.

“”Human.””

Hell Gao’s vocal cords were melted and his voice became bizarre. It was torn and submerged to the point where it was hard to understand.

“”Yes, your name. What, is it?””

Grid barely recognized the words and answered, “Grid, Overgeared King Grid.”

“”I will remember.””

The first human since Muller who has given me such a great sense of helplessness.

Hell Gao was unable to say the following words. It was because his vocal cords had completely melted and disappeared. He was only breathing like a beast.

“He used magic power to temporarily maximize his physical and sensory functions.” Mercedes watched Hell Gao’s changes closely and stepped forward. “I’ll fight to buy time while Your Majesty is recovering.”

Mercedes knew that Grid was quite exhausted. It wasn’t strange to feel tired after using Shunpo several times and then entering the transcendent realm. It was the aftermath of awakening concentration and senses so great that the world seemed to be in slow motion. Didn’t he lose his breath after exchanging a few seconds of attacks and defenses with the grandmaster?

“No, we will fight together.”

Grid moved his heavy legs and stood beside Mercedes.

“In any case, isn’t he going to die soon?”

From the moment he entered the final phase, Hell Gao’s health gauge started to decrease by itself. The body that Hell Gao borrowed couldn’t handle Hell Gao’s magic power and was dying. The dying flash—the current Hell Gao was like a candle blazing at the end.

He showed a desire to bring the humans who drove him to this point down to hell with him. It was impossible for Mercedes to deal with this guy alone.

“Yes.” Mercedes didn’t continue to insist. She knew that they had a better chance of surviving together than if she struggled alone.

“Hell Gao is going to try and handle this quickly.”

Originally, they should delay time and persist. However, was it really possible? Hell Gao had increased his physical ability to the extreme so his movements...

“......!”

The speed was like lightning. Mercedes read Hell Gao’s intentions and path with Keen Insight, but she couldn’t respond perfectly. In an instant, Hell Gao narrowed the distance and kicked. This caused Mercedes’ body to fly through the air. The side of her armor dented as she coughed up blood.

Grrr...

Beast-like breathing rang in Mercedes’ ears. Hell Gao followed after her, but Mercedes’ shield was already protecting her heart. This was evidence that she read and responded to the situation in advance. If she had blocked Hell Gao’s kick with her shield then her heart would’ve been exposed to the subsequent attack. The moment Hell Gao’s fist collided with Mercedes’ shield, a huge wave of energy shook the dungeon.

“I am also aiming for a quick fight.”

The Enlightenment Sword and the Fire Dragon Sword—Grid merged the two swords into one and cut at Hell Gao’s back with Pinnacle. Then Hell Gao’s kick struck Grid’s abdomen. Hell Gao was wary of Grid’s transcendence and raised his senses to the extreme. It was impossible that he couldn’t respond to Grid’s current speed.

He just didn’t avoid it. He just attacked instead of defending. It was a mistake. The thing that Grid lacked was endurance, not health. Rather, he was grateful for Hell Gao’s response.

“Storm of the Fire God.”

Divine flames overflowed from Grid.

Hell Gao was the master of hellfire, so Grid wasn’t sure if Storm of the Fire God would affect Hell Gao. However, the use of Storm of the Fire God wasn’t just limited to suppressing the enemy. It had the beneficial effect of healing the user by 20%.

Would enemies who ran into each other on a single person wooden bridge fight like this?

Grid’s sword and armor constantly collided with Hell Gao’s body that was enhanced with magic power. The two of them didn’t try to avoid or block each other’s attacks. They just cut at each other’s flesh and bones to defeat the opponent in front of them.

Originally, Hell Gao should have the overwhelming advantage. Boss monsters, especially named bosses, had health and endurance that players couldn’t handle. If a boss monster and player struggled in a battle of consumption, then it was normal for players to lose first.

A lunatic who fought against boss monsters in this way didn’t exist in the world. Yet the positions of Grid and Hell Gao were completely reversed. Hell Gao was dying quickly without recovering. Meanwhile—

[Braham’s Shield has wrapped around your body. The shield has absorbed 25,673 damage. An additional 500 defense is obtained while the shield is retained.]

[Braham’s Shield has wrapped around your body. The shield has absorbed 25,673 damage. An additional 500 defense is obtained while the shield is retained.]

[Braham’s Shield has wrapped around...]

......

…

The health-consuming rate was relatively slow since Grid used the fusion sword dances and single sword dances Wave and Revolve with Braham’s Shield attached every time the cooldown was over. The shield also continued to be triggered due to God's Command.

Of course, it was relatively slow. Braham’s Shield couldn’t last long in front of Hell Gao’s amazing attack power that dealt at least 10,000 damage with every hit. But—

“Cray’s Power.”

Grid had the strongest vampire skill that absorbed 100% damage dealt and turned it into health. The cooldown was five minutes, but it was enough to reverse the situation with one use. Additionally, the lifesteal function of Elfin Stone’s Ring was added so Grid’s health recovery was dazzling. Storm of the Fire God maximized the power of the vampires.

However...

“Cough!”

Grid’s sword dances, Cray’s Power, and Elfin Stone’s Ring were all skills and items with a cooldown time. Unlike Katz’s lifesteal, there were gaps in Grid’s lifesteal. Hell Gao noticed it from a certain moment and accurately grasped this gap.

“Che!”

It was a critical injury at a time when Grid’s lifesteal was blocked. Grid gritted his teeth at the blood and Hell Gao finally smiled. It was at this moment...

[A great king puts his safety first.]

[The title of ‘The First King’ has created a shield equal to the health lost in the last minute.]

Grid was once again surrounded by a new shield.

“”......””

At this time, Hell Gao frowned. If his eyes were normal then he would be looking at Grid with disgust. It was like looking at a cockroach, not a human being.

“Haap!”

Mercedes’ performance was also brilliant. As Grid endured, endured, and endured, she constantly attacked Hell Gao’s vital spots and accelerated the consumption of health. She even blocked several of Hell Gao’s attacks by setting up her shield in exquisitely placed locations. If it wasn’t for her, Grid’s health would’ve decreased twice as fast.

“”......””

Before they knew it, Hell Gao’s health was reduced to one-tenth. Surprisingly, Hell Gao wasn’t nervous. It was because he knew clearly that he would die together with Grid. The moment Hell Gao abandoned his body and his eyes, his sharp senses allowed him to detect that Grid’s breathing had reached its limit.

It was the same for Mercedes. Her Keen Insight read that Grid would soon stop moving.

‘Please...! Please!’

The sweat-drenched Mercedes started to speed up. Her desire to protect Grid was sharpening the tip of her sword. Unfortunately, her attack power was limited. The advantage of a knight was that it could play all roles, but the weak point was that it couldn’t reach the peak. Her swordsmanship was unfortunately lacking in power and couldn’t inflict a fatal injury on Hell Gao. Therefore—

[Your knight ‘Mercedes’ has realized there is no meaning to a sword that can’t protect its master and has written a new chivalric code.]

[Mercedes’ attack power, critical hit probability, and probability of hitting a vital spot will increase significantly.]

The legendary knight evolved once again.

“”Kuoooh...””

Hell Gao moaned after he was stabbed by Mercedes’ sword that he had ignored. His aggro that was focused on Grid after losing a lot of health to Grid was finally dispersed. Maybe he was vigilant because he knew Grid was going to collapse soon. Unfortunately for Hell Gao, Grid had a trump card.

“Belial’s Power.”

The power of fire, the power of darkness, and the power of lies. The 32nd great demon Belial had a total of three powers. The power of fire would have no effect on Hell Gao, the master of hellfire. Even Queen’s Flames of Hell, which consumed 90% of the maximum mana, couldn’t damage Hell Gao at all. Yet Grid used the power of fire. There was only one reason...

[The passive effect ‘Fire Queen’ is activated. Stamina won’t fall while this passive is maintained.]

It was to enjoy this effect. If it was Grid from a few months ago, he would’ve focused on the powerful enemy in front of him, fought until his stamina was exhausted, and experienced defeat. However, not anymore. He met the absolute god, Hanul, and Chiyou, the unique god. Hell Gao might be strong, but he was only a ‘great demon’. Grid didn’t shrink back, maintained his normal heart, and made the best choice.

‘Two minutes.’

The final countdown had begun. He had to hold on here and defeat the enemy. Hell Gao finally seemed to become nervous. He ignored the strengthened Mercedes and exchanged several blows with Grid. Then Grid unexpectedly used Decoy. It was enough to deceive Hell Gao, who threw away his sight to awaken his senses.

Grid widened the distance as Hell Gao smashed the magical bird and reached out. His expression was firm, as if allowing no further access. “Request to Stand With Me.”

Hundreds of battle gear appeared behind Grid.

“”???””

It was now hard to describe it as the roar of a beast. Hell Gao let out sounds that could barely be understood and accelerated. He didn’t care that his tattered body could no longer endure his magic power and started to turn to ashes. He felt the weight of these ‘tools’ containing history as they were made, used, and talked about. The incoming rain of battle gear was another legend in itself. It was something that the current Hell Gao couldn’t endure.

The rain of battle gear poured down, piercing and crushing Hell Gao. Grid also flew over. Along with Mercedes, he cut the neck of Hell Gao, who was unable to move.

[The Rune of Gluttony has eaten the power of the weakened great demon Hell Gao.]

It was a short but intense message. It was news of the end of the raid.

[Hell Gao, the master of hellfire, has been successfully defeated!]

Grid and Mercedes smiled at each other as they cut Hell Gao’s neck.