A feeling of inferiority was commonplace. There was probably not a single person alive that'd ever not felt jealous of another. Then there was the all too common feeling of greed associated with it; the 'what if' I was there instead.

Nazaran was all too familiar with these feelings.

A priest of Saru's caliber would inevitably make those around him feel that way. Saru was just that gifted.

Was it too much to ask for to become Mahakan's successor? No, it wasn't!

However, Nazaran's inferiority complex, jealousy, and greed had gone too far, resulting in this tragedy.

The Evil God's High Priest, Amak, had implanted a seed within Nazaran, which only intensified and brought those emotions to the surface; so much so that Nazaran was no longer able to repress them!

In the end, Nazaran's willpower momentarily crumbled, allowing Amak to control him via the Evil God's seed.

After that, Nazaran betrayed them all, stealing Nemeth's Skull and escaping the Great Temple of Rakan. However, Nazaran was no traitor.

He slowly put himself back together amidst the Evil God Worshippers, and was able to think logically once more.

However...!

All that awaited him was horrific torture, drugging, and magic brainwashing. In the end, they completely destroyed his mind, and he became nothing more than a beast.

But he retained the skills he'd learned under Mahakan. After all, his body remembered the training he'd gone through.

Nazaran had been completely destroyed by Amak's evil plot.

And...!

This horrible tragedy culminated in the meeting of student and master.

"Uoooh!"

Nazaran was no longer capable of human speech. His mind had been completely shattered.

However, he was able to move his fists no problem. Those fists were heading straight for his master, Mahakan.

Whoosh!

Mahakan avoided the fist with quick steps. Contrary to his light feet, however, it felt like a heavy rock was weighing down his heart.

'Nazaran...' Mahakan saw him up close, and realized that he wasn't in good shape. It was clear, even by just hearing the bestial shrieks he uttered.

There were also signs of torture all over his body, as well as shackles around his wrists and ankles. He was certain that the bronze helmet hid the scars he'd sustained from the torture.

Mahakan could guess what he'd been through. He knew that he was no traitor too.

Nazaran hadn't gone rogue, and he had certainly not joined the Evil God Worshippers either. He'd acted against his will.

Obviously, Mahakan wanted to save his student.

"Nazaran, Nazaran! Come to your senses! Please!" Mahakan yelled desperately.

However, all he got in return was a savage cry and a fist.

Mahakan couldn't bear to attack him. He just kept dodging his blows.

"Nazaran, it's me, Mahakan! Your teacher! Please come to your senses!" Mahakan's voice was filled with regret. "Nazaran! Please..."

"Uoooh!"

However, his pleas went unanswered.

'This won't work.'

Mahakan changed his approach.

Bam!

His fist struck Nazaran's stomach.

"Ugh."

Nazaran's body shook. It was only natural. This was a Master Monk's punch.

Mahakan bit his lip. He didn't want to hit him either, but he needed to shock him. After all, words weren't working.

"Nazaran! Get a hold of yourself!" Mahakan yelled. "Please!"

Faith will move a mountain, or so they say.

"M-Master...?"

For the first time today, Nazaran uttered human speech.

"Yeah, it's me. Nazaran, I'm your teacher, Mahakan!"

Mahakan's face brightened. Perhaps... there was a chance that he'd be able to save Nazaran.

"Master... what exactly happened... Uaaahk!" Nazaran knelt down, lay face down like a dog, and grabbed his head. Then, he began writhing around.

"Nazaran!" Mahakan tightly grabbed onto him and yelled strongly. "You have to stay strong! You're my student, the Steel Monk, Nazaran! Don't forget that!"

At that moment...

Bam!

Nazaran's fist struck Mahakan's chest.

"Keheok." Mahakan stared at Nazaran's fist and cried out.

It was strange. His body was well trained. There was no way Nazaran's fist would pierce through his chest, no matter how much he'd let down his guard.

Plus, his body felt as if it were being drained.

Evil energy was spreading through his body via Nazaran's fist.

"Na...zaran?" Mahakan said.

"Hehehe." Nazaran laughed wickedly. On second thought, it wasn't Nazaran's voice at all.

It was the Evil God's High Priest, Amak!

The seed he'd implanted within Nazaran's body was still there, and Amak could take control of him, especially now that Nazaran's willpower was broken.

All this time, Amak had been speaking, not Nazaran. He had merely acted as though he were Nazaran.

And once Mahakan approached him, he had launched a fatal attack using the evil energy radiating from the seed.

"Garup, finish him off!" Amak ordered, speaking through Nazaran's body.

"Understood!" Garup, who'd transformed into a hideous demon, quickly came over.

"No!"

"High Priest!"

The brigade's soldiers and paladins threw themselves at Garup. However, the Evil God Worshippers and demons prevented them from getting any closer.

Lick.

The demonized Garup licked his lips with his long tongue. Ordinary people probably wouldn't know this, but people, or human flesh, had certain 'grades'. The more powerful the prey, the more tasty their flesh was. Thus, Mahakan's flesh was top-tier to a cannibal like Garup.

Drool fell from his lips.

'It's been a while since I've had a good meal.'

Mahakan was busy preventing the Evil God's energy from spreading any further, so he was unable to prevent Garup from biting the back of his neck.

Chomp!

Mahakan's eyes widened. Veins popped out of his neck and forehead.

Garup attacked with his claws next. His claws were sharper than any ordinary dagger.

Swish!

His ten claws cut through the flesh in between Mahakan's ribs. Mahakan felt horrendous pain wash over his entire body. It was like he could see his death approaching.

'Nazaran!'

He didn't mind dying. However, he couldn't die without saving Nazaran first.

'I may not be able to save him, but... I can free him from their control, so that he can't be used any further.'

Whoosh.

Bright light glowed from his body.

Self-Sacrifice!

This skill imparted one with power in exchange for their life; power that would allow them to perform a miracle!

Bam!

Mahakan's body exploded in a pillar of light.

* * *

Twin horns of ice sprouted from his black beast mask!

Kang Oh, who'd demonized with Ubist and Sarahoff in hand, cut through the demons and Evil God Worshippers. None were able to stop him.

Boom!

Abyss Claw!

Yuki-Onna's Breath!

The jet-black blast split into three, resembling a beast's claw, and scraped through the floor. Meanwhile, a cold beam of energy flew from above.

The two auras either ripped the demons apart or froze them solid.

Kang Oh didn't stop there. He aggressively charged at Umtara.

Kuhaahk!

A demon with an unusually large right arm swung its fist downwards.

His Hyper Intuition had already warned him beforehand, so he dodged the fist, got in close, and then leapt into the air.

Swish!

He swung his swords with such speed that several sword scars appeared on the demon's body.

Countless other demons swarmed him too. They would attack with their claws and teeth, of course, while some of them spat sharp needles or poison at him.

However, none could stop him.

"Stop him!"

"Stop the heretic!"

The Evil God Worshippers, who'd turned bronze, unleashed the Evil God's energy from their fists.

Impending Doom!

Wheel of Horrendous Pain!

However, they didn't work. After all, Kang Oh's curse resistance was extremely high.

Roar!

Blackish flames, or hellfire, came flying at him too. This was one of the Evil God Worshippers' spells.

"Hmph!" Ubist cleaved right through it, and then promptly absorbed it as a snack.

After that, the Evil God Worshippers continuously bombarded him with spells.

Jaila's Fatal Poison!

Bronze Spear!

Ruin Bringing Shockwave!

Etc, etc.

Even Kang Oh couldn't dodge or absorb all of these spells. But he didn't have to. He wasn't alone, after all.

Helena's magic, Bart's fusion skill, Sephiro's arrow, and Darion's aura came flying at the Evil God Worshippers' spells.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

It was quite the spectacle.

A true battlefield was rife with misery and despair, but they were within a game right now. And it wasn't just any game; it was a fantasy game. Thus, there was much to see within a battlefield like this one.

This held true for Helena's magic and Bart's skills too, as they were extremely showy.

Lightning fell from the sky, flame pillars erupted from the ground, and countless ice spears and tsunamis came rushing at their enemies!

Bart's Ice and Fire Giants roamed across the battlefield too.

While his allies guarded him and distracted their enemies, Kang Oh aimed for Umtara.

"You ridiculous bastard!" Umtara mocked. Becoming a disciple had made him quite arrogant.

Whoosh.

A dark blue flame rose from his body. This was the power of Annihilation, which burnt everything in existence!

Kang Oh's eyes gleamed. 'As I expected.'

He had seen this energy before. During the western race war, the Troll Great Chieftain, Razul, had become a disciple of the Evil God and had been bestowed with the same power.

'I should be careful. But that's all.'

He'd already fought against it before. He knew how powerful it was. Of course, he knew how to deal with it too!

"Die!" Umtara yelled sharply.

Annihilation Spear!

Spinning dark blue energy shot at Kang Oh. As expected, however, it wasn't very fast. That was the critical weakness that the power of Annihilation possessed.

"It's slow!" Kang Oh dodged the spear, and vertically swung Sarahoff.

Although Umtara's body was covered with the dark blue flame, it didn't help him.

Tempest Tiger!

The tiger, which radiated clear golden light, raised its front paw and pounced on Umtara.

Kuheong!

Bam!

Tempest Tiger hit him dead on. However, it couldn't deal much damage to him.

Due to the power of Annihilation, Tempest Tiger's damage was weakened considerably. Its auxiliary effect, the raging whirlwind, more than made up for it. The main attack had weakened the power of Annihilation significantly.

Kang Oh briefly withdrew his body, but quickly stood up straight and swung Sarahoff.

Sarahoff was as light as always. Add to that...

Transcendent Blade!

"Uheok!" Umtara cried out, feeling pain at the center of his chest.

However, this was only the beginning. Kang Oh quickly swung Ubist upwards.

Lightning Breath!

Crackle!

The flames of Annihilation rose to protect its master like a swarm of ants trying to protect their home.

This time too, the power of Annihilation was weakened by Kang Oh's primary attack, so he unleashed a secondary attack with Sarahoff.

Slash!

Kang Oh cut the same area again.

Unwilling to be the recipient of a one-sided beat down, Umtara widened his eyes and unleashed a blast of Annihilation energy.

Bam!

The Annihilation energy rippled outwards. In exchange for its incredible power, however, it was extremely slow.

Kang Oh leapt backwards and avoided the wave. Then, he stomped on the ground.

Frozen Spike!

Bam!

Sharp chunks of ice surged from beneath Umtara's feet. Because he'd just unleashed the wave of Annihilation, he was completely defenseless.

"Uhaaahk!"

Yes, it hurt, but the scream was also one of rage, as Kang Oh was beating him so one-sidedly.

But what could he do about it? He was no match for Kang Oh from the start.

Plus, it hasn't been long since he'd become one of the Evil God's Disciples, so he wasn't able to use the power of Annihilation to its fullest yet.

'I'll finish him off quickly, and then end this battle.'

Darkness rose from behind him, which consumed his form.

Abyss Transfer!

He immediately reappeared behind Umtara.

'This is the end!'

Whoosh!

Demon Sword Ubist shook.

Abyss Predator!

The dark abyss which consumed everything in its path; the demon sword unleashed a wave of darkness that spread like a wildfire.

"N-No!"

Umtara tried to gather as much energy as he could, but Abyss Predator was like a black hole that consumed even the power of Annihilation itself.

However...

It ended in disappointment.

All of a sudden, an oval portal appeared beneath Umtara's feet.

"Uheot!"

Umtara, who was half consumed by the darkness, was sucked into the portal! Of course, the darkness flowed through the portal too. However, the portal closed halfway through the attack, so it wasn't able to show its true power.

"Tch." Kang Oh had a bitter taste in his mouth.

He knew that one of the disciples possessed the ability to teleport. It was Bewitching Sora!

She had shown up all of sudden and had saved her comrade.

However...

"Huh?" Kang Oh rubbed his eyes and stared at her again. "Hey, there are two of her."

Bewitching Sora!

There were two witches in front of him, both wearing the same black dress.