What was that thing? A club?
It was thicker than an adult man's waist, its surface uneven and rugged. The dull yellow color made it look plain and unremarkable—almost like a deep-fried chicken drumstick.
Except this "drumstick" was large enough to smash a person's head apart like a watermelon.
Something like this… something like this…
"Hahahahaha—!"
Conrad rarely laughed this hard unless he genuinely couldn't hold it in anymore.
"You're going to fight me with that? A stick you picked up from who knows where?"
He wiped the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he spoke.
"I think I understand your logic. If slashing attacks don't work, then switch to blunt force? What a shame… this still—"
Suddenly, Conrad's lower body dissolved into black mist, surging forward like a giant serpent as he roared:
"Useless!"
Boom!
Gapar brought the club crashing down from above, instantly shattering the ground beneath him. But Conrad split into two streams of black smoke, slipping past both sides of Gapar's body before reforming behind him and slashing down with both swords!
No ordinary person could react to that speed.
Clang—!
The twin blades slammed heavily against the massive club, carving two shallow notches into its uneven surface.
Not only was Conrad fast—his attacks carried terrifying force as well.
"You've gotten stronger. You actually reacted to that. That move killed the Southern Sword Saint in a single strike."
His body was smashed apart by the club, only to immediately reform and continue attacking. Looking closely, his techniques really did resemble those of the Sword Saints—
Only more cunning.
More unpredictable.
…and even faster than when Gapar first appeared.
In terms of Sein's leveling system, he was around level 180—and specialized entirely in strength and speed.
Of course, levels weren't everything.
As a hybrid, Conrad's physique vastly surpassed Gapar's. His body had remained in peak condition over an abnormally long lifespan, unlike the Sword Saint, whose body was already beginning to decline with age.
"Now then, let's return to the topic—why I came to see you."
Conrad fought evenly against Gapar, who had already revealed his current strength. Gapar couldn't truly injure him, while Conrad could at least deal minor wounds in return.
At this rate, the battle looked destined to become a war of attrition.
"You know this too, don't you? The demon race survives through dozens—sometimes hundreds—of scattered tribes. Their relationships are barely held together by priests. This kind of civilization is far too primitive. It can never bring out their true potential."
For some reason, he raised his right arm toward the sky and declared dramatically:
"They need unified leadership. They need to end this fragmented existence. They need a king to rule them…"
"…they need me!"
"The Demon King's revival is nothing but a vague myth. But as a descendant of that bloodline, I possess the rightful legitimacy to lead them—and the power to do so!"
"But other bloodlines think the same way. You probably don't know this, but there are countless descendants carrying Demon King blood. Many live hidden within human kingdoms—just like I once did, wandering through life without purpose."
"I awakened and gained power… but so did others. Those bastards grew up inside demon tribes and gained support naturally. I didn't!"
At this point, his emotions visibly flared.
"I finally managed to establish contact with a priest—a real one, someone with access to the Great Demon Tree's memories. With his help, I would've succeeded!"
"But that bastard suddenly killed himself for no reason!"
"They claimed he committed suicide after communing with the Great Demon Tree? Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that excuse! It had to be another bloodline descendant!"
"So now I need another way to gain support, which means—"
Conrad split into multiple black mist arms, unleashing a storm of eight-blade attacks at Gapar.
"I'll just have to borrow your head, Gapar—and use it as the stepping stone toward my throne!"
The black mist forming his body churned more violently, reflecting his growing excitement and ambition.
His movements flickered like Mirian.
His swordsmanship resembled a puppet soldier's madness.
And his mental state felt comparable to Ludwig's first phase.
Damn it—where's the equipment the Radiant Falcon Order promised me? That bastard broke his word again. If I had it already, this battle would've ended long ago!
Just then—
"So all of this was for something so trivial."
Gapar suddenly swung the club, generating a hurricane strong enough to distort even Conrad's mist-like body.
Conrad immediately sensed something was wrong.
A bad feeling rose within him—but he refused to believe it.
"Aren't you going to use your equipment? I've been waiting."
"How do you know—"
Gapar inhaled deeply.
His skin suddenly turned red. Blood boiled beneath his flesh. His white hair began growing longer, blazing like fire, and his gaze gradually became more beast-like.
"Awooooo—!"
A wolf's howl burst from his throat uncontrollably.
Before the sound had even finished echoing—
Gapar vanished.
This was the first time he had ever activated the wolf blood within him.
In the next instant, Conrad's twin swords shattered beneath a heavy strike, fragments scattering like snow.
His eyes widened as he searched desperately for Gapar—
…but saw nothing.
Instead, his body was being attacked continuously from all directions.
A normal battle between experts would go something like this:
"The opponent disappears, reappears somewhere else, then attacks."
But Gapar never reappeared.
His speed had reached such an absurd level that it was as though he had stepped into an invisible dimension entirely.
Every strike tore through Conrad's mist body like the jaws of a beast. Wounds appeared and regenerated endlessly. He had no opportunity to retaliate—only to continuously restore himself.
Impossible…
How did this old man suddenly become this strong?
A month ago, he definitely would've lost to me!
"Gapar!" Conrad shouted.
"Is this fun for you?! Your attacks don't work on me! How many times do I have to say it?! They don't work!"
"Then what about this?"
Gapar's voice suddenly sounded from directly behind him.
Conrad's face lit up.
Black mist condensed instantly into a sharpened blade as he spun around.
"Idiot, you fell for it—huh?"
His body froze.
Even the writhing mist around him stopped moving.
Because what he saw…
…completely shattered his understanding of reality.
Blue magical light illuminated his face.
Gapar stood behind him, smiling faintly while holding the massive club upright like a staff.
Around it formed a gigantic hammer of magic.
One glance was enough to understand—
This hammer could bring peace to the entire world.
"[Gavel of Haima]!"
Under Conrad's stunned gaze, the giant hammer—originating from the peace-loving Haima classroom of Raya Lucaria—came crashing down.
The magical light scorched the black mist, causing Conrad to scream in agony.
"Impossible! How can you use magic?! You don't have the talent for it!"
"Why?"
Hearing that question, countless scenes flashed through Gapar's mind:
His weapons destroyed by rust monsters.
Being killed by Basilisk poison mist.
Getting tormented by roguelike traps.
His unforgettable exchanges with the demi-human Sword Saint.
Those helpless nights beneath the full moon.
Crossing blades amid flames with the Ashen Ones…
His lips twitched slightly.
"Because I crawled through hell."
"AAARGH!"
Conrad screamed as the hammer smashed him out of mist form and sent him flying.
But the moment he saw the Sword Saint chasing after him, he immediately transformed again, widening the distance while launching endless black projectiles in return.
The battle instantly turned into a bullet hell.
Keep your distance…
That hammer requires charge time…
I can dodge—
And just as he thought that—
Gapar suddenly raised both hands to his forehead and shouted:
"Solar Flare!"
A blinding flash exploded across Conrad's vision.
"MY EYES!"
Though the blindness only lasted a moment, Conrad remained confident—
Until he saw Gapar cast another spell completely outside the hammer's range.
The giant club transformed into a massive magical greatsword.
[Carian Greatsword]!
A flash of light cut across the battlefield—
And half of Conrad's body instantly turned to ash.
His thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Why had Gapar surpassed him in only a month?
Where had he learned such bizarre magic?
And—
Was he actually about to die here?!
Overwhelmed in raw stats. Completely outplayed mechanically. Half his body gone.
This was absolute danger.
How had a guaranteed victory turned into total defeat?
Think… think!
Ah—got it!
Just as the magical greatsword was about to split him in half—
Conrad roared.
A purple star appeared above him, opening a single eye and mouth as it spewed endless nebulae into the world.
"!"
Gapar instantly sensed danger and retreated.
Boom!!!
The explosion shook the land for miles around. Dust rose like a towering wall of smoke.
---
"G-General… are we going to survive this?" soldiers cried out inside Titan Fortress.
"D-Don't worry…"
The general trembled beneath a desk.
"Usually… this is their final move…"
But when the smoke finally cleared—
Gapar still stood there.
Naked.
His armor had been completely destroyed.
From the distance, Conrad's voice echoed out:
"Heh… doesn't feel very good, does it?"
A purple star hovered above him, continuously gathering power.
"This is legendary magic!"
The sky darkened, filling with eerie purple stars.
Each one possessed an eye.
"This ends now!"
The star descended.
Gapar raised the glowing silver shield in his hand.
"So you mentioned… a god?"
Then—
I'll shine brighter.
"[Thops' Barrier]!"
The falling cosmos collided with the shield.
Silence.
Then—
Light.
Far away, the general stared upward in disbelief as he grabbed his communicator.
"Th-the sky… it's bright again…"
And deep within the distant rift—
A final, agonized scream echoed out.
The battle…
…was over.