"Number 11 Narita Taishin and Number 6 Mejiro Ryan have started their sprint—" The commentator had just finished speaking when he saw the Demon King at the very back also move out of her lane. "Number 9 Gold Ship has also moved out! Is the Demon King going to exert force now?!"
The commentator's voice made all the runners freeze for a moment. In particular, Seiun Sky, who was currently in the lead, looked as if she had seen a ghost upon hearing this news, her face filled with terror.
'Impossible! How could that arrogant Demon King possibly exert force at a time like this?!' Seiun Sky was dumbfounded. Her original tactic was specifically designed to exploit the Demon King's overconfidence. But now, if the Demon King started pushing before the race even reached the middle stage, Seiun Sky had zero confidence in dealing with her in this state.
It shouldn't be like this! Damn it, what is that Demon King thinking?!
Seiun Sky gritted her teeth, her expression twisted as she stared at the track ahead. She wanted to run faster, wanted to open up a bigger gap with the runners behind her. But after the skill effect wore off, she could clearly feel the pressure of wind resistance growing stronger. While running, she could distinctly feel the burden of being stuck at her physical limit, unable to burst forth with her previous speed.
'No... if I want to win, I must run faster!'
Her usual lazy attitude vanished completely. What appeared on Seiun Sky's face now was a hunger for victory.
However, the fear of the Demon King in her heart kept Seiun Sky stuck at that limit line, preventing her mind from sinking deeper and entering that realm.
Two intense auras appeared behind Seiun Sky at this moment.
Seiun Sky knew they were Mejiro Ryan and Narita Taishin. These two had chased up from the back of the pack. Although she couldn't feel the Demon King's aura yet, that Demon King was probably right behind these two, wasn't she? Damn it! Did the actions of these two guys attract the Demon King over here? My tactic is completely useless now!
'Even so, I don't want to lose!'
Driven by her emotions, Seiun Sky used her Unique Skill directly. Her speed increased again, momentarily opening up the distance with the runners behind her. But this time, Narita Taishin and Mejiro Ryan behind her chose not to burst. instead, maintaining their "Tides" state, they watched expressionlessly as Seiun Sky self-destructed.
'She has already lost,' Narita Taishin thought calmly.
If Seiun Sky had managed to stay calm at this moment and chosen to save her trump card, she might still have had a sliver of a chance at the end. But using her trump card now... this bit of distance wasn't enough to influence the outcome of the race. Doing this not only wasted stamina for nothing but also exhausted all her moves. It could be said to be a completely futile effort, giving away her last bit of winning chance.
Mejiro Ryan couldn't help but shake her head either.
'Is it because she couldn't sit still after hearing the news that the Demon King was catching up...'
She could understand Seiun Sky's thoughts. After all, her own feelings were quite similar. When she heard the commentator say the Demon King was charging up behind them, she, too, had a premonition of her defeat. She had also considered venting her frustration in desperation, but in the end, she suppressed that dangerous thought.
Even if the situation was dire, there was at least a 10% chance of winning. But if she gave up on herself, she would be throwing the race away completely. For this race, she still wanted to struggle a bit longer.
Without an astonishing aura, without activating skills or a domain, the Demon King simply used the techniques she had recently learned and, relying solely on her powerful physical stats, forced her way right behind Narita Taishin and Mejiro Ryan.
Regarding Seiun Sky's self-destructive behavior, Demon King Ship's expression was cold.
Even if one masters skills, if they cannot withstand the pressure, they are ultimately just trash.
Moreover, Seiun Sky's tactic seemed laughable to her.
This kind of tactic depended entirely on the opponent's mood. If the opponent didn't cooperate, it couldn't be executed at all.
And even if she cooperated with Seiun Sky's tactic the whole way, she didn't think Seiun Sky could succeed.
After all, Seiun Sky hadn't learned any skills for the middle stage, and stamina consumption was also an issue. Although the stamina cost of skills was small, it wasn't zero. Even if she let Seiun Sky lead in the early game, Seiun Sky's speed would definitely drop by the latter half of the middle stage.
Did Seiun Sky actually think she could outrun the Demon King in the final stage just by relying on that Unique Skill?
Don't be ridiculous. Even if the Demon King held back, when it came to victory or defeat, she would get a little serious.
In Demon King Ship's view...
There was only one way for her opponents to beat her.
That was for all the runners to unite and deal with her alone.
Only by doing this would her opponents possess a 10% chance of winning.
Just minding their own business and running their own race was meaningless when competing against her. After all, she was the Demon King!
'Do I have to say it out loud for you to realize this?'
Demon King Ship felt somewhat resigned. She thought these guys would realize this on their own, since they had tried to team up against her before. But looking at it now, it seemed these guys had gotten cocky after learning a few basic skills, really thinking they could outrun the Demon King with just those basics.
'It's because this great one has been too easy on you lately that you have such delusions.'
A flash of bright red suddenly erupted from Demon King Ship's purple eyes.
[Demon King's Aura] descended.
The terrifying aura dealt a direct mental impact to all opponents in the race.
Unlike the Demon King's Domain, the Demon King's Aura was a map-wide attack. Although its power was inferior to the Domain, and it had little effect on runners with powerful mental strength, the intensity of this skill was still that of a top-tier "Gating" (Debuff) skill.
So far, Demon King Ship had only seen Trêve successfully withstand the Demon King's Aura. Unlike the Domain's 100% hit rate, a skill's hit rate was determined by the status of both parties, and also had a certain degree of randomness.
But what level of runner was Trêve?
That was a world-class runner.
Trêve could withstand it because she had the strength.
But in this race, was there any runner that strong?
The answer was obvious.
Seiun Sky, who was running at the very front in self-destruct mode, took the heaviest hit. Not only was her Unique Skill effect terminated, but her speed also plummeted instantly. The terrifying pressure forced her directly back to calmness, cold sweat pouring down her face.
Mejiro Ryan and Narita Taishin's breathing also became heavy. If not for the fact that the awakening phase of the "Zone" amplified mental strength, they would likely have fallen into a "heavy" (gravity) state like the other runners.
...
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