The viewers scolded some of the chat messages, saying they had raised a flag, but neither Seong nor the backup teams thought that way.

They hadn’t been looking at chat in the first place.

And they hadn’t thought for a second ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) that that last attack had killed the thing.

Of course, it was the same for Seong.

Aside from Seong, the only ones here who couldn’t read the target’s energy at all were Mihael’s party.

They all knew Despair’s energy was still lingering, so they knew very well that it hadn’t died from just that.

Of course, even so—

“Its energy has dropped quite a lot.”

The energy it had left was, at best, around 40%?

Even that alone was actually a very troublesome level for others.

In reality, even Luna, with her Almighty-grade class, found it burdensome to deal with the Lord of Despair’s Eye on her own. If she had to fight alone, she felt like she could somehow manage, but it would definitely be heavy.

And if two people fought together?

That didn’t look easy either.

They would need at least three, up to Embris included, to be able to deal with it comfortably.

So that was why it had required at least three teams to gather?

Thinking it was interesting, Seong spoke.

“From here on, I’ll handle it.”

He thought a few of them might voice concerns at those words.

But the moment he spoke, everyone stepped back.

It went beyond deep trust and almost looked like loyalty.

It was a bit unexpected, but Seong gave a satisfied grin and stepped out in front of the thing.

This was just a part of the Lord of Despair’s body, after all.

Of course, he didn’t think the whole would be ten times stronger than this or anything.

But it was still on quite a high level.

That was why Seong stepped forward personally.

And when the viewers heard Seong’s words,

Even as they were nervous—

– He’s going to fight it alone?

– It still looks pretty intact though???

– Wow, he’s really going one-on-one with that????

– He’s insane;;;

– Where is that confidence coming from???

– But why does it feel like the Demon King is going to win, though...

– For real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ somehow I’m not even anxious.

Maybe because of what Seong had already shown them?

No one really felt anxious.

As for the few who did feel uneasy, even they watched the stream with their hearts full of anticipation, and Seong drew up darkness again.

Until now he hadn’t even drawn out half his strength.

This time, moving with the mindset that he was finally going to really fight, Seong began to move.

Perhaps the Lord of Despair’s Eye also sensed it was no ordinary foe.

It ignored everyone else and started hurling its tentacles solely at Seong.

Countless tentacles flew toward him.

But in that moment, the tentacles flying at Seong suddenly went rolling across the floor.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Tentacles poured down like rain.

Not only the Lord of Despair’s Eye, but even the viewers and the backup teams had no idea what Seong had done.

What about Mihael’s party?

“Wh-what just happened???”

“I-I don’t know???”

“S-seriously, what was that?!”

All they could do was stare until their eyes almost popped out.

They watched, wondering just what had happened.

In the meantime, the Lord of Despair’s Eye regenerated its tentacles and fired them again, filled with the energy of Despair, trying to attack Seong.

But once more, they were all cut to pieces in midair and went rolling across the floor.

A phenomenon no one could make sense of.

In that moment, Luna muttered.

“Blades?”

The word slipped out of her before she realized it.

Only then did Kyou and Embris also understand.

Seeing only the faintest traces left behind, barely perceivable at all, they swallowed hard.

They realized that darkness they couldn’t see with their eyes was spreading slowly from Seong toward the Lord of Despair’s Eye.

The darkness was stretching out quietly and very stealthily, and the Lord of Despair’s Eye, as if in a frenzy, fired its tentacles like waves.

But all the tentacles simply started rolling helplessly across the floor.

– Wh-what is this????

– What on earth is going on??????

– What even is this?????

– No but... what is this?

– Are we even playing the same game?????

– What is that????

If someone had asked, Seong would have explained very kindly.

That among the concepts within darkness, he had maximized its invisibility and secrecy, and he was currently using an invisibility that melted into the air so nothing could find it, at the same time as an obsidian-like sharp killing edge.

Even if he explained it, the vast majority would ask what the hell that was supposed to mean and demand he explain again, but that was the principle.

Its stealth was such that it was hard to sense even if you tried to feel for its presence with your eyes.

The backup teams had only barely sensed it because they were allies; if Seong hadn’t allowed it, they wouldn’t have felt even the faintest trace.

Since that was the case, Seong felt it was perfect for a test and began attacking the Lord of Despair’s Eye using darkness.

(Slice—————————)

A transparent, gigantic blade attacked the Lord of Despair’s Eye, and the Lord of Despair’s Eye, cut by that slash, thrashed as it hurled the energy of Despair at Seong.

But countless blades finely shredded that energy of Despair and returned it to nothing.

Since ancient times, many had equated darkness with death, and so darkness could absorb that energy and return it to nothing, and in fact, because the energy of Despair was being absorbed, the darkness blades touching the Lord of Despair’s Eye left it floundering in despair.

Sinking into the mire of despair, the Lord of Despair’s Eye tried to watch Seong approaching and stop him, but Seong did not stop.

Feeling all of that, the Lord of Despair’s Eye was swallowed by fear.

At the same time, when Seong fired another massive blade of darkness at it—

The Lord of Despair’s Eye, seeing the formless darkness flying toward it, closed its eyes.

(Slice.)

The blade that slashed its eye absorbed every last bit of its energy of Despair, and like something that had been blood-drained, the eye shriveled and crumbled to ash right there.

Seeing that it had truly ended in an instant, Seong nodded.

“It was easy because I had the elemental advantage.”

Darkness was one of the energies that had originally been inherent in Seong, as was Despair.

Because he was able to absorb an energy that had originally existed within him—

Seong had been able to kill it very easily.

Of course, there was no guarantee he would be able to take down the next one this easily.

The Lord of Despair’s Eye, by itself, hadn’t been particularly strong, and it had possessed few Authorities, which was why he’d been able to absorb it. But another body might be different.

That was what Seong said, in his mind.

But the others didn’t feel that way at all.

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ holy crap

– He just kills it and then goes, “I had the advantage in attributes,” ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋ you’re just strong as hell, man ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ this is killing me

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ the way he makes this sound funny

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ he completely crushed it and then says, “Yeah, I had the advantage, so I beat it,” ㅎㅎ we’re supposed to believe that’s just modesty?

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ he’s sandbagging even here

– I never imagined he’d downplay it like this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

They chattered, saying Seong was deliberately playing the weakling.

Well, from their perspective, it was perfectly understandable to feel that way.

Seong didn’t really care.

What he’d said was true, and what they said about him sandbagging was, in a way, also accurate.

It was his own little show of humility.

Anyway, after saying that, Seong looked at the camera with a slightly regretful expression.

And the viewers reacted to that ominous look.

– Wh-what’s with that face!?

– Hey, everyone just got together, we only just started!!!

– What is that face!!!!!!!

– Please tell me it’s not what I think

– ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ please...

Thinking of bad omens, the viewers cried out.

And Seong spoke as if there were nothing to be done.

“It can’t be helped. We have to hold content meetings and such, so I’m going to wrap up the stream soon.”

At those words, the viewers who had felt that sense of dread could only hold back tears.

– Noooo ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Aaaagh ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Pleaseeee ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Don’t gooooo!!!

– Who stops the stream like this!!!

– Demon King-nim, what are we supposed to do if you leave!!!

– A Demon King merciless to both enemies and viewers;;

– A Demon King with neither blood nor tears;;;

– ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ

Everyone was in an uproar.

But Seong didn’t pay any of that the slightest mind.

And looking at them, he said:

“Oh, right. I should tell you the rankings too.”

At those words, Embris’s and Kyou’s parties, who had been fighting on the 96th floor first, flinched.

Leaving Seong’s party aside, the undisputed top backup team was Luna’s party.

The difference was less than a minute.

But first place was first place.

So Kyou’s and Embris’s parties swallowed hard.

Seeing the two parties like that, the viewers also started to laugh.

Well, they’d been arguing about it earlier.

They were curious how Seong, who had been there from the start, would judge it.

– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I think Embris was faster though???

– Kyou’s party ㅋㅋㅋㅋ they’re stupid strong but their teamwork is so bad ㅋㅋㅋ they lost a ton of time

– Who won, I wonder ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– Who is it?

Just as the viewers were eagerly waiting—

Seong glanced briefly at the chat and gave a small smile as he spoke.

“First place is, of course, Luna-nim’s party, and second place was a very close race.”

– Drumroll drumroll drumroll drumroll 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

– Embris!

– Kyou!

– Kyou!

– Embris!!

– Embris!!!

– Kyou!!!

After briefly looking at the chat that had gone wild, Seong grinned and said,

“Embris-nim’s party was a little faster. First place is Luna-nim’s party, second place is Embris-nim’s party, and third place is Kyou-nim’s party. That’s how it turned out.”

At those words, all of Kyou’s team turned pale.

Meanwhile, Embris’s party—

“Yesssssss!!!”

“We won!!!!”

“Kyou, kyakakakak!!”

“We wooooon!!!!”

They all looked very satisfied even with second place, and the viewers were going wild with excitement too.

After enjoying the flood of congratulations pouring down on Embris’s party for a bit, Seong looked at the stream and said,

“Then that’s it for today. See you tomorrow.”

When Seong said that and ended the stream,

The viewers were disappointed, but they said there was nothing they could do.

Looking at the people who remained, Seong said,

“Alright then, let’s start the meeting.”