Chapter 47: The War to End Everything – 10

“This… What is this?”

An unexpected situation.

A single strike capable of reducing hundreds to dust.

Yet, it was effortlessly blocked by a single demon wielding a mere shield.

Hero Anor couldn’t help but feel overwhelming confusion.

But now, he was in the middle of the battlefield, face-to-face with the enemy.

Worse yet, he stood at the very front, leading countless allies just behind him.

There was no room for hesitation. No time for deep thought.

“Damn it!”

Anor swung his sword once more.

He didn’t understand what kind of trickery was at play, but rather than standing around hesitating, he chose to strike again.

This time, he was certain—this strike would turn the demon before him into dust…

—Clang!

“!”

Yet again, just like before, his attack was deflected midway.

Not only Anor but also the soldiers following behind him began to fall into shock and disbelief.

“W-What…?”

“How could the Hero’s attack… Ugh!”

Their bold attempt to break through the enemy lines.

Stopped before it could even begin.

And before they could figure out how to respond.

The demons moved first.

“Surround them!”

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

Like a beast with its jaws wide open, the demons swiftly encircled the advancing Imperial Army.

They began tearing into the panicked soldiers, devouring them whole.

“D-Don’t panic! Push forward and—Ugh!”

—Clang!

Desperately, Anor swung his sword again, trying to rally the soldiers.

But once more, his strike was blocked by the shield and bounced off powerlessly.

“You… You bastard!”

Consumed by rage, Anor’s attacks grew faster and more relentless.

However, the opponent before him effortlessly deflected each strike with a mere swing of his shield.

“Die! Just die already! How—how could a wretch like you withstand an attack infused with Brynac’s power?!”

His fury and desperation intensified.

As he swung his sword wildly in a frenzy, he finally noticed something.

The demon standing before him.

The very one blocking him with nothing but a shield.

The unmistakable calm in his expression.

A look of sheer confidence.

“Wh… What… What the hell are you…? What are you—Gaaahhh!!!”

“…”

At that moment, an unbearable pain tore through Anor’s body.

The repeated failed attacks.

The backlash of the souls sealed within Brynac.

They had begun to revolt inside him.

“Kh…!”

Anor clenched his trembling hands, trying to suppress the pain.

Though he barely managed to endure it, his face had already turned deathly pale.

In contrast.

The demon watching him.

No.

Demon Lord Kesar.

A faint smile played on his lips.

Black Star Season 8 – The True Antagonist

The secret mastermind of Black Star Season 8 was none other than the Emperor himself, who had long acted as the protagonist’s benefactor.

Outwardly, he greeted the Hero’s party with a smile, but deep down, he had grown increasingly wary of the Hero’s rising influence.

And the moment he believed all threats to his Empire were eliminated.

He immediately moved to purge the Hero and his companions.

It was during this process that the true final boss emerged.

Anor Lond.

The Emperor’s Sword.

There seemed to be some unresolved connection between him and Professor Mari, but by the end, it felt irrelevant, as if it didn’t matter at all.

Anor faced the Hero’s party wielding the cursed sword Brynac, which had been sealed away in the Magic Tower.

Under the pretext of “awakening its power,” he had mercilessly absorbed the souls of tens of thousands.

An entire city’s worth—without so much as blinking.

To the players, Anor had previously come across as a somewhat chivalrous figure.

But this shocking twist completely shattered that perception.

And Brynac, after devouring those countless souls, lived up to its name as a demon sword.

Instant death attacks for every phase.

No matter how much endgame gear you had, he could one-shot you.

Ridiculously wide attack range.

Insane movement speed—so fast that hit-and-run tactics were utterly useless.

And to make things worse.

While a single hit from him meant certain death, our attacks barely even scratched him, thanks to Brynac’s absurd power.

Unlike the Great Demon King, who at least stayed in one place, giving players small windows to breathe, Anor was the most merciless final boss of Season 8.

Because of him, countless players—including me—spent weeks agonizing over this hopeless final battle.

But then…

We finally realized something.

For all the talk of Anor being utterly broken on both offense and defense.

He had one fatal weakness.

Parrying.

Despite spamming instant-kill attacks, every single one of his attacks could be parried.

Of course, if you messed up just once, you’d get one-shotted.

But with the right special mechanic, landing several successful parries would instantly shave off at least 25% of his otherwise unstoppable health bar.

In other words.

Anor was actually a gimmick boss.

And right now.

The Anor standing before me…

Though the timing was slightly different, he was nearly identical to the one I had faced back then.

The final boss of Season 8.

Just as in the original game, he had completely busted attack power.

Even though I now had the body of the Demon Lord, a direct hit from Brynac would still mean instant death.

But I had fought him dozens of times.

Every week, without fail.

Anor was my “weekly chore” boss.

I knew all his patterns.

Every attack.

Every opening.

And parrying him?

It was as easy and natural as breathing.

And so.

“You… You bastard! How long are you going to keep defending?! Fight me! Draw that sword at your waist and strike me down already!”

“…”

Anor yelled, screaming the exact same line from the original game when players only used shields to fight him.

I simply stared at him, cold and indifferent.

This man had sacrificed tens of thousands of souls.

Not just enemies.

His own allies.

All for the sake of “strengthening his weapon.”

A lunatic.

A psychopath.

And for people like him…

I felt not even a speck of mercy.

“RAAAAAAHHH!!!”

Enraged once more, Anor swung his sword furiously.

And right at that perfect moment.

I swung my shield.

—CLANG!!!

“GRRRAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!”

Anor howled in agony.

Ah…

That’s the berserk pattern.

The Imperial Army’s Fatal Miscalculation

The Imperial forces had placed all their faith in the Hero, launching an all-out reckless assault.

But now.

The very centerpiece of their strategy was completely immobilized—
Unable to break through the enemy lines, let alone lead the charge.

As a result, the Imperial Army, poised for an advance, had now fallen into chaos.

And the demons did not miss this opening.

“Crush them!”

“Leave no human alive!”

Under the relentless assault of the Demon Lords and their generals, the Imperial Army was utterly annihilated.

They had committed everything to an all-out offensive—only to be met with a devastating counterattack.

Without even forming proper battle formations, and with the majority of their ranks consisting of poorly trained militia, their collapse was inevitable.

The Great Demon King’s Attention

Yet, amidst the massacre.

A lone figure lurked among the demons, concealing their identity while casting spells.

However, Great Demon King Kaya’s gaze was not on the Imperial soldiers being slaughtered.

His focus was elsewhere.

‘…CHEtot…’

At the very center of the battlefield.

Despite the widespread bloodshed, an open space had formed.

Drawing countless eyes to its eerie stillness.

The Hero, wielding the cursed sword Brynac.

And facing him.

Demon Lord Kesar.

Even against a foe that Kaya himself would not take lightly, Kesar had not retreated an inch.

Instead, he had matched the Hero blow for blow, holding the line with perfect precision.

And yet.

Though Kesar had done nothing but defend, the difference was already clear.

The Hero, having recklessly forced Brynac’s power beyond his limits, was visibly deteriorating.

While Kesar, who had effortlessly deflected every attack, showed not a single sign of strain.

If anything…

He looked at ease.

But this wasn’t simply because Kesar’s strength overpowered Brynac.

No.

This was pure technique.

With godlike precision, he interrupted Brynac’s activation at the exact moment its power surged.

Severing its flow and disrupting its effects before they could manifest.

As he took in the scene before him…

A strange feeling stirred within Great Demon King Kaya.

He had known Kesar was formidable.

But he hadn’t expected this level of mastery.

“I knew he wasn’t ordinary… but to think he was this skilled…”

“No wonder Adolf was so wary of him…”

Yet, despite this realization.

He felt no displeasure.

Instead, what arose within him was a sense of.

Intrigue.

As he continued to half-heartedly manage his own battle, his gaze remained firmly locked onto Kesar.

There was something irresistibly captivating about that clash.

And he wanted to engrave this moment into his memory.