Chapter 246
When Kyou first joined the backup team, he wasn't like this.
He was just going to stay as close as possible to defeat the Demon King.
He had come in with just that mindset.
However, as he gradually adapted to the team, a slightly strange thought began to form.
Rather than seeing the Demon King as a target to be taken down.
As he began to follow, watching his back.
His perspective had changed somehow.
‘He’s a monster.’
He had already felt it to some extent.
But it had become clear.
If he had been alone, he would have never been able to catch up.
No, even now, it felt less like he had caught up and more like he was barely hanging on.
Even just leveling up wasn't easy.
Both their levels and skills rose to the point where they could feel themselves growing in real-time as a group, putting in their full effort, no, even more than that.
As they managed to accomplish as a group what he couldn't do alone.
It felt strange.
For Kyou, whose self-esteem was immense, it was a feeling he had never experienced before.
He had thought he alone was perfect and flawless.
He had deluded himself into thinking he was the only strong one.
Single Ranker?
He had thought they were just mediocre folks who had started before him.
But reality was different.
‘...I couldn’t even beat Kim Chegeon noona.’
In reality, he couldn't even easily beat that woman who had a screw loose.
His record against Kim Chegeon was nearly even.
Most were draws.
And the number of wins was similar to the number of losses.
Should he say his world had broadened?
He felt that with this team, there was nothing they couldn't do.
But the Demon King, Seonghyun, was still as elusive as trying to catch a floating cloud.
A feeling that he was still far away.
He felt that way, but he tried his best to ignore it.
That with his team, he would be able to reach him.
That they could become a proper backup team.
He thought so.
But then, Reaper appeared.
An appearance that, like Kim Chegeon, seemed to have a screw loose.
‘...They’re faster than us?’
Kyou couldn't accept it.
Faster than Kim Chegeon, Luna, and Embris.
Faster than him, too.
At that thought, for some reason, anger surged up inside him.
His team had to be the best, excluding Seonghyun.
And he was going to prove it himself.
Since those three noonim, Luna, Kim Chegeon, and Embris, were similar to him.
If he defeated Reaper, it would prove that they were also superior to Reaper.
Even if they caught the black snake faster than them, he would prove that he was stronger.
Because that's our team.
Kyou genuinely thought so and gave it his all.
‘...!’
On the other hand, Reaper, seeing Kyou, initially thought of it as a light spar.
Because Kyou looked a bit young.
He had thought it was a childish idea.
But looking into his eyes, Reaper realized.
He had to take this seriously.
In the first place, Kyou was not a simple opponent to be taken lightly.
That's why Reaper's eyes sank low.
It was at that exact moment that Seonghyun's voice rang out.
“Start.”
Along with that shout, as if all their thoughts and ideologies melted away, lightning raged in all directions.
Kyou's lightning was basically colorless.
If he had to name a color, it was white.
It could be seen as a white with a slight tinge of pale blue.
The lightning that spread in all directions dyed everything around it, thoughts, ideologies, and even brief reveries, a pure white.
From the perspective of the lightning, in an infinitely quiet and slow world.
In it, the lightning, freely swimming in all directions, tried to extend in every way.
Kyou gathered the strands of lightning into one and clenched it into a single bolt.
Then, holding the lightning he had emitted, he fired it at the man standing before him, Reaper.
Kwazzzzzzzzz---!!!
The lightning released into the air, from a single bolt, tried to spread out again in all directions, gradually widening its range.
Also, the single bolt of lightning gradually split into tens, hundreds, and thousands of strands, rushing towards Reaper.
The wave of lightning flew in, occupying all space.
But Reaper made no move.
As if it had nothing to do with him.
He stood still, and the moment the wave of lightning finally reached Reaper.
Reaper's body scattered into the air like smoke.
Was it a skill similar to the mist transformation of the vampire, Embris?
Kyou thought so for a moment, but realized that while it looked similar, it was completely different.
That thing had a physical form until just before the attack, and the moment it was attacked, its physical form vanished.
And the form of Reaper, like a scattering black mist, quickly entered Kyou's eyes.
Even though the world was bleached white.
Only in one spot was there a shadow, like a black puddle.
Kyou quickly confirmed this and sent out a bird made of lightning.
The bird of lightning, focused on speed more than any other lightning, flew in quickly, and the shadow squirmed as if startled.
To be discovered so quickly.
Reaper felt that the matchup was not very good.
But the duel had already begun.
In that moment, Reaper slipped out of the shadow and slashed at the bird of lightning with a gleaming dagger held in a reverse grip.
Swww---shk!!!
Zzzrrr---!!!
It was a bird of lightning that emitted electricity into its surroundings to shock upon being cut.
But Reaper was already gone.
His speed was exceptional.
Among the speeds Kyou had experienced so far, it was in the upper tier.
But not as fast as Kyou, who wielded lightning.
The Advent of the Thunder God he had once shown to Fiora.
Kyou forged lightning into himself, combining it with a fusion skill.
As if forging a single sword, he shaped lightning into himself and sharpened that lightning.
He was clearly a caster. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net But the current Kyou's entire nervous system was sharpened to the point where he could engage in direct combat, and his speed and physical abilities were the same.
However, he didn't use it for physical ability.
‘Faster, faster.’
He enhanced his nervous system to create a sharper and more quickly forged reaction speed.
The casting speed at which Kyou's skills were unleashed as soon as he thought of them was truly like a thunderbolt.
Soon, a storm of lightning, raging like a typhoon, flew towards Reaper, who frowned upon seeing it.
The raging storm of lightning, imbued with electricity and emitting a pure white light as it charged, was enough to sweep Reaper away, and in that situation, Reaper stretched his body like a shadow and began to divide.
The storm of lightning greedily sucked in all the clones in Reaper's multiplied appearance.
As the clones were torn to shreds and disappeared, Reaper appeared behind Kyou.
It was an assassination close to perfection.
As he swung his dagger, aiming for the back of Kyou's neck with the nimble movements of a model assassin.
Kyou, who had obtained transcendent senses, felt it and unleashed lightning toward his back as if discharging all his current.
‘Damn.’
In that instant, Reaper, perhaps using spatial movement, disappeared from his spot and reappeared elsewhere.
Both of them had incredible reaction speeds.
No, to be precise, if Kyou hadn't been in that state.
Reaper moved at a speed that would have pushed him back a little.
Now their reaction speeds were on a similar level.
But he couldn't close the distance because of Kyou's lightning.
Such instances were repeated several times.
Reaper tried to close the distance, and Kyou blocked him, scattering attacks.
-What the???
-That’s amazing;;;
-Crazy;;;;
-The heavenly realm is really different.
-Wow, Kyou’s skills are seriously insane.
It was a battle that had all the viewers in awe.
Luna, Kim Chegeon, and Embris also watched and nodded their heads.
It was a duel that would be helpful just by watching.
How the two utilized their skills.
How they controlled their surroundings and attacked their opponent.
As they began to understand everything, it became quite a study.
On the other hand.
‘Hmm.’
Seonghyun watched and tilted his head in puzzlement at several points.
Though there were only a few lightning skills Seonghyun could use right away.
He felt a little frustrated watching Kyou's utilization.
And he felt frustrated watching Reaper's movements.
As he sighed watching the two.
-Wow, the Demon King is sighing?
-lmfao, it must look like kids playing to him.
-lmfao, seeing how he answered the questions earlier, he seems nice?
-xD, he’s different from his name, Demon King.
-But why is he sighing???
-I know, right? Really, who knows???
As everyone was talking like that.
Seonghyun, as if he had read the chat, answered.
“Because it feels… a little frustrating.”
At those words, the viewers found it a little funny but couldn't help but be puzzled.
-lmao, that looks frustrating to him?
-Is it like, 'Ah, that's not how you use that'?
-What kind of world is he living in?
-lol, I can’t even really see what’s going on???
-They're fighting at that speed, and he says it's frustrating????
-If it were anyone other than the Demon King, they'd be getting flamed for spouting nonsense lolol.
-fr lol, since it's the Demon King, let's just watch for now.
-fr lol.
As the chat windows said that.
Seonghyun glanced at them as they fought.
Then he looked at the viewers and said.
Uhm.
It’s true.
Seonghyun thought that and after a moment's consideration.
He spoke quietly enough for only the viewers to hear.
“First, Reaper, that person isn't fully utilizing their mobility. They seem to be using their skills well and to their limits, but it feels like they’re pre-defining their limits at crucial moments and avoiding them.”
Of course, none of the viewers understood Seonghyun's kind explanation.
-??????
-What's he saying?
-Uh??? If we knew that, wouldn't we be rankers too?
-Ah lol, just go 'Oh, I see!' Haha.
Those chats appeared because they genuinely didn't know what he was talking about.
From what they could see, Reaper seemed to be doing well enough.
That's why Seonghyun, looking a little frustrated, continued to speak.
“And Kyou? That person doesn't understand the properties of lightning and his skill utilization is immature.”
They still couldn't understand what he meant by that.
Who could say such a thing while watching them engage in a battle that seemed to come straight out of a legend?
At least, the viewers couldn't.
-Ah lol, I really have no idea what he's talking about.
-Isn't that, like, really good use of lightning????
-Doesn't understand the properties of lightning???
-What does that mean????
-lolol, it's not just us who don't get it, right?
-That Luna team is also startled by what the Demon King said, right?
-Ah lolol, they're subtly trying to come closer to listen?
-So cute lololol.
The viewers were like that.
But the backup team members, with their good hearing, also had puzzled expressions.
Because they didn't know what Seonghyun was talking about.
Aren't they doing well right now?
That was exactly the look on their faces.
Seonghyun, seeing so many people react that way.
Wondered if his explanation was lacking and decided to show them directly.
And so.
“Reaper, since that person's skills utilize shadows, if you link them like this...”
Seonghyun said that and disappeared into darkness like a shadow.
When he reappeared, he was behind Kyou.
But unlike when Reaper appeared, Kyou couldn't feel any presence at all.
And Seonghyun lightly poked Kyou's back and returned to his original spot.
Kyou felt a shiver in that moment and looked behind him, but Reaper was still in front of him.
And when he looked at Reaper with a puzzled expression.
Reaper also looked at Kyou with a puzzled expression.
“……???”
“……???”
And when they looked back at Seonghyun.
“See, if you’re going to use shadows like this, if you use another shadow skill at the same time as you move, you can touch the opponent while still being stealthed due to the properties of shadows, so you can trick the opponent’s senses.”
“……”
-Wow;;; I have no idea;;;;
-I really don't get it at all…….
-Professor, the pace is too fast…….
Seonghyun, feeling a little frustrated by the chat, was about to explain further.
“So…?”
Seonghyun quickly sensed a presence behind him and turned his head.
There, Kyou and Reaper, without exception, were looking at Seonghyun with sparkling eyes.
And next to them, the entire backup team was looking at Seonghyun as if ready to take notes.
Pride?
Feelings for the team?
Kyou threw away everything he had been thinking about until now and waited to hear a single word from Seonghyun.
-lmfao.
-It's become a cram school.
-xD, you can't miss out on a lecture from a top instructor~
-lmao, it’s hilarious how they’re just sitting there after fighting.