The true disaster had begun.
Rumble!
The ground and all the buildings in Yamri Village began to twist and turn, resembling a stormy sea.
[Harmakan's sorcery isn't just a simple illusion! It has physical power, so be careful!] As Arsha, still held captive by Beru, warned, Harmakan's magic circle, completed thanks to countless deaths, was demonstrating the pinnacle of illusion magic.
[Successor of the Iron Body Monarch! Seeing you struggle will entertain me!]
Crack!
With the eerie laughter that reverberated through the red sky. Harmakan's giant hand brutally tore off a building and swung it down at Suho. Who unphased charged forward and sliced it in half with his sword. Next came a large bus, which exploded in front of him.
Kwarurung! Boom! Boom!
Debris scattered in all directions and through the dust, an armored division, Harmakan's Death Knights, launched a full-scale attack.
Graaaaaagh!
"Euaaaack!"
"Wh-what are these things?!" The villains who had surrendered to Suho were terrified, scrambling to defend themselves against the Death Knights' attacks.
But no matter how they looked at it, they had no chance of winning. The ground beneath them was shaking, and rubble was raining from above; it was a true cataclysm unfolding all around them. The legions of Death Knights charging relentlessly numbered at least in the hundreds. In contrast, there were only a few dozen of them… They were overwhelmingly outnumbered and at a severe environmental disadvantage.
"Th-this must be a dream!"
"A nightmare!"
Moreover, the villains, lacking experience in fighting monsters, had no idea how to deal with these enemies.
"The armor is empty inside!"
"I've heard of these before! They're monsters called Living Armors!"
"Who cares about their name?! Tell me how to kill them!"
"The armor! We have to destroy the armor!"
"Who doesn't know that?! Tell us how to destroy it!"
"A tanker needs to hold the line while the damage dealers..."
"But the armor is too tough!"
The chaotic battlefield was filled with the villains' desperate cries and frantic struggles. Just then, one of the villains with some dungeon experience recalled something and shouted,
"No! The gaps! When fighting Living Armor, you have to aim for the gaps in their armor!"
"The gaps in the armor!" The villains' eyes lit up at this seemingly useful information.
"Y-yeah! Aim for the gaps in the armor...!"
Suddenly.
"Move!" Suho's voice boomed from above.
As the villains looked up, their eyes filled with terror.
"Ru-run...!"
Suho, having caught the large bus Harmakan had thrown at him with both hands.
Kwaaang! ...slammed it down onto the cluster of Death Knights.
Boom! Crash!
The Death Knights scattered like bowling pins. Those in the center being crushed and flattened. Suho landed amidst the terrified villains, revealing his teeth in a wide smile.
"These are all my prey."
Swish! Vulcan's Horns, which had been briefly stored in his inventory, reappeared in Suho's hands.
"H-he's crazy..." As he kicked off the ground and charged forward, the villains who had barely managed to retreat were left speechless.
"We were trying to fight that guy...?"
"Is the outside world hell...?" They truly regretted their escape.
But despite Suho's impressive display, the fight wasn't easy.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
'The swords aren't as effective as I thought.' Death Knights struck by Vulcan's Horns had their armor dented, but the damage wasn't significant.
'Their defense is higher than I expected.' Their armor was thick, and its surface was slippery, causing his attacks to glance off instead of digging in.
[Do you think my soldiers will fall to such meager attacks?!] With Harmakan's eerie laughter, the Death Knights that had been knocked back rose again, unharmed, and attacked Suho.
Whoosh!
A Death Knight swung its sword in a wide arc. Suho ducked under the attack and lunged forward, releasing Vulcan's Horns from his grip. With his bare hands, he grabbed the knight's head and ripped it off.
Crack!
As he held the empty helmet in his hands. He could clearly see the inside of the armor, swirling with an ominous aura, or rather, a soul. Suho grinned, revealing his teeth, as he stared at the sinister energy within.
"If the outside is hard."
Swish! Vulcan's Horns, which he had dropped, flew back into his hands.
"The inside must be soft." Suho reversed his grip on the sword and thrust it into the empty cavity.
...! A silent scream erupted from within the armor.
[You have defeated a Death Knight.] A system message appeared as Suho pulled the sword out grinning.
[That's just one. There are hundreds more left.] Warned Beru
"I know. And it seems these guys can't be turned into shadows?"
[Yes, unfortunately. It seems their souls have been consumed by the Demonic Spirit's wicked sorcery. ]
As Beru lamented the lost opportunity, a message appeared above the slain Death Knight. [The mana is corrupted, Shadow Extraction is impossible.]
It was the same as with the demon souls…
But… "No problem. We can still make use of them." Suho looked at the empty cavity of the headless Death Knight with a mischievous smile.
"Que."
[Yes.]
"Get in there."
[As you command.]
Whoosh! Que emerged from the shadows and slipped into the empty Death Knight armor. Suho then placed the helmet, which he had ripped off earlier, back onto Que's head and grinned.
"Now we have a recycled Que Knight."
[The name is a bit... ahem.] Que seemed to have something to say but held his tongue.
But regardless of the name, Que looked pretty impressive in Death Knight armor. Black smoke seeped out from the gaps in the sturdy armor, creating a unique and intimidating appearance, distinctly different from Harmakan's Death Knights. Especially when a long spear formed of black energy materialized in Que Knight's, or rather, Que's hand.
[The Master's enemies are my enemies.]
Swish! Que swung his weapon, piercing the helmet of a Death Knight that was charging towards them.
Crack!
[Master! I, Que, shall protect your back! Fight without worry!] Que declared confidently, charging into battle with newfound vigor.
[As expected of my liege! At this rate, we can upgrade all our forces in no time!] Beru clapped in admiration.
But before he could finish his sentence, the Shadow Assassin, Kang Taeshik, vanished. Moments later, the helmet of a nearby Death Knight was ripped off. Kang Taeshik then dove into the empty armor and began an invisible struggle with the spirit within.
Crack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Crack! After a brief flurry of slashing sounds, a message appeared.
[You have defeated a Death Knight.]
"Oh. Not bad." Suho was impressed by his soldiers' unexpected initiative.
Kang Taeshik quickly emerged and dashed towards another Death Knight to claim its helmet.
Suho then infused the empty armor with the Shadow Soldier, Mino. Although the armor shouldn't have fit his size, it miraculously adjusted to his frame, as expected of armor specially crafted by the Grand Shaman of the Demonic Spirit Clan.
[Umuuu-! ] Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
As soon as he donned the armor, Mino charged towards the enemies, trampling them all. Suho also started to slowly equip the rest of his soldiers with armor. Harmakan, witnessing this, couldn't help but panic.
[H-how is this possible?! How are my Death Knights...! ]
"You should have behaved yourself."
[Graaaaaagh! ] Enraged, Harmakan's giant hands erupted from the ground once more, tearing off entire buildings and hurling them at Suho.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was a reckless attack, but its power was overwhelming and they were still vastly outnumbered.
But.
'I'm getting used to their patterns.' Suho skillfully maneuvered Gray, dodging the incoming buildings.
And while all of Harmakan's large-scale attacks were focused on Suho, his Shadow Soldiers were steadily reducing the number of Death Knights.
"Unbelievable..." The villains, scattered and fleeing, were at a loss for words at the sight.
But the one who was most shocked was Arsha, still held captive by Beru. [No, how is this...?]
The Suho who had hindered her in the past and the Suho standing before her now were completely different. It wasn't just about strength or speed.
[His level has changed. How is this possible for a human...?] She was simply bewildered.
[What in the world happened to him...?]
And then she came to a realization. She had always thought humans were the most primitive and weak race… But among them, there existed a being she should never provoke.She was sure that with her current strength, or rather, her abilities, it was impossible to ever stand against Sung Suho.
[Death Knight defeated.]
[Death Knight defeated.]
[Death Knight defeated.]
.....
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
"Yes!" Thanks to the sheer number of Death Knights, his level was rapidly increasing.
[He's quite impressive. Why not capture him and make him a Shadow Soldier? Let's have him turn all the remaining villains into Death Knights and then kill them all.] Beru whispered to Suho, suggesting a wicked scheme to take advantage of Harmakan.
Beru had no human compassion, as he wasn't even human. And since Harmakan could only turn evil souls into monsters, it was natural for Beru to be tempted. However, while the corrupted spirits of the Death Knights couldn't be turned into Shadow Soldiers, it was uncertain whether the same applied to Harmakan himself.
[We'll have to kill him first to find out.]
And then, Beru's eyes, which had been scanning the surroundings with his antennae twitching, suddenly lit up… [Found him.]