Barbarian in a Failed Game

From the perspective of an AI that assesses threats and adjusts its response levels accordingly, the sudden appearance of two transcendent beings was an undeniable and overwhelming threat.

Moreover, these were not just any demons but some of the top subordinates of Aecharis, appearing in their true forms.

Rooooar──!!

This was why the Blood King abandoned its attack on Khan, who had activated the Tower Lords’ signature spells through the Essence of the Five-Colored Bird, and charged towards the two demons instead.

『Void’s minions in the Blood Realm. I don’t know how it happened, but you are in my way.』

The embers left by the Red Tower Lord’s signature spell continued to corrode the Blood King’s exterior. However, possibly amplified by the influence of chaos, its immense regeneration ability caused its flesh to swell, making the Blood King even larger than before.

Currently, the Blood King was a massive, building-sized centipede with a single, chaotic eye and bubbling, molten flesh. Before this menacing Blood King, Kereaktu flicked his skeletal fingers as if swatting away a bug.

Ssss. Crunch!

The frost blade in Kereaktu’s hand floated in the air, then suddenly pierced the Blood King’s face.

Starting from the point of impact, the Blood King’s body began to freeze. The frost blade, imbued with the harsh cold of the Frozen Hell, aimed to encase the Blood King alive.

『Your turn will come later. Wait there quietly.』

Considering the battle already won, Kereaktu lost interest in the Blood King and turned his gaze toward Khan, who stood in the air supported by the power of the wind spirit. The seething hatred, anger, and ecstasy emanating from him were palpable, even without Karyan’s eyes.

『Whatever tricks you have planned, know that in this hell, all schemes are futile─!』

Whoosh!

Augrabes opened his mouth wide, releasing a mixture of dark mist and hellfire. A large crimson sword, with veins pulsing across its blade, emerged.

Gripping the sword, Augrabes seemed eager for revenge, recalling the previous defeat at Khan’s hands in Midland. He opted for close combat rather than using his authority.

Thud!

Despite his newborn-like short limbs relative to his massive body, Augrabes moved with blinding speed, arriving in front of Khan in an instant without any visible steps. The hellfire-clad greatsword ripped through the space.

No, it was more like the space was being devoured along the sword’s trajectory.

『Let’s see you try your fancy swordplay again─!』

It was a strike that devoured space. Even if the sword master Leniyar were here, cutting through that would be impossible. Khan himself could only trust in Draupnir, which possessed the indestructible attribute, to barely manage a counter.

Clang─!!

The magic sword imbued with dragon-slaying power clashed with the hellfire-imbued greatsword. The impact distorted the space around the point of collision, shattering Khan’s image into fragments as if reflected in broken glass.

A loud crash and a cloud of dust arose far away.

『That’s right. If it ends easily, the sweetness of revenge diminishes!』

Laughing maniacally, Augrabes thrust his sword into the distorted space. Khan’s fragmented image shattered with a pop, and the magic sword pierced through the space. The blade reappeared above the area where the dust storm had risen.

Using the distorted space as an entry point, Augrabes had sent his sword flying towards the distant Khan.

‘Damn it!’

Cursing internally at the chaotic onslaught from Augrabes, Khan leaped to avoid the descending trajectory of the greatsword and hastily raised his axe.

Boom──!!!

The sudden impact drove Khan’s body into the ground once again. He barely managed to avoid a direct hit by putting up Unyielding, but it felt like his entire skeleton was about to shatter. What the hell…?!

『Pathetic. Pathetic! Did you think to face me, Augrabes, with mere mortal combat? Such arrogance──!』

Khan’s pupils dilated. The invisible shock that had struck him revealed itself.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Augrabes’s crimson greatsword appeared in empty space, then vanished, only to reappear behind Khan. It was like watching a video with missing frames.

‘Spatial Devour!’

It was an authority he had encountered before. Augrabes could consume the surrounding space, allowing for limitless spatial movement.

But this was Esperus’s domain, where Spatial Devour couldn’t be fully utilized. Despite this, Augrabes freely inserted and removed his weapon from the subspace.

‘So, this is his authority in full form!’

Unlike his avatar, Augrabes seemed unrestricted by the need to consume the surrounding space.

Boom!

The power in the self-flying magic sword was nearly indistinguishable from Augrabes wielding it himself. The grip of Khan’s hand burst from receiving the blow.

There was no time to recover. Another demon had activated his authority.

『I shall show you the true meaning of the Frozen Hell’s chill.』

Kereaktu raised his desiccated arm towards the sky. Like a shaman offering a sacrifice to the heavens.

Crack. Crack-crack!

What emerged from the ground of the Blood Domain were liches, dressed in tattered rags, their skeletal forms ablaze with blue ghost fire. Dozens of liches, all chanting in an incomprehensible language, reached their bony hands towards the sky.

Rumble. Rumble…!

The blood-red sky of the Blood Domain was punctured. Emerging from this tear was a crucifix, bound with skeletal remains.

‘It’s the ripple of authority…!’

The skeletal remains, fragile and on the verge of disintegration, exuded an overwhelming presence. The same ripple Khan had felt when the Blood King raised its authority now emerged on a massive scale.

Whatever this was, it promised dire consequences.

『Dragon Fang Cannon』

Acting faster than thought, his instincts screaming a warning, Khan threw Unyielding. With his strength stat at 90, the Dragon Fang Cannon now made his previous attempts look like a hatchling’s cry. The recoil nearly tore his wrist apart, but the ensuing spectacle was even more shocking.

『Your learning capacity is lacking.』

Unyielding, shot like a flash of light, came to a halt right before the skeletal remains, as if caught by an invisible hand.

‘No, that’s not…!’

『The chill of the Frozen Hell freezes even time itself. Hahaha.』

It wasn’t an invisible force stopping Unyielding. The sword was still moving toward the skeleton, but at an agonizingly slow pace, as if time itself had slowed.

『Did you think we came here without any preparations? Schemes are the domain of demons. Mortal.』

Kereaktu slowly lowered his arm from its raised position towards the sky, as if declaring the ritual complete. A portion of the Frozen Hell’s power was superimposed upon Esperus’s domain, centered around the crucifix-bound skeleton.

『From now on, this place is the Frozen Hell.』

『Hahaha! Tear apart your soft flesh and retrieve your lost pieces. My lord will be pleased!』

The tide had completely turned.

No, there had never been any hope of victory. Facing two fully prepared transcendent beings without any preparation and expecting to win was impossible, no matter how skilled or experienced the barbarian was.

Khan had known this from the start.

“I never intended to win from the beginning.”

Khan’s eyes had never been fixed on the path to victory. He watched the full display of power from Augrabes and Kereaktu, their authority wielded in the desire for revenge.

To perceive the will of the world as Karyan did required more stimulus, more experience, more revelation.

‘Then, I just need to experience it firsthand!’

From the moment he saw the skull Kereaktu had summoned, a new sense had begun to stir, little by little. It felt as if a new sensory organ was growing, an intense sense of dissonance surrounding his eyes.

But it wasn’t enough.

The tingling sensation screamed at Khan that he needed an even higher level of authority. A will strong enough to alter the very fabric of the world!

“Khan! It’s done!”

Esperus, who had been silently concentrating, suddenly shouted, as if tearing his throat. In truth, it was a powerful psychic wave, but the laughter mixed within it was unmistakable. Following his cue, a smile spread across Khan’s face as well.

『Whatever foolishness you’re planning, it’s over─!』

The liches summoned by Kereaktu began forming different hand seals.

Crack.

The skeletal figure bound to the crucifix opened its mouth. From within, a fog emerged, spreading outward. Each time the fog, condensed with the authority of the Frozen Hell’s stasis, spread, everything in its path—air, dark magic, all existence—froze.

Augrabes didn’t wait for the Frozen Hell’s power to spread. He recalled his self-flying greatsword to his grasp and activated his authority, intending to tear the space itself to prevent Khan from escaping.

At that moment.

A deep, resonant wail echoed from behind Augrabes.

『……!』

Kereaktu had frozen everything in place, whether void creatures or anything else, ensuring they couldn’t move. Yet, despite bringing a part of the Frozen Hell, something was moving?

The transcendent’s heightened senses immediately expanded to detect the anomaly. Just as a startled reaction was about to escape Augrabes’s lips…

Rooooar!!

The Blood King shattered the ice imprisoning it and let out a scream.

This was no longer a meaningless roar. It was a cry of agony. The Blood King was experiencing the torment of having a part of its very soul, its core essence, torn out.

Splash!

Blood erupted from the Blood King’s body, shooting up into the sky. This wasn’t ordinary blood.

Even though it had become a monster of chaos, its core still contained the authority of Esperus’s soul. Now, part of that soul, imbued with authority, was being forcibly extracted by none other than Esperus himself.

『This energy…?!』

The two demons, recognizing whose energy was in the blood and who was orchestrating this event, cast their shocked gazes toward the sky of the Blood Domain.

In the eyes of Khan, who was looking up at the blood-red sky and the river of blood, a brilliant light burst forth. It was a multicolored light, visible only to those capable of observing the will of the world.

This light—filled with the world’s will—illuminated Khan’s eyes. The canvas of existence, where the will of all things harmonized, appeared as a pure white canvas.

‘Blood King.’

Amidst this, a corrupted and murky entity was screaming.

‘Augrabes, Kereaktu.’

Two demons spread thick black paint over the canvas, staining the surrounding colors. This was evidence of their authority in action. Instinctively, Khan’s gaze lowered.

He observed his own form, which was a mix of chaotic void colors and deep ashen hues. Firmly grasping Draupnir, he prepared himself. Now, he could do it. He brought a portion of the ashen hue to his feet and pushed off gently.

In an instant. Khan found himself directly in front of a stunned Augrabes, who held the greatsword. He guided most of the ash from his heart into his right hand.

With this, he held the will of one person in his grasp. And then he struck. Following the sword’s trajectory, the ash Khan harbored stained the canvas of the world.

Just like Karyan had done in ancient battles against Esperus…!

Slaaaaaash─!!