The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“Such futile resistance.”

The legion of weapons and the branches of the Spirit Tree lashed through the darkness, but the results seemed negligible. The demon’s core particles, scattered like sand within the darkness, moved freely as if alive, evading attacks.

Even when obliterated by aura, the adjacent core particles divided and replenished their numbers. Indeed, this opponent felt vastly stronger than any Raul had faced before.

Crackle.

The legion of weapons, which had never let Raul down, now imbued with aura, started to lose strength as they moved through the darkness.

‘Maintaining the connection is becoming difficult.’

Marquis Dailo’s ability to control the space was almost on par with Raul’s. His dark form was obstructing Raul’s manifestation of psychokinesis. Raul wasn’t the only one struggling.

Snap. Crackle.

“Tsk.”

The branches of the Spirit Tree controlled by Rabel were being gnawed away by the darkness, breaking apart. Despite withstanding the aura blades of the Imperial knights, they couldn’t hold against the marquis’s darkness.

‘I expected as much.’

However, Raul wasn’t disheartened. After all, the current attack was merely a distraction. It was time to unveil the new weapon he’d kept hidden.

「Rabel, I’ll leave the timing to you.」

「Got it. I’m used to this now, so don’t worry.」

Despite their confidence, the situation was rapidly worsening. The dome created by the Radiant Aura had shrunk to the point where it could barely contain just Raul.

Caldenas’s avatars, which were of little use in the current predicament, had long been retrieved into Ragnarator.

“That was an interesting tactic, but it’s over now, human. I’ll give you one last chance. Surrender now, and I’ll allow you to join the vanguard of the great Demon King’s army.”

Though his words suggested persuasion, the pressing force of the demonic energy was relentless. Not that Raul ever considered surrender an option.

Ignoring the marquis’s empty threats, Raul closed his eyes and focused. He blocked out the oppressive demonic energy that weighed on him.

He erased the struggling holy power around him from his mind. He let go of the intense sensation of mana and the barrier amplified by Ragnarator. He even forgot the comforting presence of psychokinesis surrounding him.

The mana flowing within him. The holy power in his heart. The spiritual energy gathered in his head. Piece by piece, Raul’s sensory inputs faded away, and finally, his consciousness converged into a single point.

Thump.

What could you call it?

An indescribable primal essence. Raul’s soul awakened from the depths of his serene consciousness, reviving his pure senses.

‘Haa.’

A feeling of oneness with the world enveloped Raul’s entire being. At this moment, Raul achieved perfect control over himself.

Swish.

Something transparent gushed out from Raul’s inventory, swirling around his body. Tiny, transparent fragments, smaller than grains of sand. The number was beyond estimation.

『Infinite Parts』.

A specialized weapon Raul had requested the head of the blacksmith dwarves, Tar’o, to create, finally revealed itself to the world. Raul connected his consciousness to each of those countless fragments.

Just like the cells within his body, each fragment came under Raul’s absolute control and began to move naturally according to his consciousness.

Whish. Swish.

Following Raul’s slowly moving arm, the transparent parts flowed gracefully like a Milky Way. The parts that poured out from the inventory filled the space around Raul, gradually filling the interior of the Radiant Aura barrier.

Marquis Dailo of the Demon Realm had yet to notice the change around Raul.

Sparkle.

Raul’s eyes opened, his golden irises gleaming radiantly.

Then.

Whoosh, boom!

The parts, which had been flowing quietly around Raul, suddenly expanded outward explosively.

Composed of demon horns, dragon bones, orichalcum, mithril, and other ultra-rare materials, the parts were synthesized and processed to create this weapon.

Each part not only amplified the energy it received, like power armor, but also transformed it according to its inherent properties.

As Raul infused them with mana, holy power, and spiritual energy, a unique form of energy, unlike anything seen before, was created.

“What… what is this power?”

Marquis Dailo’s panicked voice was soon drowned out by the terrifying advance of the parts.

Crack, crunch!

The darkness began to dissipate. Raul’s parts shredded everything in their path, expanding their domain. The marquis’s cores scattered within the darkness were powerless before the parts.

The rate of division couldn’t keep up with the rate of annihilation. And thus, finally.

“Guh… Guh!”

The darkness that had filled the hall converged desperately into one spot. In that place stood a demon wearing a tuxedo. The demon’s thick, single horn extended from his forehead to the back of his head, now looking a bit paler.

‘Go!’

Raul gestured toward the demon, and the parts that were consuming the surroundings surged like a tidal wave.

“Hmph! Now that I’ve returned to my true form, that strange power won’t work on me!”

As Marquis Dailo swung his arms, demonic energy poured out from his sleeves toward Raul.

Boom! Crackle.

In the middle, between Raul and Marquis Dailo. A swirling vortex of darkness clashed with the translucent golden parts, engaging in a fierce struggle.

And the result was.

“This… this is impossible! Gwaaah!”

The golden parts chewed through the darkness, pushing toward the Marquis.

Slash, clang!

The Marquis transformed the darkness into a massive blade and slashed through the air. The black trail split the space, causing the advancing parts to hesitate as if hitting an invisible wall.

In the meantime.

Raul’s parts reached the hole in the ceiling of the hall. However, the hole was too big to be blocked by parts alone, and there wasn’t enough mass among the parts.

Rabel raised her wand and shouted toward the parts.

“Target fixed! Expand!”

As Rabel’s mana wrapped around the parts, they responded to her will.

Rumble!

The parts rapidly expanded, combining to completely seal off the ceiling. Massive energies flowing from the magic circles around the hall clashed with the parts, causing sparks to fly.

But even under the immense pressure from the energy pulling the Gate to the Demon Realm, the parts held firm.

「Raul, the passage is sealed! Now we just need to take care of the Marquis!」

「Well done! Just hold on a little longer!」

Now, only the final battle with the Marquis remained.

*

‘How can this be? That such a powerful being still exists in a mana-deprived world like the human realm?’

Marquis Dailo of the Demon Realm furiously slashed the air with dark blades as he grimaced. Thousands of years ago, when the mana of the Connect continent suddenly vanished, the demons had no choice but to retreat to the Demon Realm.

There wasn’t enough mana to even maintain their avatars. However, this didn’t mean they had completely lost interest in Connect. When the way to Connect was reopened through the efforts of their collaborators, the Demon Realm rejoiced.

They believed it was the perfect opportunity to conquer Connect once and for all. The depletion of mana had naturally weakened human abilities, and even the dragons, the ancient guardians of the human realm, had ceased their activities long ago.

The celestial beings were preoccupied with matters elsewhere for some reason. So it should have been.

‘Just what is this guy?’

At first, he sensed that foul divine aura and thought it was another one of those so-called ‘heroes’ that always show up. But just when he thought he had an easy catch, an unknown power erupted.

It was a new force that even Dailo, who had lived for thousands of years, had never encountered before.

‘I can hardly see it, and I can’t even sense its presence! Moreover…’

It moved as if it was alive, making it hard to believe it was being controlled by someone. Its movements were both systematic and erratic, making it unpredictable even for someone who precisely controlled demonic energy like Dailo.

“Ugh!”

The dark blade covering his back was flung off course.

‘How did it get this close!’

The mysterious human’s presence had perfectly surrounded him from behind. Glinting occasionally, the tiny fragments reflected light. As a result, the surroundings shimmered, giving off a dream-like, dazzling vibe.

But for Dailo, who faced them, it was nothing but unpleasant.

‘Damn. If only I had a bit more time!’

His gaze involuntarily glanced at the ceiling. Blocking the energy needed for the dimensional gateway was one issue, but it also cut off the flow of demonic energy from the Demon Realm.

If just a bit more demonic energy had been supplied, he could have unleashed the full power of his true form. High-ranking demons like marquises had another awakening stage besides their inherent traits.

The power to transform their bodies into battle forms, unlike their human shapes.

‘If I could transform, I might find a way to counter that troublesome power…’

Even if not, it would have bought him time to complete the summoning.

Swish.

Something slipped through a gap in the darkness and grazed the marquis’s cheek. As if cut deeply by a razor, dark crimson demon blood trickled down his cheek.

“Such impressive skills. Indeed, your talents are wasted in the human realm. How about it? Even now, if you join the Demon King’s army, you could lead the conquest of dimensions.”

Marquis Dailo tried to maintain a composed facade despite his disadvantage.

‘Given the circumstances, I have to bide my time for the next opportunity. But I can’t leave empty-handed.’

It became increasingly clear that this invasion wouldn’t be easy unless an unexpected variable emerged. And that certainty grew the moment five translucent swords formed around Raul.

Swish!

As the unseen blades swung, chunks of darkness were cleaved away. Had Marquis Dailo not narrowly dodged at the last moments, the battle would have already been decided.

And now he was slowly approaching Raul.

Hiss, swish.

Despite the wounds that covered his body, the marquis walked resolutely toward Raul as if they didn’t matter. When they finally closed the distance to where their swords met directly, sparks flew.

A black, dark blade versus a translucent, golden sword. The outcome of the clash was evident. Raul’s parts, which shimmered more brightly with each passing moment, contrasted with the increasingly faint dark blade of the marquis.

Yet, the marquis continued the duel undaunted. As Raul fought, he didn’t notice the faint shadow of darkness creeping along the ground toward him.

‘Good. Just a little more!’

Though the marquis was now allowing Raul’s attacks to land, his gaze remained unwavering. Defeating Raul wasn’t the ultimate objective.

‘For the sake of what comes next, I must…!’

He needed to erase Raul from existence here and now. Finally, the shadow of darkness almost completely engulfed Raul’s shadow just as Raul’s five ghost swords pierced the marquis’s body.

‘Got you, you fiend!’

With a triumphant smile, the marquis burned the remaining demonic energy and the life force of his clones to unleash a powerful curse.

Swoosh.

Invisible threads of dark curse emanated from the marquis’s wounds, reaching out toward Raul like hungry claws. But at that very moment.

Someone burst out from hiding, shouting.

“You filthy demon! In the name of the gods, I will smite you!”

Slash.

*

Hero Noel humbly accepted his destiny. With the Demon King’s descent imminent, it was a hero’s duty to stop him. The divine powers granted to him were meant to defeat the Demon King.

As long as he had the gods’ powers, he was invincible. No Imperial superhuman wielding demonic energy. No mutated gray gate. No powerful demons from the Demon God’s Temples.

None could stand against the divine powers; no one could block his blade. However, the moment he entered the Tower of the Demon Realm, he sensed that something was different.

The incessant swarm of monsters gnawed away at his strength.

‘To think I have to use the divine power for such lowly mobs!’

Having to deal with what his companions should have handled himself was a source of frustration. Nonetheless, he pushed through, using the divine power to carve a path.

Rather than dealing with all the enemies, he chose to suppress his presence and avoid as many confrontations as possible. Then, he faced the Imperial Demon General and his entourage.

Using his divine power, which was almost antithetical to their nature, he managed to break through their encirclement. Although he didn’t manage to defeat the general, he inflicted enough damage to prevent them from following him.

‘After all, they aren’t my main target.’

Though he had sustained some injuries himself, he could partially heal using his divine power. Then, he reached the final hall.

According to the original plan, he should have ascended the stairs and defeated the final adversary before anyone else arrived.

‘But there’s no need to unnecessarily risk myself.’

It was merely a change in tactics. He reassured himself that he wasn’t intimidated by the massive presence felt above. Fortunately, the divine power completely hid his presence and appearance, allowing him to bide his time and recover.

Then, Raul appeared not long after. When Raul ascended the stairs without hesitation, Noel felt as though it was a stroke of divine fortune. After Raul disappeared, Noel entered the final floor and hid within the chaos, waiting for the perfect moment.

At the critical juncture. Just as Raul was about to deliver the final blow, Noel gathered his divine power and decapitated the demon.

‘Got it! Now the divine power is mine!’

Regardless of the process, it was he who had struck down the demon, wasn’t it?

Everything was proceeding as it should. A triumphant smile spread across his face. Seeing the demon’s horrified expression made it all the more satisfying.

But suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

‘You aimed for the tiger but caught a rat. Blame your stupidity, you wretched fool!’

And then a massive darkness engulfed Noel.

(To be continued)