276 Dekan Is More Absurd Than the Enemy
Once Dekan’s trio joined the battlefield, Krey received support, and the situation improved significantly.
Chloix provided continuous healing for Krey, alleviating the overload operation of Krey’s Hyper Regeneration, which reduced Krey’s mana consumption.
At the same time, Dekan summoned the Ruined Bard, amplifying pain tenfold, which effectively enraged Krey while simultaneously healing him.
“What kind of support are you guys?!!”
Krey, unable to see, felt that he was being healed.
Yet the pain was unbearable!!
How could there be such a sinister healer!
As Krey’s anger continued to rise, his attack power grew stronger.
The Warden no longer dared to underestimate the threat Krey posed to her.
For Krey, a pure warrior who didn’t cast spells, was indeed the greatest nemesis of an enemy mage like her.
But unfortunately, the gap between the eighth and ninth tiers was immense.
Even in a battle of brute force, she was crushing Krey.
However, the real trouble wasn’t just Krey.
It was the three supporting him.
Their formation consisted of one frontline, one midfield, and two rear lines.
Apart from Krey standing at the front, Morion would stand closer to the Warden, preventing her from breaking through Krey’s defense to prioritize attacking the rear guards, Chloix and Dekan.
Whenever the Warden attempted to bypass Krey to eliminate the healer, Morion would obstruct her, disrupting her attack rhythm, allowing Krey to quickly pursue and block her again.
The Warden had begun to feel that these three supports were quite sinister.
That healer, with a bizarre healing output, could continually provoke the warrior; and then, there was another sinister support who made her feel every hit acutely!
Although this pain didn’t greatly affect her with her ninth-tier mental strength, it indeed made her feel like fighting these people felt akin to being imprisoned.
What frustrated her the most was the middle-tier fraudster, who she could eliminate with a single hit.
Yet no matter how she tried, she couldn’t land a blow on him!
Several times, she nearly circumvented Krey to find an opportunity to eliminate the two rear guards, only to be interrupted by this juggling midfield.
In fact, Dekan knew that Morion’s dodging stemmed from the reward he received from the previous Shadow World: Sacred Rite Decline Secret, the epic spell passive of Countess Lislinna, granting him extreme dodging ability.
Blood Mirage
Category: Spell Card
Rank: Orange Epic
Tier: 5
Passive Effect: Whenever there is a chance to dodge, gain 3 chances for extreme dodging every 10 seconds.
Remark: This was the key reason Countess Lislinna survived when her clan was nearly exterminated.
With Countess Lislinna’s dodging ability, Morion was equipped with other spell cards focused on survival.
Even if Dekan wanted to take him down, it would be incredibly challenging without help.
So although Morion didn’t play a significant role in direct combat, his robust survival capabilities allowed him to play the role of a juggling dodging tank, alleviating some pressure from Krey while protecting the rear.
He could occasionally apply some control and use the Bandit Goblin set card to harass the Warden.
He specialized in psychological tactics as a unique support.
“You guys!”
The Warden finally couldn’t hold back her anger.
While each of these individuals separately was not strong, together they could stalemate her!
The only downside of this quartet was their lack of attack power.
They couldn’t deal any threatening damage to her.
But she couldn’t afford to be held up either.
The Warden increasingly felt.
Since there were prison guards able to bring prisoners to this level, then the Dark Saintess had likely been brought here as well!
The true goal of this group was likely to rescue the Dark Saintess!
As the battle gradually turned back and forth, Krey was becoming stronger, seemingly about to enter a new state.
The Warden could roughly sense that if she allowed Krey to trigger a certain effect, she would be genuinely threatened by the gradually increasing damage that Krey would deal.
At that point, she would have to put all her body and mind into the battle.
Even if the Dark Saintess started fleeing towards the teleportation portal, she wouldn’t have the luxury to care!
“This is self-inflicted!”
The Warden seemed to have been pushed to an impasse by Dekan and the others.
She decisively chose to enter the state of limit release before Krey could trigger true damage!
With the Warden’s eye patch removed by her own hands, Dekan realized they had pushed the BOSS to the second phase.
Her eyes were open.
In the instant she opened her eyes, she first looked at the three humans in surprise.
Then she gazed towards the teleportation portal’s safe zone.
When she finally spotted the Dark Saintess, she was completely convinced of their intentions.
Then, the Warden’s bright demon eyes instantly locked onto the prison guard Little Succubus Dekan.
The Warden’s gaze was filled with murderous intent, like a shard of ice pulled from a millennium cold pool, exceedingly cold.
Now the four could finally see the Warden’s full appearance.
She wasn’t ugly; her face bore no scars.
Or rather, she had an immaculate, extraordinary beauty.
Consistent with the intelligence Dekan had previously obtained, the Warden was not blind; she had intentionally sealed her eyes.
Her eyes didn’t possess any special traits or spells.
The release of her restriction granted her vision!
At that time.
Having regained her sight, the Warden’s overall combat power seemed to have risen several tiers.
In an instant, she skillfully dodged past Krey.
In this state, the Warden was the full-tier ninth-grade enemy mage’s combat capability!
Even though Krey wanted to chase after the Warden at any cost, even if it meant being fatally injured, the Warden, in this case, didn’t target Krey’s exposed flaw but fiercely targeted Dekan, charging toward him, even if it meant taking a hit from Krey.
This time, Morion was also shaken off by the Warden.
She scoffed at attacking Morion.
She charged straight towards Dekan and Chloix!
Feeling the pressure, Dekan had no choice but to stand in front of Chloix to cover him.
Dekan was the first to be ambushed by the Warden.
Fortunately, he could use 900 Demon Points to immunity against one attack.
Just as Dekan was about to use his Thorn Crown’s life-saving effect to endure a hit and trigger 60 times the pain feedback while blocking an attack for Chloix,
His pupils flickered as if he sensed something.
He hurriedly chose to consume 9000 Demon Points to teleport back to the safe barrier as a spring commander.
Had he used the 60-time pain feedback, given the ninth-tier’s exaggerated mental strength, he might not even incapacitate her; at best, it would only leave her unable to act for a few seconds, making it impossible to predict the control’s exact duration.
He may not even have the chance to adjust the formation afterward.
In the current situation.
The Warden’s combat power in full state was simply terrifying.
If they couldn’t find a countermeasure, going toe-to-toe was hopeless!
However, based on Dekan’s observation of the Warden’s action patterns earlier, along with several pieces of information collected in the previous eight levels, he seemed to have formulated an idea about the Warden’s weakness.
“Use Plan 15 Branch 6!”
Dekan shouted for command.
The three on the battlefield were unsure why Dekan retreated to the fountain when the BOSS entered the second phase, yet they decisively executed Dekan’s orders.
15-6 was a tactical countermeasure devised by Dekan against the Warden.
It could only be used under circumstances where several spells would be effective.
Previously, they had confirmed that the Warden was an enemy mage.
Thus, this plan was viable.
On the battlefield.
Morion first initiated with the Silence Barrier borrowed from Dekan to seal the Warden’s hearing.
Then, Chloix unleashed the Shadow Exclusion Zone to block the vision of everyone within the area.
Meanwhile, Krey smashed the special aroma he had bought with Demon Points from the third layer, disrupting the Warden’s sense of smell.
Now everyone was left in a state of lost sight, hearing, and smell.
The battle between the Warden and Krey fell back into its original state.
Although both could fight while losing their sight, the Warden primarily fought by detecting energy through magical power and auditory feedback.
While Krey fought without sight primarily through breath perception and warrior instinct.
In their vision- and hearing-blocked circumstances, the Warden found herself at a relative disadvantage.
“How long can you trap me like this?!”
The Warden was evidently fed up with these unheard-of sinister spells.
But she had already guessed.
This group was trying to make a final desperate bid.
Using several strange spells she had never seen before, they forced her to create an opportunity for the Dark Saintess to escape before she had even fully deciphered their spells!
Within the pitch-black Shadow Exclusion Zone, a massive battle was about to rekindle.
……
In the distance.
Dekan in the safe zone looked completely unperturbed.
He didn’t instruct Cornelia to take the Dark Saintess and flee with this opportunity.
It seemed to be the Beautiful Soul Squad’s final aggressive move.
But in reality, Dekan was calmly using the life spells a geologist would employ, Heat Detection, to gain insight into the general combat dynamics inside the Shadow Exclusion Zone.
“Sure enough, the assault has intensified, and I’ve finally determined what the Warden’s weakness is…”
Dekan stopped exploring, murmuring to himself.
“What?”
Cornelia didn’t understand.
Dekan replied, “Ferocious, not ferocious.”
He compressed the earlier idea, “Although she lost her sight while sealing her eyes, her attacks were fierce. However, upon releasing them, her combat ability greatly increased, yet her offense was no longer as ferocious. Now that she’s entered the Shadow Exclusion Zone, losing her sight has made her assaults fierce again,” into three words for Cornelia.
After all, unlike some animations that can stop time for narration, conveying information had to be swift.
Cornelia tilted her head, “Hm?”
She didn’t understand. Clearly, after unsealing her eyes, the first thing the Warden did was to come after Dekan. Why did Dekan still think her assault was not fierce?
Dekan replied, “Different.” (There is a distinction. After she regained sight, her ferocity was solely towards me. However, now that she has her full combat capabilities, she holds back against the other three, not trying to go all out.)
Cornelia appeared puzzled for a while, seemingly contemplating why the Warden acted differently towards Dekan and what set Dekan apart from the other three.
Logically, the Warden should prioritize eliminating the healer Chloix, who was crucial in maintaining the team’s balance, not Dekan.
Why did she suddenly shift focus?
Like…
Only having prioritized Dekan as a target for attack?
“Oh!”
Suddenly, Cornelia seemed to have an epiphany, clapping her hands.
She understood.
Dekan’s current state and the others’ difference was due to race or gender.
Yet it was evident that the problem didn’t lie in race.
Because Cornelia had sensed that the moment the Warden opened her eyes, she glanced at her and the Dark Saintess, locking onto them with her gaze.
The Warden’s eyes, just like those towards Dekan, were filled with murderous intent, devoid of pity.
However, afterward, the Warden’s gaze softened considerably towards Krey, Morion, and Chloix.
And it wasn’t just Dekan who noticed.
Cornelia now recalled the moment of surprise in the Warden’s expression when she saw the three, alongside the softening of the eyes and the awkward pacing of the assault.
Though Cornelia found the conclusion absurd,
The answer was unmistakably clear.
The Warden’s weakness…
Was her inability to lay a hand on handsome men!!
Though ridiculous, this aligned perfectly with the information they had previously gathered.
Clearly, the Warden had no issues with her eyes, yet she chose to seal them to reduce her combat ability.
If it was indeed because of handsome men that she couldn’t act decisively, then it made sense!
From earlier intelligence, the eighth-tier paladin who could single-handedly defeat the Warden was surely extremely handsome!
This implied the Warden had a serious problem, one so severe that she had been killed by that eighth-tier paladin before she even realized this issue.
Now, with such a critical weakness, even if she wielded ninth-tier power, the Demon King wouldn’t allow her to charge into the frontline openly!
She was overly susceptible to targeted strategies!
The most suitable role for her would be to guard the rear of the Demon Realm, in a place where she wouldn’t encounter handsome human foes.
After suffering that previous defeat, the Warden had been diligently training for several years, adapting to a fighting style that didn’t rely on eyesight.
As long as she kept her eyes closed.
Although she would lose a considerable amount of combat ability, she wouldn’t have a weakness.
Now, even if she confronted an eighth-tier handsome paladin, she wouldn’t lose.
Because she had learned how to fight without using her eyes.
“It’s all thanks to Krey’s big pot…”
Dekan rubbed his forehead.
That guy Krey really digs deep!!
If they had known this information earlier,
They wouldn’t have taken until now to nearly exhaust their card pool before realizing the Warden’s weakness!
Yet considering how reliable Krey was on the ninth tier, Dekan found himself at a loss for words about Krey.
Dekan had never encountered such a peculiar individual.
He finally grasped the real mechanics of this tier.
The final layer’s evaluation was not just about strength, but also the comprehensive advantages the prison guards accumulated in the previous eight levels.
If a prison guard could obtain high-value information amidst significant advantages in the top five non-banished zones and piece it together,
They could discern that the Warden’s weakness was her inability to resist handsome men.
Then, there would be no need for a forceful breach.
Instead, they could adopt tactics to lure or compel the Warden to remove her eye-sealing armor.
Then, by pretending to be handsome, they could catch the Warden off guard and capitalize on her restrained offensive to escape.
However, the problem arose.
For normal challengers, they could use this method to significantly lower the difficulty of clearing the ninth layer.
But now, the issue was,
Dekan and the others’ objective was for everyone to escape.
Even if Chloix could use Forced Dispersion to remove Dekan’s Blood Mimicry, turning Dekan back into a human male,
Cornelia and the Dark Saintess had no means to disguise themselves as men.
There were no disguise specialists here.
Even if the Dark Saintess had such tricks, she was the type to be completely uncooperative.
So, under the Warden’s “gender distinction” mechanism, having two female members in the team became the most challenging point to clear this tier.
Once they attempted to flee,
The Warden wouldn’t prioritize targeting Krey; instead, she would focus all her assaults on eliminating Cornelia and the Dark Saintess.
In the Warden’s state with her eyes open, the four of them wouldn’t be able to hold her back.
What’s more critical was that, due to previous intelligence gaps, they had missed an excellent opportunity.
The tactical effect counter cards that could influence the Warden had almost all been used up and countered.
Once the Warden broke through the sight, hearing, and smell sealing, those spells would no longer have any effect on her.
A deadlock loomed.
“Heh, now that you know her weakness, what’s next?”
The Dark Saintess sneered, mocking Dekan.
The Dark Saintess, originally dazed, had regained consciousness amidst the intense and ongoing sounds of battle.
Looking at these guys fighting the Warden, she felt a sense of schadenfreude.
After all, these individuals wanted to take her to another hellish place.
Aside from returning her to the human realm, they could transport her to any hellish domain.
She didn’t even want to leave this Demon Realm prison anymore.
So if this group got blocked by the Warden, it was a scene the Dark Saintess was more than happy to witness.
Even though her body was still in a paralyzed state and unable to move, she couldn’t comprehend the abstract dialogue between Dekan and Cornelia, she had similarly guessed the Warden’s weakness from the recent situation.
And analyzed the current predicament—
These guys were nearing defeat, and if they wished to take her with them, escaping would be nearly impossible!
“Heh.”
Dekan, uninterested in exchanging pleasantries with the Dark Saintess, confidently smiled and shook his head.
“Just you wait; such a situation is something I have foreseen.”
Then, Dekan prioritized purchasing some peculiar materials at the teleportation portal from the third branch.
Cornelia quickly understood how to assist Dekan.
She began moving these materials towards the barrier’s entrance, signaling an unspoken agreement.
Dark Saintess: “???”
While she had vaguely sensed earlier while muddled on the eighth layer that this group had been discussing tactics for a considerable time
She didn’t think they would consider such a scenario!
What exactly was on their minds?
Were they practicing “as long as the imagination is strong enough, any contingency can be accounted for by exhaustive methods”?
Moreover, what kind of show were they preparing with these bizarre items?!
The Dark Saintess wanted to scoff but stopped herself, gradually feeling lost in comprehension.
Just then, with the help of the super mover Cornelia, Dekan was finally ready.
He soon stepped out of the safe zone once more,
Bravely rejoining the battlefield.
Dekan glanced at the battle ahead.
The Warden had successfully countered several spells this time.
However, the Warden still couldn’t manage to do anything significant against the three.
She indeed had some issues.
Once her eyes were opened, she couldn’t bring herself to strike handsome men, even to the point of becoming enamored and fascinated by them.
The spear nearly pierced Krey’s chest, yet she halted, looking at Krey with a somewhat pained expression.
Then the Warden hesitantly closed her eyes.
After closing her eyes, while she could unleash lethal attacks against enemies like energy entities through magical detection, without sight, her combat ability diminished, and she became restrained by this alternative combat strategy.
However,
The moment the Warden spotted Dekan leaving the safe zone, she charged at him furiously.
“You dare come out!”
To her, Dekan’s actions were undoubtedly a death wish!
“Use Plan 42, Branch 1!”
Dekan showed no sign of panic, directing the three in battle.
The three responded in unison, especially since they were already pursuing the Warden, they hurriedly dashed toward Dekan.
Though in a hundred-meter race, three men would never outpace the Warden,
At this moment, with her vision and visual judgment restored, the Warden could be controlled by the Captain De’Erkan gray demoness-type!
Even if the Warden did not harbor deep hatred for Dekan, after all, he had tortured her for a while as a sinister support.
She could hold her for a second or two.
The Warden was soon controlled.
However, due to insufficient hatred,
Dekan couldn’t maintain continuous control with Captain De’Erkan, only managing to provide the Warden with intermittent disruptions.
Yet that brief opportunity was all that was needed.
With the Warden disturbed, the three caught up to her.
To the Warden’s surprise,
The three didn’t attempt to block her,
But rather surged past her.
Their goal was to reach Dekan first.
“No matter what schemes you’re trying to pull! You can’t escape now!”
The Warden shouted in anger as she finally broke free from control and charged toward Dekan.
Even if someone stood to block for Dekan, she would maneuver around and eliminate the little Succubus!
“Fortunately, I have you, my trump card.”
Dekan calmly regarded the spell card Sun Fist in his hands and said.
This was a spell card he had developed entirely on his own and had saved for now.
It could at least be effective once against the Warden!
Knowing Dekan’s intent, all team members closed their eyes.
The ninth layer transformed into a world of light.
“Ah!”
Clearly, the Warden was momentarily blinded by this dazzling flash grenade, losing her sight.
This spell not only disrupted vision more but also affected their spirit!
Although she had temporarily lost her sight, after pausing for a moment, she recklessly charged forward.
At the same time, she struggled to blink her eyes, gradually adjusting her vision that had been distorted by the brightness.
Now, the Sun Fist had also been successfully analyzed by her.
It would be ineffective against her any further.
She was certain that this group had practically exhausted all the spells they could use.
The situation had tilted dramatically.
As she reached Dekan in her full state after opening her eyes, it would mean Dekan’s end!
And those two human female prisoners hiding behind the safety zone?
Merely sitting ducks.
Once the Demon King returned, he would undoubtedly pull them out of the safe zone!
It seemed these guys still harbored naive hopes for a final desperate attempt.
Then let her witness what they could do to reverse the situation!
……
In the current viewing venue.
“They can’t see! What’s happening?!”
“This is practically a deadlock, right? Their spell card pool is nearly empty; they can’t win by relying on summoning cards and equipment cards—not to mention taking Cornelia and the Dark Saintess with them!”
“If they clear the last layer, it’s over! Come on!!”
Spectators’ shouts erupted in waves.
At this crucial moment in the seventh-tier Shadow World,
Dekan’s team was caught in a life-or-death struggle.
The longer the battle with the Warden dragged on, the more disadvantaged they became.
If they couldn’t seize the opportunity before they completely collapsed, there would be no more chances to recover.
Right now, overall, it appeared that due to a lack of information, Dekan and the others had squandered their golden opportunity,
They faced an imminent collapse.
The Warden’s weakness had already been detected by some viewers.
There were individuals well-versed in “Dekei Language” who translated Dekan and Cornelia’s dialogue.
But they all knew,
No one could have guessed such an absurd weakness of the Warden from the outset!
Combined with the demanding conditions they had to rescue the Dark Saintess while ensuring everyone escaped, it complicated the difficulty of the ninth layer many times over.
What could have been a useful mechanism was now a burden.
They seemed to have only one possibility of victory.
That was to eliminate the Warden.
However, as things looked,
It was nearly impossible for them, having nearly emptied their card pool, to defeat the Warden.
But,
The challenger was Dekan.
Somehow, it seemed there was still a sliver of hope…
After all, Dekan always had a knack for clever tricks.
Since Dekan didn’t opt to start a live broadcast while laying out strategies earlier in an effort to conceal his combat habits, the audience remained unaware of whether he had a countermeasure.
For a moment, they couldn’t conceive how Dekan could rescue the situation.
Even if Dekan had a plan,
The opportunity was only once.
To win against the Warden, they must succeed in this round!
……
In the ninth-layer prison dojo.
The brilliant light that turned the entire layer of the prison into pure white eventually faded completely.
The Warden, using magical detection to sense the enemy’s position, opened her eyes.
She felt her swirling vision gradually become clearer.
However.
The Warden: “…?”
She discovered that the entrance to the teleportation portal had transformed drastically compared to before.
In the dim dojo, there was a section filled with warm tones and bright light.
From that direction wafted a pleasing fragrance.
Unlike the relatively plain dojo, the area in front of the portal was laid with a rather luxurious carpet.
At the end of the carpet was a lavish sofa and a low table adorned with various decorations.
The scene before her was somewhat reminiscent of the Demon King’s Banquet Hall from the third layer, only even more extravagant and colorful.
All of this was due to the champagne tower stacked delicately on that grand and expansive low table.
Long tulip-shaped champagne glasses were piled into a pyramid, perfectly showcasing the elegance of the champagne while preserving its bubbles and aroma.
“This, this is…?”
Before she could express her confusion, within the next second, the Warden was startled by a scene even more eye-catching than the opulent sights before her.
She saw the four people who had just fought her,
Now dressed in a completely new set of stylish and elegant attire.
They stood in two lines, politely extending their hands to the Warden, inviting her to take a seat on her exclusive luxurious sofa.
“You! What are you all doing!!!”
The Warden’s expression and trembling voice couldn’t conceal the tidal wave of excitement surging within her.
Due to her responsibilities, she desperately controlled her feet, taking a few steps back.
She intended to close her eyes, not to be bewitched by this horrifying illusion.
But no matter how many times she tried, she could only squint her eyes and wouldn’t fully resolve to close them.
Just as she struggled,
The handsome young man with pear-wood colored hair smiled subtly, his pupils hiding something dangerous, looking straight at the Warden, said:
“Miss, wouldn’t you like to join us for a drink? Time waits for no one.”
Before the Warden could shake her head, the gentle and elegant youth, exuding no threat, said in a calm tone:
“You must be tired now; why not sit down and have a proper rest?”
The next second,
The black-haired youth, his eyes glistening with ferocity, slightly lifted his chin, arrogantly declaring:
“Magnificent, rational, and enchanting female demon, I allow you to come to my side.”
In the Warden’s gradually increasing panic, she overlooked one issue.
Earlier, the Little Succubus had vanished without a trace.
His Blood Mimicry had been Forced Dispersion lifted.
At that moment, a striking gray-haired, blue-eyed pretty boy appeared, bearing a courteous smile devoid of any warmth, speaking with slight disdain:
“Regardless of whether you wish to join us, please keep a distance from me.”
As the voices of the four faded,
The Warden seemed utterly flustered.
“Ah… ah…”
The Warden’s eyes widened, a flush creeping onto her face, her breath coming in rapid succession.
“What kind of illusion is this!!”
Though her rational mind told her that she shouldn’t follow this absurd scene any further,
An irrepressible instinct urged her, driving her to leap onto the sofa to enjoy drinks and chat with these four distinct and handsome men!
“Wow!”
In the end,
The Warden succumbed to temptation, recklessly rushing forward.
Long before, at a certain moment, a feeling of rationality snapping had surged in her mind.
She realized someone had cast spells on her.
But she hadn’t the mind to analyze this spell any longer!
She simply desired to live for today, intoxicated with wine and lost in sweet dreams!
“Heh heh.”
Finally, the gray-haired, blue-eyed boy, maneuvering around the rear of the sofa, wheeled out a small dining cart loaded with poisoned wine, unable to suppress a smile reminiscent of a little demon.
“Welcome to the Demon King’s Banquet Hall—ninth layer branch.”
