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[Translator - Prøks]
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Chapter 222: The Third Trial (10)
Paimon had met Kim Minwoo before. He was a very peculiar human. The most surprising thing about him was his mental fortitude.
Even under the influence of a mind-altering symphony, he remained completely unaffected.
A formidable human.
Moreover, 100,000 troops had perished before the battle even began.
That's why Paimon went all-out from the start.
[Musical Form - Symphony of Destruction (EX) activated!]
An eerie melody spread from the strings of Paimon, who resembled a violin. It was a symphony honed over hundreds of years, delivering the most intense music.
Massive sound waves spread in all directions. The undead horde that had been charging towards him was instantly recalled.
Like the flesh exposed from a cracked shell, Kim Minwoo, who had been rushing from behind, was revealed.
Along with a peculiar skeleton and an undead that appeared to be a banshee.
The aura of these two undead was extraordinary. They were clearly powerful summons.
However, being exposed like this rendered them meaningless.
Paimon's eyes were filled with glee.
Music dominated the space itself. No matter how strong or fast one's body was, it was impossible to escape within his domain.
The strings vibrated violently.
Just before he unleashed another wave of music.
Snap!
With the sound of something breaking, a fountain of blood gushed from Paimon's body. It was because all the strings of the violin were broken.
[Symphony of Destruction (EX) is canceled!]
'What?'
Paimon was terrified.
The Musical Form was his true form.
The strings were incomparably tougher than even diamonds.
Although he was injured internally due to the earthquake, it shouldn't have been cut off so easily. If the strings had been precarious, he would have noticed the abnormality before playing the symphony!
Even an experienced and seasoned demon lord couldn't be calm in the face of a phenomenon he had never experienced before.
Immense pain washed over him, his mind went blank for a brief moment, and.
Puck!
The skeleton and the human, who had approached unnoticed, thrust their weapons into his flesh.
The misfortune did not end there.
Rumble!
Hundreds of lightning bolts fell, and smoke began to rise from Paimon's body.
* * *
'Huh?'
Kim Minwoo was also confused.
Snap!
With the sound of something breaking, a fountain of blood gushed from Paimon's body.
A thought flashed through his mind as he hesitated for a moment at the sudden turn of events.
'Is it a trap?'
But for a trap, the reaction was too real. The eyes rolling back in immense pain. If that was an act, he'd be forgiven for falling for it.
The two legion commanders and Kim Minwoo weren't fools enough to miss such an opportunity. In such situations, the standard procedure was to attack first and ask questions later.
They attacked him naturally and inflicted serious injuries.
Shadow Spear and Dragon Strike.
Using Cedric's exclusive skills together amplified the damage 14 times. And this was a strike mixed with Dragon Blood Slash.
Cedric's spear pierced sharply into Paimon's upper left side, and at the same time, Kim Minwoo's sword sliced across his right waist.
Crackle!
As if to aid the attack, hundreds of lightning bolts struck Paimon's massive body. He had expected the smell of burning wood from a violin, but instead, a savory scent spread through the air.
Paimon's eyes rolled back from the attacks that came from three directions in the blink of an eye.
[Musical Form (EX) deactivated!]
The immense shock disrupted his true form's manifestation. A spirit-like body with a camel's head and dark clouds swirling around it was revealed.
His body was riddled with wounds.
His left arm was half severed, and his chest was split open, revealing his beating heart.
Even his heart wasn't intact.
Every time he moved, black blood gushed out like a fountain.
―Kwaaak!
Black blood dripped from his mouth. His body was on the verge of collapse.
―Y-you bastard…… what kind of trick did you pull?!
Paimon, who staggered back, shouted in agony.
The attack that landed during his brief moment of vulnerability was nearly fatal.
His internal organs were all twisted. His lungs were torn, and every breath brought excruciating pain.
Fear and confusion flashed across Paimon's eyes. He hadn't experienced such agony in hundreds of years since ascending to the position of a lord.
'Damn it, damn it!'
A chill ran down Paimon's spine.
The instruments attached to his body had long been broken. He couldn't understand what had happened.
It was then.
A scene flashed through his mind. The sudden earthquake and the annihilation of the 100,000-strong army.
It was so absurd.
The same was true of the strings breaking.
'Could it be... luck?'
Normally, he wouldn't have thought of such nonsense.
But hadn't Kim Minwoo said it earlier?
That he was a lucky bastard!
'Could it be really true?'
Whether it was the earthquake or the strings breaking, Kim Minwoo hadn't done anything special. He hadn't even played tricks with his summons. If he had, the lords would have noticed.
Paimon shuddered.
If it was really luck helping him, he shouldn't have actively confronted him.
How can one defeat a lucky bastard?
And alone at that.
'First, I need to change my form.'
His current spirit form, which mainly used musical instruments, was meaningless.
This was because his body was broken and all the instruments were shattered.
He needed time to recover.
The moment the thought ended.
Demonic energy surged around Paimon. His appearance began to change, as if undergoing polymorph.
This time, it wasn't a horrifying form like a giant violin.
Paimon transformed into a female form.
Literally.
Two horns were visible.
Her lips were as red as rouge and her eyes were moist. She was a beauty worthy of the term "peerless beauty."
She was wearing a gothic dress similar to Merhen's. It was torn in places, revealing her skin.
―It's been a long time since I've transformed into a female form. How is it, human? Are you lost in my beauty?
Paimon said seductively.
Every gesture was alluring.
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[Translator - Prøks]
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Paimon's appearance was beautiful enough to seduce any living being, not just humans.
It was then.
Merhen reached out her hand.
Whoosh!
Paimon's face burst into flames.
Even as acrid smoke rose from her face, Paimon didn't lose her smile.
-Hoho! Are you perhaps jealous of my looks? Afraid I might charm your master?
-Hmph! You vixen, how dare you! Minwoo, snap out of it! You saw it earlier. She's a monster!
"I know, Merhen. Don't worry."
Kim Minwoo's mental fortitude wasn't so weak as to be swayed by such a cheap seduction tactic. He had already seen Paimon's true form. Wasn't it a camel-headed, giant violin monster?
-Still, you can't let your guard down. She's cunning! She copied me. She knows what's good...
Merhen said, glaring at her gothic dress.
―How about we have a little chat?
"Nonsense."
―Don't you want to get treasure? A beautiful woman? What about immense power? Power is beautiful art. I can give you everything. If you embrace me.
With eyes sparkling like stars.
Paimon, who had spread her arms wide, smiled and said.
'Buy time.'
This was the only thought that filled Paimon's mind. Her main weapon, the instrument, was broken. It was a bad move to keep trying to fight.
Fortunately, the tide of the battle was in the lords' favor. Marbas was continuously pushing Vulcan back, and Amon was slaughtering the balrogs.
If she could just buy some time.......
Her snake-like tongue flickered.
-You have a bright future ahead of you. You're young and healthy. Why are you siding with the balrogs...?
"Kill her."
There was no room for negotiation.
Or rather, there was no way to control the cunning demon lord. This was especially true for a monster like Paimon, who changed her face and seduced people.
He ran towards the kneeling figure holding the sword.
Paimon's eyes turned vicious.
An ordinary human would have been drooling and swayed by now.
'Damn it!'
Paimon gritted her teeth.
The fact that the human had an exceptionally strong mind was a painful one for her.
Her nails grew long.
This body was much tougher than her spirit form. In other words, she was stronger in close combat.
Ten fingernails, each over 3 meters long, swung swiftly. The nails, intricately intertwined like a net, sliced through Merhen's magic and blocked Cedric's spear.
Kim Minwoo's sword plunged through the gaps between the nails.
It was a trajectory that should have been blocked.
At that moment.
Two of Paimon's nails suddenly snapped off. The sword naturally pierced through the gap and impaled Paimon's heart.
―Uh...?
Paimon, who had transformed into a female form, collapsed.
―How, how...?
She coughed up blood and spoke. Her eyes trembled as if she had encountered an unknown terror.
Kim Minwoo was equally puzzled. He could understand the strings snapping, but what was with the nails falling off?
It was as if the demon had scored an own goal.
'What's going on?'
This was almost like...
Too much luck.
'Could it be... that my luck hasn't run out yet?'
He had wiped out 100,000 demons and even injured the demon lords. It seemed that luck wasn't completely over with this. Otherwise, the situation was inexplicable.
'Crazy.'
Well.
It was like that back then too.
At the Orc Gate, when he faced the greatest misfortune, the number 1.
Not only did a full-fledged witch and an ice dragon appear, but even the Grand Witch visited.
If there hadn't been some connection between Ananke and Merhen...
'I probably would have died if we fought.'
That's how strong Ananke was.
Fortunately, they knew each other, so things had worked out peacefully.
The power of misfortune was considerable, so there was no reason why luck couldn't result in a double lucky streak.
Paimon wheezed.
Just as she was about to say something more with a resentful expression, her body gradually stopped moving.
[Amazing Achievement!]
[You have hunted Paimon, one of the Seven Great Demon Lords!]
[Acquired the title, 'Music Maniac'...]
[Level increased by 10...]
[A new chapter has been added to The Beginning of a Legend - Part 2...]
A violin-like instrument rolled out from beside her corpse.
It was then.
The Balrogs and the two lords, who had been fighting to the death, stopped abruptly.
Everyone's eyes were on Paimon's corpse.
Vulcan was horrified.
The Balrogs opened their mouths wide.
However, they were not as surprised as the remaining two lords.
'Dead?'
'Paimon?'
And so quickly?
It's unbelievable.
Didn't Paimon say it himself?
That there was nothing to worry about.
But the result was the opposite.
Paimon was dead, and the human was alive and well.
The bigger problem was that Paimon's power was not much different from theirs.
In other words, couldn't they also be defeated by this human?
A brief silence.
And then......
―Get out of the way!
―You bastard, move!
Vulcan blocked Marbas' path. The Balrogs clung to Amon's body. The fight between the two lords trying to escape and the Balrogs blocking them intensified.
Kim Minwoo was also quickly approaching them.
Of course, with the violin already in his inventory.
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[Translator - Prøks]
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