Chapter 453

The moment the winner and loser were decided,?the viewers couldn’t help but get hyped after seeing Reaper’s technique shine.

-Wow, ???????????

-That kill angle is insane ????

-Kyou feels like he did crazy good too, but he gets pushed like that at the end ???

-Kyou seriously looks like he grew a lot?????

-In the end, Reaper had a move hidden, so Kyou basically lost on strategy, but his firepower and stuff got sharper than the Kim Che-geon fight, yeah.

-You can really feel the growth, and it’s nice to see.

-lmaoooo either way this is peak entertainment.

At those words, even Seong had to agree.

Reaper did win, but—most of them were talking about Kyou.

Which meant Kyou’s growth had been visible.

Just like that reaction, Kim Che-geon’s expression had darkened a bit too.

It couldn’t be helped.

He was struggling like crazy to beat Kyou, and in the middle of that, Kyou went and grew even more.

Either way, since the win was ultimately decided as Reaper’s, there was something they needed to do.

“Now, we were going to have a match between Embris and Kim Che-geon, but Kim Che-geon said he doesn’t need to fight anyone except Kyou, so Embris will advance automatically.”

At Seong’s explanation, people reacted like it was unexpected.

-Oh? Kim Che-geon, that’s surprising???

-I thought if Kim Che-geon beat Embris he’d be the team leader.

-He just wants to beat Kyou, purely ??????

-That’s hilarious ???????

-That’s so Kim Che-geon ??????

-Right? ??????????

With the viewers reacting like that,?Seong continued his explanation.

“Then we’ll have the 1st–2nd place decider and the 3rd–4th place decider: Luna versus Reaper, and Kyou versus Embris. Of course, after Kyou and Reaper finish resting.”

Kyou and Reaper had just fought that fiercely, so of course they needed rest.

No one questioned Seong’s words.

They just—

-Wow, so first place finally gets decided.

-What happens if Luna loses?

-Probably fights whoever wins the 3rd place match?

-Yeah, I guess so.

-Still, it’s not like the Demon King and Helena gave Luna a bye for no reason.

-Yeah, yeah, I think so too.

-So Part 1 is really ending now!?

-Finally we find out who the strongest in the backup team is!

Separate from how excited the viewers were,?Luna and Reaper were calmly checking their own conditions.

Both of them knew the other was strong.

But some viewers were still voicing worry.

No matter how much rest there was, wasn’t Reaper at a disadvantage after already fighting twice?

It made sense.

-Isn’t Reaper still kinda disadvantaged?

-He has been fighting this whole time????

-But Reaper isn’t saying anything, so????

-A bye is still sweet, though.

-Luna’s definitely good, but isn’t that kind of unfair????

It was the kind of talk you’d naturally get.

Even if there was rest, when you’re deciding ranks, people could feel the one who fought multiple times to get there was disadvantaged.

But—

-lmaoooo then go say the team that makes playoffs is disadvantaged.

-They keep their match feel, so it could actually be an advantage.

-They’re getting enough rest before it anyway.

-Luna’s starting without any sparring at all, so her feel might actually be off.

-It’s only two matches, no way he’s tired from that;;;

-Reaper’s top-tier too, like he’d get tired from that???

There were opinions that Luna was the one at a disadvantage, too.

Both were reasonable takes, but—since the people involved weren’t saying anything,?it was impossible to tell who had the edge.

So Seong stepped in.

“Hmmm. They’re both fair points, but you could say the second one is a little more accurate.”

At Seong’s words, the speed of the chat slowed down.

They were trying to focus on what he was saying.

And Helena added on as well.

“Right. If anything, Luna’s a little disadvantaged. Reaper checked his skill and how he’s feeling today while fighting, but Luna didn’t.”

“And those fights just now aren’t the kind of thing that would leave you exhausted or mentally drained, either. Honestly, even if they fought right away, it’d be the same. We’re only saying this because it’s better to give them a gap.”

With Seong’s explanation added in,?everyone could understand it perfectly.

After that, the chat clearly moved away from that argument.

And once talk spread that Luna might be disadvantaged—

it felt like there were even more people taking Luna’s side.

-Luna’s disadvantaged, huh.

-Then the bye advantage should at least be this much ????

-In a way that’s actually perfect balance;;;;;

-You think the Demon King’s doing this half-assed, guys?

-lmaoooo look at everyone scrambling to change their mind

-lmaoooo this is killing me.

-Immediate switch-up ????

-Ah ??? we didn’t know, cut us some slack~

-We didn’t know either ??????

While they were chatting like that in a warm, friendly mood,?Kyou and Embris stood up from their seats.

Like they were both ready.

Watching the two of them get up, the chat started moving even faster.

The 1st–2nd place match mattered, sure, but—was there anything more exciting than the 3rd–4th place match?

-Ohhh ?????

-Finally we find out who’s 3rd!!!!!!!

-It’s Kyou, right?

-No, but Embris fights insanely well too, so who knows.

-Kyou won last time, right?

-Embris, win ??????

-But Kyou awakened this time, so who knows ????

-Wow, this is gonna be brutal.

-They both got 2nd taken away, but 3rd is non-negotiable~

-Me, I’m a rematch guy.

As everyone got hyped and spammed chat,?Seong watched, looking like he was enjoying it.

The finals were important, but the 3rd place match had its own fierce fun too.

With everyone shouting the name of who they were rooting for,?the match began.

Kyou and Embris, like they didn’t care about the crowd’s reaction, unleashed everything they had at each other—using all of their techniques at full power.

Blood and lightning poured down, seizing the area in an instant.

This time, both Embris and Kyou mixed in close-quarters fighting too, making it even more of a spectacle.

A battle between a Blood Apostle and a lightning god was, by nature, that fierce.

And in terms of specs, the two were practically even.

-Kyou’s firepower is definitely crazy;;;;

-But in control, Embris feels a bit ahead????

-Wow, this is really neck and neck.

-How is this a 3rd place match;;;;;;;;;;

-I’d believe you if you told me this was the finals;;;;;;;;;

-For real;;;;;;;;;;;

Watching the two of them fight so fiercely,?people forgot who they were even rooting for and started cheering for both.

With a battle like that, it was understandable.

While everyone had no idea who would win—

Kyou, who’d gained insight into Secret Arts through his fight with Reaper, started to pull ahead.

Pajijijiji—!!!

Lightning moved, and within it, he packed a storm.

Not a simple storm—a storm made of lightning alone whipped around, and Embris’s blood wasn’t built to withstand that.

Of course, that alone couldn’t take Embris down.

Embris minimized the damage as best he could and met Kyou head-on, but the blow he’d taken just now was bigger than he expected, so he gradually got pushed back—and in the end, Embris lost by a hair.

Kyou, too, could’ve easily lost if things went wrong, so—panting, he rejoiced in his victory.

Unlike before, it wasn’t an arrogant expression.

An innocent face, still like a teenager’s, slipped out, and the viewers, like they were seeing Kyou in a new light, spammed chat with fond smiles.

-lmaoooo he’s cute

-When you see him like this, he really is still a kid.

-lmaoooo yeah ????

-So cute ????????????

-The way he roars after winning is hilarious ???????

-Embris lost, but he does look refreshed.

-He really must’ve given it everything.

-That was definitely fun.

Because it had been that fierce, Embris accepted the loss without complaint, and Kyou could be genuinely happy.

After their match ended like that,?Seong called the two who’d rested.

At last—the finals.

The two walked out in front of Seong.

On one side, Luna appeared—the Primordial Savage Warrior—wearing a cloak and clothes overflowing with wildness.

On the other, Reaper appeared—the disciple of the Dark Star.

-Wow, finally.

-This is insane.

-Just from the visuals, it feels like the finals;;;;

-Is this really the Reaper who used to lose even to Kyou during the initiation????

-That goes hard.

-Who wins?

-Control feels similar?

-I seriously can’t even tell who’s gonna win.

As everyone talked like that,?since it was the finals, Seong had prepared a little event.

“Hmm. Since it’s the finals, we should hear something like your resolve, right?”

At Seong’s words, the shy Luna seemed like she might get flustered, but—she didn’t.

Instead, she nodded with eyes more focused than ever.

And Reaper, who was a little quirky, also nodded with a grave, serious expression.

Just from that, you could tell how serious both of them were about this match.

So when Seong brought the mic over—like he was handing it to him—first to Reaper,?Reaper stepped forward and said,

“I’ll do my best.”

At that serious voice with all the playfulness and laughter stripped away, the viewers were the ones who got surprised.

-Wow, what????

-He looked kind of light, but Reaper’s unexpected ????

-That’s cool ????

-Right? ?????

Reaper said it like a vow.

And then, when Seong walked up to Luna this time—

“I’m going to win.”

Luna answered in an equally serious voice.

It was so unlike Luna, who always showed humility, that everyone swallowed hard.