Chapter 456

0.

With Seong’s words, the screen on Rapid Guild’s channel instantly switched over to the stream’s waiting screen.

Of course, even if it was a waiting screen, it wasn’t like you couldn’t access the chat.

So the viewers didn’t leave.

If anything—

-Vassals vs. the backup team leaders?????????

-This is insane;;;

-What is this planning ability???????

-Like, we ask for it and you just do it??????

-Are you sure you’re the Demon King???????

-You’re actually doing this???????

-Wait, seriously????

Was it because it was a match they’d never even imagined would actually happen?

Everyone had no choice but to be shocked.

And because of that, the news started spreading fast.

How strong the Demon King’s vassals really were had always been a point of debate.

But now—wasn’t this basically saying they’d show it through the backup team?

That was why the internet had no choice but to go crazy.

Seong had said he’d do it someday.

But who would’ve thought it’d be today?

-Wow, I can’t believe we’re actually getting to see this.

-That’s insane.

-lmaoooo

-There’s no way you just sit still for this;;;;

-Hurry up and spread it!!!

The viewers kept the waiting screen up and started running over to different communities to make posts.

And those posts started spreading.

[Title—lmaoooo watch the Demon King Part 2 no matter what]

[User—PetmanDealsDamage]

『We finally get to see the vassals’ combat power that’s been nothing but bait for forever lol

You know how they just sorted out the backup team leaders’ rankings, right?

I’m not gonna talk details because that’s spoilers since it was a tournament?but it was insane, and right after it ended they said starting later this afternoon it’s vassals vs backup team leaders.

If you miss this you’re officially a clown;;;;』

[StopBeforeBoss : Damn, yeah, you have to watch this;;;;;]

[GuaranteedNuisance : The leaders fighting each other was already peak, and now they’re throwing hands with the vassals??? You have to watch this;;;;]

[PotionSpam : Yeah, okay, I’m really watching this?????]

[Title—They say the Demon King Part 2 stream is vassals vs leaders]

[User—ProfessionalRunner]

『This is for real something you have to watch;;;;

I got a ticket last time, so I’m going again.

If you don’t buy now the server’s gonna melt down.

Go buy it right now』

[TankRecruiting : f***, the purchase link already crashed;;;;]

└[ProfessionalRunner (OP) : Damn, that’s tragic;;;]

[HealerOnStandby : yyyyyy bought it!!!!]

[GearIncomplete : I need to buy too but I’m stuck in queue :( :( :( :(]

[LevelGap : How much traffic is this???]

Once posts like that went up,

an unprecedented situation happened—the Rapid Guild ticket purchase link crashed.

Because business was booming.

Saying “strike while the iron’s hot,” Rapid—the Rapid Guild master—jumped in and did everything he could to restore the ticket link, and thanks to that they were able to pull in a huge crowd.

In the middle of that, people’s curiosity only kept growing.

Because Seong’s vassals were, for one thing, way too many.

[Title—So who do you think the Demon King’s vassals are gonna send out???]

[User—SplittingDPS]

『Helena is honestly just a different universe.

I don’t think she’s coming out.

First, she’s the judge, right?

With the Demon King.

So I don’t think she’ll be out.

Then if we narrow it down to strong ones, that demon knight and the skeleton knight are probably coming, right???

And maybe that new demon mage too?』

[PartyAnxiety : I love the demon unni so f***ing much;;;]

[VeteranSmell : That Fiora, I think? That space-slime-looking girl probably comes out too.]

└[NewbieEscape : She looks super timid though, would she really come out???]

└[VeteranSmell : She probably will? She seems like she listens to the Demon King’s orders, so I think she will.]

└[SplittingDPS (OP) : Either way, it’s guaranteed peak entertainment.]

People had fun just picking names and looking forward to who would come out.

Calls even flooded Rapid Guild asking when Part 2 would start.

It was a scene that showed just how huge public interest had become.

Who would actually enter?

No one knew yet.

1.

While everyone was wondering who among Seong’s vassals would come out—

Seong was wondering too.

‘Who should I send out?’

Because in truth, even Seong was still deciding.

First, he had to exclude existences the backup team absolutely couldn’t beat.

The first ones—

‘Helena, Belzarach, and Drakanos are absolutely not happening.’

Helena and Belzarach were basically beings who could handle a hidden raid boss even solo, so Seong knew having them fight the backup team would be cruel.

So he excluded them.

Then the ones left were roughly—

‘Barfur, Valtar, Fiora, Noctrynium, Anemore, Kalisha, Leonic, Serpina, Silvanor, Shivren, Noirtein, and Veladrina?’

Even after removing three, there were still twelve left.

And even if you removed Shivren and Noirtein, who you could call a bit weaker, that was still ten.

He had to pick only five from that.

‘Hmmm.’

Seong couldn’t help but hesitate.

He was thinking it would be fine as long as he matched them against appropriate strength, and as he debated—

Helena came up beside him and smiled alluringly.

She must’ve known Seong was agonizing over it.

And she also knew exactly what they were about to do next.

So she walked up and said,

“If it’s hard, want me to recommend a lineup?”

“Then I’d be really grateful.”

“Aha! Seong, you think too deeply, that’s your problem. Hmm, hold on a second.”

Helena laughed brightly, thought for a moment, and then made a bracket for him.

Five on the backup team side, including Kim Che-geon.

And she paired five vassals she chose against those five.

“Like this?”

“Yeah. I think the balance works out.”

“Hm, it really does.”

Seong also knew his vassals’ strength well,?so looking at Helena’s placements, he had no choice but to nod.

Good.

This seemed pretty solid.

Thinking that, Seong accepted the bracket.

Then Helena said,

“Then you go eat too. I’ll tell the vassals.”

“Huh? No, I’ll—”

“I’ll do it.”

At Helena’s words, Seong didn’t fully know what she was plotting—

but he seemed to realize at least what she was about to do, because he nodded.

And with a small smile, he said,

“Go easy on them.”

“Hehe. It’s not like I’m training them.”

“Right.”

“Aha, go on.”

Seeing Helena laugh in a good mood, Seong smiled faintly, nodded, and logged out for a bit.

The other backup team members had logged out to eat too.

So Seong logged out to grab a quick meal.

And once Seong logged out—

Helena smiled alluringly and headed for the Underworld.

“All right, then. I should tell them who’s going out.”

And hoping that her vassals’ arrogance would be softened a little through this chance, Helena went to the Underworld.

When Helena returned—

the vassals all appeared, sensing her presence, and Helena looked at them and said,

“Get ready. You’ll be fighting soon.”

They already knew, but the martial-type vassals—knights and weapon users—looked like it was laughable, while the caster types and Fiora looked a little tense.

They didn’t know what kind of training the backup team had done—

but seeing Helena’s odd mood, they’d read her intent.

But the martial types didn’t seem to have noticed even that.

They started running their mouths.

-“Pathetic little ones.”

-“We should show them their place.”

“We must give them a lesson.”

As Fiora and Veladrina were about to say something after hearing that—

Serpina shook her head and lifted a finger to her lips.

Then she met Helena’s eyes—Helena smiling softly—and Fiora and the other mage types all shut their mouths.

Realizing this, too, was one of Helena’s tests.

2.

How much time passed like that?

Once Seong and the backup team had rested enough,?they started logging back in one by one.

A situation with even more tension in the air than the earlier ranking matches.

In that state, their focus rose even higher.

And looking at the backup team like that, Seong couldn’t help but grin.

Because he could clearly see they were resolved.

Thinking that, Seong looked at them and asked,

“Are you all ready?”

“Yes!” “Of course!” “Haha, just trust this humble one.” “Naturally.” “Yes!”

Their replies overlapped, mixing together—

but every answer was loud and brimming with confidence.

They were tense, but regardless of who won or lost, it was obvious they had no doubt they’d put on a good fight.

Seeing that, Seong nodded.

Even though most of the leader line still hadn’t reached Secret Arts—

Seong was satisfied watching them.

If they gained just a little more insight, they were already at the level where they could soon create Secret Arts.

As if trusting his team, Seong turned around.

And there—

the gate to the Underworld slowly opened, and the vassals surged out.

There were only five vassals.

And those five were none other than:

1st Legion Commander Barfur,

2nd Legion Commander Leonic,

Order Captain Silvanor,

Fiora,

and the demon knight Valtar—five in total.

As they all appeared, they bared vicious killing intent, pressing down on the backup team—

but without backing down, the vassals and the backup team stared each other down, matching momentum.

And in the middle of it, only Fiora stammered and muttered,

-I-I... why is someone like m-me the representative...

It sounded like she genuinely didn’t understand, so some people found it cute—

but Seong smiled at Fiora and said,

“Then we’ll start the stream.”