A battle was about speed. There was nothing good about dragging it out for too long. This was a common idea for raid party members.

The hell environment that prohibited natural restoration was a big burden for both players and NPCs. Therefore, the raid party—led by Piaro and Rachel—gritted their teeth and fought hard. The party rushed through the canyon in order to speed up Berith’s death. They strengthened each other’s skills by linking their skills together and releasing the bombardment with no breaks.

The effect of the pincer attack was great. Berith’s defense and health were boosted once all his stats increased, but it was hard to hold out against the talents representing humanity. The biggest problem was that he couldn’t catch the timing for a counterattack.

Berith was a great demon. He was inherently strong and trampled on others with innate power. He didn’t learn or hone any combat skills, nor did he have the power to reverse the adverse situation.

““You cowards...!””

This was how it happened. For the first time since his birth, Berith let out a fear-filled cry. Then new magic power exploded from a cliff. The magic power was so intense that it captured the nerves of Berith, Piaro, Kirinus, and the dukes. The special magic power became a brilliant light that fell to the ground.

“Ugh...!”

“This power...?!”

Kraugel and Faker were seriously wounded, and the dukes groaned. Only three people... Only Piaro, Kirinus, and Rachel succeeded in defending against the rainbow colored magic power.

“It is a very strong magic power...” Piaro confirmed with his trembling fingertips and turned his gaze to the cliff. He saw a man with green hair. The man stood on the edge of the cliff. It was as if the blowing wind would push him to his death.

“Agnus...” Kraugel muttered when he confirmed the identity of the man. Agnus was the contractor of 1st Great Demon Baal. His original role was the enemy of humanity. He had justification to help the great demon who had descended. It was his duty to put humanity at risk. However, he had been silent so far, and Kraugel faintly guessed why. The fact that he would become hostile to everyone alone would be a great burden and pressure...

Yet at this moment, Agnus showed up and helped Berith.

‘It means he has abandoned his hesitation.’

Kraugel thought he knew the cause. What did the public do when Berith started to go crazy? They demanded a one-sided sacrifice from Agnus. Once Agnus refused to comply with their requests, they poured out criticisms and threats toward him. It was already a domain of violence. This was shameful behavior from the perspective of a third party. Kraugel knew the anger and loneliness Agnus would’ve felt.

“...I would’ve acted the same as Agnus if it were me.” Suddenly, Faker’s voice rang out. He held his wound that didn’t recover due to the effects of the hell and stared at Agnus with compassionate eyes instead of a grudging expression. “It wouldn’t be easy to tolerate the people who have been harassing me for days.”

“...” Kraugel also agreed. If Berith was raided, the public would be completely free from the pain and anxiety they had been suffering. They would be busy cheering happily and not even think about the pain they had brought to Agnus. From Agnus’ point of view, anger would soar to the top of his head.

Yes, Kraugel and Faker understood Agnus. This didn’t mean they intended to defend him. Regardless of Agnus’ circumstances, the tip of his sword shouldn’t be aimed toward them. Grid seemed to think the same way.

“Agnus!”

Was the rising status directly related to a rise in sense of presence...? Grid’s voice was much clearer than it used to be. The emotion in his cry was conveyed to all.

“This X bastard!”

“...”

...No, it seemed to have nothing to do with the rise in status. The anger was so intense that it couldn’t not be conveyed to others.

“...Act moderately and get out of here!”

Many things were omitted in the cry. It was a scene where the terminology of ‘moderately’ came to mind. That’s right. Grid also knew what Agnus had been through. He knew Agnus’ position better than anyone else because he had gone through similar things to Agnus. He fully understood and was sympathetic to why Agnus would want the Berith raid to fail.

“I’ll take care of you if you don’t quit now.” That’s why Grid didn’t draw his sword. He already confirmed the damage that Agnus dealt to Kraugel and Faker but ignored it.

“...” Agnus’ face stiffened. Cracks started to occur in his frozen chest. Then heat spilled out of the cracks.

“...Don’t sympathize with me.” Agnus’ face became severely distorted.

““Kuhahahahat! Very well done! Baal’s Contractor! You aren’t useless, unlike the former contractor!”” Berith was excited. Thanks to the brief amount of time that Agnus bought him, Berith succeeded in setting the stage for reality distortion.

““Humans are a savage species. They can’t handle tools.””

[A million lies have distorted the truth.]

Berith no longer disparaged Piaro, Kirinus, and the dukes. He didn’t deny the power they built but used the distortion as a way of denying the human race. The effect was great.

“...!”

All the raid party members lost the weapons in their hands. The spears, swords, and various agricultural tools fell to the ground. Weapons couldn’t be used. It was the effect of Berith’s distortion. Those who were bare-handed were struck by the creatures of hell.

“Agnus!!” The anxious Grid shouted as the canyon fell into chaos. He wanted Agnus to step down. They had to hold on for 20 minutes until the Overgeared army arrived. Agnus had grown significantly in the past few years, and his intervention was too dangerous. Additionally...

‘I can’t let Braham wake up.’

The hidden quest ‘Braham and Mumud’ had a devastating impact on Braham. Whenever the quest was activated, Braham’s soul fragments were consumed, and Braham would be greatly affected. Braham had already lost too much power and was in hibernation. There could be irreversible consequences if he woke up in response to Mumud’s soul.

“...” Agnus on the cliff stared at Grid on the ground. There was a familiar feeling from Grid’s eyes. Agnus had made that expression when he reached out to ‘her’ through the window.

“...Kikik,” the quiet Agnus suddenly shrugged and laughed. The situation had reversed, and Berith responded with a cheerful laugh, ““Hahaha!!””

The raid party was in a crisis, and Grid was frustrated.

“Kihahahahat!!”

““Kuhahahat!””

The madness of a human and a great demon mixed and echoed in the canyon. The viewers got a horrified chill down their spines, and Grid’s jitters grew. Then it happened.

“...Hah.” Agnus stopped laughing. He glanced slowly at the cameras of the broadcasting stations that were filming him. “Once the next great demon comes to this earth, I will smash all of you by its side.”

‘However, not right now...’ Agnus swallowed the last of his words and turned to leave the canyon.

“Agnus...” Grid looked at Agnus’ increasingly distant back with a complicated expression. The two men were emotional as they broke the shackles of mutual debt. The next time they met, they would be aiming their swords at each other.

***

“Sowing Seeds! Harvest!”

Among the people who lost their weapons and were in a crisis, only Piaro and Kraugel were still struggling. Even Berith’s distortion of reality couldn’t take the sword from a Sword Saint, and Piaro repelled the beasts by farming without any tools. However, the battlefield wasn’t very good. Kirinus, Faker, and the dukes lost their weapons and couldn’t attack. They were quickly isolated because they couldn’t kill the swarming creatures fast enough.

““Die! Hahahahat!”” Berith was still excited. He gained some time and started to show off his dignity again.

‘This can’t continue.’

They couldn’t hold up in this state. They would be wiped out before the army arrived. Agnus’ intervention was only for a moment, but the repercussions were too great. The battlefield was completely turned upside down. A new wind was needed. Yet who would help them?

Grid was biting his lips when a white giant was captured in his field of view. It was Raiders. Zibal’s magic machine rose from the fortress and rushed toward Berith.

“Zombie bastard! Now you will die!” Zibal’s cry echoed through the battlefield. A huge spear pierced Berith’s body.

““Cough...!””

Finally, Berith stopped laughing. White blood poured out, and his health gauge noticeably decreased.

““A human can’t handle this artifact properly...””

However, Berith quickly regained his composure. He already knew...

The magic machines were a relic of the giants. They weren’t things that could be handled by the trivial human race. It was as he had expected. Raiders swung the spear several times with a strong force that Berith couldn’t react to. Berith shook and soon fell to one knee. This lasted for the 21 seconds that Zibal could control Raiders.

““It was a very cute trick.””

Berith confirmed the falling Raiders, and his eyes curved in a half moon shape. He was delighted despite his body being turned into rags by Raiders. Now all the risks were gone.

““This is the end of the boring show.””

Tens of thousands of blades started to form around Berith. He was going to put an end to it. Berith planned to kill all the humans who dared fight him here and then take a rest after occupying the fortress. Zibal emerged from Raiders and scoffed at the guy who was already convinced of victory. “You’re right. Will you cry soon?”

““What nonsense is this?””

“Isn’t that right? Grid.”

““....?””

Zibal’s gaze was directed behind Berith’s back. Berith followed his gaze and was terrified. ““Don’t tell me? Those eyes?!””

‘Ahhh, these are Baal’s eyes.’ ...If it were Lauel, he would’ve answered like this. The smiling Grid triggered a skill that sacrificed an item he no longer used.

“Pagma’s Eyes.”

[Checking the target item’s stats, options, and production method.]

[The Item Replication skill has been activated!]

[The legendary rated item ‘Legendary Blacksmith’s Hammer’ will be used as the material for the artifact-rated item ‘Magic Machine: Raiders’.]

[The duration of the replication is one day! At the end of this period, the replicated item will be permanently destroyed!]

A shadow was cast over Berith’s face. In front of him, a new giant armed with steel gloves rose like a mountain, and something huge crumpled Berith’s head. The canyon shook because it couldn’t bear the great weight. The bodies of the creatures attacking the dukes scattered in all directions, and the tens of thousands of blades in the air dispersed like glass.

““K...Kuock...”” Berith groaned. His health gauge was now at 20%.

“It is up to us to decide when to end the fight,” Grid declared. His transcendent senses felt something familiar. Then the space distorted like it was swallowed by a black hole. The woman who appeared on the stage was able to arrive at the 22nd Hell after several Hell Leaps. It was Demon Slayer Yura.

“Hell Regulation.”

[The Demon Slayer has exerted influence on the 22nd Hell.] 

[The debuffs of the 22nd Hell are temporarily turned off!]

[The power of the 22nd Great Demon Berith has sharply fallen!]

The habit of passing on responsibility for failure onto others and cursing wasn’t only in humans.

““B-Baal, you son of a bitch...”” Berith cursed and resented the crazy Baal who gave power to two humans.

“Light of Destruction.”

The Demon Slayer’s ultimate weapon—which boasted more than 2000% physical damage, 4000% magic damage, and the effect of ‘getting rid of the target’s magic’—struck Berith’s head. Berith was greatly weakened, and the effect of the reality distortion ended. Kirinus, Faker, and the dukes regained possession of their weapons and pushed Berith violently along with the black giant.

““U...Uhhh...”” 

‘Once again… Once again, give me another chance…’ Berith prayed earnestly. He wanted someone to come and save him, just as Baal’s Contractor suddenly showed up.

“We aren’t too late?”

As if to grant his wish, new people appeared from everywhere. Berith checked their faces and felt despair. In particular, he fixed his gaze on Saintess Ruby and realized that the first defeat didn’t just signify the loss of his body. Today, he would completely cease to exist.

"“Who...! Who the hell are you? Pagma's Descendant! Hero King! Great Magician! Baal’s Contractor! Why the hell are you monopolizing so much power?!””

This question transcended even his emotions of a violent killing intent and resentment. 

“Me?” Grid stood on Raiders’ shoulders and replied quietly, “Grid. I... I am Grid.”

After that, Berith resisted with the last of his strength, but he was helpless before the oppression of Demon Slayer Yura and Saintess Ruby. The raid party buffed by Pope Damian pressured Berith with an unprecedented firepower, and the Overgeared members thoroughly assisted them. Every time the Overgeared Cannon fired, the progress of the monsters stopped, and the Snake Guild succeeded in helping Zibal.

“Waaaaaaaaah!” The soldiers of Fort Taleren confirmed the fallen Berith and cheered. The hell creatures hurried to escape while the hell gradually disappeared. After a long struggle...

[You have succeeded in raiding 22nd Great Demon Berith, who has terrorized the continent!]

[The soul of the 22nd Great Demon Berith has been destroyed and won’t be able to reincarnate!]

[The position of 22nd monarch has temporarily become vacant.]

[Among the players in the Berith raid, only those who have performed to a certain level will receive the title ‘Savior of the World.’]

[Player who already holds the title will have the title effect enhanced.] 

[All players who participated in the Berith raid will receive different compensation based on their performance!]

[The first place in the raid...]

Kraugel, Zibal, and the Overgeared members’ gazes headed to one place. The cameras from all over the world were also focused on one place. All of them knew the identity of the person with first place.

[...Player Grid!]

“Waaaaahhhhh!” Viewers all over the world cheered enthusiastically. Nationality and gender were irrelevant. Everyone praised Grid.