Chapter 388: Here I Come (4)

Poison had long been one of the most frequently used weapons when trying to kill someone. Its advantage was obvious. Once someone was poisoned, the game was already over at that point.

The more skilled one was with poison, the more subtle the poison became. It had no color, no scent, and not even a form. It was the so-called phantom poison, as described by those who mastered it. The colorless, odorless, formless poison was exactly that.

“I’ve never seen anything like this either,” Kai muttered in a slightly surprised voice.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He only realized he had been poisoned after seeing the system message.

Ding!

[You have been poisoned.]

[The toxin is extremely powerful.]

[Poison Master skill activated.]

[The components of the poison cannot be fully broken down, but the effects are greatly reduced.]

It was indeed a toxicity worthy of being from an archduke.

This is the first poison I’ve seen that the Poison Master skill can't fully neutralize.

There had once been a Legendary poison used by the Church of Muldine that had even infected the World Tree, Luteria. Even Akasha’s Judgment had failed to block it completely, yet the Poison Master had held firm.

However, Kai couldn’t fully neutralize the poison this time, which only meant one thing.

The poison Basion uses must be at least Legendary-grade.

From Kai’s perspective, he couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

On the other hand, Basion’s eyebrow twitched violently. “What the...”

He thought everything was over the moment Kai was poisoned. Even Steron, who had fought on equal footing with him, wouldn’t be guaranteed to survive if he were directly poisoned by it.

That guy dodges it with lightning speed, but...

This strange demon in front of him hadn’t even dodged it. From Basion’s perspective as a master of poison, that made Kai nothing more or less than a tempting prey. Yet he was completely fine. No, he was even staring at him with an expression of amusement.

“You, how are you still fine?”

“I never said I was fine.”

“Bullshit! The fact you can talk so calmly means you’re definitely fine.”

Normally, someone would be convulsing like an insect and melting while screaming.

“I’ve always had pretty high poison resistance.”

“

Oh

? Then that means if I eat your heart, I’ll gain that ability too.”

Steron’s eyes sparkled as he listened to their conversation. Even he couldn’t ignore Basion’s poison. That was the biggest reason their fight had dragged on.

But if I kill that demon and eat his heart...

To eat a demon’s heart meant to absorb that demon’s dark magic and traits exactly as they were.

In other words, by eating that demon’s heart, he could gain resistance to poison. The moment Steron reached that conclusion, he moved like lightning and that was no metaphor.

Steron of Black Lightning, was the second fastest demon in the Demon Realm. As the ruler of the eastern region of the Demon Realm, he could become lightning itself.

Kai’s head turned ninety-degrees. He hadn’t been able to dodge Steron’s lightning-fast punch.

Very fast...!

From Kai’s perspective, it was far more difficult to deal with someone who possessed extreme speed like Steron than with someone who used poison like Basion.

Sensing danger, Kai’s eyes began to glow green.

Ding!

[Hawk's Witness effect has been activated.]

Kai’s vision instantly multiplied, but even so, it was still impossible to fully track Steron’s movements.

However...

It was impossible to fully track him, and nothing more. Kai, who had partially read Steron’s movement, blocked his following punch.

Steron’s eyes widened. “He blocked it...?”

He looked more shocked than when Basion’s poison had failed.

“I already knew this, but he’s definitely no ordinary guy.” Basion, who had been watching quietly, revealed an excessive level of wariness. “What the hell are you? There’s no way a demon like you just shows up overnight.”

“Well, that’s because I’m not a demon.”

A flash of light erupted in the air, and the Holy Sword materialized.

“I’m human.”

Kai’s Holy Sword diagonally slashed across Steron’s chest. Blood spurted like a fountain with the clean strike, yet Steron’s HP remained untouched.

"Blood is pouring out but his health isn't dropping. This buff is seriously strange."

Kai had already sparred with Serphine until he was sick of it. He knew by now that no matter what kind of attack he used, their HP wouldn’t decrease.

Well, even this buff has some loopholes.

It was the fact that he could still slash the target. That meant he could damage part of the opponent’s body if he chose to.

"So from now on, you’d better fight with everything you’ve got."

Unless he didn’t mind getting wrecked.

***

"The whereabouts of the two were still unknown."

“Their names aren’t showing up in the rankings either.”

At the successive reports from his subordinates, Xao Lin quietly opened his eyes. "A month has passed since the promised time."

He was the type of man who would test a stone bridge before crossing it, and if that wasn’t enough, he would destroy it and build a new one himself. In a good way, he was cautious. In a bad way, he was fearful. But in this world, few people dared call him a coward. It was only natural, as no one would dare speak like that to someone who led twenty million guild members.

"Preparations?"

"If you give the command, we can cross the border immediately."

"Good." Only then did Xao Lin smile and slowly rise from his seat. "But we do not stand at the front lines."

The protruding stone always got struck first.

"We have poured astronomical amounts of bribes until now for a day like today."

Among those in high-ranking positions, there were some who did not understand the simple truths of the world.

"If you take money, you should do your part for it."

With a cold smile, Xao Lin ordered his subordinates to send letters. That day, sixty-two letters were delivered to the nobles of the Kingdom of Aldebaran.

***

"So this is how they decide to act after all," Minerva muttered as she read the news on the community site.

News articles were being updated by the second across various platforms.

[Black Dragon announces participation in Kingdom of Aldebaran’s war.]

[An unannounced invasion event? Who will emerge victorious?]

[Aldebaran vs. Rashion: Experts analyze the power of the two nations.]

[Sudden declaration of war leaves Rashion in chaos—where is Kai?]

The Kingdom of Aldebaran had drawn their sword without warning, and that blade now pointed at its neighboring country, Rashion.

The one who responded to Minerva was Ghost. "In a way, this is exactly what you’d expect from Xao Lin."

Besides Minerva and Ghost, there were also Pray and Crimson Dawn members seated in the room. They had been traveling through Libertia, Haveros, and the Arkan Academy to reinforce the borders of Kai’s territory.

At first, members of the Crimson Dawn had grumbled that they barely had time to level up, asking why they needed to defend territory. But now, they treated it like a vacation because Kai’s territories each had such a unique concept that exploring them was genuinely enjoyable.

Chris, who had been seated, raised his hand and asked, "Anyway, setting that aside. President, what should we do now?"

"This is a request that came with the Dawn Letter. We will defend Kai’s territories just as we have been doing."

"If the Black Dragon guys show up, do we fight them too?"

"Of course."

To Ghost’s quick answer, Minerva added, "No need to worry too much. We’ll be joining as well."

"Worry? We can easily handle a bunch of disorganized mobs," Chris scoffed and muttered. "The issue is how long this war will drag on. President, what exactly was the request?"

"To protect Kai’s territory and his people until the moment he returns."

"

Hmm.

But can he really even come back? He’s not even showing on the rankings right now," his voice sounded slightly uncertain.

"What, do you not want him to come back? So you can stay first place?"

"I have no attachment to a rank I got by default."

"Good to hear.

Oh

, by the way..." Ghost turned his head to look at Minerva. "Do you happen to know how the Solarian Church plans to move in this war?"

"The Solarian Church..." She furrowed her brow and thought for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll probably take a neutral stance. Of course, publicly, we’ll likely criticize the Aldebaran Kingdom..."

"So we can’t expect support from the Church of Solaris?"

"Well, I can’t give you a clear answer on that." Minerva sipped her tea with a mysterious smile.

"What do you mean?"

"You know the Arkan Academy, right?"

"Yes... Wait, don’t tell me..."

"The High Priest is there. If the Black Dragon guys go crazy and touch that place, the Solarian Church might get seriously angry."

"

Hmm.

Arkan Academy." Ghost rubbed his chin for a moment and asked another question. "I heard nobles and royals from across the continent are gathered there. Can’t we get help from their nations?"

"Unlikely. In fact, Aldebaran probably won’t touch the Arkan Academy. Their people are there too, and they know it would be disastrous if they did."

"So you’re saying the NPCs won’t touch the Arkan Academy."

"Yes, but clueless players might mess with it."

"I see."

What the city of Arkan could actually do had never been publicly revealed. All people knew was that it was a place that shouldn’t be touched since noble bloodlines from across the continent gathered there.

"That’s troublesome. Chris, you handle the Arkan side."

"By myself?"

"Our Holy Blood Order will defend the Arkan Academy with you, so don’t worry."

"Good. Then the rest of us, including me, will defend the Siris Fortress."

By now, Kai had more territories than anyone could count. Except for a few cities in the east, he ruled over all the rest. Among them, Siris was a gorge fortress that served as the gate between northern and eastern Rashion. In fact, when Rashion’s apostates betrayed them in the past, that was the first place they tried to seize.

“No one will be able to pass beyond the gorge if we firmly block off Siris Fortress.”

“It’ll cost them a massive amount of time and supplies if they try to go around it. It's a good strategy.” Minerva smiled as she continued, “And... if I’m right, there will probably be others who will help us.”

After all, Kai wasn’t the only one who had made a nest in the Kingdom of Rashion.