The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Boom! Flash.

Aura and demonic energy flew wildly in all directions. And amidst it all, the legion of weapons darted back and forth.

The not-so-large plaza was filled with the heat of battle.

The Imperial special assault team, which included over twenty superhumans and demon generals, likely thought they would win easily, but reality was different.

Flash!

A wave of holy power erupted from Raul’s body, driving away the demonic energy and filling the plaza. The luminance aura, honed to perfection, was like a massive holy barrier in itself.

Sizzle.

The holy power clung to the bodies of lower-level Imperial superhumans, burning away the demonic energy. From the orbs of luminance scattered around the plaza, large holy spheres shot towards the enemies.

“Damn it. Someone get rid of that annoying barrier!”

“We can’t use our abilities… Ugh.”

In a hurry, the superhumans activated the Emperor’s Brand, and red tattoos spread across their bodies, but they were suppressed by the holy power and couldn’t exert their full strength.

The moment they showed an opening, dozens, hundreds of weapons swarmed at them like piranhas.

Slash!

Caldenas’ sword moved with utmost efficiency, beheading the superhumans.

“Damn it. Do you think I’ll go down that easily?”

An Imperial superhuman close to advanced master level aimed for a critical strike at Caldenas’ avatar. But at that moment.

Snap!

“Hngh!”

A tree branch burst through the marble floor and coiled around his ankle.

“Who’s using these petty tricks! Get off me!”

He tried to cut the branch with his aura, but.

Thunk.

The aura deflected off the branch without slicing it.

‘What the…? No, this can’t…!’

As he widened his eyes in shock, the branch slithered up his body like a snake and wrapped around him. Bound tightly up to his neck, he couldn’t even scream before.

Crack! Swish.

His body was drained into the floor, leaving only a pool of blood where he’d stood.

“Watch your feet!”

Someone shouted upon witnessing the scene, but Rabel scoffed.

‘Too late.’

With a slight wave of her wand, cracks spread across the plaza floor, and dozens of tree branches shot up, targeting the Imperial superhumans.

Rabel’s miniaturized version of the Fairy Tribe’s unique technique, 『Fairy Fantasy』, known as 『Fairy Field』, engulfed the Imperial troops.

Using saplings from the Spirit Tree and branches from the World Tree, Rabel’s attacks were more than enough to disrupt the Imperial superhumans.

‘But… we definitely outnumbered them….’

The Imperial superhumans, who had believed they could easily win no matter who the opponent was, realized their calculations were wrong. But it was too late for regrets.

The more than twenty Imperial superhumans fell one by one to the relentless barrage of attacks, collapsing onto the cold ground.

*

“Incredible. Cough.”

Blood trickled from the mouth of the Imperial Demon General, whose face resembled that of a lion. His over 3-meter-tall, muscular frame, once intimidating, was now no longer a threat.

Five swords had already pierced through his body like skewers.

“It was an interesting battle. It’s been a long time since I could wield my sword so freely. It’s a pity time wasn’t on our side.”

Despite his words, Raul’s expression remained indifferent.

‘A monstrous guy. Was he hiding his true strength?’

The Imperial Demon General looked at Raul, who bore not a single scratch, with a look of defeat. All the intelligence from the espionage division was worthless.

Even after activating the Emperor’s Brand and expending all his latent power, he couldn’t even graze Raul. Moreover, it seemed Raul had not even revealed his full strength.

“Still, you won’t achieve the outcome you….”

Thud.

The Imperial Demon General collapsed powerlessly. Raul sheathed the sword that had beheaded the general and turned his head.

“You’ve done well.”

Rabel bestowed a fairy’s blessing on Raul, washing away his fatigue. All the Imperial superhumans, except the general, had long since fallen.

“Sigh, what a pity. I wanted to defeat him purely with swordsmanship.”

Raul spoke with a slight look of dissatisfaction. Though he had gained an upper hand initially with just one sword, he couldn’t overwhelm the general.

In the end, to secure a quick victory, he had summoned five swords, and the battle, which effectively became 1 vs 6, was decided in an instant.

Each of the ghost swords, perfected through repeated compression and combined with psychokinesis, matched Raul’s own skill in swordsmanship.

“Don’t be too impatient. The path of the sword is without end. If you continue to reflect on today’s disappointment and diligently hone your skills, you will achieve what you desire.”

“Thank you for the advice, master.”

Caldenas gave a slight smile before merging back into Ragnarator.

Clang. Swoosh.

The weapon legion returned to storage, and the spoils of battle scattered across the battlefield were collected through psychokinesis. Meanwhile, Raul slowly moved towards somewhere.

His sword was pointing at someone.

“So, care to reveal your identity? Who are you and what were you doing here?”

At the tip of Raul’s sword stood the young man with black hair, hands raised, sporting an awkward smile.

“I surrender.”

*

“What do you think?”

Raul asked, frowning.

“Well, he didn’t leave the most trustworthy impression. For now, maybe just keep an eye on him?”

“True, but there was something unsettling about him.”

“It’s probably the aura he carried. It was faint, but unmistakably the aura of a ‘dragon.’”

“Hmm…”

Raul stroked his chin, reflecting his unease. Just moments earlier. The black-haired young man, playfully declaring surrender, didn’t seem inclined to fight Raul.

“…I just wanted to see it with my own eyes. Well, it does seem possible.”

After sharing some unbelievable stories, the young man had finally said, “Ah, since we’ve met, let me give you a tip. Up ahead, you’ll face Marquis Dailo Monet of the Demon Realm. He possesses traits of darkness and division. Good luck with the rest of your battles.”

And as he began to leave, Raul reached out to grab him. But what he grasped was only an illusion. Like a mirage, the young man’s form vanished before Raul’s eyes.

‘A mirage deception capable of fooling my senses….’

Raul grew even more curious about the young man’s true identity, but there was no time to ponder.

“Let’s hurry. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will become.”

The distant ominous aura of demonic energy was becoming increasingly intense.

*

After several battles and trap-filled obstacles, Raul pressed on without stopping. Fortunately, none of the foes were as threatening as the Imperial Demon General’s party, allowing Raul to advance steadily.

Finally, he arrived at a substantial hall. In the center stood a massive staircase spiraling upwards like twisted rope. The hall also had fifteen doors lining its perimeter.

Raul had emerged from one of those doors. He pushed slightly against a neighboring door, but it didn’t budge.

‘Doors that only open from the outside.’

It seemed that others who had taken different paths were also meant to gather here.

“Looks like we were the first to arrive.”

Rabel looked around and spoke.

“Indeed. I thought that Noel guy might have arrived first.”

The hall was quiet, with no signs of any presence.

“What will you do? There’s still some time until our agreed meeting time.”

Before entering the Tower of the Demon Realm, Raul had made a plan with the Swordmaster and his father. If they found a place to regroup before reaching the final floor, they would stop and wait for their comrades.

Of course, they had set a specific time limit, rather than waiting indefinitely. They had also considered the possibility of cooperating with other tower assailants who entered separately.

Raul looked up at the ceiling. The hall was silent, but beyond that, the demonic energy emanating from the top floor was anything but ordinary.

“Let’s go up.”

Rabel nodded in agreement. It would be beneficial if their allies could join them, but if other assailants arrived first and were unwilling to cooperate, it could complicate their assault on the tower.

‘Just looking at this space, it’s clear what the intention is.’

At first glance, it seemed like an ideal place to rest and prepare for the final battle, but malevolent intent lay beneath the surface.

The “divine power” rumored to be obtainable at the top of the tower. Anyone who had made it this far on their own would undoubtedly be driven by greed.

‘Internal strife. If they end up wasting time by keeping each other in check…’

That’s exactly what the enemy wanted.

‘It’s better to face the final battle alone rather than with unreliable allies.’

And honestly, if Raul encountered an enemy he couldn’t handle alone, the addition of the Swordmaster and his father wouldn’t drastically improve their chances.

It would be better to resolve the matter quickly to increase the survival rate of his comrades fighting somewhere below.

“Then let’s proceed up.”

Unlike before, Raul preemptively summoned his master Caldenas’s avatars as he confidently ascended the stairs. When he touched the ceiling, a brilliant magic circle activated, engulfing his body.

*

Flash!

Raul’s Luminance Aura burst forth.

Crackle!

‘Damn it. As expected!’

Unlike usual, the Luminance Aura couldn’t exhibit its full power. It barely extended about 10 meters from Raul, forming a hemispherical dome around him. Beyond the boundary, holy power clashed with demonic energy and some unknown force, causing sparks to fly and dissipate.

“Oh, you’re well-prepared.”

A voice echoed within the dome, as if speaking from all directions simultaneously. Raul remained silent, scanning his surroundings. The voice continued to speak despite Raul’s lack of response.

“Usually, people panic and get consumed by the darkness the moment they step in. No matter how much you look around, it’s useless. You won’t see anything anyway.”

‘What a talkative creature.’

Raul could understand the sentiment, though. It had probably been a while since this entity had descended upon the human realm, and it wanted to toy with its prey and babble on endlessly.

‘But there’s one thing you’re wrong about.’

Outside the holy power barrier, what Raul saw appeared to be pure darkness. It seemed that the traits of the demon had been fully manifested, just as the young man with black hair had mentioned.

But when Raul’s eyes glowed with a golden hue, the situation changed. His analytical vision could pierce through the densest darkness. The top floor was a spacious hall resembling a hotel lounge.

However, there was a hole in the center of the domed ceiling. Beyond the intense flow of demonic energy, a foreboding black and crimson dimensional gate was slowly descending.

‘That must be the Gate to the Demon Realm!’

“Do you think enduring like this will change anything? How about you give up and submit to me instead? When the Demon King descends, this world will perish anyway. I’ll spare you and even grant you territory. What do you think? It’s not a bad offer, is it?”

From the demon’s words, it seemed clear that once that gate fully descended, the Demon King would manifest in Connect.

‘To stop that…’

Raul turned his head to scan the corners of the hall and found his answer. A group that appeared to be mages was hidden within a barrier, activating a specialized magic circle.

Crackle!

Meanwhile, the demonic energy was tightening around the holy power dome, causing it to shrink gradually. The problem was that there was no discernible form of a demon to attack.

‘Ah, I see!’

As Raul scrutinized the dark mass surrounding the dome, he smiled slightly. He had realized that the demon’s true form was the darkness itself.

Typically, such enemies, even if they transformed their bodies, would hide a core that acted as the focal point. This demon was particularly unique.

‘It split its core completely?’

Possessing the trait of division, it seemed the demon had dispersed its core into the darkness itself.

“Rabel, shall we begin?”

“Yes, let’s finish this quickly.”

Now that they had identified the demon’s nature and methodology, all that remained was to clash with it. Weapons began to pour out from Raul’s inventory, while Rabel plunged the sapling of the Spirit Tree and the branches of the World Tree into the ground.

Crack!

The legion of weapons, wrapped in a golden aura, surged out of the holy power dome and drove into the darkness. Simultaneously, the branches of the Spirit Tree and the World Tree began to extend in all directions.

(To be continued)