Chapter 254

Chapter 254 — The Game Difficulty Is Insane
The combat power of Glacieros, a monster made up of two dragons, was roughly at the 9-star level.

As far as Glenn remembered, Dominic Kezel’s original combat power had been around 7 stars.

‘But after forming a Divine Avatar Contract with Sagina, the main god of his church, his combat power should have risen to nearly 9 stars by now.’

In other words, Glenn had to fight two 9-star opponents.

For someone like Glenn, who had recently forged his tenth Ring, they were opponents he could handle.

Just as it took three 7-stars to defeat an 8-star, and three 8-stars to defeat a 9-star, Dominic and Glacieros simply did not have enough power to defeat Glenn.

‘Dominic is much stronger than an ordinary 9-star because of his Divine Avatar Contract, though.’

Even so, after accelerating his thoughts for a brief moment and calculating everything, Glenn foresaw his victory and immediately entered the battle.

But—

“Shaaaaaaaaa!”

“Kuh……!”

Kaaang-!

One of the two sea dragons opened its enormous jaws and charged.

Glenn swung Einheria and knocked the charging creature off its course.

Gooooooo-!

At the same time, the other dragon gathered a freezing chill inside its mouth, condensing it into the shape of a sphere.

Then it fired the accumulated coldness.

The intense frost rushed toward Glenn, creating shards of ice across the floor.

Pajajak-!

“Get lost!”

Glenn twisted his body from the awkward position created by his sword swing and quickly swung his sword again.

The holy demonic power wrapped around Einheria rushed forward according to its master’s will and completely erased the incoming cold from existence.

Paaaaang-!

Crack-!

It sounded like glass breaking.

Light, dark particles, and ice crystals shattered in every direction, tickling Glenn’s skin before disappearing.

“Phew…….”

Fwoosh-!

But before Glenn could even catch his breath, the air behind him was torn apart.

Glenn hurriedly kicked off the ground.

Bang!

An iron whip crashed down where Glenn had been standing and shattered the ice floor.

Dominic, who had aimed for a decisive strike from behind, bit his lips in annoyance.

But the coordinated attack did not end there.

While Glenn was still suspended in the air, one of the Glacieros dragons charged at him again.

The Monster Tamer and the high-level monsters used their numbers to attack Glenn relentlessly, giving him not even the slightest opening.

“Kieeeeeek!”

“Ha!
Your skill at dodging is truly incredible.
Then let’s see if you can dodge this too!”

One sea dragon twisted its body like a violent water serpent, confusing Glenn’s vision as it opened its jaws and attacked.

The other protected the ice spike, its weakness, while firing breaths of freezing cold from a distance.

And the iron whip of the Monster Tamer filled the brief gaps created between the attacks of the two sea dragons.

‘Fuck, this is annoying!’

If he had fought them one by one, he would have finished them long ago.

But because they gave him absolutely no opening, fighting them together was this difficult.

Even compared to the Demon King, who recklessly relied on the power he had just obtained, this was much more troublesome.

‘I just need one opening……!’

But the battle was far too evenly matched for that.

Of course, Dominic Kezel looked just as anxious as Glenn.

“Damn…
It seems it wasn’t a lie that you pushed back the Avatar of Nox!”

Since Dominic knew nothing about Glenn’s Gray Ring or the truth behind his combat duration, he was not happy with the current situation.

He had cast all kinds of strengthening spells on Glacieros and was also fighting with all his strength without giving Glenn a moment to breathe.

Yet all he could see was the damage gradually accumulating on Glacieros.

“……But even so, I have too much to lose to lower my tail and run away now!”

As he said that, Dominic Kezel glanced at Glacieros.

Apparently, he had come here to tame Glacieros.

His encounter with Glenn had been nothing more than a coincidence.

‘Damn it…
Why won’t you just run away……?’

Glenn gave a bitter smile.

Of course, he had never expected Dominic to give up a 9-star monster like Glacieros.

But the remaining duration of his Gray Ring was now less than ten minutes.

Meanwhile, Dominic began sweating coldly.

He suddenly pulled out a dagger from his clothes and made a long cut across his palm.

Glenn knew exactly what that meant.

That was why he could only curse Dominic’s determination.

The Tamer’s Blood.

A Divine Avatar Skill that allowed a Monster Tamer to sacrifice their life force and greatly increase their control over monsters.

He intended to control and summon another deep-sea monster besides Glacieros.

If he was willing to sacrifice his own life like this, he must desperately want to take Glacieros back with him.

For a Monster Tamer, being obsessed with obtaining a 9-star monster was understandable.

But why did it have to happen now?

‘The timing really sucks.’

It would still be better than Dominic taking Glacieros away and Glenn arriving at an empty temple without the Mythic-grade artifact.

But Glenn wished he could have moved even a few hours earlier.

However—

“Kirrrrrrrr.”

“Kieeeee.”

Seeing the deep-sea monsters slowly crawling into the temple from somewhere, there was no point in making such assumptions anymore.

They were monsters around the 8-star level.

Even so, they would be far more troublesome than having nothing to deal with……

No.

The moment those monsters joined the battle, Glenn would no longer be able to finish things within his remaining time.

What Glenn and Dominic wanted were the Mythic-grade artifact and a high-level monster to tame.

But apparently, Dominic was the more desperate one.

‘How can I……?’

Two sea dragons and a Monster Tamer.

If Glenn could temporarily disable even one of them, his path to victory would open wide.

But with the cards he currently held, he had no way to create that opening himself.

He had several cards he could play.

But all of them had to be used after an opening appeared.

‘Lowen…… wouldn’t work.’

Lowen had already retired from the battle.

She had said she would join him soon, but she was already exhausted from the previous battle.

Even if she forced herself to come here, she would not be able to contribute much.

‘……Should I retreat?’

The Mythic-grade artifact could still be obtained elsewhere.

It was just that the time would be wasted……

‘No!’

The resignation that had filled Glenn’s gray eyes instantly vanished, washed away by determination.

Sharp killing intent flashed from his eyes as Glenn glared at Dominic Kezel.

Dominic was desperate?

Glenn acknowledged that.

After all, the man was even willing to sacrifice his own life for what he wanted.

But he was not the only desperate one.

Srrng-.

“Me too……!”

Glenn did not want to give up.

Ever since he had lived as Glenn Wordsworth, he could proudly say that there had never been a single moment when he had not desperately wanted something.

He had always been like this.

And he would continue risking everything to obtain what he wanted.

“I’m fucking desperate too, you bastard.”

Einheria pointed straight ahead.

At those cold yet fierce words, the monsters and their tamer flinched.

“H-Haha……
Even so, you won’t be able to defeat me when I’m using the power of a god!”

“Kieeeeeek!”

Dominic shouted with an excited voice.

As if responding to his cry, one sea dragon and two deep-sea monsters charged toward Glenn at the same time.

“…….”

Wooooooong-.

Glenn remained silent as he released even more holy power and demonic power, increasing the size of his holy demonic energy.

His body gradually leaned forward.

Unlike before, he was putting more emphasis on offense than balance.

Of course, by doing so, he would probably be unable to avoid serious injuries.

But he was prepared to accept any sacrifice necessary to defeat them.

Three monsters charged toward him.

The whip and the freezing breath followed.

In the middle of them all, Glenn exhaled slowly and began swinging Einheria.

Or rather, he was about to swing it.

“Your wish……
I will help you achieve it.”

A quiet voice brushed past his ear.

The moment Glenn turned his gaze toward the entrance, his vision was dyed red.

“Kieeeeeee……!”

A violent red whirlwind swept through the room.

The enormous sword wind created by a heavy sword strike surged into the temple.

It swallowed the gigantic deep-sea monsters attacking Glenn whole.

Kwagagagagagaga-!

“What……?!”

“What is this……?!”

Glenn and Dominic were both stunned.

“Kirrrr…… rrr…….”

“Shaaaaaaa!”

It was a situation neither of them had expected.

The deep-sea monsters trembled while being caught in the sword wind.

Glacieros stared toward the temple entrance with wary eyes.

And then—

“Sorry I’m late.”

The floor creaked beneath a pair of boots.

Standing there was a small-framed demon woman holding a greatsword as large as her own body.

Her vivid red eyes were fixed on her master, Glenn.

“But thanks to you, my rest is over.”

“……Hah…….”

Looking at the hero who had come to find him, Glenn gave a small smile.

“Can you fight?”

“Of course.”

Lowen smiled brightly as well.

Dominic Kezel.

He had worshiped Sagina, the God of Breeding and Taming, for a long time.

A year ago, he had even formed a Divine Avatar Contract with his main god.

—Someday, I will have an important use for you, so prepare yourself for that time.

It was an incredibly beautiful voice, almost enough to make his ears go numb.

The first time Dominic Kezel heard the voice of the god he revered with his own ears, he felt as though his heart would explode.

From that day onward, he trained every single day without fail, honing the divine power his main god had granted him like a blessing.

Eventually, he rose to the highest position among the Monster Tamers currently alive.

In front of another tamer who could freely control 8-star monsters, Dominic appeared with several 8-star monsters as though the other person were nothing to him.

He personally showed them how different he was after earning Sagina’s favor.

A year passed.

When he had become somewhat skilled at using the power Sagina had bestowed upon him, a divine revelation arrived.

—My beloved Dominic.
The time has come.
Go to the Demon Lands immediately, meet the Demon King, and help him.

The god’s voice settled into his ears.

Dominic shed tears.

—Ah…… my God.
I have prepared myself for this day again and again, solely for you.

He immediately went to meet the Demon King.

He had only just received the power of a god, so he was unable to properly utilize it.

Even though he had received the power of the strongest being, Nox, through a 9-star body, his performance was only this much.

—“I am disappointed.
For someone who is supposed to be the Avatar of Nox, your power is far too pathetic.
Even considering that we attacked by surprise.”

But helping even such a half-baked person was the mission Sagina had given him.

Dominic decided to eliminate Glenn Wordsworth, a human who should never have existed, in place of the Demon King.

—“I heard that despite being a half-baked person, the Demon King who received Nox’s power was completely overwhelmed.”

After hearing this from another god’s avatar who had come with him to find Nox, Dominic thought deeply.

He had become far stronger than before after receiving the great power of Sagina.

But letting his guard down would inevitably bring disaster.

He needed absolute strength.

So he began searching for the strongest monster he could find.

Not long after, he received information about an incredibly powerful monster deep within the Hildesheim Glacier Region, one that no one had ever been able to defeat.

—“If that monster is added to the ones I have collected so far, even Glenn Wordsworth, who overwhelmed the Demon King, will not be able to defeat me.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Dominic headed toward the Hildesheim Glacier Region.

Before long, riding a tamed deep-sea monster, he easily reached the hidden Deep-Sea Sanctuary.

Then, inside the temple at the end of the sanctuary, he encountered Glacieros.

The moment he successfully tamed it, he noticed the presence of Glenn Wordsworth, who had coincidentally entered the Deep-Sea Sanctuary.

Dominic was still unfamiliar with controlling Glacieros, so he wanted to avoid a battle.

But the entrance he had used could only be used to enter.

He could not use it to leave.

Therefore, Dominic decided to take advantage of the situation and use Glacieros and the deep-sea monsters to eliminate Glenn Wordsworth.

Things started well.

He exhausted the Magic Swordswoman accompanying Glenn Wordsworth and lured Glenn into entering the temple alone.

But Glenn Wordsworth was stronger than expected.

Even with the strongest monster and the power of a god, Dominic could not easily defeat him.

In the end, Dominic used the trump card he had been saving.

He sacrificed his life force and strengthened his control over monsters even further.

‘This power was granted to me by God Sagina for this very day.

Therefore, if I can use it for the god I worship, my lowly life is not worth mourning over.’

Dominic was prepared to sacrifice all of his remaining life force to summon every monster in the surrounding area if that was what it took to eliminate the person before him.

But—

“Kieeeeeek!”

“Shaaaaaa!”

The sharp screams of monsters echoed through the temple.

Cold sweat poured down Dominic’s body like rain.

Kwaaaaang-!

Chajajajak!

His pupils shook violently.

Sword strikes flew in every direction.

Light and darkness filled his vision and exploded.

And at the center of it all was Glacieros.

The powerful monster protected its ice spike while its dying body was gradually being destroyed.

“Haa……!
Haa!”

Dominic’s breathing became ragged.

Glacieros, a monster that stood among the strongest of its kind, was being helplessly crushed by a single human.

Tap-!

Kwaaaaang!

“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!”

Sometimes holy power exploded.

Other times demonic power exploded, blinding his vision.

“Phew……!”

It was as if he had been wearing shackles all this time.

Now, with his gray hair flying wildly, Glenn was using all kinds of dazzling techniques to slowly tear away Glacieros’s remaining life.

“N-No……!”

Dominic reached out his hand.

But that was all he could do.

Paaang-!

A female demon swordsman rushed toward him at incredible speed and blocked his path.

Every time she stopped, her body creaked and trembled.

Yet she continued attacking relentlessly, sticking close to him.

“Grrrrrgh!
Get… out of my way!!”

“?!”

Fwoooosh-!

Kwaang!

Dominic swung his iron whip.

The demon woman was sent flying far away.

But the moment she was thrown back, she immediately regained her stance and kicked off the ground.

Boom-!

The woman closed the distance in an instant.

When Dominic saw the radiance shining within those unwavering red eyes as they stared directly at him, his face crumbled.

“H-Hic!
Aaaaaah!”

He swung the iron whip desperately.

He had received the power of a god and trained with it for more than a year!

‘No…… nooooo!!’

This was nothing short of a nightmare.

Faced with a situation he had never imagined even once, Dominic completely broke down.