"Are you insane? You think you can beat Commander Roland? He'll turn you into paste, you stupid demon."
Gail brought his foot down, and one of Roland's thunder phantoms was destroyed. Ragnar couldn't figure out why Gail cared so much about human affairs. Who was this guy, and how was his combat strength this terrifying? Each of Roland's thunder phantoms carried the same strength as the original.
Roland activated his high-tech scanner. He wanted to see exactly what this opponent's stats looked like.
A tier plus elite demon. Strength barely over four thousand one hundred. Everything else is mediocre.
Roland laughed. "His speed is half of mine. Just a run-of-the-mill elite demon."
He sent several thunder phantoms lunging at Gail. By his numbers, whatever he managed just now was pure luck. And luck doesn't last forever.
The next second, several phantoms were right behind Gail. Gail threw a single punch and swept every one of them. They were sent flying fifty meters and crashed into the ground.
Something is wrong. His numbers. He should not be faster than me. What is going on with this demon?
Roland's entire understanding of the world was on the verge of collapse. Gail said it was his turn now.
Roland, who very much wanted to stay alive, ducked behind the thunder drake. His strength numbers cannot beat mine. My thunder phantoms carry nearly identical stats to the original. The only thing I can't scan is his luck stat. Where is the discrepancy coming from?
Every readout showed he should be crushing Gail, but he was the one getting crushed. With his weapon bonus, his strength was over five thousand four hundred, more than thirteen hundred higher than Gail's. His speed was over two thousand higher as well. No matter how he looked at the numbers, he should be the one doing the beating.
He had to try again. He settled into an attack stance. Lightning flashed and he teleported behind Gail. A sneak attack, but Gail was faster. A fist came down on his head. Then Gail pinned him down and pounded away.
Roland's original body stayed hidden behind the thunder drake. This is completely abnormal. What stats is he hiding?
"Still so dependent on that scanner of yours."
As Gail's character panel revealed, because he carried the title of the King of Demons, all his attributes received an additional triple multiplier that could not be detected. His actual strength was around sixteen thousand. His speed was at least five thousand six hundred. Roland's was three thousand seven hundred. Getting obliterated made perfect sense.
"Don't assume your scanner shows you everything."
Thunder and rain raged across the sky. Roland roared. "I refuse. I refuse to believe. I refuse to believe for one second—"
He never finished. A fist the size of a boulder reshaped his face. His thunder phantoms became Gail's punching bags until they crashed one by one into the ground.
Gail looked completely calm on the surface, but beneath that stillness was a storm.
Roland sent out another armed thunder phantom. "You can't keep that speed up forever."
But the next second, Gail was already behind the phantom. Roland was stunned beyond words. Then it was sent flying again.
Roland was suffocating with frustration. Direct confrontation was off the table. Whatever secrets you're hiding, you're still just a servant of the demon sovereign.
He actually planned to take hostages and force Gail's hand. "Hey, your boss is in my hands."
He grabbed Silvara by the throat.
Wynn looked at him with contempt. "The moment you meet someone you can't beat, this is all you've got."
Roland's expression soured. He did have his pride, but he tightened the chain around Silvara's neck regardless.
Gail thought dying ten thousand times wouldn't be enough to pay for this man's crimes. What a tired old move.
Roland was terrified on the inside, his cowardly nature on full display. "Take one more step and they both die."
Wynn's chain was pulled tight as well, a horrible gurgling sound coming from his throat as both of them neared suffocation.
That sick smile crept back onto Roland's face. "Come on then. Show me how capable you really are." He pulled the chains tighter as he spoke. "No matter how fast you are, there's only one of you. If you dare rush in to save one, I kill the other instantly."
He was certain he had Gail cornered. "So, what's it going to be? What do you choose?"
Gail's hands trembled, droplets of water sliding off his fists. Then he burst forward in a single stride.
Roland nearly lost control of himself. He actually came at me.
Wynn told him to save your highness first.
Gail extended two fingers and drove them straight into the eyes of one of Roland's thunder phantoms. Wynn never expected Gail to come for him first. The blinded phantom was sent flying and crashed hard into the ground.
"Why did you save me? What about your highness?"
The next second, everything changed. "Who said I was only saving one?"
Silvara had already been pulled free by an ice golem, and Roland's phantom was skewered on the golem's ice blade. A few clean slashes and the phantom was cut to pieces.
"Relax. Got them both."
The blade energy cut straight through the chains as well.
Ragnar was floored. "An ice golem? How is that possible? That's my exclusive skill. When did you learn it? This makes no sense. How could he have learned it?"
By then, one of Roland's phantoms had appeared above the ice golem, clearly ready to finish it in one strike. But the next second, the golem drove its fist into the phantom's head.
"Forgot to mention. This golem is exactly as strong as I am."
As it turned out, right when Ragnar was on his last breath, Gail had been deciding which of his skills was worth copying. Looking at how things had turned out, it seemed he had chosen well.
Ragnar finally understood. Gail had copied his skill.
Blood Ice Golem was a dark cloud class skill he had stumbled upon in a dungeon. Powerful as it was, it had two critical weaknesses. First, it consumed the user's own HP. Second, it required the presence of a water element to activate, and the golem's strength was directly tied to how much HP was spent.
He had just said the golem matched his strength, meaning he had spent all his HP to create it. In other words, Gail was now completely vulnerable.
"Commander, forget the golem. Go for his real body. He used my skill, which means right now is when he's at his weakest."
"So that's it. All a bluff. One hit is all it takes and you're finished."
Roland felt his confidence returning. Gail didn't seem the least bit concerned.
A phantom flashed toward Gail. Whether it was the speed or something else, Gail was run through. Roland was sure this was it. He had won the gamble.
But the next second, a voice came from behind him. "Keep going."
Roland's face contorted. What is happening? He should be near death. I hit him directly.
Five or six more phantoms charged at Gail, but Roland's attacks were too weak. Even critical hits only dealt three hundred HP. Some only managed a hundred. For Gail, it was barely a scratch.
"Is that all?"
Something felt wrong to Roland. He activated the eye of scrutiny again. Impossible. His HP is full. This demon, it's not just his numbers that are wrong. There's something about his whole presence that doesn't add up.
"Roland, have you run out of moves?"
As he spoke, a dark blue-black sword materialized in his hand. Just the sight of it was terrifying.
Roland was on the verge of tears. Run. He'll tear me apart.
He fled as a streak of lightning. Looking at the lightning crackling across the sky, it seemed even the heavens were on his side.