Chapter 697 – Game of Thrones (3) #PART 2

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What is this?
“?!”
Judging by his reaction, it seemed that Agares had sensed it too.
Something is happening outside the ritual.

Of course, it wasn’t as threatening as the Agares standing before me.
No matter what was happening beyond, in order to survive this ritual, I first had to hunt Agares down.

An anomaly born from legends.
The materialized legends surged toward Agares.
It struck me again—what an outrageous exaggeration… no, that I had truly lived by weaving legends into reality.

“Khrrraaarrr.”

Even the Dark Dragon of Darkness, though only for a fleeting moment, had managed to inflict a status abnormality on Agares, the King of Seoul.
Then the seniors I had materialized with the [Akshan Legend] were not to be underestimated either.

Though their radiance had dimmed somewhat due to the still pitiful weight of my name.

The natural enemy of demons.
Still, I did manage to elevate Akshan’s prestige compared to before.

That much was undeniable—whether in reality or on the continent of Arcana.
Even if they couldn’t reach Agares himself, it was enough to entrust the demons under him to the seniors I had summoned.

“You dare act insolent before your king.”

Naturally, Agares was not so easily dealt with.

He may be the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced.

And then, within the ritual’s Seoul, a sinister voice echoed.

【Your king commands you. Die for me.】

Cr-r-runch.
The fallen players and demons began to rise once more.
To nullify the Dark Dragon’s Dragon Fear—astonishing.
But I wasn’t exactly surprised. I had already witnessed the horror of Word of Command multiple times in Claudi Territory.

An absolute force, capable of felling even birds in flight.

Since the moment he became King of Seoul, Agares’s authority had surely advanced deep into the realm of anomalies.
And now, its effects were showing.

“…Khrrraa.”

The Dark Dragon’s massive wings twitched.

【History belongs to the victors, after all.】

Legend is also history.
Agares sought to subjugate my legends and usurp their control with his Word.
So this is what sets the strongest of the Ten Thrones apart.

I recalled the words of the Akshan seniors:

-“An exorcism ritual is like a double-edged sword.”

A battlefield of ritual that makes the impossible possible.
Depending on who holds the initiative, the ritual could either overwhelm a demon—or result in being overwhelmed.
Agares had realized this and was now attempting to overwhelm me.

It should have been impossible.
To steal another’s legend.

…Flap.
But now, the initiative within the ritual lay firmly in Agares’s hands.

Dark Dragon, even if you turn against me, I will not be shaken.

“Behold, even your dragon bows its head to me.”

Ssshhh.
Agares revealed himself, standing atop the Dark Dragon.
Its pupils grew even darker, unleashing Dragon Fear at me.

“Khrrrraaaaa!”

So this is how my enemies must have felt, facing it?
Truly overwhelming—my bubble.

At least I knew its patterns inside out.
Whomever it resembled, its gaudy outward appearance belied its lack of substance.

Here it comes, Breath.

Fwoooosh!

Like someone spamming a reversal magic…
The Dark Dragon’s attack patterns were painfully monotonous.

Cr-cr-crack!

With the anomaly of “Absolute Zero,” I froze the trajectory of the incoming Breath.
Heat against cold—not a matter of superiority.

It’s called Absolute Zero for a reason.

Ssshhh—

The moment it collided, the dragon’s Breath was snuffed out.
Of course, the immense mana I had burned to cancel it wouldn’t be replenished anytime soon.

After all, the legends I summoned weren’t mere stories.
Each bore an additional anomaly befitting them.

But Agares was one of the Ten Thrones.
Until recently, he had observed both reality and Arcana through his Evil Eye.
He coolly assessed the Dark Dragon.

“So this is the extent of its substance.”

It seemed he hadn’t expected much.

Even Words of Command have conditions.
To manipulate another’s mind requires deep understanding of their psyche.
By that logic, the legends I had summoned at this moment were not safe.

Even the Akshan seniors themselves.

【Akshan, do you not already know? He was a Possessor.】

Clink.
The demon hunters of Akshan loaded silver bolts, aiming at me.

Honestly, I wasn’t afraid.
Not when I had parted ways with Grandfell.
There was no reason to fear the Akshan seniors anymore.

However—

‘This is only the beginning.’

And then, every legend began to turn its back on me.
As if all of Seoul had turned away.
Even the legends I had built began to forsake me.

You’ve done something outrageous, Lee Hoyeol.
Perhaps I even blamed myself for it.

“You’ve been watching everything, haven’t you, Agares?”

Unfair, isn’t it?
While I had to contend with countless enemies—the Primordial Evil, the Pantheon, Raymond Sean—the Ten Thrones had their eyes fixed solely on me.

Agares smirked.

“Yes, and that is why I know.”

Finally showing a truly demonic sneer, Agares.

“That you have nothing left at all!”

Magic. Swordsmanship. Legends. Anomalies…

“You are nothing but his puppet.”

Indeed, in facing the Ten Thrones, I had laid everything bare.
Agares was certain. Of his own victory.

But here’s the thing—
Even I hadn’t known it would come to this.

“That everyone would become my enemy.”

That I would find myself in this very situation, even in a past cycle.

Slowly—
I closed my eyes, memories and backgrounds surging back.
The voice of the Great Sage Rise, once faintly heard, returned.

-“…So the prophecy has become reality!”

That’s right.
Agares didn’t know this.
I had materialized a legend that Lee Hoyeol of a previous cycle had left behind.
.
.

.

[The legend, ‘The Great Sinner Who Denied and Trampled All Things,’ materializes.]