I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 577 The Hero Has Arrived

"The Corruption Heart is really useful. Even though it's not the complete version, it has helped me corrupt some key figures... It's just a pity that I couldn't fully utilize its potential..."

Deep within the Demon Grove, a massive shadow writhed beneath a throne-like, twisted tree.

Grossag the Doomhammer, a demon lord known for his cunning and cruelty, is watching the situation inside and outside Mooncrown City through a magic mirror made of lava and shadow.

Its eyes, burning with malevolent fire, gleamed with the triumph of its plan progressing smoothly, and a hint of regret that it hadn't been perfect.

The scene reflected in the magic mirror is its meticulously planned masterpiece.

Within Mooncrown City, a crimson torrent is crashing against the last stronghold of the elves, and the light of the World Tree is teetering on the brink of collapse.

This is precisely the result of it using the whispers of the "Corrupted Heart" to sow seeds of doubt and betrayal within the elves.

Those "key figures" whose minds were corrupted by it... might be a nobleman who craved greater power, a general who was dissatisfied with the current policies, or a fool like the elder who was killed by Ilúvatar before, harboring some twisted "ideal".

Their "cooperation" at crucial moments, such as that seemingly reasonable order to move the defensive line, created the perfect conditions for the demon army's thunderous strike.

"Heh... Elves who consider themselves noble are no different from lowly humans in the face of inner darkness. In fact, because they live longer, they are more prone to corruption and depravity."

Grossag let out a low, hoarse laugh, like countless pebbles rubbing against each other.

The corrupting influence amplified the greed, fear, or paranoia within those elves, causing them to unknowingly or reluctantly become accomplices of the abyss.

However, a hint of gloom lingered amidst its joy.

"The plan is going too smoothly..."

As he spoke, the demon lord looked up at the shattered sky.

World consciousness exists. It is not the thinking of an intelligent being, but a vast and primal instinct for maintaining its own existence.

When faced with a "pathology" that could threaten the balance of the entire world... such as a demon lord attempting to drag it completely into the abyss, this instinct activates its vague "immune system."

Like those stories that have been passed down through countless dimensions and sung by bards for thousands of years... when the demon king who will destroy the world descends, fate will always give birth to a "hero" who will fight against him.

This is no coincidence, but rather the world's consciousness subtly manipulating the threads of fate, gathering fortune, and catalyzing heroes to confront extreme threats that could lead to their own "death."

The "brave" is the most concrete and concentrated manifestation of the world consciousness's will to resist.

Besides the appearance of a hero, the Demon King and his subordinates will also have extremely bad luck.

and so……

"Hoohoho..."

"What the hell!?"

Grossag abruptly rose from its twisted throne and turned sharply around.

To its disbelief, it saw a group of strangely shaped "demons" breaking through the guards it had set up around its lair and charging toward it.

These "demons" largely maintain a humanoid form, but their bodies are covered with dense, dark red dragon scales that shimmer with a dark metallic luster, sharp bone spikes protrude from their joints, and they trail powerful dragon tails behind them.

Their heads still vaguely resembled the outlines of their original race, but twisted dragon horns grew from their foreheads, and they breathed out scorching breaths. Their arms had transformed into claws covered in scales, or they could still grip weapons, but their strength and speed far surpassed those of ordinary demons.

This is the latest "scientific research result" from the group of players on the East Beach.

After countless failures involving explosions, distortions, dragon heads with human bodies, and spinning mad dragons, they finally found a relatively stable formula and proportion, successfully fusing the flesh and blood of the Abyssal Dragon with the properties of other demonic materials in a relatively stable manner, thus creating this Dragonborn Demon form that combines the powerful physique of the dragon race, the dragon breath attack, and the Abyssal Demon's adaptability to the fel energy environment.

Instead of charging head-on into the forest defenses like the Overlord Tigers, they used the new form's affinity for the abyss environment and the players' unique "unconventional" thinking to infiltrate directly into dangerous, energy-disordered areas that even demons neglected. By sheer coincidence, they... stumbled upon the rear of the demon lord Grossag's lair.

"Stop them, you idiots!"

Grossag was both shocked and furious, and roared at the guards inside the lair through the mental link.

The demon lord should not have feared a group of mortals who had stolen the power of the abyss. However, these newly born dragonborn demons were different; they were not human.

Grossag's roar echoed through the lair, and more demon guards poured out from the shadows, from the lava river, and from the twisted portal, trying to stop the uninvited guests.

However, this dragonborn demon squad displayed a simple, brutal, and efficient fighting style that matched their ferocious appearance.

Aside from the occasional low roars, laced with the might of dragons and the abyss, they exchanged almost no words, only making deadly advances.

charge!

They didn't even slow down in the face of the swarming lesser demons and horned demons.

Its body, covered in dark red dragon scales, slammed into the enemy ranks like a heavy battering ram!

The players at the forefront had their hands completely transformed into terrifying claws covered in thick scales, their fingertips gleaming with a cold light.

They didn't need weapons, nor could they wield them. With a swift swing of their claws, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, they easily ripped the towering berserker demons to shreds like rags, or they would grab the demon overseer's bone shield and chest, pull out his still-beating heart, and crush it with a casual flick of their wrists.

Besides their claws, their dragon tails can also be used as weapons, whipping wildly left and right during a charge.

With a sickening cracking sound, the demon who tried to flank was swept away like a bowling pin.

Players with less severe mutations retained part of their arm structure and were still able to grip their familiar, now somewhat small, melee weapons.

But after being imbued with the terrifying power of the dragonborn demons, these weapons unleashed astonishing destructive force.

A seemingly ordinary two-handed greatsword was swung around as if weightless in the hands of a Dragonborn player, leaving a dark red afterimage as it cleaved a berserker demon in two, along with its axe. The sword's wind also shredded the lesser demons behind it into mincemeat.

There were even players using heavy weapons such as battle axes and flails. They were like humanoid tyrannosaurus rex, and every swing was unstoppable, smashing and blasting away any demons that blocked their way.

When the demons gathered too densely and tried to stop them with sheer numbers, the few dragonborn players in front, who were almost entirely devoid of human form, suddenly took a deep breath. Their ferocious mouths opened, and an ominous red light shone from deep within their throats!

"Roar..." It was dragon's breath.

Although these players' dragon breath attacks are not as powerful or have a greater range than those of a real abyssal dragon, their close-range attacks are still as terrifying as flamethrowers.

A crimson torrent of fire swept forward, igniting swarms of demons, burning them until they sizzled and turned to charcoal in agony, carving a burning path through the tide of demons.

Unstoppable!

They were like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely scalding through the "butter" formed by the demon guards.

Demons attempting to stop the enemy appear utterly powerless before these dragonborn demon players, whose forms are stable, whose power has surged, and whose fighting style is wild and efficient.

The demons' attacks, when they landed on their dragon-scale-covered bodies, often only left shallow bloodstains or were deflected by bone spikes, failing to cause any immediate fatal damage.

In just a few dozen seconds, this squad had already stepped over countless demon remains, broken through layers of interception, and, carrying the stench of blood and sulfur, like avenging messengers from the deepest abyss, fiercely rushed to the Twisted Throne. Their eyes, burning with evil fire, were fixed on the demon lord who had just stood up... Doomhammer Grossag.

"Roar!!!"

The leading dragonborn player let out a deafening roar, and then...

He was knocked flying.

"Boom..."

A dull thud.

While he was still flying in mid-air, his chest, covered with hard dragon scales, collapsed, and the scales and flesh on his back burst open like flower petals. His massive dragon-born body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into several twisted rock pillars before finally collapsing in a pile of rocks in the distance.

The other players, seeing his twisted body, knew he was beyond saving.

This is the power of the Demon Lord, far surpassing that of ordinary demons; it is a terrifying being capable of shaking mountains and burning cities.

However, this thunderous strike did not deter the remaining Dragonborn players.

Instead of backing down, their eyes blazed with an even more fervent light.

"Roar!"

The remaining Dragonborn players let out even wilder battle cries and rushed towards Grossag from different directions. Having just acquired the Dragonborn bodies, they did not know how to fight. They simply relied on the powerful physical instincts brought by the Dragonborn form and the players' unique "fearless" spirit to launch a desperate attack.

The claws tore through the air, screeching as they clawed at Grossag's knee joint.

The dragon's tail, covered in bone spikes, lashed out like a steel whip at its supporting leg.

The burning crimson dragon breath no longer sought to expand its range, but instead condensed into a scorching beam, attempting to burn the fel armor on Grossag's body.

Some players even tried to climb its mountain-like body and use their weapons to frantically chisel at the keratin layer on its back!
"Annoying bugs!"

Grossag roared, stomping its massive foot on the ground!

"Boom!"

A shockwave mixed with lava and shadow energy spread out in a ring, violently blasting away several players who tried to get close. The dragon scales on their bodies shattered the moment they came into contact with the shockwave, and they were sent flying backward, spitting out blood.

Its other arm swept across, crushing a player who was trying to breathe dragon breath, along with the rocks around him, into pieces as if crushing a mosquito.

Absolute power crushing!
However, the players' attacks were not entirely ineffective.

Their claws left deep gashes on Grossag's legs, which were covered in thick keratin and fel runes, and dark red, molten blood seeped from the wounds.

The condensed dragon breath beam successfully scorched through part of the fel armor, leaving charred marks on its tough skin.

The heavy weapons struck it, and although they couldn't cause fatal wounds, they did cause it sharp pain and...unbearable humiliation!

More importantly, these players completely disregarded casualties, charging forward wave after wave. One fell, and another immediately filled the gap, their targets extremely cunning… ankles, the backs of knees, even attempting to gouge out its eyes!

Grossag was thoroughly annoyed. It felt as if it were dealing with a group of exceptionally tough and ferocious piranhas. Although each bite caused limited damage, the constant gnawing made the abyssal behemoth feel stinging pain and irritation.

As one player swung his arm to parry a massive sword strike from the front, a relatively small but exceptionally agile dragonborn player glided along the ground like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the aftershocks of the stomp. His two armor-piercing daggers gleamed coldly as he stabbed Grossag's relatively vulnerable Achilles tendon.

"Pfft!"

This time, the attack was successful; the dagger broke through the outer defenses and pierced deep into flesh.

Although the wound was insignificant compared to Grossag's massive size, the humiliation from the excruciating pain caused the demon lord to let out a roar of shock and rage.

"Go away!"

It suddenly raised its foot, and the violent energy shattered the attacking player and the ground beneath him into dust.

But in that instant of hesitation and distraction, another dragon, having gathered its strength for so long, became even more concentrated and intensely powerful, striking precisely the area under its armpit that had just been exposed by raising its arm!
"laugh……"

The fel armor was burned through, the skin and flesh were scalded, and there was even a faint smell of burning!

Grossag's massive body jolted violently, letting out a deafening roar that was a mixture of pain and rage. It had finally been truly hurt by these "bastards" and "insects" in its eyes!
Although this injury was like a bee sting to a human, far from causing serious damage, the pain and the fact that it was injured were a great provocation to its majesty as a demon lord.

"You... will all die, and your souls will wail in the abyssal flames for ten thousand years!"

Grossag was utterly enraged, its fel energy surging out like a storm. It decided to hold back no more and annihilate these annoying ants along with their nest!

And this is exactly what the players wanted to see... The BOSS has entered its berserk phase.

This means that the most exciting and potentially most rewarding battles are just beginning!
Despite their heavy casualties and the near impossibility of defeating a demon lord at his peak, every surviving dragonborn player had an even more intense and determined fire burning in their eyes.

With their fearless madness, they left their painful marks on this arrogant demon lord.

(End of this chapter)