T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 207, Section 206: Fragments of the Demon
According to the information left by Düsseldorf, he was found by the boundary between the virtual and real worlds along the trade route of the Great Snow Mountain.

"You are more capable than I imagined. You have turned the capital upside down. The nobles are terrified, His Majesty is overwhelmed with the aftermath, and even the Mage Tower is talking about it with great interest."

As they ventured deeper into the snowfield, Dussel surprisingly began discussing the plot of the rebellion in the capital.

Indeed, these characters and the storylines they spawn are all intricately connected.

"Won't the nobles be unhappy if we cooperate?" Jiang Heyi joked. "Your act of challenging the demons on your own seems to be a violation of the empire's prohibitions."

“Human life has its limits, and for me, the end of my life is not far off,” Dussel said. “It’s time to put an end to my regrets.”

Deep within the vast snow-capped mountains, Dussel casually tossed aside the weapon [Eye of the Abyss], made from fragments of demonic energy.

Like the special set gifted by Kurion, the Eye of the Abyss is a raid-bound item.

However, both the Ferocious Lion and the Wrathful Lion of Kurion can be picked up and equipped immediately, while the Eye of the Abyss can be unbound and transferred to another owner at will within the team, and each unbinding requires a certain amount of materials.

French fries naturally became the first owner of this cursed weapon.

The moment the sword was bound, it trembled rhythmically, and Fries could vaguely hear the howling wind and snow coming from the depths of the boundless snowfield.

Now that we have the weapon, the next step is to find the demon.

They have been advancing at full speed for quite some time now, led by Düsseldorf.

It was just before dawn, and all was quiet.

Seeing that the time was right, Dussel prompted Jiang Heyi to take out the Demon's Proof. Instantly, the Eye of the Abyss and the Demon's Proof resonated with a strange sound.

The sound of wind and snow, which was previously only audible to the French fries, suddenly enveloped everyone.

"It's more useful than I expected."

As he spoke, Düssel actually retreated to the back of the team.

A ninth-tier cultivator isn't as good as the one in front?
"Be prepared to run away at any time. Although Elerave told me that this sword can harm demons, no one has ever actually tried it."

That makes sense; a top-tier spatial magic master must be an expert at escaping with his men.

But Jiang Heyi could sense Dussel's deep-seated fear of evil.

The ninth rank only gave him the courage to stand here; deep down, he was still immersed in the tragic scene of the failed campaign back then.

Thankfully, it's just a game. If it were real life, Jiang Heyi would never have gone through this. Who knows if someone with PTSD would betray their teammates?

There was no wind or snow, and the moon and stars were few, but a sudden gust of wind swept through the snow-capped mountain valley.

The sound of wind and snow echoing in everyone's ears seemed to invade reality. In an instant, a fierce wind arose all around, and snow filled the sky.

An invisible fog obscured the sunlight, and the light faded in the area where the boundary between reality and illusion lay.

In the boundless darkness, clusters of pale green flames appeared.

A faint light, like that of fireflies, converged from all directions, transforming into two fist-sized eyes.

Only then did everyone realize that just a few meters away, in the dense, impenetrable darkness, the enormous moose skull was hovering eerily in mid-air.

The two unusually large, fan-shaped antlers resembled a giant clam shell that had just been opened.

Beneath the skull, various scattered bone fragments of unknown beasts and monsters were piled up to form a humanoid spine and coccyx.

Apart from that, it has no other physical structure and looks like a grotesque monster with a deer's head and a snake's body.

Countless fireflies burrowed into the hollow, enormous deer head, illuminating its pale, eerie body. At that moment, this soulless shell was given life, swaying slowly.

Slightly different from when they first met, the demon did not make a planned entrance. The skeletal attendants who surrounded it like a ceremonial band were replaced by the endless sound of wind and snow.

"This is the true form?"

Zhong Zemo was puzzled.

Jiang Heyi shook his head: "I could feel the oppressive feeling the first time, but... at the Narum mansion, it was hidden in the dark, so I couldn't confirm it."

Orange Tea tries to find answers through unknown revelations.

The silence during the last unknown revelation might have been due to bad luck or insufficient level. Now that I'm at the maximum level, I might be able to get more feedback.

With this thought in mind, Orange Tea clenched her hands tightly, making a prayer gesture.

"That's it, that's it!"

In the presence of evil spirits, everyone communicated cautiously, and a sudden loud voice startled everyone into turning their heads.

Düssel gritted his teeth and looked surprised, repeatedly saying, "That's it."

The demonic PTSD patient stamped the verification, so this is the original body?

Although it didn't meet everyone's expectations, things have come to this point...

"French fries," he said, "we can serve them now."

Holding the Eye of the Abyss, French Fries was eager to try.

Forget about demons or monsters, if you dare to show your health bar, I'll break your skeleton into pieces and make soup!

"Wind Spirit, protect her." Orange Tea began to assist with practiced ease.

The four original entities and the jailer were respectively encased in an elemental shield and had their spirit disintegrated, encased in a mental magic barrier.

The whole group acted like monkeys, instantly bringing the fries to their peak.

This time, French Fries didn't dare use the [Bloodthirst] skill to harm himself; the negative effects of the Eye of the Abyss were too strong, so it was better to play it safe.

"Just stab it once to test its quality, there's no need to risk your life."

Suppressing the urge to "chop, chop, chop," the fries moved with lightning speed.

It feels like something's missing... Ah, I remember now, this weapon doesn't have a customizable blessing effect; the four blessing effects are fixed.

No wonder it didn't feel like the thrill of high-speed driving, the feeling of walking on air!

The closer they got to the demon, the more the Eye of the Abyss trembled in Fries' hand, almost breaking free.

The demon awakened its own aura within the fragment, restoring it to its former vitality.

At this moment, the Eye of the Abyss was no longer a cold weapon, but rather half a living thing.

The dragon Eleravia is amazing; she actually managed to perfectly seal the power of the demon fragments within the forged artifact.

Moreover, French Fries could sense the terrifying killing intent emanating from the Eye of the Abyss at this moment.

It wants to kill the original body.

The jet-black sword light, mixed with the red glow of the berserker's spell, cleaved through the deepest darkness before dawn with its black and red hues.

The pitch-black curtain, the pristine snow, and the blood-red light merged into one at this moment, blooming on the body of the deer-headed, snake-bodied demon.

Bones shattered, fireflies dimmed.

With this powerful blow, the skeleton turned into bone fragments and dust, which flew into the snow and the boundless darkness.

Without a single cry of pain, silence fell after the sword strike.

The wind and snow have stopped, the black fog that obscured the view has dissipated, and the bone-chilling cold has subsided.

All that remained were fragments of the demon scattered across the ground, still shrouded in black mist, a reminder that they had indeed defeated the terrifying demon.

That's it?

The demon is such a fragile being that it can be easily defeated with just a fragment of its original form?

The epic battle they had long anticipated, the fierce fighting that was likely to take place before their arrival, were all gone.

The thought that there were only two hours left before logging off, leaving insufficient time to fully experience the awe-inspiring battle against the demons, seemed like a joke.

Does Starfire even understand player needs? It started strong but ended weakly, didn't it?
The suffocating feeling that had been weighing on Dussel's heart instantly dissipated. He rushed forward and, using his magic, rummaged through the snowdrifts, gathering the scattered demonic fragments around himself, his eyes filled with joy and fervor.

With a slight smile, Düsseldorf smiled silently.

Although the process was a bit anticlimactic, it's good that the task was completed and there was a reward.

"Master Dussel, according to the agreement, shall we settle the matter regarding the special techniques of [Spatial Slash]?"

Both martial artists and mages can use it; it's very good.

Dussel smiled and took out scrolls from his pocket, but he paused suddenly and took out more from his backpack, drawing on parchment with patterns they couldn't understand, and spread them out in a circle around himself.

“Here you go. Also, could I borrow the Eye of the Abyss?” Dussel said. “I want to completely destroy the fragments of the demon.”

Upon hearing this, Fries handed over the sword.

Before he could even examine the Space Slash Scroll, the blade pierced his flesh, and the sound of friction echoed as it went into bone.

Everyone looked up in astonishment as Dussel used the Eye of the Abyss to stab himself in the abdomen, slicing it open in a manner similar to seppuku.

"Master!" Orange Tea immediately wanted to lend a helping hand, but the jailer quickly stopped her and pushed her back.

Jiang Heyi and Zhong Zemo reacted quickly, one drawing his sword and the other pulling out his anti-magic shield, placing themselves at the forefront of the group.

The temporary magic circle formed by the scrolls surged with magical power, and the invisible spatial force released turbulent currents that tore the earth apart and stirred up the snow.

The sound of scraping against a hard object was like the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves.

Not knowing what had happened, the boundary between reality and illusion was momentarily unclear.

"thanks, thanks."

"I never expected everything to go so smoothly!"

Dussel's lifeless eyes were particularly eerie, with the few remaining sclera visible being swallowed by a layer of black mist.

"Irela's masterpiece is far more powerful than I imagined."

"Use evil to crush evil—simple, effective, and easy to use!"

Dussel's white hair fluttered as he gradually floated up from the center of the magic circle.

The blood-stained long robe was torn, revealing well-defined muscles.

At over 70 years old, a mage can maintain such a powerful physique; the title of ninth-rank empire is well-deserved.

At that moment, the Eye of the Abyss was embedded in his chest and abdomen, piercing through his body.

Dussel seemed oblivious to the pain, letting the blood, along with the dissipating spatial magic, gather above his head, forming a swamp that slowly rotated.

“You’re not here to destroy evil spirits at all,” Fries suddenly realized.

“You’re right, but it seems a little too late to wake up now.” Dussel sneered. “Young people who are causing trouble in the capital, I thought you would be smarter. Since you dare to challenge the nobles, you should understand that blindly following authority is not advisable.”

“But you have always trusted me completely and granted all my requests. Even in the end, it was you who personally handed me this sword.”

“Clear, hazy foolishness.” Dussel shook his head. “But I still have to thank you… Without you, how would I have obtained the remnants of the demon?”

Jiang Heyi asked, puzzled, "What exactly do you want with the demon fragments?"

"Did you examine the knife and sense the power of the demon?" Dussel asked. "It is far less likely to decay than magic, and through it, one can more easily comprehend the mysteries of magic itself."

"Such exquisite weapons can be forged from just a few fragments of demonic energy... Why can't it be used to forge people?"

(End of this chapter)