The Demon King's cultivated demeanor vanished in an instant. Han Yu's attack, long in preparation, erupted with the combined power of ice and fire.
Far exceeding the Demon King's own stats, the attack's impact was devastatingly certain.
The Demon King gathered all his energy, forming a massive shield in front of him. He could sense the sheer power of this attack. Running was futile—without any defense, survival was impossible. Only standing firm might offer a slim chance.
Even for the Demon King, facing Han Yu was about finding a thread of hope for survival.
Ice and fire techniques weren't to be taken lightly. Though Han Yu was only Level 25, the raw stats meant even a Level 98 Demon King couldn't underestimate him.
This strike shattered the shield the Demon King had painstakingly formed with half of his energy. Lowering the remnants, he had expected Han Yu to slow down after unleashing two ultimate techniques in a row.
The Demon King intended to use the brief gap to escape, rest briefly, and then strike back. But Han Yu didn't pause; he didn't even speak. His hand brushed across his blade, instantly igniting it with fire.
"A magical sword… this is advanced magic! He's mastered even high-level magic to this degree, skipping the incantation entirely!"
The Demon King's expression darkened. Now, his only thought was finding any chance to flee. But the figure standing before him was Han Yu—and Han Yu's system mission was to "complete this task cautiously."
This meant that even if Han Yu exhausted all his mana, he would leave no trace of a half-alive Demon King. This time, the Demon King truly met his match.
He never imagined that despite taking extreme caution to personally confront the newly emerged hero, he could still be killed. It was inconceivable.
Previously, Han Yu could unleash multiple ultimates against a few goblins. Now, facing the Demon King, he unleashed dozens of ultimate techniques, only stopping when the ground itself had been blasted into a bottomless chasm.
"What… what just happened? Did we encounter the Goblin King?"
Listadé was stunned. Moments ago, she had been asleep; now, she was awakened by the deafening explosion. With her hair in a messy "nest," she ran toward the scene.
She saw Han Yu continuously unleashing ultimates into a deep pit. She had intended to intervene, but Han Yu seemed tireless—one ultimate after another, like a world-ending war in miniature.
The Demon King in the pit, like the previous Chaos, was utterly annihilated. Not a trace remained. They could never have imagined Han Yu's strength would reach such extremes.
Had it been another hero, defeating Chaos might have led to the Demon King wiping them out. But this time, it was Han Yu—a player equipped with cheat-like advantages.
"You may have a high level, but my stats are higher. Even a basic attack can one-shot you. How's that?"
"Branch mission complete: [Exterminate the Demon King]. Reward: 300 upgrade points!"
Han Yu muttered, "Why did this guy come out so early? I could've farmed a few extra mini-bosses… oh well, just enough to level up. Impossible to repair!"
"What did you say?" Listadé asked, not hearing clearly.
"Nothing. Let's go back. The Demon King is dead," Han Yu calmly retracted his blade.
"Dead? You mean… the one in the pit was the Demon King?" Listadé was confused. How could the Demon King be dead just like that?
Han Yu glanced at the deep pit. "The man we met in the small town, Cain—that was the Demon King. He probably tried to hide his true strength to play along, but I saw through him. He couldn't even beat me. Pathetic."
Listadé stared blankly at Han Yu. To her, he was no longer a mere hero. She whispered, "You're actually the real Demon King, aren't you? This is an S-rank world. There's no way the Demon King could be destroyed so easily. Who are you? You can't be an ordinary human!"
Hearing the question, Han Yu hesitated, then took a teleportation scroll from the General Store system and smiled at her. "I'm just a passing store owner. If you need anything, welcome to visit!"
With that, he pressed the scroll, absorbing himself into it, returning to his Marvel world.
Before Listadé, Gaia Brandt only saw a business card floating in front of her. She reached for it, and it landed in her hand. It was plain as ever, with only two lines:
General Store.Han Yu.
Back in the store, Han Yu didn't pause. He rushed upstairs to his room and locked the door to ensure no interruptions.
"Boss, you're back. Want something to eat?" Ultron's voice came from upstairs. They were used to Han Yu's sudden disappearances—he must have gone to another world.
"No, I have work. Don't disturb me."
Han Yu called softly to the system, "System, settle the mission: [Rescue Gaia Brandt]."
"Mission settlement in progress… Settlement successful. Reward: 317 upgrade points!"
"You have a special item, 'Deadly Overlord Armor,' exchangeable for 50 upgrade points. Would you like to exchange?"
"No, send it to the warehouse!"
The massive points made his head spin. Suppressing his excitement, he thought:
Had the Demon King not appeared so early, he could have earned over a thousand points on the first mission. Including branch mission points, Han Yu now had a total of 900 upgrade points.
He smiled broadly, a little helpless—such a good chance to earn points, wasted by the Demon King's impatience. Han Yu couldn't let him linger, as the system mission required cautious completion.
If he had left the Demon King alive, the mission wouldn't have been completed cautiously, and the risk of dying would have remained.
Thus, Han Yu had no choice but to strike first, eliminating the Demon King—a decision necessary to avoid greater loss..