Genius Blacksmith's Game

Skyner was furious.

He was the one called the sovereign of the sky.

And yet I......!

Divine beast Hydra.

He realized there was nothing he could do against the Calamity Church’s largest and most ferocious monster.

One of his wings had burned away, leaving him unable even to fly.

Of course, that did not mean Skyner had done nothing to resist.

When he had still been able to fly, his beak had blown away one of Hydra’s heads.

But Hydra’s head regenerated in only one minute.

In that moment, Skyner understood.

Unless all nine heads were cut off at the same time, divine beast Hydra was an existence that could not be killed.

And.

“Everyone has to attack the heads!”

Skyner had shouted endlessly in the middle of battle.

However.

“Do not order me.”

“......Do you believe you have the right to command us?”

The Basilisk.

The desert king, the existence said to turn all beings to stone, refused him.

The Azure Dragon did the same, as did the Twin-Headed Ogre, Toasty, and even the Death Knight.

Their individual temperaments and greed were too strong for them to fight together.

There was something else preventing them from uniting as well.

[The master gives an order.]

[The master wishes you to attack the other mascot challengers.]

In the colosseum’s summoner seats.

The rankers who had called them in shouted.

“Don’t attack Hydra! Attack the others!”

“It’s a monster you can’t kill anyway. Kill the ones next to you so you can raise your score even a little!”

“Silver medal! We have to at least get silver!”

They were saying that to seize even the silver medal, the challengers had to attack beings other than Hydra.

“Fools!!”

Because of that, Skyner saw the collapse happen even faster.

The HP of the challengers fighting among themselves plummeted, and they were reduced to Hydra’s prey.

The Azure Dragon, who had blown away two of Hydra’s heads together with Skyner, also shook his head.

“Skyner, it is impossible.”

The Azure Dragon knew it would be difficult for them to unite.

Each one had a different personality, and each had climbed to the highest ranks.

For beings like them to join together was a path close to impossible.

Then one enormous wolf appeared.

Looking at him, Skyner felt an indescribable sense of respect and immense power.

What is this?

It was as though that being had been their king from the very beginning.

An unknowable power radiated from him.

“Grrrr......”

“Grrr......”

[Lucky Lump Lv. 564.]

As he looked at them with a noble gaze, he was clearly not higher in Level than everyone present.

However.

Birthright.

His very birthright declared it.

It declared that he was the “king” of all monsters.

In that instant.

[Assemble.]

His voice rang out, and Skyner’s heart surged in a way he could not understand.

[Assemble.]

[A divine beast with absolute power issues a command, including to those more than 50 Levels higher than himself.]

But this was not a force that suppressed them by compulsion.

Because of that, the hundred or so mascot challengers who received the command could not decide what to do.

At that moment.

Skyner was the first to step forward.

Skyner, whose one wing had been completely burned away, leaving him unable to fly.

The monsters present looked at Skyner.

They still had not made up their minds.

Of course, the power blooming through Assemble seemed to be giving them a command.

But they were wavering in the certainty that they could not win.

Then.

There was another being who felt rage.

CLENCH—

The Death Knight.

He picked up the sword he had dropped, the one lying on the ground.

I was...... a legend of the sword.

Death Knights mostly originated from those who had once been legends.

Yet he had been able to do nothing, broken so helplessly like this.

CRACK—

The Death Knight also felt his fighting spirit rise.

It was a massive fighting spirit toward battling a divine beast, an existence he likely had never once defeated while alive.

Toward fighting the one known as the most evil, ferocious, and cruel.

“Death Knight? Kill Toasty next to you!”

But the Death Knight, holding the fallen sword, moved forward.

[The Death Knight does not carry out the order.]

“What......? What do you mean!?”

[The Death Knight does not carry out the order.]

The Death Knight knew what he had to do.

He was not defying the order merely out of fighting spirit.

He knew that if this continued, everyone would die, and he knew this Mascot Selection Match itself would become meaningless.

As the Death Knight walked, he looked at a shell on the ground and said,

“Let’s go.”

In that moment.

“......Toasty.”

Toasty, who had been curled up and hiding, spread his body wide open.

Pulling out the two mini Japanese swords strapped to his back, Toasty could not understand it.

“Toasty, Toasty!”

The moment that unidentified wolf appeared and issued the Assemble command, courage began to bloom in him—the courage that they could do this.

And along with that, he felt a certainty that if he was with him, they would not lose.

Toasty, who had seemed only cute until now, stood beside the Death Knight and walked with him toward Lucky Lump.

Elsewhere.

“......Is that so?”

The Azure Dragon could not hide his astonished expression.

The Azure Dragon had lived through hundreds of years of history.

He possessed more knowledge than the other monsters.

He drew on knowledge of the past.

“In the distant past. Before the four divine beasts were born, there was an existence that had been humanity’s old friend even before them.”

The Azure Dragon’s voice spread among the monsters.

There were truly many monsters present, and now, one being who knew Lucky Lump’s identity had appeared.

“He lived among humans, side by side with them. Then one day, the Evil God descended upon the earth. Countless humans died, and people said it was a battle they could not win. At that time, he, who had been humanity’s friend, traveled the entire continent and began gathering everyone together.”

“The western Azure Dragon, who was my ancestor, followed him, as did the eastern White Dragon, the northern Black Dragon, and the southern Red Dragon. All the special monsters across the continent fought with him at the front. That day, the Evil God returned from whence it came, and afterward, humanity called him this: King of Divine Beasts.”

The Azure Dragon looked at Lucky Lump.

There was also something the Azure Dragon could not understand.

Why?

The Azure Dragon knew even more truths.

Should you not have stopped serving humans?

Only the Azure Dragon knew another truth from that day.

But the Azure Dragon was also furious and resentful.

Because he, called the Azure Dragon, had been unable to do anything against Hydra.

The Azure Dragon stood beside Lucky Lump and said,

“It is an honor.”

The entire world could not hide its shock.

And now, at the Azure Dragon’s words and voice, all the monsters walked toward Lucky Lump.

[China’s mascot challenger: 95 points.]

Apart from Hydra’s savagery and cruelty, China had all but confirmed first place and the gold medal.

Until just moments ago, the entire world had been saying this.

—Many believed Korea would be better off forfeiting.

—In reality, not only Korea, but lower-ranked countries such as Portugal, Italy, and South Africa also withdrew.

—Their judgment was that, in a situation where they could not win the gold medal, it was better not to reveal the power of their mascot challengers at all.

—The moment the notification “Korea’s mascot participant will compete” rang out worldwide, the entire world mocked them.

—Also, while the fact that Lucky Lump had evolved was surprising, it is true that expectations were not high because his Level itself was not overwhelming.

—But....... an upset is happening right now.

—Lucky Lump’s score is rising rapidly.

—Breaking 80 points.

—Breaking 83 points.

—Breaking 85 points.

—Breaking 88 points!

Every being gathered around Lucky Lump.

With Lucky Lump at the front, those standing behind him finished preparing to charge out at any moment.

But Hydra, watching him, was instead even more amused.

Its nine heads moved ceaselessly, jeering at Lucky Lump and those beside him.

Like the Azure Dragon, Hydra possessed deep knowledge as well.

Phoenix, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Hydra.

It, too, had heard of the King of Divine Beasts who had existed before these four great divine beasts.

However.

Hydra was looking at beings who had already been exhausted to the limit and driven to the brink of death.

The Death Knight with the brilliant radiant sword had already had nearly half his body corroded, and it would not have been strange if he collapsed at any moment.

The enormous eagle called the sovereign of the sky could not fly, and the Basilisk had been poisoned and was rapidly slowing down.

Like this, most of them were already on the verge of death.

However.

Lucky Lump possessed another power besides Lucky Lump Is Cute.

Back when the Great Archdemon Gremory was being sealed.

Though he had been far away, he had recovered Kabel, Valhalla, Luxiu, and Hyunsoo.

That, too, had been a hint.

At the time, its name had been Lucky Lump’s Benevolence.

But through evolution, it had changed completely.

[King’s Benevolence.]

[Restores 60% of all HP and MP.]

A vast light struck down upon every monster around Lucky Lump.

BOOOOOOM—!

—Are you saying he restored all hundred or so monsters to that extent!?

Commentators across the world could not hide their shock.

Skyner’s wing, which had been unable to fly, recovered, and the Death Knight, whose body had been corroding and breaking apart, grew solid again.

Flesh filled the Basilisk’s melted portions.

“......!?”

Hydra, flicking its tongue and hissing, took one step back.

The sight of divine beast Hydra taking one step back was, to the entire world, a marvel in itself.

Hydra in particular was overwhelmingly large.

At 16 meters tall, it was more than enough to make them look like fledglings.

Yet Hydra was overwhelmed by Lucky Lump, who was only 6 meters tall.

Then, as Skyner crouched down, large numbers of bipedal close-combat monsters such as the Death Knight, Toasty, and the Dullahan King climbed onto him.

At the same time.

“KHAAAAAAARGH!”

Lucky Lump shot forward like a cannonball.

Starting with Lucky Lump’s charge, the flying-type monsters began soaring through the sky.

FWAAAAAAASH—!

Hydra spewed poison, but Lucky Lump dodged it at high speed.

CRUNCH—!

Hydra’s neck was caught in Lucky Lump’s teeth.

“KIEEEEEEEEEK!”

Hydra screamed for the first time.

The other heads tried to attack Lucky Lump.

But a step faster than them.

“Flash Sword.”

FWAAAAAAASH—!

The Death Knight’s Radiant Sword, descending like light, cut another head once.

When it did not sever, he cut it several more times.

When even that failed to sever it, Toasty descended from the sky with his two Japanese swords.

CRAAAAAACK—!

It was the moment the first head fell.

At the same time, the Azure Dragon flying through the sky swam upward like ascending lightning.

“Azure Dragon Ravage.”

BZZZZZZZZZZZT—!

The moment the Azure Dragon charged and struck one of Hydra’s necks directly.

BOOOOOOOOM—!

[Azure Dragon Ravage activates!]

[Stun status for 3 seconds.]

That enormous divine beast Hydra was stunned.

Not missing the timing, the Twin-Headed Ogre, possessing monstrous strength, charged in and struck another head with an axe.

CRAAAAAAACK—!

It was the moment Hydra lost a total of three heads.

Skyner shouted while flying through the sky.

“50 seconds!”

Around Skyner, flocks of eagles numbering in the thousands appeared.

The flocks of eagles carrying out Skyner’s command rapidly descended.

Their destination was none other than Hydra’s eyes.

They clung to one of Hydra’s heads and cleverly pecked at its eyes with their beaks, continuing their attack.

In that opening.

“Wings that Cleave the Sky.”

FWAAAAAAASH—!

Skyner’s body, wrapped in light, became sharp like a single blade, and the moment he brushed past Hydra’s head, another head fell.

“This is killing me.”

Next, the entire world focused on the Basilisk, who had crawled over more slowly than anyone, yet still as quickly as it could manage.

The Basilisk watched one of Hydra’s heads descend to bite it.

In that instant.

CRACK, CRACKCRACK—!

The Basilisk’s specialty, Petrifying Eyes, activated, instantly hardening one head like stone.

But the Basilisk did not possess the strength to smash the petrified head.

Then.

BOOOOOOM—!

Lucky Lump, who had charged with all his might, rammed straight into it and shattered it.

Now there were two.

Only two of Hydra’s heads remained.

People across the world fell into joy, exhilaration, and astonishment.

And China’s Liu was flustered.

“......They’re raiding divine beast Hydra? Hydra was never summoned to be raided in the first place!”

He had never dreamed Hydra would be raided, and he let out a scream of shock.

But the commentators spoke.

—This is no different from having roughly 100 Sword King Barads present.

—Poison King Liu was able to have Hydra perform better than ever precisely because this is this kind of place. But the same applies to Lucky Lump. More than 100 of the strongest monsters from around the world were gathered in one dense area, and Lucky Lump is an existence with the power to rally and command them. In this place, more than anywhere else, he is displaying power greater than ever before.

—They gathered as one? At this point, would even the Evil God not run away in fear?

—7 seconds remain until Hydra’s heads regenerate.

Hydra, with only two heads remaining.

CRUNCHCRUNCHCRUNCH—!

The Dullahan King, Death Knight, and Toasty worked together and succeeded in splitting apart another one.

Finally.

“KYAAAAAAAARGH!”

With only one head remaining, divine beast Hydra roared as it looked at Lucky Lump and the hundred or so monsters.

At the same time, regeneration began to start from the stumps of its severed heads.

—3 seconds remain.

At that moment.

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!

Lucky Lump shot up from the ground like light and completely tore into the bastard’s head.

CRAAAAACK—

THUD—

Along with that, the last remaining head fell to the ground, and a notification rang out across the world.

[China’s mascot participant, divine beast Hydra, has died.]

“Is that real......?”

“Hydra really died?”

“Then what happens to Lucky Lump’s score!?”

Amid everyone’s shock.

Lucky Lump’s score was revealed to the entire world.