Chapter 354: Episode 354_The Final Battle (5)

9.

Simin had undeniably invested a lot into Epia.

He had poured in a huge amount of time and money—two things more important to him than his own life. The fact that he had invested so much of both meant there was an ironclad premise underneath it all: he had to squeeze every last drop back out of her.

Thanks to that investment, Epia had become strong. Or rather, the conditions had been met for her to use a portion of her original power.

Either way, using gold as a medium to wield the power of the former Demon King on the continent was, from the perspective of its inhabitants, no different from a final boss appearing with game-breaking stats.

Because of that, he could have gone straight to Kenji and challenged him to a duel. He was confident he wouldn’t lose, but he wasn’t convinced he would win.

’A one-on-one, my ass. He’d just run around and spam magic the whole time. He’s probably already bought up our movement data, so he’ll keep a certain distance and just focus on winning the war somehow.’

The key was that Epia’s power came from sacrificing gold. The moment the sharp-eyed Kenji realized that, the fight would be as good as lost.

Furthermore, even with her full strength, Epia couldn’t instantly annihilate Kenji and his entire faction.

’And who knows how much cash he’s dumped in. Anything could happen.’

For all he knew, Kenji might be waiting for this very thing. He might be hoping Epia would appear with her power restored. He might want to show the world himself taking down the game’s final boss, proving that he was now the strongest player in Fantastic World.

Considering Kenji’s wealth, the gold he’d bought while competing with Simin was probably just a drop in the ocean. According to rumors quietly leaked by gold brokers, Simin had purchased nearly $100 million worth of gold, while Kenji had spent several times that—perhaps even ten times as much.

There was no need to grant the wish of an opponent who was so eager for a fight.

Even if it meant taking a loss himself, that was something Simin would never do.

So he chose a more fundamental solution: a different battlefield, one that carried risks of the same magnitude but offered more hope.

Of course, the pros and cons were clear.

“If we go to the Demon World now, we won’t have a single ally, right?”

“......”

“No, that’s not quite true. There’ll be some. Not all the demons crossed over. Yeah, the ones still over there will be more helpful than the bastards here who got comfy on the continent and immediately started thinking about betrayal. Right, Epia?”

“No matter how many enemies there are, it does not matter anymore. As long as I have this.”

And then there was Epia’s confidence, which shattered any neat list of pros and cons. She smiled as she stroked her crimson-glowing treasure.

And with that, Simin and his party stepped through the Gate to the Demon World.

“Ha, it costs thirty million just to open this thing once... what the hell.”

Only Simin’s sigh lingered on the continent where the Gate had vanished, the last trace that they had ever been there.

*

After Dino’s magic fell, a massive army clad in divine power advanced. Their steps were heavy and imposing.

They were not marching to war but to execute heretics. That was the feeling their footsteps carried.

’God is behind us.’

As long as the Pope, God’s representative, filled their bodies with his power, they were confident they could defeat any enemy.

This was the collaboration between a Legendary Archmage and the Pope.

When Kenji first started the stream, Dino had opened with a series of flashy spells. But just as with Simin’s classes, being Legendary didn’t mean you were all-powerful all the time.

There were always conditions and limitations. He had simply patched those over with money and had no intention of maintaining that level of intensity from start to finish.

Of course, Kenji would do it if necessary. But there was no need to rely solely on the power of a Legendary class; doing so would mean all his other preparations would never get a chance to shine.

To put it simply, the magic was just a supporting act.

It was so incredibly efficient that calling it ’just’ support felt wrong, but the Pope’s power flowing into the massive army behind Dino was so impressive that it was clearly a step above the magic.

If the magic was for killing, the Pope’s power was for morale.

Who could possibly stop an army where offensive magic and buffs were so perfectly combined?

“At this point, even if Simin shows up, he can’t beat Kenji, right?”

“Feels like we picked the right side.”

For the players, it was great. They didn’t have to take any real risks, yet they were winning every battle.

All they had to do was jump into battlefields already shredded by magic and swept clean by the vanguard, scream their lungs out, and help finish off the stragglers.

At this point, they felt they had chosen the right side.

Or so they thought—until they saw Simin turn on his stream and cross over into the Demon World.

“Uh...?”

“What the hell? Why is he going there?”

“Is he chickening out?”

“Looks like he’s running away.”

Naturally, the players who had been hyped for the "final war" were disappointed. To any observer, it looked like a blatant retreat.

But when Kenji saw it, he frowned.

“So that was his scheme.”

“Isn’t he just running away?”

“No,” Kenji said. “He is absolutely the kind of person who would, but this time, he is definitely not running away.”

"Then..."

"It means he’s choosing a true gamble over a meaningless, unpredictable outcome."

He was dumbstruck.

"The Heavenly King. If he manages to bring him down, he could not only clear this Main Quest but also monopolize any future ones that might appear."

"Ah!"

"In the end, this war isn’t about conquering the continent. It’s a fight for my future, and for Simin’s."

He had known that much.

He knew what it would take for this war to end, which was precisely why he had raised an army and lured the Demon King out.

He simply hadn’t considered this possibility.

He hadn’t considered that his enemy, Simin, also had every reason to target the Heavenly King.

There was no denying the odds were low and the task was difficult.

"Hm."

What was certain was that a new variable had entered the equation.

When hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in something—even if it was a hobby rather than a business—it was only natural to feel awful when things didn’t go your way, when even the slightest detail went awry.

Kenji closed his eyes.

It was time to revise the plan.

’So that’s why he was so relaxed.’

He had believed that even Simin would be helpless this time.

Even when he’d watched the stream and seen Simin and his entire party decked out in full +15 sets, he hadn’t wavered.

That much had been within his predictions; it was an obvious move, and he had even prepared countermeasures for it.

Yet now, things were flowing in an entirely different direction.

If this was how it was going to be, everything he had prepared would be utterly useless.

"So he really wants to see this through to the bitter end. Fine. I understand. I’ll play along."

In that moment, Kenji laughed.

Now that it had come to this, he couldn’t help but mull over his last meeting with Simin.

*

It was, as expected, a luxurious hotel.

Kenji faced Simin, who walked in as if he owned the place, completely at home.

To see them smiling so warmly at each other, you would never think these two were about to stake the fate of the continent on a final war—and, on a deeper level, the power to control hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions, of dollars.

"It’s been a while, Simin."

"You must be busy. What brings you all the way out here?"

"I came to propose a deal."

But there wasn’t the slightest hint of jest in their words.

The same was true for Simin.

His expression was filled with resolve, a silent declaration that no amount of money could sway him.

’This won’t be easy,’ Kenji thought, maintaining his poker face as he spoke.

"Throw the war for me. I’ll give you anything you want."

A blank check.

That was why he had flown in on his private jet.

He was confident Simin would take the bait.

He had staked so much on this that he was prepared to negotiate even if Simin asked for half his assets.

That was how far 『Fantastic World』 had transcended being a mere game.

To rule 『Fantastic World』 was practically the same as ruling the real world.

And the potential gains?

Unless BetaGo suddenly malfunctioned and the servers went down, this was an opportunity that could make Kenji’s wealth skyrocket in the long run.

Which was precisely why Simin shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.

"Not this time. Let’s fight fair and square."

"I’m going to be making extensive preparations. I intend to invest more than three times what I was willing to pay you. Are you sure you can handle that?"

"Yes. I’m confident I can beat you even if you blow your entire fortune on this, so just take the loss and don’t come looking for me in real life afterward."

"Hahaha! Very well. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I knew someone who understands the value of 『Fantastic World』 would never back down. Thanks to you, I’m in a good mood. This will be even more fun."

And with that, he had left.

He had written it off as nothing more than Simin’s baseless confidence.

10.

Viewers who had been looking forward to a flashy slugfest between the two were disappointed, but as time passed, the mood cooled.

Whining wasn’t going to change anything, and soon, posts began to pop up.

[A Guide to Simin vs. Kenji: What to Watch When You Can’t Watch Both]

Among them, one post not only resonated with the majority and hit the "Best" board, but was even picked up by multiple news outlets.

[I agonized over this a lot, too. I mean, I’m a broke student cramming for the civil service exam with jack shit to my name. Paying two thousand dollars for Simin’s stream is basically advertising to the world that my brain is full of mush. I’ve spent more time beating myself up over this decision than I have studying in the entire five years I’ve been cramming for this damn test.]

[In the end, there was only one conclusion.]

[The answer was obvious, but I still couldn’t give up on Simin’s stream.]

[For those who know, you know: Simin is in the Demon World right now, about to go one-on-one with the Heavenly King.]

[Kenji? He’s going to stay on the continent, conquer it before Simin does, and then find a way to follow him.]

[In other words, being broke isn’t a valid reason to miss out on either side.]

[So I pulled the trigger.]

[Two thousand dollars.]

[I scraped together every last bit of money I had and didn’t have. Sorry, Mom, but I even had to lie to you to get the rest.]

[This month, I’ll be eating one meal every two days, but I felt like I had to see this, so I paid.]

[But there was one more problem.]

[The multi-view ticket.]

[I don’t have the extra fifty dollars.]

[Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: ’You dropped two thousand and now you’re sweating over fifty?’ I have no excuse, but I literally can’t get that money from anywhere. If I did, I’d seriously have to watch the stream and then go dig through food waste to survive.]

[So I watched thirty minutes of Simin’s stream, then thirty minutes of Kenji’s, back and forth, and came to a conclusion.]

[I won’t bore you with a long explanation.]

[I’ll sum it up in one sentence.]

[Watch Simin’s stream.]

[Why?]

[If you’re like me and just alternate for thirty minutes—no, hell, just five minutes—you’ll understand.]

[Fuck.]

[The moment you see Epia, back in her Demon King form and wearing a garter belt, you won’t think that two thousand dollars was a waste.]

[On top of that, everywhere you look, it’s wall-to-wall beauties.]

[They’re prettier than celebrities you might see once in your life, and I don’t even need to mention their figures.]

[And you get to see all of that live.]

[If you’ve got a capsule, just shut up and pay. Break your savings account if you have to.]

[Kenji’s stream?]

[It’s a total sausage fest.]

[Don’t watch it.]

*