Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

The demon's gaze sharpened as it noticed Arthur's contemplative silence. "What's the matter, little human?" it asked mockingly. "Are you afraid? You should be. You have no idea of the power you're up against."

Arthur exhaled slowly, calming the storm in his mind. His grip on his dagger tightened, and he took a step forward, his posture steady and composed.

"Afraid?" Arthur echoed, his voice calm but laced with determination. "Not exactly. Curious, maybe."

The demon's smirk faltered for a moment, its fiery eyes narrowing. "Curious?" it repeated, its tone tinged with suspicion.

Arthur tilted his head slightly, his expression calm but his words laced with subtle mockery. "About this 'His Majesty' you keep mentioning…" he said, his tone almost casual. "While you're here waiting for him to rescue you, he was sealed by the great knight. Doesn't it seem like he needs someone to rescue him, hehe."

The demon's fiery eyes narrowed dangerously. "Watch your tone, mortal," it growled, its voice low and threatening. "My master cannot be sealed by a mere human. He is too powerful, too divine. The likes of you could never comprehend his greatness."

Arthur snickered softly, his expression unbothered. He took a slow step forward, his dagger twirling lazily in his hand. "Oh, is that so?" he asked, his voice dripping with feigned innocence.

Then, with a knowing smirk, he added, "Doesn't your master look something like this…?"

Arthur went on to describe the demon he had seen in the vision, he even detailed some of its abilities.

The effect on the demon in front of him was immediate. Its eyes widened, and its confident sneer faltered. For the first time, there was a flicker of doubt on its face.

"Tha-that's impossible," the demon stammered, its voice trembling slightly. Its claws twitched at its sides, and it took an involuntary step back. "There's no way… you couldn't know that. You shouldn't know that!"

Arthur's grin widened, his sharp gaze locked onto the demon. "What's the matter? Did I hit a nerve?" he taunted, his tone light.

What the demon didn't know was that Arthur had left out a critical part of the vision—the knight's sacrifice. There was no need to tell this creature that its revered master had been sealed at the cost of the knight's lifespan. That would be information to keep in his back pocket.

Arthur's goal wasn't to simply rile the demon up for the sake of it.

This was a tactic—a carefully planned strategy to make the demon slip up and reveal more about the one it served. Information was power, and Arthur wasn't about to let this rare opportunity go to waste.

The demon's expression became a mixture of fury and unease. "You are lying," it hissed, though its tone lacked the conviction it had earlier. "There's no way a pathetic human like you could know of my master, let alone describe him."

Arthur chuckled softly, taking another step closer. "Oh, I know plenty. In fact, i know more than you do. By the way… he's been sealed for a long time. Long enough that you've been stuck here waiting for him to rescue you. But tell me…" Arthur leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "How does it feel to know that your mighty master will never escape and come to save you?"

The demon let out a guttural snarl, its aura lashing out wildly around it. "You dare mock me?" it roared, its voice echoing through the arena. "My master will return! He will break free and reduce this world to ashes! And when he does, insolent human mortals like you will suffer!"

Arthur's smirk didn't waver. "Oh, I'm sure he'll try," he said smoothly, his tone dismissive. "But you've been waiting here for centuries, haven't you? Doesn't sound like he's in much of a hurry to save you."

The demon's frustration boiled over, and it raised a clawed hand, dark energy crackling around its fingertips. But it didn't attack. Not yet.

Arthur noted the hesitation, his sharp eyes catching the subtle clues in the demon's behaviour. It was rattled, its confidence shaken.

Arthur pressed further, his tone mocking. "He's sealed, just like you are. You're both trapped, waiting for someone else to fix your mess."

The demon's jaw tightened, and its aura exploded furiously. "You will not mock my master any further!" it bellowed.

Arthur didn't flinch, his expression unchanging.
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Still, there was a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Alright," Arthur said, straightening. "If you're done talking, let's get to it."

The demon growled lowly, its claws glowing with dark energy as it prepared to attack. Arthur readied himself, his smirk never fading.

Arthur had discreetly checked the demon's status earlier, letting the system feed him valuable information while the creature prattled on about its master.

[Level 10 Lesser Demon (Epic-Boss)]

Description: The Lesser Demon stands at the bottom of the demon hierarchy, its diluted bloodline limiting its power and status. While weak by demonic standards, it remains a significant threat to mortals, wielding enough strength and malice to cause destruction. This demon once served among hundreds of subordinates to a powerful demon lord, known as ???. Following orders, it joined an attack on Village #420, leaving devastation in its wake. Homes were razed, people were slain, and the land was scarred by their rampage. Their chaos ended when the protector of the village intervened, wielding immense power. Most of the demon horde was destroyed, but a few, including this one, were sealed by the knight. Trapped in the arena, it waits for its master's return.

Arthur studied the description, his eyes narrowing as the pieces fell into place.

"So this thing's one of the leftovers," he muttered to himself. "The weakest of the pack, but still strong enough to beat most players. In fact, I haven't seen a single person strong enough to defeat this demon. Although, there are a few that could. Especially that person that got the global announcement for killing the first Epic-rank boss"

"Hundreds of demons," Arthur thought, recalling the description. "And most of them were killed by the knight and maybe his followers? Just how strong was that guy?"

The realization was sobering. The knight had faced an overwhelming force and emerged victorious, albeit at a great cost. And now, Arthur was facing one of the few remnants of that dark horde—a creature that, despite its low rank among demons, was still leagues ahead of the average monster.

"You should consider it an honour, mortal," the demon sneered. "You stand before a servant of His Majesty. Soon, you'll know the power of the true demon bloodline."

Arthur's grip on his dagger tightened, but his smirk remained firmly in place. "Honor, huh?" he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "I think you're confusing honour with pity. You're at the bottom of the barrel."

"A 'lesser' demon through and through."

Arthur's words struck a nerve, and the demon's fiery eyes flared with fury.

"How dare you!" it roared, its voice reverberating through the arena like a thunderclap. Without hesitation, it lunged forward, its claws glowing with dark energy as it aimed directly for Arthur.

Arthur barely flinched, his smirk unwavering.