The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

3.

Three days.

Not exactly a long period of time.

So what had Seong been doing all this time?

Had he been standing guard, anxiously watching Basilica’s fortress walls?

Of course not.

It had been three days since the king’s command had mobilized all forces to the eastern walls.

Naturally, Seong had summoned the Legion of the Dead to sever their supply lines and keep them occupied, but he hadn’t done it himself.

— Damn, these guys are gonna die of old age before they do anything!

— Move faster! For our Lord!!!

The ones handling everything were the Legion commanders, Leonic and Barfur.

Meanwhile, Seong had been traveling between Basilica and Ninyaru, relaying updates.

Thanks to Anemore, the travel time was minimal.

With an overwhelming flow of intelligence at his disposal, Seong had secured a massive advantage.

On the other hand, Basilica—its eyes and ears completely shut—was oblivious to just how dire their situation had become.

Clueless, they had no choice but to concentrate their entire force on the fortress walls.

And so, as those three days passed—

Ninyaru’s army had completed their preparations, and their forces had already gathered around Basilica.

The finest warriors—the Golden Knights.

Ninyaru’s unshakable defense—the Black Knights.

And the elite special unit—the White Knights.

With all three knightly orders assembled,

The sheer aura they radiated was overwhelming.

They do look impressive.

Seong couldn’t help but admire the sight of so many knights gathered together.

And as their commanders and Seong convened for a meeting—

“You have accomplished a truly great feat, Sir Seong.”

“I am humbled. Your achievements make me feel I must push myself even further.”

The Golden Knights’ commander, Lumina, and the Black Knights’ commander, Felix, both voiced their admiration.

Silberion gulped.

Hearing those two, who were usually so stingy with their praise, speak like this...

Had she known, she would have never dared to underestimate Seong.

Now she could only sit quietly, regretting her previous attitude.

But Seong merely shook his head at their compliments.

“No, I simply did my duty as part of the special unit.”

“Hohoho, it seems the knights of the Golden Order should take lessons in chivalry from you, Sir Seong.”

Lumina, her lion-like golden eyes sharp, swept her gaze over the knights of the Golden Order.

At once, many flinched.

Well, considering the sheer number of accomplishments Seong had stacked up,

It was only natural.

Either way—

With all gathered, the meeting began.

Seong had already provided most of the crucial intelligence.

Now, they had to decide how best to shake the enemy apart.

As the discussion progressed, Seong’s expression grew serious.

“Once again, I apologize that we must rely so heavily on your efforts, Sir Seong.”

At Lumina’s words, Seong shook his head.

“No need to apologize. It’s not just about necessity—there are risks involved if anyone else takes on this role.”

“I appreciate your understanding. Then, has everyone memorized the plan?”

The strategy had been primarily devised by Lumina.

Both Seong and Helena, who had joined as advisors, had to admit—it was flawless.

However—

“I feel like this places a greater burden on you, Commander Lumina.”

“Hohoho, compared to the contributions you’ve made, this is nothing.”

“Well, it’s not like anyone else could pull this off aside from you.”

Helena nodded in agreement.

Even amidst the compliments, Lumina maintained her confident smile, while Seong awkwardly returned it.

He had never imagined Lumina was this powerful.

With things falling into place, Seong realized—

He, too, would have to push himself a little further.

Hmmm, will this be enough to win?

According to Helena’s assessment, it was going to be close.

It was enough to make him uneasy—

But in the end, Seong brushed the thought aside.

Worrying wouldn’t change anything.

All he could do was give it his best effort.

Alright then.

With that thought, Seong sent out a final message.

Shortly after, he received a reply.

[Rapid - Okay! Everything’s ready!]

[Seong - Thank you.]

[Rapid - This is gonna be an amazing broadcast. Oh, and by the way, I transferred the extra contract fee and payment for the last two streams yesterday. You didn’t check your email, did you?]

[Seong - Huh? Really? I’ll check it now.]

He had been so caught up in the war with Ninyaru that he hadn’t checked his phone properly.

Apparently, his bank account had just gotten a little fatter.

Well.

Might as well work even harder—

Then check it later.

4.

[The Rapid Guild Channel’s live broadcast has begun.]

A short notification popped up.

And with that, MeTube Live was activated.

To enter the live stream, viewers had to purchase a 4,900-won ticket—a price lower than usual.

Compared to the cost of live streams from other major guilds at the same time, this was cheap.

Maybe that was why—

As soon as the broadcast started, the viewer count skyrocketed.

[Current Viewers - 34,562●]

In an instant, the audience surged.

The ticket revenue alone had already shot into the hundreds of millions, but the numbers didn’t stop there.

Within just a few minutes, the live stream surpassed 100,000 viewers, climbing vertically.

And in proportion to the viewers, the chat exploded.

Wow! The Demon King!Oh damn, isn’t this the first stream in 5 days?Wasn’t it 4 days?Whatever, he’s live! Time for a drink!Cheers!!! Been waiting for this.Honestly, Demon King’s streams should be scheduled as regular programming.It was as if everyone had been waiting for Seong’s return, flooding the chat in excitement.

As the messages scrolled at lightning speed, the waiting screen faded into a crisp, live feed.

It showed a vast wasteland, with a fortress city surrounded on more than half its perimeter by a labyrinth.

Viewers immediately noticed something odd.

???? What’s this?Where is this????Weren’t we in a labyrinth area???There’s a fortress like this in the labyrinth zone?I’ve never seen this before;;Is this another hidden area?Again??? Damn, how does he monopolize all the hidden content;;;That’s why we watch Demon King!!!Seong had an unusually high rate of discovering hidden locations, far beyond other streamers.

So, of course, the audience was thrilled.

Still, why was the camera focusing on the fortress walls?

As the chat pondered, the camera suddenly shifted angles.

It soared upward, tilting to capture the fortress walls and the vast expanse of wasteland in front of them.

At first, no one understood.

But then—

Wait, what is that?What????Hold on, is the ground at the edge of the screen... moving?Uh, why is it turning black????Huh???What the hell????The frequency of question marks skyrocketed.

The viewers had spotted the anomaly.

A colossal undead army, spreading across the entire wasteland.

And that wasn’t even the final number.

The horde kept growing, reaching the tens of thousands.

At this point, most viewers weren’t even typing.

They were stunned silent.

What they were seeing—

Was this number even possible?

An endless tide of undead, all radiating Seong’s signature aura—a black background with teal-green energy.

Everyone knew they were Seong’s.

But still—

?????????Is this real????Wait, you’re telling me ALL of that was summoned by Demon King???How much mana do you even need for that???This is insane;;;As the chat recovered, the undead army surged forward, charging at the fortress walls.

And standing there, waiting—

Were the figures of Basilica’s hidden rulers.

Spiders, bats, snakes—

The beastkin of the labyrinth, frantically unleashing weapons and abilities in a desperate attempt to hold the line.

It was a sight to behold.

As if this were the last stand of the surviving creatures against the unstoppable march of the Demon King’s army.

A final battle.

A spectacle grander than any movie.

The audience gulped.

Was this really something they got to witness for just 4,900 won?

Considering Rapid’s usual ticket price was 20,000 won, this was ridiculous.

And yet—

Damn... No wonder the film industry is dying.;;;; I laughed when I heard Hollywood was negotiating to shoot movies in Eternal World, but now I get it.This is insane.Why does this feel so... majestic?Am I the only one rooting for the beastkin??Nope, same.As the chat exploded with mixed allegiances, they watched in awe as the undead army clawed at the fortress walls.

This was the content they had been waiting for.

Yes, solo ranker fights were exhilarating—but they lacked this scale, this brutality.

This was war.

A grand battle of life and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° death.

Even the **structure alone—undead versus the last remnants of living warriors—**sent shivers through their bodies.

The chat devolved into chaos.

Some cheered for Seong’s Legion of the Dead.

Others supported the beastkin, the final defenders of life.

Some simply enjoyed the war itself.

A storm of comments clashed like the battle on screen.

But amidst it all—

A few figures stood out.

Beastkin warriors, descending from the fortress walls, slicing through the undead with merciless precision.

Assassins clad in black, wielding daggers with deadly efficiency.

A serpent beastkin.

A bat beastkin, eerily resembling a vampire.

And—most notably—

A spider beastkin, exuding overwhelming power.

As they shredded through the undead, some viewers expressed concern.

Shit, those three look insanely strong;;;Where are Demon King’s elites?? Shouldn’t they be handling this???The army’s getting wiped out.Wait... Why do the undead seem way dumber than usual?Yeah, undead summons are always dumb.No, I mean Demon King’s undead.Huh?The realization hit the audience.

Yes, Seong’s undead were powerful.

But they had never been this mindless.

Why were they acting like mere cannon fodder?

The instant that thought crossed their minds—

The undead army began to cluster, wrapping around the fortress walls.

Some viewers caught on immediately.

It’s coming!!!!Holy shit;;;; No way!???Was this all part of the plan?!???For those who didn’t get it yet,

They soon noticed a greenish fog creeping through the undead ranks.

A poisonous mist, spreading outward.

At the same time—

Flickers of flame.

There were so many undead that the ignition spread in an instant.

A flash.

And then—

The spider beastkin’s eight eyes widened.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A massive explosion tore through the battlefield.

The force engulfed the fortress walls.

A shockwave ripped across the land—

And the once-mighty walls of Basilica crumbled.

They shattered, melted, turned to ash.

A massive breach was left in its place.

Countless beastkin perished.

And yet—those who survived, including the spider beastkin leader, could only stare.

And through the dust and ruin,

A group of feline beastkin, clad in heavy armor, marched forward.

Their figures stark against the ruined defenders of Basilica.

And at the front of them all,

A single man strode forward.

The spider beastkin commander glared at him, eyes burning red with rage.

“You...”

As if the Ninyaru knights were beneath his concern—

His focus was on one enemy alone.

And standing before him, Seong met his gaze—

And calmly spoke.

“Shall we begin?”