When Ronnel's substitute and Ging's puppet arrived, their sharp, mocking words pierced Overlord's pride. The grief of his tribe's downfall, the bitterness of imprisonment, and his disdain for humanity all surged forth in a storm of raw emotion. Overlord's usual composure shattered, giving way to reckless bravado.
He fell victim to the classic villain flaw—monologuing too much.
To be fair, the undead bone demons had grand ambitions: conquering the lands of the Dark Continent. But their collective intelligence left something to be desired. While Overlord wasn't exactly foolish, he'd only just pass for clever. His arrogance often outweighed his wisdom.
And Ronnel and Ging? They loved enemies like him.
For them, it wasn't just about curiosity or thirst for knowledge. A powerful yet intellectually overconfident opponent was a gamer's dream come true. So, they let Overlord vent his feelings before setting their strategy.
"Seems like the violin part of the Sonata of Darkness is in his hands," Ronnel observed casually.
Ging nodded. "Yeah. Once we take him down, we'll have the score."
"Still, his strength isn't insignificant, and those undead bone demons aren't exactly light work."
Ging cracked his knuckles. "True, but they're just puppets. I can crush most of them and weaken the Bone King enough for you to finish the job. Think you can handle that?"
Ronnel grinned. "Piece of cake~"
Their plan set, Ging stepped forward, his movements loose and confident. Overlord sneered, shaking his head at what he perceived as human arrogance.
"Humans," Overlord said, his voice dripping with contempt. "So full of themselves, yet so blind to true power."
Overlord had slaughtered countless humans before—even elite V5 soldiers fell in mere seconds. The humans who wielded the Sonata of Darkness last time had given him some trouble, but they'd ultimately been crushed. Decades of dominance had cemented his belief that humans were frail and inferior.
Though he acknowledged Ging's strength, he dismissed it as insignificant. Just to be cautious, however, Overlord summoned reinforcements. With a wave of his skeletal hand, a towering undead bone demon leaped down from the nearest bone mountain.
This wasn't just any minion. It was one of Overlord's strongest warriors, a ferocious creature that had slain many formidable opponents. Though it had lost its sanity, its raw power remained intact. Combined with Overlord's Nen technique—which distorted space, weakened enemies, and amplified his own strength—it was a deadly force.
Ging tilted his head, appraising the massive undead creature.
"Hmm, big guy, huh?" Ging rubbed his chin thoughtfully before smirking. "You know, you might want to come at me all at once. If you don't take me out on the first try, it'll be you who ends up dead."
His casual bravado drew a sharp laugh from Overlord. The icy blue flames in the Bone King's eye sockets flickered with amusement and disdain.
"Bluffing, arrogance, empty words…" Overlord mused. "You humans are all the same. In the end, you'll be on your knees, begging for mercy."
Overlord had seen this pattern play out countless times. Few humans could even dent his underlings, let alone challenge him. Yet part of him almost hoped these two would prove strong enough to give him a real fight. After years away from the Dark Continent, battling weaklings had dulled his skills and left him longing for a challenge.
With that faint hope glimmering in his icy gaze, Overlord settled back on his throne to watch. Below, his towering undead warrior roared silently, its skeletal arms raised high as it prepared to crush Ging with full force.
The attack came fast and hard, the air splitting with the force of the blow.
Ging didn't flinch.
"Not bad strength," he commented lightly.
Bang!
The impact shook the ground, but Ging caught the massive bone arms effortlessly with just the bent joints of his index and middle fingers.
"But compared to my strength," he added, his tone casual, "it's still a little bit worse~"
Overlord's flames flickered with intrigue. For the first time, he straightened slightly on his throne, watching the battle with genuine interest.
Ging's physical power alone couldn't match the bone demon's innate might, but his mastery of Nen made up the difference. With a talent for martial arts and years of rigorous training, Ging was a force few could rival. Blocking the demon's attack with sheer will and technique was almost second nature to him.
Overlord's warrior, however, lacked the awareness to grasp its disadvantage. Frustrated by its failed strike, the bone demon let out a feral snarl and raised its arms for another attack.
But this time, Ging moved first.
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