Original subtitles

I surrender to you! Please spare my life!

That voice.

Are you...

I am so sorry!

You won fair and square!

Now, will you let me go? Please?

You attacked us first. Now, you're begging for mercy?

After I killed all your men?

A knight's solemn duty is to protect their master.

As long as I live to see another day, they would be happy, I'm sure.

Happy they died?

Whatever.

Now's my chance!

Whatcha doing?

That was a mistake I deeply regret, so please don't kill me!

I'll give you anything you want!

Unbelievable.

What about the entry permit?

Can you get me that?

Yes, I certainly could!

My family is holding on to the one for this floor,

please consider it yours as a token for sparing my life!

And not only that, I also know where the upper floor permits are.

If you guarantee my and my family's safety,

I would be happy to serve as your guide and show you the way.

Your family's hiding the permit.

Now I get it.

No wonder I couldn't find it.

One question.

You're a demon.

Can I trust anything coming out of your mouth?

O-of course, you can.

I speak the truth, I'd never lie to you.

All right, then, you agree to give me the permit, I'll agree to leave in peace.

I will not soon forget this kindness!

But would you mind...

explaining just what you are?

I am the eldest daughter of the Radiru family, Esil.

Cool, but not exactly what I meant.

Huh?

I was hoping she'd give me more information about the system,

like what I learned from Barca.

Do you demons hear a voice in your heads?

Commanding you to slaughter every human you see?

Oh, umm.

Well, there is a voice, but it gives a different order.

Which is?

To protect this place no matter what.

-When did it start? -We've heard it since our arrival.

They came from somewhere else!

Where were you before?

The demon realm.

Then one day, we woke up and found ourselves here.

This demon realm...

what did you do there?

War.

We were preparing for an imminent war.

A war?

Against who?

An adversary so strong all demonkind had to unite to face it.

It seemed a monumental war was on the horizon, when...

Permitted amount of information exceeded.

Ending conversation.

Permitted amount of information exceeded.

Ending conversation.

Permitted amount...

I guess that's all I'm gonna get.

This is the damage assessment and combat log from the winged ant appearance

on the nearby island within Japan's borders.

It isn't pretty.

Two hundred ninety-four civilians were killed by the ant,

and one hundred eight hunters deployed, to contain it.

As for hunter casualties, there were four E-ranks, a single C-rank, and a B-rank.

You'd think it was a colony's work, not one ant.

The decisive factor was an A-rank

who arrived on the scene later and landed the fatal blow.

So, one of these mutated ants is on par with an A-rank hunter, then.

Hm.

That lines up with the conclusions from the Surveillance Team's necropsy,

so I'd say yes.

The attack took place 120 kilometers from Jeju Island.

Should the ants gain any further mastery over flight,

it will only be a matter of time before they reach the mainland.

Contact Japan and request to join forces.

Reach out to our neighbors, too. Tell them to raise the threat level ASAP.

Yes, sir.

We can't put it off any longer.

Time's already against us.

I want this crisis handled before any more lives are lost.

Therefore, as chairman of the Hunter's Association,

I hereby initiate the fourth Jeju Island raid.

I don't know why I suddenly passed out like that.

I'm sorry for the extra trouble.

Nah, don't worry about it.

Are you feeling okay now?

Yes, I'm much better!

It's kind of you to ask, considering...

Just being polite.

More importantly, how much further is it?

It's close!

Keep going straight and you'll reach the castle.

Then the entry permit will be yours!

What the blazes have you allowed into our home, Esil?

Are you mad?

He may appear to be one man.

But soldiers dwell within his shadow, hordes of them!

Huh, I'm impressed he noticed.

You have deceived her!

If this is an attempt to take our castle, I'll see you dead first!

Father, calm down! I can explain!

Your daughter and I have an agreement.

Hand over the permit for the next floor and nobody here has to get hurt.

This human must be the one who slayed Vulcan and Metus.

I honestly don't see how we could best someone capable of that.

Pleasure doing business with you.

Pleasurable or not, that "business" is finished.

Now begone from my castle at once!

-There is one other thing. -Ah?

I'd like to borrow your daughter.

Cur!

Oh, no, no, no, no, not like that.

As a guide, I mean.

She said she knows where to find all the entry permits above this floor.

And you won't let any harm come to her?

I swear it.

Very well.

I will allow it.

Then, we're off.

We've got this. Right, Esil?

Right!

Guildmaster Goto?

Nice. That wraps up the 89th floor.

And for Tank and Igris, that should mean...

rank promotion.

Now they're comparable to an A-rank and an S-rank.

Which rounds out my forces pretty well.

I was hoping this load would get lighter as we went,

but I haven't had to barter for our safe passage once.

Wouldn't you rather keep the treasure?

I brought them to trade!

Elite nobles are stewards of the 90th floor and above, and they're strong.

Stronger than anything you've faced up to this point, by far.

But through negotiation, we shall secure the permits the same way--

Esil, if I'd been weaker than your family's forces,

would you have agreed to our deal?

That's what I thought.

You nobles are always trying to climb the hierarchy ladder, aren't you?

I'm about to put your family right at the top.

The Radi, uh, whatever family.

It's Radiru.

But... Sir Jinwoo?

You weren't obligated to spare my family. What made you do it?

Guess it's because I like you.

"Like?"

First Jinho, now her.

Maybe I just get along well with people who have a few toys in the attic.

Oh, yeah, you can head back now.

Huh?

Why?

You said the enemies up ahead are no joke.

And I made a promise to your father.

If you tell me where to find the rest of the entry permits,

I can take it from here.

Hold on! Do you really find me so useless?

It's not that.

I just thought it'd be dangerous.

You've done great. Thank you.

All right! In that case, I'm staying with you!

Until the very end!

I want to see what you accomplish with my own eyes!

Have it your way. Let's head out.

Onward!

Esil wasn't kidding.

I saw a drastic spike in difficulty on the 90th floor.

Each encampment of demons, both in strength and numbers,

were quite literally on another level.

But I'm keeping up, clearing the floors one step at a time.

Almost there.

I'm getting the last ingredient for the elixir, whatever it takes.

The fourth Jeju Island raid is in the works,

and we've both been summoned to participate.

Of course.

President Baek from the White Tiger Guild has also been called upon.

In fact, every S-rank from the country should've received an invitation.

Which would include Hunter Sung.

In addition, this raid will be an official joint operation

between us and our close neighbor.

You mean Japan.

I do.

The recent attack by one of these evolved ants on Japanese soil proves

they're as much at risk as we are.

It's the right call to make.

I honestly don't care as long as we kill every last one.

Have they set a date yet?

It's still under consideration, but I doubt they'll take too much time to decide.

As we speak, hunters from Japan's largest guild are flying in.

They'll be meeting with members of the Association to discuss strategy.

So, this is the top floor.

Doesn't seem like anyone's around.

Uh?

That's him, the Demon Monarch.

Baran.

That's one daunting aura.

I can tell this won't be easy.

His sheer bloodlust is making me weak.

Even Esil is feeling it.

And that creature he's on could be a problem too.

A wyvern.

So, he commands more than just demons.

The gang's all here, huh?

If you have an idea, now would be the time to share!

-Sir Jinwoo! -Yeah, I know!

Come forth!

Incredible.

He never once showed this kind of strength on the floors below.

But the Demon Monarch Baran, isn't just a boss.

He's a sovereign.

And Sir Jinwoo invaded his castle.

He should be eliminated.

Who do I side with?

Lord Baran or Sir Jinwoo?

Ah?

That's no ordinary lightning.

It's wide-range magic with a stun debuff.

I can revive my soldiers, but my mana will deplete fast if keeps using that move.

So, before he can...

I'll clip those wings!

He saw through Stealth?

A homing attack? And it's gaining on me!

Tusk! Igris!

Sorry, but looking up was tiring me out.

C'mon, Baran, you call yourself a Monarch, right?

Fight like one.

Pleasure to meet you all.

My name is Hanekawa and I belong to the Drawn Sword Guild.

This is Ryuji Goto-san, our guild master.

I'll be interpreting as he only speaks Japanese.

The Drawn Sword Guild.

Japan's largest, and with eleven S-ranks, easily their strongest, too.

Also said to be the second largest in all Asia.

Their leader...

Ryuji Goto, has an aura that more than lives up

to his and his guild's reputation.

First of all, thank you for inviting us to join this new strike team of allied forces.

We pledge our support.

Ah.

We should be the ones thanking you for even agreeing to come.

We are truly grateful to you.

As the documents that you've received state,

we've conducted our own investigation into the winged ants.

and it's revealed a fair bit of useful information.

If you could all turn your attention to the screen.

We've provided a visual to explain two critical points we'd like to touch on.

One is their lifespan.

The ants grow at an accelerated rate after hatching, but only live for about a year.

In other words, once we exterminate the queen,

the remaining ants will die off within a year's time.

The second point is in regard to their behavior.

From the previous three raids, we know that the ants are drawn to stronger enemies.

The more mana a hunter has, the more attracted the ants are.

As such, we'll organize our strategy around that trait and use it against them.

We've been aware of the ants' tendencies for a while now,

but they've described them in quite the elaborate breakdown.

As for the plan, you'll of course need hunters.

Of the Drawn Sword Guild's 11 S-ranks,

10 will be contributing, and that does include myself.

I'm sorry, did you say 10 will help?

We'll act as a decoy and draw out the ants.

That will leave the queen ant defenseless,

then your hunters could move in and finish her.

But, sir. This would require you to fight thousands of ants.

Since we're only creating a diversion, it should be fine.

And as AI simulations have proven,

this plan has the highest chance of success and the fewest deaths.

Ten S-rank hunters is certainly more than we would be able to field.

The choice is simple.

Yes, that could work.

If there's no one here opposed, let's begin tactical planning with that in mind.

I don't even have time to down a potion.

He blocked Fatal Strike?

There goes all my mana.

Shit! My daggers!

He's too strong!

No, no, no, no!

I can't dodge!

Now's my chance.

I'll use all of my strength, and combine it with Ruler's Hand!

That's enough!

Who the hell do you think I am?

He did it.

Are you all right?

Esil.

Head home and give your dad this message.

From now on, the Radish family runs this place.

Sir Jinwoo.

It's Radiru.

Not Radish.