novelraw Chapter 297 : The Natural Enemy of Demons (3)
Chapter 297 : The Natural Enemy of Demons (3)
The body of 'Vampire Queen' Song Yeonhui scattered into the air like bubbles.
With this, the [Sword of Belphegor] was effectively annihilated.
However, there were a few Ma-in who successfully escaped the eyes of the Special Operations members.
'I've chosen you.'
And there was a man hiding in the shadow of that Ma-in.
Nam Tae-hoon.
He was following the escape of the executive with the strongest magical energy among the remnants of the [Sword of Belphegor], completely concealing his presence.
'The easiest way to find the enemy's lair.'
Shadow Lord Nam Tae-hoon.
He was the talent that the 7th Unit, which specialized in intelligence, had dreamed of.
"Will Tae-hoon do well?"
"He'll do fine."
"He's the one who found the Catacomb before, right? Most people can't detect his concealment."
Su-hyeon, who had been listening to the conversation between Kim A-yun, Kwon Seung-yeon, and Hwang Ji-su, clapped his hands to focus their attention.
"The 5th Unit Captain is coming to clean up the scene, so get some rest until then."
"Are we leaving right away after that?"
"Not immediately. We'll depart when Nam Tae-hoon finds the enemy's base."
Su-hyeon said.
"In fights like this, delaying puts the attacker at a disadvantage."
"I see."
Kwon Seung-yeon nodded and lay down on a wide, flat rock.
"Ow, I'm dying."
"Are we camping?"
"Ji-su, come lie down here too."
"I don't lie on bare ground."
She then created a bed of ice and gently lay down on it.
"...Is this that ice hotel thing or whatever?"
Hong In-hyeon muttered.
"If I knew this would happen, I should have brought a sleeping bag."
"Stop with the carefree talk."
Seo Jun-seong said as he floated his body with telekinesis.
"Sun's setting."
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Great Overlord Crosell's castle.
It was a massive floating island hovering in the sky through her power.
'Look at that.'
Looking at the medieval-style castle spread across the entire island territory, Nam Tae-hoon felt like whistling.
'Literally a castle in the sky.'
It was evident just from what he could see that the island had tremendous defensive capabilities.
'I'd like to look inside too, but...'
Even someone like him would quickly be discovered and become dog food if he entered that den of demons.
'No matter how much stronger Su-hyeon has become, I'm still just someone who would struggle against even a Great Overlord's executives.'
It was an enemy he had to be extremely cautious around, even with his high A+ level power.
'...Well then.'
Nam Tae-hoon, looking down at the clouds from the castle wall, put his hand in his pocket.
"Shall we call our friends?"
"Song Yeonhui is dead?"
Great Overlord Crosell's cold gaze looked down at the defeated soldier.
"Y-yes."
The Ma-in, who couldn't even guess what burden he was carrying, bowed his head.
"By whom?"
"The young Captains, and Jeong Su-hyeon."
"Jeong Su-hyeon!"
The demons became agitated at that name.
"Acting up without knowing his place."
"That vampire Ma-in was quite pathetic."
"Dying to human novices who haven't even lived 20 years?"
"Even as Ma-in, they're still half human. With half the blood of an inferior race, their innate baseness can't be helped."
"Silence."
The air froze at Crosell's solemn voice.
"A human who killed Andromalius and calls himself a transcendent."
Crosell's beautiful voice tickled the demons' ears like a song.
Since Belphegor descended upon this Earth.
No human had been a match for a Great Overlord-level demon.
They would wet themselves in fear, wail, or run away.
Only a few special individuals among them had overcome their fear and stood against them.
'But they couldn't escape becoming dog food anyway.'
And then appeared this existence called Jeong Su-hyeon.
'The only human that He had been interested in even before Nastrond opened.'
He achieved unity with Vanguard Malek, returned from death, and killed Andromalius by quartering him.
And now he aims for her neck.
"Interesting."
The fact that the war they had waged in the demon realm for eons could be waged again here on Earth.
How could this not be joyful?
Crosell's beautiful lips split wide, revealing sharp fangs.
"He will come looking for me soon."
"But how would he possibly know where this place is?"
"You still underestimate the enemy."
When the Great Overlord's gaze turned cold, her subordinates hurriedly lowered their heads.
"We-we apologize!"
"Though Song Yeonhui was half human, how many among you can confidently say you are stronger than her? In my opinion, not more than ten."
"...Th-that's right."
"He easily trapped and subdued such a Song Yeonhui. Naturally, he must have the skills to find this place as well."
"Understood!"
"If you understand, what are you doing? Not preparing for battle immediately."
"By your command!"
After chasing away her frustrating subordinates with awe-inspiring dignity, Crosell leaned back against her chair and spoke languidly.
"Chief steward."
"Command me."
"Bring me my sword."
The Ice Sword that neither melts nor rusts.
Crosell smiled slyly at the thought of wielding that sword after a long time.
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Crosell's wait was not long.
"Jun-seong!"
"Okay!"
Great Overlord Crosell's floating castle.
On its outskirts, an intense aerial battle was unfolding between flying demons and Special Operations members.
"Here they come!"
Attacks of magical energy, flames, poison, and lightning poured down, but Hong In-hyeon's wind barrier and Seo Jun-seong's telekinesis caught them and sent them back to their casters multiple times.
"A-yun! Bombard the east!"
"Min-a, together!"
"Got it!"
Taking advantage of the gap created by Kim A-yun and Choi Min-a's attacks, the Special Operations members successfully landed on the castle wall.
"Yu-jin and Seung-yeon, go left!"
"Yes!"
Min Hae-na and Kim Ho-su, Lee Yu-jin and Kwon Seung-yeon spread out to the left and right, sweeping away the defensive forces.
"Damn it! They've entered the castle!"
"You should be ashamed! To let the defense be breached by mere humans!"
"......"
The humans were more formidable than expected.
"No wonder Song Yeonhui was defeated."
Great Overlord Crosell, who had been quietly watching the siege, spread her white wings and flew up into the sky.
"I ask you."
A being too beautiful to be a demon, yet surrounded by ominous magical energy too sinister to be an angel.
Crosell's voice resonated through the magical energy.
"Which one of you is Jeong Su-hyeon?"
"...!"
The Special Operations members collectively gulped.
'She's strong.'
'Not just strong on an ordinary level. That's...'
'A beauty beyond this world. So flawlessly perfect that... it's frightening.'
"You won't answer?"
Crosell's beautiful eyebrows rose.
"I'll make you want to answer."
Whoosh!
Boiling water, steam, and ice suddenly descended from the air to attack the Special Operations members.
"Block it!"
Crack!
Hwang Ji-su froze the boiling water.
Whoosh!
Hong In-hyeon created wind to blow away the steam.
Boom!
Seo Jun-seong's telekinesis created a gravitational field and a giant arm that brought down the ice chunks.
"Indeed. Is this saying that such trivial techniques are not worthy opponents?"
Having confirmed the Special Operations members' nimble reactions, Crosell snapped her fingers.
Snap!
"Then from now on, kill each other."
A massive illusion world unfolded before the Special Operations members' eyes.
"This is...!"
"Damn it!"
Desert, volcano, snow field, and swamp that suddenly appeared before their eyes.
The Special Operations members floundered in panic at the appearance of demonic beasts, Ma-in, and demons with horrific appearances.
'This is Crosell's illusion.'
Su-hyeon thought.
'Crosell is a troublesome demon with various special abilities, excellent combat prowess, and mobility.'
There were iterations where thousands of awakened ones lost their lives just to bring her down.
'As a result, most of humanity's fighting strength was wiped out.'
That's how difficult an opponent Crosell was.
But it didn't work on the current Su-hyeon.
"Close your eyes and use your spiritual sense instead of vision!"
Boom!
As Su-hyeon took his true stance, pure mana spread out and gently enveloped the Special Operations members.
"...Hurk!"
"Haa, haa."
The Special Operations members then began to entrust their bodies to Su-hyeon's mana with their eyes closed.
"...So your eyes can see me clearly."
Crosell was surprised at Su-hyeon's ability to not only resist her ability but also calm his comrades.
"To the eyes of a transcendent, illusions created by those who are not are mere child's play, less than a clumsy prank."
"I see."
Crosell nodded.
"You must be Jeong Su-hyeon."
"You're slower to realize than I expected."
Boom!
Su-hyeon took his true stance once more to dispel the magical energy ensnaring his comrades and floated up into the sky.
"Malek, Andromalius, and now me."
Crosell's jade-like voice tickled Su-hyeon's ears.
"You're a human with quite a reputation. But this is as far as you go."
"Who decides that?"
"A foolish question."
Crosell said.
"There are no exceptions to the future determined by me, Great Overlord Crosell, who shares in His power and speaks His voice."
"...To be precise, it would be 'there were none.'"
As Su-hyeon extended his hand into the air, an invisible sword made of ultra-high-density mana took form.
"Have you heard of the Unity of Sword and Person?"
"It's not such an impressive realm."
Crosell responded indifferently as she drew her Ice Sword.
"It looks more like an art piece than a weapon."
"Well, beauty is power."
Jeong Su-hyeon and Crosell.
The two transcendent beings faced each other.
"Pray that your king shows mercy to you all."
Su-hyeon's expression, which had been detached from everything, suddenly showed anger and hostility.
"Because I won't."
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The battle between Crosell and Su-hyeon was truly mythical.
Crosell fought using three-dimensional space with her wings spread.
Su-hyeon also jumped, ran, soared, and compressed space to follow her movements, treading the air as if it were ground.
Boom!
Clang!
Each time the Ice Sword and the mana sword collided, thunderous sounds and shockwaves erupted.
Thrusting, slashing, striking, scraping blades, and pressing down.
Kicking with feet, grasping with hands, jumping to create distance.
"Not bad."
Su-hyeon said.
"Not bad?"
The demon's eyebrows twitched.
"A mere human dares to be so arrogant!"
"To still call me a human, is it ignorance or arrogance?"
Clang!
The swords of the two beings collided in mid-air.
The massive shockwave created by the impact destroyed castle walls and the bodies of weaker demons engaged in combat.
"...!"
Realizing she was losing in terms of power, Crosell tried to escape by flapping her wings.
"Running away?"
But she couldn't shake off Su-hyeon.
"You human bastard!"
The enraged Crosell compressed and fired magical energy, but it was only cut apart and dispersed by Su-hyeon's invisible sword.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"Shut up!"
Thick veins rose on the beautiful demon's skin.
"I'll gouge out that arrogant mouth of yours!"
"If you can."
Crosell's sword created afterimages as it wavered in the wind.
'Whether it's human swordsmanship or demon swordsmanship, ultimately the profound principles at their extreme converge.'
That is the realm of all rivers returning to the sea.
Clang!
Crack!
Meeting blades, using the opponent's strength. Adjusting distance.
Tap tap tap!
Hands, feet, and swords crossed.
Wrestling and fencing, jujitsu and boxing.
And demonic martial arts of unknown styles.
The exchange of offense and defense flowed with movements that incorporated the skills of all kinds of martial arts.
"...What is that......"
Kwon Seung-yeon, Lee Yu-jin, and Hong In-hyeon.
Even those familiar with martial arts shook their heads as if unable to comprehend their movements.
It was natural.
Those who had not reached the same realm could not possibly understand the principles of that exchange.
How many options derive from a single shoulder movement?
Thrusting, slashing, striking, retreating, feinting, blocking, deflecting, parrying while thrusting...
To instantly grasp all those possibilities in a split second, to measure them, to take appropriate responses or stay one step ahead, or to wait and exploit the opponent's reactions—how many more options are created from this?
Yet among all those options, there was always only one move to be taken.
And what determined whether that choice was right or wrong was simply whether their neck remained attached in the next moment.
Therefore, all movements—suddenly rolling on the ground, swinging the sword widely with unnatural motion, extending jabs by breaking rhythm, or placing hands in front of the opponent's blade—contained judgments and principles that would require dozens of sentences to explain.
As such exchanges surpassed hundreds of rounds.
Those who had not transcended, both humans and demons, had already forgotten the battles assigned to them and were just blankly watching the spectacle.
"Jeong Su-hyeon! You truly are strong!"
Crosell, whose wings had been cut, hair trimmed, and sides and face bruised, said.
"But I find it hard to believe you're a transcendent."
"Oh?"
Su-hyeon tilted his head sideways.
"Why is that?"
"How can someone who struggles this much even against me be in the same realm as Him? Before Him, you wouldn't last even a second."
"...!"
The young Captains watching swallowed dry saliva at those words.
'I heard Crosell is middle or upper-middle in rank among the Great Overlords.'
'If this is the reality of facing such a demon as an equal, then against the highest-ranking Great Overlords and Belphegor who reigns above them...'
However.
"Your delusion is severe."
Su-hyeon merely scoffed.
"What?"
Smack!
Crosell's head snapped back.
"Kugh!"
"Andromalius was too weak."
Su-hyeon said.
"But you're sufficient as a warm-up opponent."
"...!"
"Do you understand my meaning?"
As Su-hyeon waved his hand, the high-density magical energy gathering around Crosell dissipated futilely.
"What!"
The astonished Crosell retreated.
Su-hyeon took one step forward.
"Before a big fight, calibration is necessary."