webnovel

125-126

Chapter 125: Guild Growth 10 [End of Volume 5]

Demon King

Guild Growth – 10 [End of Volume 5]

"During the encounter with the dwarves, they appeared and disappeared in Incheon. One Flag used that as an excuse to question the guilds representing Incheon. They denied it, saying it was nonsense…" Han Jia was explaining the situation in a trembling voice.

"So they just want to fight?"

"Whether the dwarves were killed or concealed, that is the fact of the matter."

"Ha." There were many comments I wanted to make on the dwarves' disappearance, but I held myself back. My sister's face was covered in anxiety, and she let out a sigh.

"What happened to the dwarves? If One Flag hadn't begun to move, and the action so radical, I would've cheered."

"They don't care about the dwarves, they just want to argue."

"I know, it's just that reality is so annoying I want to be delusional." She grumbled before glancing at me.

"Why'd you arrive so fast?"

"There are only two cases when a person runs fast." Those were when someone was chasing you, or when you realized your goal was right in front of you.

"…The Chaos Soul will probably attack again sooner or later."

"Why?"

"The One Flag guys smelled like the Chaos Souls." I tried not to reveal that they were definitely on the side of the elves. It would be better to clear that up later after the emergency situation was taken care of.

"So if the One Flag moves, the Chaos Souls might as well."

"What…?!"

"Be careful. You have to keep in mind that they are two groups that may stab you in the back given the chance."

"I can't believe they have something to do with the Chaos Souls… we've already been stabbed in the back! It's hard enough when we work together, now we're just consuming needed resources." My sister pressed her face close to mine, her cheeks burning red with fury.

"I apologize I keep asking for help, but…help me. Right now, you are the only one in Korea who can stop them by force."

"Yes, I will." I already knew what she would ask of me.

"What…?" She didn't seem to think it would be so easy.

"They're killing people who care for your guild, aren't they?"

"Maybe." Perhaps the elves had started to doubt me directly? No, I didn't leave any evidence on the scene. Marcocias died without being able to take any information to them. I wondered if they were just wandering around, killing anyone suspicious. It nauseated me to consider it.

[War? Are they waging war in this situation?]

Katsuragi, who had only been listening so far, decided to speak up. I was prepared to prick his eyes out if he looked at her with the same eyes he looked at Mireina with, but there was no sign of that. Perhaps the story was too shocking.

"A fallen?"

"Yeah, a new one. So, what's the situation of the other guilds?"

"Still complicated."

"What…?"

"I can't do anything for them. All attempts to persuade them have failed and trying to use action doesn't work. The current situation will only continue to spread. But if One Flag's power is cut off, it puts Korea in jeopardy." She let out a sigh and looked at me, who was at a loss for words.

"Don't you see it? Their power is mysteriously massive. Some of their members had prestige before the Great Fusion, but…"

"…"

"But if they're siding with the Chaos Souls…" To be honest, I didn't care much about the comfort of Korea. I was hesitant to make any moves myself. But hearing about it, it was clear that each and every One Flag executives exuded the same energy as a higher entity. It didn't matter if they didn't actively fight; their existence alone made Korea more secure. But they were just pretending to be an ally that could be trusted. There was no telling when they would reveal their claws, and by that time, the difference between enemies and allies would only widen. I would have to take their lives the moment I recognize them as an enemy.

"I will have to prepare quite a bit to do such a daring thing." My sister looked at me with anxiety-filled eyes, but I ignored her and looked back at my colleagues.

"Cain, you're in charge of this place. Lee Chan-yu and Katsuragi, follow me. Mireina, you'll remain here too."

"Why?! I'll protect Fate too!"

"You're still training." My merciless words sank her hopes, and my younger sister stood up as well.

"I will go too. I can't leave it be after asking you."

"No, you are still not ready."

"Why…!"

"They'll need you. I meant what I said, you need to be prepared for a raid from the Chaos Souls." Lee Chan-yu grabbed my attention; I already knew what he wanted to say, but now wasn't the time.

"Fate?" She tilted her head, and I wondered if I should reach out to her. Instead, I took a deep breath.

"I have something to say when I get back."

"…" She stiffened, her cheeks reddening. I had received her sharp gaze and questions several times; perhaps she was already convinced. We may not have been related by blood, but we were siblings.

"That's ridiculous." Han Jia was clearly misunderstanding things. I was curious about how they would react if I told them the truth, but I didn't have the will to tell them everything, not right now.

"So wait quietly, got it?"

"Yes." She nodded as I gathered Lee Chan-yu and Katsuragi. Lee Chan-yu, however, sighed loudly as we made our way out of the fortress.

"Captain, what sort of love confession did you make? Why are you like this?"

"It's a troubling confession for me to make. Please understand a little."

"Well, you'll just have to endure her anger at finding out you were hiding." I let out a short laugh and clapped his shoulder lightly.

"Let's go without worrying about that. It'll be dangerous, and we won't know what's waiting."

"Alright. You'll have to live to confess."

[I'm going to accompany you to such an important thing?]

"Don't worry, you have an advantage over Cain." I applied Reaper on us, combining it with Belkena Spell and Lunatic Trickster to hide us.

"The moment I clap, you can act. Until then, they won't be aware of you. Not One Flag or anyone." Well, unless there was an executive like Marcocias. But that was unlikely, and even if there was one, it would just mean my prey would increase.

"What was the first magic I taught you?"

[Healing.]

"Yes, and you can use it on the enemy."

"What are we going to do by healing the enemy?"

"His magic is a bit different than what you would think when hearing the word heal, since it's based on one's mana." I smiled and looked at Lee Chan-yu.

"It'll be fun, I'm looking forward to it." We proceeded with Ubiquitous, which increased every day. Even if real long-distance travel was possible, I was proceeding bit by bit by reinforcing it with Belkena Spell. As such, we arrived in Incheon at an unmatched speed.

[Korea is in such ruins…]

I hadn't known when I was in the forest, but I was able to come face to face with it myself when I arrived in the city for the first time. It certainly was shabby compared to the past, and I could see Katsuragi struggling with his emotions. I wondered how other countries had fared. No doubt he was thinking of Japan as he considered the wreckage around him now.

[I can feel evil energy.]

His head shot up as if he had been shocked.

"…Ah." I felt it too. A large amount of raging, ugly mana spread into the air. I laughed at the outrageousness of it.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Finally…" I took another step forward with Ubiquitous towards the direction of the battle. Lee Chan-yu muttered something I couldn't understand, but we arrived before I could ask him what he said. I pushed it out of my mind, hiding the two before approaching the scene of a fierce battle. The battlefield was covered in blood and sweat, people screaming on both sides. Everything stopped as soon as I arrived, however.

"You are…!" A man with a wound in his stomach yelled at me. I swung my hand to manifest healing magic, fixing the man's wound before responding.

"I've heard what happened. Did the thugs argue with you?"

"Looks like you know what happened." He ground his teeth, but his expression was cool. He was a tough man, holding himself together after such a wound.

"I don't know where they went…"

"I can feel them hiding nearby." Magic began to fly in, deadly magic that took the soul as its target. It flew in from dozens of places, and I swung my hand to block it. A black smoke-like blade cut through the air to stop them and continue on beyond the hazy fog.

"Hey, I've been helpless here…" By absorbing the skill Demon's Claw, Reaper became an incomparably sharp blade that cut the soul. These general guild members couldn't compete.

"Gather your men, I'll block their magic."

"Thanks for the help. Damn it, to think you would help us…!"

"Hm." I waved off his words as he gathered his guild members. Volleys of magic began to fly in as if they had been waiting for this moment. Taking a deep breath, I began to activate my Belkena Spell. The same magic blocked all communication-related magic, the same I used in my first battle against the Elakatra. Then, once I was sure the elves wouldn't be alerted, I stretched out the power of Predation to swallow all of the magic.

'Sorry sister, but I never meant to hold back from the beginning.'

"What kind of ability is that…?"

"No way! Damn it!"

Now, it would be a battle against extinction.

Chapter 126: Predation 1

Demon King

Predation – 1

The atmosphere of the battlefield changed completely. No doubt, quite a few people noticed the magic I just used was beyond humanity, but I didn't care. They would just continue to judge me based on my appearance, which looked like a human's, as they always had.

"He just stopped the attack…"

"Is that…?"

I drew my sword, reaching it out. I realized I hadn't repaired it yet; it still had the damage it sustained during my fight with Marcocias. It was due to my meeting with Katsuragi and the maintenance underground that I completely forgot. A sigh left my mouth as I regretted my own foolishness. Even in such a short moment, the attacks continued to fly in. Warriors were beginning to pop out one after another as if they thought that just shooting magic from a distance wouldn't be enough. The guild master of Incheon stepped forward.

"We can take them on. Do something about that damn child Lee Minha somehow."

"Good." I put away my greatsword. If it were torn asunder, that would be irreversible. It would be better to fight bare-handed. That's when I remembered that I did have a weapon to use. I killed Marcocias and received two items, the Pure White Reaper and a Mirror Shawl. The Pure White Reapermust be the dagger she used. I danced out of the way of the magic attacks and pulled it out from my inventory.

[Pure White Reaper (2,987/3,200) – Attack 1,200]

That was all the information I had, but it was surprising enough. It was a small dagger, yet it had almost twice the attack power of the Twilight sword. Shortly after I confirmed it had no room for traps, I grabbed it. It felt odd; the moment I held it in my hand, it felt like it was made just for me. I thought it was just a coincidence that it bore the name Reaper, but then I felt a bit silly. I didn't think there was a correlation. It also made me realize how stupid Marcocias was in using it.

The mana pouring out from the dagger made me instinctively realize one function of it. I swung the dagger as if to cut through the fog ahead. The energy contained within it sucked up the mana in the mist, creating a new dagger in the air. It melted before long, a series of mysterious occurrences visible only to me.

"Kuh, he's here too." The fog gathered once again, obscuring my view. I could hear Lee Minha's voice this time.

"I thought you would come, so I couldn't help but make a move." Magic whistled through the air and rushed towards my heart. Swallowing it up with Predation, and once again making a dagger in the air, I easily found him. He was in the middle of a group of dozens of elites. A translucent gray shield covered him, and I instantly recognized it from the Rookie's Battlefield.

"It's crazy to think about using it for just a single time."

"You can sense it right away, demon." Magic like a pitch-black earthworm wriggled in the air at me; its mana too strong for me to devour whole. The mana was sticky and dirty, and it disgusted me to think of how many lives had to be mutilated and lost to create such magic.

"If sin had weight, you wouldn't be able to raise your head."

"To whom are you speaking to, I wonder." It was energy different from Jinma or Elakatra, standing at a point opposite of the two. I could tell it would permeate through my veins like poison the second I Predated it. It was magic that seemed to be tailored for killing me. Instead of Predation, I filled the dagger with the energy of Reaper to cut through it.

"Did Elakatra prepare that for you?"

"No way."

"They must have known this would be impossible with your own strength."

"What? Kgh." He let out a laugh that felt more at home in a cartoon.

"This world has become really fun. How long has it been since I've heard the word impossible." It came to me in a flash. Hearing his words, it all became clear. His actions, why he was here, why he cooperated with the elves…I smiled.

"You must've felt pretty bad when you noticed there was an entity stronger than you."

"…!" Magic flew in once more, multiple versions this time. Unlike the energy of Elakatra, I wasn't able to analyze it at all. It would be foolish of me to try to eat it with Predation. I hesitated for just a moment before activating Space Destruction. It didn't matter how much power the soul had compressed; it couldn't sustain itself against an explosion that occurred with no warning. Lee Minha's laughter was distorted; I wondered if he expected that I would eat the magic and disappear.

"I should get rid of you here."

"I was thinking the same thing." I expanded my senses to scan the whole space, but the contaminated human souls were gathered at a high enough density to distort it. However, I could tell that Lee Minha was using some sort of device to concentrate the power of the elite guild members into himself. Their faces gradually turned white, confirming my suspicion.

"To wield souls like this without any study or determination…" Was there another reason for the Elakatra to study soul monsters, or did they just want troops? Was it really as simple as I thought? Perhaps.

"No one can look down on me." With that arrogant remark, he reached out. I could feel deteriorated mana fill the space around me, but I swung the Pure White Reaper.

"Huh?!" The dagger finally revealed itself, having been absorbing mana until now. Daggers poured down like a meteor shower to tear away the mana that was concentrated on me, continuing on to the drop point where Lee Minha and his men were.

"Kahak!"

[You gained 283 experience.]

It was just his subordinates, but I gained experience. They were neither higher nor lower entities, yet the deterioration of their souls had distorted the very structure of our species. No matter how many I killed, I wouldn't get any gold either. They were beings that had been cut out of the system that governed the world. The Elakatra must have had a reason to give such power to humans.

Lee Minha had been unable to hide his greed and ambition, and as a result, he was used by the elves. There was nothing more to learn from him, disappointingly. The ominous mana-filled mist cleared, and what I saw filled me with confusion. Lee Minha was the only one standing there- not a single other person was visible. The daggers had tremendous destructive power, but the sight was strange. He had defended himself with the shield made of souls, but where was everyone else who had been killed?

"Whoo." He sighed harshly, and I could tell his appearance was distorted.

"Now, through this." The contaminated mana swirled inside of him, transforming his body to an unparalleled level. His soul had transformed and mixed with countless others, forming a disgusting shape. It wasn't like the Wind of Eutinus. Rather, it was a terrible shape willed into existence by this man.

"It's almost complete."

"…" There was only one answer as to how the elites had vanished.

"It wasn't me you prepared for." The magic was meant to kill and absorb his own men.

"No one can stand above me. I've been thinking about it since the elves told me I should never come into contact with you. The time has come for me to reclaim my place. Everything exists for me, to sacrifice itself for me."

"So you contaminated their souls as well?" Just for this moment, to absorb them easier. It was so ridiculous, I couldn't laugh. The mana of the dirty soul expanded enormously, more than five times than my own. I put away my dagger, and he laughed as he watched it disappear into my inventory. He seemed to think I've given up.

"You're finished. Both demons and elves will be erased from the Earth, and I shall sit on the throne prepared for me. Blame yourself for your fate." I didn't really feel like listening to him anymore. I clapped, and a dark green flash shot through the air to hit Lee Minha directly. It was healing magic. I had learned magic since I became a monster, but the only healing magic I had worked on the body. But what about the healing magic of those who learned to touch the spirit? It was magic that healed the soul. It returned the distorted and twisted souls to their original form.

"Oh, groaoaaaaaah!" One side of Lee Minha's face, which was grotesquely deformed, was pierced. That was just the start; every part of his body began to twist, shrink, swell, and explode.

'Lee Minha, did you know? The elves themselves see you as disposable.'

[Yes, did it work?!]

"Don't memorize any resurrection spells." I made a face at Katsuragi, the hero who could heal, and rushed toward Lee Minha's body. I had only one thought in my head.

Even if I hated it, the truth would come to me.

And it wasn't far.