97-98

Chapter 97: Rebellion 6>

Demon King

Rebellion – 6>

[You gained 298 experience.]

[You received 127 gold.]

[You have obtained the Spirit of Red Blood.]

As the last of the Red Blood clan was slain, the temple began to collapse around them. As soon as I ate the body, I had to leave, disappointed I didn't have time to appreciate the meal. Making my way out of the temple, I noticed that the terrain that was a tall mountain when I entered, began to melt. If I didn't leave soon, I would be swallowed up.

I raised the mana of Jinma, desperately examining my changing environment. I could feel the world's mana moving with one purpose- to erase this space and reduce everything within it to mana. I was vaguely moving about this place, eventually finding myself in a plain where there was nothing to be seen. There were many monsters, but they were unable to sense me as I hid my existence with Reaper. When I finally reached a point where I could catch my breath, I was nervous about everything that happened so far.

"A great one…" Was that statue in Daishinjeon in honor of me? No, I couldn't rule out that possibility. However, if that great one they were talking about was really me, it would be the me who A and L knew. I felt like my present self was quite shabby compared to my past self.

'Let's take a break from being held by the past and take care of this.' I think I knew now why Rain didn't talk about those things in detail. He must've been worried I would be consumed by the shadow of my previously great self. But the past had no meaning; the important thing was to become stronger now.

I thought of my battle with that spider, against the power of a true higher-level entity. No matter how strong I became, that would serve as a reminder to remain vigilant. And I was becoming stronger. I was finally moving forward again, and I had to hurry. The people who hated me and were hostile kept piling up like a mountain. I had no time to stand still.

I raised my head, remembering the first thing I should do now—the Fortune Egg; I hadn't checked on it yet. I took it out of my inventory, noticing it was shining even brighter than before. Looking through my inventory, I noticed it apparently absorbed the Red Blood items I acquired from the temple.

"Huh.." The light it emitted had really intensified. 'Was I right? Will you react to this?' I pulled out the crystal the statue turned into, letting it go as it floated in the air towards the Fortune Egg. It was quickly absorbed into the egg, which turned red and began to emit even more light.

[Kiii!]

There it was. If you ignored this light, you wouldn't be a monster. I sighed and raised my hand, drawing a straight line in the air. Following the trajectory I drew, a black rose shaped like a whip stretched out and took care of the monsters flocking to the light, like moths to a flame. I used black mine as well, imbuing it with the power of Predation. It ripped through the enemy's flesh, absorbing their mana to become even stronger.

'Now, I feel like I'm using Predation properly.' These skills were a part of my abilities, and it was much more efficient to use them together. That went for Reaper as well. It would be possible to make an even stealthier and more lethal attack if I applied Reaper into my skills.

[You received 18 gold.]

[You received 24 gold.]

[You obtained the Dark Shard.]

As I pursued the enemies around me, I could feel the light behind me begin to gradually fade. I stretched out my mana in all directions, setting up a shield, and then turned around. There was a big crack on the fortune egg, and no more light came out of it. The egg split open with a thunderous sound in mid-air, a small red spider crawling out. It looked a little different than the giant spiders inside of Daishinjeon.

"Myu." It was a bit disconcerting that it was not a voice a spider could make, but it was a cute little guy regardless. It had only two eyes, with black drops in several places on its red body like a flame pattern. Its front legs were sharp like spear blades, much like the Red Blood clan. It had absorbed the Red Blood clan's essence, but I felt more of my influence was showing.

"Myu."

"Did it inherit every path I've walked so far?" I couldn't help but wonder if traces of the path I walked since obtaining it were present in him. It may look like a ridiculous little spider, but I was proud that I finally hatched it. For sure, I could also feel it: this little spider resonated with me before it was even born. It had a deeper connection to me than just as a subordinate.

"May." The spider's fragmentary feelings were flowing into my head. Feelings of joy and innocence. It was so unsuited to me that a bitter smile came to my lips, but I didn't think it was terrible. For me, who had only been killing since my reincarnation as a monster, helping this new life into the world was comforting to my heart.

"How about I name you… Solas?"

"Myu!" It was a cry with a positive meaning. It crawled up into the air and settled on my shoulder, but I could only blink at it. What the spider had just done… the energy was emanating from Solas. It was Jinma's mana. This spider's tiny little body was overflowing with that energy. He was born as a superior individual, right from the get-go. I felt momentarily jealous of this guy who was born so lucky, but I reminded myself it was the result of my efforts. Thinking so, I returned to the castle with Solas on my shoulder.

"You're back, Fate."

"You were expecting me?"

"I am no prophet. The inhabitants of the underworld are no fools, of course, and have the capacity to prepare for the future. Anyway, I'm glad you received some good results."

"Myu." Solas sat there, observing Rain. It was spinning out a small web with its forelimbs.

"I think I'll head back outside. I've been wandering for longer than I thought."

"I have one matter to discuss before you do."

"What is it?" Rain's face became serious.

"The boundary between the underground and Earth is becoming blurred. No doubt, you already sense it, but please be careful." I thought an elf or the Elakatra might be behind it. I nodded at him and left.

"Captain, good timing. Would you like to see it?" Lee Chan-yu stood atop the fortress wall, much too large for just two people. An army of monsters was lined up before him. I expanded my senses and explored the surroundings, but nothing was in the vicinity.

"Monsters? When did they attack?"

"What?' Le Chan-yu titled his head in confusion.

"They didn't attack; I found them. They don't just pop up as they do in a dungeon; the world would be in ruins! I'm just doing some group training."

"Ah, group training." Indeed, the monsters moving in unison under Lee Chan-yu's command were definitely training. Given my new experience with the Dominance skill, I knew the importance of practicing leading the monsters. I wondered how exhausting it must be. His abilities weren't just innate but instead created as the result of hard work. Just watching him filled my heart with pride, so I stood for a while, observing. In the meantime, I sensed a familiar spirit in my senses. Lee Chan-yu didn't notice it, but one of his hellhounds became alert.

"Is there something here?"

"Don't worry; it's just baldie."

"Alright." They possessed the ability to exceed level 100 and reached us shortly after I sensed it. I didn't like how they said they were glad to see me.

"Are you already done attacking the dungeon?"

"Dungeon? Oh, yeah." I recalled that Lee Chan-yu had been hanging around here, so I agreed.

"It's good that you're back. We need your help."

"With what?"

"A large ogre has appeared and is rampaging in the middle of the city. It's an emergency issued to all guilds near Jongno-gu and Seongbuk-gu." My eyes opened wide, and I stared at Lee Chan-yu.

"What was it you said earlier?'

"Damn it, Captain…" Lee Chan-yu urgently summoned his monsters. I stepped back and looked at the bald man again, snorting. I thought of the boundary that Rain spoke of.

"Will you help?"

"Yeah." I jumped off from the wall and landed beside him. Solas was cutely holding on to my shoulder.

"Because it's interesting."

Chapter 98: Rebellion 7

Demon King

Rebellion – 7

"It would be better if it were just a monster." Leading me to where the monster had appeared, the baldie spat this out nervously. It didn't take me long to realize the meaning behind his words.

"If it's not just a monster… is it a fallen?" I tried to pretend I was alright with saying it, but it felt like thorns stabbed into my heart just by thinking about it. Lee Chan-yu also flinched at the word.

"Yes, it's a fallen man. It's tricky, the number of enemies has increased."

"The enemy?" The baldie let out a sigh at my question.

"Sometimes, there are fools who have fantasies about monsters." I looked at the side of the man's face. I hadn't received the impression that he was a heinous man, but it was obvious he was still human to treat a Fallen who still had a sense of reason as a monster. It was a terrifying attitude, and it frightened me to see that the world had changed ordinary humans to this point.

It took us about twenty minutes to reach the sight of the battle. It was indeed a large ogre, bigger than any I had seen in the Black Palace. It was well over six meters, with swollen muscles stained red with blood. The earth vibrated violently every time it lashed out. While it wasn't a higher-level entity, in terms of sheer strength, I wasn't even close to a match. There were quite a few enemies here as well, as the man had said a massive battle with Chaos Souls had broken out. Several high-level humans were there, and I was momentarily stunned that so many people over level 150 lived in Seoul. It was probably for the safety of the citizens.

"They appear to have this under control."

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have gone to grab you. But look, does it look like they have it under control?" The amount of power on display wasn't terrifying, but why did he need us?

"You idiot, stop their attack!"

"Sir, on the left!"

[Ahhhhh!]

"Shit!"

It was because the majority of the humans here were not actively confronting the ogre. It had enough power to cause a fatal wound with just one blow, and they were scared. I remembered the words of the baldie from the other day about there being no point in dying for the pursuit of strength. That was on full display here; they didn't want to get hurt in the process of confronting the enemy.

"It's strong." Lee Chan-yu stepped up, remarking in a pure voice as he admired the sight of the ogre holding off dozens of humans.

"It's definitely stronger than you."

"I've decided not to put an absolute meaning on my own personal combat power." Lee Chan-yu tapped his chest proudly, sending me a secret message.

[What do you want to do, Captain? I don't want to see a Fallen die in front of me…]

[Don't rush. We can figure out a way to do this without turning everyone into an enemy.]

As I stepped forward, a different sight came to my eyes. The magic that was aimed at the back of the ogre was blocked by another human being. Two crossed daggers bounced the mana away in an impressive display of technique. The woman holding the daggers shook them at the caster.

"I told you not to attack!"

"Get out of here, Erkindra!"

Erkindra. I raised my eyes, examining her. Compared to the ogre, she was undoubtedly delicate, but her magical power was unusual. It was Kang Si-yeon, my sister.

"You're crazy! People are here!"

"Erkindra…!"

My younger sister was protecting the Fallen. I think I understood what was happening, but I didn't know why the Chaos Souls were here.

"Explain." I looked at the baldie and demanded answers.

"That girl…she's strong and smart. But she created a fairly strong guild to protect the Fallen." My eyes opened wide as I felt how stupid I had been.

"That woman was waiting until they became stronger. And now, in this battle with the Chaos Soul, they're striking to protect the Fallen."

"There was a movement to protect the Fallen all this time…"

"They're terrorists. I'm sick of it, these ridiculous ideas she has." I wanted to burn him up with the rest of his hair, but I couldn't. I hadn't learned everything from him yet.

"So that's why you need our help."

"They're the reason why the hunt for the Fallen is delayed. If this goes on, the damage to human lives will be severe."

"Speak correctly. You mean the damage to the humans who will hunt the Fallen." At my words, the baldie turned to me with eyes shaking.

"Hey, you…no way…"

"Fuck." I kicked him, using the energy of Reaper on my foot to erase some of the bones in his legs. Even with potions, it would take a month for him to recover. I applied mana to pressure him on the ground.

"Our way is different." I walked towards the soldiers in the rear, who were frantically using artifacts and firing arrows. Moving my hands, I stretched out the black rose into the form of a long whip, using it to sweep them away. With a sudden attack from the side of their allies, their high-level abilities were swept aside.

"Move."

"What?!"

"It's Rebellion." The chaos from the back affected even those close to the ogre. There was no more magic or arrows backing them up, so the ogre's movement wasn't limited anymore.

[Gyahhhh!]

The ogre was losing its temper, viewing even the humans helping it as an enemy. It was surrounded by enemies, and I couldn't help but think it normal in such a situation. Either you would become helpless or grow angry at the irrational reality before you and go wild. The ogre had gone with the latter. I relied on my black lightning magic to incapacitate the front line. Some of them suffered badly from it, trying to resist, but it was a low price to pay for sparing their lives.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Taking out the competition."

"How can you do it alone…? Who the hell are you?"

"It's Rebellion. Lee Chan-yu!"

"You're always too fast for me." I called out his name, but he understood my intent and began to call monsters. The monsters quickly moved into position, disarming and blocking the humans.

"Monster tamer?"

"What a rare ability…!"

"How is he not the leader…?"

Once the battlefield was cleared, all that remained were the few masters of the large guilds strong enough to be close to the ogre they faced, and a few elite members of Erkindra.

"You…wait!" My sister recognized me, her eyes opening wide in recognition. She bit her lip.

"No!"

"If you're not in a party, there's only one rule for joint hunting, right?" There was one simple and absolute rule; the person who did the most damage took the victory. I hit the floor running; the humans with a level close to 180 took a defensive stance against me, but I wasn't interested in them. The ogre raised a fist the size of a house at me, and my younger sister tried to block me. It was cute but ultimately pointless.

"No!"

"This won't solve anything." The humans accepted the Fallen as monsters and even went so far as to quarrel with others over it. I was not ready to talk with the fallen as an equal, but I also wasn't interested in the views of the Elakatra or the perception that had swept across mankind for more than a year. Yet I had to find a way to save him while satisfying all of that. I raised my fist, filling it with the energy of Predation and jumping into the air with Ubiquitous. At that moment, just before I collided with my sister, I instead moved through space to face the ogre head-on.

[Ahhhhh!]

I slammed my fist against the ogre's cheek, the energy of Predation exploding outward to absorb its mana and stamina. The fist the ogre had thrown at me lost its energy, and fell away.

[Kahah?!]

"No!" My younger sister rushed toward me, but I ignored her and kept punching the ogre. I could feel the power rapidly draining from its body. There was such an overwhelming difference between the systems we belonged to; he never stood a chance.

{Kuooooh! Why…why?!]

"That's it." I put all of my strength into my left fist, uppercutting the ogre's body. The last of his mana flowed into me, leaving only enough left in him to sustain his life.

"To save you."

[Oh…ah…]

It was almost funny to see the huge body fall back after being hit by my fist, but the results were less amusing. Two buildings collapsed under his weight, but everyone had already evacuated.

"Crazy…"

"With a fist…"

"He must be well over level 180…what a monster."

"What the hell is he…"

"Everyone, stop moving." I called out in a calm voice as I saw the humans begin to lift their weapons up once more.

"This one's mine. Anyone who tries to steal it will be killed."

"You!" My sister, backed by her elite guild members, surrounded me.

"I thought you would be different!"

"You know what I am." I laughed and retorted, turning around. I was no longer a goblin hiding in a dungeon; I had the confidence to go all out here. I moved through the air and approached the Fallen ogre after injuring a couple more humans who didn't listen to my warnings. It didn't die; my control with Predation was precise. Aside from mine, a few wounds had been inflicted on him by other humans.

"Alright, it would be nice to have a good conversation." However, there were many times when life didn't go as intended. I grinned at Solas and put a hand on the giant ogre's head.

I activated my Domination skill.