---

Chapter 349

Crack, crack.

With every step I took, a pile of Undead crumbled. Yeon-woo was perched above me, surveying the scene.

Truly, a battle worthy of the term ‘strategic weapon.’ Weak spells and arrows were swallowed up by the scale, while moderately powerful spells were neutralized by other magic that suddenly appeared around her.

In such a situation, there was only close combat left, which was already difficult to approach, and if one managed to get close, launching an attack was another challenge. Even if one attacked, could they even inflict damage?

Then, the moment I stomped down, it was like a living fortress!

Yet, such grandeur couldn’t be maintained for long.

[You’ve layered the deceit thickly. It completely engulfs the natural mana.]

“Do you know how to deal with a Dragon…?”

Tsking, Yeon-woo clicked her tongue. Unlike Shar, who was humanoid at heart, Nea didn’t expend mana merely by taking on the dragon form.

However, as her form grew massive, she used mana like a human uses calories just to sustain herself. Normally, she could naturally absorb mana from the atmosphere to recover.

But somehow, the Demon King had preemptively devoured the atmospheric mana with deceit. If she were in contract with Tae-oh, she could remove the deceit and absorb it, but for Nea, that efficiency had to drop drastically.

Plus, she had to deal with incoming spells, which only increased mana consumption. Naturally, without mana, Nea couldn’t endure for long.

“Then I guess I’ll have to come down halfway. I’ll prepare first.”

Hearing the conversation between the two, Namgung Seong said this while settling into a lotus position, determined to maximize his inner strength before the charge.

“Is it alright to come down halfway, big sis?”

[What, do you think I’ll fall to such lowly Undead?]

“Not really, but…”

It felt like the Demon King was gazing at us with a sticky stare. Given the Demon King’s proclivities, it was likely they were eyeing Nea’s corpse rather than looking at her like that.

“Be careful on the way back. Who knows what trick they might pull.”

[Heh, are you worrying about me while going to fight the Demon King? Worry about yourself, worry about yourself.]

“I’m just being cautious. I can handle myself, so it’s all good.”

As Yeon-woo shrugged her shoulders, gentle mana wrapped around her, like a comforting presence ruffling her hair.

[Right, I’ll handle it well, so you two go take care of the Demon King. Be cautious?]

“Don’t sweat it. I’m the best at being cautious in the world.”

[Sure, I totally believe that.]

Namgung Seong squinted his eyes, secretly observing the two who were having an absurd conversation before the impending battle with the Demon King.

Hmm, squinting is tricky…

*

From all directions, flames, ice, and dark energy-laden spells poured forth. Was even the Dragon hesitant to break through? Nea paused and spoke.

[Um…! I’m sorry, but this might be my limit!]

After shouting that, Nea rolled on the ground. Bam! The spells hurtling toward her were deflected by her mana wave, producing chain explosions in midair.

A golden, transparent dome surrounded the three of us. The arrows and spells colliding with the barrier erupted and fell apart.

[Prepare for landing.]

At that moment, Nea’s body glimmered with golden light. She was returning to her humanoid form. Upon hearing that, Yeon-woo and Namgung Seong jumped off from above Nea, landing on the ground.

“Did you leave anything behind?”

“Do you think our big sister is a taxi? You trying to get killed?”

“Just joking~.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

As Nea shrank, the golden barrier also diminished, likely to conserve mana. Inside the barrier, the Undead were being dissolved and could not enter. Maybe it was because of the barrier created using tuning?

“This is where I stop. I can’t go any further with you. Whatever the density of deceit is, now even breathing consumes too much mana for purification.”

“We appreciate everything you’ve done so far. I mean, it’s a bit crazy to think we’ll directly charge into the Demon King’s lair, but hey…”

“What are you talking about? We just need to push close enough, right?”

“With this size of the force, I’m not so sure it’ll be that easy.”

“No, it will work. Because this is a war.”

“…what in the world does that even mean?”

Not replying to Namgung Seong’s shrug, Yeon-woo surveyed the battlefield. The relentless clash between the Undead and Hunters was fierce. While it seemed like an ordinary battlefield, there was a palpable tension in the air.

It would undoubtedly come. The Necropolis War had changed significantly from before. There was no sense of despair of the impossible victory or rampant monsters from the underworld.

With Apophis subdued in advance, it would take some time for them to resurrect. Thanks to the existence of purification potions, the death rate of common Hunters and soldiers had dramatically decreased.

Still, Yeon-woo was convinced that it would show itself. There was no way it wouldn’t appear. That monster was a psycho that loved to fight after all.

“…it’s coming.”

Thud, thud, thud—an echo resonated through the battlefield. This was different from the vibrations Nea had created. It wasn’t one giant entity but countless footsteps shaking the ground.

Startled by the tremors, Namgung Seong lifted himself into the air to look. Something, a huge crowd, was kicking up dust as they charged forward.

Ruffians on bikes or ogres? A bizarre assortment of beings mixed in together.

“…what’s that? Reinforcements you summoned?”

“Um? Nope, nope. That’s the enemy.”

“What? So more reinforcements for the Demon King? We’re doomed?”

“Not exactly?”

Namgung Seong made a face like he just bit into something unpleasant at Yeon-woo’s nonchalant response, as if to say, ‘what are you talking about?’ Yeon-woo scratched her chin in contemplation.

“That’s… a natural disaster. A typhoon doesn’t distinguish who it hits, does it?”

“Is that really that level of significance?”

“Since it’s a gang led by another Demon King, that’s about right.”

“I see, another Demon King…”

With Yeon-woo’s answer, both seemed to understand. The relationships between Demon Kings were never friendly. In fact, they were often hostile and disliked each other to the extreme.

Because most Demon Kings desired to destroy or dominate this world. Those who had already obliterated or taken over a world wouldn’t be satisfied merely by grabbing a part of another. Essentially, they were competing business partners.

Therefore, Demon Kings always wanted to kill each other, yet for some reason, this world didn’t allow fights between Demon Kings, as Leviathan had mentioned.

Because of the existence of such laws, Demon Kings kept each other in check. They couldn’t afford to act rashly, lest they be countered by others.

But some Demon Kings ignored that entirely. Namely, Thursday and Tuesday. It was understandable for Thursday, being a phenomenon that showed up at whim, but Tuesday was special.

“They say she appears whenever a decent fight breaks out.”

Ultimately, when Saturday couldn’t stand to see her territory shrinking any further and began a war, she had no choice but to lose.

“I want to commend the fact that if she’s a typhoon-like entity, she’d charge toward the enemies instead of us.”

“Well, sure. If we threaten the Demon King, they’re inevitably going to flee to the Sacred Grounds. That would mean victory for us… right?”

“So we’ll be forced to confront them, is it?”

Observing countless red monstrosities rampaging among the Undead, Namgung Seong remarked. He was right.

Even before the regression, there wasn’t much information on the Demon King of Fire, but regarding the Violence Cult, there was plenty.

“Alright, I get it. We’ll move to threaten the Demon King but have to wait until those two Demon Kings suffer enough damage.”

“Exactly. Sure, humanity’s side will suffer more damage in the end, but the likelihood of fatalities will probably be low.”

The reason for this conclusion was simple. Not only were there the priests of the Sunflower Cult, including Na Yang-ho, but also the members of the governing party, right? With that level of presence, unless their hearts or heads were smashed directly, survival was highly likely.

Until now, Na Yang-ho had managed to maintain the manifestation of the Sun God, meaning there was likely no death thus far. In fact, a battle more undead than the Undead had likely unfolded.

“Well, so is that it?”

“Yeah. I think it’s time for us to head back. Be careful on the way home, big sis.”

“Thanks for your hard work, sis.”

As Nea flicked her finger, the barrier cracked and exploded, sweeping away the surrounding Undead.

“Both of you, stay safe.”

Her voice sounded like a sibling seeing them off on a trip, and Yeon-woo smiled softly. The melted remnants flowed as the lions closed in.

This place was at the heart of the Demon King’s forces. Compared to the far edge, the power of the Undead was on another level.

Skeletons that clearly had martial prowess and seemingly intact zombies were not to be taken lightly.

“But I don’t think we’ll lose.”

“Feeling reassured by the presence beside you?”

“…let’s just stick with that for now.”

Whoosh!!

With a mighty slash, I cut off the approaching zombie’s head. Perhaps a corpse that had trained in martial arts, it tried to duck to evade, but the Undead’s slow reaction betrayed it. Decaying fluids splattered everywhere.

Stalling for time to exert fear meant they had to endure as long as possible in one place.

If it were a narrow cave, it could have been manageable, but in this open field, especially in the heart of enemy territory, it was practically lunacy.

Yet, the two didn’t think it was impossible. Defining one’s limits was the very thing a martial artist must avoid. One should always imagine their strongest self. They must envision their maximum performance in any situation.

“I can’t be the one who gets defeated and screws this up while trying to catch the Demon King, you know!!”

Shouting like that, the two wielded their swords fiercely.

(Continued in the next chapter)

 

---