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The demon race swung their swords and charged forward.

The areas where the blade grazed were marked with red bloodlines.

A sharp sword strike that would have cut somewhere if they hadn’t been focused.

A sense of tension gripped Kim Yu-shin.

“…Damn, they’re fast. I heard all the lords are transcendent-level, and it seems to be true.”

He barely dodged the first strike, but he couldn’t guarantee how long he could hold out once the fight started.

If they had targeted Belarus and used hostages, he would have lost his life in less than five minutes.

Belarus, unable to withstand the heavy air from the aura and magic power, fainted and collapsed to the ground.

As if that was the signal.

Both the demon and the human moved simultaneously.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the space, and sparks flew, disorienting the vision.

A moment that could be called a split second passed, and the two distanced themselves as if by agreement.

“Not bad for a human.”

“…If you’re satisfied, how about introducing yourself?”

There was no response to the request to reveal his identity.

Only the noise of clashing auras, magic power, and air could be heard.

The demon, who had been gripping the sword tightly, loosened his grip and shook his head.

“I stand at the pinnacle of all races, undoubtedly the strongest in the demon realm. Though I fell to the very bottom of the world due to arrogance, it is that arrogance that allows me to reign supreme.”

“…You can’t be.”

“Lucifer. That’s my name.”

Kim Yu-shin’s eyes widened at the absurd answer.

Jeong Gyeoul had clearly said that Lucifer was the one and only, the supreme being.

He had said that Lucifer, who considered himself the protagonist of the world, would never stoop to serving under Satan…

He couldn’t understand the current situation.

He had thought that the only lord targeting Belarus at this point was Satan, but Lucifer had intervened.

Whether he was acting on Satan’s orders or request, or whether Lucifer had his own business with Belarus, was unclear.

“Why are you acting on Satan’s orders?”

“You, a dim-witted human. I clearly said earlier that I wouldn’t listen to the likes of Satan.”

“…So this has nothing to do with Satan?”

“If I had to say, it’s not entirely unrelated… but it’s none of your business. Just be my entertainment and cool off.”

Whoosh—

A massive cloud of dust rose from under Lucifer’s feet, and he disappeared from Kim Yu-shin’s sight.

‘Left? Right? Or… below?’

He quickly moved his head and eyes, trying to keep up with Lucifer’s movements, but Lucifer was among the top-tier transcendent-level beings.

It would have been difficult even for Jeong Gyeoul, let alone Kim Yu-shin.

He realized too late that Lucifer was descending from above, but Lucifer’s sword was already slicing through the air.

However, the distance was too great for the sword to reach, and even if he used magic-infused sword strikes, it would be hard to cause significant damage.

‘Why swing the sword from that distance?’

He didn’t know why, but he prepared to release magic to block it.

A chilling sensation ran down his spine.

At the same time, he threw his body as far as he could.

Decades of living as a hero,

In moments of crisis, it was his sword and bow that saved his life, but his intuition played the biggest role.

Swoosh—

The ground where Kim Yu-shin had been standing split apart.

With that level of power, the air and magic should have been cut, causing the atmosphere to shake.

But it wasn’t at that level, so he had tried to block it.

‘…If I had been hit, I would have been cut in half.’

The image of his body being split in half flashed in his mind, and cold sweat ran down his back.

A sword that cut through space.

Even for a transcendent-level being, this was too much.

The only saving grace was that Lucifer wasn’t targeting Belarus and was just playing around.

The best course of action seemed to be to land a blow when Lucifer let his guard down and escape with Belarus.

‘…I don’t know if that’ll work.’

Kim Yu-shin had never given up on any difficult mission before.

This time was no different.

“Rolling your eyes like that makes you look like someone trying to run away.”

“…You’re quick to notice, huh?”

“Not many have stood their ground against me. I thought you’d be different.”

Everyone he met only thought of running away.

Lucifer was arrogant but seemed lonely.

He was full of bluster, but everything he said was true.

“If you spare us, I can bring more interesting people.”

“Oh?”

It was a thoughtless remark, but it seemed to pique Lucifer’s interest.

“Interested?”

“If you last 10 minutes, I’ll consider it. If you can’t even last that long, bringing someone else wouldn’t be much fun.”

There was no friendly signal.

The end of his words was the signal, and Lucifer moved again at an incredible speed.

There was no chance to counterattack.

Dodging was the best option; blocking and deflecting was the next best.

His body was drenched in sweat and blood from the relentless attacks.

Even so, he avoided all vital points, and no deep wounds were inflicted.

The battle continued, with only the eerie sound of metal clashing and Kim Yu-shin’s groans filling the air.

Lucifer gradually increased his speed and power, swinging his sword as if mocking him.

Can you still hold out? Can you? Can you?

It was as if Lucifer’s eyes, gleaming with madness, were speaking.

Bang! Bang! Crash—

Sometimes violently and recklessly.

Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—

Sometimes smoothly and elegantly.

He wielded his sword as if performing a delicate piece of music.

Finally, the speed and power became too much for Kim Yu-shin to handle.

The sword, having reached its peak, flew towards his heart, and he knew he couldn’t dodge.

The intuition that had saved his life countless times now foresaw his death.

“Damn it…”

He muttered a curse he hadn’t used since childhood and closed his eyes.

Thud—

The sword flying towards Kim Yu-shin’s heart changed direction and returned to its sheath.

“…What?”

“10 minutes. It just ended.”

“Ha, damn it. I survived.”

The longest 10 minutes of his life had ended.

“One month. Find me within a month. Bring that interesting person you mentioned.”

With that, Lucifer turned away.

As he raised his hand, the ground, which had been torn and battered during the fight, began to restore itself.

***

“…So, you survived for 10 minutes, and he let you go as promised? He even erased the traces of the battle to confuse the pursuers?”

“Given the circumstances, it seems so. He seems like a better guy than what you said.”

“A fake? No, if he were a fake, he wouldn’t be that strong… What the hell is he?”

He even restored the ground? Does that mean he used magic? Is he a double Awakened One?

Lucifer seemed like someone who would never change, no matter how much time passed.

But hearing the story, it seemed like Lucifer had changed the most.

‘…No, maybe not? All the lords are just scheming and cracking seeds behind the scenes, so maybe the entire demon realm has gone crazy.’

Maybe the fact that he hadn’t changed made him seem like he had changed the most.

I don’t even know what I’m saying, but anyway.

“So… why did you come all the way here instead of going to Asmodeus’s territory?”

“I wasted all the time Belarus’s subordinates bought me fighting Lucifer. Belarus is unconscious, I’m injured, and there’s an army chasing us. I didn’t see the need to push further.”

He made excuses, saying that if he really needed to, he could have broken through the army’s encirclement and made it to Asmodeus’s territory, but that wasn’t the point.

“Anyway, it’s a relief…”

“…Huh? Are you crying?”

“No, I’m not!”

Something got in my eye.

Really.

Since all the expedition members were staring at me, I pointed to the room where Belarus was and asked.

“You said you called a healer, what did they say?”

“They said there’s nothing wrong with his body.”

“Probably fainted from mental stress or something.”

Having lost all the guards and soldiers he had spent his life with, it’s understandable that he’d be shocked.

Demons are hard to age, but he’s definitely a minor by Korean standards.

If there’s nothing wrong with his body, he’ll wake up on his own if we wait.

Let’s leave Belarus alone for now.

There was a question that arose while listening to Kim Yu-shin’s story.

“You said the army had no flags, and neither Belarus nor the general could tell which side they were from.”

“They had no idea. Even that thug boss and the healer didn’t know.”

Asmodeus had clearly said there was a clash with Dantalian’s army.

But when they got here, instead of Dantalian, they were attacked by an unknown army, and even Lucifer showed up.

The situation was getting more confusing by the minute.

“Gyeoul, I don’t think we can trust Asmodeus.”

“I think so too. Is your master’s treatment done?”

“This little injury is nothing. I was planning to head to Asmodeus’s territory in a couple of days.”

Satan, that snake brat, and Lucifer were no longer the careless lords they used to be.

I can’t shake the thought that the snake brat was just acting scared in front of me.

For now… we’ll head to Mammon’s territory while looking for Heukgu and Heukrang.

I hope he’s still that money-crazed lunatic…

If even Mammon has changed, I’ll have no choice but to hunt them down one by one and beat them to death.

 

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