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Chapter 339

“Tu-Kwaang!!”

A segment of the army was swept away in a trapezoidal formation. Just by swinging the aura weapon wrapped around White, infused with the essence of purification, the undead fell helplessly before it.

Truly, it was a divine presence that exuded mastery. Guided by Yeon-woo, destruction was flooding in a way that couldn’t be compared to the expert days.

Every time Yeon-woo wielded his sword, I could sense the astonished gasps of hunters fighting far behind. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say Yeon-woo’s every strike directly influenced the morale of the legion.

Of course, Ray was nearby too, but Ray’s technique was a bit too simple, lacking the flamboyance that Yeon-woo displayed. There was a reason he was nicknamed a “suicidal dreamer.”

His focus on one-on-one battles while recklessly leaping into the enemy’s fray made him appear as though he was just begging to die.

To put it simply, he was fighting dozens of one-on-ones simultaneously while surrounded by enemies. Watching it in action was indeed quite colorful and impressive. However, since he was picking them off one by one, achieving clear results was quite difficult.

“Thanks to that, I’m getting the aggro, so I’m good.”

Ray was not someone that could be underestimated. Seeing him advance gradually towards the Demon King, after fighting for nearly two days without eating, drinking, or resting, was clear evidence.

No matter how strong a Demon King may be, there was no reason to let a beast swim upstream without interference. Yet, Ray’s survival was a sign that simply being undead was insufficient to kill him.

“Let’s push in!”

Diving into the space of his opened strike, he spun his body once above the heap of corpses. With both hands gripping White, he swung it with centrifugal force, channeling the aura blade.

With a simple motion, he implemented destruction into this world far too easily. The golden slash that left Yeon-woo’s sword, even without the blade itself, smashed everything in its path, continuing forward.

Having reached this point, the Demon King began to enter the field of vision. Although the foul fog spread by the Demon King distorted sight and senses, a vague silhouette began to come into view.

Sitting arrogantly with crossed legs on the throne held by skeletons, a shadowy figure in a dark priest’s robe towered over them, standing over 2.5 meters tall.

To be honest, since Yeon-woo was just a lowly soldier before his reincarnation, it was the first time he was witnessing Toyo’s Demon King. So this is what the Demon King looks like.

“Just wait there and polish your neck!!”

As he shouted with anger, the Demon King, who was resting his chin on his elbow against the throne’s armrest, lazily swatted away his arm.

Whoooosh!!

With that hand motion, the fog that had been blocking Yeon-woo’s senses swirled around him, carried by the wind. Simply doing that wouldn’t have any real effect, so Yeon-woo naturally became vigilant. His sensing reach was being cut off by the fog.

The flow of air shifted. He could faintly sense something piercing through the fog. Yeon-woo’s senses quickly registered its direction and speed.

It was hard to say it was entirely accurate because he was being obstructed, but he had no choice but to move based on his senses.

Immediately, Yeon-woo raised White towards the front. Mimicking Claire’s handling, he set a wider blade surface as a shield.

Kii-ki-ki-ki!!

An impact, like a drill biting into the surface of White, struck as something spun violently around.

With a heavy shock, something that was scraping against him fell with a thud. There wasn’t even time to confirm what had flown in. Following that, a barrage of bullets rained down on White.

“Wha, what…!!”

Dozens of bullets, each delivering a heavy impact, rained down. The aura that had surrounded White was quickly scraped away. He had to forcibly convert the remaining aura into an aura blade to offset the shock with even greater destructive power.

Catching his breath at the unexpected mana depletion, Yeon-woo looked down at the ground. It was a fragment of bone. Roughly scraped down as if its end had been ground away, stained black.

“Is this the Bone Spear?”

One of the necromancer’s few direct offensive spells, but for tier one magic, this level of power was astonishing. Perhaps these bones were directly crafted by them….

Though he thought he had created a significantly advantageous environment, it turned out to be just the blocking of a fraction of the enemy’s capabilities.

The fight with Shuyo, where he could seal mana, proved unimaginably easy, but Saturday was clearly different.

Well, he didn’t expect to rely on luck indefinitely. The fight with Shuyo’s Demon King had been truly fortunate. The hero couldn’t keep depending on luck forever.

With a sudden release of his tingling grip, Yeon-woo gripped White in his left hand and brandished the Doppleganger in his right.

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”

*

There was a man charging forward so recklessly one could think he was downright foolish. A boy brandishing a white greatsword in his left hand and a black short sword in his right, swinging them wildly.

It was astonishing how he could be so fearless. Did he not understand the concept of death? Was he devoid of fear? Ever since the Academy tournament, Cassie had been keeping an eye on Yeon-woo, whose growth had been remarkable.

Charging straight towards the Demon King while displaying a combat prowess nearly at her level, Cassie watched from behind her scope. Anyone standing next to that boy would make even those called geniuses blush in comparison.

The most astonishing thing was that he initially lacked exceptional talent with a sword. It was apparent even to a layperson that Yeon-woo’s journey was bizarre.

Passion? Or something beyond that? Was that what distinguished him enough that the prodigies of the era had to trail in his wake?

Tatata-tang!!

She smashed the skull of a Skeleton Mage preparing a spell aimed at Yeon-woo. Utilizing the recoil from her gun, she swiftly corrected the direction of her aim.

Her role was to focus on removing the powerful undead scattered throughout. Among marksmen, it was tough to land shots unless they specialized as snipers.

However, what mattered most was Yeon-woo’s safety. It was undeniably Yeon-woo who was paving the way through this battlefield.

If they could force the Demon King to retreat, it would drain the power from the entire Demon King’s forces. No matter how powerful the Demon King was, he was still limited by the necromancer’s constraints.

In this world, both the conjurer and the summoned being lost their power if they exceeded a certain distance from one another.

Moreover—

“He’s laying the groundwork, isn’t he….”

Like he understood everything, slowly squeezing the life out of the Demon King. The absence of the Northern Ice Palace, which had been a thorn in Saturday’s side for decades, from the battlefield showed that there must be a plan at play.

The Ice Palace had been working to thwart Saturday’s schemes for decades, creating deep-seated grudges between them and the Demon King, who nearly had the successor killed.

Those very individuals not showing up where Toyo’s Demon King revealed himself and maneuvering in another direction? One could hardly think that was a mere coincidence.

The Demon King wasn’t a foe to be taken lightly. For decades since its emergence, they had suffered at the hands of it—not because hunters of the past were foolish, but due to a complete lack of information. That situation hadn’t changed much even now.

“It’s strange how he acts like he knows everything…”

Cassie muttered unconsciously as she tossed away her sniper rifle to reload. Behind her, firearms piled up like a mountain.

Down below, closer to the enemies, her two disciples caught her eye. Riza Starwood and Bailey Crawford. The two were bracing themselves, pushing back against the advancing horde of undead with gritted teeth.

Thankfully, she believed those kids would hold their ground with Yeon-woo’s presence. They weren’t that weak.

If someone tried to climb to the top by stepping on them, they would find a way to follow along, no matter what.

Thinking that way, Cassie once more brought her gaze back to the scope. Now was the time to support Yeon-woo.

*

[How bold you are.]

Nephren-Ka scoffed at the sight of the hero slowly approaching while cutting down the undead. Foolishly, he hadn’t given up hope of winning.

He was aware of the existence of purifying potions. How could he not know that those from the Ice Palace used them? He knew full well the immense power they held, but a few hundred undead were a fair price to pay.

Apophis? He didn’t care. Whether they lived or died, the means he possessed were scarcely more than that.

He might seem arrogant, but he had every right to be so.

He was the Demon King. An entity capable of bringing ruin to the world. Naturally, he possessed power befitting that status, and it was preordained that this world would be filled with corpses.

The emergence of the hero and the resistance they posed would not change that fate. He was destined to dominate this world.

That was all there was to it. Humans could only think up to that point. They could do nothing but struggle in this moment, trying to push back.

Nephren-Ka had no intention of fighting the hero directly like Shuyo, who foolishly stood in the way. A hero existed to protect people, and in the absence of something to protect, they were no more than worthless trash.

Plans were steadily underway for him.

[In the end, only I shall be laughing. You trash.]

Polishing his neck, did he think victory was assured? While that brashness was tiresome, his unwavering will against the darkness of death was commendable.

The stage was being set perfectly. The stage prepared by the Demon King and the one crafted by the hero. However, it was Yeon-woo who sensed that his opponent was preparing something. The reason was simple.

He was not underestimating his opponent.

“Haah!!”

With both arms moving freely, he parried the undead’s attacks with the Doppleganger and, in an instant, transformed it into a spear that swept toward the front with White.

He deflected a sword flying from the side with the Doppleganger, now shaped like a guard, countering it with a thrust of White that shattered the attacking form.

After crushing all surrounding foes one by one, he dropped the purifying potion to the ground. The rune stone inside the flask reacted to the impact, exploding and scattering droplets everywhere. At the same time, Yeon-woo leapt into the air, grabbing White.

What could be more exhilarating than having the strength to swing freely? As that thought fluttered in Yeon-woo’s mind, a voice reached his ears.

[I found it.]

At Lucrecia’s voice, Yeon-woo grinned, pulling up the corners of his mouth. Good. Everything was ready.

Silver mana enveloped Yeon-woo’s body. Using the power of the Silver Sky Art as a springboard, Yeon-woo leaped from the air. His body transformed into a spearhead, White leading the charge as he hurtled toward the Demon King.

Tu-Kwaang!!

“Hello, nice to meet you for the first time! Time to die.”

[…You’re hopping around like a monkey!!]

The spearhead, thrust by Lanacharl, was blocked by a wall of bone that erupted without warning. Tsk, what a shame. But Yeon-woo remained composed. Shadows caressed Relin’s Warehouse, gifting him a purifying potion.

Clang!!

Liquid burst forth, demolishing the wall of bones. Beyond the collapsed wall, the appearance of the Demon King was nowhere to be seen.

“Looks like you’ve fallen into my trap?”

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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