Sacrificial Beings Forged for Sacrifice

"Yes, let's begin."

Ji-ho nodded at Silvia's words, offering her a warm smile. Clad in sacred armaments, he was the embodiment of hope itself in this war.

Reassigned to the task of toppling the Demon King, he would now have to defeat the contemporary hero and Demon King without relying on the Holy Sword.

Not only Silvia, but Rachel and Ruina had also never witnessed Ji-ho's clash against the Demon King Carkus in the past.

To be honest, the hero who had crossed from another world was already abnormal enough. In the battle against the elite demon beasts led by Demon King Laylana, the eighteen-year-old Irene had shown the most outstanding performance after Jae-hyun the hero himself.

Rachel, Ruina, and Silvia were not geniuses who appeared once in a thousand years like Irene, so they had naturally been unable to participate when Ji-ho fought Carkus.

That was why the swordswomen Rachel and Ruina were particularly overjoyed at the chance to fight alongside Ji-ho.

After the war ended, they had grown stronger thanks to Ji-ho's aid, but the battles they had witnessed were nothing more than the monsters that had threatened humanity.

Because Ji-ho was simply too terrifying a figure, humans refrained from waging war among themselves. It had been forty-nine years before he finally returned to Earth after the fifty-year mark, and even excluding the time spent restoring the damage from the one year of forbidden warfare and the incursions of the Demon King's manifestation, over forty years had been spent under Ji-ho's rule as the ultimate deterrent to conflict.

Yet the battlefield could not be expected to produce great deeds, since no human-versus-human wars had occurred. Moreover, Ji-ho had always disapproved of such strife among humans, so he would have stopped them from engaging in it.

At the time, he had also personally led his wives in eradicating bandit groups; unless someone was truly irredeemable, they were usually captured alive and handed over to the local lord for punishment.

It was because he did not want his women to stain their blades with human blood.

Nevertheless, Rachel, Ruina, and Silvia remembered that those earlier battles had been ones in which Ji-ho's wives were dispensable. Now, however, their support was indispensable, which was why they were filled with joy.

And Gabriel flew up beside Ji-ho.

"The Seraphim and Cherubim will soon lead the angels in a simultaneous assault on the Dark Empire. We will focus solely on the Demon King, centered around you. Our angels will guard to the last; trust us and leave it to us."

Before Gabriel's words had even faded, someone continued.

"The dragons are the same."

It was the Dragon Lord himself. The Dragon Lord had joined as Ji-ho's comrade as the strongest mage of the dragon race, but all other dragons were aiding the hero party in reaching the Demon King's Castle.

The world had already bet everything on this assault. If the Demon King was not toppled this time, there would be no world left, and if the vast Forces of Darkness suppressed by the Demon King were unleashed, the continent would be drenched in blood.

Especially terrifying was the sight of the Demon King himself going on a rampage.

'I must remove him before he grows even stronger. I've prepared myself for the danger.'

Recalling that resolve once more, Ji-ho gripped the Grand Angel's Sword tightly and declared:

"With everyone here to assist, it is truly reassuring. I will definitely behead the Demon King."

He had also harbored the ambition to capture beautiful women such as the Flash Magic Swordswoman Irene and the Holy Maiden Lucretia, turning them into his new wives. After that, the world would fall under his rule. He believed his rule would far surpass that of the Demon King.

Yet the irony was that the ideal world he dreamed of was precisely the one ruled by the Demon King Jae-hyun.

Even if he toppled the Demon King, it was possible that he would become an existence indistinguishable from one. Perhaps the hero who defeated the Demon King would be hailed as the world's ruler, and people would willingly entrust their freedom to him, leading to worship and a peaceful world under his dominion.

In the end, nothing had been decided.

***

A legion of light moved to topple the Dark Empire and the Demon King Kim Jae-hyun, plunging the continent into terror.

With a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠force numbering nearly a hundred million, the attacks on the Dark Empire spread hope among the people.

No matter how formidable the Dark Empire and Demon King Kim Jae-hyun were, they could not block attacks coming from all sides.

And soon battles erupted across the continent.

Yet the human and angel legions found themselves in dire straits everywhere.

Kwaaah—!

A colossal behemoth roared like a mountain.

Possessing four legs thick enough to snap like fraying cables, it lifted and walked with a long, lashing tail. The Behemoth was itself a walking disaster, one that unleashed a hurricane-like gale merely by breathing, strong enough to carry humans away in a single gust.

The Behemoth had finally appeared on the battlefield.

"Kyaaah!"

"Run!"

The human legions crumbled helplessly before the Behemoth's overwhelming power. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The very act of it walking sent tremors through the earth as if an earthquake had struck, and merely its breathing stirred winds capable of hurling humans far away.

This was no monster the humans' numbers could defeat.

"Die, you monster!"

"Die!"

The celestials rushed skyward from above, pelting the Behemoth with fierce attacks. But the Behemoth was not alone. Countless monsters swarmed its massive back.

"Kieek!"

Monstrous creatures with gaping holes all over their bodies spewed black smoke from the cavities.

"Black smoke! Dodge!"

The celestials, who knew that any who touched the smoke would be forcibly turned into the Forces of Darkness, hurriedly spread out and soared high into the sky. Especially the angels skilled in close combat had no choice but to retreat, for even after expending their holy power the enemies possessed none, or had such strong resistance that the magic was ineffective.

Among those who had retreated, the angels who specialized in holy magic tried desperately to unleash it against the Behemoth, but it was utterly ineffective.

The Behemoth, the strongest monster, king of all beasts. Upper-tier angels' spells were never meant to land on it, let alone be effective.

Moreover, the Behemoth had already acquired resistance to holy power. Its defenses against holy magic were even stronger.

Additionally, the Behemoth was not merely large.

Its maw gaped open, and the massive demonic energy erupting from its mouth merged with the black smoke billowing from the monsters on its back, blanketing the surrounding angels and humans.

Throughout the Behemoth's assault, the light legion pressed on without pause. They continued their offensive toward the Demon King's Castle, where Demon King Kim Jae-hyun lived, and the hero party led by Ji-ho moved as well.

Though humans and celestials struggled against the overwhelming Forces of Darkness and monsters in every corner, this war was never meant to be a clash of nations vying for territory or interests as in human wars.

It was a fight between the incompatible light and dark legions, one in which they sought only each other's extinction.

For Ji-ho's party, if they could somehow defeat only the Demon King Kim Jae-hyun, the Forces of Darkness freed from his rule would be left to fight among themselves. A victory achieved by toppling the Demon King alone was the only path.

The ancient hero Yu Ji-ho.

His wives: Rachel, Ruina, Silvia, and Kim Da-gyeom.

The Grand Sage Griffith von Ricado.

The Great Mage of Flame Jason Light.

The Grand Angel Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel.

The Dragon Lord Eocaris.

And the countless dragon and angel legions following behind.

They had to block the enemies who would try to stop Ji-ho's party from reaching the Demon King's Castle, paying with their lives.

And then it happened.

Kwaquang—!!!

A fireball suddenly streaked toward Ji-ho's party. Every member of the party hastily unfolded their defensive barriers and blocked the attack.

"Die!"

"Perish!"

And toward Ji-ho's party, a group of young men and women with gray hair charged in unison. The momentum of the eleven young men and women, all bearing gray hair and gray eyes, was intensely fierce. It was not enough to match the ancient hero Yu Ji-ho, but it was at an astonishing level.

"Human?"

Ji-ho realized that all eleven young men and women attacking him were human. Pure humans, not even hybrids of demon beasts or celestials, and what was more, ordinary people who did not even possess demonic energy.

The sight of these teenagers in their late teens, despite not being part of the Forces of Darkness, charging with hatred toward them was a bewildering moment.

But the eleven were enemies, and Ji-ho had no hesitation toward his foes.

And Ji-ho swung his sword, intending to carve all eleven into pieces. If his will was set, the Grand Angel's Sword in his hand would be able to sever them all at once.

But his attack was blocked.

Kwaang!

By a barrier made of holy power.

"What?"

Ji-ho was stunned by his attack being repelled. Though it had been a light strike, it was still an attack launched by the ancient hero.

Moreover, he was equipped with the Grand Angel's Sword ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and all the sacred armaments. Even a light blow required at least Griffith or Jason level support to defend against—otherwise the repelling force would not have been enough.

That meant those young men and women each possessed strength on par with Griffith or Jason.

'How is this even possible...? Ah.'

At first, Ji-ho could not understand how it was possible, but he quickly figured it out. Looking at their lifespans, he saw that they had almost none left.

The remaining lifespan was no more than a year.

In other words, they had completely converted their lifespans into power to achieve this strength.

It was as if they had been raised with the sole purpose of becoming sacrificial victims.

'Efficient, but rather harsh.'

However, the ancient hero, whose very ideology was already twisted, did not feel anger at this. If it had been his old self, he would have raged. But now he simply understood the situation calmly and intended to dispose of the enemy.

"These guys have only about a year of lifespan left. They've burned all of it to gain that power. Don't be surprised that they're so abnormally strong!"

" "Yes!" "

"I understand!"

"I get it."

And it was then that Ji-ho's party learned the secret of the strangers' overwhelming power and escaped the terror of the unknown.

Swishaaa!

An immense holy power surged forth. So vast was the holy energy that even the combined strength of Grand Angel Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel barely amounted to half of it. Truly staggering was the sheer volume of holy power.

And that holy power was not directed at the light legion fighting the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Forces of Darkness, but rather at blessing the young men and women who appeared to be the secret weapon of the dark forces, despite the lack of demonic energy.

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