Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Beast of the Apocalypse
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Baek Siwoo's aura had lost its inherent brilliant glow.
In its place burned a sinister black darkness.
The ferocious scowl that had twisted his face was gone.
All that remained was the cold, aloof gaze of an absolute ruler looking down upon the world.
Crunch—!
Seo Woojin halted his body as the training ground floor shattered beneath him and he was sent flying backward.
“…This is ridiculous.”
He wiped the blood trickling down his chin and let out a hollow laugh.
Then, he addressed Baek Siwoo, who stood silently staring at him with sword in hand.
“Who would think you're the ‘Demon King’?”
The faint demonic energy had already swallowed Baek Siwoo whole, boldly asserting its presence.
The amount was less than that of other Demon King followers.
But thanks to its SSS-grade purity, it was in no way inferior to Gerald or Reina's.
“Seo Woojin.”
A voice like the biting northern wind escaped Baek Siwoo's lips.
Should he laugh at the fact that even now, he wasn't using informal speech?
Seo Woojin opened his mouth with such a pointless thought.
“Speak.”
“I am stronger than you.”
With those words, Seo Woojin understood why Baek Siwoo had succumbed to the demonic energy.
“‘When demonic thoughts take root in the heart.’”
He recalled something the Grand Duke had once said.
Anger surged within him.
Succumbing to demonic energy over something as petty as an inferiority complex?
While someone else struggled desperately to hide their identity as the ‘Demon King’?
It was beyond ridiculous—it was absurd.
“You fucking idiot.”
The curse slipped out automatically.
The fact that all this suffering was for such a stupid reason pissed him off.
“Fine, you're stronger than me. Happy now?”
He mocked Baek Siwoo with as much emotion as he could muster.
Deep down, he wanted to split the guy's skull open, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
“‘If not for the Celestial Wing backlash…’”
Even using it at minimal output for the shortest time had overloaded his body.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent flying so pathetically by Baek Siwoo's attack.
No matter how much stronger the guy had gotten, Seo Woojin had grown even more.
But if he hadn't used it, he and Baek Siwoo would both have been kidnapped by Reina, so he had no choice.
“I will prove it now.”
It was as if Seo Woojin's words hadn't registered.
Or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring them.
Either way, it looked like a proper fight was unavoidable.
Seo Woojin regulated his breathing and subtly scanned his surroundings.
Kwarung—!
The training ground had long lost its shape amid Reina and Yorn's battle.
Reina seemed to have the upper hand in the fight itself.
Yorn was focusing on defense over offense, steadily being pushed back.
But surprisingly, Reina appeared far more anxious.
As if she were short on time….
‘Ah!’
Seo Woojin nodded in realization.
The academy was in the empire's heart, the capital.
Naturally, it was teeming with knights and powerful figures.
And the Sky Tower was nearby too….
The longer this dragged on, the worse it was for Reina.
Yorn, fully aware of this, refrained from reckless attacks and simply bought time.
Realizing this, Seo Woojin felt a bit more at ease.
At least he wouldn't get stabbed in the back by Reina.
He spotted knights and heroes who had arrived on the scene.
But faced with such a brutal clash, they didn't dare intervene.
They simply watched from a safe distance.
There were familiar faces among them.
They gazed at Seo Woojin with worried expressions.
He wanted to tell them he was fine and not to worry, but there was no time.
“How dare you concern yourself with elsewhere when standing before me?”
Baek Siwoo charged again.
The sword slicing through the air toward him brimmed with killing intent.
‘Block it.’
Seo Woojin didn't let his guard down and raised Rune Dea to parry Baek Siwoo's blade path.
Clang—!
His brow furrowed involuntarily.
It wasn't just the impact—the durability of Rune Dea had reached its limit.
‘At this rate…’
A few more clashes, and it would snap.
If Rune Dea broke, that would be disastrous.
He couldn't subdue Baek Siwoo barehanded right now.
“Try taking this one too. ‘Nine Heavens Thunderbolt’!”
It was a skill he'd never seen before.
Nine strands of black lightning surged toward him like a net.
Crackle—!
Even at a glance, its power looked extraordinary.
A chill ran down his spine.
The SSS-grade skill, enhanced by demonic energy, harbored terrifying might.
‘A direct hit will kill me!’
He knew it instinctively.
The ‘Nine Heavens Thunderbolt’ skill was truly dangerous.
This wasn't the time to hold back.
Seo Woojin unleashed one of the powers he'd kept hidden.
[The Beast of the Apocalypse.]
Darkness descended.
A beast born at the end of ruin revealed itself to the world at Seo Woojin's command.
Grooooar—
A massive roar reverberated deep into his soul.
Crackle….
The black lightning of ‘Nine Heavens Thunderbolt’ vanished before it could even approach Seo Woojin.
“W-What?”
Baek Siwoo spat up blood and looked skyward.
Through the clouds, he glimpsed an unimaginably enormous beast.
Splurt—!
Witnessing it, blood sprayed from Baek Siwoo's nose and mouth.
“Ah, ah.”
A demonic energy of incomparably higher order crushed the imperial capital.
“What is… that?”
Yorn's face twisted as he battled Reina.
Baek Siwoo was no longer a concern.
That ‘beast’ was proof of the Demon King.
“How…?”
His eyes shook with chaos and shock.
“How, right now?!”
Unlike Yorn, who screamed as if vomiting blood, Reina smiled radiantly.
[Worship it.]
What escaped her lips was praise for the most noble existence.
[Kneel and bow your heads. The King of World’s End has manifested—bow before him as is proper.]
She sang a hymn of joy.
Proof that the new master she had awaited for so long had descended lay before her eyes.
She couldn’t help but rejoice.
But to the others, it was terror.
“Send a warning to the imperial family and request reinforcements from the Sky Tower! The ‘beast’ has appeared—the non-interference decree is hereby lifted!”
At Yorn’s command, several knights steadied their trembling legs and hurried off.
If this weren’t the imperial capital.
If not for the protection of the grand magic barrier.
The knights wouldn’t have managed a single step.
The demonic energy emanating from the ‘Beast of the Apocalypse’ was unimaginably vast.
[Too late.]
Reina had no intention of stopping them.
Now that He had descended, mere insects could do nothing.
Heroes?
They hadn’t even fully matured—they could never stop Him.
[At last, my long-cherished wish shall come true.]
Reina stepped forward with a pure smile.
Not toward Yorn, but toward Seo Woojin and Baek Siwoo.
‘Damn it!’
Seo Woojin saw her approaching but couldn’t move.
The price of summoning the ‘Beast of the Apocalypse’ was mana.
An absurdly massive chunk had been drained from him.
Combined with the exhaustion and Celestial Wing aftereffects, he couldn’t even twitch a finger.
[I have awaited this day, awaited it endlessly.]
Yet Reina’s gaze was fixed on Baek Siwoo.
‘Huh?’
He’d assumed it would target him, the one who used the skill, but absurdly, Reina seemed to judge Baek Siwoo as the Demon King.
The demonic energy cloaking his entire body.
The black aura still rising to confront the ‘Beast of the Apocalypse’ made him look every bit the ‘Demon King’ to anyone watching.
‘Lucky it didn’t notice me, I guess?’
He let out a bitter internal laugh.
The fact that such a selfish thought crossed his mind even now showed how self-centered he was.
[Please return with me. The prepared ones await their king.]
Reina extended her hand toward Baek Siwoo.
As if urging him to take it.
But he was still out of his mind.
Just resisting the raging demonic storm without losing consciousness was impressive.
Did she realize this?
Reina cautiously placed her hand on Baek Siwoo’s shoulder.
No, she tried to.
“A darkness that thirsts for blood—a vampire, I see.”
A graceful voice echoed from above.
Seo Woojin whipped his head up.
‘Magic Duke!’
It was Martes, the doll-like beautiful child.
“You…!”
Reina recoiled in shock, baring her fangs.
Then she lunged toward Baek Siwoo.
But Martes acted faster.
She raised one hand and invoked magic.
“Ra Solbante.”
With her chilling voice, the sun rose.
“KyaAAAAH!”
A scream burst from Reina’s mouth.
The immeasurable mana-infused light repelled the darkness.
Sizzle—!
Reina’s skin ignited, crumbling to ash.
“No!”
Reina vomited blood and wailed.
Light-based magic was her ultimate weakness.
A single spell inflicted grievous wounds.
Agony like her body evaporating whole assaulted her.
But Reina didn’t give up.
No, she hurried even more.
“Stop her!”
Yorn shouted belatedly, realizing her intent.
Seo Woojin moved on reflex.
Just block for a moment.
The others would handle the rest.
He squeezed out his remaining strength and swung Rune Dea.
Blue aura flared toward Reina.
It was feeble—barely enough to scratch her, given her power.
Reina swatted it away dismissively.
Unlike the favor she’d shown Seo Woojin before, this strike brimmed with vicious killing intent.
Crack—!
Rune Dea snapped like a twig.
Simultaneously, an impact like being hit by a dump truck shook his body.
His consciousness faded.
‘Ah, no…’
Through his flickering vision, Seo Woojin watched Baek Siwoo.
The guy, still dazed, was seized by Reina’s hand.
Still, Seo Woojin’s effort hadn’t been entirely in vain.
Martes’s magic activated once more.
It blew off one of Reina’s legs.
Dark red blood sprayed.
But she didn’t stop.
Yorn’s ‘Purna’ swung with green aura.
It carved a deep gash down her back, exposing bone.
Yet she didn’t stop.
Even as blood poured from her body and she suffered irrecoverable wounds….
Reina laughed.
“I win.”
With those words, she vanished.
As if she’d never been there.
Leaving only a foul blood stench and bloodstains behind, she disappeared with Baek Siwoo.
With that final sight, Seo Woojin lost consciousness.