Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: The Gray King
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“…Impressive.”
The Lion marveled as he examined Baek Siwoo’s body.
‘They called him an SSS-grade Sword God.’
Considering he was still growing, it was a physique so outstanding it was hard to believe.
“Perfect for wielding a sword. A vessel without limits—it should be able to hold infinite demonic energy.”
The more the Lion looked at Baek Siwoo, the more convinced he became that he was ideal for his plan.
“First, I need to raise his power.”
Even now, it was astonishingly strong.
But to claim the title of Demon King? It fell far short.
Even reaching the transcendental realm like them wouldn’t be enough.
A Demon King needed the strength to shoulder the world alone.
A true divine stature was required.
It was impossible for a mere Lion like him to create such a being.
But,
“I can make something similar.”
It would require extensive preparations.
Resources beyond imagination, countless sacrifices.
And a few other necessary items.
Of course, he’d need to advance him to at least the minimum required realm first.
“I’ll be busy for a while.”
The Lion whispered in a sinister tone and stroked the head of the unconscious Baek Siwoo.
This was the being who would turn his long-cherished hope into reality.
How could he not treasure him?
The Lion caressed Baek Siwoo as delicately as if handling a glass vial.
“Hm?”
It was then.
The Lion’s expression hardened.
“This is…”
The situation outside was far from normal.
He had known from the start that Ban Slain, the White Knight Order, and Crusiel had entered this forest.
That one of the heroes had sliced through the demonic energy barrier was unexpected, but he hadn’t paid it much mind.
They were all doomed to die anyway.
To deliver their punishment of death, he had sent Brutal and Ruonballi.
He figured those two would suffice, and indeed they had.
But now, an unforeseen situation was unfolding.
“…A king?”
He sensed demonic energy.
A colossal demonic energy that spanned realms beyond humanity, something he had never witnessed before.
Incredibly, it was on a level that only a king could possibly emit.
The Lion unconsciously glanced at Baek Siwoo.
“Now that I think about it, Versht appeared at the Empire’s academy.”
The ‘Beast of the Apocalypse.’
Proof of the Demon King’s descent.
He had forgotten about it momentarily, distracted by Reina’s death and Baek Siwoo.
“Does that mean the owner of that demonic energy is truly a king?”
The Lion’s pupils trembled.
If that was the case, he needed to spirit Baek Siwoo away right now.
If the king ever learned of his plan to turn this one into a king, he would never survive.
The Lion reached out toward Baek Siwoo with an urgent expression.
Then, as discreetly as possible, he activated a spell.
‘Teleport.’
Whoosh—!
With a burst of bright light, Baek Siwoo’s figure vanished.
He had been sent to another hideout far from this place.
‘What should I do now?’
Prepare to receive that one…
Lost in thought, the Lion’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Ruonballi?”
He wasn’t in his right mind, but in terms of raw power alone, that clown ranked among the top Apostles.
Yet his presence had vanished.
It wasn’t just that he had moved elsewhere.
“…He’s dead.”
Crushed like a bug, dead in an instant.
There was only one being in this forest capable of such a feat.
‘Why?’
He couldn’t fathom the reason.
He couldn’t comprehend it.
The only thought in the Lion’s mind now was to flee this place.
Fearing discovery, he gathered all his demonic energy and began clearing the hideout of traces.
How much time passed like that?
Having erased every sign, the Lion prepared to teleport himself to where he had sent Baek Siwoo.
But he couldn’t.
Whoosh—!
He sensed a teleportation magic circle activating.
* * *
Seo Woojin approached the source of the Lion’s energy, staying vigilant of his surroundings.
The distance was a mere 200 meters.
Even walking slowly, it wouldn’t take long to arrive.
“So this is where you were hiding?”
The Lion came into view.
He looked utterly frantic, as if up to something.
“It doesn’t seem like you were trying to run now that I’ve found this place…”
Seo Woojin grinned.
‘He must have sensed the demonic energy from my Demon King Transformation.’
There was no other reason for such panic.
“You’re that hero from before.”
The Lion acted as if he knew.
He seemed to remember their encounter at the academy.
“Right.”
As Seo Woojin nodded and replied, the Lion’s face twisted slightly.
He was already in a hurry, and now snagged by some insignificant fool, or so he appeared to think.
Catching on, Seo Woojin smirked.
“But where are you moving to?”
His tone dripped with mockery.
The Lion reverted to his usual impassive expression and glared at Seo Woojin.
“An ignorant pup who doesn’t know his place is getting too cocky. Aren’t you afraid of death?”
His voice oozed with thick killing intent.
But Seo Woojin didn’t flinch.
He even looked dismissive.
“Huh, not really scared. Maybe because I’ve died a few times?”
“…You’ll shed tears only when you see your coffin.”
“Give it a shot if you’re so confident.”
Seo Woojin unleashed his full power.
The chaos energy within him surged out, instantly overwhelming the surroundings.
“You…!”
The Lion’s eyes bulged.
That a hero like Seo Woojin had already reached the transcendental realm was shocking.
Even Baek Siwoo, who had impressed him so much, was still far from that level.
For someone he hadn’t even considered to have ascended there—it was unbelievable.
But what was even more astonishing was something else.
The chaos energy.
A new force born from the fusion of demonic energy and mana.
Seeing the gray, turbid chaos energy, the Lion doubted his own eyes.
Then, unbidden, words escaped his lips.
“When chaos descends, the Gray King shall come…”
The Lion’s pupils quivered.
No, his entire body—hands and feet included—began to tremble.
“And the world shall face its true end.”
Words uttered by some nameless Demon King as he was slaughtered by a hero.
Until now, he had thought it a divine prophecy foretelling the advent of a mighty Demon King.
A simple prediction that one day a true Gray King would descend, destroy the rotten world, and create a new one.
But witnessing the chaos energy firsthand, he felt he might have been mistaken.
“…What does that mean?”
Seo Woojin frowned at the Lion’s mutterings.
It clearly referred to him, no matter how he heard it.
“You should know better than anyone.”
He wanted to say, ‘No, I don’t,’ but he couldn’t.
He could roughly guess the meaning.
‘I don’t get the part about the true end.’
He wasn’t going to become a real ‘Demon King’ and destroy the world, surely.
Now he could even maintain his reason in ‘Demon King Transformation.’
But he couldn’t just dismiss it.
“Are there many who know that saying?”
If someone knew those words and saw his chaos energy…
‘They’d realize it’s me instantly.’
Seo Woojin grew uneasy.
After all his efforts to grow strong, he might be branded an enemy by the Empire and everyone else.
“…I see. You still know nothing.”
Observing Seo Woojin’s reaction, the Lion nodded slightly as if realizing something.
“Then there’s still time to fix this.”
Demonic energy surged from his pupils.
A massive demonic energy laced with clear killing intent.
‘He’s strong.’
At least stronger than Ruonballi.
Yet Seo Woojin didn’t shrink back.
Instead, his fighting spirit boiled over.
‘How far can I push him?’
All the monsters who died by Seo Woojin’s hand so far had fallen thanks to ‘Demon King Transformation’ or others’ help.
He had never won relying solely on his own power.
That was why he was excited.
How well could he hold his own against the Lion now that he had reached the transcendental realm?
Seo Woojin drew on his chaos energy to the fullest.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
The cave interior began shaking wildly.
“Come at me.”
Seo Woojin said, gripping ‘Caraniel.’
The Lion’s eyebrows twitched.
He had just now recognized Seo Woojin’s sword.
“A mere hunting dog eating scraps tossed by the Empire…”
Rage burned in the Lion’s eyes as he stared at ‘Caraniel.’
To dare stand before him wielding the blade that slew Demon Kings.
“I won’t let you die easily.”
‘Black Scorching Gale.’
From the Lion’s hand, an ashen wind exploded outward.
Boom—!
The ultra-high-temperature wind devastated the surroundings as it roared toward Seo Woojin.
“Hup!”
‘Caraniel’ slashed from above downward.
A transcendent cut infused with the sword techniques of Ban Slain and Brutal.
Swoosh—!
‘Caraniel’ cleaved through both the wind and the Lion’s demonic energy at once.
‘He’s strong!’
Seo Woojin gritted his teeth against the intense shock transmitted through his hands.
From that single exchange, he could tell how formidable the Lion was.
But…
‘It’s not beyond me.’
Before, he wouldn’t have even blocked this one attack.
His head would have been smashed, or he’d have suffered fatal burns from the extreme heat.
But now, he didn’t just block it—he completely dismantled it.
He truly felt the realm he had achieved.
“My turn now.”
The Lion, stunned that his attack had shattered so easily, faced Seo Woojin thrusting ‘Caraniel’ forward.
Speed like using ‘Swiftness.’
Clang—!
A piercing clash rang out, threatening to rupture eardrums.
And as if it had been there from the start, ‘Caraniel’s’ tip halted against the Lion’s palm.
Drip drip—
Black blood trickled down his palm to the ground.
He had barely blocked it, but Seo Woojin’s power was far greater than expected.
“…Blood?”
The Lion looked down at his hand.
Not as much as Ruonballi, but the Lion had confidence in his own durability.
Yet it had been pierced so pitifully.
“Impressive.”
Pure admiration.
For a hero like Seo Woojin to have reached such a level already.
If he weren’t the enemy, he’d want to recruit him somehow.
But that was impossible.
The Gray King, executor of the end, enemy of the world.
And the otherworld’s Demon King.
In the Lion’s mind, that was exactly what Seo Woojin was.
He could not be allowed to live.
Grinding his teeth, the Lion spoke.
“You must die here, no matter what.”
Madness began to flicker in the Lion’s eyes.