Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: The True Familiar
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Zing-!
Seo Woo-jin steadied his breathing as he sensed the demonic energy drawing steadily closer.
"I'll handle that one."
Briana spoke up.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"You're worrying about me right now?"
She let out a soft chuckle at Seo Woo-jin's question.
"Have you forgotten who I am?"
Grand Duke.
One of the Empire's Five Guardians.
Her power, having reached the transcendent realm, was so immense that it would be nearly impossible to find its equal anywhere on the continent.
Even if Seo Woo-jin had ascended to the same realm, she was no opponent to take lightly.
Seeing the confident expression on Briana's face, Seo Woo-jin nodded.
"Then I'll leave the familiars to you for a bit. I'll wrap things up quickly and join you, so don't push yourself too hard."
"Yeah, yeah. No need to rush—take your time."
Briana patted Seo Woo-jin's head as if he were adorable.
'Ngh.'
Feeling awkwardly embarrassed for no reason, Seo Woo-jin shook his head with an inward groan.
"It should come into view soon."
Just as Briana finished speaking, the Dark Elves began to appear between the trees.
They exuded a different aura from the ones Seo Woo-jin had killed or the Elders.
'Heavy.'
Just thirty of them.
The numbers were few.
But the energy they emitted was enough to make even Seo Woo-jin tense slightly.
"The Guardians have arrived."
"At last..."
The Elders' faces brightened.
The thirty Guardians were impressive, but the presence approaching from behind them had an even greater impact.
"So even His familiar has been mobilized."
"Behemoth."
The Elders no longer trembled in fear.
They seemed to place absolute trust in the protector of the Demon Tree called Behemoth.
Seo Woo-jin narrowed his eyes at the sight.
'Definitely strong.'
Strong enough that even Briana couldn't be certain of an easy victory.
Yet Seo Woo-jin wasn't particularly worried.
Once he finished here and joined the Grand Duke, could any foe, no matter how powerful, withstand them?
The combined assault of two beings in the transcendent realm.
He couldn't imagine this Behemoth standing against it.
Just prey that would yield an enormous amount of experience.
To Seo Woo-jin, Behemoth was little more than that.
"No need to wait—shall we start?"
Briana nodded at Seo Woo-jin's words.
"Then good luck."
She tapped his shoulder and vanished.
Her ability to manipulate space had activated.
"Then we should wrap things up here too, right?"
Seo Woo-jin aimed 'Karaniel' at Tairon, the Elders, and the Guardians.
* * *
"Hmm..."
Briana, who had revealed herself in midair, frowned as she looked down.
"It's much smaller than the energy suggested."
In her eyes, Behemoth was slowly advancing.
Its size was just over two meters.
Humanoid in form, yet it had no facial features.
Like black mud sculpted smooth, its entire body lacked any sharp angles.
Its sloshing gait looked sluggish, but the energy emanating from it was terrifyingly potent.
"Now that's what I call a real familiar of the Demon King."
Foes like Rosie Ruby were powerful, but they paled in comparison to Behemoth—they were on a whole different level.
From Briana's perspective, calling them familiars was almost embarrassing due to their weakness.
Naturally so, as such familiars were created to deal with regular soldiers and knights.
"But this one is different."
Like the northern Kratoss, a true familiar that only those in the transcendent realm could face.
Briana extended her hand toward it with a tense expression.
That was when it happened.
Behemoth's head snapped upward.
It had no eyes, yet it felt as if it were staring right at her.
A chill ran through her-!
Briana twisted her body instinctively at the ominous premonition crawling up her spine.
Screeech-!
Something grazed her bangs and shot into the sky.
"Urk!"
A massive pressure on her face drew a groan from her.
'Demonic energy?'
Incredibly, it was a bullet of demonic energy the size of a finger.
"You slipped past my senses?"
Disbelief flickered in Briana's eyes.
It might not be visible to the eye.
Even having surpassed human limits, vision had its boundaries.
But senses were different.
Moreover, she possessed space-manipulating abilities.
Much like Seo Woo-jin's 'Divine Dragon Eye', she boasted near-omniscient detection within a certain radius.
For such a Briana to fail to even notice the attack.
Had her instincts not prompted her to move, she might have suffered a serious setback.
Briana hardened her expression and looked downward.
Behemoth stood still, gazing up at her.
As if telling her to come down already.
"Ha, look at this guy."
Briana's form dropped straight down.
Boom-!
A cloud of dust billowed up, and she emerged from within it.
"Didn't like me looking down on you?"
She wasn't expecting a reply.
It had no mouth anyway.
Snap-!
She flicked her finger.
Then,
KABOOM-!
An explosion erupted from Behemoth's head.
So powerful that the shockwave alone toppled all the surrounding trees.
But that was it.
As the smoke cleared, Behemoth appeared utterly unscathed.
'It has durability too.'
She had thought its smooth, soft-looking exterior might lack defense.
She hadn't expected it to emerge without a single scratch.
Briana clicked her tongue inwardly and stomped her foot.
Whoosh-
She teleported behind Behemoth.
"Let's see if you can withstand this too..."
As she reached for its head, Briana flinched-.
'Again?'
The ominous premonition struck once more.
Krrrrumble-!
Long spines shot out from Behemoth's body.
She dodged reflexively and avoided injury, but her spine tingled coldly.
'This time too...'
She hadn't sensed it.
Too fast. Far too fast.
Without near-prophetic senses, she never could have evaded it.
Briana's expression, now behind it, grew grave.
"This won't be easy at all."
She had spoken confidently to Seo Woo-jin, but the battle wasn't unfolding as expected.
Briana gazed at the motionless Behemoth and whispered inwardly.
'Join me quickly if you can.'
KABOOM-!
Hearing the massive explosion, Seo Woo-jin stepped toward the enemies.
"Looks like they've started over there. How about we stop the staring contest?"
The Elders, who had seemed ready to charge the moment the Guardians arrived, were still keeping their distance from Seo Woo-jin, merely on guard.
'Waiting for something?'
Seo Woo-jin expanded his 'Divine Dragon Eye' to scan the surroundings, but nothing caught his attention.
He sensed Dark Elves a bit farther away, but their energy was so weak they weren't combatants.
'Which means these are all of them...'
Frowning as he eyed them, Seo Woo-jin sighed.
"Fine. I don't know what you're plotting, but I'm tired of waiting."
Stab-!
The moment he finished speaking, 'Karaniel' pierced an Elder's throat.
Seo Woo-jin had closed the distance in an instant, as if teleporting.
"Gahk-!"
"Damn it, attack!"
Slash-!
Even in that brief moment as the watchful foes began their assault, Seo Woo-jin's sword severed another's neck.
"We have to hold out! Just until Behemoth kills that bitch and returns!"
Hearing Tairon's shout, Seo Woo-jin understood why they were stalling instead of charging.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
"You thought that thing could save you?"
He found their certainty that Behemoth would naturally defeat Briana amusing.
But what was even funnier...
"Do you really think you can last that long?"
He had no idea where their confidence came from.
Seo Woo-jin shook his head in bewilderment.
Then he spat coldly.
"Fine. Let's see you hold out."
Whoosh-!
Chaotic energy raced through his mana circuits.
The gray chaos swelled rapidly and manifested into the world through 'Karaniel'.
"If you can."
Gray-burning aura swept forward.
Slice- slash-!
Arms and heads flew into the air.
"We have to block it!"
Tairon screamed in desperation.
Thud-!
Someone activated the Demon King's Authority, halting 'Karaniel' midair for a split second.
But it was only an instant.
"Hmph!"
Seo Woo-jin scoffed.
"This is all you've got?"
Crack-!
The Authority shattered to pieces.
"Kaaak!"
The Elder who had forcibly invoked it screamed.
"Didn't I say you were noisy?"
With the sound of bone and flesh parting, the scream vanished.
A bisected body couldn't cry out.
Seo Woo-jin showed no mercy.
One per swing.
Knowing they had no more preparations, there was no need to hesitate.
The Elders fell like autumn leaves in the wind.
"Guardians, protect the Elders!"
Tairon belatedly ordered the Guardians.
Then the thirty expressionless Dark Elves began to move.
Each one radiating power rivaling the Elders.
As they moved in unison, the forest seemed to whimper in fear.
But Seo Woo-jin paid it no mind.
No, he sneered.
"Think more numbers changes anything?"
Elders were strong.
The Guardians would be strong too.
'So what?'
Seo Woo-jin was stronger.
Chaotic energy spun like a vortex, drawn into 'Karaniel'.
With sunken eyes, he regarded the foes charging at him.
"You think I'm easy because I've been holding back?"
Until now, Seo Woo-jin hadn't gone all out.
He hadn't slacked, but he hadn't unleashed everything either.
Aside from 'Divine Dragon Eye', he hadn't used a single skill.
Vmmm-
'Karaniel' swung.
"Twelve Thousand Swords."
A constellation of gleaming stars adorned the air.
A breathtakingly beautiful sight, yet one brimming with death.
The starfield spun rapidly, tearing the world to shreds.
Authorities? Guardians? Chieftains?
None held meaning before Seo Woo-jin's sword.
Block with a sword, and it shattered with the sword.
Block with Authority, and it shattered with the Authority.
No one could block Seo Woo-jin's 'Twelve Thousand Swords'.
"If you survive this, I'll truly acknowledge you."
He whispered at Tairon, pale and flailing to block the light.
Of course, he couldn't understand a word.
Not now, nor would he ever.