Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: The Black Existence
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Oien couldn't believe his own eyes.
Corpses, corpses, and more corpses.
Knights and soldiers alike had been burned and torn apart, collapsed on the ground without distinction.
Their number easily surpassed a thousand.
The time from the first explosion to his arrival here hadn't even been five minutes.
And in that span, all these people had met their end.
"Who the hell...?"
As Oien muttered in a daze, someone answered.
"M-Monster!"
Oien turned toward the voice.
There lay a knight, one arm blown off, bleeding profusely and groaning.
"Nairos."
He was one of the holy knights under his command.
The fear of whatever had done this seemed greater than the pain of his severed arm.
"A monster? What do you mean?"
Oien prioritized learning the enemy's identity over treating Nairos.
"The 'Black Existence.' That thing appeared!"
Oien's expression hardened at Nairos's reply.
He had heard the rumors about the "Black Existence" too.
Unlike others, though, Oien didn't dismiss it as mere nonsense.
He believed there was some credibility to it and had even investigated it himself.
'That guy...'
He had slain the Yeorong in Jinhan's outskirts and even killed Apostle Ruonbali in the Forest of Death.
Just that alone made his actions seem opposed to the Demon King.
But there were also tales of the Black Existence emanating horrific demonic energy.
Demonic energy from Pandemonium.
No being that accepted it could possibly be good.
Because of this, Oien couldn't define the Black Existence in a single word.
He judged it as something neither a follower of the Demon King nor on humanity's side—standing somewhere in between.
But witnessing the carnage before him firsthand made his thoughts seem laughable.
The deaths of a thousand soldiers.
Any existence capable of such a feat so calmly could only be considered an enemy.
"Where did it go?"
Oien asked Nairos with a rigidly set face.
There was no way such a powerful being had fled just because of some soldiers.
It was more reasonable to assume it had moved for some other purpose.
Whatever that was, Oien knew he had to find the Black Existence as quickly as possible.
But Nairos gave no reply.
Overwhelmed by the pain of his severed arm, he had lost consciousness.
Oien gazed at him with a sorrowful expression for a moment before turning away.
He needed to find someone who could tell him the Black Existence's whereabouts....
Kwaaaaaang—!
Another explosion rang out.
"Urgh!"
Even though it was far away, Oien gritted his teeth against the shockwave.
'Is it there?'
No one in Aier's army could unleash an attack of that magnitude, so it had to be the Black Existence.
Without hesitation, Oien sprinted full speed toward the explosion.
"Follow Sir Oien!"
The knights who spotted him drew their swords and pursued.
Their number reached two hundred.
Including the soldiers trailing behind, it was over a thousand.
"Assemble all troops! Report to the Supreme Commander and surround the 'Black Existence'!"
"The explosion came from that direction! We can't let that bastard escape this place alive!"
The knights shouted to their surroundings as they followed Oien.
Even the soldiers who hadn't grasped the situation yet stopped their pillaging upon realizing its gravity.
Around fifty thousand.
The soldiers and knights scattered throughout the city began converging in one direction.
Toward where Seowoojin and Jenonia were fighting.
* * *
Kwagwang— Kwang—!
Countless slashes poured down from the massive greatsword.
Seowoojin stood motionless in place, deflecting them all with mere swings of his sword.
The impacts crumbled surrounding buildings and split the earth.
Fortunately, there weren't many people around.
Those who were had evacuated elsewhere as soon as the battle began.
Aier's soldiers had swarmed around Seowoojin and Jenonia without understanding the situation, only to get caught in the crossfire and die.
Thanks to that, Seowoojin could fight without worry.
'Definitely strong.'
Without Demon King Transformation, relying solely on his own power, he would have lost for sure.
'And there are at least one or more like this among their enemies?'
Jenonia had said there were apostles stronger than her.
Realizing their power anew, Seowoojin dodged the descending greatsword aimed at his head and thrust his blade forward.
Kwakduk—!
"Kuhk!"
He felt the sensation of bone cracking at the sword's tip.
'Is this about his limit?'
He had a rough gauge of her level now.
It was time to end the fight and pry some answers out of her.
"You dare get distracted?"
At that moment.
Jenonia seemed to notice Seowoojin's wandering thoughts and gnashed her teeth.
She appeared more furious at his lack of focus than at being overwhelmingly outmatched.
Goooooo—!
Demonic energy billowed thickly from Jenonia's body.
Denser than anything before, incomparable.
She wiped the blood flowing from her neck and opened her mouth.
"Aren't you getting a bit too cocky?"
Jenonia was covered in blood.
She hadn't blocked a single one of Seowoojin's attacks, leaving sword wounds all over her body.
But she didn't care.
The more wounds she took, the sharper and more agile her counterattacks became.
Until now.
Wiping the smile from her face and baring her rage, Jenonia felt several times stronger than at the start.
"I'll admit you're strong. But not strong enough to look down on me."
Beonkk—!
The greatsword flew like a streak of light.
Considering its size and weight, the speed was unbelievable.
Seowoojin twitched his brow and twisted his body.
This wasn't something he could casually block while standing still.
Pihht—!
But astonishingly, Jenonia's greatsword was a fraction faster.
Seowoojin unconsciously touched the stinging sensation on his cheek.
"...Blood."
Red blood beaded on his cheek.
This was the second time.
The second time he'd bled from Jenonia's attack.
The first could be chalked up to carelessness and an unexpected slash, but not this one.
He had been fully on guard, confident he could dodge.
Yet he was wounded anyway.
'Impressive.'
In Demon King Transformation, Seowoojin was near omnipotent.
He could slaughter Aier's fifty thousand troops single-handedly, and given enough time, he was certain he could topple the Empire alone.
Unless three or more Guardian-level powerhouses ganged up on him, he was confident he could handle them unscathed....
And Jenonia had wounded such a Seowoojin twice.
Minor scratches, perhaps, but still remarkable.
"Sorry about that."
Seowoojin apologized sincerely.
He had held back, deeming her not worth full effort, and let his mind wander mid-battle.
"But from now on, I'll fight you seriously."
No more mechanically swinging his sword from a standstill—he'd unleash his full power.
"So, try to hold on."
Chaotic energy exploded outward.
"Ugh!"
Jenonia's demonic energy couldn't withstand it, vanishing without a trace.
He spoke to Jenonia, who grimaced and glared at him.
"Sky Sword."
If Seowoojin went all out, just how strong would he be?
Having reached the superhuman realm, few could block his fully unleashed attacks head-on.
Only a tiny fraction of apostles, and the same for Guardians.
Amgong had lost to Seowoojin, after all.
Even including hidden powerhouses like Ban Slaine, the total wouldn't exceed five.
But what about Seowoojin in Demon King Transformation?
Using every skill at his disposal?
The result was unfolding in this small city of Derhan.
---!!!
A grotesquely enormous sword materialized in the air.
Just one.
But its overwhelming size—easily dozens of meters—instilled terror in all who beheld it.
Even Oien was no exception.
Despite his top-tier knightly skill, he halted before the sword's soul-crushing majesty.
"W-What the hell is that...?"
The mere fact he hadn't collapsed was a miracle.
The knights and soldiers behind him crumpled under the pressure.
Clutching his trembling legs, Oien looked where the sword's tip pointed.
Two figures were there.
No—precisely, one woman and something not human.
'Is that the "Black Existence"?'
It matched the descriptions.
Only the Demon King's kin would have such an appearance.
The ominous gray aura seemed to choke the breath from his lungs.
'And who is that woman?'
A woman fighting a being even Oien could barely look at squarely.
Observing her with shaking eyes, Oien's jaw dropped.
"Jenonia!"
The Blood Slaughterer.
The Witch of Grander.
And the head of the 13 Apostles.
No other woman could wield a greatsword twice her size so freely and battle the Black Existence.
'How is this possible...?'
Jenonia was a follower of the Demon King.
Yet here she was, clashing with the Black Existence.
"Not truly one of the Demon King's kin after all?"
Oien's gaze shifted to Seowoojin.
"Then what the hell are you?"
No one answered his question.
Not expecting one anyway, he blankly watched the massive sword hovering in the air descend.
"D-Dodge!"
Snapping to his senses, he shouted to those behind.
It wasn't just a big sword.
The energy emanating from it was unimaginably vast.
If it fell, it wouldn't end with just a crater.
To avoid getting caught in it, they had to flee immediately.
But it was too late.
Those behind were out of their minds, and even those clinging to reason couldn't move properly.
Oien was the same.
He tried desperately to move his shaking legs, but his body betrayed his will.
Thud—
He collapsed after only a few steps.
And at that instant, the sword collided with the earth.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
A colossal crash like the world's end shook the city, as if heaven and earth had swapped places.
'Gods above...'
As darkness closed in on his vision, Oien called upon his god.