Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: The Follower's Defiance
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Zenonia shuddered.
The massive 'calamity' plummeting toward her.
An endless terror washed over her in its presence.
And she knew this feeling all too well.
Back when Zenonia was still an ordinary human.
She had once faced an absolute, overwhelming being.
'Ah...'
An existence that had crushed both her body and soul with its infinite demonic energy.
Demon King Kademain.
The seventh ruler of Pandemonium to descend upon this world, and the most recent demon to reveal itself.
Zenonia had accepted his power and become his eternal follower.
In the end, Kademain met his demise at the hands of the hero, but she had hidden in the shadows, biding her time and building her strength until a new king descended.
But...
'Why does it carry an aura so similar to his?'
To be precise, it was different.
Kademain had possessed demonic energy like an endless abyss, while the 'black existence' before her was a chaos of everything mingled together.
Yet Zenonia felt as if this 'black existence' was on the same level as the king.
It was because of the overwhelming power she couldn't possibly handle with her own strength.
The sense of helplessness it evoked was identical.
'My king.'
Zenonia clung to her fading mind.
Her instincts screamed at her to submit, but she refused.
No, she couldn't.
Her body and soul were bound to the ruler of Pandemonium.
That bond wasn't so fragile that mere fear could sever it.
Crunch-!
She bit her lip.
Red blood trickled down, soaking her chin.
A sharp pain surged through her, but it sharpened her mind a little.
Now able to move somewhat, Zenonia circulated the demonic energy granted to her by the king.
Whoooong-!
The demonic energy, honed over centuries, bared its savage fangs.
At the same time, the blood soaking her body floated up lightly.
It was an authority directly bestowed by Kademain.
A power similar to that of Burtel, whom Seowoojin had captured alongside Rudain in Demon Realm Heldein.
'Blood Clan.'
But it was an authority of far higher order, incomparable to something as mere as a demonic beast like Burtel.
It was a type of stigmata possessed by only a select few among the Demon King's followers.
Zenonia's blood swelled in size in an instant, taking on the form of a massive shield.
It was a size that wouldn't pale in comparison to the 'Skypiercing Sword' falling toward her.
"To dare make me think of him...!"
She gnashed her teeth.
She was furious at herself for recalling the king upon seeing this lowly, unknown being.
"That sin cannot be washed away even by death."
Zenonia's eyes grew bloodshot.
The blood vessels in her eyes began to burst from wielding power beyond her physical limits.
Drip, drip-
She felt bloody tears streaming down.
Zenonia incorporated even that into her 'Blood Clan' and thrust out her hand.
"Be torn to shreds and die!"
The blood shield shot toward the 'Skypiercing Sword.'
Kuaaaaaang-!
'Hmm...'
Seowoojin looked down below with a serious expression.
He had been a bit surprised to feel Zenonia's demonic energy surging exponentially.
But that was it.
Her power couldn't contend with Seowoojin as he was now.
Still, since she had declared she would give her all, Seowoojin kept channeling his chaos energy without end.
Thanks to that, the 'Skypiercing Sword' plunged toward Zenonia with a power on an entirely different level from what he had shown before.
Then he saw the blood shield forming.
But he felt no particular excitement.
He had seen it before, so it wasn't novel.
He was merely curious how much it could withstand against his sword.
"Be torn to shreds and die!"
Zenonia's furious shout rang out.
Seowoojin let out a hollow chuckle.
At her level, she should have been able to sense the vast gap in their power.
Yet she spoke like that, which made the Demon Kings seem truly impressive.
Even in a situation where death was obvious, they faced their enemies with rage and loyalty.
"That's better than our humans."
Unlike those who bickered among themselves despite needing to unite against the Demon King's descent.
Feeling oddly irritated for no reason, Seowoojin flicked his finger.
The 'Skypiercing Sword,' which had been descending slowly, began to accelerate.
And soon.
Kuaaaaaang-!
It collided with the blood shield Zenonia had created.
A terrifying explosion erupted.
The shockwave shook the city, and everything within fifty meters turned into a flattened wasteland.
If Seowoojin hadn't held back his power, the entire city would have vanished from the map.
Splatter-
The blood shield shattered into pieces, soaking the ground like rain turned to blood.
Seowoojin watched the scene quietly before descending to the ground.
Splash-
Blood droplets splashed from the puddle.
Seowoojin ignored it and stepped forward.
Toward the spot where Zenonia had stood.
"...Impressive."
Seowoojin admired.
Zenonia was still alive, still breathing.
She looked like a total wreck, her breathing ragged, but she was definitely alive.
"I attacked thinking death was fine."
At first, it was true he had intended to spare her to ask some questions.
But when he decided to go all out with the 'Skypiercing Sword.'
Honestly, Seowoojin had thought Zenonia wouldn't survive.
There was an insurmountable gap in their levels.
No matter how skilled her power, Seowoojin now was close to invincible.
She wasn't a Demon King—just a mere follower who could never match him.
Yet Zenonia had endured the attack.
"Heh, hehehe..."
Zenonia, collapsed on the ground and writhing, burst into laughter.
Her bloodstained teeth, dyed red, were revealed.
"What's so funny?"
Seowoojin asked Zenonia, who was looking up at him and laughing.
"You, you are the king, the lion spoke of, aren't you."
Her uneven breathing made her words stutter.
But it was clear enough.
"The lion..."
Seowoojin recalled what that guy had said before.
"The King of Chaos?"
Zenonia's eyes widened.
"You, you already knew."
"I heard it from the lion."
At Seowoojin's words, Zenonia chuckled raggedly.
"That guy, even seeing you, said nothing, to us."
"He must have some scheme."
The lion had kidnapped Baek Siu for a reason Seowoojin didn't know.
He didn't know what it was, but it surely wasn't good intentions.
Hiding it even from his allies made Seowoojin even more curious about his intentions.
"I don't believe, the lion's prophecy."
"You mean the one about me destroying all worlds?"
Seowoojin smirked.
He didn't believe such nonsense either.
No, believing in prophecies at all was strange, wasn't it?
It was tantamount to admitting the future was set in stone.
Seowoojin believed he could forge his own destiny through his actions.
So such prophecies seemed like nothing more than deceptions.
'Well, the Sword Sage's words are a bit unsettling.'
The pretty girl from the Sky Tower felt a little different.
Of course, that didn't mean he blindly trusted her.
"Listen, King of Chaos. Your end will come, with his descent."
No matter how strong you are.
Her attitude was that once the Demon King descended, someone like him wouldn't stand a chance.
Seowoojin shrugged.
"Well, we'll see when that time comes."
He had never seen a Demon King in person, so he wasn't sure, but somehow he didn't think he'd lose.
"Right now, I'm curious about something else."
Seowoojin approached Zenonia's head and asked.
"This war. You guys started it, right?"
Zenonia's smile vanished.
* * *
Oyen was certain.
The two beings fighting there were monsters beyond anything they could handle.
A thousand? Two thousand?
'Not even close.'
Even if all 50,000 troops in the city charged at once, they couldn't harm a single hair.
That thought solidified when he saw the massive sword clash with the blood shield.
He hadn't even been near the epicenter, yet far away, he couldn't withstand the shockwave.
Not only the soldiers but even the knights in heavy armor were all blown away.
Like autumn leaves in the wind.
Oyen too had been flung far back before barely getting up.
The shock felt like his whole body was shattering, his jaw trembling.
But he couldn't just stand there dazed.
"Retreat, retreat."
He didn't know why the 'black existence' had appeared here.
Nor the identity of the woman fighting it.
But one thing was clear.
Staying here meant the empire's punishment or whatever—they'd all die.
Oyen ordered a retreat to minimize casualties.
"Retreat! Everyone fall back!"
The knights who heard Oyen snapped to attention and began shouting in all directions.
Their voices were filled with fear and dread.
"Where's the Supreme Commander?"
Oyen asked a knight behind him.
"He said he's contacting headquarters and returned to the lord's castle."
"...Contact my ass."
Shteorn had fled.
He had seen it coming ever since the man ordered the troops to loot and holed up in his office guzzling wine.
He had zero qualifications as Supreme Commander.
"From now on, I'm taking command."
Oyen glanced toward where the 'black existence' was.
Fortunately, it seemed to be in a lull.
'I can't miss this chance.'
If the battle resumed?
If another shock like that hit?
There was no guarantee they'd survive again.
"Give the order."
The knights awaited Oyen's command.
They too seemed to have realized the Supreme Commander had run.
"The entire army leaves the city. Grab only weapons and food quickly, then regroup outside."
"But..."
One knight hesitated, trying to raise an objection.
But Oyen shook his head firmly.
"Defiance means death. Only weapons and food. Nothing else will be tolerated."
At Oyen's eyes, laced even with killing intent, the knights shut their mouths.
"What are you waiting for! Move now! You planning to wait till you're all sprawled dead?!"
Oyen bellowed.
The knights flinched in shock, then turned and ran.
50,000 strong.
To get them out of the city without delay, they had to hurry.
Left alone, Oyen swallowed dryly and turned his head.
"What the hell is going on."
He muttered, gazing at the flattened part of the city.
From the 'Saintess's' death to the 'black existence.'
A string of incomprehensible events.
It felt like something massive was happening beyond his knowledge.
He thought he'd escape the city first and figure it out, turning to go...
Step-
He heard footsteps.
Black wings, black horns.
And a black outer shell covering its entire body.
It was Seowoojin.