Chapter 257
Chapter 257
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 257
Chapter Title: The Lion Died
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Chapter 257.
The Lion died.
He perished all too pathetically, merely from Cratos gazing upon him.
‘Demonic Energy surged within him.’
Seo Woo-jin instantly discerned how the Lion had met his end.
The moment Cratos’s gaze fell upon him, the Demonic Energy inside the Lion’s body began boiling over like water exceeding its boiling point.
‘And then—boom!’
Unable to withstand the expanding Demonic Energy, the Lion exploded outright.
It was an attack method that even Seo Woo-jin hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.
‘The question is whether his ability is limited to Demonic Energy alone.’
He had burst and killed the Lion, who had reached the realm of Superbia, with nothing more than a glance.
What if he could interfere with mana as well, not just Demonic Energy?
With that power alone, Cratos was no mere Demonic Beast—he could rightfully be called a Demon King.
‘He can’t affect my Chaos Energy, though…’
Seo Woo-jin heightened his vigilance.
He prepared himself fully, ready to activate ‘Demon King Transformation’ at any moment in case of the unexpected.
‘Just the fact that he can forcibly cancel my skills proves he’s no easy opponent.’
Among all the beings Seo Woo-jin had encountered thus far, this one was the strongest.
He might even have reached a higher realm than the Sword Sage Martes.
[‘King of Chaos.’]
At that moment, Cratos addressed Seo Woo-jin.
[The life of a heretic should be sufficient recompense for you.]
Seo Woo-jin’s eyebrow twitched at those words.
“…So you’re telling me to leave?”
It was a repetition of what he had said moments ago.
Finish up the situation and depart, in exchange for killing the Lion.
But Seo Woo-jin couldn’t accept that.
Leaving Baek Si-woo behind was one issue, but there was an even greater reason.
‘Hunt him down and level up.’
Cratos was strong.
That meant defeating him would yield a massive amount of experience.
Seo Woo-jin’s level had stagnated as of late.
Catching ordinary monsters no longer helped, no matter how many he slew. To raise his level, he needed to hunt powerful foes.
‘An Apostle, or something like this guy.’
Thus, he couldn’t simply turn back as Cratos suggested.
“How could I turn my back on a minion of the Demon King right before my eyes?”
Ban Slane felt the same way.
He was shocked by Cratos’s power, but he showed no signs of fear.
No, he seemed resolved to stop Cratos here and now.
“If he joins the Great War of Descent, the damage would be incalculable.”
Seo Woo-jin nodded at Ban Slane’s words.
Cratos was a threat.
An enemy he himself couldn’t handle at present—one that would be a nightmare for the other heroes.
They had to eliminate him right here.
‘The problem is how difficult that’ll be.’
Seo Woo-jin glanced at Ban Slane.
He had already accepted battle as inevitable and was gathering his mana.
‘Tch.’
No helping it.
Ban Slane was the strongest among those who could be called Seo Woo-jin’s allies.
They couldn’t afford to lose him pointlessly here.
‘Which means I’ll have to go with ‘Demon King Transformation’ after all.’
Considering the abilities Cratos had shown, even the two of them attacking together offered little hope.
[A foolish choice.]
Cratos’s voice shook Seo Woo-jin’s mind with tremendous force.
Given the immense Demonic Energy laced within it, it seemed intended to instill fear and make him flee.
But neither Seo Woo-jin nor Ban Slane would cower before mere Demonic Energy.
Shing—
Ban Slane drew his beloved sword.
Seo Woo-jin likewise raised ‘Karaaniel’ and aimed it at Cratos.
[I would have spared you, as your death is not my concern.]
“What nonsense is that?”
Seo Woo-jin let out a hollow laugh at Cratos’s words.
Then, narrowing his eyes, he continued.
“No one decides my death. Not you, nor that Demon King you serve.”
The only one who could kill Seo Woo-jin was Seo Woo-jin himself.
“Could I ask one favor?”
Ban Slane turned his eyes toward Seo Woo-jin at the sudden request.
“Speak.”
“Please don’t ask about what’s about to happen from here on.”
“What do you…?”
Ban Slane started to question, but Seo Woo-jin’s words came faster.
“Demon King Transformation.”
Fwaaaaaah—!
Gray Chaos Energy erupted outward.
It was a colossal aura incomparable to the mana Cratos had displayed.
The Chaos Energy instantly crushed everything around it, radiating an unimaginable pressure.
Thus, the ‘Demon King’ Seo Woo-jin once again revealed himself to the world.
[King of Chaos.]
All twenty-four of Cratos’s eyes trembled.
* * *
“Assemble the troops!”
Testron’s shout reverberated through Massive Guardian.
“The Blue Shield Knights will head out to support the lord as soon as they’re ready!”
James was of the same mind.
They, the highest commanders of the Blue Shield Knights stationed at Massive Guardian, moved with urgency.
“Ailin!”
“You called?”
When Testron summoned her, Ailin hurried over.
“You’ll guide the way. Think you can handle it?”
“Of course.”
If they were to name the person most familiar with the North here, it would undoubtedly be a centurion-level soldier.
They had lived their entire lives in Massive Guardian, after all.
And Ailin possessed knowledge rivaling theirs.
She had studied the northern ecosystem extensively to compensate for her shortcomings.
“Where do you think the lord and Seo Woo-jin headed?”
Testron asked.
Ailin answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Cratos’s territory.”
“…What?”
Silence descended upon the surroundings in an instant.
“Cratos? Is there a monster by that name?”
“First time hearing it.”
Only a few soldiers unfamiliar with the name Cratos tilted their heads in confusion.
“Are you certain?”
Testron asked again, his face full of disbelief.
“Absolutely. The only being in this North that could make Woo-jin-ssi and the lord tense is Cratos.”
It was an unbelievable prediction, but they had no choice but to believe it.
Ailin’s words were never wrong.
Yet they couldn’t blindly send their comrades and soldiers into such a dangerous area.
Testron needed more solid proof.
And there was one way to gain that certainty.
“Bring the heroes.”
Testron ordered a soldier.
Moments later.
The soldiers returned with the heroes in tow.
They too had been preparing to set out to aid Seo Woo-jin, fully geared for battle.
Among the nine heroes, Testron spotted the one who seemed most reasonable.
‘…He’s got some build.’
A physique as large as his own—no, honestly, slightly larger.
He inwardly admired Goo Dong-hwan.
Unlike Seo Woo-jin or the other scrawny heroes, he truly looked strong.
Testron addressed the muscular giant, Goo Dong-hwan.
“Do you sense any Demonic Energy?”
“…Yes, I do.”
Goo Dong-hwan stared at Testron, feeling an inexplicable camaraderie, then nodded.
“Can you tell the direction it’s coming from?”
“North, but skewed heavily to the west.”
Testron followed the direction of Goo Dong-hwan’s pointing finger, then pulled out a map to check.
And he understood.
Her words carried considerable credibility.
“Ailin, your assessment checks out.”
“Really?”
“The Ice Worms have all been exterminated, so we’ll march the shortest route.”
Normally, a massive Ice Worm habitat lay between Massive Guardian and Cratos’s territory.
But with them all culled by the heroes, nothing obstructed the troops’ path.
They just needed to skirt the crevasse zones and proceed in a straight line.
“Prepare as quickly as possible. If we dawdle and something happens to the lord, it’ll be a disaster.”
“Understood.”
Ailin nodded and resumed her busy preparations.
She organized the troops and readied supplies of food and weapons.
Goo Dong-hwan, watching the scene, let out a sigh.
“What a mess this has turned into.”
He’d just finished a grueling hunt and wanted some rest, but everything had gone awry.
No rest, not even a proper wash.
“Is that Cratos monster Ailin-unnie mentioned really awake, like she said?”
“Probably. From what I hear, it’s on another level compared to any monster or Demonic Beast we’ve seen.”
Goo Dong-hwan answered Lee Ji-ah’s question.
“No need for us to go out there, though.”
Lee Ji-ah scratched her matted hair and said.
“Uncle’s gone, so it’ll be sorted in no time. We’d just show up and turn right back.”
Everyone chuckled at that.
She wasn’t wrong.
By the time they arrived, Seo Woo-jin would have already taken down Cratos.
“Woo-jin-ssi is strong, yeah.”
Kye Soo-ji agreed with Lee Ji-ah.
“But we can’t just sit on our hands. What if Woo-jin-ssi’s in danger?”
They were still weak compared to Seo Woo-jin, but they could help in an emergency.
“Besides, we can’t keep trailing behind Woo-jin-ssi forever.”
To the group, Seo Woo-jin was a great mentor, friend, and comrade.
They’d grown accustomed to always receiving his help, but that wouldn’t do.
They needed to move proactively, even if just a little, and figure out how to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
That’s what comrades were for.
“…True enough.”
Lee Ji-ah nodded faintly.
She too had always relied on Seo Woo-jin, so Kye Soo-ji’s words resonated deeply.
“So what should we do?”
The knights and soldiers were handling all the expedition preparations themselves.
It was routine they’d done yearly, so their movements were systematic and efficient.
There was no room for the heroes to insert themselves.
“How about carrying some gear?”
Testron approached and suggested.
“Heroes are stronger than the likes of us, so even that would speed things up considerably.”
“Oh, sure, we can do that.”
Even the smallest ones, Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye, were strong.
Far stronger than the senior knight Testron before them.
Heroes hauling supplies would be a huge help.
“What needs carrying?”
Goo Dong-hwan stepped forward, loosening up as he asked.
Testron watched him for a moment, then pointed to one side.
Piles of food and spare equipment were stacked there.
An amount that would take ten soldiers quite some time to move.
“Could you shift those?”
“Piece of cake!”
Catching Testron’s subtle tone, Goo Dong-hwan strode over.
“Been a while since I got to use these muscles. Fighting with mana only almost caused some atrophy—perfect timing.”
He flexed his bulging muscles and slung the load over his shoulder.
Then he shot Testron a glance.
A provocative glint in his eye.
“Ha!”
Testron, catching on, let out a hollow laugh.
It was such a childish move.
But…
“Can’t just stand by and watch. James! Take over command. Feels like I need to lift some weights myself after ages.”
And so the two began shifting massive loads using only raw muscle, without a drop of mana.
“…What lunatics.”