Chapter 894
Chapter 894
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 894
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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I dashed toward the imperial palace while slipping on my black gloves. These were the gear I used when operating as the Heavenly Demon.
Powers related to demons.
This effect amplified the might of my Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
'Status window.'
Name:Sung Yu-jin
Class:Heavenly Demon
Title:Immortal
Throne:King of Ma-cheon
Affiliation:AL 401 Earth
Unique Trait:Deception (SSS)
Trait:Heavenly Demon Body (SS)
Skills:Heavenly Demon Divine Art (EX), Subordination (SS), Demon Wind Divine Art Transfer (EX)
(Moon's Blessing effect active.)
(Status window applied.)
My stats had exploded upward.
And what really caught my eye was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. It had climbed a step from SSS-rank to EX-rank.
'With these stats plus EX-rank Heavenly Demon Divine Art... I might actually hold my own against the Empire's Five Masters.'
I hadn't fought them yet, and I had no idea just how deep their reserves ran, so it was just a vague hunch.
Vitality surged through my entire body. My mood soared with the rush of my amplified power.
"The Heavenly Demon advances!!"
I unleashed the Heavenly Demon Roar. The shockwave sent the imperial knights and soldiers nearby flying, unable to withstand it.
Elena must have thought I'd use my unique trait Deception (SS) to secretly assassinate the Second and Third Princes without anyone knowing. Sure, Deception had reached SSS-rank, but I had no intention of slinking around like some coward. I had the power now—why act like a scaredy-cat?
"Total annihilation!"
I swung my fists wildly in all directions, infused with Heavenly Demon energy. The fist force stretched out, massacring knights and soldiers alike. Shields did nothing for the soldiers, nor did the knights' sword auras help.
"To think the Barclay Legion was raising a monster like this! You shall not pass! Form up!! Stop him! We must protect the princes!"
Knights and soldiers blocked the front of the imperial palace. There were over a hundred of them, standing firm like an impenetrable fortress wall.
"You're far too weak to stop me."
A massive surge of energy crashed down from the sky, crushing the enemies. Those directly hit by the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm had their bodies pulverized, blood and entrails splattering everywhere. A giant handprint was left scorched into the ground where they had stood.
Spot on. The Heavenly Demon Divine Palm was a technique from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art I'd acquired last time in the Radiant Ascension Path. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a type of qi cultivation method.
'He notices right away, as expected.'
I clamped my mouth shut. I had no intention of explaining every little thing to the King of Ma-cheon.
The King of Ma-cheon sounded impressed.
'This guy's not the type to think that purely.'
The King of Ma-cheon was always watching me. He knew full well I didn't have the martial talent to create something like the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm.
'At least he's not being a pain about it.'
I unleashed the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm again. The gates of the imperial palace shattered.
"Th-this damned... If only Lord Cheolhan were here... Ack!"
I beat everyone around me to death, clearing them out. It didn't take long. They were too weak to block my attacks or even flee.
I plunged into the corridors of the imperial palace. I didn't chase the Second and Third Princes blindly. I spread out my qi sense. I detected multiple presences nearby. I noticed three people hiding in the room right next to me.
'Ordinary auras. They're hiding with their eyes and ears covered anyway... No need to kill them.'
My targets were the Second and Third Princes. No point taking on extra hassle.
'A strong aura. That way?'
Not knowing the princes' exact auras, I followed the strongest ones. As princes, they wouldn't be weak.
"Clown? That ferocious aura! An intruder!"
"Tch. Miss."
The opponent was a knight. Given the situation, he drew his sword and charged the moment he saw me. Blue sword aura flickered like flames from his blade.
Even without using Moment, the knight's movements looked slow. I grabbed his sword. The sword aura couldn't scratch me.
"Catching my sword barehanded... I've never heard of scum like you. Who the hell are you...!"
"I am the Heavenly Demon."
"Heavenly Demon...?"
I smashed my fist into the knight's head. Splat! His skull exploded. I didn't spare a glance for the collapsing corpse as I sprinted down the corridor.
After killing eight knights, I found the Second and Third Princes. Deep in the palace, they were huddled together amicably with their escort knights.
"Kill him."
Those were the Second Prince's chilling words the instant he saw me.
The escort knights moved in unison. Unlike the eight I'd killed getting here, these were the elite of the elite, direct guards to the princes.
In a single step, the escort knights' bodies were hurled backward, slamming into the walls. I'd used Shin Jong-woo's Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step.
"What are you fools doing?! There's only one of him! Can't you even stop that one?!"
"Get up! Get up and kill him!"
The Second and Third Princes shouted. The escort knights groaned as they staggered to their feet and charged. It looked chaotic, but there was a pattern.
'An escort formation for facing the strong. Impressive that they're syncing up even in this situation.'
But it meant little.
I swung my fists in the order they approached. Swords snapped, armor crumpled as is. It took less than thirty seconds to wipe out the escorts.
The Second and Third Princes' expressions turned grave.
"...You're no ordinary fighter."
"Why target us? Isn't the Barclay Legion's goal the Emperor and the Crown Prince?"
"You're going to die anyway. Why so chatty? Desperate to live a little longer?"
I raised my fist. Heavenly Demon energy rippled threateningly.
"Do you know of the Imperial Secret Vault? If you back off now, I'll tell you its location and how to enter."
The Second Prince feigned composure. The Third pretended to be bold but was worse at acting.
"The Imperial Secret Vault? You're trying to lure me into a trap."
"...How did you know it's a trap? It doesn't make sense that you'd already have info on it. Only the imperial family knows of the Imperial Secret Vault."
"Shut up and die."
I pulled back my fist. Just before thrusting it forward, the Second Prince bellowed in rage.
"Delsar!!"
Delsar.
The Crown Prince's name. My fist hesitated at the unexpected name. Misreading it, the Second Prince grinned rottenly. His shoulders slumped.
"So it is that bastard... Even brothers don't share power, huh? I was a fool to trust him."
"B-Brother! Think of something! We can't give up!"
"There's no way... Delsar has decided to kill us. Even if we kneel and beg, we'll die..."
Before the Second Prince could finish, my fist shot forward. The Dragon Fist pierced through, exploding his head. It even punched through the palace wall.
"Gaaaaah!"
The Third Prince screamed and bolted. He tried to dash past me toward the door. I used Dragon Fist again. His head exploded.
'That takes care of Elena's request. Time to go find her. Something feels off.'
My steps halted as I tried to leave.
A strange energy emanated from the Second Prince's corpse. I quietly observed it. His body was regenerating, ever so slowly.
'An item? Or a skill? Not bad as a trump card.'
Either way, now that I'd noticed, it was over. Chopping the corpse to pieces or reducing it to dust would be child's play. Burning it was another option.
'...The Second Prince thinks I'm with the Crown Prince. If he revives like this, he'll go after him.'
After some thought, I turned and left. The Crown Prince getting screwed would please Elena too.
Unlike when entering the palace, I used Deception (SSS) to slip away quietly on the way out. A tail would be annoying. Avoiding eyes, I switched my status window back to Thunder Slayer.
Name:Sung Yu-jin
Class:Thunder Slayer
Title:The One Who Deflowered the Virgin Goddess
Throne:Lord of the Heavens
Affiliation:AL 401 Earth
Unique Trait:Deception (SSS)
Trait:Lightning (SS)
Skills:Astrafe (S), Myriad Thunder (A), Lightning Flash (A)
(Moon's Blessing effect active.)
(Status window applied.)
The stats were the same, but I felt weaker.
'Probably because Heavenly Demon Divine Art (EX) and Heavenly Demon Body (SS) aren't applied.'
Entering the capital, I let out a hollow chuckle at the chaotic scene. Monsters had rampaged, but most were already cleared, leaving only corpses.
'Looks like the Barclay Legion has someone with monster-summoning abilities.'
The capital's casualties weren't as bad as I'd feared. The festival had drawn veteran exiles here, which helped. Blue butterflies were guiding or protecting citizens to safety.
'Blue butterflies... Elena's illusion magic. Diligently carrying out the Emperor's orders.'
I headed toward Elena. I knew exactly where she was. A place pulsing with power even stronger than mine. She had to be there.
The closer I got to the plaza, the more grim my face became.
Blue butterflies flitted about the city. They were Elena's magic itself. Right now, she was using far more power than necessary.
"Elena!"
The plaza teemed with people, Elena at the center. No one dared approach her, sensing the immense power radiating from her.
"Oh, you're here already? Job done?"
Elena turned to me. Her complexion was poor. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her lips trembled.
"Elena. Whatever you're planning, stop it."
"Too late. The illusion has begun."
I swallowed hard. Shattered buildings rewound through time, restoring themselves. Illusion magic. Elena's illusions were altering reality.
But the corpses remained. The dead didn't return. Even Elena couldn't revive the deceased.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you, Duke Balderdt!"
"Ahh, Illusion Duke!"
The capital's citizens wept in gratitude.
"...Planning to die here?"
"For Balderdt."
The momentum had swung to the Emperor. He'd sanction the Balderdt family and her, so she needed achievements to dodge that. Gathering citizens in the plaza for this show created witnesses, a shield of public opinion.
"You'll die if you do this."
"I won't. I've got... roughly a year left."
Elena mumbled, staggering.
Startled, I rushed to her. My focus locked on her alone. That was my mistake.
"Hihihihihihi!"
A horse's neigh rang out, and the ground suddenly gave way. My body plummeted. Reflexively looking down, I saw darkness tinged red.
I gritted my teeth. Kicking off the air, I leaped upward. Sleipnir mocked me. The gravity pulling me down intensified.
Sleipnir had the authority to go anywhere. In other words, it was trying to send me to hell.
'So the prophecy's fated enemy was this bastard...!'
I summoned Stormbreaker.
"Astrafe!!"
I infused it with lightning and hurled it. The spear streaked like a bolt of lightning, piercing Sleipnir's throat. It vanished, eyes bulging in disbelief. It hadn't known I was empowered by the Moon's Blessing.
'Damn... Killing it doesn't close the hell gate.'
No matter how high I jumped, my body kept falling into hell. I'd killed Sleipnir, but its authority lingered.
Thud.
Someone grabbed my arm. Elena. A blue butterfly shimmered before her eyes and faded.
"Debt paid."
Elena whispered softly. Then my body was shoved outward.
But Elena fell into hell.
"I've only got a year left anyway. Don't worry about it."
Blood stained her lips and clothes. Her form soon vanished. The hell hole shrank.
Face twisting, I reached toward hell.
"Yu-jin. It's too late."
Kang Myung-jin had approached and grabbed my shoulder. I shook off his hand.
"My woman's in hell. You think I'll just let it go? I'll go get her. Handle the rest."
"Wha..."
Leaving Kang Myung-jin behind, I charged at the shrinking hole. It was smaller than I'd thought.
"Stormbreaker!!"
I threw the lightning spear to hold the hole open and dove into hell.