Chapter 334
Chapter 334
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 334
Chapter Title: Golden Crow Island (1)
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The raid by fiends on the Murim Alliance gathering where Hugo was attending was shocking enough, but no one could have anticipated that the Heavenly Demon, the leader of the Demonic Cult, would be among them.
The fact that the Heavenly Demon was so intimately connected to the Reverse Heaven Society Leader that he could wield holy power was equally unforeseen.
'Even though all this exploded out of nowhere... looking back, it's not such a bad turn of events.'
He had purposes here beyond just harvesting karma from this land, didn't he?
His main goal was to dismantle every contingency the Reverse Heaven Society Leader had left behind in this place where his influence had reached.
And now, by some stroke of perfect fortune, he'd run smack into the key figure at the heart of it all—.
'I absolutely cannot let him go. Even if it means scrapping my original plan entirely.'
Plans had to adapt when circumstances changed.
Hans hadn't originally intended to go on the offensive so aggressively, but he had no intention of passing up this golden opportunity.
And the result was the scene unfolding right now.
Kurrrung—!
Within a space shrouded in darkness like the abyss itself.
Trapped inside this unknown barrier, the Heavenly Demon thrashed wildly, spewing thick demonic energy.
He scowled at the sight of the Awakened Undead and Abyss Revenants surging from all directions and charging at him.
"Hah! What are these zombies? Even Heavenly Corpses aren't this tough!"
These specimens had been crafted from specially selected materials, boasting combat prowess beyond question. Made using Earth's Awakened as bases, they could be deployed without dimensional restrictions, unlike ordinary undead.
Moreover, as his past actions on Earth showed, most of their components came from the Reverse Heaven Society members he'd encountered there...
"Heaven-Slaying Demon Lord! Why are you here...? You should have returned to Earth...!"
Among them was a face even the Heavenly Demon recognized.
His features were completely blackened, so it wasn't like he spotted him at first glance.
p>But from the martial arts he employed to everything else, it was all too familiar, making it inevitable that he'd figure out his identity.
In the early days after the Heaven-Slaying Demon Lord crossed into the Kanghwan Realm, it was the Heavenly Demon himself who had drawn him into the Demonic Cult, providing training, support, and sponsorship.
In a way, their relationship was no different from master and disciple.
Yet the disciple he'd regretfully sent back to Earth was now blocking his path as a zombie...
"...You lot aren't ordinary yokai. Did you somehow cross over from another world while wielding its power? How is that even possible?"
The Heavenly Demon, who had clung to denial until the end, finally accepted reality and ground his teeth.
This was no ordinary matter.
It made the Earthlings he'd faced during the Shaolin raid seem like nothing.
The Heavenly Demon's fierce gaze turned toward the middle-aged man watching from afar with intrigued eyes: Hans.
He hadn't been certain at first, but now he knew for sure.
He looked human on the surface, but like that barbaric yokai monster, he was no human either.
No, he wasn't even a living being to begin with.
'Nearly got fooled. Of course, no ordinary lifeform could handle such pure death energy so effortlessly.'
A power closer to the origin of the concept of death than mere demonic energy.
Even he, who had accumulated high-purity demonic energy through the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, was seeing such refined energy for the first time.
It inspired awe despite himself.
'But how did they breach the dimensional walls? They're not like that greenhorn we saw at Shaolin, merely brimming with potential. These are fully realized beings from another world, each in their own way. For two such impurities to infiltrate this realm...!'
At this point, he couldn't even claim these two were the only ones.
Who knew if three, four, or even ten or more weren't already lurking somewhere in this world?
And that was far from good news.
'Of all times! Just as I'm launching the grand scheme and gathering the Dragon's children!'
This variable had popped up right after he'd swept aside interference from Golden Crow Island and set the plan in motion.
He cursed the heavens at the fate-like progression that seemed deliberately orchestrated.
He was the one who had betrayed the world first, so it was hypocritical, but he lacked the objectivity to judge that now.
"Kuhahaha! Alright then, let's get serious, friend!"
One of the now fully monstrous figures shed its human guise and charged at him ferociously.
The grotesque lifeform, over four meters tall, covered in crimson-black scales, armed with hand-and-foot claws and teeth like divine weapons, barreled forward with glowing emerald-odd eyes, tearing the air apart.
"Hah! Feeling bold now that you see an opening, you insolent monster. Come on then— this time I'll give you a proper fight. I'll hack off your limbs and rip out your guts while I'm at it."
Sunset-hued holy power mingled with demonic energy billowed from the Heavenly Demon's body.
Impure power like demonic energy shouldn't normally mix with holy power, yet for some reason, the aura rising from him blended seamlessly, amplifying his presence even further.
It was clearly stronger than what he'd used against Harley and the divine monk at Shaolin.
He no longer cared about the aftermath.
This situation demanded he unleash everything.
"Lord who rules the myriad demons, was it? What an arrogant title."
Amid the rising storm of energy, the Heavenly Demon spoke lowly.
Forcing back the ominous dread creeping into his chest even now.
"I am the Heavenly Demon, 14th Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Self-proclaimed and acknowledged pinnacle of the current martial world, standing unrivaled at this realm's apex. Do you think I, who ascended to the heavens and became a demon, would kneel to some otherworldly mongrel?!"
Unlike his usual tone, those heavy words carried near-obsessive conviction.
As if forcing himself to believe it.
Kwaaang—!
Right after, Harley grimaced and curled his lips as his clash with the pitch-black sword beam erupting from the Heavenly Demon's blade.
In his complete form, he could shrug off most attacks with his sturdy body, but this energy—holy power fused with demonic—far exceeded his expectations in power.
And unlike before, his opponent was going all-out now too.
"Ascended to the heavens and became a demon, eh...?"
At that moment, Hans, who had been quietly observing not just the undead but even the Heavenly Demon battling Harley through the Eye of the Abyss, slowly spoke up.
A thin, inscrutable smile played on his lips.
"Kukuku— yes, it might be fun to verify that. I wonder who was truly arrogant."
It was a laugh laced with subtle dissonance.
His eyes looked down with the gaze of one viewing a struggling insect.
"Well, the outcome's already set anyway. Kuhahaha!"
Goooo—
With eerie laughter, the black magic filling the barrier shook violently, resounding with a hum.
Like wails from a midnight graveyard, or a dirge mourning someone's end.
Wuuung— hwaruruk— jjzeojjeok!
A massive magic circle originating from Hans began overtaking the space, as karmic flames like those dragged from purgatory and near-absolute-zero chill coalesced in the air.
Such mystical phenomena proliferated instantly, filling the interior.
Lightning cracked fiercely as gravity writhed; black shadows mimicking hands rippled from the floor while sharp winds howled.
A symphony of wonders unseen in this Kanghwan Realm.
Of course, to the one targeted and feeling their full brunt, it wasn't so beautiful.
"...This is bullshit."
And as expected.
No matter how mighty the Heavenly Demon, the Kanghwan Realm's top martial artist, he was forced into a disadvantageous fight against the combined assault of the Immortal King—who had once driven a continent to the brink of ruin—and the legendary War King of the southern tribal alliance.
In Outerica, they had been adversaries as hero party member and the world's absolute evil, but here in the Kanghwan Realm, they were in perfect symbiosis, aiding each other flawlessly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Cough!"
Blackened blood flowed.
The blood pouring like a waterfall from his mouth finally stopped after forming a small puddle below.
The Heavenly Demon removed his remaining hand from his mouth and calmly surveyed his surroundings.
The wreckage of countless zombies utterly destroyed by his attacks lay scattered.
The shattered zombie fragments around him were slowly absorbed into the abyss-like space and vanished.
Some of them would probably be restored and charge at him again.
'...It's over. How did it come to this?'
But the rabble weren't the issue now.
"Kuhu~ Now that's exhilarating! How long since I had a real scrap like this?! Uahaha!"
Harley, equally battered from trading lethal blows multiple times, bellowed with savage glee.
"Fascinating. The interplay between holy power and demonic energy. And furthermore..."
In stark contrast, Hans—the black mage surrounded by undead and flashy spells—muttered to himself.
They looked full of openings, but the Heavenly Demon knew better.
The moment he tried anything, they'd resume their assault without mercy.
Just as they had until now.
'Puhuhu, so that's why it felt ominous.'
The Heavenly Demon's gaze shifted to Hans.
Now he fully understood.
Why his instincts had reacted so unusually when that man appeared.
Harley had been bad enough, but this man was an even worse matchup.
'Nothing works. He's a natural predator.'
The hallmark of demonic arts was their lethality.
Especially their devastating effect on living beings, which terrified other martial artists...
But they barely fazed Hans.
He was an undead brimming with black magic and death energy to begin with.
Another issue: the holy power he'd forcibly used yielded little result either.
He didn't know why, but it stemmed from Hans having stolen and absorbed the holy power infused with the Leader's class and karma during their recent clash.
Naturally gaining resistance to powers derived from him in the process.
Of course, how effective that resistance would be against the Leader's direct power was unknown, but indirect effects from his proxies no longer posed a major threat to Hans.
'What a ridiculous mess.'
The Heavenly Demon let out a hollow sigh.
Forcing holy power through this battered body was reaching its limit.
With it came the sensation of his own death rapidly approaching.
This brief respite's end would likely be his last moment.
The thought turned him unexpectedly sentimental.
'It really has been a long time.'
Seventy years since he'd come to the Kanghwan Realm.
With the Reverse Heaven Society's backing, he'd clawed his way to the Heavenly Demon's throne and become the Divine Cult's leader.
He'd thought all that remained was to stand as this world's sole absolute ruler...
'Who'd have thought everything would derail like this right before full execution.'
Suddenly, he recalled the Reverse Heaven Society Leader's visit over twenty years ago.
The divine being who had descended before him wreathed in radiance, a pair of wings on his back.
The culprit who ruined this world—and the patron who enabled his rise.
He'd complied with the initial contract without much resistance, as success would mean his de facto rule of the world. Back then, he couldn't have imagined the perfect superhuman's plan veering so far off course.
'Who knew there were more like the Leader.'
Feeling strength ebbing from his body, the Heavenly Demon raised his head.
A massive grotesque lifeform with no human traits, fully manifesting monstrous body parts; and a middle-aged man approaching amid undead guards, cloaked in black, sticky aura.
Their appearances contrasted sharply with the sacred angelic form of the Reverse Heaven Society Leader.
"Hmm, given up already? Faster than expected. That holy power must prioritize enhancement over recovery. Got some good data."
"Hoo— you came thoroughly prepared. If I'd prioritized escape from the start, could I have slipped away?"
"Kukuku, who knows? We weren't planning to let you go either. And this isn't all we've got prepared."
"...Tch, picked the wrong opponents."
The Heavenly Demon closed his eyes, feeling countless hands and black chains surging from the ground and binding his body.
Now that it had come to this, he suddenly yearned to see his homeland one last time.
He'd thought he'd long discarded Earth, which had only wounded him, but facing the end brought home to mind.
Kwak—
A leather-gloved hand gripped his head firmly.
And—.
"...Dragon's child and Golden Crow Island. Guess I'll make contact there first."
The ambitious fiend who had dreamed of ruling the Kanghwan Realm as the Reverse Heaven Society Leader's limb plummeted into the abyss.