Chapter 241
Chapter 241
Knowing now changes nothing." "Not my problem if it does or doesn't. Hell, I welcome it." What Soo-hyuk wanted was chaos. If demons and Blue Zone clashed, they wouldn't have eyes for this side. No matter how massive the guild, a full-scale demon war would strain them. Originally, he'd planned to stir things up himself first. Shake the hornet's nest and set it ablaze if needed, just to draw out the big ones. But things had deviated from plan. The demons were already riled up long before. 'The problem is... how big is that nest.' Blue Zone vs. demons? Music to his ears. But if Blue Zone got crushed? Problem. Ye-ryeong and Hyo-min were still there. This clash couldn't be too small... or too big. Crackle-. Soo-hyuk's eyes glowed yellow. "Got a lot of questions for you. Doubt you'll answer." The higher demon with two facial markings. This one might not die with its head exploding like the last. "Not like you'll cooperate anyway." "...
Kill him!" The demon bellowed, as if done listening. Boom-!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The frozen white wasteland. Si-woo sat in the middle, staring at his kit and grumbling.
"Why isn't she replying?"
His kit had been dead silent for a while. No response from Ye-ryeong to his "how's it going?" texts.
"Argh!"
Frustrated, Si-woo nearly smashed the kit on the ground but held back. He knew why it was glitching.
"Damn demons."
Thud-! He swung his fist in irritation, shattering an ice statue beside him. It was a demon frozen solid by Si-woo's magic. Brittle as glass down to the bone, it crumbled easily. Hundreds of such statues surrounded Si-woo.
"Keh, heh heh heh."
A bloody laugh bubbled up from below. From the demon he was using as a chair.
"Still alive?"
Its lungs should be frozen too. Si-woo clicked his tongue at the demon's tenacity. Four pairs of markings adorned the face of the demon pinned beneath him. Even dying, it mocked Si-woo.
"How long... do you think... you can hold out... alone?"
True enough. No matter how skilled Si-woo was, being solo had limits. Especially against these demons—not some rabble, but elites.
"When the Legion Commander... arrives..."
"Yeah, yeah."
Tap-. Si-woo placed his hand on the demon's head like it was annoying him. Crackle-. The barely clinging demon froze solid. He'd wanted to hear something new, but it was all predictable drivel.
"Obviously, I'll bail before then."
That was the plan from the start. Provoke the demons—that was his role. Once they'd had enough, pull back and link up with Ye-ryeong. But things got messy.
"Haa-."
Si-woo sighed, scanning the surroundings.
"Of all things, a Legion Commander..."
A Legion Commander-level demon on the move. This was no joke. One slip, and Blue House—where Hyo-min and Ye-ryeong were—could be overrun. This wasn't a hornet's nest; it was a tiger's den. 'Should I pull out now?' He hesitated. Screw up, and it wouldn't just be Hyo-min at risk—him and Ye-ryeong too. Time to choose. But it wasn't easy.
"Damn it."
If Blue House fell, Hyo-min's safety went with it. 'They've jammed comms so we can't warn them.' That's why he'd rushed to send word, but the kit was useless. The demons had planned this. Brutes who led with muscle had actually strategized. Plan B time. But tough call. The stakes were sky-high. 'Silver lining: scale's bigger, but still on track.' Standing, Si-woo eyed the red demonic aura rising in the distance. How many were there? Even from afar, the miasma choked the air.
"Guess I should bounce." They'd keep pushing. Si-woo's mana wasn't infinite; he couldn't fight Legion-tier forever. As he turned back toward the forest to retreat. Rumble-. Far off. A faint tremor and familiar sound. Could dismiss it as bad weather—clear skies raining or lightning striking randomly. But Si-woo couldn't ignore it. 'Lightning?' From the forest. A hunch pulled Si-woo's feet that way.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Crackle, crackle-. Residual electricity lingered in the woods, not fully dissipated. The charred demon corpses reeked of burnt flesh. Soo-hyuk finally felt like he was back in the thick of battle. Ache-. His body was starting to tingle. Even throttling output, several skirmishes had worn him down. Time to watch his stamina. "Hey." Prod-. He nudged a fallen demon's shoulder with his foot. At the end of each fight, Soo-hyuk had left one barely alive. "Got questions." "...
Ra." "What?" "Kill... me..." "Same old." Getting demons to talk was no picnic. They feared no death. Cracking them was tough. "Who's calling the shots? Not the Demon King. A Legion Commander?" "Keh, heh heh-." "Quit laughing." Soo-hyuk pressed his fingers to the demon's eyes as it lay grinning. Sizzle-! "...!" Agony seared its eyeballs; its mouth gaped wide. "Answer, and I'll make it quick." "You... that human too..." "That human?" "All of... you..." Its words cut in and out. Not intentional, but this was the intel Soo-hyuk wanted. 'No way.' Kim Si-woo. He figured the guy would think the same and act accordingly. If so, Si-woo would've plunged in first. Started the clashes. "All... by His order..." "Wait. Who the hell is this human—" Then, the demon's hand rose. Squelch-. The thing that couldn't twitch a finger ripped out its own heart in one go. Soo-hyuk marveled at the fanaticism. "...
Crazy bastards." Fighting demons was exhausting for this reason. Their terror wasn't just raw power. Swipe-. Soo-hyuk scanned the surroundings. Wipe out one group, another swarms in. Like ant central—endless. "...
No sign of who I'm after, just weirdos piling on." Well. Deep in enemy turf—what'd you expect. He'd known and fought anyway, but now it was getting heavy. 'Can't handle that.' The approaching demons numbered in the hundreds at a glance. Before, maybe twenties max. He still didn't know their full force structure. Pushing deeper now was too risky. Honestly, should've pulled back ages ago. But he'd pressed on for one reason. 'Am I wrong?' Assuming Si-woo was doing the same. Swipe-. Deeper was suicide. Miss the exit window, and they'd devour him. As Soo-hyuk turned to withdraw. Step-. From deeper in the forest. A chilling footstep crawled up his spine. Whoosh-. Cold enveloped him. Air froze instantly; his breath fogged. Soo-hyuk's retreat halted. And simultaneously. "Did you hear that too?" From the distant dark woods. The friend he'd been seeking emerged. "Sounded like thunder from here." They met. Finally.