Chapter 255
Chapter 255
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: Ace Chapter: 255 Chapter Title: Thunderous Trust ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soo-hyuk and Si-woo had experienced several battlefields together. The battlefield was like a monster that constantly changed its form. Sometimes it grew larger, sometimes smaller, weaknesses appeared and then shifted or vanished. That was why pre-planning didn't help much. There was only one way. To trust the comrade fighting alongside on the battlefield. 'Not bad, as expected.' As Si-woo blocked the legion, Soo-hyuk began hurling his spears. If he could keep throwing spears made of lightning without interference, nothing—not even a legion commander or a demon king—would be a problem. In the end, Daniel's attention was drawn entirely to Soo-hyuk. Si-woo blocking the legion wasn't a threat, but Soo-hyuk's spears gripped his lifeline. It was the moment Daniel's sole weakness was exposed. 'Summoners like him have one weakness.' In the midst of hurling lightning, Soo-hyuk suddenly noticed Si-woo had vanished. 'No matter how many bodies, there's only one mind controlling them.' Si-woo didn't miss that split-second when Daniel's focus locked onto Soo-hyuk. His form melted into the cold air. 'I'll back you up.' Unlike Ye-ryeong, Si-woo had no talent for stealth. Daniel had simply overlooked him because his nerves were fixed on Soo-hyuk. So now, he needed to draw even more attention. There was only one way. Become a greater threat. Kurrrr-. All the way here, Soo-hyuk had been conjuring "thunderclouds."
Drip, drip. Rain began to fall drop by drop. Thunder rumbled too. His opponent was a legion commander. There was no room to hold back. Soo-hyuk had to unleash everything he had. Kwarung-! Lightning struck down from the clouds onto Soo-hyuk's body.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
It's here.' In that moment, Soo-hyuk felt like he'd returned to his original place. A thrilling sensation he hadn't felt in ages. Crackle-. Psssh-. The armor where Si-woo's hand touched began to freeze over.
"Kraaaaaah-!"
Daniel screamed as biting cold gripped his heart. Crack-! Flowers bloomed on the bone armor and shield encasing his body. Once they started blooming, their numbers multiplied in an instant. The flowers soon devoured the armor and shield, engulfing his entire body. Pop-. Si-woo, who had made flowers bloom on Daniel's body, leaped high into the air. Crack, craaack-. Cracks spread across the ice flowers encircling his body. Within the ice, Daniel's pupils shook wildly. He struggled to break free, but it was futile. The ice flowers layered him thickly, and even now, his body froze colder still. Chiii, chi-chi-chi-. Kwarung, kurrr-. Ready to hurl the spear at any moment, Soo-hyuk assumed a javelin stance. Thunder erupted from the spear in his hand. Nearby rankers clutched their ears against the overpowering sound. Twitch-. Daniel's fingers moved laboriously. At that signal, his summoned minions from all directions converged. To block before Soo-hyuk could throw. Kwarung, kururung-. The lightning in his hand screamed to be released. Daniel's undead legion filled his vision. For a moment, it seemed as if that legion's time had frozen. The lightning kept screaming to be let go. It didn't matter if the undead legion blocked the way. Now was the time to release this hand. Flash-!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bang, boom-! He felt the air exploding before his eyes. With reactions slowing bit by bit, cold sweat trickled down from the hair-raising near-death experiences. Splurt-. Lee Won-jae's sword plunged toward Ifreion's heart. In that instant, something invisible yanked his body back. Crash-. As Lee Won-jae tumbled across the ground and scrambled to rise— Bang-! Something exploded from the floor again. Lee Won-jae rolled away. Had he tried to stand, his head would've burst. He survived only because he'd rolled so disgracefully. "Huff, huff-." Catching his breath, he used his sword like a cane to stand. The surroundings were a complete hellscape. Screams never ceased, the stench of blood thickened. High rankers who'd come with him blocked the swarming demons, but their numbers were overwhelming. 'This won't do.' Grind-. The demon legion commander was far stronger than Lee Won-jae had anticipated. And the situation was worse. Forget closing in—he could barely even perceive the opponent's abilities. All he could do now was roll his body to dodge Ifreion's powers. 'I need a wildcard. Something to turn this in our favor.' Realizing brute force wouldn't work, his mind raced. To survive and escape this place, he needed another way. Standing tall, Lee Won-jae aimed his sword again. He heightened all his senses, focusing on Ifreion's next attack. But. 'Why... isn't it coming?' Just moments ago, Ifreion had unleashed relentless attacks. Yet they suddenly stopped, and silence fell. No—thinking back, the attacks had loosened a bit earlier. With other demons tying up the high rankers' aid, Lee Won-jae had been single-handedly holding off Ifreion. Normally, some part of his body would've exploded by now. 'Some other scheme?' Ifreion stood motionless, doing nothing. Thanks to that, he caught his breath, but unease grew. Maybe preparing a more certain killing blow? 'A trap? Or is that guy tired too? Or...' "You've been bothering me for a while now." Ifreion spoke. The terrain around them was pockmarked and upheaved from battle scars. In fights between high rankers, the landscape inevitably shifted big and small. And from behind one upturned slab of earth, a figure emerged. "What? Busted?" "You didn't seem to be hiding anyway." "Uh... true that." The one revealing herself from behind the rock was Ye-ryeong. "This is just habit. Hid without thinking." Splurt-. Surrounding demons charged at the newly appeared human. Ifreion didn't need to look to know their fate. Whenever she'd grabbed them, Ye-ryeong scattered the pebbles in her hand everywhere. Pew, pew-pew-pew-. The small stones, seemingly tossed randomly, pierced the vital points of demons lunging at her. Heads and hearts—the deadliest spots known to humans and demons alike. The fast-charging demons lost power and crumpled to the ground. Having casually performed this near-miraculous feat, Ye-ryeong nonchalantly picked up more scattered pebbles. "You guys ignore me and keep doing your thing. Come on, continue. Go on." Behind Ye-ryeong were Unhyang and Hyo-min. Having gathered her stones, she leaned against the rock, arms crossed, and began spectating the fight in earnest. '...
Perfect.' Lee Won-jae's eyes sparkled. Though an enemy, Ye-ryeong's appearance was a sliver of hope. As a Blue Eyes member, she was a player strong enough to check a legion commander. If he could utilize her, it would be the best way to reverse this situation. No. Perhaps he could achieve an even better outcome. Glance, glance-. Lee Won-jae gauged the situation. Ifreion did the same. Ye-ryeong's presence was a major wildcard for both. Even Ifreion, who saw most humans as bugs, couldn't ignore her. 'No ordinary human.' Leaning on the rock, watching them, Ye-ryeong emitted no special aura or pressure. But that's what made her dangerous. One who could massacre demons with mere pebbles could also conceal her presence. "...
We chose the wrong time." Ifreion regretted it. The demons had judged this the perfect moment, with Kim Il-su absent. Strike now with two legion commanders and two legions, and they'd sweep the enemies. But it was a mistake. "I didn't know there were two like you." Swish-. Ifreion, raising his hand, instead took a step back. "Huh?" "We'll withdraw." "Eh?" Ye-ryeong looked baffled. Coming this far only to retreat? Not a typical demon choice. "For real? You're pulling back?" "Yes." "Why?" "We came to kill, not to die." Her retort left Ye-ryeong speechless. Demons loved slaughter and blood, but not self-destruction. Fearlessness didn't mean stupidity. Ifreion must have foreseen the battle turning against them. Shed come to watch a brawl, but now they were leaving. No fun show then. Snorting, Ye-ryeong nodded. "Do whatever." "Appreciated." "Hey, but you're leaving... Kwarung-! Thunder exploded across sky, earth, and heavens. The roar swallowed battlefield screams and blasts. Ifreion's gaze snapped toward the source. "...
Not that side, right?" "......" Ifreion's expression grew grave. The sound came from where the other legion commander, Daniel, was. And in that gap. Lee Won-jae's eyes narrowed like a snake's toward Unhyang. Quietly. Stealthily. Hiss-. Lee Won-jae's feet began moving step by step.