Chapter 395
Chapter 395
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 395
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon's Challenge
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Vermouth was one of the ten divine beasts guarding Elfrado.
When that Vermouth was summoned, for a brief moment, Elfrado's rankers harbored hope.
Maybe, just maybe?
But it was truly just a moment.
The very next instant, the Heavenly Demon's technique unfolded.
As if putting on a show for Lee Soo-hyuk, lightning struck from the tip of his blade.
Blood Demon Heavenly Descent Slash
Crimson lightning rends the heavens.
The moment blood-red lightning flashed, Vermouth's body was cleaved in two. Spewing thick green blood, it plummeted without even a scream.
Ripley and Emily, riding atop it, couldn't hide their shock.
Whoooong—.
The Heavenly Demon's sword floated in midair.
Dozens of copies of the Heavenly Demon's sword circled the area once. In an instant, it split into dozens of blades.
The sword divided, and divided again.
One sword became dozens, then hundreds, thousands, surpassing ten thousand.
An Elfrado ranker with deep knowledge of martial arts muttered,
"Can... that even be called martial arts?"
He had only heard of it, never seen it with his own eyes.
Myriad Sword Ghost Refining Dance
Ten thousand swords dance like vengeful spirits.
The Heavenly Demon's technique, known as the dance of ten thousand swords.
As the ten thousand swords began to move, it looked like a wave of blades crashing down.
Elfrado's rankers, entranced by the sight, shouted,
"It's coming!"
The ten thousand blades targeted Elfrado's rankers and flew at them.
Though there were far more of them than the lone Heavenly Demon, it felt like they were the ones outnumbered, facing multiple foes.
One fought against dozens of swords. Then, suddenly—stab—blades pierced their body from all directions.
It wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
In the midst of that one-sided slaughter, a single flower bloomed.
Shwaaa—.
Petals and stems rapidly unfurled, wrapping around the ten thousand swords.
The blades attacking Elfrado's rankers were caught by the stems and halted. The rankers, finally catching their breath, and the Heavenly Demon all turned their gazes to the woman at the flower's center.
Emily.
She, the heart of Elfrado, stared at the Heavenly Demon and said,
"You gonna keep going?"
She wasn't the only one threatening him.
Whoooong, whiiing—.
Green lights flickered into existence in the air.
Lights twinkling like fireflies. Before they knew it, the stage was filled with them.
The Heavenly Demon reached out and touched one of the lights. And in that instant—
Booom—!
A fierce explosion singed the tip of his finger.
Ssss—.
Scorching heat billowed. It was Ripley's skill, from where she crouched beside Emily.
"Suicide bugs. They spend ten years as pupae gathering power, live for one day, then die."
Ripley, uncharacteristically chatty,
had felt the Heavenly Demon's threat firsthand.
"If you wield ten thousand swords, I command hundreds of millions of bugs."
Kriiinding—.
The Heavenly Demon's swords groaned under the strain. Emily's flower held them fast, keeping them immobilized.
Elfrado's rankers, despairing at the duo's prowess, now clung to hope.
But then—
"Doesn't matter."
Crack—.
The Heavenly Demon thrust his hand forward and seized one of the lights.
Boom—!
An explosion erupted in his grasp. It was powerful enough to shred his hand—or even his arm.
Yet the Heavenly Demon's hand was unscathed. His action seemed to prove these attacks were futile against him.
And in response—
Kaboom boom boom—!
Countless suicide bugs swarmed him and detonated.
Thick smoke billowed up. Elfrado's rankers screamed and retreated to avoid the blasts.
As the mushroom cloud rose, some were certain of victory.
Step—.
From within the smoke emerged the Heavenly Demon, his body charred black.
Ssss—.
Steam still poured from his body.
How could anyone survive that? It was unbelievable, even seeing it with their own eyes.
Amid the shock, Ripley was the most stunned.
"...A real monster."
A red aura writhed around the Heavenly Demon's body like rippling blood.
No matter how mighty the Heavenly Demon, he couldn't endure those explosions barehanded. For the first time since the fight began, he deployed his protective aura.
It looked like armor cloaked in blood.
That's why Ripley's suicide bugs couldn't pierce it.
Ripley, who had commanded hundreds of millions of them, was now pale-faced—unlike at the start.
She couldn't unleash another attack of that magnitude. She had poured all her mana and energy into that one strike to blow him away.
But the Heavenly Demon still had plenty of strength left.
Kakaka—!
The swords bound by Emily's flower sliced through the stems.
One by one, the ten thousand blades regained their freedom.
They soared into the sky like living things, sword auras glowing red as they aimed downward.
There was nowhere to run.
Not even burrowing into the ground—though even that wouldn't save them from the Heavenly Demon's swords.
Keeheeheehee—.
The moment ghostly wails echoed across the earth—
Shwaaa—!
The ten thousand aura-clad swords crashed down like a tidal wave.
Soul Demon Sword Thunder
Demonic blades rain like thunderbolts.
Kaboom boom—everything on the ground was swept away.
Screams filled the air as flowers and trees were shredded.
Once the technique passed—flutter—
the Heavenly Demon shed his charred robe.
The wind carried it away, revealing the chiseled muscles beneath.
Only his clothes had burned in the explosion; faint scorch marks were all that marred his chest.
"I'm not here to fight small fry like you."
The Heavenly Demon's gaze turned to the distant audience seats.
He didn't name anyone, but everyone knew who he meant.
The center of the audience seats.
"He's calling for you."
Jin-un gripped his hands sweaty as he spoke.
Noticing the tremor in his voice, Soo-hyuk asked,
"You okay?"
"How could I be? After seeing that."
Jin-un didn't deny his state or pretend to be strong.
And he wasn't alone—everyone here was stunned.
"...I never thought Elfrado would fall so helplessly."
With Murim and Runeterra weakened, and Blue Zone eliminated, they had been the top contenders.
Even against the Heavenly Demon, they should have put up a good fight.
Especially with Emily and Ripley there.
"Thanks to those two, they at least lasted this long."
Soo-hyuk stared at the Heavenly Demon, who stared back from afar.
He had felt it throughout the fight—the Heavenly Demon was always conscious of him.
Normally, that distraction would cost him dearly, but the Heavenly Demon allowed no such variables.
He crushed Elfrado with overwhelming power. As if showing off to someone.
Ziiing—.
With the message, the wrecked stage was cleaned spotless.
Scorch marks from explosions. Blood and bodies from slashes and stabs. Even Elfrado's trees and flowers.
All traces vanished.
And the next message followed.
Whoosh—.
White light enveloped everyone in the audience seats once more.
When they opened their eyes, the audience and stage had swapped.
Now, only the Heavenly Demon stood in the vast audience seats, arms crossed, unfatigued as he watched the stage.
Soo-hyuk and his group were together.
A bit farther off were Runeterra's rankers: Tower Lord Akseon, Crimson Tower Lord Megnus, and even Senior Mage Murray, whom they had met before.
"Both tower lords are intact?"
Soo-hyuk, having heard about the previous fight, asked what happened.
The presence of both tower lords unharmed meant no one had died.
"No need to kill them. Fighting to the death would've been a hassle."
Jin-un had fought Akseon.
He was definitely trickier than the Verdant Tower Lord. Facing him amid multiple formations was risky.
That aside—
Soo-hyuk's gaze shifted to Hiels.
"I couldn't kill an elder."
To his protest at such cruel words, Soo-hyuk nodded after a moment's thought.
He knew of Hiels and Megnus's relationship.
Given that bond, her being on their side instead wouldn't have been strange.
"So we have to take them all out here."
Ye-ryeong pulled up her mask.
Si-woo and Hyo-min prepared for battle too. As the three moved, Unhyang drew her sword.
Then—
"Looks like it's my turn."
Soo-hyuk held them all back. Ye-ryeong, excited to fight masked, asked,
"What? Why go solo?"
"You think I want to hog it all?"
"Then?"
"He's the one who provoked me first."
Soo-hyuk turned to the Heavenly Demon, alone in the seats, watching them.
Ye-ryeong questioned Soo-hyuk's claim that it was provocation.
"All that chaos back there was for you?"
Thinking about it, it had been flashy.
The Heavenly Demon she knew could've swept Elfrado's rankers with simple sword strikes. Yet he unleashed grand techniques in succession.
If that was to catch Soo-hyuk's eye?
Glancing at his eyes for confirmation, Soo-hyuk nodded assuredly.
"Yeah."
"...In that case."
Ye-ryeong stepped back.
As she sheathed her half-drawn dagger, Unhyang did the same. Si-woo and Hyo-min followed.
He had shown off first: Look how I fight. Ignoring it would bruise their pride.
Especially for the viewers.
If the Heavenly Demon fights like that, then Lee Soo-hyuk fights like this.
Step—.
Soo-hyuk walked toward Runeterra's mages.
As he approached alone, leaving his guildmates, Akseon scowled coldly.
"Trying to imitate the Heavenly Demon?"
He took it as condescension for facing them solo.
"If not looking down on us, then... "
"That's understandable."
Soo-hyuk stopped at a distance.
Then, looking from Akseon to their leader, Megnus, he said,
"I know words alone won't convince you I'm not underestimating you."
Soo-hyuk's demeanor felt different—polite yet imposing, dignified.
The two watched, curious what he'd say.
If not arrogance, then what?
"It's just—"
Krrackle—.
Golden lightning wrapped around Soo-hyuk's body.
"...I'm stronger than the Heavenly Demon."