Chapter 422
Chapter 422
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 422
Chapter Title: Feast of Endless Greed
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Guuuuuum-.
A massive explosion rocked the earth with enough force to shake the ground.
The sky turned crimson, and the surrounding temperature began to rise.
"Looks like they've started over there too."
Jin-un nodded at Hyo-min's words.
As if on cue, battles erupted simultaneously everywhere. The signal for it all was Hielz's fireworks.
"I've never seen flames that hot before."
Like everyone else, Jin-un acknowledged Hielz as the greatest mage.
Her magic was devastating. It wasn't for nothing that people said the grand mage was approaching the realm of the Heavenly Demon.
But in truth, Hielz rarely unleashed her full power.
She had few occasions to go all out unless she was facing the real Heavenly Demon.
"That means the Demon King has arrived there too."
"Won't that be dangerous?"
"Shouldn't we be the ones worrying right now?"
Crunch-.
The white tiger bit down on a demon and chewed. The demon's bones shattered completely, ending its life.
The tiger spat out the corpse, and the fox goddess Yora gently wrapped her tail around Hyo-min.
Whoosh-.
A cluster of dark greed lunged at Hyo-min and Jin-un but fled upon meeting Yora's gaze. As greeds swarmed from all directions, Woo Seo-hyun raised her gun.
"Dieeee-!"
Bangbangbang-.
Mana bullets poured out like a waterfall.
The black greeds crowding everywhere were torn to shreds. Holes punched through the bodies of demons charging with claws extended.
It looked like indiscriminate firing, but it wasn't.
Even amid the chaos, Woo Seo-hyun's shots were precise and refined.
Vreeee-.
A single bullet condensed with overwhelming power.
Bang-!
That bullet aided Unhyang, who was battling at the forefront. It perfectly pierced the head of a demon lunging at Unhyang from behind.
The four fought in perfect sync. Hyo-min provided support, Woo Seo-hyun offered covering fire, and Unhyang handled the front line.
Jin-un set up a formation.
For a formation master like him, time was power. Dealing with these pathetic demons was one thing, but battling a Demon King with a hastily made formation was impossible.
The good news was that the Demon King's ass was pretty heavy.
"Is it that desperate for a meal?"
Hyo-min stared at the shadowy mass writhing in the distance.
The Demon King of Greed, Bartrolion, was so indistinct that no facial features were visible.
Even now, greeds were gathering around Bartrolion.
Dark greeds blanketed the entire village.
They devoured the sleeping demons, channeling that power to Bartrolion.
And even...
Munch-.
...the subordinate demons dying right here were the same.
The greed chewed up the body of a demon just bisected by Unhyang's sword. The other demons didn't panic; this wasn't new to them.
"What's so great about a guy like that to follow him?"
"You think they follow because they like him?"
Woo Seo-hyun said as she charged mana into her gun.
"They follow out of fear. They know they could be eaten at any moment."
"Yeah, probably."
"We can't ignore it. I can't even imagine how much power he's accumulated."
Click-.
Woo Seo-hyun, her bullets fully loaded with mana, aimed her gun.
The barrel pointed straight at Bartrolion.
"Can I fire?"
A question asking if preparations were complete.
Jin-un nodded.
"Go ahead."
He had no intention of leisurely preparing while everyone else fought. Jin-un had rushed his setup as much as possible.
With permission granted, a smile crept across Woo Seo-hyun's lips.
"Today, I'm killing you and getting my discharge."
Whoosh-!
The fired bullet erupted like an explosion, sweeping over Bartrolion's body. The spreading shot destroyed everything in its path.
But the bullet didn't reach Bartrolion's body.
Wriggle-.
The mouths on Bartrolion's hand sucked in the mana.
As if anticipating this, Woo Seo-hyun kept firing. Boom, boom boom! Several bullets pierced Bartrolion's body, punching holes through it.
Screee-.
Amid the black flames, Bartrolion's smile appeared.
A grating sound like misaligned gears forcing their way around. Jin-un clapped his hands at that repulsive grin.
Clap-.
"Maybe that'll teach it not to overreach."
Whoosh-.
The world changed.
In the pitch-black darkness.
Clankclankclank-.
Ten thousand chains extended, wrapping around Bartrolion's body. Thick chains layered over one another, binding him tight.
Ten thousand chains unfurled in the black night.
The Demon King's body, sealed by them, writhed. Following Jin-un's restraint, the finishing blow came from Unhyang.
Red energy swirled around Unhyang's body, bolstered by Hyo-min's buff.
Unhyang no longer hesitated to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. For the first time since birth, she fully unleashed the techniques taught by the Heavenly Demon.
Whoosh-!
Not a sword, but a swing of blood itself—a single slash cleaved Bartrolion's body in one stroke. Crack—the rippling black smoke split in half.
Did it really get cut?
Unhyang glanced down at her hands. Something felt off.
Fwhoosh-.
The moment she instinctively leaped back.
Whoosh-.
Bartrolion's smoke engulfed the spot where Unhyang had stood.
The Demon King of Greed didn't die. The fiercely churning smoke converged again, restoring his original form.
Unhyang, stepping through footwork, rejoined the group. She reflexively checked her blade's edge.
"No notch."
The blade was chipped.
Not literally chipped, but in that slash, Bartrolion had tried to devour the sword itself.
Crunch crunch-.
Bartrolion grew larger, gnawing at the chains of the Black Night Myriad Chains Formation.
Millions of teeth devoured the chains. It looked like a monster ignorant of fullness.
He embodied the greed of the entire world. After gluttonously consuming the chains, Bartrolion finally spoke for the first time.
"Not bad."
Hundreds of thousands of mouths spoke in unison, making the air rumble.
Bulge-.
His body swelled even larger.
"It's been ages since I felt this hunger."
Growing bigger only deepened his hunger, it seemed.
His size kept expanding without end.
Unhyang stepped forward, unable to watch any longer, but Jin-un held her back.
"What are you planning?"
"Gotta slash it again. Hyo-min unnie, please buff me."
"You're going to clash head-on with that thing?"
"We can't just wait for it to keep growing."
She wasn't wrong.
Already, the demonic energy emanating from Bartrolion was intensifying.
If this continued, it'd become unmanageable. Knowing that, Jin-un couldn't outright stop her.
"Transformations are a game of patience—and waiting wins."
"...Be careful."
"Yes."
Shhh-.
Unhyang's hair partially turned red. Her eyes flashed as the Heavenly Demon Demonic Union rippled.
"Don't worry."
Fwhoosh-.
Unhyang shot forward, vanishing from her spot.
She dashed across the gigantic body of Bartrolion. Its greeds opened mouths toward her.
Tututututu-!
Woo Seo-hyun's bullets were effective.
Having survived a lifetime fighting demons, her skill was the real deal.
With Woo Seo-hyun's cover, Unhyang raced atop Bartrolion's body. Her sword danced through techniques.
Unhyang's shadows split apart, raining blades on Bartrolion's body. As her shadows multiplied to ten in an instant, slashing away, Unhyang prepared the next technique.
'I have to accept it.'
Kiririririk-.
Her sword emitted a precarious sound, as if it might snap any moment.
The Heavenly Demon Demonic Union infused the blade. This was the step to advance the Heavenly Demon Divine Art further.
Kikikikik-.
The sword screamed. That meant the power within it was on another level entirely.
A technique she had never accepted or used before.
Kweeiii-!
From earth to sky, a single red sword beam slashed in one stroke.
A crimson line scarred Bartrolion's body. Against the red sky from Hielz's magic, an even brighter red line appeared.
Fwoooosh-!
Bartrolion's halved body scattered into pieces.
Like a massive object splitting, billions of greeds poured from his form.
Unhyang slashed and slashed the greeds lunging at her. She no longer hesitated to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art or its techniques.
At some point, the screaming sword roared in triumph. Feeling one with the blade, Unhyang experienced an unprecedented thrill.
Crack-.
A greed bursting from Bartrolion's body tried to swallow Unhyang.
With lighter movements than ever, she swung her sword, slicing the greed and breaking free.
Unhyang entered a trance. With power overflowing inside her, she felt she could cut down anyone.
-You've finally reached it.
A chilling voice whispered in her ear right then.
Normally, she would have frozen in fear at that voice.
'Not now.'
Ignoring it, Unhyang focused on the enemy before her.
She slashed Bartrolion's greeds, again and again. Even after cutting what felt like the world's greed, it never ended.
Unhyang slashed endlessly.
Movements like she was possessed.
"Is that... really Unhyang?"
Hyo-min asked in awe. Woo Seo-hyun struggled to track her, unsure where to aim.
Though she fought well, Jin-un still worried.
"It might not be."
"What do you mean?"
"The Heavenly Demon Demonic Union stems from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
Meaning she might be consumed by it.
Hyo-min looked at Unhyang with worry. Hyo-min's divine beasts guarded the three, but Unhyang fought alone up front.
Kweeiii-.
Diving into the greeds, Unhyang unleashed another sword beam. Dozens bit into her, but it was futile. She cloaked herself in Heavenly Demon Blood Armor.
Surrounded by the ultimate protective aura, wielding red sword energy, Unhyang suddenly faltered.
Regaining her senses, she felt her mana depleted.
Clankclankclank-.
Jin-un's chains flew in from all sides again. Seeing her stop, he activated the formation to help.
But...
Crunch-.
Not enough to block the countless greeds. They devoured the chains gluttonously.
In the end, the chains were mere illusions of mana.
Slither-.
From Bartrolion's reforming body, two hands extended.
The Demon King of Greed revealed his true form. Eyes hidden by filthy hair now showed.
He gazed at Unhyang with eyes full of greed.
"Finally, I can eat safely."
The moment their eyes met, Unhyang realized.
She had been a frog in slowly boiling water. Thrashing without knowing death approached.
Bartrolion's extending hand grabbed her shoulder. Slither—the Heavenly Demon Blood Armor unraveled. Her mana was completely gone.
Crack-.
Bartrolion's maw opened wide.
"No!"
Hyo-min screamed and charged. Jin-un hurriedly prepared a formation and clapped, Woo Seo-hyun aimed her gun.
But greeds blocked them all. Bartrolion's accumulated greed over eons was endless.
Then...
"—Let her go."
Someone cleaved through the greeds and appeared.
"She's my daughter."