Chapter 318
Chapter 318
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 318
Chapter Title: Nightmare (1)
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The border region between the Heaven Realm and Demon Realm. That place served as the exchange point for the Heaven-Demon Allied Forces.
They called it an exchange, but they still eyed each other warily—though the fact that they weren't outright hostile or harming one another while sharing news and information was remarkably unusual and significant.
The Heavenly Race and Demon Race were not only sworn enemies but also constantly scheming to devour each other.
One of the ways the Heavenly Race and Demon Race grew stronger was by consuming beings from the opposing faction.
That was precisely why the demons coveted the hearts of divine beasts so fiercely.
And that, in turn, meant their rage toward Rokan ran so deep it overshadowed even their thirst for power.
“Huh? High Priest, something’s coming from over there.”
“A demonic beast?”
“One of Gmoltan’s underlings?”
“Hm, looks familiar. I think I’ve seen it before—pretty powerful one among Gmoltan’s subordinates.”
“Looks like they’ve got new intel. I’ll go check it out.”
One of the High Priests stationed at the border moved upon spotting one of Gmoltan’s massive demonic beasts.
They had no intention of sharing info with any half-baked fools anyway, and even in this temporary truce and alliance, it wasn’t exactly welcoming for a demonic beast to venture deep into the Heavenly Race’s camp.
*Uncomfortable.*
But he didn’t know. This approaching demonic beast was one that Rokan had already killed and erased long ago.
Some of the other demonic beasts had even noticed this fact, but its movements were so natural that they figured Gmoltan must have revived it—and so they didn’t bother stopping it.
“Demonic beast of Gmoltan, what brings you here?”
“I have a message to deliver.”
And so, the massive demonic beast met with the High Priest of the Heavenly God.
The High Priest regarded it with his usual arrogance, while the massive demonic beast spoke its purpose as if it had expected as much.
“A message? About Rokan?”
“Indeed. He’s probably moving his forces toward the Starting Village by now, right?”
A flinch.
The High Priest hesitated at the tone that implied he already knew everything.
They had indeed used the newly recruited Visitors to pinpoint the guy’s location and hurriedly redirected nearby troops.
*So the coordination isn’t perfect, huh.*
In that brief moment, Rokan—in the guise of the massive demonic beast—grasped the situation. They had formed an alliance somehow, but the cooperation wasn’t flawless.
Otherwise, not just the Heavenly Race but the demonic beasts should have been mobilizing as well.
“Is that so? No idea. As you know, I’ve been stationed here.”
The High Priest feigned ignorance with a stiff expression, but his face had already betrayed everything.
“Then you probably don’t know this either. He’s already slipped away.”
“What?”
“The Visitors couldn’t hold him. He took them out and moved somewhere else.”
Another miss. The High Priest’s eyes wavered.
Why spill this now? To interrogate them for acting alone despite the alliance? No, the tone was too mild for that. If it were demons, they’d be raging and causing a scene by now.
Sensing some other motive, he slowly opened his mouth.
“......Where?”
“According to our intel, it’s right...... Huh?”
At that instant, the massive demonic beast’s eyes widened in shock toward the guy’s back.
It stared at something beyond.
*Whoosh.*
His body turned to follow that gaze—not by will, but instinct. Not just him—the Heavenly Race members watching them from nearby all whipped around, craning their necks to search for whatever the massive demonic beast had seen.
And right then.
*Thud!*
A dull impact struck the High Priest.
*Crunch!*
A black shadow engulfed the crumbling High Priest of the Heavenly God.
The massive demonic beast’s jaws swallowed him whole, its powerful maw beginning to chew.
“N-No!”
“High Priest!”
“Damn demon scum!”
It took the Heavenly Race a few seconds to realize what was happening.
By then, it was already over.
The Heavenly Race had lost one High Priest, trembling with fury at the demons’ betrayal.
“The alliance is broken!”
“Kill them!”
“Revenge for the High Priest!”
It hadn’t been formally declared, but the moment the massive demonic beast devoured the High Priest, everything fell apart. The truce and alliance shattered, and war began.
“Grraaaaaargh!”
Proving it, the massive demonic beast charged like lightning. It tore through the panicking Heavenly Race as they fumbled for their weapons, ripping them apart and shattering their formation.
“Grrrngh!”
“Kill them!”
At this point, the other demonic beasts couldn’t stand idly by.
They didn’t know the full story, but they sure as hell weren’t going to stick their necks out for the Heavenly Race to chop off.
They joined the fray at first to defend themselves, then out of rage toward the enemy faction and hunger for their power.
*Heh heh heh, that should do it.*
They probably hadn’t trusted each other much to begin with, but a backstab like that was bound to ignite fury—especially with their already sour relations.
Having stirred up the mess, Rokan rampaged for a while before slipping away from the battlefield at some point, watching their clash with satisfaction.
Those who had banded together to hunt Rokan were now charging at each other like mortal foes.
“With the fuse lit, time to get moving?”
Their conflict didn’t end at the border. The moment fighting broke out, word spread that the temporary alliance had collapsed, carrying different misunderstandings to each leader.
The Heavenly Race believed Gmoltan had harbored ill intent and struck first; Gmoltan’s side reported that the Heavenly Race had pulled some trick to make his demonic beast attack prematurely.
Everyone who knew about the massive demonic beast that Rokan had transformed into died in the fierce battle, and those who witnessed it were too shell-shocked to recall clearly—deepening the misunderstandings.
Thanks to that, both factions’ main forces began to mobilize.
Instead of chasing Rokan—who fled at the slightest hint—they turned their might toward crushing the enemy faction that dared to stab them in the back.
The Heavenly Race versus the upper-rank demon Gmoltan’s war.
At first glance, it seemed one-sidedly disadvantageous for Gmoltan, but not really.
Gmoltan was level 450, while even the Heavenly Race’s High Priests rarely exceeded 400.
For some reason, no true powerhouses had shown themselves.
*Or maybe what I stirred up was just a branch office.*
The gap between 400 and 450 was stark—too vast for words like “enormous.”
Yet the Heavenly Race had no one even at the level of an upper-rank demon? Impossible. If so, they’d have been devoured by demons long ago.
Demons favored solo play, but they weren’t dumb enough to infight while leaving prime prey like the Heavenly Race untouched.
Thus, the Heavenly Race forces pursuing Rokan now were just a fraction of their total.
If they were the only ones in the war, Gmoltan had a solid shot at victory.
*That’s why he’s moving.*
Rokan, who had pulled back to gather intel, reached his own conclusion.
By disguising as the massive demonic beast and lighting the fuse, he had succeeded in drawing Gmoltan out.
His widespread forces halted their search for Rokan and headed to the Heaven-Demon border.
“Which means their rear defenses have to be lax.”
Rokan’s eyes gleamed as he monitored Gmoltan’s movements.
Then he moved swiftly.
His target: the mine where the werewolves were imprisoned.
Before rampaging in the chaos between Gmoltan and the Heavenly Race, he aimed to free the werewolves first.
Loyalty? Sure, that played a part. But more than that, it was to sow confusion. The mine where they slaved away was awfully close to Gmoltan’s territory.
If they rampaged in the rear, Rokan could roam even more freely.
Worst case, he could use them as bait.
*Lax.*
Arriving at the mine, Rokan observed the situation.
The werewolves, collared with special metal that sealed their power and swinging pickaxes, looked utterly haggard.
Just looking at their faces told tales of their ordeals.
Which was why the number of guarding and supervising demonic beasts wasn’t that high.
Take out the mine manager somewhere, and the rest would scatter in disarray—their numbers were that pitiful. It was bizarre that these weaklings could command werewolves.
*Time to start?*
Having gauged the enemy forces, Rokan slipped into the mine. He could’ve blasted through the entrance, but the thrill of a sneak attack was in taking out the boss first.
The stealth from his item’s skill was mediocre, but the level and stat gap was so huge that even passing right by them, no one noticed.
But the deeper he went, the more he sensed a subtle, familiar aura.
*Huh? This......*
It was the exact sensation from the Sealing Stone Mine.
*No wonder the werewolves can’t use their power.*
Grasping the situation, Rokan felt a spark of anticipation.
He’d scored the Demon God’s blood in the neutral-zone Sealing Stone Mine, hadn’t he? A prime spot for hiding something meant a high chance this place concealed a Heavenly God or Demon God’s arrangement too.
*Deepest part first, though.*
But that could wait. Triggering it might collapse the mine like last time.
Then the powerless werewolves would be buried alive, wasting his trip here.
So Rokan ignored the item’s tremors and focused on finding the mine manager.
*That one?*
It didn’t take long to spot him.
[Mine Manager, Saritan of Subjugation][Lv 395]
*Huh?*
But the figure looked familiar. Like a shrunken-down Gmoltan.
*His son? Perfect.*
Unsure, but that had to be genetic power. And losing a son would enrage any demon into a frenzy.
*Ideal for some mischief.*
Rokan’s eyes turned sly.
“Unicorn Summon, Gale Wind Incarnation, Rider of Legends, Full-Body Charge, Blink!”
It all happened in an instant.
Rokan’s body swelled as he blinked through space, stabbing Saritan’s heart.
“Guh......?”
The guy had been tormenting werewolf slaves and couldn’t react to the blinding speed.
Even level 400 demonic beasts couldn’t dodge it—Saritan had no chance to defend.
His hollow eyes turned to Rokan, who indifferently swung his battle axe.
*Clang.*
The head rolled.
“E-Enemy!”
“Rokan! Rokan’s here!”
Chaos erupted, but that was it. Before the noise could leak out, Rokan and the unicorn charged in opposite directions, slaughtering every demonic beast in the mine.
“Unicorn.”
Rokan patted the unicorn’s back as he surveyed the scattered corpses.
*Ziiiiing.*
In that moment, holy light spread from the unicorn, enveloping the bodies.
It mangled wounds with divinity, leaving traces of holy power amid the mangled flesh.
What would happen if Gmoltan found this?