Chapter 163: United Kingdom (7)
Chapter 163: United Kingdom (7)
The Demonic Humans couldn't help but be flustered when their lines were breached much faster than anticipated.
To the average Demonic Human, the members of Han Shin’s party were opponents they had only heard stories about; facing them in person, they stood no chance at all.
The preparations they had made to stop Han Shin’s group—the ambushes and booby traps laid throughout London’s buildings and streets—were utterly useless.
Every time Laysia slammed her fists into the buildings or the pavement, the ground itself overturned, rendering the booby traps incapable of dealing any damage to the group.
A few traps managed to evade Laysia’s strikes or Kang Yujin’s psychokinesis and exploded near the party, but simple dark magic traps couldn't even scratch those wearing armor forged by Tiamat.
Furthermore, Han Shin’s party had grown significantly stronger through leveling up, allowing them to react to such threats instantly.
Boom! Bang!
“Aaaargh!!”
Screams echoed from all directions alongside the sounds of explosions.
While some were paralyzed by the sheer terror of the party’s strength, others, driven by spite, threw themselves forward in a desperate frenzy.
“Just die already!!”
One Demonic Human rushed forward, eyes wide with madness, swinging a sword with the sole intent of killing Grace.
Slice!
With the sound of a clean amputation, a head went flying backward while the torso collapsed forward.
The Demonic Human died instantly, spraying blood without even getting a chance to scream.
Grace, like Han Shin, wore the silver armor gifted by Tiamat. However, unlike Han Shin’s, her design leaned closer to a set of plate armor that gave off a rugged yet refined impression.
The sleek metal harmonized straight lines and curves to fit her physique; it was so artistic that one couldn't help but think it was beautiful rather than heavy or cumbersome.
Grace usually didn't wear her helmet.
In truth, a helmet was somewhat meaningless for a Follower. Those weaker than her couldn't even land a hit on her head, and against those stronger than her, a helmet wouldn't make much of a difference anyway.
She only wore it when necessary, and since she could instantly equip her gear through subspace, it wasn't a major inconvenience.
Because of her name and the feminine design of her armor, it was well-known that Grace was a female knight.
Consequently, the public, including other Awakeners, often fantasized about her hidden appearance.
Naturally, there were debates over whether she was a beauty or not, but the majority leaned toward the former, driven by the collective hope that she was indeed stunning.
The Awakeners from the large French clans currently facing Grace were no different.
Even before they became Demonic Humans, they had wondered what Grace looked like.
Some had even blustered before the confrontation, claiming they would rip off Grace’s and Laysia’s helmets to see their faces.
Of course, many of those who had laughed while making such lewd remarks about violating the two women had already been turned into cold corpses.
The force of Demonic Humans consisted of eight large French clans and two large Italian clans that had secretly crossed over, totaling just over ten thousand.
No matter how strong the Moon Shadow Party—a force of the Benevolent Gods—was, they were still beings of flesh and blood.
Moreover, after thoroughly analyzing the battle that took place in Aokigahara, Japan, the Demonic Humans had concluded that the party wasn't as invincible as rumored and that they had been quite exhausted after consuming a great deal of power back then.
Because of this, the Demonic Humans had been absolutely confident in their victory, but now they were experiencing firsthand the strength of Han Shin’s party, which had grown even more formidable since Japan.
Grace, who cut through the bodies of Demonic Humans like radishes with every swing of her silver, crescent-shaped sword energy, was a massive threat...
But the one who instilled the most primal fear into the former Awakeners was Wolyeong.
Everyone knew that the woman draped in a black robe and a black veil was Wolyeong, the world’s only S-Rank psychokinetic.
Though she was famous as an S-Rank psychokinetic, she had remained shrouded in mystery.
The reason Kang Yujin operated as Wolyeong was to cover Han Shin’s hospital bills after his accident and to save enough money for the two of them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Intending to retire once she reached her goal, she had mostly operated quietly within Korea, only occasionally clearing dungeons in Japan upon request. Thus, Awakeners in the West had never truly experienced her power.
Naturally, many believed her reputation was exaggerated.
Psychokinetics were a rare type of Awakener to begin with, and low-rank psychokinetics were often looked down upon because they couldn't exert as much practical power as mages.
Thus, there was a strong prejudice that even an S-Rank psychokinetic couldn't be that strong.
It was only after they were caught in her psychokinesis—having their limbs torn off or their entire bodies crushed into disability—and witnessed their comrades suffering the same fate that they realized how wrong they had been.
The advantage of overwhelming numbers?
Right now, they couldn't even properly engage the Moon Shadow Party; they were simply being slaughtered in a one-sided massacre.
Only a few hours ago, these Demonic Humans had been amusing themselves by massacring and tormenting defenseless civilians. Now, they were paying the price for their atrocities.
It was clear that more powerful Demonic Humans had to step up.
The elites of the large French clans, now turned into Demonic Humans, moved forward to block Han Shin’s path.
★ ★ ★
Before they knew it, Han Shin’s group had reached the banks of the River Thames. Across the water, Big Ben stood transformed into a hideous Black Spire.
Glancing at it, Han Shin swung his spear rapidly, shredding the Demonic Humans rushing toward him.
We’re almost there.
At that moment, Han Shin suddenly felt a change in the air.
What is this?
Zombies and Demonic Humans were still charging, and a fierce battle was ongoing, with Han Shin’s party holding the overwhelming upper hand.
Quickly scanning the surroundings to identify the change, Han Shin spotted a group of Demonic Humans who had just made their appearance.
Han Shin possessed a remarkably wide field of vision in combat; he constantly monitored his surroundings, committing everything to memory while contemplating how to react and fight.
Because of this, he memorized the positions of the Demonic Humans around him, as well as their weapons and equipment, as much as possible.
However, these newcomers were unlike any he had seen so far.
Some had mutated into monster-like forms with overdeveloped muscles and bulging veins, likely due to their constitutions or excessive absorption of dark mana. Yet, there were others who showed no outward physical changes at all.
Han Shin’s instincts warned him that the latter type was far more dangerous and possessed immense power.
In truth, Han Shin hadn't been particularly interested in France’s top-tier Awakeners.
Back when he was an ordinary citizen, his knowledge of Awakeners was limited to what he’d picked up on the internet, and he only knew a few names of Korean Awakeners.
He had only begun to gather more information after his accident two years ago, once he was finally able to move enough to use a computer.
The Demonic Humans currently standing before him were quite famous in the Awakener society.
They were the top-tier Awakeners of France’s large clans. Although their clan leaders weren't present, these individuals were the elite of the elite.
Many of them were quite popular, not only for their individual strength but also for their handsome and beautiful appearances.
It was actually stranger not to recognize them, but that was Han Shin for you.
Han Shin acknowledged that these new Demonic Humans were more threatening than the previous ones, but that was the extent of his concern.
Clang!
For the first time, a Demonic Human appeared who could parry Han Shin’s spear.
It was a man with the refined, noble features of a young aristocrat.
Albert was a representative swordsman of the Mirabeau Clan, one of France’s major clans, and was famous for his swordsmanship using a rapier.
The rapier that had blocked Tiamat’s silver spear was surging with black energy; he had become a Demonic Human capable of manipulating dark mana at will.
His appearance was identical to how it had been before his transformation, but he was no longer the beautiful, noble swordsman beloved by many.
In reality, he had been a notorious womanizer who knew exactly how to use his looks to his advantage.
Despite dating countless women, there were always more clinging to him. The reason he had led such a debauched life was that he had hit a wall in his growth as an Awakener.
The higher he climbed as a top-tier Awakener, the more clearly he felt the limits of his strength, leading to an immense sense of loss.
In a way, he had been a passionate man, but such individuals were easily corrupted with just a slight push. Now that he was a Demonic Human, his inner self was no different from a demon.
When the demon Mammon allowed him to break through the wall that had blocked him for so long, he became a truly loyal servant of the devil.
A top-tier Awakener becoming a Demonic Human was a terrifying prospect.
Han Shin looked at the handsome, blonde swordsman who had parried his spear with eyes that had turned cold and sharp.