Chapter 454: Conquest of the Demon Realm (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 454: Conquest of the Demon Realm (9)
His past life.
When Baek Joong-hyuk reached the Realm of Heaven, he stood upon the training ground to test his newfound strength.
"So, you want me to go all out?"
"Yes."
His opponent was the Blood Demon.
He was the undisputed strongest expert of the Demonic Cult, a man who had achieved illustrious deeds during the conquest of Murim. He looked at Baek Joong-hyuk with a strange, cautious gaze. Though he had always harbored the secret ambition to surpass Baek Joong-hyuk, it was rare for his liege to initiate a spar like this.
The explanation was simple.
Baek Joong-hyuk had broken through to a new realm and needed a sparring partner to test his power.
There was no reason to refuse.
Drawing his blade, the Blood Demon unleashed a fierce aura against Baek Joong-hyuk.
Shring.
"I do not know how to hold back. Even if you are injured, please do not consider it treason."
Coincidentally, the Blood Demon had also made some recent breakthroughs.
He had been looking for an opportunity to test his skills against Baek Joong-hyuk, so he gladly accepted the offer. Of course, despite his bold words, he lacked the confidence to actually win. Baek Joong-hyuk was already an absolute monster during the conquest of Murim; if he had ascended to an even higher realm, then no matter how desperately the Blood Demon struggled, victory would be impossible.
Even so.
He wanted to clash.
Amidst the suffocating tension, the Blood Demon launched the first strike.
And then, he saw it.
A destructive power that painted the world white, sweeping away his very existence in a single, absolute blow.
Thud.
"Cough!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Left in a wretched state, the Blood Demon looked up at Baek Joong-hyuk, who was gazing down at him with an incredulous expression. The Blood Demon had thought he had caught up, even if just a little. But the moment he experienced that single strike, he had no choice but to accept the reality he had so desperately wished to deny.
"...I must give up now. Catching up to you, my Lord, is impossible for anyone."
From that day on.
No one challenged Baek Joong-hyuk.
Of course, there were always arrogant fools who didn't know their place, but their heads were severed before they could even pass the trials Baek Joong-hyuk had set up. On the contrary, those who could truly be called experts never dared speak of challenging him. Knowing the sheer heights of the realm he had reached, and having experienced a martial prowess far more overwhelming than during the conquest of Murim, they revered him as a being beyond human.
It was a lonely life.
Though his desire for strength remained unchanged, the utter lack of anyone who could match his skills plunged Baek Joong-hyuk into a deep, suffocating solitude.
It was boring.
It was tedious.
He could no longer go all out against anyone, and he was never granted a single, blood-pumping battle.
Even as he swung his sword day after day, a hollow sense of futility washed over him. He had no goals left.
So, he always dreamed.
He dreamed that one day, an opponent capable of blocking his strike would finally appear.
Only then could he exert his full power.
Only then could he truly bare his true self.
* * *
The atmosphere shifted.
The word "fun."
The moment that word left Roman Dmitry's mouth, the Demon King felt deeply insulted, as if he were being looked down upon by a mere human.
But that was all he had time to feel.
Before he could even act on his anger, Roman Dmitry had already closed the distance, appearing right before his eyes.
[Demon King, use your full power.]
It was a Voice Transmission.
As the voice pierced his mind, Roman Dmitry's attack swept toward his legs.
"How dare you!"
Boom!
Rumble!
He channeled his magic power.
Mana, boiling as explosively as his massive body, crashed down toward Roman Dmitry's head. However, just before the attack struck, Roman twisted his body as if he had anticipated the exact trajectory. It was a movement that evaded the blow by a hair's breadth, and by the time the Demon King registered the motion, a burning pain had already flared across his forearm.
Flash!
Blood splattered.
The Demon King's face contorted.
But more alarming than the pain was the fact that Roman Dmitry had vanished from his sight.
Swish!
Rumble!
He had penetrated the blind spot.
Anticipating the natural reaction that would follow the slash to the arm, Roman Dmitry slipped completely outside the Demon King's field of vision. By the time the Demon King realized his presence, Roman's blade had already carved into his leg. Infuriated by the grazing blow, the Demon King spread his massive wings and conjured hundreds of projectiles of condensed dark mana.
"Die!"
Boom!
Crash! Rumble!
Magic power poured from the sky like a torrential rain.
If Roman intended to dart around like a flying squirrel, the Demon King would simply devastate the entire surrounding area.
At that moment.
Flash!
Rumble!
A massive aura cleaved through space.
Faced with a strike aimed directly at him, the Demon King had to hastily dodge. Even so, his wing was torn apart, sending him crashing to the ground. It was an unbelievable attack. Up until now, Roman Dmitry had restricted his release of magic power as much as possible. But just a moment ago, he had completely exploded his magic power using Alexander's style.
It was a flawless application of his skills.
Rather than ignoring his newly acquired knowledge, he actively utilized it to fit the situation.
Dash!
Boom! Crash!
The moment they landed on the ground, they traded fierce blows.
The Demon King countered every single rushing attack from Roman Dmitry, the explosively erupting dark mana sweeping across their surroundings. Yet, none of his attacks connected. Roman Dmitry reacted so quickly, it was as if he had already calculated all of the Demon King's possible responses. When facing Babel, Pibir, and Belzert, Roman had clashed with them head-on in a pure contest of strength. But now, he allowed absolutely no variables.
Only then did the Demon King realize the truth.
Roman Dmitry's way of fighting.
He had never once fought at full strength.
Because no complex mind games had been needed before, he had simply crushed his foes with raw power, forcing everyone to acknowledge his sheer might. But Roman Dmitry regarded the Demon King as a true rival. Completely casting aside any complacency, and armed with the sole determination to defeat the Demon King, Roman pressed forward relentlessly, refusing to give him a single moment to breathe.
Boom!
Rumble!
Aura flashed from all directions.
No matter how the Demon King attacked, Roman Dmitry perfectly countered it—a suffocating style of combat even the Demon King had never experienced before.
"Roman Dmitry!"
Rumble!
The Demon King's presence swelled.
The magic power erupting from him surged like a massive black sun, sweeping forward to obliterate Roman Dmitry. It was an immense, apocalyptic power. This time, he created a situation where there was absolutely no room to escape, forcing any living being caught in that space to face the attack head-on.
Rumble!
Amidst the roaring dark mana.
Roman Dmitry stood his ground.
He took a defensive stance.
It was Iron Block.
Instead of evading, he plunged straight into the heart of the dark mana. Once again, Roman Dmitry unleashed the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, accompanied by the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step.
Flash!
Boom! Crash!
It was a stupendous strike.
Faced with a blow that seamlessly shifted stances to match the situation, the Demon King met a force that tore right through his gathered magic power. This was truly dangerous. Realizing he might actually be defeated if this continued, he quickly recalled the magic power he had poured into the attack to protect himself.
Boom!
Crash! Rumble!
They collided head-on.
Under an intense impact that felt as if it would annihilate his very existence, the Demon King momentarily lost track of his opponent.
And that brief opening.
Swish!
"...?!"
Roman Dmitry did not miss it.
Having closed the distance in an instant, his blade sliced straight through the Demon King's chest.
Spurt!
Blood splattered.
It was impossible to block.
As his tough outer hide split open like tofu, the Demon King met Roman Dmitry's cold gaze with trembling eyes.
'Am I being pushed back right now?'
Disadvantage.
It was something the Demon King could absolutely not accept.
It was a reality he had never once experienced.
* * *
Fiss.
Fisssss.
Dark mana leaked from his chest.
Staring down at the wound where dark red blood dripped steadily, the Demon King was thrown into immense internal chaos.
'If this continues, I will lose.'
It was unbelievable.
It was unacceptable.
It was a reality he had never once imagined.
The Demon King had wished for a strong opponent to threaten him in his tedious life, but now that he was on the verge of actual defeat, he didn't find it the least bit enjoyable. This was the fundamental difference between him and Roman Dmitry. Unlike Roman, who had clawed his way up from the very bottom, the Demon King had never once existed as a weakling.
From the moment of his birth.
The Demon King was powerful.
He overwhelmed everyone without even trying, and when the era of Great Chaos arrived, he naturally ascended to the throne of the Demon King.
It was his birthright.
Yet, now that he felt a true sense of danger, all of his senses sharpened acutely. Roman Dmitry was a being who had reached the Divine Realm. If the Demon King let his guard down for even a second, he would be defeated. He would suffer the exact same fate as the three Legion Commanders who had died fighting this monster.
'I am the absolute ruler of the Demon Realm. Against anyone, I must always remain the absolute ruler.'
In reality, his contemplation lasted only a split second.
Watching Roman Dmitry charge in, the Demon King finally accepted the reality of being cornered.
"I, too, acknowledge you. And by crushing you, I shall be reborn as the true absolute ruler!"
Boom!
Rumble!
He unleashed his magic power.
His eyes were dyed a brilliant violet hue.
It was the absolute authority of the Demon King.
He absorbed the power of the Demon Realm into his entire body.
This was the world he ruled, and the dark mana—rooted in blood and death—constituted the entirety of this realm. Magic power surged frantically. His explosively amplifying presence made his physical form grow colossal.
"I will not be defeated."
He wished for competition.
But he did not desire defeat.
He wished for a strong opponent.
But he did not want them to be his equal.
From this moment on, to strike down the human named Roman Dmitry, the Demon King would also stake his very life.
* * *
He spread both arms.
As if to embrace the rushing Roman Dmitry, the Demon King fully unleashed his massive presence and detonated his magic power.
"O darkness, obey my command."
Flash!
Whoosh!
The wind howled.
A pitch-black wind formed a vortex, spewing a massive amount of dark mana as if it intended to swallow the world whole. Darkness erupted along the path Roman Dmitry charged. A tremendous explosion completely annihilated the vicinity, but as Roman relentlessly dodged and pushed forward, the Demon King bared his savage fangs.
Whoosh!
Rumble!
A massive fist slammed down.
Now grown so colossal that Roman Dmitry looked like a mere insect, the Demon King tracked Roman's movements and unleashed a barrage of indiscriminate attacks. Even amidst this onslaught, Roman Dmitry did not retreat. Facing the Demon King's attacks head-on, he sliced through his flesh time and time again, constantly penetrating his blind spots.
Swish!
Rumble!
It was a fierce, apocalyptic battle.
Neither yielded a single inch, and the shockwaves of their power surged so violently that no living creature could even approach the area.
The Demon King and Roman Dmitry.
They were beings beyond the heavens.
They had surpassed the limits of mortal creatures, clearly demonstrating what it meant to enter the Divine Realm. A single moment of carelessness would lead directly to death. When the Demon King's magic power erupted, Roman Dmitry carved through space to charge; when Roman attempted a counterattack, the Demon King utilized his massive body, refusing to be pushed back.
The world shook with every clash. In this suffocatingly intense entanglement, unlike the Demon King, Roman Dmitry felt genuinely thrilled.
'I have long yearned for a moment like this.'
The foe before him.
He was an opponent who could not be subdued by mere raw power.
Therefore, Roman could not simply rely on the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique alone; he had to constantly use his wits and instincts to create opportunities. It was a feeling he had not experienced in a very long time. Back when he was at the absolute bottom, when he could not survive without fighting desperately, standing at the crossroads of life and death had been a familiar environment to Roman Dmitry.
Boom!
Crash! Rumble!
No matter what attack was thrown, it was countered.
His mind spun rapidly.
After blocking the explosively erupting magic power, Roman slashed his opponent's arm. Then, dodging the Demon King's counterattack, he carved into his torso. The moment he sliced through the chest that had already regenerated, the Demon King—as if he had intended to sacrifice his flesh from the very beginning—fired a beam of destructive energy from his violet-dyed eyes.
Boom! Crash!
It was a passionate, fierce struggle.
Their very existences intertwined in combat.
As they traded these devastating blows, both the Demon King and Roman Dmitry instinctively sensed an opportunity.
Whoosh!
It happened in a split second.
The Demon King gathered all his magic power.
Stepping repeatedly with the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step, Roman Dmitry drew upon the power of his technique's latter half forms to clash head-on.
"Roman Dmitry!"
Rumble!
Rumble! Crash!
The Demon King's eyes widened.
Just as he was about to completely crush Roman Dmitry, he witnessed an unexpected sight. The Demon King's magic power surged forward like a tidal wave. Roman Dmitry, whom he naturally expected to confront the attack head-on, suddenly changed direction. The Heavenly Demon Sword Technique was not used. After baiting the Demon King into thinking he would act according to his previous patterns, Roman Dmitry slipped into the only sliver of space left untouched by the surging magic power.
The Demon King hastily redirected his magic power.
In a fraction of a second that ordinary beings could not even comprehend, the Demon King reacted with terrifying swiftness.
At that exact moment.
Flash!
Thuck!
Blood splattered.
There was clearly a vast distance between him and Roman Dmitry, yet Roman's sword flew through the air like a streak of light and pierced straight through the Demon King's heart.
His eyes trembled.
It was an unbelievable sight.
It was a technique he had never seen before.
The Flying Sword Technique.
Though it did not possess the overwhelming raw power of the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, it perfectly exploited the Demon King's blind spot, dealing the most fatal blow possible at the perfect moment.