Chapter 276
Chapter 276
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 276
>Chapter Title: The Heavenly Demon, War Maniac
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>“Damn it... Isn’t it too much to bring those bastards along too?”
Ast grumbled with a face like he’d just chewed shit.
Buuung—Kaaang!
Even as he complained, his hands never stopped moving.
To be precise, they couldn’t.
He was too busy parrying attacks pouring in from all sides.
His guildmates weren’t faring much better.
Kaaang! Kang!
The shrill clash of metal rang out.
“Push them back!”
“Hold the line! One breach and we’re done for—push with everything you’ve got!”
“White Horse Unit, charge!”
“Shields up!”
Sparks flew as steel met steel, the White Horse Unit tangling with Babylon’s forces in a dazzling clash of combat.
Up to this point, there were no issues.
Heaven Beyond Heaven’s White Horse Unit was renowned, but Babylon’s firepower was no slouch either—they could hold their own.
“Twenty more minutes... Just one more big hit and we’ve got a shot at victory.”
“Help the Master buy time!”
“Today, one of us goes down! Let’s wipe these arrogant Heaven Beyond Heaven scum off the continent!”
If they could just hold out, victory might be theirs.
Ast had that one big shot they lacked.
And it wasn’t just any shot.
[+15 Great Dragon Slayer’s Mace]
‘It’s a shame to use it, but no choice.’
A top-enhanced Legendary+ relic-grade mace.
One of the finest weapons in Ast’s inventory, carefully stored away.
With its transcendent upgrade ability, he could turn that vaunted White Horse Unit into a pile of dust.
Just hold out until then, and they’d win.
That certainty was boosting Babylon’s morale.
Taat!
Seokeok—Splat—
“Arrrgh!”
“Guhk!”
“W-What? What’s happening in the rear?”
“S-Someone’s broken through from behind!”
“Who the hell would invade in this situation?!”
That certainty lasted until they appeared.
To block Heaven Beyond Heaven’s White Horse Unit, their forces had concentrated up front, leaving the rear vulnerable to a raid.
Knights clad in gleaming armor, wielding swords like works of art.
A holy aura faintly emanated from them, and ornate crosses adorned their chests.
“...Paladins?”
“That crest! It’s The King!”
“The King’s joined the fray! Everyone, snap to and defend the rear!”
“No, splitting our forces is dangerous! I’ll handle the paladins—hold the front!”
The mark symbolizing one of the Top 10 Guilds, The King.
The finest paladins under God Ose had come to aid Heaven Beyond Heaven.
The one silver lining was that their Master, Arthur, was nowhere in sight—but things weren’t looking good.
“Rudy? My god! It’s the Ten Holy Knights!”
“Why are those guys here...?”
It was the arrival of The King’s elite, the Ten Holy Knights.
Ten knights whose combined might rivaled the officers of all other Top 10 Guilds.
Seokeok—Splat—!
Proving it no exaggeration, the Ten Holy Knights carved mercilessly through Babylon’s guildmates surging toward them.
The vice master hurriedly led a small detachment to block them, but even holding ground was a struggle.
They were being pushed back bit by bit, visible even from afar.
‘Even that guy’s struggling... Maybe the rumors weren’t exaggerated.’
This was a disaster.
A dead-even tug-of-war could tip with one extra person—but this was like a horde of heavyweights piling onto the rope.
“I never thought that stickler Arthur would stoop to something this sneaky.”
“Sneaky? It’s smart. And that’s exactly why his stickler nature bites him in the ass.”
“What?”
“He’s gotta settle the debt he owes Damien. He could just ignore it, but that guy’s principles won’t let him... Men and their pointless obsessions.”
Xiao curled her lip in a mocking sneer.
Ast’s furrowed brow deepened, but she kept yapping without a care.
“Didn’t you say one of us goes down today? Too bad. It’s Babylon.”
“...Rotten bitch.”
“Hehe, knowing it’s the last time I’ll hear that crude mouth of yours makes it a little less disgusting. The best-looking ugly mug I’ve seen lately?”
He burned to grab that flapping jaw and yank it like pulling weeds.
But now wasn’t the time for rage.
Just as she said, if this kept up, it’d end in total annihilation.
Lose his cool and go berserk, and the guildmates trusting him would all stare at gray screens.
‘Kkukku’s off with Kaiser... Argh, how long is Sword Saint gonna train? Do your rank justice in moderation. No word from the bastard.’
When training, the guy locked whispers to focus, so no messages got through.
He worried if Kaiser and Kkukku were faring better, or if it was just this side.
No alliances with other Top 10 Guilds.
Especially after it came out that Kaiser’s old comrade was involved—good if they didn’t bite.
Seokeok—Splat—Kaaang!
“Gahk!”
“Kuuh...”
“Damn... If we could just deal with those guys...”
A careful scan yielded no answers.
Just the thickening aura of defeat.
‘...This is it, huh.’
In Delrock, four of them fearless without some grand faction.
Now, with far more numbers, they floundered pathetically.
‘Sigh, figures for me. What’s this “my own legion” bullshit.’
Building his own legion.
A dream soured by the dead game’s lack of players.
He’d finally achieved it, only for it to vanish so hollowly—leaving him hollow too.
Pfft.
Ast let out a bitter chuckle, drawing the Great Dragon Slayer’s Mace from his inventory.
Cherished and kept safe.
“No way I’m going down without a fight.”
Even in defeat, he’d smash a big one into that smirking prick’s face.
At minimum, he’d take Xiao with him.
That resolve firm, as Ast summoned the spirit beast to devour his weapon—
Chwaaa—
“...?”
Ast’s steely face cracked, eyes widening as he looked up.
‘Blood?’
A fountain of blood erupted into the sky.
No, not the sky.
The swarming flying white horses overhead plummeted, wings severed, spewing blood in unison.
“Wha—?”
“Wh-What the—suddenly...”
“Th-They’re falling!”
Stunned only briefly by the bewildering scene.
Babylon’s guildmates wouldn’t miss the chance as the horses crashed down ingloriously—they swiftly ended them.
“What the...”
Xiao’s face went slack watching it unfold.
Flying white horses were rare, reserved for Heaven Beyond Heaven’s top brass—only one unit existed.
And that unit was now wiped out.
In one inexplicable ambush, just like that.
“Ah...”
“...”
The battlefield fell deathly silent for a moment.
The clash of steel halted, all heads turning up as if by agreement.
That must be why.
Step.
The low footfalls rang so clearly.
Step. Step.
Leisurely strides.
She walked ramrod straight, exuding an aloof aura.
Her black dobok and long black hair accentuated skin like flawless porcelain.
Step.
Finally revealed, she swept the battlefield with pitch-black eyes.
As those eyes passed over the guildmates, Ten Holy Knights, Xiao—and landed on Ast—her lips curved, and an aloof voice flowed out.
“What are you doing with my sandbag?”
“...Your what?”
Baffled by the nonsense, Xiao snapped to and shouted.
“Heavenly Demon, what the hell is this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought we had an alliance agreement. You think you can betray us and walk away?”
The five guilds that agreed to this war.
With Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—one of them—stabbing them in the back, Xiao didn’t hide her rebuke.
Blatant pressure, but the Heavenly Demon merely tilted her head leisurely.
“Alliance? I never agreed to that.”
“...What? You got the ring because you agreed, didn’t you?”
“And?”
“? You blocked our side and sent the letter too. You agreed because you saw Kaiser as a threat—er, a nuisance, right?”
As if just remembering, the Heavenly Demon let out an “Aah” and grinned.
“Oh, right. Was that what it said? Too annoying to check the letter—good call.”
“What?”
“Xiao. Do you think I’m the type to lack principles and join something this sleazy?”
“...What did you just say?”
Xiao’s glare turned murderous, but the Heavenly Demon was unfazed.
“If you lack the skill, stay in your lane. Scrabbling to win as a mob doesn’t look good.”
“Eek...!”
She even topped it with a sneer, utterly devoid of malice.
Just stating facts in a flat tone.
Unaware it only irked Xiao more.
“You think you’ll get away with this? You’ve poked the wrong bear—really wrong... I’ll make you regret it... utterly miserable...”
Ignoring Xiao’s frantic yells, the Heavenly Demon calmly met Ast’s eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
“Got lost.”
“...Lost in a labyrinth? With one straight path?”
“Guess so.”
Scanning Ast top to bottom with a baffled chuckle, she tossed out.
“Didn’t I say you’re my exclusive sandbag? Why do you keep getting beat in the wrong places?”
“Beat? Me? Can’t you see I pulled my mace to smash you?”
“Who’d take a swing that slow?”
“Long time no see and you’re still a bitch. You don’t have Thunder Dragon Descent anymore, bitch. Wanna test it? It’ll sting.”
“...I told you. It’s not that I couldn’t get it—I chose not to.”
“A martial artist who can’t use lightning? That’s failing to get it, period.”
That sparked their diss battle, and for the first time, the Heavenly Demon frowned.
“...The class I got now is stronger.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s why you drool every time you see Thunder Dragon Descent.”
“You still can’t live up to your age.”
“Pots calling kettles black. Drop the shtick. You the Sword Saint? That cringey speech is hard to stomach.”
How many seconds into their storm of burns?
What was now basically a greeting between them ended courtesy of Xiao.
“...These assholes ignoring me to chat?”
“Oh, right. You were here.”
“Hey, ease up. You sure you can handle this solo?”
“Solo...”
The Heavenly Demon paused, muttering, then smirked.
“Did I look solo to you?”
“...What?”
“Kill them.”
With that, she snapped her fingers—and shadows leaped from the walls.
Dozens of them, dripping dark red blood.
Suu—
The blood coalesced into weapons.
From chains and scythes to knuckles and daggers—diverse arms gripped by figures reeking of danger.
They knelt as one and roared.
“Heavenly Demon Eternal, All Demons Prosper!”
“Heavenly Demon Eternal, All Demons Prosper!”
Their voices burned with awe and zeal, hardening Xiao’s face.
“...Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
Not just in name a demonic cult—they obeyed the Heavenly Demon’s every command like true fiends.
Leading them, she was a grave threat.
[Absorbing cultists’ blood qi.]
[Absorbing cultists’ zeal.]
....
[All stats and speed amplified; gaining Madness effect.]
As long as their loyalty held, her power was boundless.
Her black eyes rippled darker.
“...You know this means war with us, right?”
“Little over a year since the unwritten rule formed.”
To Xiao’s final warning, she smiled softly.
“No such peaceful bullshit there. A war here wouldn’t hurt either.”
Ast finally burst out laughing at the sight.
“Thought you’d gone tame here, but your true colors show.”
Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s Leader, Heavenly Demon.
Former Delrock Rank 7, the Thunder Emperor.
Cheon Ji-ah—her other moniker: War Maniac.