Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Demikrashia's Defeat
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This space awakened a deep-seated fear the moment one entered it.
Those who stepped inside felt terror and the looming threat of death, slowly devouring themselves from within.
They crumbled, fell to their knees, cast aside their dignity, bowed their heads, and begged for mercy.
Even high-ranking demons were no exception.
But this weak, pitiful race was different.
"Is he... insane?"
Demikrashia thought to herself.
That he must be crazy.
She figured it was possible for a human, with their comparatively frail bodies and feeble power.
A weak body and strength naturally housed a fragile mind.
Sneer.
"Isn't that even better?"
Demikrashia's smile deepened.
Thud.
But her smile didn't last long.
"Hm?"
It was because Yong-un—the one she'd thought was mad—was suddenly charging straight toward the immense threat.
It was behavior no one driven insane by an unimaginable menace could possibly exhibit.
'What is this?'
His footsteps were too vigorous for someone gripped by fear.
As if...
'He thinks he can win...? Against me?'
As if he believed he could end this battle single-handedly.
Demikrashia's eyebrow twitched.
"You human scum..."
Whoosh.
A denser, vaster demonic energy than what she'd unleashed when first facing Yong-un poured from her body.
It was the evolution of Demikrashia, now beginning to adapt to her physical form.
Irritation surged through her.
She had wanted to savor the sight of him cowering in fear, but she changed her plans.
She would force him to his knees and revel in it.
Then peer into his soul and drag out the terror buried deep within, shattering him completely.
Fwoosh.
Demikrashia's demonic energy accelerated the completion of the gate forming behind her.
Then, one by one, demons began emerging from the gate at the end of Yong-un's path.
It would be an overwhelming threat for any single human to handle.
No matter how unique or powerful the human, with the master of the 108 Demonic Eyes—herself—present, no variables could possibly arise.
Whoosh.
But.
Halt.
".....?!"
With one final, powerful step from Yong-un, all of Demikrashia's plans and assumptions shattered.
His last step shortened the distance as if compressing space itself, bringing him instantly before her eyes.
Close enough to touch if he reached out.
Yong-un stood there, locking eyes squarely with Demikrashia, whose gaze wavered.
"Wh-what..."
"Didn't I tell you? This would be fun."
The Demon-Slaying Sword moved.
And along its trajectory, a purple extreme blade followed like a comet.
Stab.
"Kuh."
Demikrashia caught the Demon-Slaying Sword—aimed straight for her heart—with both hands.
Was chasing the sword's speed with her eyes earlier just luck?
Or mercy from this puny human?
'Almost slipped up.'
If she hadn't moved preemptively this time, her heart would have been pierced before she could react.
It was shocking.
No! Infuriating.
Screeech.
The Demon-Slaying Sword pressed forward, pushing back her full-powered aura, inching toward her heart.
"If only you'd descended an hour—no, thirty minutes—earlier..."
She resented not achieving full descent.
If she had, she'd have blocked this effortlessly and forced him to kneel.
She wanted to devour the demon spawn that had blocked her descent.
'But what can you do? It's done.'
Demikrashia, still gripping the encroaching Demon-Slaying Sword, suddenly met Yong-un's eyes and smiled.
Then she released the blade and wrapped her bloodied hands around Yong-un's throat.
Stab.
The Demon-Slaying Sword pierced straight through Demikrashia's heart.
Yet she ignored the blood trickling from her lips and stared at Yong-un.
"Can't be helped. This descent is a failure."
"Wait there. I'll send those guys behind you along too."
Yong-un roughly yanked the Demon-Slaying Sword from her heart.
Blood sprayed out, Demikrashia's grip loosened, and she collapsed to the ground.
Her blood pooled around her fallen form.
In her dying moments, Demikrashia flashed a wide smile and pointed at Yong-un with her index finger.
"We'll meet again. See you soon, you intriguing human."
With those final words, Demikrashia closed her eyes.
Leaving behind the corpse known as Zero One.
Fwoosh.
As cracks spread through the purple space, she dissolved into black smoke and vanished from the spot.
"Kyaaah!"
Amid the shattering, collapsing space.
The demons charged at Yong-un, who gripped the Demon-Slaying Sword.
They rushed mindlessly toward him alone, as if their own deaths meant nothing.
"Sorry I couldn't protect you."
Hundreds of demons bore down on him.
Yong-un didn't spare them a glance as he lifted Zero One's corpse—her heart pierced, lifeless.
Only then, slinging her over his shoulder, did he turn his eyes to the oncoming horde.
"Kyaaaaah!"
The demons charged with demonic energy surging, intent on killing.
Yong-un slowly lowered his stance toward them, shifting the Demon-Slaying Sword's tip behind his back.
Then.
Krunch.
He stamped deep footprints into the crumbling, barren earth and swung the Demon-Slaying Sword in a massive arc from right to left.
The sky was collapsing.
The imaginary space dyed purple.
More precisely, the subspace belonging solely to Demikrashia, master of the 108 Demonic Eyes, was crumbling.
Thump.
"Heh, entertaining."
A colossal being watched his collapsing subspace.
A demon with a body several times larger than the ground Yong-un had trod.
Demikrashia licked her lips with her tongue as she gazed at the crumbling subspace.
She scoffed, and the throne she sat upon shook.
Grrrrr.
A deep, powerful growl rumbled from beneath the saddle-like throne, vibrating the air.
And the massive monster saddled upon it.
A beast dozens of times larger than Demikrashia moved its heavy, ponderous legs in response to her agitation, stepping forward one foot at a time.
Step. Step. Step.
Tens of thousands of demons beside the monster moved in unison with her.
Demikrashia paid no heed to the massive horde or the monster, smiling as she stared at the empty space where her subspace had vanished.
"Isn't it fun?"
She turned her head to look beside her.
A bizarre demon with dark crimson skin stood beside the monster's saddle, arms crossed and frowning.
"Not in the slightest."
"Aw, you're just bitter because you couldn't descend? What to do~"
"Shut your mouth, Demikrashia."
"So many died~ Deskuna. Failed descent too."
The dark crimson-skinned demon called Deskuna uncrossed his arms.
He casually glanced downward.
Thud.
Kuoooooh!
The massive monster carrying Demikrashia let out a pained roar and collapsed to its knees.
"I warned you there'd be no second chances. I can't take your life, so I'll take this instead."
Deskuna unclenched his arms and balled his fist.
In that state, he struck the massive monster's back.
Thump.
BOOM! Kraaaash!
The seemingly light punch delivered immense pressure with a single impact.
The monster's body briefly bounced up before slamming into the ground with such force it nearly cracked the earth.
The colossal beast dropped its long neck without even a scream, eyes rolling back.
"Oh dear... It was my favorite toy."
Demikrashia shrugged helplessly.
After glaring at her once, Deskuna turned and scowled at the empty space where Yong-un and the subspace had disappeared.
"I don't know what bullshit you pulled... But someday, I'll definitely kill you. That black-eyed human male."
Deskuna's body swelled briefly in rage before returning to normal.
For a moment, he had grown larger.
That form was very familiar to Cheon-il.
Deskuna descended to the ground using the limp monster's neck as stairs.
"What a shame~ Can't be helped."
With Deskuna gone and her mount out of commission, Demikrashia nonchalantly flicked her hand.
A gate formed behind her, and a female demon stepped out.
"Vaper."
"Yes, Mistress."
"Fix it."
"Yes, Mistress."
At Demikrashia's command, the female demon Vaper—her eyes hollow—gathered demonic energy.
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. A white circle appeared in her black pupils, symbolic of demons.
The Regenerative Demonic Eye, shining brighter than Barum's.
A white light, unfit for a demon, emanated from Vaper's eyes and body.
Soon, it returned to its original state.
Rumble.
The massive monster, thought dead, began to rise again.
"Hah... hah..."
Demikrashia smiled brightly at Vaper, who gasped raggedly.
"Come here."
"Yes, Mistress."
Demikrashia's hand touched the chin of the sweating Vaper.
She traced her sharp jawline from left to right, then stroked her long hair while channeling demonic energy.
"You're beautiful."
"Yes, Mistress."
"Go back and wait. I'll be there soon."
"Yes, Mistress."
Vaper, responding only with those words, turned away.
At the tip of her tail gleamed a familiar light.
A blue tail radiating a unique power.
Demikrashia smirked at the sight.
"Truly amusing, isn't it? Hohohoho."
Emerging from the shattered subspace of Demikrashia, Yong-un surveyed the alley in front of the house, where the commotion had finally ended.
His vow to protect this space at all costs rang hollow—the alley was already reduced to rubble.
The ground was upturned, stairs crushed; it barely qualified as an alley anymore.
And atop it, the subdued Death Demon Cries stared at Yong-un in disbelief.
"H-how..."
"Supreme One!"
Yong-un moved forward expressionlessly toward where the Phantom Soul Annihilators and Death Demon Cries had gathered.
He set down Zero One—Cheon-il's sister, Young-il—from his shoulder and glared at Polant, the leader of the Death Demon Cries.
"Get up."
"N-no way..."
Polant, pale with shock, didn't even hear him.
He gawked at Yong-un like he was a ghost.
Grab.
Yong-un seized Polant's collar and hoisted him into the air.
"U-uaaaah!"
The mad, playful Polant was gone.
Yong-un, who had safely subdued a demon they saw as world-ending, was a supreme powerhouse beyond their comprehension.
Unlike the confident, carefree Polant, the airborne one flailed desperately in resistance.
Yong-un stared silently, then slammed him down.
Thud!
"Guh!"
Polant hit the ground back-first and wheezed.
As he curled in agony, Yong-un asked,
"Did you know what that demon was?"
"Kuh... kugh..."
Polant writhed in pain.
"Looks like twice more then."
Yong-un grabbed his collar again and lifted him high.
As he prepared to slam him once more,
"Guh! Y-yes, I know!"
Polant desperately cried out through the pain.
"Kuhk, kek."
"What is it?"
"Cough. Precisely, cough. I don't know, but at least a duke-level demon!"
A monster among monsters that had never descended upon the world.
At the mention of a duke-level demon, the Phantom Soul Annihilators and all Death Demon Cries went wide-eyed.
"I knew that much."
But Yong-un's follow-up made them doubt their ears even more.
The monster that had just unleashed impossible power was a duke-level demon?
Then what was this monster who single-handedly thwarted its descent?
Under the Death Demon Cries' piercing stares, he glanced at them briefly.
They averted their eyes in unison, as if rehearsed.
Yong-un turned back to Polant.
"I'm not asking about this child. I'm asking about Cheon-il over there."
Polant's eyes fixed on Cheon-il, who wept over Barum's fallen form.
Biting his lip, Polant revealed information treated as top secret even by the British Hunter Management Agency.
"Yes, that child is the same. He... contracted with a duke-level demon too."
"Supreme One..."
Myung-su approached Yong-un with a shocked expression.
But unlike him, Yong-un nodded knowingly.
Just before exiting the gate,
the dying Young-il's voice echoed in his mind.
[Be... careful... with Cheon-il...... We contracted... with a de...demon... immune... to runes......]
The weakness of Demon Cries contracted with demons.
The Demon King's runes, effective against all under him, were useless.
Yong-un gazed at the dazed Cheon-il and murmured lowly,
"Perhaps... Cheon-il's contract with his previous demon hasn't truly ended."
"S-Supreme One!?"
Myung-su whipped his head toward Cheon-il.
In the slightly relaxed tension, the cornered Polant shouted,
"Hand us over to the GHO! We'll reveal one more secret the world doesn't know!"
Just as Yong-un pondered how such a contract with a duke-level demon was even possible,
Polant's desperate plea aligned perfectly.
Yong-un, who had been eyeing him with murderous intent, glared and said,
"You'll tell everything. Or you'll all die here."
"Y-yes, we promise! I stake my life on it—we'll tell all. Just hand us to the GHO!"