Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The War Begins
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Barum, who had retreated after clashing with Yong-un, stood before Bafer.
"Did you fail?"
"Fail? What are you talking about?"
"So it ended up like this."
Barum's eyes, once consumed by rage, were now eerily calm.
As if he truly remembered nothing at all.
"Are you hiding something?"
Bafer shook his head, raising both hands at Barum's question.
"No way. Why would there be anything like that?"
Bafer flashed a smile.
But the members of Demon Cry exchanged glances, unable to hide their expressions.
Barum had left this place radiating murderous intent, fueled by vengeful fury, yet he returned without completing his revenge.
And with his memory lost, no less.
"He might be more impressive than we thought."
Bafer gave a wry smile.
Barum was Demon Cry's main force, the terror that ruled over them.
His blue claws could annihilate and slice through anything, making them Demon Cry's strongest weapon.
Even Bafer acknowledged the power that had already claimed dozens of demons.
Yet even someone as powerful as Barum had a fatal flaw.
Forgetfulness.
The immense power that erased anything affected Barum himself.
Whenever his memories clashed with some unknown mechanism, they reset to their original state.
For instance, right before he felt the fury of vengeance.
Just like Barum now.
'He failed his revenge. And then forgetfulness kicked in?'
Bafer furrowed his brow.
"Take back what I said earlier. He's more dangerous than I thought. That guy."
The image of Yong-un from Demonus and the scouting Demon Eye resurfaced in Bafer's mind.
A being with threatening power, unbound by any demon contract.
Without hesitation, Bafer rose from his seat and approached Barum.
"He must be eliminated."
"B-Bafer?"
The surrounding Demon Cry members wore uneasy expressions at Bafer's actions.
But Bafer showed no hesitation.
A red gem on his forehead glowed, changing his eyes back to their original red circles.
Suddenly, the once-calm Barum began to radiate killing intent.
"Who...?"
Just like when Demonus was destroyed, igniting his vengeful rage.
Demon Cry members swallowed their fear.
"Bafer...?"
"Is that really him...?"
Despite their words, Bafer didn't stop.
"Yes, that's the one."
Confirming Bafer's cold, circular pupils, the Demon Cry members only showed anxiety and didn't try to stop him further.
No, they couldn't stop him.
Bafer, conversing with Barum, was a monster clutching a bomb.
"I'll kill him..."
Boom!
Once again, Barum charged out, engulfed in flames of fury.
After Barum vanished and the "bomb" was gone, the Demon Cry members gathered around Bafer, unleashing their pent-up worries.
"You can't awaken him twice in such a short time!"
Bafer was the leader of Demon Cry.
No one dared defy him.
Yet the remaining Demon Cry members, unlike before, began questioning him.
"If Barum's mind collapses and he learns the truth, we'll be the ones dying next!"
"Bafer!"
Bafer bellowed at their protests.
"Shut up!!"
"..."
The questioning Demon Cry members fell silent.
To them, Barum was an object of terror, but Bafer was the one who could command that terror.
"If you don't want to be the next target of his vengeance, keep your mouths shut."
Bafer's murderous glare swept over the approaching Demon Cry members.
They flinched and trembled, returning to their positions with faces full of concern.
Only Bafer could control and utilize Barum, leaving the Demon Cry members unable to act despite their dissatisfaction.
As everyone dispersed, Bafer retracted his red circular Demon Eye and activated the blue circular scouting Demon Eye.
Then he shouted to all.
"You were born because of me. Any who defy me..."
Slash.
"Will die."
Bafer mimed slitting his throat with his thumb.
The Demon Cry members hurriedly avoided his gaze.
To them, Barum was the supreme blade that could slaughter everyone here.
Bafer, now in full control, retracted his scouting Demon Eye and revealed another yellow circular one.
"I've found his location. All Demon Cry who hear my voice, advance to the position I've marked."
The war had begun.
Bafer's plan to devour them bit by bit in secrecy had been shattered by Yong-un, who commanded Night Slaughter Society.
Left unchecked, not only his plans but all his goals could be destroyed.
Bafer had only one choice left.
Kill Yong-un and his forces, then revert to being a secretive organization raising Demon Cry in the shadows.
Retracting his yellow information Demon Eye, Bafer walked among the remaining Demon Cry members.
'I've whipped them. Time for a carrot.'
He looked around at the high-ranking Demon Cry members and shouted.
"All research is complete."
The high-ranking Demon Cry knew what that meant.
"Have you found it?"
"Ohhh!"
How long they had waited.
Excitement and admiration echoed one after another.
That single statement dramatically shifted their dissatisfied hearts, thanks to Barum.
Their earlier complaints vanished, replaced by anticipation and awe.
Meeting their expectations, Bafer spoke.
"I've found it. At the end of this war, we'll reclaim what we lost and restore our glory."
"Ohhh!"
"Ooooh!!"
The Demon Cry members raised their hands toward Bafer.
Having fully regained their trust, Bafer's scouting Demon Eye revealed one figure to him.
A demon in the form of a child.
"Kuhhuhu."
Imprinting the image, Bafer smirked faintly.
His eyes gleamed with greed and ambition.
This was the first time Demon Cry had mobilized directly.
A hunter capable of demonization was an enemy to the world just by existing.
For Demon Cry, who hadn't fully built their forces, it was something to avoid at all costs.
But given the gravity of the situation, Bafer played his sure card: all-out war.
"Looks like they've come."
Sword Tiger, guarding the entrance to Zhenhe Valley, rose to his feet.
As Sword Tiger gripped his sword hilt, Jong-hyun and Jeong-won, stationed on either side, stood similarly and placed hands on their swords.
The formation disrupted their qi flow, but the thickening ominous demon aura shifted their resolve.
"There are more than ten."
Jong-hyun's voice trembled with anxiety at the unexpectedly large number of demons.
But the response was nothing but mockery.
"So you're scared?"
Veins bulged on Jong-hyun's forehead at Sword Tiger's words.
"All that rejoicing about getting stronger through training was bullshit, huh? Scared over this little?"
At Sword Tiger's biting criticism, Jong-hyun finally shouted.
"Screw this!!"
"Heh."
Sword Tiger chuckled at Jong-hyun's outburst.
No matter how close they'd grown, Sword Tiger was still Sword Tiger.
To Jong-hyun, the casting director of Garosu Guild, Sword Tiger was like the sky itself.
Of course, the Supreme One now towered even higher, but Sword Tiger remained an untouchable existence for Jong-hyun.
Sword Tiger nodded in satisfaction as Jong-hyun vented his frustration toward the demons with killing intent.
"What about you, Jeong-won?"
"I'm itching to go mad. Kuhuhu."
"Oh ho."
"I want to fight soon. See how much stronger I've gotten."
It was the change brought by the new manual.
More than ten demons.
Though born from contracts with demons, having faced them in Demonus, they knew their strength well.
But Demon Dragon Squad had overcome their fear entirely, replacing it with other emotions.
Anticipation, hope.
And conviction.
"Lord Bafer commands: Leave not a single one alive."
The approaching ten Demon Cry pounded on the formation's shield over Zhenhe Valley.
Their immense power shook the valley's barrier violently.
"Let's go."
A flare signaling the war's start exploded.
With their long-awaited beginning announced, Sword Tiger stepped forward with a deep smile.
Leading the two Demon Dragon Squad members, Jong-hyun and Jeong-won.
"Time for revenge."
At the same time the battle raged in Zhenhe Valley.
Night Slaughter Society located Demon Cry's main base using their advance as a clue.
Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination's mission: scout and eliminate.
They prepared to raid the base immediately under Mu-hee's guidance.
But before they could depart, Mu-hee's cry halted them at home.
"You can't go!"
Her eyes had activated in gray-white precognition.
She had seen the future through her Precognitive Eye.
Usually, it depicted possible futures from the current situation, but this time was different.
Multiple futures unfolded simultaneously before her eyes.
And she saw it.
Ghastly blue pupils staring straight at her.
A ridiculous Demon Eye that seemed to watch no matter what they did.
And that Demon Eye fixed not only on Mu-hee with her Precognitive Eye, but also on one of Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination's Ghost Souls.
"Haa..."
Her gray-white Precognitive Eye returned to normal.
"You okay?"
At the Poison Witch's question, Mu-hee silently turned to Cheon-il.
"Sae-gwi-hon sis?"
Cheon-il looked anxious at the complex emotions in Mu-hee's eyes.
Having seen many futures, Mu-hee spoke.
"They're already watching us."
Clang! Whoosh.
At her words, the Ghost Souls of Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination drew weapons and scanned surroundings.
Mu-hee shook her head.
"They're not nearby."
"Then where are they watching from?"
"The main base I found. They're watching Cheon-il from there."
"What?"
Myung-su's face hardened.
"And they know I can see the future. Not just that—Demon Dragon Squad too."
All Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination members frowned together.
Watching all their actions from the main base?
As Mu-hee said, it was an overpowered ability.
"Then what do we do?"
But the war had started.
Myung-su asked Mu-hee for a way forward, unable to stay put.
Her response was grim.
"Nothing... At least in the futures I saw."
Without Yong-un present.
Impossibility loomed before they could even act.
Without the Supreme One who always turned the impossible possible.
It was the worst scenario.
"What should we do?"
The Poison Witch asked anxiously.
No way meant no victory.
Poison Witch, Cheon-il, and Mu-hee all looked to Myung-su.
'If only the Supreme One were here...'
The Supreme One's absence weighed heavily on Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination.
But only for a moment.
In the grim situation, Il-gwi-hon Myung-su clenched his fist.
'If I were the Supreme One...?'
He would shatter everything with overwhelming power.
But he lacked such strength now.
'If it were Master... what would he do?'
He recalled Yong-un facing unsolvable problems without brute force.
A faint solution surfaced in Myung-su's mind.
"It's fine. The situation isn't that bad."
With all eyes on him, Myung-su addressed the entire Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination.
"We've learned a key enemy's ability, and thanks to Sae-gwi-hon, we've ruled out many bad choices. How could we get luckier?"
"So what now?"
Yes, if it were the Supreme One.
At Mu-hee's question, Myung-su seized the faint solution, likening himself to Yong-un.
As Il-gwi-hon of Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination, standing in the Supreme One's place.
"We use this situation. We're not the only force under the Supreme One."
"Another force besides Demon Dragon Squad?"
Mu-hee's face brightened at Myung-su's words.
"This wasn't in the futures you saw, right?"
"Yes! No time— we have to move now."
At Mu-hee's confirmation, Myung-su didn't hesitate.
True to form as Il-gwi-hon, he commanded all of Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination.
"Let's go."
Even the Supreme One would do this in this situation.
He couldn't be sure it was the right answer.
But the Supreme One with his immense power had done exactly this when facing dilemmas.
And he always turned the impossible possible.
Inheriting that will, Myung-su led Ghost Slaughter Soul Extermination's Ghost Souls toward turning impossibility into possibility.
Deep in his heart, as Il-gwi-hon who must lead and protect them, he thought:
'I'll protect them.'