Chapter 392. The Outbreak of War (6)
A heavy thud. Bune collapsed with only his head and lower body left and fell apart. His whole torso had burst, along with the thick armor he was wearing. Gremory, who had tried to warn Bune belatedly, could only gape. She was so shocked that she was rendered speechless. Bune was not a high-ranking demon, but he was still a great demon; a great demon brought to the expedition led by Bael herself. She had never imagined that he would explode from one shot without even letting out a squeak.
However, the most important part was that Gremory’s situation was not much different from Bune’s. “…Ah?” It was already too late when she flinched. She was about to soar higher in a hurry when her instincts screamed at her to flee, but—
[La Bella’s Bible]
[La Bella’s Sanctuary]
[Executioner]
Out of nowhere, a single bolt of lighting struck down from the sky. A shrill scream escaped Gremory’s mouth as the lightning hit the top of her head. Then a white light elongated and shot through the air, swirling around Gremory’s neck like a whip. As soon as she felt the holy energy it emitted burn her flesh burn at mere contact—
Crack! With an eerie noise, Gremory’s neck twisted by not 90 degrees, but 180 degrees. It completely cracked, and her head fell after getting separated from the rest of the body. After her instant death, Gremory’s head rolled endlessly onto the ground with her eyes big as saucers. Her end was way too miserable and futile for a moment of carelessness.
A truly astounding feat happened not once but twice in a row, and the reality reflected what had happened. The swarm of bats that were relentlessly flying in the air suddenly fell simultaneously. And the same happened to not only Gremory’s legions. One by one, Bune’s soldiers dropped their s.h.i.+elds. Their dense formation began to break down and fall into chaos once the main source of their power was suddenly cut off, and the order of the system was greatly disturbed. The two great demons didn’t show the slightest sign of movement, and countless soldiers were left wriggling like bugs.
“Ah…!” The lion tribe’s chief witnessed all that unfold and couldn’t suppress his admiration. He had heard that there was a human male who had managed to defeat the Demon Empire every single time without fail. While he’d only ever heard the tales, he now realized that they hadn’t been exaggerated rumors. Rather, he found out that the rumors had been understating the facts.
There was no easier prey than an enemy who had no will to fight and no strength to resist. The lion tribe’s chief shouted, “What are you all doing! A feast has been prepared!”
The lion tribe members responded with a roar and began to rush toward their enemies like fish in the water. It was the same for Chi-Woo. A total of four great demons had been sent out as the vanguards; he had only caught two, so it wasn’t over yet. Chi-Woo quickly scanned the battlefield and kicked the ground as hard as he could toward the army in the middle, where his next prey was.
What was the most efficient and quickest way to defeat the corps commanded by a great demon? The answer was simple: deal with the great demon first. A legionnaire was a demonic creature born from a great demon, and they were completely controlled and ruled by the commander of the legion. Therefore, it was only natural that the legionnaires would be unable to exert their power properly without their commander. Although the solution was simple, in reality, taking out the commander first was easier said than done.
First of all, it was extremely difficult to attack only the great demon protected by their numerous legionnaires. And even if it was possible, it was almost impossible to turn the situation around quickly because the great demon had considerable power. Thus, it was the most common strategy to deal with the legionnaires to reduce their strength as much as possible before going after the weakened great demon. However, this common strategy was overturned in this battle. Chi-Woo had completely reversed what was deemed common knowledge.
By that time, Naverius, who was in charge of the central army, also became aware of the left wing’s situation, and the fact that two great demons had met their ends in a matter of seconds. He also witnessed the legionnaires collapsing like scarecrows after losing their commanders, and one man was crossing the hectic battlefield with complete ease. While watching this scene unfold, Naverius felt an instinctive surge of emotion—fear.
As the commander’s feelings were shared with his legion, the soldiers unconsciously turned around one by one and rushed toward their commander to protect him. However, their effort turned out to be futile. The rain of arrows and the desperate resistance Naverius’ legion put up were all in vain because nothing reached Chi-Woo. He made his way past droves of enemies to reach Naverius as easily as taking something out of his pocket.
Naverius’ breathing became rough with anxiety and fear. The light, which was getting closer and closer every moment, was reflected more clearly in his field of view. The next moment, Naverius unconsciously extended his arm. He gathered all his strength and concentrated it on one hand. The intense darkness that gathered soon took the shape of an enormous sickle.
Naverius clutched the pitch-black sickle and swung it as hard as he could toward the human straight ahead. It was an all-out attack short of betting on his existence, which was the last resort of a great demon. The attack he had spent a lifetime honing succeeded in pus.h.i.+ng back the light coming toward him. Naverius’ eyes widened, and he exhaled sharply.
Good. From the very moment he managed to counter his opponent’s attack, he realized that he could seize this opportunity. It didn’t matter if it was just for a moment. Since the sickle was so long, he needed only a split second to swing it through the light to cut his opponent.
Indeed, Naverius wasn’t wrong—if his sickle’s power had remained intact. Naverius only realized that 80% of his sickle’s power was lost compared to his first swing when his now weakened sickle, which barely maintained its shape, had already reached his opponent. And even that was blocked by a translucent barrier and being broken down. As if he was pouring a cup of water into lava flowing fast like a river, his sickle disappeared without a trace. Immediately after, the revived light flashed diagonally from his vision. He also felt the sensation of something swis.h.i.+ng past him.
At that very moment, Naverius remembered an official announcement from the General a.s.sembly of the Demon Empire: of an unidentified enemy who was not the legend, but if possible, direct engagement was to be avoided, and those below the 3rd rank was to never confront them.
“I remembered…it too late….” Naverius struggled to say his last words, and his body twisted. The part of his body above his chest slid diagonally and fell to the ground. At the same time, all of his soldiers, who were shouting desperately, came to a sudden halt. That only meant one thing—Bune, then Gremory, and finally, Naverius—all three great demons famous for their strength in their own right in the Demon Empire had met their almost instantaneous end at the hand of a single person.
However, it wasn’t over. There was still one great demon left. Holding his breath, Chi-Woo raised his head. His eyes let out a brilliant light as he looked forward.
* * *
Woahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Cheers broke out on top of the gate walls. The shouts of humanity and the League roared throughout the battlefield and deadened all other noise. The Demon Empire army, which had been vigorously rus.h.i.+ng toward them, had collapsed without being able to put up a fight. It hadn’t even been long since the war had started. Everyone cheered until their lungs burst and shook their arms wildly at the astounding feat Chi-Woo had brought about. The low morale that had been overwhelmed by the emergence of the coalition was instantly raised.
Humanity and the League weren’t the only ones bearing witness to the feat. The Abyss, which hadn’t sent out any forces yet and had been on standby, clearly saw everything unfold as well. Considering the number of forces they had in the coalition, the situation wasn’t disastrous yet, but the Abyss King was taken aback.
“That’s strange.” He slowly shook his head while looking at the human who had been running wild since the start of the battle. “Didn’t the reports say that the Sernitas were keeping the legend in check? And that the Last Dragon has yet to arrive?”
No matter how strained the Demon Empire’s power was currently, there were only a handful of beings on Liber who could so easily defeat three great demons—on their side, there were he and Bael, and on the side of humanity and the League, there were the Last Dragon and the legend. Considering that was the extent of his knowledge, it was only natural that he didn’t know Chi-Hyun had once said that in terms of destructive power against the Demon Empire, Chi-Woo was already superior to him.
Therefore, it was understandable that the Abyss King would a.s.sume the one running wild on the battlefield had to be Chi-Hyun or the Last Dragon. Considering that it couldn’t be those two, of course, he quickly accepted the reality of the situation. He could now understand a bit why the Sernitas, who had always remained silent, had reached out to them first.
“Given how far the Demon Empire has fallen and the fact that we may become like them in the future, the Sernitas plan to get rid of the sprout before it matures.” Their opponent probably hadn’t shown this much power from the beginning. However, at some point, the powerful Demon Empire began to be treated as easy prey. There wasn’t any guarantee that in the distant future, the same wouldn’t happen to the Abyss and Sernitas if that unknown human grew further from here on out.
“I understand the situation, but even then, losing three great demons is a bit of a waste.” The Abyss King smacked his lips and glanced at the Demon Empire’s main camp. In fact, it was a little strange that Bael had made the great demons rush forward recklessly at first. Although it was called a gate, the structure was built in a way that it surpa.s.sed most regular-sized castles. Thus, a siege was the most reasonable strategy, but instead, Bael had sent out her forces like one would in an open warfare. Nevertheless, the Abyss King hadn’t said much because he thought, ‘No way. There’s no way the Demon Empire is that stupid.’
And judging by the atmosphere of their camp, his a.s.sumption seemed correct. Despite the defeat of three great demons, the Demon Empire didn’t seem very agitated or affected. Of course, some seemed a bit surprised, but they looked more excited instead, as if they had finally found the treasure they had been long searching for.
‘They must have a secret plan,’ the Abyss King muttered to himself before calling out, “Huk Cheong-Ram.”
—Yes, your majesty…
“Tell both troops on the sides to get ready. Let’s launch an offensive in line with the Demon Empire’s next move.”
Huk Cheong-Ram bowed and suddenly disappeared.
* * *
The Abyss King’s prediction was accurate. The Demon Empire’s camp was quiet, and no one was fl.u.s.tered or shocked. However, it didn’t mean that they were happily smiling. Everyone was attentively looking at one single point with not a single exception. It was the same for Bael. She sharply glared at Chi-Woo with a straight expression and spoke quietly, “It’s you.” She observed Chi-Woo as he headed to the right side of the Demon Empire’s army and repeated, “It was you.”
Then she smiled. “Yeah, it’s time for you to crawl out. I didn’t just throw one or two, but four baits to catch you,” she said while grinding her teeth as if she had expected this development. Then she continued while flicking her index finger. “Tell the Sernitas to set the target coordinates on that human.”
The messenger turned quickly at her stern command. Bael stroked her chin without taking her eyes off Chi-Woo. “And…call the Professor.”
After a while.
“Hahahahaha.” A great demon who sounded a bit like a treacherous retainer by the way he was laughing appeared. He was tall, slender, and wore a thick robe. And he looked extremely strange as only the brain area of his head was greatly swollen in a misshapen manner.
“Glaysa-Labolas. At your service, Your Excellency.”
Glaysa-Labolas was ranked 20th after the hierarchy was reorganized. However, unlike the other great demons that prided themselves for their strength, like Shersha, he was one of the great demons that was valued highly for his special ability. Of course, he wasn’t in a league of his own like Shersha was, but his ability was recognized for its special value.
“I’ve prepared enough ingredients as you said.” By ingredients, Bael was referring to the four great demons’ legions that had charged earlier and become skewers under the countless arrows and were still dying like flies. As a matter of fact, the great demons that Bael sent out first were at the lowest ranks among the Demon Empire.
“You’re confident, aren’t you?” Bael finally took her eyes off of Chi-Woo and glanced sideways at Glaysa-Labolas.
“Hehehehhehe!” Glaysa-Labolas laughed out loud at Bael’s questions. “Your Excellency, I don’t know if I should say this, but…” Then he smiled slightly and moved his eyebrows. “May I dare ask a question?”
“Go on.”
“Although I’m overwhelmed with happiness that you’ve entrusted such an important task to me, I was wondering if I may really capture that gate alone…” He giggled while glancing from side to side. “I’m a bit worried what the other commanders hungry for war and merits might think…”
Bael snorted at his concerned tone. “Are you still that confident even after seeing what just happened?”
“Well…I did see that, but…” Glaysa-Labolas tilted his head and shrugged. “Isn’t he just one human in the end?” He said confidently with a meaningful smile.
Bael snorted again; although she hated false bravado, she didn’t rebuke anyone for showing their confidence—as long as they could keep their word. “Well, fine. Do as you please.”
“Then…!”
“If you can make good on your words, the greatest merit will obviously go to you, Professor.”
As soon as he heard this, Glaysa-Labolas finally stopped his creepy laugh. “Your wish is my command.” He replied as if he had been waiting to hear this all along and raised his head. His eyes glinted with madness as he stared at the solid gate.
* * *
At the same time, Chi-Woo was about to head toward Balaam, the last remaining great demon in charge of the left wing.
“Wait!” But someone grabbed his shoulder in a hurry.