“Kiillll meeeeee!”
Suddenly, Lilith’s anguished scream shattered the heavy silence, echoing across the barren wasteland.
Her cry was fierce, no doubt, but it was more like a scream born of desperation—an anguished roar soaked in undeniable fear.
Because beneath that voice lay a terror that could not be hidden.
It was a reflex born from helplessness, a last-ditch defiance—or perhaps a frantic, hopeless struggle.
Soon, Lilith led her demon lords and all mid-level and above demons under her command to hastily gather their magic.
They were equally terrified, yet as creatures bound to their creator’s will, they could not disobey.
It was a well-known fact, though: the loyalty of demons to the Seven Great Demons was unquestionable.
No questions asked.
They would gladly die without hesitation if ordered.
Yet now, the actions of Lilith’s followers betrayed a clear strain of desperation.
It meant Kim Suhyun’s overwhelming presence had surpassed even their loyalty.
In fact, the usually coordinated and precise spellcasting was nowhere to be seen; instead, chaotic and scattered magic filled the air.
As if they were simply trying to survive by any means necessary.
But even if it was reckless, an attack was still an attack.
Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of demonic spells flooded the empty sky.
So dense that the massive shadow they cast blotted out the entire fortress wall.
All around, from every direction.
Magic surged in straight lines and curves, converging into a single point like a torrential downpour on a dark, stormy day.
Just as the stunned mages and priests hurried to raise their shields—
Kim Suhyun moved.
Though his movement was minimal.
He slowly raised the swordless blade in his right hand.
And when the tip of the blade stood perfectly vertical, piercing the sky—
Shing, shing!
“What… what is that?”
“Uh? Uuuuh—”
The clanging of metal echoed from all around as the fortress walls erupted into chaos.
It was no wonder—every sword, not only the one in his hand but those sheathed along the walls, suddenly drew themselves out.
Like water flowing naturally, the blades rose upright without anyone’s command.
But the truly astonishing moment came next.
At a light flick of Kim Suhyun’s hand, hundreds of swords trembled in unison.
Then, like fish swimming through the air, they spread out in a wide fan shape, gliding smoothly.
The Heart Sword.
The Blessing of the Sword God.
And the power of the Sovereign of Blades, forged by the combination of ‘Apud Migra Eego Gladium.’
An automatic interception system had been activated.
Magic rained down like a storm, and arrows of steel flew like hail, merging seamlessly in an instant.
The result was immediate.
A thunderous explosion shook the air like fireworks bursting.
Moments later, holes ripped open in the darkened sky, revealing the clear blue heavens beyond.
No matter how much they tried to overwhelm him with sheer numbers, it was impossible to pierce the power of Kim Suhyun, who had already attained the stature of a god.
Under the clearing sky, the sight of countless swords shooting upward, pushing away the magic, was almost breathtaking in its overwhelming grandeur.
Then, with another vigorous flick of his hand—
Like a maestro conducting an orchestra—
The blades, which had soared endlessly, suddenly stopped and spun 180 degrees.
Lilith’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief.
Then, with bat-like wings spread wide, a carpet bombing of blades rained down.
It was executed with flawless precision.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before she could react, eight swords pierced her from head to toe.
Pinned forcibly to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, Lilith’s figure was a horrifying and tragic sight.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
But her scream was quickly drowned out by the sound of metal piercing flesh and the agonized roars of the demons around her.
A mountain of corpses, a sea of blood.
When the chaos finally settled, not a single demon under Lilith’s command remained standing.
Only shattered bodies and pools of dark blood stained the ground.
With just two gestures, a third of the demon forces had been wiped out.
And this was only the beginning.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive impact echoed.
Startled, Thanatos turned toward the source, only to be struck by a shockwave that had silently surged right up to her.
She was sent flying, blood spurting as she collapsed.
Lucifer, watching her helplessly fall, then spotted Kim Suhyun leaping down from the fortress and gasped.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Grrrgh!”
Order no longer existed.
Creatures swarmed like a tidal wave, a suicidal rush to protect their lord.
Their sense of duty clashed with fear, freezing their minds.
The result was a massive sphere of demons layered thickly around Kim Suhyun in a matter of moments.
But in the next instant, the demons who had surrounded Kim Suhyun with all their might were flung violently in every direction.
Like placing a mirror at the focal point of converging light—
The reflected beams bent sharply and shot forward.
“Annoying!”
Kim Suhyun’s eyes flashed with a chilling murderous intent as he shook his body fiercely.
With a rough swing of his arm, over ten sword energies erupted from invisible blades in an instant.
The crescent-shaped slash cut through every demon that had been pressing forward, leaving none standing.
A clean, decisive strike.
By this point, the number of demons caught in the blast or knocked apart was easily in the thousands.
An absurd display of overwhelming power and sheer brutality.
At this rate, it was no wonder even the Great Demons struggled to make sound judgments.
In the end, all they could do was one thing.
But Kim Suhyun wouldn’t even allow that.
In the blink of an eye, a shadow approached within striking distance of another Great Demon.
“Ah… aaaaaaah!”
Baal collapsed, instinctively turning and crawling away.
But it was only momentary.
A rough hand grabbed his shining platinum hair and the nape of his neck, yanking his small frame upward.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With the sound of bones shattering, Baal’s limbs went limp.
The teddy bear clenched tightly in his left hand, his body reduced to nothing but a neck, and his youthful face all tumbled to the ground.
As his pain-stricken face was crushed, his followers turned to ash in an instant.
Only one Great Demon remained.
Yet Kim Suhyun’s gleaming eyes still fixed on Lucifer’s forces, as if unsatisfied.
Then, with a heavy stomp—
Thud!
The ground trembled.
A deep, resonant hum of magic spread electrifyingly through the area.
Around Kim Suhyun, strange tremors began to materialize into tangible forms.
If you asked what Kim Suhyun’s strongest ability was, it would undoubtedly be the Flame Sword.
Of course, since he no longer bore the Flame Core in his heart, he couldn’t use it now.
But the important thing was that the Flame Sword was just a nickname given by overlaying the Flame Core’s power.
In other words, while he couldn’t channel the Flame’s power, the ability itself remained intact.
Now, instead of the Flame Core, it was imbued with the divine vessel that Kim Suhyun had become.
Rumble, rumble!
The earth shook, and the shattered ground seemed to curl upward toward the sky in a bizarre phenomenon.
Until then, Lucifer had shown no reaction.
But suddenly, he let his arms drop limply.
It felt as if every cell in his body was being pierced by needles.
‘This is…’
Lucifer could clearly feel it.
Soon, an unimaginable, terrifying wave would sweep over them, unlike anything before.
That against such a merciless tsunami, any resistance would be meaningless.
‘This isn’t right…’
Meanwhile.
Watching from the fortress walls, Kim Suyeon felt her strength drain away for a different reason.
Her face twisted into an indescribable expression.
The only emotions readable were shock—and awe.
Kim Suyeon, too, was a user who had finished one cycle and started this one.
But in all her seventeen years, she had never witnessed a battle like this.
Annihilation? Massacre?
A one-person army?
No, no.
Kim Suyeon shook her head fiercely.
No words or flowery phrases could define this battle.
It was fierce yet calm.
Leisurely yet merciless.
With a single gesture, entire armies were swept away.
With a single tremor, demons shattered like glass.
With a single slash, entire factions became meaningless.
And now, something unknown was about to unfold.
All of this, accomplished by a single user.
Relentlessly overwhelming the demons without a single misstep.
This was what Kim Suyeon had longed for with all her heart—
“……”
The ideal she had longed for, the dream she wished to become.
Flash!
Suddenly, a dazzling burst of light exploded.
The radiant flashes stretched out in slender beams, painting the barren land in brilliant hues.
After a moment.
Bathed in the gradually encroaching light over the castle, Kim Su-yeon quietly closed her eyes.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Starting with the next chapter, I’ll be kicking off the final installment of the omnibus series, titled Holy Queen.
Think of it as a sort of subtitle.
Ah, if I can just push through until dawn today, I should finally be able to catch a break from my assignments.
I’ll do my best.
Wishing all my readers a peaceful night. :)