00612 Astaroth Takes Action
Suddenly, a tearing roar echoed through the entire Steel Mountain Range, shaking the very air. This time, the sound was so intense it even made eardrums vibrate—everyone present could hear it clearly.
Then—
“W-what?”
“L-look! It’s in the sky!”
A woman, bewildered, turned her head as if to ask what was happening. Someone nearby shouted in surprise, pointing upward. The users instinctively tilted their heads back and looked up.
Flap, flap!
A tremendous beating of wings filled the air.
What was it… how to even describe it?
A monstrous bird.
Yes, a monstrous bird. A gigantic creature, reminiscent of a dragon, was soaring into the sky. Easily over four meters long, massive in bulk, with enormous wings flapping on either side.
The creature looked furious at first glance. Its eyes burned with deadly intent as it glared down, then it opened its beak wide, revealing razor-sharp teeth. In an instant, it shifted posture and began descending toward the ground.
Once again, a scream—like a desperate wail—pierced the air.
Startled from his daze, Kim Yuhyun finally snapped back to reality.
“All units… prepare for battle!”
The users scattered in all directions, waking their comrades and spreading the word.
Moments later.
Amid the continuing roars and tremors, the Northern Expedition users quickly formed their battle lines. Having heard the sounds earlier and still on high alert from the first day of the expedition, they gathered swiftly.
An amplified voice rang in their ears. The direction was west. But there was a better way to get a clearer view.
“Jjorong, I’m counting on you.”
At Kim Yuhyun’s low call, the golden-feathered bird perched on his shoulder took off, soaring high into the sky.
As the users began to move, Kim Yuhyun’s eyes glowed with a golden light.
He possessed an ability called ‘Fairy Tale.’
Though it had various meanings depending on the user or situation, for Kim Yuhyun, it was defined as ‘sensory sharing.’
As Jjorong flew higher and looked down, Kim Yuhyun’s vision expanded, revealing the entire Steel Mountain Range below in vivid detail.
Thud!
His gaze fixed on a sudden cloud of dust rising from the ground. The more he focused, the clearer the scene became.
There, a fierce battle was raging between the monstrous bird and a humanoid figure.
No, it wasn’t human.
Compared to the monstrous bird, this creature was no less imposing—if anything, it was even larger, a kind of giant humanoid monster.
Though the fight was intense, the situation seemed to favor the monstrous bird. Unlike the monster, which was bleeding heavily from wounds all over its body, the bird appeared relatively unscathed.
But it was too soon to judge. For some unknown reason, the bird was acting defensively, only threatening and avoiding attack, while the monster was fully aggressive.
The monster let out a fearsome roar and charged at the bird. It suddenly leapt off the ground and snatched the bird’s neck in an instant. Its movements were swift and fierce, belying its massive size.
But the bird didn’t stay still. The moment its neck was grabbed, it bit down hard and slashed the monster’s exposed upper body with its claws. Its talons dug deep, tearing flesh and leaving two long, bloody gashes. The monster screamed in pain.
Whoosh!
The monster swung a wild, furious punch—
Smack!
—landing squarely on the bird’s abdomen.
An unexpected blow. The bird, just about to bite the monster’s neck, let out a distressed cry as its head snapped back toward the sky.
One hit.
Just one.
But that single strike was enough to stagger the bird, which stumbled backward as if on the verge of collapse. Blood dripped from its beak, and its face twisted in agony.
The monster seized the moment. It crouched low, then exploded forward, pushing the faltering bird to the ground and thrashing wildly.
Crash! Bang!
In just one strike, the momentum shifted to the monster.
It quickly regained its stance, climbed atop the bird’s belly, and glared down with bloodshot eyes.
After a moment, the monster’s mouth opened slightly, revealing sharp white teeth.
Terrifying. Blood poured from its body like rain, and its savage, human-like form was reminiscent of an ancient barbarian warrior.
The bird tried to resist, stretching its neck and struggling, but when the monster’s fist drove deep into its chest, it had no choice.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
With each punch, the bird’s chest shattered, spraying blood.
But that wasn’t all.
The monster grabbed the bird’s front legs one by one and tore them off. Flesh was ripped away, exposing white bone and spilling crimson liquid. The bird’s frantic resistance slowly weakened.
Then, clutching the bird’s limp neck tightly, the monster hurled it forcefully.
Bang!
The bird flew helplessly through the air, crashing into a tree before falling to the ground.
But it didn’t move like before. It barely opened its eyes, trembling violently all over.
Its gaze didn’t turn toward the approaching monster. Instead, it stared anxiously at some spot on the ground.
Just then, the monster let out a low roar, as if announcing its victory. The bird’s eyes glazed over, and its head drooped.
At last, the brutal battle between the two beasts was over.
What remained after the fierce fight was an eerie silence, the thick scent of blood, and the victor’s low, triumphant growl.
But then, a young, plaintive cry shattered the quiet.
The roaring ceased. The monster, now silent, turned its gaze toward the source of the sound.
There, surprisingly, was another monstrous bird. It was crying mournfully beside the shattered corpse of the other beast. Judging by its size—about the palm of a hand—it was clearly a baby monstrous bird.
What was going on? Why was the baby crying next to the dead monster?
Of course, only one of them knew the full story. The monster, now approaching, showed no intention of sparing the baby. Its eyes still flashed a deep red as it looked down coldly at the wailing chick.
Then, as if to crush it, the wounded monster staggered but slowly raised its foot.
Suddenly, its massive body shuddered violently. The monster’s head darted around, scanning frantically.
Then, at some point, its gaze locked onto a single spot, staring intently.
“…!”
Kim Yuhyun was startled. The monster’s eyes were fixed directly on his position.
The Northern Expedition had already surrounded the battlefield tightly. When the users arrived, the fight was nearly over. They had watched the brutal clash between the monstrous bird and the monster in stunned silence.
In fact, territorial battles between monsters weren’t uncommon. But the bloody fight between these unfamiliar beasts was enough to captivate—and terrify—the users.
The savage destruction of the monstrous bird, the imposing size over four meters tall, and the blood-soaked, barbaric appearance all stirred deep fear.
A brief silence fell.
The monster seemed aware it was surrounded. It only breathed heavily, standing still. The users all readied their weapons, waiting for the commander’s order.
Kim Yuhyun bit his lip hard. He knew he had to give the attack command quickly—he couldn’t let the monster recover. One word or a simple gesture could settle this.
But a strange sensation tickled the back of his head, subtle yet persistent. The information Kim Suhyun had given him, combined with the monster’s blazing red eyes fixed on him, created a feeling just out of reach—something he couldn’t quite grasp.
‘Damn it.’
After a moment more, Kim Yuhyun slowly raised his hand. The users tensed their grips on their weapons, ready.
And just as Kim Yuhyun was about to bring his hand down—
In an instant, a deep groan escaped from the monster’s mouth. At the same time, the fiery red glow that had filled its eyes suddenly faded.
For a brief moment, its eyes returned to normal—white sclera with black pupils, just like any human’s.
And then, moments later—
The massive beast’s body collapsed limply.
Thud!
The heavy sound echoed as it hit the ground.
Kim Yuhyun, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, parted his lips slightly in surprise.
About two months earlier.
As the plan to assault the Steel Mountains in the Northern Continent was underway, a group of demons gathered together, their faces far from hopeful.
No, quite the opposite.
Crackle, roar!
Waaah…! Waaah…!
The more the flames blazed on the screen, the louder the cheers grew—and the worse the mood became. Some demons sat with their eyes closed, lost in deep worry, while others openly frowned.
If the angels’ stronghold is called the Celestial Realm, then the demons’ base is the Infernal Realm. And it was from this Infernal Realm that a prophecy foretold the defeat of the demons operating in the Hole Plain.
Granted, it was only a first prophecy—still subject to change—but considering that the Infernal Realm’s prophecies had never once been wrong, it was hardly a good sign.
The demons knew the situation was grim.
Or rather, they were only just beginning to feel it.
Satan admitted his mistake. He never imagined the Northern Continent would use such a plan, and as a result, all the careful preparations had been for nothing. Now, the likelihood that the users would successfully assault the Steel Mountains had skyrocketed.
And if that happened?
If the Steel Mountains fell, the path to Atlanta would open, and after Atlanta, Terra would come next. And within Terra lay the Zero Code—the very thing the demons so desperately coveted.
To sum it up, the demons were now in a position where they could do nothing but watch with their eyes wide open as the Zero Code slipped from their grasp.
Yet no one dared blame Satan. Even though his plan had failed, none of the other demons were in a position to criticize.
Silence stretched on.
“The Northern Continent looks hopeless. Should we consider turning our attention to another continent?” Lucifer suggested.
“Why not try to lure them over to our side? You know, that human who killed Mammon last time,” Lilith proposed.
“Just destroy them. Kill them,” Baal said bluntly.
Occasional suggestions like these surfaced, but none gained any real support.
They weren’t bad ideas, but the current situation demanded swift action.
And with time running out, plans that required lengthy preparation were simply unacceptable.
They all regretted having been complacent when things first seemed favorable.
“Sigh.”
Suddenly, Satan let out a short sigh and leaned his head back—a silent gesture of despair.
Seeing this, the other demons felt the urgency more keenly than ever. Such a rare display from Satan was a clear sign of how dire things had become.
Then—
“Divide and conquer.”
Astaroth, who had been sitting quietly until now, suddenly spoke up, uttering a phrase that puzzled everyone.
“Divide and conquer. It’s a saying humans often use to mean ‘fight fire with fire.’”
“Right. There’s a similar saying: ‘Fight poison with poison,’” Lucifer chimed in, playing along.
Astaroth nodded in agreement.
“So, let’s keep it simple.”
“…”
“First, let’s review the situation. The humans of the Northern Continent are attacking the Steel Mountains. Our goal should be to delay them as much as possible. Isn’t that about right?”
“…”
The demons nodded in agreement. It was obvious.
“Good. Then…”
After gauging everyone’s reactions, Astaroth shrugged lightly.
“If we just need someone to play that role, it doesn’t necessarily have to be us, right?”
At this, Baal’s expression went blank as she clutched her teddy bear tighter. She wasn’t the only one reacting this way, but seeing Baal—who looked like a young girl—made the moment almost endearing.
Wait, we don’t have to step in? Neither the Great Demons, the Fourteen Lords, nor the demon race themselves?
“Then who?”
Baal asked, genuinely curious. All eyes turned to Astaroth.
And—
“That would be…”
Raising a single finger, Astaroth pointed downward.
“To those down there.”
Down below—the earth itself.
Hell.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Originally, the part about the demons wasn’t supposed to appear yet. It should have come earlier—probably right after the pit assault was over.
But due to my mistake, I couldn’t include it then, so I’m putting it in now. While it does have some impact on the third assault, it’s not deeply connected to the overall story.
Still, I felt it was better to include it now rather than later. There will be a more detailed explanation early in the next chapter, and after the third assault concludes, the demons won’t appear again for a while.
I hope you enjoyed reading today’s chapter!