Kraang!
A sudden, ear-splitting roar exploded, making my eardrums sting, and Hwajeong let out a startled cry.
After a moment of disbelief, I glanced toward the source of the blast and immediately winced. The Obello Knights, who had been rampaging across the battlefield without restraint, were now scattered like leaves in the wind—completely shredded, as if they’d been torn to rags by that very explosion.
Hwajeong’s voice grew urgent. Clutching Eldora in my left hand, I plunged Excalibur deep into the ground with my right. Swiftly, I drew the bladeless sword and took my stance.
I don’t know why the message confirming Excalibur’s recognition of its master didn’t appear, but there was no time to ponder.
A dozen or so hostile energies were converging on me from all four directions—north, south, east, and west—closing in at near lightning speed. The aura was terrifying at first glance, but strangely familiar. No, it was malevolent.
Moments later.
A dozen or so shadows shot up and suddenly encircled me.
“Well, well. What mischief were you up to?”
The first figure to come into view was Astaroth, leaping down while spitting out sluggish words.
“Oh my? What shameless act is this?”
Lilith landed next, fluttering her bat wings and twisting her body coquettishly.
Then came Baal, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and even the fourteen demon lords, along with two or three users.
…Wait, those aren’t users, are they?
“Me, Melinus…”
Eldora, held tightly in my hand, murmured in a tearful voice.
Melinus. Though he appeared as an old man, his third eye identified him as Belial.
Suddenly, I felt I understood a little about how the southern continent had fallen.
I slowly scanned my surroundings, confirming each presence, then took a steadying breath.
At last, the great demons had arrived.
“…”
But why?
I hadn’t expected some grand entrance. Still, my heart didn’t skip a beat—not even once. Instead, there was a calm acceptance, as if what was meant to come had simply come.
My mind was icy cold.
Was it the effect of my divine sight? Or because I had anticipated this moment?
No, neither.
The source of this serene calm was confidence. Confidence that I would not lose to anyone. After all, I had just overwhelmingly defeated Eldora, who had earned tremendous fame in the first round.
No exceptions. Even if the opponent was a great demon—no, especially if they were demons—I was confident.
Why?
Because I had spent fourteen years in this whole plane, staring down these very fiends.
“User Kim Suhyun.”
Then—
“I would like to begin by respectfully greeting you.”
I sensed someone stepping forward calmly.
“I am called Lucifer, the fallen angel… Ah, you already know me, I suppose?”
Lucifer placed one hand over his chest and bowed politely. Then, lifting his head slightly, he smiled gently.
“Anyway, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to have a brief conversation.”
“A conversation?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better to resolve this meaningless war through dialogue rather than continue fighting?”
“Hoh.”
I barely suppressed a snort. His tone was polite, his voice still sweet and seductive. If this were the old me, clueless and naive, I might have been tempted.
“A conversation… fine. Not impossible.”
“Excuse me?”
“On one condition.”
“What?”
Astaroth shouted, but Lucifer quickly raised a hand and straightened up slowly.
“Yes. I’m listening.”
“First: all users from the southern continent must immediately withdraw from the battlefield.”
“That’s not difficult. And the second?”
“Also simple. After you comply with the first, you come quietly into that castle. There, we can talk at leisure. How does that sound?”
As he finished, I heard Lilith chuckle softly.
Lucifer didn’t smile. Instead, he stared at me intently, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and gave a bitter smile.
“So you never intended to negotiate in the first place.”
“Oh? Negotiations broken down already?”
“No, not yet. Think about it. Why have so many users turned their backs on the angels? Isn’t it worth hearing their reasons at least once?”
“Oh, if you mean the duplicity of angels, don’t worry.”
“…Excuse me?”
“First, we’ll deal with you. Then, we’ll handle them.”
I deliberately left the rest unsaid, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of unease cross Lucifer’s face.
I couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. It felt strange. Those arrogant bastards lowering themselves to make such an offer? Were they trying to show me some respect?
“If you already know that, then there’s no need for us to fight, is there?”
“There’s a saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But you are not.”
“Some misunderstanding must be at play…”
“No. The angels want to uphold the Zero Code, but you need it. That’s why it’s impossible.”
Lucifer fell silent at that.
I chuckled again and stabbed the bladeless sword into Eldora’s back. The smooth flesh split left and right, and the whole body twitched violently as a death scream burst out: “Aah!”
Originally, I planned to use Eldora as a meat shield, but it didn’t seem effective…
The demons’ reaction was calm. They hesitated briefly, but that was all. They didn’t move recklessly. After all, Eldora was just a tool to them. Whether it lived or died was of little concern.
Just in case, I triggered a massive magical explosion inside Eldora, then tossed the limp body aside like trash.
A heavy silence settled.
As I raised Excalibur with my now free left hand, the enemy made no move. But the growing hostility in the air foretold what was about to come.
I slowly gathered my magic and quickly assessed the situation.
Of the seven great demons, six had appeared—Satan was missing. Among the fourteen demon lords, including three users who had blossomed from seeds, nine were present.
Two questions arose from this.
First: where was Satan?
Second: one of the fourteen demon lords was missing.
As far as I knew, four demon lords had been destroyed so far: Mephistopheles, Mammon, Pluton, and Proserpina. That should leave ten remaining, but only nine were here.
And that wasn’t all.
Only demons had appeared on the battlefield—no sign or trace of the demon tribe.
Honestly, it had felt strange since first encountering the southern continent. If they were truly committed to this war, why hadn’t they fought alongside us from the start? Why did they only show up just before the southern continent’s defeat?
I don’t know what they’re scheming.
But one thing had been nagging at me since earlier:
“Hmph~. Hmph~.”
A woman quietly humming a tune, wearing a robe far too large for her frame. Even my third eye couldn’t read any information from her.
At that moment—
“Thanatos?”
Startled, I blurted the name aloud.
“Ah?”
Almost simultaneously, the enemy let out a soft gasp.
When she pulled back her deeply hooded cloak, a beautiful woman with long black hair and wide eyes appeared.
She stared at me silently for a while, then suddenly clapped her hands and beamed.
“Oh! That’s right~. Of course. If we’re on the same level, you’d be able to sense me. Still, I tried to hide, but I guess I used too much energy dealing with those weird guys earlier. Hehe!”
She muttered to herself, nodded, and laughed innocently—like a bright, carefree child. But I didn’t let my guard down. Though I was taken aback, my mind quickly settled.
Once before.
Once, I had been this way.
Back then, I kept pestering about Thanatos, and Hwajeong dismissed her as a dangerous lunatic. I’m sure she’s no opponent to underestimate.
After all, when have demons ever been easy to deal with?
Satan isn’t a fool. He must realize the demons’ disadvantage, so if he released Thanatos’ seal, it makes sense. She’s a kind of secret weapon.
Thinking that, I couldn’t help but smile wryly. It seemed my decision to keep Thanatos in mind had paid off.
“Hey, why are you laughing?”
Thanatos suddenly squealed, blinking her eyes cutely before twisting her face into a grimace like a madwoman.
“Why are you laughing? This isn’t something to laugh about.”
“Come to think of it…”
I cut her off softly.
“You’ve always been like this.”
“…?”
“Yes, always. Whenever things seemed to be going well, you’d show up and somehow sabotage it. To the point it made me grind my teeth.”
“That’s something we could say about you, too.”
Lucifer frowned, apparently caught off guard.
“…But somehow, I feel like you expected this kind of situation.”
I smiled faintly.
After all, I’d been through this more times than I could count.
“Of course I did.”
Mocking, I crossed my two swords and raised them.
“Area Declared.”
Uh, well. First of all, I want to apologize. The reason I added the warning message yesterday wasn’t because I was underestimating readers’ tolerance, but because of a comment left by a reader during the scene where Natalie was subjected to the rack torture. They said, “You don’t put warning messages anymore these days,” and the moment I saw that, I realized I’d overlooked something.
There are many readers on Noblesse. While some can easily handle scenes like the rack torture or yesterday’s content, I also thought about those who might not. Actually, I knew this before but somehow completely forgot, and I take responsibility for that. So, please understand that the skip recommendation yesterday was meant for a small portion of readers. I’d really appreciate your understanding. (__)
And to Mr./Ms. CheonXX HyeolXX:
Q1) Writer, writer. Why did Kim Suhyun use the Flame Sword, which he didn’t even use when he fought Gong Chanho one-on-one?
A1) Kim Suhyun’s use of the Flame Sword at that moment wasn’t particularly significant. Of course, he could have fought in other ways, but he used it specifically to counter Eldora’s ability, “Show yourself, Eldora.” In this battle, Kim Suhyun’s goal wasn’t simply to kill Eldora outright, but to make him suffer a crushing defeat and shock the forces on the southern continent. So, he chose one method among many possible tactics—it doesn’t mean he gave it his all.
Q2) Also, can you explain why that was the expected power level of Eldora?
A2) It’s simple. Kim Suhyun’s estimate of Eldora’s power was based on two things: 1) the Third Eye, and 2) the fact that this is the transition from the fourth to the fifth year. You can think of it as a calculation grounded in those facts. There was a part earlier about how users in this cycle are weaker compared to the first cycle, and Eldora is no exception. Especially since he didn’t even have his sheath, it wasn’t hard to expect him to be weaker than in the first cycle.
I hope this answers your questions sufficiently. :)