Episode 576: Return to the Demon Realm
Boom! Crash!
Explosions echoed throughout the summoning grounds, and the ground trembled without pause.
Dust and debris rained down from above.
“Roar!”
“Screech!”
In every corridor, demons and soldiers clashed in a fierce battle.
The soldiers were led by Neung Un-pa.
Neung Un-pa narrowed his eyes, surveying the chaotic scene around him.
Though the corridors were relatively wide, the summoning grounds were a labyrinthine maze.
“I need to find Duke Lucidal.”
Baritan had used his subordinates in the Black Star to block the gates leading out of the summoning grounds.
Lucidal would have no choice but to emerge.
Yet, Neung Un-pa had plunged into the heart of the summoning grounds for one reason alone: to absorb the power of the evil god.
Having just become a demon, he had not yet received any divine protection.
To gain the favor of an evil god, he had to either be formally granted a title or kill another demon.
Ironically, it was Gu Yoon who had informed him of this.
Gu Yoon likely obtained the information through Sabikang.
With a swift motion, Neung Un-pa slashed diagonally across the chest of a demon charging at him.
Blood spurted like a fountain.
He deftly sidestepped the spray and continued to dispatch other creatures with fluid movements.
“How many demons and monsters have I cut down while wandering this maze?”
Finally, he reached a large chamber.
There, soldiers and demons under Duke Lucidal’s command were already locked in a chaotic battle.
“Why are the soldiers here?!”
“I heard Neung Un-pa and Baritan betrayed us! Get it together and crush them!”
“Damn it! Why are half-blood demons always like this?”
The demons cursed loudly.
A demon who had just cut down a soldier spotted Neung Un-pa entering the chamber and pointed.
“Look! It’s Neung Un-pa!”
“Kill him first!”
The demons charged at Neung Un-pa en masse.
A cold smile played on his lips.
“Pathetic.”
In an instant, his entire body darkened, and wings sprouted from his back.
With a powerful flap, he soared into the air.
“Even when I was human, I could handle the likes of you with ease.”
Hovering in the air, Neung Un-pa muttered with a haughty expression, then extended his hand and shouted.
“Blast Ice!”
A bone-chilling cold swept through the chamber, and a massive sphere of ice formed in midair.
Having become a demon, Neung Un-pa instinctively grasped the basics of dark magic.
Then,
Boom!
The ice sphere exploded, sending sharp shards flying in all directions.
The shards threatened everyone, demon and soldier alike.
Some managed to shield themselves or narrowly evade the shards, but about thirty percent of the demons and soldiers were either frozen solid or slowed to a crawl.
Neung Un-pa twisted his lips into a smirk, drew his sword, and slashed through the air.
A fierce blue energy surged toward the demons.
The demons, now ice sculptures, were helplessly sliced apart by the energy.
Even the surviving demons were awestruck by Neung Un-pa’s overwhelming power.
For someone who had just become a demon, he was far too formidable.
Neung Un-pa descended slowly, cracking his neck as he eyed the demons warily watching him.
“Where is your master?”
“Shut up! How dare a half-blood demon—”
“You’re the ones who should shut up. Can’t even handle a half-blood demon, and look at the mess you’re in.”
Neung Un-pa taunted, glancing at the fallen demons.
“You…!”
At that moment,
“Such arrogance, befitting a human.”
A raspy voice whispered as if right beside him, and then,
Smoke swirled before Neung Un-pa, coalescing into a figure.
The smoke formed the shape of a demon—Duke Lucidal.
Thanks to the mist and the mysterious power of an evil god, he could move like smoke.
“Is that the power of an evil god?”
“And if it is?”
“Then I’ll take it.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Whether it’s ridiculous or not, think about it in the afterlife.”
Before the words were fully spoken, Neung Un-pa drew his sword and slashed diagonally.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed as Lucidal’s body split diagonally.
But upon closer inspection, the diagonal section of his body dispersed like smoke, allowing the sword to pass through harmlessly.
Moments later, Lucidal’s form was fully restored.
Neung Un-pa’s eyebrow twitched.
“Indeed, I want it even more!”
“If you have the right.”
“Hmph! I’ll take it, no matter what!”
Neung Un-pa, his body darkened, flew at Lucidal with blinding speed, swinging his sword again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His attacks were so fast the blade was nearly invisible, but each time he struck, parts of Lucidal’s body turned to smoke.
“You…!”
Enraged, Neung Un-pa aimed for Lucidal’s neck.
But,
Thud!
Once again, Lucidal’s neck dissolved into smoke with a sound like shattering.
Lucidal smirked.
“Your tricks end here.”
Swoosh!
Lucidal’s fist, transformed into smoke, shot toward Neung Un-pa’s abdomen.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Lucidal’s fist became solid.
“Ugh!”
Neung Un-pa was sent flying like a cannonball.
Crash!
He slammed into the far wall of the chamber, seemingly unconscious.
Lucidal sneered.
“Pathetic half-blood…”
But he couldn’t finish his sentence.
Rustle… Crackle…!
Neung Un-pa, embedded in the wall like a bas-relief, slowly peeled away and descended.
He cracked his neck and smiled coldly.
“It won’t be easy.”
Lucidal’s expression hardened slightly.
Adler had called him a masterpiece, and indeed, Neung Un-pa was no easy opponent.
As Lucidal prepared to step forward,
“Your Grace, leave this to us and go ahead. Conserve your strength for the worst-case scenario.”
Half of his guardians stepped forward.
Lucidal sighed lightly and retreated.
Their advice was sound.
The life of this half-blood demon was of little consequence.
The priority was to inform the Demon King of the situation.
To do that, he needed to escape this place.
“Don’t underestimate him.”
“Understood!”
Ten guardians answered, drawing their swords and blocking Neung Un-pa’s path.
Swoosh!
Lucidal, once again turning to smoke, moved swiftly through the maze-like corridors with the remaining guardians.
In this terraformed area, he could use the power of the evil god freely, but outside, he would need to conserve his magic.
Finally, as light appeared in the distance, the guardians took the lead.
“It’s the exit. We’ll go first!”
As the ten guardians emerged from the tunnel,
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
The guardians fell, struck by arrows.
The demons who had exited first lay sprawled, pierced by arrows like pincushions.
Archers had been lying in wait outside the summoning grounds.
“These human pests…!”
Lucidal gritted his teeth as he emerged,
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Three arrows, imbued with fierce energy, flew toward him.
These arrows were on a different level from the previous ones.
They were shot by Dan Lijeong.
In an instant,
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The three arrows pierced Lucidal’s body and embedded in the wall.
But the areas they struck had already turned to smoke.
Lucidal broke into a cold sweat.
Had he been a moment slower, the arrows would have pierced him for real.
Then,
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A rain of arrows darkened the sky, mixed with three more powerful arrows!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrows rained down, piercing Lucidal’s body and densely covering the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The other demon knights and guardians raised shields to block the arrows.
But some, having exhausted their magic, couldn’t avoid the barrage.
Meanwhile, Lucidal, fully transformed into smoke, swiftly escaped, carried by the wind.
Five guardians surrounded him, following closely.
Lucidal wasn’t thrilled about having to flee from these pitiful humans, but he had to reach the Black Star and report the traitors first.
As they moved, the Guardians fended off the occasional arrows and human attackers.
Once Lucidal broke through the encirclement, he revealed himself and sprinted along the forest path.
Having left the terraformed area, he needed to conserve his magic as much as possible.
If he could just reach the next summoning site, half a day’s journey away, he could use the gate.
But he hadn’t even traveled a mile when—
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept through the forest.
And then—
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Shadows burst from both sides of the forest, swarming over Lucidal.
They were the Celestial Extermination Squad and the Newborn Order, accompanied by their demon-slaying archers.
“Defend!” Lucidal shouted, and seven Guardians, along with about thirty demon knights, drew their swords and charged forward.
Clang! Clang-clang!
The demons and humans clashed at last.
Bang! Clang! Clang-clang!
The air filled with the chaotic symphony of metal clashing, screams, and shouts.
Grinding his teeth, Lucidal yelled, “Retreat!”
At his command, the demons disengaged from the humans and pulled back like a receding tide.
In an instant—
Whoosh!
Lucidal transformed into a cloud of black ash, spreading like mist over the warriors.
And then—
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
“Aaargh!”
“Nooo!”
The warriors fell, writhing as the ash exploded around them.
The demon-slaying archers, who had charged in so boldly, felt a chill run down their spines at the bizarre turn of events.
“Damn it! How are we supposed to fight something without a solid form?”
“What kind of sorcery is this? Turning into smoke?”
While the archers were bewildered, Yeom Jaryang charged forward, shouting, “Clear the way!”
The archers retreated swiftly, creating space with the precision of well-trained soldiers.
Yeom Jaryang landed on the ground and bellowed, “Ground Wave!”
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
The earth trembled, then surged like ocean waves, crashing toward Lucidal and the demons.
The force was so immense that trees and shrubs were uprooted and sent flying.
Ground Wave was Yeom Jaryang’s favorite spell, one he used often.
Its power, capable of leveling an entire hill, matched perfectly with his massive black sword.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
The demon knights summoned all their magic, swinging their swords with all their might.
Boom!
As the ground erupted and the clash subsided, the area was shrouded in a thick cloud of dust.
Lucidal’s expression twisted slightly, surprised at how adeptly they wielded magic.
As the dust settled, the warriors stood in formation against the demons.
Leading the charge with the demon-slaying archers behind them were the Celestial Extermination Squad and the Newborn Order.
“You insignificant human insects…!”
Lucidal’s brow furrowed deeply, but Yeon Woo-kyung stepped forward and retorted, “Watch your mouth. We’re not insignificant humans; we’re the Supreme Bloodstorm Extermination Squad.”