Episode 583: The Return of the Demon General
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions echoed through the air.
“Ugh!”
Hount crashed into a massive boulder, a pained groan escaping his lips as he coughed up blood.
‘Damn it! How could this be…!’
His eyes were wide with disbelief.
This couldn’t be happening.
He was being pushed back by a mere half-blood demon!
And not just any half-blood, but a fledgling who had only recently become a demon.
He, who had lived for over a thousand years, was being bested by a newborn demon.
“You wretch!”
Hount screamed in desperation, thrusting his hands forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A hazy aura erupted from his body, spreading out in hundreds of tendrils to ensnare Neung Unpa.
It was the power granted by the malevolent god of possession and obsession.
The aura stretched out like a spider’s web, wrapping around Neung Unpa and cocooning him.
Hount glared at Neung Unpa with eyes filled with madness, a twisted smile on his lips.
“Heh! No matter how skilled you are, you won’t escape this time! How dare you challenge a pureblood like me…! What?!”
Hount’s eyes widened as he stared at the cocooned Neung Unpa.
From the center of the cocoon, a faint light began to intensify.
Crack!
A brilliant light burst forth, splitting the cocoon open.
Through the torn strands, Neung Unpa emerged, his entire body now cloaked in darkness, wings unfurled.
Hount’s pupils dilated in shock.
‘That bastard…!’
Neung Unpa smirked.
“Is this all you’ve got? I’m disappointed, pureblood.”
“You insolent fool!”
Hount roared, unleashing another barrage of aura tendrils.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the white tendrils shot towards him, Neung Unpa moved with blinding speed, his sword a blur.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The aura tendrils were sliced apart by Neung Unpa’s sword, scattering like white threads.
Despair flickered across Hount’s face.
“Why is my aura…!”
His aura wasn’t supposed to be so easily severed.
Unlike other demons, his aura was sticky and elastic, like a spider’s web.
Yet against Neung Unpa’s sword, it was no more than a bundle of threads.
“You seem to have forgotten that I’m not your average half-blood. Didn’t I tell you? I’m a special existence!”
Neung Unpa appeared right in front of Hount, thrusting his sword towards his forehead.
Swish!
“Ugh!”
Hount retreated with all his might, swinging his sword.
Clang!
In the next moment.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Thousands of aura tendrils erupted from his body once more.
But.
“Pathetic.”
Neung Unpa’s cold murmur was followed by a sudden shout.
“Hah!”
As his voice rang out.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A chilling cold spread through the air, as if freezing everything in its path.
Hount instinctively held his breath and stepped back.
He knew that inhaling even a single breath could freeze his lungs.
It was a wise decision.
Had he carelessly inhaled, his throat and lungs would have frozen instantly.
But he couldn’t prevent his movements from slowing.
His energy was depleted from the power he had already expended.
Neung Unpa seized the opportunity.
“Too slow.”
Whoosh!
Neung Unpa’s sword created countless shadows, targeting Hount’s vital points.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Hount summoned every last ounce of his power to form a shield.
His shield was different from ordinary ones.
Thanks to the power of the malevolent god of possession and obsession, it was sticky and elastic.
Thus, Neung Unpa’s sword strikes stretched and clung to the shield, unable to penetrate easily.
But even that shield began to crack under the relentless cold.
And finally.
Crack!
A large fissure appeared in the shield.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The shield shattered into pieces.
‘Damn it! This can’t be happening!’
Hount watched in disbelief as Neung Unpa’s sword came for him.
And then.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Neung Unpa’s sword pierced through Hount’s body.
His movements were too swift for Hount to block.
“Argh!”
Hount staggered back, blood spilling from his mouth.
“You…!”
Grinding his teeth, Hount summoned the last of his power, unleashing his aura.
“I won’t die alone!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More aura tendrils than ever before wrapped around Neung Unpa.
But Neung Unpa merely smirked at Hount with narrowed eyes.
“Flailing like an insect. It seems your kind has its limits. I, who possess the strengths of both humans and demons, am the true supreme being.”
With those words, Neung Unpa hurled his sword.
Swish!
At the same time, he spread his hands wide.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The aura tendrils rushing towards him exploded, scattering like dust.
In the next moment.
Thud!
The sword Neung Unpa had thrown pierced through Hount’s neck, embedding itself in a large boulder.
Hount, his neck impaled, hung from the rock, his mouth agape.
He looked at Neung Unpa approaching him with eyes filled with despair.
‘How could I lose to a mere half-blood…!’
He couldn’t accept his defeat.
Neung Unpa slowly reached for Hount’s chest.
Slice!
His fingers extended, nails growing sharp like blades.
And then.
Thud.
“Argh!”
A hoarse scream escaped Hount’s lips as his throat was pierced.
And then.
Rip!
Neung Unpa, without hesitation, tore out Hount’s heart.
Hount convulsed once before his head slumped forward, lifeless.
Neung Unpa gazed at the still-beating heart with eyes burning with greed.
‘Finally…!’
The heart in his hand turned a molten black-red, like lava.
Sizzle!
It crumbled into black ash, which Neung Unpa inhaled deeply.
He opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings.
His pupils flickered with various colors before returning to normal.
Clenching and unclenching his fists, he murmured.
“The power of the malevolent god of possession and obsession. Not bad. It was a pearl before swine until now.”
Satisfied, he glanced at Hount’s lifeless body, then reached out.
Swish!
The sword returned to his hand, and Hount’s heartless body slumped to the ground.
Neung Unpa returned to where Baritan had been, cracking his neck.
“Now, let’s enjoy this newfound power and wait patiently.”
He murmured softly as hundreds of black aura tendrils unfurled from his body.
Unlike Hount’s, they were as dark as night.
Each tendril took the shape of a blade, exuding a menacing aura.
In the next moment.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The tendrils shot out, slicing through the surrounding trees in an instant.
Moments later.
Rumble!
A cloud of dust rose as dozens of trees toppled over.
The area around Neung Unpa was reduced to a wasteland.
“Heh heh, ha ha ha!”
He laughed, feeling the surge of power.
He could feel it—he was stronger now.
In terms of martial arts, it felt like his inner strength had increased by a whole level.
Neung Unpa chuckled, murmuring to himself.
“It would be perfect if Baritan shows up after dealing with the Beheaders, battered and bruised.”
**
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst the cacophony, a poisonous green blizzard swirled like a hurricane.
The four Beheaders squinted through the toxic mist, heightening their senses.
“Is it dead?”
Raknas asked, and Drakan slowly shook his head.
“Hard to say. But it must be gravely injured.”
“Probably.”
“Most likely.”
Drakan nodded with certainty.
Surviving such an attack would be nothing short of a miracle.
Yet they couldn’t dismiss the possibility, given that their opponent was Baritan.
He was renowned for his combat prowess.
Complacency was not an option.
It had been a close call.
If not for the abilities of Izran, the last of the Beheaders to act, Kamenza might have been the one gravely injured or dead by now.
Perhaps Raknas had let his guard down a bit when he trapped his opponent in a zero-gravity vacuum.
As Baritan flailed helplessly in mid-air, Drakan gleefully hurled an ice spear, now transformed into a deadly weapon, while Kamenzael watched with amusement.
But then, out of nowhere, Drakan’s mouth gaped open as if he intended to swallow Baritan whole.
Startled, he stepped back, only to realize that Baritan had used the power of a beguiling dark god to alter his appearance and ensnare Kamenzael’s mind.
Belatedly, the Beheaders launched a coordinated attack, with Izran joining in to unleash his special ability.
Izran’s unique power was to seal his opponent’s magic and the dark god’s influence.
Thus, Baritan found himself besieged by four attackers, his powers and magic sealed, all while trapped in a zero-gravity vacuum.
Whoooosh!
A fierce gust of wind scattered the toxic mist that had filled the air.
Through the thinning haze, Baritan’s silhouette emerged.
Drakan squinted and muttered, “Finally, we get to see his true form.”
“Care to wager on how hideous it’ll be?” Kamenzael quipped.
Raknas chimed in, “I’ll bet it’s worse than Count Adler.”
“Agreed. He must be truly hideous to hide behind a dark god’s power all the time…”
Kamenzael trailed off, his expression turning blank as he gaped.
The other three also froze, staring at Baritan’s slowly revealing form.
In unison, they murmured in disbelief, “Baritan… was a woman?”
Indeed, standing where the mist had cleared was a slender, strikingly beautiful woman.
Baritan, a thin line of blood trickling from her lips, glared at the four Beheaders.
[So, the Demon King’s elite assassins, are you?]
Her cold, feminine voice reached them.
Raknas blinked in surprise. “She’s speaking? But isn’t this a vacuum? Is she using magic to transmit sound?”
Izran shook his head. “Don’t be stupid. Her magic and the dark god’s power are sealed.”
“Then how is she doing it?”
“How should I know!” Izran snapped irritably.
Meanwhile, Baritan twisted her lips into a mocking smile, her fierce expression only enhancing her allure.
Kamenzael chuckled, licking his lips. “Well, at least we’ve got something to enjoy. If I’d known she was this pretty, I might’ve gone easier on her. Maybe we’ll have some fun once this is over.”
Just then—
“Watch out!”
Drakan shouted, but it was too late.
Pop!
Kamenzael’s eyes widened in shock.
In an instant, Baritan appeared before him, and he stared at her in disbelief.
‘What is this? Her magic and powers were supposed to be sealed…!’
As Kamenzael’s questioning gaze flicked to Izran,
Swish!
Baritan’s sword sliced through the air, aiming for his throat.