Chapter 600: Return of the Demon Cult
Trajan’s cheek twitched.
“And who might you be…?”
As he turned his gaze, he found Sabi Kang staring back at him with a cold expression.
“It’s been a while, Trajan.”
Despite the familiarity in Sabi Kang’s tone, Trajan wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, he chuckled softly and nodded.
“So it’s true. I’ve heard you’re a regressor. The fact that you know my name so well seems to confirm it.”
With that, Trajan’s eyes sharpened.
In an instant.
Crack…!
Squelch!
A thick liquid seemed to flow, and then his severed arm began to regenerate, sprouting anew. Though the muscles and veins were still grotesquely intertwined, the arm was functional.
Trajan flexed his fingers, a twisted smile on his lips.
“Interesting. A regressor, huh? So, how was the demon realm for a man from the Central Plains?”
“What’s there to say? It was hell.”
“What part of it?”
“The fact that warriors from the martial world fell to such weaklings… it was infuriating.”
Sabi Kang’s eyes turned venomous, and Trajan’s gaze twisted with equal intensity.
“You seem to think being a regressor makes you invincible.”
“Trajan, I’ve never liked you.”
”…?”
“You pretend to be so stoic, yet you chatter away at the most inappropriate times.”
In a flash, Sabi Kang vanished and reappeared right in front of Trajan.
“You!”
Trajan roared, summoning a sword of magical energy and swinging it with force.
Crackle!
Thud.
For a moment, Trajan couldn’t believe his eyes. Sabi Kang had blocked the magical sword with his bare hand.
‘This is insane…!’
In an instant.
Smack!
With a single slap, Sabi Kang sent Trajan flying like a cannonball, crashing through the pavilion.
Boom!
The collapsing structure buried Trajan beneath its debris. The sheer power left everyone, including the martial artists nearby, gaping in disbelief.
How could such a formidable foe be so easily dispatched with a single gesture?
Rumble…!
From the rubble, Trajan emerged, glaring at Sabi Kang with fury.
“How dare a mere human…! Gah!”
Before he could finish, he was pulled towards Sabi Kang, who caught him by the throat.
Trajan couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“Gah, ugh!”
Sabi Kang lifted Trajan into the air, holding him effortlessly as he dangled and struggled.
Sabi Kang muttered, his expression indifferent.
“Was it the chest I tore open?”
“What…?”
Slash!
“Aaaargh!”
With a swift motion, Sabi Kang slashed Trajan’s chest, leaving five deep gashes. The cuts were so deep that the white of his bones was visible.
“You wretched…!”
Thud!
“Ugh!”
As Trajan tried to spit blood, Sabi Kang’s fist connected with his face.
“Gah, ugh…!”
The assault didn’t stop there.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Holding Trajan by the throat, Sabi Kang relentlessly pummeled him, giving him no chance to retaliate.
Trajan couldn’t even attempt a counterattack as Sabi Kang’s fists rained down.
‘Why…! How is he this strong…!’
He had mocked the demons who had fallen to Sabi Kang. But now, he understood.
They weren’t weak. Sabi Kang was just unbelievably strong.
Finally, Sabi Kang kneed Trajan in the stomach and brought both fists down.
Boom!
Crash!
Trajan plummeted to the ground, sprawling out like a frog with its limbs splayed.
Sabi Kang landed softly, crouching to grab Trajan’s head.
“You never imagined you’d be humiliated by a mere human, did you?”
“You… how do you have such power…?”
“Is that all you’re curious about? I expected a more sophisticated question.”
“Ugh…!”
Ssssh!
Trajan mustered all his strength to throw a punch.
But it posed no threat to Sabi Kang.
Snap, crack!
Sabi Kang caught Trajan’s fist and twisted it in the opposite direction.
“Aaaargh!”
Trajan’s scream filled the air. Sabi Kang spoke in a detached voice.
“Even with things like this, those outside the palace don’t think to intervene. Ah, did you order them to wait for your command?”
“Shut up… aaaargh!”
Trajan screamed again as his right shoulder shattered into dust.
He wanted to strike Sabi Kang, but now he couldn’t even move a finger.
Trembling…
‘Am I… shaking?’
Trajan wondered if he had gone mad. Was he truly feeling fear against a mere human?
It couldn’t be!
But his suspicion was correct. Sabi Kang’s icy gaze seemed to freeze his very bones.
”…!”
“They can’t imagine that scream is yours, can they?”
With that, Sabi Kang grabbed Trajan’s horn.
Trajan felt a deep sense of humiliation. For a demon, having one’s horn seized was the ultimate disgrace.
Yet, even in the face of such humiliation, he could do nothing. He couldn’t even resist.
Completely paralyzed by fear.
Trembling…
“I’ll break your horn. Go tell the Demon King to come himself next time.”
”…!”
In an instant.
“Ugh!”
With a sickening crack, Trajan’s horn snapped off.
He fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
Thud!
Sabi Kang tossed the broken horn in front of him.
“Consider it a souvenir.”
With that, Sabi Kang turned away.
Trajan clenched his fists in rage.
If he returned with this disgrace, he was as good as dead.
“Raaaargh!”
With a battle cry, he lunged at Sabi Kang’s back with a sword of magical energy.
Boom!
The fiery blade aimed for Sabi Kang’s back, but—
Thud!
Sabi Kang turned and caught the sword once more.
Then.
Crack!
Astonishingly, the fiery sword began to freeze, turning into a block of ice.
Crack…!
In the blink of an eye, Trajan’s hand, arm, and shoulder were encased in ice.
The next moment.
Boom!
“Aaaargh!”
Trajan staggered back, his right shoulder shattering completely.
Sabi Kang closed in, his voice cold.
“I wonder if your heart can regenerate too.”
Thrust!
“Ugh!”
Trajan watched in disbelief as Sabi Kang’s hand pierced his chest.
And as Sabi Kang’s lips twisted into a smirk—
Rip!
“Ugh!”
Trajan’s eyes rolled back as he staggered away.
He saw his heart being pulled from his body before collapsing.
Sabi Kang gazed at the pulsating heart, then crushed it in his grip.
Pop!
The heart burst, turning into black ash that drifted into Sabi Kang’s nostrils.
**
”…!”
At the nearest summoning site to the Demon Palace, a strange entity lay tangled in a mass of mucus-like substance, indistinguishable from rock, wood, or some other life form.
It resembled an ancient sculpture entwined with vines.
Suddenly, the sculpture’s eyes snapped open.
‘Trajan is dead!’
It was Count Adler.
‘Order a retreat…!’
With the death of the supreme commander Trajan, the battle was lost!
Snap…!
The sticky tendrils connecting him to the entity snapped away.
He hurried towards the gate.
**
A land shrouded in darkness.
Unlike any other, the sand and soil were blackened, and the ground seemed to pulse as if it were a living entity.
It was a sign that terraforming was complete.
But then…
Sizzle…!
The demonized territory began to recede.
The area that threatened to engulf the inner sanctum of the Demon Palace was retreating.
“This is…!”
The demon knight commander realized the gravity of the situation and shouted.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Though the exact reason was unclear, one thing was certain.
The retreat of the demonized area was a dire sign for the demons.
The fact that there was still no word from Duke Trajan, who had entered the inner palace, was becoming a problem.
Just as he was contemplating whether to defy orders and sneak into the inner palace himself, this unexpected event forced a retreat—a decision that seemed inevitable.
But then.
“Who said you could retreat?”
A voice suddenly echoed from above.
Though calm, it resonated clearly in the ears of the thousands of demons below.
“What the—!”
The commander of the knights looked up in shock.
To his astonishment, Sabigang stood upright in mid-air, gazing down at them. It was as if he was standing on something invisible, perfectly poised without a hint of imbalance.
‘How can a mere human…?’
Sabigang’s voice was as cold as ice.
“There’s no mercy for those who cross the line.”
With that, he extended his hand.
Boom!
Crimson energy erupted from the ground in torrents, twisting and writhing like thick, wild vines.
The dark red energy surged upward, indiscriminately engulfing demon knights and creatures alike.
“Argh!”
“Ahhh!”
Some demons were lifted into the sky by the relentless energy, only to disintegrate mid-air. Others were dragged into the earth, vanishing without a trace. Still others were ensnared where they stood, their bodies crushed under the pressure.
Only those demons and creatures who had kept their distance managed to escape in time.
But those who had dared to approach the vicinity of the palace were trapped in a deadly mire, unable to escape their fate.