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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 336
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Espada let out an irritated sigh as he stood guard over an empty space.
He already disliked having to interfere in a dimension assigned to inferior beings, but what annoyed him even more was the fact that he, a ruler of one of the 12 Demon Realms, had to come all this way just to stop a single human.
If it weren’t for his lord’s command, he would’ve never stepped into such a lowly dimension.
And not long after, the human arrived.
‘Is that the one I’m supposed to deal with?’
He could reduce a mere human like that to dust in a second.
Espada reached out, attempting to crush the human’s throat—then suddenly stopped.
‘What… is that?’
The human’s level had surpassed 4,000.
At that nonsensical number, Espada let out a hollow laugh.
‘Now I understand why the lord sent me.’
Who would’ve thought such an outlier would appear in a lowly dimension like this?
He had planned to take care of this quickly and return… but this fight wouldn’t be easy.
Cold sweat formed on Espada’s forehead.
Flash!
In that moment, the human’s figure vanished.
Espada’s eyes widened.
Shhk.
At the same time, with a chilling sound, a sharp pain flared in his right shoulder.
Espada’s gaze dropped to his shoulder.
His right arm had been severed, and blood was pouring out.
“Guhk!”
Espada groaned and hurriedly activated his power.
Grave of Swords.
Countless swords rained down from the ceiling to the ground.
The fallen swords vibrated in unison, sending shockwaves through the air.
Then, in an instant, Espada’s severed arm was restored, and the air itself turned into blades, rushing toward the human.
Crack-crack-crack.
But the blades couldn’t harm the human.
A barrier formed of divine power and the thick, dark-colored ultimate aura emanating from his body.
‘What kind of mana level is that?’
For a human to wield such a dense aura…
Espada bit his lip, his expression twisting.
To be in awe of a mere human’s mana—
It wounded his pride deeply.
“What’s got you so surprised?”
Perhaps Espada’s thoughts were written on his face, because the human gave him a crooked smile.
“…I’ll admit it.”
“Hm?”
“Yeah. You’re no ordinary being. You’re on a different level from the other mortals I’ve seen.”
In the Demon Realm, the higher one's rank, the lower-numbered realm they govern.
The human standing before him wasn’t a member of a species fit for a low-tier dimension like the 90s-ranked Demon Realms.
The monarch who ruled over a Demon Realm.
He was a transcendent being, one nearly on par with those above.
No—he wore the shell of a mortal, so perhaps calling him a transcendent was a stretch.
Espada quickly regained his composure.
“Oh? You’re quicker to judge than I thought.”
The human let out a short remark of admiration.
Seeing that smug face made fury surge to the top of Espada’s head, but he didn’t show it outwardly.
If he lost his cool here, his judgment would falter, and he’d end up playing into the human’s hands.
“I’ll go all out.”
Espada glared at the human and gestured from top to bottom.
Then, the swords embedded in the ground slowly floated upward.
The floating swords began to spin, as if dancing.
This was the Grave’s domain, deployed with the rain of swords.
From the moment one stepped into this domain, the odds of victory were zero.
No matter how much he struggled, escape would be impossible.
Destruction.
With the first command, the spinning swords simultaneously aimed at the human and were fired.
Ting!
The human casually deflected the incoming sword with his own, and in that instant, the clashing blade gleamed, then disintegrated into powder and scattered around the human.
Yes.
That wasn’t just powder—it was countless tiny swords.
When those swords struck the barrier formed from divine power, they easily shattered it.
A sword that breaks through any power.
That was Destruction.
And now, the second.
Impact.
The powdered swords all rushed the human at once.
The combined force of Destruction and Impact would tear through that aura in an instant and turn him into a pincushion.
However, the swords couldn’t penetrate the ultimate aura and simply fell to the ground.
“What is this?!”
Espada’s eyes widened.
This was his domain.
Even if the human had surpassed the level of a monarch, resisting so cleanly was impossible.
Was he hiding his strength all along?
“Well then, guess it’s my turn now.”
The moment the human finished speaking, his figure vanished.
* * *
[Black Field is activating.]
Jeong-hoon activated Black Field and followed up with every single buff.
Fighting inside that guy’s domain without buffs was a huge disadvantage.
So he would go all out.
He stepped forward using Heavenly Demon Lord’s Dominion, and in a flash, stood right in front of Espada.
Startled, Espada flailed both arms.
Countless swords shot toward Jeong-hoon, but he effortlessly swung Overlord Titan in a wide arc.
[Activating ‘Descent of the Conqueror.’]
At the same time, he activated Descent of the Conqueror.
As the ability took effect, a powerful energy settled into Jeong-hoon’s body.
Boom—crack!
No matter how formidable the Domain of the Sword Grave was, it couldn’t withstand Jeong-hoon’s overwhelming presence.
Lightning struck the grave, and the ground shook violently.
“Damn it!”
Espada cursed, facing the power of the Conqueror head-on.
‘Looks like I won’t even need to use Asura.’
Was it because his level had surpassed 4,000?
With the buffs and Descent of the Conqueror activated, Jeong-hoon felt confident he could easily take down Espada, one of the twelve Demon Realm monarchs.
Within the Conqueror’s Domain, Espada was writhing in pain as if his entire body was being crushed, and his movements had become sluggish.
Jeong-hoon swung Titan in a wide arc.
[Form 1: Activating Heavenly Demon’s Sword Entry.]
Heavenly Demon’s Sword Entry.
A sharp sword strike surged forward to engulf Espada.
Startled, Espada hastily brought both hands together.
[Canceling skill.]
Aha.
Was it because they were in his domain?
It seemed he could even cancel his opponent’s skills.
However, that wouldn’t work.
[Skill cannot be canceled.]
A mere monarch cannot oppose the Conqueror.
“Die.”
Titan slashed across Espada’s neck.
“Gah—!”
Espada’s neck was cut, and his body went limp as he died.
For the ruler who once governed the Twelve Demon Realms, it was an all too empty end.
<…I expected a gap in strength, but to be defeated this easily...>
Baal looked down at Espada’s cold corpse with a brief murmur of awe.
The Domain known as the Sword Grave—
Once trapped within it, no one escaped alive, meeting a horrific fate at his hands.
The same was true for the other monarchs.
Espada’s might was said to far surpass the lower Demon Realm monarchs with ease.
Even the Archdemon Baal couldn’t confidently claim victory against him at full power—yet he died without even putting up a proper resistance.
<…Maybe he really could defeat Escanon.>
Though he had betrayed him, Escanon was once Baal’s liege.
If it was Jeong-hoon, he might just be able to sever that man’s head.
“I’m still not there yet.”
<Not there yet?>
“That’s right.”
As he cut down Espada, Jeong-hoon became certain of it.
He still lacked the power to face a God-level opponent.
It was true that he had easily subdued Espada, but that was only after using every available buff.
If he hadn’t enhanced his stats with buffs, it would’ve taken much longer to eliminate Espada.
At this level, if he were to confront Escanon… could he truly guarantee victory?
However, there was still a way.
If he could harness the power of Tenebris, who had effortlessly seized Escanon’s domain, the outcome would be different.
[Activating Devouring Star Technique.]
[Experience points acquired.]
[All stats have increased.]
Jeong-hoon absorbed experience and boosted his stats through Espada.
At the same time, the power of named entities accumulated within Tenebris’s strength.
‘As expected of a monarch of the Twelve Demon Realms. The amount gained is pretty decent.’
He had slain many transcendents before, but it was the first time he’d gained this much.
After completing the Devouring Star Technique, Jeong-hoon rose to his feet.
‘Now it’s time to break Tenebris’s seal.’
The only thing left was to visit the sanctuary and head to the place where Tenebris was sealed.
Jeong-hoon began walking toward the sanctuary.
* * *
However, things didn’t go as planned.
“It’s blocked…?”
The sanctuary he returned to was mostly sealed off.
Fog had settled in, forming a barrier that made entry impossible.
All except for the underground level accessible via the staircase.
<…Looks like Escanon interfered.>
“Seems that way.”
Since Escanon was the one who designed the sanctuary, manipulating it wouldn’t be difficult.
<So, what now?>
“What else?”
I’ll force my way through.
In the future that Psyche showed him, a statue of the goddess had stood tall beneath this place.
He was curious whether it would appear this time too, but more important was finding where Tenebris was sealed.
Jeong-hoon reached his hand toward the fog.
Tap.
But before he could even touch the fog, he was blocked by a barrier.
Jeong-hoon slowly placed his hand on the barrier.
‘Will it work this time too?’
Just like how he expelled Escanon from the dungeon—if it worked again...
Before the thought had even finished, the power of Tenebris, lying dormant beneath his energy center, stirred.
The writhing energy surged from his chest to his right arm in an instant.
‘Is it working?’
The energy moved on its own, regardless of Jeong-hoon’s will, flowing into his palm and seeping into the barrier.
Crash!
The barrier shattered effortlessly, as if it were nothing.
<…That’s incredible.>
Baal muttered with a grave expression, and Jeong-hoon withdrew his hand.
The energy that had stayed in his right hand shot back into place like a flash.
“Let’s go.”
Jeong-hoon resumed walking and soon stood before the massive, worn-down door he had visited before.
As he was about to push the door open, Baal stopped him.
<Wait! What happens when the seal is released?>
After using Tenebris’s power to drive out Escanon, Jeong-hoon had explained his encounter with Tenebris.
And he added that only by releasing him from the seal could he fully wield his power.
“I don’t know.”
<You don’t… know?>
Baal asked back, dumbfounded.
“We’ll find out once the seal is broken.”
<What kind of irresponsible answer is that?>
“It’s right here.”
<…If something goes wrong, I’ll blame you.>
“Don’t make me laugh. You were the one who chose to betray them and side with me.”
At Jeong-hoon’s pointed remark, Baal’s face turned bright red.
<I didn’t know Tenebris would get involved! I’d rather die than be erased by that guy!>
Baal was overwhelmed by the fear that Tenebris might wipe out every transcendent.
Now it made sense why his expression had grown serious when the barrier shattered.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t get erased, at the very least.”
Baal’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
<You can really do that?>
“Yeah. Since you chose me, I have a duty to protect you.”
He had gained a lot from Baal.
And thanks to the Spirit Orb, his level and stats had increased at a crazy pace.
So he wouldn’t let him fall into danger.
<I’ll trust you.>
Baal nodded and stepped back.
“Good.”
Jeong-hoon pushed the door open and stepped once more into the mysterious space.
<I’ve been waiting.>
Then came Tenebris’s voice, as if he had been expecting him.
“Yeah. Just like you said, I came after storing up as much named power as I could.”
<Oh? That’s something to look forward to. Then shall we break the seal right away?>
As soon as he said that, the energy beneath Jeong-hoon’s energy center stirred and began flowing through his entire body.
‘What is this…?’
Jeong-hoon looked slightly surprised as he followed the path of the energy.
The energy coursing through his body rapidly headed toward his head.
<Don’t be too shocked. This is just the process of transmitting the incantation through the power you’ve absorbed.>
At those words, Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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