Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 143

Earth Flower Party.
Baek Hwa-ran’s Room.
Roar!
Crack— Creak!
A massive amount of negative energy was emanating from Baek Hwa-ran, who was surrounded by a sphere of radiant light.
Every time the crimson-black aura violently struck the protective barrier, the expression on the God Hand’s face visibly darkened.
The Sword Emperor, monitoring the holographic screen, communicated with his subordinates.
“Level 1 disaster alert. Level 1 disaster alert. All leaders, form a perimeter around Earth Flower Party, and all warriors below B-rank, evacuate immediately.”
Though the Sword Emperor appeared calm while controlling the scene, his fleeting anxious thoughts revealed that he, too, was just a father to someone.
“My friend, I can’t hold on much longer. We must persuade Hwa-ran and wake her from this long nightmare!”
“I understand. But…”
“This is Isaac’s command! Even if a demon surpassing the Emperor breaks free from its bonds, Isaac is inside her subconscious! We must trust him!”
It was a shocking truth.
Baek Hwa-ran had been sealing a demon within her subconscious for ten years. And this demon was said to surpass even the Sword Emperor in power.
The child had been suppressing a top-tier disaster that could bring misery to many people for a long time.
“But God Hand, your granddaughter might be in danger. If the demon in the mental world has been waiting for this day…”
Thud!
God Hand’s fist struck the Sword Emperor’s face.
He knew how principled his old friend was.
A hero sacrifices their loved ones to protect the world, while a villain turns the entire world into their enemy to protect their loved ones.
In the dilemma between the lives of his family and the peace and happiness of the majority, Baek Mu-seong, the Sword Emperor, was a hero among heroes who, after much deliberation, could even turn away from his family’s lives for the greater good.
“Get a grip, you fool! This is Isaac’s command. Persuade Hwa-ran immediately!”
However, Hero Isaac was present here.
―Hurry. If Baek Hwa-ran doesn’t break the bond, I will purify her along with the demon.
It was uncertain how long the bond between Baek Hwa-ran and the demon could last. Therefore, Isaac in the mental world seemed determined to purify the demon immediately.
Even if it meant that Baek Hwa-ran’s self would be annihilated along with the demon.
‘Hwa-ran was a smart child.’
There must have been a reason why she had to seal the demon within her subconscious all this time.
‘But.’
Adults have a responsibility to protect children.
Even if they are not heroes, adults must be like heroes to children.
‘Can I afford to be weak? I, Baek Mu-seong, the Sword Emperor?’
Hero Isaac had his eyes closed. The image of Isaac in the mental world, reflected on the holographic screen, showed not a hint of hesitation.
Though he wanted to see his daughter running around healthily, as long as there was even a slight chance that the demon could go berserk, his daughter had to remain in the subconscious with the demon.
‘I, too, wanted to lean on someone.’
The weight of the name “Sword Emperor” lightened just a little. After a brief moment of contemplation, the Sword Emperor decided to lean on the shoulders of Isaac, who was called the strongest hero.
Whirrr!
As he brought his lips close to Baek Hwa-ran’s ear, who was enveloped in the sphere of radiant light, the God Hand focused his mind and reignited the radiance.
A white magic circle was drawn beneath Baek Hwa-ran’s back.
At the same time, the Sword Emperor whispered something into his youngest daughter’s ear. Though his voice was drowned out by the fierce battle between the negative energy emanating from Baek Hwa-ran and the radiant light, the words “I want to see you” could be faintly heard.
====
***
====
Clang!
Crack!
Isaac’s forearm clashed with the demon’s claws. Immediately after, the sharp teeth of the black tiger that emerged from his right side aimed to bite into the demon’s shoulder.
The demon vanished like a mirage and reappeared behind Isaac, thrusting its claws like sharp needles.
Clang!
However, the demon’s surprise attack failed. Isaac’s back skin repelled the claws.
Whoosh―.
Boom!
The blue flames of the enlarged Ifrit shot out, engulfing the demon. Simultaneously, Gunggi leaped through space, aiming its jaws at the demon’s neck.
Whizz!
At that moment, the demon’s eyes glowed strangely. Ifrit and Gunggi’s movements stuttered and then halted as if brakes had been applied.
“…!”
When the demon’s gaze fell upon him, Isaac reflexively pulled out a candlestick from his inventory and lit it. The light from the candlestick emitted a radiant wave.
Exposed to the wave, Ifrit and Gunggi resumed their vigilance against the demon as if they had never stopped.
The demon’s red eyes widened in shock.
“Holy Flame! How could a lowly human from the adjacent realm possess such an item…!”
The candlestick was a treasure obtained from the magical space of a dead high priest, swept away by shadows.
As a consumable treasure, the tier 2 common-grade Holy Flame Candlestick completely blocked the demon’s mental techniques.
Whoosh―.
Boom!
The blue fireball from the rejuvenated Ifrit exploded against the demon.
The demon, unable to take any defensive action, was engulfed in flames. As it staggered, an enormous amount of negative energy suddenly erupted from it.
Roar─────!
‘Tier 2?’
The negative energy wave emitted by the demon surpassed the Emperor level.
“Heh, heh, ha ha! Finally, I am free!”
A crimson-black figure emerged from the demon. Instantly, Baek Hwa-ran, who had been demonized, returned to her original form.
Seo Eun-ha, who had been barely maintaining her sanity through the radiant light, hurriedly grabbed the unconscious Baek Hwa-ran and dragged her to a corner of the rooftop.
The soul bond between Baek Hwa-ran and the demon had been severed.
Rumble──!
As the demon soared high into the sky and spread its arms, the village, exposed to the negative energy, transformed into a horrific hellscape.
The concrete of the buildings melted, oozing blood, and the decayed rebar inside looked like the grotesque innards of a monster.
Soon, even the sky, which had been covered with dark clouds, turned blood-red. The demon had completely taken over the mental world.
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Hwa-ran! Are you conscious?”
Whirr―.
The radiant light emanating from Seo Eun-ha’s hands gently enveloped Baek Hwa-ran. As Baek Hwa-ran regained some of her strength, her eyes focused on the demon hovering in the sky.
“Why… why did you do it!”
“Calm down! It’s really okay. Everything will be fine.”
Baek Hwa-ran felt resentment towards Seo Eun-ha, her father, and the Sword Emperor. She had intended to keep the demon trapped and live forever in the subconscious world.
But the persuasion from her friend and father had shaken her seemingly steadfast resolve. Although she desperately wanted to return to reality, deep regret flooded her heart the moment she broke the bond with the demon.
“Ah…”
The mental world, which she had controlled, had already become the demon’s domain.
The one chance to suppress the demon had slipped away.
“You, our Sword Emperor family, our country, and Earth… will all be annihilated by that demon…”
She felt a deep-seated resentment towards Seo Eun-ha, who was holding her hand tightly.
Whoosh!
The golden light surrounding them intensified. At the same time, she felt a sense of comfort and peace enveloping her body and mind.
In response to Baek Hwa-ran’s despair, her friend gently reassured the master of the dream.
“No. That won’t happen.”
Whirrr────!
From behind Seo Eun-ha, a majestic resonance emerged from one side of the rooftop. As an unknown hero in a black suit stepped forward, the space that had resembled the innards of a giant beast was purified, transforming into a lush, green land.
“Our leader is strong. Stronger than anyone.”
Just as Eun-ha said, the demon that had dominated the mental world began to waver the moment her leader unleashed his power.
His back was even more imposing than the one she remembered from her childhood, when she looked up to her father.
Tears welled up and spilled over.
“In truth… I’ve been waiting for a day like today…”
A hero who could purify the dreadful demon that had been freed from the soul bond.
Perhaps the hope she had clung to for the past ten years was about to become a reality.
“Six-star late stage…! Heh, heh, heh! The perfect host!”
Crackle―.
Boom!
As the demon, freed from the prison of Baek Hwa-ran, swung its claws, a bizarre shockwave emanated, splitting the space and sending out five crimson lines.
Slash!
The crimson lines were intercepted by Gunggi, who had positioned itself in front of Isaac.
The demon’s eyes twitched in shock as its attack was blocked by a mere summoned creature.
“Trauma… Grr!”
The demon’s cruel face twisted in rage as it glanced at Baek Hwa-ran, who was enveloped in radiant light from afar.
It seemed that something which had empowered the demon was now gone.
“Regrettable, but unavoidable!”
Swoosh.
A blood-red magic circle appeared to the demon’s right, and from within it, a massive skull emerged.
The skull’s eyes blazed with blue flames, and it clattered its teeth wildly, as if ready to go on a rampage.
“O ancient king, destroy them.”
Swoosh― Crack!
Creak― Crackle!
Suddenly, tens of thousands of blood vessels extended from beneath the skull, forming a grotesque body.
As the massive skeletal warrior raised its right arm high, an ominous red wind blew, merging stones and blood vessels into a gigantic sword that was longer than half the skeleton’s body.
Flash!
Whoosh―.
Gunggi and Ifrit flew towards the giant skeletal warrior. The skeleton reached out to grab the charging Gunggi, but Gunggi appeared at its temple, emitting a purple mist from its mouth before shooting a crimson beam.
The skeletal warrior, momentarily off balance, tried to stabilize itself with the giant sword to swing it flexibly, but its grotesque body, made of countless blood vessels, began to burn with blue flames.
The flames, once ignited, did not extinguish even when the skeletal warrior struck them with its negative energy-infused palm.
Meanwhile, Isaac paid no attention to the battle of the summoned creatures. The demon, looking down at Isaac, growled lowly.
“Why…! Why is your mental strength unchanged?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Swoosh!
Without warning, black shadows emerged from both sides of the demon, binding its limbs.
In Isaac’s right hand, a sharp blade gleamed menacingly.
Sensing that Isaac was about to unleash a massive amount of magical power, the demon hastily manipulated negative energy to open a subspace.
Buzz―.
From the demon-shaped magic circle, a shield engraved with a dragon pattern emerged. The dragon-patterned shield floated as if it had a will of its own, enlarging several times to block the space between Isaac and the demon.
However, Isaac ignored the shield and slashed vertically at the demon bound by shadows.
Slash────────!
In an instant, the mental world split lengthwise.
The dragon-patterned shield was instantly split into two, and the demon’s body was also cleaved in half.
“Grr…! Grrr!”
Amazingly, the perfectly bisected demon’s body began to merge back together as sticky blood intertwined. Within seconds, the demon had fully regenerated, and noticing Isaac’s energy drop from six-star late stage to five-star, it smirked coldly.
“Heh heh heh, so you were using some bizarre method to temporarily boost your combat power!”
Whirr―.
Clang!
Gunggi and Ifrit, unable to react to the swift movements of the giant skeletal warrior, suffered critical blows.
Gunggi, struck by the warrior’s fist, was immediately unsummoned, and Ifrit’s blue flames extinguished the moment they touched the skeleton’s solid body, causing Ifrit to shrink significantly.
Swoosh──────!
However, just as the demon leapt to strike with its sharp claws, infinite darkness erupted from Isaac, rapidly enveloping the entire mental world in black.
“What?!”
Something had gone terribly wrong. The demon could no longer sense the presence of its opponent, who had seemingly dropped to five-star.
The demon attempted to soar high into the sky, but Isaac was faster. He reached out and grasped the demon with a powerful grip.
“Wait…!”
Crack.
The wave of darkness returned to Isaac even faster than it had spread, swallowing the demon whole.
The demon, crushed and consumed by the shadows, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a grotesque black sphere was held in Isaac’s left hand.
Isaac nonchalantly placed the black sphere into his inventory and spoke.
“Mission complete. Administer the awakening agents to all three of them.”
Rumble…
Shortly after Isaac’s request was conveyed, the mental world began to collapse.
In the end, as the space turned into nothing but a field of pure white light, the consciousnesses of the patient and the healers soared endlessly upwards.