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The Great War of Humans and Demons (5)

“A foolish question. You dominant species of small worlds often delude yourselves into thinking you’re the masters of the universe. What does the presence or absence of intelligence matter? The ecosystem is inherently a cycle of eating and being eaten in the food chain.”

“…How can we stop this war?”

“Simple. Surrender all of your spiritual essences.”

“Isn’t that just telling us to die?”

“You’ve got it right. Your spiritual essences will be put to good use by our Northern Demon Army.”

“Nonsense!”

As soon as the Great Demon General Nakhal’s mockery ended, the Sword Emperor slashed through the air as if cutting it off.

Harmonizing Heart Sword

Sixth Form

Heaven and Earth as One Source

Swoosh―

Shwaaaak!

Following the initial move of Heaven and Earth as One Source, a blue line shot out horizontally. As the Great Demon General snorted, the old lamp in his right hand once again fired a magenta beam, erasing the blue line as if burning it away.

But suddenly, a jade seal with a dragon motif appeared in the Sword Emperor’s left hand.

The Great Demon General, who had been wearing a sneering expression, immediately stiffened upon seeing the dragon-engraved jade seal.

“The Celestial Gate Key! No, the energy is too weak to be the real Celestial Gate Key. That must be a replica made based on the original. But how did you come to possess such an item, even if it’s a fake?”

“As someone from beyond the veil, you seem quite knowledgeable. I’m not sure about its other uses, but it’s one of our trump cards prepared for apocalyptic disasters like you demon folk. Soldiers, rise from the earth!”

Chiiiiing!

As the Sword Emperor raised the dragon-engraved jade seal, the Jade Dragon Celestial Lock, high into the air and shouted, the space behind him distorted, and a massive pyramid-shaped royal tomb was summoned.

Witnessing this extraordinary sight, the Great Demon General Nakhal crossed his arms leisurely and alternated his gaze between the Sword Emperor and the royal tomb.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

The headquarters of the Korean Hero Association.

In a vast cavern beneath the Champion Citadel.

Seven elderly individuals were seated on seven different magic circles, each with various complex patterns of shapes and lines intersecting. They were engaged in casual conversation with relaxed expressions.

The seven magic circles were arranged in a circular formation, each spaced 5 meters apart, centered around a special mechanical device.

Although the elders’ skin was deeply wrinkled, their physiques were no less impressive than those of young men. However, five out of the seven had lifeless eyes, appearing like living corpses waiting for their final day.

Ziiing.

Suddenly, the seven magic circles where they were seated began to glow in five different colors. An elderly man in traditional Korean attire, with a relatively kind expression and lively eyes, nodded calmly.

“It seems that young Sword Emperor needs our help. My friends, my comrades! My brothers-in-arms! I’m grateful and sorry for everything.”

“We’re going to die soon anyway. It’s an honor to sacrifice ourselves for our country. Even if we’re retired veterans, we’re all heroes, aren’t we?”

An elderly woman with lively eyes across from him responded with a warm smile. Inspired by their resolute attitude, a faint enthusiasm appeared in the eyes of the other lifeless elders.

Among them, a hunched elder missing one arm and one leg raised his remaining arm and shouted in a cracking voice:

“Long live the Republic of Korea!”

Woooong―

Whaaaang!

Soon after, the seven magic circles where they were seated began to emit five-colored light in sequence. The elders sitting on them were exposed to the bright light and completely consumed.

Woooooong!

A massive amount of energy began to be transmitted somewhere through the intricately intertwined circuits.

As the five-colored light faded, the elders had vanished without a trace.

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***

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The coast of Sokcho.

Inside the wide-area protective barrier.

Kuguugung!

Different magic circles unfolded above and below the massive royal tomb summoned in mid-air, emitting five-colored light.

The five-colored light was continuously injected into the royal tomb, causing its already enormous size to expand as if it would touch the sky.

The Great Demon General’s eyebrows twitched at this extraordinary sight.

“An Ascender’s magic technique? It seems many have been eyeing this tiny adjacent world. They’ve left behind some troublesome things here and there. Well, they still won’t be a match for me. I’ll deal with this quickly before any more nuisances arrive.”

“You think we’ll let you do as you please? By royal decree! Ancient soldiers, seize that demon overlord and execute him mercilessly!”

Kururururu!

At the Sword Emperor’s command, clay soldiers—spearmen, swordsmen, mounted generals, and archers—poured out endlessly from the north, south, east, and west of the colossal royal tomb floating in the air, flying towards the Great Demon General.

As the Sword Emperor and the enhanced clay soldiers joined forces to attack the Great Demon General, earth-shattering roars continuously erupted in the sky.

Meanwhile, the Black Lightning Demon General Mu Mang was engaged in fierce combat with the S-class heroes, who were tightly grouped with the elite demon troops of Lord-class, as well as the army, navy, and air force, including A-class heroes operating magic techniques.

Patztztztztz.

Jaeaeaeng!

“Ugh!”

As the Black Lightning Demon General unleashed dark lightning in all directions, the illusion space holding him shattered.

Yoho, who had been facing him alone, looked pale as if her body had been severely damaged by the recoil of the breaking illusion space.

Driven to the defensive, she gritted her teeth and expanded her spiritual sense, but Electric Guy, Poker Boy, and the Machine Commander leading the battlefield were too busy to join forces against the Black Lightning Demon General.

The Black Lightning Demon General turned his head towards the sky where thunder and roars were erupting, and said with a sigh:

“To think you’ve been holding back such a trump card until now. I can’t help but acknowledge your hidden strength.”

“…Hey, demon brother. Could you go a little easier on me? I’m really struggling here.”

For a moment, Yoho’s eyes turned pink. Just as the Black Lightning Demon General’s gaze was about to become hazy, it returned to its original eerie glare.

He clicked his tongue and mocked her.

“Tsk. A half-yokai who lives by charm magic. To think you’d bind me with such a wicked illusion technique for even a moment. I’ve indulged you enough.”

Patztztztztz!

The Black Lightning Demon General combined two dark lightning orbs to create a long dark lightning sword. It was his true-name artifact, the Dark Sky Lightning Sword.

The long dark lightning was wielded like literal lightning. Yoho, who was clearly at a disadvantage, hurriedly threw a crimson jewel. The jewel transformed into dozens of will-o’-wisps that clashed with the dark lightning.

Patztztztz―

Pububububung!

The dark lightning cut through the crimson will-o’-wisps in an instant and moved to slash diagonally across Yoho’s entire body. Her face turned pale as she tried to pull something out from her bosom, but the dark lightning was too fast.

Whiriririk!

At that moment, a huge iron ball flew in from the left side of the warship that was their battlefield and collided with the dark lightning.

Patztztztztz!

The massive iron ball was exposed to the dark lightning and developed fine cracks, but surprisingly, after a few seconds, the ruptured parts automatically repaired themselves.

Kuung!

A werebear standing 3 meters tall landed on the deck. Following him were a boy wielding a sword of mysterious colors and a young woman controlling a golden jewel.

At the same time, a girl who had been freely flying through the air with a mechanical device on her back approached like an arrow and aimed her gun at the Black Lightning Demon General.

They were none other than the first-string squad of the Harmony Clan: the heroes Hwang Man-deuk, Seo Eun-ha, Gil-seong, and Yeo Jin-soo.

Having received legendary-grade exclusive armaments and hero suits from Isaac, they had achieved combat power on par with S-class heroes through grueling training and real-world missions.

This feat would have been impossible without the magic circuit specialization and build-optimized armament settings.

Suuuung.

The black ball that had blocked the strike from the Dark Sky Lightning Sword turned inside out and transformed into an appropriately sized steel shield, flying towards Hwang Man-deuk.

“Just four 3-star ranks? There are many ways to commit suicide, I see.”

Pachichichit!

As if it wasn’t even worth using his artifact, the Black Lightning Demon General shot dark lightning with his left hand.

The expressionless Seo Eun-ha infused her golden jewel with magic power, and immediately after, a dark red aura enveloped Hwang Man-deuk and his shield.

The shield spread out like a wide tent and easily absorbed the multiple bolts of black lightning.

It was a miraculous feat for the mere 3-star Hwang Man-deuk to block an Emperor-class demon’s attack, made possible by the synergy of the legendary-grade transforming shield’s “excited state” defense amplification mechanism, the Dark Hero tech tree, and Seo Eun-ha’s corruption buff effect.

“Huh. This is absurd. You lot are mere 3-star ranks. How can you block my Dark Sky Lightning?”

“What are you blabbering about! Come at us anyway, we’ll take you on!”

Paat―

Jiiiing!

Yeo Jin-soo’s dawn-colored sword became a pure white flash as it shot out, followed immediately by the regular firing of Gil-seong’s sniper rifle and the main cannon on her back.

The Black Lightning Demon General, with a smirk on his lips, summoned dark lightning on the spot and struck down Yeo Jin-soo, who had approached in an instant to swing his sword at the demon’s neck.

Pachachachang!

In the critical moment, Yeo Jin-soo twisted his body to avoid the electric shock, and the dawn-light drew a strange trajectory. The startled Black Lightning Demon General immediately turned his head, but the sharp blade barely grazed his cheek.

Juwaaang!

Patztztztz―

Simultaneously, multiple explosive shells and laser beams offset the dark lightning.

Just as the Black Lightning Demon General was about to frantically swing his true-name artifact, the Dark Sky Lightning Sword, Hwang Man-deuk, who had suddenly transformed into a werewolf, swung his claws and left a long gash across the demon general’s chest.

However, even though the skin was cut, the claws met with a harsh collision sound as if they had struck hard steel. In an instant, bumpy mucus rose up and covered the Black Lightning Demon General’s entire body in solid armor.

“How dare you!”

Flash!

The Dark Sky Lightning Sword emitted intense lightning, and seven dark trajectories were simultaneously drawn in the surrounding landscape. The trajectories were passing through the bodies of Yeo Jin-soo, Hwang Man-deuk, Seo Eun-ha, and Gil-seong.

Patztztztztztz!

In this bizarre phenomenon, as if the Dark Sky Lightning had been swung in a moment of frozen time, Hwang Man-deuk hurriedly summoned his transforming shield to deflect the black lightning, but Gil-seong and Seo Eun-ha were directly pierced by the bolts.

Surprisingly, Yeo Jin-soo, boasting extreme speed, narrowly escaped the range of the electric shock and suffered no damage.

“No!”

Hwang Man-deuk leapt into the air as if kicking the ground hard, returning to the main force in a single jump. He barely managed to catch Gil-seong, who was falling unconscious from the sky.

On the other hand, Seo Eun-ha looked tired but didn’t seem to have suffered any fatal injuries.

Chaejaejaejaejaeng!

Patztztztz―

Yeo Jin-soo’s swift sword became a bundle of pure white lines, stabbing at the enemy. The Black Lightning Demon General nullified all the sword strikes by swinging his Dark Sky Lightning Sword, and once again executed a slash that seemed to cut through space simultaneously.

“Playtime is over!”

Beonjjeok!

Hwang Man-deuk surrounded the area with his transforming shield, and Seo Eun-ha squeezed out her magic power to throw the golden jewel upward.

Patztztztztz!

“Kuaaaa!”

This time, the main force blocked the black trajectory, but Yeo Jin-soo was electrocuted by the lightning.

The Black Lightning Demon General, his eyes flashing ominously, was about to swing the dark lightning again.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion erupted in the sky, and its shockwave not only shattered the three layers of wide-area protective barriers but also swept away the ground ships, troops, and even the Lord-class demons.

The Black Lightning Demon General had no choice but to surround himself with dark lightning to protect his body.

Kuooooooo!

An unimaginable demonic energy was seething in the sky.

The clay soldiers that had seemed poised to dominate the world had completely crumbled and returned to dust, and even the colossal royal tomb had lost its five-colored brilliant aura and shrunk in size.

The Sword Emperor, who had been facing off against the Great Demon General, was also dripping black, dead blood from the corners of his mouth. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and his arms were trembling so much that he could barely hold onto his silver sword.

Meanwhile, the Great Demon General Nakhal was wearing a white fox mask on his face, and the magical power he was emitting far surpassed that of a normal 2-tier species.

“To think you’d make this Great Demon General use the Pressure-Resisting Face. You even thought to enhance a fake Celestial Gate Key with ancient techniques. The Black Lightning Demon General must have had a hard time.”

“W-why…”

“Hahaha! Why, you ask? Did you think I rose to the rank of Great Demon General with just the level of a mid-boundary normal species? Anyway, it’s time for you all to die.”