Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 181

Memorial Service (6)

Crack! Boom!

Black lightning flashed.

Blue and dark red particles swirled endlessly.

Yin and yang energies converged into a single point.

Woong!

At the intersection of 5 magic circles, devouring infinite energy, lay a single yellow talisman.

Starlight Activation Talisman.

That was the name of the talisman.

It was a legendary grade consumable item from the middle realm. Though it could only be used three times, the power contained within was truly heaven-defying.

The Demon General Nakhal, who had been infusing large amounts of yin energy, broke the silence.

“I didn’t know you had the blueprint for the Starlight Activation Talisman.”

“It’s a monster that devours an enormous amount of spiritual energy despite being just a talisman. If it weren’t for your advice, I would have invested all the spiritual energy into forging the Heaven and Earth Axe. The blueprint for the Starlight Activation Talisman had already fallen into my possession in the distant past.”

He wanted to craft it, but the cost was not insignificant. He didn’t want to use it, but the blueprint was too precious to waste.

The final battle with the Great Cultivator had solved his dilemma.

“I apologize. Please understand it was loyal advice for any contingency.”

“That’s why we’re going through all this trouble, aren’t we? But if the Starlight Activation Talisman is completed, even if he’s an 8-star elder who’s concealed his spiritual power, he won’t be able to escape death.”

The Demon General Nakhal had felt a fundamental fear from the Great Cultivator named Isaac.

He couldn’t rule out the possibility that he might be an absolute being of the Eight Desolate Worlds who had appropriately concealed his spiritual power to fit this small world.

They stood at the edge of a cliff where neither could back down.

The opponent, as a guide, must have had to prevent the destruction of Earth’s civilization, while the Northern Demon Clan had to seize a large amount of spiritual energy through this opportunity.

Endless war and growth were the only way to survive. Failure meant elimination. That was the cruel law of the Eight Desolate Worlds.

The Demon General Nakhal changed the subject.

“Do you think the demon humans can succeed in this mission?”

“They’ll probably fail.”

A strange phenomenon occurred in the territory of the human species called China. It had been a headache for the Northern Demon Clan even before the Bone Wind Demons transferred large amounts of spiritual energy through blood sacrifice techniques.

“Then why…?”

“Since we’ve already taken them in as subordinates, shouldn’t we check their potential? I have no intention of giving the rank of demon general to just anyone. If their personal advancement is blocked, they’ll probably want to seize the opportunity themselves.”

He would give them a chance to prove whether their potential was green or yellow.

It was the will of the Ox Demon King, who was open to recruiting talent.

“The spiritual energy of 10 million people has disappeared. If they had all coalesced together, an evil spirit surpassing the emperor level would have been born.”

“Given the environment, quite a large one will be running rampant.”

Rampaging emotional energy calls forth evil spirits. It was the inconvenience of mass slaughter. It was a side effect that occurred because the prey were human species with sufficiently developed self-awareness.

Emotionally rich prey were problematic even after death.

“Personally, I hope those guys come back alive. Wouldn’t they be perfect as vanguards for colonizing Earth?”

Sheek.

A wicked smile spread across the lips of the Ox Demon King’s avatar. Their minds were in sync.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Humans know humans best. After appropriate slaughter, the domestication of the human species was essential.

And the task of controlling them was more suitable for demon humans than demon clan members.

The Demon General Nakhal’s gaze turned towards the window.

A round full moon hung in the sky.

The moonlight was brilliant, like the touch of the heavenly realm surveying the mortal world.

‘Great Cultivator, what kind of scheme are you plotting?’

This side was preparing a trump card called the Starlight Activation Talisman. The opponent wouldn’t be sitting idle either.

Especially if he was a mysterious person hiding his true identity.

‘He wasn’t an ordinary late 6-star cultivator.’

For a moment, he couldn’t perceive the opponent’s realm. It wasn’t that he had hidden his spiritual power, but rather that the gap had widened that much.

That’s not all. With a single command, he broke the will of the Demon General Nakhal. It made him wonder if the power of the dragon language used by the ancient dragons would be similar.

‘But next time will be different.’

He had prepared a trap that no one could escape from.

The brilliant moonlight settled on the Demon General Nakhal’s eyes, becoming a cold, blue light.

===

***

===

A ghostly aura filled with resentment wafted from all directions.

The range of the Rift was about 3km in radius. The space-time encroachment wasn’t severe. The original terrain and objects maintained their form.

[‘It’s the Abyss’s Lair.’]

The Abyss’s Lair.

It was an Rift with a simple structure.

In this case, an all-out war usually begins immediately.

The quiet outskirts at night were simply divided into inside and outside by a dark red barrier.

[Eliminate the main body of the evil spirit. The difficulty increases as time passes.]

―Current difficulty: Level 1

It was a sudden death rule that forced a timed attack.

On top of that, a tricky condition was added.

[Sudden quest occurred!]

It was a sub-quest after a long time.

The reward was meager, but the penalty was severe.▷ Content: Retrieve the original thought bodies of Flame Emperor and God Hand.
▷ Reward: 20,000 points
▷ Failure Penalty: Fall into demon heart frequently.

Rather than the reward item, the content itself was closer to a reward.

A faint gleam flickered in Isaac’s hazy wall eyes.

‘Weren’t they victims of the blood sacrifice technique?’

Flame Emperor and God Hand had fallen victim to the blood sacrifice technique, not even leaving behind remains as they were offered as sacrifices. He had even confirmed the horrific scene through video.

‘If it’s the cautious God Hand.’

But if he had managed to divert only the spiritual energy containing the original thought body through a secret method, it would make sense.

God Hand’s talent was contact restoration. He specialized in reversing or escaping from something.

Grooooar―

A massive form rose up, smashing through buildings.

With white skin and short arms, it looked like an elongated slime.

Such monstrous life forms sprang up from all directions. It was an enormous quantity.

Ziiing―

Paaah!

[An old comrade has returned as an assistant.]

[Your heart swells with emotion.]

However, this side had reinforcements too.

【Information Window】

▶ Name: Flame Emperor
▶ Classification: Assistant
▶ Skill: Calamity Fire

【Information Window】

▶ Name: God Hand
▶ Classification: Assistant
▶ Skill: Contact Restoration

White light flew in and took human form.

They were familiar faces.

It wasn’t a thought body born from the memories of evil spirits. The spiritual energy of Flame Emperor and God Hand could be felt intact.

Isaac smiled gently.

“So you were alive.”

“Hohoho! We’ve been waiting for this day. But having lost our physical bodies, we’re not really alive even though we’re alive.”

“We can easily obtain new physical bodies. Before that, we need to sever the connection with the evil spirit.”

“You figured it out. That thing indiscriminately devoured the nearby spiritual energy. We got caught up in it too. Both I and Flame Emperor had a hard time enduring to prevent our mental barriers from collapsing.”

They had literally died and come back to life.

Their physical bodies were sacrificed to the blood sacrifice technique, leaving only the original thought body, which was like the soul of life.

The noble hero spirit must have become a solid barrier, protecting their spiritual energy.

“I didn’t know you would come, Mr. Isaac.”

Flame Emperor’s voice trembled.

Heroes were human too. Even if they were willing to face death, the instinct to live if possible was human nature.

And Flame Emperor and God Hand had seized the opportunity on their own. What Isaac had to do was clear.

“You’ve been through a lot. Let’s catch up later.”

It was already too late.

Seo Eun-ha, reunited with her grandfather, tightly embraced God Hand.

“Ho ho ho ho.”

“Sniff… Hnnng.”

It was a scene impossible to watch without tears.

The grandfather they thought was dead had returned. If they didn’t release at least some emotions, it would hinder the battle.

An excited Hwang Man-deuk asked,

“You two! Can you make it out alive?!”

“Hwang Man-deuk? You all… have become incredibly strong!”

“No, I mean, have you really been resurrected?!”

“I can feel their spiritual energy, oppa! Didn’t you hear what the captain said? Only their physical bodies died, but their souls remain intact! Yippee!”

“No… For that to happen, we need to purify the evil spirit. The spiritual energy of these two is still bound to the Rift!”

“Lord Flame Emperor and the Association President have returned alive! Hurraaaaay! Grooowl!”

The bear-like Hwang Man-deuk roared.

A reunion scene unfolded in a corner of the Rift. The relatively calm-natured Yeo Jin-su was pinpointing the key issues well.

Isaac said,

“Those things still can’t control their energy. But they’ll adapt as time passes. We need to purify the main body of the evil spirit before that happens.”

“Understood!”

“Understood, sir!”

Grooooar―!

A white slime, 10 meters in size with stubby limbs, came charging in.

It was a champion-level evil spirit.

‘In other words, it’s a wave pattern.’

Evil spirits are summoned from various parts of the Rift, crashing in like waves. As they purify increasingly stronger evil spirits in a similar pattern, the main body of the evil spirit will appear at the end.

The boss battle begins only after clearing out the mob enemies.

Swoosh― Bam!

A powerful fist was thrown. A barrage of missiles pierced into the body of the evil spirit as it was flung back.

Boom boom boom boom!

Screeeech―

Another evil spirit charged in, weaving through the explosions.

It slithered like a snake, trying to swallow Hwang Man-deuk, who was in the tank position, in one gulp.

Flash!

Swoosh―

An exhilarating sword strike scattered the light of dawn. After the afterimage of the young swordsman disappeared, the once-imposing evil spirit was bisected horizontally.

As the terrible remnants of negative energy spread, the werebear Hwang Man-deuk grew even larger once more.

“Grooooar!”

His muscles twisted and swelled as if about to burst. A dark red aura blazed fiercely on his back.

It was the result of Seo Eun-ha’s black radiance added to his darkened werebear form.

Swoosh!

Slash!

The massive beast swung its claws. With a ferocious yet heavy combo, three or four large evil spirits were torn to shreds.

Ziiing──────.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The evil spirits that were fiercely flying in were vaporized in mid-air.

It was Gil-seong’s formidable long-range attack as she took flight with an aviation jet on her back.

Just as lasers seemed to spew out, a barrage of missiles was fired. Despite maintaining such intense firepower, her magical energy remained plentiful.

Dozens of champion-level evil spirits were purified and returned to nature as soon as they approached within close range.

Gil-seong was secretly surprised.

‘I felt it last time too, but.’

It was an exponential growth rate.

The 3-star heroes were displaying S-class combat power. This is impossible with legendary-grade equipment alone.

‘What on earth did he do to us?’

Swish swish swish―

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The number and speed of projectiles exceeded their limits. But it’s not like it was a technique that consumed a lot of magical energy either.

Gil-seong was engaging in battle using only basic techniques. In other words, she was dealing with the evil spirits using just her ‘normal attacks’.

They had become stronger at an unnaturally rapid pace.

The first time she felt this was when facing the Black Thunder Demon Army’s Mu Mang. Four 3-star heroes faced off against an Emperor-class monster wielding the terrifying Dark Sky Thunder Sword without dying.

It could only be explained as a miracle.

God Hand, who was drawing up his magical energy, let out a hollow laugh.

“Hah! What is this…?”

The members of the Harmony Clan, mere 3-stars, were tearing apart champion-level evil spirits like they were pieces of paper. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that each individual’s performance was on par with S-class.

‘Just how did he train them?’

This was beyond the pale, even considering the captain and his members.

His cognition was in disarray because his granddaughter was included among them.

Even though Seo Eun-ha inherited the ‘Seo family’ bloodline, her potential should have been similar to God Hand’s level.

Yet that child who was once like that had grown rapidly and was now hot on his heels. She even freely wielded the ‘Black Radiance’, which added negative energy to the power of radiance. How this was possible was a mystery.

‘Should I be happy about this?’

The growth rate of his juniors was bizarrely high.

The emotion of reunion was short-lived.

God Hand had to struggle to calm his reeling mind.

Rumble―

It was after all the white slime evil spirits had disappeared. Without any warning, an earthquake occurred.

[It’s the second wave.]

[Evil spirits are rushing in.]

The heroes’ keen senses, honed to a razor’s edge, detected a new type of evil spirit.

Grrrrrr― Splash!

A long, white evil spirit reminiscent of a sea monster leapt up, using the ground as if it were the sea surface. With its pointed snout, it looked like a large school of swordfish charging in.

Isaac’s eyes lit up.

‘This is.’

It’s not a simple wave pattern.

There’s a subtle difference.

Perhaps the evil spirit wave is a decoy. The basic rule of this Rift is a time attack. The common sense that the boss will appear after all waves end is actually a trap.

‘They’re probably using that kind of magic in reality.’

The difficulty of the Rift increases as time passes.

The evil spirit that spread this Rift must possess a magical technique related to ‘time’.

Isaac said,

“The horde of evil spirits is a deception. There must be a ‘dive trigger’ somewhere. Purify the charging evil spirits, but search the area.”

After clearing it thousands or tens of thousands of times, you can understand the whole just by looking at the pattern. Moreover, this is the Rift of an evil spirit with a considerably developed sense of self.

Its structure would be like the scythe of a grim reaper, optimized to annihilate the enemy.

The members all sprang into action at once.

“Understood!”

“I’ll search from the center!”

They immediately carried out the order. They never questioned, no matter the circumstances. The trust of the members towards Captain Isaac was tied with an unbreakable, solid knot.