C342
Choi Han and the Flame Demon. Watching a human and a demon face off in the village's central plaza made Aurora bite her lip.
“We must go now!”
She quickened her pace.
Swoosh—
Her movements as she descended the cliff were light. The wind around her helped her descend as if she were walking on flat ground.
“The Flame Demon is a tricky opponent.”
“What kind of demon is he?”
Hearing the young black dragon’s question, Aurora frowned.
“…The Flame Demon or the Prince of the Veil.”
It was a reference to the individual standing in front of Choi Han.
Boom! Bang!
Explosions erupted throughout the village, destroying infrastructure. The villagers’ cries for help continued as the Demon King's army, responsible for the scene, showed no mercy or hesitation in destroying and killing everything but the demons.
“The Demon King's army is quite formidable. And there are several brigades.”
Swoosh—
Aurora barely had time to feel the wind brush her cheek, focused solely on the village.
“Among them, there is a special group of eight.”
The so-called Demon King's daggers.
“Of those, the one who leads the sixth group is the Flame Demon, Viscount Deshuran.”
Viscount Deshuran.
“He is neither a knight nor a swordsman nor a mage.”
But he led one of the eight groups—the sixth. Viscount Deshuran, standing before Choi Han. His appearance, at first glance, didn’t match the horrific scene; he looked more like a prince.
“Yes, one of the nicknames he’s been given is ‘Prince.’”
Always carrying a book, and every gesture and action of his was filled with elegance.
“…And we call him the mad dog of the current Demon King.”
The mad dog who would do anything for the Demon King.
“Strength. Especially the Demon King’s army, which favors the strong.”
Raon suddenly thought of the Blood Cult from the Central Plains.
“Deshuran gained recognition there.”
A blind loyalty to the current Demon King. Moreover—his power—
“He is an illusionist.”
A being who shows terrible illusions to all those who oppose the Demon King.
“But he doesn’t just show simple illusions. He doesn’t show falsehoods.”
His illusion—
“It’s real. He creates reality.”
He didn’t stain his hands or his clothes with blood. The prince created a desolate scene without dirtying even a single finger or the edge of his clothes.
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped from Aurora’s lips as her face twisted in pain.
Whirrr—
Viscount Deshuran’s book floated in the air and opened. And then—
Thump!
The moment the book closed.
Boom!
A massive surge of gray mana erupted from Deshuran, powerful enough to be felt from a distance. And soon, that gray mana moved toward Choi Han. The moment it touched him—
“Illusion—”
No.
“A terrible nightmare will become reality.”
Choi Han. That person. He must be stopped! Aurora quickened her pace.
Woosh—
In a state of urgency, without realizing it, a wave of gray energy emanated from her body.
It couldn’t be any other way.
Cale Henituse. He and Choi Han, who had come with him, couldn’t be allowed to die or be hurt here.
Viscount Deshuran and the disappeared demons. They might find a way to save them and change the Demon World through Cale Henituse. This opportunity couldn’t be ruined. From their position, it was essential not to harm such a crucial ally.
“I will save him.”
Even though Cale Henituse had told them to follow and conceal their identities, Aurora decided she had to risk revealing her identity and power to confront the Flame Demon, the leader of the sixth group. Even if it meant exposing her base, she was willing to take that risk.
“I will save him first.”
No matter how strong Choi Han was, Deshuran wouldn’t be easy to face.
“This is the Demon World.”
In a place where the mana of the Demon World existed, even a sword master would have difficulty facing a demon. Besides, Choi Han, no matter how strong he seemed, couldn’t surpass Deshuran, who had lived for over three hundred years. The accumulated experience was different.
“Choi Han will have trouble handling Deshuran.”
Then, I should intervene. Yes. She had seen the demons being captured—what more could exposing her base matter? Aurora made her firm decision.
“Definitely—”
Just as she muttered that.
“There, Lady Aurora—”
It was Cale.
“Yes. That person is probably more concerned about Choi Han than I am.”
Aurora calmed her mind and turned her gaze to Cale. And their eyes met. Then, Cale said:
“Adjust your mask properly.”
“…"
“Your hair is showing from the back.”
In a soft tone, Cale added:
“After all, you are probably the most famous one here, aren’t you? It would be better to cover up more.”
No.
“Aren’t you worried about Choi Han?”
Choi Han. Wasn’t he one of Cale Henituse’s knights? She had received reports about Choi Han from the former saint, Cotton.
“Of all those under Cale Henituse, I think only Choi Han has a true lord-and-knight relationship with him.”
The relationship between Choi Han and Cale Henituse was said to be as close as that between Raon and Cale Henituse.
“Isn’t Choi Han a swordsman?”
For him, an illusionist would be extremely incompatible. Unintentionally, Aurora asked:
“Is he okay?”
To which Cale replied calmly:
“What?”
At that moment, Aurora saw it. A subtly twisted smile on the lips that previously seemed soft. Realizing this, an indescribable chill enveloped her.
“The last time I checked, Choi Han was a sword master. But not just any sword master, he was about to become a great sword master.”
Cotton’s report.
“But I haven’t verified his growth. I don’t know in what direction he has evolved.”
Cotton’s memory of Choi Han stayed in his confrontation with the White Star. Therefore, Aurora only had that information about him. To this, Cale responded with a smile:
“Is that gray mana an illusion?”
Pfft. Cale couldn’t suppress a deflated laugh.
“Do you think that will reach Choi Han?”
At that moment—
“!”
Aurora was startled and quickly turned her head.
Boom---!
A rumble and something black sprouted. It was a dragon. It didn’t resemble any dragon she knew, but it was definitely dragon-shaped. That was emanating from Choi Han’s sword, no, from his own body.
From the smoke, a dense wave of gray mana surged toward Choi Han as it lunged at him.
“I’ll be able to know who he is just by looking into his mind.”
Who is he? As the Flame Demon, Viscount Deshuran, extended his illusory touch toward the person who didn’t answer his question, just as he decided to punish the human who dared to unsheathe his sword against him.
Boom---
A black dragon emerged.
Choi Han, with black hair and eyes, didn’t look at Viscount Deshuran, but beyond. He saw his companions approaching, dressed in black.
“Choi Han! It’s an illusion!”
Raon’s voice echoed.
“He creates real nightmares!”
Swoosh— A chill ran down the back of his hand. It was an instinctive warning of the presence of evil.
The gray mana. Like cobwebs, like smoke, it was heading toward him. It seemed that just breathing would cause this gray mana to enter him.
“If that gray mana shows illusions, and those illusions are terrible nightmares—”
Perhaps, the moment I perceive them as real, they will cause me pain as if they were actually happening? Is that why they say he creates real nightmares? Choi Han wasn’t interested in whether his conjectures were correct or not.
Crackle. He simply ran forward. He ran toward the gray mana.
“……”
One of Viscount Deshuran’s eyebrows raised.
“Ha.”
A mocking laugh escaped his lips. He seemed to find the situation ridiculous. Soon, the knights of the Demon King's army gathered around, but none dared to enter the space between Choi Han and Viscount Deshuran. No one wanted to face the terrible nightmare.
Whirrr— With a gesture from Deshuran, his book opened again. Ominous symbols flowed from the book, filling the air.
“For a human, you possess an impressive aura. But in the end, a nightmare will stay by your side.”
The gray mana touched Choi Han’s body, now shrouded in a black aura.
“Damn it!”
Aurora’s face twisted as she entered the village.
Swoosh—
The gray mana quickly engulfed Choi Han and the black dragon. Deshuran closed his book and said:
“Territory Declaration.”
His voice sounded strange. Like an echo resonating in a lake.
“The Garden of Nightmares.”
A dull, whispering voice right next to the ear.
“Too late!”
Aurora felt her strength leave her. That “Territory Declaration.” The Garden of Nightmares that followed. Now, before Choi Han, a nightmare would unfold. The most loyal servant of the Heavenly Demon, the mad dog Deshuran, had turned his power into a nightmare for many enemies. Anyone who entered that territory would suffer, whether or not they had combat ability. Therefore, the way to face Deshuran was to attack him from a distance or ambush him to exploit any weakness. But Choi Han did none of those things. Without any defense, he entered that territory.
“He entered himself—”
Aurora stopped her reflection.
“Yes.”
Choi Han had voluntarily entered that territory.
“Why?”
Aurora recalled Cale’s cold smile.
“!” At that moment.
Creeeak---
A strange vibration emanated from the Garden of Nightmares.
“Argh!” A groan escaped from Deshuran’s lips.
Whirrr— His book floated in the air, and the pages moved endlessly.
“Ah—”
A sigh escaped from Aurora just when...
Boom---
A loud rumble sounded, and the gray mana-covered hemisphere was torn apart.
The black dragon that broke through the grayness appeared.
Raon cheerfully made a comment into Aurora’s ear.
“Choi Han isn’t just his aura!”
Cale was calmly approaching the center of the village.
Of course. That aura is incredible.
The voice of the Dominating Aura echoed in his head.
From the Blood Cult in the Central Plains. The power that Choi Han had acquired while fighting the Blood Demon. That power, compared to the violent black aura, was trivial. Moreover, when he was enveloped in that black aura, it was barely noticeable.
“As always, no hesitation.”
Choi Han’s aura now didn’t allow him to kneel before another powerful aura. The aura that had resisted the force of a Dragon Hunter’s leader would now face the leader of Deshuran’s sixth group. Wouldn’t that aura resist a mere illusion? After all, a nightmare is just that—an illusion.
Nightmares can freeze. How can an aura wrapped in that energy be penetrated by another?
The Dominating Aura muttered as if it was inconceivable.
“Choi Han. That guy is as stubborn as his temperament, and his aura is just as formidable.”
Choi Han wasn’t like Cale. Cale’s aura and Choi Han’s aura were fundamentally different. In any situation, he didn’t waver. He wasn’t someone who would retreat.
“And how could a mere nightmare make him tremble?”
“And—”
Cale murmured softly.
“This situation—”
He was probably already conjuring up a nightmare for Choi Han. Cale couldn’t continue, knowing well the path Choi Han had walked. Despite everything, he understood better than anyone the life Choi Han had led. Therefore, the sight of this village, which reminded him of Harris Village that had disappeared, was already a nightmare for Choi Han. But, creating a nightmare? It was a joke.
Cale watched as the gray mana was torn apart and scattered.
Whirrr— The pages of the book moved frantically, not knowing what to do.
“How is it that—?”
Deshuran’s face twisted.
Perhaps as the leader of the sixth group, things might have been different, but Choi Han was a poor matchup for him. If he had confronted him with force instead of illusions, the outcome might have been uncertain.
Boom--- Cale watched as Choi Han swiftly advanced through the torn gray mana toward Deshuran. He watched the violent black aura that now clearly enveloped Choi Han. Still weak and faint, but definitely solid, that energy completely enveloped Choi Han, blocking the gray mana.
“Huh?”
At that moment, Cale and Choi Han’s eyes met.
When Cale felt a strange discomfort, Choi Han had already diverted his gaze toward Deshuran.
“……”
Deshuran’s face crumpled as his eyes widened. Choi Han spoke.
“Do you want to know who I am?”
He let out a deflated laugh. The village, which resembled the scene of Harris Village. In this tragic scene, who would have thought he’d say something like that? However, Choi Han still maintained his composure. That’s why he clearly saw the clothes Cale and his group were wearing. And he spoke.
“We are ‘ARM.’”
His voice rang out loudly. Thanks to that, Cale heard clearly and stopped involuntarily.
“Human, human! Choi Han is acting up again!”
Raon was horrified. Cale felt something similar.
