C343
Shock took over the faces of everyone present.
"That he destroyed Viscount Deshuran's Nightmare Garden so easily...!"
Aurora, her subordinates, and even the enemies couldn't hide their astonishment as they watched Choi Han instantly shatter Deshuran's power. Especially Aurora and the Mediators trembled.
"That is...!"
Aurora, in particular, noticed the black and transparent aura enveloping Choi Han.
"It's not aura."
It resembled the power of Dragon Fear. But it wasn't that either. Then, what was it? Aurora turned her head. She saw Cale and Raon, also astonished.
"Huh?"
Did they not trust Choi Han? Suddenly, she questioned it.
"Human, human! Wasn't Choi Han's performance amazing? Why has he suddenly returned to a performance as poor as the first time?"
"Exactly!"
Unaware of Choi Han's amazement, Aurora posed her question.
"What is that power?"
It was a power that seemed fragile yet, above all, very solid. There was a clue.
"Could it be an ancient power?"
Oh. Cale was slightly impressed. The ancient power. It was surprising that they knew about it in the Demon World.
"No. That power is not inherited."
"Then—"
"It's unique to Choi Han."
A power that only someone who had forged their own path could possess.
"Are you saying it's a unique power that only Choi Han-nim possesses?"
"That's right."
"There's no one else like him, a power that's only his?"
"Exactly."
Cale kept answering the questions and then glanced at Aurora before stopping.
Why was she acting that way?
Aurora's eyes were visibly shaking.
"Uh, um—"
Cale wondered why the Heavenly Demon was acting like that, then realized the reason.
"Ah!"
Viscount Deshuran. His power had been useless against Choi Han. But his illusion had been a source of terror for many in the Mediators and among the demons.
"A blind follower of the Demon King who could do anything horrible with his illusion."
It wasn't surprising that they were shocked to see Choi Han handle it so easily. But that power had been forged over countless years by Choi Han.
"Well, there's no need to delve into that."
Instead, Cale offered kind words to the new subordinate, or rather, the ally who would help him with various tasks in the future.
"We also have allies with powers like Choi Han's."
"Are there more?"
"Yes. And I hope many more will develop their own unique energy, even if they're not like Choi Han."
Choi Han.
The Heavenly Demon.
Cale assumed there were others who could acquire that aura.
"Clopeh Sekka might be capable too, although he seems a bit crazy."
But the first person to achieve it was obvious.
"It would be Rosalyn."
The magic tower. And the mages who would follow her. Rosalyn had trained extensively on her own, but she had unintentionally delayed her development by worrying about those two.
"Because I didn't realize it either."
Rosalyn was strong enough. But the events in Apitoyu seemed to have stimulated her properly.
"Her eyes—"
"Yes, those eyes like the sun—"
"...they were a little crazy."
He didn’t want to use those words to describe Rosalyn, but her eyes definitely had a crazy look.
"And also Mary—"
The Necromancer Mary. She was already walking her own unique path as the only necromancer in that world. And she was powerful enough to face Choi Han. She just needed a bit of a push to develop her own aura.
"Uhmm."
The aura. What exactly is it?
The aura of the Heavenly Demon and that of Choi Han were different. The nature of their powers, the way they affected others, everything was different. If Choi Han continued on his own path without wavering—
"The Heavenly Demon would become the God of the Demonic Cult."
He was already a god. But that aura would make him a true god, even forging the path of the Demonic Cult. The vision of the demon followers advancing with the Heavenly Demon's aura in Apitoyu was truly blind worship.
"For now, let's put aside these thoughts about aura."
It wasn’t the time to dwell on those thoughts. But he casually mentioned to Aurora that there might be more allies like Choi Han and that more could emerge.
"It seems we might be of great help in facing the Demon King in the future."
Don't worry, can we help each other well? Cale smiled kindly, and Aurora, without realizing it, said something serious.
"Weren't the celestial forces supposed to have eradicated the ancient power?"
"Huh?"
"Ah."
Aurora smiled awkwardly and looked away.
"It's nothing."
And Cale thought.
'This doesn’t seem good...'
It seemed he had just overheard something deeply serious and secret about the world.
It gave him chills. Cale instinctively spoke.
"Ha ha ha! It’s best if we pretend it’s nothing!"
Let’s pretend I didn’t hear it.
"But—"
However, Aurora, seemingly unaware of Cale’s desperate attempt to avoid the topic, hesitated and then spoke.
"Maybe the surface world doesn't know, but there's a secret in the sky that—"
Cale didn’t want to hear more.
Boom—
At that moment, a loud noise resonated. Cale turned his head.
"Human, Choi Han and the Flame Demon are fighting!"
A sword wrapped in black aura and a book covered in gray mana collided, creating a massive explosion.
Thump. Thump. Thump!
"Human, the Demon King's army is moving!"
And within the broken Nightmare Garden, the Demon King’s knights, especially the knights, began advancing. They all rode black horses, matching their black armor, and their presence was tremendously threatening.
"This is bad!"
Aurora stopped what she was going to say and quickly headed toward Choi Han. But she couldn’t take another step.
"…!"
It wasn’t just her. The knights of the Demon King, especially those heading toward Deshuran and Choi Han, also stopped.
"What’s happening?"
Aurora felt chills all over her body. Particularly, the cold sweat on her back and the sensation of sinking into a frozen lake. A lake whose surface was locked in thick ice all year round. Her body was slowly sinking to the bottom of that lake.
"I'm drowning..."
Suddenly, a calm voice was heard.
"Due to the rush—"
Thump. Aurora felt a pat on her shoulder as someone passed by.
"Huh!"
As if she had suddenly been pulled out of the water, her blocked breathing eased. She looked ahead. She could see Cale Henituse walking past her.
Woo—woo—
His step made the air vibrate. No, everything was trembling. An invisible force. The power emanating from Cale Henituse enveloped Aurora in a feeling of being seized, of being dominated.
Thump! Boom!
With each step Cale took toward the village center, some of the Demon King's knights knelt, shrinking as much as they could. Trying to breathe somehow. Or trying to hide. Unable to look directly at Cale or only seeing him.
-Hehe. I’m growing too!
The Dominating Aura spoke in a deep, somewhat ridiculous tone.
-Whether it’s the Demon World or whatever! It’s not like two ancient gods are together. This is a piece of cake! Ha ha ha!
-Shut up, show-off!
"…"
Due to the silence caused by Sky Eating Water, Cale quietly observed the surroundings.
Whoooosh—
Although the sound of flames engulfed the village and the smell of burning stung the nose, no one perceived it properly. In particular, the Demon King’s army felt an indescribable terror.
"The enemy definitely feels more fear than before."
Super Rock calmly commented.
"Once you fully acquire the power of the Saint of the God of Chaos, you will truly be able to inflict a primordial terror on the enemy."
Cale moved.
Aurora, watching him, thought:
"...Father—"
An object of hatred that no longer existed in this world. The former Demon King. And—
"Jevelon."
The current Demon King.
Those two beings that emerged in her mind, with power comparable to that of gods. Sometimes, even gods felt fear and avoided this pinnacle of a world.
"How can a human—"
Exude such an aura! And besides—
Is it terrifying?
More terrifying than any horror in the Demon World—
"No."
An energy that contains nothing but pure fear. How can that be described?
"You, you are—"
A trembling voice was heard. Aurora raised her head. Viscount Deshuran was looking at her with eyes full of confusion.
"Who are you?"
A pinnacle of the Demon World. Viscount Deshuran, sent by the Demon King’s mandate to seek another victim. He wasn’t surprised by the sudden appearance of the human. He wasn’t scared of the group approaching the village. He only thought of them as obstacles delaying his orders. But he was surprised that the human pointing a sword at him had "an unusual aura."
And then, an even vaster and incomparable energy. The immaterial fear that strangled him made Deshuran unable to move easily. All he could do was open his mouth to ask.
"Who are you?"
If someone else saw Viscount Deshuran showing such respect, they would be enormously surprised. Suddenly returning to his noble composure, the way Deshuran spoke didn’t seem like that of someone facing an enemy. But he had no choice.
Rule of the Strong.
The Demon World that venerates the strong. Deshuran, who had sworn loyalty to the Demon King, was captivated by his power.
"But—"
How was it that the human in front of him possessed an even deeper terror? That void of terror. A terror that seems to require no purpose, reason, or anything else, simply crushing and suffocating with its power. His hands and feet trembled. He could fight if necessary. The leader of the sixth army of the Eight wasn’t that weak. But he had to ask. Just with the energy, evoking the Demon King, a being on par with the gods, he had to know this person's identity.
A suffocating silence. No one could easily open their mouth.
Cale and Deshuran stared at each other. The villagers and the Demon King’s army, as well as the Mediators, watched in silence as the leaders of each group faced off.
About ten on Cale’s side and more than two hundred in the Demon King’s army. And many more villagers. Everyone understood that this moment was crucial. The direction of the entire situation would change depending on the leaders' decisions. So, they awaited the leaders’ conversation.
"...!"
And then Deshuran saw.
Pfft.
Cale let out a deflated laugh. Then he spoke.
"We're from 'ARM—'"
Tuning in with Choi Han’s rhythm. Watching Cale’s nonchalant expression, Deshuran’s eyes widened.
"—!"
And Cale also stopped. Deshuran saw it. Cale’s brown eyes. What was reflected in them.
"!"
In this implicit silence. There was someone extending a hand behind Deshuran.
"Ah."
A fearsome power that he had momentarily forgotten. Choi Han raised his hand.
Thwack!
And he struck the back of Deshuran’s neck.
"Ugh!"
Deshuran couldn’t suppress a cry at the ambush. Then he was surprised by the words he heard.
"Is it too much to hope he passes out from a single blow?"
Choi Han spoke calmly as he removed something from Deshuran's hand.
Sssss—
Steam rose for a moment as Choi Han’s hand burned, but he remained unfazed.
"I like its weight."
With those words, Deshuran looked at the object Choi Han had taken from him. It was a book. The book he always carried. Though it burned Choi Han’s hand, he remained unperturbed. Simply,
Whack!
With a quick movement, Choi Han struck Deshuran's stunned neck again with the book.
Thud.
Deshuran collapsed to the ground.
Thump.
Choi Han dropped the book. The thick book rolled across the ground.
"..."
Choi Han and Cale looked at each other.
"Here’s the medicine."
Raon quickly brought a potion to Choi Han, who gave him a serene smile. Then he said to Cale,
"I’ve controlled the situation."
Uh, um. Cale hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Well done!"
Yes. Our Choi Han is the best! Cale gave a thumbs up.
"It was amazing!"
Raon smiled broadly in agreement.
"Right! Striking the neck is always the most refreshing and best blow!"
As Cale's energy continued to envelop both the Demon King’s army and the village, everyone stared in shock at Cale, Choi Han, and Raon.
----------------------
Thump. Thump.
Viscount Deshuran opened his eyes.
And he saw again.
Choi Han slapping his cheek.
"!"
Deshuran was startled and tried to speak, but he was completely immobilized.
"Uh, uh!"
The mute Viscount Deshuran. Choi Han looked at him thoughtfully and then stood up, saying:
"Please take care of him."
"Yes, I'll keep an eye on him."
Mary responded in a mechanical voice. Choi Han recalled how Mary had disappeared with Clopeh Sekka a few days ago. He also remembered the first meeting between Mary and Clopeh, when Mary had implanted a Dead Mana bomb in Clopeh’s body.
"..."
Choi Han hesitated for a moment, but soon he exited the temporary cell. Only Deshuran and Mary remained in the cell.
"Cale-nim."
Then, Choi Han approached Cale, who was sitting in the village chief’s house as if he were the chief himself.
"..."
Aurora watched the two men with a vacant look.
