Chapter 93: Spirit's Territory (5)
TL/Editor: Rungir
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
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In the heart of the imperial city lies the Baeksung Palace, surrounded by five castles. Among them is the Jaseong Palace, where the Fourth Prince, Utekan, resides.
"Why have you summoned us here? You used to forbid us from even coming near, suspecting us."
In an office located on the top floor of the Jaseong Palace, three figures were seated. They were Prince Utekan, a woman in religious attire, and a man with an emotionless face.
The Five Demon Commanders. Leaders of all the demons that had infiltrated the human world. And now, three of them were gathered here. It was an unusual sight, unless it was their regular meeting.
"There’s no risk of exposure. I've cleared out the entire floor," replied Utekan in a cold tone.
"So, why did you call us? Is it about Tarahal?"
"It's Utekan, not Tarahal. Address me properly."
"…Very well."
The man nodded at Utekan's correction. Utekan's obsession with assimilating perfectly into the human body he possessed was well-known. In fact, all demonic entities of the psychic class had a similar fixation.
"We failed."
Utekan spoke in a monotonous voice, looking at the man and woman. There was no need to specify what he was referring to; everyone in the room understood.
"We lost contact after a while. So, it failed… how?"
"I don't know."
Utekan shook his head. "I had deployed the most capable under my command, aside from myself. She even possessed a top-tier psychic demon eye. She did manage to corner him at one point, but after that, I saw nothing."
All he witnessed was Azela, with both her mind and body entirely broken, desperately pleading for her life before meeting her end.
"If a demon of that caliber failed, it implies that psychic methods are utterly ineffective. Could it have something to do with the power he wields?"
The man mused, referring to the darkness used by Zion Agnes. It was a force even unfamiliar to them, so its exact capabilities remained unknown. While it seemed similar to the legendary power of the Abyss Emperor they had heard of, they knew it couldn't be. That power was never passed down.
"It's possible. But right now, we need to discuss our next steps."
Of course, the main agenda was dealing with Zion Agnes. From the Emperor's funeral, Azela's death, the provocations, to the transfer of the Moonlight Army - every single event had not just irked Utekan but had also incited an unbearable rage.
Utekan was determined to end Zion Agnes' life no matter what. Breaking the unspoken rules to contact the other two Demon Commanders was all due to this reason.
“He seems quite incensed.”
A woman, momentarily locking eyes with Utekan, began with a soft chuckle.
“I've already received some intriguing information about him.”
“What is it?”
“There's word that Zion Agnes recently sought out the anomaly.”
Upon hearing that...
A curious glint appeared in Utekan's eyes.
“Yes, it suggests there might be something wrong with Zion Agnes's condition.”
---
---
Before Elysium lost consciousness and was drawn to the place with the sacred blood,
Zion had already reached her side.
But instead of stepping forward immediately, Zion simply watched as Elysium was drawn away. If he intervened, he wouldn't find out where the sacred blood was hidden.
His patience proved worthwhile, as they unknowingly led Zion to this secret place.
Once there, Zion hid and waited for the perfect moment to ambush Kezarus when he was most off-guard.
With a sound like scraping metal, Kezarus's head was forced into the ground by Zion's strength.
The rusty sound of a door creaking emanated from Zion's body as he activated the Lunar Eclipse.
The aura emanating from this sign, seemingly the leader, was on a different level from any he had encountered before. It was definitely superior.
"It's even stronger than the high-ranking demon I met at the university's magic tower."
Hence, invoking the Lunar Eclipse wasn't a choice; it was necessary.
Though the strain made his imperfect body scream in pain, he had no time to care.
Then,
With a ghostly giggle, spirits surrounded the trapped Kezarus, and with them,
A massive wave of energy erupted from his entire body, powerful enough to repel Zion momentarily.
"You...!"
Rising to his feet, a mix of shock and bewilderment painted Kezarus's face as he looked at Zion. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he would be ambushed here.
Moreover, his attacker was supposed to have been killed by Kiral.
'Was his name Zion Agnes?'
A completely unfamiliar name. If he was here, it meant not just Kiral, but possibly the other two high-ranking demons had been defeated. The ominous darkness emanating from Zion further solidified this suspicion.
"Who are you? How did you find out about this place?"
"Should I tell you just because you asked?"
With a sly smile, Zion responded, causing Kezarus's eyes to narrow further.
"I guess I'll just kill you first and ask later."
Mumbling, Kezarus's energy started to surge exponentially.
However,
"I doubt that will be necessary."
With a thunderous boom, the atmosphere around Zion, enveloped by the spirits of the dead, shot towards Kezarus at a terrifying speed.
Kezarus, maintaining his composure, extended his hand,
And with his gesture,
Hundreds of ghostly heads that had appeared around began to open their mouths, revealing bright red tongues that shot out towards Zion from all directions.
As these tongues aimed to pierce Zion's entire body,
With a sharp sound,
Eclaxia swung violently.
With that strike, dozens of attacking tongues split apart.
Seizing the opportunity of the created gap, Zion charged forth.
However, the remaining uncut tongues seemed determined not to let him go, changing directions in an instant, closing in on him.
Zion's movement adapted bizarrely in response.
Like an elusive phantom, Zion's figure flickered incessantly, expertly dodging the onslaught of tongues.
His eyes, now honed with clarity, illuminated every path of the advancing tongues.
“...!”
Kezarus's eyebrows twitched at the bewildering movement he couldn't understand. Almost immediately, he opened his mouth to face Zion, who was now rapidly closing the distance.
-Stop.
The same eerie resonance, reminiscent of when he controlled Elysis's body, echoed.
-Stop.
At that moment, the ghostly heads behind him sang in harmony, amplifying the power of that voice.
A spell so potent it could aptly be called 'Word Magic.'
‘This can’t be dodged.’
From the outset, Word Magic was a mental spell that activated upon hearing.
It wasn't the kind that could be avoided.
As Kezarus's eyes widened in realization,
From the engulfing spirit realm around Zion, a spine-chilling wail erupted.
Colliding with the wail, the Word Magic was neutralized and vanished.
“What...?!”
Before Kezarus could fully display his astonishment,
Slash!
Zion’s sword, imbued with black aura, descended towards his neck.
Could it be because Kezarus is a high-ranking monster?
Zion's sword couldn't entirely pierce through the defensive spells enveloping Kezarus, and was deflected.
But Zion didn't stop there.
Using the recoil, he spun in mid-air.
Then, he swung his sword towards the opposite side of Kezarus's chest.
Once again, a massive shockwave erupted, shattering Kezarus's defense spells.
Reacting just in time, Kezarus hurled a colossal awl made of human bones at Zion.
Zion, however, merely tilted his head slightly, dodging effortlessly.
At the same time, using the recoil once again to speed up his rotation, he swung Eclaxia at Kezarus.
With added momentum upon momentum, Zion's swordplay evolved into a relentless barrage.
Faster.
Crash!
Even faster.
Crash-crash-crash!
Finally, the continuous onslaught broke through all of Kezarus's protective spells, starting to inflict damage on him.
“You insect!”
A furious cry erupted from the contorted face of Kezarus.
In a desperate bid to turn the tide, he unleashed all sorts of spells trying to create a distance, but it was futile.
As if predicting his every move, Zion not only blocked all his assaults but also struck him with precision.
A relentless onslaught, one attack after the other.
Caught off guard, Kezarus was being pushed back, unable to fully utilize his original strength.
'I need to end this quickly.'
Watching Kezarus, Zion intensified his assault.
Zion was aware.
His advantage only persisted while the lunar eclipse lasted.
Though more stable than before, he could only maintain it for nearly three minutes; it was still a short window.
Therefore, he had to make the most of this initial advantage.
"Just what..."
Watching the battle from a distance, a dazed voice emerged from Elysis.
She had been freed from physical restraint a while ago, but she couldn't move.
No, more accurately, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the fierce battle unfolding before her.
Boom! Boom! Boooom!
The unending massive explosions and shockwaves.
Enduring the aftermath alone made her entire body tremble like a leaf.
It was unbelievable.
One of those engaged in such a fierce battle was her employer, the seemingly naive noble, Zion Agnes.
The sheer power on display sent shivers down her spine.
'What's his real identity?'
Elysis was no fool.
Simply observing the fight, the monster exuding a strength that could rival gods was her opponent.
There was no way an ordinary noble's son could stand against such a monster.
He must have another identity, another purpose.
"No, now's not the time to think about that."
Elysis shook her head.
Regardless of the reasons, that man came to save her. It was only right for her to help in any way she could.
'Even if I can't join the fight, there must be another way to help...'
As Elysis contemplated, looking around,
-Aaaaaaah!
A scream imbued with spirits echoed, and a tremendous demonic wave swept through the entire area.
Following that, her gaze shifted to Zion, who was being pushed back, and the heavily injured Kezarus.
"You damned brat!"
Kezarus, face contorted with rage, let out a furious roar.
Alongside him, faces filled with joy, sorrow, pain, ecstasy, and various other emotions began to materialize.
Faces emanating an even more overwhelming aura than anything Kezarus had displayed before.
"No need to drag this out! I'll finish you in one blow!"
Proclaiming as if declaring his final move, the very moment Kezarus spat out those words,
All the faces around him howled and unleashed a colossal breath.
A breath containing a power on a different scale.
The very air and space in the path of this breath began to warp and twist, unable to withstand its might.
"Evade, evade it!!"
Elysis, with a pale face, urgently shouted towards Zion.
No matter how naive she was, she knew just how dangerous that breath was.
No, she felt it instinctively.
Impossible.
Even for that man, deflecting such a thing was unthinkable.
No, it was impossible for any human.
"......"
But despite her shout, Zion stood still, staring at the approaching breath.
Shortly after, his body began to move.
As if assuming a stance.
Stepping one foot back and slightly bowing his head, Zion positioned his sword to his side.
With that, darkness heavily descended around them.
It was eerily silent.
Despite the chaos caused by the breath shot by Kezarus, shaking the very surroundings.
In that moment, Elysis, watching Zion, felt a profound stillness.
A sense of dissonance birthed from that contrast.
And just as her discomfort peaked.
Swoosh-
Slowly, as if pushing back a stream.
Zion's sword swung.
In that instant,
Elysis could see.
From the tip of the swinging sword of Zion, a silver line engraved into space itself.
And everything caught by that line,
---------------!
She could see the scene of being split in an instant.
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