NOVEL NEXT Chapter 279
Chapter 280: The Battle’s Difficulty
Considering that the opponent was the Demon King, I could say that the difficulty of the battle wasn’t all that high.
Of course, it would be a mistake to think lightly of the Demon King. After all, the Demon King of Shuyo was practically doing nothing.
In other words, up until now, it felt like the enemy had just been blowing their hair in the wind.
Yeon-woo and the others were already exhausted from just defending against that, with the southern part of Huiyeon City now in ruins.
Despite their best efforts to hold the line, the repercussions spread wide, and there were still tentacles that hadn’t been blocked.
Dividing the city into four districts hadn’t made it any easier for the few Hunters to cover the whole area.
‘The more I think about it, the more it feels like a monster.’
This wasn’t just about the Demon King. The other two directions, not including the north and south where the situation couldn’t be seen, had suffered only minor damage.
Seeing one Aura Master handle what even four late-stage Aura Experts found difficult really made me question the difference in Realm.
However, it wasn’t all bad news. The disc hovering in the sky had begun to descend. Slowly, but at a noticeable pace.
When that descends, it doesn’t mean everything is over. Instead, it could be Yeon-woo’s group that ends up in trouble because of that.
Even so, the only option was to bring it down. You have to match eyes first to fight, or whatever you do, right?
Hoo, taking a deep breath, Yeon-woo raised her sword and shouted.
“Let’s hold on just a little longer!!”
“”Oooh!!””
The Hunters who hadn’t yet escaped the city raised their weapons at Yeon-woo’s shout. Countless Hunters remained in the city, swinging their weapons alongside Yeon-woo.
Although the buildings had crumbled, exposing their frameworks, and severed cables wailed as they spewed steam, the people hadn’t crumbled yet.
As long as that was the case, they could still fight. Battles weren’t fought with the body or the mind, but with will. As long as they didn’t give up until the very end, hope remained.
So many people were fighting alongside Yeon-woo. In that case, Yeon-woo had no thoughts of retreating first.
“Haah.”
Exhaling deeply, the breath crystallized into starlight.
As colors resembling the universe began to envelop Yeon-woo’s upper body, the lizard-patterned Stigmata and crescent-shaped Stigmata started to shine brilliantly at the same time.
Slowly, the large and small scars etched on Yeon-woo’s skin began to heal. The body that had felt heavy just moments ago suddenly felt light.
“This could let me fight all day!”
Muttering that to herself, Yeon-woo swung her sword at the incoming tentacles. Slash!! Filthy blood splattered everywhere, but all Yeon-woo did was grin.
*
“UAAAGH!!”
“What is, what’s happening…!? Why all of a sudden…!?”
Engrossed in the battle, entrusting herself to the Stigmata accelerated by the mana of stars, Yeon-woo swiftly turned her head at the scream coming from behind and grimaced at what she saw.
“Damn it, just as I thought.”
Before her crawled pieces of tentacles, beginning to attack people like a giant reptile.
It was a mysterious creature that had been found in the Wednesday incident and seen in Huiyeon City before her return; appropriate name or not, it had been called the Demon King’s Snake.
However, Yeon-woo had a hunch about its true identity. To be honest, having faced it directly, there was no way she wouldn’t have made a guess.
Certainly, those who had faced the Demon King of Shuyo directly before her return would have figured it out as well.
The identity of the Demon King’s Snake was the severed tentacles. Due to its overwhelming size, even though it was cut off, it remained the size of a massive reptile… basically an anaconda, making it hard for Hunters to handle it easily.
“Damn it. Shar, help me out!!”
[Got it!!]
At Yeon-woo’s shout, Shar dashed out from an alley, maintaining a remarkably stable stance, not losing balance even in mid-air.
Boom!!
With a clean kick, Shar pierced the entire worm constricting an older man into the ground.
Screech!! With a painful cry, the snake writhed its body. Thanks to that, the man freed himself, but it was doubtful whether that snake would be dying so easily.
“Shar, that’s not enough!!”
“Really!? Uh-oh, what to do…!”
As Shar hesitated at the sight of the squirming snake, piercing through its body with her right arm, she plunged her hand into the snake’s head.
Slowly, frost began to gather on the snake’s body. Once Shar smashed the now completely frozen snake, it shattered into pieces, unable to regenerate.
At this, Yeon-woo turned her gaze towards Baek In-hwa. The tentacles completely frozen by the icy mana weren’t regenerating at all.
Is that their weakness? Even the tentacles ensnared by Darius’s webs were writhing as if they were alive, so it was safe to say it was indeed a weakness.
In that case, it was better to leave it to an expert. Using Baek In-hwa, who had such power, for support felt somewhat odd, but in this world, some things couldn’t be helped.
“Nice job, Shar!! Baek In-hwa, freeze those tentacles so they don’t regenerate! Shar, switch places with Baek In-hwa!”
“Understood.”
In response to Yeon-woo’s command, Baek In-hwa, who’d been turning the rooftop into an ice kingdom, leaped down. At the same time, Shar went up the wall with a whoosh!!
“Shar, you don’t have to push yourself too hard! It’s fine if you miss the areas without people!”
“Got it!! But I’ll still give it my all!!”
Hmm, that’s quite spirited. It’s not like I’m one to stop her when she wants to give it a shot.
“Tae-oh, go help your sister.”
[Confirmed. I’ll need to be there for my sister since she can be a bit clumsy.]
Ahem, I felt Tae-oh slipping out from my body. It should be fine if they both take care of it. With that thought, Yeon-woo took a moment to assess the situation.
Why had the tentacles suddenly become more active? The reason was simple. The disc that the Demon King was riding had been descending beyond a certain point.
If that was the case, it meant that the closer they got to the Demon King, the more the tentacles became active, but it was puzzling why they hadn’t been from the beginning.
‘…Could it be related to the Demon King’s will?’
If the descending disc were indeed linked to the Demon King’s intent to intervene in this battle, and the tentacles were gaining life according to that will…
“…This is going to be a hassle.”
Already starting to become a hassle, if the tentacles began rampaging any more than this, the outcome would be obvious. It would become impossible to hold them back anymore.
In a situation like this, it might be better to forcefully jump up and board it once it had descended to a certain height.
Yeon-woo had some trump cards prepared for moments like these.
‘No idea how effective they’ll be, but it’s better than fighting once it’s down completely…?’
While she couldn’t be sure, the thought of a trial didn’t seem bad.
The problem with this plan was that the others wouldn’t be able to follow. And there was still quite a distance to reach the altitude where she could board.
Now, looking at the tentacles sweeping through the city like a broom in addition to striking down, Yeon-woo let out a deep sigh.
The Demon King’s Snake, each tentacle was like a massive monster. At this rate, the city would be gone before they even saw the Demon King’s face.
Watching the black lines still densely filling the sky, even Yeon-woo couldn’t help but feel fed up.
*
‘It’s almost touching.’
Looking anxiously up at the sky, Yeon-woo noted that the disc had grown several times larger and was nearing the size of an egg.
Is it really okay to go up? Would it be fine? Such thoughts crossed her mind. For a normal human, this was an action that shouldn’t be taken.
What awaited her up there would be nothing but death.
Yet, for some reason, she was convinced she wouldn’t die.
This Demon King was somehow different. Unlike most Demon Kings whose goal was to kill humans, she felt as if this one wasn’t quite aiming for that.
How should she put it? It felt like they were killing people purely by accident, or something to that effect.
It was a different kind of Demon King from Leviathan. She sensed a distinction from the majority of Demon Kings who aimed to claim this earth by killing humans.
‘But that doesn’t mean they’re an ally I can collaborate with.’
That was something she was fairly certain about. The fact that people were dying meant that even if she managed to temporarily suppress it somehow, in the long term, it would cause tremendous harm.
However, in this situation, it could be seen as a favorable point. The fact that merely existing as a human meant she might have a chance of survival, which was unlike other Demon Kings who bore murderous intent toward humans.
“…Ah, who cares!!”
Yeon-woo shouted impulsively as she climbed up to the highest building nearby. From this building, using her maximum output from the Stigmata, her wings spread wide, she believed she could reach the disc that was within touching distance.
“Guys!! I’m going to check up there for a bit!!”
“…!? Are you out of your mind!?”
Baek In-hwa, the first to hear that, exclaimed in shock, but Yeon-woo had already launched herself upward like a cannon shot into the sky. Baek In-hwa stared blankly at her retreating figure.
The wind hitting her face felt ominous. The overwhelming darkness, impossible to shake off even beneath the bright Stigmata of the sun, passed around her.
The icy elemental mana wings she’d created caused a prickly pain. With each moment spent closer to the Demon King, she felt her body growing heavier. It was a level of mana that made her skin crawl. The density was unsettlingly thick.
Yet, for some reason, she didn’t feel like giving up. Was this what Noel meant by being caught in one’s fate? Was the fate of the hero dragging her into a corner?
With those thoughts in mind, Yeon-woo landed on the disc and gazed ahead. A girl with ominous violet hair lay on a bed placed in the center of the disc.
She looked utterly defenseless, giving Yeon-woo the impression that she could easily kill her right then. But at the same time, it felt nearly impossible to approach.
It was a level of violent mana that was almost unbelievable. The raging energy surrounding the girl was far too incompatible with her calm and peaceful appearance.
It was almost a question of why she hadn’t attacked yet; such overwhelming violence loomed before her.
(To be continued in the next chapter)