ALL NOVEL Chapter 441
Chapter 442
“Urrgh!”
With a deflating shout, the Behemoth slammed its body against mine.
Thud!! The colliding shadows and Behemoth’s slender shoulders produced an unbelievable crash that echoed through the air.
I thought the sound rivaled that of a siege weapon crashing into a castle gate.
“…Huh?”
However, it was Behemoth who was most startled by the tremendous noise. It was the first time its attack hit the wall of shadows, which had been untouched until now.
The hardened shadows crumbled to pieces. Beyond the shadows, I could see Moryo sitting arrogantly.
Moryo didn’t seem to be looking at Behemoth at all. With a playful expression, they stared into empty space, leaving Behemoth puzzled.
[Oh, I see we have visitors. My apologies; something amusing has come up.]
With a grin, Moryo turned their gaze toward Behemoth.
Unlike an ordinary human, Moryo’s unsettling white eyes and deep black pupils pierced Behemoth, causing it to tremble unconsciously.
“Focus. It was convenient when you were ignoring me.”
[Ah, my bad. Should we start from the beginning again?]
Behemoth briefly pondered Moryo’s playful words, then suddenly shook its head in fright.
[Hey, what are you trying to do with our little sibling?]
“…Not a sibling.”
As Behemoth muttered sulkily, swirling gold erupted at Moryo’s feet, transforming into the figure of a small girl.
Seeing this, Moryo smirked wider.
[Long time no see, Leviathan. How have you been?]
[Not well, thanks to you lot. You damn bastards threatening our precious humanity.]
Leviathan spat out foul curses. Moryo laughed at that. It seemed ridiculous for a fellow Demon King to claim to be on humanity’s side.
[It’s quite amusing to hear that from a fellow Demon King. But having such a funny Demon King around isn’t so bad.]
[What did you just say? Come out, you jerk!]
[If I come out, can you win?]
As Moryo chuckled, Leviathan scoffed.
[I can’t win. But Choi Yeon-woo could help, right?]
At that very moment, waves of gold surged from below, encircling Leviathan.
A massive vortex of gold erupted in the center of the battlefield, causing the Hunters behind to retreat in fear.
Two Demon Kings, each one tough to handle alone. If they collided in battle, regular Hunters could do nothing at all.
All one could hope for was that Gyeom-yo would be standing tall when the fight ended.
*
“I wonder how it will turn out.”
Everything hinged on Kai’s plan succeeding. But even if it did, there were too many unknowns, so no guarantees it would go well.
But the opposing force were those two potent Demon Kings, placing humanity’s survival on uncertain variables. Yeon-woo had no choice.
‘Was it a foolish choice?’
Perhaps. Trusting a former enemy, even for a moment, carries substantial risk.
Yet Yeon-woo chose to believe what he had seen. Much like the old Demon he’d met in Pandemonium.
Yeon-woo believed in the intent behind Kai’s gaze. The killing intent contained within was no different from his own feelings towards demons.
No, he could dare say it was even stronger.
Trusting not the individual, but the emotions of that individual. That was Yeon-woo’s solid principle.
With that in mind, he shifted his gaze back to the fight between the two Demon Kings. The endlessly surging vortex of gold clashed with a deep abyss that seemed to herald the end of the world.
Gold hot enough to melt the ground, and darkness so intense it could swallow the sun. It was a dazzling confrontation.
While Leviathan was focused on Moryo, Jiz might have felt like a side dish…
‘But that’s not the case.’
The golden spiral was not one-sided. Though slightly smaller in scale, gold also sparkled on Jiz’s side.
One could call it overwhelming multitasking ability.
Contrary to Yeon-woo’s totally autonomous clones, Leviathan maintained a singular consciousness.
Had it not been a battle against Demon Kings, Leviathan could easily have fought on hundreds of battlefields simultaneously.
At first glance… no, even upon serious reflection, Leviathan’s behavior and appearance resembled that of a child.
Yet this was a scene that vividly showcased her as a part of the Demon King capable of annihilating this world.
It could only be described as a brilliant clash of darkness.
“Revi, are you gonna be okay…?”
“It’ll be fine. He’s not one to do something reckless.”
Leviathan wasn’t at a direct disadvantage against Moryo. Her gold was so radiant it could easily push the feeble shadows aside.
The one truly at risk was Jiz. While flapping around in the air like a feather, when Hwayo truly found it bothersome, she would leap up and deliver a proper strike.
Perhaps that was why Leviathan had attached a clone for backup.
As Yeon-woo assessed the situation, a light began to shine in his eyes. Suddenly sensing something strange, he looked up at the sky, where sunlight started breaking through the clouds shadowed by Moryo.
The strengthening power of the sun meant several things. Yeon-woo stood up with a grunt.
“It seems things are turning in our favor.”
“Are we going back to fighting now?”
“More or less. Kids, let’s warm up a bit.”
The two kids started bouncing around excitedly. Yeon-woo watched them while gazing toward the battlefield beyond.
*
The sun god began a contest of strength, staked upon the Divine Position.
While the overwhelming control didn’t allow for energy loss, it was indeed a hassle to engage in a tug of war with a Demon King while simultaneously fighting.
The swirling vortex of gold began to be suppressed by the shadows. The creeping shadows slithered slowly into the gold, trying to devour it.
[Seems like something urgent is coming up?]
Noticing Moryo’s anxiousness to conclude the battle, Leviathan muttered, and Moryo laughed.
[I have to go welcome an important guest, so it’s natural to feel annoyed with an insect bothering me.]
[Who are you calling an insect, jerk!!]
Leviathan exploded the gold in a furious shout. Countless golden pieces scattered in every direction.
As the brilliance of gold enveloped the surroundings, Moryo frowned while Behemoth and Leviathan vanished.
[…Did they run away? Quite the unusual ending for being enraged. Hwayo would be furious if he heard about this.]
Thinking that, Leviathan glanced sideways and saw Hwayo’s expression mirrored that of annoyance as well. Jiz had disappeared without a trace. Hwayo scowled as if displeased.
Well, this outcome was certainly unsatisfactory for Moryo too. The shadows streaming from below began to swallow the horizon.
The world dimmed once more. The shadows consuming the horizon climbed up into the sky. Hwayo gazed at this scene with dissatisfaction, letting out a small sigh.
The murderous intent emanating from that tiny form killed the very shadows themselves. Even shadows that looked like they would swallow the sun and the world dared not approach him.
The world appeared to be divided in three. The side where Moryo stood was night, the side where humanity resided was day. And Hwayo’s surrounding area was stained red, like the twilight of the world.
Yeon-woo clicked his tongue at this sight. How dense must one’s killing intent be to manifest in such a tangible red?
An ordinary human stepping into that space would undoubtedly have their heart stop.
“I would rather not have assigned such a role to Tae-oh…”
As Yeon-woo muttered sorrowfully, Tae-oh confidently replied. Despite it being a previously discussed matter, Yeon-woo found his heart aching at the words.
[It’s fine, dad. If I help, I can manage just fine!]
“Yeah, I suppose…?”
The plan was relatively simple. While Moryo fought to keep the sun god and the Divine Position from being snatched, Tae-oh would take away Moryo’s shadows.
Of course, it was uncertain how much he could actually take. Those shadows weren’t strengths acquired through effort, but the innate power Moryo was born with.
In terms of control, Moryo clearly had the upper hand.
If careless, Tae-oh could be absorbed by Moryo and meet his end, but safety measures had already been established.
“Are you sure about this, Tae-oh?”
[No problem at all! Tae-oh is amazing!]
Seeing Tae-oh’s confident demeanor, it seemed that the Demon King’s main body he had seized was functioning without issue.
One could call it a form of pseudo-Demon King transformation. As a part of Moryo’s clone, Tae-oh possessed a portion of his Demon King qualification, and he could even ignore the unique cursed energy emitted by the main body.
Of course, he could only hold onto it in his mouth; swallowing it was far too risky. Who knows what could happen the moment Tae-oh tries to swallow it?
“Alright, then let’s go. Time to put an end to Moryo.”
Whispering to himself, Yeon-woo stood before the shadow fortress.
As the gates of the palace opened, countless Shadow Warriors poured out. But it wasn’t Yeon-woo who intercepted them.
““Protect Choi Yeon-woo!!””
Hunters lined up behind Yeon-woo clashed with the Shadow Warriors. Yeon-woo bolted straight ahead.
He sliced through whatever obstructed his path. The sensation of flesh being cleaved enveloped his hands. He swept through the area like a harvesting tool, emotionlessly.
As familiar faces followed him, they blocked the advancing Shadow Warriors from both sides.
The pathetic Shadow Warriors were not even worthy foes; they were friends who chose to risk their lives to stand by him.
Everyone fought as if the world were ending. Before Hwayo could slowly approach from afar, they needed to take down Moryo. That was the only way to minimize casualties.
No one could reach those out of reach. Yeon-woo understood that fact well.
(To be continued…)