Chapter 150
The true calamity had begun.
Rumble!
The ground of Yamiri Village and all its buildings twisted wildly, surging like crashing waves.
[Harmakan’s sorcery isn’t just an illusion! It has real physical force, so be careful!]
Just as Arsha, still held by Beru, had warned, the magic circle completed through countless deaths was the pinnacle of illusionary sorcery.
[Heir to the Strength of the Body! Go ahead and show me your little tricks!]
A grotesque laughter echoed across the crimson sky.
Crack!
A colossal hand, conjured by Harmakan, ruthlessly tore a building from its foundation and swung it down toward Suho.
Suho, charging forward, swung his sword and cleaved the structure in two.
Above, another massive bus, hurled by Harmakan’s hand, came crashing down toward him, exploding upon impact.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Debris from shattered pavement scattered in all directions.
Breaking through the dust, an army of Death Knights surged forward—Harmakan’s armored troops launched a full-scale assault.
GROAAAHHH!
“Urghhh!”
“W-what the hell are these things?!”
The villains who had surrendered to Suho were thrown into chaos, desperately trying to fend off the Death Knights’ relentless onslaught.
But no matter how they looked at it, they had no chance of winning.
The ground beneath them swayed like the sea, buildings crumbled from above, and the surreal catastrophe unfolded in every direction.
Charging toward them across the shifting terrain were hundreds of Death Knights.
In contrast, their numbers barely reached a few dozen.
They were overwhelmingly outmatched in both terrain and numbers.
“This… This has to be a dream!”
“A nightmare, that’s what it is!”
Moreover, these villains had little experience fighting monsters and had no idea how to deal with the Death Knights.
“The armor’s empty inside!”
“I’ve heard of something like this before! They’re called Living Armors!”
“Who cares what they’re called?! Just tell me how to kill them!”
“The armor! We have to destroy the armor!”
“You think we don’t know that?! The problem is how do we break it?!”
“T-the tankers hold them off while the dealers—”
“No, you idiot! The armor’s too damn tough!”
A chaotic battle broke out amidst desperate shouting.
Then, one of the more experienced villains suddenly recalled something and shouted.
“No! The gaps! When fighting Living Armors, you have to target the gaps in their armor!”
“The gaps in the armor!”
Hearing even a hint of useful information, the villains’ eyes lit up.
“Right! If we aim for the gaps—”
At that moment—
“Move!”
Suho’s voice rang out from above.
The villains instinctively looked up, and their eyes widened in horror.
“……!”
“R-run…!”
Suho, who had just caught the massive bus Harmakan had thrown, now held it in both hands midair.
CRASH!
He slammed the entire vehicle down onto the cluster of Death Knights below.
BOOM!
Like bowling pins, the Death Knights were sent flying in all directions.
The ones at the center of impact were crushed beneath the massive vehicle, utterly flattened.
Suho landed in front of the panicked villains, flashing a toothy grin.
“These guys are all my prey.”
Schlink!
The Vulcan’s Horn, briefly stored in his inventory, was drawn back into his hands.
Boom!
As he kicked off the ground, launching himself forward, the villains barely managed to stagger back in shock.
“H-he’s insane…”
“We… We actually thought we could fight someone like that…?”
“Is the world outside prison just hell…?”
They instantly regretted ever breaking out.
But despite Suho’s rampage, the reality of the battle remained grim.
—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
‘The damage isn’t landing as well as I expected.’
The Death Knights struck by Vulcan’s Horn had dents in their armor, but the actual damage was minimal.
‘Their defense is higher than I thought.’
Their armor was not only thick but also had a slippery surface, causing many of his strikes to glance off rather than land solidly.
GROOOHH!
[Did you really think my Death Knights would fall to such feeble attacks?!]
Harmakan’s eerie laughter echoed as the Death Knights, previously knocked away, simply rose again and resumed their assault on Suho.
Whoosh!
A Death Knight’s sword slashed through the air.
Suho ducked, dodging the strike, then sprang forward.
Releasing Vulcan’s Horn from his grip, he reached out—
Grab!
With raw strength, he seized the Death Knight’s helmet and wrenched it off.
Crunch!
The hollow helmet came free in his hand.
For the first time, Suho could see inside the armor—a swirling, ominous energy, or rather, a soul staring back at him.
Suho grinned.
“Well, if the outside is tough—”
Whoosh!
Vulcan’s Horn, momentarily left behind, flew back into his grasp.
“—then the inside must be soft.”
Crunch!
Reversing his grip on the sword, he drove it straight into the empty cavity.
……!
A silent scream erupted from within.
As Suho withdrew the weapon, a system message appeared.
[You have slain a Death Knight.]
Suho smirked.
“Yeah, this is the way.”
[That was just one. There are still hundreds more.]
Suho nodded at Beru’s words.
“I know. But more importantly, I don’t think I can recycle these guys.”
[Indeed. It seems their souls were consumed as materials for the demonic sorcery of the Maeryung Tribe.]
Just as Beru regretfully clicked his tongue, another message appeared.
[Corrupted Mana detected. Shadow Extraction is not possible.]
It was the same as with the Demon Souls.
But—
“So what? I’ll just recycle them in another way.”
Suho stared into the hollow space of the decapitated Death Knight’s armor, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
“Quay.”
[Yes.]
“Get in.”
[I obey.]
Shwaaaak!
At that moment, Quay slipped from Suho’s shadow, seeping into the vacant Death Knight’s armor.
Suho then picked up the helmet he had torn off and placed it back onto Quay’s head with a smirk.
“There. Now we have a Recycled Quay Knight.”
[That name is a bit… Ahem.]
Quay seemed to have something to say but chose to remain silent.
Regardless of the name, the sight of Quay clad in the Death Knight’s armor was quite impressive.
Thud. Thud.
From the gaps in the sturdy full-body armor, wisps of black mist leaked out, making him appear similar yet distinct from Harmakan’s Death Knights.
And then—
Shwaaak!
Quay Knight—no, Quay—manifested a long spear formed of black energy in his hands.
[My master’s enemies are my enemies.]
Swish!
Quay swung his dark spear, piercing straight through the helmet of a charging Death Knight.
Crunch!
[Master! I, Quay, shall guard your back! Please focus on the battle without worry!]
With newfound confidence, Quay dove into combat, his presence now formidable.
Beru, watching the scene unfold, clapped his hands in admiration.
[As expected of Young Lord! At this rate, we can continue to expand our forces indefinitely!]
But before Beru could finish his words—
Ssshhk!
Shadow Assassin Kang Taesik vanished into thin air.
Suddenly, a nearby Death Knight’s helmet was yanked off by an invisible force.
A moment later, Taesik leaped inside, engaging in a silent battle against the lingering spirit within.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Crunch!
A rapid flurry of strikes echoed from inside the armor.
Then, a system message popped up.
[You have slain a Death Knight.]
“Oh. Nice work.”
Suho praised Taesik’s unexpected ingenuity.
By the time Suho turned his gaze, Taesik had already dashed toward another Death Knight, eager to claim another vessel.
Seeing the success, Suho guided another of his shadow soldiers, Mino, into an empty suit of armor.
Normally, the armor’s size wouldn’t fit, but as expected from a set personally crafted by the Maeryung Tribe’s Grand Chieftain, it naturally adjusted to Mino’s massive frame.
Moooo!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The moment he donned the armor, Mino charged toward the enemies, shoulder-tackling them with tremendous force.
Suho proceeded to equip Tau with another suit.
One by one, Suho’s army of armored shadow soldiers grew.
Harmakan, watching the scene unfold, could not hide his shock.
[W-what trickery is this?! How are my Death Knights—?!]
“You should’ve done better when you had the chance.”
[GRAAAHHH!]
In a fit of rage, Harmakan once again hurled the surrounding buildings at Suho.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though it was an erratic, brute-force attack, the sheer power behind it was overwhelming.
The numerical disadvantage remained unchanged.
However—
‘I’m starting to get used to the pattern now.’
Suho skillfully evaded the flying debris while riding Gray, using the chaotic battlefield to his advantage.
As Harmakan’s large-scale attacks focused solely on Suho, his shadow soldiers steadily whittled down the remaining Death Knights.
Meanwhile, the scattered villains, still running for their lives, watched in speechless awe.
“This is unreal…”
But none were more shocked than Arsha, still held firmly by Beru.
[This… this can’t be real…]
The Suho she had encountered before and the Suho before her now were entirely different beings.
Strength and speed.
This wasn’t merely a difference in power—it was something else entirely.
[He’s on a different level… No human should be capable of this.]
It was baffling.
[Just what happened to him…?]
And at that moment, she realized something.
She had always considered humans to be the weakest and most primitive race.
But among them—
There were those who should never be provoked.
It dawned on her that, no matter what she did, no matter how much she trained, she would never be able to stand against Sung Suho.
—
[You have slain a Death Knight.]
[You have slain a Death Knight.]
[You have slain a Death Knight.]
[…]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
“Nice!”
With the sheer number of Death Knights, Suho’s level was skyrocketing.
[Young Lord, you are indeed remarkable. Why not recruit them as shadow soldiers? You could turn the remaining villains into Death Knights and wipe them all out.]
Beru whispered, scheming as always.
Of course, he had no concern for humanity—only results.
Since Harmakan could only create monsters from evil souls, it was a tempting idea.
However, the corrupted spirits of the Death Knights couldn’t be extracted as shadow soldiers.
What about Harmakan himself?
[We won’t know until we kill him.]
Just then, Beru’s antennae twitched as he scanned the surroundings.
His eyes gleamed.
[I’ve found it.]
