Chapter 447
A desperate situation.
There wasn’t a single gap in the perfectly constructed siege.
Even if a high-ranking deity were here, they wouldn’t be able to escape. Especially not when they had so many wounded in tow.
However—
“This guy… he’s even worse than I thought.”
Guntafer muttered his thoughts aloud.
To be honest, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of escape.
“I’ll admit it, he’s like a rat. I was sure we wouldn’t lose him… but that was a mistake.”
Behemoth, standing beside him, clicked his tongue in frustration.
The members of Veteran Corporation, as well as the Heavenly Demon and his subordinates, had all escaped through the gate that Ellie had created.
Losing the Heavenly Demon, the key figure in this operation, made it hard to call this a victory.
At least…
Jinhyuk was still here, guarding the gate.
As long as they cut off the head, the rest would be left to wither over time.
“Hoo…”
Jinhyuk steadied his breathing.
The exhaustion from continuous battles had pushed his body to its limits.
Although he was using [Blessing of the Stars] to recover as quickly as possible, it was merely a temporary fix.
‘If I want to avoid being tracked, I need to hold out a little longer.’
Only after closing the gate could he truly call this situation safe.
The problem was…
The enemies in front of him were far too powerful to simply stall for time.
Boom!
Kim Donghwan lunged forward.
His sword, infused with devastating energy, aimed straight for Jinhyuk’s neck.
‘From the front—no, from behind!’
Jinhyuk dodged the attack coming from his blind spot.
Clang!
Sparks erupted in the air.
Another near miss.
It was thanks to his meticulous memorization of each Heavenly Demon’s preferred skills and combat style.
“Damn it!”
Kim Donghwan cursed.
It was humiliating enough for a proud Heavenly Demon to gang up on a single opponent.
Yet, even after all this effort, their target showed no signs of falling.
Every second that Jinhyuk remained standing felt like an insult.
[Heavenly Demon ‘Cain’ activates Lv28 ‘Volley Shot’!]
Whoooosh—BOOOOM!
A straightforward trajectory.
But its sheer power and speed rivaled that of a meteor.
The immense energy compressed within made it swell to a staggering ten-meter diameter.
‘They’re not even giving me a chance to breathe.’
Jinhyuk clenched his teeth.
If he could just buy himself a single minute, he could optimize his mana.
“Sixth Sword…”
It was at that moment—
“Semmanuel.”
The voice of Beauregard rang out.
A sword of the single-digit ranks had been unleashed.
The golden-hued blade radiated dazzling light.
A cross-shaped slash cleaved through the incoming iron sphere.
Slash!
The severed edge glowed red-hot as heat escaped from within.
“Having a Heavenly Demon with ridiculous gear on my side is reassuring.”
“You lot claimed that teaming up with you would be a path paved with flowers, yet all it’s done is shorten my lifespan.”
“If that’s how you feel, why not switch sides now?”
“Are you even listening to yourself? Just send me into the gate instead.”
“Eh, that’s not happening. We’re in this together—live together, die together. Brotherhood, you know?”
“That nonsense reminds me of the old court wizard back in my empire. Damn it, I’m sick of this.”
Just then—
Tap.
Behemoth moved.
His greatsword, defying gravity, rocketed toward Jinhyuk like a lightning strike.
‘Instant Acceleration’ and ‘Mass Manipulation’ abilities.
If it simply moved at a consistent high speed, Jinhyuk could at least adjust to it.
But the sword kept accelerating and decelerating unpredictably mid-motion, making its timing nearly impossible to grasp.
Clang! Clang!
Jinhyuk crossed his twin daggers.
His balance wavered. His center of gravity collapsed.
The final strike, carrying all its compressed weight, dug deep into his bones.
‘That tiny frame… packs that much power?’
For a moment, he almost missed fighting Kraken—it at least had more obvious weak points to target.
“How much longer do I have to hold out?!”
“Just one more minute.”
“One minute?!”
It was an incredibly short span of time to make anything happen.
But at this point, there was no choice but to believe in it.
If there was no alternative—
[Beauregard activates the unique ability ‘Indomitable Craftsman’!]
[‘Forgotten Treasures’ are being unlocked.]
Blades surged from the ground beneath them.
Each one was a masterpiece, crafted throughout Beauregard’s lifetime as a blacksmith.
“Swords one through ten, simultaneous release.”
A dazzling array of multicolored lights flickered.
Each sword responded to its master’s call, embodying the legends they had built.
Boom!
Behemoth’s greatsword was halted mid-air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless strikes clashed in rapid succession.
The weapons transformed freely according to the situation, creating an unbroken chain of attacks.
“Hoo…”
Behemoth still held the advantage in raw power and mana.
But Beauregard, fighting with everything he had, wasn’t going down easily either.
Using the momentary gap that formed—
Jinhyuk desperately focused on recovering his mana.
As [Hwarang True Essence Breathing Technique] activated, his accumulated fatigue rapidly dissipated. At the same time, freshly generated mana surged through his veins.
Rumble…!
The repeated forced expansion and contraction of his mana flow would inevitably lead to severe repercussions later.
But right now, he had to push through this danger.
At least until he got through the gate and sealed it shut, he needed to prevent his enemies from even thinking about pursuit.
For that—
‘It’s time to bring it out.’
A relic that could only be used at peak condition.
Jinhyuk’s head was suddenly adorned with the Crown of Tyranny.
[One of the seven crowns symbolizing the Tower awakens!]
[All stats increase by +30!]
[Critical hit rate increases by 30%!]
[The power of ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art’ is temporarily raised to Lv100!]
[The consumption of mana and mental energy drastically increases. The duration of the crown’s effect is limited.]
—
[Time Remaining: 0H : 3M : 0S]
“…What the hell!”
“What is that absurd power?”
Exclamations of shock burst from Guntafer, Behemoth, and the Heavenly Demons who had been watching the battle unfold.
It felt as if every hair on their bodies stood on end.
The sheer presence of the materialized mana sent shivers down their spines.
Jinhyuk moved Crimson Lotus and Barnard behind his waist.
Condensing the remaining three minutes—
Into a single strike.
[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Forgotten Swords’ has been activated!]
With a single breath, the twin daggers carved different trajectories.
One Sword.
Tsch—Kk!
Space itself was severed.
—
No one knew exactly what had just happened.
All they knew was that something beyond comprehension had descended upon them.
For a brief moment, consciousness flickered out.
That was all.
Drip…
Blood trickled from a severed horn.
“Kraaaah!”
Behemoth let out a roar filled with agony.
Although she had instinctively countered the attack, one of her iconic horns had been cut off.
“He escaped.”
Guntafer turned toward where the gate had been.
It was already closed.
Along with Jinhyuk.
Meanwhile—
Beauregard had failed to make it out.
The gate’s mana hadn’t been enough to sustain the passage for both of them.
“Haha. This is a complete disaster….”
Abandoned without hesitation, Beauregard swallowed dryly.
“You traitorous bastard. Serves you right. At least we have someone to vent our anger on.”
“I told you, didn’t I? That guy was a rotten rope to begin with.”
“I’m going to tear you apart limb from limb.”
The remaining Heavenly Demons growled.
After all the trouble he had caused them, it was time for him to pay the price.
“W-Wait! Listen to me! That bastard took my pendant! I had no choice but to betray you!”
“So you’re saying you became a mere human’s lapdog just to save your own skin? And you expect us to believe that nonsense?”
“Damn it… I know it’s disgraceful. I should have known better when I abandoned my own allies… This is all my mistake.”
“I’ve heard enough. Just die already.”
Shiiing!
A blade was drawn once more.
“I’m not asking to be spared for nothing! I overheard Kang Jinhyuk’s next move. I know what he’s planning!”
“Hold on a moment.”
Guntafer raised his hand.
“Guntafer, are you really going to listen to him? He’s obviously lying to save himself.”
“There’s no harm in hearing him out before we decide, is there?”
“Tch! Do as you like. The final decision is yours.”
Kim Donghwan stepped back.
Guntafer walked right up to Beauregard.
“So, what do you know about him?”
“If I tell you… you’ll erase my betrayal from record, right?”
“If the information is useful, I will. I’ll even arrange for a new pendant through a senior administrator.”
“In that case….”
Beauregard nodded.
“The place he and the others went to is the ‘Murim Alliance.’ They plan to recover their strength there and hatch the egg of an ancient species.”
An alliance with the Murim Alliance—on top of that, awakening an ancient species?
Guntafer’s eyes narrowed.
From the moment they connected with Egypt, he had suspected that the eggs in their possession would be a crucial variable.
But to think they had found a way to hatch them this quickly.
“Tell me how they’re doing it.”
“They said something about using a special tree and a campfire… I had never heard of them before.”
Ragnarok’s support and the Eternal Campfire. So that’s how it is.
Now it all made sense.
“Is that enough for you?”
“Hmm. It’s certainly useful information. Alright. I’ll give you a second chance. Rejoin the rest of the Heavenly Demons and help track him down.”
“I-I won’t disappoint you this time.”
Beauregard exhaled a deep sigh of relief and left.
“Are you sure about this? I feel uneasy about him….”
One of the higher-ranked bloodline members cautiously voiced their concern.
The information itself seemed credible, but something still felt off.
“Of course, I left him alive on purpose.”
Guntafer smirked.
Jinhyuk had no reason to abandon Beauregard.
Unless, of course, he intended to deliver him to them deliberately.
“He wants to gain their trust, pretend to surrender, and act as a double agent. Or, if I let my guard down, he’ll try to ambush me.”
Jinhyuk had already used the same trick with Remia.
It was only logical to assume he was attempting something similar this time.
“So you knew all along. Then why take him back?”
“There’s an old saying—keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If he wants to plant a spy, he’ll have to mix in some truth with his lies. All I have to do is separate fact from fiction.”
At the very least, the part about the ancient species was likely true.
The real issue was that Jinhyuk was luring them into the Murim Alliance, a battlefield that worked in his favor.
“Relay my message to Behemoth. Tell him to prepare to strike their weakest point.”
If they were using the Murim Alliance as a staging ground—
Then they would counter by unleashing the most powerful ancient species and obliterating the Heavenly Demons’ home, the Ten Thousand Mountains.
‘Jinhyuk, I don’t know about you, but do you really think the Heavenly Demons will just sit back and watch their own lands be destroyed?’
Guntafer made the first move in the impending war.