Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 453
At Jinhyuk’s command, numerous monsters emerged from the shadows.
This was one of the cards he had prepared over the past three days.
“Grrrr…!”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
A special force created using souls from the Egyptian deities and puppets crafted by Lee Yuri—
The Jackal Corps.
Jackals with black fur and golden weapons stood poised, ready to attack.
Their numbers? Around 500.
They were ambushed in the forest flanking the fortress, positioned to maximize the effectiveness of their strike.
“Damn it. There’s no other choice.”
Chun Yoosung sighed in resignation as he drew his sword.
A faint green glow flickered along Ryuhwa’s blade.
“Well, at least it’s better than fighting the Heavenly Demons. Besides, as long as my disciple is with me, there’s nothing to fear. Hoho.”
Chuhon Sayoung chuckled as she spoke.
“Puhaha! Thanks to my disciple, I’ve even gotten to visit hell. I bet there’s no master in the whole martial world living a more thrilling life than me. It’s practically a retirement trip!”
Even the Dark Emperor burst into laughter.
At this point, it was clear—
Jinhyuk’s entire crew was full of people who weren’t in their right minds.
“Is Alice not coming?”
“Yeah. She’s handling a separate mission, so she won’t be joining us this time.”
“That’s unfortunate. Her long-range support was always reliable.”
“Maybe, but at least we have a certain Sword Saint with us, don’t we?”
“Enough with the flattery.”
Regardless, the battle was about to begin.
“Let’s go.”
Jinhyuk took the lead.
—
The Blain Fortress was the shortest connection between two Demon King territories.
That made it a strategic stronghold and a top priority target in war.
However, despite this, Berial had never attempted an attack on it.
Rather than crashing into an impenetrable wall, he had always chosen to find alternate routes.
That had been the tactical pattern between the two Demon Kings so far.
And yet—
“What the hell is going on?!”
Mezaik, the high-ranking demon in charge of Blain Fortress, couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The enemy was charging in head-on.
“The enemy numbers around 500. Their main force consists of jackal-like puppets. They’ve hidden in the eastern forest, so our response will be slightly delayed.”
It seemed they had at least put some thought into exploiting weaknesses.
Even in the sparse forests of the Demon Realm, they had found a route with minimal visibility.
“But still, this is utterly foolish. The fact that they think they can break through with those numbers…”
Even an army tens of thousands strong wouldn’t be enough to topple this place.
Over twenty high-ranking demons were stationed inside the fortress alone.
Not to mention, they still had massive demonic beasts locked in the underground prison—
And their ultimate weapon.
Still, there was no reason to be careless.
Even a tiger goes all out when hunting a rabbit.
“Welcome our guests properly.”
Mezaik gazed down from the highest point of the fortress.
Then—
The battle began.
—
Kwaaaaaang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Giant flames engulfed the charging jackals.
“Kyaaaaang!”
“Graaaagh!”
Their limbs were torn apart, bodies disintegrating in bursts of fire.
Pure demonic energy surged, erasing everything in sight.
The jackals tried to spread out, avoiding concentrated fire—
…But that was all they could do.
The power gap was overwhelming from the start.
“Kukuku. They’re practically begging to be slaughtered.”
“I’ve never seen enemies charge to their deaths so recklessly.”
“So Kang Jinhyuk was nothing special after all? I heard he never fights a losing battle, but….”
The vampiric demons sneered.
However—
Rrrrrmmmm!
A powerful surge of energy erupted from the moat.
[The Dark Emperor activates ‘Black Heaven Demon Emperor Art’ and ‘Black Howl Divine Fist’!]
While all eyes were on the jackals, someone had already reached the base of the fortress wall.
Not by walking—
But by swimming.
His clothes soaked through—
“He came through the drainage system?”
But that should have been impossible.
The moat was infested with Corpse Spiders, terrifying creatures capable of devouring even large demons alive.
There was no way one person could have made it through alone.
However, there was no time to dwell on it.
BOOOOM!
Layers of defensive magic and barriers shattered—
As the Dark Emperor’s fist obliterated a section of the fortress wall.
—
“Kahahaha! Did you see that?! I was the first to break through! This is what separates me from those so-called righteous sects!”
The Dark Emperor roared in triumph.
“Hmph. Acting high and mighty over one wall? The real battle starts inside.”
Chuhon Sayoung stepped forward, unwilling to lose.
Even if it killed her, she refused to let him take all the credit.
Two tigers growled, both eager to assert dominance.
It was ridiculous to watch them argue at a time like this, but—
The sacrifices of the jackals had paid off.
[Unique Ability ‘Tombgrave’s Step’ Activates!]
[Sword Demon’s Phantom Step Activates!]
Jinhyuk’s legs transformed into black blades.
Boom!
With a powerful leap, he launched himself straight into the fortress.
Now was the time—
When chaos ruled the battlefield.
Jinhyuk, along with ten of his jackals, successfully infiltrated.
“Cause as much mayhem as possible.”
“Growl!”
The jackals scattered in different directions.
From this point on, the key was stalling for time.
Crackle!
[Glacial Sculpting Activates!]
A massive ice barrier formed between the fortress corridors.
The thick 30cm ice walls blocked the demons’ movement.
“Kugh!”
“Such petty tricks!”
A mere obstacle.
It would only slow them down for a moment.
“The intruders are few. Hunt them down individually!”
Mezaik ordered the fortress guards.
They were surprised that the wall had been breached—
But inside, Jinhyuk and his forces were trapped like rats.
As long as they handled it carefully, there would be no problems.
Or so they thought.
Until—
“Graaagh!!”
“Aaaaaaagh!”
A spray of blood erupted between the charging demons.
Clang! Clang! Shk!
…Fast.
His movements were monstrous.
Jinhyuk weaved through the fortress, wielding two daggers, cutting down everything in his path.
Even as the demons set up formations, trying to box him in and attack his blind spots…
Clang!
He deflected their ambushes with ease, as if he had already anticipated them.
In just one breath, he had taken down ten vampiric demons.
The fortress’s war beasts were no better off, shredded like paper beneath his blades.
“Kieeeeeek!”
“Kyaaaak!”
The Hellrazors, 2-meter-tall creatures with hooked claws, rushed toward him in hordes.
Yet, even stalling his movements was proving impossible.
Even so—
“If they’re just mass-produced cannon fodder, it doesn’t matter. No matter how strong you are, your mana is limited. The moment you reach that limit… is the moment you die.”
He had already notified the other strongholds of the attack.
Soon, reinforcements would arrive in swarms.
Splat.
Jinhyuk flicked the blood off his daggers.
“So this is what a defensive stronghold looks like? I thought I had cut down a lot of them, but at this rate… I’d be here all day.”
There were tens of thousands of enemies.
He couldn’t just cut them down one by one.
In that case…
It was time to use an ability perfect for large-scale battles.
After all, he had collected countless abilities for moments like this.
Jinhyuk slowly released his gathered mana.
[Unique Holy Spear ‘Eight Swamps’ Activates!]
Hissssss!
A toxic mist beyond imagination spread through the battlefield.
Each swamp had a different potency, pulling the Hellrazors into an endless abyss.
“Keee… Kaaack!”
“Kiaaaaaah!”
Numbers no longer mattered.
Any enemy caught within the skill’s range melted into a puddle of blood.
Jinhyuk lifted his gaze.
“Stop sacrificing your underlings and come out yourself. You’re the lord of this fortress, aren’t you? You wouldn’t just sit up there and flap your mouth, would you?”
“You filthy human… you dare say that to me?!”
A storm of mana erupted from Mezaik’s body.
The swamp split apart, revealing Jinhyuk’s form.
Rumble…!
The ground cracked apart, cut into precise, cube-like fragments.
The broken pieces spiraled toward Jinhyuk like a raging vortex.
But just before they reached him—
Freeze.
The debris stopped mid-air.
[Unique Ability ‘Triple Magic’ – ‘Telekinesis’ Activates!]
Jinhyuk didn’t just block the attack.
The fragmented rocks instantly reformed into sharp rhombus-shaped projectiles.
Hum…!
Each pointed tip turned toward Mezaik.
‘He just stole control of my mana and reshaped it in an instant…?’
Up until now, Jinhyuk seemed specialized in melee combat.
But using such advanced magic back-to-back…?
Crack!
Mezaik clenched his teeth.
“Instead of playing with that toy sword, why don’t you try and comprehend what it means to protect a fortress?!”
He would show this filthy human what magic truly was.
And what it meant to defend this stronghold for centuries.
Mezaik channeled his mana into both hands.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The rhombus-shaped projectiles sprouted vines, each lined with razor-sharp teeth, shredding everything in their path.
Jinhyuk barely slipped through the assault, using Blink and Glacial Sculpting to evade.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
Buildings collapsed, merging into a single pile of rubble.
The ground caved in, revealing steel spikes hidden beneath.
Any normal person would have died several times over by now.
But Jinhyuk moved like a slippery eel, dodging everything by a fraction of a second.
His evasive maneuvers only infuriated Mezaik further.
[‘Flesh-Devouring Flowers’ Begin Their Prayer!]
‘Pray the Lord.’
Fwoooosh!
Each flower-like entity gathered a burning red glow in its mouth.
“Let’s see if you can still smile after this.”
Dozens of beam-like blasts rained down, resembling miniature dragon breaths.
Mezaik was no longer holding back.
The fortress itself would be annihilated if necessary.
The amount of mana packed into each shot was insane.
BOOOOOOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
The ground was ripped apart, forming massive craters.
Steel and stone melted instantly.
The sheer destructive force was overwhelming.
After what felt like an eternity—
Huff… Huff…
Mezaik finally halted, panting heavily.
He had fired indiscriminately, reducing not only the intruders, but also the fortress walls and jackals to ash.
It was reckless.
But he had successfully defended the stronghold.
—
“…Where is he?”
“That’s… the thing…”
The lieutenant, who had been searching through the rubble, hesitated.
Mezaik’s brows furrowed.
“He escaped…?”
Even after all that firepower?
That cockroach of a human…
Something felt off.
Not because he had won.
That much was expected.
Given the overwhelming difference in power, this outcome was obvious.
But what bothered him… was the enemy’s lack of proper preparation.
‘There’s no way that human would just charge in recklessly.’
He thought back.
Where were the Heavenly Demons?
Sure, some were present, but their numbers were far lower than expected.
Even the Ancient Species, who were the most powerful in siege warfare, were absent.
The unease in his gut solidified into certainty.
‘No way…’
Did they provoke this fight on purpose?
Was this whole thing…
just a distraction?
“Contact Guntafer. Right now.”
Something was horribly wrong.