Chapter 94 – The Time Between Dog and Wolf

After the Orcs joined, everyone took a rest and prepared for the final battle. They sharpened their weapons, steeled their hearts, and some even wrote their wills before marching forward. Perhaps because they had already lost a large army once, there were no more magic beasts blocking them now.

They marched toward the capital of the old empire.

Everything would be decided there.

As the path to the capital drew closer, traces of well-paved roads appeared, showing the prosperity of the old empire. Although most of it was broken now, in the past, the world’s wondrous items and rare treasures must have gathered at the empire’s capital through this road.

“Time is so fleeting,”

Se-min muttered. Even though time had passed, traces of the old empire could be found everywhere.

“I see something over there,”

Shozen said. Se-min stared into the distance using his aura. Something dark and pitch-black was blocking their path.

At first, he thought it was just a black object, but looking closely, a dark, deep swamp lay before them.

“Is it a reservoir?”

He had previously confirmed the topography near the old capital while talking with Killa.

It was definitely a place that used to be a reservoir.

However, after being contaminated by Badurbarok, it was no longer anything like a reservoir.

Instead of water, a dark slime filled the place, and inside it, unknown entities moved here and there, creating ripples. Occasionally, something like tentacles rose from within before sinking back down.

It was an unpleasant sight to behold.

Se-min told the soldiers to prepare a torch. He intended to completely burn down this disgusting reservoir.

“If we just leave it, it might stab us in the back later, so let’s burn it to ashes.”

“Understood.”

They gradually drew closer.

As Se-min approached the reservoir first, the entire slime reacted. The muddy, sticky substance moved to and fro. It felt disgusting.

Se-min slowly tried to bring the torch near the reservoir.

The fire went out.

The slime had splattered out and covered the flame directly.

“These bastards…”

Se-min stared at the extinguished torch. Covered in slime, the embers were completely devoured. It was wriggling as if it were alive.

As Se-min looked closer, countless tiny, worm-like creatures gathered and flowed like liquid.

It was not liquid, but a swarm of these worms.

It was hair-raising.

It was so disgusting to look at that he just threw the torch handle into the reservoir. It sank inside and decomposed in an instant.

“Would it be alright to just pass by?”

“If they are creatures that cannot leave the reservoir, it should be fine…”

The reservoir was large.

If these things could move, it was possible they could ambush them from behind later.

If these horrible things attacked, it would not be easy to deal with them in the ensuing chaos. Se-min wanted to handle this unpleasant reservoir to eliminate any future trouble.

“Are there no methods for the mages? Biryu?”

“I will look into it,”

Biryu connected with Killa in the rear, and they conversed with the trolls again. Soon, they were connected to the shamans of each race. Then, opinions came out one by one. Among them was a fairly decent suggestion.

“We just need to summon an unquenchable hellfire to burn it all down.”

It was an opinion raised by a troll shaman. He possessed knowledge of all kinds of secret arts. As he spoke, the others nodded as well.

“If we can handle hellfire, we can do that.”

“If it is an unquenchable flame, it will surely burn without rest until that entire reservoir is consumed.”

Killa also nodded.

“That seems best.”

Thus, they began the work of summoning the unquenchable hellfire.

All forces paused to rest, and only the shamans and mages mobilized for this task began conducting a ritual in front of the reservoir. Shamanism was different from magic, employing bizarre symbols and incantations.

The troll shaman sitting in the center chanted in an unknown tongue continuously. It was a shamanistic resonance that seemed to blur the minds of those listening. Then, faint embers began to spark all around him.

“Is that the unquenchable fire?”

Se-min could feel that the fire was a power contrary to common sense, defying the laws of the world. Through the shamanic art, the property of the fire had been altered.

Se-min used a sword, but seeing such a thing, he also had some insights.

To make the principles of the world deviate to manifest the power they desired. That could also be applied to swordsmanship like the Cosmic Flow.

A fire that would never go out.

It began to burn. It was of a strange color. It was red, but then flickered and turned blue, and sometimes had a green hue.

The shaman’s chanting grew stronger. Accordingly, the flames flared up even more fiercely. It soon became a massive fireball. As it appeared, the entire reservoir recoiled.

“…”

As if avoiding the flames, the entire slime filling the reservoir tried to distance itself from the fire.

The shaman stood up from his seat. Then he threw the fire into the reservoir. The tiny worms inside the reservoir, trying to escape the fire, vacated the edges of the reservoir and began clustering on the opposite side.

The flame burned one, then burned another, seeking out and consuming the ones that couldn’t escape in time, as it began to advance toward the massive mass.

The collection of tiny worms, looking like slime, now shook as one. It looked as if it were screaming in agony.

They formed various shapes before turning into a human figure at some point.

The fire, without going out, continued to chase it and touched it.

Flames flared up violently.

The fire turned into a black and acrid light.

[Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh.]

A bizarre scream began to echo.

Se-min watched the scene with a furrowed brow. The things that had filled the reservoir had now turned into a giant human figure, screaming. The flames were distorting its body.

At that moment, Se-min saw something.

“Uh?”

It was not just Se-min. Everyone stood there dazed after witnessing something.

A human figure flickered. Then it became another human figure. Countless people were burning inside the flames.

The hellfire now became green flames, consuming them all. The tiny worms convulsed and tried to escape the fire, but it rapidly swallowed everything.

Lupus in Se-min’s hand vibrated. Aura arose from Se-min’s body and became the Cosmic Flow. Thanks to this, Se-min could see the scene before him in much greater detail.

Those things were not just simple insects.

“Do souls actually exist?”

Se-min muttered. Killa, who was standing beside him, looked at Se-min.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Who knows,”

“Even Killa doesn’t know?”

“There is no way to know.”

Se-min gripped Lupus tightly.

The citizens of the empire that had fallen to Badurbarok were inside there.

He did not know how those worms had been made. However, even after death, they had not been liberated and were suffering inside there. They were left here, having become hungry ghosts that gnawed on anything, suffering in eternal hunger.

Badurbarok was truly an incomprehensible demon.

A very long time had passed since the fall of the empire.

Just what kind of terrible city had that bastard built in the empire’s capital?

Soon, the flames consumed everything in the reservoir.

It burned and burned, turning it into ashes, and then died down on its own when there was nothing left to burn. The troll shaman who had summoned the flame stood up.

“Badurbarok is truly a demon,”

Even the troll shaman shook his head as he said so. They had all seen the same thing. The atmosphere had turned solemn.

If they lost, they too might end up in the same state.

“Let’s go.”

Se-min took the first step. Then, the rest followed.

The human forces, the goblins and dragons, the Orcs, trolls, and ogres followed behind.

They passed the hills where the old emperors were buried and reached the place where the outer wall of the old capital was erected.

***

Magic beasts poured out.

It was expected, but it happened all too suddenly.

The outer wall had become much taller and more massive. It had been remodeled not in the human style, but in the style of the magic beasts.

Grotesque flesh covered in tentacles and protrusions had been added to the existing outer wall, soaring high, while eyeballs attached here and there rolled around to keep watch.

Just as Se-min’s group stood before it and tried to discuss a way to break through, a gap in the outer wall opened, and magic beasts began to leak out.

At first it was just one or two, but they grew in rapid succession. Then, a tide of magic beasts, numerous enough to fill their vision, rushed toward them like a tsunami.

Large and small, strong and weak, all mixed together as they crashed into the Allied forces.

“Fight!”

An orderly battle could not be expected in the first place.

They were magic beasts.

They were not opponents against whom tactics could be used. There was no room to command either. They could only swing their weapons desperately against the constantly swarming enemies.

Soon, dragons flew up and spat fire, and the outer wall melted.

Then, as if a floodgate had opened, even more magic beasts poured out from within. The dragons continuously directed their breath toward that spot.

The magic beasts melted. However, stepping on the melted ground, other magic beasts dashed out, clinging to the humans, Orcs, and goblins, biting with their teeth and slashing with their claws.

It was a chaotic battlefield where the dead and the killers were mixed, making it impossible to tell who was winning or losing.

“Are you not using breath anymore!”

Kaorak shouted.

“Breath also has a limit. It cannot be used continuously.”

“Dragons are so weak!”

Kaorak roared as he drove his blade into a magic beast. Even as he grumbled, he was dealing with the enemies all over the front lines.

Not long after, a massive dragon took flight. It was Izergazin. His size was far larger than the dragons that had stepped forward so far.

“Call that dragon subordinate from back then!”

“M-My subordinate is busy.”

Se-min excused himself and looked up at Izergazin. He was condensing his breath. He could feel the energy of nature gathering toward him.

Although it was not on the scale of Imuncazer in the past, he was still drawing the surrounding power at a much higher concentration than other dragons, worthy of a Dragon Lord.

“Izergazin will pull off something,”

Se-min said.

As if he had heard those words, Izergazin immediately spat out his breath.

Directly ahead, his breath swept through the midst of the magic beasts that swarmed like ants beyond the outer wall.

An intense heatwave arose.

The earth melted, and red-hot lava formed. His breath did not stop, constantly distorting the magic beasts. Some flying magic beasts took to the air to block him, but other dragons flew up and bit them all to pieces.

Escorted by the dragons, his breath continued without end.

Dazzled by the flames, Se-min narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“He has been shooting his breath for a really long time, is he alright?”

At that moment, something flew at Se-min, aiming for him. Se-min ducked to dodge and swung Lupus. The opponent retreated after clashing.

Se-min realized who the opponent was.

“Isn’t that the chunibyo friend from back then?”

It was the opponent he had met long ago when he attacked beyond the Gate to induce the magic beasts to attack the Grand Marino Sea of Trees. It was that chunibyo kid who introduced himself as Despair.

[To dare come all the way here, you will suffer eternally, unable to die even if you want to.]

Se-min did not respond and moved swiftly.

Now, Badurbarok was right in front of him.

The final battle had already begun. He had no room to spare, nor any intention to play around.

His Lupus flew and struck him several times. Because it happened in such a short time, the opponent could not react. Their combat power was fundamentally on different levels.

[Kuaaak!]

“This is not a place for you to act up.”

Se-min grabbed his body and threw him far away, in the direction where Izergazin was spewing his breath.

[Kkaaaaak!]

The demon’s body was engulfed in red flames. The flailing body was soon swallowed by the fire and was seen no more.

Se-min looked up at Izergazin and muttered.

The breath was still going.

“That guy’s lung capacity is no joke. Does he do abdominal breathing?”

Confirming that Despair had vanished within the breath, Se-min lifted Lupus again and raised his aura. A dark red energy soared into the sky from the blade.

He could not fight in a hand-to-hand combat style as before.

To overcome the difference in military strength, the powerful forces led by Se-min needed to devastate the enemies before them without holding back.

Marveling once again at the lung capacity of Izergazin, who was still spewing his breath, Se-min walked up into the sky.

“Hey, aren’t you out of breath?”

Se-min spoke to him. The concentration of the breath was clearly growing thinner. Se-min knew that his breath would stop soon.

[Do not look down on the Lord’s lung capacity.]

One of the dragons said to Se-min.

[The Lord still has the strength to shoot his breath for a long time…]

[Kkeuk… Ugh…]

[He does…?]

Groaning sounds began to leak from Izergazin’s body.

“It doesn’t seem like it,”

He face was flushed red from squeezing out even the last drop of breath.

Se-min thought this was already enough, but Izergazin wanted to burn his passion until the very end.

Just before the breath stopped, the last chunk of fire burst out, completely incinerating the earth.

Soon, his roar ceased.

The magic beasts melted along with the outer wall. The melted earth turned into red-hot lava, breathing slowly.

Those that still retained their forms continued to become part of the river of fire. Even after leaving his body, his breath continued to consume the surrounding magic beasts.

As the supply of magic beasts vanished, the Allied forces gained some breathing room.

The magic beasts that had rushed at the Allied forces were already being cleaned up. They were elites trained for today. Their battle was orderly.

“Advance.”

As Se-min spoke, the Allied forces entered inside the outer wall.

Since the outer wall had already been half-destroyed by Izergazin, the troops entered beyond it easily.

They had crossed the outer wall, the first obstacle.

Although tentacles stretched out from the parts that were still intact to attack the troops, they were all cleaned up before the damage could escalate. The outer wall was torn to shreds by the Allied forces’ aura and thrown onto the lava.

“Good job.”

[I should rest for the time being. I think I pushed myself too hard at the start.]

“No, you did well. It was something someone had to do.”

There were about four individuals in the Allied forces who could be called asymmetric forces.

First was Emperor Lee Se-min, then the Dragon Lord Izergazin, the Elder Orc, and the demigod Gru.

They were strong figures capable of shifting a tilted battlefield in an instant. If a critical situation arose, these four had to take turns rolling up their sleeves.

Thanks to Izergazin stepping up this time, the Allied forces could march forward without any loss of troops.

“How long do you need to rest?”

[It will take some time to fully recover, but fighting to some extent will be possible in a few hours.]

“Then follow us at your own pace.”

Izergazin nodded.

Even without Se-min saying anything more, the Allied forces were sufficiently tense as they advanced toward the capital of the old empire.

Just the appearance of the transformed outer wall made it easy to guess how horrific the upcoming fight would be.

Everything, even the air surrounding them, was hostile to the intruders.

The attacks of the magic beasts, which had paused briefly, resumed.

They did not invade in large numbers like before, but they constantly struck the flanks and rear, accumulating fatigue on the Allied forces. There was no room to relax. Everyone’s nerves were on edge as they guarded all directions.

Se-min walked up high into the sky and scanned the empire’s capital broadly.

He could not see clearly beyond. Something like a dark fog enveloped the entire city.

Se-min knit his brows and tried to look inside, but perhaps because Badurbarok had done some kind of work, he could not pierce through to the other side even with his eyesight enhanced by aura.

Se-min descended to the ground again and stood at the front.

“Advance.”

The tip of Lupus stood at the very front of the Allied forces. The rushing magic beasts were sliced into pieces by Lupus, spraying fresh blood as they rolled on the ground.

“I’ve truly never seen an Emperor fighting at the very front before,”

Killa approached and said. She was focusing on grasping the terrain here by spreading her magic power.

Se-min grinned and ran forward, cutting down the remaining magic beasts. The magic beasts hesitated.

They repeatedly appeared and stopped periodically.

“Do you remember what the city looked like?”

“Roughly.”

Although it had become the land of magic beasts, the shapes of the old buildings still remained. However, they were all covered in slime and strange flesh, emitting a foul odor. Occasionally, tentacles rose, hissing and tangling together.

Just looking at it made him want to gag.

“That Badurbarok guy must definitely be ugly,”

Se-min said, slicing and killing a magic beast that raised its head from below.

The hideous appearances of the magic beasts were something he had already grown accustomed to since his days as a Raider on Earth, but he still couldn’t help but dislike seeing them.

Se-min wrinkled his nose.

“Otherwise, why would he make something like that?”

“I agree.”

Se-min checked behind him. The other races were also advancing steadily.

He could not control everyone. Se-min’s direct command was limited to the humans, while the rest were commanded by the chiefs of their respective races.

The goblins and Orcs lined up on the left and right, forming long lines. They thoroughly destroyed the city inside the outer wall as they prepared to advance toward the inner wall.

That area was where the nobles and upper class of the old empire used to live.

“Let’s go.”

The situation at the inner wall was even worse.

Teeth and tongues were attached here and there on chunks of meat, spewing ominous words toward them.

As Se-min stopped, sickened by the sight, something suddenly appeared before him.

It was a familiar silhouette.

It was Han Su-in.

The chunibyo Despair kid, whom Se-min had thrown into the breath earlier, was also standing beside him. Though his figure was faint, he did not seem to have died.

They stood side by side, blocking the Allied forces.

[You’ve finally made it here.]

Han Su-in said.

Beside him stood another fellow. It was the guy who had appeared to rescue Han Su-in when he was captured in the past. They had faced him by spreading the Crane Wing Formation, but since Han Su-in had escaped in the middle of it, they had lost him as well.

[You will regret coming all the way here.]

“Shut up. I didn’t come to chat.”

Before Han Su-in could finish speaking, Se-min leaped and closed the distance. He slashed at Han Su-in with Lupus, but he was blocked by a black blade.

“This bastard.”

The nameless man had parried Se-min’s attack. His entire body flickered with pitch-black darkness. He looked much darker than Han Su-in.

Se-min immediately shifted his target from Han Su-in to him.

Se-min’s sword and his sword clashed repeatedly.

“Attack!”

Se-min shouted before the fight could drag on. At that, the Allied forces standing behind began to charge forward. As the large army rushed in, Han Su-in also yelled without backing down.

[Show them the power of Lord Badurbarok!]

Then, the wall tore open lengthwise, creating a passage.

Giant magic beasts began to walk out from there. Because of the high wall and the black fog, he had not even imagined that such massive things would be present.

They were as large as Gaigatus, looking down on the dragon Izergazin instead.

The Allied forces flinched.

Giant magic beasts continuously appeared without rest. The difference in size was massive. It felt like several of them would be trampled to death with a single kick.

“Again, first fall back…”

Se-min was about to tell them to retreat slightly in order to scatter and fight.

However, an anomaly occurred from behind as well.

The earth vibrated, and something like a giant maw soared above the ground. Then, it surged and vomited magic beasts.

The Allied forces were surrounded on all sides.

Se-min looked at Han Su-in and said.

“Your friends are quite big, aren’t they?”

[Shut up. Did you come to chat?]

Han Su-in threw Se-min’s words back at him. Se-min smirked.

“Were you holding onto that?”

The magic beasts charged toward the Allied forces. They looked like dwarfs caught between giants.

Since all the participating troops could use aura, they were not immediately trampled to death, but they scattered here and there in confusion, unable to maintain a proper fight.

Se-min ignored Han Su-in’s group and turned around to help the troops. However, they did not let Se-min go.

“…”

Se-min glared at the enemy while parrying the flying black blade.

Neither Han Su-in nor the one named Despair stepped forward. The nameless man who made Se-min strangely uncomfortable took charge of him.

[Your opponent is me.]

“I didn’t like you from the beginning.”

Se-min let out a sigh. Se-min took his mind off the troops and resolved to kill these guys first.

As he harbored killing intent, a dark red energy flared up from his body.

[Do you intend to let your subordinates die?]

“It’s the opposite. Since my subordinates left the Emperor alone, I have no choice but to…”

Se-min leaped.

“Fight in person, wouldn’t you say?”

He brought Lupus down. At that, a massive pressure weighed down on the man. Containing the subtleties of the Cosmic Flow, Se-min’s sword was as heavy as a mountain.

While the man held out against Se-min’s sword, Se-min immediately threw a kick, sending him rolling. Without giving him an opening, he thrust Lupus down. The man rolled. Every single time Lupus struck the ground, an explosion sounded.

[You bastard!]

Han Su-in and Despair also joined in.

Se-min deflected the swords of the two flying from both sides, and before they could react, he slashed Han Su-in with Lupus and struck Despair with the sword’s hilt. The two collapsed to either side.

Se-min rushed directly toward the staggering man. Se-min’s target was that guy.

Se-min’s instinct was telling him something.

That fellow must not be left alone.

Someone like Han Su-in now felt like a mere small fry to Se-min.

“Die!”

Cosmic Flow.

That giant current flew toward the man.

With his black blade hanging down, the man glared at the wave of sword qi, then generated a dark air current to directly receive Se-min’s attack.

Then, the Cosmic Flow vanished without a trace.

Se-min’s eyes widened. Beyond being absorbed, the Cosmic Flow was actually absorbed into the man’s sword qi, spinning.

[Die.]

The Cosmic Flow flew toward Se-min.

He had only used it so far; it was the first time he had to face the power of the Cosmic Flow.

Se-min was momentarily flustered. Countless stars nestled within it became blades, aiming at his entire body as they flew in. It was a massive power that felt dare not to be opposed.

At that, his body moved before his mind.

Instinctively, he put Lupus forward. Then, he created another Cosmic Flow to erect a wall. Two celestial bodies collided.

Se-min was blown back.

“Damn it.”

Se-min wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stood up.

It was a one-sided loss. It was Se-min who had generated the Cosmic Flow and also bore the impact of the two colliding Cosmic Flows.

The enemy had simply returned his attack lightly.

It was the subtlety of Tai Chi at its peak. Se-min glared at the man.

“How…”

That look was somehow familiar.

Se-min shook his head. Distractions must not arise. He steeled himself and raised his aura to focus on the battle.

He elevated his killing intent. His aura stained a deeper shade of red.

“I must eliminate that guy quickly first…”

He glanced sideways. He saw the troops engaged in a melee with the giant magic beasts. He wanted to go and help, but the man before him was stronger than expected.

It was the moment Se-min resolved to generate a massive power even if he had to push himself.

“Emperor. Do not overdo it.”

Someone whispered in his ear.

Se-min looked around. No one was beside him, but the voice rang in his ears as if spoken right next to him.

Se-min soon realized whose voice it was.

Se-min looked up at the sky.

A massive vortex was rising above his head.

The sound of the wind violently battered the earth.

And at its center, a familiar face was visible. The Elder Orc, Ilrgar, who had refined himself for a long time, was floating there.

“Ilrgar.”

The whirlwind, which was gradually spinning faster, soon crashed to the ground. It seemed like an indiscriminate attack at first glance, but Ilrgar’s power did not oppose his allies and only crushed the bodies of the enemies.

Within the vortex, the Allied forces clearly watched the enemies collapse.

Se-min murmured his name.

“Ilrgar.”

A powerful force stretched out in streaks from Ilrgar’s body.

It was the moment when the lonely cultivator, who had coiled in the depths and stared only at his own path, turning his back on everything in the world, returned to the world and manifested his power.

Ilrgar spoke once again.

Although he was floating in the distant sky, a gust of wind approached Se-min and whispered his intention into his ear.

“I will believe your words that everything is connected.”

Ilrgar’s gale did not stop at destroying the enemies. The wounds of the injured, those bitten and torn by magic beasts, began to heal.

It raged without rest, becoming a healing touch for allies and a harsh blade for enemies.

The magic beasts wailed and writhed.

The New Wind.

It swept across the ground.

Ilrgar’s words continued.

“So, prove your words as well.”

Se-min ended up laughing.

He had forgotten.

After bragging to Ilrgar that one cannot go alone, he himself had been panicking and rushing around in solitude.

There were many others to fight besides him.

No, in the first place, those standing here were people who had decided on this battle themselves. The idea of taking responsibility for everything was arrogance.

Se-min’s gaze descended from the sky, turning back toward the enemy standing before him.

With peace of mind restored, he could see the enemy much more clearly.

A nameless demon utilizing the path of Tai Chi.

He was someone whose fundamental level of martial arts was high.

He must have been a powerhouse even before being demonized by Badurbarok. He was an enemy who could not be suppressed simply by pushing with brute force.

Se-min aimed Lupus.

The subtlety of the Form-Intention Fist, which had now become second nature to the point of instinct, and the sword paths of the Three Talents Swordplay pointing to Heaven, Earth, and Man, revived in his mind.

All of those led to a single path.

Cosmic Flow.

At that point, the path branched out into countless directions.

Se-min advanced forward.

In one step, one gesture, and within that movement, tens of thousands of sword paths stretched out. The possibilities spreading out at once combined with the new possibilities conceived in the next step, multiplying infinitely.

Thus, the moment Se-min’s sword touched the enemy, the surroundings were already filled with sword paths. The entire space was surrounded by lethal swords.

Lupus advanced.

Simultaneously, the surrounding sword paths closed in.

Facing the unavoidable attack, the enemy before him cast a deep shadow over his eyes. Se-min loaded even more aura onto his sword.

One stroke.

Once this swept across the enemy’s body, the enemy would be decomposed without a trace by the infinite swords and return to dust.

Se-min believed so.

[Foolish.]

But the enemy spoke so.

Black aura spewed from the enemy’s body. It began to erase the sword trajectories Se-min had built up.

Se-min was astonished.

Se-min’s sword was a force dominating the area. There was no gap to intrude upon.

Infinite sword qi was surrounding the opponent, yet the black energy arising from his body obliterated Se-min’s attack.

[Just as the moon wanes when it is full, that which is infinite is bound to fall into the finite.]

“What?”

Se-min could not ask him any more. Slicing through Se-min’s aura, the enemy’s sword flew toward his neck.

Se-min dodged it. Then, a black blade awaited Se-min on the other side. Stretching his aura in a timely manner, the enemy was cornering Se-min.

“Who in the world are you?”

[…]

“You must have originally been human. What did you do? Are you also from Earth?”

Instead of an answer, a blade returned.

Se-min deflected the sword and glanced around. Although most of the giant magic beasts had collapsed due to Ilrgar, the situation was not entirely settled. Skirmishes were still constantly taking place.

“I don’t know what Badurbarok promised you, but…”

Se-min calmed his mind.

The opponent’s state was high enough to precisely counter Se-min’s techniques.

However, he was not stronger than Se-min. He had only been flustered due to the perfect counter; Se-min possessed the divine art called Cosmic Flow. If he pressed the enemy by mixing it appropriately, he would eventually win.

Slowly, without overexerting.

He decided to deal with the enemy in accordance with the natural order.

Se-min advanced again.

Since there was no trick, there was no secret countermeasure either. Se-min swung and blocked honestly, pressing the enemy down with the absolute difference in power.

Now, the opponent instead began to look for an opening to pierce through Se-min.

As Se-min sent out sword qi with Lupus, the enemy instead flew directly head-on. The enemy’s figure blurred and then appeared right in front of Se-min.

It was a trick to fluster Se-min by rapidly increasing his speed. The man’s sword flew in, aiming for Se-min’s vitals.

But Se-min was already prepared.

Aura released from his entire body.

At this moment, Se-min had no openings. The aura extending in all directions struck the man. The man rolled on the ground. As Se-min rushed forward to strike him down, the man quickly rolled on the floor and stood up.

Instead of launching a sword strike at him, Se-min kicked the ground to send slime flying at the man.

His vision was blocked.

At that moment, Se-min’s aura distorted the waves of light.

The enemy, the slime blocking the man’s vision, and Se-min beyond it.

The three were aligned on a straight line.

Se-min’s body hid behind the slime. Transcending the proportion of perspective, Se-min’s very existence converged into a tiny point beyond the slime.

For a brief instant, the enemy could no longer see Se-min. Dodging the slime flying toward him, the man blinked once and instinctively waved his hand.

Sweeping away the slime.

The moment he glared forward again.

The tip of Se-min’s blade had already arrived in front of his nose.

The man’s eyes widened.

To him, it must have looked as if Se-min had suddenly teleported.

Se-min’s sword pierced him. The skewered enemy flailed. Whether he was trying to discard his physical form and escape, his body blurred, but Lupus bit into his body and did not let go.

The enemy, who seemed to drift away for a moment, was snagged by Lupus’s blade and pulled back.

“I am curious, but you must die here.”

Se-min’s aura was imbued into Lupus.

Lupus began to vibrate with a dark red light. The man began to let out screams of agony.

[Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!]

A wretched sound echoed.

He grabbed Lupus and writhed desperately. However, the more he did so, the deeper he was pierced.

Se-min increased the output of his aura to completely shatter his body.

A dark red energy enveloped both the man and Se-min simultaneously.

“Die.”

At that moment, a black shadow surrounded Se-min.

It was Han Su-in.

Se-min was conflicted. The enemy skewered on his sword right now was somehow unsettling. He wanted to kill him off.

However, to do that, he would have to ignore Han Su-in and take a certain amount of damage. If he dodged Han Su-in’s attack and let the enemy go, they would recover their bodies with Badurbarok’s bizarre techniques and block Se-min’s path once again.

To kill, or to dodge.

He weighed the two choices.

With every tick that Han Su-in’s black blade drew closer, the scales also began to tilt.

Se-min chose.

“Damn it.”

He retreated.

The energy loaded on Han Su-in’s sword was growing increasingly formidable, making it too burdensome to bear directly.

Han Su-in immediately took the man and distanced himself from Se-min. Se-min looked at Han Su-in.

“Your expression is disgusting.”

Han Su-in was smiling. As Se-min approached Han Su-in with Lupus in hand, he retreated faster than Se-min could advance.

[Because it’s amusing.]

“What is so amusing?”

[I think I’ve seen a similar setup before, but this time the roles are reversed. Seeing that state, I can’t help but laugh.]

“Have you also been infected by that guy named Despair or whatever? Murmuring settings that only you know is a symptom of chunibyo.”

[Keke! You really are all talk.]

Han Su-in took the unidentified man and stood beside the inner wall. Despair guarded Han Su-in’s side.

[You will die in the most horrific way by Lord Badurbarok’s hands.]

“Tell him to kill me right now. Why isn’t that great bastard Badurbarok showing up? Let me see his face.”

[It won’t take very long.]

“It won’t take long, huh.”

Se-min frowned at that subtle phrasing.

“Is he perhaps not here?”

[We will meet again.]

His body began to slip smoothly inside the inner wall.

Watching this, Se-min immediately leaped and charged toward the inner wall. Before their bodies could disappear, Se-min’s sword qi struck them.

[Keo-heok!]

The guys who were being absorbed into the inner wall were bounced back out by Se-min’s attack. Se-min said.

“Badurbarok isn’t here right now, is he?”

[Nonsense.]

“Where is that bastard right now?”

A dark red aura flared up grandly from Se-min’s body. The pressure weighed down on Han Su-in. His body gradually grew faint.

The inner wall that Han Su-in was trying to pass through shrieked bizarrely and shot tentacles, but they shattered instantly upon contact with Se-min’s aura.

Just as Se-min lifted Lupus to strike Han Su-in down.

The other two attacked Se-min.

Se-min gritted his teeth and generated the Cosmic Flow. The thought that Badurbarok was not here was becoming increasingly certain.

Se-min generated a massive force and swung Lupus.

An explosion occurred.

Everything in the surroundings was destroyed. The two demons were blown away, and the inner wall erected nearby was half-ruined.

Se-min caught his breath.

Han Su-in was lying fallen before him.

The black darkness was faintly lifted from his body.

Se-min grabbed Han Su-in by the collar and lifted him. As the body made of darkness blurred, the face he knew began to appear beyond it.

Se-min twisted his lips.

It seemed that when the demons’ lives were in jeopardy, their former appearances returned.

It was exactly the face he remembered. This insignificant fellow had once been his hero.

Se-min wanted to kill the guy, but decided to keep him alive to obtain information about Badurbarok.

The moment Se-min turned around, a black blade flew in. Se-min dodged it. It was the man from earlier.

“How persistent.”

Ignoring Se-min, he snatched Han Su-in and fled inside the half-destroyed inner wall.

Se-min glanced at the surrounding situation. The Allied troops seemed to be cleaning up the magic beasts. The battle situation was not bad.

Se-min made up his mind and pursued them inside the inner wall.

The deep area was shrouded in black fog.

The injured enemies could not have gone very far.

Se-min expanded his senses and chased after them. Soon, the figures of the two demons fleeing unsteady came into view.

Se-min ambushed them from behind and cut them down. Both rolled on the ground.

Han Su-in lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. His body repeatedly blurred and grew distinct. Beyond it, his face from his human days flickered.

“I will kill you first,”

Se-min turned his eyes and thrust Lupus at the demon lying face down a short distance away.

It was the fellow who had even parried and redirected Se-min’s attacks. It was better to kill him quickly.

However.

The tip of Se-min’s sword stopped.

Something was flickering.

Se-min knew he had to thrust his sword quickly, but he ended up stopping. Then, suppressing his racing heart, he kicked and flipped the body over.

“…”

Perhaps deep in his heart, he had guessed it from the very beginning.

The way he swung the sword, the rhythm of his body movements, and even the posture that had somehow looked familiar.

Se-min understood everything.

Strength went into his hand holding Lupus.

The conversation he had previously shared with Han Su-in revived in his head.

‘What do you think I did to Noh Hak-jae?’

‘You killed him.’

‘Do you really think I would have killed my friend?’

‘Is he alive?’

‘Yes.’

‘And?’

‘If you want to meet Noh Hak-jae…’

‘Shut your mouth.’

Se-min ended up swearing.

Se-min looked up at the sky.

He had believed he was a lucky guy until now.

For whatever reason, the world had certainly given him the opportunity of the Transcendent Network. The reason he did not give up on this harsh war was also due to a sense of debt to the Transcendent Network.

Now, his mind had changed.

Shitty things on that same level were also surrounding him.

The world was full of malice. Everything he loved had fallen into tragedy.

He could understand that precious people had died, and that Han Su-in, whom he had believed to be a hero, was actually a worthless piece of trash. Just as great power came with responsibility, he could accept bearing the heavy burden of the final war as Emperor.

But there should be a limit.

Wasn’t this enough of a trial?

Se-min gripped Lupus tightly as he stared blankly down at Noh Hak-jae’s face.

[Are you surprised?]

Han Su-in snickered from behind.

Se-min turned to look at him.

Han Su-in’s face vanished back into the darkness, but through the shape of his widely slit lips, Se-min could guess the vile expression he must be making.

[I told you, didn’t I? Would I kill my friend?]

“How did you do it?”

[Tortured, modified, brainwashed. Do you really want to know?]

Before he could laugh again, Se-min swung Lupus.

Red aura sliced his body into pieces. However, his halved body instantly clumped together and restored its shape.

Ultimately, Se-min had to hear his laughter.

[Since they said Noh Hak-jae was your master, Lord Badurbarok paid extra attention. Since an old, ailing friend has become so energetic, shouldn’t you laugh as his disciple? Hey, laugh. I said, laugh.]

Se-min contemplated his inner self. His greatly shaken emotions were gradually settling down.

It did not mean calmness. It was closer to a heart falling into a deep valley, hitting the bottom, bouncing a few times, and then getting crammed into some corner.

There were not many things he could do.

To continue the fight.

Noh Hak-jae before his eyes showed no sign of recognizing Se-min.

“Elder.”

Even so, he tried calling out to him.

Noh Hak-jae did not react. He merely raised a black aura to recover his state and locked his temporarily revealed face back in the darkness.

He reverted to the form of a pitch-black demon once again.

Nevertheless, the recognition that had already begun could not be undone.

Se-min’s eyes had ended up finding remnants of Noh Hak-jae within the dark silhouette. He could not bring himself to lift his sword.

He forced himself to swing once.

It was slow and blunt.

He knew himself that it was sloppy enough for the opponent to easily dodge.

Gripping Lupus, Se-min struggled to raise his sunken heart again.

“Elder,”

Se-min said.

He had Noh Hak-jae’s appearance, but he must not be viewed as Noh Hak-jae. He had died long ago at Badurbarok’s hands. He would think of it that way.

He closed his eyes.

Within the darkness locked behind his eyelids, he repeated the verses of the Cosmic Flow. Though they were seemingly ridiculous stories, those words floated stars in the silent darkness. Se-min opened his eyes again.

Han Su-in was laughing.

That guy must be the same. Han Su-in was a Raider who had tried to save the world. Yet he had been distorted like that by Badurbarok. Strictly speaking, he too could be called a victim.

Therefore, his hatred ultimately converged into a single word.

Badurbarok.

***

Outside the inner wall, a fierce battle was underway.

Thanks to Ilrgar’s active role, the tide of battle had shifted to the Allied forces. Giant magic beasts lost their balance and collapsed here and there, and soldiers leaped onto them to hack away at their bodies.

Even as blood splattered and intestines spilled out, the attacks did not stop. It was a harsh battle that continued until the opponent died.

Kubar was noticeably active all over the place even within that chaos.

His realm had risen while staying with Se-min, and in most places, the situation was settled by his punches.

Smashing the giant head of a magic beast, Kubar shook off his fists and asked the person standing next to him.

“Where is the Emperor?”

“He went inside there.”

“As expected of that self-willed fellow. Going inside alone instead of commanding?”

“Anyway, the humans are controlled by Germanos and the nobles.”

“That is true, but…”

Kubar looked at the other party. Only then did he realize it was the troll Sagong. He looked familiar for some reason. Kubar grinned and said.

“I never thought I’d see a troll swinging a sword in my life.”

The trolls were divided into those capable of combat and those who were not. The non-combat personnel supported the troops from the rear, while those capable of combat acted at the front like experienced veterans. They were truly an enigmatic race.

Sagong shrugged his shoulders.

“Me too. I never thought I would see an Elder Orc running wild.”

“Because it’s a day when we have to.”

“Indeed. So, I have no choice but to swing my sword as well.”

As the giant magic beast died, its outer skin tore open and small magic beasts began to pour out from within. It was a horrific sight, like maggots crawling out of a corpse. The soldiers had to lift their weapons once again.

Sagong said, cutting down the magic beasts with his sword.

“The resistance is weaker than I thought.”

They were certainly struggling, but it was not as bleak a fight as they had thought. Rather, the Allied forces had seized the upper hand and were pressing forward.

Kubar laughed.

“That’s because we wiped them out once before coming here.”

It was because of Imuncazer.

He was a trump card that even the allies had not anticipated. His breath had annihilated numerous magic beasts, and thanks to that, the Allied forces’ advance was smoother than expected.

“I heard the story. If that dragon subordinate is so strong, why didn’t you bring him now?”

“I don’t know either. He said he has his own reasons, so there’s nothing we can do.”

They stopped talking and fought the magic beasts again.

Kubar saved a human soldier who was in danger of being bitten. The soldier expressed his gratitude, and after shrugging his shoulders, Kubar glanced at the inner wall.

After the three demons and Se-min entered, the inner wall closed again. Because a black fog lingered over the high wall, it was impossible to guess what was lurking inside.

He began to worry about the Emperor.

It was then.

He saw a familiar face running toward the inner wall.

Kubar watched that figure quietly. It was Kaorak, who was drenched in blood and bodily fluids, perhaps because he had been in a fierce battle with a magic beast just moments ago.

“Kaorak?”

As Kaorak approached, the inner wall opened. Kaorak immediately charged in.

“Kaorak!”

Kubar called his name too late, and Kaorak disappeared inside the inner wall. The inner wall of the capital volume swallowed Kaorak like that and did not open its maw again.

Kubar looked around. Not only him, but Sagong was also watching that scene. Kubar said.

“Do you happen to know how to open that?”

“Are you planning to go in?”

“Yeah. He seems to have gone to help the Emperor, and it will be dangerous for that guy alone.”

“There’s no need to.”

Sagong’s face was serious.

“It will open when the time comes. Focus on this place for now.”

“But the Emperor and Kaorak went inside?”

“Yes.”

Kubar looked at Sagong.

Trolls sometimes acted like prophets. However, it was not that they knew the future. Kubar knew that.

Trolls merely gathered various pieces of information to guess the direction deemed most probable; they did not actually know the outcome.

That was why he grew anxious.

“Aren’t you being too relaxed about this?”

“Relaxed…”

Sagong smiled bitterly.

“Since where we stand is different, what we see must be different too. Whatever the outcome, we must be doing our job. While trusting the Emperor, just as we always have. Because that is the destiny given to him.”

At those strange words, Kubar realized Sagong knew something.

Something was happening right now.

Sagong knew it, which was why he suggested leaving the Emperor and Kaorak alone. Kubar clenched and unclenched his fists as he spoke.

“Even if I ask, you won’t explain it.”

He trusted the trolls, but they were not always right. Kubar turned away from Sagong and said.

“So, you had better pray you won’t get beaten up by me.”

Sagong smiled bitterly once again.

Kubar did not converse further and charged toward the magic beasts. His martial arts swept through the enemy.

Watching that scene, Sagong looked at the sky.

“I wish I could speak with such peace of mind as well.”

Since where they stood was different, what they saw was also different.

Because trolls saw through too many things, other races could not understand them.

Sagong suddenly saw a soldier in danger. He could have run over and helped the soldier, but he did not do so.

The soldier ultimately died by the magic beast.

Other soldiers grew enraged and hacked the magic beast to pieces. Perhaps they were close; another soldier roared the deceased’s name and charged toward the magic beasts. His comrades followed.

They swept the magic beasts with an even more terrifying momentum. They looked swept up in the madness of the battlefield. Sagong watched them and nodded.

***

Se-min faced Noh Hak-jae, Han Su-in, and Despair simultaneously. That gradually became four, then five.

Magic beasts that suddenly appeared inside the inner wall were pressing Se-min along with them. They were demonized Orcs like the ones he had seen before.

Han Su-in shouted as he swung his sword.

[Go ahead and spout your mouth like before!]

Se-min retreated and blocked the incoming attacks.

Since five of them took turns attacking, there was no opening to counterattack.

The most troublesome one was Noh Hak-jae.

He originally had a high understanding of martial arts, and after having black aura transplanted by Badurbarok and becoming demonized, he had become far stronger. The hardness and sharpness of that aura was difficult even for Se-min to deal with.

Moreover, due to the unexpected movements he showed occasionally, Se-min could not let his guard down.

Se-min looked back.

Battle still seemed to be in full swing outside the inner wall. Putting aside his personal feelings for now, he resolved to escape this place and join the Allied forces first.

The moment all five gathered in one spot, he would strike them simultaneously.

Se-min continuously retreated, waiting for the right moment.

As Se-min swung his sword here and there, the movements of the five began to falter.

Se-min generated the Cosmic Flow.

A massive energy swept over the five in an instant.

The enemies defended in their own ways.

Se-min could not easily shake them off, he resolved to launch a massive attack. Though there was a risk of being defenseless immediately after, now was not the time to waste here.

At this time, it would have been nice to have one person by his side.

Just then, a voice came from behind.

“Emperor!”

Looking back, it was Kaorak. Se-min shouted.

“Kaorak! Protect me!”

“Right now? You look perfectly fine though?”

“I won’t be fine soon, so get over here quickly!”

“What do you mean!”

The Cosmic Flow arose from Se-min’s body. This time, the scale was massive. It had the momentum to blow away the entire interior of the inner wall.

In accordance with the principles of the Cosmic Flow, boundless power began to settle in his Lupus.

Se-min swung Lupus in coordination with the moment the five gathered together.

Since it was an attack launched by squeezing out his aura, a sense of exhaustion enveloped his body.

However, the effect was sufficient.

The guys who had constantly surrounded and hindered Se-min were all swept up in the waves of the Cosmic Flow and blown far away. They would not be able to move for a while, and if they were unlucky, they might even have died.

Se-min prayed that their luck would be the worst.

“Kaorak. Help me. Let’s head outside.”

The aura in his body was completely empty.

He was in a state where he could not fight. For now, he needed to get away and rest.

“Kaorak?”

Se-min looked back.

Kaorak was approaching. However, Kaorak’s gait was strangely unfamiliar. Se-min called his name again, but no response came.

The black fog that had been swept away by the aftermath of the battle began to settle down again. As Kaorak’s figure was obscured, his silhouette rose.

It was faint.

It was clearly Kaorak, yet it also felt like it was not Kaorak. The shape of the long sword Kaorak held was shaking.

Se-min suddenly felt as if the opponent was not Kaorak but an enemy approaching to kill him. Perhaps he had been stressed due to Noh Hak-jae.

Se-min shook his head once and looked at Kaorak again. However, the ominous feeling did not fade.

Was it a dog, or a wolf?

Se-min could not tell.