Demon Cultists began to stir among themselves.
“…Is that the Leader?”
“Could it be a fake… No, this energy is undoubtedly the Leader’s Heavenly Demon Technique….”
“Is it true that they were alive? Then did the military lie?”
Why had they cut off communication with the Heavenly Demon Church’s headquarters and followed the military?
Wasn’t it to stop being played by the enemy who had killed the Leader, the Heavenly Demon, and to exact revenge for their lord and restore the church to its original state!
Faced with a situation that shook this grand justification to its roots, even those who had been maintaining their composure amid the sudden war could not hide their bewilderment.
For now, the influence was limited to part of the battlefield, but if left unchecked, it would soon spread to the entire group.
“No, that’s not the Leader.”
At that moment, the elderly man’s words softly emerged, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
The military officer, Yaliuhuan, gazed quietly at the Heavenly Demon with bright yellow reptilian eyes.
He spoke with certainty.
“…A Jiangshi? Well, how impressive. A Jiangshi that possesses a self and pretends to be alive by mimicking the energy of the living. Hoho.”
He let out a half-laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
Although he had been momentarily flustered by the effort put into this, upon closer inspection, he could definitely sense something off.
Just like that Demon King, it was merely hiding behind artificially created vitality; the energy of death, which the living could never possess, filled its insides.
“To see a living person and call them a Jiangshi… It seems the military has had a rough time. Given the situation, I understand, but still.”
“Oh, so you’re saying you’re the real Heavenly Demon?”
“Can’t you see? Tch, you’re thoroughly senile.”
Hmm— It seems your memories aren’t intact. It looks like you wanted to mimic the Leader with the information you gathered from somewhere, but it won’t work on us who have been with them for a long time, even if you’re a low-ranking warrior.”
“…”
As he said.
Even the previously confused Demon Cultists were now silently gazing at the Heavenly Demon with narrowed eyes.
Their gazes fierce, as if they wouldn’t miss a single movement.
‘…Oh dear, I was hoping against hope, but it’s true.’
Hansu furrowed his brow at the shifting reactions around him.
Since he had injected memories extracted from both the Heavenly Demon himself and various Demon Cultists, he thought he was imitating well, but that was far from enough to fool those close to him.
‘Resurrecting someone who had died in their original state is impossible, even for me now.’
To begin with, the Undead were beings in which the lingering thoughts and memories of the human at the time of death were densely gathered and corrupted.
Though he could somehow use that body upon awakening the holy energy, embodying the soul and self of one who had reached the extreme of the Current Realm and was also the Apostle of the Head of the Buncheon Society was utterly impossible.
“Tch, just when I thought it might go easily.”
Having seemingly reached a conclusion, Hansu looked down at the increasingly hostile Demon Cultists.
He had wanted to retrieve them in a relatively intact state, but perhaps that was an excessive wish.
Then there was nothing left but to demonstrate true power.
Swish
As Hansu’s will was conveyed, the actor, Jiangshi Heavenly Demon stepped forth, drawing the blade hanging at his waist.
“I have no choice. Guiding my confused subordinates back to clarity is my duty as the Leader.”
Continuing the performance to the very end, he thought, ‘Well, truth be told, it’s not that important to be recognized by them.’
Just look at how he had come to dominate the Heavenly Demon Church.
Had those who were there followed him because he was the Heavenly Demon?
No, definitely not!
What was needed now was not such a flimsy justification.
‘Only power. If I have overwhelming strength that can accomplish everything as I wish, then nothing else matters.’
If they do not acknowledge me, I will force them to.
If I call this Jiangshi the Heavenly Demon, then from that moment on, no matter what anyone says, that’s the Heavenly Demon.
Though there would be some loss of power in the process, he had enough strength to realize that will.
Rumble—
From the body of the Heavenly Demon, black energy surged forth.
Although it stemmed from the exclusive martial skill, the Heavenly Demon Technique, which symbolized the leader of the Heavenly Demon Church, its nature differed slightly from the inner power he had used in life.
It was darker, more sinister, filled with the energy of death, a destructive power.
Additionally, what bolstered his martial prowess was not merely that.
Though it had mental side effects, the “Heavenly Killing Technique,” which assisted all actions related to battle, including martial arts.
Activated by some means, this unique skill prevented the inevitable decline of ability caused by the distortion of the self and instead raised every potential within the body to an extreme level.
The Heavenly Demon, engulfed in black flames like a fierce blaze, grinned menacingly and flicked his sword.
“When the beasts raised to confront the Outsiders no longer recognize their master, there’s nothing left but to wield the stick.”
Crack—
With a violent storm, the blade-like energy began razing the surroundings, causing those nearby to hastily retreat.
This was merely a phenomenon that arose from unleashing energy.
The one-eyed elder, the Ghost Sword Demon Master, who had quietly observed the situation, stepped forward with a stiffened face.
“…Military, do you understand what that is? It’s simply beyond my comprehension. No matter how the Leader was at the brink of ascension, in the end, it should be a Jiangshi… Doesn’t this feel as though the Leader has returned to life?”
“Whoa, I have no clue at all. What kind of otherworldly arts is at play here? A legion of the deceased using their former power without decline. Ha! If only I had that strength….”
“Military?”
He questioned, frowning at the interrupted words, but Yaliuhuan had not opened his mouth again.
He merely looked from Heavenly Demon to Hansu with peculiar eyes.
“The idle chatter ends there. The remaining conversation will—”
Cutting off their dialogue, the soft voice of the Heavenly Demon echoed throughout.
Immediately after, the sword, encased in blazing black energy, slowly pointed upward.
“—be conducted after you kneel before me.”
The overwhelming energy surged up vertically as if to pierce the heavens, rising nearly ten meters into the air.
Bang—!
With a thunderous noise, the earth shook violently, splintering as if an earthquake had hit.
This signaled the beginning of the intense clash between the two sides’ powers.
*
Crack—
One step.
The air pressure in the area weighed down as those resisting knelt and bowed their heads.
Swish—!
One sword.
Those who had blocked the way were cleaved apart, and the stench of fresh blood filled the air.
Boom!
One hand.
The one-eyed elder barely countered, groaning as he was flung backward.
Following his lead, the Blood Demon Jiangshi and numerous Heavenly Jiangshi charged, but that was all they could do to maintain the situation.
In fact, as they fell back, the gap in power left other battlefields exposed and vulnerable, repeating the same fate.
All of this was the result of the Jiangshi, disguised as the Heavenly Demon, joining the fray.
‘This is bad.’
The sight made Heavenly Demon Sorcerer Yaliuhuan frown and shake his head.
The Heavenly Demon was the self-proclaimed strongest master in the world.
Now that person had appeared without any decline in power… or perhaps, with increased lethality, one could say this situation was indeed foreseen.
“Heheh— You still seem to have composure? You’re thinking of other things right in front of me.”
Of course, now was not the time to look upon it as someone else’s business.
Death, taking on human form, was marching right towards him.
“Haha, it’s not composure. I’m just pondering how best to resolve this situation. But… I can’t see any way out.”
“I am magnanimous. I relish talented people who can grasp their place. If you lay flat right now, I might let you go.”
“Oh! That’s quite an enticing offer…”
In the chaotic surrounding battlefield, their conversation continued as if they had stepped back from the fray.
But as calm as it appeared, their situation was anything but peaceful.
Crackle— Crackle—!
Sparks flew from the boundaries of space as they resisted the encroaching energy of death.
Yet that boundary was visibly pushed back, and it was clear that if they continued like this, they wouldn’t be able to hold out against death for long.
“Even so, I think that’s going to be difficult. It seems I simply can’t tolerate someone standing above me due to my nature.”
At that moment, the yellow eyes of Yaliuhuan, who had been laughing, glimmered oddly.
That was certainly not the gaze of someone who had accepted the outcome.
“Oh? You’ve lived so long serving the Heavenly Demon then?”
“Ah— Is that so? It’s nothing I can’t do.”
The energy within the old man began to squirm.
Like shedding the constraints binding him, it gradually inflated with tremendous energy.
“That ‘divine’ patron of the otherworld was the only existence in this world capable of overshadowing me. Just being near him allowed me to accumulate merits easily. And above all…”
The transformation of his demeanor had completely erased the previous ethereal quality.
Furthermore, the energy was expanding far beyond the previously anticipated levels.
“Should the opportunity arise, he would become the best food to consume, but I’ll have to make some effort for something of quality!”
His face twisted with greed and hunger, as he chuckled.
Hansu’s expression narrowed.
The final boss of this Ganghwan Realm, the Heavenly Demon, had already been dealt with long ago.
He had thought so.
Then—
‘The one I thought was the mid-boss was actually the hidden boss?’
Hansu’s head began to spin.
The Buncheon Society Head, who had taken the Dragon Heart, and the Apostle originally from the Settlers was trying to consume this world.
Their intentions were clear.
They likely intended to colonize this world to elevate their divinity further.
‘…But the fact that someone was preparing to stab them in the back from far earlier than wait is surprising.’
The enigmatic monster— Heavely Demon Sorcerer Yaliuhuan, who had overseen the activities of the Heavenly Demon Church for decades while standing right beside the Heavenly Demon, aiding in their growth.
Just how grand of a scheme had he been drafting?
And enough that he wouldn’t mind watching the world he lived in crumble while earnestly helping the Heavenly Demon surpass walls.
“Of course, it’s regrettable that my long-standing plans went awry because you struck first.”
“Hahaha— I’m truly sorry about that.”
“Not to mention you’ve chased me down to disrupt my work here… There’s no way I would follow you!”
“Hm, so what do you wish to say? You have no intention of surrender and will fight to the end?”
“Hahaha, well, you could see it that way.”
Yaliuhuan’s calm response began to twist and fall apart gradually.
Yet even then, he did not cease talking.
“Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to cast aside any means.”
Finally, losing all semblance of human form, his body began to swell rapidly.
In an instant, it soared over ten meters high.
Crack—
Hansu stepped back slightly, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the unfolding transformation.
‘…The attacks don’t seem to work.’
Attempting to unleash the power of death as usual when the opponent transformed, this time his attack didn’t seem to land properly, as if some bizarre principle was at play.
It seemed there were some laws related to the dragon god of this world.
[There’s no need to struggle to hide your identity even in such a situation.]
However, that was but an ephemeral moment.
In the blink of an eye, the transformed being gazed down from above.
A long body covered in scales, with bulging eyes, sharp teeth, and horns jutting upwards.
It was in the shape of a dragon, just as Hansu had anticipated.
Yet what he hadn’t expected was…
“…A Hydra? No, I should call it a Six-headed Dragon.”
For the number of wriggling heads was far more than one.
And it was no ordinary six-headed creature.
Red, blue, white, black, yellow— and at the center, a green head as well.
Even more astonishing was that all six heads were each holding a Dragon Pearl.
‘I distinctly recall that a dragon could only possess one Dragon Pearl…’
While Hansu frowned at the contradicting information he had received from Horus, suddenly, the fierce battle waging at the center of the battlefield came to a halt as the gigantic creature appeared.
[Given this, there’s no choice. In fact, it works out well. I’ll devour you now and seize that otherworldly art! Adding that power to mine, there will be no need for me to hold back any longer!]
Roar—!
With the roar of the Six-headed Dragon, the air began to violently shake with a raging storm.
This marked the moment the true hidden boss of the Ganghwan Realm had made its entrance.
