Chapter 146
A blood-soaked man appeared in the banquet hall.
But that blood was not his own; rather, it belonged to those he had killed.
That appearance....
A body twice the size of a normal person's, with abnormally elongated arms and legs.
The man's darkened body had transformed into something utterly grotesque.
The faces of many in the banquet hall froze.
They already knew it well too.
What that appearance meant.
With the Demon's arrival, the banquet hall froze in place.
Urgh. P-please, spare me.
In the Demon's hands were martial artists, their necks gripped as they choked and gasped.
Unable to simply stand by and watch, the Demonic Alliance warriors drew their swords to save their comrades.
But,
Crack. Crunch.
In an instant, the two warriors in the Demon's grasp had their vitality drained, withering and twisting to death.
Many bit their lips at the horrific sight.
Heh heh heh. Good, very good. Keke.
Satisfied with the scene, the Demon curled its lips up.
That smile looked utterly unnatural and grotesque.
In the short time it took for the Demon to appear in the banquet hall, far too many had died.
The corpses of those he had killed were strewn along the path he had walked.
But he felt not a shred of guilt.
Rather, with each murder, his body trembled with immense pleasure and satisfaction.
Everyone was looking at him with twisted faces, as if they had seen something hideous.
Ignorant fools. How could the likes of you understand the feelings of one who has been chosen.
The man who had become a Demon inwardly sneered.
The person he had been before becoming a Demon was long gone.
He was now nothing but a bloodthirsty murderer obsessed with blood and slaughter.
But he had something more important than anything else to do.
The White Wolf Unit was to kill every last one of those damned Orthodox Faction bastards, and to do it as painfully as possible.
Soon he began rolling his eyes, searching for the White Wolf Unit.
Before long, the twin brothers of the White Wolf Unit who had broken his shoulder entered his sight.
Kehe. Found you.
Seeing this, Gi-su and Gi-sang exchanged words with ominous expressions.
H-hey, doesn't it look like that guy is staring at us?
N-no way. That can't be, right?
No, I really think he is! He's smiling at us. Creepily. Come to think of it, his face looks kind of familiar.
Gi-su and Gi-sang couldn't recognize the man who had become a Demon at all.
It couldn't be helped.
They had only seen him once before, and the man's appearance was now completely different from what it had been then.
Keheheh. I'll tear you to shreds and kill you, you bastards.
Soon the Demon began walking slowly towards Gi-su and Gi-sang.
It was a situation where anyone could see he was openly targeting the White Wolf Unit.
Seeing this, the Demonic Alliance warriors hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do.
It was then.
What are you all doing!
Someone shouted.
Ghost Eye Demonic Lord Ma Se-ak stepped forward, seeing the conflicted warriors.
His thunderous command fell upon the Demonic Alliance warriors.
Don't you know how ridiculous the Demonic Alliance will look if a guest visiting us is harmed by something like this! You fools!
At that, the warriors who had been hesitating finally came to their senses and began to block the Demon's path.
Soon, the Demonic Alliance's elite warriors swung their swords fiercely towards the Demon.
The being that had become a Demon was no longer a person of the Demonic Alliance.
Rather, he was now an enemy that absolutely had to be killed, so they all attacked without mercy.
But
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Not a single attack could leave even a small wound on his body.
Keke. How pathetic.
As the Demon swung his hand, the warriors who had rushed in were sent flying.
It was truly a terrifying power.
Seeing this, Ma Se-ak ground his teeth and prepared to step forward himself.
Soul Annihilation Unit, forward.
Martial Soul Twin Swords Jo Il-ha, who had been quietly observing the situation from somewhere, stepped forward.
At the same time, the Soul Annihilation Unit, the Demonic Alliance's pride as their most elite combat force, revealed itself.
They quickly surrounded the Demon and formed a formation.
Soon, a bloody battle between the Soul Annihilation Unit and the Demon was about to begin.
But then,
Everyone, stand back.
Black Emperor Dokgo Yeong walked forward.
At some point, a sword that the elite warriors had been using was in his hand.
Even if you step forward, it will only increase the casualties. Haven't you already experienced that enough?
But Alliance Leader,
Martial Soul Twin Swords tried to dissuade Dokgo Yeong.
It had taken many sacrifices even before Dokgo Yeong finally stepped in to subdue the Demon.
But they couldn't keep relying solely on Dokgo Yeong.
He was the master of this Demonic Alliance.
But Dokgo Yeong spoke in a firm voice.
Don't make me repeat myself.
...Yes. Understood.
Martial Soul Twin Swords had no choice but to pull back the Soul Annihilation Unit.
He could sense tremendous anger from Dokgo Yeong, so he could no longer try to stop him.
Oh ho. Is the Black Emperor personally stepping forward?
Just that fact alone greatly excited the man who had become a Demon.
This is truly an honor I could never enjoy in my lifetime. But will you be alright? What if you end up getting devoured by me? Keke.
His eyes, glazed over with madness, turned towards the Black Emperor.
Seeing this, the Black Emperor let out a short sigh.
Your insolence knows no bounds.
Soon, Dokgo Yeong's eyes glowed blue.
Then,
Kuuuuung.
An incredible energy instantly dominated the space.
There was an enormous energy that made it hard to breathe. There was a tremendous pressure that felt crushing.
The Demon let out a pained groan at that massive force.
Urgh.
Then, as if awakening from a dream-like state of intoxication with pleasure, the Demon involuntarily spat out curses at that energy that seemed to shake his mind awake.
Damn it.
His teeth ground together.
He was extremely displeased by Dokgo Yeong's power, which had made him realize his own arrogance.
But that was only for a moment, as the Demon soon began to greatly covet the Black Emperor's enormous power.
He had gained this much power just from absorbing a few mere warriors.
So if he were to absorb the Black Emperor, perhaps there would be nothing in this world that could stop him.
He might become the Greatest Under Heaven in an instant.
As his thoughts reached that point, the Demon became filled with ambition.
Soon, the Demon unleashed all the energy he possessed too.
Shaaaaa.
It sounded as if ghostly wails could be heard from somewhere.
The Demon laughed loudly at his own power, which had become unimaginably stronger than before.
Today, I will devour everyone here! Kuhahaha!
Just as the Demon was about to rampage with all his might,
No, that's beyond you.
Along with Dokgo Yeong's cold words, a vision unfolded for a moment before the Demon's eyes.
It was a vision of a giant black hawk soaring across the sky, diving fiercely towards him.
"Urgh!"
Feeling a chill from that vision, the Demon involuntarily shrank back.
But
What?
All he could see was Dokgo Yeong putting a sword back into its sheath, which he hadn't even realized had been drawn, while nothing had actually happened to him.
Dokgo Yeong too was looking at him quietly with an unreadable expression.
Ha, could it be that even you couldn't cut me? Kuhahaha! Yes, I must already be invincible!
The Demon burst into mad laughter.
How foolish.
Dokgo Yeong turned his back, as if the other was no longer worth dealing with.
You're not a Demon, just a mere Demonic Pawn. Tsk.
What? No, what are you... ack!
He tried to approach Dokgo Yeong with a twisted face.
But for some reason, his body wouldn't move.
Soon, countless cracks began to appear all over the Demon's body.
Only then did he realize his defeat. No, his death.
His voice became urgent.
N-no. I can't die like this! Nooo...!
But it was already too late.
Soon, his body was cut into thousands of pieces.
And so, the man who had become a Demon met his death without even managing to launch a single attack at Dokgo Yeong.
For a moment, silence fell in the banquet hall.
'So this is the Black Emperor...'
Everyone there widened their eyes at the Black Emperor's power.
It was not mere swordsmanship.
Incredible.
Perhaps it was because they had been dining together and receiving good treatment for the past few days.
They had forgotten for a moment.
This old man who had been mingling with them was the leader of the Demonic Alliance and one of the Twelve Venerables of the World, who was never left out of discussions about the Greatest Under Heaven.
That fact hit the White Wolf Unit anew, its impact feeling strangely fresh.
Of course, they already well knew that the Black Emperor's swordsmanship rivaled the Sword Emperor's for the title of Greatest Under Heaven.
Moreover, it was said that one could only glimpse Dokgo Yeong's true power when he was with his Divine Weapon, the Black Killing Sword, though he had left it behind at the Hebei Peng Family. It was hard to even imagine just how strong that might be.
The White Wolf Unit, which had become incomparably stronger than before through recent special training, could glimpse its strength a bit more than others could.
In the past, they would have just vaguely thought he was incredibly strong.
But one sees as much as one knows.
Now they could feel the Black Emperor's strength and depth so vividly that it sent chills down their spines.
He's strong, as expected. Unbelievably so.
Yes. Truly.
Peng Do-hwan nodded at O Chae-mu's words.
No, the entire White Wolf Unit nodded.
But they thought.
For some reason, they felt that Yeo Un-hwi wouldn't lose to such a Dokgo Yeong.
Of course, if others had heard this, they would have laughed at how nonsensical it sounded, but somehow they felt that way.
By the way, where did our Commander go?
At Gu Tae-san-san-san's words, the entire White Wolf Unit looked around.
And Do-gyeong, who found Yeo Un-hwi before anyone else, pointed to where he was.
Huh? Why is he over there?
Everyone wore puzzled expressions.
Meanwhile,
Hmm.
Though he had defeated the Demon, Dokgo Yeong's expression was not good at all.
How many times has this been now?
This was not good.
Incidents of demonification within the Demonic Alliance were becoming more and more frequent.
The damage was not insignificant either.
At this rate.
The Black Emperor wore an extremely serious expression.
And seeing the Black Emperor's dark face,
'Kekeke. You must be frustrated. Right, Black Emperor? But you won't be able to stop anything. No matter what you do.'
Someone was snickering inwardly.
He was the one who had handed the Seed of Ruin to the man who had just died after becoming a Demon.
It wasn't just this time.
All the recent incidents had been the same.
Of course, the Demon had been caught much faster than before because of the Black Emperor, but today's incident would only increase the anxiety within the Demonic Alliance.
So this incident wasn't a failure either.
If Demons continue to appear from now on, the Demonic Alliance will naturally start to fracture.
Who could stay comfortable in the Demonic Alliance?
You are left not knowing when the person next to you might become a Demon.
Such extreme anxiety would quickly eat away at the Demonic Alliance.
When that happens, the Demonic Alliance of the Black Emperor that used to rule with an iron fist will be no more.
And when 'that day' comes, he would gladly offer the Black Emperor's head and the Demonic Alliance to 'that person' for that person's sake.
It was for that very day, that moment, that he had been hiding his identity and staying here for such a long time.
'Keke. Good. Very good.'
In contrast to his outward appearance, he was inwardly harboring a sinister smile.
He was confident.
He was confident that he would never be discovered until that day came.
He soon approached the Black Emperor with a worried face.
It was time to start acting again.
But then,
Hey.
Suddenly, someone called out to him.
When he turned his head, a handsome man was looking at him.
It was Yeo Un-hwi, the commander of the White Wolf Unit.
He had never exchanged words with him before.
For some reason, he had avoided contact with the White Wolf Unit as much as possible, because he felt an ominous feeling.
But why now?
However, what he said soon was
You. What's your true identity?
What? What is this?
For a moment he was quite surprised, but he calmly asked back.
What do you mean? My identity?
He felt like laughing at this unexpected situation.
What's going on?
The Black Emperor, too, approached with a curious face, wondering what the situation was.
But Yeo Un-hwi-hwi, paying no attention to such things, still had his gaze fixed on the man wearing a fake face.
He stared at the other's face for a while before smiling.
I see. So you're the one who orchestrated all of this.
The person Yeo Un-hwi's gaze was directed at now was none other than Sama Ryang, the Chief Military Advisor of the Demonic Alliance.
No, what are you...
You.
Soon, Yeo Un-hwi's eyes began to turn golden.
Like a lion that had found its prey.
You're Black Darkness, aren't you?
At Yeo Un-hwi-hwi-hwi's words, Sama Ryang's face turned deathly pale.