Ch.247Chapter 247 – A Single Strike

“The one standing before this master is the being who took my lord’s life. Therefore, I shall never forgive you.”

Cheon Hyeryeong wanted nothing more than to rush out and tear Eldran to shreds.

However, despite having launched a surprise attack with the Celestial Demon Wind Strike, the fact that he had sensed and avoided it made her realize he was not to be taken lightly, which held her back from acting rashly.

“I must be cautious. Though my heart burns with passion, my mind must always remain cold.”

Of course, Eldran had avoided her attack solely thanks to his ability to foresee crises.

Without that ability, Eldran’s body would have been torn to pieces by Cheon Hyeryeong’s attack.

Having surpassed the realm of the 12 stars in the Celestial Demon Divine Art, each of Cheon Hyeryeong’s punches and kicks contained enough power to easily crumble mountains.

That was why Eldran’s crisis prediction ability had activated.

Eldran objectively assessed the gap in skill between himself and Cheon Hyeryeong.

“She’s strong. A powerful warrior who could easily defeat someone like me, even though I’m only slightly weaker than in my prime.”

And he realized that with his abilities, he couldn’t even face Cheon Hyeryeong as an opponent.

—Crunch.

Unable to contain his anger, Eldran gritted his teeth.

In all his years serving the Demon God, he had never felt such humiliation.

Under his planning, the Demon Cult had grown steadily, and they had successfully placed cult followers in the leadership of other countries.

All that remained was to devour the Gelebrio Empire and bring the Eastern Continent under his control, which would complete all preparations for the Demon God’s revival.

“Shall our great advance stop here…!”

Eldran did not want the grand enterprise that had continued for hundreds of years to fail at this point.

How frustrating would it be if the moment he had waited hundreds of years for disappeared like spring snow, all because of beings called inferior humans?

The numerous demon folk who had followed him, waiting for the Demon God’s descent, would be saddened, and those who had already returned to the Demon God’s embrace would be disappointed.

He must not fall here.

This was Eldran’s determination.

“However… with my current power, it’s impossible to stop that person.”

If he could just buy enough time to escape from this place…

He could plan again for another day.

And Eldran had already prepared for such contingencies.

He had made all arrangements so that even if he died, other demon folk could continue the necessary processes for the Demon God’s revival.

But since the arrangements weren’t yet perfect, if he died here now, the success rate of the revival ritual would become extremely low.

“I must survive and return. I must!”

Some might mock him for fleeing so shamefully, but Eldran knew all too well that if he died trying to preserve his pride, everything would be for nothing.

If he could endure a moment of ridicule, victory would eventually come to him.

“You talk too much. Are you trying to buy time from this master?”

“Wait! I have something to say about that!”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Cheon Hyeryeong wanted Eldran’s certain death.

Therefore, she lifted her leg and stomped on the ground to finish him off at a distance from which he couldn’t escape.

“Try to withstand this. This is the Celestial Demon Sovereign Step.”

As Cheon Hyeryeong’s foot touched the ground, an invisible force began to press down on a 500-meter radius centered on Eldran.

Even for Eldran, whose physical abilities including durability had been enhanced after becoming a demon folk, the power of the Celestial Demon Sovereign Step was almost unbearable.

“Kuuuugh!”

As the invisible force pressed down on his entire body, Eldran felt unbearable pain.

But the pressure was so intense that he couldn’t even open his mouth; only groans escaped.

“How interesting. You withstand this master’s Celestial Demon Sovereign Step. Indeed, you are worthy of being the leader of those who attacked this master.”

When she returned her foot to its original position, the invisible force pressing down on Eldran disappeared as if it had never been there.

“Huff… huff…”

As the force pressing down on him disappeared, Eldran gasped for breath.

It was the most terrifying force he had felt in his lifetime.

Just from her lifting and lowering her foot, he had felt pain as if his entire body was being crushed.

“If I get hit by a punch or kick, I’ll definitely die.”

Eldran realized that Cheon Hyeryeong’s power was even stronger than he had anticipated.

Thinking he might really die at this rate, Eldran began to rack his brain for ways to survive.

“You’re scheming, aren’t you?”

“Huk!”

As Eldran began to scheme, Cheon Hyeryeong approached him and lifted him by the head, giving him no chance.

“Do you know how many people have suffered because of your vile desires?”

“Kuugh, kwaaaaak!”

With one hand holding Eldran’s hair, Cheon Hyeryeong began mercilessly slapping his face with her other hand.

“Does it hurt? The pain of those who suffered because of you was far worse than this.”

“P-please, spare me!”

Eldran couldn’t regain his senses under the fierce slaps of the Celestial Demon.

He begged Cheon Hyeryeong to spare him, showing his cowardice.

“Ha, you ask to be spared? Have you ever spared those who ruined your plans?”

“T-that’s…”

Eldran trailed off at Cheon Hyeryeong’s words.

Indeed, he had never forgiven anyone who ruined his plans or got in his way.

When his followers made mistakes that disrupted his plans, he would generously forgive them.

However, if someone opposed him or seemed likely to become a major obstacle to his future plans, he would order their elimination.

In other words, he had never spared anyone who tried to oppose him.

“Have you never shown mercy? Even the wicked of the world retain some compassion, but you are truly beyond redemption.”

“Keak…”

Releasing her grip on Eldran’s hair, Cheon Hyeryeong now grabbed his neck.

If he had opened a gate and fled when he escaped from the Celestial Demon Sovereign Step, he might have survived somehow.

But the unprecedented pain had confused Eldran’s mind, preventing him from thinking of a solution to escape his situation.

“Today, you die here.”

“No… I must live. I must live, I tell you!”

Eldran struggled to break free from Cheon Hyeryeong’s grip on his neck.

At that moment, the voice of the Demon God flowed into his mind.

‘Release the power I gave you.’

The Demon God’s voice telling him to release the power he had been given.

At this, Eldran decided to unleash the power he had been saving as a last resort.

“Hmmph!”

Eldran gathered his strength and tried to draw out the Demon God’s energy contained within him.

The Demon God’s energy inside him was in a dormant state, and releasing it would require a period of recovery afterward, but it would at least allow him to escape from this place.

It was power that could momentarily put him on equal footing with Cheon Hyeryeong.

Naturally, he had been saving this for the last moment, but now he had no luxury to consider the consequences—he needed to survive.

Eldran felt the Demon God’s energy within him gradually awakening.

“Kuhehe, I will surely survive…!”

Elated by the sense of omnipotence from that power, he was about to shout at Cheon Hyeryeong.

“You’re noisy.”

However, Cheon Hyeryeong was not one to stand by and watch as her opponent used their last resort.

She gathered the inner force of the Celestial Demon Divine Art that she had already been building up and delivered a single straight punch.

The very first technique of the Celestial Demon Divine Art created by the first Celestial Demon who had declared to become the sky beyond the sky, in order to cleave the heavens.

The True Celestial Demon Divine Fist unfolded at the end of Cheon Hyeryeong’s fist.

The moment her fist touched Eldran, it began to interact with the demonic energy within him, creating an enormous spark.

But Cheon Hyeryeong’s energy was at its most ferocious, while Eldran’s energy was just beginning to awaken from its slumber—

“No… I can’t go so futilely…”

As the True Celestial Demon Divine Fist that annihilates everything unfolded from Cheon Hyeryeong’s fist, Eldran vanished with just those final words.

The aftermath of the True Celestial Demon Divine Fist was tremendous.

All the powerful warriors in the Western Continent, including Regina, felt the power of the True Celestial Demon Divine Fist that Cheon Hyeryeong had unleashed.

Moreover, while clouds floated in the sky behind her… not a single cloud existed in front of her.

It was fortunate that she had angled her attack to send Eldran flying while directing the True Celestial Demon Divine Fist toward the sky; if it had been aimed at the ground…

Part of the Western Continent might have disappeared.

“This master has no interest in your reasons for wanting to live.”

Cheon Hyeryeong only left after confirming that Eldran’s energy had completely vanished.

“All that matters to this master is that the world where my lord and I will live becomes peaceful.”