Chapter 1029: The Divine Tree and the Master.

KUUUUUUUNG—!!!

A rough explosion sounded from afar. Turning my head towards it, I scrunched up my eyes.

‘Guess they got it.’

It seemed the other side had started too.

Before the fight with the Leader, I had one request for the Heavenly Demon-nim.

I asked her to deal with that unknown guy I saw last time, just in case he showed up.

Hearing this, she nodded and said,

‘Can I kill it?’

Her nonchalant question was truly chilling, but hearing it, I nodded without saying much.

It was because I was curious too. If the Heavenly Demon-nim decided to kill it without holding back, was it a match that could withstand her?

Just as I was wondering about that.

KUAAAAAAAAAA—-!!!

Not long after, seeing the black energy surging upwards, I had to click my tongue.

‘Certainly, the energy alone is overwhelming.’

All that black stuff is demonic energy.

Black, dense demonic energy, like no other color was mixed in.

Not a speck of light permeated it, making it an alien color instead. It looked ominous, yet perhaps conversely, it seemed divine.

Even though the Heavenly Demon-nim seemed like a different being in this life.

‘Does that mean the energy is the same, at least?’

That ominous and unsettling energy seemed to remain the same.

KWAAAAAA-!!!

The pouring energy reached even here, far away. Feeling the skin that had sprouted without my permission, I turned my gaze back.

Let them handle their side. I had to focus on this side.

“Krrrrrrrr—!!!”

KUGUGUNG–!!

The ground shook with rough cries.

KYAAAAA–!!!

KWADUDEUK–!!! KUGUGUNG–!!

Countless beings clashed wildly. The monsters summoned using my powers were clashing against the opponent’s beasts.

Perhaps because they were beings with no hesitation, only instinct left, their collisions were truly brutal, regardless of whether their bodies were torn apart.

KWADUDEUK-!

They bit into necks and tore skin from skin. Fangs dug in everywhere, shattering bones, yet they didn’t stop each other.

SEUUUUUU–!!!

The more this happened, the more my energy drained like crazy. It felt like the water that had filled my heart was instantly drained.

‘Summoning monsters really doesn’t match the cost-effectiveness.’

It was like last time; it looked good for show, but summoning them in such large quantities to fight didn’t seem like a very good method.

I reached out my hand.

HWARUK.

A heat haze bloomed at my fingertips.

KUAAAAAAAAAA—-!!!

KYAAAAAAAA–!!!

Black flames then engulfed the front. The beasts vanished in flames instantly due to the immense heat.

‘If I just blast them like this, it’s over.’

With such a light gesture, I could eliminate the numbers sufficiently, so why bother summoning monsters?

The beasts weren’t particularly strong either.

‘Well, if you want to be precise, they are strong.’

At least first-rate. If strong, they looked like fully mastered peak-level. In terms of monster ranks, that means from Blue to, at the highest, Red.

If it were the old me, I definitely couldn’t have handled that level, but not now.

UUUUUUUNG–!!!

GIIIIING—!!

The ring of flames burning behind my back spun, and embers flowed out. The flowing embers flickered, stopped in mid-air. Then they clumped together, forming spheres.

‘Orb of Chained Stars of Collective Flame (俱炎隊星連玉).’

Swarms of small, created flame orbs filled the night, but their color was black, so they couldn’t be called stars. The linked black spheres poured out with a single gesture.

KOGAGAGAGA—!!!

It was a bombardment. The number of beasts caught by my flames instantly decreased.

This is why I was called a devil on the battlefield in my past life. Power specialized in mass slaughter. There was no need to compress it; I just had to shoot it out as much as my energy allowed. Flames that formed wide areas and bombardments were a power that suited war perfectly.

However.

‘Now that the quality of those flames has improved.’

Compression and pressure. The friction generated within. Now that I’ve reached transcendence, able to utilize all of that. The level of my flames must be different from the past.

As if proving this, I was surprised even as I fired them myself.

‘Nice.’

The sensation that the flames moved according to my will. A level beyond the concept of ‘controlling’; they simply ‘move’. The difference between those words is like heaven and earth. While continuously unleashing bombardments, I fluidly adjusted their positions. Displaying minute movements I couldn’t have done originally, I swept through the surroundings.

This meant there was no need to summon monsters, but…

‘That’s…’

Perhaps the other side is the same.

“KUOOOOOOO–!!!”

KWAAAAANG—!!!

An explosion occurred with a roar. Something burst forth, pushing aside my flames. It was crimson flames. Flames with a bright red color, different from the black flames.

“KUOOOOOOAAAA—!!!”

KUNG-! KUNGKUNGKUNG—!!!

I can see it. The Leader, swinging a flame-wreathed axe all around. Possessing skin and fur flushed red, they continuously emitted heat. When they took that form, their presence used to disappear. It was the same now.

Presence wasn’t the only thing that changed.

‘Both speed and power are different.’

The speed and power are much higher than when facing me. It meant it wasn’t just about appearances. With one swing of the axe cutting through the air, monsters were crushed. In terms of level, my side also had Red-level monsters. Yet, they couldn’t contend with the Leader and were all fading away.

“Yoooooou Bastard—!!!”

The guy yelled at me, seeing me firing flames from far away.

KUNG-!!

They stomped heavily on the ground, cracking the floor and sending fragments flying. They bent their joints as if intending to charge.

Seeing that, the monsters rushed towards the guy.

KRURAAAAA–!!!

KRURRRR–!!

Monsters with huge physiques poured onto the Leader, enveloping their body, but…

“Get lost-!”

KUGUGUGUNG-!!!

As the guy unleashed their energy, the monsters were flung out, flying into the air.

And then.

KUNG-! KWAAAAAAAA–!!!

The Leader charged fiercely at me. It was instantaneous. The guy reached right in front of me and swung their axe with all their might. The blade flew towards me, leaving flames in its wake.

At that moment.

“Block.”

As I quietly whispered the words.

“–!!”

Something appeared before the Leader’s eyes. Sensing it, the Leader hastily changed the axe’s trajectory. What was heading for me turned towards the left.

Then.

KKIRIK. KUNG-!!

The guy’s axe received an impact and embedded itself in the ground.

KWAGAGAGANG-!!!

An impact erupted from the axe stuck in the ground, causing a massive crack to split the ground on the left.

“What the-!”

The Leader reacted with surprise to the sudden situation. It couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t me who had struck the guy’s axe.

“Kiiirrrrrr.”

A creature with a strange cry, somewhat different from the sounds the monsters had been making until just before.

“Kya Rrrrrrr.”

A gaunt human body and a grotesque face. And a being with folded wings. Its size was larger than a human’s, but its build was too slight to be called a monster.

However.

“Kya Rrrrrraaaaaaa—!!!”

The energy the creature unleashed with its roar was incomparably stronger than mere Red-level monsters. It was strong enough to make the Leader flinch.

That’s right.

The power I use. The so-called ‘Summoning’ allowed me to summon only the monsters I had personally hunted and absorbed. This guy was precisely a White-grade monster I had hunted in Hanam.

“Deal with it.”

“Kyaaaaa-!!!”

The monster, hearing the command, charged at the Leader. The Leader scowled and immediately entered combat stance. Sharp claws slashed the air. The Leader swung their axe in response.

KIIIGIK–!!!

Claws met the blade, and energy clashed. Faced with the rough and fierce spectacle, I scowled from inside my mask.

‘This is a bit tough.’

Originally, I couldn’t summon White-grade monsters. Because the energy consumption was high, and perhaps the levels didn’t match, the power wouldn’t manifest. However, upon reaching transcendence, this became possible. That’s why I tried summoning it right away.

‘This is no joke?’

The White-grade monster’s level was higher than I expected. Whether it’s the same as an actual White-grade monster is a bit ambiguous, but…

‘At that level, well…’

At the very least, Hwagyeong. No, it could probably easily defeat a Hwagyeong martial artist. If you ask if it’s on the level of the Ten Great Masters, that’s not quite right either, though.

‘It can handle most decent masters.’

It’s undeniably a terrifying existence.

Look now, isn’t it holding its own while fighting the Leader?

Ah, of course.

KWADUDEUK-!!

It wasn’t an existence that could win against the Leader.

“Kiiiiiaaaaaa–!!!”

The monster, whose arm was severed by the axe, let out a strange cry. It wasn’t pain. Because they didn’t feel pain. It even regenerated its severed arm immediately and charged at the Leader again. This also meant the regeneration ability possessed by White-grade monsters was intact within its body.

The problem was.

‘…Damn it, my energy.’

The problem is that it uses my energy when regenerating its body. A significant amount of energy was already drained just by summoning it. And now it’s using my energy while fighting…

‘I can’t sustain this for long.’

I became convinced that I couldn’t maintain the summoning for long.

Therefore, I had to end the fight quickly, but…

‘Still.’

There was still one thing left to check.

“Yoooooou Bastard—!!!”

KUNG-!

KYAREUK!!

The Leader’s massive fist pierced the monster’s abdomen.

“Krrrrrr… Are you planning to just hide behind things like a rat!”

Thinking the fight was over, the Leader spoke to me. Hearing that, I chuckled and replied.

“Wasn’t it you, not me, who first called upon those insignificant others?”

“Krrrrrrreung—!!!”

My words must have struck a nerve, as the Leader threw the monster aside and looked at me. The monster rolled on the ground without regenerating.

“I’ll kill you. You can’t run away now.”

Just as the Leader was about to charge at me again. I casually pointed my hand towards the sky.

“……?”

At that action, the Leader looked up at the sky.

“Not yet. I still have one more gift prepared.”

Along with my words, the guy’s eyes widened. In the space I pointed to, there was something. Another demonic gate, opened roughly. Its size was completely different from before. As I mentioned just before. The power called Summoning allowed me to summon monsters I had absorbed. The White-grade monsters I had absorbed weren’t just one.

“Tear them apart. Mang.”

KUGUGUNG-!!

With a thunderous sound, something fell from a massive rift. The monster, with a build the size of a small hill. Showcasing wide, large fangs, it poured directly onto the Leader.

KUUUUUUUNG—–!!!!!