Episode 543. Lucifer of Ruin (7)

What made the Demon King Lucifer terrifying in the original work was his demonic eyes.

His demonic eyes, which could read everything, blocked any attack and enabled the best possible countermeasure.

However, relying on those demonic eyes was precisely Lucifer’s weakness.

Lucifer’s demonic eyes could read everything, but there were exceptions.

Specifically, things related to transcendent beings.

In the original work, the protagonist Lee Hoyeon was one such case.

Demon King Lucifer ultimately could not decipher Lee Hoyeon’s mana, which his demonic eyes couldn’t affect.

But the current Lucifer was different.

He encountered an unidentified mana, enveloping the Demon King’s Castle of the Underworld, which hadn’t existed in the original work.

Upon meeting Maestro, who had summoned the Demon King and died, he learned that there were humans his demonic eyes couldn’t affect.

That’s why he wasn’t greatly flustered even when he first discovered Lee Hoyeon.

However, Lee Hoyeon was also different from the original work.

Lee Hoyeon also noticed that Lucifer wasn’t relying on his demonic eyes, unlike in the original work.

That’s why he had saved this strategy until the very end.

“I knew it, you bastard.”

Lucifer’s weakness was his dependence on his demonic eyes.

Even if he noticed the imperfection of his demonic eyes, he couldn’t ignore his instincts.

‘When a crisis situation arises, one tends to rely on what’s most familiar and confident.’

For Lee Hoyeon, who possessed strong mental fortitude, faking his own emotions wasn’t difficult.

It was a feint that wouldn’t have worked if he were in perfect condition, but Lucifer couldn’t abandon his instincts at the last moment.

“Keuhup….”

My shoulder blade feels hot.

Lucifer concentrated mana near his severed right arm and bit his lip.

Is Lee Hoyeon’s strength this great? Wounds he himself had inflicted still remained on his body.

He probably hadn’t even recovered from those aftereffects. I thought he wouldn’t be able to fight like before, did I misjudge?

Chi-iik-. Lucifer’s arm began to regenerate as always.

Since the arm was completely severed, regeneration required time. But it was uncertain whether that white lightning would wait for that time.

“…It doesn’t matter. Just because one arm is gone, do you think I’ll suffer defeat by a human? My name is Lucifer. Mere humans cannot stop me. Never!”

Lucifer gritted his teeth.

I still have energy left, and I can still fight.

Losing his cool judgment, Lucifer gathered his mana and kicked off the ground.

“Good. Keep coming at me like that.”

Lee Hoyeon whispered softly and circulated mana inside his body.

‘Blood Beat.’

Duguen. Duguen. Duguen.

Lee Hoyeon’s mana circuit went berserk.

Using Blood Beat right now was quite reckless, but Lee Hoyeon didn’t stop there.

“Arc Conjuration.”

Three mana spheres floated above his head.

The arcs, created by separating a part of his own will, drew magic circles simply by inserting the core magic formula.

Lee Hoyeon poured mana into the arcs and glared straight ahead.

The flow of mana filling the space brushed past Lee Hoyeon.

Even amidst the fierce battle, he felt a refreshing sensation.

Chwa-ah-

Familiar mana unfolded before Lee Hoyeon’s eyes.

Flashing bolts of electricity raced through space and poured down towards the approaching Lucifer.

“Kwa-ah-!”

Udeudeuk!

Lucifer swung his fist, letting out a monstrous roar.

The attack, imbued with immense physical force, surged towards Lee Hoyeon’s vital point.

Ppa-jjijik-!

However, the lightning surrounding Lee Hoyeon easily deflected Lucifer’s attack.

Lucifer’s fist only lightly grazed the lightning, but it felt as hot as touching lava.

“Keu-euk!”

Fear. An insurmountable wall.

Lucifer’s instincts kept sending unfamiliar signals.

His own body was refusing the brain’s command, instinctively preparing to flee.

“How dare you…!”

Lucifer spread his wings, suppressing his instincts.

Jet-black feathers rose into the sky.

Along with the feathers imbued with the flames of the Underworld, Lucifer closed the distance again.

Even if reason was lost, his combat instinct remained alive.

Lucifer instinctively judged that fighting Lee Hoyeon with magic offered no chance of victory.

Chwa-ah-

Lucifer’s feathers, as he approached Lee Hoyeon, revealed their true nature.

Black flames, seeming capable of burning the space itself, enveloped Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon immediately put the arcs forward.

Frozen Blast.

From the arcs floating around Lee Hoyeon’s body, cryogenic coldness flowed out.

Lucifer’s black flames intertwined with the cold, clashing in strength.

“Lee Hoyeon! I will make you regret your arrogant actions for your entire life!”

Even in this situation, Lucifer displayed his hidden strength.

He forcefully broke through the cold confronting the flames and swung both arms towards Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon dodged the left arm using acceleration, but his newly regenerated right arm struck Lee Hoyeon’s body hard.

Kwang-!

“Keup…!”

Lee Hoyeon was sent flying backward with a single punch.

Twie. Lee Hoyeon stabilized himself with mana and spat out black blood.

It seemed the wounds inside his body had reopened just from taking one hit.

“This fucking hurts.”

At least it was the right arm, which wasn’t properly recovered yet; if it had been the left, I might have collapsed from a single hit.

Lee Hoyeon created distance from Lucifer and added more mana to the arcs.

At the same time, he identified the weaknesses of the black flames with his awakened eyes.

Chwa-ah! The coldness emitted by the arcs subdued Lucifer’s flames filling the surroundings and froze them.

It didn’t stop there. The coldness rode the flames upwards, backlashing towards Lucifer, the caster.

Kwa-ang! The cold seeped into Lucifer’s newly grown right arm.

The unfinished arm was torn to shreds, and dark red blood soaked the floor thoroughly.

“Kwa-ah! Lee Hoyeon…!”

Lee Hoyeon answered Lucifer’s scream by striking him with lightning.

The lightning, traveling upwards from the crushed right arm, tore apart Lucifer’s robust body.

The lightning, digging into the wounds, ravaged the inside of Lucifer’s body.

No matter how robust Lucifer’s body was, he couldn’t block the maximum output lightning Lee Hoyeon emitted from exploding inside him.

Finally, Lucifer deployed a defensive barrier and retreated.

“Keu-eup, Kwa-ak..!”

The pain of my entire body burning.

I can’t hold on for long like this.

Just as he thought he had to end the fight somehow.

A black sun rose behind Lee Hoyeon’s back.

Eclipse.

The ultimate magic created by Lee Hoyeon.

Lucifer intuited it the moment he saw Eclipse.

I cannot withstand that giant sun.

Lucifer’s survival instinct, stronger than Lee Hoyeon’s emotion amplification, crushed his reason.

‘…It’s not too late yet. I can retreat.’

Lucifer immediately began searching for a route to escape.

Scanning his surroundings for survival, Lucifer spotted the women who had been fighting at close range with him earlier.

His mana lingered on them as they received treatment.

‘Found it.’

Hwa-ah-. Lucifer immediately drew up his mana.

If Lucifer sets his mind to it, he can teleport to any place where his mana lingers.

This too was a precious ability that made him the successor to the Demon King.

Knowing that Lee Hoyeon cherished the women, he would pretend to target them to create an opening and escape.

Seu-reuk-

Lucifer teleported his body in an instant using his remaining mana.

He saw the blonde sisters right in front of him, their eyes widening as they saw him.

“Ah…?”

“Eh, Alice! Keu-eut….”

Alice and Irene reacted immediately upon seeing Lucifer, but they were not in a state to fight.

With just a light release of mana from Lucifer, the two fell into a groggy state.

‘First, capture them, then create an opening.’

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Lucifer reached out his hand towards the two.

Just then.

“You punk!”

“Scoundrel!”

Struck by something rapidly approaching, Lucifer lost his balance and staggered.

Although it wasn’t a strong blow, it was enough to grate on Lucifer’s nerves.

Turning his head, Lucifer frowned.

Rebecca and Liliana, covered in rune barriers, were standing behind Lucifer.

Their condition wasn’t good either, but it was better than the Alice sisters who had been fighting Lucifer directly, so they could attempt an attack.

“Kkya-ak!”

“Rebecca…!”

However, that was short-lived.

Rebecca’s body flew backward from the arm Lucifer swung with a frown.

The remaining Liliana tried to gather mana with her eyes wide, but Lucifer’s fist was faster.

“Ah-ak!”

No matter how much her mana had returned, Liliana’s combat ability was still insufficient compared to Lucifer.

If it were magic, maybe, but at this close distance, Lucifer had a much greater advantage.

Lucifer smiled as he looked at Liliana clutching her stomach.

“…Liliana. Yes. I suppose I can take you with me.”

Lucifer’s ability is to teleport to places where his mana lingers.

Of course, he could only move his own body, but if it were Liliana, he could wrap her in his mana and move together.

Even if he had to retreat, securing Liliana as a prize might offer some comfort.

Lucifer reached out his left arm towards Liliana’s neck.

At that moment.

Lucifer’s hand, heading towards Liliana, stopped.

Not just Lucifer.

Liliana, who had been stunned, stopped, and Baek Ahyoung, who had startled and gotten up, froze.

Time hadn’t stopped. It was Lee Hoyeon’s thoughts that had accelerated while watching the scene.

‘What the fuck, really.’

As soon as Lee Hoyeon saw Lucifer teleporting, he deployed rune barriers around himself.

Thanks to Rebecca and Liliana buying him time, he gained the opportunity to accelerate his thoughts.

However, the situation was still grim.

‘Think. What should I do?’

Lee Hoyeon knew about Lucifer’s ability too.

He had also expected that Lucifer would have left a place to escape to somewhere in the human world.

That’s why he had used emotion amplification to prevent him from escaping.

But who knew Lucifer’s mana would linger on the heroines?

For the safety of the heroines, Lee Hoyeon continued fighting Lucifer while creating distance from the heroines.

That decision had now backfired. Even with acceleration, it was too far to reach him.

‘A spatial leap to the destination point without a rune barrier…. Is it possible?’

The magic circle’s mana was essentially Lee Hoyeon’s mana, but approaching Lucifer was another matter.

The rune barrier barely covered Lee Hoyeon’s body. There was no rune barrier around Lucifer.

Moreover, even if his power had slightly diminished, Lucifer was still a monster on the verge of becoming the Demon King.

His mana itself was dense and destructive, so jumping into a place without a rune barrier was a gamble that could twist the body with even a slight coordinate error.

The environment wasn’t favorable either. Forcing his thoughts to accelerate had created a large gap between consciousness and reality.

However, Lee Hoyeon’s brain did not stop thinking.

His awakened mind spun rapidly, calculating the possibilities.

‘It’s not impossible.’

The probability is low, but it’s not impossible.

The mana at the core is mine. The current Lee Hoyeon could pierce through Lucifer’s mana and aim for his back.

As soon as Lee Hoyeon realized there was a possibility, he drew up his mana.

The accelerated thinking couldn’t last long, and the moment time returned to normal, Liliana would be captured.

There was no time for hesitation.

I focused on Lucifer’s hand approaching Liliana.

I looked at Liliana’s surprised expression.

Controlling the anger filling my head, I completed the magic circle.

The current me will absolutely not fail.

A fleeting moment.

Lee Hoyeon’s vision spun 360 degrees. It was a strange sensation, like every cell in his body was being reconstructed.

Lucifer’s back, which had seemed impossibly far away just moments ago, appeared right before his eyes.

The surrounding time returned to normal, and Lucifer’s hand moved towards Liliana.

‘Spiral.’

Although the gap between consciousness and reality made his head hurt like it would shatter, Lee Hoyeon trusted his talent and experience.

Syu-uk-.

A powerful vortex, sucking in the surrounding mana, was created in Lee Hoyeon’s hand.

The Spiral, imbued with the mana from the magic circle, compressed instantly into a sphere.

“…?”

Lucifer sensed something strange from the immense mana felt from behind, but it was already too late.

This was different from last time, when it couldn’t even inflict a scratch on Lucifer’s skin.

Unlike Lucifer’s body, which had lost its resilience, the Spiral had become stronger.

Kka-deu-deu-deu-deuk-!

With a horrific roar echoing through the entire space.

The Spiral, heavily imbued with the mana from the magic circle, pierced through Lucifer’s body.