Episode 635. Demon (3)

Lee Hoyeon did not forget the lesson learned from [Hall of the Moon’s Embrace].

The [Hall of the Moon’s Embrace], which turned the entire space into a dream, violated the laws of this world and encroached upon the realm of the gods.

He gained a hint from that experience.

Only a god can change this world with their own power.

Human magic must target only oneself.

Therefore, it does not change the world.

──『Future Sight』 ──

▶ Unique Magic

▶ Interprets all information received through the opening of the eyes to observe the phenomena that will occur the next moment.

If the opponent is a being that uses magic power, the foresight is never wrong.

─────────────

I merely observe the world as it flows.

As Lee Hoyeon predicted, the laws of this world could not interfere with [Future Sight].

• Krrk?! Krrk…!

Karkus, flung away by the Spiral, got back on his feet.

However, he quickly lost his balance and collapsed onto the floor.

He plunged headfirst into the ground, and fine sand filled his mouth.

Only then did Karkus, flustered, check his front leg.

Instead of a thin arm, only the remnants of his shoulder blade and arm remained there.

Having his front leg torn off was an experience Karkus, who had lived for ages in hell, had never encountered before.

He was so strong that his life had never been threatened.

• Human. Human… Kill. Eat… E-eat….

“….”

Thump.

Lee Hoyeon took a step forward without a word.

In his eyes, he saw Karkus retreating backward.

• Krrk. Krrk….

Instinctively stepping back, Karkus trembled as he looked at the unknown being before him.

Human? Could that being truly be human?

An emotion buried deep within Karkus, who moved according to desire and impulse, slowly surfaced.

Fear.

The ruler of hell, the Demon King

He felt the same emotion he had felt when he first met him, emanating from the being before him.

As soon as he recognized that the creature before him was not prey, Karkus began to back away.

• Run. R-run….

Kiyik. Ggigigig. Ggik….

Even though he tried to turn and run, he couldn’t turn properly without one front leg.

Whoosh-

He somehow managed to turn his body, but the flames that immediately appeared before him scorched Karkus’s face.

Karkus immediately bent his knees and leaped to the side.

• Kr, Krrk…?

However, a scorching sun was burning there too.

As Karkus frantically looked around.

A human voice was heard.

“Thinking of running away?”

• K, Krrk. Krrk….

Thump. Thump.

The light footsteps, characteristic of a human.

Karkus felt a fear he had never known before towards the approaching footsteps.

It was a different kind of terror than when he met the Demon King.

The Demon King, who suppressed his instincts, was like a master to Karkus.

But the being before him was different.

• Human? Th-this human… wasn’t.

“Bullshit. Then aren’t you just a bug?”

Lee Hoyeon looked down at Karkus floundering in the sand and smiled.

His appearance was still disgusting, but seeing him scared seemed to relieve his pent-up irritation.

Dozens of shadow spheres appeared around Karkus.

No matter where the creature tried to run, its movements were read by him, and having overcome its speed, Karkus couldn’t kill Lee Hoyeon.

First, I need to tear off its remaining limbs to make it unable to resist.

Karkus would be bound by a special rope that suppresses hellish magic and provided to the American Wizard Association as a demon research sample.

The body of such a strong demon would be material any researcher would covet.

Karkus would be dismembered bit by bit across the world, dying miserably.

Even without using Future Sight, that scene was predictable.

Hmph-.

Watching the trembling Karkus, Lee Hoyeon smiled.

“It felt good when you were hitting me, didn’t it? Don’t worry. Unlike you, I’ll finish this quickly.”

• Krrk. Krrk….

Karkus’s instincts screamed at him to run.

The demon, always the hunter, felt the sensation of prey for the first time.

*

Angela, the Guild Master of the Angela Guild.

One day, she met Lee Hoyeon, who had visited her, and received ‘sincerity’ injected into her.

Since then, she had no choice but to help Lee Hoyeon and continue her activities in America.

At first, she felt her pride hurt and was annoyed, but that was no longer the case.

According to the revealed truth, Lee Hoyeon was righteous, and his research results turned the entire world upside down.

Politicians brainwashed by Pandemic emerged every day.

In such a situation, her position, having supported Lee Hoyeon from the beginning, naturally grew.

From her perspective, she was actually in a position to be grateful to Lee Hoyeon.

Because those who vomited darkness in public had to strive constantly to regain their standing.

It was for that reason that the Angela Guild came out to support Sector C today.

This was because not only the hunters in Sector C but also Lee Hoyeon, who had gone out for support, had lost contact.

The Guild Master of the Angela Guild, perhaps out of concern, came out to support because she was acquainted with Lee Hoyeon (or rather, known to be).

“G-Guild Master. That thing…?!”

“… Prepare for battle.”

It was worth coming out to support Sector C.

Lee Hoyeon was actually facing an unidentified monster.

The monster with thin limbs stood facing Lee Hoyeon, making an unpleasant noise.

Ggik- Ggigigigigigigik-

The moment the Angela Guild was about to move in for support.

The monster moved.

Kwaaaang-!

Along with a tremendous roar, blood flowed from Lee Hoyeon’s arm.

What Angela perceived was that the two had exchanged blows in an instant.

It was a fight that even she, with her skills, couldn’t properly see.

“Guild Master! We need to provide support immediately!”

Kaaang-!

Just as Angela was about to speak, the two clashed again.

This time, it seemed Lee Hoyeon had the upper hand.

“… Everyone, stand by right there.”

“What?! But….”

“I told you to wait.”

Angela stared straight ahead, biting her lip.

The guild members hadn’t even registered the fact that the monster had charged towards Lee Hoyeon.

Angela, an S-class hunter, instinctively realized.

They would only be in the way.

She couldn’t interfere in the high-level battle unfolding before her and break Lee Hoyeon’s concentration.

“The Angela Guild will stand by until Mage Lee Hoyeon subdues the monster.”

Angela commanded her wide-eyed guild members in a cold voice.

“G-Guild Master!”

“Shut up and call for backup and the medical team. Tell them to bring every available troop right now.”

Even as she said that, Angela gathered her magic power.

If Lee Hoyeon fell before reinforcements arrived… she had to buy time, even if it was just her.

Should I call it fortunate?

The worst-case scenario did not happen.

“Haa….”

Seeing the monster’s front leg fall off, Angela let out a sigh of relief.

Dozens of black suns appeared around the creature’s body, and the monster couldn’t escape.

“Guild Master! Support and the medical team will arrive soon!”

“Right. But don’t let your guard down….”

Just then, one guild member caught Angela’s eye.

He was skilled, but he had been warned several times by the guild for frequently posting content seeking attention on social media.

He was filming the scene with his smartwatch.

“James? Are you filming Mage Lee Hoyeon?”

“Ah, ah… I’m sorry! I did it without thinking… I’ll delete it right now!”

“… No. Good job.”

Filming with a smartwatch during an emergency was an offense worthy of more than just disciplinary action, but Angela, assessing the situation, didn’t get angry at James.

Chwak-

Another of the monster’s legs was torn off.

Lee Hoyeon was already on the verge of subduing the monster.

Now was not the time to get angry, but to check what footage he had captured.

“James, exactly when did you start recording?”

“From when you, Guild Master, told us to wait….”

“I’ll overlook the disciplinary action, so don’t upload that video to social media and hand it over to me.”

“Ah, understood!”

Angela replayed the battle in her mind, which she couldn’t even properly capture with her own eyes.

The monster Lee Hoyeon faced possessed a strength far beyond anything seen before.

The video of the fight would be invaluable material.

‘…If that gets out, it’ll cause chaos again.’

The fear of hellish monsters, which had been nearing stabilization, would resurface, and Mage Lee Hoyeon’s strength would shock the entire world.

Thump-

Just then, Lee Hoyeon, having subdued the monster, collapsed onto the sandy ground.

“Everyone stay put. When the medical team arrives, send them straight to Mage Lee Hoyeon.”

Angela cautiously approached Lee Hoyeon.

She revealed her presence and expressed that she meant no harm.

• K, Krrk… Krrk….

Ggik- Ggigigigigigigik….

The unidentified monster, bound by magic ropes, made chillingly grotesque sounds.

Angela glanced at the creature and asked Lee Hoyeon.

“Mage Lee Hoyeon. …Are you alright?”

Lee Hoyeon, lying on the ground, slowly turned his head.

Although his whole body felt weak, seeing a familiar face brought a sense of relief.

“… Please call the medical team. Ms. Angela.”

“The medical team will arrive soon. I-I’m sorry. We were worried we might interfere if we joined the fight….”

“That was a good judgment. If you had tried to help, everyone would have died.”

To be precise, everyone except Lee Hoyeon would have died.

Karkus’s attention might have been diverted elsewhere, which could have made it easier for Lee Hoyeon.

“M-Medical team! Over here! Prepare for emergency patient transport!”

Angela waved, calling the arriving medical team.

Tak-tak-tak-tak-

The sound of people running across the sand could be heard.

Only then did Lee Hoyeon’s tension snap.

His heart, pounding from [Combat Sense], returned to normal, and the adrenaline and endorphins, explosively secreted in the extreme situation, slowly subsided.

Naturally, the physical pain he had ignored during the fight flooded him all at once.

“Kuhuk… Ah. Fuck….”

His entire mana circuit twisted, and the sensation felt like his eyes were being crushed.

Lee Hoyeon’s consciousness grew hazy from the indescribable pain.

‘I can’t pass out….’

Although Karkus’s limbs were torn and bound, ordinary hunters could still get injured if they touched him.

However, Lee Hoyeon’s body was no longer capable of moving by his will.

“Are you alright! Mage Lee Hoyeon!”

“He doesn’t look good. Let’s get him to the hospital and contact that person….”

Taking in the medical staff approaching him, Lee Hoyeon lost consciousness.