Episode 655. Demon King’s Attack (6)

As soon as the battle began, one demon collapsed onto the floor.

The situation that unfolded in an instant was enough to make even the charging demons hesitate for a moment.

“Waaah, waaaaah!”

“Karkus is dead! C-3 squad, join up with A-2 squad!”

Lee Hoyeon’s overwhelming strength instilled fighting spirit into the allied forces.

“A-3 squad! We’ve spotted Amon! Prepare gravity magic!”

“Take your positions before the interception magic circle finishes!”

The bombardment pouring down from the sky slowly began to lose power.

An enormous number of monsters had fallen, but there were still far more remaining.

Especially the formidable demons, not a single one had fallen.

KUUUUUNG-!

The one who moved after Lee Hoyeon was Im Sol.

The woman called the strongest mage until Lee Hoyeon appeared, Im Sol.

She immediately unleashed her true power.

KUUUNG-!

Pure white light descended around Im Sol.

Four giant pillars of light fell from the sky.

Her appearance was like an angel descended from the heavens to vanquish evil.

“I have no intention of leaving everything to my disciple.”

Im Sol shot a cold gaze towards the demon army.

The enemy she took on was Agares.

He was the strongest among the demons.

Reptilian skin and a massive build.

And the one who emanated the strongest aura among demons.

Agares was charging at the front line of the demon army, so finding him was easy.

“Pentagram Formation (五芒星陣)”

From Im Sol’s fingertips, hot flames flowed out as she discovered her target.

The magic power, split into several streams, took control of the space in an instant, drawing a pentagram.

An immense pressure, unbelievable for a single mage to create.

The pentagram was a power enough to surprise even the mages nearby.

Im Sol poured flames onto the demon army, without caring about the surrounding gazes.

The flames bursting from the pentagram ran across the land, using the monsters as fuel.

Besides that, numerous hunters unleashed their full power.

Since the opponent was who they were, they had to pour in their strength from the very beginning.

“Student Council President-nim! Samigina has appeared!”

“Yes! I see it. Everyone, prepare yourselves!”

Samigina.

She was a demon like a corpse golem, whose entire body was rotting.

Samigina’s characteristic, particularly troublesome even among demons, is that magic doesn’t work.

Samigina’s body did not absorb magic power, therefore magic could not kill her.

But Samigina could not be killed by cutting or tearing her apart either.

If it’s a living creature, just touching the blood Samigina sprinkles results in a curse where the body rots away.

Therefore, Moon Surin’s ‘Psychokinesis’ was perfectly suited to deal with her.

• Kkyaaaaaak! Why, why is my blood…!!

Currently, the greatest genius at Victoria Academy is Lee Hoyeon.

But even before he appeared, Moon Surin was the academy’s strongest student.

She became Student Council President for three years straight, not because she was the chairman’s granddaughter.

It was because of her combat power, which was evaluated as surpassing active hunters since her first year.

CHWAAAAK-

Samigina’s blood, splashing in all directions, returns to her body.

No, not content with that, the blood masses were burrowing into Samigina’s skin.

Moon Surin’s psychokinesis, dominating the entire space, perfectly overwhelmed Samigina’s power, which had the ability to control blood.

“Daeun-ah!”

“…Space Slash.”

Behind her, the girl quietly holding a sword was Nam Daeun.

Her beloved sword sliced through the demon’s body without touching Samigina.

“Cerberus is flying up! Prepare lightning magic!”

“Find the host of the fly legion! Check the nearby corpses!”

Although the allied forces weren’t without casualties, the war situation was overwhelming.

The hunters were overwhelming the demons, which had been humanity’s terror.

Just then, a bright light began to linger on people’s faces.

[Rise.]

Humanity’s fighting spirit was broken.

*

The reversal of the war situation was instantaneous.

The top hunters standing at humanity’s front line perfectly executed Lee Hoyeon’s plan.

In fact, they succeeded in reducing more than about 30 of the 72 demons with minimal damage.

When the dream of victory had approached just a few steps forward.

The Demon King revealed himself.

[Rise.]

The Demon King, clad in black armor, moved his magic power while shining crimson eyes, and with just one word, immense demonic magic power surged.

That moment when a strangeness, enough for even the hunters to feel, covered their entire bodies.

All the demons they had killed resurrected.

Until then, it was okay.

Since there wasn’t much damage, even if the demons revived, killing them again would be enough.

But, even when they struck down the demons as per the plan, the demons got back up as if nothing had happened.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

Seeing the demons resurrect no matter how many times they killed them, the allied forces soon lost their fighting spirit.

Even though renowned hunters from all over the world gathered, they could not defeat the 70-odd demons.

It was truly unreasonable strength.

“Guild Leader Angela. Doesn’t today’s weather seem nice for a walk?”

The Iris Guild Leader, standing back-to-back with Guild Leader Angela, made an out-of-the-blue remark.

Demons were reviving right before her eyes, and yet such nonsense.

Angela, who had been tense to the max, replied with an incredulous look.

“…Such a comment comes out even in this situation? I’m telling you, I’m not interested in you.”

Angela glanced sideways at Isaac and frowned.

Thanks to that, her tension eased a bit, but even so, the situation didn’t improve.

The hunters’ casualties accumulated, and a shadow of fatigue cast upon the faces of those still standing.

Moreover, the demons before them were immortals who resurrected no matter how many times they were killed, so it was truly the worst possible situation.

Then, Isaac continued speaking.

“The Iris Guild will step forward and buy time, so you take Mage Lee Hoyeon and retreat the allied forces.”

“…What are you talking about, Isaac?”

Startled, Angela turned her head and looked at him.

Isaac’s gaze seemed determined about something.

“I must save my daughters.”

“Irene and Alice. And even Sophia, the Iris Vice Guild Leader. I’m asking you, Angela.”

Because it was Isaac, who had overcome countless battlefields until now, he could tell.

This battle absolutely cannot be won.

Unlike the demons who wouldn’t fall, the allied forces’ casualties were steadily increasing.

If it goes on like this, it will just be a dog’s death.

Irene and Alice.

His beloved daughters will die.

It’s not just that.

The hunters here are the future of humanity.

If they suffer any more damage, even a chance for a comeback will not arise.

“For a womanizer… you take good care of your wife and daughters. But it’s not a good idea. Running away from here leads to no future.”

“No. It’s better than humanity’s future dying meaningless deaths. If we buy time, we’ll find a way somehow. Because we have Lee Hoyeon.”

Lee Hoyeon.

Isaac bet humanity’s future on him.

If the demons weren’t resurrecting endlessly, his plan would have been perfect.

He had no doubt that if it was him, he would find a way to overcome even the worst situation.

‘If it’s Lee Hoyeon, he’ll protect Irene and Alice too.’

Isaac dislikes womanizers like himself, but there’s no man better to entrust his daughters to.

“…Is this a pre-agreed matter with the Iris Guild members?”

“I’ll only take those guys with me, so don’t worry.”

There are many orphans in the Iris Guild.

All of them are individuals whose talents Isaac personally recognized and brought in.

The Iris Guild. No, loyal retainers who could even risk their lives for Isaac.

There were guild members who could sacrifice themselves anytime in this situation.

“…”

Angela bit her lip.

In reality, she too was feeling powerless.

This field was filled with the scent of death, and human blood and corpses were steadily increasing.

Even if they fought more, the outcome wouldn’t change.

She knew that fact too.

[As the leader of the allied forces, I will give an order.]

Finally, just as Angela was about to nod, her smartwatch rang.

It was Lee Hoyeon’s voice, heard many times before.

[Allied forces, retreat while maintaining formation as much as possible. …From now on, I will execute Plan B.]

“Plan B? Wait a minute… Surely not… the one you mentioned back then?!”

Hearing Lee Hoyeon’s voice, Angela, who had been thinking for a moment, opened her eyes wide.

“Assassinate the leader entity. …Are you really planning to infiltrate alone?”

Isaac looked beyond the field.

Lee Hoyeon, somewhere on this field, intends to continue the fight alone.

*

Observing the war situation, Lee Hoyeon understood.

Humanity had lost this war.

He didn’t think his thoughts were wrong.

In fact, the demons fell according to Lee Hoyeon’s plan.

But, no matter how perfect the plan, humans could not defeat the demons accompanied by the Demon King.

He had underestimated him.

The current Demon King is the god of this world.

He possessed abilities stronger than Lee Hoyeon calculated.

‘In the end, I must kill him.’

But what he must do is the same.

The Demon King.

He must be killed.

That is the best course of action he can take.

Lee Hoyeon glared at the Demon King, located amidst the demon army.

The Demon King had been revealing himself from the start of the war.

Because he was surrounded by numerous monsters, Lee Hoyeon couldn’t get close, but the Demon King did not hide.

It seemed like he was saying, ‘If you’re confident, come at me.’

Indeed, the aura he emanated was immense, enough to give goosebumps just by touching the skin.

‘…No.’

But Lee Hoyeon’s sharpened senses, due to his combat sense, were telling him.

The one revealing himself is not the Demon King’s true body.

Thump- Thump-

Lee Hoyeon’s combat sense grew stronger the more he faced strong enemies.

Those senses were screaming.

The strongest enemy in this space is not that one.

• Krrrk. Krrrk… Human…

Lee Hoyeon looked at the demon right before his eyes, emanating hostility.

Karkus.

The demon who had been subjugated by Lee Hoyeon, and died charging first in this battle too.

Karkus had resurrected more than five times until now, and all of them had their lives cut short by Lee Hoyeon.

Therefore, he was the demon whom Lee Hoyeon knew best.

‘Yes. …This magic power.’

The current Lee Hoyeon could perfectly read Karkus’s magic power.

Awakening future sight, he grasped all of Karkus’s patterns, and thoroughly suppressed him every time Karkus resurrected.

The first encounter and the second encounter. And the third, fourth…

Karkus’s magic power changed slightly each time he resurrected.

Inside his body, the Demon King’s magic power was breathing.

Each time a new life was granted, that magic power grew stronger, and now, after resurrecting five times, the Demon King’s magic power was vividly felt.

‘I’ll trace the magic power back.’

It’s not an easy task.

Even setting aside Karkus, all 72 demons and monsters were imbued with the Demon King’s magic power, so.

It was a task as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

But the current Lee Hoyeon can accomplish it.

Facing a strong enemy, his combat sense sharpened all the senses in his body, and his keenly honed magic sense could detect even faint magic power.

‘Magic detection.’

Lee Hoyeon trusted his senses and put it into action.

He scatters thin threads of magic power throughout this entire area.

The magic power, spreading out from Lee Hoyeon, took control of the land like a spider’s web.

A spider, even without sight, can know that prey has been caught through the subtle vibrations of its web.

Lee Hoyeon was the same.

He could feel it without necessarily seeing with his eyes.

“Found it.”

Soon, prey was felt in the web.

The Demon King’s magic power, strongly felt.

Lee Hoyeon immediately deployed a rune barrier and the Sky-Piercing Bow on his body, and accelerated space.

Acceleration.

The calculation to reach that point the moment he recognized the coordinates was not difficult.

In an instant, Lee Hoyeon’s vision flips.

The next moment, what appeared before his eyes was a hunter, collapsed and bleeding from the stomach.

Lee Hoyeon struck down his head with his fist without any hesitation.

“Lee Hoyeon magic…!”

“W-Wait a moment!”

The surrounding hunters shouted, seeming surprised, but they could not react to Lee Hoyeon’s speed.

KWAAAAANG-!

Lee Hoyeon frowned.

He had clearly hit the being before him strongly, but he couldn’t feel the sensation in his hand.

“As expected… a being who has reached the final episode is indeed different.”

Then, a somewhat familiar voice was heard.

CHWAAAK-

And unknown darkness enveloped Lee Hoyeon’s body.