Chapter 218: Episode 68. Hope (3)
The chosen elites, the awakened heroes considered as the world’s best, were human weapons who were raised secretly. They were all trained in combat, to fight against someone or something stronger than them.
They had endured hard times to deliver the best results in any situation. They were trained to survive in extreme conditions.
Their hard work paid off. They were not defeated. They had pride in their abilities. To them, they could face any adversary. It was just a matter of time before they put their learned skills to use.
Today, an opponent had arrived to test their limits. Engaging him was vain.
He was harder than steel. He was some sort of a ‘wall’ that they could never get through. However, they had no choice but to hold onto their weapons and strike.
“Cough!”
Many people could not even scream at the face of death. They all ran towards the man with their weapons.
Death was inevitable. The man showed them no mercy. With his every step, one life was taken. They could not anticipate his next move. He struck too fast for them to notice. He bore no expression on his face as he dodged and reciprocated attacks. It looked as if he was toying with them.
“Dispelling Arrow!”
When only three people with weapons remained, a female archer pulled a trick. All the mana in the air around them started to gather at the tip of her arrow. It burned intensely with purple flame.
“Accurate Shot!”
She also used a unique skill that anticipated the movements of the enemy. Soon, the arrow flew in the air.
Whoosh!
However, it also did not work. The arrow was burned by a strong flame even before it reached the man.
“…!”
The awakened hero’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was the first time that her skills were effortlessly blocked. She was frustrated at first, but she quickly recovered and prepared for the next attack.
She placed her hand on the bow and aimed at her target. That was the last time her fellow awakened heroes had seen of her.
Crack!
Mysterious lightning popped out of the man’s body. The lightning was in the shape of a dragon, and it swallowed the woman instantly and turned her into ashes.
“Stop! Stop! Please…”
Yoo Eunhye suddenly stepped forward. Five people had died in a matter of minutes. She knew that if she did not meddle as soon as possible, the rest of the team would perish.
The man turned his head. His eyes were filled with curiosity. Then, he said, “They tried to kill me. Can’t I defend myself?”
“This isn’t fair!”
“Why does fairness need to be involved in the fight of life and death?”
He had a point. In the current world, no need to justify death. People who valued fairness were already gone and forgotten. The good perished, while the wicked survived. Thus, there was nothing wrong with what he said.
In this sense, Yoo Eunhye was one of the few people with a conscience.
“Isn’t it too cruel that one mistake could cost their lives? You have enough ability to show them mercy.”
Yoo Eunhye was finally convinced. This man was the unit leader who led the team Devil Hunter. He was the savior, and he was a demon.
There was no denying the skills he displayed during the fight against the team members. He was indeed the savior. She was not fooled or bewitched.
Therefore, Yoo Eunhye stood up for her comrades. She wanted to minimize the damage. She did not want to dwell in the past. That was a waste of time. The world was changing. She had to keep up.
“If I show them mercy, what will you do for me in return?” he asked.
Yoo Eunhye thought that was a ridiculous question. He wanted her to compromise. He could do whatever he wanted. No one could stop him here. Even if Yoo Eunhye and Edward worked together to take him down, they would not stand a chance, not even close to touching his clothes.
It was the privilege of the strong. However, he did not use it to his advantage. It could be an opportunity for Yoo Eunhye. But she knew she had nothing to offer that would make him spare the life of her team members.
“I will give you these pieces. Edward and I obtained them from the training room.”
When he had appeared as the savior, he helped her enter the Advanced Training Room. Whenever she successfully completed a challenge, she would earn some sort of a piece.
It was the same for Edward. She had taken his piece last time. She handed two pieces to the man. He received it, but he did not look satisfied.
“These pieces are something I let you keep for a while. You cannot offer me something that is mine to begin with.”
“Then what do you want? Why…why did you come all the way here?”
She let out her pent-up anger. She gritted her teeth. Why was he here?
Only a handful of people knew where they were. These people were also involved with Hope. Even if he was the one who gave information to the British Government, he couldn’t have known about their detailed plan.
Yet, he had been waiting for them in advance. It meant someone informed him. If so, the only thing he would want was pretty obvious.
“Will you take Hope?” Yoo Eunhye offered.
“You amaze me… You’re sharper than I thought.”
Indeed, his goal was Hope, a bomb made from humans’ essence to wipe out all demons and monsters.
Monsters above high grade or demons could survive nuclear explosions. However, people found out they could be injured by attacks using mana, such as magical items. These items could significantly harm them. Therefore, people combined all kinds of cores and skills in the bomb.
Many people had died after using the Self-sacrifice Skill. They poured all their mana and divine power into Hope. It was an item that humans could not recreate.
The man knew about the existence of Hope and planned all this from the beginning. Yoo Eunhye bit her lips. She turned her head and looked at Hope in the cart.
‘Should I risk my life and others’ by keeping it?’ she considered. ‘There was no way we could win against him. But…it would be better than to lose Hope.’
“I know what you are worrying about,” the man began, “but you can trust my word. My goal is also to kill all demons…except me.”
Yoo Eunhye was aware that demons were divided into factions and relations among them weren’t good. However, the man had expressed his desire to ‘compromise’ with them. He would use Hope to get rid of all demons except him. She wanted to know his true purpose. Only then she could decide on what to do.
“Then what will you do next once Hope is in your possession?” she pressed on.
“I have no desire to rule Earth.”
She could not believe it. Demons invaded Earth, but this man, a demon himself, did not want it. She thought he was lying. He was not stating his true intentions. If he didn’t desire Earth, he should have not come from the beginning.
Yoo Eunhye stared at him in disbelief. To be honest, as of the moment, she was not sure if his name was really Randalf Bruciel. Was this man capable of telling the truth?
“I will kill all archdukes, return to Devildom, and become the Dark Lord. Earth is just a battlefield. All the other demons want the destruction of Earth, but not me.”
“Are you saying we were just unlucky?”
Based on what he said, demons came to Earth with totally different reasons. Yoo Eunhye thought this was absurd.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“I can’t believe it. How are you different from other demons? Why did you kill my team members? You could have dodged their attacks and spared their lives, but you killed them instead!”
He laughed. “Don’t misunderstand. I am a demon. Evil is my nature, not goodness. Unlike other demons, Earth’s doom has never been of interest to me. I don’t kill humans for the sake of just doing so. As long as they don’t strike me first, there’s no need for me to fight back.”
“Then why do other demons hate humans?”
“Demons who have been around for so long hate humans. They are envious of your short life span and continuous development. I admit, I have been a little envious, too. However, it is not as strong as other demons feel.”
“Didn’t you pretend to be a human? You led Devil Hunter. If you didn’t like humans, then why did you do such a thing?” Yoo Eunhye continued to inquire.
“I wanted to strengthen humans. I also wanted to…use…you.”
“…?”
He was silent for a moment. Then he took a step closer.
“I am a solitary demon. I don’t have a faction, unlike other archdukes. They focus on short-term goals, while I prefer to secure my future by making long-term investments. In that sense, humans are very useful. I am certain that, one day, humans will be able to kill other demons.”
Thud.
The sound of his footsteps was exceptionally loud. Yoo Eunhye was startled. She stepped back and bit her lips.
“The human potential surpasses that of demons. I hate to admit it, but it is true. However, the demons’ attacks will be too much to bear in the beginning and it will not buy humans time to improve and maximize their potentials. I protected humans from demons and brought crises to help instill resilience. I also imitated human behavior to lead you on. Of course, I hadn’t expected other demons to invade my territory while I was away.”
“Are you saying…?”
Alas…
If so…
The dungeon of Korea was…
“My name is Randalf Bruciel. I am a demon, one of the archdukes, the ruler of the Underworld, and the owner of Korean dungeon.”
He was also the unit leader of Devil Hunter and the savior. He didn’t need to mention those again. Yoo Eunhye already knew these about him.
Then, he spoke again with fervor, “I am your ‘hope’.”
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