Chapter 222: Episode 69. A Melee (4)
The shadow hunters that looked exactly like me moved their hands. It seemed like they had imitated not only my appearance but also my weapons. I was curious to see who would win in the confrontation between the real one and the replicas.
The shadow hunters’ fighting techniques were good. But, of course, they were different from mine. Mine was better. After all, I had been to the transcendent realm. They were only monsters. There was no way they could perfectly imitate me.
However, if these shadow hunters were from the transcendent realm, it would be a totally different story. I was quite relieved that they were not.
“But there are too many of them,” I noticed.
Clang!
Our swords clashed.
Crack!
The shadow hunter’s Sword of the Emperor cracked.
Of course, there was no way that a fake would win against the original. The Sword of the Emperor could not be cracked. It was indestructible. But what they had were poor replicas. I assumed that the shadow hunter’s sword would turn into dust if I hit it again.
That was the limitation of imitations. They were not of quality. They only mimic the physical appearance but was actually poor when it came to performance. The skills they employed were similar to mine, but that was it. They had a meager performance that I would be ashamed of if I were their master.
However, there were 10,000 of them. Each of them was at least a high grade at level one. Even for me, they could be burdensome.
They were not low-grade monsters. The monsters above the high grade were not easy to defeat because one had to really injure them; a slight stroke would not do it. I had to focus on dealing with each of them, even though I was a transcendent being.
If a one-man army was possible, the demons would have all been defeated by the angels in my previous life because of the seraph Camael. He was a piece of work.
“Tut.”
I clicked my tongue. I had consumed a lot of mana dealing with Ufa’s demons on the battlefield. I had killed three demons in a short period. I was already exhausted. I did not like the fact I had to fight now in this state.
“Should I call for reinforcements?” I considered.
I could call some monsters. I only needed to tell Lyhee. But I immediately abandoned the idea. If I called my important monsters, I might not be able to escape at the right time. Also… What would they think of me?
This was a trap prepared by Pandemonium. Perhaps it wasn’t the only one… I would be very thrilled if I could crush 10,000 shadow hunters all by myself.
“It won’t hurt to try.”
Whoosh!
The Flame of Pride burst into flames. The undying fire brightened up the dark place. Soon, it started to eat up the shadows in front of me.
Whoosh!
The shadow hunters’ Flame of Pride also started burning, but they could not defeat the original. Pride was one of the Seven Sins. It was a great fire that no one could imitate.
Roar!
The Lightning God came out, too. It swept the area with a rumble. There were too many things to pay attention to at the moment.
‘I hope the Power of Domination works well,’ I thought.
I had one more awesome weapon: the Power of Domination. It was a skill that could make opponents surrender without having to confront them. I wondered if it would work on the shadow hunters, but there was no harm in trying. If it worked well, I didn’t have to fight by myself. Thus, I would be able to finish fighting with a whole lot of them.
“Dark Sword.”
Rumble!
The Sword of the Emperor and Rage turned dark. At the same time, the shadow hunters’ swords turned red.
***
The installation of Hope was finished. Now, it was time to retreat as quickly as possible. Yoo Eunhye and her team members’ chances of survival would increase if they swiftly got far from the area. However, Yoo Eunhye suddenly stopped.
“Eunhye?” Edward asked, puzzled.
They were moving the patients on the cart which was used to carry Hope. Those who had the strength to walk were only Yoo Eunhye, Edward, Kim Youra, and Kim Minji.
Then Yoo Eunhye spoke, “I have to go back.”
“Go back where? Are you saying—”
“Yes. I need to confirm it with my own eyes.”
“Are you crazy? You can’t go back there. There is nothing you can do right now. Maybe later. But right now…”
Edward stopped talking, though he was right. With Yoo Eunhye’s strength, there was nothing she could do. She might be able to do something later, possibly a few more years or a few decades. However, if she went back now, she would only find death.
“Do you think he was really incapable of ‘feeling’? I mean when he was in the Devil Hunter, leading us? He was cold, yes, but I definitely sensed some warmth in him. I just need to verify if he is really a demon…for the future of humanity as well.”
If he was the last hope of humanity, Yoo Eunhye felt obliged to check who he truly was. If Randalf Bruciel was just like the other demons, what they had done would turn out as the worst choice.
However, Edward disagreed. “Eunhye, you shouldn’t go,” he strongly opposed. “That man—no, that demon—just used us. That is all.”
“Do you really think so? Formerly, I was hopelessly cleaning restrooms. You were only a child who was about to die. The Guild of Heaven’s Will had been through crises, and Korea was almost doomed so many times. But how was the result?”
“Eunhye, this is really not like you! You heard him…from his own lips. He saw us, humans, as weapons that could kill other demons. He only saw the possibilities in us. If you and I didn’t have any potential, he would not have saved us!”
“He probably knew from the beginning. He knew the danger that humans would face, so he gathered people like us. If he was like the other demons, if he did not care at all, imagine what already would have happened! Consider if he did not save us… What could have happened, huh? What about when he summoned Kirin and brought the people back?”
“So what you’re saying is that demon has goodness in him? Is that it? No! You saw how he killed our team members. He could have dodged their attacks, but he chose to kill them!”
“It’s…it’s cultural difference. You knew how other demons are, how cruel and vicious they are. Nonetheless, I think he is different from other demons. Clearly, he just can’t express his emotions very well…”
Edward sighed.
It was a hopeless argument. Whatever he said, it would not change Yoo Eunhye’s mind. Yoo Eunhye was blinded by her admiration of Randalf Bruciel’s ‘good’ deeds. She could believe what she wanted to anyway. Doing something good would not justify one’s evil actions.
Edward pulled out his sword. To protect his beloved friend, he had no choice but to use force. He knew she would die if she went back.
“If you really want to go, you have to go through me first. I can’t let you go back there to die.”
“Edward…”
“I don’t want to do this, but Hope has already been set up. Even if he uses it to get rid of other demons, we have to discuss our next plan. If you die, humanity will suffer a great loss.”
Edward was right. He was not a child anymore. But Yoo Eunhye had already decided. She was determined and…stubborn.
Swing.
Yoo Eunhye drew her sword as well. Soon, her sword gleamed.
Both of them had similar capabilities. Though Yoo Eunhye was slightly stronger than Edward, she was not thinking clearly at the moment. It was hard to see who would win.
Kim Youra and Kim Minji watched their confrontation with a long face. However, they could not reveal the truth. They could only hope that nobody would get hurt.
***
“Hmm…”
I shook my head. My mana started flowing backward. I was dizzy for a moment. I felt like all the strength and energy in me were consumed after I utilized a lot of mana during the fight.
“But I succeeded.”
I won a fight against 10,000 shadow hunters. I overcame the trap Pandemonium had set up. Because of that, my body almost reached its limit. But it wasn’t enough to make me fall. The shadow hunters went up in smoke as soon as they died. Not a trace was left.
“I am glad to have the Conqueror’s Ring.”
It was an item that helped speed up the recovery of my mana. In about one day and a half, I would recover most of it. I wasn’t in a hurry.
Had I brought the strong monsters, I would not have suffered like this. But I only had myself, my pride, to blame.
In order to capture Gustarte and attack Ufa’s dungeons, I could only mobilize a handful of monsters.
Of course, I was persistent in facing the shadow hunters alone, but I did not regret it. I achieved a good result. I was very satisfied.
Swish. Swish.
Shortly after, I frowned. I noticed that the sound of the wind flowing through the underground passage had changed subtly.
‘Ha! He knows I am alone. How did he find me? Pandemonium knows this place. I know he does,’ I thought.
I hated to admit it, but I underestimated Pandemonium.
He was the master of magic, after all. He pierced through the magic circle of the Hell Lord. However, he shrugged it off. He knew I would come here alone. He was just waiting for the right time to reveal himself.
“It is tricky…”
I could get through the wall, but if Pandemonium knew this place like the back of his hand, I could not do that. It was because Hope was here as well. Even if Pandemonium knew about this room, he probably didn’t have a clue on how to use it. He would have no idea about Hope.
It would be a waste if I gave up Hope. But I had to consider the possibility of Pandemonium finding Hope.
“It can’t be helped.”
Soon, puppet demons emerged. There were 12 of them. Originally, they were Oculus’s demons, but they had lost their egos and had become puppets of Pandemonium.
Puff. Puff.
And about thousands of shadow hunters joined them.
“This is not good.”
I clicked my tongue and shook my head. This would not be an easy fight.
***
Thick smoke rose. When Yoo Eunhye arrived at the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, many things were already changed. Bodies were scattered. Fire was all over the place.
“Where is he?”
But the ruins did not stop Yoo Eunhye from proceeding. She was looking for only one: the man who helped her develop her skills when she was young. He called himself a demon, but she could not believe it.
She decided to find him even though she had to search through the battlefield. But it was not an easy thing to do. Demons and angels were still fighting. The monsters were fighting against their kind, too. If she made one wrong move, she would not survive.
Looking around, her search seemed futile. “He is not here.”
But Yoo Eunhye did not give up.
“Where could he possibly be?”
She went inside the observatory. Maybe he was preparing for Hope’s detonation. She assumed he would be near the place where Hope was installed.
There were a few dangerous situations, but, fortunately, she managed to enter the underground area. A rotten smell seeped into her nose.
“What is this smell?” she said disgustingly.
The more she walked, the worse the smell became. Yoo Eunhye held her nose. Soon, she was forced to stop. The underground passage was half-broken.
“Something must have happened here…”
There was nothing wrong with the passage the last time she was here. Something must have happened.
It was not completely collapsed, so she managed to pass. She hardly kept going forward. Soon, she found demon corpses.
“These are other demons…”
She could see signs of battle. Yoo Eunhye quickened her pace. Soon, she found something. Her eyes widened.
“Oh!”
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