Chapter 89
[Target is eligible for shadow extraction.]
Black mist rose from the corpses of the Black Tortoise Guild hunters. Their bodies writhed intensely as if they were defying their demise. Eerie wails echoed through the air, and the new dark shadows swirled violently, beginning to form new bodies.
[Shadow Foot Soldier - Level 1 - Normal Grade]
[Shadow Spearman - Level 1 - Normal Grade]
[Shadow Shield Soldier - Level 1 - Normal Grade]
The hunters weren’t the best the guild had to offer, but they were still capable of forming a capable assault team. The new shadow soldiers were slightly weaker compared to their former selves, but they had one distinct advantage—immortality. They had transformed into fierce spirits that could attack relentlessly without concern for their safety. They had lost the ability to speak and could only emit thunderous roars.
“This can’t be...” The Transcendental Intermediate Demon was astounded by the sight of the shadow soldiers. The memories of the nightmarish Monarchs War flooded back.
All the demons present were survivors who had fled the war to hide. Therefore, none of the demons present had seen the victor of the war, the Monarch of Shadows, in his true form.
The transcended demon, superior to the lesser demons, instinctively recognized the aura of death emanating from Suho. “Is he the Monarch of Shadows?” But it can’t be! The Monarch of Shadows shouldn’t be on Earth now! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come here! “Impossible! If you were the real Monarch of Shadows, you would’ve annihilated us instantly!” The transcended demon furiously unleashed its mana at Suho. “Kill them! Kill them all! They will be valuable resources for our grand plan!”
Alongside it, all the lesser demons attacked Suho’s soldiers, and thunder crashed down from the sky once more.
It’s definitely a skill. Suho brutally slashed through the demons as he looked above. The lightning attacks shredded the shadow soldiers to pieces, but that didn’t matter much to him.
The torn-apart bodies of the shadow soldiers returned to their original form, accompanied by black mist. The malevolent spirits returned and slashed at the throats of their enemies and their hearts.
Leading the charge with a maniacal laugh was Yeongho, reborn as an armored knight. As a soldier of death, he released his cruelty toward the demons.
“Was this guy always this tough?” Suho chuckled at Yeongho’s brutal fighting style. His newest follower was even using severed demon heads as weapons. Looks like he can handle all the lesser ones.
[Item: “Middle Grade Mana Potion” has been purchased.]
The continuous regeneration of the shadow soldiers was rapidly draining Suho’s mana, so he drank a mana potion and then called out to Esil, “Now!”
“Got it!”
Suho’s raised Vulcan’s Horn, which had managed to have its attack power immensely amplified due to the souls of the demons he had slain. But this alone was insufficient. To defeat the enormous demon they were facing, he needed the soul of an even stronger demon. Responding immediately to Suho’s call, Esil transformed into her spirit form and entered Vulcan’s Horn.
[Vulcan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
An extraordinarily powerful and ominous aura surged around the blade of Vulcan’s Horn, but there was still one more thing left to do.
“Rakan!” Suho raised Rakan’s Fang.
[Rakan agrees to grant permission, nodding in response.]
Then, a divine energy wrapped around Rakan’s Fang, and Suho smiled as he held his swords. Let’s activate Giant’s Armor as well.
[Skill: “Giant’s Armor” has activated.]
An armor of aura wrapped around Suho’s body, and he began to grow larger. His dual swords also expanded to match.
Fully equipped, Suho lunged toward the transcended demon.
“Krrraaaah!” The demon released a ferocious battle cry as it extended its hand, casting lightning toward Suho.
But Suho continued his assault unfazed, even as he took the lightning strike directly.
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
Sounds of clashing thunder began to viciously tear through the sky. In the middle of the storm, Suho and the demon were engaged in a fierce battle.
Pressed into a corner by Suho’s sudden intense attack, the demon pulled out an item. A snapping sound echoed. As the demon grasped the item, purple dust swirled around it like smoke, enveloping its entire body.
Esil’s voice rang inside Suho’s mind, “Good heavens! That’s a bloodstone!”
“A bloodstone? What’s that?”
“It’s highly refined demon blood! Consider it a more powerful mana amplifier than Stardust!”
“Stardust? Does that mean it’ll become stronger?”
“Duh! We need to kill it before the bloodstone gets fully absorbed! That’s not a perfect bloodstone, so its absorption rate should be slow!”
Suho continued his attack on the demon.
“This is impressive for an unrefined bloodstone! Catching a demon noble here will let me create an even superior one!” The demon, entranced by the rapidly increasing power from its time, looked more confident than before. It deflected Suho’s attacks with one hand, and then it brutally knocked him back.
“Ugh!” Blood burst from Suho’s mouth.
“Young Monarch!” Beru flew in anxiously.
But he quickly got up and took out a potion. “I’m fine. I can handle this.” The demon had a bloodstone, but Suho had his potions to back him up. His increased health meant a slower HP recovery, but he found satisfaction in pushing himself to the limit.
[Skill: The level of “Pain Tolerance” has increased!]
[Physical Defense +80% → +100%]
Suho relished the improved power of his enhanced defense.
From above, Que attacked the transcended demon at every opportunity. The beams of light from his attacks disoriented the demon’s vision as if they were electric spider webs.
“How dare you make my master bleed?”
As a shadow soldier, Que could no longer use royal jelly—a poison his former self used to create a legion of brainwashed hunters. However, this didn’t diminish his extreme aggression.
If his former form was a scheming puppet master, he was now a leader of the vanguard, charging brutally and annihilating enemies. Que found satisfaction in his new role.
“This is exhilarating.” Unfazed by the giant demon, Que relished the battle. “I’m getting pumped up!”
He embraced the immortal power he had longed for. No longer having to rely on his cunning, Que reveled in the strength of overpowering enemies with sheer force.
His spear pierced the transcended demon’s shoulder. “Die! Not even a million deaths would be enough to atone for making my master see blood!” The resulting strikes forced the energy from the bloodstone to start leaking out.
Despite the intense clash, barely five seconds had elapsed. In that brief duration, Suho had recovered enough to move, and he had sufficient mana to freely use the Iron Body Technique.
[Skill: “Iron Body Technique” has activated.]
Suho’s arms were enveloped in dark energy. The high skill level of the technique resulted in substantial mana consumption. However, this also significantly increased his attack power.
“Gotcha.” Suho’s darkened hand pierced through the bloodstone’s energy, and he firmly grasped the neck of the demon.
The eyes of the giant demon trembled violently. “W-wait! This energy!” I’ve made a mistake! “You are the descendant of the Iron Body—”
The sound of the demon’s neck snapping echoed throughout the jungle.
[Transcended Intermediate Demon has been defeated.]
[Item: Vulcan’s Horn has devoured the demon’s soul.]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
Numerous messages appeared before Suho at that moment.
[Title: “Demon Slayer” has been acquired.]
“Oh.” Suho’s eyes sparkled. Having slain many demons, he had earned a fitting title.
[Title: Demon Slayer]
[This is a title awarded to skilled hunters capable of capturing demons. When facing demon-type monsters, all stats increase by 40%.]
“If this had appeared sooner, I could have defeated it more easily.”
Suho’s body returned to its normal size, and Esil emerged from Vulcan’s Horn. She shuddered at the aura given to Suho with his new title. Her demonic instincts recognized him as a formidable predator.
“Why are you staying so far away?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Esil found herself hiding behind Dogyoon.
Suho used the opportunity to check the messages that he had missed earlier.
[Emergency Quest: “Defeat the Enemies” has been completed.]
[Would you like to accept the rewards? (Y/N)]
“Confirm.”
[The following reward will be given.]
[Reward 1. Health and Status Restoration
Reward 2. “Buff: Roar of the Battlefield”]
“A buff?” Suho’s eyes lit up with interest. This will be useful. Leaving the rewards for later, he then scanned his surroundings.
Esil was standing on the corpse of the defeated demon. Red energy was flowing out from the corpse and being absorbed into her hand.
“Suho,” Esil, with a stern expression, called out. “This bloodstone was made with my blood.”
“Your blood?”
“Yes. It looks like the demons that hunted me in the demon realm are somewhere here.”
“Young Monarch.” Beru looked just as serious. “If this is true, we’re in for a tough battle.”
The ant vividly remembered the ferociousness of the Radiru Clan during the Monarchs War. If the demons that had ended the Radiru were here, and if they had amplified their powers with noble blood, the confrontation was bound to get ugly.
Suho nodded in agreement. “There must be a factory somewhere here.”
“Exactly. The demons have upgraded from Stardust to bloodstones. They must be hiding somewhere nearby...”
The challenge now was finding the factory’s location. He had killed all the demons in the area since they couldn’t be extracted due to their contaminated mana.
“Maybe we should have kept one alive,” Suho expressed his regret. “We’ll have to search this area thoroughly—”
“Hey, Suho! I found something here!” Dogyoon shouted, no longer frantically dodging and fleeing.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ovel.com