Chapter 1392

<Chapter 1392> 1392. Spirit’s Atlantis

“Heavenly Horse Cult, abandon your monopoly on the oasis!!”

“The oasis belongs to everyone! We have the right to drink water!”

“Give us water!!”

It was a massive protest.

Even though they must’ve heard I had arrived, the people were loudly shouting towards the palace. Their demonstration carried an almost maddening fervor.

“Hmm… According to Kasha, the oasis water was being distributed for free…”

Normally, they could’ve made enormous profits from water sales, but Relthia was in such chaos and unrest that Heavenly Horse Cult started giving away water for free to quell public discontent.

“So this is greed’s doing… And there are definitely some agitators behind all this.”

I entered the square. The crowd that had been facing the palace gradually turned towards me.

“Heavenly Horse!”

“The heavenly horse has arrived!”

“Heavenly Horse, open the oasis!”

“Lower the taxes!”

“The northern road is dirty! Repave it!”

They shouted their demands at me, each one trying to make their voice heard over the others.

I let out a hollow laugh. Are all these people insane?

No, they’re not insane. Though their protests seem frenzied, if you look at each individual demand, there’s nothing particularly unreasonable about them.

The reason they can stand before me so brazenly is because of their numbers.

More than 5,000 people.

Deep down, they believe that I wouldn’t slaughter more than 5,000 of them.

‘Let me shatter that belief.’

I activated Heavenly Horse Demon Arts.

With every exhalation, dark demonic energy mixed with my breath, rising upward from my body.

Those who had been shouting their demands fell silent as they sensed something ominous in the air. Fear spread like wildfire.

“M-Master Heavenly Horse! It’s not what you think! I…”

“I-I must’ve lost my mind for a moment!”

“To be honest, I was paid by Burpha! He said he’d give us money if we joined the protest!”

“P-Please spare our lives!”

Their pleas for mercy came too late.

The dark demonic energy swirled around me like a gale. As I extended my palm, the black wind gathered and compressed at its center, rotating under my control. I signaled to my companions, and quick-witted Ahmad immediately led them to a safe distance.

Heavenly Horse Demon Arts: Rotating Heaven Demon Wind.

I released the wind.

At first, it was barely perceptible—a gentle breeze escaping from me.

But as it raced through the void, it grew stronger and larger. The black winds collided with each other, creating razor-sharp vacuum blades that swept across the crowd.

The demon wind drove blood into the air.

Blood mingled with the swirling winds.

Amidst the chaotic scene, the area where I stood remained eerily quiet—this was the eye of the storm.

The horrifying screams of the people were drowned out by the deafening howl of the wind.

About thirty seconds passed.

The black wind that had ravaged the square vanished without a sound. In its place…


There were only finely chopped chunks of meat and a large pool of blood.

“Now all we have to do is find and kill the cockroaches hiding in the city…”

Creepy.

I sensed an enormous power fluctuation from behind. I stiffened my face and turned around.

There was Kasha’s group. They scattered in all directions, bewildered by the massive power fluctuation… except for one person: Ersia, who was emitting the power fluctuation.

Ersia wasn’t normal. Her red pupils were dilated like a drug addict’s, her mouth hung open stupidly. Her long fangs were visible. Pink saliva dripped continuously from her lips.

“She can’t even swallow her own spit. Did she lose consciousness? Why suddenly? Did she get attacked?”

Just as I was wondering, Princess Yonggil approached me.

“What are you doing? Your daughter is going berserk right now! Go stop her!”

“Going berserk?”

“Ersia is more sensitive to blood than vampires. It must be because of her unique Blood Demon Body trait. She seemed off ever since she saw the large amount of blood at the entrance… and now this mess happened. If we don’t do something, she’ll die from the berserk state.”

The blood pooled on the square floor began to churn. It looked like water boiling vigorously. I swallowed hard. I could sense powerful energy emanating from the blood. The life force of 5,000 people remaining in the blood was gathering towards Ersia.

“How do I stop her berserk state?”

“Knock Ersia out.”

“…You want me to knock out someone who’s already unconscious?”

“Ersia isn’t unconscious; she’s just lost to her instincts in the berserk state. She still has some consciousness left.”

“…”

The blood swirled violently around Ersia. I only had about 20% of my mana left. Approaching Ersia like this would definitely mean death. And I couldn’t burden anyone else with this task either. Kasha and Amar wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“The easiest way is for you to kill Ersia. Well, what will you choose? Will you kill your daughter?”

Princess Yonggil’s eyes gleamed with excitement. She was eagerly waiting to see what choice I would make.

Typical gods… I clicked my tongue.

“Princess Yonggil, why don’t you loosen up a bit?”

“Loosen up?”

“Because you’re about to lick my ass.”

“Damn lunatic…!”

As Princess Yonggil fumed behind me, I walked towards Ersia.

The moment I took a step, the blood pool surged up to block my path. The droplets of blood that touched my body felt heavy.

“…So, I’m the strongest one here holding back?”

Ignoring the blood droplets, I continued forward.

Kwadak, Kwadadadak!

The sound of the ground being torn apart rang out. Three whirlpools made of blood tore at the ground while approaching me. The whirlpools were growing larger.

“Her power is getting stronger. There’s no time to hold back anymore.”

Heavenly Demon Art: Heavenly Demon Domination Step.

Stepping on the true talisman, I dominated the space. The space trembled. The whirlpools lost their balance and disappeared. I took another Heavenly Demon Domination Step.

Trying to appear before Ersia by leaping through space, but the massive energy mass gathering around Ersia disrupted my space domination.

“There’s no other way but to approach head-on.”

Taking one step at a time, I moved forward.

In this situation, the most convenient thing would be attacking from a distance. If I went all out, killing Ersia wouldn’t be difficult.

‘It’s not something I can do just because of an incident like this.’

It wasn’t particularly difficult either.

Bbadadadak!

Suddenly, a blood shockwave appeared and was blocked by my left shoulder. The distinct sound of my left arm breaking echoed.

“Tch. Piercing through my Protective Qi, huh. Quite terrifying. Didn’t know blood magic could be this fearsome.”

No, it’s because there are 5,000 lives and blood here. To put it bluntly, it’s no different from using 5,000 people as sacrifices. It would be strange if it weren’t powerful.

Ahead…


A massive spear forged from blood materializes in mid-air. Its tip is pointed straight at me.

Heavenly Demon Spirit Art: Heavenly Demon Asura.

I focus my Heavenly Demon Ki into my perfectly intact right hand. The blood spear hurtles toward me, and I grab its tip with my right hand, swiping it aside. The spear crashes into the ground and explodes. Boiling blood engulfs my body, bubbling and searing my skin. No matter how I shake, the blood won’t come off.

Clutching my teeth against the pain of being boiled alive, I activate Heavenly Heart.

[Heavenly Heart activated. Duration: 1 minute.]

The blood finally drips off me.

The pooled blood on the ground tries to grab me, but nothing can interfere with me for this one minute while Heavenly Heart is active.

5 meters.

The distance between me and Ersia.

I can feel an overwhelming energy that makes it hard to even breathe. If I hadn’t activated Heavenly Heart, my legs would have collapsed by now.

‘So this is the power she wields in berserk mode? Even considering the influence of her traits and skills… It’s clear she has remarkable talent. Ersia truly is a genius.’

When she fully blossoms her potential someday, she’ll become one of the strongest warriors in the world – that much I can sense.

Step.

Close enough to touch.

Powerful energy penetrates my body, wreaking havoc from the inside out. Without Heavenly Demon Spirit Art, I wouldn’t have been able to endure this.

“I’ve grown too complacent. I didn’t know you well enough, Ersia. Be more careful next time.”

I grip her head with my hand, carefully controlling my strength as I channel Heavenly Demon Ki.

“Daughter. You’re a hundred years too early to kill me and become the Demon.”

ZANG!

I strike her head with force, knocking her unconscious. The impact would be fatal to an average adult man, but given Ersia’s stats, this is just the right amount.

As soon as I release her head, her eyes roll back, showing only the whites. I catch her falling body with my right hand.

The oppressive energy surrounding us dissipates, some of it absorbed by Ersia.

‘This must be her destiny.’

My shattered left arm and internal injuries are excruciating. I’m considering using Complete Recovery when Princess Yonggil approaches me.

“Hmph. I thought you’d kill Ersia.”

“For such a trivial matter?”

I push Ersia’s body toward Princess Yonggil, who gently cradles her. Watching her, it seems Princess Yonggil holds Ersia in special regard.

Turning my body toward the palace,

[Complete Recovery activated.]

“Heavenly Demon-sama! I believed in your return! Welcome back!”

A beautiful woman with silver hair and blue eyes kneels before me, shouting. Her black clothes are adorned with various bones.

Enas.

The sorceress of the Heavenly Demon Religion.

Her body has become remarkably muscular. Her chest has grown to H-cup size, sagging slightly, with noticeable fat around her waist and thighs.

Yet she gazes at me with the eyes of a fanatic.

‘I’m sure she wasn’t like this before… Did something happen while I was gone?’

“Heheh… Now that Heavenly Demon-sama has returned, all the rebels are as good as dead!”

“Enas. Command all the demon cultists in the palace. Block the exits and monitor the outskirts so those pig-dogs cannot escape Relthis.”

“Yes, Heavenly Demon-sama!”

“And starting now… water rationing.”

“…Pardon?”

“Water restriction. From now on, those pig-dogs in Relthis cannot drink water without my permission.”

“Ah…! I shall implement it immediately! I can already hear the pigs’ cries!”

Enas laughs like a lunatic.

She must have endured quite a lot managing Relthis in my absence.