Chapter 151

Chapter 151

“…….”

Nahun gazed at his trembling hands. The shock was overwhelming. He had never felt this way since possessing this body.

Not when he sparred with Jepar, nor when he faced Barbatos.

Not even when he suppressed his massu or blocked Golraph’s strike.

As he stared at his hands that couldn’t shake off the shock, Nahun glanced over his shoulder. There stood an angel whose four proudly spread wings had been completely torn apart.

Nahun crushed the space with his magic and summoned the sword that had lost all its thorns. Then he approached the pitifully winged angel.

There was no sign of movement from Uriel. The hand clasping what remained of his thorns was already stuck to skin that had melted away long ago, refusing to let go.

However, that hand would no longer move. Uriel had already spent his life and had departed to the divine’s side as he wished.

As if to prove that, Uriel’s torn wings began to scatter into small particles of light. The scattered particles slowly floated up into the sky.

When eventually his entire body transformed into particles and vanished, Nahun lightly clenched his fist and said.

“This is my limit.”

It seemed time to let go of the thought that he might face all the forces of the heavens… but still, it had been proven. He could protect Seere to an extent during the Heavenly Demon War.

Relieved, Nahun summoned three massu. The scorched Leviathan approached in pain, while the beakless Gize whimpered as it came closer.

The intact Behemoth nudged Gize’s broken beak with its nose and lightly tapped the burnt Leviathan’s jaw.

“Moooon.”

Irritated by that mocking behavior, Leviathan opened its mouth wide. Just as it was about to bite down on Behemoth’s nose, Nahun stopped it.

“Keep it open like that.”

“Pwoo…?”

Using his magic, Nahun restored the massu’s physical bodies. They would eventually heal on their own, but considering the fiery pain from within, it would likely take a while.

Nahun’s powerful magic restored Leviathan’s massive body, and as the pain subsided, Leviathan happily whipped its tail.

“Pwoo!”

“Come here too, Gize.”

After healing Gize, Nahun looked around. It seemed the forces from the heavens were no longer here. However, their absence might only apply to this area.

“If Uriel came forward, then surely….”

The heavens’ response must have already begun in other locations.

#

The first army attacking the Holy Kingdom was led by Jepar, who was clearly embodying why he was called the strongest demon king of the Martial Arts Faction.

If Seere harmoniously utilized the outstanding abilities of the legion to lead victories in battle, here, Jepar’s own prowess stood out immensely over the legion’s superiority.

Even considering his limp, one couldn’t focus on that fact; witnessing him mercilessly slaughtering the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers clad in black armor was simply awe-inspiring.

Basago, the commander, truthfully admired that strength to the point of putting all his devised strategies on hold.

“Even if we leave it to him, the Holy Kingdom conquest will end. We just need to prepare for any unforeseen intervention from the heavens.”

So remarkable was Jepar’s might that even the cunning Basago claimed this. In fact, he had already conquered a quarter of the vast Holy Kingdom. Thanks to the vanguard’s successes, their advance had gained momentum.

However, Basago was always cautious. While the current battle situation was superb, he believed it could change at any moment.

He was aware of the entities that might appear from behind once the human realm was invaded. It felt like the right time for them to make their appearance when suddenly…

“Hmm?”

He felt a powerful aura. Without realizing it, Basago jumped to his feet and headed outside the tent.

“Your Majesty?”

“Where are you going?”

Despite the questions of his subordinates, Basago quickly stepped outside and looked up at the sky. Then….

“What the….”

He saw a powerful explosion that seemed to have started from afar, so far away that it almost felt unreal. He referred to it as an explosion because he briefly caught a glimpse of flames. Whether it was truly an explosion or caused by something else, Basago couldn’t discern.

As if confirming his foreboding, all soldiers were left stunned once they saw what was happening. Many began discussing what it could be. It was such an unusual sight that it might affect the future course of the war.

Yet, it seemed quite distant. Basago turned to a soldier who was absent-mindedly watching.

“Hey, where is that located?”

“Excuse me?… Er, um, by my humble estimation, it is likely the Piast Kingdom. The estimated distance is….”

“The Piast Kingdom? So you’re saying that explosion is visible from there?”

If that were the case, just how large was that explosion? Unable to even imagine it, Basago called over a messenger.

“Go to the Third Army and find out what that is.”

“Yes.”

He felt that he needed to worry more about that than the heavens’ invasion. As he pondered this, something collided at the forefront of the First Army, producing a tremendous sound.

“…What now?”

“I’ll find out!”

The sentry moved forward to assess the situation. As he did, Basago narrowed his eyes. Something felt off. Was the source of the sound getting closer?

“Your, Your Majesty!”

“What is it?”

The sentry, having lowered his binoculars, shouted urgently.

“Angels! Behind them are Valkyries, spirits, and fairies!”

“…Have they finally arrived?”

The forces of the heavens were making their appearance. Basago issued a command.

“We can no longer leave it to the vanguard. Order each demon king to prepare for battle.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Dispatch orders quickly while the vanguard holds out.”

However, Basago’s wishes were not fulfilled. The source of the sound, which had gradually been growing closer, was now exponentially closing in.

Faced with the urgent change, there was only one thought that came to mind.

“…Is Jepar already defeated?”

Basago acknowledged Jepar’s strength, even if he was not closely acquainted with him. Excluding a few monster-tier demon kings at the top levels of martial arts, he undoubtedly belonged to the absolute top tier.

But if he had already fallen…

“What has been sent down?”

“Commander! The vanguard has collapsed!!”

Along with that confirmation from the messenger, a severe expression settled on Basago’s face.

“Tell the forward troops to retreat and join the main force!”

“Yes!”

As the messengers began to move more urgently than ever, Basago fell into thought. If an angel had come who could defeat Jepar this quickly, there were not many possibilities. It was safe to assume that a being of at least archangel caliber had arrived.

“Quite proactive, aren’t they?”

Still, Basago felt it was manageable. Though archangels were powerful, there were monstrous beings on this side as well. While losing Jepar was painful…

At that moment, a messenger approached him.

“Commander!”

“What is it?”

“The vanguard commander is currently engaging alone at the forefront! Shouldn’t we rescue him?”

“…What?”

Jepar is still alive?

“……No.”

“Yes?”

“If he has survived alone, then we must pour troops in for a rescue. That would be a reckless endeavor. Unfortunately, Jepar will face a glorious d*ath.”

“…Understood.”

#

As Basago had received word, astonishingly, Jepar was still alive. His outstanding subordinates had already perished due to being outnumbered, but Jepar had not yet completely broken.

However, he was not standing unharmed. His esteemed black armor was in tatters, no longer serving its purpose. It appeared as if it had been touched by something cold, covered in frost.

The one who had reduced the mighty Jepar to such a state was a spirit standing before him.

Just as there were demon kings governing the demon race in the demon world, in the heavens, there were rulers for each subrace of angels, such as Valkyries, Spirits, and Fairies.

Among them, the eight kings ruling the spirit race are known as Spirit Lords, and she was one of them—the Ice Spirit King, regarded as the most formidable among the current Spirit Kings.

“You really are hanging in there. I must give you credit for that resilience.”

It was Eia.

A coldness emanated from her light sky-blue hair, freezing everything around her. Jepar exhaled deeply through his visor. Remarkably, even his breath froze.

Seeing that, Jepar suddenly shook his shoulders and laughed.

“Heh, heh…”

“I don’t understand what’s funny… The humor of demon kings is quite difficult for me to grasp.”

“It’s not that I’m laughing because it’s funny.”

As Jepar moved, the frost clinging to his armor shattered and fell. He stepped forward on his stiff, frozen feet and drew magic power throughout his body.

“It’s enjoyable.”

“…Enjoyable? While dying?”

“Do you not understand that dying honorably in battle against a strong opponent is the most pleasurable thing there is?”

Jepar moved with a mechanical sound as his breath froze. His movements, which should have been swift for such a remarkable being, were far too pitiful and slow.

However, for some unknown reason, Eia did not counter his movements. She wasn’t a fool. If she kept attacking, the fight would be over.

Yet for some reason, her body refused to move. Eia glanced down at her hands in slight confusion.

‘Am I being overwhelmed…?’

Overwhelmed by Jepar’s fighting spirit and the atmosphere, Eia’s entire body felt subdued and refused to obey her. With each step Jepar took, Eia’s expression only furrowed.

“Enjoy this moment. Oh, Spirit King.”

Kuwung!!!

“It’s been a while since I’ve had an enjoyable fight.”

Jepar smashed the ice that obstructed his path with a punch. Then, enveloped in the most powerful magic power he had displayed thus far, he lunged directly at Eia.

“It’s all out.”

As Jepar’s fist drew closer, it emanated such intense magic power that it exerted tremendous pressure on the surroundings, flowing uncontrollably. Jepar swung his fist toward Eia.

“…Indeed, demon kings are incomprehensible.”

Even as Jepar’s fist approached, Eia’s gaze remained unfaltering. Even though it was an alarming situation, her eyes stayed remarkably calm.

“The fact that you enjoy violence is something I cannot comprehend.”

“Glacier spector guard!”

A thick and solid wall of ice unfurled as a shield.

Kwaaaang───!!!

“…I see.”

Jepar chuckled lightly. To his surprise, his fist was stuck against the ice barrier. So perfectly was it blocked that he felt no regret about it.

Although he had swung at full strength, it appeared that he couldn’t close the gap in power.

“Glacier spear!”

Having blocked his attack, Eia indifferently created a spear of ice. Jepar watched as her spear aimed for his neck, and he closed his eyes.

Eia released her weapon. Slowly taking a step back, she peeled off the demon king’s helm that had yet to surrender to the end.

“You’re really smiling…”

Her enjoyment of violence made Eia feel that Jepar might not be right in the head. With that thought, Eia walked away to join the other Spirit Kings who had gone ahead.

#

“The First Army and Second Army have started their response from the heavens.”

Nahun used magic to survey the battlefield and grasp the current situation. One of the ancient spells, ‘Heavenly Gaze,’ allowed him to see the situation in the Holy Kingdom as well as in the Bismarck Empire.

He observed the vanguard of the First Army collapsing and saw Jepar being defeated by the Ice Spirit King and losing his life. The Second Army had just encountered the heavenly forces.

“By the way, I’m a bit surprised.”

The heavenly response was stronger than anticipated. While it was reasonable for the Spirit Kings to appear with the First Army, the angel that had emerged before the Second Army was someone he had not expected to appear so soon.

Uriel’s descent was one thing…

“…Are they perhaps thinking of devouring the demon world like this?”

If that were the case, it made sense. It was easy to understand that such power would emerge at once. Nahun squinted slightly in thought before arriving at a conclusion.

“It would be a good thing if they hold back somewhat.”

For now, it seemed acceptable to let the heavens rampage as they wished. Thus, thinking so, Nahun rose from his seat.

“I wonder how Seere is doing.”

Though he could see it from a distance, he thought it better to visit the place where his precious disciple was located directly.

Nahun stood up, closed his eyes for a moment, and mourned Jepar’s d*ath.

And without hesitation, he took his steps forward.

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