<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 152>
Now is not the time to think about procedures.
The situation has already unfolded and things cannot get any worse.
I glance at my phone.
Of course, it’s dead. This is proof that Red Gate is now fully operational.
With current communications being practically impossible, any further back-and-forth will be too late.
I pick up the magic communicator.
– Ki-hyuk…
“Brother, listen closely.”
I’ll keep the explanation as brief as possible.
Three Red Gates have been created, centered in Tokyo.
And there are Yetis, Minotaurs, and Fire Bugs over there.
Their goal is none other than Tokyo, already brimming with people labeled as “miracles.”
“…I’m heading straight to Tokyo.”
– Right away?
“Making plans will only delay us. I need to get there and assess the situation.”
– No, Ki-hyuk. Even for you, it’s too much to handle alone.
“I don’t have the time.”
– Exactly. Why push yourself this far when the situation has already escalated like this? I believe we’ve already done our best.
“…Do you really think I’m doing this out of sympathy, Brother? Let me make this clear: I’m not acting out of some small-hearted pity.”
Let’s lay it out bluntly.
The deaths of these creatures?
It’s a little pitiful.
They’ve been blinded by the desire to become superhuman, found strength, and now await their doom as a result of being manipulated.
Based on this, I don’t think it’s necessary to point fingers. The fault lies with the person who deceived them, not the ones who were deceived.
They’ve already been played, and even without me saying anything, they’ll receive their punishment thoroughly—through their own bodies, in the end.
Of course, there are some who’ve gone mad with power—but what I’m referring to now are ‘humans’, not mere beasts.
In any case, it’s pitiful.
It’s understandable, and at the same time, I feel sorry for them.
But, just up to a point.
This is the minimum level of emotional attachment I can send to people I’ve never even met.
And fundamentally, I’m not someone who’s swayed by emotions. It’s cold rationality that’s moving me right now.
“Monsters consider humans the most efficient nutrient source on Earth.”
Would monsters attack humans for no good reason?
Just as we call wriggling eels nourishing, humans, with their limitless potential, are the ultimate elixir for monsters.
“But this Archangel intends to devour almost tens of millions of people in Tokyo. We don’t know what that will unleash.”
In my past life, the most I’ve seen destroyed at once was a hundred thousand people. A minor kingdom’s king went mad, and the result was the emergence of a Great Demon that led to the downfall of an entire nation.
If ten thousand people caused such destruction, what could we expect from a hundred thousand, or even a million? At this scale, it feels like comparing numbers is meaningless.
Even for me, it’s hard to estimate.
“Brother, you know me. I don’t like variables.”
Uncontrolled variables are unsettling. And I don’t want to be anxious in this world, either.
I’ve already gained too much to let that happen.
My mother, father, brother, sister, Spring, and my young friends…
“Even if it tires me out, I need to take care of this.”
– ……
My brother fell silent for a moment, then said:
– Understood. What do you need help with?
“That’s…”
After the call ended, I look back. Heat burns like fire.
The flames of destruction from the Fire Bugs are drawing closer.
I don’t have time anymore.
With a whistling sound, I burst into the sky.
How long had it been? Park Ki-hyuk’s vision now catches sight of Tokyo.
“…”
I flew along the outskirts of the city first.
There’s an old saying: hurry first, circle later. Reconnaissance is never something you skip, no matter how urgent the situation.
“Anti-magic defensive core… it’s equipped with monitoring spells, and of course, divine protection is intact…”
The first impression is that the defenses are impressively well-built. Park Ki-hyuk couldn’t help but admit that this Archangel wasn’t completely inept.
Skeletons scattered at every key road.
Their role: scouting the surroundings and securing escape routes as necessary.
The real-time information transmitted from the Skeletons to Park Ki-hyuk completed the reconnaissance.
“Then…”
Park Ki-hyuk’s icy gaze turns to Tokyo.
It’s past lunch. The sun is pleasant, the weather is good. A serene peace lingers over the city.
How am I supposed to warn them about this danger?
Not far from here, less than an hour away, Fire Bugs are charging with flames in their bellies. On the other side, Minotaurs the size of houses are salivating as they hurry toward Tokyo.
And to top it off, the very entity they hail as a Guardian Spirit is the mastermind behind this calamity and is planning to destroy them.
Can I possibly reason with them and make them understand?
Park Ki-hyuk thought about it.
And came to the conclusion: “Not a chance.”
“If they were that rational, this situation wouldn’t have happened.”
So, he opted for a more radical method.
A direct warning, even a toddler would understand: “This is dangerous!”
The Hexagram appears.
Apocalypse, which has now become the symbol of Park Ki-hyuk.
Target: the sky above Tokyo.
The magnitude: as loud and flashy as possible.
Anti-magic defenses? Divine protection?
They’ll all be obliterated.
After a long while, Park Ki-hyuk finally loaded the Apocalypse with true intent.
Whoooosh…
The quiet hum begins, and with it, the power of Apocalypse soars, triggering a Mana Drain as the energy is completely absorbed into the magic circle.
The rising gale erases the colors of the surroundings; everything living loses its vitality and fades as their mana is drained.
With relentless greed, Apocalypse consumes the surrounding mana, growing larger before compressing into a fierce whirlwind that settles in Park Ki-hyuk’s hands.
“Phew!”
Manifested and launched.
Apocalypse
(Apocalypse)
There was no dramatic explosion.
No significant thunderous noise.
It was as if the sky above Tokyo had simply disappeared.
A black flash erupted, spreading darkness like a multiplying blight, stealing the sun from Tokyo.
Sirens blare throughout the city, signaling the emergency. Priests standing in the streets now reveal glowing eyes and spread their wings.
Whiiiirr…
Angelic beings take to the skies en masse. The number of the TA angels far exceeds anything conceivable.
But…
“How much did they gather?”
Park Ki-hyuk wasn’t fazed.
He charged straight in.
And in response to their fiery welcome, he obliterated the leading TA angel with a bare-handed punch.
BOOM!!
Six pieces fell, streaks of bl**d trailing. Park Ki-hyuk, savoring the metallic taste of bl**d, smiled chillingly.
At that moment, magical circles began to ripple like a mane across his body.
A demon in his palm.
“Let’s put an end to this here.”
The Giant appears.
The battle begins.
The sky over Tokyo was swallowed by darkness.
TA angels fly upward, and with them comes attacker Park Ki-hyuk, revealing himself. As the Tokyo sky transforms into a battlefield, citizens spill into the streets, startled by the commotion.
And at that moment, Park Ki-hyuk’s Hexagram once again envelops the heavens.
The massive magic circle created through the use of all stored ‘offerings’ shines brightly in this moment.
Summoning Black Magic
Whisper
A faint mass of mist emerges.
The beast, Whisper, that whispers into the ears of those it touches, influencing them with subtle suggestions.
In droves, Whispers poured into Tokyo.
Like a drizzling shower, Whispers spread across the citizens watching the battle, stimulating the latent depths of their inner psyche.
“Arc Angel, miracles, deceit, shortened lifespans, abilities, life…”
“Present, Tokyo, danger, monster legion assault, danger, escape…”
Even if you told these people outright, “You’ve been deceived!” there’s no way they would simply say, “Ah, yes, you’re right,” and accept it.
That’s why he prepared the Whisper beings of the mind realm.
Impress the truth onto their heads so they can’t deny it.
Whispers endlessly descend from the sky. Citizens hold their heads in distress as the truth sinks in. Meanwhile, the priests of Celutis try desperately to intervene, only to see…
“That’s not how it’s done.”
Park Ki-hyuk wasn’t letting this go.
Plugging his ears.
Black Magic Curse
Angry: Anger
Blinding their eyes.
Black Magic Sorcery
Hallucination: Hallucinations
Pouring oil onto chaos.
Black Magic Curse
Confuse: Confusion
“AAAAAHHHHH!!”
“Save usss!!”
In unison, the citizens scream and scramble. They appear as if possessed, unable to regain their senses.
From their perspective, it’s understandable.
The curse ‘Angry’ already makes their hearts thump wildly, unable to contain their fury. Coupled with ‘Hallucination,’ visions of Minotaurs demolishing the city and Fire Bugs burning people flood their minds.
And even amidst all this confusion, ‘Confuse’ accelerates the chaos. With Whisper’s humid voice, resembling divine revelation, penetrating their ears…
The priests of Celutis attempt to intervene, but they’re clearly overwhelmed by the frenzied citizens.
“Please calm down, gentleme…”
“Get out of the way!!”
To make matters worse, the infection of curses causes the novice priests to succumb one by one to confusion, leading to a total loss of control over the city.
Absolute chaos.
This was the result Park Ki-hyuk hoped for.
But things don’t always go as planned.
He managed to skillfully extract the citizens using curses, but ended up being at a disadvantage in a fight he didn’t even worry about.
All because of these three right here.
Johanna, Grand Priest, equipped with full plate armor, a tower shield, and a mace.
“Unbeliever, repent!”
With a horrifying healing ability, Grand Priest Amit, wielding Celutis relics.
“He who is saved shall be free.”
And lastly, the branch head of Celutis Japan and the actual mastermind behind this whole situation—
Grand Priest Gato.
“If I could’ve lost your attention earlier, that would’ve been ideal.”
Before these three grand priests joined the fray, Park Ki-hyuk had only been dealing with TA angels and the named TA angel, ‘Savior.’
They had charged in using the tough regenerative abilities characteristic of monsters, while feeding on ingested bloodlines to threaten Park Ki-hyuk’s very life.
Even knowing this pattern is still sufficiently threatening.
But however much the monsters might gain intelligence from devouring humans, they’re still monsters. Bound by instincts, their attacks are predictable and lack variability—major weaknesses.
Above all, Park Ki-hyuk is one of the few humans who has repeatedly engaged with TA angels.
Through swordplay, magic, and the strength of a giant, he steadily reduced their numbers.
This was where things were smooth sailing.
Grand Priest Johanna, clad head-to-toe in holy armor, lunges forward. A slow opponent, naturally Park Ki-hyuk’s demon sword slashes at her—but,
Kwang-!
It’s blocked.
For the first time, the demon sword is blocked.
“It’s not just armor! It’s the grace and love of Archangel!”
Not only wrapped in holiness but imbued with some level of ‘godhead,’ it’s genuinely ‘holy armor.’ Moreover, her mace was also a divine relic.
When Park Ki-hyuk strikes with his mace, an incredible force drives him back.
Knock-back.
A holy knock-back ability.
An annoying skillset wielded by Johanna. While it lacks direct damage, dealing with multiples becomes a real hassle when faced with such pesky opponents.
Recognizing this, Park Ki-hyuk attempts to crush this irritating enemy with the strength of the giant at once—but,
Another grand priest, Amit, unveils a relic.
“Freedom of Time!”
Time Manipulation.
The flow of ‘time’ alters around Park Ki-hyuk. Just before the giant’s fist reaches, Johanna disappears as though using a ‘Blink,’ a speed far beyond her capabilities.
This is Amit’s relic. By manipulating time within a certain area, it can both assist allies and nullify enemy attacks.
A sufficiently broken ability.
Park Ki-hyuk, fortunately, still holds the ‘power of the giant,’ so he’s unaffected by the time manipulation. If it had been a normal superhuman, they’d have panicked from the altered time flow, causing the battle to turn against them.
But then.
There’s Gato. This Gato is the problem.
His power is as direct as it gets.
Flames.
They look like the common flames we know, and Park Ki-hyuk thought nothing of it when he casually blocked them with his arm.
Until he immediately regretted it.
“…!!”
Kooom-!
An overpowering heat overwhelms him and throws him back.
“Here lies my faith: ‘Sacred Flame.'”
Sacred Flame (聖火).
Unstoppable. Guaranteed damage.
True Damage flames.
However, Park Ki-hyuk immediately grasped the essence of these Sacred Flames.
“Fucking hell, are you burning humans?”
“Man was destined to d*e. Isn’t it a blessing if we use them as fertilizer for Archangel?”
Indeed.
‘Sacred Flame’ is forged from the life force of humans.
In short, the ‘Sacred Flame’ just ignited cost human sacrifices.
Holy armor, relics, Sacred Flame… and TA angels along with Savior.
And as time passed and the battle intensified, elite priests of Celutis kept joining the fray.
TA angels and Savior in the sky.
Elite priests on the ground.
Three grand priests ahead.
The whole city has raised swords against Park Ki-hyuk alone.
“Alright, let’s see it.”
As Park Ki-hyuk is enveloped by the Abyss Cape and Dragon Armor ‘Comrade,’ another black wave engulfs the sky. And soon after, falling from the sky like rain—
Skeletons.
An army of cloaked Skeletons.
“Making a mess? That’s our specialty.”
