Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 360

The principle followed by the Violence Cult is the logic of power. This is the reason why the multitude of human figures within the Violence Cult can maintain some semblance of order. Everyone adheres to the policy of the Great Warrior.

The War Leader desires a glorious death. This means he will not seek combat unless the opponent is equal to or stronger than him.

Therefore, the current generation of the Violence Cult does not attack the elderly, children, or pregnant women first. Absurd as it may sound, that’s how it is.

And the massive Flash Golem standing before him was not the glorious death the War Leader had been seeking. With blue-black flesh, exposed organs, and that dark curse forcefully holding everything together?

“How truly sacrilegious.”

It felt as if it sullied the honor of a lion. Just the thought of becoming like that after death made one want to retch.

At the very least, the War Leader believed that such a thing should not exist. And that sense of disgust and anger naturally directed towards the creator of the Golem, not the Golem itself.

“I will kill you!!”

[The mad dog that has already been defeated barks well.]

Mocking the War Leader, the Demon King flicked his fingers as if playing an instrument.

The shape of the ritual chamber began to squirm and transform. Sensing the familiar energy, Yeon-woo quickly grasped what the Demon King was scheming.

No wonder they were saving their strength on the plains; it seemed their plan was to unleash the spatially unrestricted monsters from the Netherworld to crush the elite infiltration squad.

‘Dawn, can you tell Osiris to give me a heads up in three minutes?’

[Got it.]

How long had they waited for this timing? Seizing control of the Netherworld was more than just weakening the enemy’s forces.

Why is it that martial artists don’t suffer internal injuries when forcibly severed from the martial arts they were operating?

It’s similar. If the Demon King, while pulling the Netherworld into reality and subjugating it under him, loses control of the Netherworld’s authority, one can only imagine the enormous damage the Demon King would sustain.

If they can exploit that brief moment of vulnerability, taking down the Demon King in a single blow wouldn’t be a mere dream. Moreover, the monsters from the Netherworld would recognize the Demon King’s forces as enemies, amplifying the effects significantly.

Slowly, shadows that spread from the Demon King’s feet began to taint the entire ritual chamber. It was an ominous sight, yet for Yeon-woo, it was nothing short of what he had been hoping for.

“They’re coming, guys!!”

Yeon-woo could feel the tension among his friends in the back. He had said it loud enough to make their ears ring.

Warning them to be cautious when the monsters summoned by the Demon King, the beast-type ones instead of the undead, emerged. Trying to kill them would be a foolish act.

For martial artists, there were few opponents tougher to deal with than that. While a mage might find another way, a martial artist opted for immediate combat power over adaptability to various situations.

Fortunately, with Baek In-hwa around, they had some countermeasures, but how long would that last? Though he had heard they would prioritize targeting the Demon King once Osiris lost control.

As a spear thrust towards him, he tried to deflect it with his sword, yet the Death Knight before him quickly pulled back, maintaining distance.

Their method of suffocating breaths was incredibly skilled, even as they became a mere skeleton and no longer required to breathe.

It was not easy; he struggled against the grasping hands of the dead, holding onto his ankles. Everything was a nuisance. Including the intensifying pressure making it harder to breathe.

‘I’m fine since I’m used to it… but are the others okay?’

The way to overcome the overwhelming pressure pressing down on the entire space is to secure an unassailable identity, shielding oneself.

Around Namgung Seong, blue energy crackled, while Kim Yoo-min protected herself with pure breathing. As for Kim Hyun-soo… the pressure didn’t even dare to approach him.

Surprisingly enough, Baek In-hwa was just fine. Upon closer look, the icy white core surrounding her hand was synergizing with her ice martial art.

Thanks to the Ice Palace surviving for so long against Toyo, the ice martial art had gradually infused some of its energy into her.

Shar and Nea were taking care of the situation around Baek In-hwa. Since they couldn’t transform in their true forms inside this narrow underground temple, they were gradually expanding a safe space through adjustments and body techniques.

The Demon King seemed annoyed by their actions, scowling, but wasn’t launching any active attacks. The continual assaults from countless undead were enough to drain their stamina.

‘That’s quite passive.’

To express it nicely, he was cautious; to put it negatively, he was timid. In Yeon-woo’s eyes, it was closer to the latter than the former.

With an arrogant and cruel disposition, none of his abilities were fitting for a being called a Demon King outside of necromancy.

Looking at it this way triggered a memory. Before the regression, most of those killed by Nephren-Ka had been civilians, and there were no strong figures among them worth mentioning.

It all began with the horrific Saturday Incident. Most weekday incidents targeted Hunters.

Let alone the suppressed Friday, which should have been called a disaster, countless famous Hunters perished, yet the horrific Saturday was hardly different from a burglary. Even though the death toll was the highest among all incidents.

Self-centeredness and selfishness. Perhaps it was because he had been born with both in ample amounts that he had an attitude of never putting himself in danger.

As a result, he was unaware that this attitude was slowly strangling him. What a foolish child.

Well, that’s probably why he thought of making a contract with something like a Demon King. There’s no easier opponent to manipulate than someone who believes they can surpass the Demon King and use him someday.

From the shadows spreading around, something crimson and dark began to emerge.

Like fast-twitch fibers coming to life, a monstrous wolf with a form where nothing outside its mouth and teeth was visible, left its origins ambiguous—where it hears, where it sees, and where it scents.

As Kim Hyun-soo swung his mace at the creature that appeared beside him, thud!! With a smacking sound, a hole punctuated the monster’s head, dark crimson muscle fibers projecting against the wall.

“Hmmm, nice feel, but….”

Kim Hyun-soo nonchalantly muttered this when the monster’s severed head began regenerating beside him.

That wasn’t all. Not only had the head that flew against the wall started to regenerate, but what was initially one monster had turned into two.

“So that’s why it can’t be killed.”

“Did we really need to confirm that?!!”

An incredibly sharp strike grazed the tip of Yeon-woo’s nose as a spear spun around him.

Although it was an attack he could have easily avoided, he hadn’t been able to because of the hands of the undead reaching out from all directions. They had been a terrific nuisance.

But it wasn’t like there were no openings. They were maintaining a relative defense on purpose, merely observing the situation.

Ambushes yield optimal efficiency when one strikes when the opponent is at their weakest.

Yeon-woo’s internal clock, which had been quite precise even before the regression, had become even more accurate thereafter. The margin for error was just about one second. In other words, Yeon-woo was measuring time from the moment he spoke to Dawn.

Monsters leaking foul saliva padded around the party. With their nearly immortal regeneration and strong presence, the necromancers wore expressions of joy.

Surely, those monsters could turn this situation around.

“Ugh!!”

As Yeon-woo ignited the grasping hands of the dead with his aura and dashed forward, the Death Knight, watching him coldly, brandished its spear.

It restricted the path Yeon-woo was meant to take. The once growing radiant path was pruned one by one, as if being severed. From the few available choices, Yeon-woo resolutely chose to move straight ahead.

Even then, despite burning away endlessly rising hands of the dead, they kept trying to grab him, encroaching in number, yet he didn’t mind at all. The path will open. If it doesn’t open, then he’ll just force it open.

The white great sword in Yeon-woo’s hand danced. It wasn’t resembling the usage method of Claire he usually employed. Its beautiful trajectory appeared as if a dance was unfolding.

[Ugh, uh…!!]

At the moment the Death Knight took a step back to respond, a sudden painful groan erupted from behind him.

The necromancers turned back, faces filled with panic. Nephren-Ka, slumped on the throne, twisted his face, pressing his chest.

The shadows that had been encroaching on all sides began to recede. All that remained were the monsters of the Netherworld cast down to the surface.

The shadows that had nested beneath their feet receded, and soon they all turned their heads sharply towards the Demon King.

The Death Knight and Flash Golem were similarly influenced. Suddenly, their movements halted.

The radiant path visible to Yeon-woo expanded dramatically. The Death Knight, tracking White’s sword dance with his eyes, could do nothing, and the flesh Golem was also dismantled by the War Leader’s double axe.

Yeon-woo comprehended the situation far quicker than the War Leader. He dashed towards the path leading to Nephren-Ka.

There was no need for a follow-up strike. What he needed now was a decisive blow that could assure the opponent’s death. Even though the War Leader, realizing the situation late, was trailing behind him, by that point, Yeon-woo was already well within Nephren-Ka’s reach.

“Ugh──.”

Yeon-woo drew a deep breath. At that exact moment, two attacks struck simultaneously. In the dark underground, a pale moon rose. The moonshadow was slenderly slicing through the world.

Moon Cross. A strike that simultaneously hammered down on Nephren-Ka’s body like a full moon’s light bore down on him.

‘… This is too easy?’

Yeon-woo muttered without realizing.

Boom!!

In the center of the underground temple’s ritual chamber, a massive cross-shaped mark of destruction was engraved. Once he had acted, he instinctively looked up at the ceiling, wondering if it might collapse.

Beside him, the monsters from the Netherworld charged towards the necromancers. Looking at it like this, they appeared a bit larger yet adorable—like hunting dogs?

(To be continued in the next chapter.)