NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 364
Chapter 365
[Thanks to that, I no longer need to deal with useless subordinates. Should I express my gratitude for that?]
The man said, tapping his thigh with his fingers, as if he found it amusing.
Coincidentally, Yeon-Woo didn’t have time to realize what was so enjoyable for the man. Attacks were pouring in from all directions.
She slashed away the sharp, speedy tentacles that lunged at her and brushed off the hands trying to grab her legs. The ground shifted, threatening to swallow her legs as she jumped.
Just then, the world flipped upside down, and she narrowly avoided smashing her head into the ground by rolling away.
Stars fell, mist enveloped the area, a rabbit sprang from nowhere trying to gnaw at her with its sharp teeth, and bang!! A truck suddenly appeared, aiming to run her over.
It was overwhelming. The entire space was pressuring Yeon-Woo in ways she never imagined.
“I can’t make heads or tails of what you’re babbling about…!!”
[You were the one who said you wouldn’t listen. But out of kindness, I provided you with some time to hear me out.]
He was definitely laughing while saying that. Yeon-Woo could easily predict it. And though he said that, it was essentially impossible not to hear the Demon King’s voice.
He wasn’t merely talking to her; he was hammering his voice into Yeon-Woo’s brain.
When the Demon King spoke, it wasn’t just one voice coming from in front of her. The voice echoed all around: front, back, left, right, above, and below—everywhere, the Demon King’s voice was present.
In other words, this space was the very body of the Demon King. Although this expression had been used several times before, its significance was vastly different with this Demon King. It was a level of domain utilization that surpassed DRAGONS.
Even if you entered a human body, a person couldn’t move their organs or muscles at will. However, the Demon King before her ruled like a god, fully in control.
From this perspective, the identity of the monsters below made sense. They weren’t just simple creatures or minions. They weren’t even monsters under the Demon King’s control.
They were the ‘Demon King himself,’ detached and reshaped from an infinitely regenerating source.
Thus, there was no need for organs or entities needed for life. There was an existence above her that could cover for life itself. They were connected through a hole in the sky.
[It brings me joy to feel acknowledged. Ah, your sword must’ve hurt so much. I never expected you’d break through by slaughtering a swarm of bats to dust. Are you an idiot?]
“The one who made the breakthrough easy is the idiot.”
[Trying to act like a living being means giving up on many things. It was quite an entertaining experience.]
The Demon King raised a hand as if to hush her and clenched a fist. Gradually, the chaotic situation surrounding Yeon-Woo began to settle.
Yeon-Woo took a breath and observed. Then, the Demon King smiled, looking satisfied.
[So, how about joining hands with me?]
“I was wondering why you weren’t talking.”
[Ha ha, don’t be so harsh; at least listen to my offer. It should be beneficial for you.]
Beneficial or not, she’d seen the Demon King toss Nephren-Ka away like a doormat. Would she accept such an offer?
Yeon-Woo decided to just catch her breath while letting the Demon King prattle on.
[Don’t you want to kill the Demon Kings? Hey, we feel the same way. Demon Kings are all beings desperate to kill each other.]
“It seems that way.”
She’d assumed he’d spout nonsense as soon as he opened his mouth, but that was likely the truth. To Demon Kings, each other was nothing but a competitor aiming to destroy or possess humanity in their own ways.
Just looking at the words of the Demon King of Fire made this evident. While he was upset that the Great Warrior was acting like a Demon King, wasn’t it implicit that he’d tried to swing a fist with the intention of killing other Demon Kings several times before that?
Leviathan had also expressed a desire to kill other Demon Kings, and Shuyo likely didn’t have any thoughts given her origins. As for the others, how could she know when she hadn’t even seen their faces?
[I’m not saying to join the cult. I’m not asking you to serve. I’ll lend you my strength. Kill all the Demon Kings. I won’t do a thing. If you want, I can also cooperate with humans. How about it? Not a bad proposition, right?]
“It’s not a bad proposition.”
Killing the Demon Kings aligned closely with Yeon-Woo’s own goals. After all, she had formed an alliance with Leviathan for similar reasons.
Of course, the reason for the alliance was that Leviathan was one of the few Demon Kings who hadn’t killed civilians.
She couldn’t say she’d never killed, but at least she hadn’t gleefully killed unrelated civilians out of boredom.
[So, what do you say? Will you accept my offer?]
A low rumble echoed throughout the space. Yeon-Woo frowned at the sound. It wasn’t just her face that frowned.
[Dad, my head hurts….]
[Sister, are you okay?!]
Shar began to complain about a headache. Yeon-Woo felt it somewhat, but the Demon King’s voice seemed to invade and disturb others’ minds.
Thanks to her qualifications as a hero or perhaps her innate mental strength, Yeon-Woo was only slightly affected beyond a headache. Tae-oh, being the Demon King’s child fundamentally, seem unaffected.
‘We can’t lose our minds, Shar. Tae-oh, help sister stay conscious.’
[Got it! Leave it to me!]
Tae-oh replied energetically to Yeon-Woo’s plea. Hearing his reply made her feel a bit more at ease.
Now was the time to respond to the Demon King, who only seemed interested in tricking her under the guise of making an offer.
“Yeah, eat this~.”
[It seems a gentle approach won’t work, huh?]
Seeing Yeon-Woo dash toward him while cursing, the Demon King laughed as if he’d predicted this.
*
She had imagined this scenario countless times, but this was her first time fighting within the Demon King’s domain. Yeon-Woo couldn’t help but feel tense, but oddly enough, her heart was calming down.
She didn’t know the enemy’s fighting style at all… Of course, she had some idea. Similar phenomena occurred with a doppelganger when it matured.
However, no stars fell, nor did trucks charge at them. A doppelganger could only manifest what it had consumed.
In other words, within the domain, one could say they were akin to a god. Yeon-Woo often used the term “like a god” in reference to domains, but in this instance, the Demon King truly embodied a primal creator.
The Demon King snapped his fingers. Yeon-Woo’s body, straddling the line between tension and ease, reacted instantly.
Slish, a mole-like creature leaped from the ground, split in two. She had taken one down, but Yeon-Woo’s sword didn’t pause.
Something shadowy crept from behind her and she slashed it. A monstrous bird that swooped in couldn’t evade her blade either.
[Wow, amazing!]
The Demon King exclaimed, marveling at Yeon-Woo’s swordsmanship. He was incredibly relaxed. Given that he’d described the happenings below as “painful,” it was clear he was still feeling pain yet managed to come off as unfazed.
Such enemies were the toughest ones. Pain was the best method to restrict an opponent’s actions. But because he felt no pain or treated it nonchalantly, she couldn’t impose any constraints, and thus, couldn’t unfold the battle as she wished.
‘First, I’ll destroy that body.’
The humanoid figure before her likely wasn’t the Demon King’s true form, either. But if she could crush that body with concentrated awareness, she’d at least be able to inflict a bit of pain.
Having made that judgment, Yeon-Woo defended herself against the doppelganger while gripping White in her opposite hand. Rather than power, she focused on frequency.
“Hoo.”
Taking a deep breath, it transformed into starlight. Yeon-Woo’s body eerily creaked, shrinking down to the height of Shar. By reducing her physical area, she also reduced her rate of dangerous threats.
[Ha ha, just what are you doing?]
The Demon King burst into laughter upon seeing her. She was far beyond the age to be affected by his ridicule.
Yeon-Woo swung White and the doppelganger around, almost like she was wildly swinging them. At first glance, it seemed haphazard, but it was rooted in strict rules.
First, eliminate the biological entity. It was one of the worst ways to attack—neither fast nor strong; it was incredibly inefficient.
Yet, that inefficiency carried its own strategic intent. He had said that trying to create life was forsaking many things, but the fact he chose that form meant there was something to gain.
For example, poison or bodily fluids. Although she could manage injuries from materials, if poison or fluids flowed through teeth or claws, that could become problematic.
Having developed resistance to poison through her own experience, it was uncertain whether she could withstand alien toxins.
[Hmm, you’re quick on the uptake. It´s quite delightful the more I see of you.]
As if reading Yeon-Woo’s thoughts, the Demon King muttered. There was no benefit in being liked by him. She charged at him, her thoughts a cacophony of anger.
With a few strides that felt like dozens of kilometers, it seemed as though the earth were against her. It felt like she was battling the very concepts of life, of inanimate matter.
Everything surrounding her was an enemy. The only things Yeon-Woo had faith in were those wrapped in her aura.
Everything was different.
Gravity reversed, gentle winds clawed at her skin, and the ground felt boggy. The physical laws of her realm twisted oddly. It felt as if another set of rules governed this space.
Yet, Yeon-Woo pressed on, relentlessly charging forward. She charged and charged. Reflecting on it, it dawned on her that the very concept of distance may be different as well. At that thought, subconsciously the space right in front of her folded.
[What?]
Spatial bending. The technique of “folding” space. No matter how different the sense of space might be, or how the governing laws of space could be different, she could still exist there, using one of the strangest techniques in this world.
Even the Demon King appeared taken aback. In an instant, Yeon-Woo stood before the Demon King.
In an absurdly simple way, White’s blade pierced through the humanoid body. Thud, the sound of flesh being sliced echoed through the space.
[Hey, if you were hiding something like this, you should’ve told me sooner. You surprised me.]
However, the Demon spoke in an utterly relaxed tone. The humanoid body began to crumple, yet the Demon King seemed unfazed.
[Now let me introduce myself, Hero. I am an entity from another realm, a great ancient one who serves the foolish father, the Lord of Thousand Forms, a messenger of the universe.]
Writhe, squirm…. Squirm-squirm squirm-squirm!!
The world surrounding Yeon-Woo distorted grotesquely. She knew she shouldn’t take it in with her eyes. If she kept watching, she’d surely lose her sanity. She quickly shut her eyes.
‘Shar, Tae-oh, don’t look!!’
The sound of something damp crawling echoed. The sound of a rat gnawing on something pierced through, the world seemed to shift.
Gradually, the noise subsided. Yeon-Woo slowly opened her eyes and realized what to call this existence.
“Chaos….”
[You’ve seen precisely, Hero!! I am indeed the crawling chaos, ѨѰѬѸѪѮ!!]
Eyes attached to the space surrounding Yeon-Woo gazed at her. Within a realm that could only be described as the universe, Yeon-Woo felt an intense chill.
(To be continued in the next episode)