Chapter 235  

The scarlet evening sky had a red pupil. Darkness enveloped the landscape, and the atmosphere was thick with demon power.

- We are, for sure, in the Demon World.

“Have you ever been to the Demon World?" Lee Shin asked Gene Ebrium.

- Well, no. It’s rare for a human to venture into the Demon World. No, wait. It’s more accurate to say that it’s unheard of.

Lee Shin nodded, looked at the surroundings, and furrowed his eyebrows at the dense demon power; it made his nose tingle.

"Looking at the surroundings, it seems like we're in the fifth district right now,” Lee Shin said.

- Hmm, I think so, too. The demon power is awfully thick.

As far as the eye could see, a barren expanse stretched before them. If Baal had summoned Lee Shin here, there must have been a good reason. Therefore, Lee Shin carefully activated his mana, preparing for whatever might come their way.

- Something's coming.

They detected a massive amount of demon power, covering a radius of several kilometers. The power raced across the vast expanse of land, slicing through the air and heading in their direction. Perhaps the demon was making a grand entrance into the fifth district.

Lee Shin could not help but chuckle and immediately gathered his mana, which soon transformed into black mana. The scent of death was in the air, making it an ideal environment for black mana to thrive.

[Dark Blitz Gun]

With the range narrowed and the target fixed, Lee Shin aimed directly at the approaching cluster of demon power.

Babababam—!

A deafening roar echoed from the distant, unseen location. Moments later, a fierce gust of wind swept through the area. Although Lee Shin had effectively dealt with the mass of demon power he had sensed, he had yet to pinpoint the exact location of the enemy.

- Is he skilled in long-range attacks?

"What a tricky one to deal with," Lee Shin replied.

If Lee Shin maintained his current mana detection range, he could respond to any attack in time, but he was aware that simply waiting would not help them catch the enemy.

[Shadow Space]

Lee Shin quickly dispersed the Corps of Immortality in all directions to determine the enemy’s location. Rather than simply spreading his mana, Lee Shin would lure the opponent to make a move.

- That’s not a bad idea.

The demon power flew out again to intercept the charging Undead. As soon as Lee Shin detected the demon power, he narrowed the range of his mana wave and maximized its precision.

- Can you sense something?

"Yes," Lee Shin replied.

He could only faintly sense a Great Devil’s presence despite using this level of precise mana detection. The demon’s stealth ability seemed comparable to the god of stealth’s.

[Dark Thunder]

Rumble—!

Upon detecting the enemy's location, Lee Shin unleashed his dark thunderbolt. The lightning branches split into several strands, hoping to strike down the enemy, but they only hit the ground.

- He is also quite quick.

Gene Ebrium seemed to be watching the situation with excitement. The distance between the enemy and Lee Shin was at least a kilometer. It seemed like the demon had no intention of getting any closer, as the enemy used its swift mobility to maintain some distance between them while killing the Corps of Immortality.

“Hmm… He’s not attacking me. Does he think that it's pointless to attack the leader?" Lee Shin muttered.

Or perhaps he was trying to eliminate the bothersome Corps of Immortality first.

- What a foolish decision to make when facing the Corps of Immortality.

In fact, it was the worst possible approach because the Corps of Immortality would keep coming back no matter how many times one killed them. If the enemy had something else on their mind, Lee Shin just had to lay a trap to capture him.

‘It seems like he is moving without a plan, but there is some pattern to it.’

Woong—!

Having activated his black mana, Lee Shin released a surge of mana that emitted a dark, ethereal glow into the sky.

[Dark Thunder]

Long-range sniping was not unique to the enemy; Lee Shin could also employ it.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The Great Devil deftly dodged the consecutive strikes of the black thunderbolts; unbeknownst to him, Lee Shin subtly manipulated his movement, gradually leading him to the desired position.

[Fall in Abyss]

Thunk!

With a snap of his finger, a massive abyss, hundreds of meters in radius, opened wide to swallow the Great Devil. He tried to avoid the black hands reaching out from the abyss, trying to pull him in from all directions, but it was futile."Urgh..." The Great Devil groaned.

The black hands, popping out from everywhere, gripped the Great Devil as he tried to blend into the surroundings to hide from them.

- The resistance is strong.

Even with hundreds of hands trying to drag the Great Devil in, he stubbornly resisted it all. However, Lee Shin had already expected this. After all, his goal was to keep him static for a bit, so the current situation was good.

[True Thunderbolt]

Rumble—! Crack!

A powerful thunderstorm rumbled in the sky. Within this blackened realm, a single streak of white lightning bolt struck the Great Devil’s head.

"Kaaaah!" shouted the Great Devil in pain.

The Great Devil trembled. He had the monstrous form of a bull with two menacing dark horns protruding from its head. And compared to its massive body, its wings were relatively small.

- I think this one has been trained well to take a thorough beating.

Even a divine incarnation could not withstand this magic, yet the Great Devil endured it while simultaneously keeping himself from being dragged into the abyss.

"Then we’ll just keep hitting him until he can't resist anymore," Lee Shin replied to Gene Ebrium.

Lee Shin abruptly called back all the Undead into the shadow and focused on unleashing the spell, True Thunderbolt, again.

Babababam—!

The second strike stunned the Great Devil, leaving him momentarily immobile. Another black hand flew out of the abyss, grabbed the demon, and dragged him inside.

[You have defeated an opponent with a divinity class of 20 or higher.]

[You have partially fulfilled the conditions of The Path to Become an Adversary.]

Emerging from the shadows, the Great Devil unveiled its new form as an Undead. Its eyes now glimmered with a sinister darkness, exuding an eerie aura.

- Wow, you’ve just incorporated a Great Devil from the fifth district into your Corps of Immortality… Is this why Baal called you over to the fifth district?

"I'm not really sure,” Lee Shin replied.

This fight had started suddenly, but was it really a coincidence? This Great Devil had a divinity class of 20 or above, meaning he was among the top twelve Great Demons seated on the throne. It was highly unusual for such a formidable being to confront Lee Shin alone, without the support of any subordinates, suggesting that there was likely a hidden motive behind this confrontation.

Thunk…

"Ugh!" Lee Shin groaned.

Suddenly, Lee Shin sensed more thick demon power suppressing the mana waves he had spread out. This time, the thick demon power originated from three directions.

- Be careful!

Gene Ebrium had been composed all along; now, even he was showing signs of urgency due to the overwhelming demon power. To address this, Lee Shin clenched his teeth and summoned Lilian, Grand Spirits, and the Corps of Immortality. Lilian and the Corps of Immortality took one side, the Grand Spirits took another, and Lee Shin was responsible for the last one.

- This one is on a different level.

Lee Shin did not even have time to respond to Gene Ebrium. Was his previous fight just a warm-up round? The demon power from this opponent was on a whole other level.

Kugugugugugu...

A tremendous surge of energy emanated from the north side at a 60-degree angle. The demon power was dense with hostility and murderous intent. It was coming.

[Transcendence]

Lee Shin slowed down time by using Transcendence.

[Divine Realm Breaking Force]

Lee Shin tried to lower the enemy’s class and diminish its power.

- Use Martyr!

Lee Shin was already planning on doing so. He quickly got into his battle stance and held Martyr tightly.

Thump thump thump!

Someone approached Lee Shin from the back, and he threw Martyr to the newcomer.

Swoosh—!

The newcomer gasped Martyr and gathered the divine power contained within it. Oskepel, the head of the army of the Corps of Divinity, awakened again. With a twist of his wrist, he swung it down.

"Divine Demon Slash!" Oskepel shouted, looking at the front.

Golden divine power flowed out from the hands of the Undead; it was a peculiar sight. This resulted from Lee Shin's extensive studies, investigations, and unraveling of the complex relationship using Martyr. If it were Lee Shin of the past, Oskepel would have lost all his divine power upon becoming an Undead. However, now, things were different. Although his divine power was weaker than when he was alive, he did not have to discard his divine power.

Lee Shin used a spell that harnessed the characteristic of greed, which was a form of chaos. Divine power and black mana converged on the blade simultaneously, soaring in the form of a crescent moon. Lee Shin had developed this technique to eradicate demon power. Although it could not completely block the dense demon power, it could buy them some time.

[True Thunderbolt]

Lee Shin targeted the enemy's main body.Kugugugugu—

Babababam!

A pure white lightning bolt fell from the sky, striking the Great Devil floating in the air, its wings fluttering. The clash between the demon power and the Divine Demon Slash had already weakened the demon power significantly; now, Lee Shin's shield successfully blocked the remaining force, causing it to dissipate. As a result, the Great Devil was struck by the True Thunderbolt and fell.

"Tsk!" Lilian clicked her tongue.

Lilian's voice echoed from afar. Lilian and the Corps of Immortality seemed to be being pushed back in the battle. While the Grand Spirits managed to hold their ground, they could not maintain it for much longer.

‘Looking at their level of skills, they don’t seem to be the weakest in the fifth district.’

A monstrous figure stood before them, accompanied by a massive vulture perched on his shoulder. Despite his elderly appearance, with wrinkles covering his body, his twisted and distorted features gave him an eerie and unsettling look.

Kaaaaak—!

The vulture clinging onto the creature’s shoulder emitted a harsh shrill as it took to the sky. The dampness in the air disturbed Lee Shin’s senses. An eerie phenomenon occurred as the vulture ascended. Suddenly, frost began to form on the ground, and icy hail fell from the sky.

"Is he a monster of the ice branch?" Lee Shin muttered.

- That’s very interesting. Just by taking off, it created a frozen field.

The mana flow gradually slowed, and movement felt restricted as if they were glued to the ground. Even though Lee Shin had activated Transcendence, this unpleasant field affected not only him but also Lilian and the Corps of Immortality at the back.

"Tsk." Lee Shin clicked his tongue, looking at the situation unfolding before him.

He wasn’t even sure he could defeat the old man, but he also had to defeat two other Great Devils. Therefore, he started to question whether this was what Baal wanted.

‘What a darn bastard.’

Baal's tempting words lured Lee Shin here, but the demon betrayed him with a sudden strike from behind. Lee Shin's expression contorted, his facial muscles twitching with anger and determination. He vowed to eliminate all those standing before him and ensure that he would reach Baal, seeking vengeance for the betrayal.

- This is odd.

Gene Ebrium made an abrupt remark. The uncertainty in his voice brought clarity to Lee Shin’s mind, causing the red haze that had consumed Lee Shin's vision to dissipate. As he opened his eyes wide and focused on the front, he noticed a faint smile on the old man's face.

‘Huh? What's going on? When did that happen?’

Lee Shin started to question when the emotion of anger was planted in him, realizing how natural it had felt at that moment. Being in the Demon World, a realm saturated with demon power, it was no surprise that their abilities had the potential to influence him. Recognizing the danger he had narrowly avoided, Lee Shin's senses sharpened.

[Summoning of the World of Death]

A majestic world loomed above the Demon World. Once saturated with the demon power, the atmosphere began to be tainted by the scent of death. Also, the red sky began to turn dark.

Crack—!

The once damp ground quickly transformed into dry land, and the apparitions of death began to manifest through the cracks.

- Heh...

Even Gene Ebrium, the owner of the Corps of Immortality as well as a user of black mana, was surprised by the extraordinary power. The vulture that soared through the sky, sweeping through the air, fell helplessly. Moreover, the once-wavering Corps of Immortality rose again.

"Kahahahaha!"

A loud cheer echoed from the front.

"Quite remarkable," the old man muttered, looking at Lee Shin.

Suddenly, intense demon power emanated from the old man, who had been laughing heartily. The other two demons at the back also emanated immense demon power. Demon power filled the atmosphere within the World of Death.

"Territory Declaration," the old man said.

Kugugugugugugugu...!

As soon as he said that, the world began to tremble, and cracks appeared.

'No way… The World of Death is…’

Hundreds—no, thousands of cracks appeared in The World of Death, and it abruptly shattered like glass.

- I can’t believe he destroyed the World of Death. Is it possible because we’re in the Demon World?

Even Gene Ebrium could not hide his surprise and muttered. The shattering of his deity-level power seemed to have left a substantial aftereffect on him. It had been a long time since he had experienced such bewilderment. While unexpected situations had arisen in the past, the overall course of the battlefield had remained relatively consistent with his anticipated plans.

However, this time was a bit different. He felt like he had become a pawn, not the master. The feeling was not entirely unfamiliar, but it was still uncomfortable. That was because even when he was weak, he was never the type to be dominated by others.

"This is amusing," Lee Shin muttered.

With a smirk, Lee Shin activated his mana. Perhaps it was time to return to his origins. Since when has he needed the assistance of others?

- What are you doing?

Gene asked, confused, when Lee Shin summoned Lilian, the Corps of Immortality, and the Grand Spirits again. Lee Shin ignored his question and concentrated on the movement of his mana. He broadened his sensory perception field and designated the three monsters. Then, he read their movements and countered them at the same time.

"Judging by the aura, it doesn't seem like your mana is completely depleted. So then, does that mean you have given up on life?" The lion-headed Great Devil, facing off against the Corps of Immortality and Lilian previously, approached Lee Shin.

"If you're weak, you should die. Kek Kek..." The Great Devil with a horse's head, who had been facing the Grand Spirits, muttered.

"Yes, that’s right. You spoke well," Lee Shin replied, looking at the two.

Kwadddtth!

Lee Shin clenched the ground beneath the Great Devils with psychokinesis, and his eyes flashed violet.

"So, that's why you all should die," Lee Shin said.

An excitement, distinct from the earlier anger, filled Lee Shin, displaying a sense of hope and desire on his face this time.