Chapter 155

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 155: The Demon (3)

Kwon Hanul stared for a moment at the spot where Beruel had vanished.

“…What just happened?”

Startled, Kwon Hanul turned to the side. Sasha Babel was looking right at him.

The moment he saw her, regret flooded in.

They’d been so close—there was no way she hadn’t overheard his conversation with Beruel.

“Well… that is…”

Hanul scrambled for something—anything—to say.

If even a fragment of what he and Beruel had discussed got out, it’d be a disaster.

But no plausible excuse came to mind.

“…You and that demon were just glaring at each other without saying a word. Then suddenly, the demon disappeared. What the hell just happened?”

What came out of Sasha Babel’s mouth completely caught Hanul off guard.

“What do you mean? You didn’t hear anything we said?”

“‘Said’? You two were just staring at each other… Weren’t you?”

Kwon Hanul and Sasha both looked at each other in confusion.

‘What is she talking about? Is she trying to fool me?’

Just then, while Hanul was watching her face—

—You shouldn’t doubt innocent people like that.

Beruel’s voice echoed in his ear. Hanul looked around, startled.

“Beruel? You’re still alive?”

—Oh, no—my body’s already gone. I’m in the middle of soul disintegration.

So this was him using his last breath—speaking to Hanul before he completely faded.

—No one here in the Sky Arena, including her, could hear what we said.

“…You sure about that?”

—I’m a demon who values privacy, you know. I used my authority to make sure of it. But not anymore—so watch what you say.

At that, Hanul turned back toward Sasha. She looked at him like he was completely insane.

To avoid looking any crazier, he spoke in his mind: ‘So it’s true no one else could hear our conversation?’

—Of course it’s true. What—don’t you trust me?

The urge to blurt out “How the hell am I supposed to trust a demon?” rose to his throat, but he swallowed it back.

—-I was going to keep quiet until I completely disappeared, but I got bored. And curious.

‘Curious about what?’

You should’ve started to feel something by now.

—…Feel something?

And just then—

“Gah!”

A searing heat surged through his entire body—as if molten metal had been poured into his veins.

“Khagh!”

It was unbearable. Hanul collapsed to the floor in agony.

“W-What’s happening to you all of a sudden?!”

Sasha rushed over in alarm.

‘You… tricked me.’

—Wow. Harsh. I generously gave you everything I had. You doubt me?

Beruel grumbled.

This is a natural reaction to absorbing the Half-Demon Bloodline.

‘But that never happened when I accepted other bloodlines.’

—This one’s different. It’s a fragment of divinity. You think a human can just take that in without any side effects? That’s wishful thinking.

Beruel chuckled.

—Better to get the pain over with now. Since you’ve already endured this once, the next half should go in easier—assuming you even get the chance.

Hanul wanted to ask what he meant by “next half,” but the pain was too much.

—Looks like you’re about done adapting.

As Beruel said that, the pain rapidly faded.

But though the pain was gone, Hanul’s body wouldn’t move. He had no strength, no mana—he was completely spent.

—You’ll need more time to fully adapt. Until then, don’t expect to do anything.

‘…Is that why you started talking to me again?’

—Yeah. Aren’t you grateful I explained it all so nicely?

Hanul let out a dry chuckle. Who would've thought he’d ever feel grateful to a demon?

—But now that it’s over, I’m bored again.

Beruel suddenly announced.

Hanul felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Why don’t you just quietly disappear already.’

—Now where’s the fun in that?

‘You shouldn’t even have any power left.’

—I’ve got a tiny bit left.

‘Didn’t you promise not to harm me?’

Hanul brought out his final card.

—This isn’t harm—it’s just a little prank.

‘What kind of bullshit—’

—Well then, good luck surviving.

Hanul suddenly felt Beruel’s magic flare to life one last time—and the Sky Arena trembled violently.

An overwhelming pressure slammed down on him—and not just him. Sasha Babel was also forced to the ground.

“W-What’s happening now?!”

Sasha shouted in panic.

Hanul tried to stay calm and assess the situation.

Then he noticed—

The sky beyond the Sky Arena was moving. It was racing past at an unbelievable speed.

“…The arena is rising.”

The Sky Arena was rocketing into the sky, and the pressure was a byproduct of its ascent.

Given the intensity of the pressure and how fast the scenery was shifting, they were ascending at an incredible speed.

“Aaaaah!” Sasha screamed. The ground began to crack beneath them.

Not just the ground—everything in the Sky Arena was collapsing, shattering.

Even as it broke apart, the arena continued to rise.

And then—at the moment it completely disintegrated—the ascent stopped.

The debris floated midair, as if gravity had abandoned it. Among the floating wreckage was Kwon Hanul.

While drifting in midair, he looked down.

He could see the ocean and the continent in a single glance.

It was breathtakingly beautiful. But he couldn’t enjoy it.

“…That damned demon! What the hell did he do?!”

If he could see the continent from here, that meant they were really high up.

And what goes up… must come down.

“Goddammit!”

The floating sensation vanished—he began to fall.

Not just Hanul. Everything from the arena was falling with him.

“Aaaaah! What is happening?!”

“Help! Somebody help!”

Voices of other participants echoed between the falling debris. It was pure panic.

But Hanul had no time to worry about them. He had to think about saving himself first.

“This is insane!”

Thanks to the aftereffects of absorbing the Half-Demon Bloodline, he had no strength, no mana.

If he hit the ground like this, he’d die.

“Hey!”

A familiar voice called out. He looked up—Sasha Babel.

“Take my hand!”

She reached for him. Hanul quickly grabbed her hand.

She pulled him in and embraced him tightly, then began to channel her magic.

“E Ade Ra!”

She chanted a divine incantation. An invisible force tried to catch them.

Their fall slowed slightly—then picked up again.

Still, she didn’t give up.

“E Ade Ra!”

Once more, their descent eased—only to return to full speed. Despair flickered across Sasha’s face.

“E Ade Ra!”

Not much distance left to the ocean now.

It wasn’t land, but from this height, the impact would be just as deadly.

“…Sasha Babel.”

This was the end. Hanul looked her in the eye.

“Thank you.”

The sea rushed up to meet them. Hanul shut his eyes, bracing for death.

And then—he felt it.

A blast of hot wind surged upward beneath them.

A rising column of heat pushed Hanul and Sasha back into the air, slowing their fall.

They drifted downward like dandelion seeds.

And it wasn’t just the two of them. The other participants and the arena debris were also falling gently.

“…What the hell is happening now?”

Hanul looked around, eyes wide. Then something huge swooped past.

A massive creature was flying through the sky. Its dark scales shimmered in the sunlight with every movement.

“No way…”

Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Hanul refused to believe it.

Considering that person’s personality… it just didn’t seem possible.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

But it was right there—clear as day. He couldn’t deny it anymore.

“Chairman…?”

A giant black dragon was soaring through the wreckage.

Stunned by the sudden appearance of Kwon Seonwoo’s incarnation, Kwon Hanul was left speechless.

–You survived. Impressive.

Kwon Seonwoo’s voice rang out in his mind. Kwon Hanul followed him with trembling eyes.

“How are you here?”

—I saw the Demon King appear. He must be eradicated at all costs.

Kwon Seonwoo spoke in a flat tone.

—But when I arrived, there was no Demon King—just you lot falling from the sky. I figured you’d die if I left you, so I stepped in.

The sudden updraft—

It was Kwon Seonwoo’s doing.

Thanks to him, Kwon Hanul and the other participants had survived.

—Seems you’ve grown close to Babel’s daughter.

Only then did Kwon Hanul and Sasha Babel realize that he was still holding her tightly.

The two quickly separated. With a beet-red face, Sasha Babel addressed Kwon Seonwoo.

“I pay my respects to the Chairman of Hyukcheon.”

—Skip the greeting and prepare yourself.

“Huh?”

Before she could finish her sentence, the updraft vanished. Their bodies began falling again.

Kwon Hanul and Sasha Babel plunged into the sea. Behind them, the other participants and the Sky Arena’s remains came crashing down.

* * *

“Whoa…”

The Dragon Slayer looked up at the sky in awe. More precisely, he was staring at the black dragon floating above.

“So that’s Kwon Seonwoo’s incarnation. Seeing it in person… it’s incredible.”

Though he bore the title "Dragon Slayer," he had never actually slain a dragon.

That was why he couldn’t help but be intrigued by Kwon Seonwoo’s incarnation.

“I’m not at a level where I could take that on yet.”

He gauged the difference between himself and Kwon Seonwoo’s transformed incarnation. As he was now, he didn’t stand a chance.

Unless his Red Dragon Star grew at least twice as strong, it was impossible.

“Hey, find out what happened to my disciple.”

The Dragon Slayer turned to Azeth Hermes. But no matter how long he waited, there was no response.

Azeth Hermes stood frozen, mouth agape, like a man out of his mind.

“Hey?”

Only after the second prompt did Azeth Hermes snap out of it.

“Ah… sorry. It was just such a moving moment… I kind of lost myself. You were asking about your disciple?”

Azeth Hermes pulled a compass-like relic from subspace. After fiddling with it, he spoke.

“The Red Dragon Star energy has been cut off. Looks like she’s dead.”

“…What? She’s dead? Are you sure? You’re not lying, are you?”

“It’s true. Mano Stonelight is dead.”

Azeth Hermes put the relic back into subspace.

“She and you were the only experimental subjects to manifest the Red Dragon Star. What a shame.”

“Then what about me? I needed her to further strengthen my Red Dragon Star!”

The Dragon Slayer exploded with anger. Azeth Hermes clicked his tongue and replied, “Without absorbing Mano Stonelight’s Red Dragon Star, there’s nothing to be done.”

“Goddammit!”

The Dragon Slayer kicked the yacht’s railing. It broke off and flew into the distance.

“I poured so much into raising Mano! All because of that bastard, Kwon Hanul!”

“Calm yourself. Thanks to Mano Stonelight’s data, our experiment success rate has drastically increased. New test subjects are already being prepared in Aeon. You can absorb them instead.”

But the Dragon Slayer couldn’t easily suppress his fury. It was natural—everything he had worked for had been reduced to nothing.

“Just in case, let me remind you… you are not to lay a hand on Kwon Hanul until we give the go-ahead.”

“What? I thought we needed that ‘vessel’ thing? Then I’ll just kill him and take it!”

“The vessel is incredibly delicate. It’s not something you can claim through brute force.”

Azeth Hermes’ gaze turned cold.

“Do not touch him. We only just found the vessel’s location. I won’t tolerate interference.”

The Dragon Slayer swallowed hard.

“What even is this vessel that you’re so obsessed with?”

“It’s an extraordinary item. The Red Dragon Star was created from just a fraction of our understanding of it.”

The Dragon Slayer was stunned all over again. It was the first time he’d heard such a thing.

“Those Hyukcheon fools— they stole the vessel without even realizing what it was. And thanks to that, we have another chance.”

Azeth Hermes let out a short laugh, as though unable to fully express his joy. He then started clawing at the skin on his face with his fingers.

“If it was that valuable, you should’ve kept it safe. How did Hyukcheon manage to steal it?”

“You wound me. It was just bad luck, nothing more. Who could’ve predicted that we’d run into Hyukcheon while transporting the slave carrying the vessel?”

As if he had never laughed, Azeth Hermes now scowled deeply.

“Even now, I get furious thinking about it. That bastard… if I could tear him apart, it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“That bastard? Who are you talking about?”

Azeth Hermes ground his teeth.

“There was someone like that. One of Kwon Seonwoo’s children. His name was…”

He paused for a moment, then said:

“Kwon Cheon.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]