Vol 2. Chapter 458: Gray Shield (2)

“Want to run? Or keep fighting?”

“Ha.”

A brief laugh, almost like a sigh, slipped from the highest-ranking holy knight’s mouth.

“What exactly would I be running from?”

At that, Cale pointed out the window.

“Those bastards.”

The blue dragon was visible outside.

By “those bastards,” Cale obviously meant both the Demon King’s army and the Five Colored Blood family.

“And by fighting more, do you mean fighting you?”

“Yeah.”

Cale pointed at himself.

“Fighting means fighting us some more.”

“Hmm.”

The highest-ranking holy knight lowered his sword and spoke.

“Could we not fight them together?”

Ha.

This time, it was Cale who laughed in disbelief.

He had to read the situation coldly.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

The Order of the God of Chaos had tried to stab both the hunters and the Demon King in the back once each.

But neither move had fully succeeded.

And now—

“You see me as the biggest obstacle here. You’d try to get rid of me first.”

When there was trouble inside and outside at the same time, the outside enemy always came first.

The holy knight pulling back here is the fixed constant.

From Cale’s perspective, the best outcome right now was for the highest-ranking holy knight to retreat with the holy knights as they were.

Otherwise, this turns into a three-on-one fight.

But if the Order of the God of Chaos pulled out now, Cale would at least buy himself time to prepare for what came next.

“Hmm.”

The highest-ranking holy knight looked around.

With that strange smile hanging at his lips, he was stalling for time.

He’s hesitant.

He hated to withdraw like this.

The great plan can no longer function properly anyway.

The great plan meant for the Demon World had already collapsed.

So then—

“Why are you reluctant?”

At Cale’s question, the holy knight only smiled.

Watching that unreadable expression, Choi Han bit his lip.

Rumble—

The dragon was getting closer.

And then—

BOOM!

The castle shook.

The enemies really were about to tear this place apart.

Choi Han could not hide his growing anxiety.

At that moment—

“Your original plan had two parts, didn’t it?”

Cale’s voice was calm to the point of being eerie.

He pressed the unconscious Pope’s head down under his foot and continued.

“First, take over the Demon World through gray sickness.”

And the other one—

“Second, use me as the sacrificial offering for the descent of the God of Chaos.”

“!”

For an instant, a strange light flickered in the highest-ranking holy knight’s eyes.

Watching him, the corner of Cale’s mouth lifted.

“You planning to ruin the second one too?”

My.

The highest-ranking holy knight let out a genuine note of admiration.

“You’re threatening me with your own life?”

At the question, Cale just shrugged.

“It’s less a threat than a courtesy to your side.”

That crooked smile on his face was infuriatingly smug.

“What do you think happens if I can’t get out of here and those bastards catch me?”

He did not know what the Demon King would do, but the Five Colored Blood Wanderers would definitely kill him if they caught him.

He was the biggest problem they had, the one who had already brought down three hunter families.

“If they get me, I’m not dying nicely.”

The expressions on his companions’ faces darkened at those words, but Cale just spoke to the highest-ranking holy knight in an easy tone.

“Then your second plan falls apart too, doesn’t it?”

He had gone straight to the heart of it.

“You have to keep me alive. In perfect condition. So you can offer me to the God of Chaos. That’s your only mission left now.”

Damn.

The highest-ranking holy knight let out a sigh.

Of the missions the God of Chaos had personally given them, the only one truly left was offering up Cale Henituse.

Everything else had already been wrecked.

And now this bastard was using that against him?

Cale gave the order without a shred of hesitation.

“So move to keep me alive.”

Even the Heavenly Demon and Head Steward Hitelis, who had been locked in battle, had stopped fighting and were now watching this unfold.

Hitelis in particular looked completely dumbfounded.

Her third eye stared at Cale as if asking whether he had finally lost his mind.

But the problem was—

He’s not wrong.

Everything Cale Henituse was saying right now was correct.

Cale pressed down harder with his foot.

Crunch.

“Ghk—ck—”

Even as the unconscious Pope coughed out a groan, Cale continued speaking with complete composure.

“Otherwise I die here.”

Wow.

The Heavenly Demon was impressed.

Now that was a proper threat.

Does he look like someone afraid of dying?

The Heavenly Demon thought he could see madness in Cale’s eyes.

That bastard means it.

He really was not afraid of dying.

Yes.

You could see it.

Sure, surviving matters to him. But wanting to survive and being afraid to die are two different things.

The Heavenly Demon was left speechless by how sincere Cale’s threat looked from any angle.

Then—

Cale did not miss the other master of betrayal and backstabbing, who had been quietly gauging the room.

“And General Mol.”

“!”

Mol, who had been trying to slip away little by little, froze when Cale caught him.

Grinning, Cale spoke to him.

“I stole the power the Pope had.”

He explained the situation with infuriating kindness.

“So if I die—if my heart stops—you know what happens, right?”

And then he started in on another threat.

“Gray sickness spreads through the entire Demon World.”

Just like gray sickness would have spread across the Demon World if the Pope had died, now the same would happen if Cale died.

Cale calmly stacked one threat on top of another.

“And now there’s no Pope left to purify it in one go. No saint either. So what, the Order of the God of Chaos is going to help the Demon King’s army—the same army that killed their precious sacrificial offering—and purify it for them?”

“......!”

General Mol’s jaw dropped open.

What the hell is this bastard?

That thought flashed through his mind without restraint.

But Cale was actually enjoying this situation very much.

They were always the ones making threats. Why shouldn’t he do the same?

“General Mol. If that happens, demons die because of the current Demon King. A lot of them. And you think word of that won’t spread?”

He gestured toward the companions around him.

“Even if I die, my people will make sure every last rumor gets out, with proof that this was all the Demon King’s fault. Clopeh Sekka.”

Cale called his name.

Clopeh immediately pulled a recording orb from inside his clothes, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“It has been recording all sound from the beginning.”

In the middle of battle, he had not been able to capture video, but he had at least preserved the audio.

“!”

General Mol revised his opinion.

That bastard really is insane!

No, seriously—who recorded the audio in the middle of this kind of battlefield?

And how did Cale Henituse know that, and ask for it as though it were the most natural thing in the world?

Mol found the whole thing absurd.

Of course, Choi Han and the average ten-year-olds were staring at Clopeh with slightly fed-up expressions, but Clopeh could barely hide how proud he was to be of use to Cale.

“Haha!”

And the Heavenly Demon laughed as if this were the funniest thing he had seen all night.

They had been fighting like mad just moments ago, and now this.

Still, from their side, it really was an entertaining turn of events.

Cale smiled with easy confidence and said,

“You have to keep me alive.”

It sounded less like a statement than a command spoken with absolute certainty.

And it was true.

Cale ordered the highest-ranking holy knight.

“So pull out.”

Then he got more specific.

“Take that one with the third eye and the rest of the holy knights with you. And while you’re retreating, draw the enemy’s attention too.”

Thud, thud.

He nudged the Pope’s body with his foot and added,

“Who knows? If you do that, maybe I’ll leave the Pope alive too. And maybe I’ll stay a nice healthy offering.”

“Hah! Well, this is just—”

The highest-ranking holy knight was so dumbfounded he could not even finish the thought.

No, that was not quite true.

He knew exactly what he wanted to say.

He simply could not bring himself to say it.

Cale turned away from him without the slightest regret and addressed Mol instead.

“And Mol. You sneak out right now and stop the Demon King’s army from attacking us.”

Mol could only stare. At first Cale had called him General Mol, and now he was ordering him around like some friend from next door.

And still Mol said nothing.

“That way, later on, the Demon King might at least get a chance to talk to me. You need those gray sickness seeds eliminated, don’t you? I’m the only one who can do it.”

Wow.

Mol was honestly impressed.

Cale waved both hands at the two men in a dismissive shooing motion.

“There. Go.”

And the two of them—

“......”

“......”

—stood there in silence for a moment.

Cale frowned at their sluggishness.

“What?”

He was starting to get annoyed.

“You want to fight? You really want to keep fighting?”

He was already out of time.

Why were these idiots moving so slowly and thinking so stupidly?

Cale spat out one last line.

“You want to see me die that badly?”

General Mol shut his eyes tight, then opened them again.

That man was neither villain nor saint.

He’s chaos.

That was the right way to think about him.

Yes. A madman like chaos itself.

“Haha!”

In the end, the highest-ranking holy knight laughed and said,

“This time, I will follow your wishes.”

He signaled to Hitelis and the holy knights with his eyes, then continued,

“Cale Henituse. Next time, I’ll come and claim that healthy body of yours.”

At those words, Choi Han turned a savage glare on the highest-ranking holy knight.

The man glanced at him, then ignored him.

That look—one that said you are still nowhere near me—made Choi Han bite his lip hard.

Today, he had lost.

That fact drove itself deep into Choi Han’s mind.

Next time—

Next time, I’ll surpass him.

Choi Han made the vow, but the highest-ranking holy knight did not care in the slightest.

“Eat well, sleep well, think healthy thoughts, and take care of your body.”

With that, the highest-ranking holy knight turned his back on them without hesitation and started walking away.

That bastard’s crazy too.

Watching him answer Cale’s threats with laughter and a line like that, Mol concluded that the highest-ranking holy knight was no ordinary monster either.

Just then—

“Yeah. Don’t worry about my health. But only your side is pulling back.”

“Hmm?”

The highest-ranking holy knight had been in the middle of what might have been a fairly stylish exit. He stopped and turned back.

Cale smiled.

“Our Team Leader.”

He pointed at Sui Khan.

“Leave the pack of high-ranking holy knights that did that to him behind.”

Even now, Cale had not forgotten.

“If you call them over and take them with you, I die.”

“......”

The highest-ranking holy knight let out a sigh and resumed walking.

That was answer enough.

With his back still turned, he added,

“It would be impossible to take them back anyway.”

Then he told Cale one fact.

If they were to keep him alive, he needed to understand how terrifying the enemy was.

“They must have collided with the third Emperor. That one won’t be coming back alive.”

“......”

Cale’s expression turned strange.

Some of the Order’s holy knights had gone out to find Cale and Sui Khan after they imitated the first Emperor.

The highest-ranking holy knight was certain those men had already ended up trapped between the Demon King’s army and the Wanderers—and in no pleasant shape.

Cale. Looks like the third Emperor really is that strong.

At the Ancient Tree’s words, Cale did not bother reacting. He just looked at General Mol.

“Ahem.”

Mol gave a dry cough, then started moving quietly.

“Let us go together.”

Clopeh slid up beside him at once.

Then he looked back at Cale with a face that practically said, I did well, didn’t I?

“What are you doing?”

Cale’s frown deepened.

“Pardon?”

Clopeh flinched in confusion, and Cale crooked a finger for him to come back over.

RUMBLE—

Right then, the dragon finally made its first contact with the castle wall.

It merely touched it.

That alone was enough to shake the entire castle.

CRACK.

A fracture split across the wall.

Even in the middle of all that, Cale still handled things one by one.

“I go?”

“Yeah.”

The Heavenly Demon took Clopeh’s place.

Clopeh, unable to hide his disappointment, stared after him. As the Heavenly Demon passed, he patted Clopeh on the shoulder and said,

“We can’t work an injured man any harder than this.”

“!”

Clopeh’s pupils shook.

He looked at Cale in surprise, and Cale said flatly,

“You rest.”

Ah.

Emotion swept across Clopeh’s face, but Cale paid it no attention.

In truth, he barely even saw it.

“Cale.”

“I know.”

Choi Han had stepped over, but Cale already knew what he was about to say without hearing it.

“Tie this bastard up.”

Leaving the Pope to Choi Han, Cale opened the window.

I’ll keep watch on what General Mol and the highest-ranking holy knight do.

After hearing the Heavenly Demon’s voice transmission, Cale—

Whooosh—

—jumped out the window.

Tap.

The moment his feet touched the rear garden—

“Sir Cale Henituse...!”

Young Master Jimon, lord of Moraka Castle, stopped in front of him with the old head steward at his side.

Pat, pat.

Cale tapped him on the shoulder as he walked past.

“I’ll buy you time, so gather as many servants as you can.”

Then he said,

“We’re launching a large-scale teleportation immediately.”

Young Master Jimon stared with parted lips at the hand that had tapped his shoulder.

It had turned gray—corrupted by chaos.

Then, after Cale passed him, a small dragon appeared in front of him.

“Young Master Jimon! Move, now!”

Wooooooo—

Mana unlike the mana of the Demon World, vivid black mana, began to gather around Raon.

The rear garden.

Mana for teleportation was drawing into that wide open ground.

“Ah!”

Jimon’s face lit up.

Then it darkened again.

KRAAAASH!

This vibration was different from the ones before.

“Ah.”

Part of the castle wall was collapsing.

At this rate, it would only be moments before the blue dragon crashed into the main castle and the annex castle.

“Human!”

At Raon’s shout, Cale only raised a hand vaguely.

Among their group, Raon was the only one who could handle magic right now.

“You focus on the teleportation.”

Cale kicked off the ground and said,

“I’ll hold them back somehow until then.”

That was right.

Neither the Demon King’s army nor the Order of the God of Chaos could attack him right now.

The third Emperor was monstrously strong, sure—but maybe he could hold out for a little while.

Whooosh—

Cale’s body shot upward with the wind.

Choi Han followed right behind him.

On, Hong, and Sui Khan stayed back with Choi Jung Soo.

Cale had already signaled for them not to follow.

“It’s been a while since the two of us fought together.”

“Yes, Cale.”

Cale noticed the grim resolve on Choi Han’s usually gentle face and gave a faint snort of laughter as he landed lightly.

Tap.

He came down on top of the castle wall.

A short distance away from the section that was crumbling.

“......”

“......”

There, Cale met the third Emperor’s eyes.

...Cale.

Then the stingy old man spoke quietly.

There are a lot of other Wanderers too, aren’t there?

Hmm.

Alongside the third Emperor, Cale could see not only Cho and Ryeon, but other Wanderers as well.

We’re outnumbered.

The stingy old man’s voice had turned uneasy.

And the third Emperor looks way too strong. That blue dragon doesn’t look easy to endure at all.

One look was enough to tell.

That blue dragon was absurdly powerful.

And on top of that, Cale still remembered Cho and Ryeon—their ice and their lava.

Even for Choi Han, taking both of them at once would be difficult.

Shhhhhhh—

Between the sound of waves, though there was no sea in sight—

Cale saw shapes beside the blue dragon that had been hidden behind the wall until now.

Water snakes.

Countless water snakes under the third Emperor’s command, each at least five meters long, had their heads raised high as they stared straight at Cale.

...Mm.

The stingy old man groaned.

This is bad.

Wow.

Cale was genuinely stunned.

For a moment, no words came out.

Then the third Emperor’s lips curled upward as he spoke.

“Are you afraid?”

And as if answering its master’s words, the blue dragon opened its jaws.

ROOOOAR—!

A savage cry exploded into the air.

The third Emperor wore clothes fit for an immortal.

With his long hair neatly bound into one tail and a long beard flowing, he looked like an elder from some ancient martial order.

And beside him loomed the Eastern blue dragon, gazing down at Cale as if in service to him.

Th-that... dragon... looks really strong...

The dominating aura muttered timidly.

Then—

Human!

Raon’s voice rang out again.

No.

If Raon got dragged into this now, it might make holding the line easier—

but then no one would be left to handle the teleportation.

That was not an option.

Cale shook his head.

It was a signal telling Raon to stick to what he had been doing.

But—

Human!

Raon barreled ahead as though he had not seen it at all.

I got through to the gold dragon grandpa! He said he heard what happened and rushed over!

What?

Cale paused for an instant.

This was the Demon World.

The gray mana here was different from ordinary mana, and yet Raon, thanks to his attribute of the present, could use magic comfortably.

Any other mage who came from another world would probably have trouble adapting to Demon World mana and be unable to use their power properly. They would either need time to adapt—or fail to adapt at all and lose the ability to cast.

One of the two.

Right. That might be true for magic.

Cale’s gaze locked onto the enormous body of the blue dragon.

Just by slamming into the wall, that thing had started bringing the castle down.

But he had seen a dragon even bigger than that.

A real dragon.

That dragon was truly enormous.

And terrifyingly strong.

The oldest of them all.

And on top of that, rejuvenated.

Flare—!

He heard magic unfolding behind him.

Human, Aurora from the mediator group says she’ll teleport them to these coordinates!

Raon did not say who was coming.

Cale already knew.

“Heh.”

The corner of Cale’s mouth rose.

That crooked smile entered the third Emperor’s sight.

Cale stood there at a slant and spat out his answer to the question of whether he was afraid.

“Afraid my ass!”

You think you’re the only one with a dragon?

I’ve got a dragon I’m close to too!

And I know a dragon way stronger than that one when it fights in its true form!

Behind him, Cale heard voices he had not heard in a while.

“Young Master, you’ve turned gray.”

“What a mess.”

Ron’s somehow chilling voice, and Beacrox’s steady one.

And one other figure landed beside Cale and Choi Han without saying a word.

A being who stared at the blue dragon with arrogant eyes.

The moment he saw it, he spoke.

“What is this? It isn’t even a dragon, and it’s trying to act like one?”

The ancient dragon, Eruhaben.

With a deeply slanted glare, he then shifted his gaze to the third Emperor and snapped,

“What are you looking at? Were you the one who did this to my kids?”

Ah.

Good.

A deep sense of peace settled over Cale.