NOVPUB
Chapter 101
The Mad Blood Tyrant couldn’t help but be perplexed. Something had gone awry. Suho had burst through the cursed fog and was brutally hacking at his body.
“H-how can this be?!” The Tyrant screamed in agony and staggered from side to side. Suho’s movements were truly dizzying.
The Tyrant narrowly dodged an attack. A moment later and it would have been his neck, not his shoulder, to have been sliced.
But there was something that disconcerted him even more. “Why isn’t the mad blood poison working?!” he bellowed.
When used in small doses, the poison amplified strength at the cost of greater pain. But when the Tyrant directly induced a frenzy as he was doing now, it was nothing short of execution by fire. The blood within the victim would boil in an instant, turning them into a charred husk.
The curse was brutal. Because its medium was the blood flowing through one’s body, it guaranteed absolute, inescapable destruction.
But why?! “How are you still unscathed?!” No, Suho was more than unscathed—he was bursting with energy. The Mad Blood Tyrant roared in fury as he resisted the onslaught. “Is this what sets a true demon noble apart?!”
At that remark, someone far away narrowed their eyes.
[Querehsha watches the Mad Blood Tyrant with disdain.]
“Let’s see if you can withstand this!” The Tyrant unleashed an even more potent blood curse upon Suho.
Whoosh!
This time, it wasn’t just a fog of blood. A whirlwind engulfed him.
[Querehsha assesses the level of the curse.]
[She assigns it a two out of ten.]
[Querehsha regrets tasting the curse and spits it out in disgust.]
Whoosh!
Suho once again effortlessly burst through, swinging his twin swords.
“Young Monarch! Aim for the head!” Beru shouted.
“I saw it!” The fiendish demon had clearly used his shoulder to block an attack directed at his head. As he was wearing the body of the demon chief guard like a suit of armor, such a thing was possible. So, that enraged face protruding above the armor must be his weak point!
“Que, soar!”
Swish!
At Suho’s command, Que, in his spear form, flew like a bolt of lightning at the Mad Blood Tyrant. His target was, of course, the demon’s head.
“Argh!” The Mad Blood Tyrant flinched. Caught amid irregular attacks from all sides, he cried out to his subordinates in a frenzy. “What are the guards doing?! Come out immediately and take down this... Huh?” His eyes widened in shock as he desperately looked toward the guards’ station.
“Ahhhh!”
“It’s... It’s hot...!”
An unbelievable scene was unfolding. Far in the distance, the demon guards were ablaze, perishing under the flames that consumed them.
“Why are those fools affected by the poison?!”
“Oh, about that... I shared it with them.”
The Tyrant’s eyes bulged with shock.
Suho had been administering the mad blood poison to the guards every time he passed by them. He hadn’t anticipated this outcome, but it was the most perfect conclusion he could hope for.
While the Mad Blood Tyrant was distracted, Suho was already preparing another attack. He sent a message to Beru through his mind. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course!” the ant answered in kind.
“He hasn’t caught on to Que, right?”
“Not at all! I believe he hasn’t a clue that Que is a shadow soldier!” n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
The power of the Monarch of Shadows was destined to obliterate everything hidden in the eternal darkness of the abyss. This aura of death was a source of terror, instilling sheer fear in any who dared approach.
Indeed, this was why even as a child, Suho was often feared by other children. For that reason, he had his memories and the power of the Monarch of Shadows sealed. But now, he had become somewhat capable of controlling that aura.
Okay! The plan was set. Suho immediately looked around and shouted. “Arise!”
Eerie howls echoed through the air. Rising from the void were none other than the Minotaurs that Suho had slain. Black shadows began to ominously ripple and stir from their corpses.
[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]
[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]
[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]
But before the soldiers could fully reassemble, Suho attempted a Shape Transformation.
“Surge forth!” At his command, the Minotaur shadows coalesced and surged upwards.
[Shadow Minotaur - Level 1 - Shape Transformation - Gauntlet]
[Shadow Minotaur - Level 1 - Shape Transformation - Gauntlet]
[Shadow Minotaur - Level 1 - Shape Transformation - Gauntlet]
Weaponization. Just the way that Que had become a spear, it was now time for him to create gauntlets. Five minotaur heads, leading with their intimidating horns, flew like cannonballs and crashed into the body of the Tyrant. As if he were hit by a truck, the demon was flung backward and smashed into the wall.
Crash!
The walls of the coliseum crumbled upon him. In alarm, the Mad Blood Tyrant flailed his arms to escape from the rubble.
“This... This can’t be...!” As he struggled, fists wreathed in black mist suddenly began to pummel his body.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
He was hit with a rapid succession of blows so fast that they created afterimages. The relentless assault brutally crushed the chief guard’s body which served as his armor.
“Wh-what is this?!”
With an earnest gaze, Suho responded, “It’s the power of bloodstones.”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
The astonished reactions of Esil and Beru went ignored.
“What lies...” Esil muttered.
The Mad Blood Tyrant gnashed his teeth. “Bloodstones... the power of demon nobles?”
“It actually worked?” Esil was dumbfounded.
Only demon nobles could use the unique ability of the bloodstone, and not being one, the Tyrant had no choice but to surrender to it.
Beru laughed. “Indeed, our Young Monarch is clever! With this method, you can summon shadow soldiers even in front of Itarim’s followers!”
The ant was profoundly moved. Their Monarch, Sung Jinwoo, had never altered the forms of his shadow soldiers when summoning them. After all, having limbs intact made it easier to wield weapons and engage in combat. However, the shadow soldiers were fundamentally spirits. Suho’s power had evolved, and now he could freely transform their shapes from their living forms.
Beru sniffled. “Truly praiseworthy. If only my king had seen this, how delighted he would have been...” But there was another reason for his joy. “I thought you’d always be a weak young larva, but here you are, striking down a follower of Itarim all on your own!”
With tears of joy streaming down his face, the ant watched as Suho delivered a finishing blow to the Mad Blood Tyrant, now fully exposed and vulnerable.
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
Whoosh!
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
“Ugh...!” Suho’s storm of blades, along with Que and the Minotaurs’ joint attack, drove the Mad Blood Tyrant back.
“Speaking objectively, though...” Beru might have been doting, but he had an eye for evaluating the situation. “Your attack power is still lacking.” Even though the opponent was clad in the guise of a demon, he was, after all, a follower of Itarim. This level of attack was far from enough to stop him.
The Mad Blood Tyrant groaned. “How dare this inept demon...!”
Crack!
Seething with rage, the demon furiously rose amid the onslaught of Suho’s attacks. His entire body appeared battered, but that was merely the demon armor he wore. The inherent power within him was still alive, with firepower to spare.
Swoosh!
The flames of the Tyrant suddenly grew hotter and shifted to a blue hue like that of a mist burn.
“U-unbelievable!” Sensing something was amiss, Beru cried out in alarm.
“Dodge it! He’s risking his life to use Starfire!”
Starfire? Suho immediately retreated, not knowing what it was.
Swoosh!
The blue flames chased after Suho like a living serpent. He crossed his twin swords to block the flames.
Boom!
Nearby shadow soldiers melted away under the tremendous force of the flames enveloping Suho. Suddenly, a cracking sound was heard near his neck.
[Item: “Fire Demon’s Necklace” resists the flames.]
[Item: “Fire Demon’s Necklace” has been destroyed.]
The D-grade item he had worn since Egypt valiantly oxidized, having protected him to the bitter end. Thanks to it, Suho barely escaped the attack.
A chill ran down his spine. That was close. He had withstood the attack, but it was beyond the upper limits of his Pain Tolerance skill, which only increased physical defense. If it hadn’t been for the Fire Demon’s Necklace, he would have suffered severe burns.
None of this was apparent to others. While Suho knew what was going on, he seemed on the outside to have emerged completely unscathed from the Mad Blood Tyrant’s desperate head-on strike.
“H-how can you be perfectly fine after a direct hit from Starfire...?” The demon looked more shocked than ever before.
Suho knew he wouldn’t be so lucky a second time. He would have no chance to open the shop window and repurchase the destroyed Necklace.
The demon roared in fury. “It can’t be! It must be a fluke! A mere demon couldn’t possibly withstand Starfire!”
Swoosh!
A much more powerful blue flame swirled from his body.
“Be alert, Young Monarch! You must dodge— Huh?!”
Before Beru could speak, Suho had already dodged the attack. He had quickly retreated, contrary to the expectation that he might charge headlong at the enemy. He grinned slyly at the ant. “Don’t worry, I know my limits.”
Now he had to assess the situation. Currently, he was lacking in both offensive and defensive power. Fortunately, he was surrounded with abundant fodder that could take blows on his behalf and serve as fuel to enhance his attack power.
Suho lifted his head, shifting his gaze from the rampaging Mad Blood Tyrant to the coliseum’s spectator seats. There sat the demons, unable to conceal their astonishment at what they had witnessed.
“Wh-what is this...?”
“How can it be?”
“To drive the Tyrant King into such a one-sided retreat...”
“Is he truly a demon noble?”
“Indeed, the son of Vulcan...”
Amid the murmurs, there was an undercurrent of anxiety and hope.
“Are you all just going to sit and watch?” Suho’s sudden outcry thundered through the coliseum.
The chatter quieted as if silenced by a spell.
[“Buff: Roar of the Battlefield” has been activated.]
Suho was finally ready to use the quest reward he had received just before entering the demon realm and after he had taken down the Black Tortoise guild.
He continued to admonish the spectators. “What is a demon?”
Demon. The heavy resonance in Suho’s words ignited a flickering in the eyes of the demons, who had lived as slaves under tyranny for so long.
“If you truly are demons... If you still consider yourselves demons...”
As Suho continued, the spectating demons swallowed nervously, their faces taut with tension. He pointed defiantly toward the stands with Vulcan’s Horn, then swept his arm toward the Tyrant wrapped in blue flames.
“Feast!” he exclaimed. “In front of you lies the blood and flesh of a dying demon!”
The crowd began to chatter more excitedly. The Mad Blood Tyrant couldn’t help but be panicked. He sensed that Suho’s reckless prattle had suddenly changed the mood of the ones he had once completely dominated.
With a final triumphant smile, Suho radiated a fierce aura. “Eat and grow strong in a manner befitting of a demon.”
With those words, the stands went wild. A crazed roar erupted from all directions, shaking the coliseum.
[“Roar of the Battlefield” provokes the suppressed rage of the demons.]
[“Roar of the Battlefield” brings out the suppressed rage of the demons.]
[“Roar of the Battlefield” ignites the suppressed rage of the demons.]
A fervent flame of anger rose in their hearts. The fear of the Tyrant King, who had ruled over them with brute force for so long, dissipated. In its place, a boundless craving for power surged forth.
The Tyrant King’s immense power... If only I could seize that power for myself!
The thought was shared by the frenzied crowd.
“I-I can become the Tyrant King too!”
“I’ll devour that corpse!”
“No, I will...!”
“It’s mine! Mine!”
The coliseum descended into utter chaos. Without any semblance of order, the demons began to pour toward the Mad Blood Tyrant like moths to a flame.
“Demons, indeed...” Esil murmured softly.
