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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
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Chapter 136
One Demon King.
Seven Archdemons.
Ninety-one High-Level Demons.
When the ‘Gate’ was first opened, they were the composition of the demons invading this world.
Later, the seven archdemons were called ‘Legion Commanders.’
It was because the Demon King assigned them suitable legions considering their characteristics.
It was the moment when humanity’s archenemies, which must be eliminated first, were established.
‘…Many human heroes and soldiers sacrificed their lives to subdue them.’
Some succeeded.
Over the past few centuries, there had been changes in legion commanders, and vacancies occurred several times.
It wasn’t just because of humans.
There were also legion commanders who lost their lives at the hands of fellow demons.
Since the Demon King did not intervene in the conflicts among demons, it was possible.
…Except for one, the longest three.
The Queen of Agony, Malekia.
The Elder of Loss, Theo.
The Knight of Death, Yol.
Among the remaining three of the original seven archdemons who first crossed over.
These three never yielded their positions even once.
Not even the Dawn Knights led by Ted Redymer could kill them.
Originally, the strength of demons was proportional to the demonic energy they accumulated.
Naturally, the power of the three longest surviving ones was significantly stronger compared to the other four legion commanders.
It was to the extent that even Kalend, the most outstanding potential among the former leaders of the Demonic Church, couldn’t dare to confront them.
Tsutsutsu-
Just standing in front of them made one’s own existence infinitely diminished and feeble.
It felt like facing some immense natural phenomenon like a flood, earthquake, or volcanic eruption.
Kalend bowed deeply before Malekia and finished her report.
Her tone was that of apology.
Her voice and speaking style were clear and clear, just like that of a child.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect him to take action so quickly.”
It was literally like that.
Kalend, the leader of the Church, still couldn’t fathom how the Hero could strike a blow to the factory in such a short time.
No matter how much she thought about it, it was strange.
‘The Harlem organizations didn’t even properly understand each other’s existence.’
A thoroughly decentralized organization through role allocation.
Enoch’s meticulous design made it so.
Even if they caught one, they could never have a complete view of the whole.
‘…Torture? Persuasion? Coercion?’
No.
No matter what method the Hero used, reaching the factory was almost impossible.
The location of the factory was so strictly kept secret that not even the members of Harlem or Enoch and his host knew.
‘It’s not like he can peer into people’s minds.’
To understand everything in just one day and start subjugating them…
‘What method did he use, exactly?’
Kalend pondered with doubt and naturally recalled the sight of the Hero she saw at the auction house a few months ago.
The things that were curled up inside him that she encountered through the ‘Magic eye.’
That eerie sensation still haunted Kalend’s nights.
It was an impious thought, but… their collective power seemed far more overwhelming than what Malekia presented now.
Kalend hesitated to report on the strange experience she had at the time to her superiors, but ultimately didn’t.
She too had to have an ace up her sleeve.
As long as you are a ‘human’, you cannot be in the same boat as these people until the end.
Kalend was sure of that fact, unlike other members of the Church.
It was then that Malekia broke her long silence.
…Child.
Kalend immediately responded.
“Yes.”
…Come closer.
She did as commanded.
As she crawled further into the room, she felt a chilling heat.
It felt like approaching lava.
The moisture on her skin evaporated in an instant, making her skin shrivel.
Kalend endured the pain and lowered her head again.
…Your doubts and anxieties are visible.
“No, they’re not.”
…There’s no need to listen to minor disturbances.
…Everything is proceeding according to plan.
…Just by seeing the half-sized dragon from the north leaving its nest, can’t you tell?
Surprisingly, Malekia’s voice was calm.
No, it seemed rather pleased.
…There’s no change in what you have to do.
….Abduct them and extract information.
…That’s how you offer your pure power to us.
…The gate will open again soon.
…The source will be restored.
…And Your Majesty will return to us even faster.
Uguk-
…I will send assistants soon.
Uguk-
After the speech ended.
A strange sound, as if chewing on something, began echoing inside the room again.
Kalend slowly got up and retreated.
The floor had returned to its normal state.
The scorching iron thorns that caused excruciating pain with every touch were nowhere to be found.
“Huff…”
Only after leaving the sanctuary did Kalend find her breath.
Meeting transcendent beings with the Glimpse of Mana was always painful.
She could feel their intense presence more than anyone else.
She shuddered, expelling the pain and terror that remained on her body like burns.
Then, she gave instructions to the shadows gathered around her.
“Operate the factory normally but disguise it more thoroughly. Mobilize all the power of the Church to prepare for attacks by heretics!”
The voice that followed was full of confidence.
“Don’t worry, because I’ll take care of the leader of the Ice Dragon Tribe.”
For someone giving orders that would cause a huge disturbance on the continent, she looked remarkably innocent.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Rosenstark.
The Extreme Children were facing a quite mysterious sight.
A pair that seemed completely incompatible was constantly together, day and night.
“Luke, did you change the route?”
“It’s… not like they’re being all buddy-buddy, is it?”
“Hmm, surprisingly, those two seem to get along well, don’t they?”
“… ”
In one corner of the training ground, Luke and Leciel were devoted to their training, getting along well.
Luke was sitting, sweating profusely as he practiced his combat techniques.
Leciel watched him attentively, occasionally offering advice, which seemed somewhat endearing.
“Their facial expressions match so well…”
“If it’s Luke then it’s acceptable I guess…”
Luke, with his sharp facial features, and the cool, aloof image of Leciel seemed to complement each other quite well, causing some of the children to already start gossiping.
…Of course, as they say, from a distance, it’s comedy, but up close, it’s tragedy.
The reality of their relationship was unfolding somewhat differently from the children’s expectations.
“Do you not understand the meaning of concentration?”
“I don’t know how to explain something so simple any further.”
“…Untalented.”
“Incompetent.”
These were criticisms Luke had never heard before in his life.
It was more painful to hear these words, which were not filled with malice but rather honest observations.
In fact, upon closer examination, it was understandable why Leciel was feeling so frustrated.
Luke was a very ‘special case’ when it came to combat techniques.
In this era, among a hundred fighters, ninety-nine were trained in the same basic combat techniques.
Even third-rate mercenaries and renowned heroes had the same basic combat skills.
This was because centuries ago, Zero Requiem developed and widely disseminated the most universal and efficient combat techniques.
Compared to any previous methods, Zero’s combat techniques were unparalleled.
To put Zero’s combat technique in a word, it was as follows:
‘A timeless technique with high bottoms and high peaks.’
In terms of stability and efficacy, it was incomparable to previous techniques.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
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So among fighters, there was a certain trend that had firmly taken root:
‘Train in Zero’s combat technique, which has no drawbacks and high versatility as the basic combat technique, and learn additional combat techniques according to your purpose.’
For example, Gerald learned the Bryce family’s combat technique, which gave explosive properties to mana, for his devastating spear techniques.
On the other hand, Nyhill learned the Shadow combat technique specialized in mana disruption and weakening opponents, and Karen learned combat techniques focused on agility.
All of them were built upon Zero’s combat technique but with additional combat techniques added on top.
However, Luke was different.
He hadn’t learned Zero’s combat technique at all.
What Luke had learned as his foundation was Ravias’s exclusive combat technique.
It was called the combat technique of madness.
He became the top hero known as the leader of the ‘Arum Mercenary Corps,’ which was called a group of mad warriors, under the King of Mercenaries.
This combat technique drove the practitioner into a state of rage, as if possessed, without feeling fear or pain.
Luke showed a remarkable aptitude for this combat technique, attracting Ravias’s attention, who quickly made him stronger by teaching him directly.
However, Ravias’s combat technique made the practitioner’s mana nature rough and erratic, which made it difficult for Luke to handle the tasks of a knight that required precise control, operation, and detection.
“Your mana flow is too rough. You need to slowly scan your body with mana to capture magic, but you’re not even detecting it, you’re just letting it pass by.”
…Treated like a foreigner.
Luke regretted his past impulsiveness a little.
It was quite miserable and embarrassing to be in the same position.
‘Where can I learn?’
He recalled a few days ago.
The reason Luke sought out Leciel, who was secretly practicing alone, was to ask for help.
Initially, the thought of asking someone for help was extremely uncomfortable.
Of course, he knew that Leciel was much stronger than him.
However, receiving teachings was a different story.
Luke had his pride.
Pride that he had experienced a much harsher past and faced many more trials than his peers.
It felt like denying those times to bow down and ask someone his age for help.
But…
‘A perfect enhancement is imminent.’
He remembered.
The number of people who successfully dyed the paper black was already over twenty.
His peers were all ready to learn new combat techniques.
He couldn’t just sit there twiddling his thumbs alone.
If he let his pride get the best of him now, he would soon find himself in even more humiliating situations.
So he found Leciel.
The genius of the century.
A peer who he wouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help from.
He glanced at the girl analyzing his mana flow with a serious expression.
‘I didn’t know she would willingly help me like this.’
To be honest, he expected to be rejected.
But Leciel didn’t reject him outright and instead asked several curious questions.
They were quite unexpected questions that were difficult to interpret.
“Why are you avoiding Evergreen?”
“How would someone feel if they were chased and given attention only to be ignored in an instant?”
Leciel, who suddenly expressed frustration without cause, promised to help Luke after a brief exchange of words.
“Don’t do that.”
Of course, I wouldn’t do that.
The reason I avoid Evergreen is because I don’t want to show my ugly side.
Woong-
Luke refocused on his combat technique.
…He’s not a genius for nothing.
After listening to Leciel’s mixed advice for a few days.
He finally started to get used to ‘capturing and releasing magic’ little by little.
Luke took a deep breath and reached out his hand.
Thud-
“Huh…”
He looked at the vial of potion, which began to turn ash-gray and then jet-black, with widened eyes.
Is this the eightieth piece?
This was the first time he had seen such a distinct color change since starting the assignment.
‘Wow, wow.’
It felt like a thrilling lightning bolt was piercing through him from head to toe.
For the first time in a long time, he smiled widely, and jumped up from his seat.
“Hey, Leciel! I did it!”
“Hmm…”
The girl nodded satisfactorily, and they exchanged a high-five with a loud clap.
It was a gesture of pure joy, unaware of the watching eyes.
“Hmm…”
.
.
.
“Well, Leciel is honestly better-looking. Much prettier, isn’t she?”
In fact, other students were also very interested in the extreme kids.
Each individual was like a celebrity at the academy.
There were quite a few fanatics who knew everything about the children, from their names and faces to their daily activities.
And some of them, without realizing the presence of the subjects nearby, crossed the line with their remarks.
“Is it just about being prettier, or is the background more important?”
“Young mercenary friend, wanting to make a name for himself, huh?”
“Oh, if I knew Leciel would stick to him like that, I’d try to get closer too.”
As Karen’s face twisted in frustration, she brushed aside the newcomer’s chin that had just opened her mouth.
“Hey!”
“Um, who… Oh, oops. Um.”
“Karen, stop it.”
Evergreen, who was nearby, shook her head and intervened to stop Karen.
But even her face was already darkening with shadows.
…This feels weird.
Is it because of those blatant comparisons?
Or because of Luke, who seems to get along well with Leciel while making it obvious that he’s avoiding showing interest in her?
“Ugh, I’m so tired. I’ll go in first and take a break.”
With those words, Evergreen slowly turned around and left the training ground.
“Evergreen! Hey, Evergreen! Oh, shoot, um, hey, Luke. You guys watch out later. They’re all dead.”
Even as Karen called out desperately, she didn’t turn back.
‘…Why is he like this.’
Even though he had disappeared from sight, he kept coming to mind.
Luke, smiling widely as he showed the paper, and Leciel, nodding her head satisfactorily while smiling softly.
“It should be a good thing…”
Luke, who had been tormented for days because he couldn’t solve the assignment, was finally feeling good.
But why does it feel like something is burning in a corner of his heart?
The daughter of the Solintail family.
She was always busy with the affairs of the territory and wrestling with her peers, so she had little interest in romance.
It was an emotion that was difficult for her to understand.
‘Ah.’
Evergreen stood up straight.
It was because she saw her own reflection with a blank expression in the building’s glass window.
She usually had no complaints about her appearance.
She didn’t think she was exceptionally pretty, but she thought she was flawless enough.
But today, even these frizzy strands of hair, freckles, and mismatched green eyes felt…
‘…There’s nothing wrong with what they said.’
Evergreen burst into tears.
“Evergreen?”
Someone called out, and she hurriedly composed herself and turned around.
It was a boy’s voice.
It sounded low and soft, so she hesitated for a moment before realizing that it was someone else as she turned around.
“Are you okay?”
Half-tilting his head, he looked at her.
For a moment, Evergreen hesitated to say she was okay.
…Because his eyes were very similar.
His gloomy face, not suitable for the most popular newcomer among the freshmen for the past few days, reflected in the building’s glass window.
‘It’s like…’
Like a decal reflected in the glass window, Evergreen let out a bitter laugh.
Then, the boy who had been looking worried soon started to smile.
“Hahaha….”
“Ahaha….”
After a while, with her shoulders almost touching the ground, they looked at each other as if they had made a promise.
“Want to grab something to eat?”
It was time for a strategy meeting.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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