Chapter 315
Chapter 315: Heavenly City (5)
The undead army pouring over the Land of Death swallowed the werewolves.
A wave made of bones swallowed the battlefield.
Pale hands soared from all directions and grabbed their ankles. The more they struggled, the more hands grabbed their thighs, waists, and arms.
The more they thrashed, the deeper they were dragged in.
Once swept away and buried, that was the end.
Skeleton soldiers rushed in as a swarm and crushed the werewolves. The Specters' menacing nails scratched their backs, and the Dullahans' spears dug into the openings.
A coordinated attack leaving no room to breathe.
No matter how much they were the elites of Red Flag, they had no way to withstand it.
Screams and howling mixed together.
The fallen corpses squirmed on the Land of Death.
Golden fur faded to ash-gray, and blue flames bloomed in their extinguished eyes. What was a comrade just moments ago rose up and tore at its own side.
An army that multiplied the more they died.
That was fear.
"Keuaaak—!"
"S-save me—!"
Irokes's brow furrowed.
His subordinates were being slaughtered in an instant.
No matter if it was a horde of undead, this was too one-sided.
The screams of the elites did not cease from all over the battlefield.
‘I will have to finish it myself.’
He kicked the ground.
Kwaang—!
The ground caved in deeply.
The massive body of the District 4 Head shot forward in a straight line.
The spear tip cut through the empty air.
Peo-eong—!
Just a single strike.
That was enough.
The spear strike harboring a golden aura pierced through the horde of skeletons. Bones were shattered to pieces, and skulls turned to dust and scattered in the empty air.
Ten, twenty, thirty.
Wherever the spear blade passed, undead were torn apart like sheets of paper. Bone fragments poured down like snow.
Ash-gray dust scattered in the wind.
"Is this all you've got?"
Irokes bared his teeth.
It was the power of the District 4 Head.
The red spear tip thrust toward Kim Minwoo's heart.
Chaeng—!
Hell Rhapsody deflected the spear blade.
Irokes's eyes narrowed.
‘He blocked it?’
It was unbelievable.
A human who took the strike of the District 4 Head head-on.
Once more.
Peo-eong—!
Chaeng—!
Kwaang—!
Spear strikes pouring down consecutively.
Sparks flew, and shockwaves spread in all directions.
Irokes bared his teeth.
"However, this is as far as you go."
In an instant.
A golden aura exploded from his body.
[Irokes activates ‘Heavenly Projection Lv.207’!]
[All stats increase by 207%!]
The air changed.
An overwhelming sense of intimidation crushed the street.
A few undead fell to their knees just from that momentum.
The atmosphere itself felt as if it were sinking heavily.
Peo-eong—!
This time was different.
Hell Rhapsody was pushed back.
The shock traveled up his wrist.
Kim Minwoo took a half step back.
'He's quite strong.'
Even though he deflected the sword, his fingertips tingled.
From District 1 to 9.
Even among them, the Head of District 4 must be a powerhouse belonging to the upper ranks within the guild.
‘But…….’
Kim Minwoo's eyes calmly scanned his opponent.
The highest-ranking Ranking Battle in the Demon Realm.
The five proxies he had encountered there.
Compared to those guys, he was far below.
Irokes, if there was a proxy of a similar type to this guy…….
‘Golden Scale Duke Drakan.’
A Dragonkin with an overwhelming physique.
That Drakan was several times more difficult to deal with than this guy.
“How is it? This is my, Irokes's, power!”
Irokes roared.
A golden aura condensed at the tip of his spear.
It held the will to finish it in one blow.
Kim Minwoo chuckled and snapped his fingers.
“You'd be enough with just this one. Right, Cedric?”
―Even I wouldn't be needed at this level.
The summoned Cedric replied nonchalantly.
Having already charged in with Kim Minwoo before anyone noticed, they began to launch a coordinated attack against Irokes.
Curses poured down in an instant.
“Kuh-euk─!”
Irokes's movements stiffened.
The golden aura wavered.
Cedric's spear cut through the empty air.
Irokes barely managed to block it.
But at that moment, Hell Rhapsody aimed for his flank.
‘What is this─!’
If he blocked, he was pierced; if he dodged, they chased.
There was no room to breathe.
The coordinated attack of master and summon moved like a single organism. The moment he deflected a spear strike, the sword dug in, and when he bounced off the sword, the spear aimed for his heart.
Like comrades-in-arms who had fought together for a long time.
Peo-eong─!
Chaeng─!
Kwaang─!
Under the continuously pouring attacks, the golden aura wavered.
‘Merely a summon─!’
The pride of the District 4 Head crumbled down.
It was a human he had been fighting one-on-one just a moment ago.
But with just a single summon intervening, the situation completely reversed.
He couldn't see any openings.
No, he didn't even have the luxury to create an opening.
The menacing spear blade grazed his neck.
Blood splattered.
Drops of red blood drew a line in the empty air.
Irokes's eyes widened.
‘When─.’
It was his last thought.
Seueuk─.
His neck separated from his shoulders.
Golden pupils rolled through the empty air and fell.
The massive body fell to its knees, then slowly collapsed forward.
Kung.
Irokes's head fell to the ground.
The light faded from the golden pupils.
[You have defeated Red Flag District 4 Head 'Irokes'!]
[The balance of power within the Heavenly City fluctuates!]
[‘Scales of the City’ shows a strong reaction!]
[Red Flag's stronghold in District 8 weakens!]
[The stats of Red Flag members within District 8 decrease by 15%!]
Silence.
And…….
Twitch.
Irokes's corpse began to move.
The golden fur faded to ash-gray.
The flesh rotted, and blue flames bloomed from the extinguished eye sockets.
The elites of Red Flag stepped back.
The District 4 Head, their commander, was rising as an enemy undead.
Wolves are creatures that follow the alpha.
Just because they were werewolves didn't mean that biology changed.
If the alpha became an enemy, all that remained was fear.
“Keuaaak─!”
Screams erupted.
The werewolves scattered in all directions.
But there was nowhere to run.
Because the Land of Death was still dyeing the ground beneath their feet.
Silence covered the battlefield.
Kim Minwoo looked at the Demonic Cult personnel.
The ones designated as targets for the Land of Death's attacks were still only the Red Flag personnel.
The reason was simple.
‘Because Shadow and the Demonic Cult are holding hands.’
If they attacked first, he would catch them, but unless that was the case, watching for now was the right judgment.
Facing him like that, the eyes of the Demonic Cult's representative, Lee Seokjun, were stiffly hardened.
‘The District 4 Head is dead.’
The core combat force of Red Flag.
That Irokes had his neck blown off in just a few exchanges.
At first, he thought he was just a crazy Necromancer.
About the level of a lucky bastard who crawled up from the bottom of District 9.
‘I was completely wrong. Shadow, did those bastards hand over contaminated information?’
The corners of Lee Seokjun's mouth turned cold.
His fists clenched unconsciously.
‘I must inform Lord Yoo Honbi.’
This Necromancer, he is truly extraordinary.
He was not at a level to let their guard down just because he was a rookie who barely came up to District 8. With just the power he had shown now, he was a monster capable of playing in District 1.
He nodded his head toward Kim Minwoo.
“Excellent skill. I will admit that our sincerity in trying to recruit you was lacking. Next time, a more proper proposal―.”
At that moment.
Thump.
Kim Minwoo's inventory pulsated.
‘What is this?’
His hand moved on its own.
The thing that had been sleeping deep inside the inventory.
The Sealed Heart was beating madly.
[Sealed Heart]
[Grade: Special.]
[The heart of the Witch, Medea. A terrible power squirms within.]
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It got faster and faster.
As if reacting to something.
‘Don't tell me…….’
Just then.
A thick scent of blood brushed the tip of his nose.
Sweet yet disgusting.
A scent like blood and roses mixed together began to encroach upon the entirety of District 8.
“This smell─.”
Lee Seokjun's face turned pale.
The sky was dyed red.
No, it wasn't dyed.
A blood-red mist was pouring down over the city.
Kurururu.
The earth groaned.
The buildings shook.
The undead squirming over the Land of Death stopped all at once.
Instinctive fear.
Kim Minwoo’s eyes narrowed.
'You're already here?'
That was fast.
It was that moment.
Something descended from beyond the blood-red mist in the sky.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of footsteps treading on thin air.
As if there were invisible stairs, the blood-red mist hardened beneath her feet to create a foothold.
"W-what is that?"
"No way..."
"It-It's Medea!!!"
"The Blood Witch has descended!!"
"Crazy... Why is one of the Seven Lords here...!"
The entirety of District 8 was dyed in astonishment.
She stepped down.
Pale, bloodless skin.
In contrast, vivid crimson pupils looked down at the world. Red light reflected softly whenever her ebony black hair fluttered in the wind.
A red dress that fit tightly to her body.
There wasn't a single flashy decoration.
And yet, she was lofty and imposing.
A sharp and decadent beauty.
It was like a painting, yet simultaneously disaster itself.
Blood Witch.
The most unpredictable monster even among the Seven Lords.
Every time she took a step, a pool of blood rippled in the empty air. Every single footprint evaporated before touching the ground, only to bloom again where her next foot landed.
Lee Seokjun's face hardened.
'What is this?'
He couldn't take his eyes off.
'Why on earth is the Blood Witch aiming for that person...'
Medea.
A monster acting alone without an organization.
Neither the Demonic Cult nor Red Flag could touch her. No, they couldn't even dare to.
This witch, who came from the Eastern Witch Coven, rose to the position of the Seven Lords in just 50 years after arriving in the Heavenly City.
A legendary criminal who caused a great disaster in the First City.
A terrible existence that grows stronger by sucking blood.
Within that beautiful exterior hid a demonic nature.
Such a monster now stood before Kim Minwoo.
"It's been a while."
A languid voice.
It seemed to look down on the opponent, yet it was somehow elegant.
The smile hanging on the tip of her lips seemed playful, yet eerie.
Crimson pupils scanned Kim Minwoo.
No, specifically toward his inventory. As if piercing through what was inside.
Thump.
The Sealed Heart beat madly.
As if it had found its owner.
The corners of Medea's mouth went up.
"My heart."