Chapter 172. Battle of Shanghai (4)
[B-rank Constellation ‘Golden and Silver Children’ applauds wildly.]
[B-rank Constellation ‘Golden and Silver Children’ sponsors you with 50 million Coins.]
[A-rank Constellation ‘Naval Commander Holding a Pitchfork’ is deeply moved by your tremendous achievement.]
[A-rank Constellation ‘Naval Commander Holding a Pitchfork’ sponsors you with 50 million Coins.]
[A-rank Constellation ‘Prodigy with Three Heads and Six Arms’ snorts, claiming he believed in you from the beginning.]
[A-rank Constellation ‘Prodigy with Three Heads and Six Arms’ sponsors you with 100 million Coins.]
Countless sponsorship messages continued appearing.
Kang Yujin glanced at them, then wiped the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
It wasn’t from taking one of Asmodeus’s attacks.
It was because he had used [Nameless Great Art].
So this is why... they entrusted it to me.
He finally understood why none of the Three Venerables or other Contractors used this Skill.
The burden on the body was simply too great.
Forcibly stealing and controlling enormous amounts of energy placed a terrible strain on the user’s body.
Kang Yujin could withstand it only because he possessed the exceptionally durable body of a modified human.
Damn it.
He kept wiping away the blood rising into his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked toward the rocky hill where Asmodeus had been sent flying.
He wanted to confirm that the bastard was truly dead.
At that moment...
something like a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the rocky hill Asmodeus had crashed into.
“Kekekeke... Hahahaha!”
Then a strange being appeared on top of it.
A demon...
with the head of a lion.
“Truly magnificent, Kang Yujin...!”
“Who are you?”
“Number 43 of Pandemonium’s Seventy-Two Demons!”
The lion-headed demon grinned.
“Deputy commander of the Eastern Region First Command, Sabnock!”
Sabnock.
One of the Demon God-class demons who ruled China alongside Asmodeus.
His legions had been moving through the eastern region, but he had remained quiet for some time after Asmodeus began acting openly.
“I should thank Lord Asmodeus!”
Sabnock laughed.
“He cleaned out every competent Contractor in this country for me!”
"..."
“And on top of that...”
His smile grew wider.
“He exhausted that troublesome Kang Yujin this badly.”
Sabnock raised one hand.
A light of destruction engulfed Kang Yujin.
“Kahahaha!”
Sabnock burst out laughing when he saw Kang Yujin collapse.
“Is this what humans call benefiting while two others fight?”
He spread his arms.
“Now the Chinese continent belongs to me!”
Sabnock had been waiting for this opportunity all along.
Asmodeus had obtained incredible power and run rampant across China, but Sabnock had expected the humans to eventually counterattack.
He planned to strike Asmodeus from behind at that moment, then clean up the remaining Contractors afterward.
Once he did...
China would belong to Sabnock.
“Gremory seems to have completely lost her motivation anyway.”
Sabnock grinned.
“I’ll become commander of the First Command and rule this country myself!”
If Sabnock gained complete control over China, his standing within Pandemonium would rise dramatically.
His influence within the Demon God Assembly would increase.
He might even be able to form a third faction separate from the existing pro-war and peace factions.
In truth, Sabnock’s disposition leaned closer to the pro-war faction.
But after falling out with Moloch, the leader of the pro-war faction, he had remained neutral for a long time.
That’s right.
Once I control China... I’ll be able to stand equal with Moloch, who rules vast territories in Europe!
Sabnock grinned at the thought.
Thank you for killing Asmodeus for me, Kang Yujin...!
He approached to inspect Kang Yujin’s corpse.
The body had probably been torn apart by the Light of Destruction, but it might still prove useful later.
However...
the moment Sabnock reached out...
Kang Yujin stood up.
[Your current authority permits Imitation Manifestation of a Constellation Armament.]
[Imitation Manifestation of the current Constellation Armament ‘***’ is in progress.]
[You can ignore damage to the body and mind and continue moving through force of will alone.]
[Struggle until the very end.]
At some point, his Bond Rank with his Constellation had increased.
Because of that, he could now use Imitation Manifestation, one stage above Pseudo Manifestation.
Pseudo Manifestation only called forth the concept of a Constellation Armament.
Starting from Imitation Manifestation, an actual imitation of the Armament could appear.
And yet...
no Constellation Armament appeared.
Was it perhaps an Armament that merely lent him power?
The fact that its name wasn’t visible bothered him, but it didn’t matter right now.
“W-Why are you standing?!”
Sabnock stumbled backward in shock.
“Your body was already damaged, and then you took my attack! You should have been critically wounded...!”
He suddenly froze.
“W-Wait.”
“Am I backing away?”
“Am I actually feeling intimidated by a mere human and retreating?!”
“Shut up.”
Kang Yujin spat the words out and moved forward.
He closed the distance to Sabnock and landed [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder].
Then, from that position...
he activated [Shatter Everything].
“N-No! Impossible!”
Sabnock screamed as his body began collapsing.
“I am one of Pandemonium’s Seventy-Two Demons!”
“How can I be defeated so easily, so quickly...!”
"..."
“W-What exactly are you?!”
“How can a human possess power like this...?!”
As Sabnock’s body disintegrated, he screamed one final time.
“Are you the Demon King instead...?!”
That was the end.
Just as Phenex had before...
Sabnock exploded into powder and scattered in every direction.
"..."
Even after killing another Demon God-class demon, Kang Yujin felt almost nothing.
Demon God-class demons had once seemed like overwhelming beings.
Now...
they were little more than prey.
“Whew.”
Kang Yujin let out a small breath.
Either way, he had just fought two Demon God-class demons in succession.
His body and mind were exhausted beyond measure.
Countless messages were pouring down from the sky.
The sponsorships seemed enormous too.
But Kang Yujin didn’t have the energy to check them one by one.
Instead...
he looked toward the bodies of the Demon Venerable, Sword Venerable, and Fist Venerable scattered nearby.
He couldn’t leave them like this.
Dragging his exhausted body along, Kang Yujin gathered the three corpses.
“Please... rest in peace.”
As he looked at the three bodies lying before him...
the emotions he had been holding back surged upward all at once.
Anger at himself for sitting comfortably inside a cave reading a book while this was happening.
Resentment toward the three old masters for leaving him so suddenly.
Countless other emotions rose and faded.
But one emotion refused to disappear.
Kim Nameless...!
Kim Nameless had clearly told him.
He had said he would hold Asmodeus off while minimizing casualties until Kang Yujin finished training.
He had told Kang Yujin to trust him because he had peacefully resolved the Orthodox-Unorthodox War.
He knew this would happen from the beginning...!
Looking back now...
it had all been a lie meant to reassure Kang Yujin.
Asmodeus had simply been too strong.
In the end, even the Three Venerables had been forced to step forward and buy time.
Kim Nameless had known sacrifices would be necessary.
And he had lied so Kang Yujin could focus on training.
"...!"
