Heukno’s bewilderment gave way to rage.
He had truly never imagined that a demonic beast he himself had summoned—none other than the Gucheon Siwang at that—would fall into enemy hands.
“You wretched wench!”
With a curse seething with fury, Heukno unleashed a palm strike.
Booom!
The Gucheon Siwang was pushed back with a screech. Yet that powerful palm strike did not cause it to so much as flinch. Naturally. After all, it was the strongest being he could summon.
“You fool! Disappear!”
As Heukno chanted an incantation, the surroundings began to quake once more.
Thudududududuk.
This time, contrary to when it had been summoned, the ground caved in like a swamp and began pulling at the Gucheon Siwang.
He was trying to forcibly dispel the summoning.
In the next moment, Heukno’s face hardened.
The Gucheon Siwang resisted being pulled in and held its ground.
‘This can’t be happening.’
Even though he had severed the spiritual tether connecting them, the Gucheon Siwang did not vanish.
Heukno chanted another incantation.
A secret art of the Darkness Palace that allowed one to pierce through the enemy’s sorcery.
The Hundred Spirit Soul Eye.
A being as powerful as the Gucheon Siwang could not be subjugated through ordinary means.
Therefore, when the Soul Subjugation Art was unleashed, a chain of souls—a Soul Chain—would connect the caster and the target.
If one severed that connection, the Soul Subjugation Art could be broken. Of course, discovering the tether was difficult, and even if found, it could not be cut easily; one had to expend a tremendous amount of internal energy to sever it.
When the Hundred Spirit Soul Eye activated, Heukno’s vision went dark for an instant, and faint iron chains began to appear.
‘Got it. If I just cut those…!’
But in the next instant, joy transformed into shock and despair.
The Soul Chain was not alone. Between the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord and the Gucheon Siwang, dozens of tethers connected every part of its body—head and neck, both arms and hands, waist and legs, feet, every part. It was truly a supreme Soul Subjugation Art, perfectly dominating its target.
At that moment, a single utterance from the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord rang out, as if she knew he was watching through the Hundred Spirit Soul Eye.
“Why do you peep at what belongs to another?”
Those words enraged Heukno further, but he soon composed himself. The opponent’s skill was not limited to the Soul Subjugation Art alone. The young one was trying to toy with his heart.
“To have reached such a realm at that age… I suppose there are things I must acknowledge.”
Gaye, who stood behind Heukno, was also astonished. They had already experienced several times that the Demon Lords were far stronger than they had imagined.
But she had not known that such overwhelming strength would apply even to the young Soul Subjugation Demon Lord.
Gaye’s gaze turned toward Cheonhwaru Ju, who sat behind the Demon Lord. She sat silently, her eyes covered by the Divine Maiden Blindfold.
She had thought that perhaps it was an act, designed to deceive her.
But could one truly maintain such an act in the midst of such a fierce battle?
Her gaze turned upward. Beyond the ceiling riddled with countless holes, was the distant sky truly what had abandoned her?
‘If it was going to be like this, you should never have given the prophecy to begin with!’
Even as her resentment was directed at the heavens, the Gucheon Siwang’s sword flew toward Heukno.
Bang! Screeeech!
A small skeleton rushed in and was shattered in its stead.
Skeletons swarmed in from all directions, surrounding their king. The skeletons felt fear, but they could not defy Heukno’s command.
Swhaack!
Crackcrack.
With a single sword strike from the Gucheon Siwang, the skeletons were smashed to pieces and scattered. If it had been a match for them, how could it bear the name King of Skeletons?
The skeletons rushed in, grabbing its arms and clinging to its back, trying to overwhelm it with sheer numbers, but the Gucheon Siwang was far too strong for that.
Shattered skeletons were sent flying in every direction.
While the energy of Tamshim Daemyeolgong had strengthened the skeletons, they were not the only ones to grow stronger. The Gucheon Siwang had also become far more powerful than it had been originally.
Heukno did not miss this opportunity while the skeletons bought him time.
He soared toward where the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord and Cheonhwaru Ju were.
The Ghost Gate Barrier was already nearly destroyed from the Gucheon Siwang’s earlier attacks.
Bang! Craaash!
Heukno’s fist, infused with internal energy, struck the barrier in rapid succession.
Craaaack.
Smaaash!
When the barrier was destroyed, the characters glowing on the floor lost their light and vanished.
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord, who had been unfolding the Soul Subjugation Art, spoke calmly.
“Look behind you.”
At the Demon Lord’s words, Heukno turned to look back.
In the meantime, the Gucheon Siwang had smashed all the skeletons, and its massive sword was pointed at Gaye’s neck.
“If you do not back away, your saintess dies.”
“A Demon Lord using a hostage? Have you no shame?”
“Not at all.”
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord did not bat an eye. On the contrary, she provoked Heukno in return.
“Though losing to you would be rather shameful, I think.”
Neither the provocation nor the hostage-taking had any effect on the other.
“Kill her.”
As if she had expected such a reaction, the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord was not surprised.
“You aren’t surprised?”
“Because I knew you were not ones to protect anyone.”
Gaye’s expression, who had been listening to their exchange, hardened. If the Darkness Palace Lord had commanded him to rescue her alive, Heukno would never have dared make such a decision.
She had already been reeling from the shock of being abandoned by the heavens, and upon learning that she had been abandoned by the Darkness Palace Lord as well, her heart became endlessly tormented.
A truth revealed through Heukno.
“The Palace Lord knows. That you delivered a false prophecy.”
A divine maiden who can no longer receive prophecies becomes nothing more than useless scrap.
Without revealing her turbulent heart, Gaye spoke with a calm gaze, as if scolding him.
“Do you think you can survive after daring to defy the will of the heavens?”
Though prophecies had not descended upon her recently, she was undeniably one who had received prophecies and ascended to become the Palace Lord of the Divine Maidens.
“I am asking whether you believe you can bear the weight of this grave sin with nothing but the excuse that it was the Palace Lord’s command.”
At that stern rebuke, Heukno let out a scoff.
But he could not speak recklessly to her. Before matters had come to this, she had been the most precious person after the Darkness Palace Lord.
This time, Gaye’s gaze turned to the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord. After all, she was the one holding the handle of the blade.
“If you kill me, you will commit the sin of defying the will of the heavens.”
Though the heavens were mentioned, the Demon Lord was not frightened in the slightest.
“My heaven is a different one.”
She was here following the command of that heaven.
Swoosh.
The Gucheon Siwang raised its sword with a flash. It sought to behead her in a single stroke, but Heukno made no move to save her.
Sensing she could not escape death, Gaye left behind her final words.
“My prophecy will undoubtedly become reality.”
The only being she feared was him, the one born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star. He who had awakened on his own and broken the seal by himself to emerge.
He would come to rule the world.
Just as the Gucheon Siwang was about to swing its sword, someone stepped forward and stopped it.
“Please do not kill her.”
The Gucheon Siwang’s sword, which had been flying toward her, stopped beside her neck.
The one who had asked not to kill her was none other than Cheonhwaru Ju. She removed the Divine Maiden Blindfold that had covered her eyes and rose from her seat.
From her opened eyes flowed a mysterious energy, and the darkness swirling around did not dare encroach upon her.
Everyone could tell. She had received a prophecy.
What kind of prophecy could it be?
But faced with the mysterious aura emanating from her, no one dared ask. Cheonhwaru Ju likewise did not speak of the prophecy.
Heukno addressed Cheonhwaru Ju.
“Now the reason to take you with us is certain.”
Gaye also had something to say to Cheonhwaru Ju.
“Why are you trying to save me?”
Cheonhwaru Ju gave no answer.
In the end, the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord did not ask Cheonhwaru Ju anything. She had simply granted her request.
“Please step back for a moment.”
It was the Young Cult Leader’s place to ask about the prophecy. Her own task was to protect her from the enemy.
The Demon Lord’s aura grew even more intense. Until now, she had been defensive for fear of interfering with the prophecy being received, but now she shifted to the offensive.
The Gucheon Siwang withdrew the sword pointed at Gaye and began to attack Heukno in earnest.
Baaam!
When the Gucheon Siwang and Heukno clashed, the earth shook.
Now the Gucheon Siwang’s attacks were relentless. Because it mattered not if its entire body was shattered, it unleashed the most savage attacks it was capable of.
This made Heukno all the more furious.
He truly wanted to grind the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord’s bones to dust and swallow them.
But it was no easy fight.
The Gucheon Siwang was the strongest summonable entity he could call forth. The one saving grace was that, because the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord was controlling it with the Soul Subjugation Art, she could not perform other attacks.
As the battle grew fierce, the Gucheon Siwang’s armor was smashed, and the sound of bones breaking rang out.
But in that process, Heukno also expended a tremendous amount of internal energy, and had even faced a situation where his head nearly flew off.
Though its broken bones rattled, the Gucheon Siwang fought well.
As time passed, the Demon Lord was controlling it with ever greater skill.
‘She’s growing more accustomed by the moment. At this rate…!’
Heukno raised his internal energy to the extreme, attempting to suppress the Gucheon Siwang in one fell swoop. He had determined to finish it as quickly as possible, even if he suffered internal injuries.
But this was the moment the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord had been waiting for.
The instant Heukno recklessly dove in.
Swhaack!
The Gucheon Siwang threw its sword with lightning speed. It had never once let go of its sword until now; this was the first time it had thrown it.
Heukno twisted his body with lightning speed to evade, and the great sword grazed past his face.
The unexpected attacks continued. By the time Heukno twisted his body again, the Gucheon Siwang was already upon him.
It left its entire body open as though inviting mutual destruction, yet its blade-sharp hands flew toward both his shoulders.
‘Damn it! Too late!’
He could shatter the Gucheon Siwang’s chest, but his own shoulders would suffer grievous wounds.
At that life-or-death instant, something astonishing occurred.
Gwaak!
Something pitch-black grabbed the Gucheon Siwang. Surprisingly, it was the Gucheon Siwang’s own shadow.
The airborne Gucheon Siwang struggled, but caught as if being buried in its own shadow, it could not move an inch. The shadow began to squeeze the Gucheon Siwang with tremendous force.
Heukno did not miss that opportunity.
Kwa-baaam!
Palm strikes containing extreme internal energy pounded the Gucheon Siwang in rapid succession.
Boom! Craash! Kwaang! Baam!
At the same time, the shadow constricted the Gucheon Siwang with tremendous force.
Unable to endure the two-pronged assault, the Gucheon Siwang shattered into pieces in mid-air and vanished.
Ssssssh.
In the next moment.
Hack!
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord vomited blood.
Because the shadow had constricted the Gucheon Siwang, she had been unable to sever the Soul Chain, and with the subjugated target vanishing in that state, she had suffered internal injuries.
In that instant, palm blasts poured down upon her.
Swhack! Swack! Swhack! Swack!
Because Cheonhwaru Ju was behind her, she did not evade and instead swung both palms to block the palm force head-on. The attacks had come flying so swiftly that she had no leeway to unleash the Soul Subjugation Art to divert them.
Thwack, thud, thud, thwack!
Her figure shook violently. She blocked with palm techniques and protective qi barriers, but the earlier internal injuries amplified the shock.
“Kuegh.”
This time, she vomited even more blood.
“Demon Lord!”
When Cheonhwaru Ju called to her in alarm, the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord nodded as if to say she was fine. But blood was trickling from the corners of her mouth.
Someone walked in and spoke.
“Fool! Did you summon the Gucheon Siwang before the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord?”
The newly appeared individual was Amno, the remaining one of the two old men who had been with the Darkness Palace Lord.
The one who had constricted the Gucheon Siwang with a shadow and launched continuous palm strikes just moments ago was him.
He had unleashed his unique demonic art, Shadow Predation.
Heukno had nothing to say to that. It had been an obvious mistake born of underestimating the opponent.
“I never imagined that young one would actually subjugate the Gucheon Siwang.”
“Indeed, it is quite surprising.”
Amno looked at the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord with cold eyes.
Heukno and Amno.
Limbs of the Darkness Palace Lord, and masters of the Darkness Demonic Arts.
“The Young Cult Leader is on the verge of storming the Palace Lord. We must finish this quickly and return.”
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord’s expression grew grave. She had barely managed to handle one person; fighting two was impossible. Moreover, she had already suffered internal injuries.
Furthermore, this place was thick with the energy of Tamshim Daemyeolgong. She had been fighting using the Gucheon Siwang, which had been empowered by that dark energy.
But now she had to fight a completely disadvantageous battle.
“Demon Lord!”
Cheonhwaru Ju stepped in front of the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord. She was thinking only of saving her somehow.
“Your Palace Lord wants to know my prophecy. If you kill the Demon Lord, I will never speak.”
Cheonhwaru Ju showed a resolute will, but it did not work on Heukno and Amno.
“That is a matter between you and the Palace Lord.”
They made clear their intention to kill the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord no matter what.
Then the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord, who had been in the back, stepped forward.
“I am fine, so please step back.”
Tears welled up in Cheonhwaru Ju’s eyes as she looked at the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord.
“…Demon Lord.”
She was facing death in her attempt to protect her. If she had tried to flee, she might have escaped during the earlier fight with the first old man.
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord, on the other hand, was serene.
“Please treasure the prophecy. The Young Cult Leader will come to rescue us soon.”
She meant to never speak of the prophecy until the Young Cult Leader came to rescue them. That would keep her alive.
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord foresaw her own death.
‘Young Cult Leader, I am sorry for failing to complete my mission.’
She did not ask anyone to convey that sentiment to the Young Cult Leader. Hearing such words would only dampen their mood for no reason.
‘I had wanted to become the Young Cult Leader’s first Demon Lord…’
The Soul Subjugation Demon Lord stood proudly before the two.
“You corpse-stinking bastards, I will not die gracefully. I’ll be taking an arm or an eye with me.”
Intense killing intent surged from the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord’s eyes.
When she revealed her final aura, the surroundings seemed to spin, and dizziness began to set in.
Heukno and Amno raised their internal energy to resist that aura. It was a powerful, ferocious momentum that showed she had no intention of dying quietly.
“I won’t leave a single eye or arm on your body.”
Heukno and Amno also unleashed their auras without reserve. The deathly energy flowing from them mixed with the dark energy swirling around, suppressing the Soul Subjugation Demon Lord’s aura.
It was a two-on-one battle, so her energy was pushed back.
Just as Heukno and Amno split to both sides to attack in unison.
The eyes of Cheonhwaru Ju, standing in the back, sparkled.
“From somewhere…”
Cheonhwaru Ju slowly looked around and said.
“I smell alcohol.”