Duke Uruatan remained calm even as his subordinates died.
Those things could be replaced at any time. Rare as they were, the Demon Realm was vast, and their absolute numbers were many. The important thing was Bluestone Fortress itself.
From its skeleton to its outer walls, the fortress was made entirely of Mana Stones, layered with countless spells. The Mana it possessed was comparable to dozens of Dragon Hearts.
In this massive fortress, he had never been defeated by any enemy.
Even the strongest of a world, the Dragons who sought to protect their realms, had all fallen, splattering their blood upon the fortress’s outer walls.
As long as this fortress stood, it was not easy to kill him, for he was invincible. In a way, the fortress could be considered his body, and as long as its core survived, his soul could be restored at any time.
Swish, swish!
The Death Blade grazed Duke Uruatan’s form as he was pursued. That alone caused Death Mana to spread through his soul like poison.
“Futile,” Duke Uruatan muttered in a low voice, resisting by drawing Mana from Bluestone Fortress.
The Death Mana was pathetically pushed back by the massive amount of Mana provided by the fortress. To truly damage him, one would have to plunge the Death Blade deep into his form and stir it several times.
‘Is this fortress the main body?’
Choi Kangjoong immediately grasped Duke Uruatan’s identity through his Apocalid Vision. A Demon who could be called the spirit of the fortress, its control system. How could he kill it?
‘I’ll just have to eat the whole thing.’
Choi Kangjoong changed his combat method. He decided to attack Bluestone Fortress directly rather than Duke Uruatan. He transformed both arms into Mana Cannons and bombarded the fortress’s outer walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shells, packed with Death Mana, shattered the layered shields and pierced the thick armor. Refined Mana Stones shattered and scattered from the internal explosions. The powder of the Mana Stones sparkled as it drifted into the Dimensional Sea.
“Is that all?” Duke Uruatan sneered.
The damaged area was extremely small compared to the massive fortress. In human terms, it was like a slight scrape on the skin. To destroy the fortress like that, even 1 year would not be enough.
“Do you think this is the end?”
Choi Kangjoong’s words reached Duke Uruatan as he moved via Blink. The observation equipment of Bluestone Fortress detected approaching giant organisms. Not just one, but many.
“This…”
A Hive Class Apocalid, 10 kilometers long, and Super Titan Class Apocalids that had grown to 3 to 5 kilometers were falling toward the fortress. He tried to turn Bluestone Fortress to bring them into the Devil Cannon’s firing range. However, the Apocalids moved diagonally, cleverly exploiting the Devil Cannon’s blind spots.
3,000 Hell Cannons raised their barrels and fired explosive Wisps. A bombardment powerful enough that even a Super Titan could not endure for long poured down on Kuongi.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Kuongi’s head was engulfed in a light so intense it was hard to even keep one’s eyes open. Even after pouring out such a powerful attack, Duke Uruatan did not stop the Hell Cannons from firing. Wisps with improved accuracy and speed surged upward continuously. However, the Mana Storm centered around the Apocalid did not stop approaching.
Rumble!
Soon, Bluestone Fortress entered the boundary of the Mana Storm. Hell Cannons were destroyed one after another by lightning originating from the unnaturally condensed Mana. Kuongi appeared as nothing more than a shadow due to the light. With the regeneration of the Mana Storm and his sturdy physical structure, he endured the tremendous bombardment and fell onto Bluestone Fortress without slowing down.
Thud!
Bluestone Fortress was pushed downward. The Devil Cannons, crushed by Kuongi’s massive mass, were bent and crumpled. It was a state anyone could see was unusable without repairs. Super Titans fell one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bluestone Fortress tilted to one side. Until then, Duke Uruatan thought it was merely a ramming tactic. An attack that succeeded in nothing more than destroying the Devil Cannons, better left undone. He truly doubted the intelligence of the Demon Duke who had died at the hands of such a foolish individual.
“All of you, come out!”
Duke Uruatan threw open all the fortress’s entrance gates. The Demons and Magic Beasts inside swarmed out. The Demons of Ruin lost their minds upon seeing the large Apocalids. Because they were so large, they looked easy to break and dismantle. Numerous Magic Beasts also charged with shrieks.
Soon, a battle broke out between the Apocalids, Demons, and Magic Beasts, and it was immediately after that Duke Uruatan was shaken. An enemy!
Kuongi bit off a piece of Bluestone Fortress and put it in his mouth. His mouth was as massive as his size, and a significant portion of Bluestone Fortress was torn away at once.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Within Kuongi’s mouth, the Mana Stones were crushed into small pieces. Walkers, who were like a part of Kuongi’s body, broke the Mana Stones into even smaller pieces and transported them to the Soil Pit in his stomach. The same thing was happening in the mouths and stomachs of the Super Titans.
“How could this be…!”
In an instant, one-thirtieth of Bluestone Fortress vanished. If this happened thirty more times, Bluestone Fortress would disappear without a trace. The core of Bluestone Fortress would likely vanish much earlier.
That wasn’t the end. 200,000 Walkers emerged from the stomachs of the giant Apocalids and began dismantling Bluestone Fortress. Even if they were Mana Stones reinforced by magic, nothing could withstand being constantly scraped by strong jaws and Scythe Claws.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Every time the giant Apocalid chewed on Bluestone Fortress, Duke Uruatan’s soul shook violently.
“N-no!”
Duke Uruatan fired Hell Cannons and Chaos Magic indiscriminately. Crimson lightning, blue flames, and things like black snakes swept over the Walkers. Hundreds of Walkers died at once, but they could just be summoned again.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Choi Kangjoong went around happily destroying Bluestone Fortress. Destroying something that was okay to destroy provided a rather addictive pleasure. \Meanwhile, he also helped Iselin, Dielka, Han Junghwa, and Guild Leader Kang Sungpyo.
Iselin and Dielka were already overwhelming Duke Proferia. His Undead collapsed in heaps just from the Spirit of Life bouncing around or the Death Spirit flying past. Piles of such corpses already surrounded the two Elves. The Death Knights and Liches under Duke Proferia could not even reach the two Elves.
This was thanks to the Apocalids Choi Kangjoong had assigned to them. 100 Warriors led by a Central Command Warrior and ten Giants.
Maintaining infinite vitality through the Mana of Life while gaining powerful attack power through Death Mana, the Immortal Demon could not easily challenge them.
Even if they tried to deal damage somehow with Death Aura and Death Spears, they were neutralized by the Mana spread by the Spirit of Life.
The battle between Duke Dharman, Han Junghwa, and Guild Leader Kang Sungpyo was intense. With dozens of sword strikes exchanged in 1 second, it was a speed hard for an ordinary person to follow with their eyes. The two were also able to give their all against Duke Dharman thanks to the Apocalids Choi Kangjoong had assigned to them.
“They’re well-coordinated.”
The two were long-time comrades and also had a relationship close to master and disciple. Although Han Junghwa did not call him Master, it was an undeniable fact that she had received much teaching from Guild Leader Kang Sungpyo.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Portions of Bluestone Fortress entered the giant Apocalids. It was a joyful harmony to Choi Kangjoong, but a terrifying sound to Duke Uruatan.
“Stop that! You mustn’t let them through there!”
Duke Uruatan, who had spoken without emotion until now, shouted convulsively toward Kuongi.
Kuongi had burrowed deepest, and before him were Mana Stones of a different dimension in terms of hardness and thickness compared to what he had eaten so far.
Even with Kuongi’s bite force, which had once pierced the body of a Dragon Lord in a single blow, it was difficult to break, requiring repeated biting.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Instead, his teeth, unable to withstand the pressure, shattered. Kuongi regenerated and closed his mouth again.
Snap!
Cracks appeared in the Mana Stone armor.
“Stop it! I said stop it!”
The Demons of Chaos floating in the air cast Chaos Magic. Before it could unfold, Cannon Giants brought them down with shelling, or Fighter Giants intercepted them with physical charges. Still, numerous spells fell onto Kuongi’s back. 10,000 Demons climbed onto him and attacked his exterior and interior. Despite this, Kuongi stolidly focused on the Mana Stone armor.
‘There must be something important inside.’
Choi Kangjoong moved using Stealth Blink, inserted his Death Blade into the crack Kuongi had made, and sliced upward.
‘It really is hard.’
A part so hard that even the Death Blade found it difficult to cut. He could guess what was inside. It was the core of Bluestone Fortress. The Mana storage, the Mana Engine, the system where Duke Uruatan resided, and so on. That was why Duke Uruatan was trying so frantically to stop them.
Walkers clung to the Mana Stone armor. They melted it by spraying Acid Fluid and gnawed it with their jaws, cutting the armor into the shape of Kuongi’s mouth.
Creeeak! Creeeak!
More cracks appeared.
It was only after Kuongi had regenerated hundreds more teeth that the part he was biting finally broke away. The Mana clumped inside erupted explosively.
“Fire a Breath.”
Kuongi, who had sent the Mana Stone armor to his Soil Pit, opened his mouth. Mana and Source Energy condensed, and a Lightning Breath was fired.
Kaaa-boom!
The core of Bluestone Fortress was dyed white, and a powerful explosion swirled. Everything inside was destroyed, and the electricity from the Lightning Breath flowed through the entire fortress. All the Hell Cannons were broken, and the Devil Cannons became inoperable.
“It’s still holding up even though a Breath exploded inside. It’s truly sturdy.”
Choi Kangjoong couldn’t help but be impressed, even though it was something the enemy had built. He felt he understood why not a single part of Bluestone Fortress had been destroyed until now.
‘I guess that’s why I’m the first to break it.’
“Broken! Not yet! As long as I am here, this fortress lives!” Duke Uruatan said.
It was half a scream. His form flickered here and there, looking as if it would be difficult to maintain.
Of course, even if it was damaged this much, as long as Duke Uruatan remained and Mana Stones were replenished, it could be restored. Provided the Apocalids let it be.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The Super Titans diligently chewed away at Bluestone Fortress. Although more than 10,000 Demons were climbing and attacking each Super Titan, they did not stop eating and digesting.
“Lutal, help the endangered Super Titan first.”
“Grr-rruk!”
Lutal flew toward the Super Titan on the outermost edge of Bluestone Fortress. On the surface, it looked the most intact. It wasn’t bleeding like the other Super Titans or Kuongi. However, its interior was a mess due to the infiltrating Demons. Demons of Ruin were cutting through muscle and organs, while Demons of Chaos burned and melted flesh with Chaos Magic. It wouldn’t be long before the Demons reached the heart and brain. If it were any other creature, it wouldn’t be strange for it to writhe in agony.