Hmm.
The moment Barshu saw the human, he fell into deep contemplation.
There was only one human in sight.
That meant the human before him was the one who had caused the explosion.
The problem was the aura emanating from the human.
It felt exceedingly faint.
But it couldn’t possibly be truly that weak.
If it were, he wouldn’t have been able to reach this place.
In other words, the human was clearly concealing his aura.
The issue was that Barshu couldn’t pierce through the hidden aura to see its true depth.
…I should avoid him for now.
Barshu decided to retreat.
Clashing with the human alone right now didn’t seem wise.
And that was the exact moment it happened.
The human extended his hand.
And in that instant—
“……!”
Barshu recoiled in horror, unleashing his demonic energy to form a barrier as he looked upward.
A magic circle came into view.
One radiating an ominous aura, no less.
Crack-le!
Soon, lightning burst from the circle.
The bolt slammed into the barrier.
Clang!
At the same moment, cracks spider-webbed across the barrier.
Barshu instinctively knew.
The barrier was about to be breached.
And his instinct was spot on.
Crack! Crack-le!
A hole tore open in the barrier, and through it the lightning poured in.
It engulfed his entire body.
“……!”
Barshu didn’t utter a sound.
More precisely, he couldn’t.
The agony that assaulted him the instant the lightning struck was merciless.
So excruciating that not even a scream could escape.
And in that moment, Barshu realized.
This was the end.
Gaon reached out toward the falling corpse of the demon.
The body halted in midair.
Then it flew straight toward him.
Gaon waved his hand once more.
Rip!
The demon’s chest split open down the middle, and a fist-sized demon stone slipped out.
Gaon immediately checked the concentration of demonic energy within the stone.
.5-star, huh.
A disappointed expression crossed his face.
I thought it’d at least be 6-star.
He hadn’t dared hope for a 7-star or 8-star stone.
Still, given the demon’s high level, he had expected to obtain a 6-star one.
Yet it was only 5-star?
With a regretful look, Gaon tucked the stone into his pouch.
Swish.
He turned his head toward the direction the demon had come from.
There should be plenty over there, at least.
An immense wave of demonic energy was coming from that direction.
It wasn’t the aura of another demon.
No distinctive demonic traits could be sensed within it.
In other words, it was likely demon stones.
Swish.
Gaon turned his head again.
He gazed at the golden barrier woven from holy power and mana, deep in thought.
It’s probably Kerhen’s work.
The Aletars Swamp was a region completely dominated by demonic energy—a zone where demonic energy reigned supreme.
The presence of holy power and mana in such a place was highly unusual.
It was almost certainly something Kerhen had created.
And one more thing.
Kerhen would be inside that barrier.
What should I do?
Gaon pondered.
The barrier was incredibly sturdy.
It would take at least count-class strength to even put a small hole in it.
That meant Kerhen inside was safe.
So was there any need to pull out a perfectly safe Kerhen just to clean up the surroundings together?
After thinking it over, Gaon made his decision.
I should collect the spoils first and meet him afterward.
Clean up the area, gather the loot, and then meet Kerhen.
Having decided, Gaon immediately soared into the sky.
He began flying toward the direction the demon had come from.
Before long, an altar appeared in his sight.
It was an enormously large altar.
Demon stones were embedded all over it.
Each one exuding thick demonic energy.
Wow…
Gaon let out an inward exclamation of admiration and broke into a wide grin.
How many are there?
The sheer volume of demonic energy was extraordinary.
He had expected a considerable amount, but it far exceeded his imagination.
As he drew closer and his sharpened senses grew clearer, Gaon was able to count the stones.
One thousand…
The number of demon stones on the altar was a staggering one thousand.
An astounding figure.
It wasn’t just the quantity, either.
There were also plenty of the 6-star stones he had regretted not getting from the demon he killed earlier.
They were planning to use demon stones like these as a power source…
At the center of the altar was an unfamiliar formation.
Given the flow of energy he sensed, it appeared to be a shamanic array.
And the demon stones weren’t mere decorations.
They were connected to the array.
In short, they were undoubtedly the power source.
A shamanic array powered by one thousand demon stones.
The answer was obvious without much thought.
They were trying to open a rift to the demon world.
A rift to the demon world.
With this much, it would have been an 8-star rift.
Judging by the number and concentration of the stones, that was his estimate.
If the rift had opened, it would have been 8-star.
But they entrusted something this important to just one guy like that?
The demon Gaon had just killed wasn’t an ordinary one.
It was likely a titled demon.
But not a high title.
Probably the lowest—baron-class.
Entrusting a task like this to a baron?
No matter how he looked at it, it was far beyond a baron’s level.
Gaon expanded his senses to their maximum.
He had a feeling there might be others nearby.
Hm.
He detected countless sources of demonic energy.
But not a single one among them was worth worrying about.
Were they relying on numbers?
There were no noteworthy auras, but the quantity was substantial.
Well, they do operate systematically.
And it wasn’t just numbers.
They were moving in organized formations.
Likely trained demons under the command of the one he had killed earlier.
I should deal with them before collecting the stones.
The direction the demons were heading was toward the golden barrier where Kerhen was presumed to be.
Of course, even if they attacked with full force, the golden barrier wouldn’t collapse.
Still, one never knew.
Unexpected complications could arise.
Gaon had no intention of allowing even the smallest variable.
Having made his decision, he activated his circles.
And began chanting a spell.
“Frozen Tempest.”
Whoosh!
The moment the incantation finished, a storm of extreme cold engulfed the demon horde.
The demons weren’t particularly high-level.
None of them could withstand the 8th-Circle spell Frozen Tempest.
In less than five seconds, every demon met its death, and Gaon dispelled the spell.
Closing his eyes, he focused on the corpses.
Demon stones rose from the bodies and flew toward him.
Not every demon left a stone.
And the concentration of those that did wasn’t particularly high.
The strongest was a 4-star stone.
Still, the quantity made it satisfying.
Thanks to the one thousand stones on the altar, he felt no regret at all.
Gaon concentrated on his senses again.
Just in case he had missed any.
Fortunately—and predictably—there were none, and after confirming, Gaon headed to the center of the altar.
To dismantle the shamanic array.
The demon stones were currently linked to it.
To claim them fully, he needed to sever the connection.
Soon arriving at the center, Gaon examined the array.
In less than thirty seconds, he perfectly grasped its structure and waved his hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Small explosions erupted across the array.
Crackle!
The array was destroyed.
Naturally, the link between it and the demon stones was severed.
Gaon spread Pacheonki across the entire altar.
Then all one thousand demon stones rose at once and flew toward him.
Gaon opened his pouch, and the stones began pouring into it.
With this many…!
Watching them disappear inside, Gaon thought to himself.
I might be able to melt the eighth wall.
The human limit is the 9th Circle.
Due to physical structure, forming a tenth circle is impossible.
Gaon had already reached the 9th Circle.
Even if his Pacheonki increased from now on, reaching the 10th Circle was out of the question.
That didn’t mean cultivation was meaningless, however.
The more Pacheonki he accumulated, the stronger and greater number of spells he could cast.
He could still grow stronger, even if 10th Circle ascension was impossible.
And above all, Gaon still had the “walls” of the Pacheon Mind Method.
Walls that required enormous amounts of Pacheonki.
If he absorbed all these demon stones and converted them into Pacheonki?
The eighth wall would melt on its own.
Soon the last stone was sucked in, and Gaon closed the pouch.
Then he chanted the spell he had prepared.
“Earthquake.”
Rumble!
The ground shook violently the moment it was cast, and the altar began to collapse.
This should make restoration impossible.
Satisfied with the destruction, Gaon turned away.
He looked at the golden barrier.
Now it was time to meet Kerhen.
Clang! Clang!
Kerhen was swinging his hammer at a lump of steel on the workbench.
Clang! Clang!
Each strike reshaped the steel.
Clang!
Soon the lump became a thin plate, and Kerhen set the hammer down.
He picked up the engraving knife beside it.
It wasn’t an ordinary engraving knife.
It was one of his masterpieces—the Imprint Engraving Knife.
An artifact capable of inscribing shamanic arrays, magic circles, or formations of any kind.
Kerhen immediately began engraving the formation.
“Phew!”
Finishing the inscription, Kerhen let out a breath.
He turned his head to the right.
The golden barrier came into view.
Of course, he hadn’t turned to look at the barrier itself.
He had turned because of the massive altar of the demon forces beyond it.
An 8-star rift? Those lunatics!
The demons had been trying to open a rift to the demon world here in the Aletars Swamp using that grand altar.
The problem was that the intended rift was 8-star.
An 8-star rift to the demon world was a massive gateway that even demon marquesses could pass through.
If an 8-star rift opened?
Coexistence Zone 15 would be overrun in an instant.
A new Zone 15 would be designated.
And needless to say, countless lives would be lost in the process.
That was why he had used his masterpiece, the Veil of God, created with Seionia’s assistance.
To prevent the 8-star rift from opening and buy time until reinforcements arrived.
And that was when it happened.
Boom!
The barrier shook violently.
“……!”
Kerhen couldn’t help but be shocked.
W-What the—!
It wasn’t the first time it had been attacked.
The demons encamped outside had periodically struck the barrier.
But it had never shaken this much.
C-Could reinforcements have arrived already?
Just as Kerhen had called for aid, the demons would have done the same.
And judging by the attack on the barrier now, it had to be their reinforcements.
That was the problem.
They had arrived far too quickly.
Crack!
Soon, cracks appeared on the Veil of God.
Kerhen immediately activated his magitech armor.
Setting down the engraving knife, he picked up the hammer again.
Riiip!
In that moment, the barrier split open.
Someone stepped through the tear.
…Entered the Veil of God?
The interior was filled with holy power and mana.
In other words, it was lethal poison to demons.
To dare enter the inside?
Kerhen instinctively prepared to hurl his hammer.
But only for a moment.
“……!”
Confirming the face of the intruder, Kerhen froze in place, hammer still raised.
He had no choice but to stop.
It wasn’t a demon—it was human.
Of course, that alone wouldn’t have stopped him.
There were humans who had betrayed humanity in the demon camp, after all.
The reason Kerhen halted his attack was that the human who entered the barrier was extremely familiar.
That made it even more troubling.
“…G-Gaon?”
With an expression of disbelief, Kerhen cautiously spoke the name that came to mind.
The human who had torn through the barrier—Gaon—smiled brightly and replied.
“You’re being awfully informal with your hyung-nim, aren’t you?”