Chapter 54: Abandoned Shadows

Those who had rushed outside were quickly subdued the moment they lost the anchor that was Seongcheol.

It was a natural outcome, considering that even Seongcheol’s uprising had been prepared merely as a distraction.

Under Taehoo’s leadership, the people gathered in the village square.

Except for the gathering itself, there was no compulsion.

Yet some trembled uncontrollably, while others sobbed, holding their children close.

Because of their choices, the entire village was on the brink of destruction.

A time of self-reproach passed quietly among the people.

Taehoo stood before them.

He was in the position of awaiting judgment by those who had sought to conduct a witch hunt.

‘They were ultimately just people who were misled.’

That was the first thought Taehoo had as he faced those utterly terrified.

They had simply sought the wrong target to blame in their desperation.

[So, are you planning to forgive them all?]

Ba’al asked, clearly displeased with Taehoo’s leniency.

They were the ones who had bared their claws against his own followers.

Ba’al found no reason whatsoever to spare them.

‘Besides, I can’t kill them all because of the Quest.’

Taehoo cut off Ba’al’s words.

He understood the people before him but had no intention of sparing everyone.

Someone had to be held accountable, and Taehoo knew exactly who that was.

Among those involved, aside from Seongcheol, the one who could be said to have led this event.

“Village Chief…”

At Taehoo’s brief summons, the old man’s shoulders trembled.

He bit his lip, then steeled his gaze and stepped forward.

Eyes that had made peace with death.

The Village Chief was a man who, like Seongcheol, did not shirk responsibility.

He was no fool despite his age.

‘If I kill this man, it will only become harder to persuade the remaining villagers.’

Such a thought flickered through Taehoo’s mind.

Still, he had no intention of stopping what was happening now.

‘Grandfather must have wanted me to learn this kind of cold resolve, too.’

Ba’al expressed his approval of that notion.

Taehoo summoned the Fallen Flower Sword into his hand and then created the Black and White Aura.

“So this is why you all thought I was just a puppet?”

A skill born from the coexistence of good and evil.

He had never imagined such power could be used for something like this.

‘Seongcheol exploited that aspect well, I suppose.’

But he was the kind of fool who saw only one side and not both.

Taehoo intentionally excluded Demonic Energy from the power he infused into the aura.

The aura, which had been mixed with black, soon became a dazzling white.

“Does this remove the suspicion cast upon me?”

Everyone gazed, mesmerized by Taehoo’s sword.

A heavy silence settled like a shroud.

“You will pay the price for your ignorance.”

Screech!

The Village Chief’s head was severed from his body in an instant.

The villagers could not even scream.

Because this was the consequence of their own actions.

Only the cries of children, muffled by their parents’ hands, echoed around.

“Judge for yourselves whether I am a hero or not.”

Taehoo proclaimed to them.

“The next demon invasion, I will stop it alone.”

This time, everyone—Jiho, the Twins of the Joo Family, and all who had gathered—opened their eyes wide in surprise.

Fighting alone to stop the final wave.

That was Taehoo’s chosen method to persuade those left in the village.

From the moment he killed the Village Chief, trying to sway the villagers by words alone was essentially impossible.

Though it was the price they had to pay for their actions, resentment over whether it really had to be done this way was inevitable.

In that case, Taehoo decided to show a heroic side and force them to recognize him as their hero.

That was the method Taehoo chose.

At the same time,

‘The loot—the Horn of the Demonic Tribe.’

It was also a good way to obtain the loot listed in Namjin’s Quest.

If they fought the Wave Dungeon jointly, no one could predict how the rewards would be divided.

Overall, Taehoo judged this choice to be the more advantageous.

Moreover, Ba’al, called the Great Demon, and someone who seemed to know Ba’al.

The Wave Bosses had all referred to “that one” with reverence.

To learn more about that entity…

And his party had separate tasks to attend to.

“Let the villagers watch the fight closely.”

They would keep the remaining people on the surface, not underground.

So they could witness Taehoo’s battle firsthand.

The Twins and Jiho were tasked with protecting the villagers.

Jiho just wanted to quickly leave the dungeon after dealing with Seongcheol, and the Twins felt the same.

Thus, no one objected to Taehoo’s personnel deployment.

No one.

[The final wave is starting!]

At that moment, the message rang out.

Taehoo drew the Fallen Flower Sword in sync with the message.

The villagers’ gazes fixed upon Taehoo.

‘Am I truly a hero to you?’

They had to decide that for themselves.

There was no hero who suddenly descended from the sky to cleanly solve the urgent problem.

To Taehoo, a hero was someone who gave strength to those trapped in desperation,

Someone who helped others rise from the ground where they had knelt.

Thus, only they could save themselves.

Taehoo’s role was only to give them a gentle push.

‘Don’t kneel before anyone.’

He stared straight ahead.

[The Nameless Commander proclaims himself the Wave Boss!]

The message continued.

[A Commander with no name.]

Ba’al added with an unusually grave voice.

Before Taehoo could even dwell on that, the Gate opened alongside him.

From within, a demon stepped out.

Like the second wave, the stage began immediately with a boss fight.

By this point, the Dungeon had effectively become a Raid Dungeon.

The boss called the Nameless Commander surprisingly took human form.

Given that all previous bosses had been monstrous in appearance, this was unexpected.

Apart from purple hair and pitch-black, lifeless skin, he looked entirely human.

A large scar that looked as if something had been torn away marked his forehead.

[That guy… yeah, my guess was right.]

Ba’al spoke in a voice tinged with longing.

Instead of focusing on Ba’al’s voice, Taehoo chose to move.

In an instant, he closed the distance to the Commander.

‘If he’s human-shaped, he’s actually easier to fight!’

Taehoo swung the Fallen Flower Sword, infused with aura.

It was a surprise attack timed for when the Commander had just stepped through the Gate.

Kaang!

The Commander blocked it with a single sweep of his arm.

It felt like colliding with a boulder; a numbness flooded Taehoo’s hand.

The arm that blocked Taehoo’s attack didn’t stop there.

It moved as if to seize Taehoo himself along the sword’s edge.

The forceful arm pressed forward, and Taehoo almost felt like he was about to be crushed.

Hurriedly, Taehoo poured mana into his legs and stomped on the ground.

Kwoong!

The Commander’s arm stuck firmly where Taehoo had just been.

The earth overturned, and dust billowed like a smoke bomb.

‘This guy is definitely on a different level from the others.’

Just from exchanging blows once, Taehoo understood why the previous bosses had served this one as their lord.

He was no opponent to be taken lightly like the others.

The title “Commander” was not given without reason.

“You definitely possess that one’s power.”

The Commander’s purple eyes watched Taehoo’s Fallen Flower Sword.

His voice carried the gravity of an elder.

This time, the Commander closed the distance to Taehoo.

His arm moved like a sword.

Kakakakang!

The attack resembled the limbs of Demon Ten Captain Kulran, but its pressure was incomparable.

It felt like facing off against someone wielding twin swords as if they were his own limbs.

[Activating Skill ‘Shadow Puppetry’!]

The daggers hanging at Taehoo’s waist began to move.

If you wield your whole body as a weapon, you just had to increase the number of weapons to match.

Taehoo coated the daggers with Belial’s power and met the Commander’s assault.

The Commander’s eyes flickered with surprise.

“That power…”

Just as he recognized Ba’al’s power, he seemed to recognize Belial’s power as well.

He blocked the oncoming daggers with a spinning kick, then took a step back first.

Though retreating, there was no opening, so Taehoo couldn’t easily find a foothold like usual.

“How can you wield the power of two demons?”

The voice was genuinely curious.

The nameless one was clearly filled with questions.

It was then.

[Kiel… yes, that was the name.]

Ba’al spoke.

His voice was heavy with complicated emotions.

‘Kiel?’

[That’s his name.]

Ba’al answered briefly.

He spoke of a demon he knew.

Ba’al had once been the number one in Hell’s hierarchy.

If he knew this demon, it was only natural to think he was a top-tier demon.

Just then,

[No, that’s not quite right.]

Ba’al cut off the thought.

The tone he used when saying the name suggested some hidden story.

[Before I abandoned all my minions, that was the name of one who was protected under mine. It took me a while to remember.]

Ba’al continued, recalling the past.

[Back then, he was barely a low-rank, but he’s come a long way.]

Thanks to that progress, Taehoo was in deep trouble.

Still, he was no foe beyond Taehoo’s capacity, unlike when facing Belial.

Proof was the fact that they were still evenly matched, sword to sword.

The villagers watched, spellbound.

And they sensed it.

Without Taehoo, the monstrous creature he faced was something they could never hope to stop.

Taehoo ignored the villagers’ feelings and focused solely on the fight.

‘Anyway, this is someone Ba’al knows.’

While moving incessantly, Taehoo thought.

Perhaps this was someone who touched upon Ba’al’s past, unknown to him.

Whatever the reason, it was clear this demon had been chasing Ba’al.

In other words, Taehoo could probably shake him using the information Ba’al had.

In a battle this close, even a small gap could mean death.

“His name is Kiel?”

Taehoo threw out the question.

At once, the Commander’s body froze.

The Nameless Commander, Kiel, trembled.

‘It worked.’

There was no doubt about that reaction.

Without giving him a chance, Taehoo swung the Fallen Flower Sword again.

Kiel reacted just in time, not forgetting he was in battle despite momentarily being distracted.

But it was definitely not at the same speed as before.

Even that small opening was enough for Taehoo.

[Activating Skill ‘Single Stroke Severance’!]

[The Shadow’s Power overlays the sword with even greater strength!]

The silent blade pierced Kiel’s arm.

Kaang!

At first, only the sound of metal clashing echoed.

Then, that sound transformed.

Screech!

The sound of flesh being sliced followed.

Drops of purple blood splattered.

The demon’s blood matched the color of his hair and pupils.

Kiel staggered backward.

Taehoo, having used a large amount of strength, did not push further and kept his distance.

“You’re really still alive…”

A voice filled with fury.

The aura now felt nothing like the composed power from moments ago.

Instead, it radiated wild, savage strength.

“What could have happened? You abandoned us for nothing but a human!”

The words were directed at Ba’al, not Taehoo.

Taehoo could clearly feel it.

‘What kind of story lies behind this…’

Taehoo stared hard at Kiel.

His voice carried anger, sorrow, regret, and emotions too deep to express in words.

That sincerity struck Taehoo’s heart.

He even thought he might be feeling the emotions Ba’al once did.

“I cannot accept someone like you.”

With thick murderous intent,

Kiel charged at Taehoo.