Chapter 63: History Repeats Itself

As I mentioned before, the Demon Clan is ruled by a ruthless law of the strong preying on the weak.

The reason is painfully simple.

The higher-ranking a demon, the more they can nullify the power, authority, and everything else the lower-ranking demons boast of.

It’s true that the Authority of War is strong.

It goes beyond simple brainwashing, and twists the very laws themselves.

Regardless of cause and effect, people fall for his agitation and end up waging war.

Thanks to this unique and potent authority, in the past, even on the Gritia Continent, the Harbinger of War—him—was the most feared.

You never knew if you’d end up attacking your own allies, manipulated by him without even realizing it.

But the wave of demonic energy bestowed only upon the Demon King and the Six Corps Commanders rendered his authority completely useless.

“Huh?!”

“W-what am I…?”

You don’t realize you’re being agitated while you’re under its influence, but once it’s gone, it’s different.

Everyone, as if suddenly realizing what they’d almost done, their eyes flew wide open, understanding something had invaded their minds just moments before.

But, there were those who showed absolutely no reaction.

Two people.

They were none other than Frankie Duncan, president of the Elixir Research Institute and ‘Kayle Turner.’

The world-renowned top Awakener, Kayle Turner.

It was surprising.

But that wasn’t a reaction to the agitation—it was a shift in emotion after witnessing the wave of demonic energy.

They were startled by the wave of demonic energy that had stripped away the agitation.

Of course, I’d deal with them later.

“Th-that wave of demonic energy… How could you possess an authority granted only to the great ones…?”

So shocked, he ended up blurting out what he knew about the wave of demonic energy.

“Harbinger of War.”

I turned to speak to him.

“A demon who incites war through various authorities like agitation, sowing discord, inner rage, and more.”

For those in the room who only vaguely guessed, I revealed his true identity.

But I didn’t just talk.

Driven by pure will, my body moved with an extreme speed, enough to twist even the laws of time.

Back in Jilin Province, dealing with the demons who built a siege around Beijing, my abilities had grown even further.

That full force was on display now.

“Kehek!”

Just like always, I seized the Harbinger of War by the neck and lifted him into the air.

In truth, even without my current power surge, the Harbinger of War wouldn’t have been able to resist.

‘Because he’s weak.’

Agitation that twists even the law of causality.

But behind this powerful ability hid a fatal flaw.

That was his physical strength.

He had a level of power unbefitting of the so-called battle-race, the Demon Clan.

To be honest, he barely had any strength at all.

“Kuhek!”

He flailed under the overwhelming grip.

This wasn’t a magical binding like with other demons.

He was simply thrashing, unable to withstand my grip.

‘He’s a mutant.’

Suddenly, fragments of the past surfaced.

Salmora, who’d taken a liking to me, used to brag (disguised as conversation) about his own faction.

‘A demon without even natural strength. But that guy, you see, has something even greater. Power with words so strong it twists the law of causality. Hehe. Just watch. You’ll see what he can do. Power isn’t everything. Hehe—he—!’

His plan had succeeded spectacularly.

With the arrival of the Demon King’s army, he sabotaged the formation of a continental alliance by exploiting the Harbinger of War, who couldn’t even wield a sword properly.

Like the saying, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword,’ the Harbinger of War’s power with words was immense.

But having been born with such overwhelming authority, he possessed not a shred of physical ability.

In terms of raw physique, he was inferior to an average adult.

That was proven by my light grip now.

“Kek, kekek!”

The fact that he couldn’t move an inch spoke for itself.

That’s why Salmora always assigned powerful escorts to cover for this weakness of his.

Like now.

“Sshk!” A burst of swordlight.

Sensing the ominous energy, I quickly stepped back to dodge the strike.

The sword swept harmlessly through empty air with a movement as fluid as a ghost’s retreat.

“So you finally show your true colors.”

That attack was a welcome one.

Because he had finally revealed the identity he’d been hiding.

“Kayle Turner.”

Kayle Turner, known as a world-class Awakener, a hero.

He raised his sword to defend the now-exposed Harbinger of War.

No need for further explanation; the relationship between him and the Demon Clan was clear.

The Harbinger of War, and the escort protecting him.

A situation I’d expected.

I just hadn’t thought that escort would be Kayle Turner—the world’s best, the so-called hero of Earth.

I scanned the area swiftly.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“P-please, let’s calm down…”

Those who couldn’t grasp the situation were panicking.

There were only two who remained calm: Kayle Turner, glaring at me with hostility, and beside him, Frankie Duncan, watching me with a curious gaze.

I’d suspected as much, but now that it was happening, I was still puzzled.

The two of them were clearly human.

Pure humans, not a hint of demonic energy on them.

My insight showed they weren’t under any mental domination either.

That meant they were helping the Demon Clan of their own free will.

‘A man who resembles the Hero, helping the Demon Clan.’

I stared at Kayle Turner, fascinated by this turn of events.

He likewise stared back, our eyes meeting in the air.

“You’re helping a demon even knowing what he is. Am I to take that as siding with the Demon Clan?”

No answer.

But—

“Fwap!” He simply swung his sword.

What was truly astonishing was that his sword was radiating a brilliant light.

“Excalibur!”

People around me murmured.

They said it was Excalibur, the noble knight’s sword.

But no what he was wielding wasn’t Excalibur.

‘The Sword of Light, Luminaire.’

The hero’s sword was once used by Velator the Hero.

It was said only one who had proven themselves as the Hero, chosen by the goddess herself, could wield the Sword of Light.

That sword, once broken by my own hand, had been restored and now gleamed again.

Not to slay demons, but, ironically, to save them.

Still clutching the Harbinger of War, I dodged his attack.

But soon despite evading, a line of blood welled near my wrist.

A distorted space.

It was a property inherent in the Sword of Light itself.

This sword twists space as it pleases, instantly altering the trajectory of its attacks.

A slash coming diagonally from the left would suddenly veer right, defying all laws.

Moreover, the radiance enveloping the blade wasn’t for show; it was a powerful killing aura in itself.

That light would grow or shrink unpredictably, making it impossible to anticipate the attack’s range.

Simply swinging the sword deceived the eye, and the range could change at will—a truly cheating weapon.

Most importantly—

[Absolute Severance]

This sword cuts all things it targets.

No defense or authority can block or nullify a sword imbued with the property of ‘Absolute.’

Of course, if you had a weapon of the same property—[Absolute Severance]—or an armor with [Absolute Defense], that would be different.

But I had no such artifact now.

There was only one way.

With extreme concentration, I watched the approaching Sword of Light in a time-distorted world.

In an instant the sword shimmered, tracing hundreds, no, thousands of trajectories.

Those were all the possible attack paths Kayle Turner could produce.

I calculated all possible options and moved accordingly.

Because I considered every path, I could evade whatever he tried.

No, it wasn’t just evasion.

In a flash I closed in on him.

“Whiiish!”

I swung the Excidium.

A slash filled with the karma of nearly a thousand years—no mere hero-imitator could bear it.

“Kaang!”

“Urgh!”

Reeling from the shock, he staggered back.

A jolt pulsed through my hand as I glared at him.

An invisible (but visible to my insight) barrier enveloped him.

“Parma.”

The Shield of the Earth Parma.

One of its powers is [Automatic Defense.]

When the wearer is in danger, the power of earth shields them from enemy attacks.

The Sword of Light and the Shield of the Earth…

If so—

“Haaaah!”

“Boom—boom—boom—boom!”

With a mighty cry, a fierce energy erupted.

That was the effect caused by the Armor of Strength, Bires.

An armor imbued with the authority of [Potential Explosion] that enhances the wearer’s abilities.

This was one of the three sacred artifacts of the hero.

And the power these three artifacts produced—was not something even I could easily handle.

Of course.

“M-m-my god!”

“What the hell is this…?”

For the Awakeners who once called themselves the world’s best, even more so.

Watching the ongoing battle, their jaws dropped as if they’d break.

What filled their wide-open eyes was shock.

Like frogs in a well seeing the world outside for the first time—they felt the true difference in level.

Join in?

They couldn’t possibly.

If they tried to step in at their level, they’d be shredded and die instantly.

That’s how fierce my duel with Kayle Turner—suspected to be the Hero—had become.

“Hoo?” Amid the repeated exchange, a curious voice rang out.

It belonged to Frankie Duncan, who sat in a corner like a spectator, “To think a human could push our Hero this far. I didn’t even expect this. Heheh—hmm.”

Amid the fierce battle, I turned my head.

A familiar laugh.

Frankie Duncan, whom I’d thought was human.

No, he was still human now.

But the atmosphere had completely changed from before.

No, rather than atmosphere, his very being had changed.

As if flipping a switch, he’d suddenly become something entirely different.

“But it’s pointless. The Hero’s power overwhelms all!”

That wasn’t an exaggeration or a lie.

A brilliant light flooded the room.

[Blessing of the Goddess]

A unique authority that only one who has gathered the three sacred treasures, chosen by the goddess herself, may wield.

“With your deaths, the world will be thrown into even greater chaos!”

His purpose was singular.

To kill everyone here and make it look like the work of South Korea.

With this, humanity—including the United Nations Federation—would become fixated not on eradicating the Demon Clan, but on destroying South Korea, the only force truly resisting the demons.

“Haaaaah!”

Shrouded in radiant light, Kayle Turner—the Hero—charged at me.

It was so swift and overwhelming that ‘lightning speed’ was no exaggeration.

In an instant, the Hero closed the distance.

And his lips moved.

‘…Light is useless.’

He flinched.

Was it because of memories of the past?

That single phrase made Kayle Turner’s eyes meet mine, both of us startled.

It was like reliving a scene from the past.

And so was the result.

“Thud!”

My sword—now transformed into Turba, suffused with the energy of chaos—pierced straight through Kayle Turner’s abdomen.