Chapter 361. One-Man Army (5)

Aym recalled the contents of the documents only sent out to the great demons by the General Assembly, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. The first thought that came to mind was to run away. Their enemy made even the Demon Empire, which openly encouraged war, strongly recommended those under the third rank to withdraw should they run into him, and whatever their ranks, the great demons were advised to avoid making contact with the human to their best abilities. Unfortunately, they had already encountered the enemy and clashed with him.

It might have been possible to withdraw if they had gotten up as soon as they heard the commotion and ran away while leaving everything behind. However, now that they were out here, they were within the enemy’s range. Even if they tried to retreat now, their enemy wouldn’t easily let them go. Aym knew what would happen with complete certainty. Thus, they needed to fight whether they wanted to or not, but it was highly likely that they would all end up dead. What should they do?

For a moment, Aym found himself on the verge of a mental breakdown, but he tried hard to keep his head straight. There was a saying that one could survive even in a tiger’s den if they kept a cool mind. He needed to find a way to survive somehow. Soon, a single thread of hope came to Aym. Saleos enjoyed fighting the strong and thought it was a virtue to win after a fierce and desperate struggle, but Aym put more emphasis on winning itself. He had no interest in fair play and employed every possible method to win and make his enemies subdue. When they almost fell in danger due to the unexpected intervention of a human male, wasn’t it his sudden spark of wit that allowed them to overcome that crisis? And recalling that event led Aym to one possibility.

‘That guy—he’s a human.’ His opponent was a human. Although human beings had potential, they were born with an inherent weakness, and Aym had to utilize that to his advantage. What was his enemy’s intention in invading this place alone? Aym quickly organized his thoughts and said, “Never face him head-on.”

“What? What did you say?”

“Just buy me time. I just need a little bit of time. I’ll be right back.” With these words, Aym turned around in a hurry.

“…What’s up with him?” Saleos shrugged as he saw Aym quickly moving away. He looked back at the enemy shortly, and his eyes shone. His competitor had just left right on cue, and there was no better opportunity than now to fight a worthy opponent.

* * *

After a while, Aym returned panting and realized that the situation he had feared had turned into reality. If the document was factual, the enemy was someone that a great demon would have a low chance of defeating even while risking death. However, that stupid Saleos would have probably fought with the intention of capturing the enemy alive and showing him off as a prisoner. The result of the battle was obvious without the need to check. In fact, Saleos was already on the ground in front of the enemy and seconds away from getting his head smashed. What the hell had happened during the short time he was away?

Even while Aym felt sweat pour down his face, he quickly shouted, “Stop!” However, the enemy did not stop. He didn’t know if his enemy couldn’t hear him, or if he had no desire to listen. Without even a single second of hesitation, the enemy slammed his club down. Aym drew a sword and quickly stabbed one of the prisoners he had dragged out in a hurry.

“Aghhhhhh!” A piercing scream erupted. Chi-Woo had no intention to pay attention to anything that his opponent was doing, but he couldn’t ignore the sound this time.

“?” It was too familiar for him to ignore. Chi-Woo stopped swinging his club, which was about to end a great demon, and his expression stiffened when he looked up. He saw five humans and one demon in front of him. All of the humans were gagged and forced to kneel down with their whole bodies tied. He recognized them at a glance.

“Senior—umph! Umphhhh!” With one arm in complete tatters, Ru Hiana tried to shout something, but was immediately gagged again. Then Aym carefully observed Chi-Woo’s reaction. This was the only way left. If this method failed as well, death would be the only fate awaiting him, and he didn’t want to waste his breath saying anything meaningless.

“…” Chi-Woo’s complexion darkened. There was Ru Hiana, whose arm was just stabbed, along with Ru Amuh, Aida, Abis, Aric, and the fenrir cub. As expected, they were all alive, and it didn’t seem like they had been through too rough a time. Aym was a little relieved to see that his opponent seemed to have calmed down; he had expected this. No matter how strong his enemy was, he was only human after all; a human that had no choice but to be bound by frivolous emotions like loyalty and affection.

“Judging by your reaction, it seems like they’re your comrades. Am I right, human?” Aym asked as he pressed the sword to Ru Hiana’s neck, whose eyes had become red.

Chi-Woo’s eyes narrowed. The sword in Aym’s hand was Ru Amuh’s; it was the magic sword Ru Amuh had acquired from the Narsha Haram. Chi-Woo couldn’t believe that Ru Amuh would be beaten by such a pathetic opponent… No, Ru Amuh might have been forced to lay down his sword because his comrades were captured. No matter what happened, the current situation didn’t look good.

Aym said, “I advise you to stay calm unless you want to see your precious comrade’s head fly off.” The situation might have been better if there were only one or two of them, but Chi-Woo needed to consider a whopping number of six captives. Moreover, Aym seemed ready to move his sword if Chi-Woo even moved a finger. “Consider this a warning. If I see any suspicious signs from you, I’ll cut her neck right away. I’m gonna inflict even a little bit of pain on you before my death since it’ll be a real shame to go just like that. If you think I’m lying, you can test my resolve right now.” Aym pressed the sword further to Ru Hiana’s neck as he spoke. In other words, if he was going to die, he wouldn't die quietly.

Aym continued, “That's not all. My soldiers are pointing their swords at the neck of the prisoners we’ve captured at this very moment. I ordered them to kill the prisoners as soon as anything strange came up. You understand what I’m saying, right?” He was also going to drag the League members with him. Aym was at the end of his wits; if Chi-Woo showed even the slightest signs of attacking, he was going to make an example of at least one or two people. That would stop his opponent from acting rashly no matter how strong he was.

Of course, everyone’s eyes, including Ru Amuh’s, were expressing gratitude to Chi-Woo for coming to save them, saying that they had known he would come to save them, but they were all right, so he shouldn’t worry about them. Their soundless message was clearly conveyed to him, but Chi-Woo could not live up to their expectations. He had committed this act of madness to rescue them. He had to save them this time—that was the only thing on his mind.

“Good…good…” Although Chi-Woo showed no response, Aym took the fact that the human had calmed down and stopped running wild as a positive. Due to his fast thinking, Aym was starting to see hope. After taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat and said, “Move away from Saleos for now. If you don’t withdraw in three seconds, I’ll kill one of your friends here.”

Chi-Woo’s eyes glanced down and took a few steps back when Aym tightened his grip around the hilt of the sword. Aym, who had been nervously waiting, clenched his fist and said, “Get up, Saleos. Don’t do anything and come here for now. Come on!”

Saleos, who was on the ground, barely managed to raise his head. He was so beaten up that his face was a mess. Saleos staggered to get up. He glared murderously at Chi-Woo, but quietly moved away. “Fucking…ack…” He felt bile rise up to his mouth, and his mood was wretched. His life was saved by Aym pulling the same trick they had used on the other human male earlier. In any case, since losers had no say, he followed Aym’s order without complaint, but it remained to be seen whether they would succeed like this.

“Get rid of your weapon. I’ll give you three seconds for this too,” Aym said and began a countdown. “Three, two—” He clenched his hand and uttered, “One.”

The glowing club in Chi-Woo’s hand dimmed. Aym responded with a wolfish grin, “Heh. You’re a good listener. Good, very good. Just do what I said, and I’ll guarantee you and your comrade’s lives. And I promise to treat you well. I’ll definitely keep my word.” It seemed clear from the way Aym kept talking that he was still afraid. However, this wasn’t important. He didn’t care if his enemies cursed at him for being cowardly and criticized him for being cruel; rather, these were compliments for a demon. The only important thing for him was to win and survive.

“Then next…kneel,” Aym continued. “Keep your head down and stay still. If you move even a little…I don’t have to tell you what will happen, right?”

A glint appeared in Chi-Woo’s eyes for a moment and quickly disappeared. Then he tightly closed his eyes.

Aym laughed, making assumptions in his head. “This isn’t the right time for you to act prideful. By the way, I’ll give you three seconds for this. If you really want to see one of your precious comrades die, well, do as you want.”

Chi-Woo sighed deeply, and after breathing in and out a few times, he kneeled down slowly. Joy or sorrow reflected on the faces of those who were witnessing this scene. Aym smiled from ear to ear, and in contrast, the Seven Star’s members were filled with an indescribable, complex combination of emotions—guilt, self-loathing, anger, despair…all kinds of negative emotions swirled inside them. Ru Hiana eventually couldn’t hold back and shed a single tear, and Ru Amuh couldn’t bear to see it anymore and bam!—slammed his head against the floor. He hit his head on the floor so hard that blood dripped down from his forehead. The moment Chi-Woo finally bowed and kneeled, Aym couldn’t resist and burst into laughter.

An indescribable sense of joy contorted his face. Although he had almost died, this feeling of making the strong submit—the feeling of controlling a much stronger being than himself however he wanted! It was sweeter and more delicious than anything else in the world. So much so that he became sexually aroused and felt his lower body react.

“Hehe, hahahehehehe! Good. I’ll keep my promise as I said. If you stay calm, I promise that it won’t be so bad!” Aym jutted his chin towards Chi-Woo with joy, ordering his soldiers to hurry up and grab him. However, no one came forward. Even those of his legion hesitated. Chi-Woo had demonstrated such a ridiculous level of power that their fear of him still hadn’t subsided yet.

“What the hell are you doing? Hurry up and grab him!” When Aym angrily yelled, several soldiers finally stepped forward and carefully surrounded Chi-Woo.

‘Hehehehe. It’s almost done now…’ Even then, Aym didn’t lower his guard for a moment since one never knew what would happen. He needed to concentrate till the very end. Aym focused all his attention on Chi-Woo’s every move.

* * *

At the same time, Ismile tilted his head as he looked at Chi-Woo, who was surrounded by an army of soldiers. ‘Hmm…what is this?’

If anyone asked him how he was able to watch this scene play out, Ismile would answer that he had secretly infiltrated the corps. After seeing a bright light flash in the distance, Ismile followed Chi-Woo straight to the enemy camp because he was curious, and he also wanted to fulfill Chi-Hyun’s request to take care of his younger brother. Thus, he transformed his body to blend in with the demon soldiers and took the armor of one of the soldiers’ corpses scattered everywhere. In addition, since the whole camp was in a state of great confusion due to Chi-Woo’s appearance, it hadn’t been difficult for Ismile to sneak in. Since then, he had been keeping an eye on Chi-Woo just in case.

‘Did he just recklessly jump in?’ Well, considering that he had to save not just one or two captives, but five or six at the same time, this was no easy task. Ismile smacked his lips and suddenly raised the corners of his mouth. He was rather pleased by the turn of events. The time he had been waiting for finally arrived; this was the golden opportunity to clear up the dirt on his family name and prove his worth. Ismile Nahla was one of the most prestigious names in the Celestial Realm, but he was treated like a passing side character on Liber. Recently, he had even been treated like a random nobody. However, this was no longer going to be the case. What would happen if he made a surprise appearance at a critical moment like this and coolly solved this dilemma? He could clearly picture what would happen next.

‘Hehehhehe.’ Chi-Woo would cry streams of tears, praising the great Nahla and saying he was the very best, even better than Chi-Hyun. The timing was perfect. Everyone’s eyes, including the great demon’s, were all on Chi-Woo.

‘The! Grand! Entrance! Of! A! Hero!’ Ismile inwardly shouted and was about to move with a bright smile when—

Bam! There was a sudden explosion, and Ismile turned around without thinking. He soon came to a sudden halt with his eyes widened. Several soldiers who had flocked around Chi-Woo were flying in the air. Aym had been keenly observing Chi-Woo and clearly witnessed this as well. The legion soldiers had fallen to the ground and were roughly tumbling toward him. When he saw Chi-Woo standing up, Aym intuitively realized that the situation had turned for the worst.

‘Damn it! Did I push him too far? Should I have treated him more gentlemanly?’ Anyway, it couldn’t be helped now. They were all going to die, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for his opponent. He was going to die like a demon until the very end. Even if it was the last thing he did, he was going to make his enemy feel a shred of regret.

When he saw his soldiers roll over and stand up in a hurry, he shouted, “Kill them allllll!” Then he immediately swung the sword in his hand towards the neck of the blond pony-tail woman when—

Pierce. “….!” Aym’s eyes became big as saucers when he suddenly felt the cold sensation of metal, wrapped with sharp wind, penetrate his abdomen. “…What…” It really happened all of a sudden. The soldiers who fell to the ground after being thrown off by Chi-Woo got up as soon as he gave an order to kill the prisoners. However, instead of rushing towards the prisoners to kill them as he thought they would, they charged at him and grabbed the arm that was about to stab the woman. Then they immediately pierced him.

At that moment, all kinds of thoughts crossed his mind. His soldiers betrayed him? Come to think of it, he couldn’t feel the connection that normally existed between a great demon and their legions. He didn’t think too deeply about it since Saleos’ soldiers were here as well. Were they enemies that disguised themselves as his soldiers? That could be the case, but he could sense from them a dark energy, albeit faint. This meant that they were demons. Therefore, the only answer was an internal betrayal. However, legion soldiers were born to offer unwavering and blind loyalty to their master, and there was no one here but two great demons and their legions.

‘Then…?’

“Seriously.” At that moment, Aym clearly saw under the helmet the eyes of the soldier who had just turned around and stabbed him. They were glinting purple. The same figure continued, “You demons talk too much.” They sneered at him with a cold, husky voice.

Realization dawned on Aym, and his expression became murderous. He had been wondering why the dark energy had been so light, and it was because his enemies weren’t demons or demonic creatures. “You inferior pieces of trashhhh!” Aym furiously raised his foot and kicked the half-demon with all his might. However, Murumuru had already twisted his hand and taken his sword away before quickly moving back.

After seeing the light rise from the Demon Empire’s camp, Ismile hadn’t been the only one to make a move. The half-demons had infiltrated the enemy's camp as soon as they grasped the situation. Aym realized the truth, but it was already too late by then. All the soldiers who had approached Chi-Woo and surrounded him were half-demons. They each defeated a soldier that came at them and released the prisoners.

“Take it!” Murumuru threw the magic sword at Ru Amuh, who was the first to be released. Ru Amuh quickly got up and caught the sword.

Swoooooosh! As soon as Ru Amuh caught it, a terrifying wind flowed out. It was so intense that every wind blade seemed sharp enough to cut flesh. “I’ll kill you…” A chilling voice came out of Ru Amuh; he couldn’t forget the scene of his esteemed teacher kneeling down and bowing his head. He had seen a sight worse than his own death, and it was all because he had been too soft. However, it was okay. As long as there were no witnesses, it would be the same as the event had never happened at all.

In other words, he was going to kill and destroy all the demons here without leaving a single survivor. “I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you for sure…!” Very much unlike himself, Ru Amuh roared like a wounded beast, and an extraordinary storm of blades swirled violently around him. And…

“…” Ismile, who had been full of joy at the thought of becoming a hero to save the day… “…Uh?” He faltered and blinked with a grim expression.