Return of the Frozen Player

The Heavenly Demon took a step forward. He wasn’t moving any faster than he had before the Players obstructed his path.

"Ugh..."

"The discomfort has escalated to the point of making my skin crawl."

As he approached, the pressure that Players felt from him only grew stronger. Those whose skills were a bit lacking had already begun to vomit.

"Captain Gong."

Shin Sung-Hyun, who was observing the surrounding atmosphere, whispered to Gong Ju-Ha.

"Look at his irises."

At those words, Gong Ju-Ha checked the Heavenly Demon's eyes and nodded.

"They're red. It's because of albinism, right?"

"That's right. Since the whites of his eyes aren't red, it seems that he hasn't exerted his full power yet. But even with just that..."

"Uwaack!"

As the Heavenly Demon drew closer, the number of Players who were vomiting from the pressure increased. His presence alone—and the toxic demonic energy that he radiated—was a natural poison they couldn't withstand.

"Our goal isn't to kill him. It's to stall until Specter-nim arrives."

"Understood."

"The same goes for all of you! Hold him back and don’t die. That's our goal."

Players nodded their heads at Shin Sung-Hyun's plea. They had faith. They had faith that Specter would arrive if they waited a little longer. Undoubtedly, that time wouldn't be too long.

‘At most, he will arrive within ten minutes.’

In other words, either they held out for ten minutes, or he broke through the blockade and did what he wanted.

"Like turtles."

The Heavenly Demon evaluated the Players. They really were like turtles, tightly poised in their defensive stances without considering any offense.

"In that case, let's break that shell first."

He lightly stomped one foot. As a result, the concrete road split apart, and the fracture headed toward the Players.

"Damn it, dodge!"

"Disperse!"

Players who were blocking the road to the baseball stadium were thrown in all directions.

Booom!

Then, the land they stood on was blasted apart by a massive explosion. The Heavenly Demon's eyes glinted as he destroyed their formation.

"You guys can't stop me."

They hadn’t even been able to stop him before, much less now. With his training in the Land of the Demons and the power of the Holy Sword, there was only one enemy for him.

"Quietly wait until Specter arrives."

There was nothing else to consider.

"He will come. But before that…."

Screech!

A tall Westerner charged at the Heavenly Demon, dragging his greatsword along the ground.

"I'll take revenge for my wife!"

The man's eyes brimmed with anger as he charged swiftly.

Booom!

"..."

The Heavenly Demon looked calmly at the sword in front of him. The demonic energy he released naturally had stopped the blade in its tracks and was now gripping it tightly.

"Go meet your wife."

Without batting an eye, the Heavenly Demon pronounced a death sentence. At the same time, the tall Westerner was cleaved in half.

"Adam! Damn it! That bastard!"

"Fire at will!"

"He's a human too! If you stab him, he’ll bleed and die!"

"A human?"

The Heavenly Demon smirked. Even those fiends treated him as something other than human, and even more so himself. Ironically, his enemies were actually treating him like a person.

"How amusing."

The Heavenly Demon's steps were steady. His expression was gentle, and his free hand was tucked behind his back. He appeared as if he were on a leisurely stroll, except for the blood stains all over him and the hand holding Seo Jun-Sik.

"Step back!"

Gong Ju-Ha issued a warning and took a deep breath. Simultaneously, the surrounding air became intensely hot.

"Scorching Hell!"

Whooosh!

A massive pillar of fire fell from the sky onto the Heavenly Demon's head. The four-lane road, traffic lights, buildings, and more exposed to the heat melted instantly. For about fifteen seconds, the pillar of flames turned the world into a hell of fire.

Gradually, the flames receded.

"...!"

"...!"

The eyes of the Players looking down at the melted road widened in shock. Once more, the Heavenly Demon was completely unscathed. There wasn't even a hint of singeing on his clothes.

"How?"

A helpless question naturally flowed from Gong Ju-Ha's lips. To this, the Heavenly Demon retorted,

"There’s a fellow with quite an appetite. However..." As his eyes fell on the gathered Players, his gaze turned a bit ominous. "Seems the taste wasn't quite to his liking. I’ll return it."

Several mouths sprouted all over the Heavenly Demon's right arm. The moment they all opened, a tremendous blaze engulfed the Players.

"Captain Gong!"

Shin Sung-Hyun shouted, a cry almost like a scream, and immediately created a portal. Some of the flames were absorbed by the portal and shot back up into the sky. The problem was the flames he hadn't managed to absorb in time.

"I'll try to stop it!"

Gong Ju-Ha summoned her magic power to the limit, sending forth a wall of fire.

Whooosh!

A storm of blaze ensued, pushing back the Heavenly Demon’s flames like a raging bull pushing back its opponent. Even allies staggered backward in front of the fierce and searing battle.

‘Ugh!’

The intense struggle rapidly depleted her magical power.

‘It's fine. There's no problem blocking it.’

As she reached this conclusion, her gaze turned toward the Heavenly Demon.

"He’s…smiling?"

Beyond the flames, the corners of the Heavenly Demon's mouth seemed to twitch slightly upward. A creeping sensation that something wrong came over her. He then dispersed the flames he was emitting.

"Ah! No!"

In an instant, Gong Ju-Ha's face contorted in realization of her opponent's intent. She hastily pulled back her magic power to disperse her own flames.

“Cough!”

"Princess!"

In the process, her magical circuit twisted, causing her to vomit blood. However, she had only been able to scatter half of the flames. The other half continued unabated, heading straight for the Heavenly Demon.

"Better than before." The Heavenly Demon, once again absorbing the flames, smiled softly. "But I’ll return these too."

The wave of flames, fiercer than before, surged toward the Players.

"Captain Gong!"

"..."

Looking at Gong Ju-Ha shivering in silence,Ha In-Ho shouted, "It's impossible! She's trying to fix her damaged circuit!"

"Damn it!"

Feeling a sense of impending danger, Shin Sung-Hyun also raised his magic power to its limit.

"Allegro Assai (Very Fast)!"

A gap in space opened wide, rapidly absorbing the surging flames.

"Protect Shin Sung-Hyun until the flames subside!"

Wei Chun-Hak spat out the cigarette he had been biting and scattered talismans around. But as he threw them, the talismans shredded into pieces and fell to the ground.

"Disappointing. You guys haven't changed much from the past."

The demonic energy filling the red sky began moving.

The Heavenly Demon muttered, "My enthusiasm has waned."

This statement was essentially a death sentence. The Players lifted their heads, as if recalling a promise, sensing that it was over.

"Oh, crap..."

"Is that all?"

Their fields of view were full of demonic energy beams falling down like shooting stars. Their number was too great to count, and they weren’t just little jabs, but actual straight punches.[1] The Players had an almost palpable feeling that they would be instantly killed upon impact.

“...”

“...”

The Players finally remembered.

Hidden behind the shadow of Specter, they’d grown complacent. They had forgotten the terror that was the Heavenly Demon.

"Rapid Growth!"

"Holy Barrier!"

"Spell Interruption!"

Trees grew tall and thick, creating a canopy above their heads. Layer after layer of defensive barriers erected by priests and wizards reinforced the shield of greenery.

"Futile."

Boooom!

Struck by the demonic energy meteorites, the barriers shattered one after the other. Each time this happened, priests and wizards spewed blood and fell.

The Heavenly Demon casually strolled along the now-clear path.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

In the Players' eyes, a sense of helplessness grew. They had trained so much and faced the battlefield risking their lives countless times. There were seasoned veterans, they were numbering in the hundreds, and yet…why? Why couldn't they just cut down that one villain?

Some of them were even shedding tears in frustration and anger.

"Weaklings crying..."

In the Heavenly Demon's indifferent eyes, a sense of disdain arose.

"Pathetic."

But it was alright. He could erase all these pathetic things from the world and tidy it up.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the Heavenly Demon's head turned slightly to one side, sensing an unexpected heat.

"...?"

His narrowed eyes fell upon Gong Ju-Ha. She was still preoccupied with restoring her magic circuit, not moving a finger.

‘Then just what could this heat be from?’

Just as the question surfaced, the flames that tormented Shin Sung-Hyun disappeared.

"Oh, so it's you."

The Heavenly Demon chuckled lightly. He recognized the one who had cleared out the flames all too well. He glanced at the stiff-faced Kim Woo-Joong and extended a greeting.

"It seems you’ve fully recovered, Sword Demon."

"..."

Flicking aside the flames remaining around him, Kim Woo-Joong retorted, "I'm the Sword Saint."

"Sure, whatever the name...you've gotten stronger." The Heavenly Demon extended his hand softly. "If you were to take my blood and become a fiend once more, you might stand beside Specter, whom you so admire."

"..."

Kim Woo-Joong stared unflinchingly at the Heavenly Demon. As their eyes met, the Heavenly Demon withdrew his hand.

"It seems I've done something unnecessary."

He wasn’t thinking about the proposal, but rather about what he had done earlier—transforming the Sword Saint into a fiend.

‘Perhaps that was the final piece missing from his puzzle.’

Rage was visible in Kim Woo-Joong's eyes, but it was very much unlike before. It was a controlled rage—not one that blindly thrashed against its owner, but a rage fully under the owner's command.

"How amusing."

"It's going to get even funnier."

The moment Kim Woo-Joong's sword pointed downward, the Heavenly Demon had no choice but to use his free hand for the first time.

"You never fail to surprise me every time we meet, unlike those bugs over there. I commend you," whispered the Heavenly Demon, pinching Kim Woo-Joong's sword with his thumb and index finger.

Crack!

Kim Woo-Joong poured more strength into the sword and glared at his opponent.

"Such a shame. I wanted to chop your head off on my own."

"I look forward to next time then."

"No. Don't look forward to it."

Whoosh!

Kim Woo-Joong’s aura intensified, and he muttered, "You'll die at the hands of the Players today."

"That too, I look forward to it."

The Heavenly Demon lightly waved the hand wrapped in demonic energy. Kim Woo-Joong blocked the strike with his sword, but he was pushed back considerably.

"Even as you are, you can't stop me by yourself..."

"Here, you're the only one alone."

Rumble!

The Heavenly Demon's gaze shifted slightly behind him. A man appeared like a bolt of lightning, glaring at him while breathing through his teeth.

"At last…I get to meet the Heavenly Demon."

"...What's this about?"

"At last…today, I can cut off your limbs, then cut your head off to offer it at my master's grave."

The Heavenly Demon burst into a dry laugh.

"Oh, could you be one of the Thunder God’s disciples?"

"What's so funny?"

"What isn’t? The Thunder God was quite a fun toy."

As the Heavenly Demon reminisced about killing Thunder God, a wistful glint appeared in his eyes.

"Unlike you lot, that old man knew he couldn't defeat me. He just pranced about, trying to at least tear off an arm or a leg. How laughable..."

The Heavenly Demon's smiling gaze turned toward Baek Geon-Woo.

"And pathetic."

Rumble!

Baek Geon-Woo transformed into lightning, rushing at the Heavenly Demon with his fist outstretched. The Heavenly Demon seemed to have been waiting and deftly sidestepped the attack.

‘It's done.’

Speed and precision.

When two individuals possessed both attributes, a joint attack could indeed be difficult to deal with. However, if one of them was eliminated first, there would be no threat left.

The Heavenly Demon was just about to tear Baek Geon-Woo's throat in one go, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Sword Saint Technique Third Form.

Dividing the World into Two.

A sword brimming with an eerie aura descended upon both him and Baek Geon-Woo with unstoppable force. In front of this power, the Heavenly Demon was forced to let go of Baek Geon-Woo and pull back.

"... Does it not matter if we both die?"

"Only you will die. He might lose an arm or two at most."

"I don't mind."

Baek Geon-Woo rose from his position and looked at Kim Woo-Joong.

"If the same situation arises, just strike. I don't mind dying.”

If it meant being able to kill the Heavenly Demon, he truly didn’t mind. His eyes and tone clearly conveyed his indomitable resolution to destroy his enemy.

"Hmm..."

The Heavenly Demon exhaled softly. He realized that the two men in front of him were as insane as he was.

1. A straight is more powerful than a jab. ☜