A fist flies in quickly.

The power contained within is overwhelming.

Even if blocked, the impact would be huge.

‘Still too honest.’

However, no matter how strong an attack is, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t hit.

Choi Hyun-seok perfectly dodged the fist just by tilting his head.

While doing so, he subtly extended his leg to trip her.

“Ugh!”

Sidriel loses her balance and stumbles from her own momentum.

Choi Hyun-seok drove his knee into Sidriel’s exposed abdomen.

Thwack!

In that moment, Sidriel’s eyes bulged, and she immediately flew at a terrifying speed into a boulder.

Crash-!

With a thunderous sound, the boulder shattered and dust rose up.

Choi Hyun-seok stared at that spot with sharp eyes.

“Not yet!”

As expected, Sidriel emerged through the dust and launched an attack.

‘I have to give her credit for her tenacity.’

Choi Hyun-seok faced Sidriel with astonished eyes.

Despite taking hits for over an hour, there was still life in her eyes.

Judging by her unnatural and sluggish movements, the damage must have accumulated considerably.

Yet her fighting spirit remained unbroken, which was proof of Sidriel’s strong will.

‘Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to let her hit me though.’

Choi Hyun-seok dodged the incoming attack and drew up his mana.

Nobilrace

Form 4 – Authoritative Death

He throws a punch toward the charging Sidriel.

An exquisite attack targeting the moment her body is in the air.

Dodging is impossible.

Sidriel hurriedly surrounded herself with demonic energy to prepare for the impact.

Then, as the fist strikes Sidriel, shockwaves spread in all directions.

Crash-!

Sidriel once again flew at tremendous speed and crashed somewhere.

‘Her response was too slow.’

Though she tried to defend against the impact with demonic energy, it was unstable.

He could feel that Sidriel’s demonic energy barrier was penetrated, directly inflicting damage to her body.

This too happened because of her lack of experience.

“Ahhhhh!”

Despite surely receiving a huge impact, Sidriel still flies in fiercely.

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head and extended his hand.

“Stop. Let’s end it here for today.”

“I can still fight!”

“Continuing to recklessly charge in like that won’t be effective.”

“But…!”

Choi Hyun-seok swept Sidriel’s legs out from under her as she tried to object.

Even though it wasn’t a strong impact, Sidriel collapsed.

“See? How can you keep fighting when you can’t even stand properly?”

“I…”

Sidriel clenched her fists with a frustrated expression.

She already knew Choi Hyun-seok was stronger than her, but she didn’t expect to be defeated so helplessly.

Moreover, she had become stronger than before after becoming a Demon King.

Looking at pure stats alone, Choi Hyun-seok was far below her.

“But why…!”

Despite clearly being faster and stronger.

Choi Hyun-seok handled her like playing with a child.

It felt like he wasn’t even using half of his full power.

Why did it turn out like this?

“First, catch your breath. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll tell you what problems I noticed during today’s sparring.”

“Understood…”

Sidriel hung her head low.

Choi Hyun-seok clicked his tongue internally while looking at her.

‘I knew it, but it’s more serious than I thought.’

Today is Day 1 of sparring.

The final battle with Dorithugs is in 2 weeks.

During that time, Choi Hyun-seok decided to conduct special training with Sidriel in Inessimot.

The reason for going all the way to the distant Inessimot was because his appearance couldn’t be discovered.

“But is it okay for a Demon King to be away for 2 weeks?”

“It doesn’t really matter. The war is over anyway.”

The training began afterward.

As expected, Sidriel is too weak.

To be precise, she is strong but couldn’t utilize even half of her strength.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“… I think I’m okay.”

“Your body is indeed tough.”

Perhaps this is what it means to have Demon King’s bloodline.

Her recovery ability is incredible.

To recover this much already after taking such a beating.

This is a good sign.

That recovery ability of Sidriel’s will be very helpful for the upcoming training.

Before starting the real training.

Choi Hyun-seok first pointed out Sidriel’s problems that he noticed during sparring.

“First, the biggest problem is that you’re too honest.”

“Honest?”

“Your attacks are predictable. There’s no variation. No matter how fast and strong you are, if you attack this straightforwardly, it’s not difficult to dodge.”

While Sidriel is indeed stronger, Choi Hyun-seok also possesses Corps Commander-level physical abilities.

This means the power gap between them isn’t overwhelmingly wide.

Therefore, how one fights becomes important, but Sidriel is too inexperienced in most situations.

“That guy Dorithugs will dodge even more easily than me. Since there’s almost no difference in ability between you two.”

“I see…”

Sidriel’s current combat power is 630,000.

Dorithugs’s combat power was 650,000 when checked during the previous Demon Race Conference.

‘Even I with 420,000 combat power could dodge this easily, so it’s obvious for him.’

It might be different if Dorithugs’s fighting techniques were as poor as Sidriel’s, but that’s unlikely.

They said he’s the strongest Corps Commander in history except for Hemis.

‘I understand wanting to fight fair and square, but it will be difficult.’

Choi Hyun-seok looked at Sidriel, who hung her head low in dejection.

She had initially said she wanted to face Dorithugs head-on without help, but he could already see her getting knocked out without lasting long.

However there won’t be problems with the strategy since the Drason Empire’s Magic Corps is preparing diligently now.

He felt sympathy watching her continue to be so discouraged.

Choi Hyun-seok deliberately smiled exaggeratedly and patted Sidriel’s back.

“But your fundamentals are solid! Things like variables can be filled in with experience. Even though it’s just 2 weeks, you’ll definitely improve if you train with me!”

“Really!?”

“Of course! In 2 weeks, you’ll be completely reborn!”

Sidriel’s expression immediately brightened.

She looked at Choi Hyun-seok with heightened expectations.

Being reborn in just 2 weeks.

Logically, such a thing shouldn’t be possible, but Sidriel sincerely believed Choi Hyun-seok’s words.

“I see! Choi Hyun-seok! You knew a special training method to become stronger in a short time!”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of training is it!?”

Rather than thinking Choi Hyun-seok was lying, Sidriel expected he knew some amazing training methods.

Choi Hyun-seok grinned at her question.

“What else could it be? Just getting hit a lot.”

“Huh…?”

“You improve at anything if you get hit enough.”

“No, that’s not training…”

“Since you’re tough, it’s good that I can hit you comfortably.”

Choi Hyun-seok already looked like he wasn’t going to listen.

A startled Sidriel waved her arms and backed away.

“Choi Hyun-seok. Let’s talk for a moment…”

“Well then. Clench your molars tight.”

Instead of an answer, what came flying was a heavy fist.

***

At the same time.

The Mariette Palace was busy preparing to receive guests.

Actually, they were more like uninvited guests than visitors, but given who they were, they had no choice but to treat them with utmost courtesy.

“It’s been a while, Abelson.”

The Holy Maiden of the Deusis faith, Moriel.

And the three legends of Gatren who played the biggest role in this war.

They visited the palace of the Mariette Kingdom.

“Has the Holy Maiden been well?”

“Of course. God’s protection is with me.”

Holy Maiden Moriel, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly made a sad expression.

“It’s unfortunate. Abelson. You were once a faithful servant who followed God.”

“I’m satisfied with where I am now.”

“Satisfaction… That’s rationalization.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can see it. Your anxiety and impatience. It’s a common appearance in those who have committed sins.”

Abelson leaned back against the chair and stared at Holy Maiden Moriel.

“Interesting. Did God say that?”

“Yes. Even now He whispers in my ear. That you are hiding undead.”

Abelson knows.

Holy Maiden Moriel can no longer hear God’s voice.

More precisely, God is refusing to communicate with her.

This is certain since God told Abelson directly.

‘Yet you shamelessly invoke God like this. How far have you rotted?’

As someone who once admired Holy Maiden Moriel, she couldn’t help but feel sorry.

“Tell me now. Where are you hiding the undead?”

“Undead? That’s the Church’s unfounded assumption. We have no connection with the undead.”

“So you’ll lie until the end.”

“A lie? If that’s what you think, why don’t you ask God directly? About where the undead are hidden.”

A deep smile appeared on Abelson’s face for a moment.

“Though I’m not sure if God will respond to that request.”

Despite being hit at a critical point, Holy Maiden Moriel’s expression didn’t change at all.

She calmly stood up from her seat and clasped her hands.

“Seeking God for such trivial matters is also a sin. Because I can know on my own without having to ask God.”

Vast holy power began emanating from Holy Maiden Moriel.

An enormous amount of holy power that could overwhelm even Abelson.

Abelson quietly watched what she was doing.

‘What is she planning to do?’

After emanating holy power like that for a while, Holy Maiden Moriel nodded.

“As I thought. I can feel the residual traces of demonic energy.”

“What…?”

“I can feel traces of someone with powerful demonic energy having stayed in this palace. Such sticky demonic energy. It feels like insects crawling on my body.”

Abelson unconsciously clenched his fists.

‘Residual traces of demonic energy? Such words without evidence…!’

It’s not impossible to actually sense residual traces of demonic energy.

It was something even Abelson could do.

Someone of Holy Maiden Moriel’s level wouldn’t miss even the tiniest traces.

However, their opponent was Sara Dunphy, called the Mother of Magic.

She had already perfectly erased all traces before leaving.

So cleanly that even Abelson couldn’t find any traces.

No matter how exceptional Holy Maiden Moriel was, she couldn’t have found traces that Sara Dunphy had erased.

“I’m certain there are undead hiding somewhere in this palace. If Abelson won’t cooperate, we’ll search ourselves.”

Abelson let out a deep sigh.

‘So that’s what this was about.’

Residual traces of demonic energy and such.

It was never important to begin with.

They just needed an excuse.

After all, no one could refute if the Holy Maiden claimed she felt the traces.

‘To think they would stoop so low…’

From now on, they will settle in the palace and cause all sorts of trouble.

They will fabricate evidence.

They will cut off his subordinates one by one, claiming they conspired with the undead.

By this point, Abelson had no choice but to realize.

‘I was their target from the start.’

Sara Dunphy was merely secondary from the beginning.

Their real goal was to drag Abelson down from his throne.

‘What should I do…?’

Unfortunately, Abelson didn’t have the power to stop them.

No matter how unreasonable, their authority and force are their justification.

The trio are considered absolute powers even among Holy Maidens and Legends.

If they wanted to, they could turn the entire Mariette Kingdom into ruins in a day.

All Abelson could do was hold out as long as possible and wait for them to tire themselves out and leave.

Even from the Gatren Empire’s position, they couldn’t keep such forces tied down in one kingdom for too long.

‘I can only wait for time to resolve this…’

Just as Abelson resigned himself and lowered his head.

The door opened and someone entered.

Not someone from the palace, but seemed to be a priest who came with them.

“Holy Maiden! Urgent report!”

“What is it?”

“Undead! Undead have appeared in the Empire!”

***

“My King. Is there really a need to go this far?”

“What do you mean?”

“For Your Majesty to volunteer for such a thing… I don’t understand the reason.”

Liam, the supreme warrior of the Vallington Kingdom.

He didn’t like the current situation.

His lord was becoming mere ‘bait’ to help others.

Moreover, this was an extremely dangerous task.

“You could be in danger if something goes wrong.”

“Indeed.”

“But why…!”

“Liam.”

Sara Dunphy turned to look at Liam.

While her eyes were clearly fixed on Liam.

For some reason, Liam felt she was looking at something beyond him.

Then Sara Dunphy spoke.

“What do you think is the meaning of existence?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Purpose. Meaning. Value. Whatever you call it. What makes you exist as you? What is the meaning of your life?”

Liam couldn’t answer the sudden question.

The meaning of existence.

The purpose of life.

He had never thought about such things before.

When Liam didn’t answer, Sara Dunphy smirked.

“Liam. As you say, this task is dangerous. We might even die. No one knows what world awaits us if we die after being revived as undead once.”

“…”

“So I won’t force you. You can go back if you want.”

“I will simply follow my lord.”

Liam bowed his head.

Sara Dunphy, who had been quietly watching him, suddenly stretched.

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

Demonic energy churned within Sara Dunphy’s body.

Then the demonic energy violently spread out.

Whoosh-!

Sacrium, a city in the Holy Empire of Gatren.

The sky over one of Gatren’s top ten largest cities turned black.

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