[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 418

The ground of the Demon Realm shook violently as if struck by an earthquake.

The earth split apart, and from the chasm pillars of lava shot skyward, belching acrid smoke that spread across the skies.

KWA-KWAKWANG!

A thunderous roar followed.

The smoke filling the air suddenly exploded, engulfing the angels without leaving a single one untouched.

But in that same instant, the consuming flames were swept away, the raging lava was pulled back beneath the ground as if sucked in, and the acrid smoke was rapidly purified.

“Oh? Now that’s impressive.”

Belzebub, who had been watching with a smile from above, shifted to a look of genuine admiration.

“Human, you should’ve just obediently died.”

Zadkiel muttered through clenched teeth.

That overwhelming power of purification—

Only a human who bore the Seven Virtues could wield such an ability.

His guess had been correct.

At Jeong-hoon’s gesture, the sundered ground knit back together, and no further heat rose.

“You really did obtain the Virtues, then?”

“Yes.”

Zadkiel revealed that during Belzebub’s incursion into the Heavenly Realm, he had seen the Seven Virtues engraved upon Jeong-hoon.

“Tch. A shame we lack information on what each virtue actually does.”

They could see the Virtues engraved, but not even Zadkiel knew their full functions. The only way to learn was to clash with them directly and test.

“Well, at least we know one thing—they can purify the Demon Realm itself.”

Purification.

It was the power of Purity, one of the Seven Virtues.

“Mihael, you remember the place where you met Psyche in private, don’t you?”

While Belzebub and the traitor Zadkiel were thrown into momentary disarray, Jeong-hoon called Mihael quietly.

“Yes.”

“Go there at once with Fenrir.”

“Uh… but didn’t you say Psyche had already been taken down?”

“There’s still a chance she was only pretending.”

“Pretending…?”

Jeong-hoon nodded.

‘If it’s Psyche, she would have anticipated this.’

As one who could divine fate, Psyche would likely have foreseen the moment her identity was revealed. A woman like her wouldn’t fall so easily.

For now, the priority was to send Mihael and Fenrir to the palace where Psyche had resided and confirm the situation.

‘I agree. There’s no way Psyche would be defeated so simply.’

Even Tenebris held the same thought as Jeong-hoon.

“…Understood. Mihael, climb onto my back.”

Fenrir lowered his massive body.

“Hah… fine.”

Mihael let out a long sigh before climbing up onto his back.

“Which direction?”

“I was unconscious too, so I don’t know exactly.”

“You don’t know?”

Fenrir frowned at the unsatisfactory answer.

Jeong-hoon turned his gaze toward Tenebris.

‘Head south. You’ll find a massive palace there—that’s where Psyche resided.’

“South.”

“Understood.”

Fenrir fixed his course southward and shot forward using Charge.

[Activating Light Barrier.]

Jeong-hoon cast a Light Barrier around Fenrir’s body just as a massive black spear streaked down like lightning toward him.

KWAJIIJIIJIK!

The tip of the spear slammed against the barrier, releasing a deafening boom.

But the spear failed to pierce through—it disintegrated into dust and vanished.

The Virtues.

Because Jeong-hoon possessed Purity, the spear—a mass of corrupt energy—was purified and erased.

“Trying to reach Psyche? I told you already, she’s been annihilated.”

Belzebub, the one who had thrown the spear, sneered down at Jeong-hoon.

Jeong-hoon smirked faintly.

“If you’re so confident she’s gone, why bother stopping them? Why not let them go?”

“Stopping them? I’m just wiping out all intruders in my realm.”

Belzebub retorted smoothly, as if Jeong-hoon’s provocation had done nothing to faze him.

“You looked pretty desperate just now, though. Funny how no other Named monsters are showing up either.”

Jeong-hoon made a show of scanning the battlefield with mocking gestures, baiting him further.

“One of me is more than enough for you.”

“Is that so? But from what I know, you and yours always preferred fighting in groups.”

Before his second regression, Jeong-hoon had memorized the faces of Belzebub and the other Named.

When he first crossed into the Demon Realm, they had all descended upon him at once.

And now, unlike back then, he hadn’t come alone—he had brought an entire army of angels.

If anything, this should’ve been the perfect moment for the Named to swarm them and overwhelm the angelic army. Yet not a single trace of the others could be felt.

‘The Virtues… I can sense their positions.’

The palace to the west, where Fenrir and Mihael were heading, was empty.

Instead, to the north, Logos and two other Named—along with countless Jecheon—were gathered.

Even with all this chaos, they hadn’t budged an inch.

“Sorry, but cheap provocations like that don’t work on me. So keep quiet, will you?”

Belzebub gestured for silence, then flicked his fingers.

The dust from the vanished spears suddenly gathered together and began clinging to the barrier.

The dust clinging to the barrier began to glow a deep crimson.

‘It’s a brand. Do not, under any circumstances, dispel that barrier.’

Tenebris warned, his face stiff with tension.

“A brand?”

‘Yes. The moment that barrier is lifted, death will fall upon your summons. They won’t even be able to be dismissed—only annihilated.’

“It’s fine.”

‘What?’

Inside Jeong-hoon burned the Seven Virtues.

[Activating Light Barrier.]

He layered another Light Barrier on top of the first.

Fsshhh—

Like paper set aflame, the brand etched on the barrier vanished without a trace.

“Ha, now you’re really starting to piss me off.”

Belzebub’s face twisted in rage at the sight of even the brand being erased.

“Have you forgotten about us?!”

At that moment, Michael swung his sword in a mighty arc toward Belzebub.

“Not so fast.”

But Zadkiel stepped forward, raising his shield in front of Belzebub and blocking the strike.

KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!

The sword strike crashed down, but the shield, bestowed by the High God Himself, absorbed it without so much as a scratch.

“Damn you…”

Michael grit his teeth in fury.

Each Archangel had once received a divine weapon as a gift from the High God.

Michael had been granted a sword, while Zadkiel had been given a shield.

The Luminous Blade, a holy sword that cleaved through all darkness.

And the Aegis, a celestial shield that repelled all evil and calamity.

With its absolute defense, piercing that shield was nearly impossible.

“My army! How long will you live as mere tools?!”

Zadkiel roared to the legion under his command.

Each Archangel commanded their own host, and Zadkiel was no different—his own forces stood at his back.

At his words, the angels under his banner shuddered, their bodies trembling faintly.

“What nonsense! Remember well whom you truly serve!”

Haniel’s rebuke thundered across the battlefield.

Yes, Archangels commanded armies, but only as generals.

Their true master was the High God, Primatos.

“That’s exactly my point! How long will you remain as tools? Stand with me, and you shall no longer be mere instruments—you shall become masters yourselves!”

“…We refuse.”

But the angels shook their heads.

Even if they were but tools, their purpose was to fulfill the mission entrusted to them.

In unison, they raised their divine weapons—not at Belzebub, but at Zadkiel, their fallen Archangel.

“…Pathetic.”

Zadkiel looked down at them with scorn, while Belzebub couldn’t hide the laughter curling from his lips.

“Well now, how is it that not a single one of your subordinates is willing to follow you?”

“Tch, I expected as much.”

Even the Archangels had been deceived—there had to be a spy.

He’d acted alone to avoid exposing the angels who served the High God. It wasn’t surprising the outcome turned out like this.

“Anyway, this is your final chance to win over those beloved followers of yours.”

“No — the chance is already gone.”

Zadkiel hefted his shield.

“All right. Then let’s see what you’ve got.”

Belzebub drew up a violent surge of dark energy.

The Chains of Light began to writhe in the air and, in an instant, bound Belzebub.

“Exodus.”

Chains of Atonement.

Chains that bind sin and demonkind.

“Hah — me, bound by such petty chains!”

Krrzzzt.

The chains that had wrapped Belzebub shattered in a flash.

Samael’s face hardened at the sight.

“Exodus breaks this easily…?”

Kuu-gu-gu-gung—

The ground trembled again and a vast shadow rolled over the angels.

‘It’s to lay sin upon them.’

“Sin?”

‘Yes. To defile the immaculate angels.’

That could not be allowed.

[Activating Light Barrier.]

Jeong-hoon erected an enormous barrier, enveloping the angels.

Surely the Archangels had handed him the virtues for this purpose.

Zap—

At that moment Jeong-hoon felt a sharp pain near his heart and sank to his knees.

“Ugh!”

An unbearable agony gripped his whole body.

Still, Jeong-hoon forced himself up and completed the barrier.

‘Hah. So it was designed to cause pain once you exceeded a certain range.’

A colossal barrier that could cover the entire angelic host. It was laid out so subtly that one wouldn’t notice its full extent, luring them into complacency and then triggering pain when they tried to exert power beyond it.

But now that Jeong-hoon could manipulate the dark power as well, that cheap trick couldn’t hold him back.

Sssssk—

Because he possessed Temperance, it would continue to interfere whenever he exceeded the range, but the pain was well within what he could endure.

“You all right?”

Uriel stepped forward, worry on his face. Anyone could see Jeong-hoon didn’t look well.

“Yes. More importantly, can you handle those over there?”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“North.”

With Zadkiel’s betrayal, breaking through his defenses wouldn’t be easy.

“It’s too dangerous to go alone!”

“It’s fine. I haven’t even used my full strength yet.”

Was it because he now wielded both the Seven Virtues and the power of Darkness? The presence of Belzebub didn’t feel as threatening as it should have.

Even so, Jeong-hoon held back from fully unleashing his power. Northward, Named demons and Jecheon were gathered — watching, listening to everything through Belzebub.

Belzebub hadn’t revealed all of his strength either, only probing. That had to mean there was something more at play.

So, he decided: leave Belzebub and Zadkiel to the Archangels, let them stall their advance, while he himself struck north to see with his own eyes what scheme awaited.

“If you disappear, they’ll definitely grow suspicious.”

“Exactly. Wouldn’t it be wiser to send angels instead?”

That would have been the logical thought. Belzebub and Zadkiel’s focus wasn’t on the Archangels but on Jeong-hoon — the man bearing the Virtues.

It marked him as the highest-priority threat. Sending a few angels north for reconnaissance would’ve been the natural choice. But Jeong-hoon’s reasoning was different.

“They’ll be expecting that.”

No fool would allow anyone to slip away from this battlefield. If not for the Virtues, even Fenrir and Michael wouldn’t have escaped.

So Jeong-hoon would go himself, forcing the enemy to react, throwing them into disorder.

It was a gamble — but it was the surest move.

“…Fine. We’ll hold Belzebub here, no matter what.”

“When I break away, I’ll unleash my power. You must hold the line.”

“We will.”

“Then I’m off.”

Without a second’s hesitation, Jeong-hoon stepped onto the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Dominion and leapt.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]