“Looks like there’s about a dozen or so nobles. The rest are either Demonic Humans or Demon Beast.”
Elijah spoke with a heavy voice.
Ten Demon Nobles. It was fewer than he expected, but that didn’t make it much better. There were only a few dozen fighters on their side.
Everyone gulped subconsciously.
The ground began to shake as monsters larger than houses with teeth larger than fists, forearms, and even larger than an adult’s body began to advance in unison.
With the sole purpose of completely eradicating the group of humans in front of them.
Everyone there was a veteran. Great warriors who had risked their lives countless times before.
Nevertheless, they had never felt the threat of death more than at that very moment.
Anxiety. And fear.
They could not picture a future that didn’t involve them dying there.
Seeing this, Elijah prepared to speak once again, but someone beat him to it.
“That’s a good number.”
Elijah turned around.
There, he saw Lee Jong-hak walking forward with an unsteady gait.
‘It’s surprising that he’s even standing.’
Elijah could tell that Lee Jong-hak was in a serious condition that he needed to receive medical treatment as soon as possible, but Lee Jong-hak did not show any indication of this.
“Do you have any strength left?”
“As you can see.”
Lee Jong-hak spoke briefly before taking a deep breath. He forced himself to swallow the blood that had climbed up his throat.
Maybe his condition was worse than Elijah thought. But he couldn’t possibly tell him to rest and not overdo it.
Because as soon as Lee Jong-hak made his appearance, the tense expressions of everyone around them eased a little.
That was the power of fame.
A man like the Human Dragon, Lee Jong-hak, could boost the morale of those around him with simply his presence.
Knowing that Lee Jong-hak must have suppressed his desire to collapse and still came forward.
‘What an amazing man.’
While he had this thought, Elijah turned to look over at the fight against the Vampire Duke.
The Strongest, Kran and the man Frey were there.
‘How strange.’
The Five Dukes.
He knew how monstrous their power was.
A Duke was a being who could sink an entire island without taking a single scratch, and the Five Dukes were a step higher than other Dukes.
And yet, it was only two humans that were holding back this walking disaster.
‘Besides.’
He didn’t know why, but he didn’t think that the two of them would lose easily.
After having this thought, Elijah couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh as he wondered if he was just trying to make himself feel better.
“Kuaak!”
“Kieek! Kieek!”
By this time, the Demon Beasts had already come close to them. The Demon Nobles were just watching the situation from a short distance away. They probably wanted to test their side’s strength at the expense of the Demonic Humans and Demon Beasts before choosing the safest and surest moment to launch their attacks.
‘Disgusting bastards.’
Elijah slowly took off his shirt. It was one of the things he did when he got serious in a fight.
Clothes? He didn’t need them.
He was a Warrior who had finely tuned his muscles until they were stronger than armor.
The teeth of the Demon Beasts would only scratch him at most.
Kuuk-
“Today.”
Strange steam began to erupt from Elijah’s body.
“We’re going to have the fiercest fight of our lives.”
Even though he spoke in a soft tone, his voice still reached the ears of everyone nearby.
“You should all be prepared to die, but that doesn’t mean you should throw your lives away. All of you are the strongest shields on this continent, and I hope you will continue to shine till the very end.”
Roar!
The steam exploded.
It was strange to say, but this was an explicable phenomenon.
The steam that had instantaneously surged to the sky had actually been formed by his tense, wriggling muscles.
This cloud which had instantly appeared swirled around in the night sky.
It was a state known as ‘Extreme’.
A level that most Warriors might not reach in their entire lives but that every one of them wished for.
Elijah Kipatosh, the Big Boss of the Gray Sun, seemed to be overlooking the entire world at that moment.
He took his stance, clenched his fist, and punched out in front of him.
Krrr…
The sound came slowly.
Then, a miraculous sight followed that simple punch.
Roar!
A wave of air that was released from Elijah’s fist rushed towards the horde of Demon Beasts like a tsunami that covered the entire street.
“Kiieeek!”
Despite their shrieks, the Demon Beasts only watched this wave approach them with casual curiosity. After all, they were beings that were known for their impressive defenses.
They knew better than anyone just how strong their armor was. Most attacks couldn’t even leave a scratch on their bodies, so they expected this attack to be the same.
Crack!
These expectations were brutally smashed.
And ‘smashed’ was the best word to describe it.
As soon as the wave hit them, the Demon Beasts’ bodies were crushed like the walls of a sandcastle. The wave didn’t stop at just breaking their armor. Instead, it pierced their skin and tore their muscles before finally crushing their bones.
The Demon Beasts all became piles of flesh whose original appearances were not visible at all.
The wave of air released from Elijah’s fist destroyed everything in its path and continued forwards without losing momentum as if it contained an unknown destructive energy.
“Kiieek!!”
“Kuk! Kok! Kok!”
The Demon Beasts, who had confidently stood in place at first to take the attack, cried out as they scattered in every direction. The Demonic Humans, who were much smarter than the Demon Beasts, had cleverly hidden behind them like the Demon Nobles.
If anyone saw this scene, it was clear that their jaw would drop open at that moment.
Just one human.
With a single punch, he’d managed to slow the advance of hundreds of Demon Beasts.
“…”
The expressions of the Demons at the back hardened considerably.
This was natural. After all, what was this place?
This was the home of the Vampire Duke, Gullard. Naturally, the Demon Beasts who protected this place were the most elite soldiers who had been created through special biological experiments and breeding. Even an experienced hunter would have trouble defeating even a single Demon Beast in this place.
And yet, one-third of the entire group had been killed in that attack. The remaining Demon Beasts had all suffered from large and small injuries, so they were the only ones who had escaped from the attack unscathed.
‘…this will be tough.’
Elijah suppressed the throbbing pain in his right arm. It felt like thousands of small razors were tearing apart his muscles.
He wasn’t yet at the age to retire, but it was clear that his body was much weaker than it was when he was in his prime.
‘Stop shaking.’
He could not show it.
Suppress it. He had to suppress it for now.
He could cry about it later. It wouldn’t matter if he screamed and rolled around on the ground because of the pain.
However, he couldn’t do it right now. In this situation where everyone’s eyes were trained on him, he couldn’t show any weakness, even if he would die.
‘God, please let me endure this for a bit longer.’
It was possible that they would achieve the greatest victory in history today.
He wasn’t afraid to give up his life for that.
“Wa… Waaaah!!”
“Big Boss! Big Boss!”
The voices chanting his name rang out in his ears like drums.
There were only a few dozen of them, but their voices rang out with unprecedented momentum.
It was a strange feeling. But it felt amazing.
When he heard the roars, the pain in his right arm faded as if he’d taken drugs. His brain felt like it was gushing endorphins.
“Let’s go, Warriors.”
Clenching his fist, Elijah let out a laugh.
“Justice is with us.”
(TL: If you guys can remember, Demonic Humans are those who are above Demon Beasts but below Demon Nobles. Like Rutan, the auctioneer that Lukas killed.)