Chapter 429: Mask Off (4)

'Didn't the sword go in deeply enough?' Yeon-woo clucked his tongue as he sensed how far the blade had gone. He could see Blood Flowers blooming through the split dragon scales, but he couldn't press the blade any farther.

"How...dare you?!" Waltz was furious that she could have been in real danger. Her eyes reddened. Boom! She released the Hundred Step Fist once more so closely that Yeon-woo couldn't block her in time and could only protect his body by wrapping the wing of fight around himself. He was blown back, his wing crushed.

By the time he regained his balance and was looking for an opportunity to attack, Waltz had already stretched her head back with her cheeks puffed up.

'Dragon Breath!' He realized what Waltz was about to do, and he brandished Vigrid through the imperfections he saw with his Draconic Divine Eyes.

Swoosh. Waltz spewed her Breath. Since the Summer Queen was a Red Dragon, which possessed fire and volcanic properties, her Breath contained an intense heat that turned the entire world a glowing red. As though a volcano had erupted through the ground, the earth itself turned to lava.

Just then, Vigrid radiated with light. It was Wave of Fire in a condensed Breath form. Yeon-woo's Philosopher's Stone and Dragon Heart shook to raise the destructive power to a point it had never reached before.

Rumble . When the two Breaths collided at full power, the ground itself sank from the extreme heat. The two fires swirled up to the sky like a tornado, and when it disappeared, it left behind scorched earth and a river of lava. Steam floated up, making it hard to see.

However, Yeon-woo and Waltz were both instinctively aware that the attack hadn't been enough to defeat each other. They prepared new Breaths for another clash.

Just then, Tom appeared behind Waltz. 『 Eldest sister, it's dangerous to look away from the battle at this time! 』

Waltz had thought that Tom was busy with Kalatus, so she was caught off guard. Crunch . Her face twisted as he ripped her left wing off. "How dare you?!"

『 With Mother and all our other siblings gone, we should try to get along, don't you think? 』 Tom laughed, swallowing a piece of Waltz's wing. 『 In my stomach. 』

"Are you doing this even though you know what's going on...?"

"Domain Declaration."

[A new property is being added to the already designated 'Binah.']

[Territory of the Underworld has been established.]

[All holy properties related to the Throne of Death have been awakened.]

[From this point, the owner of the Throne of Death has the authorization to adjust all power settings.]

[Due to lack of divinity, powers, authorizations, and settings are weakened or unavailable.]

Waltz stopped growling at Tom and turned to Yeon-woo as the messages filled her vision. The greedy Tom's eyes widened as well.

'I was going to save this as my last card, but...' Without giving them a chance to defend themselves, he began a new attack using Breath.

[A power bound to the Throne of Death, 'Hell Tribulation', is being activated.]

If Wave of Fire was insufficient, he had an alternative that was even more powerful: Hell Tribulation. It was a fire that came directly from the Underworld, one that punished sinners and cleansed their souls. Because of the laws of nature, it was normally impossible to use it, but since Yeon-woo had declared his territory, he could now wield it. The fire burst through the ground towards Waltz and Tom.

"Hup!"

『 What is this...! 』

Waltz wrapped her remaining wing around her body and used Blink and Teleport to get as far away from Yeon-woo as possible. Tom did the same, transforming into human form and escaping.

"How does a player have both holy territory and holiness...?"

It was only natural for them to be shocked since they didn't know what Yeon-woo had gone through in Tartarus. Holiness was one of the five conditions of transcendence. It was somewhat possible only after exuviation, and even the Summer Queen had only just managed to attain it in her final years. And yet this player, whom they hadn't even taken seriously, had possession of it!

Holy territory was also a divine ability to create the setting to properly manifest holiness. Ordinary territories couldn't even compare to it!

Rumble! As Waltz and Tom scrambled to escape, they could feel their dragon scales melting. They squeezed out their magic power in case Yeon-woo attacked again. Waltz defended herself using a martial art that combined multiple barriers, the Mahayana Heaven Earth Divine Art. Tom used a unique artifact he'd received from the Summer Queen, called Ancient Dragon's Stare.

They had no choice but to use their hidden aces since they didn't know how Yeon-woo would be attacking. However, Yeon-woo wasn't targeting them. Instead, he was focused on the Head Bishop, who was doing something behind Waltz. She'd clearly been trying to prevent him from reaching the Head Bishop. Whoosh .

[Draconic Divine Eyes]

[Fiery Golden Eyes]

[Black Gubitara - Philosopher's Eyes]

[Hell Tribulation]

[Heaven Bracket - Flame Wheel]

Yeon-woo was soon holding the Ruyi Bang connected to Vigrid. He opened all of his eyes to set his target and gathered Hell Tribulation through the laws of Flame Wheel and sent it into Vigrid's blade.

[Guai Ruk Nan Shin - Courage]

[Dragon Killer]

He activated the courage of the Ruk of Guai Ruk Nan Shin on the Ruyi Bang and added the Dragon Killer.

[The hidden name of 'Vigrid-???' Gáe Bulg is released.]

[Folklore: Hitting the mark with a single shot]

Gáe Bulg's folklore was never to miss a moving target, and so Vigrid and the Ruyi Bang pierced through the air like a shooting star, twisting jet streams in its wake. Yeon-woo was going to get rid of the Head Bishop, no matter what. Although he'd been distracted by Waltz and Tom, he was aware that the Head Bishop was staying back in order to prepare something significant. 'I have to get rid of him.'

He didn't know what the Head Bishop was planning, but he knew he had to stop him. The Head Bishop had appeared through Doyle on the twentieth floor at the Five Mountains of Penances, and his strength made it evident why he was considered one of the Nine Kings alongside the Martial King and the Summer Queen.

Now that all his powers were gone because of the muted Channels, Yeon-woo needed to take the opportunity to eliminate him. His instincts told him to prevent the Head Bishop from completing whatever he was doing. However, Waltz and Tom realized whom Yeon-woo was targeting, and sent their attacks to Vigrid, which lost some of its momentum and power.

"Fortunately, I'm finally finished." The Head Bishop smiled and shook the bell in his hand. Ding . As the clear sound rang out from the small bell made from Ruyi Bang pieces, the Head Bishop disappeared into the fog.

Vigrid and the Ruyi Bang landed on an empty spot, releasing Hell Tribulation and bolts of lightning. Mountains shattered, but the Head Bishop was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the fog multiplied and soared up to the sky, which became covered in white clouds that blocked its red color.

Beyond the clouds, a great shadow was slowly approaching.

* * *

'O Bull Demon King, please respond to my call.' The Head Bishop risked the disappearance of his soul and turned the remainder of his magic power into soul power to become the fog. He had wanted to use holy power, not soul power, but after being abandoned by the Heavenly Demon, he could no longer do so. Still, if he hadn't learned the Seventy-Two Bian properly, this would be impossible.

It was a measure of his desperation to help the surviving followers of the Devil Army escape. What sins had they committed to be buried here? He left behind the cruel god that had abandoned them and found others: the Seven Demon Kings, also known as the Seven Sages.

They had formed a brotherhood with the Heavenly Demon's other aspect, the Great Sage, Sun Wukong. These beings were so powerful that even the Great Sage had been their junior.

They had even demonstrated their might by fighting the forces of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect to a standstill. The Head Bishop had contacted the oldest of the Seven Demon Kings, the Bull Demon King.

When his plan to become an aspect of the Heavenly Demon was thwarted a year ago, the Bull Demon King had responded to his plea. The Head Bishop was grateful to him. The Bull Demon King had taken better care of them than the god they served. He was warm, like a father.

『 Is that truly enough? 』 The Bull Demon King replied to his desperate plea once more. His voice was staticky because of the Dragon's Curse, but he still managed to communicate with the Head Bishop easily. It was clear that he was more powerful than the Chan Sect's Jade Emperor and the Jie Sect's Tongtian Jiaozhu.

'Please grant my request.'

『 You'll be taking a path of no return. 』

'That's what I wish.'

『 Is that...how great your resentment against the youngest is? 』

The Head Bishop didn't reply.

『 If you still wish it, then I shall grant your request, you pitiful child. 』 The rueful voice began to fade. 『 I'll send something through one of my younger brothers. However, this holy contract is unbreakable. As soon as your business is finished, you have to come to pandemonium. 』

'I will be on my way soon.'

『 I shall be waiting. 』 The voice vanished, and the Head Bishop felt a large presence forcing its way through his soul as a god crammed himself into a vessel. When the manifestation was complete, a powerful whirlwind lashed out and put out all the fires that spread over the stage. It was such a strong wind that everyone watching was shocked.

Waltz and Tom could barely stand as they looked at the storm in surprise. A pressure whirled around them with an extraordinary amount of holy power that only those who exuviated and gained transcendence could emanate.

At the same time, intense demonic energy spread out. Was there any other being who had both holy power and demonic energy in the Tower aside from the Heavenly Demon? Indeed, there were, but they were unknown because they had never chosen Apostles. However, those who were in the know were also aware of their terrible strength and their indifference to the lower world.

Soon, the face of a man with a lion's mane overlapped with the face of the Head Bishop. "Hu! Ha! Hu! Ha! Hahaha! I descended on my brother's orders, but this feels quite refreshing! The air below is definitely better than the stifling air above. There isn't a bastard like Allforone getting in the way, either. This is great." The man with the lion's mane smiled devilishly as he looked at the large fan in his hand. "The Palm Leaf Fan is pretty nice, too." Then, he clenched his fist. "But a man shouldn't be so reliant on items like this."

Swish . The Palm Leaf Fan disappeared into its original form, which was wind. The man with the lion's mane had only brought it on his eldest brother's orders. He didn't like to use artifacts or treasures like this. Weapons weren't a part of your body. A man should fight with his fists.

The man with the lion's mane scanned the crowd to find his prey. His eyes focused on Yeon-woo, and with a grin, he stamped his foot. Thump!

"So, it's you. The child that was spoken about."

Yeon-woo's face stiffened when the man with the lion's mane looked at him. He wasn't sure who he was, but he knew one thing instinctively. 'At the very least...he's at the same level as Hades or Typhon. Who is he?' The pressure he released was equal to the three higher beings of the Olympians. He was probably as powerful as the king of Titans and Giants, Typhon. Although there were limits to his power because of the constraints of manifestation, it was enough to make Yeon-woo shiver.

"But..." Just then, the man with the lion's mane asked, "What's this? Who are you to have our youngest?"