However, there were people who could not just sit and watch as Cale’s group was doing.

No, most couldn’t watch.

“Hwa In is So Hee?!”

“T, this is not possible! How could she do something like this?!”

The regular citizens as well as the leaders of the kingdom…

Since this competition would place the winner as the next ruler of the Lan Kingdom, they were all reacting significantly to the fact that Hwa In was So Hee.

However, the people who could think deeper and make better judgments…

The leaders of the different groups, or-

“This-”

People at Queen Tamahi’s level had different reactions.

“Martial Scholar.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Cha Run’s voice was shaking.

“This, no matter how I look at it, Hwa In seems to be the mask and So Hee seems to be her true face. This means that the Alliance leader has been hiding her identity this whole time, right, sir?”

It was the same for the Queen.

She was subconsciously speaking respectfully to Cha Run as she used to do when she was a kid.

“and that power-”

Her finger was shaking while pointing at Kim Hae-Yi.

“That thing, I think I understand it now.”

Oooooo– oooooo–

The moment she saw this dark red aura that was slowly getting larger…

She felt like she could understand the identity of this power now that it was bigger.

Well, to speak accurately, she didn’t know the identity of this power.

However, she had seen something similar to this before.

“Those people-, I’m sure this is the power of the wanderers.”

The intruder with the strong power who had made it so that Queen Tamahi could not move as she pleased…

She was sure that this was similar to that power.

Because it was her first time seeing something like that.

“They are all different, but-”

The two wanderers she had met until now…

“It is their own unique aura that only they possess.”

It was a power that Tamahi could not have, the thing that made her despair.

“…Kim Hae-Yi is a wanderer?”

As the mumbling Tamahi’s eyes were about to shake in despair…

“Your Majesty.”

She heard Cha Run’s calm voice.

“The situation is very odd for that to be the case.”

“… I am aware of it.”

Because-

To everybody who was looking right now-

“The suspicious one is actually the Alliance leader of the Cooperative Alliance, Hwa In.”

It was at that moment.

SCREEEEEEEEECH—-

A dreadful noise similar to that of a dying animal echoed out through the stage.

“!”

Even someone like Queen Tamahi, who had been training for decades, subconsciously flinched at that sound. As her shoulders curled up and she touched her ears…

“Ugh!”

“Ow, my ear!”

The regular people grabbed their ears or their heads.

“Your Majesty!”

Tamahi looked up at the stage after hearing her guard’s voice.

“!”

As the dark red aura was about to take over all of the stage…

There was a strand of white starting to rise up.

“Mmph!”

She subconsciously took a deep breath.

It was a pure white color that was not glowing at all.

This white streak that rose up like a thread was coming from Hwa In, no, So Hee’s hand.

“Ah-”

A single strand of white rising up in this ominous dark red aura.

Tamahi could only think of one thing as she looked at that streak.

‘Death.’

She didn’t know the reason.

The moment she looked at that white streak, Tamahi felt as if she saw an illusion where her head was sliced off.

SCREEEEEEEEECH—

The eerie sound reaching her ear felt like a final cry from someone close to death.

Black was not the only color of death.

Sometimes, white was better at expressing death clearly.

It was a white paper that did not allow for any flaws, a pure white with nothing on it.

SCREEEEEEEEECH—

The end of the white streak started to split as it shot up toward the sky.

Screeeech-

The streak split into eight arcs and started to cover the stage.

SCREEEEEEEEECH—!

The screeching became louder.

Tamahi could not move.

She felt like the white streak would slice her head off the moment she moved.

That white streak felt as if it would cover the stage.

‘Ah-’

That allowed her to figure it out.

‘A spiderweb-’

This white streak resembled a spiderweb.

Furthermore, she felt like prey stuck on the spiderweb.

It was at that moment.

Boom!

The stage rumbled.

“!”

Queen Tamahi could see the dark red aura start to roar.

As for Kim Hae-Yi, who was at the center of that dark red aura…

He stomped his foot.

Boom!

The stadium rumbled again.

The dark red aura then started to move toward the white streak following his gesture.

Once that happened-

“…….”

She could breathe again.

Kim Hae-Yi.

“…That person is not the enemy-”

The moment he stomped his foot and moved his aura toward the white streak…

“Haaaaaaaaaa!”

“Huff, huff.”

The regular people started to breathe again.

It allowed them to look away from the white streak that made even Queen Tamahi feel suffocated and start breathing.

This dark red aura that looked ominous but charmed people to keep looking at it was protecting them.

It spread out as if to protect the common people and created a large wall around the stage.

“Your Majesty!”

Cha Run’s aged voice was full of despair and Tamahi flinched.

“!”

Someone had approached her at that moment.

Swoooooooosh-

It was a blonde man with a whirlwind at his ankle.

The man, whose face was covered by a bamboo hat, started speaking.

“You must evacuate everyone.”

She could see that it was a young man when he raised the bamboo hat.

At that moment…

Boom!

The ground rumbled again.

One of the white streaks was stabbed outside the stage.

Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing–!

White smoke and smaller threads started spreading out from it.

It resembled a capillary or a spiderweb.

If all eight of these streaks stabbed into the ground and released smoke and smaller threads…

‘We will be swallowed!’

They would be similar to the prey wrapped up on spiderwebs.

Everybody in this stadium would end up like that.

“Holy shit! Internal ki doesn’t work against this!’

Someone had launched an attack toward the smaller threads.

It wasn’t that internal ki did not work.

It was just that internal ki weaker than the threads could not affect it at all.

“Move!”

“Aaaaaaaaaah-!”

“W, we need to run!”

People were starting to fill with chaos.

“…….”

The man wearing the bamboo hat…

Tamahi stared at Alberu before opening her mouth.

“Start the evacuation immediately!”

Her vassals started to follow her command.

Boom!

Drums echoed out in all directions and administrators popped up to guide the spectators and open gates.

“We cannot open gate 7! It is blocked!”

The eight gates…

The white streaks were piercing down as if to stab in front of all gates.

One gate was already blocked.

“Gate 5, gate 5 will soon as well!”

One of the administrators shouted in despair.

“Move!”

The Snow Flower Sect’s Hyun Seong stepped forward and launched an attack.

The tip of her spear aimed for the white streak, but…

Baaaaaang!

There was only a loud explosion; she could not even make a dent on the streak.

‘How is this possible?’

Hyun Seong got goosebumps throughout her body when she clashed against that white streak.

This-

‘What is this?’

Her internal ki was bounced off.

Her attack couldn’t reach it.

The white streak was an eccentric presence.

It was neither aura nor magic.

‘What can be used to defeat this?’

Even as Hyun Seong’s mind was whiting out, the white streak looked as if it would stab in front of Gate 5.

“Fuck! Turn these people somewhere else!”

As Hyun Seong looked back and shouted at the administrator…

“Please move.”

She could see a man wearing a bamboo hat.

The red-haired man…

The moment he extended his sword…

“!”

Hyun Seong got goosebumps once more.

“Ah.”

A black strand as rough as a thunderbolt brushed forward past her body.

Slash-

The white streak was cut apart.

Shh.

The red-haired man raised his bamboo hat to let her see a man with an innocent face.

“Please evacuate everyone.”

Choi Han started moving again after leaving that comment.

The eight gates…

He was moving to defend them.

‘That’s what Cale-nim said.’

He thought about Cale, who was quietly standing there looking at the stage while everybody was frantically trying to escape.

‘Choi Han. Your highness.’

Cale opened his mouth to speak.

‘I think this power is something related to a domain.’

Cale shared what the Super Rock had said with everyone.

‘That white streak is similar to Choi Han’s aura domain. I think it is not just a regular aura but her unique power.’

That’s what the Super Rock had said.

‘Similar to ancient powers.’

– That, that is an ancient power. It is the same as us.

– But it is stronger than us.

– If we are new sprouts, that is a whole tree.

‘I think it would be quite the headache if we get stuck inside this domain.’

Cale had decided what needed to be done the moment he saw the white streak.

‘Your highness, you deal with the Queen.

Choi Han, you help people evacuate.’

Oooooo– oooooo–

Choi Han heard a low rumbling.

A faint aura that others could not notice yet was around Cale.

The Heavenly Demon.

So Hee.

Cale was actually the person here with the strongest aura domain, one that could not compare to anybody else.

‘I’ll help if the Heavenly Demon is put in a difficult situation.’

That was why Choi Han could not say anything to Cale and left his side.

“…….”

However, he planned on making a move if Cale ever fell into danger.

The Wanderers.

They were his prey.

Boom!

The ground shook again at that moment.

Choi Han’s gaze moved to the stage for a moment.

The match wasn’t over despite people running away.

“I’ll need to at least capture you.”

So Hee was smiling while extending her hand toward the Heavenly Demon.

The white streak was held like a sword in her hand.

SCREEEEEEEEECH—

It let out that air-slicing terrible screech and charged toward the Heavenly Demon.

Death could be felt clearly from that streak.

“Ha, hahaha-”

The Heavenly Demon started to laugh while looking at that streak.

Choi Han looked away and mumbled in a low voice.

“…He’s definitely crazy.”

The Heavenly Demon.

He was talking about that bastard.

However, there was a subtle smile visible on Choi Han’s face.

“I think I understand.”

There was nobody here to know what he was talking about. Choi Han didn’t have time to tell anybody either.

Slash.

His sword was constantly moving without stopping so that the white thread could not capture people.

“Hahaha-”

The lethargy that the still laughing Heavenly Demon usually slowed was gone.

He was laughing brightly as if he was amused.

Oooooo– oooooo–

The white streak was headed toward him without any hesitation despite the dark red aura.

The Heavenly Demon quietly watched it.

He looked at So Hee beyond it as well.

Smile.

So Hee was smiling.

Her force was like the calm sea since releasing her white streak.

It showed no signs of shaking and showed no end.

SCREEEEEEEEECH—

This silence, which did not match the eerie cry, made her look like a different existence, an existence that was hard to approach.

“It’s not easy, is it?”

Once So Hee said that…

As she finished her statement…

Oooooo-

The white streak moved past the dark red aura and was right in front of the Heavenly Demon.

So Hee chuckled.

“A unique power that has not created a form isn’t that useful.”

The Heavenly Demon extended his hand.

The dark red aura touched the white streak.

Chhhhhhhhh-

There was a sizzling sound as the dark red aura was pushed back.

The smile then disappeared from the Heavenly Demon’s face.

But So Hee’s smile became bigger.

Baaaaang!

As the Heavenly Demon’s hand that was covered in the dark red aura tried to grasp the white streak…

“Mm.”

The Heavenly Demon’s hand and body was flung away.

“…….”

He took one step back.

He looked down at his feet that were pushed back.

“Hoo hoo-”

So Hee laughed and waved her hand.

The white streak naturally followed as if it was her hand.

Screeeech—!

The white streak cut through the air and moved as swiftly as the wind as it grasped the Heavenly Demon’s wrist.

Ssss–

It then started to climb up his arm.

It wrapped the Heavenly Demon’s arm like a cast.

It was similar to a spider wrapping up its prey.

“…….”

The Heavenly Demon was still looking at his feet that had been pushed back.

“You are standing still?”

So Hee did not hide her smile.

“Ah-”

She raised her head.

She could see the sky through the gaps in the white streak.

Even that sky would soon be stuck inside her cocoon.

“I could have just killed everybody like this from the beginning.”

‘I made things harder for myself.

I should have just done this.’

“It looks like the annoying things will be lessened.”

“Yes.”

– !

So Hee flinched.

She looked down.

Kim Hae-Yi was still standing there with his head down.

But it was definitely the Heavenly Demon who just answered, ‘yes.’

She heard his voice again.

“Yes. Thanks to you, the number of annoying things has gone down.”

So Hee scowled.

“What did you say……?”

What was this bastard saying right now?

She was not planning to kill this bastard right now because she was extremely curious about this identity.

However, this arrogance he was showing made her scowl.

The Heavenly Demon responded.

“It’s nothing much.”

He raised his head.

The Heavenly Demon was smiling.

“I just want to thank you.”

“…What?”

So Hee flinched as she asked.

She raised her head.

She heard the Heavenly Demon’s voice.

“Thanks to you, I figured out how I am supposed to use this power. Thank you very much.”

His voice was extremely calm.

“Uniqueness you say-”

Uniqueness.

“Create my own form-”

It was extremely good advice.

It was quite fitting too.

The first time the Heavenly Demon saw the shape of this power was through Choi Han, but-

‘Uniqueness and form.’

An answer popped up once he heard that.

“… Kim Hae-il-”

Kim Hae-il, the man who controlled nature itself. No, Cale Henituse.

Compared to So Hee in front of him-

Cale’s power was more like a ‘god.’

‘Ah.’

He saw the answer.

The Heavenly Demon saw a path beyond Choi Han’s level.

‘I can do something like that with this aura of mine?’

He soon came to an answer.

The Heavenly Demon thought to himself while looking down at his feet that had been pushed back.

I cannot be pushed back.

Why?

I am the heaven of the Demon Cult.

“Yes.”

I…

“Am the sky.”

I am the god of the Demon Cult, the heaven of the Demon Cult.

“…U… unbelievable-”

So Hee’s pupils started shaking while looking up at the sky.

Choi Han also stopped swinging his sword and looked up at the sky.

“As expected, you figured it out too.”

However…

“I’m the one who is late this time.”

A smile full of competitive spirit appeared on Choi Han’s face.

“Ha!”

As for crown prince Alberu, he finally got to experience Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon’s paths, the level he had yet to achieve.

As his eyes boiled with desire…

– Cale.

Cale heard the Super Rock’s voice as he looked up at the sky.

– It is not the sky attribute. They are clouds.

The Super Rock’s voice sounded deeply amazed.

– Enough clouds to cover the sky-

He spoke after a long time as if he was swept up by intense emotion.

– …An ancient power is being born right now!

The spiderweb made of white streaks.

The sky outside of it, the real sky, was fluctuating.

A cloud appeared.

That cloud slowly turned dark red.

It started to squirm.

It felt similar to watching a predatory beast curl up before extending its body.

“Haaaa, really.”

Cale looked at the Heavenly Demon with disbelief.

Smile.

The Heavenly Demon was already looking at Cale. He smiled once at Cale before looking away.

He then moved his hand.

“Ugh!”

So Hee lowered her head.

She looked down.

Her foot had been pulled one step forward.

She looked forward.

The Heavenly Demon was holding the white streak and pulling it toward him.

“…This bastard-”

So Hee bit down on her lips but could not move so easily.

Rumble-

The sky started to roar…

No, the clouds.

The ominous but charming dark red cloud started to cover the sky.

This was the sky that the Heavenly Demon had created.

—

Translator’s Comments

Damn, how can the Heavenly Demon not be a favorite?

TCF posting schedule is currently 1 chapter Monday – Wed and 1 chapter Friday – Sun. Join our discord to be notified as soon as the chapter posts!

If you can’t wait, please subscribe to advanced chapters on our EAP website to get access to up to 8 chapters!

You can subscribe (immediate access) through our PATREON

<< Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter >>