Chapter 343: What is your goal, what is the end? (7)

The faces of everyone present showed expressions of surprise.

"No way... he destroyed it just like that?!"

Aurora, her subordinates, and even the enemies couldn't hide their astonishment as they watched Choi Han instantly shatter Deshuran's power. Especially Aurora and the Mediators trembled.

"That is...!"

Aurora, in particular, noticed the black and translucent aura swirling around Choi Han.

"...That's not aura."

It resembled the power of Dragon Fear. But it wasn't that either. Then, what was it? Aurora turned her head. She saw Cale and Raon, also astonished.

"Huh?"

Did they not trust Choi Han?

Suddenly, she questioned it.

"Human, human! Wasn’t Choi Han’s performance amazing?! Why has he gone back to being as bad as when we first met him?"

"Exactly!" Cale agreed, his voice a little too quick.

Aurora blinked, thrown off.
They’re... not doubting him?

Still, the heavy feeling in her gut didn’t fade.
She stared at Choi Han, at the swirling, otherworldly aura cloaking him, and finally asked the only question that mattered:
"What is that power?"

It was a power that seemed fragile, yet at the same time, unshakably solid.
A faint clue began to form.

"Could it be... an ancient power?"

Cale raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
The ancient powers — even in the Demon World, they knew of them.

But—

"No. That power isn’t inherited."

"Then—"

"It's unique to Choi Han."

A power not passed down, not borrowed — but born from a path he alone had carved.

"Are you saying... it’s a power that only Choi Han-nim possesses?"

"That’s right."

"A power entirely his own... no one else like him?"

"Exactly."

Cale kept answering the questions and then glanced at Aurora before stopping.

Why was she acting that way?

Aurora's eyes were visibly shaking.

"Uh, um—"

Cale wondered why the Aurora was acting like that, then realized the reason.

"Ah!"

Viscount Deshuran.
His power had been meaningless against Choi Han. Yet, among the Mediators and demons, his illusions had once been a source of fear.

'A fanatic who would do anything for the Demon King... and wielded fear itself through illusion.'

It was no wonder they were so shaken, watching Choi Han erase that power as if it were nothing.
After all, the strength Choi Han wielded now had been forged through countless years of hardship and battle.

"...Well, it's not something we need to dwell on."

Cale spoke lightly, offering some small comfort to the new subordinate — no, the new ally who would soon shoulder many responsibilities by his side.

"We have other allies as well. Ones with powers like Choi Han’s."

"There are more?"

"Yes."

Cale’s eyes glinted faintly.
"And I hope even more will rise — forging powers of their own, each as unique as he is."

* * *

Choi Han.

The Heavenly Demon.

Cale briefly wondered if anyone else could truly acquire that same aura.

Clopeh Sekka might be capable too, although he seems a bit crazy.

But the first person to achieve it was… obvious.

‘It would be Rosalyn.’

The Magic Tower, a place of immense power, and the mages who would follow her — it was clear she had potential. But Rosalyn’s path had been obstructed by her own doubts, by her focus on the lives of others.

She could’ve been stronger sooner, but... I didn’t realize it either.

Rosalyn was strong enough. But the events in Aipotu had sparked something within her. Something that had been dormant for far too long.

‘Her eyes—'

‘Yes, those eyes… like the sun—'

‘...they were a little crazy.’

Cale didn’t want to use those words to describe Rosalyn, but there was no denying it.
Her eyes... there was something unsettling about them.

‘And Mary—'

Mary, the Necromancer, was already carving her own path in the world as the only one of her kind. Powerful enough to face Choi Han.
But she still needed a little nudge to unlock her true potential, to develop her own aura.

Aura...

Cale’s thoughts drifted for a moment.

What exactly is this aura?

The Heavenly Demon’s aura and Choi Han’s—different in every way. From the nature of their powers to the way those powers influenced others. It was impossible to compare them directly.

If Choi Han continued on his current path, unwavering—

‘The Heavenly Demon would become the God of the Demonic Cult.’

The Heavenly Demon was already a god, in his own twisted way. But the aura... that aura would elevate him to something far greater. It would solidify his place as the true god of the Demonic Cult, not just a leader, but the embodiment of their worship. The demon followers’ blind reverence for him, seen in Aipotu, was nothing short of devotion.

‘For now, let's put aside these thoughts about aura.’

It wasn’t the time to dive deeper into that. But he casually mentioned to Aurora that there might be more allies like Choi Han and perhaps many more could find their own path.

* * *

"It seems we might be of great help in facing the Demon King in the future."

Cale smiled kindly, but the words that followed were serious, without him even realizing it.

"Weren’t the celestial forces supposed to have eradicated the ancient power?"

"Huh?"

Cale blinked, surprised. But Aurora quickly smiled awkwardly and turned away.

"It’s nothing."

But Cale's mind raced.

This doesn’t feel right...

It was as if he’d overheard something far deeper, something dangerous that shouldn’t have been spoken so casually. A chill ran down his spine.

Instinctively, Cale spoke.

"Hahaha! It’s best if we pretend it’s nothing!"

Cale forced a smile, trying to bury the discomfort creeping up his spine.

Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear any of that.

"But—"

However, Aurora, seemingly oblivious to his attempt to avoid the topic, hesitated. Then, after a brief pause, she spoke again.

"Maybe the mortal world doesn't know, but there's a secret in the sky that—"

Cale didn’t want to hear more.

Boom—

At that moment, a loud noise resonated. Cale turned his head.

"Human, Choi Han and the Flame Demon are fighting!"

A sword wrapped in black aura and a book covered in gray mana collided, creating a massive explosion.

Thump. Thump. Thump!

"Human, the Demon King's army is moving!"

Cale’s eyes snapped to the broken Nightmare Garden, where the Demon King’s knights were advancing. Clad in pitch-black armour, riding black horses, their very presence oozed a terrifying pressure.

"This is bad!"

Aurora stopped what she was going to say and quickly headed toward Choi Han. But she couldn’t take another step.

"…!"

It wasn’t just her. The knights of the Demon King, especially those heading toward Deshuran and Choi Han, also stopped.

"What’s happening?"

Aurora felt chills all over her body. Particularly, the cold sweat on her back and the sensation of sinking into a frozen lake. A lake whose surface was locked in thick ice all year round. Her body was slowly sinking to the bottom of that lake.

"I'm drowning..."

Suddenly, a calm voice was heard.

"Due to the rush—"

Thump.

Aurora felt a pat on her shoulder as someone passed by.

"Huh!"

As if she had suddenly been pulled out of the water, her blocked breathing eased. She looked ahead. She could see Cale Henituse walking past her.

Woo—woo—

His step made the air vibrate. No, everything was trembling. An invisible force. The power emanating from Cale Henituse enveloped Aurora in a feeling of being seized, of being dominated.

Thump! Boom!

With each step Cale took toward the village center, some of the Demon King's knights began to collapse. Some knelt, others shrank back as if trying to disappear into the shadows. Their breath hitched, struggling to draw in even the smallest amount of air. Their eyes couldn’t meet his—only glimpses of his figure flickered in their peripheral vision, too terrifying to confront directly.

- Hehe. I’m growing too!

The Dominating Aura chuckled in its deep, almost ridiculous tone, as if mocking the very idea of limits.

- Whether it’s the Demon World or whatever! It’s not like two ancient gods are together. This is a piece of cake! Hahaha!

- Shut up, show-off!

- "…"

The silence, created by Sky Eating Water, lingered, almost suffocating. Cale, now in the stillness, observed his surroundings with a quiet focus.

Whoooosh—

Although the sound of flames engulfed the village and the smell of burning stung the nose, no one perceived it properly. In particular, the Demon King’s army felt an indescribable fear.

- The enemy definitely feels more fear than before.

Super Rock’s voice broke through the quiet, his tone as calm as ever.

- Once you fully acquire the power of the Saint of the God of Chaos, you will truly be able to inflict a primordial fear on the enemy.

Cale moved.

Aurora, her eyes fixed on him, couldn't help but think:

“…Father—”

An object of hatred that no longer existed in this world—the former Demon King. And—

"Jevelon."

The current Demon King.

Two beings, each possessing power on par with the gods. At their peak, even gods had been known to tremble and step back, avoiding the sheer force of their might.

But now, standing in front of her, a human—Cale Henituse—radiated an aura that couldn’t be ignored.

"How can a human—"

Exude such an aura?

And not just any aura—

Was it terrifying? More terrifying than any horror the Demon World had to offer?

"No."

An energy that contains nothing but pure fear. How can that be described?

"You, you are—"

A trembling voice broke through the heavy silence. Aurora slowly raised her head. Viscount Deshuran, his eyes wide with confusion, was looking at her.

"Who are you?"

A pinnacle of the Demon World, Viscount Deshuran had been sent by the Demon King’s mandate to hunt down yet another victim.

He wasn’t surprised by the sudden appearance of humans, nor was he frightened by the group approaching the village. To him, they were little more than obstacles—temporary inconveniences delaying the completion of his orders.

But this…

The human pointing a sword at him was different. There was something unusual about his aura—an aura that should not belong to a mere human. And then, it grew even worse.

A vaster and incomparable energy surrounded him. It was immaterial, but it choked the air around him, suffocating him with an overwhelming presence that felt as if it would crush him. His body froze, unable to move or even react properly.

All he could do was open his mouth, his voice shaky and weak.

"Who are you?"

If anyone else had witnessed Viscount Deshuran speaking with such respect, they would have been utterly stunned.

Deshuran, who had abruptly returned to his noble composure, didn’t speak like a man facing an enemy. He spoke like a man acknowledging something far above him. But he had no choice.

The Rule of the Strong.
In the Demon World, where power reigned supreme, strength wasn’t just respected—it was worshipped. And Deshuran, who had once sworn loyalty to the Demon King, now found himself instinctively bowing to a power even greater.

"But—"

How could a mere human exude a fear even deeper than the Demon King?
A fear so absolute it didn’t need a reason or purpose. It simply crushed everything.
It suffocated. It devoured. It left nothing behind.

His hands and feet trembled.
He could still fight—he wasn’t weak. As the leader of the sixth army among the Eight, he hadn’t reached his position by accident.
But before raising his sword, before taking a single step—
He had to know.

This was a power that summoned the same fear as the Demon King himself—a being on par with the gods.

And so, Deshuran had no choice but to ask:
"Who... are you?"

A suffocating silence fell over the battlefield.
No one dared to open their mouth.

Cale and Deshuran locked eyes.
The villagers, the Demon King’s army, the Mediators—
Everyone stood frozen, watching the confrontation between the two leaders.

On one side, barely ten people.
On the other, over two hundred soldiers, plus the villagers caught in the middle.
But everyone understood:
This moment would decide everything.

So, they waited. Breathless.

"...!"

Deshuran saw it.
Pfft.
Cale let out a dry, almost mocking laugh.

Then he spoke.
"We're from 'ARM—'"

Tuning perfectly to Choi Han’s rhythm, his voice casual, even bored.

Deshuran’s eyes widened.

"—!"

And then Cale froze too.

Deshuran caught it.
In those calm brown eyes—
He saw it.

"!?"

In that crack of silence—
Someone was reaching out behind Deshuran.

"Ah."

A fearsome power he had momentarily forgotten.
Choi Han raised his hand—

Thwack!

A clean strike to the back of Deshuran’s neck.

"Ugh!"

Deshuran let out a pained grunt, caught completely off guard.
But before he could even react, he heard Choi Han’s calm voice.

"Is it too much to hope he passes out from one hit?"

Choi Han casually pulled something from Deshuran’s hand.

Sssss—

A wisp of steam rose as the object burned Choi Han’s palm—
but he didn’t even flinch.

"I like its weight."

It was a book.
The same cursed book Deshuran always carried.

Still holding it, Choi Han turned it over once in his hand—
and without hesitation,

Whack!

He struck Deshuran’s stunned neck again.

Thud.

The Viscount hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Thump.

Choi Han dropped the book. The thick book rolled across the ground.

"..."

Choi Han and Cale looked at each other.

"Here’s the medicine."

Raon quickly brought a potion to Choi Han, who gave him a serene smile. Then he said to Cale,

"I've handled the situation."

Uh, um.

Cale hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Well done!"

Yes. Our Choi Han is the best!

Cale gave a thumbs up.

"It was amazing!"

Raon smiled broadly in agreement.

"Right! Striking the neck is always the most refreshing and best blow!"

As Cale's energy continued to envelop both the Demon King’s army and the village, everyone stared in shock at Cale, Choi Han, and Raon.

* * *

Smack. Smack.

Viscount Deshuran’s eyes snapped open.

And the first thing he saw—
Choi Han slapping his cheek.

"!?"

Deshuran flinched, trying to speak—
"Uh, uh!"
—but found he couldn’t move a muscle.

The once-proud Viscount Deshuran, reduced to a mute, trembling mess.

Choi Han tilted his head, studying him thoughtfully, then stood up.

"Please take care of him."

"Yes, I'll keep an eye on him."

Mary responded in a mechanical voice.

Choi Han recalled how Mary had disappeared with Clopeh Sekka a few days ago. He also remembered the first meeting between Mary and Clopeh, when Mary had implanted a Dead Mana bomb inside Clopeh’s body.

"..."

Choi Han hesitated for a moment, but soon he turned away, leaving the temporary holding cell without looking back.

Inside the cell, only Deshuran and Mary remained.

One, a frozen wreck.
The other, an emotionless necromancer adjusting her gloves.

Outside—

"Cale-nim."

Then, Choi Han walked over to Cale, who was lounging in the village chief’s house like he owned the place.

"..."

Aurora, still in a daze, stared blankly at the two men.

------
Proofreader's Comment:
Who is truly the greatest threat — the Demon King, or the ones standing right before him?

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]