At the end of the vast universe, on the far side of the darkness, a black hole connected to the outer universe was opening.
[A new gate has occurred!]
[All troops! Prepare for enemy raids!]
Goooo-!
At the command of the Rulers, the heavenly soldiers spread their brilliant wings all at once.
The aura of brilliance they exuded collided with the aura of an Outer God emanating from the black hole.
At the heart of that fierce battlefield...
"... Was it just my imagination? I think someone called me."
A man wrapped in black energy, Sung Jinwoo, suddenly turned his head with a frown.
[Isn't it Beru?]
High Commander Bellion, who was preparing the battle line, suddenly appeared and replied to that.
When he brought up Beru, Sung Jinwoo's eyebrows furrowed.
"Come to think of it, Beru is really..."
Sung Jinwoo asked him to come back quickly, but he still had not heard from him wherever he was playing.
Did he do what he was told to do or did he do it right?
[Shadow Monarch, by any chance, if something happens to Beru, then Young Master...]
"That's unlikely."
Sung Jinwoo shook his head resolutely at Bellion's concern.
"I would have noticed right away."
If something went wrong with his Shadow Soldier, Sung Jinwoo would know it immediately.
So far, he has not felt any sign of it from Beru.
On the way to Earth, he must have suffered some damage from fighting the remnants of Itharim, but there was no way that Beru would face extinction against just those guys in the first place.
Besides, Beru has a special ability that other shadow soldiers don't have.
'Predation'.
Beru is basically a bug-type monster with excellent survivability.
He was a shadow soldier who could replenish his own strength no matter how far away from the monarch he was.
[With all due respect...]
Just in time, High Commander Igris appeared next to Sung Jinwoo and opened his mouth.
Igris had always quarreled with Beru, but because of that, he knew Beru very well.
[No matter how stupid that worm is, he should have finished their mission by now. What we should be concerned about is...]
[He seems to have settled down on Earth.]
Recalling Beru's personality, Bellion and Igris looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
Even within the Shadow Corps, Beru was known for being the strongest and overprotective.
If Suho's memories that have been sealed so far were released, Suho would recognize Beru right away.
There was a very high probability that Beru, who had been waiting for that moment, would stay on Earth.
He was the kind of guy who would run amok out of excessive loyalty, asking who would protect his Young Master if not himself.
That was also the instinct Beru had as an ant.
'... Well, that might be good enough. I sent Beru considering that.'
Sung Jinwoo smiled and looked away from the direction of Earth and looked forward again.
It was a tense battle that had been going on for several years.
'I don't think it will end easily.'
Looking back, it was rather comfortable to deal with the one back then.
It was simply a clash of power and strength.
However, the war with Itharim now was completely different from that time.
Itharim enjoys creation and destruction.
The apostles created by their hands have been fighting each time with bizarre forms and irregular strategies, and because of that, unpredictable situations continue to occur.
It was now a battle of strategy and tactics, not a clash of strength and power.
In order to deal with them, the most important thing was case-to-case impromptu judgment.
'That's why... I'll leave it to you.'
Sung Jinwoo's eyes flashed.
Suho, who has been unsealed, and High Commander Beru, who has risen to the level of the enemy beyond class.
With the combination of those two, he would be able to entrust the backline to them.
It would be quite burdensome for Itharim to take strong people from the frontline and go the long way to send them to Earth.
If they did, the balance that was held tight would tilt right away.
That means, only small apostles of Itharim were currently aiming for Earth.
But...
There was just one concern.
'Actually, the balance has already been broken.'
It was from the moment he sent Beru, a frontline High Commander, to Earth.
Similarly, Itharim would also have enough resources to send a guy the size of Beru to Earth.
'The key is if Itharim will get to notice that fact.'
The moment they do, they will definitely send an apostle with power similar to Beru's to Earth.
It would be alright if Beru could directly deal with that apostle, but what if Beru's condition was different from usual?
... There would be quite a problem.
However, knowing that their backline would be at risk, there was no way not to send Beru.
Otherwise, sooner or later, Earth would surely perish.
'So, Suho...'
Sung Jinwoo opened his mouth thinking of his only son struggling alone on Earth.
"You have to."
'Be strong.'
'My son.'
* * *
"Arise."
The moment Suho gave out that order, Beru recalled the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo.
A solemn requiem brought about by the shadow army that covered the vast and distant universe.
The immortal army, led by Beru himself, were invincible warriors who transcended even death and were messengers of hell who would burn their souls to complete their mission if their master commanded them.
... But.
The army led by Suho consisted of only one guy, Quay.
The shadow mercenaries for one day had already gone back to nothing.
[Ohhh! Master is calling me!]
Hearing Suho's order just in time, Quay stood up in the shadows.
Seeing that, Beru suddenly realized the situation and shouted at Suho.
[No, Young Master! If you use that skill right now...!]
He needed to stop Suho right away.
The opponent is an apostle of Itharim.
If Suho summoned the shadow soldier now, the apostle of Itharim would find out Suho's true identity.
[Your identity will be revealed...! Ehh?]
However, before Beru could even finish his words, something unexpected happened.
"Arise, Quay."
Suddenly, Suho's hand grabbed Quay and pulled him out.
[If it's Master's order...!]
Quay's body soared along Suho's hand.
Swoosh!
It looks like...
A lance.
Suddenly, Quay's body was transformed into a lance shimmering with black energy.
[I am the lancer Quay! According to my Master's order, I will become a lance that pierces the enemy's heart!]
He was in the same shape as the giant bee stinger he usually held in his hand.
Ring!
[The level of 'Skill: Shadow Release' has increased.]
The skill window automatically opened in front of Suho.
[Shadow Release Lv.2 – Shape Change]
Shadow power.
No mana required.
Randomly changes the shape of a shadow soldier.
[Ehhh?!]
Beru was genuinely astonished.
[Oh my God! Weaponizing the Shadow Soldier! I've never seen anyone do this before!]
"Really?"
At Beru's fuss, Suho lifted Quay, who had turned into a lance, in the air and his eyes lit up.
"I was just pretending to be Esil."
[M-Me?!]
Esil's surprised voice echoed from Vulcan's Horn.
Spiritualization of a Demon Noble.
Through spiritualization, Esil was able to turn her horn into a weapon and even nestle directly in Vulcan's Horn.
Suho, who had witnessed it several times now, realized it intuitively.
Although the transformation into a spiritual body looks great at first glance, the shadow soldiers were basically spiritual bodies anyway.
Just looking at Beru right now, his size or shape also changed here and there as he intended.
'So of course I thought I could do it, too.'
It actually happened.
[Oh, my...]
Beru was greatly moved.
Talent.
This is what talent is.
Unique and admirable.
[As expected, Young Master is a prodigy! From the time you first realized the Ruler's Power before you could even walk, I knew that from early on...!]
Sung Jinwoo, a shadow monarch far beyond class, has been at a level where he could handle all shadows freely.
On the other hand, Suho was like an ant larva- a kid who had just awakened with shadow power.
Beru couldn't believe that the little one taught himself and learned everything on his own.
"Whew. Vulcan's son, I wondered why you had only one horn, but it turned out that such a great horn was hidden separately."
The mad-blooded tyrant was still firmly misunderstanding the identity of Suho.
He thought that the 'Shadow Lance' that suddenly emerged from Suho's hand was a weaponized demon horn.
"So, are you really going to try to defy me with that lance? Do you know many demons I've eaten so far? Do not resist uselessly, and surrender..."
Slash-!
"...!"
Thunk!
The mad-blooded tyrant could not finish his words and hurriedly turned his head, barely avoiding the shadow lance that was shot like a thunderbolt.
"How dare you!"
The moment he turned his head and glared at Suho with a scary expression...
Slash-!
The shadow lance that flew back turned like a thunderbolt as if it had wings and hit his shoulder.
Stab!
"Ack!"
Surprised, the tyrant hurriedly pulled out the shadow lance from his body.
"How dare you do this trick!"
Roar!
Ominous flames erupted from his raging body.
"A gap."
Suho moved immediately.
Swoosh!
[The 'Title: Demon Slayer' buff is activated.]
[All stats increase by 40% when dealing with demon-type monsters.]
Swish!
Suho's twin swords swung and created a storm of blades overlaid with Rakan's divine wind.
[Use 'Skill: Blade Storm'.]
The tyrant who countered him wickedly raised the corners of his mouth and released his power.
"Hahaha. Great! Struggle as much as you can! It would be nice to see how hard the Demon Noble's body is!"
His flame opposed Suho's Blade Storm, creating a massive chain of explosions.
However, Suho's twin swords persistently pushed the tyrant, tearing even the explosion.
"Woah. That's commendable. After all, no matter how young you are, a demon noble is still a demon noble."
The mad-blooded tyrant was a little taken aback.
Compared to the low energy he felt from Suho, his attack power was beyond imagination.
All the ominous flames he now ignited were fueled by the blood and flesh of the demons he had eaten.
On the other hand, Suho's demon slayer title was the buff that showed the most certain compatibility against the demon's power.
"... But that's just it."
An immense power burst out from the entire body of the mad-blooded tyrant who glared at Suho.
"Because your body was already poisoned by a cursed blood that would make you crazy!"
He stretched out his hand toward Suho and unleashed his power.
"Run out of control with that cursed blood!"
Swoosh!
"...!"
An ominous cursed fog covered the entire area where Suho stood.
In front of him, the mad-blooded tyrant burst into laughter.
"Haha! Did you know?! The first meal given to all the demons here was mixed with light-blooded poison!"
If he wanted to, he could make the poison in the opponent's body go wild at any time!
But then, in the ominous fog that covered all sight...
Thud!
"...!"
Suho jumped out without hesitation and plunged his twin swords into the mad-blooded tyrant's body.
If he wanted to, he could make the poison in the opponent's body go wild at any time!
But then, in the ominous fog that covered all sight…
Thud!
"…!"
Suho jumped out without hesitation and plunged his twin swords into the mad-blooded tyrant's body.