"Keuheok!"
Hwang Dongsuk collapsed on the spot in shock. But nobody paid him any attention.
"...Arsha, what did you just say?" The old man glared at the Queen Bee with piercing eyes.
Bzzzz!
The countless bees dispersed, revealing the alluring woman, Queen Bee Arsha. She met the old man's gaze and said,
[I said I'm pulling out.]
"Why? Don't tell me the great Queen Bee is scared?"
[Hmph. Scared...?] Arsha merely scoffed and crossed her arms at his provocation.
Her gaze drifted towards the window. Countless bees under her command were flying throughout the village. And even now, they were sending her strong warning signals.
Arsha smirked and retorted confidently, [Why not? It's the law of nature to flee and hide when faced with a predator you can't handle.]
"Predator? Are you that terrified by the power of the Iron Body? This wound is nothing to me." The old man's face contorted in displeasure, noticing Arsha's gaze fixed on his charred hand.
"Restoration." The old man chanted a spell and brushed off his blackened hand.
A ghostly, distorted face materialized from thin air, screaming as it merged with his hand. Then he flexed his perfectly healed hand and looked at Arsha with a relaxed gaze, trying to persuade her.
"Queen Bee Arsha, there might have been an unexpected turn of events, but it doesn't affect my plan. In fact, it's accelerating it."
[Even though the power of the Iron Body broke your illusion?]
"...It's true that the power of the Iron Body and the Demonic Spirits' illusions don't mix well. But that applies to them as well."
Tarnak, the Iron Body Monarch, was the king who ruled over goblins, orcs, and all other monstrous humanoids. His 'Iron Body Technique' was the power to train the body past its limits, ultimately transcending the soul's limitations. This Technique was capable of surpassing physical laws and striking even spirits. On the other hand, the Demonic Spirits' illusions used souls as their foundation to gain physical power. In other words, the illusions and the Iron Body Technique were powers situated at opposite ends of the spectrum.
"I was careless and the illusion was broken earlier, but that won't happen again. In fact, the intruder still hasn't found me and is wandering lost in the maze, isn't he?"
[And what if he eventually finds you?]
"So what if he does? I can just cast another illusion. They've already stepped into my domain, they can't escape."
[Can't escape...? Confidence is good, but is there truly anything impossible in this world? The mighty Monarchs, and even the absolute being were all killed.]
"Chuckle. That's what makes this world so wonderful." At Arsha's blatant mockery, the old man finally rose from his seat.
A frail and aged man. This body originally belonged to the 'head' of Yamri Village. But there was a reason he chose to possess this scrawny frame despite there being many other healthy humans in the village.
"I am Harmakan, the Grand Shaman of the Demonic Spirit Clan, and the next king." Harmakan grinned cruelly and raised his withered arms.
Kraaaaaaaaaaa!
Then, agonizing screams echoed from the void. At Harmakan's fingertips, hazy specters writhed and screamed in pain. Witnessing this, Harmakan burst into a vile laughter.
"Look at this. Did you think a great Demonic Spirit like me would engage in a vulgar brawl with those fools who rely solely on physical strength?"
Hiccup…
Hwang Dongsuk, who had witnessed this scene while cowering in the corner, turned pale. Among the specters, he saw the faces of his subordinates who had just been killed by the intruder. His suspicion was correct. Harmakan's illusions were utilizing the souls of the humans who had perished in this village. Considering the number of people killed, it was no wonder he was so confident.
"Chuckle. A great Demonic Spirit always devises meticulous plans and fights from the shadows. There are plenty of pawns to send to the front lines, so no need to go there myself." Harmakan cackled, tormenting the translucent specters like toys with his bony fingers.
[...Tsk. I'm not sure who's more cowardly.] Arsha shook her head in disgust.
But Harmakan remained unfazed. "That would be you, trying to abandon the fight and run away. I'll give you one last chance. Stay and help me."
[No. If I had known 'he' would come here, I wouldn't have even approached this place.] The bees forming Arsha's body buzzed agitatedly, revealing her unease.
[...I don't have the power or the forces to face 'him' yet.]
Now Harmakan was curious. "Who is this 'he' that you fear so much? If he inherited the power of the Iron Body Monarch, aren't you the descendant of the Plague Monarch? Even I alone could handle him, but if we join forces, we could easily..."
[He's not the heir of the Iron Body Monarch, but the successor of the King of Beasts.]
"What? The Fang Monarch? What does that mean?" Harmakan was even more confused by Arsha's words.
The image of the giant wolf he was riding flashed through his mind at the mention of Rakan. If he was his successor, it wouldn't be strange for him to command such a large wolf. But there was something he couldn't understand.
"If he's the successor of the Fang Monarch, how can he wield the power of the Iron Body?"
[I don't know that either. But one thing's for sure. He's... much stronger than when I last met him.] Arsha bit her lip with a troubled expression.
Being soundly defeated by Suho not so long ago, she had no intention of confronting him again. Moreover, the situation was even more unfavorable now. She had lost all her lancers and was weakened, while Suho, whom she hadn't seen in a while, had grown even stronger.
[My plan to train new lancers with the villains here is no more. They're all going to die once he shows up.] With those final words, Arsha's body began to disperse into countless bees.
Then, as if she didn't even have time for further argument, she flew out the window. Harmakan scoffed at her gutless action, ridiculing her:
"...A coward like that, claiming to be Queresha's successor. It seems the Queen of Insects won't be appearing for a while." Harmakan nonchalantly rejected Arsha's qualifications for becoming a monarch.
"Good. That pesky fly trying to leech off my plan is gone. Now the souls here are all mine." Then, with a cold gaze he reached out his hand towards Hwang Dongsuk, who was cowering on the floor.
"...Keuheok?!" At his gesture, Hwang Dongsuk's body stiffened and floated into the air. Bound and helpless, the villain screamed in terror.
"O-old man! N-no, Master! What are you doing?! Our deal was...!"
"Chuckle. Oh yes, we had a deal." Harmakan's eyes gleamed with a sinister smile.
The reason he had approached Hwang Dongsuk, the kingpin of Jisan Prison, and instigated the mass breakout was simple.
"Our deal was that I help you control your subordinates outside the prison. And in return, I take the souls of those you killed."
"Y-yes! So why are you doing this to me?!"
"Why? You don't understand?" Harmakan tilted his head and asked Hwang Dongsuk, who was struggling in the air.
"You can lead your subordinates even after you're dead, can't you?"
"...Kuack!"
Crack! As Harmakan clenched his bony hand, Hwang Dongsuk's body crumpled in mid-air with a sickening crunch. Bones shattered, he coughed up blood and breathed his last.
Harmakan's eerie voice whispered to his soul, "Rejoice. I shall grant you the special privilege of becoming a Death Knight of the Demonic Spirit Clan."
Aaaaaaaaaaaa!
"I love wicked souls like yours." Harmakan savored Hwang Dongsuk's screams with a satisfied smile.
***
"Surrender! We surrender!"
"We'll go back to prison!"
"..." Esil was dumbfounded by the sight of the villains suddenly losing their will to fight and surrendering with their hands raised.
"What? Just like that? Shouldn't they put up at least a bit of a fight?"
"What can they do? Their leader ran away." Suho shrugged with a smirk.
But just because the villains surrendered didn't mean they were safe.
Spat!
Swish!
The invisible assassin's dagger mercilessly cut down the villains who had already lost their will to fight. Kang Taeshik, who loved killing above all else, found the surrendering villains to be even easier targets.
[That's quite something.] Beru nodded approvingly as he watched the shadow soldier eliminate villains.
[He's not just killing indiscriminately, he's targeting those with a stronger scent of blood.]
"The scent of blood? You mean he's killing only those who've actually taken people's lives?"
[...Yes, that's correct.]
Suddenly, Kang Taeshik reappeared before Suho and bowed his head.
[I apologize. That last one was a bit ambiguous, but I thought it was better to kill him.]
"..."
"..."
Suho and Esil exchanged glances, silently observing Kang Taeshik. The demon noble mouthed some words to him.
'He's scaring me a bit.'
'Aren't you supposed to be the monstrous demon here…?' Suho responded with his eyes.
"...!"
Buzz-
Swish!
Without a warning Suho's hand shot into the air, grabbing something.
"Well, well, well?" Suho smirked, looking at the struggling bee in his hand. But his eyes weren't smiling.
[The King of Insects, the Plague Monarch, is pleased.]
"Come out, Arsha." At Suho's words, the bee in his hand trembled.