Chapter 667: Hanwoo

There were some people who were unaware of the fact that Envoy Rumacar was trying to take down the Kingdom of Eden because the Bull Demon King had lost the favor of the Jade Emperor. The Bull Demon King might have hit his own servants and people with his own hands but that was because Rumacar manipulated him, to change the public’s view about him.

Then again, perhaps, everyone knew. However, knowing how strong Rumacar was and how they could not go against the Jade Emperor, the god and lord that they served, they did not do or say anything. All of them opted to turn a blind eye and run away.

‘Your Majesty, why didn’t you run away?’?

Sword’s Saint Aaron thought, hoping to ask the Bull Demon King this question.

‘

Why did you come back here, knowing that you would die? Is it for revenge? Or perhaps… Is it because you wanted to enlighten your foolish people?’

That was right. The Bull Demon King had tried to kill them before but that was probably because he was fighting for the crumbling Kingdom of Eden. It might have been his way of trying to save the people of his beloved kingdom that were being oppressed day in and day out.

The Bull Demon King was the role model of all of the knights and a king loved by all of his people. Hence, they could no longer stand seeing their king being trampled on like that by Rumacar.

“…Right now, are you thinking of pointing your blades towards the Jade Emperor?”

“I will pay for my sins with my death.”

[You are a believer of the Jade Emperor.]

[From this point on, you have given up your faith in the Jade Emperor and have decided to fight against him!]

The words were very heartbreaking. However, Aaron believed that his actions were correct.

Rumacar laughed. These people chose to die, being influenced by their emotions?

‘Laughable.’?

He looked at the 20,000 knights that chose to aim their swords at their allies and ordered, “Do not lay a finger on them.”

The reason for the order was simple. Rumacar wanted to punish them directly with his own hands.

Baaaaaaaaaaaang—

However, the one that made a move first was not Rumacar, but Aaron. Aaron charged forward, brandishing his sword in hopes of slashing Rumacar’s chest.

Clang—

However, Rumacar nimbly and swiftly lifted his sword, and Sword’s Saint Aaron’s sword was blocked. Despite being the best and strongest swordsman in the entire kingdom, his attack was easily blocked.

“I’ll show you the difference between us,” Rumacar said, passing by Aaron.

Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping—

Then, blood spurted out of Aaron’s body.

“Urghhh!”

After passing by Aaron, Rumacar immediately leaped toward the knights.

“Rampant.”

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab—

It was a shocking spectacle. Hundreds of swords flew out of Rumacar’s sword with a flash of white light, dancing around and cutting down the knights. However, the knights still continued to charge at him.

Ping, ping, ping, ping—

The swords pierced through the knights’ bodies one after the other.

“Sword Explosion.”

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaang—

“Aaaaaaaaack!”

“Keuaaaaaaack!”

“Aaaaaaargh!”

A huge storm of swords devoured the knights, ripped them apart, and forced them to disappear without a trace the moment Rumacar slammed his sword on the ground. One swing of his sword and dozens more fell down, a strike with his power and hundreds collapsed. To top it off, Rumacar did not break a single sweat despite killing hundreds and thousands.

‘Rumacar is truly a monster…’

‘How did he do that?’

‘Trying to fight against him is truly a crazy thing.’

Aaron and the other knights that had thought of protecting the Bull Demon King and rebelling against Rumacar were now about to change their minds. In the face of fear, the knights would once again choose to turn a blind eye to the Bull Demon King.

‘Carrion…’

‘Avitto…’

However, upon seeing their comrades dying in vain, those that had held swords and learnt together with them since their childhood, made them feel that they could not stomach it. Aaron, whose body was filled with holes, stood up with the support of his sword.

“Are you still going to pretend that you do not know?! That guy is not the king of the Kingdom of Eden. He will continue to kill us and we will continue to live in fear inside our own kingdom! Even our mothers, our fathers and our children will continue to live in fear!!!”

Tremble, tremble, tremble—

Aaron’s words were the truth. If things continued like this, then they would eventually feel like they were living in hell.

Graaaaab—

Even more knights chose to turn sides after those words.

“Take down Rumacar!!!”

“Kill Rumacar!!!”

[You are a believer of the Jade Emperor.]

[From this point on, you have given up your faith in the Jade Emperor and have decided to fight against him!]

The people that lived for the Jade Emperor decided to abandon their faith in him. Of the 700,000 surviving troops, 200,000 decided to switch sides. They believed that it would not matter how strong Rumacar was, he would not be able to do anything against their numbers. Of course, there were still 500,000 remaining troops, but they did not matter because they were at a loss on what to do.

Then, at that moment, Rumacar said, “Those that will remain by my side, return right away.”

“…!”

“…!”

The order was very shocking. They already knew what that order meant.

Gulp—

Someone gulped dryly at the rising tension in the air, as one of the soldiers ran away to return back to the kingdom, prompting around 480,000 of the troops to return to the castle. Then, they appeared on the walls and began to watch the situation unfold on the battlefield. As for the remaining 20,000 troops? They were still on the fence.

Rumacar looked coldly at them and said, “Then, all of you should just go and die.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Rumacar slashed the empty space in front of him and…

Thud—

Thud—

Thud—

Thud—

Thud—

Just like that, the heads of hundreds of soldiers fell and rolled on the ground, blood spurting out from their bodies.

Fwiiiish—

Spurt—!

Swooooosh—!

“Hi, hiiiiiiiiik! We, we will return! We will return right away!!!”

The quick-witted soldiers could tell that Rumacar was going to kill all of the troops that did not return. That was the truth. For Rumacar, they were not worth his protection. They were nothing but insects that he could step on whenever he wanted. That was why he could just kill them the moment he deemed them an eyesore.

“Hiiiiiiik!”

“Eeeeeeeeeeek!”

A few of the soldiers tried to turn around and go back to the castle but their bodies were split in half before they could even do so.

Thump—

Thump—

Thump—

“…Rumacaaaaaaaar!” Aaron screamed.

The staggering Bull Demon King groaned at the sight and thought,

‘Are you going to slaughter more than 200,000 troops here just to make an example of them?’

A crazy king. No, that was not a king. Rumacar was nothing but a crazy killer. Was it truly possible to do something like that again?

“The Jade Emperor’s Army will judge and punish you.”

Rumacar was delighted. He was now given a justification. He could now punish them for betraying the Jade Emperor and forsaking their faith in him.

The space in front of Rumacar was torn apart, as 10,000 strong knights riding on white war horses and wearing golden full plate armor appeared one after the other. In Edea, they were called ‘Heavenly Army’. They were recorded in legends and had several records in Edea’s history. They were known as the Jade Emperor’s army. and each and every single one of their troops held power that was far beyond anyone’s imagination and could easily deal with countless people all on their own.

“…He’s really going to kill us all?!”

“How can you do that?!”

“You’re going to kill us all just because we no longer believe in the Jade Emperor?!”

“You are just traitors in my eyes,” Rumacar said. He was looking at them as if he was looking at bugs.

Finally, the Heavenly Army began to attack the 200,000 troops.

“Keuaaaaaaaack!”

As if they were being ‘judged’, the troops that had been cut down began to burn and disappear into ashes. That was just how powerful the knights of the Heavenly Army were.

The remaining troops were left in confusion as their comrades began to die one after the other. In fact, some of the knights of the Heavenly Army would laugh at them as they killed them, enjoying the pain that flashed on their faces as they pierced them with their weapons.

The Bull Demon King clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly at the sight.

“For His Majesty, the Bull Demon King!!!”

“Your Majesty, please survive… Keuaaaaaaack!”

The soldiers abandoned and turned their back on the Jade Emperor for him. They were now dying because of him. The Bull Demon King looked down at the ‘Dying Snake’s Ring’ on his finger.

Upon use, the Dying Snake’s Ring would instantly double all of the stats, skills, abilities and power of the item user. However, one would not be able to move for thirty minutes after using it. Simply put, the ring had a huge penalty on it.

However, the Bull Demon King ignored that fact and kissed the Dying Snake’s Ring. Then, a snake appeared and slithered around the Bull Demon King’s body until it covered him entirely.

“Charge.”

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaang—

Immediately after that, the Bull Demon King charged forward and literally pushed away the Heavenly Army that were slaughtering the remaining troops of the Kingdom of Eden.

Booooooooom—

The Bull Demon King just lightly hit the head of one of the soldiers of the Heavenly Army but it easily exploded.

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

One swing of his woldo and all of his enemies were swept away, as if a wave had washed over them.

Rumacar was just sitting silently on the sidelines as if he found it fun and interesting. He was also aware of the effects of the ring and how it could bring forth a shocking increase in the power and abilities of the user. However, once the snake’s power disappeared, the strength in the user’s body would disappear and leave them exhausted and unable to move.

‘Is it his final struggle?’

However, the struggle was far too strong.

Slaaaaaash—

The Bull Demon King jumped high in the sky, slashing his woldo down and breaking apart the Heavenly Army’s armor and sweeping them away.

“Keuaaaaaaaack!”

Flinch—

The Heavenly Army, the powerful army of the Jade Emperor, flinched and began to retreat. But the Bull Demon King chased after them and continued to cut them down. As for the troops that decided to protect him? They immediately followed behind him.

Baaaaaaang!

‘This is the end,’

the Bull Demon King thought, feeling his strength slowly begin to seep out of his body. Using the remaining strength in his body, he brandished his woldo one last time to cut down the retreating Heavenly Army.

Thump—

The Bull Demon King slammed his woldo on the ground, using it to support himself as he fell on one knee and gasped loudly.

“Haa… Haa…”

He was fully aware that Rumacar would mock him as he died.

“First, I will cut off your limbs and feed them to the dogs. Then, I’m going to cut your head off, display it in the central plaza and feed it to the crows.”

The Bull Demon King did not care about the humiliation and disgrace that he would experience after his death. It was just…

“…Run away.”

“Your Majesty!!!”

“Your Majesty, the Bull Demon King!!!”

“Your Majesty!!!”

The reason why the Bull Demon King killed the Heavenly Army was for the survival of the soldiers of the Kingdom of Eden. He would be happy if even one more of them could survive and live through this. In the end, Rumacar was still alone. It was impossible for him to chase more than 200,000 troops all by himself. So, even if it was just 10,000, no, even just 1,000, the Bull Demon King wanted to save them.

“Keuhahahahahaha!” Rumacar laughed loudly as he walked towards the Bull Demon King, his sword hanging lightly on his hand.

Once again, the Bull Demon King shouted, “Run, now!!!”

Everyone flinched at the shout. However, Rumacar said, “You are nothing but a helpless and useless king.”

“…”

“The army that believed in you is nothing but a mere headless bunch that looks like an ant in front of the Jade Emperor’s mighty Heavenly Army.”

.

Perhaps that was the truth. Perhaps he was truly foolish to have ever entertained the fact that he could fight and rebel against a great god.

“I will cut off the heads of the people that trust and follow you and burn it along with your head that has been eaten by the crows,” Rumacar said, his piercing gaze looking at the troops around him, “And I will make sure to kill all of these men with you. After all, you will never be able to save anyone.”

The Bull Demon King shouted again, “Go!!! Quick, go now!!!”

He wanted to stand up, but the penalty of the Dying Snake’s Ring was preventing him from doing so. In the end, he fell flat on the ground.

Thump—

The space was torn apart once again as another unit of the Heavenly Army appeared.

“Hi, hiiiiiiiik!!!”

“This, this is impossible…!”

The Bull Demon King and the people of the Kingdom of Eden did not know that Rumacar was a ‘commander’ that led the Jade Emperor’s Heavenly Army. Due to his position, he was given enough authority to call for the strongest among the countless troops of the Heavenly Army.

Around 60,000 Heavenly Army troops began to surround the surviving 200,000 troops from the Kingdom of Eden.

“We, we won’t even be able to run away…”

“How…”

The Bull Demon King looked at the scene in bitterness while Rumacar’s laughter dug and gnawed on his consciousness.

Rumacar slowly approached the Bull Demon King, intent on cutting off the man’s limbs. The Bull Demon King, who had his eyes closed, heard the fear in the voices of the Kingdom of Eden’s troops.

“No one will be left to stay by your side. You will die alone, no? Ahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha!”

But then, the unknown voice rang in his ears again,

‘Hanwoo!!! You’re always going to protect your hyung, right?!’

He did not know who he was but his voice continued to linger in the Bull Demon King’s head,

‘Of course, this hyung of yours will always protect you, Hanwoo!’

It was strange. But for some reason, he always felt his heart ache whenever he heard that voice. He tried to look up at whoever it was as he pleaded,

‘Please help me.’

Everyone watched in despair as Rumacar raised his sword, ready to slash and cut off the Bull Demon King’s limbs apart.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!

But then, hundreds of swords rained down and devoured Rumacar.

“Aaaaaaargh!” Rumacar screamed after receiving the brunt of the first downpour of the swords. However, he immediately brandished his sword, swinging it around to parry the raining swords.

There was someone that stood in front of the Bull Demon King and blocked his path. The man looked coldly at Rumacar.

Bull Demon King seemed to have not noticed the man, busy ruminating over the words that Rumacar had uttered just a few moments prior.

‘No one will be left to stay by your side. You will die alone.’

However, someone called out to him, “Hanwoo.”

“…”

The Bull Demon King opened his eyes to see a man standing in front of him. And along with his appearance, God’s voice rang in the ears of everyone present.

[The God from Another World is glaring at the Jade Emperor’s Envoy!]

[The God from Another World has the power of the Sword God!]

[The God from Another World has the power of the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal!]

[The God from Another World uses the power of the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal!]

Slaaaaaaash—

Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof—

The moment the man struck the ground with his sword, more than 500,000 clones of the man appeared and surrounded the 60,000 Heavenly Army troops that were encroaching upon the 200,000 surviving troops from the Kingdom of Eden Every single one of the clones raised their swords and pointed it towards the Heavenly Army.

Clack—

Clack—

Clack—

Clack—

Then, the hundreds of thousands of men, bearing the same face spoke in unison…

“Sword of Absolute Death.”

“Sword of Absolute Death.”

“Sword of Absolute Death.”

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!

The man turned to look at the Bull Demon King. Then, he said with a soft, gentle and warm voice, “Hyung’s here.”