“L-Lord Hyungseokius? Why, all of a sudden?” The adjutant asked, looking puzzled at the sudden command. “I have a feeling that... the old geezer is harboring those traitors,” Chae Hyung-Seok replied. “What?! L-Lord Hyungseokius? I do not think that is possible. Lord Balag is the most respected elder in our domain, so there is no way that he would harbor those–” “I find it strange. Why would someone like him, who retired a long time ago, suddenly reappear?” “And the estate seemed abandoned. It doesn’t look like a place someone lived in.” “And... If he is truly the respected elder you say he is, then I’m pretty sure he won’t be happy with how His Majesty has ascended the throne.” “To be honest... I think that makes sense. His Majesty wasn't recognized before he ascended the throne as the rightful demon lord, so the elders were not very happy with what happened.” “I believe they are just observing the situation, as there are no clear alternatives. But the elders who once served under Lord Vernas remain completely uncooperative. They are not causing trouble, but they are not helping either.” “That’s why I suspect that old geezer is hiding the traitors.” “I can see why you would think that, Lord Hyungseokius. But if we recklessly mess with Lord Balag, then the backlash will be bad...” “We can deal with that when it comes.” Chae Hyung-Seok had already decided that Balag was a traitor, so concerns about the potential consequences did not even cross his mind. “Assemble all troops immediately,” Chae Hyung-Seok commanded. “As you command, Lord Hyungseokius.” And so, Chae Hyung-Seok waited outside Balag’s mansion while waiting for his soldiers to arrive. ‘I’ve got you now, Han Tae-Sung. I bet you’re hiding in here like the rat you are. Just you wait, I will crush you this time,’ he thought while eagerly anticipating his revenge. This was the Demon Realm. Chae Hyung-Seok possessed the power and status to destroy Siegfried completely. Not only that, he had an army of tens of thousands of demons backing him up. For the first time in a long while, Chae Hyung-Seok was now the predator, and Siegfried was the prey—just like old times. After sending Chae Hyung-Seok and his men away, Balag returned to his basement training ground and recounted what had happened. “There were no problems,” he said nonchalantly. “Really? Did they leave quietly?” Siegfried asked, leaning against the wall. “They didn’t want to at first, but some of the demons recognized me and didn’t dare lay a hand on me.” “I even invited them in to search if they wanted, but they declined. That tells me they have no intention of searching this place at least.” “Hmm... But that new Supreme Commander... Hyungseokius, was it?” “What?! D-Did you just say Hyungseokius?” Siegfried exclaimed, shocked to hear the familiar name. “Yes, that was his name. Do you know him by any chance?” “Know him? I know him all too well,” Siegfried responded as if he was answering an obvious question. Then, he added, “I know him too well. That’s the problem...” “Ah...” Siegfried muttered, wearing a far-off expression as if reminiscing about something. Then, he whispered under his breath with longing, “I miss my dear Hyungseok...” Hamchi shook his head while watching in disbelief and said, “Hey, owner punk. What are you gonna do if Chae Hyungseok isn’t around? Kyuu? I have a feeling you will die from withdrawal symptoms.” At this point, it was not an exaggeration to say that Siegfried could no longer live without Chae Hyung-Seok. At the very least, once every six months, he needed to mess with him to relieve his pent-up frustrations. He had tried different things, but nobody could release his pent-up frustrations like Chae Hyung-Seok. “Anyway, it’s a relief we are safe for now. But we shouldn’t let our guard down completely...” Siegfried stopped mid-sentence after noticing something strange. He kept Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance activated just in case, and through it he realized that more than half of the enemy forces scattered throughout the city were suddenly moving all at once. ‘What the hell? Why are they suddenly moving?’ he wondered. He carefully watched their movements and slowly noticed that something was odd. Why? Because the direction they were heading in was... The enemy forces were converging on Balag’s mansion, where they were hiding. Siegfried shot up from his seat and shouted the moment he realized what was happening. “What is it?” Michael looked up and asked. “It looks like we’ve been found,” Siegfried replied. “Hm? Found? What do you mean by that? But they already left,” Balag asked. “No,” Siegfried shook his head. Then, he explained, “It’s clear that they’re coming here based on the movement of their troops. I believe they only pretended to leave, but in reality, they know we’re here. They’re sure of it.” “I think... we’re fucked,” Siegfried muttered under his breath, his crude language fitting the situation. Not only were they outnumbered, but they would soon be surrounded without an escape route. “W-What do we do, sire?” Chaos asked, stammering in fear. “What else? We need to escape right now. Unless you wanna get cornered, that is?” Siegfried replied. “But where do we even go? We have nowhere else to go now...” Chaos despaired. “There’s one place that we can go,” Siegfried said. “Huh? Where is that, Your Majesty?” Chaos asked, his eyes lighting up. “We’re heading to the Demon Bank,” Siegfried replied firmly. “Why are we going there?” Chaos asked again, tilting his head in confusion. Siegfried ended up grimacing at the questions. Then, he grumbled with a hint of annoyance, “Why else do you think we’re going there?” “I have no idea, sire...?” “We will break through them before we get encircled. And once we get to the Demon Bank, that guy will convert all my Soul Coins into demonic power,” Siegfried explained, pointing at Metatron. Then, he continued explaining, “We will hold the line until that guy absorbs all of the demonic powers.” The moment he said those words— Hamchi, Metatron, Chaos, Michael, Shakiro, and even Balag stared wide-eyed in shock. It was all because the idea Siegfried had come up with was the best of the best solutions right now. It was by no means going to be easy, but it could be the breakthrough point that they had been looking for if they managed to pull it off. Even better, this single move, if successful, could potentially turn the tables against Baroque. “Kyuuu! Are you a freaking genius, owner punk?! I’m going to call you genius punk now!” Hamchi exclaimed, praising him. “As expected of Your Majesty!” Metatron and Chaos exclaimed in awe, too. “Your strategic mind surprises me.” Michael and Shakiro too. “Oh! That is indeed a wise strategy!” Even Balag was impressed and supported Siegfried’s idea. “Let’s go!” New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel·fiɾe·net With that, Siegfried stood up with his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp in hand. Now that they had a plan, it was now time to put it into motion. This was now a race against the clock, as every second counted from here on out. Meanwhile, Chae Hyung-Seok anxiously observed Balag’s estate from a distance while waiting for his troops to gather. Just as a precaution, he commanded about a hundred of his elite demon soldiers to lay in wait in front of the mansion’s door. They would remain hidden until the moment comes to ambush their target. ‘Hurry up. Come on, gather faster!’ Chae Hyung-Seok anxiously thought, burning with anticipation. He was starting to get impatient, as the thought of capturing and finally having his revenge against Siegfried was about to become reality. Thus, he was eager to storm the mansion as soon as possible and kill Siegfried with his own hands. ‘Just ten more minutes and you’re finished,’ he thought eagerly. The half-destroyed doors of the mansion were blasted to pieces, and Siegfried’s party came rushing out. Chae Hyung-Seok recoiled in shock at Siegfried’s sudden appearance. Nothing should have happened until his soldiers gathered if things went according to his plan, but he did not expect that the rats would come sallying out of the mansion first. “That sharp-eyed bastard!” Chae Hyung-Seok cursed after realizing that he was seen right through. There was a reason that sharp-witted people were always a thorn in the side of those plotting something. “Catch them!” Chae Hyung-Seok roared at the top of his lungs. “Death to the traitors!” At his command, the hidden demon soldiers sprang into action and rushed toward Siegfried’s party all at once. And so, the battle began. However, contrary to Chae Hyung-Seok’s expectations, the battle was in favor of his enemies. The reason was simple—Balag. He was the most respected elder and the greatest warrior of the Seventh Domain of the Demon Realm, who once claimed the title of "War God." Although he had declined over the years, he was such a fearsome existence in his prime that even the Demon Lord, Vernas, had been wary of him and treated him with respect. And now, the War God of the Seventh Doman was unleashing his feared whip once again. Balag’s whip was crafted from a mineral that could only be mined in the Demon Realm, and its entire length was embedded with razor-sharp blades that ripped through its victim. Known as the Slaughterer’s Whip, this whip was not just for striking foes but also for cutting them into ribbons with its countless razor-edged blades. It could also coil itself around its enemies and slice them in half. Balag and his whip were a nightmare for any foe who crossed paths with it, and no enemy had ever lived to tell its horrors. “You damn bastards! Don’t retreat! Fight! Keep fighting!” Chae Hyung-Seok screamed as he hastily activated his buffs. A powerful wave of buffs surged through the demonic soldiers, empowering them one after another. However, Siegfried’s party had no intention of fighting. The moment Balag showcased his devastating power and threw the enemy ranks into disarray, the party immediately seized the opening and bolted. “Hey! Hyung-Seok! Catch me if you can, buddy!” Siegfried shouted as he ran away with his Pesky Brat title activated. Chae Hyung-Seok’s vision spun as his blood pressure shot up, nearly causing him to faint. That insufferable, cocky, and despicable attitude of Siegfried drove him insane. “Y-You...! You damn bastard...!” Chae Hyung-Seok growled, gnashing his teeth in fury. [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: User’s blood pressure is rising at an alarming rate!] [Alert: You will be logged out in 10 seconds for your safety!] [Alert: 9... 8... 7... 6...!] He had already suffered two strokes in the past, so his VR capsule was programmed to shut down and disconnect him from the game automatically if his blood pressure spiked too high. “I... have to... hold it in... Breathe... Breathe... Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...!” For the sake of his own life, Chae Hyung-Seok calmed himself down and took deep breaths in an attempt to suppress his rage. His doctor had warned him that if he suffered another stroke, this time, it wouldn't just end with partial paralysis or slurred speech. He could end up in a vegetative state or worse, brain-dead. He could actually die. ‘No... I shouldn’t... I have to calm down... I have to breathe. Breath, Chae Hyung-Seok!’ Thus, for his own sake, he forced himself to swallow his fury. “What... are you... doing? After... them...! Don’t let... a single one... escape...” “Lord Hyungseokius...?” Then, Chae Hyung-Seok’s adjutant, noticing his condition, swiftly relayed the orders to the demon soldiers. “What are you all standing around for?! Chase after them! Go catch the traitors!” And with that, Chae Hyung-Seok’s soldiers took off in pursuit of Siegfried’s party.