The Demon’s Aftermath and New Plans

The silver-haired demon laughed maniacally.

Even when surrounded by countless foes, not a trace of fear marred her beautiful face.

With every flash and parry, each swing of her sword left a desiccated corpse in its wake.

The elite punishment squad was mown down like stalks of wheat.

In this remote region, a scene of brutal despair unfolded before his very eyes.

‘Why, when our mission was merely to eradicate the Black-Blooded fiends plaguing this region, why did we have to encounter *the Demon*, whose name has graced the most wanted lists for years?!’

Just as the most depraved among humans were branded villains, so too were the most heinous monsters of the demon race naturally referred to as ‘Demons’.

And the humanoid entity before him, with her striking silver hair, was precisely one such Demon, a wanted criminal of the demon race stained by countless acts of bloodshed.

“Aaaargh—die!”

Unable to bear the sight of his comrades falling one after another, he roared and charged forward.

Yet, with his skill, he couldn’t even mount a proper defense.

With a flash of silver, his equipment was effortlessly severed.

The keen edge pressed against his chest.

A mere inch forward would have sent him to join his fallen comrades.

“Oh?”

The silver-haired demon uttered a sound of surprise, then executed a graceful flourish of her sword, impaling the enemy who had attacked her from behind.

“Die…”

Before the horned, four-legged warrior could even finish his words, he was desiccated into a husk and fell, adding to the small mountain of corpses on the ground.

But even against such a formidable foe, the warriors of the punishment squad refused to abandon their resistance.

The sky had, at some unknown point, become shrouded in gloom, with dark clouds seeming to drift down from above.

Upon closer inspection, however, these were no mere clouds; countless figures were descending, covering the sky as they swarmed downwards.

“Prepare to die!”

They bellowed in unison, their voices shaking the very heavens and scattering the lingering fear.

“Whoa, whoa, this is a bit much,” the demon complained.

“I’m not particularly good at dealing with Legion-type enemies.”

The demon grumbled, yet her hands never ceased their movements.

A dense blackness coalesced in her grasp, forming a demonic sword with closed eyes.

Its grotesque appearance alone was enough to inspire terror in anyone who gazed upon it.

“Yo, need a hand?”

A lazy male voice drifted from not far away.

He turned his head, and his already pale face grew even whiter.

The newcomer was also one of the top-ranked demons on the wanted list.

“Are you done over there?”

“Heh, cleaned up nicely.”

“Ugh, how did I lose again… but this time, just watch from the sidelines.”

“While it’s troublesome, it’s not impossible.”

Her voice, which had carried a hint of playful petulance, now sharpened into a fierce command: “SEED—”

The eye on the sword’s hilt opened, and a scarlet light swept forth.

Even the world itself seemed to crumble into dust…

Nothing could be seen…

Nothing could be heard…

Even thought seemed to halt…

When he regained his senses, it was already over.

He staggered about in a daze, yet no matter where he fled, he saw familiar faces.

He was forced to accept the desperate truth: everyone but him…

The entire punishment squad had been annihilated!

“Wow, that was exhausting,” the demon said with a sigh.

“I knew I shouldn’t have used that move.”

The demon’s nonchalant voice ignited a furious rage within him.

He casually picked up a katana from the ground and swung it at the perpetrator of the massacre.

“Clang!”

The katana and the longsword met, producing a sharp, ringing sound.

The man, looking utterly deranged, stared fixedly at the demon’s face.

“Why…”

“Why what?”

Unable to even maintain a momentary standoff, the demon effortlessly severed the weapon in the man’s hand with a flick of her wrist.

The sharp blade spun several times in the air before embedding itself deeply in the ground, as if mocking his overestimation of his own strength.

Unexpectedly, however, the demon relinquished the easy opportunity to strike him down.

She retracted her weapon and approached him, utterly defenseless.

“Ugh… ugh… get away from me… Demon!”

Only by observing her at close range could he truly comprehend her astonishing beauty.

Her breathtaking visage was beyond words; her silver hair, as luminous as moonlight, cascaded to her waist.

Her heterochromatic eyes, one black and one blue, added an alluring sensuality that seemed utterly incongruous with her apparent age.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” she said.

“After all, you are one of my… kind.”

The gentle, sweet reassurance made him subtly nauseous.

The man, fueled by extreme anger, laughed mockingly, pointing at the strewn corpses around them and shouting: “Aren’t those lying dead on the ground also your kind?!”

“Of course not.”

Without a hint of hesitation, the demon replied decisively: “They are merely beasts who fortuitously gained intelligence; fundamentally, they are not like us.”

“Rest assured, we can discern the difference between the two, and we will not harm you.”

“You are… a Human Revivalist?”

“Oh, is that what the demons call us internally?”

‘Perhaps… our actions have already instilled a sense of crisis in them.’

The demon seemed delighted, patting the man’s head as she spoke:

“Just bear with it a little longer.

We have already found a way to save everyone.

You, me, and all the many humans trapped among the demons—everyone will be redeemed.

We can guarantee that.”

Despite being the instigator of this massacre, her bright, sunny face showed no trace of shadow.

Her clear eyes were filled with nothing but yearning for the future.

“Heh… heh… I…”

He wanted to refute her further, but suddenly found it utterly pointless.

‘To a brainwashed fanatic, perhaps the opponent was the one who had been brainwashed.’

‘Instead of perishing alongside her here, it would be better to preserve himself and report the situation.’

“Dawn is fast approaching; please wait a little longer.”

“We will soon reclaim a world that truly belongs to humanity—a clean world, free of demons and Black-Blooded fiends, a world solely for us humans.”

****

****

“Chongyun, Chongyun.”

A gentle voice pulled him from his reverie.

The familiar blond woman frowned and said: “If you’re too tired, you should rest.

Human physiques are not like those of demons; excessive fatigue will affect your work efficiency.”

“It’s fine, I know my limits.

Where were we in our discussion?”

Watching Chongyun gulp down an energy drink, the blond woman’s frown deepened.

After much deliberation, she decided against meddling in others’ affairs.

“Titan has gathered the remaining remnants, assembling them at Shenghai Tower,”

“It seems he intends to have a decisive showdown with the Regulatory Bureau there.”

“Should one call that leader confident or merely arrogant?”

“To attempt to confront the entire Regulatory Bureau alone… while the power of divine blood is potent, he, as its wielder, is merely a lower-tier species, completely hindering the full utilization of that power.”

Commenting on Titan’s actions, Chongyun continued: “However, this also presents an excellent opportunity for us to proceed with our plan.”

“I’ll monitor the Blood Race faction, and you’ll handle the Regulatory Bureau.”

“Once you’ve secured the divine blood, rendezvous with me immediately.

After everything is settled, leave this place with me.”

“……I need to think about it.”

“Don’t you want to leave, Roza?”

“Regardless of whether this succeeds or fails, the Regulatory Bureau will initiate internal purges.”

“At that point, your situation will only become awkward.”

“If it’s because of that elf, you needn’t worry; people are still quite tolerant of such anomalies…”

“I’ll think about it…”

Roza’s reply remained unchanged.

“Since your mind is made up, I won’t say more.”

“But you must remember to protect yourself.

Only by surviving can… you understand this principle best.”

“I understand… if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait.”

Chongyun called out to Roza, who had turned to leave.

He asked: “Do you… do you still remember the Hidden-Winged Species?”

“The Hidden-Winged Species?”

Roza repeated the name, saying: “I recall them as a demon race capable of replicating themselves.”

“However, I haven’t seen any of their members for a long time, not since before I came here.”

“Is there a problem?”

“……I haven’t seen them for a long time either,” Chongyun’s expression was peculiar.

Roza remained unconcerned, attributing Chongyun’s state to overwork and low spirits.

She glanced at her watch, and deeming it the appropriate time, straightened up and said: “I still have matters to attend to.”

“I’ll return before the Regulatory Bureau initiates its operation.”

With that, she pushed the door open and departed, leaving Chongyun once again lost in his memories, occasionally letting out a sigh.