A Fateful Encounter and a Desperate Retreat

This was the worst possible outcome…

Vanguard’s undisguised gaze did not escape Chongyun’s notice. There was no doubt that the silver-haired demon had come specifically for the Bloodkin currently in his possession.

‘Damn it, did they already know Titan’s true identity?’

If that were the case, it would explain Vanguard’s presence. After all, at such a pivotal moment concerning the world’s fate, anyone’s appearance would be unsurprising.

Thus, under no circumstances could he surrender Titan to her and The Association.

Chongyun glanced at the Bloodkin in his grasp.

At this very moment, the man was still engrossed in devising an escape, a pensive expression on his face, utterly oblivious to the impending disaster.

‘Then… should I… kill him?’

‘Kill Titan?’

‘Rather than allow him to fall into the Demons’ hands and trigger an unimaginable catastrophe, it would be better to nip the danger in the bud, once and for all.’

‘Moreover, it would disrupt The Association’s plans, making it a win-win situation.’

‘But if I were to do that, wouldn’t I be… no different from those so-called Heroes?’

‘I…’

Unlike the two, each lost in their own thoughts,

Vanguard, on the other side, had no intention of granting him the time to reach a conclusion.

Shadows, black as ink, coalesced into a murky mass. The girl extended her right hand, drawing a ferocious Demonic Sword from within. With a flourish, she lunged at Fafnir, a furious resentment in her eyes, as if watching a small snack escape. She brought the blade down with formidable force.

“Clang.”

The blades met once more, producing a crisp, metallic ring.

Yet, to their astonishment, the Demonic Sword, which should have been indomitable and capable of cleaving through anything, met its Waterloo. Its sharp blade seemed to sink into quicksand, halted by Fafnir’s iron-hard skin.

“Huh?”

“Roar—”

Fafnir possessed the ability to analyze and comprehend phenomena, including but not limited to earth, fire, wind, water, blades, spears, swords, halberds, bullets, and energy.

Moreover, Chongyun had long since imbued himself with the Scales of Resistance, granting him Slash Immunity.

This meant that mere slashes could not harm him.

“Stand down, Vanguard!”

Flinging Titan aside, Fafnir roared, then lashed out with his tail. The sudden burst of power sent the petite Vanguard hurtling backward.

“……Hm?”

Seemingly unprepared for her own defeat, a look of surprise flickered across the girl’s otherwise serene face. But her expression quickly hardened. In mid-air, she twisted her body, lightly planting one foot on an intact high wall.

“Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—”

Countless cracks then spread from beneath her foot. Using the wall as a fulcrum, the sword-wielding girl shot forward like a bolt of lightning,

and instantly returned to the fray!

“Clang!!”

Though the battle unfolded differently, the outcome was strikingly consistent.

The Demonic Sword, on which Liu Yu had placed such high hopes, failed to leave even a single scratch on Fafnir, causing her to frown in frustration.

“It’s useless!”

Fafnir glowed like a scorching iron plate, wisps of smoke rising from his form. Black Blood boiled, circulated, and surged within him, bestowing nearly limitless power and an escalating desire for destruction.

“Arghhhhhhh—”

Empowered by countless immunities, Chongyun, brimming with hatred, unleashed a punch toward the girl.

In an instant, winds raged, the sky seemed to collapse, and space itself groaned with successive wails. Caught off guard, Liu Yu knew there was no escape. She clenched her small fists and met the challenge head-on.

“Boom!!!”

The two forces collided, clashed, and intertwined. In a fleeting moment, victory and defeat were decided.

Ultimately, what remained standing on the battlefield was a metallic-scaled evil dragon roaring at the sky, and before him, a small, bottomless crater.

“……Did I win?”

Fafnir stared at his hands, his dragon face etched with confusion and disbelief, as if he hadn’t anticipated such an outcome.

But then, as if sensing something, he hastily retreated, snatching up the fleeing Titan and pulling him into his embrace.

“Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish—”

The earth suddenly split in two, and countless sword energies, generated by rapidly swung weapons, erupted from the ground as if unleashed without restraint.

Their target was Fafnir, who remained in a defensive posture.

Yet, Fafnir showed no trace of panic, merely shielding the Bloodkin in his arms securely, allowing the sword energies to carve into his entire body.

“You’re… not bad.”

As a voice, deliberately feigning maturity, echoed, the myriad sword energies abruptly ceased. Then, emerging from the dust, was the figure of the hero known as Vanguard.

Clutching Titan tightly, Chongyun’s voice held a distinct note of regret.

While he hadn’t expected Fafnir alone to defeat a Demon, the sight of her utterly unharmed still filled him with a wave of discouragement.

After all, these Demons wielded power that allowed them to run rampant among the Demonic Race, having repelled pursuits from formidable Demonic Race powerhouses more than once, including the infamous Astaroth.

There were even rumors that monsters capable of rivaling Monarchs had emerged among them. Though this rumor was quickly dispelled in a battle personally joined by a Monarch,

the fact that the Demons were not entirely annihilated, with remnants surviving, indirectly proved one thing:

‘The Demons were exceptionally powerful. Powerful enough to escape the grasp of a Monarch.’

Could Chongyun, or rather, Fafnir, achieve such a feat?

The answer was no.

Therefore, once she understood Fafnir’s true nature, he would likely be defeated.

With this realization, Chongyun abandoned any thought of prolonged battle. After a brief stalemate, he swiftly retracted his tail, stepped back, turned, and crashed through a wall, escaping outward without hesitation.

It was too early to confront the Demons now. It would be better to retrieve the Divine Blood as quickly as possible and allow higher-ranking members of the Demonic Race to arrive in this era.

With this thought, Chongyun accelerated further, a heavy roar echoing around him. In a few more breaths, he would be able to breach The Supervisory Bureau’s defenses, using the ensuing human chaos to disrupt his pursuer.

‘This won’t do; I need to think of something quickly.’

Chongyun’s decisive retreat, however, sent a shiver of dread through Titan, who was still in his grasp. He knew that if Chongyun escaped like this, he would truly be unable to flee.

The Bloodkin desperately racked his brain, finally hitting upon an idea. Treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, he urgently cried out:

“Do you really think she’s the Vanguard? Aside from a similar appearance, her displayed strength is far too inferior!”

Chongyun remained unmoved, merely increasing his speed.

‘Damn it,’ Titan cursed internally, quickly adding:

“Besides, isn’t this also an opportunity for you? That girl definitely has a close relationship with Vanguard. If you capture her…”

Like a tempting serpent whispering in his ear, Chongyun, who had been running at full speed, unconsciously slowed down.

What Titan said was an idea he had once entertained. Now, with Titan pointing it out, he couldn’t help but reconsider the possibility.

The recent series of battles had proven one thing:

‘Vanguard’s attacks could not breach Fafnir’s defenses.’

This meant he was in an impregnable position. And if he could capture this girl, who was closely linked to Vanguard, she would undoubtedly become the trump card for this operation.

‘But…’

After a moment’s thought, Chongyun resolutely rejected the plan.

The relationship between the “grey-haired girl” and Vanguard was uncertain, carrying too much inherent instability. Heaven knew what terrifying trump cards the girl might possess.

If he won, it would be fine.

But if he lost, he would throw away the two hard-won Divine Bloods, truly suffering a double loss.

With this resolved, Chongyun made up his mind. To dissuade the Bloodkin’s ill intentions, he stated, “I have my own plan. Whether she is Vanguard or not, I don’t need to engage her in…”

“Ugh…”

A fist pierced Fafnir’s body, cutting Chongyun’s words short.

The “Vanguard,” whose authenticity was unknown, had appeared behind him at some point, like a phantom.

“Game over… you fool.”