Chapter 355

Chapter 355
## Chapter 355

Heavenly Riding Demon (1)

Confusion and doubt began to ripple through the ranks of the Demonic Cult combatants.

“…The Cult Leader?”

“Could it be… an imposter? But that pressure… it is unmistakably the supreme Cult Leader’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art…”

“He is… among the living? Does that mean the Strategist fabricated his death to deceive us?”

What had driven them to break off ties with the Heavenly Demon Cult’s grand base and follow the guidance of the Strategist?

It was to exact vengeance for their fallen master, the Heavenly Demon, who had supposedly been assassinated by a treacherous usurper, and to resurrect the Cult’s ultimate dominion!

Yet at this moment, the foundational truth of their entire crusade was fracturing. Even the veteran fighters who had kept their heads during the sudden outbreak of combat could no longer mask their bewilderment.

The hesitation was currently restricted to a few factions, but if it rippled further out…

“Calm yourselves, he is not the Cult Leader.”

The elder’s steady pronouncement, cutting through the rising panic, instantly commanded the attention of the gathering.

Strategist Yalu Huan, his slit-pupil, reptilian yellow eyes locked firmly upon the figure of the Heavenly Demon,

…declared his conclusion with absolute certainty.

“…A jiangshi? Truly magnificent. A reanimated corpse capable of mimicking the exact presence of the Cult Leader, acting as though it draws breath while retaining its tactical intellect. Ha ha ha.”

A low chuckle escaped him as he tilted his head back in grim amusement.

He had been momentarily misled by the flawless presentation, but the subtle flaws had quickly betrayed the illusion.

The counterfeit entity was cloaking its hollow frame with an artificially generated pulse of vitality, much like that specific Demon King… yet its core was saturated with the stagnant chill of death, a trait no living flesh could harbor.

“To label a living being a mere jiangshi… It appears the Strategist has been buckling under immense pressure recently. A pitiable state, given the circumstances.”

“Is that so? Then you dare to assert that you are truly the Heavenly Demon in the flesh?”

“Is that not glaringly obvious? Alas, your mind has finally rotted with age.”

“Hmph— It is evident your recollections are fractured. You attempt to masquerade as the Cult Leader, but such a farce will fail before us. We walked by his side for decades.”

“…”

It was an undeniable truth.

The Demonic Cult martial artists, whose resolve had wavered just moments ago, were now focusing their intent on the Heavenly Demon, their eyelids tightening as they cast sharp, analytical glares at him.

‘…In the end, the deception failed.’

Hans grimaced faintly as he read the shifting atmosphere.

He believed he had executed a masterful imitation of the Heavenly Demon’s gestures and vocal cadences, having infused the vessel with authentic recollections harvested from the deceased tyrant and several ranking Cult members… but it fell short of deceiving those who had known his daily habits.

‘Even with my capabilities, flawlessly resurrecting an individual who has crossed the veil is an impossibility.’

The undead were merely constructs forged from a person’s lingering fixations and bitter grievances, warped and magnified by the transition into demise.

He could manipulate their physical remains through the leverage of his divine authority, but reconstructing a pristine soul and an independent ego—particularly for an entity like the Heavenly Demon, a supreme master of the Apex Realm and a chosen vessel of the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society—was beyond his reach.

“Tsk, I harbored a small hope that we could bypass an open conflict.”

Hans clicked his tongue softly, gazing down at the Demonic Cult ranks as their murderous intent solidified.

He had envisioned a scenario where they would submit without bloodshed, but it appeared his expectations had been overly idealistic.

Therefore, only a single path remained.

Clang—

As if attuned to the thoughts of its master,

…the Heavenly Demon jiangshi advanced a single pace and bared his blade.

“There is no alternative. As the sovereign of the Cult, it falls upon me to discipline my straying pupils.”

He maintained the theatrical display, his voice resonating with an artificial majesty.

‘Ultimately, their validation is of minor consequence.’

By what means had he originally claimed the throne of the Heavenly Demon Cult?

Had the masses pledged their loyalty solely because of the title of Heavenly Demon?

Hardly!

He required no such fragile validation to justify his rule.

‘Dominion is the only absolute currency. A devastating might that ensures the realization of my ambitions.’

If they refused to bow their heads willingly, he would bend their spines by force.

If he decreed this reanimated husk to be the Heavenly Demon, then the world would accept it as such.

Though some assets would be squandered in the process, he possessed the martial weight to dictate reality.

Hummmmm—

An ink-black miasma, dense and suffocating, cascaded from the frame of the Heavenly Demon.

It was the unmistakable manifestation of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the ultimate technique passed down to the cult’s sovereigns… yet its foundational essence diverged from the internal reservoir the true leader had utilized in life.

It was far darker, heavily stained with malice, and saturated with the stench of the grave.

Furthermore, that was not his solitary advantage.

The 「Heavenly Slaughter Star」, an extraordinary trait that vastly elevated all martial parameters at the cost of fracturing the user’s sanity.

It had somehow triggered within the corpse, offsetting the inevitable degradation of muscle memory caused by the jiangshi’s unnatural condition and elevating its physical thresholds past its historical peak.

The Heavenly Demon, his silhouette enveloped in a roiling black shroud resembling dark fire, curled his lips into a smirk and whipped his weapon through the air.

“My faithful beasts have forgotten the hand that feeds them and dare to bare their fangs. It seems a severe lesson is in order.”

Rumble—

A savage gust, sharp as a razor, tore across the terrain, forcing the surrounding infantry to frantically scramble backward as the Heavenly Demon’s pressure expanded exponentially.

It was a mere release of latent energy, yet its devastating potential was indisputable.

Demon Sword Master Yeo Mun-cheol, the veteran warrior with a single eye, moved to the vanguard, his expression deeply troubled.

“…Strategist, can your mind grasp what is unfolding before us? I find myself utterly baffled. Even if our former leader approached the threshold of godhood, he remains a jiangshi… yet it appears as though his peak vitality has fully returned.”

“Quite so. What manner of forbidden witchcraft is being displayed? A legion of the deceased, executing the martial arts of the living without a shred of diminished capability… Ah!… If such an extraordinary art were within my grasp…”

“Strategist?”

Yeo Mun-cheol’s brow furrowed, cutting off the old man’s wandering musings, but Yalu Huan offered no acknowledgement.

He merely kept his eyes locked onto the Heavenly Demon and Hans, his focus drifting between the two, a bizarre, predatory glimmer reflecting in his irises.

“Our period of negotiation has concluded. Any further discourse—”

The Heavenly Demon’s utterance, deep and echoing with malice, severed their contemplation.

He deliberately hoisted his weapon, its steel completely swallowed by the roiling black fog that burned like an unholy flame.

“—will take place once you are brought to your knees before my presence.”

The concentrated energy, which had soared upward like a monolith of pure shadow, suddenly crashed down toward the earth.

Boom—!

The terrain shuddered violently, a cataclysmic boom reverberating through the atmosphere as the soil fractured and tore open in deep chasms.

It served as the definitive opening salvo of the campaign, a violent collision between two unstoppable forces.

—

Rumble—

A single stride.

The localized atmospheric pressure multiplied instantly, forcing the frontlines of the opposition to buckle, their bodies collapsing as they involuntarily lowered their heads in submission.

Swoosh—!

A single swing of the blade.

The vanguard standing directly in his path was utterly obliterated, their defensive postures shattered, their forms severed as a torrent of crimson mist sprayed into the sky.

Crash!

A single palm strike.

The one-eyed veteran, who had strained every fiber of his being to deflect the trajectory of the blow, was sent skidding backward with a muffled groan of agony.

The Blood Demon jiangshi along with several elite Heavenly Jiangshi lunged forward in unison, yet they were barely capable of containing the onslaught.

Their concentration on this single threat left the remaining flanks exposed, causing the broader forces of the Demonic Cult to be relentlessly beaten back.

And this entire collapse was driven solely by the reanimated corpse utilizing the identity of the Heavenly Demon.

‘…This trajectory is disastrous.’

Yalu Huan, the legendary Heavenly Riding Demon, knit his brows and shook his head in disapproval.

The historical Heavenly Demon had reigned as the undisputed pinnacle of power, a warlord of unmatched martial execution.

Now, he had been brought back, his destructive capacity completely intact… if anything, it had been further optimized.

It was an entirely logical progression of disaster.

“Heh heh— Are you still so unbothered? Allowing your thoughts to wander while standing in my shadow?”

Hans’s detached voice, laced with mild amusement, shattered the old man’s focus.

The very avatar of demise, bound in a mortal shape, was now positioned directly across from him.

“This is not a matter of arrogance. I am merely… reviewing the parameters required to salvage this predicament. Yet… an elegant resolution eludes me.”

“I consider myself a reasonable individual. And I harbor a fondness for those who recognize their limitations. I could be persuaded to grant you clemency, provided you press your forehead against the dirt before me.”

“Oh! That is remarkably generous proposal…”

Their banter flowed smoothly, an uncanny pocket of serenity persisting within the slaughterhouse of the surrounding battlefield.

Yet it was far from a peaceful interlude.

Sizzle—!

Violent sparks cracked and hissed along the margins of the defensive ward, fighting desperately against the advancing tide of deathly energy.

However, the barrier was visibly decaying, and its collapse was a matter of moments.

“Regrettably, I must decline your offer. I fear I am poorly suited for… roles of servitude.”

Yalu Huan’s yellow irises flashed with an unnatural radiance, his delivery remaining light, though his statement carried a ominous undertone.

It was entirely divorced from the demeanor of an individual facing total ruin.

“Is that so? Such an attitude is quite peculiar, considering you spent decades playing the loyal servant to the Heavenly Demon.”

“Ah— That arrangement? To be frank, it required very little exertion on my part.”

The latent reservoirs within the elderly strategist began to churn violently.

A titanic wave of energy, dwarfing any display he had previously exhibited, erupted within his core, as though shattering ancient seals that had held it in check.

“He was the solitary entity capable of… eclipsing my existence. Remaining within his shadow… provided a seamless method to harvest vast amounts of karma. Furthermore, and of greater consequence…”

The refined, scholarly demeanor he had maintained for years entirely evaporated.

His presence, expanding outward in massive waves, completely eclipsed his prior limitations.

“…He served as an exquisite… source of nourishment. A prime contingency plan, reserved for a catastrophic scenario. Naturally, I was required to… nurture him to absolute maturity, was I not?”

A wide grin split his features, his face contorting into a horrific display of unbridled avarice, starvation, and insanity.

Hans’s gaze sharpened instantly.

He had already neutralized the Heavenly Demon, whom he believed to be the ultimate adversary of the Ganghwange world…

…Or so his calculations had led him to assume.

‘…In reality, the secondary antagonist was the true architect behind the curtain?’

His thoughts synchronized rapidly, restructuring his understanding of the theater.

The Master of Heaven’s Turn Society, who had plundered the Dragon Heart, alongside the Heavenly Demon, a dimensional settler from Earth who sought to subjugate this world.

Their objectives had been transparent.

They intended to exploit this realm as a mere catalyst to ascend to true godhood.

‘…Yet I failed to anticipate a third player, orchestrating their downfall from the very inception.’

Yalu Huan, the Heavenly Riding Demon, the enigmatic entity who had operated as the prime tactician for the Heavenly Demon Cult across generations, directing their grand maneuvers and ensuring the cultivation of the Heavenly Demon’s personal strength.

What manner of cosmic game had he been engineering in the shadows?

He had permitted the Heavenly Demon to achieve transcendence, willingly orchestrating the ruin of his native realm to facilitate the process.

“Naturally, your unexpected… interference… fractured my master layout.”

“Ha— For that, you have my insincere regrets.”

“And now you stand here, actively obstructing my recovery… You surely do not believe I would willingly bow to your faction?”

“Hmm, what is the core of your argument then? That capitulation is off the table?”

“Heh heh heh, you may interpret it in that manner.”

The physical form of Yalu Huan began to warp and fracture even as he delivered his calm retort.

Yet his speech remained uninterrupted, his cadence steady and unbothered.

“It appears the luxury of being… meticulous regarding my techniques has expired.”

His anatomy, abandoning all remnants of human symmetry, dilated at an alarming velocity,

…surging outward and upward, until his stature dominated the sky at over ten meters in height.

Snap—

Hans executed a swift step back, his eyes narrowing into slits as he dispassionately monitored the ongoing metamorphosis.

‘…My offensive spells are failing to register.’

He had automatically deployed his standard decay sorcery, a conditioned reflex he relied upon… yet it yielded zero efficacy against the target.

It felt as though an absolute universal law had been enacted across the space, potentially tied to the power of the Dragon God, the primary deity governing this domain.

[There is no longer a purpose in concealing my authentic architecture.]

The interlude of transformation was brief.

The restructuring concluded in a flash of motion, and the colossal titan, now suspended effortlessly in the heavens, cast its gaze down upon him.

An elongated, armored serpentine trunk, predatory eyes, razor-like fangs, and a pair of majestic crests rising from its crown.

It was a draconic entity, aligning with Hans’s initial deductions.

However, he had not factored in…

“…A Hydra? No, it is a Six-Headed Dragon.”

…the sheer quantity of its visages.

And the divergence did not end with the six distinct heads.

Crimson, azure, pristine white, obsidian, amber— and a vibrant emerald head anchoring the center.

Furthermore, every single maw clamped firmly down upon an individual Dragon Orb.

‘…According to all established lore, dragons are bound to a solitary Dragon Orb… ’

Hans’s brow knit in deep confusion, noting the stark contradiction with the intelligence assets provided to him by Horus.

In that exact moment,

The ferocious skirmishes that had been tearing through the lower ranks ground to an instantaneous halt as every warrior’s gaze was pulled toward the immense, terrifying draconic horror that had claimed the skies.

[It appears my hand has been forced. Yet, this trajectory offers a superior harvest. I shall consume your essence and claim your foreign sorcery as my own inheritance! Armed with that cosmic authority, my period of hiding is permanently concluded!]

Roar—!

The Six-Headed Dragon unleashed a world-shaking tempest, a shockwave that rattled the very fabric of space, rippling across the valley.

The authentic master of the shadows within Ganghwange had finally unveiled his presence.