Category: A doomsday-level returnee devours calamities

…Ryomen Sukuna could not comprehend the bizarre phenomenon occurring to him.

‘What on earth just happened?’

He had only just begun his true slaughter. He knew that human wretch possessed an extraordinary power beyond the other insects. He had seen it with his own eyes—how he had carved a path through the horde of yokai, advancing toward him.

And yet, he had chosen not to act, because he was certain that thing posed no threat to him.

It had been mere amusement.

After being sealed away for so long, Ryomen Sukuna had been drowning in overwhelming boredom.

From the very moment he reappeared in this world, he knew—at least within this forest—there was no one who could threaten him.

As an existence born solely for the annihilation of humanity, such a mundane reality was excruciatingly dull.

And yet…

‘Why am I like this?’

Ryomen Sukuna desperately attempted to restore his body, which had been torn apart into countless pieces. Ordinarily, he would have reformed into his original shape in an instant, but for some reason, his body refused to obey.

Something was wrong.

This had never happened before.

From his severed flesh, bubbles of energy boiled up.

Bubble, bubble.

Dark, smoke-like matter gathered together, only to immediately dissipate into mist. Unfathomable forces seeped into his entire body, gnawing away at him endlessly.

An agony he had never felt before engulfed him.

It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.

He couldn’t understand.

He was a king.

He was born to kill humans.

To take revenge on the parents who abandoned him.

To take revenge on the cult leader who sought to use him as a tool.

[…]

Then what was this emotion?

What was this feeling supposed to be?

…Was he—

Was he truly feeling fear toward a mere human?

Lee Taeseong gazed down at Ryomen Sukuna, who now wriggled pathetically like an insect, torn to shreds. His crimson eyes gleamed ominously, like the final sun at the end of the world.

[…]

[This is strange. This isn’t possible. You are human. Yes, you are a wretched human… and I was created to eradicate you wretches. Yet, am I… feeling fear toward you? That is impossible. Something is wrong. Right, brother? No, that’s not right, is it? Hm? Ah… I see now. I am still incomplete.]

An existence created to curse this world.

[So that’s why.]

A living testament to the cruelty of humankind.

The most fearsome yokai who had survived a hundred years in the chamber of solitude known as the sealed jar.

But within that chamber, one had not survived—two had.

Which meant that solitude had never been truly fulfilled. The true completion of the solitude curse required that a single survivor be chosen in the end.

[To be complete, I must consume my brother. We were always incomplete from the very beginning. Rejoice, brother. I will make you—no, us—perfect.]

Crunch. Crack.

Chew. Chew.

Gulp.

The conjoined twins had finally become one.

Born into a single body, yet possessing two egos, the accursed brothers had at last become whole.

The curse of solitude, cast for centuries, had finally reached its conclusion. The younger brother, having devoured his elder, felt an intoxicating bliss unlike anything he had ever consumed before. A rush of delight, omnipotence, and utter fulfillment.

[We are now complete.]

The severed flesh of Sukuna slithered across the ground.

The writhing, crawling chunks of flesh fused together into a single mass, gradually taking form.

The newly reborn Sukuna bore the image of an angel descending to pass judgment upon the earth.

But there were a few… distinct differences.

Two horns extended out from his head.

From his toes to his skull, countless eyes were embedded into his skin.

The pristine white wings on his back were lined with an unnatural network of veins and bristling with rows of grotesque teeth.

[From this day forward, every last human in this world shall vanish.]

The declaration of the end.

Now that he had consumed his twin and fully ascended into a pure incarnation of curse, Ryomen Sukuna reaffirmed his purpose.

The moment he left this forest, he would erase all humans from the face of the earth.

Much time had passed, but the cult leader’s goal—to turn him into an ultimate force of solitude—had at last been achieved.

Calamity had arrived.

And the moment his presence manifested, every living being in the forest prostrated themselves.

Yokai, humans, beasts—without exception, all fell to the ground.

It was not a matter of force.

They moved of their own will, compelled purely by instinct.

“@#%§@#%^(Calamity has come).”

“@$!%¿#$^♬!(The end is near).”

“¿@@@!?¿?(Worship him).”

Their broken murmurs, a jumbled sound of incomprehensible tongues, resounded throughout the forest.

A anthem of death.

A requiem for the apocalypse.

It was enough to convince any witness that the world was truly about to end.

Among the chaos, only one man remained standing—watching it all.

Lee Taeseong.

With his searing gaze fixed on the ‘judge’ before him, he stood unshaken.

Ryomen Sukuna found this incomprehensible.

Why was that human able to face him without a shred of fear?

Great yokai who had lived for centuries, monsters who had transcended their species’ limits—every last being in this forest bowed before him in reverence.

[And yet, why… are you unaffected? Do you not fear me?]

A pure question.

Even Ryomen Sukuna, who had now shed the veil of mortal existence, could not answer this mystery.

He was omnipotent.

If he so much as waved his hand, he could erase that man’s very essence from existence.

He was certain of it.

And yet…

‘Why does he still look at me like that?’

Lee Taeseong spoke, his expression calm.

“Why don’t I fear you?”

[Yes. Do you not understand the gap in our power? Are you still clinging to delusions of hope? Then abandon them now. You will not leave this place alive. Your parents, your siblings, your children—every human you have ever loved will be erased from this world today.]

“I don’t need to fear you.”

[…]

[……?]

“Why should I be afraid of a mere mass of grudges?”

[Has he lost his mind in fear…?]

“Did you ask if I couldn’t sense the difference in strength? Impossible. I was thrown into this damned world and spent half my life struggling to return home. I stole lives to survive, devoured memories, consumed power. I’ve lived as the weakest of the weak—do you think I wouldn’t be able to tell?”

Ryomen Sukuna stared at Lee Taeseong with an empty gaze.

[…]

…How utterly dull.

So, in the end, this human was merely pretending to be composed. Was he desperately holding back his fear all along?

Unfortunately, Sukuna no longer found any interest in conversing with Lee Taeseong. Knowing now that he was just another insect, paralyzed by terror and unable to think rationally, further conversation was pointless.

Having lost all amusement, Sukuna decided it was time to kill Taeseong and leave this forest to slaughter every human one by one. He flapped his wings.

Then, Taeseong spoke.

“There’s no need for that.”

[…Our conversation is meaningless now. Die.]

“It’s not I who doesn’t understand the gap in power—it’s you.”

The moment he finished speaking, Lee Taeseong swung his sword toward the sky.

The blade, carrying no visible energy, carved through the air with flawless precision.

A single, unwavering slash.

…

And yet, nothing happened.

The sword merely cut through empty space, its curve seemingly meaningless.

Ryomen Sukuna, watching the scene, sneered.

[What are you doing? Your blade can no longer reach me.]

He acknowledged that this human was exceptional. If he hadn’t attained his final realization, this man might have posed a real threat.

Yes. Among all the humans he had ever encountered, this one was the strongest.

He admitted it.

But it no longer mattered.

Now that he had awakened, no human in this world could challenge him.

Omnipotence.

[Behold—this absolute power.]

Sukuna slowly raised his hand. With just a casual motion, he now possessed the ability to slice through entire spaces. Not merely sending out invisible slashes, but severing space itself. Blocking was impossible. Dodging, a futile effort.

And yet—

Sukuna, hand still raised, found himself frozen, staring blankly at the sky.

Though he hadn’t looked at Taeseong, he somehow knew.

The man was smiling.

“Are you afraid?”

The sky, once covered in murky energy, had inexplicably cleared.

Cloudless and pristine, an unmistakable rift had been carved into the very heavens, staring down at Sukuna like a great, unblinking eye.

Lee Taeseong’s blade had cleaved not just the sky, but space itself.

Through the rift, an abyss of utter darkness stretched endlessly.

And then—

Beyond the event horizon, countless specks of light flickered into existence, blinking in unison like a grand, celestial symphony.

Staring at this overwhelming brilliance, Sukuna gasped.

He finally understood what those lights were.

The eternal cycle of birth and death.

Stars.

Planets.

What he was seeing—

Was the cosmos.

Indeed.

Through that rift, he was glimpsing a fragment of the universe itself.

And the moment he realized this, his vision snapped back to reality.

[…]

Just moments ago, he had believed himself to be omnipotent.

Now, he felt as insignificant as an ant.

He had seen a new world.

And in recognizing its vastness, he grasped how truly small he was.

Staring at the heavens, Ryomen Sukuna muttered softly.

By now, shadows had already consumed half of Aokigahara Forest.

[…The insect was me.]

A colossal presence filled the sky.

It had emerged from the rift.

Something beyond comprehension loomed over Sukuna.

[Why… are you wearing the shell of a human?]

That was the last thing Ryomen Sukuna ever said.

KWAANG!

The moment ‘it’ descended, Sukuna was erased—reduced to mere particles.

The aftermath obliterated two-thirds of Aokigahara Forest without a trace.

Sukuna had mistaken ‘it’ for an incomprehensible entity due to its sheer enormity.

But in truth—

It was not a living being.

It was merely the front paw of some great beast.

Hoirang unleashed a formless sword strike that surged forward in a straight line.

Countless yokai caught in its path were sliced in half before they could even react.

The relentless blade continued until it finally met Ryomen Sukuna’s right hand at the very edge of its trajectory—only then did it dissipate.

“…….”

“…….”

Everyone was left in shock at the sight before them.

Even Ryomen Sukuna was no exception.

He looked at his right hand.

Of his six fingers, two were missing.

They had been severed while blocking the strike.

Though they regenerated within moments, the astonishment remained.

…This was a first.

He had never felt this way before.

A fierce thrill ignited within him.

The battlefield, which had been nothing but dull, finally came into focus.

[Did you just imitate me?]

Ryomen Sukuna’s formless slashes—

Lee Taeseong had replicated them after blocking only two.

Though his strike lacked Sukuna’s curse-infused power, it was imbued with something else.

…A singular, unwavering conviction.

To cut.

Doman, who had been watching the scene unfold, felt chills race across his entire body.

‘My eyes must be blind!’

What he saw now was beyond comprehension.

He had once dismissed Taeseong as a mere Delta-class administrator, but the man standing before him was beyond any classification.

The entity before him—brimming with nothing but malice—looked, through the eyes of an onmyoji, like the embodiment of every curse in existence, wrapped in a human shell.

Had it been “that thing,” he would have sensed death the moment he laid eyes on it.

But with Lee Taeseong—

He had felt nothing.

At first, he assumed it was because Taeseong was just an insignificant, low-ranked administrator.

But that wasn’t the case.

Taeseong’s existence was simply so vast, so unfathomable, that Doman’s unworthy eyes could not perceive its depths.

He was an abyss.

A bottomless pit.

An eternal darkness without end.

And for the first time, Doman felt relieved.

As long as Taeseong’s blade did not turn toward them, he was certain he would not die here.

From that moment on, death no longer frightened him.

Taeseong vanished.

He reappeared in the sky—

Directly behind Daitengu, who had taken flight in a desperate attempt to escape.

[Kraaaahhh!]

A pair of wings, reminiscent of a crow, erupted into blue flames.

Daitengu, flailing in midair, plummeted like Icarus soaring too close to the sun.

As he fell, Taeseong plunged Hoirang into his chest, carving out his heart.

Thud!

The fallen Daitengu lay motionless on the ground.

Holding his still-beating heart, Taeseong turned his gaze toward Xiao Yun and the other administrators.

“Haha… This crazy bastard….”

Xiao Yun let out a hollow laugh, while the others stood in stunned silence, as if lost in a dream.

“I told you, didn’t I? Our captain is a living legend. Don’t doubt him.”

“…Gi-jun, this isn’t about legends or anything like that.”

The Korean administrators could no longer keep up with reality.

They had already been overwhelmed by Taeseong’s sudden reappearance—

And now, he had instantly eliminated two Beta-class entities?

Everything they had known and believed was crumbling before their eyes.

Yet, Taeseong simply spoke in his usual calm voice.

“Xiao Yun.”

“What do you want, you lunatic?”

“You’ve lost an arm. Stop overexerting yourself and focus on protecting the administrators here.”

“And you?”

Turning his back to them, Taeseong replied quietly.

“I’m going to cut off that bastard’s head.”

With those final words, he jumped into the air, diving straight into the heart of the yokai army.

Xiao Yun, watching him go, felt it instinctively.

He could not afford to miss a single moment of this battle.

Not a single move.

Because in Taeseong’s actions, in every slash of his blade—

He would find the path to breaking through the wall that bound him.

---

From above, the depths of Aokigahara’s Sea of Trees appeared covered in a mass of black dots.

An uncountable number of them covered over a third of the vast forest—

Each and every one of them a yokai.

And amidst them, a single, tiny speck charged forward.

A lone man plunging into the heart of an army of hundreds of thousands—

Lee Taeseong.

Even Daji, the descendant of the legendary Nine-Tailed White-Faced Golden Fox, had struggled to survive for just thirty minutes despite wielding countless forms of sorcery.

Though Daitengu and Shuten doji’s combined assault played a role, the sheer, overwhelming numbers had been the deciding factor.

But Taeseong was different.

The dots surrounding him were disappearing in real-time.

Even from above, it was clear—

A massacre was taking place.

“So damn many of them.”

Tat-tat-tat!

Every time Taeseong swung Hoirang, Yokai fell like dominoes.

His speed rivaled that of Wairang, the wolf he had left behind to guard his team.

Unstoppable, relentless—

He tore through the battlefield like a wolf on the hunt.

A skull-shaped symbol appeared above the yokai’s heads.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Unleashing the power of Dueoksin, their skulls shattered in unison—

And an explosion of flesh rained across the battlefield.

“So this is how it’s done.”

Then, the area within a kilometer radius began to freeze.

Over ten thousand yokai were instantly transformed into ice sculptures.

“Shatter.”

At his command, cracks spread across the frozen figures—

Then, with a chilling rupture, they shattered into dust.

A blue flame flickered in Taeseong’s eyes.

Where his gaze landed, pillars of azure fire erupted from the ground beneath the yokai’s feet.

Fwoooosh!

Pillars of blue flames erupted simultaneously, forming a massive ring that engulfed a 1-kilometer radius. Like a furious wave, the firestorm surged toward the yokai.

The azure fire swelled to its limit before swallowing the yokai army whole in an instant. Those caught in the flames melted away. Some cried in agony, calling out to their king. Others silently accepted their fate. And a few felt an overwhelming reverence toward the being that was Lee Taeseong.

More than half of the yokai army had vanished.

By a single man’s hand.

It was a calamity.

Lee Taeseong fixed his gaze forward. Now, he could see it clearly. Except for a single being, every yokai in his line of sight had a skull symbol hovering above their heads.

And yet, from beginning to end, his attention remained solely on Ryomen Sukuna.

“Prepare yourself.”

Lee Taeseong sprinted. Yokai heads burst in rapid succession on either side of him.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The corpses of decapitated yokai lined up neatly in his path.

Was this how Moses parted the sea?

Though the Red Sea before him was filled with blood and flesh, the path he carved and the road ahead remained untouched.

It was as if the yokai were offering their bodies to pave a way for their king.

Ryomen Sukuna smirked as he watched Taeseong charge toward him.

[Yes, come closer. I will tear every piece of flesh from your body and devour it. And then your parents, your family, your children—I will consume them all, every last one.]

Though he was the true master of this forest, revered as king by the yokai, he cared nothing for them.

At last, Kairikunanshin, a mighty yokai, could no longer hold his tongue. A growing unease gnawed at him.

[Your Majesty, why do you not act? At this rate, the others will all perish.]

[And what of it?]

[…Pardon?]

[What does it matter to me if those insects die?]

Kairikunanshin realized he was speaking to someone who truly meant those words.

Born as the rightful ruler of the forest, he had once believed himself destined to be king. But upon encountering Ryomen Sukuna within that cursed jar, his thoughts had changed.

He had seen it—he was unworthy to be king.

Thus, he chose to serve instead.

To ensure Sukuna’s successful rebirth, he had offered countless humans and yokai alike as nourishments.

As a result, Ryomen Sukuna had emerged as an existence far beyond comparison.

But the very minions who had ensured his revival? He did not care for them in the slightest.

Kairikunanshin found this deeply unsatisfying.

The world of yokai may have followed the law of the strong devouring the weak, but surely, some debts must still be acknowledged.

At least, Kairikunanshin himself cherished his subordinates in Hyakki Yagyo (Night Parade of Hundred Demons).

It was through his efforts that all one hundred yokai in his command had developed enough power to reach at least Gamma rank.

And they, in turn, were deeply grateful for it.

[Your Majesty, but surely, there was no need to take such risks? If you had worked alongside the others from the beginning… If you had supported Shuten doji and Daitengu, this battle would have been much easier—]

Crunch!

[…Your Majesty?]

Crack. Crack.

Gulp.

Kairikunanshin’s upper body disappeared.

Sukuna had devoured him mid-sentence, irritated by his constant nagging.

A pitiful end for one once destined to be a king of yokai.

[So much for the mighty Kairikunanshin. Not much of a fuss, was he?]

The remaining Hyakki Yagyo flinched.

Under normal circumstances, they would have attacked immediately, for their lord had been slain.

But none of them moved.

Their anger at his death was drowned out by a far greater fear—

The fear that they would be next.

In the end, they were yokai.

Gratitude and resentment meant nothing before absolute power.

Step. Step.

A lone figure emerged from the distance.

He had torn through an entire army alone.

At last, Lee Taeseong revealed himself.

Ryomen Sukuna let out a joyful roar upon seeing him.

Having just devoured Kairikunanshin, his body now radiated an overwhelming aura, enough to engulf the entire forest in yokai energy.

[You have finally arrived, human!]

“……”

His chilling voice alone carried a curse potent enough to shatter minds, yet Taeseong was unfazed.

His gaze never wavered as he took a step forward.

In his right hand, the sword Hoirang glowed, drawing in countless energies—

Steel energy. Yokai energy. Fire energy. Ice energy.

A phenomenon that should have been impossible.

Yet, the hungry sword devoured it all without hesitation.

[Now, I shall—]

Taeseong stopped.

Instead of answering, he swung his sword.

The power he unleashed was beyond his limits, and the muscles in his arm tore apart completely.

They healed instantly.

.
.
.

Exactly 120 times.

Before a single second had passed, Lee Taeseong had slashed Ryomen Sukuna 120 times.

One second later.

A hundred fine lines appeared across Sukuna’s body.

Ryomen Sukuna.

Estimated classification: Beta+++, Alpha—
A curse born from human malevolence.

It was the name of the yokai sealed inside the jar brought by the woman in the red dress. From the moment it came into existence, it despised humanity. Just as a child instinctively breathes, learns to walk, and speaks, it wished for nothing but the death of all humans the moment it gained self-awareness.

It was born from someone’s deep, festering hatred. Created for one purpose alone—to curse. Its very existence was a curse.

Long ago, there was a cult leader with a twisted sense of faith. Determined to “purify” the world, he resolved to cast a curse upon all of humanity. But a curse of that magnitude required countless trials and errors. After much contemplation, he roamed from village to village, abducting deformed children. Their parents outwardly grieved, but in secret, many felt relief.

Sometimes, he simply bought them. An elderly couple, struggling in poverty, sold their conjoined twins—A child born with two heads and four arms.

The curse the cult leader envisioned had to be fueled by immense malice. To amplify this malice as effectively as possible, he studied over countless texts until he settled on a technique—Gu Poison.

Traditionally, Gu Poison involved sealing insects in a jar and allowing them to devour one another. The last survivor would become the medium for a powerful curse.

But this was not enough.

He sought to conduct the ritual not with insects, but with living human beings. Instead of a jar, he locked the children inside a sealed chamber. No food or support was provided.

Left with no choice, the imprisoned children devoured each other to survive. Among them were the conjoined twins sold by the elderly couple.

Time passed. The cult leader traveled across the land, collecting more children. Each year, new victims were thrown into the chamber.

Finally, the last survivors emerged—
The conjoined twins.

They never questioned why this had happened to them. They did not seek revenge, nor did they curse their fate. They simply endured, feeding on flesh and filth, driven by the singular will to survive.

But they were never alone. Even as the last survivors, they were together.

The cult leader’s ambition knew no bounds. The Gu Poison created within his chamber-turned-jar still showed signs of growth. So, he continued abducting children.

A hundred years passed.

The conjoined twins survived.

Yet, for the curse to be complete, they could not be allowed to live. The cult leader abandoned them in the chamber, leaving them to starve for years. His plan was to turn their skeletal corpses into lifelike Buddhist statues—A sacred statue for his cult.

Convinced that his long-held wish was finally within reach, he opened the chamber doors.

But the twins, who should have been long dead, stood before him—alive. They had already become the curse. What remained was nothing but a relentless, undying hatred for humanity.

They tore the flesh from the cult leader’s body. Then, they left.

They wandered from village to village, consuming without end. Yet, the hunger never faded, no matter how many humans they devoured.

Eventually, the curse that roamed aimlessly across the land encountered a high monk, one of unparalleled spiritual power. The monk managed to subdue them.

But even he suffered grievous wounds in the process. Destroying them was impossible. So, he sealed the twins inside a jar and buried them within a temple.

Before they disappeared into confinement once more, they cursed the world—That when they emerged again, all of humanity would be eradicated.

From then on, the temple became the sacred duty of the most powerful monks across the land. They guarded the seal with their lives, knowing that if it were to be released, Chaos beyond reckoning would follow.

Their only mission—their final mission—was to ensure Ryomen Sukuna never returned to the world.

But they failed.

---

Taeseong looked down at his hand after deflecting Ryomen Sukuna’s slash with Hoirang. Ever since consuming the Three-Headed Serpent, most wounds healed in less than a second.

But this time was different.

Even after ten seconds, the wound on his right arm had yet to fully close. A foul stench came from the injury.

‘Annoying bastard.’

The reason was simple.

A curse.

Every attack from Ryomen Sukuna was infused with grudges—A manifestation of its sheer hatred for all of humanity.

Its very essence was at odds with Taeseong’s regenerative power, constantly clashing against it.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Taeseong summoned Pure Flame and burned away the lingering energy.

Only then did his arm fully heal.

“That’s better.”

The Korean administrators behind him looked at him as if they’d just seen a ghost.

“…L-Lee Taeseong? W-What? Am I seeing things…?”

“C-Captain?! Is that really you?!”

“Taeseong!”

Even Xiao Yun and Doman were at a loss for words.

They were sure he had died.

That last attack—

It was simply not the kind of strike anyone could block.

And yet…

He stood there, alive.

“Lee Taeseong… You crazy bastard…”

“Hahaha… Hahahahaha! You’re a real piece of work.”

“Did that guy really block that monster’s attack…? That administrator, or whatever his name is—he’s just a Delta-rank, and he took that hit?”

“Old man. You’re still caught up in rankings? We both saw it with our own eyes. That guy—he’s the real deal. Some numbers on a scale don’t mean shit. Whatever he is now, he’s beyond that. A goddamn monster. And he’s gotten even stronger.”

When Xiao Yun first laid eyes on Taeseong, he mistook him for a yokai. Not because of the exosuit he wore—But because his presence alone far surpassed that of most greater yokai.

As others continued muttering around him, Taeseong’s focus remained elsewhere.

“Chief Lee Taeseong! I never thought I’d run into you here. It’s been a while.”

“Long time no see, Captain. Glad to see you’re still in one piece.”

“Thanks to you.”

After confirming his team’s safety, Taeseong finally let out a breath of relief.

Soon, the Ito siblings and the Japanese administrators would be joining them.

‘Not that it’ll drastically change the battlefield…But it’s better than nothing.’

And then—

Shuten doji’s blade rushed swiftly toward Taeseong’s neck.

“Taeseong!”

A sudden ambush.

Sensing the anomaly, Shuten doji moved purely on instinct.

‘I have to kill that bastard first!’

Yet, despite the unexpected attack, Taeseong blocked it without even turning around.

Ting!

A barrier of ice materialized in midair, deflecting Shuten-dōji’s sword.

Even though it was possible because he had absorbed Yukina’s memories, his ability to wield it so seamlessly was impressive.

The Korean administrators watching the scene no longer even seemed surprised. Instead, they murmured in shock.

“Since when could Taeseong use ice…?”

“…Don’t even try to understand it. It’ll just give you a headache.”

“Wow! That was so cool, Taeseong!”

Taeseong kicked off the ground and charged at Shuten doji, swinging Hoirang. Even in that moment, his gaze never left Ryomen Sukuna.

‘Annoying.’

There was no telling when that thing would unleash another slash.

He could block it, but anyone else would die instantly just from grazing it.

‘I need to finish this quickly and take him down first.’

Boom! Boom!

Each time Shuten doji parried Taeseong’s blade, shockwaves exploded through the air. Flustered, Shuten doji called for help from Daitengu, but he was already occupied with the other administrators.

‘What the hell is this human?!’

Just as Taeseong’s sword was about to pierce through Shuten-dōji’s neck—

Another invisible slash came flying.

But Taeseong had been watching closely and reacted instantly.

Clang!

As Hoirang’s blade clashed against the formless strike, the atmosphere violently trembled, whipping up powerful gusts.

[Oh? So what I saw earlier wasn’t a fluke. Good… I know, brother. This is how it should be. Struggling desperately to survive—that’s what makes the feast worthwhile. Hey, brother, aren’t you curious? What would his flesh taste like?]

Just as he expected, Sukuna was patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike at Taeseong.

Up until now, it had been nothing but boredom.

He had finally awakened after an eternity, only to find the humans he was meant to kill were pitifully weak.

Out of sheer boredom, he had lashed out with a slash—but then, a human had blocked it.

A bizarre creature, neither entirely human nor fully a yokai, emitting a strange mix of scents.

But who cared about that?

All that mattered was that something interesting had finally appeared.

By devouring him, Sukuna would become even stronger.

Then he would kill more humans, feast on them, tear them apart, dismember them—until the entire world became a vast, writhing vessel of curses.

Shuten doji had been dispatched to guard Ryomen Sukuna during his awakening.

But Sukuna had no interest in his survival.

[Damn it! Crow bastard, hurry and help me! How long are you going to be held up by those worms?!]

Unfortunately for him, Daitengu could not respond to his desperate cries.

Xiao Yun, Doman, and the recently arrived Japanese administrators were pressing him too hard.

“For all his size, he’s just an empty shell.”

The longer Shuten doji crossed blades with Taeseong, the paler he became.

As the so-called king of the oni, he had not been overpowered in centuries.

Yet now, with every clash, an unbearable sense of defeat gnawed at him.

The eerie figure before him had crimson eyes and was lunging like a beast.

Fear.

When was the last time he had felt this?

Perhaps when he first encountered that woman?

[O true king of yokai! Stop just watching and help me!]

No response.

[Kairikunanshin! Aid me! If I fall, you’re next!]

Silence.

Crack.

Frost spread from the ground, closing in at Shuten doji’s feet.

“I don’t have time to waste.”

A blue aura gathered around Hoirang’s blade.

Frozen in place, Shuten doji, seeing no other way out, resolved to go down fighting.

He poured all his remaining demonic energy into a final, desperate strike.

Likewise, Taeseong did not defend.

He swung his sword.

────.

Slice!

Fine lines were etched across Shuten doji’s body—then he was torn to pieces.

Taeseong stepped forward, plucked the crimson crystal embedded in the yokai’s skull, and swallowed it whole.

Then, looking at Ryomen Sukuna, he slashed Hoirang diagonally.

Shaaak!

“Is this how it’s done?”

Doman, noticing Xiao Yun’s distorted expression as he landed on the ground, asked, “Be clear. Is this a situation where I need to bring out everything I have?”

There was much meaning behind this question. It was not simply about fighting with full strength. As an ancient fiend who had lived since the Heian period, Doman had gathered countless shikigami over the years.

The number of shikigami he had collected was immeasurable, and among them were beings so powerful that even he had difficulty controlling them.

His talent as an onmyoji, the strength that each entity possessed in life, and the knowledge he had refined over the ages—All of these elements combined harmoniously to give birth to the strongest shikigami. They were, in essence, the crystallization and pinnacle of Doman’s entire life as an onmyoji.

However, these were ultimately expendable forces, and summoning them alone drained Doman’s life energy. Thus, they were his last resort—the ultimate weapons he could only unleash when he was prepared to die.

Xiao Yun responded with a calm expression.

“If not now, then when? And it’s not just you, old man—every human here is the same. Whatever secrets, elixirs, or entities you’re hiding, bring them all out. Even if it costs your lifespan, don’t hesitate. If you want to live even one more day, you have to survive this first.”

One of the administrators, hesitating, cautiously asked, “Is the situation really that dire?”

Xiao Yun let out a scoffing laugh as if the question was absurd.

“Dire? Yeah, it’s dire. I don’t want to give you any false hope, so I’ll be blunt. We are all going to die here. Unless a miracle happens, there is no chance of us making it out alive.”

“…….”

This time, Lee Eunha spoke. Her entire body was drenched in blood from the previous battle. Even though the Gamma-rank administrators had already given up, she was still racking her brain, desperately trying to devise thousands of possible solutions to escape this situation.

“Have you confirmed how many Beta-class entities are present?”

Xiao Yun nodded.

“Four. But you know as well as I do that not all Beta-class entities have the same level of power. Most of them are Beta-upper-tier, or to put it simply, Beta++ in strength.”

Xiao Yun stopped himself from adding that they might be even stronger than that.

“So if you want to keep breathing for even one more second, give it everything you’ve got.”

Xiao Yun had already made his decision. He regretted not having broken through his limits, but there was no use regreting it now. This was the reality. It was his own ignorance, and ultimately, it was fate.

His energy surged. As he channeled his inner power in earnest, an overwhelming aura radiated from him, enough to suffocate those nearby.

“Our top priority is protecting the old man. Everyone else can die, but if he dies, it’s over. Got it?”

The administrators nodded.

“Understood.”

Just as Xiao Yun said, in a large-scale battle of fights like this, the most critical figure was Doman. As long as he remained alive, he could continue to summon reinforcements.

“They’re coming.”

At this point, they had nowhere left to go. The area was filled with corpses, and though the barracks were already in ruins, this was still the best place for defense.

Jingle. Jingle.

Doman muttered in an unknown language as he shook a bell. Mist gathered around them, and an eerie figure emerged.

[Oh my, Doman! It must be a real emergency if you’re calling for me. What happened to your once-handsome face? All that’s left now is a wrinkled old man. Our little Doman has aged quite a bit.]

A voice as beautiful as jade beads.

A woman so breathtakingly gorgeous that she could captivate any man smiled at Doman.

With golden fur, a snow-white face, and nine tails, she was the embodiment of unparalleled beauty. Yet, the ominous aura she exuded was beyond comparison.

[So many fresh humans around.]

Doman, his face pale, wiped away cold sweat and murmured, “Daji. I’ll give you a hundred livers.”

[Hohoho. Judging by the situation, today might be the last time I see you. Shuten Doji, Kairikunanshin, the Daitengu… and what’s this? Something strange is mixed in there.]

“Cut the chatter and uphold the contract.”

[Yes, yes. I’ll give it my all, so just don’t die before then. I still have to take your liver, after all!]

Her name was Daji.

A descendant of the legendary White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox, a great yokai who had once plunged the world into chaos a thousand years ago. She was one of Doman’s strongest assets.

[Little Doman, why have you summoned me?]

Another of Doman’s shikigami appeared.

He was an old man, about 160 cm tall, completely bald, and wearing a tattered yukata. At his waist hung a worn-out sword, and his face was full of wrinkles. At first glance, he seemed like nothing more than an ordinary elderly man.

But Xiao Yun immediately recognized that he was an exceptional warrior.

It wasn’t just the overwhelming aura he exuded—his restrained presence and every single movement carried the air of a master.

“Nurarihyon. There’s no time for long explanations. Help Daji annihilate the enemy.”

[Tsk. So your end is finally in sight, huh? Well, nothing lasts forever in this world.]

Doman’s face turned even paler. Just summoning these two shikigami had drained most of his energy.

“……They’re coming.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As countless yokai moved in unison, the ground trembled.

Staring at the endless swarm of monsters charging like a horde of ants, everyone braced themselves for death.

“Daji!”

At Doman’s shout, Daji revealed her true form and leaped into the air.

A massive fox, over 20 meters tall, extended a paw, instantly reducing hundreds of lower-tier yokai in the front line to dust.

[Insects!]

She then conjured foxfire, which rained down like a fiery storm from the sky.

Whoooosh!

The bodies of the yokai caught in the flames melted away. But their numbers were overwhelming, and those in the back surged forward like cockroaches.

Even after slaughtering countless foes, the yokai continued pouring in endlessly. Daji clicked her tongue.

[Old man! Stop just watching and do something!]

At her urging, Nurarihyon, who had been leisurely strolling with his hands behind his back, finally drew the sword at his waist.

[Quit yapping, you fox wench.]

His sword was dull and toothless, devoid of any sharpness. But the moment he swung it, a crescent-shaped slash surged forward, growing larger as it traveled.

Slaaash!

With an ear-piercing sound, the bodies of hundreds of yokai in its path were split apart simultaneously.

Crunch!

[Hmm… Too many of them.]

Even after displaying such formidable swordsmanship, Nurarihyon’s expression remained dissatisfied.

This time, he adjusted his stance, took a deep breath, and reversed his grip on his sword.

The sheer energy radiating from his body caused the very air to tremble.

Whooooom!

[Double Severance.]

Nurarihyon’s sword slashed through the air precisely twice.

It was so fast that it appeared as if he had only swung once.

The long blade energy surged forward at an incredible speed, severing everything in its path.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The lower-ranked yokai died instantly, not even realizing what had happened to them. The stronger yokai tried to resist, but the result was the same.

[I can’t let you have all the fun!]

Daji, who had been jumping through the air, shook her tail, splitting into nine.

These were mere illusions created through sorcery, yet each possessed the same strength as the original.

The nine foxes landed on the ground, plunging into the center of the yokai army.

With every roar and kick, yokai in their path were torn apart.

The administrators who witnessed the scene felt both awe and fear.

An existence far beyond human reach.

“That… is a shikigami?”

“Haha… How are we supposed to fight something like that…?”

Just two of them had slaughtered over ten thousand yokai.

The administrators had always considered themselves special, but watching this made them realize just how powerless they truly were.

Seizing the momentum, Xiao Yun also swept through the battlefield.

His projectiles, imbued with immense internal energy, tore through the air with lethal force.

The legendary formless poison was scattered everywhere.

The poison was so potent that any yokai within a 700-meter radius of Xiao Yun melted into unrecognizable puddles.

Following this, one of the greatest techniques of the Sichuan Tang Clan, (A Rain of Flowers Covering the Sky), was unleashed.

Hundreds of throwing weapons burst from Xiao Yun’s entire body as he jumped into the air.

Each was charged with concentrated energy, slashing wildly in all directions, sending fountains of blood soaring.

He was a clear demonstration of what it meant to be a Beta-ranked individual—someone who had reached the peak of martial prowess.

At this point, hope began to flicker in the hearts of the administrators.

‘Maybe… we really can make it out alive?’

No matter how they thought about it, they couldn’t imagine those monsters being defeated.

But they didn’t know yet.

The true monsters hadn’t even begun to move.

[Kyahhh!]

Suddenly, Doman coughed and spat out dark red blood.

“Cough…!”

In the center of the battlefield, the nine-tailed fox Daji vanished.

She had been struck by the combined assault of Shuten Doji and Daitengu.

With Daji gone, the yokai army’s advance accelerated.

Though Nurarihyon and Xiao Yun fought desperately, the situation showed no signs of improvement.

The surviving administrators also fought with everything they had at their respective positions.

But the number of yokai was overwhelming.

If they took down one, another appeared from the sides.

If they struck down that one, two more emerged from the front.

All the administrators began to realize—this was the end.

“Oh, god…”

Shuten Doji and Daitengu fought with Xiao Yun and Nurarihyon.

Their strengths were evenly matched.

It was an intense battle with no clear victor.

But with their focus occupied, one of the administrators who had been guarding the rear was killed.

The formation collapsed instantly.

If this continued, Doman would eventually fall as well.

Realizing this, Xiao Yun decided to risk everything to end the battle as quickly as possible.

At that moment—

“…?”

Slash!

Nurarihyon’s head rolled to the ground, and Xiao Yun’s right arm fell, spraying blood like a fountain.

“What…?”

An invisible slash.

And it hadn’t come from Daitengu or Shuten Doji.

At the very edge of the battlefield—

A strange yokai, who had been silently watching with an emotionless expression, had caused this incomprehensible phenomenon with a single swing of its arm.

[How boring.]

Just one sentence.

Yet within those words was an overwhelming force that dominated everything present.

The tens of thousands of yokai.

Shuten Doji and Daitengu.

Xiao Yun and Doman.

The remaining administrators.

All froze and turned their gazes toward ‘it.’

A monstrous yokai with two heads and four arms.

‘It’ raised its hand once more.

Everyone had the same thought at that moment.

‘This is the end.’

They all accepted their impending deaths.

And then—

‘It’ swung its hand.

Xiao Yun calmly watched.

Oh Haeyoung tightly shut her eyes.

Go Yeonghui burst into hysterical laughter.

Lee Eunha and Yu Gi-jun both thought of the same person in their final moments.

.

.

.

Slowly, those who had expected death opened their eyes.

Their hands instinctively reached for their necks.

Somehow, their heads were still attached.

Then, their gazes all turned toward one direction.

“…”

“…”

There, riding atop a black wolf, was a familiar man.

Administrator Lee Taeseong.

He had arrived.

---

TL : Finally brooo

Deepest Part of Jukai Forest

In the distance, a woman in a red dress walked forward with elegant steps.

Softly, lightly.

She was walking alone in the very heart of Jukai Forest—the so-called kingdom of yokai—yet not a single yokai dared to approach her. Even the lower-tier yokai, which lacked intelligence, instinctively understood.

They must not lay a hand on her.

“Hmm.”

The woman held a folding fan in front of her face, concealing everything except her eyes. Beyond her gaze, a procession of yokai—known as Hyakki Yagyō(Night Parade of One Hundred Demons)—knelt with their heads pressed to the ground, trembling like leaves in a storm.

Each and every one of them was powerful enough to be classified as a Gamma-class entity, yet they could not even meet her gaze. They simply shuddered in fear.

But not all of them did.

The woman’s gaze shifted to a pale man at the very front. He was the only one in this place who dared to look at her directly.

“Was it you? The fool who goes around calling himself the King of Yokai?”

[That’s right. I am the King of Yokai—Kairikunanshin. I was born from the grudges of the yokai in this land. They called me forth, and they created me. Thus, I shall build a kingdom for yokai here. No—beyond this place, I shall create an entire world for yokai.]

Kairikunanshin. A being born from the accumulated grudges of yokai within the ominous Aokigahara Sea of Trees.

As he himself declared, he existed solely to establish a kingdom for yokai and to enthrone himself as its ruler.

The woman in the red dress let out a mocking laugh. Since her fan obscured most of her face, her smile remained hidden.

“Pfft. What nonsense. You’re nothing but a worm.”

Kairikunanshin radiated a fierce aura of yokai energy and responded harshly.

[Who are you? This forest is mine. Since you have entered without permission, you will now abide by my will.]

The moment he finished speaking, the woman flicked her fan.

Boom!

The entire forest shook, and Kairikunanshin’s head exploded.

Yet, in the very next instant, his head restored itself to its original form.

Kairikunanshin looked at the woman, his face contorted in disbelief. From the moment of his birth, he had never doubted that he was a king. But now—

[…]

“Tsk. And you call yourself a king?”

[What… are you?]

“Even if I told you, do you think you’d understand?”

[…]

“Well, at least you seem somewhat useful.”

Two yokai appeared from above. One had black wings, and the other had five horns.

“Put it down here.”

The black-winged yokai, Daitengu, lowered the jar he was carrying. The massive vessel was covered in talismans, and even Kairikunanshin—the so-called master of this forest—instinctively moved back from the ominous energy seeping from it.

[What is this?]

“You’ll figure that out in time. And from now on, these two will be staying here as well, so keep that in mind.”

Daitengu and Shuten-doji both knelt on one knee, addressing the woman with the utmost respect.

[Where will you be going?]

[How long should we remain here?]

The woman in the red dress replied.

“Why ask so many questions? It’s not charming when you’re so curious. Just handle things as you see fit.”

Then, turning her back, she walked out of the forest.

“Sigh. Looks like I’ve got a tail on me. These damn administrators, they love to be a nuisance. How’s anyone supposed to move freely like this?”

The moment she left, the yokai energy within the forest, already thick, became even more dense—so much so that it was incomparable to before.

Kairikunanshin, staring blankly at the jar, finally realized the truth.

He was not the true King of Yokai.

[…The real king was someone else all along.]

The jar trembled.

---

Taesan and Xiao Yun were running at full speed.

The distance from their location to the temporary outpost wasn’t far, but the relentless waves of yokai attacking them delayed their progress.

“Senior, are you sure returning to the outpost is the right decision?”

“Junior, if you’ve got the breath to talk, use it to move faster! At this rate, we’ll be dead before we make it back!”

A flying dagger sliced through the air, shattering the skull of a yokai right next to Taesan. Drenched in a spray of blood, he scowled.

“But… I can’t shake the feeling that we’re putting the other administrators in danger by doing this.”

He was genuinely worried.

What if their return ended up dragging the people at the outpost into the crossfire?

But Xiao Yun saw things differently.

“You idiot. Let’s say we stay here and fight, risking our lives to cut down their numbers. If we’re lucky, we might take out two Beta-class yokai and some weaker ones. But in the end, we’d be crossing the Sanzu River either way.”

“…Yes.”

“And do you think the rest of them will just go, ‘Oh, they took out two of us, so let’s call it a day and go home?’ No. They’ll keep going—straight to the outpost. Don’t you get it yet? The fact that they’re finally making their move means something big is happening.”

“…….”

“They’ve gained confidence. Confidence that they can kill us.

Your subordinate was right—until now, they weren’t sure they could win, even if they fought with everything they had.

But now, that’s changed.

Rather than dying a meaningless death here, returning to the camp and joining forces with the other administrators is the far better option.

We’re not dragging them into hell just to save ourselves—we’re increasing everyone’s chances of survival by regrouping.”

Taesan wasn’t entirely convinced by his words, but Xiao Yun was serious.

No matter how hard they fought, they would only die in vain against such overwhelming numbers.

Their best bet was to rush to the temporary camp, where they could at least serve as an additional line of defense and increase their odds of survival.

“If we stand together, we live; if we scatter, we die.

Judging by the situation, we might both die either way, but…

These bastards weren’t even aiming for us in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

Crunch!

Taesan crushed the head of a nearby yokai before asking, his entire body soaked in blood from the dozens he had already slain.

“I don’t sense the presence of any of their presumed leaders.

Looks like they’re heading for the camp.”

So they don’t even see us as worth their attention?

It was a remark made half in jest, but deep down, Xiao Yun was relieved.

The situation was spiraling into disaster.

The sheer number of yokai coming after him and Taesan was staggering, but the truly dangerous ones—their leaders—were nowhere to be found.

If those monsters had been present from the start, they wouldn’t even be thinking about returning to camp; they’d be worrying about their own last moments.

And that would’ve meant disaster for the remaining administrators at the camp.

After all, two of their strongest fighters were currently stranded outside.

Taesan exhaled harshly, his breath ragged from the relentless battle.

In stark contrast, Xiao Yun remained pristine—despite having slaughtered over three times as many yokai as Taesan.

“Hah… Hah…”

It took them about thirty minutes to finally reach the outskirts of the temporary camp.

Under normal circumstances, with their level of qinggong, they could’ve covered the distance in under three minutes.

But the constant wave of yokai had severely delayed them.

Taesan looked ahead.

Thousands of yokai swarmed around the camp, their grotesque forms writhing like cockroaches.

“Senior… Are all of those… yokai?”

The sheer horror of the sight crushed the last shred of hope lingering in his heart.

The protective barrier, painstakingly constructed by the administrators, had long since collapsed.

The supporting pillars were unrecognizable, reduced to rubble.

The breached entrance had rendered the camp completely defenseless.

If it had once been a sanctuary, now it was nothing more than a cage, trapping the people like prey.

Inside, chaos erupted.

“Aaah… I don’t want to die… Don’t eat me… My leg…!”

“We should never have come here… Damn tree bastards… I’ll curse you even in death…”

“Shiiiit! I don’t wanna die like this, you motherfuckers!”

“Hey! Get a grip! Snap out of it! What the hell are you doing spacing out in a situation like this? You wanna die or—huh? Haruka…? Why are you…?”

“Eheheheh! Die! Die! All you filthy humans should just die! Eheheheh!”

If there was a hell, surely it would look like this.

Inside the camp, administrators and yokai clashed in a frenzied bloodbath.

Those who had been guarding the entrance had already been torn apart, their remains devoured.

A few administrators managed to regroup and resist, but fear was a beast they could not control.

Some, driven mad by terror, took their own lives.

Others, in their turmoil, turned their weapons on their own allies.

Severed heads rolled across the ground.

Organs were torn from bodies and flung into the air.

Blood rained down like a storm.

Comrades who had shared meals just hours ago were now nothing more than minced meat.

Half of the administrators were already dead.

And that was only because Ashiya Doman, a Beta-class administrator, was holding the line.

Thanks to him, at least half had survived.

If he wasn’t here, they would’ve been completely annihilated long ago.

“…Damn it. Showing up now, after half of us are already dead… What’s the point?”

“We got here as fast as we could, but the situation’s worse than I expected.

Looks like this place is about to become our grave, old man.”

“Heh. I have no intention of dying just yet.

With this many corpses around, it’s far too early to give up.”

“…Then buy me some time.

I see something in the distance, but it’s still just beyond my grasp.”

Doman’s lips curled into a wicked grin as he rang his bell.

The lifeless bodies scattered across the ground began to stir.

Thanks to Doman’s shikigami and Xiao Yun’s arrival, the interior of the camp was quickly brought under control.

But everyone knew—

The real battle hadn’t even begun yet.

The Beta-class yokai leaders remained at a distance, watching.

‘Half of the administrators are already dead, and the real threats haven’t even made their move yet.

This is the worst possible scenario.’

Doman’s abilities helped even the playing field somewhat, but the sheer number disparity was overwhelming.

With a savage roar, Taesan charged forward like a beast.

He had spotted his team members—including Lee Eunha—still alive.

Though they were in terrible condition, the fact that they were still breathing was enough.

With every movement of his iron-hard body, nearby yokai were ripped apart like paper.

“Get out of my way, you bastards!”

“…Captain?”

“Thank god you’re alive! Everyone, get over here!”

Taesan, leading the charge, carved a path through the horde and led his team toward Xiao Yun.

Because if there was anywhere in this hellish battlefield where survival was even slightly more likely, it was by his side.

Before long, every surviving administrator had gathered around Xiao Yun and Doman.

For now, the camp’s interior was somewhat stabilized, allowing them to focus on recovery.

“…?”

“…?”

Something felt off.

Xiao Yun suddenly jumped into the air, his feet pressing against the void itself.

The sight of him standing in midair reassured the others, if only briefly.

His gaze pierced the distance.

“What do you see?”

Five kilometers away.

A twisted grin spread across the face of Kairikunanshin (Monster of Unmatched Strength) as he locked eyes with Xiao Yun.

Then, he murmured,

“The fun is over.”

Beyond him, a sea of dark specks filled the horizon.

When Xiao Yun enhanced his vision, he saw them clearly.

All of them—yokai.

Tens of thousands.

No, perhaps even hundreds of thousands.

As if every yokai from the entire Aokigahara Sea of Trees had gathered here.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Drums blasted from the distance.

To the beat of the war drums, Kairikunanshin danced.

And with a unified stomp, the yokai army charged forward.

“…….”

Step. Step.

A white-haired woman radiating an icy aura throughout her body.

The branch director of the Tree Japan Division, Beta-ranked administrator Yukina.

She was walking alone in the middle of the Jukai Forest.

“This is strange.”

With every step she took, the cold she exuded turned the ground pure white. Around her, hundreds of yokai were already frozen solid.

Tap!

As she snapped her fingers, the ice statues shattered all at once.

“No matter how I think about it, something’s off.”

Yukina had been here in Aokigahara Forest just a month ago. She had received information suggesting that this place might be the source of the recent surge of supernatural occurrences across Japan.

Even for someone of her Beta rank, entering a demon-infested area alone was highly dangerous, so she had prepared thoroughly before setting out on her scouting mission.

However, upon arriving, Aokigahara Forest had been eerily quiet, contrary to her expectations.

She had sensed a strong presence deep within, but its estimated rank was somewhere between high Gamma and barely reaching Beta.

Another presence was felt on the outskirts, slightly weaker than the one inside.

While there was no shortage of yokai, most of them were weak and insignificant—nothing she couldn’t handle on her own.

Thus, she proceeded with her exploration and eventually encountered two formidable entities.

Monster of Unmatched Strength (Kairikunanshin) and Three-Headed Serpent Tanjin.

Although there had been some minor skirmishes, no full-blown battle had taken place.

Her purpose in coming here was merely a preliminary survey for a large-scale mission. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.

Even back then, Yukina had already analyzed them.

Even if both of them had attacked her at full strength, she hadn’t thought for a moment that she would lose.

So she simply froze the surrounding area as a warning and left the forest.

But now…

“What is this overwhelming presence?”

The energy she sensed now was incomparably greater than before.

Even the number of lower-ranked yokai had increased dramatically.

At least three times? No, maybe four times as many.

Did something happen to the forest?

Previously, the average creatures here had been at most Epsilon rank, with Delta rank being the upper limit.

Now, most of the yokai seemed to be at least Delta rank, and she even encountered some that could be classified as Gamma.

This isn’t good. Something has definitely changed in the forest. I need to return as soon as possible and report this information.

Because she was more familiar with this forest than anyone, she had entered deep without hesitation.

But now, she was starting to feel a sense of danger.

Her veteran instincts, honed from surviving countless battlefields, were kicking in.

Making a swift decision, Yukina immediately took action.

Crrrrack!

The ground beneath her feet froze entirely, and an ice-crafted board emerged at her feet.

Whooosh!

Yukina shot forward at an incredible speed.

The wind roared so violently around her that her ears were hurt.

I need to go even faster.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, she increased her speed even more.

The ice on the ground slowly lifted into the air, forming a path of frozen surfaces wherever she moved.

Despite this, her expression remained grim.

Even after accelerating further, the presence chasing her had not changed in the slightest.

They’re emitting far stronger energy than before. What the hell happened while I was away?

Two entities were pursuing Yukina.

Most likely Kairikunanshin and Tanjin.

For some reason, the demonic aura they exuded was way more powerful than before.

Even though she was fleeing at full speed, they were gradually closing in on her.

That alone showed how dire the situation was.

At this rate, they would catch up in no time.

Making a quick decision, Yukina shifted into combat mode.

Rather than wasting energy running away, she instinctively knew that fighting with all her strength would give her a higher chance of survival.

Jumping high into the air, she unleashed a barrage of ice projectiles in every direction.

Shaaah!

Blades of ice, formed in midair, rained down across the battlefield.

The grotesquely large trees surrounding her were obliterated in an instant.

And then, finally, her pursuers revealed themselves.

A pale-skinned man exuding an eerie aura and an enormous serpent with three heads and three tails.

[The same human woman from before. This is our land. Who gave you permission to step foot here?]

[How delicious you look.]

Yukina looked at them with a cold gaze.

“You vermin. Gaining a bit of power and suddenly you think you’re something?”

[How dare a mere human…!]

Tanjin lifted his heads and spewed thick poisonous fog.

But with a mere wave of her hand, Yukina froze it solid.

As she landed, twin ice swords materialized in her grip.

Slash!

Two of Tanjin’s heads were severed in an instant.

Schlurp!

Yet, from the cut surfaces, new heads rapidly regrew.

[Hahaha! Did you really think something like that could kill the great Tanjin?!]

The moment she realized her opponent possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities, snowflake-shaped ice crystals began to descend from the sky.

“Snow Blossom.”

[W-What is this?!]

As the ice flowers bloomed, Tanjin’s body began freezing over at an alarming rate.

Panicking, he shouted desperately.

[H-Help me! Leader of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of Hundred Demons)!]

Kairikunanshin, who had been waiting, stomped the ground.

His movement seemed like a child’s playful steps, yet also like a shrine maiden’s sacred dance.

Yukina, momentarily puzzled by the bizarre action, attempted to counter.

But before she could react, darkness consumed her vision, and all her senses faded away.

It felt as though she were falling into an abyss.

—Mom! Mom! Why did you abandon me? Why did you leave me behind?!

—Honey… I can’t live without you. My death… It’s all your fault. Yui is dead, too. You killed her.

The voices of her husband and daughter echoed in her head.

She knew these voices weren’t real.

And yet, some part of her wished she could hear them just a little longer.

However…

If she gave in, she would never be able to return to them.

That’s why Yukina gathered every ounce of her strength and unleashed her ultimate technique.

“Permafrost.”

Even in this moment, with all her senses cut off, she could still activate this power with absolute precision.

Boom!

Shaaah!

Crackkkkk!

A burst of icy energy erupted from Yukina’s entire body, engulfing the surroundings. Slowly, her senses returned. Opening her eyes and scanning the area, she saw that both Three-Headed Tanjin and Kairikunanshin were frozen solid.

Just in case, she squeezed out every last bit of remaining strength and reinforced the ice trapping them. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Yukina collapsed, breathing heavily.

“Haa… Haa… Damn, those damn yokai bastards…”

Though she was completely drained, she had managed to take down two Beta-class entities. In the end, the outcome was in her favor.

“The old geezer and that slit-eyed bastard will be thrilled.”

Just as Yukina tried to stand—

Stab!

A massive blade pierced straight through her back.

“Ghhk!”

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, she turned around in shock.

A towering yokai, easily over six meters tall. Its face was entirely red, five horns extended from its head, and four glowing eyes gleamed menacingly.

The entity was none other than Shuten-doji, the so-called King of Oni (demons).

“…I didn’t sense anything at all…”

Before she could finish speaking, Shuten-doji yanked his sword out and slashed—

“Ah… No—”

Squelch!

Yukina’s body was severed cleanly in two.

[Pathetic creatures.]

As Shuten-doji spoke, Kairikunanshin and Tanjin shattered the ice that had encased them and emerged.

[…You couldn’t even handle a mere human?]

[We could have handled it ourselves without your interference.]

[Y-Yes, that’s right!]

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Shuten-doji pulled out a gourd from his robe and took a long swig.

[Tch. Watching you two work makes me want to drink.]

[…Isn’t that just an excuse for you to drink whenever you want?]

[Silence.]

Shuten-doji barked before turning away and disappearing. Left behind, Kairikunanshin and Tanjin exchanged glances before approaching Yukina’s bisected corpse.

[Hmph. Now that I look at her, more than half of her blood is mixed with yokai.]

[Sniff sniff… That’s right. Judging by the scent, she must be a half-blood—born from the union of a spirit and a human.]

A twisted grin stretched across Kairikunanshin’s face as he gazed down at Yukina’s corpse.

[Heh heh… Surely you wouldn’t want to die like this, would you? Born incomplete, and now dying incomplete… This time, why not try living as a whole?]

“……”

[What? You want to return to the world you came from? Hahahaha! What a funny question. Well… Who knows? If you do as I say, maybe that day will come someday.]

---

Taeseong finished recalling the memory and frowned, cursing under his breath.

“The world is full of bastards that deserve to be killed.”

Even though he had harbored ill feelings toward Yukina, learning the truth left a bitter taste in his mouth.

She, too, had been caught up in a dimensional shift, just like him. And more than anything, she had desperately wanted to return to her family.

Even someone like Lee Taeseong, who was often called cold-hearted, couldn’t help but feel sympathy after witnessing her memories.

Because he understood her feelings better than anyone.

But what could he do?

He had already killed her.

Feeling sorry was one thing, but work was work. No matter the reason, if she had been revived by the yokai and turned into a monster that attacked her own allies, then he had no choice but to cut her down without hesitation.

Hesitation born of sympathy would only lead to more deaths.

That’s why he didn’t regret his actions.

He only found them unfortunate.

‘I’ll make good use of your abilities. And though your end was tragic, I appreciate that you looked after Sooah. So if there’s an afterlife, I pray that you’ll reunite with your family there.’

Taeseong debated whether to burn Yukina’s corpse right then and there but eventually decided otherwise.

He picked up her severed head, pressed it against the cut on her body, and then froze her entire form.

Then, opening a subspace, he stored her frozen remains inside.

He wasn’t sure if she would have wanted it, but rather than letting her body burn away in this wretched forest, he figured it would be better to at least give her a proper burial—however small it might be.

And it would also give Sooah a chance to say goodbye.

“What… What did you just do?”

“Don’t mind it.”

“That power just now… That was the same ability Administrator Yukina used, wasn’t it?”

“You’re talking nonsense. I’ve always had ice abilities. I just never had a reason to use them until now.”

“……”

Mid-sentence, Taeseong suddenly turned his head.

From the direction he was looking, an overwhelming yokai presence surged forth—so powerful that even Yato, a Gamma-class, could feel it.

“Th-That’s…!”

“Get ready.”

“Huh?”

“The hunt begins.”

Boom!

The blade of Hoirang clashed against Yukina’s ice barrier, sending powerful winds rippling across the surroundings.

“You blocked that? Then try blocking this too.”

Taeseong swung his sword once more.

The previous strike had been just a test.

Right before Hoirang’s blade reached Yukina’s neck, another ice barrier emerged—thicker than the last.

Slice!

However, Taeseong’s sword cut cleanly through the barrier. Yukina, startled, twisted her head at an almost inhuman angle to gain some distance.

‘What the hell…?’

Seeing this, Taeseong smirked with a relaxed expression. He hadn’t even used half his strength, let alone his full power.

“Is this really all you’ve got?”

Yukina’s face twisted in shock.

She couldn’t comprehend the situation.

She had always known that Lee Taeseong wasn’t an ordinary Delta-class administrator. The martial prowess he had displayed was undeniably beyond the norm.

But at best, she had assumed he was high Gamma-class or just barely reaching Beta-class. Naturally, she had believed that as one of the strongest Beta-class administrators, she would easily overpower him.

“…!”

Yet every time he swung his sword, the ice barriers she created were sliced apart like paper.

Barriers that multiple Gamma-class administrators combined hadn’t even managed to scratch.

It was an incomprehensible phenomenon, but as an experienced administrator, she quickly adjusted her thinking.

‘He’s at my level. At the very least, he’s on par with Xiao Yun.’

An intense chill surged from Yukina’s entire body and spread outward.

The rolling wave of frost swept forward as if it intended to freeze everything in existence, swallowing Taeseong whole in an instant.

“……”

Taeseong’s entire body began to freeze rapidly from the feet up.

This wasn’t the ordinary ice manipulation of lesser abilities—it was something entirely different in nature.

The extreme frost that had already consumed his lower half was proof of why she was a Beta-class administrator, gnawing away at him without pause.

‘Impressive, I’ll give you that.’

But it didn’t stop there.

Above Yukina’s head, dozens of ice spears appeared.

These weren’t simply frozen from moisture in the air.

She had pushed their freezing point to the absolute limit, compressing them into lethal weapons.

For a regular ice manipulator, such a feat would take at least thirty minutes to perform.

But at the peak of mastery, she could execute it in seconds.

“I’ll admit, you’re more capable than I expected. But you’ve overestimated yourself.”

“I thought you were mute, but I see you can talk.”

“…Just because you’ve been on a winning streak since your return, do you think you’re something special? Don’t delude yourself. You’re just a child playing with borrowed power. Stop acting like you’re the protagonist of this world, you fool.”

In truth, this was something Yukina had once told herself.

When she first arrived in this world, she had been convinced she was the strongest.

But that belief had been shattered.

There was always another sky above the sky, and beyond that, yet another.

‘Strength is always comparable.’

She had never expected to truly understand the phrase a frog in a well.

Back in her world, Yukina had always ranked number one among hunters.

It was inevitable that she would learn this lesson the hard way.

“Die.”

With a chilling command, the ice spears in the sky all descended at once.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Watching Taeseong stand motionless in the face of the attack, Yukina smirked.

So, after all that bravado, he was frozen solid and unable to move, left to be pierced like a fool.

What a pathetic end.

The massive barrage of ice spears ripped through Lee Taeseong’s body—

His left arm.

Right arm.

Left thigh.

Chest.

Right thigh.

Left shoulder.

Right shoulder.

His entire body was shredded, and the blood that sprayed from him dyed the white snow a deep crimson.

From a distance, Team Leader Yato watched in despair, whispering in disbelief.

“…L-Lee Taeseong… Administrator…”

Even their last hope had died in vain.

‘Ah… It’s over. Everything is over.’

But contrary to everyone’s expectations—

Lee Taeseong, standing without a single scratch, stared at Yukina and spoke in a low voice.

“The only one deluded here is you.”

Yukina’s face contorted in pure shock.

‘W-what…? How is he still alive!? I saw it with my own eyes…!’

A direct hit from that attack should have instantly killed any Beta-class administrator—or at the very least, left them critically wounded.

Yet Lee Taeseong’s body was spotless.

Even after being impaled all over, he stood there unscathed.

‘This is impossible! Even with exceptional regeneration, this level of recovery is absurd! How could he take my frost-forged spears and come out completely unharmed?!’

She had assumed he remained motionless because he was frozen by her frost.

But that was her own misconception.

The cold constraining his body was something he could melt away at will.

After all, Lee Taeseong bore the flames of Ignost, the next Spirit King.

Yet, despite this, he had deliberately remained still.

It was an experiment.

His regeneration had evolved after consuming the Three-Headed Serpent Tanjin.

And what better way to test it than this?

He had a feeling that even if his entire brain were destroyed, it would regenerate.

But a feeling was just that—a feeling.

There was no need to test it unnecessarily.

So, he had let his entire body be torn apart, except for his head.

Naturally, within less than a second, everything had regenerated.

At this point, it wasn’t even regeneration—it was restoration.

“I’ve always been the protagonist, no matter the world.”

That was Taeseong’s mindset.

Whether on the battlefield, in another world, or in this place—he had to believe he was the protagonist in order to survive.

It didn’t matter if he actually was or not.

What mattered was that he believed it.

Taeseong didn’t believe in fate.

Fate was nothing more than a vast chessboard designed by someone else.

On a broader scale, he understood that he, too, was just another piece in the game.

But he was convinced that if he never gave up and continued to forge his own will, he would eventually become the one moving the pieces.

Perhaps even his very thoughts were part of some transcendent being’s plan.

Even so—

“If I don’t believe it, then who will?”

Boom!

With a sound of air splitting, Taeseong’s footprints were imprinted clearly in the snow-covered ground.

He disappeared from Yukina’s sight and reappeared behind her. She tried to turn her body, but she was already a beat too late.

‘Damn it!’

In a fleeting moment—

Yukina resolved to use her final measure, and her body transformed into ice. Just as Lee Sooah had assimilated with Ignost, she, too, drew forth all her inherent power.

The difference, however, was that even at full strength, she was not consumed by her own power. Even after transforming into a spirit form, she retained her reason.

“Permafrost.”

A secret art that explosively unleashed all of her power at once, freezing everything in the vicinity.

Normally, it would have turned a 10km radius into frozen wasteland, but now, it was limited to the space beneath her feet.

A pure white chill, as fine and delicate as eternal snow, spread and devoured its surroundings.

Crrrrrack.

In less than a second, the entire area beneath both Taeseong and Yukina was completely frozen.

The sight, as if the world itself had stopped, was enough to evoke the image of a winter apocalypse.

Eternal Ice.

The very source of Yukina’s power.

Born from the Snow Queen and an S-rank hunter who controlled vegetation, she was what was commonly referred to as a half-demon.

Half monster, half human—an existence that could belong neither to the world of humans nor that of monsters.

Yet, thanks to inheriting her mother’s blood, she wielded the supreme power of Eternal Ice and became an unprecedented hunter.

She became a hero who saved the world, found a good husband, built a happy family, and had a lovely daughter.

But—

She was caught in an unknown dimensional shift and ended up in this place.

Yukina’s blue eyes gazed upon the frozen world.

“I… must return.”

Of course, there was no answer.

Or rather—there shouldn’t have been.

Crack!

“How unfortunate.”

The icy surface that had covered Taeseong’s body cracked apart, and blue flames erupted.

“That’s no longer possible.”

Before anyone knew it, the flames that engulfed his entire body began spreading in all directions, melting the very ground beneath his feet.

“…What are you?”

Taeseong, now wrapped in blue fire, resembled a king returning from the depths of hell to pass judgment.

His flame-imbued eyes burned fiercely, and his lips curled into a smirk.

“I’m nothing more than a lowly Delta-grade administrator.”

Slash!

The blade of Hoirang, covered in blue flames, sliced across Yukina’s neck.

She had intended to buy time and escape, knowing she was in her spirit form, but unfortunately, that was the worst choice she could have made.

Hoirang was no ordinary sword.

Her severed head rolled across the ground.

Her unfocused eyes stared into the void as her lips parted.

“I… must return… I must… return…”

A futile end.

“So… this is how it… ends…?”

Her lips trembled slightly—then, a radiant smile.

As if, in her fading vision, she saw a beloved figure.

“…Yuuki. Yui.”

I’m coming home now.

Those were her final words.

From the distance, Yato’s joyful voice rang out.

“Ito! Are you okay?”

“Huh…? Sis? Captain?”

The other frozen administrators, looking bewildered, began glancing around in confusion before cheering in relief.

“Huh? My body…! It’s moving! I can move again!”

“Captain! My body is moving!”

“I thought I was dead…”

Overwhelmed by emotion, Yato sniffled as she wiped away tears.

“Lee Taeseong… hic… Administrator… hic… saved us…”

As Taeseong approached, Ito, still looking dazed, suddenly ran up to him.

“Captain! Thank you! As expected, you’re the best!”

“Let go.”

“Hehe. See, sis! I told you it was a good decision to follow the captain! I was right, wasn’t I? Being under the captain’s command was bound to help us!”

Sniffling, Yato nodded repeatedly.

“…Thank you. Really… thank you…”

Taeseong approached her and asked,

“So why did Yukina suddenly attack you all?”

“I don’t know… There was no warning at all. She just ambushed us in an instant…”

Taeseong, lost in thought for a moment, seemed to recall something.

“I almost forgot.”

He stepped toward Yukina’s decapitated corpse and reached for her chest.

Thud!

Watching from behind, Yato’s face turned pale.

“L-Lee Taeseong… Administrator…?”

Before long, he pulled out a fist-sized blue crystal, placed it in his mouth, and bit down.

“We’ll know once I eat it.”

What the hell is this guy doing?

That was what Xiao Yun was thinking as he stared at Taesan.

“You may not remember, Clan Leader, but you once saved my life in the past.”

“Your life?”

It had been so long ago that, naturally, he couldn’t recall. Taesan then recounted the details of what had happened to him.

The story went like this:

One day, Taesan had suddenly found himself in the martial world without knowing why. To survive, he did all sorts of odd jobs while secretly learning martial arts.

Then, one day, he encountered a group of bandits. They beat him to the brink of death, and just when he thought he was done for, a young Tang Unryong appeared.

Even back then, Tang Unryong was already one of the top martial artists. He annihilated the bandits in an instant and, as a bonus, saved the dying Taesan.

— You have an unusual tenacity. If you had been born into the Tang Clan, I might have personally nurtured you with great care… Do you wish to live?

Nod.

— Alright. Today is my younger sister’s birthday, so I shall extend a special act of kindness. This grace is not given by Tang Unryong, the Clan Leader of the Tang Clan, but by Tang Sohye. Never forget this for the rest of your life. Understood?

Nod.

Thanks to that, Taesan survived. He never forgot that debt, and when the Tang Clan was on the verge of destruction due to internal power struggles, he appeared alone and turned the battlefield into a sea of blood.

Ever since then, whenever the opportunity arose, he searched for the benefactor who had saved his life, but for some reason, he was nowhere to be found. He had thought they would never meet again—

Yet here they were, reunited in such an unexpected way.

“Thanks to you, I was able to survive that hellish place. Benefactor, please accept my bow!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Taesan was shedding tears as he kowtowed. Xiao Yun, watching him with a bewildered expression, felt a strange emotion stir within him.

‘How can fate be so intertwined like this?’

And so, after a round of bowing—

“This is a strange occurrence indeed. You and I are not martial artists of the same era, yet our fates have intertwined like this…”

Xiao Yun had once seen Taesan from afar when he was still known as the Blood Sea Fist Demon.

“Even as time passed, the name of Sichuan’s greatest warrior, the Venomous Demon God Healer, never faded, Benefactor.”

“Thank you. And thank you for not forgetting the kindness I showed and for helping the Tang Clan—no, Sohye.”

“‘Repay kindness twofold, and vengeance tenfold.’ That is the way of the Tang Clan, is it not? I may not be a member of the Tang Clan, but since I received the Clan Leader’s grace, repaying it was only natural.”

At the time Taesan first encountered Tang Unryong, the latter had already entered middle age, his hair streaked with gray. Not long after Taesan made a name for himself, Xiao Yun had undergone dimensional travel. The gap between them was considerable.

They had only crossed paths twice—The first was when Tang Unryong saved Taesan’s life. The second was when Xiao Yun, attending a Martial Alliance meeting, happened to see Taesan.

However, because they had returned at different times, this kind of reunion had become possible.

“That child… Sohye, is she doing well?”

It was the most important question to Xiao Yun.

“The current Clan Leader is well. At least until I returned here, she was in good health.”

Hearing that, Xiao Yun smiled brightly—a genuine, heartfelt smile.

“That’s a relief… Truly a relief.”

He had always worried about whether the little girl who used to follow him everywhere would be able to support the clan on her own.
But it seemed she had endured well.

“Haha! Of course. She’s even married. She has three children!”

“…Married? Children?”

Xiao Yun’s face instantly twisted into that of a fiend.

Who the hell dared to take my Sohye…?

No, no. Hadn’t he, more than anyone, wished for her happiness? If she had found a good match, married, and built a family, it should be a joyous thing.
And yet…

“Who the hell is he?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m asking, who did she marry?”

Taesan recalled the name and answered,

“If I remember correctly, she married Cheon Unhwi, the Sword of Heavenly Might, the sect leader of the Azure Heaven Sect.”

“Azure Heaven Sect? She married the master of some unheard-of sect?”

Though he looked no different from a young man on the outside, he was, at heart, an old-fashioned martial artist.

“Benefactor! You need not worry. The Azure Heaven Sect is the leading sect of its time.”

“The leading sect? So you’re saying my little Sohye married the strongest martial artist of this era?”

“Yes. The sect leader of the Azure Heaven Sect, the Sword of Heavenly Might, reached such heights that even the Demon Cult’s leader, who had reached the pinnacle of demonic martial arts, couldn’t stand against him. The number of demons he cut down was enough to form a river of blood, and even the elderly masters of the righteous sects couldn’t last ten exchanges against him. Some even say he was the primary reason the demonic cult failed to conquer the Central Plains.”

The strongest under heaven… A realm even he had not attained in his time.

He had no idea where such a monstrous individual had come from, but as a former clan leader and Sohye’s older brother, he should have been overjoyed.

“To think she married such an exceptional man…”

Then why the hell did he feel so terrible?

“That son of a bitch! How dare he lay a hand on my Sohye! My little sister, who had never even held a man’s hand before! That damned thief!”

“…”

Watching Xiao Yun curse into the air, Taesan thought to himself,

‘They seemed like an extremely affectionate couple, though.’

The two were known as one of the most loving couples in the Central Plains. But having developed a sense of consideration, Taesan wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

Perhaps looking after his benefactor’s mental state was another way to repay his debt.

“Huu… Huu… I nearly fell into qi deviation.”

“I’m relieved, Benefactor.”

“Still, meeting someone from my homeland and chatting like this after so long is wonderful. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to release much of my pent-up frustration. Thank you.”

“It is I who is honoured to reunite with such a precious connection!”

As they returned to the temporary base, the two talked ceaselessly about the martial world.

For one, it was ‘home.’ For the other, it was a ‘battlefield.’ But the fact that they could share the same subject brought immense joy to both of them.

They continued their  conversation—until suddenly, Xiao Yun stopped in his tracks. Startled, Taesan turned to him. His expression had gone stiff.

Worried he might have said something wrong, Taesan asked cautiously,

“…What’s wrong?”

“…”

No answer came.

Soon, Taesan realized why Xiao Yun had reacted that way.

Gulping, Taesan gathered all the energy in his body.

His heart rang with alarm.

Thump. Thump.

As a martial artist who had survived countless life-or-death encounters, his instincts sensed danger.

It was only now that he detected the presence—after it had come this close.

‘This one’s on a whole different level from what we’ve faced so far.’

Which also meant…

This creature was capable of suppressing its presence until it reached such a distance.

And there were only a few types of entities that could pull off such a feat.

Estimated rank—Beta.

“…”

Above Xiao Yun’s head, daggers were already flying toward him.

With his eyes closed, he expanded his senses and muttered in a low voice.

Flashes of light flickered against the darkness covering his vision.

“One… two…”

Two entities, presumed to be Beta-class.

Hearing that, Taesan prepared for death. It was a hopeless situation, but if he burned even his innate energy and fought to the death, at the very least, he wouldn’t be a burden.

He knew better than anyone that this was a delusional hope, but at this moment, he resolved to believe in that delusion as truth.

‘Even if my limbs are torn off, I’ll take at least one of them down with me.’

If he could drag one of them down with him in a mutual kill, Xiao Yun could handle the remaining one. If that happened, even if he died, the survival odds of those left behind would increase.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid to die, but given the situation, Taesan was simply doing his best.

“Three.”

“…?”

…Why?

Xiao Yun should have stopped counting, yet the numbers kept increasing. His face, which had never before shown fear, was gradually turning into one of shock.

“…Four.”

The darkness shrouding his vision flickered all at once, like a city skyline lighting up after a blackout.

Four Beta-class presumed entities.

Thousands of Gamma-class presumed entities.

And countless others.

“Shit.”

---

Riding on Wairang’s back, Taeseong felt a chill.

At first, he thought it was just an illusion due to the overwhelming yin energy in the area, but as time passed, the chill deepened.

“……”

It wasn’t an illusion.

As they approached the source of the powerful energy, the surrounding scenery changed moment by moment.

Crunch. Crunch.

“Winter?”

The season had changed.

The withered, corpse-like trees were coated in frost. The frozen ground, covered in snow, was an anomaly in this place.

…A landscape that seemed as if winter had arrived.

Unless Earth itself had gone mad, the season wouldn’t change overnight.

[Grroooowl.]

Taeseong wasn’t the only one sensing the anomaly. Even before they reached the source, Wairang was exuding killing intent.

Its keen sense of smell had picked up the scent of death.

Taeseong hated the cold.

Why?

He didn’t know.

He had simply hated the cold since he was a child.

That was why he hated winter, too.

While others would rush outside to build snowmen when it snowed, young Taeseong would stay inside reading books or training.

Only after Sooah was born did he start going outside—because she loved the snow.

‘Is that why I hate that crazy woman?’

No, that wasn’t it.

His dislike for her wasn’t something instinctive—it was because everything about the way that crazy woman spoke was fundamentally wrong.

And by “crazy woman,” he meant Yukina, Sooah’s teacher and the head of the Tree’s Japan branch.

Yes.

The white-haired woman standing far off, staring at him with icy eyes.

In a forest entirely covered in ice, she gazed at Taeseong.

“So, this is where you disappeared to.”

“……”

Dismounting from Wairang, Taeseong walked toward her.

Step. Step.

As he looked around, he spotted a familiar face.

“L-Lee Taeseong… Administrator…”

It was Yato, the leader of Team 3 of the Japan branch management.

Was she also weak against the cold? Half of her body was frozen solid.

“Ito… Ito…”

She murmured, her empty eyes fixed on something. Following her gaze, he saw dozens of administrators frozen stiff, unable to withstand the bitter cold.

They looked as pristine as ice sculptures.

Among them was Ito.

It seemed as if he might suddenly call out, “Captain! You’re here!”—but the only sound that came was Yato’s sobbing.

The absence of that voice, which had always noisily shouted “Captain, Captain,” left an eerie silence.

Like him or not, Ito was his subordinate.

And he was Ito’s captain.

A captain does not abandon his subordinates.

“Well, this is perfect. I’ve been wanting to rip you apart for a long time.”

Taeseong pulled Hoirang from his subspace, and in the next instant, his body vanished.

Lee Taeseong was far more petty than people imagined.

—A mere Delta-class administrator dares to speak so casually? You should be grateful you’re even able to have this conversation.

—Shut up and finish what you started.

—There will be no next time. You will never leave this place.

“You acted all high and mighty, saying I’d never leave, but thanks to your death, I’m out.”

Too flustered, Lee Eunha had spoken her thoughts aloud.

The Gamma-ranked administrators looked at her with expressions that seemed to ask, “What did I just hear?” Meanwhile, Ashiya Doman frowned and asked,

“What did you just say?”

For smoother communication, all administrators were equipped with a device called The King’s Ears Are Donkey Ears. This meant that Eunha’s curse had likely been translated into each person’s native language.

Fortunately, due to the nature of Japanese, it lacked the depth and variety of Korean profanity.

Praying that it had been translated appropriately, Eunha quickly spoke.

“Ah… My apologies. I was so surprised that I accidentally said my thoughts out loud.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yun burst into laughter.

“Puhahahaha! What is it with Korean administrators? There’s not a single normal one among them!”

Beside him, Taesan asked seriously,

“…Deputy Lee Eunha, have I assigned you too much work? Are you upset? If so, I apologize. As you know, I have high expectations for you. I understand that the stress must be immense, but still, to openly curse in a meeting like this—”

When Eunha shot him a glare, he fell silent.

To smooth things over, she bowed her head once more.

“I sincerely apologize for my inappropriate words and any offense they may have caused.”

Doman clicked his tongue and touched his face. The Gamma-ranked administrators, sensing his mood, also fell silent. Since their clear superior, Doman, chose not to pursue the matter further, they had no grounds to speak up.

“So, what exactly were you thinking that made you curse so openly?”

“…I believe there is at least one more unidentified entity in Jukai Forest, estimated to be Beta-ranked or higher.”

“Your reasoning?”

“The death of Beta-ranked administrator Yukina.”

Xiao Yun’s expression turned intrigued. From the moment he met her, he had noticed that despite her lack of strength, this woman had exceptional situational awareness and adaptability.

“Each one of them is so damn tempting,” he thought.

“Explain how that crazy woman dying connects to your conclusion.”

Eunha openly laid out her thought process, explaining how she had arrived at her hypothesis.

“…Beta-ranked administrator Yukina had already scouted this area beforehand. The only reason we even knew about the powerful unidentified entities here was because she personally observed them.”

Xiao Yun nodded.

“In her mind, Jukai Forest was classified as a place she could handle. After all, she had been here before. The data was sufficient, and as long as she was cautious of the two presumed Beta-ranked entities, she likely judged that there was nothing here that could pose a serious threat to her. Even in the worst-case scenario, she must have believed she could at least escape with her life.”

The key to this conclusion was that Eunha had deliberately put herself in Yukina’s shoes.

She wasn’t simply speculating—she was attempting to think exactly as Yukina would have.

If I were Yukina…

If I were a monster with enough power to wipe out an entire city, what kind of reasoning would I use?

That was where it all started.

“Makes sense.”

“Keep going.”

The two Beta-ranked administrators seemed to be gradually accepting her reasoning.

In truth, if anyone in this room could understand Yukina’s mindset, it was them.

Imagine an exceptionally intelligent ant trying to comprehend the thoughts of a tiger.

With effort, it might be able to make some educated guesses, but fully understanding the tiger’s mind would be impossible—because no matter how many years passed, the ant would never experience the life of a tiger, nor wield its power.

For the ant, it was an imaginative exercise.

But for other tigers, it was reality.

“In short, administrator Yukina was confident that she could survive even if she encountered the two known unidentified entities. But she died. Did she overestimate her own strength? Or did she underestimate theirs? It could be both.”

“….”

“But I find that unlikely. Before being a Beta-ranked administrator, she was a transmigrator from another world. She had likely fought numerous powerful foes before coming here. Over time, she would have accumulated experience, developed her own judgment criteria, and refined them to a precise degree. The fact that she survived until now proves this.”

The atmosphere grew heavier.

They were now convinced—this woman wasn’t speaking nonsense.

Of course, this was still just a theory, meaning there were logical gaps.

But this meeting wasn’t about proving anything.

It was about deciding their next course of action.

Resting his chin on his hand, Xiao Yun asked,

“I see your point. But what if those unidentified entities were actually Alpha-ranked and had been hiding their true strength?”

“That’s a possibility. But if there were an Alpha-ranked entity here, why would it bother dragging things out? It could just kill us all right now.”

This time, no one had an answer.

Because Xiao Yun and Ashiya Doman both knew the truth.

If an Alpha-ranked entity truly existed here, no matter how much they struggled, survival would be impossible.

Unless another Alpha-ranked administrator or an Apostle arrived, their fate was sealed.

…That was what it meant to be an Alpha.

A disaster.

Would anyone be foolish enough to fight against a natural catastrophe like an earthquake, typhoon, lightning strike, or tsunami?

If such a person existed, they were either a lunatic who feared nothing—not even death—or someone so desperate to die that they welcomed oblivion.

You don’t fight it.

You flee from it.

Even Beta-ranked beings like them were no exception.

“Good point. Continue.”

“Yes. So, my conclusion is that there is at least one more unidentified entity in Jukai Forest, estimated to be Beta-ranked or higher. Something that served as the definite variable that killed Yukina. For that to happen, the entity must have been at least Beta-ranked. It also had to be an entity unknown to Yukina. And to ensure her death, there must have been at least two of them. No matter how powerful she was… she wouldn’t have been able to withstand the combined assault of multiple Beta-ranked entities.”

Lee Eunha finished speaking, and silence once again filled the room.

If her reasoning was correct, what they had just heard was no different from a death sentence.

Xiao Yun let out a short, bitter laugh.

“So, there are at least four unidentified entities presumed to be Beta-grade? Just when I thought I could finally glimpse the light beyond…”

Xiao Yun had already completed his rejuvenation and reached the pinnacle of the Fire Realm, yet for decades, he had been stuck before an impassable wall.

He had pursued enlightenment relentlessly, feeling as if he was on the verge of grasping something—only for this to happen now. The sheer absurdity of it all made him want to curse.

“This is a real shitstorm. I fully understand why you swore earlier.”

“…Thank you.”

“Thank me for what? I just called this shitty situation what it is—a pile of shit.”

Doman scowled at him in disapproval.

“Hey, can’t you stop swearing so crudely?”

“Doesn’t it just sound like ‘baka, baka’ in your ears anyway?”

Doman temporarily disabled his King’s Ears Are Donkey’s Ears device and muttered something in Japanese.

The other Japanese administrators struggled to suppress their laughter. Given Xiao Yun’s temperament, if they so much as chuckled here, they couldn’t guarantee what would happen next.

“死ね, クソヤロ (Die, you bastard.)”

“Oh? Old man, that sounded like a curse just now. Didn’t it?”

“It wasn’t. Idiot.”

“Phew. If it weren’t for this situation, I’d rip your damn head off first… You’re lucky, huh?”

“Look who’s talking. If it weren’t for this situation, I would’ve turned you into my shikigami ages ago. Your insanity is a flaw, but I’d still find a way to put you to use.”

The two administrators glared at each other.

After a brief standoff, they both turned away, realizing how pointless their bickering was given the current circumstances.

Xiao Yun spoke.

“Well, that settles it. We depart as soon as we recover. What’s your opinion, old man?”

“…Damn it. Sitting around waiting to wither away sounds worse. I agree.”

Xiao Yun turned to look at the others.

“And you?”

They all nodded.

With the two Beta-grade administrators having made their decision, their opinions were effectively irrelevant.

“Okay. Then, everyone disperse. Conserve your strength until departure, and inform your teams as well.”

One by one, the group stood and exited the command tent.

As Taesan was about to leave last, Xiao Yun called out to him.

“You. Stick around. We need to talk.”

---

About three kilometers from the temporary base.

Two men were mercilessly slaughtering the yokai in the area.

Every time the bear-like man threw a punch, chunks of yokai flesh splattered in all directions.

And every time the sharp-eyed man flung his hidden weapons, dozens of yokai were torn apart like paper.

“Refreshing.”

“Indeed.”

“A damn shame.”

“What is?”

“I was this close to breaking through. If I had reached a new realm, I wouldn’t have to die like a dog here. I could have saved a lot more people.”

“…May I ask something honestly?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you truly care about saving others?”

Xiao Yun chuckled.

“You’ve heard about me, haven’t you?”

“I have.”

Taesan had heard of Xiao Yun’s infamous reputation.

It was difficult to imagine someone like him genuinely caring about others’ lives.

“Well… to be honest, I don’t really care all that much. But there’s this thing called responsibility, you know? They’re my people, after all. If I can, I’d prefer to send them back in one piece.”

“……”

Xiao Yun was no saint, but he was a man with clear principles.

As the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, he was known for fiercely protecting his own.

“Blood Sea Fist Demon. That’s your title, isn’t it?”

Taesan’s eyes widened.

“How do you know that?”

“I heard it from Lee Taeseong. Seems like we hail from the same homeland.”

Taesan was startled and quickly offered a martial salute.

“To think that you, sir, are also a martial artist…! Junior Taesan greets Senior!”

“Enough with that.”

“But still… Blood Sea Fist Demon, huh? Are you from the Demon Sect or something?”

“…I simply swung my fists without restraint, and that title stuck. It’s not something I sought out… frankly, it’s embarrassing.”

“Haha! Titles always work that way. Ah, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I am Tang Unryong, head of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Ever heard of me?”

“…!”

C-Could it really be that Tang Unryong?!

Taesan abruptly fell to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground as he shouted.

“M-My savior!”

At that single command, the previously sluggish team members simultaneously assumed combat stances. Having fought countless battles together, their camaraderie had reached its peak, and now, each one of them was as sharp as a finely honed blade.

“This won’t be easy. Deputy Lee Eunha.”

“Excuse me?”

“This is just a possibility, but if the situation turns against us, take the team and move to another sector.”

“Team leader…”

Before Lee Eunha could say anything further, Taesan firmly cut her off.

“That’s an order.”

Taesan’s presence had changed many things. The swarming yokai that had been everywhere hesitated to approach due to his sheer presence, and those powerful enough to ignore it were swiftly sent to the afterlife by his fists.

He was someone who embodied hope just by being there.

Fearing that his team members might feel uneasy, he constantly cracked jokes and made conversation with each of them during breaks.

‘If it weren’t for the team leader, we wouldn’t have survived this long in the first place. We would have just wasted away in that cave.’

This place was a Demon Realm. It wasn’t somewhere Delta-rank administrators could endure. There were thousands, if not tens of thousands, of creatures estimated to be Delta rank. Moreover, there were at least a few hundred presumed Gamma-rank entities.

‘Even Beta-rank administrators are dying here…’

And if Taesan was speaking like this now, it meant that even he was facing an entity that required him to risk his life.

‘Is this the end for us…?’

Lee Eunha knew how strong Taesan was. But there was no way he could be compared to a Beta-rank administrator. That was her cold, objective assessment of Taesan.

Moreover, the Beta-rank administrator who had died this time wasn’t just any Beta-rank—it was Yukina, the head of management from the Japanese branch, considered one of their strongest forces.

In administrator slang, Yukina was ‘Beta++,’ while Taesan, at best, was ‘Beta—.’

That meant there was an entity roaming the Jukai Forest that could kill even someone like Yukina. If they were to encounter it, the chances of survival were 0%.

‘…If it comes down to it, I’ll abandon the mission and burn through my entire lifespan to escape.’

That was an option, although an extreme one. With Lee Eunha’s ability, she could at least leap across space. Of course, the problem was that she alone would bear the burden of that risk.

Another issue was whether the Tree would let administrators who abandoned their mission go unpunished.

From the administrators’ perspective, choosing survival over certain death seemed like an better decision.

But that was only from their perspective.

From the Tree’s viewpoint, if administrators started refusing missions they deemed too dangerous, it would be an unacceptable situation. There was no way the Tree would allow such a precedent. If it did happen, the Tree might even resort to far more unethical measures than it did now.

At least, that was the kind of organization Lee Eunha understood the Tree to be.

The real solution was to never accept a mission like this in the first place. Though, even that wasn’t always within her control.

And if she wanted to go even further back, the real answer was probably never joining this organization in the first place.

‘Then again, what’s the point in thinking about that now?’

Everyone fell silent as they stared at the man who had appeared before them.

“……”

“……”

Thankfully, it wasn’t a yokai. However, the killing intent radiating from the man was stronger than anything they had ever faced. The pressure was so immense that even the team members instinctively recognized him as a monster.

The narrow-eyed man spotted them and smiled, waving a hand.

A suffocating stench of blood filled the air.

“You’re all still alive?”

Fortunately, it was a familiar face.

Xiao Yun, a Beta-rank administrator dispatched from China.

He had appeared alongside the main division’s administrators.

Lee Eunha cautiously spoke up, while Oh Haeyoung waved his hands excitedly like a puppy greeting its owner.

“…Administrator Xiao Yun?”

“Administrator Xiao Yun! You’re safe!”

Taesan silently observed the man.

As someone from the martial world, Taesan could immediately gauge Xiao Yun’s level.

‘He has reached the state of Reversing Old Age to Return to Youth (Rejuvenation).’

At that moment—

A voice directly resonated in Taesan’s mind.

(Heavenly Light Mind Transmission).

Taesan involuntarily tensed up.

—Are you a returnee from the martial world? You must be the man Lee Taeseong mentioned.

Taesan had already recognized Xiao Yun as a master, but he hadn’t expected him to use Heavenly Light Mind Transmission instead of mere sound transmission.

Sound transmission projected one’s voice through internal energy, but Heavenly Light Mind Transmission conveyed one’s will itself. It was on an entirely different level.

—Does the esteemed master know Administrator Lee Taeseong?

—Of course. That damn fool caused me quite a bit of trouble. I’ve been meaning to meet you at least once, but I never expected it to happen like this.

—I see…

Xiao Yun’s expression remained composed, but the administrators standing beside him were visibly haggard.

Among them was Abe no Seimei’s descendant, Ashiya Doman, another Beta-rank administrator. The entire main division had clearly been through hell. Their faces were haggard, and their numbers had diminished significantly.

At some point, Xiao Yun had disappeared.

He reappeared right in front of Oh Haeyoung, gently ruffling his hair.

“You’ve been holding up well?”

“Y-Yes! I’ve been doing my best to endure. What about you, Administrator Xiao Yun?”

Xiao Yun cast a sidelong glance at the remnants of the main division, then gave a bitter smile.

“…As you can see.”

---

The group led by Lee Eunha, having joined the main force, set up a temporary camp in the vicinity.

Due to the numerous battles, the administrators were utterly exhausted, making rest an unavoidable choice.

Fortunately, among the main force’s administrators, a significant number possessed useful abilities, allowing them to establish a makeshift yet well-structured base.

“This should be enough to keep the lesser yokai at bay.”

“Do not, under any circumstances, touch the objects that serve as the axis of the barrier. Keep that in mind.”

The location chosen for the temporary camp was the safest place in the area. This was because Xiao Yun and Doman had already wiped out all the nearby yokai.

The number of yokai the two had slain in this mission alone exceeded twenty thousand. The martial prowess of the Beta-ranked administrators, when they unleashed their full strength, was enough to leave onlookers in shock.

Of course, despite such accomplishments, the majority of the administrators had perished.

Now, fewer than fifty administrators remained in the main force. It was only with the inclusion of Eunha Lee’s group that they barely reached fifty.

‘Even the main force suffered this much damage…’

Eunha Lee and Taesan stepped into the tent where the squad leader meeting was being held.

Inside, Xiao Yun, Doman, and two Gamma-ranked administrators were seated.

Ashiya Doman spoke in a commanding tone.

“Xiao Yun. Why did you bring in a mere Delta-ranked woman?”

“Old man. Do you really have time to bicker about Delta and Gamma ranks in this urgent situation? The fact that the squad she led has survived until now is reason enough for her to be here.”

“…Tsk.”

Anyone who still picked fights in this situation could hardly be called human. Fortunately, Doman was human, so he did not stir up any further unnecessary quarrels.

The conversation progressed quickly. They first shared the information each of them had.

“We’ve concluded that escaping this place on our own is impossible. The entire forest can essentially be considered a single entity. Unless we eliminate its master, escape is meaningless.”

“I agree with the old man. It seems that whatever rules this forest has deliberately gathered us here. It’s trying to slowly wear us down and kill us. Either that, or it’s just stalling for time.”

“Stalling for time? Why would it do that?”

“If it were to clash with us head-on, it might also be at risk. As much as I hate to say it, if the old man or I were to fight with the resolve to die, we could drag the master of this forest down to the underworld with us, no matter what it is.”

“That’s true…”

“From what I’ve seen, not all the yokai here serve the same master. If even administrators are constantly at each other’s throats, why would yokai be any different? They’re probably fighting over territory among themselves.”

Eunha Lee, who had been silently listening, quickly accelerated her thoughts.

“If stalling for time is its goal, isn’t there another reason behind it?”

“Another reason? Like what?”

“As Administrator Xiao Yun said, for now, it finds fighting us troublesome. But perhaps it believes that after a certain amount of time, it will have the means to kill us for sure, so it’s stalling?”

…A heavy silence fell.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spine at Eunha Lee’s words.

The one to break the silence was Xiao Yun.

“That’s a plausible hypothesis. Then what do you think we should do?”

“……”

Eunha Lee carefully chose her words before answering.

“No matter how much time passes, only we will be at a disadvantage. So, I believe we must launch a full-scale offensive as soon as we recover our strength.”

Again, no one immediately responded. Everyone here knew she was right. But their forces had already been severely depleted.

Proposing an all-out attack in this situation was essentially suggesting they charge in, prepared to die.

Ashiya Doman let out a deep sigh.

“Damn yokai bastards.”

“Aren’t you the last person who should be saying that? After all, the things you control are also yokai.”

“…Shikigami and yokai are different!”

To Xiao Yun, they were one and the same, but he didn’t bother arguing. After all, if it weren’t for Ashiya Doman, their situation would have been even worse.

As an onmyoji (Sorcerer) with extraordinary talent, Ashiya Doman’s abilities shone the brightest in dire situations like this. Since he could turn dead yokai into his shikigami, it helped maintain some balance.

Being specialized in defense, he became even more formidable when the odds were against them.

The discussion continued.

The next topic was the death of the Beta-ranked administrator, Yukina.

“So, to summarize… Neither of you witnessed the moment it happened?”

Xiao Yun and Doman both nodded.

“Yeah. That crazy woman walked off on her own so confidently that I figured she had a plan. Who would’ve thought she’d just die like that?”

“…It doesn’t make sense. She had been here before, hadn’t she? The reason you and I allowed her to act independently was because of that. She should have known this place better than anyone. Even if something unexpected happened, we assumed she could at least take care of herself.”

“The information was wrong from the start. Nothing that crazy woman told us matches what we’ve seen here.”

From their conversation, it was clear that Yukina had previously been to this place. That must have been why she confidently ventured alone and ended up dead…

‘Something’s off.’

Among the unidentified entities observed so far, the two most powerful yokai were:

The “Monster of Unmatched Strength,” a leader of the Hundred Demons Night Parade and the likely master of the forest, and

“Tanjin,” a three-headed serpent, the offspring of Orochi.

Both were estimated to be Beta-ranked. Yukina would have known this information.

She was likely the one who brought it to them.

And yet…

Why did she act like that? A Beta-ranked administrator misjudging an enemy’s power?

‘A variable.’

A variable significant enough to bring about the death of a high-tier Beta-ranked administrator.

‘Ah…!’

Realizing the truth, Eunha Lee’s face turned pale with despair.

“Shit. We’re seriously screwed.”

‘There’s something in this forest that we don’t know about. Its estimated rank is at least Beta…’

Ah.

She had been so shocked that she ended up speaking her thoughts out loud.