The moment of impact. Heo Sungshik had expected that if they clashed, the members of the Yongho guild would hear the commotion and rush over. However, he hadn’t anticipated them arriving this quickly.

‘But this makes the situation better.’

Right now, the hidden disgrace that Han Eunyeong had been concealing was being exposed. The quick-witted ones already seemed to have grasped the situation.

With things as they were, the probability of anyone siding with Han Eunyeong was dropping drastically. At the very least, the worst-case scenario—where he would have to fight both Han Eunyeong and the entire Yongho guild—could be avoided.

“W-What is this? Could the rumors have been true?”

“Why are they coming out of the vice-guild leader’s mansion…?”

While the members of the Yongho guild were in confusion over the situation, Sungshik charged toward Han Eunyeong.

BANG!

Han Eunyeong once again deployed a shield to block Sungshik’s strike. However, it was evident that she hadn’t managed to completely defend against it, as she bore clear signs of injury.

“Ugh… Khh.”

Blood trickled from her lips due to the impact of blocking Sungshik’s attack. She quickly retreated. As she did, the surrounding scene entered her vision.

guild members were staring at her in shock. The puppets she had summoned to restrain Sungshik were now being subdued by the Yongho guild members.

Seeing this, she realized that everything was over.

“Ki… Ki….”

Where had it all gone wrong? It had been just another ordinary day.

She saw Sungshik striding toward her.

‘It’s all because of him. If it weren’t for him….’

If Sungshik hadn’t interfered, tomorrow would have been the same as yesterday.

“Kh… Khh, then let’s all die together.”

She pulled out a black shard from her inventory. The moment Sungshik saw it, a sense of foreboding washed over him. He rushed toward her, but she was faster.

Gulp—

She swallowed the shard.

Fwooooosh!

At that moment, a violent surge of dark energy erupted from her entire body. It was a sight Sungshik had seen before.

‘It’s just like that time in the mutated dungeon.’

Yes. It was the same as the time he had encountered a mutated dungeon inside an F-rank gate. Back then, a kobold priest had been enveloped in dark energy and transformed into a lycanthrope. This was eerily similar to that event.

“Damn it.”

Sungshik cursed.

In an instant, the black energy that had been swirling around her was absorbed into her body. The transformation was much faster than what he had witnessed in the mutated gate.

“Huuuuu…”

Now fully engulfed by dark energy, her appearance had drastically changed. Her skin turned jet black. Her hair became pure white. Two horns sprouted from either side of her head.

She no longer looked human—she seemed to have transformed into something else entirely.

At the same time, the superhumans enslaved by her ‘Contract of Soul Enslavement’ also began to undergo changes.

“Guh… Guaaaah!”

The veins all over their bodies bulged. Their skin took on an ashen hue. The whites of their eyes turned black while their pupils turned crimson.

“Wh-What’s happening? Why are they suddenly like this?”

The members of the Yongho guild panicked at the horrifying sight.

Sungshik swallowed hard. He had seen these appearances and this energy before.

‘This… this is demonization.’

Indeed, this was the process of demonization—a phenomenon he had frequently witnessed during the trials of the Night in his previous life.

‘But the Lords of the Night haven’t even appeared yet?’

Demonization was something that only occurred through the Lords of the Night. Sungshik calmed his surprise and immediately used his Insight skill on Han Eunyeong, who had now become a ‘Half-Demon.’

‘Insight.’

Name: Han Eunyeong

Race: Half-Demon

Rank: 6-star+ (★★★★★★☆)

Trait: [SS-Rank] Army of Death

*Currently being eroded by an unknown dark power. Demonization is in progress.*

‘Just as I thought.’

His prediction was correct. She was undergoing demonization, and her race was now classified as ‘Half-Demon.’

‘And in the meantime, her rank has already increased to 6-star+.’

With demonization, her strength would only grow. There was no more time to hesitate. She had to be eliminated before the process was complete.

The look in Sungshik’s eyes darkened.

‘So, in the end, you even touched the forbidden realm? Just as I expected….’

Even in his past life, she had been the same. Whenever things didn’t go her way, she lost control.

‘A scourge upon humanity. Eliminating you here is the only answer.’

Using the movement technique of the Heaven-Splitting Steps, he closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword.

Slash—

Shockingly, Han Eunyeong blocked the attack with her bare arm, which was now enveloped in energy.

“Khh—”

However, the attack still seemed to have affected her, as she let out a low groan.

“You bastard—”

On her other arm, sharp energy in the shape of a scythe gathered and swung toward Sungshik.

guildg—

Sungshik also enveloped his arm in energy and easily blocked it.

“You’re not the only one with a tough body.”

[S-Rank] Queen’s Armor.

The effect of his trait was outstanding. It provided such exceptional defense that he could easily withstand even her vicious attacks.

“Let’s have some real fun, shall we?”

Gathering the full energy of Heaven-Splitting, he swung his sword once more. Seeing this, Han Eunyeong flinched in alarm and retreated. Even with her demonization progressing, it seemed she couldn’t block the power of Heaven-Splitting head-on.

After dodging his attack, she glared at Sungshik with eyes full of hatred.

“I’ll never… forgive you.”

The eerie malice emanating from her gaze was truly chilling.

The real fight was just beginning.

“Second Army, answer my call.”

Now fully transformed into a Half-Demon, she was finally bringing out her true power.

Vwooooom—

Countless magic circles appeared in the air as the Army of Death poured out.

The Second Army consisted of undead even stronger than the First. Dullahans, Elite Black Knights, Bone Golems—far more terrifying creatures emerged.

Seeing this, Sungshik thought to himself.

‘At this rate, she’s going to summon the Third Army as well.’

The Third Army was where her true power was fully revealed. Centered around Bone Dragons and Death Knights, it was the force that had made her nearly invincible when she was at 7-star to 7-star+ rank.

“T-This is insane! Undead!”

“So it was really Lady Eunyeong who had been keeping them locked up?”

The Yongho guild members were in complete shock.

Until now, Han Eunyeong had hidden her ‘Army of Death’ trait for fear of being misunderstood. Only her older brother, Han Cheolsik, had known about this power.

Because of this, the guild members had only been aware that she had reached 5-star+ rank—they had no idea what kind of power she wielded.

Now, seeing her summon the undead, they finally understood the truth.

The missing superhumans—she had been behind their disappearances all along.

It was then.

“What in the world is all this?”

A massive man appeared with a thunderous roar.

“…Brother.”

“Eun-young, you… What in the world… what has happened to you?”

That’s right. He was the guild leader of Yongho guild and Han Eun-young’s biological older brother, the Mountain King, Han Cheolsik.

“Why… why do you look like this?”

He shouted as if he were wailing. His expression was one of sheer agony, as if blood tears were streaming from his eyes.

“…Sorry.”

At the sight of her brother’s appearance, her previously raging aura seemed to subside slightly. Seeing her reaction, a glimmer of hope appeared in Han Cheolsik’s expression.

‘No.’

But Sungshik shook his head inwardly as he watched. A person who has begun turning into a demon can never return. He had seen countless people undergo demonic transformation before his regression, but not once had he ever seen or heard of someone reverting back to being human.

‘This is the last moment where she retains any semblance of human rationality.’

“Kuh… Kuaaaagh!”

Sungshik’s prediction was correct. She hesitated for a moment as she looked at Han Cheolsik, but soon, the demonic energy began consuming her once more.

“Eun-young—!”

“D-Don’t come near me! Stay away from me!”

Even as she clutched her head in agony, she screamed at her brother to stay away.

“How could I ever leave you behind?!”

The bond between the siblings was exceptionally strong. Though they were not related by blood, they had grown up together in the same orphanage and had been inseparable since their formative years. Their bond was deeper than that of true siblings.

Some of the Yongho guild members who knew their story were already tearing up.

Bang—

“Kugh—”

Elite Black Knight. A 6-star+ undead. That Elite Black Knight blocked Han Cheolsik’s path as he tried to approach Han Eun-young.

“What… what are you? Get out of my way!”

He charged once more at the undead blocking his path.

Punch—

“Guhh!”

But once again, he was sent flying in a single strike.

It was to be expected. Han Cheolsik, who was only at 5-star+, could barely endure a single blow from a 6-star+ Elite Black Knight.

“The guild Leader was taken down in one hit…”

“No way… What are those monsters…?”

The guild members watching were filled with disbelief. Even given the situation, Han Cheolsik was not just anyone. He was the leader of the massive Yongho guild and one of the strongest superhumans in the country at 5-star+.

“And yet, even he is struggling to block a single strike?”

It was difficult for them to accept.

Just then, a man known as ‘Tangcho,’ who had been trembling in fear ever since Han Eun-young’s demonic transformation, spoke up.

“T-Those undead… I-I think they’re at least 6-star or higher.”

At his words, everyone turned to look at him in shock.

“Those are 6-star undead?”

“Y-Yes… Brother. A-And not just that one… I think most of them… are 6-star or higher.”

At his words, they gasped in horror and denial.

“Don’t talk nonsense! The Vice guild Leader—no, Han Eun-young is only 5-star+. How could she summon undead stronger than herself?!”

“B-But it’s true… I-I can feel it.”

With that, everyone realized the gravity of the situation. Tangcho, known for his ‘Scouter’ trait, had never been wrong before.

Gulp.

Someone swallowed loudly, the sound echoing like thunder. If most of the undead were indeed above 6-star, then it made sense why their leader, Han Cheolsik, had struggled to block even a single strike.

“Move aside—”

“guild Leader, we should retreat and regroup—”

“I said, move aside.”

Han Cheolsik shook off the guild members supporting him and charged forward once more.

“Aaaaaah— Exploding Tiger’s Severance!”

With a scream akin to a battle cry, Han Cheolsik unleashed his signature skill, ‘Twelve-Form Severing Tiger Strike.’ The sheer force of his attack seemed like it could rip through the sky and overturn the earth, but—

Crunch—

The Elite Black Knight caught the attack with a single hand. Its glowing but utterly emotionless eyes locked onto Han Cheolsik, and in that moment, all his fighting spirit drained away.

“A…ah…”

Thud—

With a single kick from the Elite Knight, Han Cheolsik’s body flew through the air, crashing noisily into the ground near the guild members.

“Cough— E… Eun-young…”

He struggled to lift his head, reaching a trembling hand toward Han Eun-young.

Flop.

But that final gesture was all he could manage before he lost consciousness.

Those who knew the siblings’ history felt as if they might weep at the sight.

“g-guild Leader…”

“Hic…”

Some were already crying, overwhelmed by the despair and helplessness of the situation.

But then, amidst the somber mood, a piece of good news came.

“The missing persons have all been subdued.”

They had successfully taken down the subordinates who had been under Han Eun-young’s ‘Contract of Soul Enslavement.’ Since she had mostly recruited them based on appearance, they had little actual combat ability, making it easy to defeat them even as they began their demonic transformation.

“We should retreat for now.”

Shin Jinwoo, a high-ranking officer in Yongho guild who had been assessing the situation, stepped forward and proposed retreat. A 5-star superhuman who had brought Sungshik here, and a key figure in the guild, he was quick to analyze the situation.

‘Han Eun-young is finished. Her faction is done for.’

He had sided with Han Eun-young, but he now realized that staying with her was no longer an opportunity but a liability.

So, he planned to clean up the mess she had made, support Han Cheolsik, and wait for a new chance to rise. A textbook opportunist.

“We must escape before that crazy witch regains her composure—”

Shwoosh—

Thud.

“…Huh?”

Shin Jinwoo blinked as he stared at the right arm that had fallen to the ground.

It looked strangely familiar.

“Kuaaaagh—!”

Of course, it was his own arm.

He screamed in agony.

“Who, exactly, are you calling a crazy witch?”

With a chilling voice, Han Eun-young spoke.

She had cut off his arm with a single strike using an Elite Black Knight.

“Not a single one of you will leave this place alive today.”

Her words were delivered with eerie precision, void of emotion.

And in that moment, everyone thought the same thing.

‘Ah, this place… will be our grave.’

Looking at Han Eun-young and the monstrous undead army behind her, even the will to resist vanished.

“Dear God…”

Someone prayed.

And then—

“What a joke. The one dying today is you, you crazy bitch.”

Everyone gasped and turned toward the voice.

A tall man with sharp features, holding a long sword in one hand, stepped forward.

That’s right. The one who had cursed so brazenly and stepped up—

—was none other than Sungshik.