Return of the Frozen Player

Two days later, Seo Jun-Ho and the party arrived at the forest where the Sword Demon had appeared.

“...”

Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes narrowed while looking at the clear footsteps that the Sword Demon had left behind.

The Frost Queen was crouched next to Seo Jun-Ho, and she said, “Hm, I have a bad feeling about this, Contractor.”

“...Me, too.”

The Sword Demon seemed like he had no intentions of hiding his traces.

“There is a high chance this is a trap, as you expected, Specter-nim.”

“What should we do, junior brother?”

“It doesn’t matter even if it’s a trap.”

Seo Jun-Ho knew that the Sword Demon would try to entrap him. If this was indeed his trap to catch Seo Jun-Ho, Seo Jun-Ho was more than willing to fall into his trap on purpose.

“It seems like that’s what you want as well, Geon-Woo. Am I wrong?”

“Well…I can’t say you’re wrong,” Baek Geon-Woo answered with a cold smile.

Mouse traps would have delicious cheese to attract mice. If they could discover the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demon by chasing after the Sword Demon, it was certainly worth the risk.

‘And we don’t have to be afraid of him based on the strength of this party...’

Seo Jun-Ho made a decision and said, “Skaya. Track him down using these footprints and the demonic energy in the air.”

***

The Heavenly Demon muttered, “What a shame.”

Such words came out of his mouth unknowingly. The Heavenly Demon himself was slightly surprised by what he said, but he didn’t bother thinking deeply about it because he wanted to have fun.

‘It’s been a while since I felt this way—no, perhaps this is the first time.’

The Heavenly Demon couldn’t help but think if this was what a child who had lost their toy would feel. The deep sense of loss left a bitter taste in his mouth.

‘But at least I should be able to end him with my own hands.’

For him, that alone was enough.

The Heavenly Demon closed his eyes and waited. After a while, he heard dozens of distinct footsteps as a group of people approached him.

“Please… follow me.”

The hesitant voice belonged to Digor Myulivaf.

“Let’s go,” said the Heavenly Demon before following Digor Myulivaf leisurely.

They walked for a while, but the Heavenly Demon stopped and flinched upon entering a certain corridor.

‘I knew it...’

His skin tingled as he approached the being ahead of him. His instinct was warning him of the danger that the being posed to him.

‘So a Star Destruction Stage individual emits this much pressure?’

The enormous pressure bored down on him, but the Heavenly Demon remained steadfast.

“He’s here, Your Majesty.”

“Let him in.”

The massive doors to the Imperial Palace’s throne room swung open. The Heavenly Demon stepped onto the soft carpet and walked into the throne room by himself.

‘He’s—’’

Brrr!

The Heavenly Demon looked up, but his gaze was interrupted by an enormous amount of Force that threatened to engulf him. His demonic energy barely managed to block the Force that was trying to crush him.

“Is this how this empire treats their guests?”

“Well, you are an uninvited guest,” said the being on the throne as he looked down at the Heavenly Demon.

“What brings you here? I will kill you on the spot if you speak of something trivial.”

“You can’t kill me,” The Heavenly Demon answered calmly before adding, “You can’t kill me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to come here and talk to you like this. You’re welcome to deny it.”

“...” The Overmind Emperor glared murderously at the Heavenly Demon.

However, he could only glare because the Heavenly Demon was right.

The emperor couldn’t kill him.

“I guess the Archduke is more influential than I thought.”

“...You better watch your manners.’

The Overmind Emperor could tear apart the human being in front of him at any time, but he had to keep in mind that the human was the Archduke’s messenger. He couldn’t afford to offend the Archduke because the latter was a being who regarded the power the emperor had been pursuing all his life as insignificant as a speck of dust.

“I’ll get straight to the point. The Archduke does not want the humans to climb up the Floors. They have to be stopped here.”

“And why is that?”

“I’m not sure, either.”

The Overmind Emperor fell into contemplation at the Heavenly Demon’s words.

‘...I just don’t get it.’

The current universe didn’t have a god, and the Archduke was the closest to that seat more than anyone else. Therefore, the emperor couldn’t understand why such a powerful being was paying attention to the trivial Players.

‘I really don’t understand.’

However, the Archduke’s proposal wasn’t bad for the emperor. The Players had been disturbing his empire, after all.

The Overmind Emperor raised his head and asked, “What exactly is it that you want?”

“An army,” the Heavenly Demon answered, “I know where the Players are hiding. Allow me to borrow the empire’s army, and I’ll wipe the Players out with them.”

“...”

Brrr!

The Overmind Emperor’s yellow eyes suddenly turned vertical, similar to the eyes of reptiles. He stared at the Heavenly Demon for a long time before returning to his original form.

“I can see that you’re not lying,” he said.

“...”

The Heavenly Demon couldn’t answer the Overmind Emperor. The enormous pressure that the Overmind Emperor had emitted just now had been a bit too much for him to endure.

‘...Hah, this is just ridiculous. How is this monster the Floor Master of the 7th Floor?’

The Heavenly Demon couldn’t help but think about just how strong the Floor Masters of the 8th and 9th Floors were.

The Overmind Emperor nonchalantly gazed at the Heavenly Demon and said, “I will allow you to order the prince and the imperial army, including the two generals.”

And what the Overmind Emperor wanted in return was simple...

“Annihilate the Players on this land...”

***

The moon in the cloudy sky was particularly brighter than usual.

Rustle!

The Sword Demon’s sword was drooping in his hand as he wandered around the vacant lot where the moonlight was shining down on him.

“...”

‘I hate…. I despise everything.’

Uncompressed fury was dominating his mind and heart.

“...!”

Swoosh!

The Sword Demon’s bloodshot eyes flashed, and he turned to look at the side.

He could see fear-stained eyes staring at him from inside a bush.

“...Player.” A hoarse voice emerged from his mouth.

- You hate and despise the Players.

The Sword Demon growled upon finding a Player, which he hated the most. He moved quickly, thinking that killing the Player would subdue the fury in his heart.

“Die…!”

Splat!

The Sword Demon’s sword pierced the Player’s head, killing the latter instantaneously.

“Marco!”

“Damn it! Kill him!”

The Players in the bushes jumped out and attacked the Sword Demon.

‘Players. So many players…’

“Kill… them all…” The Sword Demon swung his sword. The way he wielded his sword looked as if he were a swordsmanship rookie.

“Keheuk!”

Unfortunately, not a single player could withstand his sword for longer than a second.

“Damn it, damn it all!”

The Players trembled in fear upon looking at the vacant lot stained with blood.

The monster that they could not kill instilled fear in their hearts.

The Sword Demon got ready to kill his next target, but before he could take a step forward, a bolt of lightning from out of the blue flew toward his head.

Boom!

“Wow. He blocked that? Be careful, junior brother. His reflexes are great.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The surviving Players turned toward the familiar voice.

“Sorry, we’re late...”

“Ah, ah… thank goodness!”

The Players let out sighs of relief after identifying the Players who were walking toward them. The sense of relief and the resentment and sorrow for their deceased colleagues engulfed the hearts of the surviving Players at once.

Seo Jun-Ho said, “Miss Chae-Won. Evacuate the survivors to the back.”

“I got it,” said Son Chae-Won before moving toward the surviving Players.

However, the Sword Demon charged at her to intercept.

Screech!

However, an unavoidable spear flew toward him. He had to raise his sword to block the attack, but he ended up flying away from the impact.

“...?”

“I won’t let you pass.”

“...” The Sword Demon wordlessly stared at Seo Jun-Ho before swinging his sword haphazardly.

‘So this is what it feels like, huh?’

Clang! Crash! Clang!

The Sword Demon’s swordsmanship was quite familiar to Seo Jun-Ho.

‘This swordsmanship … it’s certainly…’

The Sword Demon’s swordsmanship was definitely similar to that of Ceylonso Bestard, the best swordsman of the empire whom Seo Jun-Ho had killed just a while ago.

‘But something’s different…’

However, it seemed like something more fundamental had been added artificially to his swordsmanship. Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t identify it, but he couldn’t care less. After all, he could still see traces of the Sword Demon’s massacre.

“Yes, there is no need for me to know.”

The Sword Demon was a fiend, and it was enough for Seo Jun-Ho to kill him.

“Player… die…!”

“Go ahead. Try and kill me.”

Fwoosh!

The air screeched as Seo Jun-Ho’s spear flew toward the Sword Demon.

Clash!

The Sword Demon parried the spear thrust before getting closer to Seo Jun-Ho.

“I can see that you’ve done some research about me.”

The opponent had a surprisingly accurate grasp of Seo Jun-Ho’s spear arts.

‘But there’s no way you’ll know this...’

“Rewind.”

Time itself was rewound, and the distance between them grew wider once more.

Seo Jun-Ho thrust his White Dragon in the same direction.

“...?!” The Sword Demon flinched when his attempted parry failed. White Dragon had become as flexible as a snake and grazed the Sword Demon’s shoulder.

‘Too shallow.’

Seo Jun-Ho had tried to injure the Sword Demon’s shoulder to incapacitate the latter, but the Sword Demon managed to dodge by virtue of his unbelievable reflexes.

‘...Wow. He’s a monster.’ Seo Jun-Ho clicked his tongue in fury. ‘He’s blessed with such great skills, but he actually chose to be a fiend? If he had been a Player…’

The Sword Demon would have become one of the best swordsmen in the history of Players.

‘He would have been a great rival of Kim Woo-Joong, but I guess it’s just an assumption of mine.’

Seo Jun-Ho’s expression turned cold as darkness blossomed at White Dragon’s tip.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

‘This attack will take his life...’

It was Seo Jun-Ho’s form of atonement and apology for the Players who perished because they didn’t make it in time. However, Seo Jun-Ho’s gaze changed slightly before he could make his move.

‘...What is going on?’

The Sword Demon’s explosive demonic energy died down, and it soon became as calm as a lake. The demonic energy had become so gentle, placid, and organized that Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t believe that the Sword Demon was a fiend.

“You arrogant bastard…” Seo Jun-Ho’s voice was stiff as he said, “The likes of you actually want to be remembered as a swordsman? How dare a disgusting fiend demand to be remembered as an honorable swordsman?”

“...” The Sword Demon didn’t answer. However, his red eyes behind the Specter’s mask looked anguished for some reason.

‘What’s up with that look? Isn’t he a fiend? Fiends don’t have the right to feel sad.’

Seo Jun-Ho gulped the words he almost spoke out loud.

He bit his lips and growled. “Come at me.”

“...”

The Sword Demon kicked off of the ground. His sword moved softly in the air, and its trajectory resembled the moon in the sky.

Slash!

The fight ended right there and then.

“...”The Sword Demon’s sword disintegrated into hundreds of pieces, and the Sword Demon himself staggered backward as blood blossomed from all over his body.

Thud!

There was a dull thud as he fell helplessly to his knees.

Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes were complicated as he stared at the Sword Demon.

‘That sword move just now…’

The Sword Demon’s sword move looked as cold as the moon, but it was warmer than any sword move that Seo Jun-Ho had encountered so far. Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t even help but doubt if a fiend could even perform such a sword move.

“You... Who the hell are you?”

Seo Jun-Ho swung his spear, and the Sword Demon’s mask shattered.

“...” The Sword Demon lowered his head.

His visage couldn’t be seen because of the sweat and blood.

“...?”

‘What is this sense of familiarity?’ Seo Jun-Ho felt a shiver down his spine. ‘No way...’

Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes quivered anxiously.

“R-raise your head…” he said in a trembling voice.

‘There’s no way… It doesn’t make sense. That’s impossible. It can’t be...’

The Sword Demon raised his head, and a deafening silence enveloped the vacant lot.

Son Chae-Won’s voice was trembling as she muttered, “Woo… Joong?”

Seo Jun-Ho closed his eyes tightly upon seeing the Sword Demon’s face.