Trash of the Count's Family Book 2: Chapter 376: I'm sure it was not enough (1)
Previously on Trash of the Count's Family...
Yet, certain folks couldn’t merely stand by and observe as Cale’s team took action.
Actually, the majority were unable to simply watch on.
“Hwa In is So Hee?!”
“T, this can’t be! How could she pull off something like this?!”
Ordinary folks along with the kingdom’s key figures…
With the tournament crowning the victor as the future sovereign of the Lan Kingdom, everyone showed strong reactions to the revelation that Hwa In was indeed So Hee.
But those capable of deeper analysis and sharper insights…
The heads of various factions, or-
“This-”Individuals on Queen Tamahi’s stature displayed varied responses.
“Martial Scholar.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Cha Run’s tone trembled slightly.
“No matter the angle, it appears Hwa In acts as the disguise, while So Hee reveals her real identity. This implies the Alliance leader concealed her true self all along, doesn’t it, sir?”
The Queen shared the same view.
Without realizing, she addressed Cha Run with the deference from her childhood days.
“And that power-”
Her finger quivered as she pointed toward Kim Hae-Yi.
“That force, I believe I grasp it now.”
Oooooo– oooooo–
Upon witnessing this dark red aura gradually expanding…
She sensed she could finally comprehend this power’s nature as it grew larger.
More precisely, she remained unaware of its exact origin.
Still, she recalled encountering something akin to it in the past.
“Those wanderers-, I’m certain this resembles the wanderers’ power.”
The formidable intruder who once restricted Queen Tamahi’s movements…
She felt confident this matched that force closely.
Since it marked her initial encounter with such a phenomenon.
“They vary, yet-”
The pair of wanderers she had encountered so far…
“It’s their distinctive aura, exclusive to them alone.”
A strength Tamahi lacked, one that filled her with hopelessness.
“…Kim Hae-Yi is a wanderer?”
As Queen Tamahi muttered, her gaze nearly wavered in desperation…
“Your Majesty.”
Cha Run’s steady voice reached her.
“The circumstances make it unlikely for that to hold.”
“…I know.”
For the simple reason-
To all observers at that instant-
“The truly dubious figure turns out to be the Cooperative Alliance’s leader, Hwa In.”
Right then.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—-
A horrifying wail, reminiscent of a beast in its death throes, reverberated across the platform.
“!”
Even a seasoned warrior like Queen Tamahi, with years of practice behind her, instinctively recoiled from the noise. As her shoulders hunched and she clutched her ears…
“Ugh!”
“Ow, my ear!”
Commoners clutched their ears or heads in pain.
“Your Majesty!”
Following her protector’s call, Tamahi lifted her gaze to the stage.
“!”
Just as the dark red aura threatened to engulf the entire stage…
A thread of white began to emerge.
“Mmph!”
She drew in a sharp breath without thinking.
It shone in a stark white hue, devoid of any luminescence.
This thin white line, ascending like a filament, originated from the hand of Hwa In—or rather, So Hee.
“Ah-”
Amid the foreboding dark red aura, a lone white strand ascended.
As Tamahi gazed upon that line, only one notion crossed her mind.
‘Death.’
She couldn’t explain why.
Staring at the white strand, Tamahi envisioned a fleeting image of her own head severed clean.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—
The chilling noise piercing her ears evoked the last gasp of one on the brink of demise.
Death didn’t always manifest in black.
At times, white conveyed it with greater clarity.
Like flawless white parchment, unmarred and empty.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—
The white strand’s tip divided as it surged skyward.
Screeeech-
It branched into eight curves, beginning to enshroud the stage.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—!
The shrieking intensified.
Tamahi found herself frozen in place.
She dreaded that any motion would prompt the white strand to sever her head.
That white strand seemed poised to blanket the stage entirely.
‘Ah-’
This realization dawned on her.
‘A spiderweb-’
The white strand evoked the image of a spider’s web.
Moreover, she felt ensnared like an insect trapped within it.
It was then.
Boom!
The stage trembled violently.
“!”
Queen Tamahi observed the dark red aura begin to surge fiercely.
Kim Hae-Yi, positioned at the heart of that dark red aura…
He slammed his foot down.
Boom!
The arena quaked once more.
Following his motion, the dark red aura surged toward the white strand.
With that-
“…….”
Breathing became possible again.
Kim Hae-Yi.
“…That individual isn’t the foe-”
The instant he stomped and directed his aura at the white strand…
“Haaaaaaaaaa!”
“Huff, huff.”
Ordinary spectators resumed their breathing.
It enabled them to avert their eyes from the suffocating white strand—even for Queen Tamahi—and inhale freely.
This ominous yet captivating dark red aura shielded them.
It expanded to safeguard the masses, forming a massive barrier encircling the stage.
“Your Majesty!”
Cha Run’s elderly voice brimmed with hopelessness, causing Tamahi to startle.
“!”
In that instant, another figure drew near.
Swoooooooosh-
A blond man with a swirling wind at his ankle appeared.
The bamboo-hatted man, face obscured, began to speak.
“You need to evacuate all present.”
Lifting the bamboo hat revealed a youthful face.
At that very moment…
Boom!
The earth shuddered anew.
One white strand pierced beyond the stage’s edge.
Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing–!
White vapor and finer threads erupted from the point.
It mimicked capillaries or a spider’s intricate web.
Should all eight strands embed into the ground, releasing fumes and tiny threads…
‘We’ll be ensnared!’
They’d resemble victims cocooned in a spider’s grasp.
Everyone within the stadium faced that fate.
“Holy shit! Internal ki doesn’t work against this!’
An individual had struck at the finer threads.
Internal ki wasn’t ineffective entirely.
Merely, any weaker than the threads proved utterly powerless.
“Move!”
“Aaaaaaaaaah-!”
“W, we need to run!”
Panic began to grip the crowd.
“…….”
The bamboo-hatted man…
Tamahi fixed her eyes on Alberu before speaking.
“Commence evacuation right away!”
Her retainers sprang into action per her orders.
Boom!
Drums boomed in every direction, while officials emerged to direct the audience and unlock exits.
“We cannot open gate 7! It is blocked!”
The eight exits…
White strands plunged downward, as if impaling before each gate.
One exit stood already sealed.
“Gate 5, gate 5 will soon as well!”
An official cried out in anguish.
“Move!”
Hyun Seong of the Snow Flower Sect advanced and unleashed an assault.
Her spear’s point targeted the white strand, yet…
Baaaaaang!
A thunderous blast erupted; the strand remained unscathed.
‘How is this possible?’
Goosebumps raced over Hyun Seong’s skin upon colliding with the white strand.
This-
‘What is this?’
Her internal ki rebounded forcefully.
Her strike failed to connect.
The white strand exuded an otherworldly essence.
Neither aura nor magic defined it.
‘What can counter this?’
Even as Hyun Seong’s thoughts blurred, the white strand neared Gate 5’s threshold.
“Fuck! Turn these people somewhere else!”
As Hyun Seong turned to yell at the official…
“Please move.”
She spotted a bamboo-hatted man.
The red-haired figure…
As he thrust forth his sword…
“!”
Fresh goosebumps prickled Hyun Seong’s flesh.
“Ah.”
A jagged black strand, fierce as a lightning bolt, swept past her form.
Slash-
The white strand severed cleanly.
Shh.
The red-haired man lifted his bamboo hat, revealing an earnest expression.
“Please evacuate everyone.”
Choi Han proceeded onward after his words.
The eight exits…
He dashed to guard them.
‘That’s what Cale-nim instructed.’
He recalled Cale, who stood silently observing the stage amid the frantic exodus.
‘Choi Han. Your highness.’
Cale had voiced his thoughts.
‘I believe this power ties to a domain.’
Cale relayed the Super Rock’s insights to the group.
‘That white strand mirrors Choi Han’s aura domain. It seems more than mere aura—her singular ability.’
Such were the Super Rock’s words.
‘Resembling ancient powers.’
– That, that is an ancient power. It is the same as us.
– But it is stronger than us.
– If we are new sprouts, that is a whole tree.
‘Getting trapped in this domain would prove troublesome indeed.’
Cale resolved the necessary steps upon spotting the white strand.
‘Your highness, you handle the Queen.
Choi Han, you assist with the evacuation.’
Oooooo– oooooo–
Choi Han detected a subtle rumble.
An imperceptible aura lingered around Cale, unnoticed by others yet.
The Heavenly Demon.
So Hee.
In truth, Cale possessed the most potent aura domain here, surpassing all others.
‘I’ll intervene if the Heavenly Demon faces peril.’
Thus, Choi Han held his tongue toward Cale and departed his side.
“…….”
Yet, he intended to act should Cale encounter threat.
The Wanderers.
They served as his targets.
Boom!
The ground quivered once more then.
Choi Han’s eyes flicked briefly to the stage.
The duel persisted despite the fleeing masses.
“I’ll need to at least capture you.”
So Hee grinned while reaching toward the Heavenly Demon.
She gripped the white strand like a blade in her palm.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—
It emitted that razor-sharp, horrifying screech and lunged at the Heavenly Demon.
Death emanated palpably from that strand.
“Ha, hahaha-”
The Heavenly Demon chuckled upon viewing the strand.
Choi Han averted his gaze and whispered softly.
“…He’s definitely crazy.”
The Heavenly Demon.
He referred to that rogue.
Nevertheless, a faint grin played on Choi Han’s lips.
“I think I understand.”
No one present grasped his meaning. Choi Han lacked the moment to explain anyway.
Slash.
His blade danced ceaselessly, preventing the white thread from ensnaring anyone.
“Hahaha-”
The usual weariness in the still-laughing Heavenly Demon had vanished.
He beamed with evident delight.
Oooooo– oooooo–
Undeterred by the dark red aura, the white strand advanced toward him relentlessly.
The Heavenly Demon observed it silently.
He also regarded So Hee beyond it.
Smile.
So Hee smiled as well.
Since unleashing her white strand, her presence resembled a serene ocean.
It displayed no tremors, no limits.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—
This quietude, clashing with the piercing wail, rendered her an enigmatic being, distant and unapproachable.
“It’s not easy, is it?”
So Hee remarked.
As her words concluded…
Oooooo-
The white strand pierced through the dark red aura, arriving directly before the Heavenly Demon.
So Hee let out a light laugh.
“A unique power lacking a defined shape holds limited value.”
The Heavenly Demon reached out.
The dark red aura contacted the white strand.
Chhhhhhhhh-
A hissing noise arose as the dark red aura retreated.
Then, the smile faded from the Heavenly Demon’s expression.
But So Hee’s grin widened further.
Baaaaang!
As the Heavenly Demon’s dark red aura-clad hand attempted to seize the white strand…
“Mm.”
His hand and form were hurled backward.
“…….”
He retreated a single step.
He glanced down at his displaced feet.
“Hoo hoo-”
So Hee laughed and gestured with her hand.
The white strand trailed naturally, as if an extension of her limb.
Screeeech—!
The white strand sliced the air with wind-like speed, seizing the Heavenly Demon’s wrist.
Ssss–
It then ascended his arm.
It encased the Heavenly Demon’s arm akin to a splint.
Much like a spider binding its catch.
“…….”
The Heavenly Demon continued staring at his shifted feet.
“You are standing still?”
So Hee concealed none of her amusement.
“Ah-”
She tilted her head upward.
Through the white strand’s interstices, she viewed the sky.
Soon, even that sky would lie within her silken enclosure.
“I could have simply slain everyone like this from the start.”
‘I complicated matters for myself.
I ought to have proceeded this way.’
“It seems the troublesome elements will diminish.”
“Yes.”
– !
So Hee started at the response.
She glanced downward.
Kim Hae-Yi remained with head bowed.
Yet, unmistakably, the Heavenly Demon had uttered, ‘yes.’
His voice echoed once more.
“Yes. Because of you, the nuisances have decreased.”
So Hee frowned deeply.
“What did you say……?”
What nonsense was this fiend spouting?
She hadn’t intended to eliminate him immediately, intrigued by his origins.
However, his brazenness provoked her ire.
The Heavenly Demon replied.
“It’s nothing much.”
He lifted his gaze.
The Heavenly Demon smiled.
“I just want to thank you.”
“…What?”
So Hee recoiled as she questioned.
She raised her head.
The Heavenly Demon’s voice sounded.
“Thanks to you, I’ve discerned how to wield this power. My deepest gratitude.”
His tone carried utmost serenity.
“Uniqueness you say-”
Uniqueness.
“Create my own form-”
It offered superb guidance.
Utterly appropriate as well.
The Heavenly Demon first beheld this power’s form via Choi Han, but-
‘Uniqueness and form.’
Clarity struck upon hearing those terms.
“… Kim Hae-il-”
Kim Hae-il, the one who commanded nature outright. No, Cale Henituse.
In contrast to the So Hee before him-
Cale’s might evoked a ‘god.’
‘Ah.’
He perceived the solution.
The Heavenly Demon glimpsed a route eclipsing Choi Han’s prowess.
‘Can I achieve something similar with my aura?’
He swiftly arrived at a conclusion.
The Heavenly Demon pondered while eyeing his retreated feet.
I won’t yield ground.
Why not?
I embody the pinnacle of the Demon Cult.
“Yes.”
I…
“Am the sky.”
I am the Demon Cult’s deity, its heavenly sovereign.
“…U… unbelievable-”
So Hee’s pupils quivered as she stared skyward.
Choi Han halted his sword swings and gazed upward too.
“As expected, you figured it out too.”
However…
“I’m the one who is late this time.”
A grin brimming with rivalry surfaced on Choi Han’s face.
“Ha!”
Crown Prince Alberu at last witnessed the trajectories of Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon, realms he had yet to attain.
As ambition flared in his eyes…
– Cale.
While gazing skyward, Cale heard the Super Rock’s voice.
– It is not the sky attribute. They are clouds.
The Super Rock’s voice resonated with profound awe.
– Enough clouds to cover the sky-
He continued after a prolonged pause, as if overwhelmed by fervor.
– …An ancient power is being born right now!
The white strands formed a spiderweb.
Beyond it, the true sky churned.
A cloud materialized.
That cloud gradually shifted to dark red.
It writhed.
It resembled a predator beast coiling before unfurling.
“Haaaa, really.”
Cale eyed the Heavenly Demon skeptically.
Smile.
The Heavenly Demon already regarded Cale. He offered Cale a smile before turning aside.
He then gestured with his hand.
“Ugh!”
So Hee bowed her head.
She peered downward.
Her foot had dragged forward a step.
She looked ahead.
The Heavenly Demon clutched the white strand, drawing it closer.
“…This bastard-”
So Hee gnawed her lip but struggled to advance freely.
Rumble-
The sky began to thunder…
No, the clouds.
The alluring yet sinister dark red cloud enveloped the heavens.
This marked the sky crafted by the Heavenly Demon.
—
Translator’s Comments
Damn, how can the Heavenly Demon not be a favorite?
TCF posting schedule is currently 1 chapter Monday – Wed and 1 chapter Friday – Sun. Join our discord to be notified as soon as the chapter posts!
