Trash of the Count's Family Book 2: Chapter 377: I'm sure it was not enough (2)
Previously on Trash of the Count's Family...
<It was clearly not enough (2)>
Boom.
With a sudden push from his feet, the Heavenly Demon erupted from the ground.
His form surged forward like a missile directly at So Hee.
“You bastard-!”
So Hee frantically waved both hands to intercept the fearless assailant.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—
White, jagged threads tore through the air, shrieking like a wounded animal as they shot forth from her palms.
Above, below, and from every flank…
These pale filaments lashed out at the Heavenly Demon’s every angle.
“This is absurd……”
So Hee’s pupils trembled violently as she muttered to herself.
“There is no way, I am certain there is no way-”
‘I have never encountered this wretch before!’
Kim Hae-Yi.
She had never come across a wanderer with such a visage in her records.
That suggested this individual belonged to a tier so low it wasn’t even worth her focus.
And yet, how could he unveil a unique power, let alone manifest it right here on the spot?
‘So Hee, you are an absolute genius. Finding a wanderer of your caliber in this current age… I am truly impressed.’
What had secured her place among the Five Colors Bloods?
It was solely due to her unique power—a miracle only she could forge now that ancient powers were locked away.
‘In ages past, those with unique powers could strive to transcend their mortal shells into godhood, even without being a single-lifer. But that trail was obliterated by the Divine race.’
Memories of the adulation she once received flashed through her mind…
‘So Hee, you are simply marvelous.’
‘How can a modern wanderer possibly awaken a unique power?’
Her life as a mere human…
So Hee had been largely ignored during that time.
It was only because she was a single-lifer that she attained wanderer status, which earned her a seat among them.
“My status-”
My domain…
“How dare you attempt to seize what is rightfully mine!”
She couldn’t suppress the fury igniting within her chest.
‘Before it reaches perfection!’
Her analytical mind churned at a frantic pace.
‘Kim Hae-Yi, I must strike this wretch down before his unique power fully stabilizes!’
The choice was made in her capacity as an agent of the Five Colors Bloods.
“He wasn’t the AI!”
This fighter wasn’t an artificial construct.
No, it was something else—
“You must be the one from the World of the Gods who followed us!”
The World of the Gods was presently fractured into two halves by the God of Chaos.
This wasn't merely a theoretical divide.
It was a literal separation, barring either side from crossing into the other's territory.
Kim Hae-Yi.
This intruder was a wanderer.
More specifically, one who had managed to unearth a concerning amount of intelligence regarding the operations of her Five Colors Bloods and their cohorts.
‘He must be eliminated.’
If someone like him discovered her and reported back to the World of the Gods…
‘Our entire grand design could be ruined!’
A cold sense of urgency crept into So Hee’s heart.
‘So Hee, there is a reason we tasked you with such a minor opening job.’
She recalled the stern words of a superior from the Five Colors Bloods.
But the time for contemplation had passed.
She decided then and there—
‘I will kill him.’
This person was invading her space.
He threatened to supplant her.
She had to ensure he met his end.
SCREEEEEEEEECH—
The white threads converging toward the Heavenly Demon suddenly pivoted.
Crack!
Crack, crunch!
Eight distinct strands.
They encircled the Heavenly Demon and pierced deep into the foundation of the tournament arena.
They pulsed with a velocity far exceeding the threads that had previously blanketed the stadium.
Bang!
As the eighth thread slammed home…
Screeeeech-
A horrific, piercing wail erupted, louder than anything yet heard, as a sea of finer threads burst forth from the initial white webbing.
– Cale.
The Super Rock observed the scene with gravity.
– That looks troublesome.
Amidst that warning…
“Domain secured.”
So Hee’s eyes flushed milk-white.
“Domain expansion.”
Following her command…
Screeeeech-
The white threads erupted from the earth, encircling the Heavenly Demon instantly.
As they began to entomb him within a cocoon of white energy…
He lifted his gaze to the heavens.
“It is finished.”
The threads sought to mantle the sky above him with their white prison, but…
Rumble-
The heavens retorted with a roar.
“!”
The white-eyed So Hee flinched in horror.
A chill traced its way down her spine.
‘Unique powers possess their own hierarchy.’
The individual who had recruited her into the Five Colors Bloods had once mentioned that.
‘Whether derived from natural affinity or inherent nature, every power follows a grading system.’
‘We differentiate them via five distinct colors.’
Orange represented the pinnacle.
‘You reside at the blue grade.’
Blue was merely a step above the base level, black.
‘However, yours holds value because of its unique properties.’
‘Cursed wretch.’
So Hee glared at the sky, now roiled by dark crimson clouds, cursing beneath her breath.
“…His must be superior to mine.”
A power manifested on this level had to be at least purple-grade.
The entire sky above had been stained into a deep, dark red.
The Heavenly Demon observed his ‘sky’—or more accurately, those roiling, viscous crimson clouds—and spoke.
“Since you stand beneath my heavens-”
The Heavenly Demon walked the path knowing he was not a true god, yet…
He held the absolute conviction that he was the deity of his Demon Cult.
That thin, fragile margin…
It was what compelled him to weave clouds in place of an actual firmament.
While the actual sun might still persist behind them…
To those under his command, the sky he created was the only one that mattered.
While it was a terrifying sight for enemies…
His followers felt a sense of absolute protection, as if these clouds were eternal sentinels…
As long as the Heavenly Demon harbored no doubt concerning his own existence…
Beneath this dark red expanse-
“This is my domain.”
Distorted shapes flickered within the clouds—ferocious beasts that had yet to solidify—bared their fangs.
Rumble—
Continuous peals of thunder rattled the air.
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
As the crimson clouds swallowed the remaining rays of the sun…
“Ah.”
The crowd stopped their panicked retreat, mesmerized by the sky.
“The world-”
It had been cast into shadow.
A dark, blood-red world.
It was neither night nor dusk.
The sunlight, filtered through those crimson clouds, turned a bruised red as it fell upon the hands and faces of the onlookers.
“Look, over there-”
The scarlet light washed over the white threads.
Ssssssssss-
The white threads, which had previously repelled the Heavenly Demon's influence, began to wither.
Those thick strands attempting to encase the stadium started to shed their original color.
“Everything beneath the sky of the Demon belongs to the Demon.”
The Heavenly Demon wore a beaming smile.
He seemed profoundly content.
“That lunatic.”
Cale muttered, watching him.
He heard the panicked voices of others ringing out behind him.
The spectators, once blind with fear, suddenly shouted.
“My Internal Qi is functioning! It can actually cause damage!”
The white threads.
The very strands that had seemed impervious to Internal Qi were finally beginning to take damage.
“Only where the light is crimson! Focus your attacks there!”
It had no effect elsewhere.
Only in the areas bathed in that dark redness.
Only the spots touched by that light remained vulnerable to their strikes.
– The denizens of the Central Plains, the loyalists of the Demon Cult, they harness Internal Qi.
The Super Rock mused in disbelief.
– This is quite shocking. This Heavenly Demon truly lives up to his name. He has forged a power that scales with the strength and numbers of his own Cult.
Cale’s own ancient powers were typically ones that created massive, solitary destruction.
Yet, the Heavenly Demon had crafted a power that fortified his entire following.
That-
– That is the true path of the Heavenly Demon.
It was exactly as the Super Rock had envisioned.
Suddenly…
“Ugh, run!”
People began to wail.
“Domain expansion.”
So Hee refused to remain idle.
The threads that were attempting to consume the stadium…
They rapidly shifted their trajectory.
They scrambled to evade the encroaching crimson light.
Screeeech-
“Argh, my leg!”
The threads lashed out at anyone they could snare.
They wrapped tightly around a victim.
“Ugh!”
Then, they began to siphon the life force from their prey.
The white threads glowed with renewed brilliance, growing thicker.
It was akin to a spider feeding upon its catch.
And then-
Shhhhh-
So Hee’s white-stained eyes gleamed, and a veil of white aura shimmered around her physique.
“It’s a grave mistake to underestimate me.”
A cruel smile curled So Hee’s lips.
‘Not yet-’
I will not fall to someone like Kim Hae-Yi so easily.
She licked her lips with a flick of her tongue.
“So much prey.”
There was an abundance of life force—her sustenance—all around them.
Her grin widened as she gestured with her hand again.
Bang!
Taking a powerful leap, she charged once more toward the Heavenly Demon.
The pale thread coiled around his arm remained tethered to her hand.
Though it was slowly beginning to turn dark red, she didn't care…
“Domain Reset.”
Screeeeech-
The brilliant white washed over the encroaching crimson once more.
“Truly-”
The Heavenly Demon remarked quietly.
“It would be difficult to handle you alone.”
It was no simple feat to manifest and command this new authority.
As a trickle of blood ran down his chin…
“However-”
However…
“You are the one who should not be underestimating us.”
“What?”
Just as So Hee began to question him…
Screeeeech-
The thread binding her to the Heavenly Demon…
Even as it turned white and the crimson taint faded—
A bolt of light flashed down from the heavens.
Baaaaaang!
So Hee frantically scrambled backward.
“……!”
The white filament dangled in front of her.
It was severed.
The thread that would have allowed her to drain his life force was gone.
“Who is there?”
She scanned the space between herself and the Heavenly Demon.
At the very center stood a figure.
The one who had sliced through the remnants of dark red on her thread…
“There are reliable allies to handle the stadium now.”
Choi Han muttered an excuse to the Heavenly Demon before casting a glance at Cale.
Nod.
After Cale’s short nod, Choi Han turned away and planted himself firmly in front of the Heavenly Demon.
“They are alive because of you.”
He expressed a rare moment of gratitude to the Demon.
And it was the truth.
Slash!
Alberu severed one of the deepest crimson-stained threads and bellowed to those nearby.
“Drag every victim caught by the threads into the light! Then, shred what remains of the webs!”
They finally had a countermeasure.
In fact, the people of the Lan Kingdom had already started moving, even without Alberu's guidance.
“Ugh!”
“Hold on—good. We’re cutting the thread now!”
The dark red light…
Rumble-
The sky continued its thunderous display, and the light filtering through the clouds maintained its crimson hue, drenching the earth.
The white threads could do nothing but retreat before such relentless luminosity.
Drip.
Yet, more blood welled up and spilled from the Heavenly Demon’s mouth.
“To perform a feat similar to Kim Hae-il…”
The Heavenly Demon chuckled bitterly before noticing a masked individual materialize between Choi Han and himself.
“What is similar to me?”
It was Cale.
Despite his current blonde disguise, he hid his face behind a mask, standing resolute before the Demon.
“Do try harder. You might as well put that new power to proper use.”
Cale stated matter-of-factly.
“I will handle the wanderer.”
Clang!
Choi Han drew his blade and surged toward So Hee.
He possessed the ability to carve through her threads from the very start.
Unfettered by the duty of protecting others, he could finally unleash his full potential.
“Hm.”
Cale caught the Heavenly Demon’s disappointed growl and responded with indifference.
“Give that man his chance.”
“I suppose you have a point.”
The Heavenly Demon’s melancholy evaporated instantly.
Choi Han.
He had effectively come face-to-face with the greatest adversary of his family line.
“…….”
The Heavenly Demon watched as Choi Han charged forward, then shifted his gaze to Cale.
He smiled, witnessing these two individuals standing guard for him.
Perhaps this was the most meaningful moment he had experienced in this strange land.
Perhaps he was discovering a joy that had eluded him for his entire existence until this day.
“…….”
The Heavenly Demon shut his eyes.
He channeled his internal power, watching it swell within.
The sky of the Demon.
Within it, he infused the sheer conviction that could uplift a man to godhood, as well as the raw human emotions he had recently unearthed.
He reasoned that including those feelings might be vital.
It made perfect sense, considering his resolution to live as a human.
Baaaaaang!
He remained peacefully with his eyes closed, the thunderous explosions becoming nothing more than noise.
Ruuuumble-
But the celestial roaring only intensified.
It was so tumultuous that every NPC and wanderer, indeed everyone outside the arena, remained transfixed by the sky.
“Ugh! Where did another monster like this even come from?!”
So Hee's eyes darted wildly as she watched the black yong open its massive jaws to consume her.
Baaaaaang!
This black creature, crafted from a violent black aura…
The sword held at the heart of that surging beast, wielded by an unhesitating Choi Han—
This wanderer.
He was the designated target for Choi Han to dismantle.
Choi Han’s dark, furious yong crashed toward his enemy beneath the crimson heavens.
As it moved, it stained the white threads with shades of encroaching black.
—
Translator's Comments
Choi Han about to clobber this wanderer.
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