Chapter 214 – Omen of Crisis (3)

Whoosh-

The high-altitude wind brushed against my cheeks. My ears were ringing. And above all, it was cold. A cold so intense it seeped into my bones. But even so, the smile never left my face. Because.

I lowered my gaze. Through the scale-covered skin, I could see the landscape below. The clouds floating in the sky, and further down, the buildings piled up like Lego blocks.

It was an overwhelming grandeur I had never felt before in my life. Very different from when I traveled by plane. No, incomparable. The impact of this primitive flight shook my entire being.

Besides, you can take planes on Earth. But a dragon? How many could say they’ve ridden a dragon? Even in this world, probably almost no one. After all, dragons were part of the demons.

A demon carrying a human on its back? It was like seeing a mouse riding a cat.

I lifted my gaze again. From the large horns to where I was sitting stretched the wide back. It was hard to believe this was the same Horn who drooled over any piece of meat.

As I sighed in admiration, Horn turned her head toward me.

– Sir Kang Geom-Ma.

She spoke in the language of demons. When she transformed into a dragon, her oral structure changed, and she couldn’t speak like a human.

But thanks to the “Blessing of Communication,” it wasn’t a problem for me. I answered her in demon language as well.

“What’s up? Have we arrived?”

– Not yet. But at this speed, I think we’ll get there in less than an hour.

“Wow… fast. It’s like flying from Korea to Hawaii in two hours. Even by plane, it takes eight and a half hours!”

The muscles of her wings trembled slightly, as if she were shrugging.

– Comparing us to those chunks of scrap metal is insulting! We dragons fly using the magical energy of the environment, while those rusted pieces of iron…!

Horn began delivering a passionate lecture on the greatness of dragon flight. As I listened, I felt a strange déjà vu. Her way of speaking… her tone… was eerily similar to Choi Seol-ah.

‘…She’s definitely been contaminated from spending too much time with her.’

I sighed, letting out a white puff of breath.

Suddenly, I got curious and asked.

“By the way, I’ve noticed your Korean has improved a lot. Do demons learn human languages quickly?”

– Not all of them. For a demon to speak human language, two conditions must be met.

In short, for a demon to speak Korean, they needed to have a mouth structure similar to a human’s and a high level of intelligence. Horn added that very few demons met both requirements.

‘If she meets both conditions, she must be a high-level demon…’

But demons of that level rarely showed themselves. They hated leaving their own territory. Even scholars didn’t know exactly why. Horn didn’t know either; she said it was just their nature.

Fortunately, that reserved nature greatly reduced the threats to humanity. But if those high-level demons started appearing, it meant something serious was happening.

And if they came in large numbers, the problem was even more serious.

A bad premonition crossed my mind.

‘Something always happens whenever I go somewhere.’

We had already been traveling for half an hour when Horn murmured in a low voice.

– Sir Kang Geom-Ma, for a while now, I’ve been sensing a strong demonic presence near the Gate of Gehenna.

“Well, it’s normal for demons to be near the Gate, right?”

– Yes… but this time it’s different. There are too many. And they don’t seem like ordinary demons. I don’t know exactly what race they are, but I’m sure there are a lot.

I frowned and asked.

“How many are we talking about?”

-Wait a moment.

Horn released her magic to expand her perception. Her scales bristled all at once. With her sharpened senses, she gave her answer.

– Approximately a hundred.

“Shit!”

Horn opened her eyes wide in surprise.

-What does that mean? I’ve heard it a lot, but no one tells me what it means. Even Choi Seol-ah just said it was something ugly.

What an irony, coming from someone who used to be a villainess.

Horn looked at me with eyes full of curiosity, like a child eager to learn. There was no point hiding it. She would hear that word more than once at the academy anyway.

So I said.

“It’s a typical Korean expression. Normally it’s used when something bad happens… but it can also be used when something very good happens.”

– Ah, I see…!

A pair of horns moved up and down in my field of vision. It was Horn nodding.

“Let’s leave this conversation for later. Horn, can you go faster from here?”

– I can, but if I do, Sir Kang Geom-Ma might be affected. The freezing wind could tear your skin…

Horn answered with concern. I appreciated her worry, but honestly, my skin getting torn or damaged wasn’t a problem for me. After all, I could activate the “Blessing of Regeneration.”

To reassure her, I answered confidently.

“It’s fine, fly at your maximum speed. I’m sure you wanted to stretch your wings after so long without flying anyway.”

– Don’t blame me if you regret it later.

“Regret? That’s for the weak—”

Flap!

With a majestic flap, a whirlwind rose around us. My voice didn’t even reach her ears. The speed surpassed sound.

***

“Hoh. Lower your sword, human. We have only come to talk, or more precisely, to negotiate.”

An old dark elf, apparently their leader, was the one who spoke. At those words, Director Sung’s eyelids trembled. He felt a chilling terror.

Not only were they completely surrounded by dark elves, but one of them also spoke the human language. The double shock left Director Sung momentarily panicked. The other heroes weren’t much better; they all paled. Except for one — the Swordmaster.

“Well, worthy of a descendant of Aaron Nibelung. You do not disgrace your ancestors.”

The old elf gave a twisted smile, somewhere between admiration and sarcasm. The Swordmaster responded in a cold voice.

“And you come to negotiate by creating this threatening atmosphere? It’s obvious you only learned half of our language, bastard.”

“Hahaha. My apologies.”

The old man made a signal, and the dark elves lowered their weapons. Half of them carried bows, and the other half, wands made of ancient wood.

The tension in the air decreased slightly. The old man took a deep breath and continued.

“Shall we begin talking? We could retreat, of course, but it would be useless, wouldn’t it?”

The dark elves specialized in long-range attacks. Even if they hid, their advantage would remain.

Aware of that, the Swordmaster did not object. He merely pressed his lower lip lightly.

The old man spoke again, as if coaxing a child.

“I understand your feelings well. But if you just shut yourself off, we’ll get nowhere. How about you first listen to our proposal?”

Reluctantly, the Swordmaster sheathed his sword. Then, he whispered to Director Sung.

“Discreetly alert the Association.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Director Sung, suppressing the tremble of his prosthetic hand, took out his phone. The old man seemed to notice the maneuver but did not intervene. He watched with the serenity of someone who knew he held the advantage.

Returning to the matter, the Swordmaster spoke bluntly.

“A negotiation is only valid when both parties are on equal terms.

“Certainly. That’s why we’ve brought a small gift before negotiating.”

The old man continued, with his withered lips.

“Soon, the Fourth Corps Commander, Fermush, will break through the Gate and appear here.”

— ”””…!”””

All the Association employees and heroes were stunned. The old man smiled in satisfaction.

“I am sure that you, descendant of the Founding Hero, know I am not lying. You will also understand the gravity of the situation. A Corps Commander crossing the Gate by himself…”

No explanation was needed. The true power of a Corps Commander was incomparable to his summoned version. It was literally the difference between heaven and earth.

The old man continued.

“I’ll be direct. The dark elves wish to join humanity in the coming battle.”

“…What kind of stupidity are you spouting?”

The Swordmaster muttered, astonished.

“Elves and humans are quite alike, aren’t they? Not just physically. See how well we’re communicating now. We could coexist.”

“……”

“I know that some of us died at the hands of humans a few days ago, but we can overlook that. What do you say?”

“How generous. Suspiciously generous. And what do you want in return?”

“We don’t ask for much. Just a small territory to live in, and food.”

Upon hearing that, Director Sung’s face lit up. They were reasonable conditions. But the Swordmaster was not fooled.

He slowly drew his sword.

Swoosh.

“S-Swordmaster! Why?! It’s a good offer!”

“Do you know what the primary diet of dark elves is?”

The question cut through the air. And within seconds, Director Sung understood.

‘Ah.’

The answer struck his mind like lightning. He muttered.

“H-humans…”

He shifted his gaze forward. The old elf was smiling malevolently. Behind him, hundreds of red eyes glowed in the shadows.

They were the eyes of predators staring at their prey.

“Unfortunately, the negotiations have failed.”

The old man clicked his tongue and stood up.

“Now that we know you won’t accept, there’s no choice but to join the Corps Commanders. And, to prevent this information from leaking, we will eliminate all witnesses.”

“How very typical of you, pointy-ears.”

The Swordmaster generated a wave of aura. The old man smirked.

“I’ll keep your ears as a trophy.”

“And I’ll cut off your damned head.”

The Swordmaster stepped forward.

Whoooosh.

The wind shifted direction. Darkness covered the forest. Everyone looked up. A massive object eclipsed the sun. Without time to identify it, that shadow fell toward the ground.

Boom!

The impact created a trench in the ground. A cloud of gray dust covered the area around the Gate.

Clomp.

From the crack, a dark silhouette walked out. The Swordmaster, stunned, muttered.

“How are you here…?”

Kang Geom-Ma turned slightly, his hair tousled.

“Did I interrupt something?”

Still confused, the Swordmaster shook his head.

“No. You arrived just in time.”

He replied while staring at him. Kang Geom-Ma gave a small smile.

“Good to hear.”

With a subtle flick of his wrist, he activated his blessing.

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《May the Blessing of the God be with you.》

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