Chapter 124: Assembly (7)

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“……Damn.”

“Besha has been taken down.”

The moment Turgar’s illusion was broken.

The Demon Humans fighting on the battlefield also felt Besha’s death.

“Besha is dead?”

“Who on earth?”

“No, more importantly, what do we do now?”

Confusion spread among the Demon Humans who had been carrying out their plan as instructed.

Besha had been the leader of the Demon Humans dispatched here.

He had received the greatest power from the demons and served as the axis connecting them to the higher organization.

Even Demon Humans could not directly communicate with demons.

Only an extremely small number among them could.

The rest were nothing but subordinates who simply obeyed orders.

“Should we retreat?”

“The enemy’s strength is too overwhelming for that. If we recklessly show our backs, it could become dangerous.”

“NOX… Where the hell did people like this come from?”

The very existence of the organization called NOX was a thorn in their side.

They were on a completely different level from ordinary underworld groups.

Now that their leader Besha was dead, one wrong move could wipe them out as well.

“Ronan, what do we do?”

“……”

The Demon Humans’ eyes turned to Ronan, their second-in-command.

Ronan scowled as he looked around.

The meeting had long ended, and the battle was already at its peak.

The plan had likely been for Besha to be here, but that idiot had gone off on his own and gotten killed.

‘That damned bastard.’

He had always acted so dignified and refined, only to die such a meaningless death.

Demon Humans and demon worshippers followed a strict hierarchy.

The first priority was the demon’s command, and this was the highest authority.

So even if they did not like the plan, they had no choice but to follow Besha, their leader.

And this was the result.

“……If it comes to it, we’ll retreat. Survive at all costs. For now, focus on staying alive.”

“Who said I’d let you go?”

Puk.

Suddenly, a blade tore through the darkness.

A sweet voice brushing past his ear came as a bonus.

Ronan twisted his body instantly, but his shoulder burst open, spraying blood into the air.

The blood was dark and murky, tainted with demonic energy.

Though the wound healed quickly, Ronan’s patience had reached its limit.

“You damned bastards…!”

The demonic energy erupted.

Ronan’s body turned pitch black as he began to run wild.

That was the trigger for the other Demon Humans to unleash their power as well.

Watching from the rear while fighting Turgar’s subordinates, Gallon gave a bitter laugh.

“What a mess.”

“I rather like it. Ah, it looks like that side is about to end.”

Six, who was nearby, responded to Gallon’s words.

His gaze turned to the center of the battlefield, where Turgar and Second were locked in a fierce fight.

Chwaak!

Second, who had been relentlessly pressing Turgar, finally dealt a fatal blow.

Turgar’s subordinates were tied up by the other Black Label members and could not move forward, while the Demon Humans showed no intention of helping Turgar in the first place.

No matter if he was Lahan’s prospective boss, there was no way he could withstand Second’s White Tiger Divine Art.

“……Kugh!”

“Boss!”

“No!!!”

In the end, his waist was ripped apart, splitting his body into upper and lower halves.

His subordinates cried out desperately, but what use was it?

A torn-apart body could not be revived by potions or healing magic.

Second had gone for exactly that outcome and struck decisively.

“……”

With Turgar dead, his subordinates lost their will to fight and lowered their weapons.

Now the battlefield shifted into a fight between NOX and the Demon Humans.

Ronan quickly made his decision.

‘I’ll shake these ones off and escape alone if I must.’

The biggest problem was the woman launching sharp strikes from the darkness.

Queen, wasn’t that her name?

If he couldn’t shake her off, she’d drive a blade straight through his heart.

Fwoooosh!

The demonic energy surrounding Ronan’s body swelled explosively.

He planned to sweep away the entire area at once, using the chaos to escape Queen’s pursuit.

Thud.

But his attempt was snuffed out by a single presence that descended in the middle of the battlefield.

“……”

The previously deafening battlefield instantly fell into a chilling silence.

The Demon Humans who had been shouting as they attacked, and NOX, who had been desperately cutting down their enemies—

All stopped, fell silent, and turned their eyes to one spot.

Ssshhh.

Death had raised its head.

He did not open his mouth to hurl sharp words, nor did he raise his sword to aim at them.

He simply existed there.

“……”

The Demon Humans, who had been flaunting their demonic energy, turned pale.

Even Ronan, who had become the leader after Besha’s death, was no exception.

‘What… what is this…?’

The suffocating killing intent pressed down on his lungs, making it hard to even breathe.

The aura emanating from that man was unbearably heavy.

It was like a massive lump of iron crushing his whole body.

‘It was him. This man killed Besha.’

Now it all made sense.

Why Besha, who had received the most power from the demons, had died so easily.

He had fought against a monster like this—no amount of demonic blessing could have saved him.

This was a disaster, a calamity.

A being that shattered everything it clashed against, broke everything that resisted.

One had no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy, or cower and hope to be overlooked.

“……”

The battlefield was drowned in icy silence.

Turgar’s subordinates had long since lost their will after seeing their boss killed, and the Demon Humans were frozen by Carl’s overwhelming aura and killing intent.

Amidst it all, Queen emerged from the darkness with a bright smile to greet her master.

“Master.”

“Queen, the cleanup on that side is finished.”

Carl handed her a set of documents he had pulled from his coat.

“I found records of dealings with the Demon Humans in Turgar’s vault. It seems they planted Demon Humans behind other organizations just like here.”

“I will verify them right away.”

Queen respectfully accepted the documents.

“……”

Ronan watched everything unfold from behind.

Even what Carl had handed to Queen.

‘That crazy bastard.’

Inside, Ronan hurled curses at Besha, who was already dead.

Why was that still left?

The rule was to destroy documents after reviewing them, especially those exchanged with other district organizations.

Could it be that Besha had harbored ulterior motives even within the organization?

“……Ugh.”

Ronan opened his mouth.

The crushing pressure still weighed down on him, but he had to carve out some kind of opening.

Yet before the words could even leave his lips—

Puk!

Ronan’s head burst apart.

It was crushed so thoroughly it was unrecognizable.

The headless body toppled backward in vain.

Carl glanced back and smirked.

“Besha could revive even when his body was shredded, but it seems not all Demon Humans are like that.”

……Fwaaat!

Ronan was dead.

But thanks to that, an opening appeared.

The Demon Humans stomped the ground and scattered in different directions with their lives on the line.

There were thirteen of them in total.

Carl lifted his head, tracking the directions they had fled.

“Cold-hearted bastards.”

“Master, what will you do?”

“There’s no need to leave too many alive. Leave three, kill the rest. As for those left, release them and pursue from behind.”

Carl raised his eyes to the night sky.

The moon hanging in the center was slowly tilting downward.

It meant the night was breaking, and dawn was not far off.

“Tonight, it all ends.”

“As you command.”

Shwik!

At Carl’s command, NOX executives stomped the ground and moved.

A vast formation of NOX operatives had already been spread out like a heavenly net around the area.

Unless one soared into the sky or burrowed into the earth, escaping here was impossible.

Step.

After issuing his orders, Carl turned and walked toward Dirsen’s camp, where they were standing stiffly.

His subordinates gazed at him with reverence.

“……”

Likewise, Dirsen swallowed hard as he stared at Carl.

Woom.

Carl cast the Soul-Seizing Technique and simultaneously commanded Godok.

Dirsen’s rigid body twitched and then relaxed.

“This is our second meeting, Lord NOX, is it not?”

“I’m glad I wasn’t late.”

“I offer you my gratitude. Once I take control of Lahan, I will repay you properly.”

“I look forward to it.”

Carl slightly inclined his head.

He felt the unease on the faces of Dirsen’s subordinates fading.

Instead, trust and loyalty toward Dirsen took root.

Seeing him converse as an equal with the overwhelmingly superior leader of NOX left them awestruck.

‘He’s just our pawn anyway.’

Dirsen was a useful shield.

By placing him in front to seize Lahan, they would naturally gain control of the Western Third Commercial District.

As Lahan’s ally, NOX could quietly operate in the shadows.

Other organizations’ scrutiny and opposition would be shouldered by Lahan.

Meanwhile, NOX could steadily expand its influence behind the scenes without taking heavy damage.

“Then, let’s go.”

Dirsen straightened his attire.

The moment had come for him to reclaim the throne he had lost to Turgar.

His subordinates retrieved Turgar’s corpse.

Dirsen lifted his head and questioned the remaining stragglers.

“So, what will you do?”

“……”

Turgar’s direct subordinates.

They were not Demon Humans, but simply those who had worshipped and followed him faithfully.

Seeing them hesitate, unable to answer, it was clear they had resigned themselves.

But Dirsen smiled faintly.

“Come with me. In the end, you too belong to Lahan, do you not?”

“…We will follow.”

The tide had shifted.

Lahan’s second-in-command was dead, and his bloodline had inherited the boss’s seat.

Gathering Turgar’s subordinates and his corpse, Dirsen strode proudly across the underworld of the Western Third Commercial District.

Of course, Carl walked shoulder-to-shoulder at his side.

“……”

Carl never let his guard down.

Most of the Demon Humans had been dealt with, but those Besha had called heretics still remained.

Especially Lucas’s side—Carl expected that opponent would force him to get serious.

It was possible they might suddenly interfere just as the plan neared completion.

But contrary to those worries, no one hindered Dirsen until he arrived at Lahan’s stronghold.

“At last.”

Dirsen lifted his head with a look of deep emotion.

How many years had it been since he had fought over the boss’s seat of Turgar and Lahan?

The realization that the long struggle was at an end filled him with bittersweet joy.

“……?”

But something was off.

Lahan’s headquarters, which should have been grand and imposing, looked very different from what he remembered.

Its upper part was blown away, and the lower part had collapsed, as if it had been bombarded.

Dirsen’s gaze slowly shifted to the man beside him.

“It wasn’t me. It was the aftermath of the enemy leader’s final struggle.”

Carl shrugged, tossing out an excuse no one would believe.

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