Chapter 426: Chapter 426

“Ugh… I’m going to die young at this rate…”

Ken, emerging from the rubble of the destroyed wall, his body battered and bruised, sighed deeply.

The boundless power that had filled his body was gone.

‘…I could probably hold on a little longer if I push myself.’

But there was no need to be reckless.

He didn’t have a reason to anymore.

“Huu, so they’re really members of the Masquerade?”

He brushed the dust off his clothes, his gaze fixed on the… epicenter of the storm that had erupted some distance away.

Four figures, their appearances… unique and… mismatched, had suddenly appeared, tearing through space.

“I didn’t expect them to be this… strong.”

There weren't many of them.

But their power levels… they were all incredibly powerful, their auras… overwhelming.

‘…Three of them are… unreadable, just like the Executioner. And the other one… he’s stronger than me.’

To think such monsters were all part of the same organization…

Just what was this Masquerade?

He wouldn’t be surprised if they were secretly planning world domination.

After all, his employer, who had summoned him from the Demon World, could access information from all over the world with a single thought.

He couldn’t help but be… wary of them, having become their… newest member, against his will.

‘…And a Saint? Could it be… the Saint of Auterica…?’

Perhaps because he was a demon,

…the figure radiating a holy aura, a brilliant light, its divine power overwhelming, was particularly… unsettling.

He doubted it would try to… purify him… but still…

“Khahaha! Make sure you savor it!”

A booming laughter, echoing from the battlefield, a surge of… something… powerful and… intense.

A shockwave, accompanied by a deafening roar, rippled outwards.

Ken, twisting his body to dissipate the impact, frowned.

‘…That laughter… it sounds… familiar.’

And it wasn’t just the laughter.

The tone of voice, the way he spoke… it was… strangely familiar.

Like… his three-headed friend from the Demon World.

‘…It must be my imagination.’

He nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the massive, muscular figure that had just… punched him.

It couldn’t be Davidson. That cute, fluffy puppy couldn’t possibly be this… monstrous barbarian.

Ken, his senses dulled by twenty years of living in the Demon World, his demonic nature influencing his perception, turned his gaze towards the…

…crater where the Executioner, whom he had been fighting just moments ago, had been standing.

The four avatars dispatched as the ‘Masquerade’.

There was a reason why he had sent such a powerful force.

After all, this was Heaven’s Turn Society’s trap.

It was better to overwhelm them with sheer power than to risk being caught off guard by their… hidden trump cards.

‘…And they’ve already been… partially exposed on Earth.’

And with the stage already set, it was also a good opportunity to… show off their power.

It would make it easier to… absorb the Burning Torch.

‘…Though they’re not as… valuable as they used to be, with their leader gone…’

But they were still a useful asset.

He needed allies, a network of organizations and individuals, to effectively oppose Heaven’s Turn Society on a global scale.

And the Burning Torch, despite their current… weakened state, still had a considerable number of members, including several transcendent beings.

…Harley, a veteran mercenary who traveled between dimensions, intervening in conflicts and hunting demons, tilted his head slightly, a puzzled expression on his face.

He had been excited to finally have a chance to… unleash his full power… and he hadn’t hesitated to attack first… but…

[“You’re… incredibly tough. No, this is… beyond ordinary toughness. What are you? Are you even a… living being?”]

Small holes, the size of his fingertips, had appeared on his shoulders.

If he hadn’t dodged instinctively, they would have pierced his heart.

Of course, such injuries were nothing to him… but the fact that he hadn’t even seen the attack coming… that was the problem.

“This is a first. You bypassed my senses, dodged my attack, and even counterattacked?”

[“I should be saying that. You avoided a fatal blow and only suffered minor injuries. Impressive!”]

“Huh? Fatal blow? Injuries?”

Harley, his senses enhanced by 「Bio-Aura」, 「Fighting King’s Mark」, and 「Mad Control Heart Technique (Modified)」, blinked.

The holes in his shoulders had already disappeared, his wounds completely healed, the spilled blood reabsorbed.

[“…? You regenerated that quickly?”]

Not even a scar remained.

The Executioner couldn't help but be… surprised.

Of course, most of his targets had regenerative abilities.

Some could even regenerate from a single cell.

‘…But even they couldn’t withstand my attacks.’

Even if his opponent was on the same level as him, and he couldn’t just… crush him with his overwhelming power…

…he still had his perk, a power he had acquired after becoming a Greater Demon, an ability that allowed him to challenge even gods.

And yet, his opponent was… completely unharmed.

“Ugh, that barely tickled. Your… attack power is… abysmal. I’m going to lose muscle mass at this rate.”

The Executioner’s lips twitched at his opponent’s casual complaint, his tone almost… bored.

And then, a surge of fighting spirit, a burning desire for battle, welled up within him, his aura flaring like flames, incinerating the surrounding air.

[“Hehehe… Good. Very good!”]

This was what he wanted.

A fierce battle, a clash of power and skill, a struggle for survival, their lives, their souls, their very beliefs on the line.

He usually refrained from using his unique skill, relying mainly on his demonic power, which he had cultivated over the years.

He had used it earlier, as a… warning, a… mockery… but he hadn’t been serious.

[“Khaha! Finally, a worthy opponent!”]

After all, the only one who could withstand his full power, his unique skill unleashed…

…was the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society.

He was actually… excited, to finally have an opponent who could force him to use his full potential.

…the Executioner, his laughter echoing through the air, his aura blazing like an inferno,

And at the same time,

…Harley’s chest exploded, blood splattering in the air, as he instinctively twisted his body.

Four deep wounds, like claw marks, appeared on his chest, a body that should have been impervious to even a nuclear blast, thanks to 「Ultimate Evolved Lifeform」.

His tough skin was being torn apart by a burning, destructive energy, his muscles ripped and shredded by an unseen force, his fingers severed, his wrist broken before it could even begin to regenerate.

[“Oh ho? You can do that? Then how about this! And this! And this!”]

“Kuh! He’s really enjoying himself, isn’t he?”

Harley couldn’t even dodge, let alone counterattack…

…but he had learned something.

He had been analyzing his opponent’s attacks, his senses heightened, his mind racing…

…and he had finally figured out what was happening.

Of course, it was also thanks to his other avatars, who were observing the situation from a… safer location.

Heinz the Second, using 「Insight」 to analyze the distortions in causality, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

And Harris, using 「Observer of the Milky Way」 and other nature-related skills to read the flow of energy, also frowned.

Heinrich, his expression grim, muttered softly.

His newly acquired angelic senses, enhanced by his transcendence, had detected something… unnatural.

A single entity, moving freely in a frozen world, a world where time itself had stopped.

The figure paused, its hand stained with Harley’s blood, its fingers… toying with it.

[“Ha! You reacted in that… instant? Impressive.”]

Of course, Harley’s level wasn’t low, so the ability wasn't perfect.

The Executioner’s ‘Time Stop’ hadn’t been completely effective, his attacks still… grazing Harley in that… instant.

‘…But that’s not enough to defeat him.’

He finally understood why the Executioner had been so… confident.

He could use that ability to not only attack freely, but also escape any dangerous situation.

“Tsk, this isn’t very… entertaining. You’re fighting… dirty… despite all your talk about… honor and… glory…”

[“Oh, did I get carried away? Please understand. The only one who can withstand my full power is the Master. I’ve been… frustrated lately. And the Master has forbidden us from fighting each other, so it’s difficult to find… suitable opponents.”]

Well, if he had reached that level in another world, he must have accumulated a massive amount of Karma.

After all, unique skills, like his own 「Avatar」, had limitless potential.

And if it had reached the level of… divine authority, after acquiring divinity…

‘…So there are other… potential candidates…’

The fact that he could even react to attacks in stopped time meant that he wasn’t ordinary.

He would have to… investigate further.

As he was thinking, the Executioner, having concluded his… warm-up, glanced at the other avatars, who were still observing the situation from a distance, and spoke casually.

[“If you’re done resting, let’s begin. Hmm, it seems a bit… unfair to fight you all at once… but I won’t get another chance . It’ll be a good experience, to push yourselves to your limits and see how far you can go!”]

He was so confident that he was actually… looking forward to fighting them all at once.

Harley, seeing his arrogant demeanor, felt a surge of… annoyance.

He acknowledged his opponent’s strength, but that didn’t mean he could just… underestimate them.

‘…Well, he has a point. This is also… a valuable experience. It’s not every day that you get to fight someone with that kind of… power and… abilities.’

His true enemy was the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society, who was far stronger than this… demon.

So, this was a chance to gain experience and level up, not to… rush through the stages.

‘…And experience is also a valuable asset, something you can gain from battle. …And it wouldn’t look good if I just… let him win.’

He had made his decision.

He would fight him alone, at least until he managed to… land a blow.

His massive body began to… glow, steam rising from his skin, his muscles flexing and twitching.

A metallic clang, as if his bones were twisting and reshaping themselves.

His size increased, until he was almost as tall as his opponent.

“Snort! Let’s do this! I’m finally warmed up!”

[“Hmm? Are you planning to fight me alone? Well, I don’t mind.”]

The Executioner, looking at Harley, glanced at the other avatars.

He seemed… wary of them.

But Harley saw it as… an insult.

“Hehehe… Let me tell you something about life, buddy.”

A dark red aura, a sinister energy that seemed to… contaminate everything it touched, erupted from his body.

The pure, unadulterated madness of the abyss, extracted from the 「Seed of Madness」, which he had been suppressing until now, began to spread outwards.

“There’s nothing more embarrassing than… talking big and then getting your ass kicked!”

Harley, his massive body a blur, charged forward.

[“That doesn’t apply to me.”]

And at the same time, the Executioner activated his unique skill.

The world around them slowed down, like a slow-motion video.

And then, everything stopped.

And in this frozen world,

…only he, the ‘Eternal Greater Demon’, could move.

‘…Hmm, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat him in a direct confrontation without my unique skill. That monstrous body, defying all logic and reason… that must be the source of his divine power.’

The beast-masked figure was right in front of him, but he didn’t even flinch.

His opponent couldn't harm him in this frozen world.

‘…It’s impressive, but it’s not enough to defeat me. Not with our… type advantage.’

He had never faced such a… resilient body before.

To think he could withstand his attacks, which could tear through space itself, and only suffer… minor injuries…

And those injuries healed almost instantly.

Even his most powerful attacks had only managed to sever a wrist. He didn't know how much longer he would have to keep hitting him to inflict any lasting damage.

‘…But I have unlimited time. He’ll break eventually.’

A fiery energy, crackling and sparking, began to gather in his hand.

It was a strain on his body and mind to use his power in this stopped time, but it couldn't be helped.

He couldn’t even scratch his opponent otherwise.

…as he approached the frozen figure, his attack fully charged,

…he saw something that made his eyes twitch.

Through the eyeholes of his lion mask,

…he saw two eyes, one red, the other green,

…staring back at him.

Their gaze, slightly tilted upwards, was filled with a… chilling amusement.