Chapter 19

When the world changed like this and demonic beasts began to appear, other races emerged as well.

They looked somewhat like humans, yet possessed completely different traits.

They weren't evolved or altered forms of humanity, but an entirely new species.

Humans called them "other races."

Some of these races were said to live inside Neo Seoul. However, Zeon had never seen them.

There had once been quite a lot of them, but decades ago, most were annihilated in a certain incident.

The few survivors lived only within Neo Seoul, strictly forbidding any contact with the outside world. Because of that, Zeon—who had lived in the slums—never had a chance to see them.

This was his first time seeing another race in person.

Their pointed ears were the unmistakable symbol of elves among the other races.

The elves who had suddenly appeared in this world originally had pale white skin. But influenced by the environment, it had now turned a deep brown.

The elves who appeared out of nowhere carried bows and arrows, with swords hanging at their waists.

They climbed onto the rock where Deioden and Zeon were—and discovered the two.

"Humans!"

"Perfect. Throw the humans to that thing as bait. It'll distract it."

"But how?"

"We survive first. That's what matters."

Amid the conflicting opinions, the elves aimed their bows at Zeon and Deioden and threatened them.

"Get down from the rock, humans!"

"If you don't want to die, climb down yourselves."

"Sorry, humans!"

"Move!"

At the elves' threats, Zeon looked at them in disbelief.

Elves were often thought of as a noble race. Their appearance was so distinct, and they carried an inherently cold, elegant aura.

Zeon, too, had harbored some illusions about elves—but they were completely shattered.

Right then—

Thud! Thud!

Heavy footsteps echoed.

Just from the sound, it was clear the creature was enormous.

Urgency filled the elves' faces.

"It's close. Hurry and throw the humans to lure it!"

"Damn it! It followed us all the way here."

"Get down, humans!"

The elves pulled their bowstrings to the limit, the bows bending like full moons.

Instead of answering, Zeon looked at Deioden.

From the moment the elves appeared, something about Deioden had felt off.

Even when attacked by demonic beasts or scavengers, Deioden had remained indifferent. But now, for the first time in a long while, madness flickered in his eyes.

Unaware of this, the elves continued threatening him.

Zeon swallowed dryly at the ominous atmosphere.

Unable to hold back, one of the elves released his bowstring.

Whoosh!

The arrow shot straight toward Deioden. But contrary to the elf's expectations, it did not pierce his head.

At some point, the arrow was caught in Deioden's large hand.

The elf who fired it widened his eyes in shock.

Crack—

The arrow crumbled into dust in Deioden's grip.

"What—?"

"You vermin-like race!"

Deioden reached out and grabbed an elf's face.

His massive hand completely covered it.

"Mmph!"

The elf struggled desperately to pry his hand off, but he couldn't overcome Deioden's monstrous strength.

Seeing this, the other elves shouted:

"You bastard!"

"Let go of him, human!"

At that moment—

Crunch!

The elf's head, held in Deioden's grasp, shattered like a biscuit.

Blood and brain matter splattered.

Flesh stuck to the faces of the elves who had tried to save their companion.

The horrifying scene that unfolded in an instant froze them in place.

Shing—

Deioden grabbed Crayon, which had been stabbed into the ground.

"You're always like this. You treat human lives as nothing, all just so you can survive. That's why the world ended up like this."

The darkness around him rippled with the madness he radiated.

"Ugh…"

"What is this…?"

The elves, finally regaining their senses, stepped back in fear.

In all their lives, they had never seen a being that emitted such terrifying killing intent and madness as Deioden.

At that moment—

Thud!

With another heavy step, the creature that had chased the elves here revealed itself.

It was a gigantic lizard, over five meters tall and more than fifteen meters long from head to tail.

Two large horns protruded from its head, and at the end of its tail was a spiked mace-like club.

Every time it moved, a rattling sound echoed from the black scales covering its entire body.

The elves called this creature Megalania—and feared it.

A red aura shimmered across its entire body.

If compared to humans, it was a martial-type awakened.

That alone proved how overwhelming its physical power was.

Its scales possessed incredible durability and resistance to magic, making it impossible for the elves' primary weapons—bows and magic—to harm it.

It was, quite literally, their natural enemy.

That was why the elves always chose to flee when encountering Megalania. But even escaping wasn't easy—its sense of smell was so sharp that it would track them relentlessly.

The reason the elves had fled toward the rock where Zeon and Deioden were resting… was because of Megalania.

Ssssh—

A long, reptilian tongue flicked out of its mouth.

Its vertically slit eyes were fixed on the elves and humans atop the rock.

Its prey had increased by two more. From its perspective, it had struck the jackpot.

Deioden's gaze turned toward Megalania.

"How dare a mere insignificant beast…"

He swung Crayon horizontally.

For a brief moment, Zeon felt a dizzying sensation—as if the world itself had been split in half.

The elves felt it too.

It wasn't an illusion.

Slash!

The gigantic demonic beast, over fifteen meters long, was split cleanly in two and collapsed onto the desert.

Its scales—said to possess incredible durability—and even the blue aura that only B-rank monsters possessed… were no sturdier than thin paper before Crayon.

"My god!"

"This is insane!"

The elves' eyes widened in disbelief.

Megalania was a B-rank monster.

And B-rank monsters were stronger than B-rank awakened humans.

There was always a difference in sheer size between living beings, and a B-rank monster was usually as large as a house.

That was why hunting one required a team of B-rank awakened individuals or a specialized raid party.

In any dungeon, Megalania was treated as a boss-level monster.

Its defense alone ranked among the top three of all the monsters in the desert.

Every species had natural compatibilities—and for elves, it was the worst possible opponent.

There was a reason Megalania was called the elves' natural enemy.

Yet now, that very monster had been sliced apart like paper with a single swing from Deioden.

The sight was utterly unreal.

Just who is this man…?

The elves had appeared in this land one day as if they had simply fallen from the sky.

Originally, they lived in lush, forested regions. Elves were a race that couldn't survive away from the woods.

So when they were suddenly exposed to the desert environment, many of them died.

But the few who survived eventually adapted—and began rebuilding their numbers.

They called themselves "Desert Elves."

Desert Elves looked down on humans as an inferior race.

That was why they had tried to use Zeon and Deioden as bait for Megalania.

And yet, the human they had underestimated possessed power beyond imagination.

Crack!

Deioden grabbed the neck of one of the elves who had been deep in thought.

"So there's a village around here. Where is it?"

"Ghk!"

A terrifying pressure radiated from Deioden's entire body.

Even Zeon, who stood nearby, felt his insides churn to the point he could barely think.

The elves facing him directly were in far worse condition.

The one caught in Deioden's grip was bleeding from all seven orifices.

Deioden asked again:

"Where is it? Your village."

"Ghk…! Why should I—"

"Just answer."

The elf clamped his mouth shut.

The human before him radiated overwhelming hostility toward elves.

Instinctively, he knew he must never reveal the village's location.

Crack!

In an instant, his neck snapped.

Deioden killed him without the slightest hesitation.

After tossing the corpse aside, he turned to the remaining elves.

"Ugh…"

"A, a demon!"

The elves, who had lost their companions in an instant, collapsed to the ground, trembling and wetting themselves.

Zeon, finally snapping back to his senses, tried to stop Deioden.

"Wait—just a second. Stop!"

"Shut up, you idiot."

"No, we need to know why you're doing this. Why are you killing the elves—"

He couldn't finish his sentence.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, his body was flung backward.

Deioden's fist had struck his abdomen.

Zeon spat blood as he rolled across the sand.

Without even sparing him a glance, Deioden approached the remaining elves.

"Where is your village?"

"Ugh…! As if we'd tell you—"

"We don't know."

They desperately shook their heads.

Deioden looked down at them with eyes full of madness.

Unable to endure his gaze, one elf instinctively turned his eyes away.

At that moment, Deioden bared his teeth in a grin.

"There it is."

His gaze followed exactly where the elf had looked.

"N-no, that's not—"

Whoosh!

Before he could finish, Deioden swung Crayon.

"Gah!"

"Urk!"

The elves were split in two and died instantly.

Boom!

Having killed them all in an instant, Deioden launched himself toward the direction where the village was presumed to be.

As his body broke the sound barrier, a sonic boom erupted.

"Ugh!"

The shockwave rattled Zeon's ears, barely bringing him back to his senses.

By the time he stood up, Deioden was already so far away that he looked like a tiny dot.

"That old man…"

Zeon rubbed his chest.

It seemed his bones weren't broken—Deioden must have held back.

The breastplate Kailey had made for him also helped protect him.

Zeon knew Deioden always carried madness within him.

But he had never seen him lose control like this.

"What kind of grudge does he have against other races…?"

No matter how he looked at it, this could only be the result of deep resentment.

The corpses of the elves left behind were horrifying.

It was his first time seeing elves—and also his first time seeing their dead bodies.

"Damn it…"

His stomach churned.

He still wasn't used to sights like this.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, Zeon looked toward the direction Deioden had disappeared.

"You crazy old bastard."

He activated his sand-stepping technique.

Crossing the desert at night was a suicidal act—but this wasn't the time to hesitate.

Zeon began chasing after Deioden.