Meanwhile, Kang Yoon-Soo remained in a standoff against the alchemist and demon while holding a sword against Iris’ neck.

Rumier said coldly, “Kang Yoon-Soo, I know you do not have what it takes to kill that doppelganger.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“There is no way you would harm your own companion. You are just trying to stall for time,” Rumier said.

However, just as a cold sweat broke out on Kang Yoon-Soo’s back, the message he had been waiting for finally arrived.

[Your natural enemy has disappeared!]

[Your godly powers have been restored!]

Kang Yoon-Soo immediately let go of Iris and rushed at the demon.

Berbal was taken aback for a moment by the sudden attack, but it was not flustered at all. The demon was confident that it could easily block an attack from a mere human. However, things did not go as it expected.

[You have infused Divine Punishment into your sword.]

[The skills Giant’s Mighty Strength, Quick Slash, and Full Force Strike have been temporarily added.]

[You have used 920 Divine Power.]

[Remaining Divine Power: 9,040.]

Kang Yoon-Soo had infused the force of a divine punishment that could easily alter the terrain of an entire area into his sword.

“Giant’s Mighty Strength,” he muttered. The muscles on his arm bulged, and he swung his sword at the demon. His strike managed to penetrate the demon’s hard leather and cut deeply to the bone.

“Gwuaak!” Berbal screamed in pain. The demon was greatly surprised by the sudden wound it had sustained, and it shook its body wildly in an attempt to shake Kang Yoon-Soo off of it.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo immediately mounted the demon’s back, then raised his sword up high. He thought, ‘I have to get rid of its wings first.’

Berbal was quite agile, and that meant the demon could easily escape anytime it wanted to. Getting rid of the demon’s wings was bound to make hunting it substantially easier.

Kang Yoon-Soo swung his sword while muttering, “Quick Slash.”

The moment he struck with his sword, he severed the demon’s three left wings cleanly. He then struck once again, quickly severing its three right wings. In a mere two swings, he had managed to cut off all six of Berbal’s wings.

Berbal roared in agony when its wings were cut off. “Gruoaaaah!”

Kang Yoon-Soo had incurred the wrath of a high-ranking demon! He could not withstand the demon’s strength and was shaken off the demon’s back. He examined his surroundings, and was shocked to find that Iris was fast asleep in Rumier’s arms.

Kang Yoon-Soo was confused for a moment. There was no way that Rumier should have been able to easily subdue Iris, who had eaten the Dragon of Destruction’s heart. However, Rumier was holding a golden cloth that had a toxic-looking substance smeared on it. The royal alchemist was someone who had even managed to corrupt Yuriel, so it was not impossible for him to use whatever weakness a doppelganger had on Iris.

Rumier snapped his fingers and said, “This is my final greeting to you, Kang Yoon-Soo.”

Berbal suddenly grasped its chest and sat on the ground, gasping for air and squirming in agony.

[The demon, Berbal, is reacting to the contract it signed with the King of All Things, Sirian.]

[First, anyone who manages to kill Berbal will be transported to the magic tower.]

[Second, it is forbidden to cause a ruckus while drinking.]

[Third, the demon must burn its own consciousness and evolve whenever Sirian or his partner desires.]

[The third clause has been activated.]

Rumier disappeared into the fog while holding Iris.

‘Damn it… That bastard…’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought as rage slowly built up inside him. It had only been for a short moment, but he had lost Iris while he was distracted by the demon. He thought, ‘It doesn’t matter. I just have to kill this demon.’

All of his companions would be transported to the magic tower as long as Berbal died, and he was certain that Iris would be transported as well no matter how far Rumier had taken her. It would be impossible for the alchemist to prevent that from happening no matter how many secrets he knew. Thus, Kang Yoon-Soo had to settle the fight against the demon as soon as possible.

“Euuuk… Grr… Wuaaak!” Berbal roared as it struggled.

Suddenly, the demon became much more powerful after sacrificing its own consciousness. Its entire body became covered in bulging muscles, and it spewed toxic substances from its mouth.

Kang Yoon-Soo readied his sword and muttered, “Full Force Strike.”

Kang Yoon-Soo and the demon attacked at the same time. The demon spewed out toxins while swinging its claws all over the place; meanwhile, Kang Yoon-Soo was able to land a critical blow on the demon, but was injured in the process.

Sukeok!

Kang Yoon-Soo stumbled onto the ground after losing his right arm and his left leg, while Berbal had a large wound on its abdomen from which its guts spilled forth. Both of them had been injured at the same time!

However, the demon was so gravely injured that a single strike would be able to finish it off.

“Kuaah! Kuhahahak!” Berbal let out unintelligible sounds while grabbing its guts, before running away into the fog. Even though it had lost its wings and suffered a huge wound, the demon still managed to run away in barely an instant.

Kang Yoon-Soo would have to waste a lot of time searching for the demon all over the mountain if he lost it now, and he had no idea what Rumier would do to Iris at that time. He pleaded inwardly, ‘Hurry, please…’

He tried his best to restore his missing arm and leg. However, they regenerated more slowly than he wanted them to, even after using his Authority of Creation.

[Your body is decomposing at a terrifying speed due to the demon’s toxins.]

[The restoration of your body has dramatically slowed down.]

Kang Yoon-Soo forced himself to stand up, but he soon collapsed once again after taking a few steps. He thought, ‘I won’t be able to catch up to the demon with one leg.’

He wanted to summon White, but he could not do that either because his right arm had been severed from his body. Berbal was slowly getting farther and farther away from him, and he could end up losing both the demon and Iris.

‘I can’t let that happen,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought, gritting his teeth.

He did not want to lose anyone in this life. He had to chase after the demon even if he had to hop on one leg. He had to risk his life for that.

At the very moment that Kang Yoon-Soo forced himself to get up, a horse neighed loudly from somewhere.

Neiiiigh!

Kang Yoon-Soo heard the sound of creaking wheels, gradually drawing nearer to him. Soon, a carriage appeared from within the fog, stopping precisely in front of him. The coachman wore a straw hat while holding onto the reins, making him resemble a riddling ghost.

“I only allow those who manage to answer my riddle to get on my carriage, but I will have to kill you in an instant if you get it wrong,” the coachman said in a low, sinister voice. He continued, “Here is my question…”

Kang Yoon-Soo squinted the moment he saw the coachman’s madness-filled eyes hiding beneath the straw hat. Something felt familiar about the coachman.

The coachman finally asked his question. “What’s tastier? Cookies or biscuits?”

It was a familiar question that Kang Yoon-Soo had already heard once before, and it made it all the easier for him to guess the identity of the coachman. He replied while struggling to even breathe properly, “Sugar…”

“Correct! As expected from the man I’ve fallen for! It was worth going after that bastard Han Se-Hyeon!” the leader of the Black Tiger Clan, Yu Si-Do, exclaimed. In the guise of a ghostly coachman, he snickered while looking at Kang Yoon-Soo.

Kang Yoon-Soo growled in a low voice, “Just shut up and let me on.”