### Chapter 379
Everyone in the world knows that the Demonic Bastion is a dangerous place.
Every single one of the demon erosion creatures that exist there is packed with danger.
Moreover, the curse that the Demonic Bastion carries always turns it into a hellscape.
This bastion has now developed into an even more formidable form, sprouting the ultimate seed.
What had started as an occasional black rain now poured down so heavily it seemed like a torrential downpour every day.
Where on earth are these demon erosion creatures popping up from?
They seemed to generate daily and roamed all around the Demonic Bastion.
The sight of the living exposing their weapons and fangs was truly nightmarish.
Maintaining that frontline for nearly a year and a half was thanks to one person alone.
If it weren’t for those two, the Demonic Bastion would have undoubtedly pushed and spread all over the world.
Now, as it stands…
There were those charging through the Demonic Bastion at supersonic speed.
Demon erosion creatures that had gathered from all directions were continuously being reduced to fragments.
Most of those were due to one man at the forefront.
Valok Balheim.
The head of the Holy Royal Family, known as the Outsider’s Pinnacle.
Every time his sword glowed with a blue light, the demon erosion creatures would utterly shatter.
His overwhelming prowess commanded respect even from his companions in Icarus.
That was just how magnificent Valok was.
His sword had reached a realm far beyond that of mere mortals.
With a single swing, the force of his strike reached the horizon, decimating the demon erosion creatures.
“I’m really realizing how grand the Heavenly Sword is,” Aslan said, staring at Valok’s back with a dazed expression.
Having grown up watching his grandfather, who was one of the Ten Great Lords, Aslan was well aware of his power.
Yet even for him, the rank of Heavenly Sword seemed utterly unreachable.
If the Ten Great Lords had reached the pinnacle of humanity, those of the Heavenly Sword had transcended humanity and reached the level of gods.
The difference was crystal clear.
The fact that most humans couldn’t reach demigod status served as proof.
“Well, there’s four of them up there. It’s only natural,” Kraush responded quite unimpressively.
Even that Heavenly Sword, who had fought against the end of the world, couldn’t hold his ground ultimately.
In the face of the Apocalypse Knights, Valok couldn’t escape death either.
That, in itself, was an obvious fact.
Even Arthur, who rose to the top through numerous divine opportunities, fell against the Apocalypse Knights.
Heavenly Swords were no exception to this fate.
So Kraush was adamant that he wouldn’t let that situation repeat itself.
The bastion holding the ultimate seed would definitely be wiped out.
And that goal was now within his reach.
“It just seems endless. Are they spawning infinitely or something?”
In the meantime, Bianca, who had been managing the beasts, spoke up with a stunned expression.
Her words hit quite close to the heart of the matter.
As she pointed out, the demon erosion creatures were indeed spawning infinitely.
The beings that birthed them were now moving closer to this spot.
“They’re coming.”
At that moment, Charlotte, who had taken a step back to regroup, slowly raised her head.
Her blue eyes were focused intently on the distant direction of the Demonic Bastion.
Boom!
Suddenly, it felt as if the entire earth had quaked like an earthquake.
Just then, a commotion started spreading among the members of Icarus.
In that fleeting moment, various presences started to come into view.
Something peeked over the horizon.
With horns sprouting from its head and a pair of dark eye sockets, it simply stared over here.
Then it suddenly gestured and relayed something to the back.
Soon after, several similar heads began rising from the horizon as well.
They nodded to each other, exchanging some form of communication before advancing toward this side.
Thud— thud— thud— thud—
With each mighty stomp, the ground began to wail in response.
What appeared next were demons of absurd size.
Demons towering so high they almost brushed against the heavens.
Each one of them was terrifyingly grotesque, adorned in various outfits.
One had the head of a goat.
Another boasted three lion heads.
Yet another had hundreds of snakes writhing over its head.
These demons, each massive in stature, were now marching this way.
Superior demon erosion creatures.
They were all calamities of grade 8 or higher, reminiscent of Agares.
The faces of the Icarus members turned pale as ghosts.
They had faced numerous crises from the bastions before.
But now, standing in front of the legion of superior demons, their breaths were hitched in their throats.
And why wouldn’t they?
What stood before them could only be described as a catastrophe.
And that wasn’t all they were facing.
The superior demons could infinitely spawn lower demons.
As the Demonic Bastion rampaged, they received infinite powers of world erosion.
So even if they were spawning demons continuously, there was still plenty of strength left to go around.
Such a superior demon had arrived to wipe out the breach squad.
“Wha…?”
At the overwhelming sight, one of the breakthrough members lost their nerve and simply stared blankly.
And really, who could blame them for that?
“Charlotte, Lilish, Guardian Sword, Heavenly Sword,”
At that moment, Valok, who was leading the charge, called out to the four.
It was a call from the Outsider.
All members jumped to stand behind Valok.
“Split your power among yourselves and take on one superior demon each. If you can handle them, you can move on to the next.”
The Outsider didn’t say to take down all the superior demons.
No matter how skilled the people gathered here were, the Demonic Bastion was home ground for the demons.
No matter how hard they fought, there would always be limitations.
But breaking through those limits is what real strength is about.
“If you can’t handle them, I’ll take care of it.”
And so, the man of great power raised his sword that emanated a blue hue.
In an instant, everyone collectively held their breath as they witnessed his might.
In that moment, Valok had vanished.
Kabang!
A sound like thunder rolled from the horizon.
Then the scene that was revealed showed one enormous superior demon falling to the ground, headless.
That wasn’t all.
The body of the headless superior demon soon shattered into cubic pieces, eventually turning into chunks of meat scattered about.
It was in the blink of an eye.
The moment they realized he had disappeared, one superior demon had turned into mere meat chunks.
As Icarus members widened their eyes at the sight…
“Rahern Academy members, follow me,”
Charlotte barked out orders as she gathered those who would face the superior demons.
Lilish, Guardian Sword, and Heavenly Sword did the same.
They swiftly organized their group to face the superior demons.
While they didn’t showcase the insane spectacles like Valok, they deftly battled and took down the superior demons.
These superior demons were indeed walking calamities.
However, all those gathered here were people determined to break through that calamity.
So there was no need to be terrified even when calamity descended upon them.
Kraush quietly recalled his Rain Thunder Prime.
Looking at the scene, it seemed he didn’t even need to step in.
‘Everyone’s grown strong.’
Thanks to the rampage of the world from the bastion, this age naturally made people stronger.
Those present here were the finest elites standing at the frontline.
If they didn’t grow strong, the world would meet its end.
So everyone had been unknowingly striving to achieve immense growth.
It’s no wonder that as the world falls into chaos, heroes emerge.
‘I should be able to preserve as much power as I can.’
But Kraush couldn’t just sit back for too long.
Though he had the Outsider and the former king at play, the Demon Emperor would eventually require Kraush to act as well.
In the end, the best match-up against the erosion of the world was Kraush.
Kraush’s white flame was an aura that could burn away the very source of world erosion.
That was why he was able to bypass the Demonic Bastion at such speed and deal with matters easily.
‘The Demon Emperor won’t just be a walk in the park.’
Kraush remained silently vigilant, storing his power for the right moment.
This was why he had assembled Icarus.
So he had to use it thoroughly.
Kraush’s blue eyes glimmered quietly.
Even after that, superior demons continued to emerge.
As they ventured closer to the Demonic Bastion, the number of high-ranking demons kept increasing.
There was no way to deny that the speed of Icarus’ advance had to gradually slow down.
The Demonic Bastion didn’t offer even a moment’s respite.
Surrounded by demon erosion creatures and engaged in perpetual warfare, they always had to maintain their auras.
Everyone’s stamina was inevitably dwindling.
But, as if to prove that their efforts weren’t in vain, they finally began to see a castle rising on the horizon.
The castle was the largest that had ever existed in this world.
Given the size of the demons residing there, it was no surprise that the castle was built accordingly.
Kraush spotted a thoroughly blackened castle, with its rooftops and structures pitch dark.
That place looked incredibly ominous.
That was the center and entirety of the Demonic Bastion.
“It seems we’re almost there,”
Haring, who had been fighting alongside Kraush for a while now, said, her face a bit weary.
After being on high alert throughout the journey, even Haring, typically stoic, showed signs of emotion.
The others were no different.
Everyone’s expressions mirrored the realization that they could finally see the destination.
However, knowing the insides of the Demonic Bastion, Kraush couldn’t share their excitement.
In fact, in his view, this was only just the beginning.
Wooooo—
And just as he had feared, a gargoyle statue at the very peak of the castle began to scream toward the sky.
The gargoyle’s cry was piercing enough to shatter eardrums.
As everyone covered their ears, grimacing, on top of the castle walls…
Unlike the superior demons, small demons lined up, peering down from above.
Kraush recognized who they were.
Elite guard of the Demon Emperor, made up of at least tier 10 demons.
The thirty-one top-ranking demons.
“It truly begins now. Brace yourselves,”
Even Valok, who had been exuding transparent divinity, held a strained expression.
Then, all the top-ranking demons jumped down from the castle’s walls.
Each of them rushed to the ground in distinct manners, heading straight for the breach squad.
The war between the thirty-one top-ranking demons and the breach squad was about to begin.
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