Chapter 268

But something was looking at him from the shadows.

Noe.

Twitch, twitch. Twitch, twitch.

His small, chubby butt shook from side to side. The short paws were completely pressed against the floor. The best demonic beast of hell was moving secretly to catch his prey.

‘This is a scientific, beautiful and perfectly designed hunting posture! Nyang!’

"...”

Crow was unable to perceive Noe’s presence in the darkness. He was a good assassin, but it wasn’t at the level of sensing the best demonic beast of hell.

Suuk.

Crow climbed towards the landing of the third floor. The third floor was where Isabel’s room was located.

‘Soon.’

Crow imagined it. Stabbing Grid with his dagger. It was at that moment.

"Kyong!”

Noe jumped towards Crow. The sharp and small fangs gleamed in the darkness.

“...!”

Crow was confused. He never thought the day would come when he was surprised by a cat.

‘I didn’t notice a cat following me?’

It was the biggest shame and embarrassment he’d experienced since he was born. But it was only for a moment. He quickly regained his composure. Crow was a professional. He had survived many crises and assassinated 89 humans. In the process, he realized something. It was that he must remain calm under any circumstances. Crow’s experience meant he didn’t make a fuss about the surprise appearance of a cat.

Paang!

Crow blocked the cat’s paw swiping at him with his dagger. Then Crow hesitated as he was about to counterattack.

Snap.

He couldn’t properly move his wrist after the blow.

‘Why is this cat so strong?’

This wasn’t a normal cat. Crow noticed Noe’s peculiarities. There were small horns on the forehead and short wings on the back. A high class demonic beast.

‘How is this demonic beast here?’

This place was the Vatican. The Vatican was filled with divine power. Monsters couldn’t come near the Vatican. A monster that took one step inside the Vatican would die from the divine power.

That was the problem. Currently, Noe couldn’t exercise his skills properly.

‘It’s serious.’

Noe’s master had ordered. Be prepared for any enemy while Master was concentrating. If an enemy invades, don’t hesitate to hurry to Grid and tell him the news. But the problem was...

‘I unconsciously moved.’

Noe recognized himself as a rational being, but reality was different. Noe was still young and faithful to his instincts. When a dark man showed up and moved quietly through the darkness, he instinctively attacked. It was unintentionally done and the current situation was the result.

Noe was affected. He couldn’t gather any strength in his body. The divine power of the Rebecca Church’s Vatican was terrible. But how could the best demonic beast of hell lose to a human?

“Nyaang!”

Noe once again swung his paws.

Chukak.

Sharp claws tore at Crow’s ears. Crow felt a chill as he barely managed to escape a deadly blow.

‘Fast...! A high class demonic beast!’

The cat was clearly a demonic beast. It might not look like it, but it must be a huge monster. Maybe it had the skills of an intermediate level demonkin. If not, it wouldn’t have been able to move inside the Vatican that was filled with divine power.

‘I need to take it seriously.’

The reason why a demonic beast was here didn’t matter. It was just one more target to kill.

Clink.

Crow, who had been fighting with only one dagger, pulled out a short sword. A dagger in his right hand and a short sword in his left hand. His attitude changed after he grabbed another weapon. It was the appearance of the famous Crow.

“Kiyong!”

‘No strength.’

Crow defended against Noe’s scratches with his short sword. He drew his short sword in a diagonal line. Then he stabbed with his dagger. A light wound appeared on Noe’s chest. The sword sword was cut slightly and the dagger was avoided.

Crow’s expression twisted.

‘It avoided it?’

Noe bared his fangs.

“Nyaang!”

Jjejeong! Jjeejeeeong!

“Kuk.”

Noe’s claws became faster and stronger. Crow found it difficult to avoid, and he tried to defend by crossing his short sword and dagger. Then he realized Noe’s real power.

‘A senior demonkin!’

Was this possible? Weren’t demonic beasts originally subordinates of the demonkin? Crow was shocked and pulled out the trump card he had been saving. The walls, the floor and the shadows on the ceiling started to shake. A shadow technique was activated.

Noe’s eyes widened with surprise at the strange sensation, while Crow smiled with satisfaction.

“Go to hell.”

Crow was convinced of his victory and opened his mouth for the first time. At the same time, the shadows on all four sides moved and changed their shape into that of a thorn.

Pa pa pa pat!

Six thorns flew from different orbits and pierced Noe’s body. Noe determined it was dangerous and used Fluidization.

[Fluidization]

It was a skill that made it impossible for physical damage to impact his body. However, Noe couldn’t use it properly due to the influence of divine power. He couldn’t use Soul Ingestion at all. Unfortunately, Fluidization didn’t work and Noe received damage.

Puok!

"What, nyang?”

One of the six thorns penetrated Noe’s small body. Noe let out a pained scream and fell to the floor.

‘It is unfair, nyang.’

The biggest problem was that Noe couldn’t use the Soul Ingestion skill. Noe hated the Vatican.

Crow trampled on Noe’s protruding belly. Noe’s snout gaped open. Then a pained sound emerged. Crow laughed at him. "This is the end of the demonic beast.”

Clink.

Crow aimed at Noe’s face with the short sword.

“Die.”

“It’s up to here.”

“...!”

Suddenly, a voice was heard. The surprised Crow hurriedly turned his head, but no one could see it. There were just darkness all over the place.

‘A hallucination?’

He had no choice but to feel doubts. There were no signs of anyone. It was a stealth ability beyond human limits.

“Eh?”

Crow’s eyes twitched as he felt something. He was losing control of the shadows.

Pahat!

The shadows rose like a wave. Crow tried to avoid it, but it was impossible. The speed of the shadows was too fast.

Kwack!

Crow’s body was pressured by the shadows.

“Kuak!”

Crow turned pale was he was caught by the shadows and thrown into the air.

‘The speed of the shadow control is ridiculously fast...!’

The shadow technique could evolve to this extent? He couldn’t believe it. While Crow was feeling confusion, the shadows kept tightening around his body. Crow struggled but the pain just got worse. Who on earth could so easily overpower him? Crow’s questions were deepening when a man appeared from the darkness.

“Y-You...!”

It was a man with black skin. His body was very dry and his arms were abnormally long. There was only one person who came to mind once all these things were summed up.

Crow screamed, "Kasim!"

Someone who could control shadows beyond mere attacking and defending. He was able to make soldiers from shadows. The assassin who led an army. His nickname...

“King of Shadows!”

Why was that monster here? Crow had more questions. But the answer that came to him was death. The shadows pressed on him more strongly and he couldn’t even scream as he died. Kasim removed Crow’s body so there were no traces left. The shadows swept over the area and even the bloodstains disappeared.

“The more I look, the cuter it is.”

Kasim looked at Noe, who was unconscious, and disappeared into the shadows.

***

Chirp! Tweet!

Birds made noises. Warm sunshine wrapped around his body.

“Nya.”

Noe woke up from his serene sleep. Then he looked to the left and right.

“Heok! What is going on? Kyak!”

When it was dawn. He had been fighting a savage human. Then he was hit by a lousy technique and got knocked out. Noe thought up to here and found it ridiculous. How could the best demonic beast of hell by beaten by a human?

"It's a disgrace! Nyang!”

This was unacceptable, even if the location was the Vatican. Why should this great body, that could overcome humanity with its paws, suffer from such indignity? Noe trembled with anger and belatedly questioned it.

“Why am I alive? Nyang?”

If he was knocked out by a human, wouldn’t he be killed? Noe pondered it and concluded.

“It was a dream! Nyang!”

That’s right. What happened last night wasn’t real.

“Nyahahat! That is it! How can the best demonic beast of hell be beaten by a human? Nyahahat!”

Noe was sure of it.

In fact, he had no choice but to think that way. Otherwise, how could Noe explain why he was still alive? Due to his tremendous resilience, the wounds he had the day before were completely gone, so Noe’s thoughts were justified.

Ttiring~

Noe's status changed from frustration to self-gratification. But Grid had no interest in Noe. He was too busy with Raphael’s Spear and didn’t see the pet window at all.

***

‘I’m screwed.’

Grid was feeling nervous. He had observed Raphael’s Spear, but despite two days passing, he couldn’t figure out a way to seal it.

‘Was I thinking too easily?’ Had he let his recent victories get to him?

‘I can’t understand what’s connecting the parts of the spear.’

The bonding area was too clean. Grid wasn’t even sure what techniques were used.

‘It’s impossible to do this with forging alone. However, it isn’t one whole item...’

If he disassembled and assembled the spear, he could uncover the secrets behind how the two parts were joined. But he couldn’t do that because of Isabel. Grid continued to observe the spear while logically grasping its structure.

The next day, an uninvited guest came. It was Pascal.

“I want to give you a present.”

Pascal extended a box containing one million gold. It was almost twice as much as Damian’s 530,000 gold. It was 1.2 billion won in cash.

[Would you like to receive Pascal’s gift?]

[If you receive the gift, you must unconditionally accept one of Pascal’s requests.]

“Are you kidding me? This is the extent of your gift? Get lost.”

Grid wasn’t simple enough to cling to simple profits anymore. He was always looking ahead. He wouldn’t allow the empire to swallow the Rebecca Church just for one million gold.

Two more days passed. Grid drove away Pascal and decided to change his viewpoint while observing Raphael’s Spear.

‘Maybe the secret isn’t in the technique but the materials?’

The main ingredient of Raphael’s Spear was adamantium. Adamantium was a silver material but the color of the combined area was blue.

‘No minerals were used other than adamantium. It seems like the adamantium is mixed with something else.

There was clearly something.

‘This... perhaps?’

At that moment, something passed through Grid’s head.