Dancing on the golden ashes-Chapter 254: Seong-hoon’s Challenge

With one powerful flap of my wings, I ascended swiftly into the sky, rising above the dense forest that stretched outward like an emerald ocean. From this vantage, the horizon revealed a terrifying sight. An endless sea of people advanced from all directions, forming a vast, encircling tide that threatened to drown everything in its path. Their bodies radiated oppressive auras, burning fiercely and unnaturally bright. As my eyes scanned their ranks, I realized something deeply unsettling—every pair of eyes staring back at us was completely black, filled with bottomless darkness.

All of them… corrupted. The Creator forced them to this state. Their unnatural power suggested that asshole himself had directly intervened. Even if ten thousand years passed, there's no way so many people could naturally achieve level 500. Even I, who pushed myself so hard, never reached such a level.

I slowly raised my hand, signaling readiness. Below me, my legion stood proud, wings unfurling in fierce anticipation, their gazes locked upon the approaching tide. The wind howled softly, whispering promises of battle, as stardust gently rained down upon our gathering. The tension in the air thickened, charged like lightning before a storm.

I didn't even need to speak a single word. With just one thought, my entire legion surged into the air, soaring alongside me in perfect unity. It was a breathtaking sight—an awe-inspiring wave of demonic beings, beasts and former humans alike, spreading their wings as one. Even the beasts had transformed, their forms now infused with an unmistakable demonic aura. Did my soul transform them when I perished in the flames of eternity? Perhaps so. It was a mysterious occurrence, yet one I could not complain about, as it only drew our bonds closer together.

"Today, kill, destroy, feast upon them if you must—but not a single one of you is permitted to die. Stay alive, protect each other. Defeat is not an option; today we accept only victory!" My voice carried clearly through the sky, steady and cold, yet each word resonated deeply within their hearts. "And when the dust settles, we shall rebuild our home. If this world rejects our existence, if it denies us our rightful place, we will reduce it to ashes and seek another. We are no longer human—we are the proud and noble demon race. Today, we denounce the rotten humanity that once betrayed us, and embrace our noble destiny. At the end of it all, we shall claim the throne."

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My words were simple, yet the reaction was immediate and overwhelming. Countless roars and fierce cheers erupted all around me, echoing through the air so powerfully that the very sky split apart above us. Massive fissures and cracks tore across the heavens, revealing a tapestry of stars and cosmic infinity beyond. It was as if our collective resolve—our passion, our fury, our strength—was far too immense for this small world to contain any longer.

"For the Empress! For the Empire! For the Demonic Race!" Eun-woo roared suddenly, his voice thundering with commanding power. From his mighty figure, an invisible ripple of energy surged outward, enveloping everyone present. Instantly, the morale and strength of the entire legion soared higher, igniting their souls with fiery determination. So, this is his power as a leader—the ability to lift everyone's spirits and strength simultaneously.

In the distance, the endless sea of corrupted humans closed in, and from among them rose a host of figures into the sky. Their powerful auras were distinctly stronger, each radiating oppressive pressure. Among them, I recognized a face: Emperor Khalid, the proud man who once submitted to my authority. But his eyes were no longer his own—they were empty, black, lifeless. He was gone, merely a puppet, and those beside him appeared no less influential, no less corrupted.

Suddenly, the sky cracked open once more, and from the void emerged a familiar figure—Jeong Suhan. His form had changed drastically; he now possessed massive, pristine white feathered wings, exactly like mine but starkly opposite in color. His eyes blazed with brilliant, unnatural blue light, so radiant and piercing that it appeared as though they had been forged directly in the heavens themselves.

"We meet again, filthy demon," he declared arrogantly, his voice booming with borrowed authority.

"Today, even that trash Creator will not save you," I replied coldly, my voice unwavering. "You've willingly come here to meet your end, and I promise I'll see it through. Your luck has finally run dry, filthy angel."

I could sense immediately—he was no longer human. That Creator bastard had clearly reforged him, twisted him into something else. His arrogant, cocky expression showed that he still believed himself immortal, invincible—the protagonist of some twisted fantasy. Such delusions seem to have fully corrupted his brain.

"Big words from someone without a heart," Jeong Suhan sneered mockingly, his brilliant white sword pulsing with immense celestial energy. "How does it feel, finally surrounded by your own kind? I suppose you should be happy, demon, finally accepted. But just as I predicted, only hell would embrace someone as unworthy as you. You are not destined to shine; you were always meant to remain in my shadow. I will never allow you to surpass me. Know your place, filthy woman."

He lunged forward suddenly, his sword glowing blindingly bright, ready to strike me down with a single, arrogant blow. But before I could even react, Seong-hoon moved. His right hand surged with raw power, transforming instantly into a black blade—dark as midnight, with sinister dragon eyes embedded on both sides, razor-sharp teeth lining its edges. Draconic energy surged from his body, scales erupting along his limbs, wings reshaping themselves into mighty dragon appendages, and a massive tail unfurling behind him.

With a single devastating swing, sending hurricane-force winds screaming across the battlefield, Seong-hoon intercepted Jeong Suhan, violently hurling him through the air and far away from me.

"You aren't qualified to speak to her like that—or even stand in her presence," Seong-hoon growled dominantly, his voice resonating with the might of a true dragon awakened from slumber. "Trash like you isn't worthy of my Empress's time. I'll deal with you myself."

The battlefield fell momentarily silent, tension crackling thickly in the air, as two titanic forces prepared to clash beneath the shattered sky.