The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 385

The shadows spread throughout Dmitry.

They moved quickly through the alleys like a wind, their red eyes flashing as soon as they found people.

Crack!

Crack! Crunch!

“Ugh, Aargh!”

They attacked people from all sides.

Before anyone could fight back, the shadows tore off their arms and legs. Blood sprayed onto the alley walls, painting them a gruesome red, as people screamed in pain.

They were like hungry monsters, desperate for blood.

They did not plan or think. They just attacked. If they sensed life, they charged and ripped people apart.

The shadows deployed were like demonic beasts.

Because of possible magic bombs, they didn’t attack people inside buildings right away. But they killed anyone outside, like those carrying supplies.

Dmitry quickly fell into chaos.

The main forces were in a fierce battle outside the castle. The helpless civilians could only watch, covering their mouths to stop themselves from crying out.

Suddenly, a small sound escaped a nearby building – a muffled gasp.

Inside, a woman, pale with fear, had dared to peek through a gap in the wooden shutters. Her eyes met the burning red gaze of a shadow monster just outside.

The shadow’s face, already twisted and monstrous, contorted further into a snarl. It was a face from a nightmare, all sharp teeth and cruel eyes. A low growl rumbled in its chest. “Grrrr.”

*Kill all humans you find.* That was the simple, brutal order. They were supposed to focus on those outside, but if they saw a human, even inside a building, they wouldn’t hesitate.

The shadow swelled, its body growing larger and darker, blocking out more of the dim alley light. Its huge claws, like curved blades, rose towards the window, ready to smash through and tear apart whatever was inside.

But then, something moved above. The weak sunlight filtering into the alley was suddenly blocked by another shadow, this one moving with purpose.

*Thwack! Crunch!*

A sword slammed down on the shadow’s head. McBurney, his face grim, twisted the blade, and with a final, screeching cry, the shadow collapsed, dissolving into black smoke.

That was the beginning.

The location was exposed.

McBurney yanked his sword from the shadow’s head. He looked at the other shadows and shouted,

“There aren’t many of them. They’re trying to cause chaos in the city and break through the outer castle defenses. We have to protect the civilians. Kill every shadow we see and stop them from reaching the outer castle.”

“Understood.”

The special forces moved quickly.

Each of them moved in their own way.

Some limped, others were missing an arm like McBurney, and some moved slowly and awkwardly.

That was what made the special forces unique.

These special forces were made up of people who were told they could no longer fight because of their war injuries. But they desperately wanted to fight again.

To them, McBurney was a symbol of hope.

He proved that even a one-armed man could be strong. People came to him every day, and together they formed the special forces.

And behind them all was Roman Dmitry.

He gave them the solutions they needed, like teaching them the left-handed sword technique.

“Grrrr.”

“Ugh.”

Screams echoed.

One special forces member, who had been limping, jumped forward and slashed a shadow across the chest. Others joined in, fighting the shadows.

The shadows fought back hard.

The demonic beasts swelled up and bared their sharp teeth. Some shadows used swords and emitted auras.

Rumble!

A sword fell toward the head of one of the special forces members.

This member only had one arm, like McBurney. He had already attacked and couldn’t defend himself.

Then.

Clang!

“Counterattack!”

Another special forces member blocked the attack.

They trained to make up for each other’s weaknesses. A member with a leg injury deflected the shadow’s attack.

The switch between offense and defense was smooth and natural.

As if expecting it, the one-armed special forces member quickly raised his aura and slashed the shadow’s chest, causing it to tremble and turn into smoke.

This place… is Dmitry’s land.

The special forces members knew the area well.

The civilians watching felt hopeful as they saw the special forces quickly defeat the shadows by using the alleyways.

McBurney was especially impressive.

He moved so fast that the shadows scattered like dust. It was hard to believe he was missing an arm.

However, it was too early to celebrate.

McBurney was about to finish off a fallen shadow when he raised his sword to block a dangerous energy.

Wham!

Rumble!

“Ugh.”

He was pushed back hard.

Blood rose in his throat.

“You think you can stop us with just you lot? I will cut off your head to show you how wrong you are.”

Rumble!

Aura rippled around him.

It was clear. The shadow in front of him was a 6-star swordsman and the leader of the shadows.

In the moment he inhaled and exhaled, McBurney saw the shadow charging at him.

Swish.

Rumble!

He barely blocked the attack.

He raised his one arm to stop his head from being cut off, but the force of the blow pushed him back.

The opponent was a 6-star aura swordsman.

Even though Roman Dmitry had recently created the aura system, McBurney’s skills alone couldn’t block a 6-star aura.

“Ptooey.”

He spat out blood.

In that moment, as the shadow charged again, McBurney tore open a magic scroll he had prepared.

“Haste, Strength.”

Whoosh.

It was a blessing-type magic.

This wouldn’t close the gap with a 6-star swordsman, but he couldn’t run with the shadow right in front of him.

‘An ordinary special forces member can never face a 6-star swordsman. I have to buy as much time as possible. The only way to defeat this guy is to take care of the remaining shadows and attack at the same time.’

But he knew it wasn’t likely.

He would die.

McBurney knew he had to do it. There was no one else to stop the massacre in the city. He swallowed the blood rising in his throat.

Swish.

He aimed for a weak spot.

The shadow smirked.

“Cocky bastard.”

He was able to fight to some extent because he had trained against Roman Dmitry.

Even a powerful 6-star aura was not enough to stop the destruction.

The time he had spent training desperately had made McBurney the fighter he was today. His appearance was unsettling to the Shadow.

He simply didn’t like the idea of anyone trying to stop Alexander’s ambition.

In the human world, 6-star fighters were rare. Even though Sven had died in the last battle, the Chronos Empire had found a new 6-star swordsman that no one knew about.

That was the difference in power.

Because they were so different in power, the Shadow became angry and attacked McBurney harder.

His body was shaken by the force of the blows.

With each heavy impact, McBurney’s eyes fluttered.

It felt like his life was fading away.

Scritch.

“Kuh-heup.”

His leg was cut.

As McBurney stumbled backward, the Shadow grinned as if he had won.

“Go and call the others,” the Shadow said. “Beg for help. Dimitri’s people are about to die, so no matter what happens to the outer castle, help this place. If you don’t ask for help, I will kill everyone in Dimitri. I will turn this place into hell and then behead King Dimitri.”

It was over.

It was an impossible fight from the start.

He was not as strong as Chris or Kevin.

He wasn’t even a naturally gifted fighter like Fernando, who everyone admired.

McBurney was just an instructor. He knew this was his limit.

For him, without one arm, the idea of stopping a 6-star aura swordsman was impossible.

Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

His heart was pounding.

‘Am I going to die here?’ he wondered.

Probably.

That was the reality he couldn’t avoid.

But even so, he believed that the Special Forces would finish their mission.

Just then.

A tremendous explosion was heard in the distance.

The sound made McBurney think back to a conversation he had with the Special Forces members an hour ago.

McBurney’s mind flashed back to a conversation from earlier that day…

The Special Forces wanted to help the outer castle.

However, Commander Jonathan reminded them of their jobs and asked them to stop any problems that might come up.

Beyond the outer castle, they could hear magic exploding, people screaming, and weapons clashing. McBurney spoke to the Special Forces members who were with him.

“The day I first met you, I thought you were all crazy. You had lost arms, legs, and eyes. You couldn’t sleep because of nightmares, but you begged to pick up weapons again for Dimitri. I felt sorry for you, but also amused. I didn’t ask you why then. I had gone through the same thing, so I took the job as commander of the Special Forces, hoping that you would find some hope to live on.”

At that time, McBurney wasn’t happy about it.

The sight of those broken people gathering as the Special Forces didn’t look good.

But he couldn’t say no.

Like himself, who had lost hope the day he lost his right arm, he couldn’t turn away from those who were struggling to live.

That’s how the Special Forces were created.

They were given missions, but they trained while wondering if they could really do their jobs in a real fight.

And now, Dimitri was in danger.

Since the Special Forces might be needed, McBurney asked the question he had been holding back.

“Why? Why did you want to become the Special Forces?”

“Well, it’s obvious,” said a familiar voice.

A man who had been listening to McBurney calmly looked down at the ground and remembered the past.

“Commander, we can’t forget what happened when we were captured. We were scared in a dark place, not knowing when we would be tortured. We heard our friends screaming as they were dragged away, and then thrown on the floor, barely alive. We heard that the war was over, but we were angry at Dimitri for not saving us. Actually, it wasn’t Dimitri’s fault. Dimitri didn’t even know we were prisoners, and even if he did, it was too sensitive to break the peace agreement to save us.”

His name was Carol.

He had been a prisoner of war, and after being freed, he was assigned to the 3rd unit.

He gathered other soldiers, convinced McBurney, and created the Special Forces.

“But Roman Dimitri saved us. It’s ridiculous, but he risked a war with Chronos just to save a few prisoners. Commander, why do you want to be the Special Forces? People say we could live well with the war money in a safe job. But we can’t stand by and watch. I can never let Dimitri, who didn’t abandon us, be destroyed by evil forces like Chronos.”

His sincerity touched everyone.

Everyone showed their true feelings, and even though their bodies were weak, they wanted to work for Dimitri.

“Maybe we’ll die as the Special Forces. Some might say it’s a waste to barely escape being prisoners and then die like that. But if I, and we, die for Dimitri, and Dimitri survives because of that sacrifice, I’m sure Dimitri will take care of my family. My wife, my child. Dimitri never abandons anyone. So even if I have to die, Dimitri must remain.”

His voice grew stronger.

His eyes were red.

He was human.

Dying was scary, but Carol had learned something more important than life.

Others agreed silently.

Everyone felt the same way. Even though the Special Forces were not as healthy as other units, their minds were strong.

They would do anything for Dimitri. That was the Special Forces.

McBurney was silent for a long time.

Then, he spoke.

“I have prepared something for today. I asked the leaders to approve it, but they said no. Only Commander Jonathan knew about it, and he disagreed at first. But I told him we needed to be ready for the worst, and finally, I got permission.”

His voice was careful.

But with Dimitri in danger, McBurney was ready to do anything.

“What I’m about to say is our secret, and I hope it stays that way.”

Blood splattered.

Carol staggered, looking lost at the blood in the sky.

‘Am I going to die like this?’ he wondered.

The past few years had been exciting.

As a soldier of Dimitri, he had seen the Baron family rise to power. He had fought in battles and helped in his own way.

Then, he was captured in the war with the Chronos Empire.

He was tortured every day, and when he thought he would die, Roman Dimitri saved him.

He was grateful.

This world accepts unfairness.

The class system divided people by rank, and nobles often treated commoners as unimportant.

That’s why he felt so strongly about Roman Dimitri.

Everyone was loyal to him, and Roman Dimitri appreciated that loyalty.

He rewarded them with money or showed his appreciation.

He didn’t take their loyalty for granted.

He was grateful for their loyalty, and he took care of their families.

Carol truly supported Dimitri.

He was proud to be part of Dimitri, and he created the Special Forces to do even more.

“Krah!”

The Shadow attacked.

Behind him, civilians were screaming.

The Shadow would tear him apart and kill all the civilians.

Carol smiled sadly.

“Dimitri is not yours to take.”

His only regret was that he would not see his family again.

But if Dimitri fell, they would not be safe either, so he didn’t regret his choice.

Crack.

His body was bitten.

Seeing the Shadow trying to tear him apart, Carol hugged him tightly.

“Let’s go together.”

The magic bomb connected to his heart exploded.

A blinding white light erupted, sweeping away Carol and the Shadow.