## Chapter 1391 – 1391. God’S Atlantis
The Heavenly Demon’s Return.
I set foot in the Scorpion Desert, Sector 5,146.
The endless golden desert welcomed me.
I looked straight ahead. The great city, the heart of the Scorpion Desert in Sector 5,146, was shining brightly. Reltia had an oasis.
That oasis was the driving force behind Reltia’s growth. In this arid desert, Reltia was a place where water could be obtained reliably.
As I walked forward, I glanced back. Kasha, Amar, Princess Yonggil, Okjeong, and Ercia were following behind me.
Each of them had different expressions and atmospheres.
Kasha wore a cool smile. I could feel the murderous intent in the curve of her lips.
Amar’s face was stiff. He felt guilty for not managing the desert while I was gone.
Princess Yonggil’s face was full of annoyance. It was because I had forcibly dragged her out of the pyramid where she had been holed up.
Okjeong was nervous. She was smart. She could foresee what was about to happen.
Ercia’s eyes were sparkling. Ercia rarely left the pyramid. Even when she did, she only went to safe places with Kasha. This was her first time in a big city.
“Kasha, didn’t you say that the Heavenly Demon Church was on the verge of falling into the hands of the rebels?”
“This is Reltia. Not the Heavenly Demon Church.”
“……”
She was right, so I had nothing to say. The Heavenly Demon Church was the name of an organization, not a city.
“Most of the rebels are in areas outside of Reltia. They’re gathering their strength while avoiding our eyes. In fact, we had no idea what they were doing until two months ago.”
“I apologize, Heavenly Demon. It is my fault for being inadequate.”
“Oh, Oppa. It’s not like we could have done anything about it. Even we can’t monitor this damn wide desert.”
“…There were signs before. If I had paid more attention… I could have suppressed them earlier.”
“I’m telling you again, it’s not your fault. Karok! That bastard was just too meticulous!”
I intervened between the siblings.
“Enough, explain the situation in Reltia. Who knows it best?”
“I mainly tracked Karok while traveling outside of Reltia. Kasha knows the internal situation of Reltia best.”
Kasha glared at Reltia for a moment before opening her mouth.
“It’s a mess. After you disappeared, and Karok betrayed you and started a rebellion, all sorts of riffraff started running wild as if they had been waiting for it. Especially the wealthy. Those bastards are trying all sorts of tricks to get their hands on the oasis.”
“Tricks, you say?”
“They incited the citizens. The Heavenly Demon abandoned Reltia. The Heavenly Demon is dead. The Heavenly Demon will not return. Reltia needs a new leader. A leader who is worthy of that position… Rumors like that spread in Reltia. The rebels also used that incitement.”
“It seems the incitement was successful. But Reltia looks fine considering that.”
“The Heavenly Demon Church’s military power is still intact. They’re somehow managing to protect the palace and the oasis. They’re appeasing the citizens by distributing water from the oasis, but… that too had reached its limit. The wealthy, who had joined hands, have split. The discord between the tribes and the greed of the wealthy have held back the rebels. It was lucky for us.”
“What’s the internal situation now?”
“It’s precarious. It’s a situation where a bomb is about to explode. If rebels with military power attack, it will be immediately captured. Well, that’s the story when you’re not here.”
I nodded.
I didn’t understand everything, but what I had to do didn’t change. I would kill all the bastards I didn’t like, the ones who dared to defy me.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the entrance of Reltia.
“Kasha, what are those?”
Four men with swords at their waists were standing at the entrance. Soldiers.
As far as I knew, all the soldiers of Reltia belonged to the Heavenly Demon Church. But those soldiers didn’t look like they belonged to the Heavenly Demon Church. The members of the Heavenly Demon Church basically wore black clothes.
Kasha’s expression twisted.
“They’re vigilantes.”
“Vigilantes? Where did the Church members go, and why are those guys guarding the entrance?”
“Many Church members died in the last rebellion. So, we’re short on combat troops. There’s also a unit tasked with tracking Karok… so we don’t have enough manpower to protect Reltia. The citizens formed a vigilante group because of that.”
“Looking at the current situation in Reltia, it’s unlikely that the vigilantes were formed voluntarily by the citizens. Who’s behind them?”
“We suspect it’s the rebels and the wealthy.”
“Suspect?”
“We haven’t secured any evidence yet. It would be more accurate to say that we don’t have the manpower to do so.”
“Why didn’t you just get rid of them?”
“They’re saying they’re voluntarily taking up arms to protect the city and fight the rebels… There’s no justification to stop the vigilantes.”
“Indeed, justification.”
“Control your temper. If you touch the vigilantes, the citizens will rise up. There’s no need to add fuel to the already volatile public sentiment.”
“Kasha, I am the Heavenly Demon.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the Heavenly Demon.”
“And the Heavenly Demon doesn’t care about justification.”
I approached the entrance. A vigilante soldier stepped forward. They were shocked to see me.
“T-The Heavenly Demon!”
Their hands reflexively went to the swords at their waists, but they didn’t draw them. They immediately parted to the sides, clearing a path.
“Y-You’ve returned, Heavenly Demon! We welcome your return… Keok?!”
I grabbed the neck of the soldier who was speaking without permission. The flustered soldier reflexively drew his sword.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Flying Claw (天魔飛爪).
Black sword energy appeared from my fingernails and severed the soldier’s limbs. Blood poured from the severed limbs.
“I am the Heavenly Demon. If you see me, kneel and bow your head to the ground. Don’t babble, you swine. Don’t look me in the eye. Don’t even step on my shadow.”
I released my grip on his neck. The man’s body fell to the ground, twitching.
“Save me, please save me! Heavenly Demon!”
“Do you not have a learning function? I just told you not to babble.”
I placed my foot on the face of the wailing man.
“Die and worship me.”
Crack.
The man’s head exploded. Fragments of his skull and brain scattered everywhere.
I turned my gaze to the side. The vigilante soldiers were pale and kneeling on the ground, their foreheads buried in the dirt.
I moved my Heavenly Demon energy. A dark aura gathered at the tips of my fingernails.
“Vigilantes? I never authorized vigilantes.”
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Flying Claw (天魔飛爪).
The sword energy flew and sliced through the kneeling vigilante soldiers. A gust of wind blew, spreading the stench of blood everywhere.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Screams echoed from inside the entrance.
My gaze turned to the inside of the entrance. Dozens of people were panicking, screaming, and running away in disarray.
“They’re not at all prepared to welcome their returning master.”
I spread my arms wide. Black energy gathered on my ten fingernails.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Flying Claw (天魔飛爪).
The sword energy swept through the area, cutting down humans. As the number of people decreased, the surroundings gradually became quiet. I focused on killing those who were screaming and running away. I must have killed about 70 people. No one was screaming anymore. Those who were quick-witted prostrated themselves on the ground. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t touch those who were prostrating.
“……”
And then, everything became quiet.
All the survivors were prostrating on the ground, their mouths shut. Even the children were no exception. It was the moment when fear overcame instinct.
I raised my head and looked straight ahead. There was a main street leading to the palace in the center of the city. No one dared to move on the main street. On both sides of the main street, people were prostrating, hoping that I would pass by.
“My beloved citizens.”
I said to them, shaking off the blood from my hands. As the ruler of this city, it would be a shame to just pass by.
“I have returned.”
“……”
It was silent.
Not even the sound of sand rolling could be heard.
I chuckled and walked down the main street. Behind me, my group followed with stiff expressions. I glanced at Ercia’s condition. Ercia was staggering, as if she was in shock, and was walking behind Okjeong. Ercia’s eyes were glazed over.
‘It was a bit too stimulating.’
I had no intention of being considerate of Ercia.
This Atlantis is not peaceful. The weak will either die or be exploited.
As I walked down the silent main street, armed soldiers came running from ahead. They were vigilantes. It seemed like they had gathered all the vigilantes in the vicinity, as there were over 200 of them.
“Heavenly Demon! We are the vigilantes of Reltia! We will serve you, Heavenly Demon!”
They were not worth thinking about.
I clenched my fist and gathered my Heavenly Demon energy.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Dragon Fist (竜拳).
The Heavenly Demon energy that shot out straight ahead turned into a dragon and swept through the vigilante soldiers. Blood, entrails, flesh, and bones were crushed and scattered everywhere. The once clean road was stained with blood. The citizens who were prostrating around it trembled, wetting themselves. Mothers with children desperately covered their children’s mouths with their hands.
As I walked forward on the blood-soaked road, a prostrating citizen caught my eye. He was twice as big as the others, his clothes were flashy, and he had jewels dangling from his neck and arms.
“You must be the pig who incited my citizens. Come forward, pig.”
The pig raised his body. He couldn’t refuse my words. His body was soaked with cold sweat.
“Heavenly Demon. You must be mistaken. I did not incite the people. I have been paying my taxes regularly. From now on, I will be more actively supporting the Heavenly Demon Church.”
“Kasha, am I mistaken?”
“He’s the one who was spreading rumors that the Heavenly Demon was dead.”
“Ah, no! Heavenly Demon! Please don’t believe Kasha! I didn’t say such things! This is slander! There’s no evidence!”
Kasha sighed.
“…It’s frustrating, but there is no evidence.”
“I believe my woman’s words.”
“Kuaaaaaaah!”
I swung my hand, which was imbued with Heavenly Demon energy, horizontally. The sword energy flew and cut the pig in half at the waist. The pig’s body fell to the ground, and blood and entrails poured from the severed area. I tapped a pressure point on the pig’s body.
“You are an example. So, you will live for about 10 minutes.”
I grabbed the pig by the hair and started walking down the main street. The pig didn’t last 10 minutes before dying.
And then, I arrived at the plaza in front of the palace.
Over 5,000 citizens were shouting at the palace in the plaza.
