Mind Demon's Path of Domination

Some time later.

Until now, the Wind Demon Wolf—the 5th Kill Slave of Seo Jin Hu—had been trying to hunt other Lower Demons while Hanmo and his disciples emotionlessly stared from atop their flying ice slab, calmly waiting. But now, Hanmo seemed impatient.

It had taken half an hour, and even one Lower Demon hadn't been killed, not to mention turned into a Kill Slave.

The Wind Demon Wolf alone could scarcely do the job.

Hanmo would have to help to quicken this whole thing.

Seo Jin Hu's plan was, indeed, to accumulate the maximum number of Kill Slaves he could revive—(10)—before entering the mega-dungeon's true depths. He wanted to try his hand on the Boss of all demons in the Hunter World.

The Mega Dungeon's Boss Demon.

With Hanmo and the Trio Hunters at the helm and the six Lower Demons he would add soon to the legion helping him, the chance of winning a fight against the Boss Demon wasn't too far-fetched. If he could find some stronger demon deeper in, he could also replace one of the Kill Slaves with it.

But for now, he first had to kill five more Lower Demons and revive them into his Kill Slaves. Usually, Seo Jin Hu would have been more straightforward with the battle and would have just used Hanmo to overpower everyone, but now, he was a bit wary.

Since he was in the air, no normal Demon could reach him or attack him. He was plenty safe up here and would notice any demon that planned to sneak up on him before a long shot away. And demons were foolish, so he didn't have to worry about them scheming.

Red School Demon changes that, Seo Jin Hu thought. That thing can both fly and scheme. And even with the Wind Demon Wolf's Soul Sense, I can't sense him. Is he far away from me now? Or is one of his 'demonic tricks' usable for camouflage?

…

Mark watched Hanmo's figure with his serpentine gaze.

Hiss.

The Ice God floated in the air atop his ice, and his snow-white hair fluttered in the wind. His presence made the desolate city feel even more apocalyptic, like a deity descending on a destroyed mortal world. No wonder this measly Hunter was named a God.

Yet now, he was but a mere slave—an emotionless Kill Slave of his own disciples' murderer.

"I know you are watching from somewhere, Red School Demon," Hanmo said, "Do you really think you can take me by surprise? You? One attack from me, and you will be dead. Even a single normal punch of mine is enough to turn you into meat paste!"

Mark sneered.

The Trio Hunters stared around emotionlessly. They were cautious of him, too. The Master and Disciples were in a tight formation, and an ambush in the sky was impossible unless you could turn invisible.

If Hanmo knew where he was, Mark would have long been caught, but there were tens of colossal buildings around this part of the mega-dungeon and more Lower Demons than one could count. Most buildings were filled with gangs of them.

His serpentine form was coiled around a street lamp in a hidden corner. Unnoticeable among the many more eye-catchy demons. No soul sense would notice his difference. Indeed, the Parasite demonic trick had come in handy.

He just stared with cold, slit eyes.

Seo Jin Hu is still wary even when I am weaker.

But it was no wonder, really. To revive the killed demons into Kill Slaves, Seo Jin Hu's real body would have to move out of the shadow, and Mark was indeed waiting for that. If the youth had half a brain cell, he would be cautious.

Hanmo positioned his palm facing against the ground.

Are you finally too impatient? Baiting me to come to you if I dare?

For once, Mark saw a Tier 2 being in action. His heart thumped in his chest.

C-Rank Hunters and Demonlings were often likened to handguns in destructive might, while B-Rank Hunters and Lower Demons were compared to heavy artillery.

Mark knew the power of a Lower Demon; he himself was a Lower Demon.

He was strong!

He could punch through walls, steamroll vehicles like they were but trash, and create absolute disasters if someone of equal standing didn't stop him. And that was only counting his physical prowess.

Yet, A-Rankers and Tier 2 demons were at a totally different level.

Mark watched with awe.

"There is no need to waste so much time on Tier-1 trash," Hanmo said, his words cutting the air like an icy blade. "I just have to waste this entire area full of Tier 1 Demons, and I'll have enough slaves. And Red School, if you are here, I wonder if I might accidentally kill you?"

Tsrz.

With a flick of the man's wrist, the atmosphere itself seemed to obey his chilling intent.

Even Mark, who was a considerable distance away, felt his scales prickle with coldness.

Tsrzz.

A humongous torrent of ice coalesced high above, like a whirlpool of wind in the sky. It cast a spectral pallidity over the whole abandoned city. It began to grow bigger and bigger.

Mark felt cold sweat trickle into his eyes but didn't dare to blink.

The massive icy behemoth fused into a singular, terrifying comet of frost—ominously suspended in the heavens.

Mark swallowed hard.

Hanmo let his hand…

"Fall!" he said.

The giant comet of frost moved at inhumane speed, and Mark stared in utter awe as it crashed down on a colossal building writhe with Lower Demons.

It was all but in a second that half of the building vanished utterly, and the other half froze into glittering pieces of ice.

His ears rang.

What power!

The air echoed with the sound of destruction for a long, exhausting moment, and Mark felt wind colder than any he had ever felt brush against his scales.

From atop the flying ice, Hanmo smiled.

At least ten Lower Demons must have been killed just now.

Maki's shadow warped and expanded atop the ice, and Seo Jin Hu's frail body finally emerged from within it.

Baiting me so blatantly, are you not? Mark felt his fangs itch.

From the back of the snake's lithe body, two feathery, dark wings stretched out. Regal, wide, and strong. Mark flew faster than he ever could have in his normal body towards Seo Jin Hu. He was like an arrow rushing through the wind and even faster than that.

The Trio Hunters all turned to him, eyes glinting.

Hanmo's face stretched into a cold smirk. Seo Jin Hu fell back into the shadow with a plop. Even Mark's Dream Shock that was transferred through gaze couldn't get him.

Everything slowed down for all involved.

"I've been waiting for you!" Hanmo said. "Become mine. You have no escape anymore."

The Ice God snapped his fingers, and ice coalesced above the skies.

"No, you don't." Mark laughed.

[Hanmo]

[Mind: 99/690]

[Mark]

[Mind: 100/100]

Using such a powerful attack had indeed taken a toll on Hanmo's energy reserves. And if he had equal or more Mindpower than the enemy and they didn't have Mental Resistance…

Heart Input!

There was no use planting a thought in a Kill Slave. It was mindless. Mark just whispered, "Die." And he was already upon the Trio Hunters.

The flying ice slab had no Mindpower supporting it to fly either, so it, too, began to fall, and everyone lost their footing. Shrapnels of coalesced ice turned to sparkling dust but never had the chance to attack. Hanmo's eyes widened in shock.

His ice no longer worked. His Mind stats had been emptied—just like Mark's.

Even through the shock, Hanmo's incredibly powerful fist punched out at the snake, and Mark felt death closing in.

"NO, YOU DON'T!" Shiden's palm also moved and touched Mark's snake scales.

Alchemy Shapeshifting!

Both Hanmo's punch and the horrifying Hunter Ability attacked at once, and Mark's snake body exploded into meat paste—dead beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Yet, a cold-faced man appeared in the middle of the meat paste and he shoved his masculine hand against Shiden's face and vines climbed out of his palm into the enemy's skin.

Parasite!

All of Shiden's pitiful remaining quantity of Mindpower was sucked into Mark, and he turned to meet Hanmo's eyes. Since Hanmo had no Mindpower in his body, Mark only needed that pitiful amount to—

Dream Shock!

All of the Kill Slaves suddenly grew a bit rigid.

Seo Jin Hu's main consciousness itself had been… stunned!

Neither Hanmo nor Shiden had any Mindpower to attack magically. Due to being dream-shocked, Hanmo couldn't defend his body either.

Mark twisted in the air and kicked Hanmo right in the chest—the A-Rank Hunter was unharmed but got blasted toward the ground from the air and slammed through a terrible amount of concrete.

Even when Hanmo woke back to clarity with no Mindpower, he had no power to fly and move towards Mark. He could only stare with wide eyes as the Flying Ice fell from the skies, and with one powerful punch, the healer, Fulan's head was smashed into crumbling pieces.

Mark smirked at him and flew through the air towards the depth of the mega-dungeon with Maki held by her hair and Shiden by his palm.

His Parasite ability made their Mindpower completely empty.

Fulan was dead. Hanmo, Shiden, and Maki had no Mindpower anymore. And since Mark could fly, he couldn't be caught.

Filled with fear, Hanmo, the Kill Slave, stared at the figure of Mark—Seo Jin Hu's main body was inside Maki's shadow, and because she had no Mindpower, he couldn't access it either.

"Give them back to me!" Hanmo ran with his head turned up in a scowl.

Having recovered most of his own Mindpower, Mark chuckled. He hadn't been able to kill Hanmo, but the most important pieces were already in his hand. They couldn't even resist anymore.

Maki, Shiden, and… Seo Jin Hu.

Sadly, he only had one Seal of Destiny.

His eyes hooded over as he blitzed through the air and left Hanmo far behind, obstacled by demons, buildings, and his own panic.

The sky was clear, and the night was coming.

And this was his night.

Seal of Destiny!