After Ten Millennia in Hell

“I... see.” Layla nodded with a serious face.

The identity of the Demon of Prophecy hidden under veils had finally been revealed.

“I will make sure to let Lady Gaia know,” Layla said.

“Thank you. I will leave it to you.” Oh Kang-Woo nodded and turned to Bael, who was staring at him dumbfoundedly.

“Huh?” He tilted his head in confusion due to the completely unexpected response. “Why are you so placid about this, Kang-Woo?”

Bael couldn’t understand why Kang-Woo was so easily able to accept the fact that he was not the Demon of Prophecy, the true ruler of all demons and that he was nothing at all.

“Hm? Hmmm?” Bael looked around wide-eyed. And then... “Oh.”

A single thought popped up in his head. It was a possibility that he had never even considered because it was so absurd.

“Don’t tell me... You don’t have any intention of devouring the worlds? Hm? You don’t want to complete the Demonic Sea and become the Primordial Being?”

That was impossible; devouring the Triad and completing the Demonic Sea was the ultimate goal of Demon God Bauli and those who possessed the Demonic Sea.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kang-Woo said firmly. “I’m here to save this world from demise.”

Blinding, radiant, and beautiful light poured out from Kang-Woo, but Bael could vividly feel the black sea hidden within the splendor. The reaches of the black sea were still as endless as the abyss; it truly deserved to be known as the Demonic Sea.

‘He has the Demonic Sea for sure, so why? Why doesn’t he want to devour the Triad?’

“Wait, wait.” Bael shook his head in confusion. “Then you... sided with Gaia because you had no intention of ending the worlds from the beginning?”

Bael could not help but chuckle. He thought that the Demon King had become Gaia’s retainer to backstab her, the same thing that he did to Bael, but that was not the case. The Demon King... truly did not have any intention of devouring the worlds.

“Why? Why? Why?” Bael asked repeatedly. He could not understand. There was no way that he could. “You have the Demonic Sea, don’t you? Despite that, you’re choosing not to complete it? You’re choosing to suppress your desire?”

Kang-Woo frowned at Bael’s questions. “I’m not sure what you mean. The only power that I have is the power of Splendor.”

“Hah,” Bael chuckled and crouched as he grabbed his stomach. “Ha... Hahahahahahaha!” He burst into crazed laughter. “You’re insane— no, your mind has completely fried!”

Bael glared at Kang-Woo with blazing eyes. “As I thought, you’re not worthy. You don’t have the right to be the Demon of Prophecy!!” He gritted his sharp teeth and yelled, “It’s not you, but me! Hihihi! IT’S ME!!”

Bael jumped up and down joyfully. Kang-Woo judged that there was no point listening any further and raised the shining Ingrium.

“Fuuu.” Kang-Woo took a deep breath.

He lowered his stance and shot forward.

Whoosh!

He shot a slash of light at Bael.

“Hihihihi!!” The corners of Bael’s mouth rose to his cheekbones as he spread out his arms. His body split from chin to groin; teeth sprouted from the split area and ate the slash of light that Kang-Woo shot in the blink of an eye.

“What?” Kang-Woo’s eyes widened.

‘What the hell? Why... do you have that?’

He could not understand. His thought process could not keep up with the situation before his eyes. His vision slowed down as if time had stopped.

“Kuh!” Kang-Woo quickly jumped backward as he stared at Bael in shock.

Something that should not have been possible had happened right before his eyes.

“Heh.” Bael smiled. “What?”

He giggled as his shoulder shook ecstatically.

“How...” Kang-Woo slurred.

“Are you shocked that I have this?” Bael asked as he stroked his split body. His smile grew even larger. “I knew it.”

Bael slowly raised his right arm and his hand split in half.

“You know nothing.”

Squelch, squelch.

Black mucus oozed out from the split areas and countless mouths appeared from it.

Bael chanted in a voice filled with madness, “Authority of Predation.”

Rumble—!!!

The black mucus that poured out from Bael’s hand spread widely and formed a giant black wave of countless mouths that devoured everything in its path.

“M-my king!” Balrog shouted.

“Stay away,” Kang-Woo replied with a deep voice as he stared at the black wave.

‘How?’ Kang-Woo asked in his head again. ‘Why does Bael have the Authority of Predation?’

The Authority of Predation was Kang-Woo’s Authority; it was a power that only he could use, one that had been with him from the First Hell to the Ninth.

‘So how...’

How could Bael use the Authority of Predation?

‘Shit.’

Kang-Woo’s mind was in jumbles. The incomprehensible situation was putting him in a daze.

‘Since when?’

Kang-Woo did not remember his entire battle against Bael. His consciousness had been trapped deep within the Demonic Sea the moment that he opened the Second Door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core against Bael. Kang-Woo had already defeated Bael by the time he had barely managed to escape from the Demonic Sea’s clutches.

‘But I’m sure that he didn’t use the Authority of Predation.’

Kang-Woo recalled his battle against Bael before he opened the Doors. Bael had not used the Authority of Predation even when Kang-Woo attacked him with his army of hundreds of thousands of demons.

No, every demon in the Nine Hells knew one thing about Bael. He did not have an Authority; the Authority of Gluttony that Beelzebub possessed as the Prince of Gluttony had not been passed down to Bael. The only reason Bael became the Prince of Gluttony was because he had taken Beelzebub’s place after killing him.

‘I also heard that the Authority of Gluttony only sounds similar to the Authority of Predation and that they’re completely different Authorities.’

Even if Bael inherited Beelzebub’s Authority, it would still not make sense. The Authority of Gluttony allowed one to accumulate demonic energy beyond one’s limits; it was not something that could take demonic energy from other beings and absorb them like the Authority of Predation.

Crack! Crunch!

The black wave of countless mouths had reached right in front of Kang-Woo as he had been in thought. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and extended his arms.

‘First, I’ll focus on the battle against Bael.’

Boom!

Kang-Woo stomped his feet and gripped Ingrium with one hand and Inferno created with the Key of the Demonic Sea in the other hand.

He crossed the two swords and chanted, “Twilight.”

Fwoosh!

Golden flames spread out in a fan shape. The sky was set ablaze like a sunset and intense heat swept the entire forest.

Boom! Crackle!

The ground split and red sand that had melted from the intense heat erupted from the cracks like a volcano.

“K-Kang-Woo!” Seol-Ah quickly reached out to Kang-Woo amidst the chaos, but Balrog grabbed her arm.

“We have to run away,” he stated.

“B-but...”

Balrog bit his lip and muttered, “We will only be a nuisance to the king if we stay close to him.”

His powerlessness was weighing him down. His expression was the same that Seol-Ah saw when he did nothing as Kang-Woo struggled with the side effects of opening the Doors.

“Kang-Woo...” Seol-Ah’s eyes glistened with tears.

She hesitated for a while and then turned around as tears flowed down her cheeks. Balrog lifted her and ran to where the heat wouldn’t harm them.

Fwoosh—!!

“Hihihi! What? Is that all you’ve got?!” Bael burst into laughter within the blazing flames. “More, more, more!! Bring out more of your power!! Huh? I know you’re stronger than this!!”

Bael spread his arms out and split the enormous flames in half.

Kang-Woo frowned as he watched Bael nullify Kang-Woo’s attacks with ease.

‘This isn’t gonna work.’

Although they had not fought for long, Kang-Woo could feel an overwhelming gap between him and Bael. At this rate, he would be no match for Bael.

‘In that case...’

Kang-Woo placed his hand over his heart. He could see three doors keeping the black sea at bay. The moment that he grabbed the handle of the First Door...

“Lord Bael, the preparations are complete,” an unpleasant voice like nails on a chalkboard rang out.

Kang-Woo turned to see a hunchback demon wearing an old robe.

‘Amon.’

Kang-Woo’s eyes gleamed with wariness.

“Huh? Already?” Bael expressed disappointment. He whined like a little boy asking his parents to buy him a toy, “Why~? It was just getting good! Can’t I fight for just a little longer?”

“Keke. You know that we came here for a different reason.” Amon tapped the ground with his staff and continued as if scolding Bael, “The enjoyment will only amplify if you postpone it.”

“Tch.” Bael pouted and stomped his feet as if having a temper tantrum. He said as he smiled widely and waved, “Sorry, Kang-Woo. Let’s play again next time!”

“I don’t know about that. I wanna play some more now,” Kang-Woo replied as he glared fiercely at Bael.

He had no idea what Bael had planned, but he could not let him run away.

“Hihihi.” Bael smiled innocently and looked up. “I wonder if you can?”

Bael’s mouth expanded massively, defying the laws of physics. His mouth which had grown to hundreds of meters now looked as if it were a colossal net.

Crunch!

And then, something was devoured by his mouth.

“What was that?” Kang-Woo muttered as a chill ran down his spine.

He felt as if something horrible and irreversible had occurred.

“Heh.” Bael chuckled. And then...

Riiing.

[The Demon God’s Heart has been absorbed by Bael.]

[A portion of the privileges will be granted to Bael as per the ‘Law of Titans.’]

“Right then, see ya.”

Crackle—!!

A giant Rift easily several kilometers wide formed in midair. Bael jumped into the Rift as he waved innocently.

“Stop right th—”

Before Kang-Woo even had a chance to chase after Bael...

[The privileges of the ‘Gaia System’ will be transferred from Gaia to Bael.]

[Bael has commanded the collapse of the ‘Gaia System.’]

A blue window containing a horrifying message covered Kang-Woo’s field of vision.

[Commencing the collapse of the ‘Gaia System.’]

“Motherfucker... Just my luck...” Kang-Woo cursed as he read the contents of the blue message windows.

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