"Then I'll be going. I don’t think… I’ll be able to stay in this world much longer," Benigore said with a smile on her face.
Her body was starting to become transparent.
The end was getting closer.
"Be careful," Benigore said while looking at KangWoo shortly before she vanished.
What was she warning him against?
She began explaining herself.
"If Gaia's status keeps getting worse… gods from other worlds are going to come."
"…"
"I helped you because I have a debt with Gaia, but you better not expect that from them."
He already suspected as much.
KangWoo nodded.
"I'll remember."
He knew that nothing would change.
After all, there was no way to really solve the issue at its core.
No, there was a way to solve it all, but he couldn’t do it because he was the Demon of Prophecy, the origin of the problem.
'I can't offer my neck to save the world.'
There were all sorts of people in the world, and some would probably be willing to risk their lives to save everyone.
'But…'
He wasn’t like that.
He’d fallen into Hell and done his best to survive there through miserable and desperate times. Was he supposed to sacrifice himself to save the world after everything he’d gone through?
'Nonsense.'
He was going to try to survive no matter what.
It was a simple issue.
If someone from another world arrived, he just had to kill them to dissuade others.
"Then… please, take care of this world. I'm not sure if we're going to meet again, but I'm going to pray for you."
Benigore's body became fully transparent and disappeared.
KangWoo smirked. A god praying? It somehow seemed ironic.
'The real gods are different from the idea of a God we have.'
It wasn't that space was made by one omnipotent God.
There were numerous gods, and among them, there were fights and rankings. Each god was unique.
'They aren't perfect.'
They could be fought against and killed, and also…
'I can eat them.'
KangWoo smiled and looked at his hands before he shut his eyes and felt the strength the goddess from another world had given him.
'Not bad.'
In reality, it wasn't as great as he thought a god's gift would be.
His Demonic Energy stat hadn't gone up because it was already too high, but it was still a gift.
It hadn’t required effort on his part, so he couldn't complain.
'No. This is actually great.'
After hunting Mamon, His Demonic Energy stat had only increased by five points.
Considering that the higher your stat became, the harder it was to increase it, he wasn't sure if his Demonic Energy would increase by five once he ate another archduke.
'It also isn't that the other stats are useless.'
His stats having been increased by 10 was equivalent to him wearing a full range of legendary-ranked equipment.
KangWoo turned while smiling.
He looked at everyone watching him; they were bathed in light.
"Thanks, guys."
He was able to receive Benigore's gift thanks to Kim ShiHoon and his other partners.
'As expected, you have to be a good person in your daily life, and then you'll receive good things in return.'
No one had lied to Benigore.
It wasn't that a god could detect lies, but if someone made a hard-to-believe comment, she would've noticed it.
She hadn't suspected him because she felt how much the other people trusted him.
'To be honest, I'm a bit moved.'
It wasn't enough to make him shed tears, but he felt a warm sensation in his heart.
It hadn't been long since he'd returned to Earth, but the relations he'd built in that short period of time couldn't be compared to the ones he'd made in Hell.
In Hell, he had many underlings who one-sidedly trusted and followed him, but there was a limit to the emotional bonding aspect.
"No. Even if we hadn't done anything, she would have figured out hyeongnim's true nature."
'She shouldn't.'
"The goddess probably felt how much of a warm person you are, KangWoo."
'She didn't seem to know.'
"It’s too bad she couldn't help us defeat the Demon of Prophecy."
'Darling, if she'd done that, I would’ve been done for.'
"Haha! This is all thanks to Hyeongnim's good deeds!"
'Of course, I've tried really hard, after all.'
Each one of his partners said something.
It was a moving scene that could have been straight out of a movie, but KangWoo couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
'Shouldn't the ending credits appear at this point?'
If so, things would've been cleaner.
He sighed and turned around.
"I'll be going now."
"KangWoo, where are you going?"
"I want to test my strength."
"I'll go, too," Echidna said while grabbing his sleeves.
KangWoo nodded and held her hands.
"…"
He could feel Kim ShiHoon staring at his back.
He looked at his hands with a dark expression.
'ShiHoon…'
It was easy to guess why he was making such an expression.
'You're struggling a lot.'
A swordsman who couldn't hold a sword…
It was hard to imagine the pain he was going through.
While he was struggling, the hyeongnim he respected so much had received a gift from a god.
'He's probably thinking that the distance between us is increasing.'
It was an undeniable truth.
KangWoo was getting stronger at a faster pace than he had thought, and he would soon be able to surpass his old self.
Even if Kim ShiHoon was talented, it was a problem of relativity in the end.
'I need to do something about it.'
He couldn't stay still and do nothing.
He didn't think that it would make Kim ShiHoon crumble, but he still had to give him a slight push forward.
"Let's go."
He turned with Echidna.
It wasn't something he could do yet.
'Once a bit more time passes…'
Once Kim ShiHoon became more desperate and got to the point of complete despair…
'I'll take advantage of that moment.'
* * *
[Haa, Haa.]
Balrog breathed heavily while getting hold of his heart.
All the surfaces around them had melted down, and an intense heat swept around them.
Balrog collapsed to the ground and was trembling in excitement.
[Ha, hahaha.]
He could see KangWoo surrounded by yellow flames, and he felt respect.
[As expected of the Demon King.]
"Hmm…"
KangWoo couldn't help but fall into thought despite Balrog's praise.
He looked at the yellow flames that were burning in the palms of his hands.
'It's less than expected.'
It wasn't that the Authority of Flames was less than what he'd expected…
He was disappointed in himself.
'To think it would be so hard to control this Authority.'
He had never experienced using an archduke’s Authority.
He wasn't a genius—he didn't have the capability to memorize things just by looking at them once like Kim ShiHoon.
Although he could theoretically use 666 Authorities, there was a reason why he only used the ones he was familiar with.
[Hmm? Is there something you're uncomfortable about?]
"I didn't think using Mamon's Authority would be so hard."
[But taking into consideration this fight…]
"You didn't use all of your strength, right?"
[…]
He hit the nail on the head.
Balrog sighed and nodded.
"Be honest. How was it?"
[I felt that you were weaker than your usual self. Of course, the amount of demonic energy is similar to before, but…]
"It was a bit clumsy, right?"
[Yes.]
Balrog kept talking.
[My wounds haven't been fully healed, so I can't tell you precisely, but it was weaker than what Mamon did.]
"I see."
He nodded.
There was no reason to be disappointed. Mamon had used the Authority of Flames for tens of thousands of years.
There was no way he'd be able to use the Authority better than him.
"I'll have to keep practicing."
Up until then, there was no point in him practicing because he couldn't improve by practicing things over and over, but the situation had changed.
He might not ever be at Mamon’s level with them, but if he wanted to use the Authority of Flames in battle, he would have to practice.
[If the King orders, I'll follow.]
Balrog smiled.
"Leaving that aside, how are your wounds?"
[They've improved a lot. I think that, in a few days, I'm going to heal naturally.]
KangWoo bit his finger.
His flesh split, and black blood dropped out.
"Drink."
[It isn't bad enough to need the Authority of Regeneration. It will naturally—]
"Don't say nonsense. I can tell you experience pain from intense movements."
[…]
Balrog remained silent.
He began snorting and looking as if he was about to cry; then he hugged KangWoo tightly.
[DEMON KIINNGG!!!]
"Cough! G-get off, you dumbass!!"
A five-meter-tall giant was hugging him tightly.
KangWoo was strong enough, so it was okay, but he couldn't stop the smell from penetrating his nose.
A horrible smell poured out from Balrog’s muscles and covered him.
[Hahaha!! It's an honor to have been able to serve the Demon King!]
"Balrog, not fair. Me too."
Echidna, who had been silently watching, also joined.
'Am I in the middle of Heaven and Hell?'
KangWoo closed his eyes while feeling the difference in texture from both sides.
Time flowed.
* * *
Clang-!
"Haa! Haa!"
Kim ShiHoon’s sword rolled to the ground, and he collapsed. Tears dripped down from his eyes.
- I'm sorry…
The voice.
He could hear that annoying voice.
He opened his mouth and felt like throwing up.
The demon wearing the red mask was laughing while looking at him.
"Ah, ugh," he moaned.
It had been three months since he’d started practicing and trying to hold the sword again.
Nothing had changed, and he hadn't improved at all.
He still couldn’t properly hold his sword.
"AAGGHH!!!!"
He cried in pain and smashed his head.
KangWoo was moving further away from him to a distance he couldn’t see.
"AAGGHH!!!"
BOOM. BOOM.
He shouted while grabbing his head.
He grabbed the sword while biting his lips, drawing droplets of blood.
Clang-
The sword dropped to the floor again.
* * *
"It's about time."
KangWoo's eyes shone while hearing Kim ShiHoon crying on the other side of the training room's wall.
'It's Awakening time.'
If a Hero was someone that bloomed in the middle of despair…
"I'll just have to create that despair."
KangWoo smiled.
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