71. The Final Battle (3)
According to the setting in the novel, the Devil was the being who gave birth to all Emperors. Even the Emperor of Greed, considered the pinnacle of all Emperors, was no more than a mere loyal subject of the Devil.
The Devil in front of Jin-woo wasn’t in its most optimal state, however. It had no head and had been greatly weakened, primarily due to him absorbing its demonic power.
Regardless, the headless Devil’s Body was still strong enough to rival him in combat.
Unlike Jin-woo, it found no reason to restrain itself. Rather, it freely exerted and utilized its powers and abilities. If it were to leave this dimension, its sheer presence alone would destroy all the other realms.
‘This place is special.’
This space remained intact despite the Devil’s Body emanating amounts of energy so tremendous it could decimate domains. It was tiny compared to Midgard, almost as if it was just the interior of a building, yet it didn’t even show any signs of distortion.
It remained stable even under immeasurable pressure.
Taking that into consideration, Jin-woo unlocked all the limitations he had imposed upon himself, finding no reason to hold himself back for as long as he stayed within this area. As his mana burst forth and his powers began to exude out of his vessel, the black monsters around him crumbled and disappeared from existence.
All the abilities that existed in the universe were in Jin-woo’s hands.
“Now we stand on equal grounds.”
The Devil’s Body began to make its move.
Its colossal hand reached out towards him, launching a simple yet overwhelmingly daunting attack. He swiftly took a step back in return, narrowly avoiding an offensive that could obliterate several planets at once.
Baaaaam!
Seemingly having met his sworn nemesis, the Devil’s Body cared about no other being than Jin-woo. It was filled with the will to erase him from reality itself.
Its huge palm tried to flatten him, but he immediately clenched his fist and retaliated. Their attacks collided, causing flashes of light to spread out and sweep through their surroundings at the moment of impact. It was as if they just recreated the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe.
Jin-woo and the Devil’s Body flew backward at the same time, their strengths clearly equal.
‘This isn’t going to be easy.’
Dodging another attack, he pierced through his opponent with his fist, causing its black physique to explode and fire out shards. It quickly recovered from the damage, but the price it had to pay was well evident.
He had learned many skills while traveling through different dimensions, after all. Simple evasion tactics wouldn’t be enough to stop his offensive.
Bang! Bang! Woosh!
Jin-woo’s attack poured into the Devil’s Body, the techniques he learned in the Martial Arts World proving quite helpful. Soon enough, the Devil’s Body exploded once more, sending it staggering back.
“Hmm?”
His opponent, who was just rushing recklessly, suddenly stopped moving.
Sluuur!
The Devil’s Body drooped and melted down until it was as small as him. Although it still had no head, the rest of its vessel became exactly the same as his.
‘Is he mimicking me?’
The black being attacked first, utilizing the same technique he used.
Every time Jin-woo executed an ability, he followed it to the dot. It was as if it was copying and pasting information rather than learning it visually and procedurally.
Aww! Koo!
Each and every strike they launched collided, each contact strong enough to repel themselves down to the floor.
Piercing through the dark ground, they both headed further deeper into the void.
‘This is…’
Jin-woo could no longer tell which was up and down. It was almost like floating in outer space, though there were only the two of them amid this dark enclosure.
When he unleashed his control over lightning, the Devil’s Body did the same, making him feel as if he were watching himself in a mirror.
It didn’t even commit an inch of error.
‘This is going to be an extremely long fight…’
The two continued to clash tirelessly.
There was seldom a win for either of them since their bouts continued to run in parallel directions. What made the situation even worse was that there was an ability that Jin-woo didn’t possess, but the Devil’s Body did.
The black monsters.
They were weak compared to him, but their presence was enough for his opponent to gain leverage over him in their close confrontation.
There were far too many of them.
As the Devil’s Body slowly seized the flow of the battle, he gradually began to lose ground.
“Such an underhanded tactic.”
It used quite a cheap play. With its minions now part of the equation, he couldn’t stop it from pushing him back.
Jin-woo laughed bitterly.
Still, since it started using such dastardly ploys, it meant he no longer had to insist on a head-on battle. He wanted to slay it with honor, but it left him without any other choice.
“Unfortunately for you, fighting cheap is my specialty.”
There had been quite a lot of times when he won using clandestine plans instead of fair measures. Though it was far too evil, it was where he excelled at.
Of course, luck played a big role in some of his victories, but that same luck was still around him.
“You only have those monsters at best. On the other hand…”
With a wave of his hand, he opened his subspace.
“I have a lot in store for occasions like this.”
The sight startled the Devil’s Body. It copied his movements and opened its own subspace, but it was empty.
That was where the differences between them lay.
Its bewilderment was evident in its body language. Amid its attempt to mechanically defeat him, it instead switched strategies and gathered all the black monsters around it.
“Grrr!”
“Keeek!”
The dark creature rushed towards Jin-woo with its vile minions.
The sight made a sly smile creep upon his lips.
“Have you ever been hit by money?”
Dimensional gold coins poured down from his subspace, dyeing this lightless realm with gold.
Jin-woo’s subspace grew exponentially larger until it looked like it had been torn apart completely, unable to handle the large piles of coins raining down from within it.
“Kieeeek!”
“Graaaa!”
The atrocious beasts charging towards him drowned amid the waves of solid currency, burying them and crushing them to death. At that moment, the dimensional gold coins proved their value was absolute no matter the realm.
Even the Devil’s Body, an interdimensional being, couldn’t save itself from their unmatched force. The moment Jin-woo imbued them with his power, they easily plowed and ripped his foe apart. It quickly recovered from their onslaught, only to be overwhelmed again by the sheer amount that was spewing out of his subspace.
‘I need to convert more money.’
He turned all of his money in his bank into dimensional gold coins, infused them with power, and stormed the giant with them until he had eliminated all of its minions, leaving only a huge mountain range of the universal currency around them. Considering his wealth was close to infinite, it would’ve been possible for him to create a planet made out of it if he so wished.
The Devil’s Body barely managed to break through the piles he had created. It couldn’t speak since it had no head, but it still seemed quite embarrassed.
“You seem like quite the beggar.” Jin-woo slowly raised his hand, and the gold coins fluctuated and trailed along his arm. With just a slight wave, he commanded them to create a gigantic tidal wave that swept through his perimeter.
“I know. Why don’t you work part-time, at least?” Jin-woo uttered, then laughed.
Trembling, the Devil’s Body tried to escape, but Jin-woo had already amassed a lump of gold coins the size of a small planet behind him. It was as if he had summoned the sun itself into the dimension they were fighting in.
Jin-woo thrust his fist into his enemy with all his might, and it tried to defend against him, only to end up being pushed away. Even if it succeeded, it still wouldn’t be able to avoid the huge chunks of currencies bursting through it in quick successions.
It was a special move that hadn’t been done by anyone yet, even in mangas.
Aww!
Dimensional gold coins continued to hit the Devil’s Body. It tried to open its arms to grab them, but more just kept coming. Soon enough, they began to burst, splattering in all directions as they blew up half of the Eastern World.
“This is what it feels like to spend money.”
Jin-woo spent his money up in no time at all! He wasn’t even bothered about it. After all, to him, wealth could easily be earned.
Approaching his sworn opponent, who had been buried under the large piles of gold, he filled its body with even more of his riches.
“Here, have some pocket money.”
Ting!
Jin-woo flipped a coin in his hand over to it. As soon as it made contact with it, the Devil’s Body melted and settled among the glinting mounds of wealth, giving it an end that didn’t fit its reputation at all.
He absorbed the corrupted dimensional gold coins.
[You have obtained the Devil’s Body!]
[Congratulations on obtaining all of the Devil’s demonic power! You have now become a transcendent existence that surpasses all dimensional frames.]
[As a result of gaining infinite and limitless power, all of the God of Evil’s ranks have been changed to ‘Transcendent.’]
*[Transcendent] God of Evil
Jin-woo has absorbed all of the Devil’s powers, releasing his powers and abilities from any limitation. Rather than joy, however, reaching this state provides him a sense of relief.
‘It’s finally over.’
Since he became Lee Jin-woo, he had always paid attention to the Twelve Emperors and the Devil. Now that he had slain the final boss, the Devil himself, nothing else could bother him anymore or stop him from enjoying his comfortable, retired life.
Looking around, his eyes dawned upon the sea of dimensional gold coins. There were so many of them he couldn’t even see the end of the mountain range they had created.
“At this point, I should just make a planet made out of my riches.”
Perhaps it would be the planet that would symbolize him as the God of Evil.
As he thought about it with a smile, the key in his hand came to mind.
It was the key to the truth, the original form of the gods’ armaments.
“Hmm?”
The moment he gripped it, a large door appeared in front of him. A padlock was keeping it sealed, but the way to unlock it was quite obvious already.
[Immeasurable] Door of Truth
???
Jin-woo tilted his head. Even the Devil’s Eye couldn’t properly decipher information about it. He looked around it then lifted it with ease, finding out it had nearly no weight at all.
‘For now…’
He put the Door of Truth in his subspace, not wanting to deal with what was inside it for now.
“Time to go back, then.”
Jin-woo walked slowly towards the opening leading to Midgard. As soon as he came out, the New World players cheered.
“He won!”
“I knew he would!”
“Akmen!”
“The God of Evil has defeated the epitome of darkness with the power of gold!”
At that moment, the contents of the Apocalypse changed once more, and new tales appeared in the God of Evil’s mythology.
The Golden Women’s Association members, Yoo-na included, and Jin-woo’s subordinates smiled widely at him.
“Let’s hold a week-long festival, starting today,” He declared.
He wouldn’t be where he was standing today without the New World players. In their honor, he decided to commemorate the day they resurrected ceaselessly to fight side by side with him with a grand celebration.
It was the Religion of Evil’s thanksgiving!
* * *
New World: Apocalypse created many legends.
Jin-woo felt as if he defeated the Devil’s Body too easily, however. Hence, he decided to continue the event a little longer. Doing so allowed the players to enjoy and bask in the World of Gods’ glory, which in turn made them rate Apocalypse as the all-time most well-received event.
Entrusting everything to his subordinates, the God of Evil began enjoying his life as a retiree after working nonstop for so long. As he did before, he changed into his sweatpants and walked into a small room, where he lazed around.
He had been dreaming of this cozy, unemployed lifestyle for so long.
“Hmm…”
Even so, it was far too different from the way he expected it would be, which was only natural since Yoo-na and the other members of the Golden Women’s Association came with him.
“Jin-woo! Take a look at this! I cleared it with only one coin.”
“Is that so? Congratulations. That’s a great achievement.”
“It is!” Maze exclaimed, showing off the game screen quite boastfully. She truly did seem proud of herself.
“Since we go here, we might be able to revert Bread Jam’s appearance to its former state. We’ll have to go through the void, which means the journey might prove a tad bit difficult, but…”
“Hmm… I see your point.”
Bread Jam and Luna stared at Jin-woo, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
He knew, though, that if he were to go with them, he’d end up suffering for an entire month.
He decided to avoid their gazes instead.
Heo-young lay on her back in front of Jin-woo, reading a comic book, and Arina dared practice her singing skills in his room.
“This is…”
Brilliant!
The voice he heard next to him startled him so much he couldn’t stop himself from turning his attention to it, only to find Choi Hee-yeon looking straight at him. She seemed like she had something to say, but the loud singing prevented her from speaking up.
As for Zhuge Mi-xian, she simply sat in front of the computer, exhaling quite harshly and raggedly. Her body heaved heavily with every breath she took, her eyes locked onto the pretty hardcore porn on the screen.
Arcana and Faro drank tea leisurely right next to Jin-woo. The two had been following him wherever he went, and the latter even took a long vacation just to keep him within her sights.
“Uhhh…”
Se-yeon gave him a melancholic smile as she observed every inch of his body, her hands focused on making a figure modeled after him.
Even the General Manager and the maids came to visit him.
“Uncle!”
“Uncle!”
Elon and Elie didn’t miss the chance to play with him.
“Oh? I didn’t expect you to come as well, grandfather.”
“Son-in-law! How have you been?”
Sword Master, who openly called him his son-in-law now, and Chairman Lee Hee-jin were both present as well.
The room was about to explode. It had become so noisy Jin-woo couldn’t help but feel like wearing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
This was far too chaotic and different from the retired life he had envisioned!
‘Ah…’
He let out a deep sigh. He wanted to be alone, doing nothing but be still for an indefinite amount of time. Jin-woo did try to run away, but they somehow found him still, almost like ghosts haunting him for eternity.
Yoo-na smiled at him warmly.
“You look like you’re having quite a hard time.”
“Well…”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to enjoy your vacation at this rate, especially not with this much ruckus going around nonstop.”
Jin-woo could only nod at her words. When he did, though, she moved closer to him and whispered right into his ear.
“Why don’t you go through the door you found in the Eastern World, then?”
“Ah! Thanks for reminding me!”
“Well, in exchange…” Yoo-na made a couple of gestures, silently asking him to take her with him.
When Jin-woo quietly agreed with her proposal, she coughed, almost letting her composure slip out of her control.
“Master, you have an appointment set with G&P.”
“Is that so? I almost forgot about that. I’ll be away for a while, but I should be back in 30 minutes.”
“I’ll help you prepare for your meeting.”
Their acting was a bit awkward. Fortunately, it still worked.
Jin-woo hastily left the room and headed to G&P with Yoo-na, who then guided her to a secret room. Apparently, she had already foreseen this situation and made a room in advance specifically for it.
When they entered it, silence welcomed him with a warm embrace.
It almost made him cry.
Yoo-na quickly locked the door. “We’ll be found here soon.”
“Then we need to hurry up and go. I don’t know where this door will lead us to, but anywhere’s better than this place.”
Jin-woo took out the Door of Truth from his subspace.
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