[What…?] Satan mumbled in confusion.
How could the footage have been previously recorded?
What did that mean?
[They're talking right now! You’re saying this is pre-recorded?!]
Satan turned his head toward the footage that was being replayed in the crystal.
Raphael was definitely talking with the fake Satan, but…
Everything that the fake Satan was saying was pre-recorded?
"We… we don’t know what’s going on."
The priest wearing a black robe also seemed confused.
Although it seemed impossible, there was one way it could have been done…
'How could something like that be possible…?'
The priest's eyes trembled.
There was only one way to make pre-recorded footage like that work in a conversation…
"If… if they calculated the entire conversation beforehand… and recorded based on that… It… it's possible."
[What…?] Satan asked back in surprise.
What kind of nonsense was that?
[He calculated… the entire conversation with Raphael…?]
"Yes. If he did that and spoke based on how he thought Raphael would react… It… it isn't impossible."
Although it was the priest who said that, he grabbed his forehead in confusion.
Although it was theoretically possible, how could something like that happen?
How could they calculate what the other party would say and when?
It also wasn't a simple conversation—Raphael and Fake Satan's conversation had been going on for more than five minutes.
How could he have calculated the entire conversation over such a long period of time?
'Just how…?'
It was a dangerous bet. If there were only one second that made it look like pre-recorded dialogue, the jig would be up.
[Ugh…]
Satan's voice trembled.
If it was pre-recorded footage, there was no way to cut it; he also couldn't send soldiers into the angel's base.
If he did that, all of his efforts to make the angels fight the Guardians would fail.
No. Things might not end there. There was a chance of a full-fledged battle between them and the angels taking place if he did that.
It was checkmate.
[Demon King…] Satan mumbled as he watched the video.
* * *
"It's a Demonic Energy Stone with Mr. Satan's demonic energy."
Yulia raised her hands from her kneeling position, and demonic energy started to flow from the black jewel.
Raphael slowly walked toward her.
BOOM-!!
A loud sound came out of the 'Mirror of Darkness.'
"Huh?"
Raphael, Kim ShiHoon, KangWoo, and Yulia all looked at the communication crystal.
The Satan wearing a red mask inside the video turned his body.
[What's wrong?]
[Ugh. Mr. S-Satan!!] someone quickly shouted.
Someone else appeared in the video—a demon covered in green tentacles.
There was the sound of something being crushed.
"What…"
Raphael frowned at the unexpected development of events.
He couldn't understand what had just happened.
[H-he escaped!] a demon that seemed like Satan's underling quickly shouted.
Satan's eyes trembled behind the mask.
BOOM-!
The wall behind them crumbled, and someone appeared from the destroyed wall.
"Ah, aah."
[Ugh… I'll… never… by… your… hands…]
His skin had a blue, corpse-like color, there were thick, dark circles under his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken.
Ludwig was emitting thick demonic energy.
[Ha…] Satan laughed in disbelief.
[I didn't expect things to go on like this.]
"Mr. Satan…?"
Yulia looked confused—like she had been hit from behind.
"Mr. S-Satan, what's going on?! Who's that…?!"
She sounded confused.
She'd never seen Ludwig, so she didn't recognize the fallen Ludwig.
"Mr. Satan!!!"
[To think that I'd make such an unbelievable mistake…]
Satan ignored her as if he couldn't hear her voice.
He was feeling troubled by what just happened.
[Tsk. It seems that the plan failed.]
Satan shook his head while clicking his tongue.
He was trying to make Guardian the culprit for having made Ludwig fall, but Ludwig suddenly appeared while he was doing that.
Now, nothing he said would amend the situation.
"Sa… tan."
BOOM-!!
Raphael glared at Satan.
An intense light shot out of him and shook the fortress.
BOOM-!
He stomped on the ground.
"What did you do to Ludwig…?!"
Raphael's eyes shook, and a certain thought popped up in his mind.
* * *
There was a forbidden magic that allowed you to raise the dead as an evil being that went against the laws of nature—a magic that created an undead.
The sight of Ludwig, someone who loved and served the light more than anyone else, having fallen and become undead, was a great shock to Raphael.
"SAATAANN!!!"
Raphael's scream spread throughout the entire place, and anger close to madness was felt from his voice.
Yulia's expression paled.
"Mr. Satan…! Wh-what does that mean?! N-no. Why is Ludwig t…"
She was anxiously shouting when she noticed something.
Yulia's mouth fell open.
"Wait… Where's that…?"
Satan was staying in a place covered in transparent ice, and there was no 'wall' that could be broken in the first place.
"Wh-what…?"
Yulia started to tremble.
She realized something had gone wrong.
That wasn’t where her master, Satan, was staying.
"Who… are you?" she asked in a trembling voice.
That demon wearing a red mask wasn't her master—it was something different.
"Ha," KangWoo laughed in disbelief.
He frowned after seeing Yulia's shameless attitude.
"How lame."
It couldn't be lamer than that.
Satan's evil plan had failed.
From the moment Ludwig appeared as an undead, Satan ran out of excuses.
His evil machinations wouldn’t work anymore.
"How… how dare you…!"
Raphael angrily spread his hand and gathered a huge amount of light around it that took the form of a spear.
He grabbed the spear and shouted at Satan.
"How far… how far do you have to go with my apostles until you’re satisfied?!!"
Raphael's shout shook the entire base.
[Hmm…]
An exclamation left Satan's mouth.
He shook his head as if he were troubled and spread his hand.
[Cough!]
He grabbed Ludwig's neck.
[L-let me go!!]
Ludwig was desperately struggling.
Darkness flowed from Satan's body and covered Ludwig’s body.
[Ah… aah.]
Ludwig let out a moan that seemed like it would be cut short at any moment, and he trembled as if he were having a seizure before being covered completely by the darkness.
[Since it’s like this… I guess there's no other choice.]
Satan shook his head, and his eyes were full of madness as he looked at Raphael.
[Haha. Do you think you're about to go crazy?]
"…"
[Do you feel you're about to lose your rationality due to anger? Does your head feel hot, is your sight blurry, and is your heart beating faster?]
"You…!"
[Ha, HAHAHA!!!!]
Ludwig's body rolled on the ground.
It was as if he was throwing a toy.
Raphael's eyes turned white, and anger devoured his rationality.
Satan laughed.
[That's 'Anger.']
"Did you do… this on purpose?" Raphael's voice trembled.
There was one thing he could conclude from Satan's action:
He couldn't help but think that everything was prepared from the beginning.
He'd sent an apostle to negotiate and let Ludwig free on purpose, acting as if it were a mistake and talking as if the plan had failed.
[HAHAHA!! It was a simple coincidence. No, should I call it a mistake?]
Satan laughed out loud while grabbing his stomach.
His reaction confirmed something for Raphael.
"Why… Why did you do something like this…?"
Was there a reason to ask why?
His goal was obvious: Anger.
He wanted to provoke him and make him lose his mind.
Raphael's expression distorted.
"That was a good try, Satan."
"You… are going to regret it."
For having angered him and turning a Light Watcher into an undead…
Satan smirked.
[I'm going to leave the worthless acting behind, Raphael.]
"…"
[Come here. I won't run or hide.]
Satan straightened his body.
[This is my declaration…]
A huge darkness spread like a curtain.
[I'm going to cover the light in my darkness!! I'm going to destroy the entire world! You worthless beings, remember my name!]
"N-no!! This isn't it!!!" Yulia anxiously shouted.
What was he talking about?
She quickly tried to approach the black communication crystal, but KangWoo appeared in front of her and kicked her.
Paf-
"KYAA!!"
Yulia was pushed back.
KangWoo glared at her with sharp eyes.
"How dare you try to make an excuse."
"Ah, aah."
Yulia's expression paled.
KangWoo spread his hand.
'Authority of Fake Color.'
He created a sword that let off an immense, golden light.
Del Lain…
It was the Sword of the Sun that Hero God Tyrion had left him.
"To those that have been tainted by darkness…"
He raised the golden sword…
"Let them receive light’s judgment."
The sword’s blade fell downward.
Slash-!!
Yulia’s bandage-covered head was severed and rolled on the ground.
"Hyeongnim… this."
Kim ShiHoon walked toward him.
KangWoo turned his body.
"I told you before…"
He grabbed Kim ShiHoon's shoulders.
"The truth… can’t be extinguished."
An intense, golden light covered his body.
* * *
- Come here. I won't run or hide.
[No… I said no.]
The footage was displayed in a dark place.
Satan's body trembled as he watched it.
- This is my declaration…
[Just what is…]
- I'm going to cover the light in my darkness!! I'm going to destroy the entire world! You worthless beings, remember my name!
[Ah… Aah…]
The voice flowed out from the being that looked and sounded like him and wasn’t him in the video.
An exclamation left Satan's mouth.
[Please, please… stop.]
- I'm death. I'm the end. I'm the father of everyone that's angry, and I'm anger itself.
[Please, stop…]
- I'm Satan.
[Ugh, AAHH!!]
He let out a desperate shout.
[Stop him!!!]
BOOM-!
The giant, 30-meter sphere fluctuated, and the entire cave shook as if it were about to collapse.
[Stop that crazy bastard right now!!!]
