[Damn it! What the…?!]
Belphegor's expression hardened.
He held the destroyed ‘Sloth’ in his hands.
He sent demonic energy into it, and ‘Sloth’ changed form and recovered its original state.
Unlike other Hell Equipments, ‘Sloth’ wasn't indestructible.
If it was destroyed, it could be restored immediately; then it could transform and destroy the opponent.
'Even so, there's no way Balrog could destroy a Hell's Equipment.'
If he could destroy Hell's Equipment, that meant he could rival an archduke.
‘Sloth’ wasn't an equipment that an average demon could destroy, but Balrog had destroyed it using only his strength.
Which meant…
'That guy…'
It meant Balrog really had enough power to rival an archduke.
[How dare you…]
Belphegor's eyes flared in anger—his pride as an archduke had been stepped on.
Not even the Demon King had made him feel that way.
Although the Demon King was a human, he had the scam-like Authority of Predation, so just like an archduke, one could say he was naturally born.
In Balrog’s case, it was different.
There was a rumor in hell that it was impossible for average demons to beat him, but that was it…
[How dare a defeated soldier like you try to take an archduke’s position!!]
Balrog didn't have an Authority.
Although he had a power called Demonic Energy Armor, that was more like a characteristic—it wasn't an Authority.
Balrog was destined to forever be under the archdukes.
To think that someone who had to crawl on the ground dared to bare his teeth against an archduke…
There's no way Belphegor could accept something like that.
[Die!!]
He spread the Authority of Stopping.
The strength of the Authority spread like a curtain and pressured Balrog from all sides.
‘Sloth’ returned to its original state, and the eight arms rushed toward Balrog.
[Haa…]
Balrog took a deep breath. A black armor—a strength he had never experienced before—was covering his body.
'Is this thanks to the Demon King?'
Balrog narrowed his eyes.
His soul was connected to KangWoo's.
After KangWoo obtained greater strength, Balrog also became stronger.
'I'm sure it isn't only that.'
He smirked.
The only thing that KangWoo could give him was demonic energy.
Just because his demonic energy increased didn’t mean he could suddenly use a new power like he was doing.
The power was something created by his loyalty toward the Demon King and the increased amount of available demonic energy.
It was created from both of those factors.
'Well, either way. It doesn't matter.'
Balrog turned around.
He clenched his fists and felt the black armor's power surrounding his body.
It didn't matter why he'd awakened such a strength…
What mattered was that it enabled him to fight against Belphegor.
In addition to that…
'My King…'
He saw an image of KangWoo walking alone, far up above, carrying an overbearing weight on his shoulders.
It was always like that.
KangWoo always walked on a lonely road that no one else could follow.
'Now…'
Balrog's eyes shone sharply.
CRACK-!!
The Demonic Energy Armor covering his body moved, and demonic energy poured out of
'I'm going to walk with you.'
BOOM-!!
Balrog's body, which was covered by black armor, shot forward at an incredible speed.
The Authority of Stopping spread like a curtain and pressured him from all sides.
'Down.'
There was only one way he'd be able to dodge.
Balrog raised his right arm, and black armor covered it where his skin had been torn.
'How interesting.'
Although it was armor made of demonic energy, it moved as naturally as if it were his own arm.
Balrog smirked and smashed his fist down.
The earth seemingly exploded, and Balrog passed through the dirt and rubble, moving through the ground at an incredible speed.
The earth rippled like waves.
Paf-!
The soil scattered away.
As he emerged, the eight arms of 'Sloth' applied pressure on him.
Balrog's eyes shone sharply.
'If I could destroy it once, I can do it twice!'
He ignored the arms and rushed forward.
[E… eek!!]
Belphegor's expression distorted.
Balrog was rushing forward as if he were a train, so he created a defensive wall with the Authority of Stopping.
TSSSS-!!!
Demonic energy exploded outward from Balrog’s armor and blocked Belphegor’s vision.
The Authority of Stopping was dismissed.
[N-no…!]
[Sincere…!]
Balrog twisted his body and pulled his arm back to the limit.
Clack.
The black armor covering his arm spread, leaking demonic energy.
He stepped forward with his left foot and released the punch that had been pulled back to its limit.
[Punch!!]
CRACK-!!
He punched Belphegor's head with all the strength he had.
* * *
Ting-.
[Your subordinate 'Balrog' has obtained the 'Overlord's Armor.']
"Hmm?"
A blue message window appeared in front of him.
KangWoo tilted his head.
"What's this?"
He'd heard the news that Balrog had obtained a new technique.
It was good news, of course, but the timing was a bit weird.
'Don't tell me…'
KangWoo narrowed his eyes.
He’d ordered Balrog to figure out Belphegor's location and report to him.
'Did he start fighting him?'
If not, receiving such a message made no sense.
"That damn muscle pig."
He frowned and felt anxious.
Balrog was strong.
'But…'
That was it.
If he faced Belphegor in a one-on-one, he would most likely not be able to resist and end up losing.
"Damn." KangWoo cursed and anxiously bit his lips.
Balrog was his 'Subordinate,' but he wasn't someone he'd used the Authority of Subordination on, so he couldn't see through his eyes.
'Authority of Observation.'
The spectrum of what he could see increased—it was as if he had an aerial view.
He looked at where Balrog and Belphegor were fighting.
"Haa…"
He was finally able to sigh in relief.
'You idiot.'
He clearly told him to report to him as soon as he saw him.
KangWoo clicked his tongue and turned his head.
"Ah, ugh. Agh…"
The monstrous person was covered in blood-stained bandages, and his body trembled while he gripped his sword that had been snapped in half.
"Just… how?"
The Bloodseker looked at KangWoo in confusion.
He'd heard a lot about the Demon King, and he knew how much of an incredibly strong and foreign being he was.
"Cough! Cough!"
The Bloodseker vomited blood.
'To think that he'd be… this overwhelming'
He wasn't able to defend himself even once.
His demonic arts, which he'd trained for almost a thousand years, weren't able to reach the Demon King.
Tap, tap-
The Demon King walked toward him, and Bloodseeker raised his head to look up at him.
Other than the sharpness in his eyes, he didn’t have many unique features… but to him, that face looked scarier than any other.
"Ugh, AGH!"
The Bloodseker screamed as if he were having a seizure.
He leaped forward, his rusty, broken sword gripped in his hands.
The demonic energy that he had trained for a thousand years wrapped around the rusty sword in a blood-red color.
Blood arts…
It was a demonic art that allowed him to turn his grudge to demonic energy.
He'd gone through a lot to be able to control it, and he had resisted the voices of the deceased and withstood horrible nightmares.
Even Satan had recognized his strength and given him the position of a 'Phase.'
'But then…'
How could he lose in such a way?
"DIEE!!"
He targeted KangWoo's head with the rusty, broken sword, and it looked like KangWoo was about to be cut in half.
KangWoo smirked and raised his arms, grabbing the rusty sword with his bare hands.
Tap-
"Haagh!!"
"Hmm…"
KangWoo narrowed his eyes while touching the demonic energy that was shining with a bloody-red color.
'So this is how they stack demonic energy in Hwan?'
He was interested in it and tested it with his demonic energy to find out how it was made.
He nodded his head.
"Is it about turning negative emotions into demonic energy? To think something like this is possible…"
To think he'd be able to turn the grudges inside the blood into demonic energy.
It was certainly interesting.
KangWoo clicked his tongue as he checked the demonic energy’s structure.
"How ineffective."
Extracting the grudges in the blood and turning them into demonic energy was quite ineffective.
There's no way that turning something like a negative emotion into something that could exercise physical strength would be easy.
Actually, it was quite bad.
'The Celestial Dragon's Psyche Style is better.'
At least that allowed you to concentrate the widespread energy into your dantian and use it more effectively.
Compared to that, the blood art was quite ineffective.
"Wh-what?"
"Your martial art is trash."
"W-wait… How did you figure out I turned grudges into demonic energy…?"
The Bloodseker’s eyes trembled.
Turning grudges into demonic energy was something he'd come up with, but still…
How…?
"You were able to figure that out just from touching the demonic energy?'
He seemed confused, and KangWoo smirked.
"It isn't that hard. Although they're slightly different, it doesn't change the fact that they're all fundamentally demonic energy."
"…"
"If you check how the demonic energy is arrayed, you can easily figure it out."
"What…?"
What was he talking about?
"If I check how demonic energy moves inside your body, I can easily figure out its structure and theory."
"Wh-what? There's no way something like that is possible."
The Bloodseker moved demonic energy through his blood.
If KangWoo was really doing it like he said, he needed to watch the flow of demonic energy through tens of thousands of blood vessels.
When straightened, a human’s blood vessels could reach up to 120,000km.
That was enough to go around the Earth twice.
He had been able to analyze the demonic energy moving over such a distance in an instant?
"It's possible if you try it hard enough."
KangWoo smirked.
"Nonsense!! There's no way something like that is possible with will alone!!" the Bloodseker shouted as if he were about to have a seizure.
"No. It's possible. Bastards that never even tried it are always the ones that react like this."
Tsk tsk. KangWoo clicked his tongue.
'The youngsters these days don't know what effort is.'
He shook his head.
"How could you lie like—"
"Did you ever have a sea inside your body?"
"What?"
"If you did, you would realize how much work it takes to stop it from overflowing."
A seemingly bottomless Sea of Demonic Energy…
"There are only three embankments, but even those don't work properly. If I don't regulate it actively, the sea will overflow, and I'll die."
"…"
"That's why, at all times, while eating, shitting, sleeping, when I'm laughing and having fun, when I'm crying because I'm sad, or when I'm angry because of something that happened…"
Even while breathing…
He had to control and regulate his demonic energy at all times if he wanted to survive.
"Doing this kind of thing isn't that hard."
"…"
The Bloodseker couldn't understand what he was talking about, but what he said was true.
If he really had a sea inside his body constantly trying to overflow…
"Just why?"
Why hadn't he given up?
Why do something so crazy for all eternity?
It was a crazy thing to do; it wasn't something that someone right in his mind would do.
It would be like being intoxicated every single second.
There's no way a human would be able to handle such pain.
"Why are you asking something so obvious?"
KangWoo laughed in disbelief.
Why had he not just given up? Was there a need to explain why?
"I didn't want to die."
"Ah, ugh."
The Bloodseker's body trembled.
He looked into the Demon King's eyes and saw the intense craving within.
'This…'
It was a craving he knew. No, it was something that all living beings knew.
I want to live.
I don't want to die.
Desperately resisting to the last breath…
Even if he had to struggle…
He was going to survive.
He read the craving in his eyes.
"…"
The Bloodseker remained silent.
A thousand years vs. ten thousand…
It wasn't a matter of difference in time—the quality was different.
The voices of the deceased? Who cared about that?
The Demon King beat death at every moment. Numerous times every single second.
"You…"
He remembered Belphegor's words.
The Bloodseker's body trembled.
"You're crazy."
"I told you…"
KangWoo laughed.
"You aren't ready yet."
Crack. The Bloodseeker’s head exploded.
KangWoo looked up into the sky.
The battle between Satan and Raphael was still going on.
"Satan… although he suddenly collapsed at the beginning, he's doing quite a good job."
As if he were struggling with blood pressure, he grabbed the back of his neck and rolled on the ground.
Although Raphael was one-sidedly beating up Satan at one point, he had returned to his senses and was fighting Raphael intensely.
He'd definitely become stronger than when he used to be in Hell.
"So…"
The tips of KangWoo's mouth went up, and he looked at the fight between the two.
"I wonder who's going to win."
The result would soon make itself known.
