Chapter 1842
It was a vast wilderness, desolate without a single blade of gra.s.s. There was only gray and barren land as far as the eyes could see.
That was the case until just a little while ago.
Kurururung!
There was a roar and the ground shook. Finally, it cracked and collapsed. The hilly terrain formed was very wide. In the midst of it, a color was added. It was a red light. It was a color caused by lava flowing down every gap in the terribly damaged ground.
“Kikik... I can’t believe it...”
At the center of the newly formed hilly area, there was a demon lying motionless and submerged in lava. It was originally a great demon.
The single digit great demon who used his own power to occupy the 9th throne that had become vacant after the Great Human and Demon War—he rushed to the city at Baal’s call only to be attacked by a magician. As he was being pushed on the defensive, he was stripped of his throne.
It was by Baal. The throne that he took purely with his own power—that which he believed was entirely his abandoned him the moment Baal desired it.
“I have been dancing on the palm of his hand from the beginning... Kukuk.”
The demon who became a great demon, Daltonjyul, laughed. He hated Baal, not the magician in front of him who made him this way.
Braham, the magician who stood stepping on his shoulder, opened his mouth, “The problem is that you, a demon, trusted and devoted your loyalty to others.”
It was obvious ridicule. It was as if he was speaking to the demons who must be watching the scene from somewhere.
“Is it reasonable for an evil demon who enjoys deceiving and harming others to trust and serve others?”
Demons easily betrayed others. It was right to keep in mind that they could always be betrayed by others as well. However, the demons who served Baal all trusted him. They served him like he was a monarch, a parent, and a teacher. At this point, they weren’t evil demons but innocent beings. They had an extremely positive view of the world.
“Yes... it wasn’t supposed to be like this. So why...” Daltonjyul’s eyes shook violently as he muttered. He looked confused. Why did he trust Baal and was loyal to him? No matter what favor Baal showed him, it was right to feel doubt and dream of betrayal.
Yet he didn’t do that Was he brainwashed without knowing it? No matter how he looked back, there were no signs of it.
Braham looked down at the confused demon and realized something. ‘They aren’t innately evil.’
The present h.e.l.l was distorted. It had developed into a completely different form from Yatan’s intention to create this place as a ‘shelter’ for the dead.
Were demons evil in the first place? Were they called demons in the first place?
It was said that the h.e.l.l of the past that Grid saw in the No Offspring Tomb wasn’t much different from the surface. It was as ordinary as the safe zones where Yatan’s statues were located. Yes, they would’ve been normal at first. There was no reason why beings born in h.e.l.l should be born evil. Just like the humans born on the surface, some were good and others were evil. It was reasonable to think that the demons and demonic creatures of h.e.l.l also had different natures.
‘I am the proof right now.’
I, Braham, am good even though I was born the child of the great demon, Beriache.
“......”
Above the hills, Peak Sword frowned as he watched the situation with Huroi and Laella. He suddenly became annoyed as he looked at Braham’s thoughtful face while stepping on the demon.
“Are you jealous of his handsome looks?” Laella pointed out the att.i.tude of Peak Sword.
Peak Sword shook his head. “There is no reason for a person like me to be envious of other people’s faces. How should I say this... I feel bad all of a sudden? Aren’t Braham’s eyes really annoying today?”
“Isn’t it really jealousy? You have the right face to be jealous.”
“I agree with Miss Laella. But apart from that, Braham’s eyes are different from usual. They are clear and s.h.i.+ny... it doesn’t fit...”
“Right? I’m sure he is thinking something strange.”
“A-Are you saying he might troll again?”
“Maybe?”
Braham’s contemplation had so much impact that it made Peak Sword, Huroi, and Laella extremely nervous.
Daltonjyul also read something strange from it. “What is that look in your eyes...? Don’t tell me you are feeling sorry for me? You dare... how dare you sympathize with this body, a ruler of h.e.l.l?”
Daltonjyul was consumed by rage and he wasn’t rational. He forgot the situation where he was shot down by Braham’s magic and gritted his teeth. He had the intention of striking Braham to death instantly. Braham increased his weight by thousands of times through magic and crushed the demon’s skull. “This bug b.a.s.t.a.r.d is noisy.”
Bam!
Daltonjyul’s head was crushed like a watermelon. A red pool of blood formed in the center of the hilly area caused by the aftermath of his fall.
Braham’s eyes s.h.i.+fted as he pushed the blood away with gravity magic. It was in the direction of Baal’s castle. The sky was dyed black, but there was a sunset that flashed and disappeared from moment to moment. It was a sight made by the battle between Grid and Baal.
‘The source of all evil.’
Was there anything else more appropriate to describe Baal? This pure evil was the original evil that stained all beings in h.e.l.l with evil. He must disappear for the sake of the future that Grid dreamed of. It was even for the sake of avenging his mother.
But would it be easy?
A being with infinite lives—it was impossible to extinguish the one who immediately resurrected when killed. Even Braham couldn’t find a way with all his knowledge.
However, Grid didn’t discuss what was possible and what was impossible. He simply defined it as ‘a thing to be done’ and started a war.
‘It is the right thing to do.’
h.e.l.l’s demons shouldn’t be left alone to be comfortable. The really fearful thing about demons wasn’t their force. It was that they could eat away at towns and cities while disguised as ordinary humans in places unknown to Grid and the apostles.
The strength of the demons was that they could blend into society and kill people. It was important not to give them a chance to do so.
‘Kill as many as possible.’
Braham turned his eyes in the opposite direction. The demons and demonic creatures who responded to Baal’s call were coming in large numbers from beyond the horizon. The number was much lower than it was in the beginning. Piaro seemed to have succeeded in completing the agricultural fields and weakening the cradle.
The Braham-style Enhanced Mana Drain was activated. It was to absorb mana from Daltonjyul’s body. The power of the dark attribute magic was amplified many times over. The waves of dark magic power swallowed up all the demons and demonic creatures.
The remnants, who survived with their high magic resistance, were intercepted by Peak Sword. The counterattack was fierce, but it was interrupted by Laella’s decisive magic. Those who tried to escape were caught by Huroi’s provocation and had their ankles grabbed.
Thousands of ashen pillars shot up in a dizzying manner. It was a spectacle that couldn’t be compared to fireworks.
‘They’ve all become useful.’
Braham was watching Peak Sword, Laella, and Huroi in a satisfied manner when a voice pierced his ears. It was a voice that shouldn’t be heard here.
“I’ve learned the principles.”
It was Baal’s voice. It resonated from the traces left by Daltonjyul’s death.
A chill went down Braham’s spine as he s.h.i.+fted his gaze toward Baal’s castle. It was also the final destination of the gray column that had just risen.
***
Flas.h.!.+
Flash flas.h.!.+
It was like watching a player level up. This was the impression Grid got when he saw Baal being surrounded by endlessly falling gray pillars. He wasn’t disturbed. He had seen it many times already. The gray pillars—the image of death that represented Satisfy always reached Baal.
It was a process in which Baal’s power absorbed the memories and powers of the dead. However, there was no need to be wary. It was because the power and memories of ordinary beings were of no significant help to Baal. In order for Baal to become stronger than he was now, he needed to absorb the power and memories of legends and transcendents. Their deaths were prevented by Grid. Even at this moment, the Overgeared Guild members on the surface, the rulers of the different species, and the forces of Valhalla were escorting important figures.
Grid paused as he was pulling the bow with a nonchalant expression.
“Braham-style,” Baal slowly opened his mouth like he was savoring it. The flow of the atmosphere changed the moment he mentioned the name. All the mana in the area instantly started to be sucked toward Baal. Even the mana in Grid’s body erupted in reverse. It headed for Baal as if that was the original place.
“Enhanced Mana Drain.”
The completed spell forced the mana even further. All the mana in the area, including Grid’s mana, was absorbed by Baal. Just like Braham absorbed all the mana from the Red Sea and the Abyss, Baal’s demonic energy became immensely powerful.
Baal started at the center of the demonic energy that stretched out like a veil and smiled. It was a smile so big that sharp teeth like a shark were exposed. “It is like this. I feel like I’m becoming stronger by compressing time.”
Just as Baal was the enemy of humanity, Grid was Baal’s enemy.
Grid awakened Baal.
Baal originally wanted to wait for the power of the dead that he absorbed to be digested and fully become his own, but he no longer waited. He devised means and methods to digest it as quickly and efficiently as possible. In the process, he was equipped with a system that made him immune to Grid’s sword dance.
Based on the memories of the beings who were killed by Grid, he learned and a.n.a.lyzed Grid’s sword dance in detail. The reproduction of Braham’s magic was based on the same principle. Baal spent the last few hours a.n.a.lyzing and learning Braham’s magic based on the memories of the demons and demonic creatures who had been killed by Braham. Like Grid, he became stronger in real time.
Baal waved his hand and fired bullets of demonic energy that were dozens of times larger than before. The beams of demonic energy shot from his eyes and mouth were tens of times faster. The power was so strong that it became difficult to dodge.
The protection of the sun sphere, created by the G.o.d Hands, became somewhat helpless.
Grid had originally withstood Baal’s offensive using the sun sphere, but now he started to run. He moved away from the beams of demonic energy that were pouring down. The speed of aiming the bow at Baal naturally slowed down. It was a slight difference, but it changed the course of the battle significantly.
Baal avoided the baptism of arrows with relative ease and quickly approached Grid. The Disintegrate falling from above was blocked by the much thicker demonic energy and Meteor was split apart by the beams.
“Die.”
The demon sword became dozens of times bigger than before and cut at the sun sphere. He undid the bonds of the G.o.d Hands with physical force and dug into the sun sphere.
It happened just as the demon sword reached below Grid’s chin...
"I won’t allow your comfort,” Grid declared as his eyes flashed with a different light than before. Mana Drain that increased the amount and strength of magic power—it was judged to be a buff and was torn apart by the Castration Eye.
The size of the demon sword shrank and a gap appeared. Grid aimed for a gap in Baal’s awkward posture and grabbed his wrist, pulling him straight into the sun sphere. He released Item Transformation and discarded the bow.
Twilight regained its original appearance and was combined with Defying the Natural Order. The dragon weapon’s power was amplified by several times after combining and it pierced Baal’s neck.
Stunned by the terrible pain, Baal tried to escape, but it was difficult. There was no way to escape from the sun sphere created by the G.o.d Hands, who had joined hands again after the stiffness eased. The G.o.d Hands closed the gap even further. They pressed Baal so that he couldn’t move.
A small ring—it was within the perfect realm that Grid created using the G.o.d Hands. Baal was constantly pierced. All his vital points, including the heart, were pierced one after another.
The metal sun that viewers couldn’t look inside—it constantly shook with Grid and Baal trapped inside. Then blood started to pour out. The amount was huge. It was like a waterfall. More blood was shed than what hundreds of humans could shed.
It was the moment when the brilliant and divine golden sun became more dreary than the moon in h.e.l.l.
How cruel could humans be? At the very least, Grid could be as brutal as Baal. Therefore, he stood at the highest point.