After Ten Millennia in Hell

A breathtaking amount of demonic energy that couldn't be compared to before surged out of him.

Balrog's expression hardened.

'This is where it truly begins.'

While clenching his fist, which was blazing with dark-red flames, he got in position. He'd been able to face Belphegor until now because of luck. It was a completely different story if Belphegor went all out.

[Now, let us see if you have become strong enough to dare say such things to me.]

Belphegor slowly raised his hand and created formless blades. The amount could not even be compared to before; there were more than a thousand of them. The blades, which distorted the flow of time, poured down on Balrog like rainfall.

Pour!!

The blades tore the ground apart as they made contact with it. Although it was weird to see the ground being torn apart just because the flow of time was twisted, it was not that weird if one thought about it.

Earth rotated, moving endlessly. The Authority of Stillness drastically slowed down whatever it touched, so the distortion arose from the difference in the movement speed of the Earth and the affected area. In other words…

'If those blades touch me…'

Not even Balrog with the Demonic Armor would be able to avoid fatal injuries.

Balrog spread his demonic energy and closed his eyes. He focused on the changing flow of demonic energy and dodged the blades.

Crunch!

[Kuh.]

Even if he could feel them all, it was almost impossible to dodge over a thousand attacks. His skin contorted where the formless blade touched.

[Die, Balrog.]

Belphegor spread his arms wide.

The power of the Authority that twisted time spread like a tent.

Crack! Crush!

The land that had been swept away by the landslide was warped, creating a massive impact.

Balrog bit his lip while dodging the blades pouring down on him.

'I guess he's not a prince of Hell for nothing.'

Up until now, he'd faced countless demons with Authorities, but Belphegor was on a completely different level.

Balrog stomped on the ground. If he stopped even for a second, he'd be devoured whole by the Authority of Stillness. If that happened, it would be the end of him. The distortions of time would contort his entire body, and he would explode.

Balrog scanned Belphegor while continuing to move.

'There is a way.'

The Authority of Stillness wasn't absolute. Although it was extremely overpowered, it had many restrictions. For example, it could only be used on targets within Belphegor's field of vision, and…

'It's slow.'

That was its biggest weakness. As long as the opponent was fast, dodging the Authority of Stillness wasn't actually that hard. Belphegor had created thousands of formless blades to conceal that weakness.

Boom! Rumble!!

The formless blades destroyed the ground covering more than a few hundred meters. Balrog kept moving endlessly, and then…

'Now!'

Belphegor revealed an opening. He was not able to move while using the Authority of Stillness. It was the perfect chance to counterattack.

Bam!

Balrog lowered his body and launched himself forward. The formless blades grazed him. His skin was split open, and his muscles were torn apart, but he ignored the attacks and clenched his fist, gathering demonic energy around it. A demonic energy gauntlet was made.

He had to attack Belphegor with perfect timing.

Balrog shot forward at supersonic speed, and he swung his fist, which was covered by his Demonic Armor. He was aiming for Belphegor's head.

He felt his fist make contact with the Authority protecting Belphegor. His fist momentarily lost its momentum.

'And now…'

Balrog's eyes shone. The moment his fist made contact with the Authority of Stillness, he would make the Demonic Armor covering his fist explode. The black demonic energy would spread radially and obstruct Belphegor's vision.

The Authority of Stillness could only influence the area Belphegor's sight reached. If he made his demonic energy explode to obstruct Belphegor's vision the moment his fist reached the Authority, he would be able to land the attack.

Crack!

'It worked!'

He felt a sensation in his fist. Balrog's eyes shone. However…

[Aha, that was a clever trick,] Belphegor ridiculed.

The white armor covering his body spread out as if a spider had opened its legs wide or if a predator had opened its mouth.

The armor spread and wrapped around Balrog's arm, and…

Crunch!!

[Kurgh!!]

Balrog's arm was torn apart from the elbow, and black blood poured out like a fountain.

Belphegor clicked his tongue and leisurely crossed his arms.

[Tear him apart.]

Belphegor gave a command to someone, and Balrog soon realized who it had been directed to.

Crack! Grind!

The white armor enveloping Belphegor changed form, and eight arms resembling skeleton arms took shape. The hands gripped Balrog and pulled his body in different directions.

[Gaaaaaaaaaaahh!!] A painful scream left Balrog's mouth, and the Demonic Armor protecting him cracked.

The functions of the transcendental Hell Armament Sloth were rather simple.

It did not have overwhelmingly destructive power or special abilities. The power of Sloth was that it did things in the place of its wielder within the confines of possibility. If the wielder did not want to use their two legs, it would become a wheelchair. If they wanted to protect themselves, it would turn into armor; and a weapon if they wanted to kill their enemies.

While Sloth was moving, its wielder didn't have to do anything.

[Kurghhh!!]

The eight arms pulled Balrog in all directions with immense grip strength.

The Hell Armament was simple, but it certainly wasn't weak.

Sloth, possessing enough raw strength to overpower Balrog, was able to perfectly cover for the weakness of Belphegor's Authority of Stillness, which made him unable to move while using it.

Crack! Crack!

Balrog's bones broke, and black blood poured from his split skin. His eyes were bloodshot, and his muscles inflated as if they were about to explode. Still, he couldn't free himself from the strength of Sloth.

Belphegor laughed mockingly at him.

[Hmph. Is this all you can do after acting so high and mighty?]

Tsk tsk.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

[Did you really believe you would be able to defeat a prince of Hell?]

It was an unbelievable thought. Not only that, but thanks to having absorbed the Demonic Origin, Belphegor had become even stronger than his past self. A mere subordinate of the demon king was no match for him.

Belphegor looked at Balrog in disappointment, but his eyes soon shone.

[Oh, come to think of it, using you would be more effective than that human, Kim Si-Hun.]

[More effective?]

[For calling the demon king there.]

Belphegor snickered.

Balrog smirked. He wasn't sure what Belphegor was planning, but it was pointless. [Do you… seriously believe that taking a hostage… would work on him?]

[Of course it will. Have you forgotten why the demon king started the thousand-year war in the first place, Balrog?]

[…]

[Kihihi. Despite being a lunatic, he greatly cares for his subordinates. Oh, maybe this is exactly because he is a lunatic. In any case, I am sure the demon king would hesitate if you were the hostage.]

Belphegor smiled brightly.

If they had Balrog as a hostage, the chances of their plan's success would drastically rise. They would be able to kill that monster, the demon king.

[Well, then… how about I rip off your other limbs before I take you to the demon king?]

Crack!!

[Kuh!!! Kargh!!]

[Hahahaha!! You will be able to see your master die before your eyes once again!]

Balrog screamed.

Sloth's arms were pulling his arms and legs in all four directions.

'At this rate…'

Balrog bit his lip even while being in immense pain.

'I will likely…'

His eyes sank. He recalled his battle against Belphegor, and a chilling fear ran down his spine.

'… Lose.'

There was no doubt about it. The princes of Hell were fundamentally different from regular demons. No matter how hard one tried or how much they struggled, it was impossible for a regular demon to defeat a prince of Hell.

'It makes sense.'

If it were simple, there would have been no way the position of a prince of Hell would have changed only once since the creation of the Nine Hells.

The princes were born as princes from the beginning—they were absolute beings born to be rulers.

Only two beings had been able to break that mold.

'Bael and the demon king.'

During the long history of the Nine Hells, only those two had been able to break that mold.

'No…'

Balrog smiled. He clenched his fist and summoned the demonic energy inside his body.

Only?

'Two have already managed to break the mold.'

The chances weren't zero, and the princes of Hell weren't invincible—they'd lost in the past. It didn't matter how high and mighty they talked and acted.

'The demon king beat them.'

Kang-Woo had beaten them.

Of course, it wasn't like he had suffered no losses in the process. No, he had actually suffered countless losses.

Many of his subordinates had died, a few of whom the demon king had cherished.

All… had died.

"Balrog…"

A memory of the past came back to him from when he'd already spent a lot of time with Kang-Woo. Just like how Balrog's eyes had looked when they had met for the first time, Kang-Woo's eyes also looked dead.

"I'm tired of it all."

It was what Kang-Woo had said while sitting over countless corpses and weeping.

Balrog remembered that time.

They'd gone through a vast amount of despair, failure, and grief. However, even despite the overwhelming difference in the scale of their forces and the countless despairing situations they had been placed in, he had stood up. He had moved forward, and…

He had won.

'In that case…'

Balrog would be able to break the mold as well.

No, as someone who served the demon king, he had to break it.

He had to make the impossible possible. If he couldn't, he didn't have the right to serve him—to walk next to him. He couldn't lessen the burden on his shoulders.

"Don't get full of yourself. I don't need your help."

That was probably what Kang-Woo would say if he were looking at Balrog right now. He would ask Balrog why he hadn't asked for help.

Asking for his help actually wasn't hard at all. Balrog had the communication device Kang-Woo had given him to use in emergencies.

Kang-Woo would probably appear in the blink of an eye in any situation if Balrog called for him.

And…

'He would try to shoulder everything on his own again.'

He would walk alone while shouldering everything on his shoulders. He would rise to the top, just like he had countless times during the last thousand years.

He would walk farther and farther.

[I am sick of it,] Balrog said.

[What?]

[I am sick and tired of being unable to protect my master.]

Balrog smiled.

Crack!!

The sound of something breaking and tearing apart echoed.

What was torn apart wasn't Balrog's arms and legs…

[What the…?]

The eight arms of Sloth were cracking and falling apart.

BOOM!

Balrog's giant body fell to the ground. Black demonic energy wrapped around him to form armor that resembled that of western knights.

He flapped the bat wings on his back.

Balrog's two eyes widened. His irises, which could be seen from behind the helm of the full-plated armor, were yellow. His black pupils were torn horizontally, similar to the goat eyes of Kang-Woo, his master.

[From now on…]

He recalled the time he had drunk with Kang-Woo.

At that time, Kang-Woo was smiling. He seemed truly happy.

It was a smile Balrog had never seen him make back in Hell.

'I've already failed once.'

He hadn't been able to protect his master.

It would not happen a second time.

[I will protect him.]

He would protect his king.