After Ten Millennia in Hell

The scarily dense demonic energy within his Ten Thousand Demon Core, which was located in his heart, writhed. He could feel it instinctively.

'Demonic energy from the deep end.'

If the Ten Thousand Demon Core could be separated by floors, it would belong to the middle floor. The demonic energy from the middle floor spread through his body.

He moved his finger, but there was no reaction.

'What is a Demonic Soul?'

It was more ambiguous than the Ultimate Demonic Body.

While thinking about that, Kang-Woo monitored the changes within his body. Experiencing it for himself was far more effective than imagining it.

The demonic energy moved on its own, spreading throughout his body. The changes had begun.

'Ah.'

It was hard to explain how it felt. A chill ran down his spine, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

He felt as though he was extending or going up—like he had climbed up to the peak of an endless mountain and was looking down. The things that he had thought were a given all this time no longer felt like it.

'What's happening?'

It felt different from when he'd achieved the Ultimate Demonic Body. He did not feel an explosive rise in power or changes in his physical body like back then.

'Maybe it has nothing to do with getting stronger.'

This was different from a rise in combat ability. It had nothing to do with gaining the power to subdue and trample his enemies.

'This is…'

It did not take him very long to find the correct word.

A certain word passed through Kang-Woo's mind as he was curled up in the darkness among the dense demonic energy.

'A vessel.'

This unknown power known as the Demonic Soul had turned him into a vessel—an object used to contain something.

Riiing.

He heard the familiar chime and raised his head.

A blue message window appeared from within the darkness.

[You have successfully awakened the Demonic Soul!]

[A vessel capable of holding Divinity has been formed!]

[Demonic Energy has risen by 2.]

[Demonic Energy stat has reached 140!]

'A vessel capable of holding Divinity…'

Kang-Woo had an idea of what the role of the Demonic Soul was and the effects that it had.

'I guess this is why it's the road to becoming a Demon God.'

First, it had been his body that had changed. Then, it had been his soul.

In both changes, there had been one goal… Divinity—the power of gods and the power that allowed them to exist. It was something that went beyond the laws of physics and made it possible to manifest miracles.

'And…'

It was the power to interfere with the system.

"…"

Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes to see the world around him. It was the same world, but it felt different. That was a confusing way to say it, but it was hard to find a better way to say it.

He moved his finger, drew out demonic energy, and used an Authority.

The passage to the deep end of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had been fully formed. It was as if a colossal water pipe had been connected to an endless sea.

He could circulate demonic energy as naturally as when he had been in the Nine Hells.

Slash!!

Black blades flew out from his fingers.

He turned his hand, and droplets of darkness dripped from his fingertips like blood.

Then, one of the droplets fell onto the ground.

CRACK—!!

Black blades rose from the ground in a twenty-meter radius from where the droplet fell.

This was Field of Blades. It was a skill he had already learned, but it produced completely different results when he used demonic energy from the deep end of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

"It's been a while."

The tips of his mouth went up.

The sensations and feelings he'd had from the days when he ruled over all demons came back to him.

[A-Aaahhh!] Balrog gasped.

He was thrilled.

As a Familiar of the demon king, Balrog's soul was connected to Kang-Woo's, so he could feel Kang-Woo's power. He realized that his master had fully returned to his state from when he used to rule over the Nine Hells.

Balrog violently kneeled and slammed his head onto the ground.

[You have returned, my king.]

"What are you talking about?"

Kang-Woo smirked.

It was funny.

"I've been here all this time."

[…]

Balrog remained silent.

He felt ashamed for using such an expression. It was stupid. After all, Balrog knew who Kang-Woo was and what he was capable of.

Kang-Woo had not reached the pinnacle of the Nine Hells and all demons simply because he was strong. During the Final War, Bael had been stronger than the demon king. Despite that, the one to come out victorious had been Balrog's master, the demon king.

He had suffered numerous losses throughout the battle spanning a thousand years, and many of his subordinates and comrades had died.

'But…'

The demon king had won in the end.

He had not backed down. He had not submitted. He had not compromised, and he had not yielded. He had gladly accepted a challenge that he had no chance of winning at the time.

[A-Aaahhh.]

Balrog trembled, and tears dripped from his eyes.

He shuddered, overwhelmed by the boundless faith, trust, and obsessive reverence that he had in and for his king.

The demon king was right—he hadn't returned; he had always been here.

[My kiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!]

Balrog rushed toward Kang-Woo and hugged him with both his arms.

[Sniff!! I, Balrog, am honored to have been given the chance to serve you!!]

Due to their overwhelming difference in height, Kang-Woo's head got stuck in Balrog's armpit.

"Fucking hell! Get off me, dammit!!"

Kang-Woo struggled to get free from the horrible scent.

He glanced at Balrog with a tired expression. Balrog's eyes were sparkling in a way that did not match his five-meter figure.

'Stupid muscle pig.'

That was the best way to describe him.

Nevertheless, Kang-Woo did not hate him. They'd spent too much time together for that to be the case.

[You should have absolutely no problem facing Satan and Lucifer now.]

"No, I don't think so." Kang-Woo shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "Those guys have Divinity."

[...Divinity?]

"Yeah."

A being with Divinity wasn't necessarily powerful in terms of combat prowess. Having more Divinity meant that they had higher chances of having high combat prowess, but unlike stats, it didn't always translate into strength.

An example of that was Tirion, God of Heroes. Kang-Woo was sure he'd be able to beat him if he were forced to face him in his current state.

'But…'

That didn't mean that he could take the fact that Satan and Lucifer now possessed Divinity lightly.

They had not possessed Divinity in the Nine Hells. If they had, there was no way that he wouldn't have noticed it when he devoured them with the Authority of Predation back then.

'They acquired it here.'

Judging by the situation, both demons had gone back to a distant past by at least a thousand years compared to the point in time that Kang-Woo had returned to. During that time, not only had they recovered their bodies, but they'd also reached a higher point than back in the Nine Hells.

'What could have happened?'

He couldn't figure it out. A thousand years was short from a demon's perspective.

For tens of thousands of years, the princes of Hell had not been able to surpass the limits of being princes. The only one that had been able to go beyond his limits was Bael.

However, it was different now; both Satan and Lucifer had acquired Divinity. They had been able to go beyond the wall that had stopped them from growing for hundreds of thousands of years.

'How?'

He couldn't imagine how they had managed it.

Kang-Woo's thoughts were in a jumble. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

'The important thing is that I shouldn't take it lightly.'

He raised his hand.

FWOOSH!!!

Yellow flames rose.

He still felt awkward using Mammon's Authority.

The Demonic Soul was a vessel.

'An empty vessel that hasn't been filled.'

Unlike what he'd hoped, his combat prowess had not risen.

'More…'

He had to grow even stronger.

Desire and thirst burned his throat.

Riiing.

['Final step to becoming a Demon God' quest has been generated.]

[Information]

[*Condition 1: Demonic Energy stat reaches 150.

*Condition 2: ???

*Condition 3: ???]

"Why so fucking many?"

There had been two conditions before, but there were three this time. On the bright side, one of the conditions had been revealed, and it was the final step to becoming a Demon God.

"Final, huh?"

For some reason, he didn't get the feeling that it was the final step.

Kang-Woo recalled when he'd created Inferno. There had been an advanced Demon God quest marked with question marks.

"...Well, I guess it's better to have it than not."

It was true that he was strangely expectant.

After all, it was an incredible feeling to become stronger and capable of doing things that hadn't been possible before. All demons longed for it, even at the cost of their eternal life.

"Oh, right."

Kang-Woo looked at his right middle finger.

The ring was wriggling as if it were alive.

'I remember it saying that digestion would commence once I achieve the Demonic Soul.'

He still had many questions regarding the Key of the Demonic Sea.

'It ate a Hell Armament.'

Something he hadn't been able to consume with the Authority of Predation had been eaten by his equipment. It'd be stranger if he weren't curious about it.

He opened up the information window for the Key of the Demonic Sea.

[Equipment Information]

[Equipment Name: Key of the Demonic Sea

Rank: Transcendent (Imprinted)

Type: Growth *The equipment will grow stronger whenever certain conditions are fulfilled.]

[Equipment Status]

[*Digestion in Progress: Currently in the process of digesting Greed. Suspending all abilities other than basic effects.]

'Hm?'

Kang-Woo frowned and poured demonic energy into the Key of the Demonic Sea.

'It's not transforming.'

He frowned.

Without help from the Key of the Demonic Sea, he couldn't use his trump card, Inferno.

"Ngh."

He could still fight against a prince of Hell without Inferno. However, he was quite displeased to see that the trump card he'd practiced for so long was sealed.

'I guess I'll have to stay low-key for a while.'

Kang-Woo thought of the things he had to do.

'Reach 150 in my Demonic Energy stat.'

His Demonic Energy stat had already become so high that it wouldn't rise unless he fought against the princes of Hell and consumed them.

'Or consume a ridiculously high number of demons.'

Whatever the case, he had no way of raising it at the moment.

"Tsk," Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

He had obtained many things despite having let go of Lucifer, but his head hurt from thinking about everything that he would need to do from now on.

"Let's go back."

He looked up at the blue sky and the warm sun as he walked.

It had been two years since his return to Earth and seven years since the Day of Calamity. He had finally recovered the power that he had amassed during the ten millennia he had spent in Hell.