Chapter 133
Following Malphas’s guidance, the Heavenly Demon arrived at Pandemonium’s hidden sanctuary.
The journey took considerably longer than expected.
Ordinarily, they should have arrived instantly using Malphas’s ability, but because the Heavenly Demon disliked coming into direct contact with demonic powers, they only traversed short distances at a time before moving manually.
Even so, the Heavenly Demon’s footwork, which crossed enormous distances in mere moments, was truly unmatched.
Even a standard high-ranking Hero would have needed several months to travel such a distance, yet the Heavenly Demon showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
Before the space where the Six Thrones resided.
Having completed his guidance, Malphas lowered his head deeply.
“He will arrive shortly.”
“I know.”
As though familiar with the place, the Heavenly Demon sat upon one of the Thrones.
Malphas bowed his head and departed.
How much time passed like that?
Dense demonic energy began flowing out from the center of the Thrones.
It was demonic energy of a concentration entirely different from what ordinary Demons emitted.
If a normal Demon had stood in this place, they would have gone berserk merely from being intoxicated by the overwhelming density of the energy.
Beyond black smoke, demonic energy thick as coagulated blood began consuming the surrounding space.
Soon, a voice emerged from the mass of demonic energy gathering together.
The First Demon, the King of Demons, and the leader of Pandemonium had appeared.
[You have come. Heavenly Demon.]
“So you summoned me personally. That is rare.”
Though she treated all of Pandemonium’s High-ranking Executives like insects, the being before her was the sole exception.
“So, for what reason did you call me here?”
[The time of prophecy draws near. Soon, the first chain shall be released.]
“You still speak in riddles beyond comprehension.”
The Heavenly Demon had no interest in Pandemonium’s prophecies or the resurrection of Demons.
To begin with, this world was never hers.
[Heavenly Demon, the time of your return approaches.]
“I see…….”
[You do not seem particularly pleased.]
She had expected this ever since the crow Demon serving as his subordinate came to find her.
Yet despite it being good news that her long-held wish would finally come true, the Heavenly Demon could not feel happy.
‘……It bothers me.’
She was worried about the disciple who would be left alone, and about Wol-ah.
The Heavenly Demon spoke.
“There is one thing I wish to ask.”
[Ask.]
“Why did you entrust me with my disciple and Wol-ah?”
A brief silence passed.
[This is the first time you have ever asked me a question. Have you developed lingering attachments only now?]
The Heavenly Demon did not answer.
But silence itself was affirmation.
The Heavenly Demon knew nothing about the purpose behind Seongwoo and Wol-ah.
To begin with, she had never tried to learn.
Back when she first took in her foolish disciple, she never imagined their connection would grow this deep.
At the time, the only thing that mattered to her was returning to her homeland.
Because of that, the Heavenly Demon remained ignorant of the common knowledge every member of Pandemonium naturally possessed, nor did she care to learn it.
Since she herself never asked, no one dared mention it first either.
But perhaps because the time to leave had finally come—
She could not help but worry for the disciple who would remain behind alone.
[I instructed you to care for them. I never ordered you to grow attached.]
“It is merely lingering attachment.”
[Then cast even that aside. It is an emotion unfit for you.]
“You meddle too much.”
Rumble…….
At that moment, Pandemonium’s sanctuary trembled violently.
The space itself distorted merely from the Aura emitted by the two of them.
The first to withdraw his power was the leader of Pandemonium.
“You have weakened. It seems the wounds from the war still torment you.”
[Unnecessary interference.]
“And who was it that reduced someone like you to this state?”
At the Heavenly Demon’s question, the leader of Pandemonium sank briefly into thought.
The reason the King of Demons and First Demon could not actively interfere in Pandemonium’s affairs—
Was because of wounds inflicted upon him by someone during the battle over the Vessel of the End.
Those injuries continued devouring his soul and tormenting him even now.
[Baek Hyun-joong. Have you heard that name before?]
“Of course. Was he not the strongest in this world? I heard he died in the great war.”
[He did not die. Just like me, he likely clings pitifully to life.]
The Heavenly Demon became interested.
The leader of Pandemonium was a being so powerful that even she could not confidently determine victory or defeat against him.
And yet there existed someone capable of inflicting mortal wounds upon such a being.
As a martial artist and a warrior herself, the Heavenly Demon naturally became curious about that existence.
Buzzz—.
At that moment, something tucked within the Heavenly Demon’s robes began vibrating.
The instant she felt it, her expression hardened.
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the vibrating object.
It was an artifact that reacted whenever Seongwoo’s life was in danger.
The reason the Heavenly Demon had managed to rescue Seongwoo safely during the Hell Manifestation incident at the Academy was because this artifact had warned her of his peril beforehand.
And now, that artifact trembled as though it were about to shatter.
The vibrations were even stronger than when Seongwoo had nearly died fighting Berid during the Hell Manifestation.
The Heavenly Demon abruptly rose from her seat.
“I will take my leave first.”
[Stop.]
The moment he spoke, overwhelming pressure crushed the space itself.
The Heavenly Demon’s movements froze beneath power even greater than before.
Irritation spread across her face.
“My disciple is in danger.”
[I know. Have you forgotten that I was the one who gave you that artifact?]
“And yet knowing that, you still intend to stop me?”
Black energy began rising and consuming the space around them.
[You are no longer to interfere with your disciple.]
“What do you mean by that?”
[The halted time has begun moving once more. The prophecy is progressing, and you have already fulfilled every duty assigned to you.]
“Explain yourself properly.”
Suddenly, blood filling the floor surged upward and bound the Heavenly Demon’s arms and legs.
[If you wish to return to your homeland, then quietly watch.]
The Heavenly Demon finally realized why the leader of Pandemonium had summoned her here.
‘From the very beginning, this was meant to bind my feet.’
Whenever her disciple fell into danger, she would always rescue him.
But why now tell her to merely watch his peril unfold?
It was Pandemonium itself that instructed the Heavenly Demon to protect Yoo Sung-woo from all threats and make him stronger.
And now, they were telling her to stand by and watch his death.
Unable to understand this contradiction, the Heavenly Demon hesitated.
If she wished to return home, she was told to remain still.
Those words shackled her in place.
Crunch.
She clenched her teeth hard enough to crack them.
Then the leader of Pandemonium whispered into the Heavenly Demon’s ear.
[Do not worry too much. All of this is written within the prophecy. The Devil Knight shall not die today.]
At that moment, the artifact in her hand suddenly ignited with light and burned.
It meant Yoo Sung-woo’s heart had stopped.
The Heavenly Demon stared at it blankly.
And seeing her reaction, a smile slowly spread across the face of Pandemonium’s leader.
At that sight, immense power erupted from the Heavenly Demon.
---
Even though my eyes were wide open, the world around me gradually darkened.
I instinctively realized it.
So this is how I die.
The sensation in my fingertips slowly faded away.
I stared at the blue message window filling part of my vision.
【Corrosion Rate has increased by 1%.】
【Corrosion Rate has increased by 1%.】
【Corrosion Rate has reached 10%.】
【One SS-rank skill restriction of Lamb has been released.】
Even after pouring everything out, I still couldn’t win.
“Do not resent it. This too is merely one page of fate.”
“Bullshit.”
I’m literally dying right now, and you’re talking about prophecy?
If the prophecy were true, I shouldn’t be ending up like this.
To begin with, I didn’t like the prophecy itself.
What is this, some kind of cult?
Breathing gradually became more difficult.
I could feel the flame of my life slowly extinguishing.
Even now, I was only barely clinging onto consciousness, and it felt like the slightest stimulus would make my mind drift away completely.
Countless thoughts passed through my head.
Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t die.
I thought I’d somehow survive again through sheer luck.
Just like I always had until now.
For the progression of the game, I wasn’t supposed to die until the very end.
I really did my best…….
How empty.
The Angel’s prayer echoed through my ears.
Was that prayer meant for me?
If I died here, what would happen to this world?
Now that the Vessel of the End would disappear, would peace finally come to the world?
The Angel’s prayer came to an end.
In its hand was a spear glowing blood-red like fresh blood.
Thud.
Together with the cold sound of flesh tearing, clumps of blood spilled from my mouth.
I felt no pain.
My body was already little more than a ragged wreck.
The consciousness I had barely managed to hold onto began slipping away.
As though sinking endlessly into the deepest ocean depths…….
Unable to resist the overwhelming drowsiness, I closed my eyes.
【The skill Lamb smiles.】
【The skill Lamb activates.】
When I opened my eyes once more, all I saw was pitch-black darkness.
Was this death?
Simply drifting through an endless sea of emptiness.
It felt as though I had returned to the state of a fetus.
Clank—!
At that moment, accompanied by the unpleasant scraping of metal, chains bound my body.
What the……?
I struggled briefly against the chains restraining me.
Then the chains stretching from the depths of the abyss began dragging me downward.
I resisted with all my strength, but there was nothing I could do.
How far did I descend like that?
Eventually, I reached the very bottom of the abyss.
This place……?
It was familiar.
The faint light illuminating the pitch-black darkness, and someone bound at its center.
It was the exact same scene from the dream I had after obtaining the Extreme Demonic Body.
The instant I recognized it, my mind jolted awake.
Why am I here?
If I had truly died normally, there was no reason I should have ended up in a place like this.
Come to think of it, the Angel’s words were strange too.
If their goal was truly to kill me, the Vessel of the End, and bring peace, then they would have said the world would become whole through my death.
But the Angel clearly stated this too was merely a page of fate.
I remembered the prophecy spoken by the Angel perfectly clearly.
‘When the Lamb is stained black, the Ten Chains shall be released, and the End shall arrive.’
In other words, according to the prophecy, the arrival of the End was inevitable.
Don’t tell me……
【Kekeke.】
Someone’s voice brushed past my ears.
The source of the voice was the being bound by the weapons of light.
The appearance of the restrained being had changed from before.
Aside from its eyes, every part of its body had once been blurred, but now its mouth was clearly visible.
And one of the weapons pinning it down had disappeared.
“You…….”
I finally realized what this place was, and what the being before me truly was.
There had been so many hints from the beginning.
Honestly, I had already suspected part of it.
It was just that my conclusion had only been half correct.
Until now, I believed the Final Boss would appear through Pandemonium’s ritual.
And I thought the skill Lamb was merely a privilege granted to me as the vessel meant to summon the Demon of the End.
But that had been a massive misunderstanding.
The SS-rank skill Lamb was not some privilege.
Lamb itself was the prison confining the Demon of the End.
And my existence was the cage imprisoning the Demon of the End.
And at this very moment, the chains binding the Demon of the End had begun to crack.
Then its mouth slowly split into a grin.
【You’re far too slow to realize it.】
The moment those words ended, the chains binding my body tightened violently around me.
Before that overwhelming power, there was nothing I could do.
【It has been a long time since I last took a stroll outside.】
The moment it spoke—
The jaws of a gigantic beast swallowed me whole.