After Ten Millennia in Hell

He was smiling on the outside, but his insides were burning with frustration.

'Why the fuck is Mammon here?'

The Tibet base had thousands of Demon Cultists, so Kang-Woo had expected them to have some sort of trump card. However…

'I never expected that it would be a fucking prince of Hell.'

After learning that Lucifer had been revived, Kang-Woo expected the possibility of the other princes to be revived as well since their souls had remained intact within their Hell Armaments. Nonetheless, he had not thought of the possibility that their location of revival would be Earth.

'Just how?'

Kang-Woo couldn't understand how Mammon was here. There was no demonic energy on Earth, which meant there wasn't enough power to revive the soul of a prince of Hell. It was as if a giant tree had grown in the middle of a desolate desert.

[Y-You're…!]

It wasn't just Kang-Woo who was surprised though.

Unlike Kang-Woo who looked calm on the outside, there was a demon who was trembling in fear with a pale face.

[Wh-Why are you—H-How? What in the…]

It was Mammon; he was trembling due to the immense fear he felt.

[Y-You were definitely annihilated!!]

"What?" Kang-Woo frowned.

'Why is he claiming I died?'

Kang-Woo? Annihilated? What nonsense was Mammon talking about?

Mammon shouted like a madman, [Y-You were annihilated after clashing with the system!! I-I saw it with my own eyes!! Wh-Why are you still alive, you monsteeeeerrrrr!!!]

He'd shouted in a desperate voice, spitting saliva everywhere.

Kang-Woo remained silent. His gaze sharpened as he thought about Mammon's words.

"Oh," he uttered.

'I see what happened.'

Kang-Woo laughed in disbelief.

He realized there was a very simple explanation.

'These sons of bitches thought I had died.'

It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Kang-Woo had clashed with the Gaia System while returning to Earth. That system, which was protecting Earth, had used all of its power to seal his Ten Thousand Demon Core. The seal was so powerful that he was still unable to remove it completely.

The senses of the princes of Hell had been severely weakened as their souls had been within the Hell Armaments. So, it made sense that after sensing Kang-Woo's power suddenly diminish, they thought he had been annihilated.

'Wait, but Lucifer thinks I'm still alive.'

Lucifer had definitely gone to Earth to find the Demonic Sea.

"…"

Kang-Woo kept thinking.

It didn't take him long to find an answer. There was one difference between the two princes.

'Lucifer is on the continent of Aernor, and Mammon is on Earth.'

This meant that Lucifer had been blown into a different dimension before Kang-Woo had clashed with the system. In that case, the situation made sense.

'This…'

The tips of Kang-Woo's mouth went up.

'I can use this.'

He slowly approached Mammon.

"You thought I died? Really?"

[E-Eek! D-Don't come any closer!!]

"Answer me, Mammon," Kang-Woo said in a cold, emotionless voice.

'Look straight.'

Asserting one's spirit was part of the basics of deception. One shouldn't be intimidated or hesitant.

[U-Umm…]

Kang-Woo stood upright with his back straight and spoke as firmly as possible.

"I will not beat around the bush, Mammon. Serve me."

It was far too risky to battle a prince of Hell in this situation. However, if he could make use of Mammon, all the better.

'Though I have absolutely no intention of actually taking him in as a subordinate.'

Mammon was different from Balrog and Lilith. He was a prince, and a prince couldn't serve anyone.

If Mammon were to discover that Kang-Woo's power had been sealed, his attitude would change completely. It was comparable to hugging a bomb that could explode at any moment.

'But I can stall for time.'

If Mammon agreed to serve him, he could buy some time as Mammon racked his brain to figure out what to do while serving him. As long as Kang-Woo used Mammon effectively, he could even ambush Mammon in the future and deal great harm to him.

[Serve… you?]

"Are you not sick and tired of the Nine Hells? The red sky, the barren lands, the terrible air… It's an absolute landfill."

[…]

"Compared to that, this star is beautiful. Do you not want it? Do you not want to hold it, bend it to your will, and dirty it?" Kang-Woo said in an appealing voice.

He could see Mammon's eyes, barely visible between his flaps of fat, filled with thick greed.

"Mammon." Kang-Woo extended his hand. "Do you want to rule this world with me?"

[I…]

Mammon's voice trailed off. His eyes were trembling.

'He fell for it.'

Kang-Woo was sure of it. He smiled widely.

'I guess I've taken care of the most urgent p—'

Rumble—!!!

At that moment… the tunnel shook and cracked. Magma poured out from the gaps in the cracks.

BOOOOM!!

The ceiling of the tunnel collapsed.

"Kuh!"

Kang-Woo raised his hand and used the Authority of Waves to turn the rubble into dust, disappearing with a loud boom.

'Shit!!'

Kang-Woo quickly turned his head.

He could see Mammon staring at him with those eyes that were buried under the fat.

[Oh…?]

The tips of Mammon's mouth curved upward.

He felt Kang-Woo's power when he turned the falling ceiling to dust.

[Puhihi. You've gotten weaker.]

'For fuck's sake.'

Kang-Woo clenched his hands into fists.

Negotiations had broken down, and on top of that, the amount of magma pouring into the tunnel was increasing.

'Shit.'

Kang-Woo frowned.

He used the Authority of the Beholder and sensed demonic energy running wild within the heart of the mountain.

'If I don't stop it, the volcano will erupt.'

Guardians members and the Demon Cult were fighting outside. It was easy to see what would happen if a volcano erupted in that situation.

'Everyone will die.'

They were superhumans, but they were mere mortals before natural disasters. Although he had orchestrated the bloodshed of Guardians through this war, causing that many casualties akin to causing complete destruction was a completely different story.

'It'd be more like blowing their brains out instead of making them bleed a little.'

Kang-Woo turned to Balrog.

"Balrog. Take Lilith, Echidna, and Vaal Zahak and stop the demonic energy running wild underneath."

[But…]

"I'll take care of things here."

[Understood.]

Balrog hesitated for a moment after hearing Kang-Woo would face a prince of Hell by himself, but he nodded in the end.

[May your will be done, my king.]

Balrog took Echidna and Vaal Zahak and went downstairs.

Kang-Woo wasn't sure where Lilith was, but he trusted Balrog to find her and take her underneath too.

"Fuck," Kang-Woo cursed aggressively.

He turned back toward Mammon.

Mammon laughed, [Puhihihihihihi!!!! To think the demon king has become this weak!!! Yes, what I saw that day was true!!!]

His body shook as if he couldn't hold back his joy. He grinned, with saliva dripping out of the side of his lips.

[In that case… this is the perfect opportunity for me to obtain the Demonic Sea.]

Mammon didn't need to wait a hundred years. He would obtain power incomparable to what Satan would obtain, as he was absorbing the Root.

[Puhihihihihihihi!!!]

Mammon grabbed his stomach and roared with laughter. Gobs of his saliva spurted out of his mouth in all directions.

Kang-Woo remained silent while watching Mammon laugh.

"Hah,” he feigned laughter.

He glared at Mammon with deep, sunken eyes.

"Stop giggling, damn pig."

Kang-Woo lowered his hands. The Key of the Demonic Sea turned into a dark red spear.

"Have you still not had enough of a beating?"

Kang-Woo had already beaten this damn pig once before. This loser had even bowed down to him while begging pathetically for his life.

He found it hilarious how Mammon was laughing so confidently now.

BOOM!

Kang-Woo stomped on the ground and shot forward, gripping his spear as he thrust it at the lump of fat.

FWOOSH!

[Puhihihihi!]

Red flames poured out.

Sizzle.

Kang-Woo's skin was getting burned by the flames, but he ignored it. He stabbed Mammon with the spear and used the Authority of Explosion, causing lumps of Mammon's flesh to fall off.

BOOM!

A blazing hand emerged from under Mammon's wounded flesh. It shot toward Kang-Woo at blinding speed and with great power.

Nevertheless, Kang-Woo twisted to the side and dodged it. The blazing hand struck the tunnel wall instead, vaporizing about thirty meters of the wall.

Kang-Woo tightened his right fist and used the Authority of Titanic Might merged with the Authority of Waves.

Crack!

He punched Mammon, and Mammon's flesh exploded again, splashing sticky pus onto Kang-Woo's face.

Tsss.

The pus burned through his skin like acid, melting away his cheeks and revealing his teeth. His fist that he had stuck into Mammon's flesh had melted down to the bone.

Still, Kang-Woo ignored all of it.

He gripped Gáe Bulg. Massive amounts of demonic energy swirled around him, and he created Gungnir.

'It's not enough.'

Kang-Woo needed to add more Authorities.

He added the Authority of Collapse and the Authority of Freezing. Six different Authorities had been merged. His brain's processing capacity reached its limit, and he experienced a horrible headache.

He gave up on the calculations. His Ultimate Demonic Body reflexively made the calculations for him.

"Longinus."

A javelin that was as white as snow and not even a meter long was formed.

He pulled his arm back, twisted his body, and threw Longinus with all of his might.

Rumble—!!

The mountain collapsed, and thousands of tonnes of soil flowed down. That only lasted a moment before immensely cold energy spread and froze the soil.

There was a twist in the climate, and snow started to pour down from a clear sky.

[Pu… hi.]

Mammon trembled. Over half of his body was frozen.

After throwing Longinus, Kang-Woo fell to the ground. He turned his head away.

"...Fuck."

[Puhihihihihihi!!!]

Mammon's frozen skin sloughed off, and the horrible ball of fat multiplied in size. He laughed creepily as he poured his burning flesh onto Kang-Woo.

[Puhihihihi!! Hihihihihi!!]

Mammon's crazy laughter was filled with greed.

Kang-Woo was devoured by a yellow blazing sphere named Greed. It was Mammon's Hell Armament, which devoured and burned everything.

[AAHH! AAAAHHHH! The Demonic Sea… The Demonic Sea is mine now!!!]

Mammon raised his arms.

BOOM!

Just then, someone rose from the ground with an explosion. Strong blue energy radiated from his body. The man was so handsome that it was as if a god had carved him.

"Hyung… nim…?"

The young man who'd come running through the collapsing mountain was trembling in disbelief.

[Puhihihi. Get out of here, human. I'm very busy right now.]

Mammon extended his hand toward the yellow sphere that Kang-Woo was trapped in. He had no time to bother with a lowly human when the Demonic Sea was right before his very eyes.

Slash!

His hand was suddenly cut with condensed sword energy and fell off.

"How dare you…"

Kim Si-Hun stood between the sphere and Mammon.

"Don't you dare touch my brother with those filthy hands, cholesterol."

Blue energy burst out from him.