After Ten Millennia in Hell

A pitch-black sword and a spear of light clashed, shaking the sky.

"A-Aaaahh."

"Lord Raphael…!"

The angels and the Watchers of Light clenched their fists as they watched Raphael clash with Satan.

"Lord Shalgiel…"

"I-Is standing around like this all we can do?"

Shalgiel remained silent. He looked up at the sky. They could not interfere in the battle because the two beings were on a whole other level.

'Titans…'

He recalled the story of the giants that used to rule the world in the most distant past, the era of myths.

Satan and Raphael were fighting so intensely that it looked like a fight between those giants of myth. They were leaving destruction in their wake.

"There is nothing we can do at the moment."

Shalgiel shook his head and anxiously bit his lip.

'Lord Raphael.'

He prayed for the light to win.

"Leave the Demon of Prophecy to Lord Raphael. We will eradicate the other demons."

Shalgiel turned around.

There was still a large portion of the Demon Cult's forces still standing.

'Damn demons…'

He glared with resentment at the Demon Cult and commanded the angels and Watchers of Light.

"Kill them all. As long as they side with darkness, it does not matter if they are children or the elderly. Let those tainted by darkness receive the judgment of light!"

"Judgment of light!"

"Judgment of light!"

The angels grabbed their weapons and flew toward the cultists.

Shalgiel panted. Fatigue had accumulated after facing thousands of demons at the forefront.

'If only Lady Seraph were here…'

Shalgiel recalled the Celestial Goddess, who had sacrificed her body to seal away great darkness during the era of myths.

He shook his head.

'This is not the time to think about that kind of thing.'

Even at this moment, the forces tainted by darkness were devouring the light. He gripped his silver-shining sword.

"Judgment of light."

He stomped on the ground without hesitation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Satan and Raphael were fighting to the death higher up the mountain.

[Raaaaaaaaahhh!]

Satan roared angrily. He swung Wrath, his eyes gleaming like those of a madman.

Raphael blocked his attack with difficulty. The Authority of Extinction, a destructive Authority that split everything that it touched into pieces, could threaten Raphael's life.

[Kuh.]

Satan's power was incredible.

Raphael gulped.

'This is the power of the Demon of Prophecy.'

Raphael kept the battle going while swinging the spear of light. He calmly blocked all of Satan's attacks. Each time he blocked an attack, a huge impact shook his body.

'Where in the world did he gain such power?'

The thousand-year war that had occurred within the deepest layer of the Nine Hells… it had not been recorded who had started the war or who had won, but the angels knew that it had brought the demon realm to the brink of extinction. In the wake of this war, the angels had taken the chance to diligently grow their forces under Michael's command.

'But…'

Lucifer and even Satan had become even stronger than in the records.

Raphael looked at Satan with a troubled expression, thinking that Satan wasn't something he couldn't handle. No, even if Satan possessed power that he couldn't handle, he could not back down.

"Ludwig," Raphael mumbled. Glaring, he pointed his spear at Satan. "Satan! Free Ludwig!"

Ludwig had been reduced to an Undead. An honest apostle of light could not meet such a tragic end.

[I told you! I have no idea who or where that son of a bitch is!!]

"How dare you tell such a blatant lie!" Raphael bellowed. He couldn't believe that Satan was making excuses after telling him to come to him and that he, Satan, wouldn't run or hide.

"What sly trick are you trying to pull this time?!"

[No! I am not! I am saying that I'm not the one who corrupted Ludwig!!]

"Bull! I saw you corrupting Ludwig with my own eyes!!"

[And I am telling you that was not me!!]

Satan was making absurd excuses.

Raphael's expression crumpled.

"How shameless can you demons be?!"

[It was not meeeeeeeeeeeee!!!]

Satan twisted his body as if he were about to go crazy. He screamed in agony as he shot out pitch-black sword energies at random.

[Come out, demon king! Hurry up, you deplorable scumbag!! I will expose the entire truth here today!! I will tear apart your disgusting facade!!]

Satan fired sword energies at random to find the demon king, who was nowhere to be seen.

Rumble!!

The land was upturned, split, and distorted as if a natural disaster were occurring. The Demon Cult's and Guardians' forces were both swept into the destruction.

"Stop!"

Raphael spread his wings as he clenched the spear of light. His eight wings poured light, and he shot toward Satan at incredible speed.

'Why is he going this far?'

Raphael couldn't understand it. The Satan he'd seen in the video was far too different from the one in front of him right now.

'Perhaps…'

The Satan in the video might not have actually been the true Satan.

"Kuh," Raphael grunted, his mind in jumbles.

'Do not listen.'

Michael had told him not to be enticed by the whispers of demons. Their tongues were like a flower with deadly poison. If one was deceived by the sweet scent and approached the flower, the poison would spread through their body and kill them.

[Urgh,] Satan screamed intensely. He trembled as he grabbed the back of his neck again.

Raphael stared at him in confusion.

"…"

He remained silent as his head became even more jumbled.

'They are different.'

The difference between the Satan he'd seen in the video and the one in front of him now was too big. The eyes of the Satan in the video had been full of boundless evil, but the Satan in front of him was acting so unsightly that it was hard to watch.

Satan's desperate cries made Raphael even more confused.

'If…' The seed of doubt sprouted within him. 'If the demon I saw back then was not Satan…'

If he was being deceived by the demon king that Satan was crying out to…

Just what in the world was the truth?

'Is Oh Kang-Woo the demon king?'

Raphael shook his head.

It was not like Kang-Woo had his unwavering trust, but Kang-Woo had been with him when they were watching the video of Satan. Not just that, if he really were the demon king, there was no way he wouldn't be able to feel his demonic energy.

There was absolutely no evidence pointing to Kang-Woo being the demon king.

[Aaarrrggghhh!! Oh Kang-Woo, you fucking scumbag!! Get out here!!!] Satan screamed like a madman.

"…"

Raphael could feel the rage and frustration in his voice. His eyes wavered.

'What if it had all been an act?'

What if he had planned for all of this to happen?

Raphael closed his eyes. He could feel that Satan's attacks were gradually weakening.

'O Light…'

Raphael glared at Satan with a troubled expression.

'Grant me an answer.'

The darkness concealing the truth was too dark to see through.

Raphael couldn't see a thing.

* * *

"The angels are doing a great job."

Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction.

The angels, not afraid of death, were fighting the demons more intensely than anyone else.

Since he couldn't fully trust the angels, being able to conserve the forces of Guardians was great news.

'They're also leveling up like crazy.'

EXP, which could be considered a Player's special privilege, was drastically leveling the Players participating in the war.

"Hm?"

At that moment, Kang-Woo saw Raphael.

Raphael's movements had become noticeably slower.

'He doesn't seem tired.'

The light exuding from Raphael's wings was still as intense as ever.

"Tsk." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. "He must've been enticed by the whispers of a demon."

Satan was an evil being—he would endlessly lie to conceal the truth.

"Pathetic bastard."

How could the words of a demon so easily shake up an archangel?

'I guess I have no choice.'

As an apostle of the God of Heroes, he couldn't stand still and watch light being corrupted.

'I will bring the truth to light.'

Kang-Woo grabbed his communication crystal orb.

* * *

"Satan," Raphael said in a low voice while clenching his spear. "Do you have proof that Oh Kang-Woo is the demon king?"

[Haaa, haaa. Proof? Proof, you say?]

Satan's eyes trembled. The proof that Oh Kang-Woo was the demon king was obviously the Demonic Sea that he possessed.

'But…'

The Demonic Sea had not been discovered despite the demon king having been right beside Raphael. Meaning, Kang-Woo had a way to completely conceal the Demonic Sea. If that were the case, there was a chance that the Demonic Sea would not be able to serve as proof.

'Shit.'

To perfect his plan, he needed to drag the demon king here.

He clenched the fragment of the Root in his bosom.

'Oh.'

At that moment, a certain thought crossed his mind. He recalled how the demon king was waving light sticks while watching their battle, mocking him.

[Look at what he is doing right now! He is watching our battle while mocking—]

Satan raised his hand and pointed at where the demon king had been. Behind his mask, his eyes trembled.

[Huh?]

Kang-Woo was gone; all that was left were bloodstains that Satan had no idea whom they belonged to.

BOOM!

Just then, an explosion sounded.

Step, step.

A being tainted by darkness walked out from the rubble.

Raphael's eyes shook after seeing who it was.

"Lud…wig."

He saw Ludwig covered in horrifying green tentacles, and angel corpses were being held in his hands.

"Aaaahh!"

Ludwig kneeled, spread out his arms, and looked at Satan.

"O great Satan!!"

[Huh?]

"My master, my king!"

[Wait.]

"Just like you have commanded, I have stained the ground with angel blood!"

[You son of a…]

Ludwig ripped apart the corpse of one of the dead angels he was holding. The wings were torn apart, the feathers scattering. White blood wet the floor.

"Sa…tan."

Raphael trembled.

The corrupted Ludwig had become even more hideous than before. Not a single ounce of sacred power could be felt from him.

A single tear dripped down Raphael's cheek.

He had been wavering due to the whispers of a demon while his apostle, the child who had been so loyal to him, had been reduced to something like that.

'You were right, Lord Michael.'

Demons were not worth listening to.

Raphael clenched his spear tighter and reinforced his resolve to never be swayed again.

[H-Haha.]

Satan feigned laughter.

[Fucking hell… Seriously… Haha.]

He clenched his head with both hands and then grabbed his sword, letting out an empty laugh.

[Yes! I corrupted Ludwig!]

His yellow eyes behind the red mask teared up.

[HAHAHA!!! Fine! Yes! I fucking did it all!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!]

A single tear dripped down from behind the mask.

Finally…

The truth had come to light.