After Ten Millennia in Hell

'He really doesn't know.'

He lightly laughed. He felt like all the questions filling his head had disappeared. There was no way someone sane would let an assassin who had tried to kill him live.

'So that means...'

Alec had been insane from the start.

Kang-Woo could finally be satisfied with Alec's absurd actions.

"Fuuu. I can’t believe I let a Demon Cultist escape yet again... I’m truly ashamed."

"Let me ask you something."

"Yes?"

Kang-Woo looked at Alec with sunken eyes.

"You have no intention of giving up on Si-Hun, right?"

"Of course not. There aren't many Protectors. Si-Hun has the ideal personality and talent for a Protector," Alec answered without hesitation.

He continued, “He seems to be on the fence because it was such a sudden offer, but I am planning on continuing to persuade him. And... most importantly, Si-Hun himself seems to be interested in the idea.”

"…"

"I know you think of Si-Hun as your little brother, so I understand you're worried, but this is for the greater good of humanity."

"Hah..."

Kang-Woo laughed.

The woman’s corpse was still in the alleyway. A woman had died because Alec hadn't killed the assassin, but he was still as honest and upright as always.

Alec couldn't see anything beyond justice.

"I’ll be on my way, then. Please try to convince Si-Hun for me as well, Kang-Woo."

Alec smiled and turned around.

Kang-Woo watched as Alec walked away.

There was no way to know how many deaths Alec had turned away from until now, but Kang-Woo was sure that this was probably not the first time.

There was no way it was the first time. People didn't go that insane so quickly and easily.

Alec had probably been broken for a very long time to the point of no return.

"For the greater good of humanity, huh...?" Kang-Woo mumbled.

It wasn't hard to see why Alec had broken. He had most likely tried to save every life in the past as well, regardless of whether they were good or evil, just like now.

'And he probably failed.'

It had nothing to do with his abilities or talent. Such an absurd ideal was bound to fail.

When faced with failure, people chose one of two options: either they accepted the result or turned away from it.

Alec had chosen the latter.

"Pathetic."

Kang-Woo spat on the floor.

It was hard to accept failure, and it wasn't easy to accept that what one had been doing was wrong. On the other hand, turning away from one's own failures was easy.

It was simple and comfortable.

Alec Osborne wasn’t a strong-willed man who stayed true to his ideals. He was just a coward and loser who didn't know how to accept the results of his actions.

'He said he had no intention of giving up on Si-Hun.'

It didn't matter if he was a coward or a lunatic who couldn't accept reality. If it had been anyone but Alec, Kang-Woo wouldn’t have even given them the time of day.

But this was different.

Alec was trying to make Si-Hun join him. He was trying to make Si-Hun exactly like him.

'I can't let that happen.'

If Alex wouldn’t give up, Kang-Woo had no choice but to use force.

"Actually this might be a good opportunity."

He recalled Si-Hun looking at Alec in admiration.

Alec was an important individual to him, and Si-Hun trusted Alec so much that Kang-Woo had been forced to use the Authority of Subordination to make him refuse the offer.

Just like how children were greatly influenced by the heroes in films, Alec also seemed to have heavily influenced Si-Hun.

There was a huge chance that Si-Hun's heroic actions had also been influenced by Alec.

'I don't like that.'

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He had high hopes for Si-Hun and couldn't let him destroy himself like Alec due to unrealistic ideals.

"It's about time for me to give him a huge shock."

He had no intention of coddling Si-Hun like a baby forever.

Si-Hun had to learn how to make decisions and take action by himself. For that to happen, he had to make Si-Hun wake up from the fantasy of being a hero.

"Hmm."

He closed his eyes and began thinking at high speed. He thought of a good plan, then slowly opened his eyes. Since he had decided on a plan, he no longer had any reason to hesitate.

Kang-Woo turned his head.

'But before that…'

There was something he had to do before putting his plan into action.

Tap.

He lightly jumped and rose into the sky. He used the Authority of the Beholder over a wide area.

'So that’s where he ran off to.'

Kang-Woo turned his head toward the area where he could feel demonic energy.

Unlike in Japan where it was like finding a tree in the middle of a forest due to the overabundance of demonic energy, searching for a Demon Cultist in Korea was more like finding a tree in the middle of a desert.

Kang-Woo flew toward where the Demon Cult assassin had escaped.

The assassin had headed toward an abandoned factory near Port of Incheon. The factory had been abandoned ever since it had been destroyed by the monster invasion on the Day of Calamity.

'He got pretty far.'

Considering he should've been tired after fighting Alec, he had been incredibly fast.

The traces of demonic energy stopped at the abandoned factory.

Kang-Woo landed on top of the factory and looked around.

'He doesn’t seem to have any reinforcements.'

He couldn't sense any other sources of demonic energy near the factory.

High priests of the Demon Cult were able to conceal their demonic energy within their hearts, but he didn't even consider this possibility.

The assassin wouldn't have fought Alec alone if he had such powerful allies with him.

"Huff, huff!"

Kang-Woo heard heavy breathing.

The assassin seemed very exhausted from running at full speed right after his battle with Alec.

Kang-Woo clenched his fist and smashed it down on the abandoned factory’s roof.

Boom!

"Kurgh!"

Dust scattered. The assassin took out his claws and glared at him.

"... Who are you?"

The man in the red demon mask wasn't able to hide the bewilderment in his eyes. He would naturally be surprised if a stranger suddenly appeared when he had thought Alec had caught up with him.

Kang-Woo laughed at the assassin’s question.

"Who’s asking?"

"…"

"You're not gonna tell me, right? Me neither."

The assassin lowered his body, and a sharp bloodlust leaked from him.

"You must be a member of Guardians."

It seemed he thought Kang-Woo was Alec's comrade.

Kang-Woo shrugged.

"Hmph. There’s no point in acting dumb. I know you’re a part of Guardians."

The assassin opened his hands. His claws, which had lengthened to over thirty meters, shone sharply. Demonic energy was concentrated at the ends of the claws.

"Sure, whatever you wanna think," Kang-Woo replied.

There was no need to tell him the truth. People saw and heard only what they wanted, after all.

"I have a lot of questions for you," said Kang-Woo.

"And you think I'll talk?"

"No, of course not."

Kang-Woo shook his head and raised his right hand. The Key of the Demonic Sea, which had been a ring, changed form.

"So…"

The ring wriggled and transformed into a gauntlet. It was infused with the Authority of Sealing, the Authority of the demon Amdusias.

"I'll have to make you want to talk."

Boom!

Kang-Woo leaped forward. He used the Authority of Haste and reduced the distance between him and the assassin in an instant. He could see the surprise behind the mask.

Bash!

"Kurgh!"

Kang-Woo struck the man in the solar plexus with the gauntlet.

The assassin’s body folded and was blown back. Kang-Woo caught up to the assassin as he was flying back and kicked him.

Boom!

The wall of the abandoned factory was destroyed. Abandoned bars of steel poured on top of the assassin.

"Gurgh!"

The assassin swung his hands. The steel bars were slashed like ribbons, the metal clanging. The assassin lowered his body and leaped toward Kang-Woo.

His sharp claws swung up toward him from the bottom.

Tap.

"Gasp!"

Kang-Woo grabbed the assassin’s claws and used the Authority of Titanic Might to rip the claws off of the man’s hands.

Crack.

The claws fell to the ground along with drops of blood.

The assassin’s movements became significantly slower due to the excruciating pain.

Kang-Woo grabbed the assassin’s shoulder with the gauntlet infused with the Authority of Sealing. The gauntlet embedded itself into the assassin’s shoulder as it destroyed his bones.

"AARRGGHH!"

The assassin screamed horrifyingly.

"H-Huh? Why is my strength..."

Once the Authority of Sealing had spread through the assassin's body, he fell to the ground.

Kang-Woo stuck his fingers into the assassin's mouth to stop him from committing suicide and then used the Authority of Subordination on him.

A huge amount of demonic energy entered the assassin’s body.

Riiing.

[The soul of the target has resisted the Authority of Subordination.]

"Tsk."

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

He thought that the Authority of Subordination might work if he sealed his power first with the Authority of Sealing, but it had failed.

'Well, that’s too bad.'

He had no intention of giving up just because a mind control-type Authority had failed.

Kang-Woo thrust his finger into the shoulder the gauntlet was embedded into.

"Urrrhhh!!"

The assassin suppressed his scream.

Kang-Woo had no intention of stopping there.

'Authority of Hellfire.'

A life-burning fire began burning the assassin’s body from the inside.

Being burned alive was one of the greatest pains that a human could feel. If such a burn happened from the inside, the outcome was obvious.

"Gaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

A horrible scream echoed throughout the abandoned factory.

Kang-Woo withdrew the Authority.

“Do you feel like talking now?"

"Huff! Huff!"

"How about we go for another round?"

"S-Stop! P-Please stop!"

The assassin desperately shouted as if he didn't want to suffer such pain again.

Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

'What should I ask first?'

There were many things he wanted to ask, but he couldn't just voice his questions carelessly.

'Either by exploding or twisting, he’ll die one way or another.'

From what he'd seen of the Demon Cult until now, a device was installed in every single member to ensure that classified information wouldn't be leaked.

The same was probably true for the assassin in front of him.

'I can't make the same mistake.'

He wasn't an idiot who didn't learn from his mistakes.

Kang-Woo first asked about information unrelated to the Demon Cult.

"Tell me what you know about Guardians."

"... Why? You’d know more about them than me if you're also a mem—AARRGGHH!"

"Don’t ask. Just answer my question."

"Huff! Huff!"

Tears dripped from the assassin’s eyes due to the excruciating pain.

"They are a group made up of people known as Protectors from all over the world. I don’t know their exact number either. All I know is that there are fewer than ten and that their leader’s name is Gaia."

"The leader's name is Gaia?"

"Y-Yes."

Kang-Woo's eyes narrowed.

'Gaia.'

He naturally thought of the Gaia System. He didn't think it was a coincidence.