Chapter 212 - I Am the Real Satan (1)
"Sa… tan," Lucifer murmured.
Then he heard a demon laughing in the distance, "Kekeke."
"You…"
Uncontrollable rage surged inside Lucifer. His head felt hot.
Rather than the pain from the blade penetrating his heart, it was the fact that his son Lucis had stabbed him that hurt even more.
Lucifer's vision blurred, and he felt his consciousness and rationality fading away. He was filled with madness.
"Sa… taaaaaaan!!!"
BOOM!!
Lucifer pushed Lucis aside and stomped on the ground. His ten wings spread open, and his voice was filled with madness.
He shot out at supersonic speed before his voice even reached Satan. Lucifer raised his hand, summoning a black sphere into it that he then crushed.
[Very good,] Satan—no, Kang-Woo, who was hiding behind a mask, said.
'It worked,' he thought.
Lilith had brainwashed Lucis and used him to inflict a psychological attack on Lucifer. Lucifer was already tired after fighting against the Demon Cult, so the psychological attack damaged him greatly. Even at first glance, it was clear that he was weaker than when Kang-Woo had fought against him in the Nine Hells.
Kang-Woo smiled. He pulled his arm back and stared at Lucifer's fist.
'Skybreaker.'
Two Authorities merged. He took a step forward and punched.
Rumble—!!
The earth shook. The ground that they were standing on sank, accompanied by a rumbling akin to that of an earthquake.
Kang-Woo jumped into the air and lightly waved his hand, shooting black blades from the darkness that shrouded his body.
"YOUUU!!!" Lucifer roared.
His demonic energy flickered and spread out, deflecting Kang-Woo's black blades to the floor.
'I guess he's still a prince of Hell despite being half-dead.'
Among the seven princes of Hell, Lucifer was ranked third. He was strong even despite being fatigued and injured.
'But…'
Kang-Woo smiled. Lucifer wasn't so strong that Kang-Woo wasn't a match for him.
"You… scumbag!!! Lunatic!! How could you do something so horrid?!" Lucifer raged.
Considering the situation, such a reaction was expected. Kang-Woo had brainwashed Lucifer's son to stab his father's chest. There was nothing more depraved, evil, and crappy than that.
Yet, Kang-Woo couldn't help but laugh at Lucifer's words.
[…]
Kang-Woo remained silent. He was angry.
"Lord… Kang-Woo."
"My… apologies."
Memories of the past flashed through his mind. He recalled what his subordinates had said to him with their dying breaths back.
These memories were from before he had taken over as the demon king—when he had been at war against the seven princes of Hell. Lucifer's forces had been overwhelmingly stronger than Kang-Woo's.
He recalled how Lucifer's forces had captured his subordinates and forced them to suicide bomb their allies.
The memories Kang-Woo had tried to forget came flooding back to him.
[Bull,] he said in a low voice while looking at Lucifer tremble in anger.
Kang-Woo didn't believe in the phrase, 'You reap what you sow.' In most cases, the person who reaped and the one who sowed were two different people.
Still, hearing the demon, who had used Kang-Woo's subordinates to execute all sorts of deranged tactics, say something like that made him frown.
[Did I not tell you before?]
No demon cared about morals in battle. They did not yield nor compromise. Those who yielded would die, and those who compromised would lose. To survive, one needed to be willing to do whatever it took.
Answer to evil with greater evil, and return bloodlust with even greater bloodlust—the moment Kang-Woo forgot that, he would be the one to get devoured.
[What did you expect in a battle between demons?]
"I will tear you apart, Satan."
It seemed like Lucifer couldn't hear Kang-Woo's voice anymore.
Lucifer glowered at Kang-Woo as he emitted a strong bloodlust.
'Yeah, this is more like it,' Kang-Woo thought.
He laughed while looking at Lucifer, who was filled with rage.
Making Lucifer lose his mind and run wild had given Kang-Woo a far greater advantage than the physical injury he'd used Lucis to inflict on Lucifer. After all, the angrier someone became, the simpler their actions and the cloudier their judgment would be.
Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and analyzed Lucifer's movements.
'Here he comes.'
BOOM!
Lucifer kicked the ground, and his ten wings spread out. Thousands of feathers poured down like raindrops.
'Authority of Insight.'
The eyes behind the red demon mask lit up as the trajectories of the thousands of feathers entered his mind.
Kang-Woo then lowered himself and kicked off the ground. He ran as if he were avoiding shell fragments, dodging the feathers infused with demonic energy.
He extended his right hand behind him. The Key of the Demonic Sea took the form of a dark-red spear, and he grabbed and threw it.
"You should not have laid a hand on my son," Lucifer said while looking at Kang-Woo intensely.
Lucifer clapped, and a black sphere appeared, deflecting the Key of the Demonic Sea. He put his hand inside the black sphere and pulled out a weapon—a spear.
'Pride.'
It was Lucifer's Hell Armament, a powerful weapon that symbolized his power and defined his existence.
Lucifer rushed at Kang-Woo while gripping Pride in his hands.
Slash!!
At that moment, a fire whip struck Lucifer.
He turned his head and frowned, uttering, "You're…"
[I am Yogg-Saron, Lord Satan's loyal subordinate,] a demon covered with green tentacles replied with a light laugh.
'Yogg-Saron…'
It was a name Lucifer had never heard before.
Nevertheless, Lucifer shook his head after thinking about it for a while. It wasn't the time to think of things like that.
"Army of Pride," Lucifer commanded his subordinates. "Punish the demon who dared to point a sword at me, Evil God Lucifer."
[Yes, sir!!]
[Kill him!!]
Lucifer's subordinates shouted while rushing forward.
However, there weren't that many of Lucifer's subordinates left. Due to the continuous battle against the Demon Cult, their numbers had been reduced drastically.
[Vaal Zahak.]
[Command me as you like, Lord Satan.]
A skeleton wearing a black robe appeared from the black Rift where Satan had appeared. He caressed a black crystal orb while laughing in a chilling way.
Vaal Zahak had told Kang-Woo to command him as he liked, but his command had already been decided.
[Kill them all.]
[May your will be done, Lord Satan.]
Demonic energy exploded from the crystal orb. The bodies of the demons that had died during the war started to arise like an army of the dead.
"GRRRR!!"
Tap. Tap.
A black knight appeared from the Rift and went to the front, taking position as leader of the undead army.
[Kekeke,] Vaal Zahak laughed evilly.
His empty eye sockets shone with a yellow light.
[Go, Reynald,] he called out the name of his Death Knight.
The Death Knight sitting atop a skeleton horse unsheathed his sword.
"Hwooooooo!!" the skeletons roared.
The undead army and Lucifer's forces clashed.
"Satan…" Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "I see you're planning on seeing this to the very end."
[I would never have even started it if I did not intend to,] Kang-Woo said leisurely.
Everything was going as planned.
'The problem is the angels who will arrive after I kill Lucifer.'
Still, Kang-Woo wasn't that worried about that either.
'Angels aren't gonna be able to tell that I'm a demon.'
He was sure of it.
Ruler of Demonic Energy, the Trait that he'd earned after awakening as a Player, had given Kang-Woo the ability to hide the traces of his demonic energy completely. Neither Tirion, God of Heroes, nor Benigoa, a goddess from another world, had been able to tell that he was a demon.
Tirion had found out that Kang-Woo was a demon only after they established a link, but Kang-Woo would have no reason to do such an exchange of souls with an angel.
'In the end, the angels will target…'
The angels would most definitely target the Aspects of Evil, the ones who still hadn't appeared.
Kang-Woo smiled.
Just like how he had instigated bad blood between Lucifer and the Demon Cult, all Kang-Woo needed to do was pit the angels against the Aspects of Evil. Then, he would just reap the profits when he got the chance.
'I'll have to hide Balrog and Vaal Zahak, though.'
Kang-Woo's subordinates were linked to him through the soul, so they could also enjoy the effect of the Ruler of Demonic Energy. With it, deceiving angels would be a piece of cake.
Nevertheless, even if Balrog and Vaal Zahak could hide their demonic energy, their outer appearance was still a problem. Balrog looked like a typical demon that appeared in media, and Vaal Zahak was a skeleton. There was no way that the angels wouldn't be wary of them just because there was no demonic energy coming from them.
Echidna and Lilith were safe since they had a human form, but he would have to hide Vaal Zahak and Balrog very well.
'But it's still a huge plus.'
There was nothing better for him than angels actively moving to hunt down the Aspects of Evil instead of him. Kang-Woo would have to thank Lucifer for bringing the angels to Earth.
'Very nice.'
He couldn't help but smile after seeing everything turn out as he'd intended.
[Now, let us bring this to an end.]
Kang-Woo spread his hands, and a huge amount of demonic energy gathered before him.
"…"
Lucifer silently glared at Kang-Woo while holding the spear shaft of Pride.
The fight was about to enter its climax.
Just then…
BOOM!!
'The hell was that?' Kang-Woo thought.
Something flew from the sky and landed on the ground.
Kang-Woo and Lucifer looked at the unknown being that had come flying in out of the blue.
[I am death.]
'Huh?'
A red demon mask… body covered in a shroud of darkness…
[I am the end.]
'Fucking wait.'
Kang-Woo's mouth fell open in surprise.
The being behind the red mask covered with darkness continued, [I am the father of all wrath, and I am wrath itself.]
'The fuck?'
[I am…]
'What the hell is happening?'
Yellow eyes shone from behind the red mask.
[...Satan.]
"…"
"…"
Then there was silence.
The being wearing a red mask turned his head and said, [Lucifer, I have come to talk. I am not sure what has happened, but there has been a misunderstanding. I have no intention of fighting against y—]
Satan flinched when he found himself locking eyes with Kang-Woo.
[What in the world…? Who are you…?] Satan asked confusedly. Then he remembered what he'd heard from Julia Vilkova. [I see! You must be the one who dared to impers—]
BOOM!!
Kang-Woo aggressively stomped on the ground and pointed at Satan.
[Ha! How dare you use the name Satan, you impersonator?! Are you devoid of the fear of death?!]
[What? Impersonator? What are you t—]
[Silence!]
[No, you're the impers—]
[How dare you speak my name?!]
Kang-Woo extended his arm and used the Authority of Blaze in Satan's direction.
[I am the real Satan!!!!] Kang-Woo shouted in an enraged voice.
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