Chapter 234 - All-Out War (1)
"…So something like that happened." Gaia nodded with a heavy expression on her face. "To think that Ludwig…"
She heard that Satan had taken Ludwig's corpse from the angels and turned it into an Undead, and that his soul was still suffering within the Undead.
Just imagining that made Gaia tremble in fear.
'If either Si-Hun or Kang-Woo fell into such a situation…'
"…"
She bit her lip.
She didn't even want to imagine it.
"We will save him," Kim Si-Hun said in a firm voice.
He clenched his fists.
Giving Ludwig eternal rest…
Although they'd known each other for a short time, he thought that was the least he could do for someone he called a 'friend.'
Gaia gave a faint smile.
"Okay. I will trust you, Protector Kim Si-Hun." She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. She then said in a calm voice, "In any case, we were able to gain the cooperation of the angels thanks to Satan's mistake."
The matter with Ludwig was heart-wrenching, but looking at it objectively, they'd gained a lot thanks to it. They were able to make the angels stop suspecting Guardians and even collaborate with them.
Guardians had to face the Demon of Prophecy, Satan, no matter what, so that was certainly welcome news.
"Yes, but it isn't a collaboration in the truest sense. We suggested joint training, but Lord Raphael said that he and the angels would move on their own."
"Mm…" Gaia nodded. "That could be good news for us."
If they formed a full-fledged alliance, there could be disagreements over who would be in command.
Besides, Guardians also had separate groups for training. Grace McCubbin and Tian Wuchen led the main forces, and Si-Hun led the special forces, the Sirius Corps. Each of these forces trained separately.
With the possibility of an all-out war against the Demon Cult upon them, there was a chance that changing strategies would reduce their overall strength.
Fighting together but moving based on each side's judgment…
That was probably the best possible strategy at the moment.
"I guess you're right," Si-Hun replied.
"Kang-Woo, umm… Have you told Lord Raphael about you being…"
"I didn't tell him,” Oh Kang-Woo answered.
"I guess you wouldn't."
Gaia nodded.
On the Day of Calamity, Kang-Woo had fallen into Hell and spent ten whole millennia there, turning him into a demon in the process.
Although there had been nothing that he could have done about it, there was no way that angels, who had strong hostility for demons, would understand his circumstances.
"I can't understand it," Si-Hun said while frowning.
Kang-Woo hadn't become a demon of his own volition. Not just that, he had cast aside his demonic energy and accepted the power of light.
'There's no one kinder and more righteous than hyung-nim.'
He couldn't help but feel frustration after seeing the hyung he loved and respected be chained to a past his hyung had no choice in.
"Well, I'm sure that what all the angels see is a demon," said Kang-Woo.
That was the case for Ludwig and Raphael—their hostility toward demons was honestly impressive. It was clear that they would eradicate all demons, no matter the demon's circumstances.
"Then…"
"Yes. I think you should be as careful as you can while mentioning anything about me, Balrog, and Lilith."
"Understood." Gaia nodded. As if it were difficult to understand, she asked, "By the way, had Lord Raphael not mentioned assistance from the other archangels?"
Angels were vigilant about the Demon of Prophecy, the being who would bring ruin to the entire world, so it was hard to understand why only Raphael had come to Earth and not the other archangels.
"I asked him that as well, but… he avoided answering."
Kang-Woo recalled his conversation with Raphael. He had said that it would be difficult for Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and the other archangels to join this war.
'I have no idea why, though.'
He wasn't sure what was more important than eliminating the Demon of Prophecy.
'Well, since we can't forcibly call them over, I guess this much should be enough.'
Rather, if more archangels participated, the plan could go awry.
Just Raphael was more than enough.
Kang-Woo said, "Then, please call back the Guardians members taking part in the restoration operation of South America and the Middle East."
"The war against the Demon Cult…"
"Yes. It will happen soon." Kang-Woo nodded with certainty.
'They'll make their move this time for sure.'
Even if they had other reasons, they would not be able to sit idly by this time.
He'd heard from Lilith that there had been large movements in the Demon Cult's giant branch, so he was sure that an all-out war against them would take place soon.
"Okay. I will gather our forces in Africa where Lord Raphael's forces are—"
"No." Kang-Woo shook his head. "The war probably won't be taking place there."
Based on the Demon Cult's movements, which he had heard from Lilith, and where they had surmised Satan was hiding, there was only one place the war could take place.
"The war will likely take place in Russia."
The land of cold—a place covered with snow and ice. The chances of the final battle against the Demon Cult taking place there was the highest.
"Then, I will gather our forces in Russia. We should also add a few more Gates," Gaia said.
"In that case, I will train with the Sirius Corps to fight in the severe cold in advance," Si-Hun added.
Even if Players could surpass what was humanly possible, they couldn't go against the forces of nature. There were even cases of Players collapsing because they couldn't get used to the tropical climate of South America.
"In that case, I will request insulative gear from the Magic Tower."
The Magic Tower in Korea was like a factory that pumped out enormous amounts of magic items.
Basic insulative gear restricted the Players' movements too much. For example, imagine if a warrior specialized in agility fought while wearing arctic clothes. It would be a relief if they didn't roll around.
"Ah… Come to think of it, Khadgar filed a petition demanding a vacation." Gaia gave Kang-Woo a few documents.
He threw them in the trash without hesitation. "There is no such thing as vacations when fighting for world peace."
"But still…"
"Gaia." Kang-Woo gently grabbed her hand. "I'm sure Khadgar will understand. After all, we have no other choice."
"…"
Gaia nodded while making a troubled expression.
"We will soon be able to free Earth from Satan's clutches," Kang-Woo said and lightened up the mood with a bright smile.
He didn't know if it was really going to be the final battle. There were many secrets surrounding Satan, and he still didn't know everything about the Demon Cult yet.
Still, he was sure that this war would severely reduce the forces of the Demon Cult, which had been a nuisance to Players all around the world.
"Fufu. This day would have never come if it hadn't been for the both of you."
Gaia laughed lightly while covering her mouth.
She wasn't saying that to lift them up.
Kang-Woo and Si-Hun…
Those two, who had joined Guardians the latest, had become core members whom they couldn't do without.
"Thank you. Thank you both… so much."
Gaia bowed deeply.
Si-Hun tried to stop her in a panic.
"If you're so thankful, then why don't you show me you getting lovey-dovey with Si-Hun? You've already both realized your feelings for each other, haven't you," Kang-Woo said with a smirk.
"I… I beg your pardon?" Gaia's face reddened in bewilderment.
"Hyung-nim!!"
Si-Hun hurriedly ran toward him. Kang-Woo easily dodged Si-Hun's hands and patted him on the shoulder.
"I'll be able to feel relieved only after I see things work well for my little brother."
'And most importantly…'
He recalled when Si-Hun had challenged Balrog to a duel.
'Someone, please just take him.'
For some reason, he kept aiming to take the seat of the main heroine. He wished for Si-Hun and Gaia's love to blossom from the bottom of his heart.
'I'll be rooting for you, Gaia! Love and peace, from the bottom of my heart!'
He put his hands on Gaia's and Si-Hun's shoulders.
"Well then, I will stop bothering you two. I'll be counting on you two to finish up the strategy meeting and prepare for the coming war."
Love blossomed in the harshest of conditions.
He wished for the all-out war against the Demon Cult to greatly advance their relationship.
'Please.'
After patting them on the shoulders desperately, Kang-Woo turned around.
"Great job, Master Kang-Woo." Lilith, who had been standing by, followed him from behind.
Kang-Woo walked past her and asked, "Have you found out anything?"
He had commanded Lilith to focus entirely on the Demon Cult's movements rather than preparing for the upcoming war.
"First of all, movements in the Russian Demon Cult branch, the largest one we have found yet, have been detected."
"You already told me that last time."
The branch in Russia had more than ten thousand members.
"According to the cardinals we planted… two Aspects of Evil have arrived at the branch in Russia."
"Two? Satan and who?"
"No." She shook her head. "Satan has yet to show himself."
"Oh?"
Kang-Woo's eyes shone.
'That means…'
Including Satan, at least three Aspects of Evil would be participating in this war.
'It must've been super effective.'
The rats that had been living in their little holes all this time were making their move all at once for some reason. It likely meant that they would put everything they had into this war.
'No wonder.'
Leaving aside whether he was the Demon of Prophecy or not, Satan had blatantly declared war on Raphael. He'd confidently said he would destroy all worlds, so it would be weirder if they had stayed hidden.
"What information do you have on the two?"
"I will show you photos."
Lilith snapped her finger, and a screen appeared.
Kang-Woo saw a human covered in bloody bandages and holding a rusty saber.
"Who is…"
"He is known as Crimson Fiend. Based on rumors… he seems to be from another world."
"Another world? Are you talking about Aernor?"
"No," Lilith answered while shaking her head. "I heard he is from the continent known as Huan."
"Oh… There."
He'd heard about that world during his conversation with Lucifer.
'I wonder what kind of world it is.'
Aernor gave the feeling of a fantasy world.
For some reason, he had a hunch that Huan would be like the worlds often seen in martial arts novels.
'Is this a fucking trail mix or something?'
It was as if the author thought that it would be nice if all kinds of different settings were added.
Kang-Woo clicked his tongue at the complacent setting of the universe.
'I wonder what it's like there.'
He couldn't tell. Unlike Aernor, which intermingled with Earth so much at this point that it practically felt like the next town over, there had been no interaction between Earth and Huan.
"And who's the other one?"
"Here it is."
She passed the screen as if it were a PowerPoint slide.
This time, someone Kang-Woo knew very well appeared.
"Belphegor."
The Prince of Sloth.
A purple-skinned demon about three meters tall was sitting in a wheelchair, and a demon that seemed to be his subordinate was pushing it.
'That son of a bitch still never gets off his ass.'
Belphegor was capable of moving. Not only were his two legs fully functional, he was actually extremely fast. Just like his title implied, he was just far too lazy to move around by himself.
'Lucky bastard.'
Kang-Woo's dream was to become a wealthy bum, so he couldn't help but feel envious of Belphegor's worry-free life.
"A prince of Hell…"
Kang-Woo opened his status window.
His Demonic Energy stat had been stuck at 140 for a while.
"Very nice."
He licked his lips.
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