◈ Episode 363. Welcome (3)
The Great Evil, the Seven Deadly Sins.
The evil born upon the Arcana Continent
had never doubted itself for even a single moment. Because it had never once failed. Because it had never submitted to anyone.
It had even believed it had surpassed the great Claudi.
And yet, the Great Evil of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust.
At this moment, Lust’s confidence came crashing down in ruin.
To think I would end up twisting my body so absurdly because of the revived Claudi. To think I would become the altar myself and offer my life to summon the king of mongrels.
Kuuuuuung—……!
“Ha ha.”
Watching the sky split apart, Lust let out a hollow laugh.
Still, perhaps it was not such a bad trade.
The sight of that elegant man’s face collapsing before absolute power would also be quite thrilling. It was just as Lust licked his lower lip.
That was when he sensed something strange.
“……?”
The sky had clearly split open.
And yet, the Demon King of the Tenth Throne, Buer, who should have manifested, was nowhere to be seen. Judging by the blood that flowed even more fiercely instead of stopping, the ritual was proceeding without a hitch.
A dreadful thought occurred to him.
‘……Don’t tell me it isn’t enough?’
This body was a Great Evil.
Pure blood born from the Primordial Evil.
One of the Seven Deadly Sins of the Arcana Continent.
He had resolved to offer himself wholly as a sacrifice. And yet the sacrifice was insufficient. From the sky, which still showed no reaction, Lust felt an indescribable helplessness.
‘……Just what sort of beings are you?’
Perhaps it was only natural.
The place they came from was the Demon World.
A world filled with demons.
Was “different from birth itself” a phrase that should have been used for them?
Despair settled over Lust as he stared up at the sky.
“Damn it.”
Was this knowing one’s place?
Until the very end.
This is my defeat for failing to know my place until the very end.
His eyelids sank heavily shut.
Demon hunter.
The body shredded by its natural enemy was being consumed by the flames of hell.
It was then.
—□□□□. □□ □□□ □□.
“……!!!”
A voice came from the split sky.
It was unmistakably Buer’s voice.
Lust swallowed his sneer.
‘So it only managed to manifest a mere voice.’
How very comforting.
The moment of death was hollow in many ways.
But in the moment Lust faced the Demon King’s voice,
he encountered an unexpected shock.
—□□.
……What is it babbling about?
At this rate, the words of the self-proclaimed Demon Kings would prove correct.
The Demon Kings of the Ten Thrones.
That they were ignorant beings incapable of even speaking properly.
‘Beings that wield immense power without consciousness.’
That was why they were foolish kings.
Just as Lust was thinking how pathetic he had been for placing his hopes in such a foolish king, he saw it. Claudi, who had long since withdrawn his attention from Lust,
was staring up at the split sky.
No way……?
Lust’s pupils dilated.
Because he realized it.
‘Can you hear it? Can you understand that voice?’
Indeed.
“As expected……. You are remarkable, Claudi.”
That was not an expression one could make without understanding. Lust smacked his lips one last time. Then, amid the hellfire engulfing his vision, he muttered.
“To think a mere human would excite me to the very end.”
*
[The Demon King of the Tenth Throne, Buer, appears.]
Demon hunter.
As its natural enemy, I thought I saw through demons completely.
I had not been thinking honestly.
‘To think a Great Evil would offer itself as a sacrifice to summon a Demon King.’
The Great Evil of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Demon Kings of the Demon World were different from the start.
Moreover, the Seven Deadly Sins looked down on the Demon Kings, calling them mongrels.
‘To overlook a demon’s malice—this is my mistake, Lee Hoyeol.’
But thanks to this, I understood.
When hunting demons, until the very end,
I had to hunt while keeping the worst possible outcome in mind.
I looked up at the splitting sky and recalled my memories.
The Demon Kings of the Ten Thrones, or High Demon Kings.
As I said, I had encountered Rank One and Rank Four.
Baal and Gamigin.
To be precise, my encounter with Baal had been in the special environment known as [Curse], and I had only faced his forearm, so even if I excluded him, it meant I had definitely faced Gamigin, the king of the Fourth Throne.
Would that experience help?
‘Hard to say.’
I was not disregarding Grandfell’s talent, which assigned grand meaning even to trivial actions like watching NetTube and made me learn something from them. It was simply that in defeating Gamigin, I had been blessed with heavenly luck.
Because the Demon King’s Struggle had begun, the Gates of Hell opened, and the help from the seniors of Akshan, who had leapt out from those flames of hell to hunt Gamigin, had been far too great.
Of course, both my level and substance had grown incomparable to back then……. But even considering the considerable difference in rank between Gamigin and Buer, it meant I could not simply expect an easy victory.
However.
“This kills two birds with one stone.”
The stronger the demon became, the loftier Grandfell’s pride rose. I gripped Gwicheol and the crossbow once more. As if that were not enough, I refined my mana with all my might.
From the split sky.
I had no way of knowing when or how Buer’s demonic hand might reach out.
It meant I would not let my guard down in the slightest.
But somehow…….
It was far too quiet.
Something was different from the time with Gamigin, who had laid waste to the area simply by appearing.
Above all, Buer should have revealed himself long ago if he was going to appear.
Yet not even the tip of his nose could be seen.
Instead.
—Who is it? Who has called me forth?
Only a voice could be heard.
‘……Wait, a voice?’
At that moment, I flinched.
Because I had been recalling my experience with Gamigin, I realized it immediately.
The fact that, back then, I had been unable to understand Gamigin’s words.
—□□□. □□□□.
I had thought his mumbling was no different from a baby’s babbling.
But the voice of Buer, a fellow High Demon King,
was resounding in my mind with utmost clarity.
It felt as if a gaze poured down from between the split sky.
—I see.
It seemed to be looking this way.
—So that is how matters stand.
I said nothing.
It was not because there were many eyes watching,
nor because I did not want to look like I was talking to myself.
—You still have not realized who is truly foolish. To think you could summon me wholly with such a paltry sacrifice. There is a limit to how much one may overestimate oneself, self-proclaimed Great Evil.
It was because I had learned that even though the Great Evil of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust, had offered himself as a sacrifice,
all it had accomplished was summoning Buer’s voice. At that point, I first let out a sigh of relief. Well, it looked like I would avoid an untimely violent death.
‘I told you, I couldn’t be certain of victory.’
But that was not the whole reason I said nothing.
Soon, Buer’s gaze poured fully toward me.
Because he spoke to me.
—Yet thanks to that one’s ignorance, we have come face to face, King Slayer.
……What, King Slayer?
Me?
Who decided to slap that epithet on me?!
Judging by the circumstances, I had, in any case, sent Gamigin down to hell. So it was possible that the epithet King Slayer had been attached to me. Even as I thought that, Buer continued speaking without pause.
—Because the sacrifice is absurdly meager, we cannot hold a deep conversation. However, I shall look forward to it. To the day we meet again before long.
As expected of a High Demon King.
I was once again reminded of what sort of beings they were.
He wanted to meet again.
After all, it was my first time hearing such words from a demon that was supposed to be prey.
The sky slowly began to close.
—And welcome.
But welcome? What was that supposed to mean all of a sudden?
My doubt lasted only a moment.
The words continued.
—To your stepping into the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
……Heaven Beyond Heaven?
Only then did I understand.
The reason I could understand Buer, a High Demon King like Gamigin, unlike when I had met Gamigin. Because I had struggled so countlessly after encountering Gamigin.
At last, I had stepped into the same realm as the High Demon Kings.
The realm of the extraordinary.
The realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
At the same time, the space before my eyes flickered.
[You have acquired the title, ‘Heaven Beyond Heaven’.]
[The skill, ‘Space-Time Social Hall’, changes.]
[From now on, you can access the top floor of the Space-Time Social Hall.]
[From now on, you can carry out highest-rank Space-Time Quests.]
To think I would end up being acknowledged by a High Demon King of all things.
I, Lee Hoyeol, who had witnessed the power of a High Demon King.
Honestly, it did not feel bad.
After all, it meant I had grown enough to be acknowledged by an enemy.
However, what sort of person was our dear Grandfell?
A possessor of lofty pride
who would not even exchange words with a demon without a special reason.
My mouth opened.
“Welcome to the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven, you say.”
Of course, no one could stop this mouth from running.
“You speak as if you were the master of Heaven Beyond Heaven, vermin.”
It was quite an overt insult.
Yet perhaps he still had some composure left.
A sinister laugh rang out.
—Huhu, as expected of a slayer. That is a reaction I cannot overlook.
With those words, the sky closed completely.
Lust, who had offered himself as a sacrifice, was also completely burned away by the flames of hell. A message appeared. Yes, whether I had uttered cringe-worthy words like I was talking to myself, or whether I had entered the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven, in any case……
[Due to your high contribution to the kill, spoils are acquired automatically.]
I still had to take what I needed to take, didn’t I?
[Neutral Parasitic Organism Lust 2/7]
*
Internet communities, including NetTube, were filled with news from China.
The opening salvo had been fired by the brilliant performance of the blood elf, Elsidore.
—Then everything he’s been doing covered in blood until now was??
—First time in my life seeing someone run a washing machine with blood
—lol isn’t it crazy even as a class?
—for real, where in the world is there a melee combat healer?
What became just as much of a hot topic as Elsidore’s exploits
were the interviews with the Chinese players
who had spoken directly with Elsidore.
—“He said everything was by that person’s command.”
—“Who might that person be?”
—“Isn’t there naturally only one person?”
That person, Lee Hoyeol.
It was what most had expected, but it was truly astonishing.
To think he had managed to reform Elsidore to that extent.
But even that was only the beginning.
The players’ entry into the Arcana Continent.
As if it had been waiting precisely for that news,
the Great Evil of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust, appeared in China.
And as if he had predicted every single one of Lust’s movements,
Hoyeol stood in his way.
There had been far too many eyes watching that battle.
It had been broadcast vividly in real time.
—wtf the Great Evil can’t even resist ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
—He’s not the leader of Akshan for nothing lol
—Look at it getting dropped in one hit ㄷㄷ
But even beyond that, another shock remained.
Because of the news the Chinese players brought.
The sky split open, and a message appeared before their eyes.
—The Demon King of the Tenth Throne, Buer, is appearing……?
—It means he’s tenth among the 72 Demon Kings!!
—Damn it, what the hell are they doing in my homeland?!
The cries of the players broadcasting the situation spread quickly.
An emergency alert was issued across all branches of the AAU.
“A High Demon King has appeared.”
Just as the AAU provided information to Hoyeol,
Hoyeol had also shared information with the AAU.
One piece of that information was knowledge regarding High Demon Kings.
Therefore, Park Minjae gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Damn it, of all times…….”
It was utterly vicious.
To think they had planned for not only a Great Evil, but even a High Demon King to run wild when the majority of the Holy War Alliance had entered the Arcana Continent. Of course, Hoyeol, who had anticipated even that, was facing the splitting sky like a final bastion, but…….
‘……Can he handle it alone?’
Of course, all such worries proved unfounded.
—□□□□ □□□ □□ □□ □□.
Buer’s voice could not be understood no matter what kind of audio processing was applied. And Hoyeol’s figure, reciting words as if answering that voice, was transmitted through the airwaves and spread across the entire world.
—“Welcome to the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven, you say.”
—“You speak as if you were the master of Heaven Beyond Heaven, vermin.”
“H-He-Heaven Beyond Heaven?! That’s the thing from martial arts novels, right?!”
It was not only Park Minjae, Yun Sugyeom, and Seong Hyeonjun.
The whole world came to know.
Of Hoyeol’s entrance into Heaven Beyond Heaven.
No, to be precise, not everyone.
At the same time, in an entirely different world.
Internet signals did not reach the players of the Arcana Continent.
But there would be no reason for them to feel wronged even if they heard the news belatedly.
Because they were having a special experience in their own way.
While touring the vast Claudi mansion,
“……!”
A presence could be felt from the staircase.
Click—
The splendid Claudi mansion.
And an outfit even more resplendent than that.
With the Dawn Jacket draped over his shoulders, Hoyeol opened his mouth.
“As the head of Claudi, I welcome you.”
“……H-Head?!”
By all rights, the honor of an audience with the head of Claudi was not something granted often….
You just had to say it in the end.
And before me,
two choices lay waiting.
So which one was the right answer……?
1. Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.
2. Lee Hoyeol Claudi.
Before those two dreadful choices,
which name was I supposed to put forward
to at least avoid dying of shame……!!