Chapter 649: Side Story Chapter 129 - Thousand-Year War (2)

Side Story Chapter 129 - Thousand-Year War (2)

“Gaahh! Arghh!! P-Please... Please, d-don’t kill me.”

A slender demon was trembling as he was bowing on his knees. In front of the demon was a demon with gray skin like a rock, trampling on the slender demon as he smiled nastily.

“Kahahaha!! A Half is nothing but a Half, after all!! How can you even call yourselves demons of the Ninth Hell?!”

“Kurgh!”

The slender demon bit his lip. The gray-skinned demon glared at the slender demon in disgust.

“A Half should have just laid low like the lowlives you are. Why crawl out of your filthy holes to test my patience?”

“Wh-What are you talking about?! You’re the one who trespassed on our territory!!”

“Your territory? What territory could pathetic Halves possibly have?”

“Ngh...!”

The slender demon clenched his fists and shook in frustration. He turned to look behind him.

“Haaa, haaa, haaa.”

A demon was panting heavily with a massive gash on her chest behind him. She was a Succubus with six eyes and light green tentacles. The slender demon stared at the collapsed Succubus faintly and bowed to the gray-skinned demon again.

“I’m... begging you. You are free to kill me but please... leave my little sister alone...”

“Tsk. This is the problem with Halves.”

The gray-skinned demon frowned. He couldn’t be more disgusted by a demon garnering sympathy by using the bond of family. He raised his rocklike fist over his head and looked down coldly at the demon bowing at him.

“Halves are the disgrace of demons. Die.”

Whoosh!

The fist of death swung down at the demon’s head. Just then, the gray-skinned demon suddenly sensed a presence and turned around.

“WHO’S THERE?!!”

“Wait, what? You sensed me?”

“A... human?”

A human, a being closer to a myth in Hell, was clicking his tongue at the gray-skinned demon. The demon frowned fiercely.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve heard about the human aiming to reach the Ninth Hell from the First Hell.’

The story of the human was so famous to the point that even the princes of Hell were greatly interested in the human. It was only natural that they would be.

‘Considering the precedence being Bael.’

Bael had reached the Ninth Hell from the First Hell before that human. He caused a massive uproar in Hell after what felt like an eternity and took the seat of Gluttony by killing its predecessor. The princes of Hell had been paying close attention to the human in case something similar showed signs of happening.

“Alright, don’t worry about me, and go about your business,” the human remarked.

“What?”

Oh Kang-Woo pointed at the trembling demons on the ground and said, “You were gonna pop those two demons’ heads, weren’t you? Do it.”

He had no intention of fighting the gray-skinned demon who seemed strong just from a glance. He was more than satisfied with being able to eat their corpses for free once the demon’s business was complete.

“Why should I?” the demon asked.

“Huh? What do you mean? You were gonna do it anyway, weren’t you? So just do it already.”

“Hah, are you telling me to do what a human says?”

“No, I’m not saying that. I’m just leaving you to do what you were already gonna do, okay? I’ll just be way over there so I’m not in your way.”

“The arrogance!!!”

“FUCKING HELL—!!! JUST CARRY ON WITH WHAT YOU WERE GONNA DO!!!”

“A true demon never does what anyone tells them to do!!!”

“ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!” Kang-Woo screamed as he pulled on his hair.

He felt like his head was exploding from how illogical and incomprehensible the situation was.

‘The hell? Are we speaking different languages? Do demons of the Ninth Hell use some other language? But I’ve been speaking with Balrog just fine.’

“Why...? Why am I not getting through to him?”

Kang-Woo turned to look back at Balrog hiding behind a rock but there was no answer from him. The sense of fear washed over him.

“I’m... alone.”

Kang-Woo’s teeth clacked. If he couldn’t even speak to demons anymore, he would become truly alone in Hell. Absolute solitude and overwhelming loneliness were worse than despair.

“Whatever the case, it’s my lucky day! I got to meet a human in a place like this!”

The gray-skinned demon stared at Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes. That human had gathered the princes’ attention.

‘If I offer this human to one of the princes...’

The demon smiled.

“Human, if you do as I say, I will—”

“Aaaahh. Yes!! That’s it!!!”

“Huh?”

“My words must have lacked feelings!!!”

Kang-Woo clenched his fists as if he had been enlightened. The gray-skinned demon looked down at Kang-Woo and frowned.

“What have you been talking about since earl— KURGHHH!!”

Boom!

Kang-Woo jumped high into the air and got on top of the gray-skinned demon. His feet were on the demon’s shoulders and he crouched to grab the demon’s head with both hands.

“I hope my feelings...” Kang-Woo pointed the black blade shooting from the back of his hand at the demon’s ear. “Reach you with this.”

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

The blade made with demonic energy ripped through the demon’s ear, blood spewing from it. Kang-Woo brought his mouth close to the gash.

“Huup—!!” He inhaled as much air as possible and shouted with all his might, “EXCUSE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! CAN YOU HEAR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!”

“Kurgh!! G-Get off me!!! GET THE HELL OFF ME!!”

The gray-skinned demon writhed as Kang-Woo’s thunderous voice burst like an explosion. The pain from getting his eardrums torn apart and the human’s thunderous roars scrambled his brain.

“PLEASE ANSWER MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IF YOU CAN HEAR MY VOICEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! STILL!!! STILL NOTHIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! MY FEELINGS HAVEN’T REACHED YOU YEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!”

“S-STOP!!! STOP YELLING!!!”

“YOU WHO DOES NOT ANSWER—!!! WHEN WILL YOU TURN TO MEEEEEE?!!”

“I-I can hear you!!! Loud and clear!!!”

“Huh? Y-You can? You can hear my voice...?”

‘I... wasn’t alone?’

“Yes!! I’ve been able to hear you loud and clear from the very beginning!!”

“From the beginning...?” Kang-Woo’s eyes widened in shock. “THEY WHY DID YOU FUCKING IGNORE ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!”

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”

Kang-Woo swung down the black blade at the demon’s head, splitting the rocklike head in half and scrambling the demon’s brain. The gray-skinned demon fell to his knees and collapsed.

“I guess he only looked strong.”

Kang-Woo jumped down from the demon’s shoulders. He assumed the demon was strong since he was massive and had rocklike gray skin but ended up being far weaker than expected.

‘Well, then.’n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kang-Woo turned to the two demons trembling in fear. One was much more slender than he was and the other was a hideous demon with squirming tentacles.

“Th-Thank you for saving us!!” the slender demon shouted.

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

“Pardon...?”

“I’m gonna be killing you guys too.”

Kang-Woo turned away from the gray-skinned demon with a hole in his head and walked toward the slender demon.

“N-No way!!”

The slender demon’s expression turned pale and he embraced the demon smaller and more delicate than him. She was only as big as an elementary or middle schooler by human standards.

‘He called her his little sister, I believe.’

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue after remembering the slender demon’s conversation with the gray-skinned demon. He withdrew the Authority of Blades and patted the slender demon’s shoulder.

“I’m joking man.”

“Ah...”

Kang-Woo wouldn’t gain much demonic energy from eating these two demons.

‘Since they were getting their asses beat by this huge moronic demon.’

He shook his head as he stared at the gray-skinned demon on the ground, who was below the average demon of the Ninth Hell. Eating demons who were no match for such a demon was worse than feeding crumbs to the Authority of Predation.

‘If that’s the case.’ Kang-Woo looked down at the crying demons whose expressions were full of hope. ‘They mentioned this was their territory.’

Hell was no different from Earth in this aspect.

‘The weak tend to stick together.’

Kang-Woo stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. They were worse than a snack to him but it would be a different story if many of them were gathered in one area.

‘Just like how you gather and eat the crumbs remaining in a potato chip bag at the end.’

Kang-Woo chuckled with shining eyes.

“Th-Thank you! Thank you very much!!!” The slender demon bowed deeply. “My name is Firean! This is my little sister Fel. Come on, Fel. Introduce yourself.”

Firean turned and extended his arm toward the Succubus named Fel. She grabbed Firean’s hand and struggled to stand up.

“M-My name is Fel. Thank you very much for saving us!”

The wound on her chest remained but it did not seem to be fatal as if to show she was still a demon of the Ninth Hell.

‘Thank you, huh?’

Kang-Woo couldn’t help but chuckle. It was his first time hearing those words despite being stuck in Hell for nine millennia.

‘They’re a little different from the average demon.’

Normal demons would have stayed on high alert regardless of whether Kang-Woo saved their lives or not. No, even if they thanked him, their expressions would have been full of fear. But most of all...

‘Wait, little sister?’

According to Balrog, demons were born from a black Rift known as the Seed of Demonic Energy. In other words, there were no blood ties between demons.

“That is because they are Halves.”

Balrog, who had been behind a rock observing Kang-Woo’s battle, slowly walked out.

“E-Eek!! A-A-An archdemon!!!”

“H-Hiccup!”

Firean screamed in pallor as soon as he saw Balrog. He reflexively embraced Fel tightly and stepped backward. Balrog’s expression slightly crumpled as he stared at them.

“What are Halves? Something like half-human half-demon?” Kang-Woo asked.

“No.” Balrog shook his head. “Humans are practically a myth in the Nine Hells. There is no way something like a half-human half-demon would exist.”

“Then what?”

“Simply speaking, Halves refer to demons born from the reproduction between demons.”

Most demons were born from the Seed of Demonic Energy but that did not mean demons couldn’t reproduce. They were rare but demons born naturally from reproduction existed.

“Then why are they called Halves? Aren’t they demons all the same?”

Kang-Woo tilted his head, unable to understand. Whether a demon was born through reproduction or from the Seed of Demonic Energy, they were demons nonetheless.

“Half does not mean the blood of something other than a demon is mixed with demon blood.”

Balrog turned to stare at Firean and Fel with deeply sunken eyes. The two demons trembled in terror as they hugged each other.

Balrog continued, “They are called Halves because they are half-baked demons.”

His eyes carried a clear sense of contempt as he looked down at the two demons.