After Ten Millennia in Hell

Chapter 511 - Forward, Forward (2)

Boom—!!

A slash infused with enough power to split the world in two pierced Bael's Deific Essence and cut him from shoulder to stomach. A giant fist smashed through the cracks of the Deific Essence barrier.

Clang!

The sound of hammering steel echoed despite having punched someone. Bael was pushed back slightly.

"What the hell?"

Bael glared coldly at Kim Si-Hun and Balrog. His expression was so stiff that it was hard to believe he was laughing like a madman earlier.

Krrrk.

Black mucus gurgled and the massive wound on his chest disappeared in a flash.

"Don't get in my way." Bael gritted his teeth and shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE GET IN MY WAY!!!"

Rumble—!!

The ground Bael was standing on crumbled. The surroundings shook as if an earthquake was happening.

"Kuh," Si-Hun grimaced. He could barely breathe due to the overwhelming pressure of demonic energy. "Balrog."

He clenched his sword and turned to Balrog, who threw aside his pendant and returned to his demon form.

"What?" asked Balrog as he stood between Bael and the collapsed Oh Kang-Woo.

"Run."

"What?"

Si-Hun lowered his stance and replied, "Take hyung-nim and get out of here."

Balrog clenched his fists tightly and stepped forward. "Nonsense. I will be the one to—"

"You can't stop Bael."

Si-Hun's cold words pierced Balrog's heart. Balrog's expression stiffened. Bael possessed Deific Essence; there was no way for Balrog, someone with no Deific Essence, to stop him.

"Please take hyung and run away, Balrog," Si-Hun begged as he turned to Balrog.

Balrog bit his lip, a sense of powerlessness weighing down on him again. He carefully lifted Kang-Woo and said, "I'll leave it to you, human."

"What the fuck... do you think you're doing?" Kang-Woo said with a grimace. He ordered anxiously, "Let go of me right now. Cough! I told you two... to deal with Bael's army."

"I am sorry, my king." Balrog looked down at Kang-Woo in his arms and said, "I will have to disobey your order this one time."

Wham!!

Balrog leaped into the air and sprouted his wings, disappearing into the heart of the city in an instant.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!!" screamed Bael as he charged after them.

Si-Hun stopped him in his tracks. He gripped his sword tightly and declared, "I won't let you through."

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET IN MY WAY!!"

Crash!

Bael aggressively swung his fist, shooting a cannonball-sized black mucus at Si-Hun.

"Kuh!"

Si-Hun quickly dodged the attack and fired a wave of sword energy at Bael.

Splash.

"What the...?"

It felt as if he were attacking a liquid. The black mucus wrapped around Bael absorbed the energy.

"I... I... I don't have time to waste on you," mumbled Bael in irritation as he glared at Si-Hun standing in his way.

Just then, the sound of a staff hitting the ground echoed.

"Please go, Lord Bael. I will be his opponent."

Amon, who seemed injured based on his tattered robe, stood between Si-Hun and Bael.

"You're..." Si-Hun's expression froze.

He had not expected a third person to join the fray.

'Shit...'

There was nothing more despairing than Amon joining the battle when Si-Hun needed to buy as much time as possible for Balrog to run away.

'I have to stall Bael, whatever it takes.'

Si-Hun charged at Bael with his sword in hand.

"No, you don't!" shouted Amon as he pointed his staff at Si-Hun.

A thread of demonic energy shot at Si-Hun.

"Kurgh!" Si-Hun quickly swung his sword to cut the thread.

"Lord Bael. Please hurry and chase after the Demon King!" said Amon, his voice filled with thick desire. "Take hold of the Primordial... the true Demonic Sea."

Although the Demon God had transferred to Bael, he still needed to absorb the Demon King's Demonic Sea to complete his own.

"H-Hihi," Bael cackled. "I'll leave things here to you."

Si-Hun was the only one in Kang-Woo's party who could even try to hold Bael off. If he were incapacitated, no one else could get in the way of Bael and Kang-Woo's precious time together.

"Oh... Kang-Woo."

Bael's eyes shone fiercely as he turned around. The skin of his back split open and wings made of black mucus sprouted from it. He ferociously flapped his wings and flew in the direction where Balrog flew off.

"N-No!" shouted Si-Hun as he stretched out his sword.

However, the hunchback demon in his way did not budge.

"Kekeke."

Amon raised his staff, his expression full of greed. He expended a considerable amount of demonic energy blocking the barrage of light rays, but he still had more than enough to face a mere human.

"A-Aaaahh." Amon stared at Bael flying further away. "The Primordial Knowledge..."

Soon, he would be able to get his hands on the Primordial Knowledge that he had wished for all this time.

"Foolish human." Amon raised his staff and pointed it at Si-Hun. He smashed the staff down and continued, "The Apocalypse is near."

***

"Huff, huff," Balrog panted heavily as he flew across Seoul at a speed far past his limit.

"Bal...rog..."

He could hear Kang-Woo faintly calling his name.

He looked down at Kang-Woo and said, "Please wait just a little longer, my king. I will take you somewhere safe."

"Let me go, dammit... At this rate, Si-Hun..."

Balrog continued to flap his wings, defying his king's command. "I am sorry, my k—"

"H-HIHIHIHI!!"

The crazed laughter of a boy echoed before Balrog could finish his sentence.

"What...?!"

Balrog's eyes widened. Even if Bael was far more powerful than Si-Hun, this was far too soon.

Bash!

Bael caught up to Balrog in an instant and smashed his leg down on him.

"Argh!"

Tear!

One of Balrog's wings was ripped off, sending his gigantic red body hurling down to the ground.

Slam—!

"Kurgh!" Balrog landed on the ground while keeping Kang-Woo safe despite one of his wings missing.

"Cough! Cough!" Kang-Woo vomited black blood.

Balrog carefully set Kang-Woo down on the ground and glared at Bael. "How did you catch up to us so soon?"

"H-Hihi. The Demon King isn't the only one with subordinates."

"..."

Balrog frowned. He did not expect any demons to remain who could face Si-Hun, who possessed Deific Essence.

"Haaa, haaa. Move, Balrog." Kang-Woo got on his trembling feet with one hand on the ground. He grabbed Balrog's shoulder and yanked him back. "I have to... face him."

His body was falling apart due to the Demonic Sea's rampage... he was barely holding on to his sanity which could be devoured at any minute, but he was the only one who was a match for Bael.

"Go... away."

"..."

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, DAMMIT!!!" Kang-Woo shouted.

Balrog flinched.

"I told you. You can't... protect me. I... protect you."

Balrog was weak; it would have been a different story if it were Si-Hun, but Balrog had no way of protecting Kang-Woo.

"If you stay here..." Kang-Woo pushed Balrog away with a trembling hand. He continued, his voice sounding like it would die out at any second, "You'll die... you fucking muscle pig."

"Hihi. You're saying something right for once." Bael cackled as he stared at Kang-Woo. He then looked to Balrog and said firmly, "The Demon King is right. There's nothing you can do here."

Balrog was far more insignificant than the human with a sword who had gotten in his way.

"Move." Bael glared fiercely at Balrog. "You are not worthy of being here."

He and the Demon King were the chosen ones. There was no place for a pathetic worm like that on their stage.

Balrog clenched his fists in silence. He could feel his king's hand on his shoulder. It felt like he was begging Balrog to get away and that he would die if he didn't.

"My king."

"Stop... fucking talking and just... screw off, dammit." Kang-Woo's eyes shook. "Please... Please go away. Y-You're of... no help."

Kang-Woo, who was trying to yank Balrog back with all his strength, fell to the ground.

"Cough! Kurgh!" Kang-Woo grabbed his chest and vomited black blood.

Balrog looked down at his king. He had no idea how his king ended up this way. "Bael."

However, he stood between his king and Bael.

"Your opponent is me," declared the demon without Deific Essence, to the demon with the Demon God inside him.

"H-Hihi." Bael smiled. "HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI!!!" He burst into laughter as he rolled on the ground. "My opponent is you? Hm? Are you okay in the head? Ohhh. Come to think of it, you used to be Beelzebub's subordinate, right?"

Bael trembled ecstatically as if he couldn't be more entertained. "Hihihihi! Looks like you're gonna lose your king again!"

"Fuuu," Balrog exhaled.

He looked down at his king on the ground and then back at Bael.

'I'm surely no match for him.'

Even Si-Hun, who possessed Deific Essence, could only hope to stall for time against Bael. There was no way Balrog would be a match for that powerful demon.

'If...'

Balrog wondered if things would have been different if he had become Kang-Woo's incarnation.

'... No.'

He shook his head. He still would not have been able to stop Bael since he would not have awakened Deific Essence on his own like Si-Hun.

"Cough! Balrog, you fucker... Get the fuck... out of here, please."

Balrog could hear his king's faint voice.

He closed his eyes. He knew that he was no match for Bael. He knew that he needed to follow his king's order and run away.

- The king is the one who protects his subordinates.

Balrog suddenly recalled his conversation with his king.

"Hehe," he chuckled.

'There's no demon less demon-like than you, my king. You're probably the only demon who would say such a thing.'

Balrog burst into laughter, his shoulders moving up and down.

"What the fuck... are you laughing... about? Hurry up and—"

"You said that the king is the one who protects his subordinates, not the other way around, didn't you?" said Balrog without turning to Kang-Woo. "But you, my king. You have already protected me countless times. It's time for me... to protect you."

"Hihihi. Now, be a good subordinate and follow your king's order, remnant." Bael approached Balrog. "I don't have time to waste chatting with you."

His power was as boundless as the abyss.

"Hehehe."

Balrog laughed as he faced the black sea and took out from his pocket a pouch filled to the brim.

"You... that's..."

Balrog heard his king's anxious voice.

"Huup."

Balrog emptied the contents of the pouch into his mouth before his king could finish his sentence.

Whoooom!!

"Kurgh!!"

The demonic energy inside him ran wild as soon as he ingested the horn powder that temporarily granted the power of Deicide.

"Gurghhh."

It was about ten times as much compared to what Arakyle's subordinates were taking at the time. Immense demonic energy poured out from Balrog.

'It's... not enough.'

Balrog doubted he could be a match for Bael just by gaining the power of Deicide.

'Even just a little is fine.'

He did not even think about the possibility of defeating Bael.

'As long as I can buy enough time for the king to get back on his feet...'

As long as he could become his king's shield and be devoured in his place...

'That's all I need.'

"Overlord Armor."

Balrog summoned his black armor.

He looked back at his king, who was reaching out to him with his trembling hands, in silence.

'The characteristic of the Overlord Armor is...'

The more he bled, the more power the armor granted him as it absorbed that blood.

'In that case.'

There was only one thing he could do. Balrog slowly reached for his chest.

"Wha—"

Balrog could hear his king calling him, possibly because he had a bad feeling.

"What the... fuck are you... trying to do, motherfucker?"

Balrog did not answer.

Pierce.

His finger dug into the skin of his chest.

"Kehehe," Balrog chuckled.

- Save the pity show for TV, dickhead. Stop being a bother and fuck off.

Balrog went back to his first meeting with his king. He recalled his blunt manner of speech and his eyes. His king had given his life new meaning. He was granted a new desire and a new king to serve.

"Victory..."

Balrog closed his eyes and stuck his hand deeper into his chest.

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

He wrapped his fingers around his beating heart.

"... To my king."

Crush.