[Guardians… have broken through the Demon Cult's main branch! Will humanity finally get some peace…?]
[The Demon Cult's leader, Satan, escaped. The danger isn't over yet…]
[About the heroes of victory, Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon, First Lady Grace McCarbin, and the angels.]
[Who's the golden-lit hero who suddenly appeared on the battlefield?]
[The identity of the golden-lit hero… Revealed to be Dragon Sword’s non-blood-related hyeong, 'Oh KangWoo'.]
After the war against the Demon Cult ended, news spread like wildfire, and the world couldn’t help but talk about it.
People praised Guardian, and they were excited about news related to the heroes that had been the protagonists of the war.
The Demon Cult was considered the biggest threat after the Cataclysmic Day, so they would obviously react like that.
The support each country offered to Guardian increased, and the number of players who wanted to join also increased considerably.
It felt like they were finally enjoying a treatment worthy of the title 'Guardians of the World.'
After the Demon Cult was defeated, the average level of players increased, and territories that monsters had conquered were recovered. People exclaimed in happiness, saying that the era of peace had finally come.
Of course, some people said that they couldn't relax yet. After all, the leader of the Demon Cult, Satan, had escaped, but that didn't appeal to the masses.
People only saw what they wanted.
After all, it was better to hear that the Demon Cult, which used to kidnap innocent people to use them as offerings, had disappeared. They didn’t want to think the Demon Cult could still be hiding out somewhere.
Regardless of the truth, countries worldwide lived in a time of peace they hadn't been able to enjoy since the Cataclysmic Day.
Comment (Tresha, writing a new novel): Hey, I heard that the Demon Cult base was completely wrecked this time!
ㄴ Completed Jerry M: LOL, justice finally served.
ㄴ Newbie Four Coefficient: Woah, Korea’s publicity team is great. I heard Dragon Sword played the main role again.
ㄴ Butterfly Valley, failed diet: Didn’t the angels do the heavy lifting?? Without them, they probably would’ve gotten swept.
ㄴ Dirt Spoon, soon to finish: But there's that Oh KangWoo guy, too. I heard he followed Satan and fought until the end.
ㄴ Newly Born U Jin: I heard from people in academia that Oh KangWoo is the true hidden ace of Guardian.
"Hmm…"
KangWoo was reading the commentaries on the news.
Most of the messages were congratulating the victory, but some people were discussing the hero that emitted a golden light.
There had been some pictures of him posted all around the media, and there were lots of people talking.
"I guess it’s about time for me to become known."
He didn't think he could remain hidden until the end.
Although not being known was comfortable, there was a limit to that.
The only good thing was that he was receiving less attention than Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon and the angels.
'I didn't show myself for a long time.'
Except when he killed Barbatos and during the last moment, he hadn't appeared on the battlefield.
He probably wouldn't receive more fame than necessary.
"Good."
KangWoo lay on the bed; the ends of his mouth went up.
The Demon Cult had lost.
He'd told the Guardians that Satan had escaped, so the danger wasn't over, but he knew the truth.
"Blurp."
He'd killed Satan and devoured him without leaving anything behind.
On top of that, Satan’s dying screams had mostly faded.
'I can finally take a break.'
He felt that he'd finally put away the baggage bothering him.
'Although I'm sorry for ShiHoon…'
Since he'd told ShiHoon that Satan had escaped, he'd been undergoing harsh training.
In his mind, he never knew when he would be able to get his revenge.
'I guess there's nothing I can do about it.'
He had a reason for telling everyone that Satan had survived.
'He has to remain as the Demon of Prophecy.'
If everyone thought that Satan had died but a god gave a message saying, ‘The Demon of Prophecy is alive,’ it would be him who got into trouble.
The Demon of Prophecy had to be Satan, and he couldn't die.
'That way…'
KangWoo smiled.
'I can keep using him.'
The Satan cheat had become a very important one for him.
KangWoo hummed while thinking about when and how he should use Satan again.
Sniff-
He heard the weak sound of someone crying from somewhere.
He ignored it.
"The only disappointing thing…"
He narrowed his eyes.
The plan had gone better than he'd expected.
If there was one disappointing thing, it was…
'Raphael survived.'
Not only that, but he said he would call for extra forces to search for Satan.
That meant that there was a chance another archangel would arrive on Earth.
"Hngh."
He didn't like it.
It was true that he had a good relationship with angels for the moment, but he never knew when it would turn sour.
'I guess I have no choice but to accept the help.'
Hero God Tyrion's Apostle, Oh KangWoo.
The best possible decision at the moment would be to use that to collaborate with them.
'I still haven't been able to eliminate all of the archdukes. If Angels get involved, things will get unnecessarily complicated.'
After he killed Satan, things finally became better, so he didn't want to create any more big issues.
KangWoo clasped his hands together behind his head and lay back.
'Are there four left?'
The remaining archdukes were Leviathan, Asmodeus, Lucifer, and…
'Baal.'
KangWoo's expression twisted.
"Ha… fuck."
He couldn't help but curse.
'If they were only as strong as when I faced them before, it wouldn't be a problem…'
He narrowed his eyes.
The war of a thousand years…
The archdukes had become stronger than they were back then.
Leaving Mamon and Belphegor aside, Satan had become clearly stronger than before.
'Did he say there's two more Roots of Evil left?'
The demon god had begun saying all sorts of nonsense after he ate one of the three.
'Archdukes and angels… I can't relax yet.'
* * *
He'd become stronger.
Although he couldn't yet use the power called Divinity, he'd become stronger than when he was in Hell.
'The problem is…'
Just as he'd become stronger, there was a chance others had become quite strong as well.
'The risk of opening the door has increased too much.'
Increasing his usage of demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core was some kind of ultimate attack.
It was one that was always risky, but that level of risk has increased too much.
'The amount of demonic energy has increased too much.'
Because he'd devoured Satan and the Root of Evil simultaneously, his demonic energy had gone beyond the point at which he could control it.
It had reached a point where one could say it was a miracle that he could still maintain the Ten Thousand Demon Core.
'If I open the door now…'
There was a chance he'd be devoured by the Ten Thousand Demon Core.
"Tsk."
It was good news that he'd become stronger, but having such a scam-like ability like opening the door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core unavailable to him was unpleasant news.
'First, I must improve my ability to control demonic energy.'
KangWoo took out a jewel that was the size of a fist.
"So I can eat this."
The black jewel was the condensed corpse of Belphegor.
Having the Authority and soul of an archduke and not being able to eat it proved that his ability to control demonic energy had peaked.
'I should think more on this later.'
KangWoo stood up from the bed.
There was only one way to improve his ability to control demonic energy… It was something he was still doing even while taking a break on the bed.
'If I keep trying…'
Even while eating, laughing, and spending peaceful days, one part of KangWoo's mind was regulating the fluctuating demonic energy inside him.
'In the end, I'll be able to reach a higher plane.'
He raised his head. An intense craving burned in his throat.
He'd gone past his previous self, but it wasn't enough—there was no way he'd be satisfied with that.
He wanted to reach an even higher place.
He wanted to walk further and further.
After all, he had never stopped even once.
"Alright, should I go out today with darling…?"
Click-
"Mr. KangWoo."
"Haa."
He became short of breath, his body trembled, and cold sweat dripped down his back.
KangWoo's expression hardened when he saw Lilith.
Lilith tilted her head and walked toward him.
"You don't look good… did something happen?"
"N-no… It's nothing. More importantly… why are you here?"
"Ah. I finished part of the investigation you asked me to do before."
"You already finished?"
She shone in fields other than fighting, so KangWoo hadn’t told her to participate in the battle.
He'd asked her to infiltrate the Demon Cult and figure out the locations of other branches while the battle was going on.
The Demon Cult had branches all around the world, so they wouldn't disappear just because he'd eliminated the biggest branch.
To completely wipe them away, he had to eliminate the remaining branches as well.
"I've found the locations of 19 small and medium-sized branches."
"Good job."
KangWoo let out an exclamation and looked at her.
He hadn't said that just because of courtesy.
It had only been a week since the war had ended—the only one capable of getting so much information in such a short period of time was probably Lilith.
She'd likely gone through a lot of things.
"Fufu. It's for the King, after all, this much is nothing," Lilith said while smiling.
KangWoo started to feel guilty about having become surprised when he saw her enter.
'I'm sorry… I'm… really sorry…'
He felt like he'd done something he shouldn't have to someone as loyal as her.
KangWoo lowered his head in guilt.
"Mr. KangWoo… are you going to personally act on it?"
"No. They’re small and medium branches, after all. Make the Guardians move so players can level up. Ah, no… Give me the information. I'll give it to Ms. Grace and tell her to move the members."
It was KangWoo's way of showing his appreciation for her work. After all, she probably hadn't taken a break since the war began.
It seemed like Lilith understood his intentions. She smiled and grabbed his arm.
A soft sensation spread through his arm.
"Thank you, Demon King."
"Now go and get some rest."
"Ah, there's one more thing I need to report…"
KangWoo looked at her while tilting his head.
She lowered her head as if she were sorry.
"I haven't been able to find the last Phase of Evil."
"Hmm… Do you know who it is?"
"He's a black magician named ‘Kalgia’."
"A black magician… He's the one who used to be Satan's subordinate, right?"
"Yes."
KangWoo's eyes shone.
'Phase of Evil…'
Since he used to be Satan's subordinate, he was probably only as strong as the Bloodseker or Belphegor.
'There's probably not much I can obtain.'
He remembered Kim ShiHoon's face.
'He could be a valuable experience for Kim ShiHoon.'
Unlike him, who had almost reached a limit to his growth, Kim ShiHoon could still grow a lot more.
After facing Ludwig, he was able to go up a step again.
"Tell me as soon as you find him."
"Yes."
"Also, don't forget to take a break."
KangWoo patted Lilith.
Lilith twisted her body and blushed.
"Fu, fufufu."
'Oh, fuck.'
Her hair had begun moving on its own, and it wrapped around his finger.
KangWoo's expression hardened.
He couldn't help but think he'd stepped on a mine.
"No, I shouldn't. Haa, Haa…"
Lilith started to breathe heavily and calmed herself down.
"Huh…?"
KangWoo was surprised at her reaction, and he looked at her with his eyes widened.
Lilith turned away.
"I'll be going."
"Ah… Y-yes."
Bang-
Lilith quickly walked out of the room.
"…"
There was a heavy silence.
KangWoo looked at the door while making a confused expression.
"Don't tell me…"
A thrill spread through his body.
"D-did Lilith finally realize it?!"
Did she realize that he really hated her tentacles?
‘Finally…’
‘Finally…’
‘Finally!’
"I finally have hope!”
KangWoo clenched his fist and raised it.
Tears dripped from his eyes.
He could see…
The end of the nightmare.
* * *
"Haa, I almost got too excited."
Lilith raised her head after walking out of the apartment.
She quickly began walking somewhere.
"Fu, fufufu."
She started to laugh out loud.
"Please, wait for me. My King, my love."
Plaf-
A tentacle appeared from her chest in her excitement, and yellow plus exploded from it.
"I'm going to give you a memory you won't be able to forget."
A thick smile appeared on Lilith's face.
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