Chapter 272. The End of a Tragedy Pt. 8  

“I already knew that those idiots had a plan and weaseled their way into those around me,” said the Demon King, laughing as he held Lee Jun-Kyeong by the collar. “It’s laughable. To think they wanted to stop me…”

The corners of his mouth twitched even more. Even with his face melted off, the corners of his mouth were visible, curling up. There were even strangely fluttering balls of light that served as eyes.

“To think I would help the humans.”

It was at this moment that Lee Jun-Kyeong was certain.

‘The Demon King I thought I knew…’

The Demon King that he had read about in the book. The Demon King he had once admired.

‘...doesn’t exist.’

Now, there was only the Demon King, who had truly become a monster. Lee Jun-Kyeong closed his eyes tightly.

Cough, cough.

His entire body ached as if he had needles piercing him all over. It was a side effect of driving all of his powers of the source at once. He had no other choice, as he had been in a situation where even pouring all of his powers of the source into the binding hadn’t been enough. He had been forced to drive all of his mana into it as well without any ability to save some aside for his physical condition.

His body couldn’t bear what he had done.

Crack.

His fingers had slowly begun to regain feeling. However, that was the extent of his recovery.

“You really are impressive,” the Demon King said, looking straight into Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes.

“N…o…”

From the Demon King’s hand, mana began to flow into Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“I never thought that such a masterpiece would be born. It was worth holding on for eons.”

His mana swept throughout Lee Jun-Kyeong’s entire body. Although he tried to resist somehow by activating the mana stream, the Demon King just became colder.

“Did you forget? I’m the one who created that,” he said in an even more mocking tone. “There have been many of you who’ve reached Gehenna before.”

The Demon King’s mana began to circulate forcefully through Lee Jun-Kyeong. Although he was in excruciating pain, the Demon King didn’t even allow him to scream.

“However, there has never been one that knew so much of the truth…” The Demon King laughed. “There has never been a you who wielded the powers of the source to this degree.”

His voice buzzed in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s ears. “You’re perfect. A perfect being, born to use as my vessel.”

“You…” gasped Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“That damned curse of eternal regression. I’ll throw it away.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong tried to say something else, but it was as if he was talking to a brick wall.

“With your body… I will recreate everything. I will be the perfect God. The only God.”

Light continued to emanate from the Demon King’s eyes as his body began to sag, little by little.

“EEEUAGHHHHHHH!”

On the other hand, Lee Jun-Kyeong let out a guttural scream. A feeling of immense helplessness engulfed him. It was useless trying to resist.

–Thank you, my dear nephew.

***

“Gasp…gasp…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong sucked in the air as hard as he could.

–Your resistance is quite strong. It looks like even your willpower is incredible.

The Demon King’s voice buzzing in his head made it feel as though his skull was splitting in half. As Lee Jun-Kyeong tore at his head with his hands, he shouted, “GET OUT!”

However, no matter what he did, the Demon King’s voice grew louder and clearer.

–It’s useless.

It was the voice that he had heard when he had returned to the past.

–This is a contract.

The voice that said the contract would be fulfilled. As the voice of the Sky of the Apocalypse burrowed directly into his brain, Lee Jun-Kyeong sat down and got on his knees. He tried to fight back by drawing on his powers of the source.

–It’s useless.

However, the Demon King matched him in turn. No, the Demon King’s reserves of the powers of the source were incomparably stronger than that of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s. Moreover, his understanding was greater.

‘There’s not a single…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong was no match for him.

–Have you noticed it now?

"Just how…how have you…”

–Don't worry, dear nephew.

He could hear peals of laughter intermixed with the Demon King’s words.

–I will take your body and become a God that will correct every wrong.

It was a strong yet crazy voice.

–I will erase the entire world and recreate it for you. The fair world you so longed for.

The Demon King whispered sweetly as the feeling throughout Lee Jun-Kyeong’s body gradually disappeared.

–Of course, Heimdall and Athena will be resurrected.This wasn’t a side effect of his overuse of the powers of the source. The Demon King was devouring him. However, there was still a small part of the Demon King that held onto his own flesh. Because they were still connected, he could still cut the connection off.

–Didn’t I say that it was useless?

However, the Demon King’s mocking voice refused to give him even the slightest of hope.

–Why are you resisting like this? Didn’t I say that I would make everything you wanted come true? You will become one with me and become the one true God.

“Fuck…off…”

–There’s no need to rebel. When you become one with me, you will no longer have to feel the sting of rejection or loneliness.

Lee Jun-Kyeong stopped for a moment.

–Didn’t you feel it, too? The loneliness of the absolute ones.

Suddenly, the Demon King’s voice sounded sweeter.

–What do you think would change if I died? The world is already close to extinction. Did you think someone would praise you for killing me and holding the world within your palm?

Every word sounded more enticing than the last.

–The world will call you a demon. They will call you a Demon King. That is the loneliness that comes with what it means to be an absolute one.

He knew it, too, and he had felt it as well. He was someone who had returned to the past and quickly became stronger. However, the people around him couldn’t keep up with his growth rate. So, he was always alone. Even when he and the others had been together, he had felt alone.

He was lonely.

‘He’s right…’

As the Demon King had said, it was loneliness. Furthermore, it was a loneliness that wouldn’t get better. Instead, it was a loneliness that would become even more severe after defeating the monster called the Demon King. Nothing would change just because his companions would be alive. They, too, would reject him someday.

An absolutely powerful person with the whims and will of a human would be a monster that everyone would fear.

‘Just by looking at you…’

That idea became even more clear when he looked at the Demon King. The Demon King had also initially made every move to save the world with a pure sense of justice and sacrificial spirit. Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered, had the Demon King’s will been less powerful than his own?

No.

The Demon King had been a Hero greater than he himself was. However, even that heroic Demon King had fallen like this.

–So, accept me.

When the Demon King’s voice had finally reached its peak, Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted, “Shut up!”

At the same time, a huge explosion racked his ears.

BANG!!

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong opened his eyes. Before him was a blurry illusion, almost as if it were dancing. Fire, water, ice, and even lightning flickered before him. There was a sword and a spear. He could see the world on fire.

‘Is this a dream?’

Lee Jun-Kyeong swayed.

‘I’m…’

His body had clearly been taken by the Demon King. The sensation he had felt at the last moment hadn’t been a lie, which was a vast feeling of fullness that filled him entirely. In addition, Lee Jun-Kyeong clearly remembered the feeling of helplessness.

‘I’m…’

He had been taken over. He had failed. The illusions in front of him began to run wild even more. What was that?

‘Is this the path that the Demon King walked…’

He wondered if the Demon King was showing him what he was seeing right now. That was how vivid and lifelike the image that Lee Jun-Kyeong could see was. There were explosions among explosions, destruction and devastation.

He could feel the pain and the screams in the air. Even though he couldn’t see it all clearly, the things were so vivid that it nearly made him sick, and they kept flashing before his eyes. Lee Jun-Kyeong stumbled.

‘Just what…’

He wondered what had happened to the others. When the Demon King had been taking over his body, Lee Jun-Kyeong had clearly felt it. Everything the Demon King had said was sincere. He had planned to take over Lee Jun-Kyeong’s body and become a God.

With the powers of the source that he had given Lee Jun-Kyeong combined with the powers of the source that the Demon King had possessed himself, a force that no one would be able to stop would be born.

Furthermore, it wasn’t as if there were any Sponsors or Hunters left to stop him. All of the Sponsors were dead, and whatever Hunters still breathed…

‘They wouldn’t be able to stop him.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered what he was seeing right now.

‘...no…’

Could it be that he had lost his body to the Demon King and was now seeing the massacre that had been carried out by the Demon King? Could that have been Jeong In-Chang exploding into light over there? Or maybe Zeus was dying over there alongside the bolt of lightning?

It seemed like everything was over. A huge sense of helplessness washed over him, like a puppet that had lost its strings.

Thud.

Lee Jun-Kyeong fell forward. He didn’t want to do anything.

Nothing…

‘I’m tired…’

No matter what he did, nothing would change. Even if he were to oust the Demon King from his body, the world had already been destroyed. The only thing that awaited him were his dead companions.

Hadn’t the Demon King asked him?

If he was lonely? If he would continue to be lonely?

The Demon King had been right.

‘No…’However, the strength that Lee Jun-Kyeong had used in those final moments to push away the Demon King had come from his companions. Yes, he was lonely. That wasn’t a lie. However, he had been able to come this far because of them.

Although his companions had been the source of his loneliness, at the same time, they had given him constant motivation. They would have all died helplessly.

‘No…’

Revenge.

He had to take revenge.

But how?

‘How… How would I do that…’

There were questions but no answers. Just for a moment, he wanted to rest and then think again.

“Mr. Lee!”

Right as Lee Jun-Kyeong was about to lose consciousness, he heard an incredible voice.

“Mr. Lee! Wake up! If this continues, we’re going to die!”

It was Jeong In-Chang’s voice.

“Mr. Jeong…?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly lifted his head from his collapsed state.

“How…!”

Right over there, Jeong In-Chang… Jeong In-Chang was definitely standing there. However, although it was Jeong In-Chang’s voice, his appearance was different.

“...!”

His body was bumpy, filled with swollen muscles, and his eyes glowed red.

From everything about him, even down to his bright-red skin, the figure with Jeong In-Chang’s voice wasn’t human. Right as Lee Jun-Kyeong was bewildered, he heard Jeong In-Chang’s voice again, “It’s a little difficult to explain! Just look ahead!”

Lee Jun-Kyeong raised himself slightly and looked at where Jeong In-Chang was indicating.

BANG!

After doing so, he started hearing noises that he hadn’t noticed until now.

“He’s already lost a lot of vitality! Hold on with whatever means possible!”

“We have to hold on until the Underdog wakes up!”

As he heard the sounds of explosions alongside the familiar voices of his companions, Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted again, “Just how…!”

The scene before his eyes, which had only just become clear, became blurry once again. No, it was only that it seemed blurry.

“How…!”

The tears flowing down his face had made it difficult for Lee Jun-Kyeong to distinguish the figures. The ones he saw briefly, or at least those that were fighting, were clearly not human. However, he was sure of it.

“Why…! Why did you come?!”

Those figures were his companions.

Flash!

“We came to save you.”

With a flash of light, a gigantic figure who was wrapped entirely in sparking bolts of electricity appeared before his eyes.

“Because we thought that you’d be lazing about alone.”

“Zeus…!”

Although his appearance was different, Lee Jun-Kyeong was convinced just by the sound and tone of his voice. It was Zeus.

"How…!” Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted as Zeus became a current of electricity once again and headed off somewhere.

BOOM!

With more explosions, Lee Jun-Kyeong heard another voice.

“Stand up.”

Before him was a massive, solid back that was clad in an enormous rainbow-colored armor.

“Only you can take the Demon King down.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t know what to call him. Should he call him the same as he did before? Or something else?

“Whew.”

In his confusion, Lee Jun-Kyeong stood up, taking a deep breath.

“Okay.”

He wouldn’t decide on what to say yet. After all of this was over, he would talk to him, and only then did he feel like he would be able to decide what to say.

‘Hyung, no…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong finally stood up, wiping his eyes with his hand as the whole view of what was before him became clear.

“Everyone.”

They were his companions. The companions who should have been waiting for him outside of Gehenna were here. Looking up, the red moon in the sky served as proof that they were still in Gehenna. Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t know how it had happened.

“You bastards…!”

However, the Demon King, with his melted, deformed body, was fighting his companions.

Lee Jun-Kyeong finally continued with what he had wanted to say, “It’s time for revenge.”

A long spear appeared in his hand. Surtr had now become a spear that would pierce the Demon King.

Flicker.

Flames enveloped Surtr. However, they weren’t red, blue, white, or even black. The flames on the spear couldn’t be expressed in color, now truly having become the spark of genesis.