The 9th Hell…

It is said that only the strongest demons were gathered there.

There was a path of fire that never went out, a crooked Earth, and a blood-colored sky.

Inside, demons battled against each other for all eternity.

They weren't fighting to see who was the strongest…

All of the battles over the last ten thousand years had made it clear who that was.

There was one castle in a desolate land at the center of the 9th Hell.

—The peak of all evil.

It was the place of residence of the demon king who had managed to unify Hell, which was previously divided into 7 factions.

A giant throne…

A young man with black hair sat on the throne made of the bones of the seven demon archdukes.

Although he was sitting there with his eyes closed, a breathtakingly strong demonic energy emanated from him.

Thousands of demons were trembling because of his demonic energy while kneeling on one knee in front of him.

One of the demons who was kneeling walked slowly toward him.

He was a demon over five meters tall and had his skin covered with red fur.

His muscular body was as sturdy as stone, and on his forehead, he had horns that resembled a goat's.

He had sharp, protruding molars and giant bat wings on his back.

He, who had the typical appearance of a demon, was kneeling in front of the demon king.

"My king…"

—Balrog.

It was said that, except for the archdukes, no one in the Hell of Nine Skies could win against him. Yet he called out to the young man with a fearful expression on his face.

Based on looks, the Balrog was a monster, so it was bizarre to see him so afraid of someone who looked like a human being.

But among the demons who were kneeling, there was no one who couldn't understand his fear.

The demon king…

Ten thousand years ago, when he’d fallen into Hell, he was just an insignificant human, but thanks to the 'Authority of Predation,' he’d begun eating other demons.

From the 1st to the 9th Hell…

In ten thousand years, the human who grew by eating demons became the owner of Hell.

Hundreds of thousands of demons were eaten by his Authority. In the end, even the seven archdukes, who couldn't kill each other because they were too powerful, kneeled in front of him.

The peak of all evil—the monster who’d devoured all the demons of the Hell of Nine Skies.

It was understandable that even the fearless Balrog was afraid of him.

"Why are you trying to return? Doesn't my king already have everything in Hell?" Balrog said while trembling in fear.

The young man slowly opened his eyes.

The demonic energy surrounding him became more intense.

"I have everything? Like what?"

"…"

The young man sitting on the throne angrily distorted his expression.

"To have it all, there must first be something. Tell me what it is that we have here."From his voice, you could sense that he thought the situation was unfair.

"There's nothing to eat, and there's no form of entertainment. I'm not sure what this damn place has that makes you say I have everything."

In the Hell of Nine Skies, there wasn't anything but a desolate land, a red sky, and flames that never waned.

After hearing his words, Balrog's eyes widened.

"Were you hungry? Then I just recently obtained food worthy of my king. Guys! Bring that out!"

"Yes!"

At Balrog's orders, a group of demons brought out a giant plate.

On the plate, there was the head of a demon that was spouting out blood.

"Recently, we defeated the Focalor—the one who was leading the largest remaining army of the Archduke. Oh, demon king, although this may be lackluster for you, who has already devoured countless demons, please accept this offering from your loyal underling!"

KangWoo frowned after looking at the grotesque head of the Focalor.

"I don't need this dumbass."

* * *

He threw the plate with the Focalor's head to the ground.

With his fists clenched, he stomped his feet hard on the floor.

"I don't want to eat such a grotesque and tasteless thing! I… I…!"

His fists trembled; a voice filled with desperation came out.

"Kimchi jjigae… I want to eat Kimchi jjigae."

"Kimchi jjigae!"

"The ultimate food that the Emperor of Predation desires!"

"A food full of blood and meat!"

"No… That's not it, you idiots!"

KangWoo clenched his fists tightly and shouted.

Although meat was an ingredient of the kimchi jjigae, it probably wasn't similar to what the demons were imagining.

Balrog looked at KangWoo with eyes that showed loyalty.

"Whose head is it made of? Or maybe an organ? I'll tear apart anyone and offer it to my king."

"The kimchi jjigae isn't a food like that…"

KangWoo thought that he was about to go crazy.

Explaining what food was to a demon didn't make sense from the beginning. After all, for demons, food was nothing more than the Authority you had over the loser if you won a battle. In the Hells, the winner ate the loser.

"And there's no entertainment…? I see. After killing all seven archdukes, you got bored with slaughtering."

"As expected from the demon king…"

"The Emperor of Blood and Slaughter!"

"I was talking about manhwas and novels."

Balrog, angered with himself, hit the floor. The floor of the castle was crushed."I can't satisfy your demands because of my weakness… So please, kill me…!!"

"Please, listen to what I'm saying."

With a desperate expression on his face, KangWoo returned to the throne.

"If there was at least a woman…"

"Oh? But if we're talking about women, you have me, Lilith."

"Lilith!"

"The succubus queen!"

"The prettiest woman in hell!"

One of the demons who was kneeling approached KangWoo.

"Dear demon king, isn't Lilith's heart enough?"

While making a mysterious voice, she stretched out her tentacles and touched KangWoo's arms.

The 18 eyes covering her entire face radiated a mellow atmosphere.

"…"

Eighteen eyes, tentacles dangling all over her body, and a tongue that resembled a snake…

Looking at the supposedly prettiest woman in Hell gave KangWoo a headache.

"Why… A succubus, just why…"

The succubuses lived by absorbing a male's sexual energy, and they were very far away from the beautiful women from the stories he'd heard.

From his point of view, Lilith looked more grotesque than Balrog.

It wasn't just Lilith, but the rest of the succubi also looked like her.

"I'm going to pay you a visit tonight."

"No… Don't come."

"Fufu, don't be embarrassed. If you act so shy, how can you call yourself the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies?"

"Don't come…"

"How cute. Fufu, you don't need to be so embarrassed. I, Lilith, will forever serve you by your side."

"Please, leave me alone…"

KangWoo tilted his head and covered it with his hands.

He wasn't someone who judged people based on their appearance.

He thought that outer appearance wasn't important in terms of love.

But still…

'This is too much.'

This wasn't a matter of whether she was pretty or ugly.

Her outer appearance just didn't fit human aesthetic standards.

"Earth…"

KangWoo clenched his fist with a desperate expression.

"I must return to Earth…"

His decision was firm, despite his underlings having tried to convince him.

No, them trying to convince him only made his decision firmer.

'I'll go back.'

He had managed to devour Ball, the last archduke, a few days before. And with that, he had managed to become the demon king. Now all the preparations were complete.

It was time to obtain the reward for ten thousand years of suffering.