Chapter 43 - Prophesied End 2 (2/2)

[King of the Dark Wizards]

Given that title, it felt unlikely that the treasure he had hidden away here was the Demon God’s sword.

Perhaps there were still additional rewards that he could obtain.

“Huh.. huh.. I really thought I’d die there.”

Ferdinand whose entire body was covered in wounds, said as he sat down, clearly exhausted. He had been busy fighting off his own Guild members that had lost their sanity.

“You survived longer than I had expected. ”

“I won't die easily, I was quite strong back in my days.”

“Please guard the entrance if you still can.”

Soon the rest of Aris’ Demon horde would be upon them, so after talking with Ferdinand, Woohyuk quickly turned to Elizabeth.

“You can get started.”

“...Okay.”

Elizabeth nodded as she looked back between Irene and Woohyuk.

The resemblance to her older sister that had died just six months ago was uncanny, so she couldn’t help but think of her.

“I am not Princess Isabella.”

“... I know.”

Everyone already guessed based on what Aris had said.

Just as Elizabeth was getting ready to start.

Quazick!

The entire Cathedral shook after the booming roar rang out.

The Demon God’s eye had been reactivated and was gathering mana from across the capital.

‘... How dangerous.’

Elizabeth however knelt down in front of the magic Array with a look of determination.

As she began her prayer, golden energy seemed to gather around her, as if a miracle was about to occur.

“I...can’t give...you...his...legacy...”

Aris whose body had been severed in half, could barely speak.

It was impossible to kill her completely since her core remained in the Dark Abyss.

Sealing her properly would take too long, so Woohyuk just ignored her and let her lick her wounds.

“Give it up. If you truly loved the Demon God, wouldn’t it be fine to accept his choices?”

“I...tried...to...stop...him...this...was...all…meaning....less...but...he...was...”

He had given up on everything in order to champion a different future for them all.

Aris shed tears as she recalled the Demon God’s final moments.

“I just wanted to meet him once more.”

If she had to overcome the sword’s trial, she felt that there would be a chance that they would be reunited, at least for just a moment.

Since the Demon God’s power still resided in the sword, it meant that there still existed at least a remnant of his will within it.

“I will tell him about you, who has gone out of her way to create so much trouble due to being heartbroken.”

Now that he thought about it, she was more than just filled with revenge, driven by her strong emotions.It might just be that she could be the key in resolving this next challenge of mine.

As Woohyuk thought about the different possibilities, the golden energy struck out once more, and finally the magic array was no more.

“I did it!”

Elizabeth exclaimed as she looked back with a triumphant look.

Woohyuk nodded back to her as he stepped forth to grab the sword’s hilt.

‘Is this the first step?’

He had never felt so close to the Divine Throne before.

Of course it wasn’t like he would suddenly become the Demon God just because he passed this trial, but at the very least he would be taking his first step on such a path.

Definitely a reward worthy of Nakron’s recommendation.

Woohyuk wrapped his fingers around the sword that was embedded into the ground, as darkness surrounded him and he was swallowed up into the Abyss.

* * *

‘This place…’

It was a battlefield littered with corpses.

A desolate area quenched in blood, as a murder of crows circled above in the gray sky.

A place fitting for a Demon.

In the middle of all this stood a man with long, flowing black hair. He held onto a dark sword with a single hand, cutting down any enemy that blocked his path.

Although he wasn’t able to see his face, he could already guess his identity.

‘It must be the Demon God.’

Did he enter into one of his memories?

Woohyuk decided to make his way toward him

Swoosh Swoosh!

Any enemy that stood in his way was cut down, absolute death.

Wherever Woohyuk passed, a bloody mess followed.

“Let’s talk.”

“...”

The Demon God stared back at Woohyuk with a blank face.

Dark crimson eyes that portrayed his nobility. The loneliness he exuded however made it hard to guess how long he had been stuck killing.

“Do you know Nakron?”

“He must have been the one that sent you here.”

The Demon God replied, as he raised his dark sword. Starting off with such an aggressive stance didn’t bode well for any hopes of conversation.

‘I don’t actually know him well, we’ve never met.”

“... I have. He was one that challenged for the Throne, but failed.”

“Is he dead?”

“In a sense. Anyway, it’s time to see if you are qualified.”

Kalang!

Sparks flew out and the entire area around them shook as the two weapons clashed.

After receiving the first blow, blood began to seep out from Woohyuk’s mouth.

‘He’s incredible.’

Exuding a formless pressure that was incredibly difficult for a human to endure.

Even if he wasn’t anywhere close to his full strength, he still managed to quite easily overwhelm Woohyuk.

After crossing swords a few more times…

“Kuluk”

He had reached his limit. Upon seeing the kind of condition Woohyuk was in, the Demon God instead renewed his attacks and became even more violent.

As if he had no intention whatsoever of showing any mercy.

Kalang! Kalang!

The dark sword ripped through the air as it aimed at a gap in Woohyuk’s defenses.

A streak of Dark Energy slashed his way, but Woohyuk did not succumb so easily. It was due to his increased resistance to Death that he had obtained from Nakron’s Grimoire.

He had also lived on a knife’s edge for the last 40 years, so his mental strength and tenacity was quite strong.

“You look tired.”

“Hah...Haah….”

Woohyuk managed to catch his breath for the first time since crossing swords with the Demon God.

He had already far exceeded his limit by continuing despite all the damage he’d received, but still his speed didn’t drop at all..

“I have to compliment your skill. Even if this was just a shadow of my true self, held together by my will, you have fared quite well against me.”

Even though he had basically lost most of his power, the Demon God was still a being who had reached the very top.

It wasn’t something that just any human could deal with.

Still, Woohyuk felt that he must have a weakness to exploit.

“Aris says hello by the way.”

“...Did you seal her?”

“No, but I did put a stop to her crazed plan.”

Hearing his explanation, the Demon God nodded and then appeared to be lost in his thoughts.

“I know her well, I’m not surprised to hear she’d go to such lengths.”

“Do you have anything you want me to tell her?”

“No, just that I hope she lives a happy life.”

Demons weren’t emotionless creatures.

They were much like humans and angels, just that they originated from the darkness deep in the Dark Abyss.

Just like humans search for meaning in their lives, so too did demons.

For Aris, it was herself, but now wasn’t the time to be concerned with her.

“Human, it is time to end this. If you manage to succeed, you can assume my title and your path to the Divine Throne will be shorter than anyone else.”

Demon God wouldn’t continue to exist once his wisp of will that he had left behind was gone.

The Demonic Energy would be absorbed by his successor, which would gain his title.

The Unique Demonic Inheritance.

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”