Chapter 228 - Halting Operations

"Haaa, haaa, haaa."

A man's heavy breathing was heard, and his clothes were soaked in cold sweat.

A silhouette shot forward from the darkness at an incredible speed.

Slam!

He aggressively opened the door of a building with an abnormally tall ceiling.

[My king?]

Balrog, who was training alone in the big space, tilted his head.

"Hide me for a bit."

[What is wrong?]

"Something… something's wrong."

Kang-Woo kept talking with a hardened expression on his face.

After he returned home from hanging out with Han Seol-Ah, he looked over the documents he'd received from Kim Si-Hun once more. Then, right when he was getting ready to sleep…

He heard the sound of a flowing viscous liquid. He had shot straight up from his bed the moment he heard the sound of something wriggling his way along the wall.

'I know this sound.'

He felt a familiar uneasiness. A premonition-like sense was telling him to escape. Kang-Woo had left his house without hesitation and had run full speed to Balrog's home.

[Hahaha! You used to do this a few times in Hell. Oh, my king…]

Balrog walked toward him, smiling.

'Don't smile, you look scary,' Kang-Woo thought.

Balrog placed his giant hand on Kang-Woo's back.

[If you wanted to see me, you could have just said so… As long as you summon me, I will come to you from anywhere.]

'The hell are you talking about?'

Kang-Woo's mouth fell open in disbelief.

Balrog wiped off his sweat with a towel the size of a blanket as if he were satisfied just by the fact that Kang-Woo had come to see him.

"Haaa."

Kang-Woo wanted to say something, but he just sighed as if he were too tired to say anything. He looked around.

'It feels like I'm in Gulliver's Travels.'

All of the furniture inside was specifically built for Balrog, who was five meters tall. Since all of the furniture in the room was meant for Balrog's size, he felt like a dwarf in a country of giants.

He lightly jumped and landed on top of a giant couch.

"Is there anything you find uncomfortable?" he asked Balrog in passing.

Balrog smiled.

[Nothing at all.]

"... But I'm sure it's uncomfortable living by yourself."

Balrog had countless subordinates beneath him in Hell, but this was Earth—he had no subordinates or a comrade to chat with.

Demons were not emotionless, so they also felt lonely.

[Hup.].

Balrog sat on the couch.

Kang-Woo bounced in the air as the couch shook.

Balrog opened his mouth and said, [I am fine. After all, you are here, my king.]

"…"

[I was actually more lonely in Hell after you left.]

"... Why?"

Kang-Woo couldn't understand it. If Kang-Woo had disappeared, Balrog would have been the one in charge of the demon king army since he had been the second-in-command.

'Balrog probably took over the role of demon king.'

Since all seven princes of Hell had died, no one but Balrog would be fit for the role if the ancient demonic beasts were excluded.

Balrog had acquired the authority to rule over the Nine Hells, so Kang-Woo couldn't understand why he'd felt lonely in Hell.

[Because you were not there, my king.]

'You're giving me goosebumps, man.'

He felt chills at Balrog's calm reply.

Kang-Woo shifted away from him a little while feeling uneasy.

Balrog clapped as if he'd remembered something.

[Oh, right. Would you like to try this, my king?]

He walked toward the giant refrigerator and took out a giant silver container.

"...Draft beer?"

It was a giant draft beer container they often had in restaurants and bars.

Balrog nodded and brought out two of the giant containers.

[Do you remember when we had a feast of blood with the humans where we roasted and devoured the corpse of an animal?]

"Are you… talking about the barbecue we had at the picnic?"

[Ohhh, so you call that ruthless act a barbecue. Roasting the flesh of prey while laughing… Humans are not to be trifled with.]

"No, I mean… if you put it like that, you're right, but…"

[Anyway, I had this thing known as beer while I was there. The fizzy sensation that it gives… I have never tasted anything like it in Hell.]

"You have a sense of taste?" Kang-Woo asked back in surprise.

A demon's taste buds were almost non-existent because, after all, they didn't need to eat or drink, so there was no reason for them to have a sense of taste.

To them, eating the corpse of another demon was like a victory ceremony.

[Kekeke. I got more and more used to the taste after I kept drinking it, but I still can't understand the flavor of the kimchi stew that you enjoy so much.]

"You dare insult kimchi stew?"

[Hahaha! My apologies.]

Balrog smiled brightly.

Kang-Woo smiled as he recalled memories of the past when they were still in the Ninth Hell. He remembered that the conversations he had had with Balrog between the wars against the princes of Hell had been quite entertaining.

Crack! Pshh!!!

'Oh, fuck.'

Balrog tore the top off the draft beer container, and the beer overflowed from it. He picked up the other huge draft beer container and gave it to Kang-Woo.

[From what I have seen, humans do it like this. Ahem, chee—]

"Leaving the cheers aside, what are you going to do about the floor?"

[Oh, that is no problem. Vaal Zahak cleans it up on his own if I just leave it.]

"No, how can you treat our Vaal Zahak like—"

[Hehe. I am above him in rank, am I not? Also, I am not sure who he learned from, but he seems quite used to doing housework.]

"It's probably innate talent."

Balrog burst into laughter and brought the beer container toward Kang-Woo once again.

Kang-Woo sighed and snapped his finger.

He activated the Authority of Freezing, and created a cup of ice that he poured some of the alcohol into. He then raised the glass.

Clink.

It was an unexpected toast.

Although it had nothing to do with the coming battles, he didn't feel like he was doing a useless thing.

Kang-Woo recalled when he had first met Balrog. It had been a while since the memory had been jogged.

"Kaaaah! That's refreshing. Do you have any snacks to go with it?"

[If you would like, I will invade a Demon Cult branch right now and collect the heads of demons—]

"Never mind. Jeez, there's no getting through to you."

Kang-Woo shook his head and took a sip of beer, and the fizz traveled down his throat.

There was a refreshing sensation, and his unease was swept away.

[This reminds me of the past.]

"The past?"

[Yes, the memory of when I first met you, my king.]

"…"

Kang-Woo remained silent after he heard what Balrog said. They happened to be thinking the same thing.

"My name is Balrog."

Kang-Woo remembered their very first conversation.

"I see the rumors that a human had been able to climb up to the Ninth Hell were true."

He raised his head and saw Balrog chugging down the beer container.

"I have come to ask you for a favor."

His body had been covered in wounds, and his eyes were dark, like the eyes of a dead fish rather than the eyes of a demon.

"Please… kill me."

"…"

The memory was cut short.

Kang-Woo downed the beer in silence, and a bitter taste spread through his mouth.

[I still remember what you said to me back then, my king.]

"Really? It's been so long that I can't remember."

[You said, 'Stop shitting around being a fucking drama queen and screw off,' I believe it was.]

"Come on. There's no way I was that harsh to you."

[You actually said more curse words that I could not understand. I did not know Korean back then, so I could only understand the demon language mixed in between.]

"…"

There was silence.

Kang-Woo coughed and avoided his gaze.

'How weird. There's no way I said something like that.'

Past memories were easily fabricated, or so they said.

Kang-Woo shook his head and poured another cup of beer.

Clink.

He once again clinked glasses with Balrog.

'This isn't bad.'

Drinking while talking about the past…

He never imagined he'd do it with Balrog, but it didn't feel bad.

'One day, when everything's over…'

He downed the glass while wondering if days like this would continue in the future.

* * *

[Myyyyyyy kiiiiiiing~~]

"Urgh."

[Sniff. Do you have any idea how lonely I have been without you, my king?]

"How the fuck does a demon get drunk?"

[Drunk? Kahahaha! There is no way I, Balrog, would become drunk from mere alcohol!]

"You're drunk right now, dammit!!"

[Nonsense. Okay, take a look at this. See? I can walk perfectly straight!]

Crack!

Balrog stepped on a table and crushed it to smithereens. Then, he hugged Kang-Woo with his muscular arms. Perhaps it was because he had been training before Kang-Woo had come, but an immense stench of sweat attacked Kang-Woo's sense of smell.

"Urghh."

Kang-Woo couldn't breathe.

Click.

The door opened.

"Balrog, have you seen Kang-Woo hyung-nim? I asked Seol-Ah, but she said he suddenly went out—"

Si-Hun entered. His expression hardened when he saw Balrog hugging Kang-Woo.

"Si-Hun, help m—"

Kang-Woo extended his hands, and Si-Hun trembled.

"Balrog… you…"

Chilling bloodlust rose up.

'Help me, Si-Hun.'

Kang-Woo looked at Si-Hun with hopeful eyes while he was being restrained by Balrog.

"How could you do something so envi—I mean, disrespectful?"

'Si-Hun?'

"Arm yourself, Balrog."

'What the hell are you talking about?'

"I challenge you to a duel."

'Excuse me?'

[Kahahaha! Sounds good to me!]

'What's good?'

BOOM.

Balrog got up.

[Let us see who is more fit to be the king's subordinate, human.]

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

'Stop, you crazy sons of bitches.'

Kang-Woo grabbed his head at the unexpected development of events.

Then…

Squelch.

He heard the sound of mucus dripping.

Kang-Woo's face turned pale.

"Hohohoho. I was wondering where you were. I finally found you."

"Ah…"

"I was given a very good piece of advice from Seol-Ah today. Yes… I have been far too passive until now."

"What? Passive? You?"

"Yes. I have realized I must be more assertive in communicating my feelings for you, my king."

"No, that's not the problem."

"Now, come here, my love."

Lilith embraced Kang-Woo.

Balrog and Si-Hun were fighting with weapons in their hands.

There was a huge vibration, and the building shook.

'Will days like this continue once everything's over?'

He felt that he was in the middle of an inescapable nightmare. He freed himself from the tentacles wrapping his body and ran away. He put his hand on the hand scanner to Vaal Zahak's secret laboratory in Balrog's house.

- Whirr. Scanning fingerprints.

- Error. Error.

- Halting operations.

- Operations halted.

"Wh-what? Why isn't it opening?"

The door was not opening due to the unknown mucus on the fingerprint scanning device.

"I can't open the door!"

Squelch.

"N-no!"

A tentacle wrapped around his body as if to stop him from escaping.

"This is crazy. I have to get out of here. Why can't I get out?"

AAAAAAAAAHHH!