Chapter 512 - Forward, Forward (3)

"...Huh?" Oh Kang-Woo heard the chilling and hideous sound of something getting crushed. "Bal...rog...?"

Kang-Woo called his subordinate as he was falling apart.

Tsssssssss!!

The black armor absorbed all the blood pouring from Balrog's crushed heart and enormous amounts of steam poured out of its gaps.

"Grrrrrrr," Balrog growled ferociously.

The black armor was absorbing every drop of his endlessly pouring blood.

'This is...'

It was the only way he had as one without Deific Essence to face one who did possess it.

"Kehehe! Nice!" Balrog burst into laughter.

He could feel immense power flowing into him from the Overlord Armor, which absorbed massive amounts of his blood. He felt it was on par with Deific Essence— no, possibly even stronger than it. The fire in his eyes blazed fiercely at the cost of his life.

Tssssssssssss!

The white steam pouring out from the armor turned black.

"Heh, what's this?" Bael stared at Balrig with great interest. He couldn't help but laugh after Balrog crushed his own heart. He shook his head in disappointment and remarked, "Do you seriously think that will change anything? The result won't change no matter how many times you sacrifice that worthless life of yours."

Bael cackled. He stuck out his tongue and slowly walked toward Balrog as he licked his lips.

He commanded with his eyes full of madness, "Move."

"Kehehe," Balrog chuckled and continued to stand in Bael's way.

Bael frowned fiercely. "Do you seriously think the likes of you can defeat me?"

That pathetic being was not the star of this stage. Only those chosen by the Demon God to achieve the power of the Primordial had the right to be here.

"No, I'm sure I will lose," answered Balrog with a smile.

Even if Balrog ingested Behemoth's horn powder and powered up as much as he could at the cost of his life, he was still no match for that demon.

"But..." Balrog clenched his fists. "Just a bit is enough."

As long as he could be his king's shield, his king's armor... As long as he could die in his king's place...

"I'll stand here as many times as it takes."

Balrog stood tall as he stood in Bael's way. His massive frame with black armor over it made him look like a massive wall blocking Bael.

"So annoying." Bael glared at Balrog coldly. "Annoying, annoying, ANNOYING!!"

He gritted his teeth and spread out his arms. Black mucus shot at Balrog.

"Fuuu," Balrog took a deep breath and lowered his stance.

Boom!

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Balrog charged as he roared, burning away his life force. A mere demon without Deific Essence ran toward the demon with the Demon God inside him.

Tsssssssss!!

The black steam pouring out of the armor pushed away the mucus. Balrog clasped his hands together to pierce through the mucus and arrived in front of Bael in a flash.

Slam!

He put his entire weight on his shoulder and slammed it into Bael's head. Bael's head exploded, but the black mucus gurgled and his head regenerated in an instant.

"You pathetic worm..."

Bash!

Balrog twisted his body and punched Bael's head, causing it to explode again.

Crunch, crunch.

"Kurgh."

Balrog grimaced. He looked down at his fist that blew Bael's head away and saw that it was covered in black mucus with countless sharp teeth over it. The teeth ground away the Overlord Armor.

Balrog stared at Bael's head, which instantly regenerated again, in silence. This was an unfair battle; no matter how many times he attacked, Bael would regenerate in a flash. No, Bael wasn't just regenerating. Balrog was the one who would continuously get injured just by attacking.

"Kehehehe," Balrog chuckled. "Very nice!!"

He was smiling even as sharp teeth were grinding apart his armor and biting off his skin under it.

"I get to train with an indestructible dummy!"

Balrog continued to swing his fists ferociously as he laughed heartily. There was no refined technique or feints to fool the opponent; he was just pouring stupidly pure violence like rainfall.

Bash! Smash! Crush!!

Bael turned into mush as he went through a cycle of destruction and instant regeneration.

"You bastard, enough of—"

Bash!

Balrog destroyed Bael's head again.

"Huup!" balrog grabbed Bael's leg. "Hiyaaaah!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He smashed Bael down on the ground repeatedly. However, Bael would not receive damage from colliding against the ground due to his Deific Essence barrier.

Bash—!

Balrog let go of Bael's leg and kicked him with all his might, sending Bael flying like a football and causing him to tumble across the ground.

Wriggle.

Bael's mangled body regenerated in a flash again.

"You..." Bael slurred in irritation. He shouted, "HOW DARE YOU, PATHETIC WORM!!"

Wriggle!

Bael fiercely swung his arm, and black mucus surged at Balrog like a wave along the path of Bael's swing.

"Kuh!"

Balrog quickly jumped to the side to dodge, but...

Crunch—!

"Gaaahh!"

The black mucus devoured his left arm from the shoulder down. The Overlord Armor soaked in blood was nothing but scrap metal before Bael's teeth. Blood poured from his torn left arm.

"Kehehehe," Balrog chuckled. "Yeah, the more blood, the better."

The black armor absorbed the blood pouring from his left arm.

Tssssssssss!!

Black steam burst from the Overlord Armor.

"Raaaaaaaaahhh!"

Balrog stomped his foot with all his might. The black steam pouring from the armor gathered into a single point, and Balrog placed his right hand on it.

Rumble—!!

The black steam stormed around his right arm.

Balrog smiled and said, "Right then, I'll do as much as I can while I still have an arm."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground shook with each step Balrog took. He, who had drawn out power far past his limits, charged at Bael.

"Sky..."

He twisted his torso, lowered his stance, and pulled back his right arm as far as he could.

Wham!

He smashed his foot on the ground, causing it to cave in. He swung his fist at the boundless sea with all his might.

"BREAKER!!"

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Bael quickly stretched out his arms and protected himself with black mucus, but Balrog's arm, which was wrapped in a storm of black steam, pierced through the mucus and smashed right into Bael.

Smash!

Bael's limbs were ripped into pieces, and he was blown away several hundred meters.

Crunch.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

However, the black mucus devoured Balrog's right arm, leaving him with no arms.

"Kehe... he," he chuckled as he staggered toward where Bael was blown away.

"A-Arghh," Bael groaned.

Wriggle.

His broken body began to regenerate but not as perfectly as before. His limbs were positioned abnormally as if pieces of a puzzle were forced into the wrong positions.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!!" Bael yelled angrily as he glared at Balrog, who was walking toward him with no arms. "What's with you...? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

A pathetic, insignificant insect was interfering with the time he had with the Demon King, which he had dreamed of for so long.

"Kehehe. You're so noisy for a damn brat."

Balrog was still smiling leisurely despite missing both of his arms. Bael frowned angrily and charged at Balrog, closing a distance of several hundred meters in an instant, and swung at him with his fist.

Slam!

Balrog raised his right leg to block Bael's punch.

Tsssssssssssss!

The black steam pouring out of his back lifted him. He twirled in the air and kicked Bael's head.

"Kurgh!" Bael tumbled across the ground disgracefully. "Son of a bitch!"

Bael spread out his arms widely as he roared, forming a giant mouth that could easily swallow Balrog whole. Sharp teeth sunk into Balrog's flank and bit the entire area off.

Crunch!

"Kurgh!"

The black armor shattered. A third of Balrog's upper body was gone, blood and intestines pouring out from the torn area. He collapsed.

"Fuuu, why is a nobody like you even getting in my way?"

Bael frowned and clicked his tongue. He walked past Balrog on the ground and toward Kang-Woo.

"Where... do you think... you're going?"

Balrog stood up as black blood and intestines poured out of him. He smiled widely and glared at Bael with blazing eyes.

"I'm still... standing here."

"Hah," Bael chuckled.

The insect, having lost both of his arms, almost half of his upper body, and no heart, was still in his way.

"Fine. If you wanna die so badly," muttered Bael as he turned from Kang-Woo to Balrog and glared at him. "I'll kill you."

Bael gritted his teeth and charged at Balrog. The nobody was already so injured that it was a miracle he was still alive. It would be a piece of cake to extinguish the tiny ember of life that was keeping him alive.

"Heh... Hehe," Balrog chuckled.

He lowered his stance and infused all of his demonic energy into the black armor soaked in his blood.

"Bring it."

He opened his eyes wide and stared right at death charging at him.

Tssssssssss!!

Black steam burst out of him.

Clank, clank.

Balrog could hear the sound of cogs interlocking inside the armor. The Overlord Armor, being infused with power far past its limits, swelled like a balloon.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

A giant explosion swept away everything in the surroundings. The black armor shattered into fragments and flew all over the place.

"ARRRGGGHHH!"

Bael was blown away, getting swept into the explosion. His upper body was burnt to a crisp and was hideously deformed.

"A-Arghhh." Bael embraced himself and trembled. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, IT HUUUUURTS!"

Any injuries he suffered were supposed to regenerate in a flash but these injuries weren't. Bael screamed and writhed in pain. Pus was oozing from his hideous wounds.

Wriggle.

His injuries were slowly regenerating, but the speed was far slower than normal.

"Kehehe. At least..." Balrog looked down at the screaming Bael and fell to his knees. "I managed to... give him a good one."

He smiled and collapsed on his back. He could see a clear blue sky unlike in Hell. He turned his head.

"My king..."

He could see Kang-Woo crawling his way. Balrog's vision grew blurry and he closed his eyes.

"Balrog, you motherfucker..."

The demonic energy pouring from the Demonic Sea was still tearing him apart, but he managed to prevent his sanity from getting devoured after quelling the demonic energy to an extent while Bael was busy fighting Balrog.

"Haaa, haaa. Balrog." Kang-Woo placed his hand on Balrog as he panted heavily. "Answer me." He shook Balrog. "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!!"

"Kehehe. I'm not... dead yet, my king."

Balrog slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his king. Kang-Woo's expression filled with relief.

"Haaa, haaa. Just you... wait, dammit. You're fucking in for it once this is over."

Kang-Woo bit open his finger as he cursed, black blood pouring out of it.

Balrog looked at Kang-Woo regretfully. "My king."

"It's not too late."

"It is, my king."

"NO, IT'S FUCKING NOT!!"

Boom!

Kang-Woo slammed his fist on the ground. Balrog smiled faintly as he stared at Kang-Woo.

"What the fuck... are you smiling for?" Kang-Woo's shoulders shook. "Fuck... It's not too late."

Tears flowed down his cheeks and gathered on his chin.

"You can... still live. Hey... this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Remember? You were in just as bad a state when you fought against Lucifer. Don't you remember me saving you back then?"

"..."

"I can save you. I can, so..."

Kang-Woo moved his trembling hand and poured blood into his mouth. He suppressed his raging demonic energy and activated the Authority of Regeneration, but...

"My... king."

"Wh-What the fuck? Why aren't your injuries healing? Gimme a second. I'll try again..."

Crunch. He bit open another finger— no, he bit off his entire hand this time and made a fountain of black blood.

"Drink. Hurry up and drink."

"My king."

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DRINK THE DAMN THING!!!" Kang-Woo screamed as if begging. "Haaa, haaa."

Kang-Woo panted heavily and lowered his head.

He said faintly, "Don't die. Please don't fucking die..."

Balrog remained silent.

Kang-Woo could see the light in Balrog's eyes disappearing.

"I don't know." Kang-Woo wept as he watched the light fading from Balrog's eyes. "I don't fucking know what I'm supposed to do anymore..."

The demonic energy from the Demonic Sea was destroying his body even at this moment. He was in extreme pain just from using the Authority of Regeneration. Kang-Woo had become pathetically weak after becoming unable to use the Demonic Sea.

"Kehehe. I guess after a millennium together... I get to see this kind of side to you," Balrog chuckled faintly. "You can just do as you have always done."

"What?"

"You told me... when we first met." Balrog smiled. "That you didn't give a fuck... about the demons of the Ninth Hell or the princes of Hell..."

It did not change what Kang-Woo had to do.

"Forward..."

Forward.

Thud.

Balrog's head fell to the side.

"Huh?" Kang-Woo's eyes widened. "Hey. Hey, Balrog."

He shook Balrog but there was no response.

"Hey, answer me." He turned Balrog's head toward him. "Answer... me."

His half-open eyes no longer carried any life in them.

"Please... Please, answer me."

Kang-Woo trembled.

"Ah..."

He slowly turned his head.

"Urgh... Finally done regenerating."

He saw Bael standing up with a frown.

"Hm? Is that son of a bitch finally dead?"

Kang-Woo stood up as his legs shook. "Balrog."

He looked down at Balrog's corpse with deeply sunken eyes and recalled his dying words.

"Okay."

Kang-Woo finally understood what it was he needed to do.

'Forward...'

To climb higher, to a place no one could ever reach.

"Haaa," Kang-Woo exhaled deeply.

He placed his shaking hand over his heart.