Side Story Chapter 133 - Thousand-Year War (6)

The Giant Rock— the red rock was named so because it looked like a giant spreading its arms outward.

Boom!! Boom! Rumble—!!

Sonic booms echoed throughout the plain under the four-hundred-meter-tall rock.

“Haaa, haaa!”

Oh Kang-Woo ignited the demonic energy he squeezed out with each step. His body screamed at him, barely keeping itself together against the supersonic speed. A massive sand pillar formed every time he stepped on the ground.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Sand got into Kang-Woo’s mouth. He felt nauseous due to reaching speeds that transcended human limits but he ignored it.

‘Found you.’

A demon was leisurely walking through the terrain of gravel-like sand behind the Giant Rock. He had black spikes protruding all over him like a hedgehog. He was three meters tall, slightly taller than the average demon.

“Hm?” The demon’s eyes shone after noticing Kang-Woo. “Well, well. So, the information of a human being in the village of Halves was true.”

The demon smiled. He seemed to have intruded on the territory knowing Kang-Woo was in it.

“Yeah, I don’t know where you came from, but you’re in the right place.”

Kang-Woo stopped and caught his breath.

“Kehehehe!! Good!!” The demon smiled and shrugged.

“Then to commemorate our meeting, let me ask you something.” Kang-Woo cracked his knuckles and glared at the demon coldly. “Did you kill him?”

“Hm? Kill who?”

“The Tinky Winky with four horns.”

“Tinky Winky? Ohh, are you talking about that Half?”[1]

Kang-Woo nodded.

“Kehehe!! Yes, I killed him. I saw a filthy creature while I was surveying the area, so I cleaned it up.”

“Is that so?”

That was all he needed to know; there was nothing more to ask.

Boom—!!

Kang-Woo stomped his foot. He used the Authority of Haste as he crouched and ran as if sliding along the ground.

‘His ankles.’

He examined the demon as he ran. The demon’s ankles were not covered in black spikes.

Swoosh!!

He placed his hand on the ground as he slowed down and spun his torso to kick as if he were breakdancing.

“Huup!”

The demon jumped and smashed his fist down toward Kang-Woo. No, it was more than just a fist; since his entire body was covered in black spikes, it was more like a spiked mace than a fist.

Wham!!

Kang-Woo rolled away to dodge the fist and stretched out his right arm while lying on the ground.

‘Authority of Shattering Air.’

Blam—!!!

A sphere of demonic energy shot at the demon.

“Kurgh!!!”

The demon crossed his arms to block the demonic energy bullet and was blown backward. He smirked in satisfaction.

“You are powerful!! Hard to believe that you are a human!”

“You’ve never even seen other humans, so what the fuck do you know?” Kang-Woo sprang up from the ground and widened his distance from the demon. “Huuu.”

He was slightly out of breath after using two Authorities one after another. He caught his breath and examined the demon. He couldn’t help but frown.

‘He’s strong.’

The demon was on another level compared to the other demons Kang-Woo had hunted in this area for the past three years.

‘He’s at least a High-level demon. Perhaps higher.’

Kang-Woo had only faced up to Intermediate-level demons so far.

‘Can I win?’

It was his first time facing a demon this powerful, excluding Balrog. He had spent the past three years hunting demons and accumulating demonic energy but felt like the pressure was crushing him after coming face-to-face with a High-level demon.

“Hah,” Kang-Woo chuckled after some short thought.

Whatever the case, he couldn’t avoid a battle after coming this far. Hence, thinking about his chance of victory was pointless.

“That aside, I am also quite curious.” The demon tilted his head in wonder. “Why are you protecting pathetic insects like Halves despite holding this much power?”

“...”

Kang-Woo flinched. He clenched his fists in silence.

“Hm? No intention of answering?”

“Do you usually talk this much when you fight?”

“Wow. If that’s how you’re going to be, what becomes of me for answering your question honestly?”

“A dipshit for shit for brains, that’s what.”

“...”

“Fuck, man. I can smell the shit in your head through your mouth.”

Kang-Woo frowned and held his nose. The demon’s eyebrows rose.

“Well... at least your manner of speech shows you’re strong enough to survive in the Ninth Hell,” said the demon in slight anger and crouched.

No, it was more apt to say he curled up into a ball. He looked like a chestnut burr but a thousand times larger.

“Kahahaha!!! Show me that your strength doesn’t fall behind your manner of speech!!”

The demon’s laughter echoed as he rolled on the ground.

Rumble—!!!

The demon, covered in black spikes, rolled as he destroyed the rocks in his path.

“Shit.”

Kang-Woo frowned and ran to dodge the demon.

‘There’s no way to attack him.’

The demon looked a little funny but since he had curled up into a spiky ball, there were no openings for attack.

“In that case...”

Kang-Woo clenched his fists. If there were no openings then he would just smash through it.

‘I need to end it in one blow.’

He calmed his breaths and lowered his stance. He could only use the technique he was about to use once; if he didn’t kill his enemy with it, he would be the one to die.

Rumble—!!

“Kahahaha!! How long are you going to keep running?!”

The train of death charged straight at him. Kang-Woo put his right leg back and lowered his torso.

‘Authority of Shattering Air.’

A sphere of demonic energy enveloped his fist. If it was just this, a cannonball of demonic energy would be shot at his enemy.

‘Authority of Titanic Might.’

However, he merged one Authority with another. The demonic energy inside Kang-Woo was boiling like crazy. Blood came out of his mouth and wet his chest.

“Hah! Do you seriously think you can take me head-on?!” the demon shouted arrogantly.

Kang-Woo focused the power of two merged Authorities, a feat no one could have attempted.

“Sky...”

Kang-Woo lowered his torso and pulled back his torso as far as he could. He stepped forward with his left foot and swung his right fist forward like an arrow being let loose from a bow.

“Breaker.”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The condensed demonic energy exploded. A wave of demonic energy that took the form of a colossal fist shot toward the demon.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

The wave of demonic energy destroyed the demon’s black spikes and smashed into the demon curled up into a ball, crushing him like a baseball being hit with a bat in slow motion, sending the demon flying.

“Kurgh, gah... Argh,” the demon groaned as he flinched and died soon after.

“Haaa, haaa.” Kang-Woo staggered toward the demon. “...”

He looked down at the dead demon and extended his arm to use the Authority of Predation.

Crunch!

The black mucus flowed out of his hand and ate the demon without leaving a trace.

“He... had an Authority,” Kang-Woo mumbled as he created a black spike.

The demon’s Authority was called the Authority of Dark Spears.

“...”

He used the Authority of Dark Spears a few times to get the hang of it and turned back to return to the village.

“S-Sir Kang-Woo!!”

“D-Did you find the demon who killed Kanile?”

The Halves, whose faces were covered in tears, rushed to surround him.

“Yeah, I killed him.”

“Ah...”

Kang-Woo walked past the Halves after a concise answer. Kanile’s mangled body was still in the cave.

“...”

He stopped in his tracks to stare at Kanile’s body and noticed Fel crying miserably next to the body.

“

Sniff... Waaaaaah!

B-Because of me...

Sniff!

K-Kanile is...”

Kang-Woo wondered what she was talking about. He approached the crying Fel and realized why she was blaming herself after noticing what was in front of her. It was Kanile’s abnormally twisted right arm. He was clenching something in his right hand even when his limbs were being broken and his horns were pulled out.

It was a red weed.

“Bloodlight plant...”

‘He must have gone out to pick those.’

Kang-Woo didn’t know whether Kanile had gone out at Fel’s request or of his own accord. He didn’t even want to know— it wouldn’t change the fact that he had left the cave like an idiot to pick a useless weed and died for it.

‘Fucking idiot.’

Kang-Woo turned away from the crying Fel and walked back out of the cave. He went far enough so the Halves couldn’t see him and looked up at the sky as he leaned on a rock. The sky in Hell was as burning red as always.

“Pfft! Bwehehehehehehe!!!”

He let out the laughter he had been holding in all this time. After all, he couldn’t be cackling in the cave where the mood was like that of a funeral home. He wasn’t that shameless.

“Shiet!! This is awesome!! What a fucking score!!!”

Kang-Woo was lucky; it was his lucky day. A prey that had been scarce lately appeared out of nowhere; a High-level demon with an Authority, no less. The harvest couldn’t have been better.

“Dayum, High-level demons sure give tons of demonic energy!!”

The demonic energy he got from eating Low to Intermediate-level demons couldn’t even come close to what a High-level demon offered. Kang-Woo danced as he cackled.

“Bwehehehe!!! Bwehehehehe!!”

He burst into laughter and waved his arms in joy. Today was his lucky day. It was a good day. He was happy.

“Bwehehehehehe.”

It was only natural he would dance in joy. He would naturally wave his hands like a madman to celebrate his luck.

“Bwe... hehehe... he.”

Yes, he had exchanged the life of a mere insect of a brat for a priceless miracle.

“Heh...”

It was cause for celebration.

“...”

Kang-Woo gritted his teeth. His head felt hot. His body was cold. It was freezing.

“... uck.”

It was so cold that he felt like he would freeze to death.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!”

WHAM—!

Kang-Woo smashed his fist into the rock wall and panted heavily.

“WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY?!!” he shouted, asking a question he didn’t even know who to. “THEY’VE DONE NOTHING!!! THEY’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!!!”

The Halves had done nothing wrong. The only thing wrong about them was that they were not demon-like.

“THEY HAVEN’T HURT ANYONE!!!”

It didn’t matter even if no demon had been hurt by Halves. All demons needed were prey that they could trample on however they liked. Kang-Woo knew that and understood it.

‘But... but... but...’

“WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SO GODDAMN EAGER TO KILL THEM?!!”

Wham! Wham!

Kang-Woo punched the wall, rock dust showering him from above.

“I was wondering what all this noise was about...” someone said in a deep voice.

Kang-Woo turned to see a red muscly demon looking down at him.

“Were you not the one who told me to stop with the pity show?”

“...” Kang-Woo kept silent. He glared at Balrog and muttered, “Fuck... off.”

“All you do is push others away,” remarked Balrog as he sat next to Kang-Woo. “As if you’re afraid of getting close to others.”

“...” Kang-Woo glared at Balrog ragefully. “I never thought I’d get to hear something like that from a demon.”

“Demons also have emotions. We have those we treasure and resent.”

“Really? I never would’ve guessed.”

The demons Kang-Woo had met so far were morons blinded by desire.

“Are you frustrated?” Balrog asked.

“By what?”

“By everything.”

“...” Kang-Woo tightened his lips. He clenched his fist smashed into the rock wall and answered tremblingly, “Yeah.”

He was so angry that he couldn’t resist the urge— no, he didn’t want to.

“I want to kill them all.”

“In that case,” said Balrog as he slowly turned his head to Kang-Woo and said deeply, “You become the king.”

1. The demon understood Kang-Woo because Tinky Winky’s Korean name (보라돌이) has the word “purple” in it. ☜