Side Story Chapter 180 - Paradise (10)

A man walked out of a massive pillar of light that reached the sky. The first word anyone would think of when they saw him would be

white

. His hair, eyebrows, skin, and eyes were as white as snow.

He was more pure, high, and righteous than anyone else— someone who made anyone feel disrespectful just by being near him. He was Akart, one of the Titans born from the Primordial, and accomplished the miracle of creation.

“This is...”

Akart’s white eyes stirred. He gazed at the demon standing over the skies of Luceo Pure. The demon’s mouth was ripped wide open and sharp beast-like teeth protruded from between his lips.

“Demon King...”

The king of demons, the most evil of all demons who should not have been able to set foot into his paradise, was cackling uncontrollably.

“Nice to see you again. Been a while, huh? Oh, I guess not.” Oh Kang-Woo laughed with his tongue out. “You were right. You said we would meet again soon, right?”

As Akart had mentioned, it did not take them long to be reunited.

“But...” Kang-Woo licked his lips. “I think you mistook which world would meet its end.”

He spread out his arms, looking over the nightscape of the vast Luceo Pure.

“You...” Akart’s white eyes shook even more. He continued tremblingly, “What have you done... to Luceo Pure?”

“Nothing much.” Kang-Woo lightly shrugged and shook his head. He answered with a smile, “I didn’t do anything special. I just gave them the little push they needed to be able to do whatever they wanted.”

“...”

Akart’s expression hardened. He was not yet sure what the demon had done to Luceo Pure. He had only descended because the forty-eight Apostles of Light he had dispatched to Luceo Pure suddenly died, but he knew one thing for sure— that demon had dirtied his paradise.

Akart gritted his teeth and asked, “What... do you mean?”

“Hehehe. I guess even you’re capable of worrying.”

‘Despite creating this distorted paradise.’

“Worrying...? Isn’t it natural for me to be worried?” Akart frowned and continued, “This place is the Triad’s last hope.”

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

It was the ark for the world that was bound to end. Although only a handful could get on the ark, they would all die if it didn’t exist. Luceo Pure was the hope remaining in Pandora’s box full of evils.

“It is the land that will give new life to the souls that arrive here through salvation! It will grant them a new opportunity!”

It was an undefiled world with no worries or fears for its destruction— a world full of joy and happiness. As its name suggested, it was a shining world.

Akart glared at Kang-Woo and shouted, “THIS PLACE IS NOT ONE THAT A MERE DEMON CAN BE ALLOWED TO DEFILE!!”

Kang-Woo smirked. “What a load of horseshit.”

Luceo Pure was not a shining world— it was a world that only seemed shining.

“Do you think everything can just be hidden with blinding light?”

Even if one were to suppress desires, sorrow, and despair with blinding light, they could never be hidden.

“You don’t know anything about this world, you dumbass,” Kang-Woo remarked.

“I... created this world.”

“The creator tends to know the least about their creations.”

‘The guy who made

Sudden Attack 2

also thought it was a good game.’

“That is a bad joke,” replied Akart as he firmly shook his head.

He had personally created Luceo Pure. There was no way he wouldn’t know about his creation.

“Hehehe. Do you think so?” Kang-Woo chuckled mockingly. “Well... you’ll see soon enough.”

His right palm split open and black mucus flowed down from it. A chilling dark blue sword appeared from the thick darkness.

[Kyahahaha!! What? Is it time to fight?!] shouted Midir as she laughed maniacally. [Let’s fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight!!! Let’s kill them all!!!]

Midir trembled as she rushed Kang-Woo, likely because she had not been swung once after being awakened to eleven stars.

“We’re not ready yet, so keep your mouth shut.”

[Ready? Ready for what?]

Midir’s voice echoed in Kang-Woo’s head.

He answered with a question, “Are you satisfied with stopping at eleven stars?”

[Are you...] Midir mumbled tremblingly. [No, wait. I don’t feel any despair around us!]

“That’s why I'm telling you to keep your mouth shut and wait.”

It wouldn’t be long until the final awakening condition was met.

“I see... Yes, of course.” Akart nodded as if he understood something and placed his hand over his scale necklace. “Our conflicts cannot be resolved with dialogue.”

The only way to come to a resolution between him and his adversary was one of their deaths.

Clink.

A scale spear was formed in Akart’s hand with a flash of golden light.

“Come forth.”

Bang.

Akart hit the ground with the butt of his spear.

“Seekers of Truth.”

Blinding light surged from Akart.

Whoooom!!

A golden path that connected the Sun Stairs to Luceo Pure formed and countless soldiers of light walked down the stairs. At the vanguard was a white tiger and a golden armored knight riding it. Kang-Woo had not seen the knight in the full suit of armor before but he was familiar with the white tiger.[1]

“Wow, it’s been a while, Wikiholic.” Kang-Woo stuck up his middle finger as he stared at the white tiger. “I won’t be dragged away like last time, fucking kitty.”

He was boiling with rage just thinking about the time when he was powerlessly kidnapped; it was back when his body reconstruction was just starting.

“Wikiholic?” Akart asked in confusion.

“Oh, that’s what we call it.”

“That child’s name is not Wikiholic... He is my loyal second retainer, Ferus—”

“Just go with Wikiholic, man.”

Kang-Woo wasn’t the one who would be fighting the Wikiholic.

Schwing.

The sound of a sword unsheathing echoed and a chilling frost wind tickled Kang-Woo’s cheek. He looked down to see his comrades walking toward him side by side.

“Bwehehe! You guys standing like that reminds me of Crows Zero.”

“Boomer,” Cha Yeon-Joo said.

“Kurgh.” Kang-Woo clenched his chest in pain.

“Sheesh, there’s a lot of them. Are you sure we can take them all?”

Yeon-Joo shook her head as she looked up at the army of light walking down the Sun Stairs. There were tens of thousands of soldiers and only seven of them. Even if the seven of them were extremely powerful, they were vastly outnumbered.

Layla also sighed in frustration and asked, “Haaa. We should’ve brought some Guardians members like I’d suggested.”

“I told you, there’s nothing to worry about.” Kang-Woo smiled and shook his head.

“Shall I begin, my king?” Lilith asked.

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”

Lilith elegantly bowed and her black hair spread out.

“Right, then.” Kang-Woo turned to Akart. “You asked me what I’d done to Luceo Pure, right?”

The demon cackled.

“Do you hear them, Akart?”

He spread his arms wide and focused on the voices echoing throughout Luceo Pure.

“A-Aaaahh!!!”

“It’s the Great Akart!!! The Great Akart has descended!!!”

“O ALMIGHTY AKAAAAAAAAAAART!!!”

“BLESS US WITH THE LIGHT!! THE TRUTH!!!”

Cheers filled the town. The residents had come out of their homes to witness the giant pillar of light. They wept as they bowed with their heads on the ground at the god whom they worshiped. The residents of Luceo Pure, the people who worshiped and followed Akart since birth, prayed fanatically as they stared at Akart.

“I see... Are you going to take the people hostage?” asked Akart as he stared resentfully at Kang-Woo.

“Bwehehehehe!!! Hostage?”

He laughed as if it were the funniest joke he had ever heard. He had no intention of taking the powerless residents hostage to plunge the world into despair. To be more exact, there was no need for it.

“Take a good look, Akart.”

Kang-Woo snapped his fingers.

- You’re not going to kill me... even when I broke a rule?

A hologram displayed a man bound to a chair in midair. He was one of the ordinary citizens of paradise which Akart tried so hard to protect.

- You and I are the only ones who know you broke a rule, aren’t we?

The demon’s sweet whispers echoed.

- Just lie.

- Lie...?

“What is... this footage?” Akart tilted his head as he frowned.

“N-No!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Just then, a man madly ran toward them. It was the same man in the footage. “S-STOP!!! STOP PLAYING IT!!!”

“Pfft!! Bwehehehehehe!!!”

“P-Please!!! PLEASE STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!”

The demon continued amidst the cries of desperation, “Akart, do you know when a liar despairs the most?”

- Dear!!!

- Dad!! Welcome home!!!

“Liars...”

- HAHAHAHAHA!!!

“Despair most when their lies are exposed.”

- ANOTHER FRUITFUL DAY AS ALWAYS!!!

The hologram displayed the man blatantly lying as he laughed heartily.

“N-No!!! Th-That’s not me!!!” the man shouted desperately.

He had fallen into despair as his sins were exposed to the god he had worshiped since birth.

- Mom! We got two less loaves of bread for today’s rations!

- Oh, my! Sudden plans came up so I don’t think I can make dinner tonight!

It wasn’t just the man. More holograms appeared and countless of them soon filled the skies of Luceo Pure.

“Ah—”

Akart’s eyes widened and he trembled. The skies of his paradise were filled with countless lies.

“Now then, Akart.” The demon smiled brightly as he danced in the despair-filled paradise. “This is the truth of the pure and shining world you’ve created.”

1. The Wikiholic was a golden lion in the earlier chapters of the side story, but... whatever, I guess. ☜