Epilogue Chapter 71 - As Always, The Ending (1)

Mus’s final struggle went to pieces thanks to Kang-Hee’s performance. The enraged Kim Si-Hun beat up the Celestial of Musca to the point that he was almost annihilated. Kang-Woo barely managed to stop Si-Hun, just barely managing to keep Mus alive. But of course, he had not spared him because he wanted him to live.

“Here you go,” said Kang-Woo as he kicked Mus, wrapped in the custom-made tentacles Lilith made herself.

Mus’s compound eyes were lifeless as he muttered, “K-Kill me...”

“As promised, I captured him alive.”

“Well, I knew you’d easily capture him, but...” Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled as he stared at the lifeless Mus.

He did not expect a Celestial to be dealt with so easily as if he were a three-year-old child.

‘I should be grateful he’s not an enemy.’

Chills went down Oh-Jin’s spine from the thought of facing Kang-Woo as an opponent. He wasn’t sure who would win since they had never fought seriously, but one thing was for sure.

‘We’d both suffer irreparable injuries.’

It was comparable to a nuclear war between two nations— the damages from the war far outweighed the benefits of victory.

“Oh, and about the Black Sky that this guy has...” Kang-Woo slurred.

Oh-Jin’s expression slightly crumpled. From what he had heard from Kang-Woo, the source of his power was known as the Demonic Sea. The Black Sky and the Demonic Sea— the sky and the sea. What would happen if one person managed to get their hands on both of the Primordial Darknesses?

“...” Oh-Jin gulped anxiously.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. I have no intention of attacking you to get my hands on the Black Sky,” Kang-Woo clarified.

“Ahem. I wasn’t thinking anything like that...”

“Bullshit. I would’ve thought the same if I were in your shoes.”

Honestly, he faltered when the power of the Black Sky was in his hands after subduing Mus. It was only natural— demons lived according to their desires, and Kang-Woo was their king.

‘How strong could I get If I also get the power of the Black Sky...?’

His desire blazed each time he imagined it. However, Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“I’d rather not do anything unnecessary.”

“That’s... unexpected,” Oh-Jin remarked.

“Hm? How so?”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“As the holder of the Black Sky, I know how powerful the desire for power is.”

Oh-Jin had also felt the suffocating burning desire for power so he knew better than anyone how difficult it was to endure. Not only that but it would be even more so for a demon controlled by desires.

“Hmm. I wouldn’t say that. It wasn’t that hard.” Kang-Woo smiled and turned to a closed door.

Familiar cheerful laughter could be heard from beyond it.

“So, where did you go for travel?” Cha Yeon-Joo asked.

Song Ha-Eun answered, “A bunch of places, here and there. We went to Japan, England, Italy, and such.”

“How were they? Any different from your Earth?”

“They were mostly the same except for Italy. The Italy on our Earth was reduced to ash.”

“It was nice to see my home intact,” Isabella remarked.

“Huh? You were Italian, Isabella?” Seol-Ah asked.

“Fufu, yes.”

“The destruction of your home country... it must’ve been hard.”

“Not at all. The reconstruction is mostly complete, so it’s okay.”

The reunited women were chatting in the living room.

[Oh, are these the children you were talking about?]

“My~ how cute. What’s your name?”

“I’m Oh Kang-Hyun.”

“Hey, pipsqueak... is he seriously your son? Aren’t you two way too different?”

“Wanna die?”

“I mean, come on! He’s nothing like you!”

“I know that, so shut the hell up!” Yeon-Joo shouted cutely at Ha-Eun.

“Hmm. Then what’s your name, cute hiding little lady?”

“Ngh... K-Kang-Hee.”

“Kyaa! She’s so cute! Kang-Hee’s your daughter, right, Seol-Ah?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Haaah... I’d love to have a daughter like Kang-Hee.”

“Fufu. Have you been using the method I taught you?”

“Fufu. We’ve been doing it at least five times a day.”

“That’s not enough! At least ten times!”

“T-Ten? Isn’t that a bit overkill...?”

“Oh-Jin has powers similar to Kang-Woo, so it should be fine,” Seol-Ah advised Isabella.

“Come to think of it, where’s your daughter, Lilith?”

“I tied up Lia in her room because she kept trying to sneak into Kang-Woo’s room.”

“Pardon? Tied up? With what...?”

“Of course, my tenta— Oh, right. Seol-Ah told me not to say. Fufu. It’s a secret,” Lilith remarked as she giggled.

They were all voices irreplaceable to Kang-Woo.

He answered, “My desire to protect my current happiness is stronger than the desire to grow stronger.”

“I see...”

Oh-Jin smiled faintly and nodded as if he fully understood. He would have made the same choice in Kang-Woo’s shoes.

“That aside, what are you gonna do with him?” asked Kang-Woo as he poked the lifeless Mus with the tip of his foot.

“I’ll dispose of him so he can never wreak havoc in another world. I’ll retrieve the power of the Black Sky as well.”

“And then?”

“And then... we’ll go back to our world,” Oh-Jin remarked sorrowfully.

He had not spent much time with Kang-Woo but felt sad that he had to leave.

“Well, stop by to hang out if you ever have time,” Kang-Woo said.

“We’re not exactly next-door neighbors.”

“But you can still come if you want, right?”

Opening a Rift to another world was not simple but it was not impossible either.

“Hmm... how about this, then? Come to our world next time, hyung.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. How’s that?”

“Hmm. Another world, huh?”

Kang-Woo couldn’t leave Earth for long because of his duties as the guardian deity, but he could at least enjoy a break for a few days.

“Shouldn’t you see what our Earth’s kimchi stew tastes like?” Oh-Jin added.

“I’ll be there.”

Oh-Jin chuckled at Kang-Woo’s sudden enthusiasm.

“Alright, then. Let’s see each other again. It’s a promise.”

“Yeah.” Kang-Woo smiled brightly and shook hands with Oh-Jin. “Oh, right. We should hold a farewell party.”

“If we have alcohol... noona and Yeon-Joo will make a mess again.”

“Who cares about a little rowdiness on our last day together?”

Kang-Woo shrugged and went to the living room with Oh-Jin. The next day, Oh-Jin returned to his Earth with his lovers while supporting the hung-over Ha-Eun. Kang-Woo stretched after seeing Oh-Jin and his companions disappear into the Rift.

“Finally, back to a peaceful life.”

He had been busy worrying about the Celestial, the Black Sky, and much more recently, but things had at last returned to normal.

‘And Kang-Hyun managed to open his

Door

thanks to it.’

Kang-Woo had planned to teach him how to do it much later but it couldn’t be helped since he wanted to become strong.

‘A parent can’t say no to their child’s wishes.’

Kang-Woo chuckled and returned to his home.

“Welcome back, Father,” Kang-Hyun greeted as Kang-Woo opened the front door.

“Thanks. Hm? Where are you going, Kang-Hyun?”

Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder as he stared at his son dressed more fashionably than usual. It was late afternoon after school; since he did not attend cram school, there was nowhere he needed to go.

“I’m going to... the hospital.”

“The hospital? Ohh.” Kang-Woo smiled and stared at his son. “To visit Si-Ah? You little brat, no wonder you were so sky about it.”

“F-Father, shh!” Kang-Hyun quickly brought his index finger to his lips. “Umm... I can’t leave if Kang-Hee finds out.”

“Pfft. Okay, okay.”

“Please don’t laugh either...”

“Yes, sir~ As you command, Master Son.”

Kang-Woo snickered as he rustled Kang-Hyun’s hair.

“I’ll be off, then,” Kang-Hyun remarked.

“Oh, just a second.” Kang-Woo grabbed Kang-Hyun as he was about to leave and took out a credit card from his wallet. “You should buy a gift or something when visiting someone at a hospital. She’ll be sad if you go empty-handed.”

“Thank you, Father!”

Kang-Hyun accepted the credit card with both hands and ran out of the house.

“Hmm... I feel a bit restless for some reason.”

His son, who Kang-Woo felt could only crawl just yesterday, had grown enough to have romantic feelings for a girl. He was inexplicably happy but sad at the same time.

‘I guess this is how all parents feel.’

Kang-Woo smiled faintly and sat on the living room couch. His wives were away at the moment, filling the house with a rare silence.

“Haaa,” he sighed.

Possibly because he witnessed Kang-Hyun’s growth, his life flashed before his eyes like an old videotape.

“So many goddamn things happened.”

The story had been so long that it felt like there would be no end. Kang-Woo wondered what the final page of the story would be like. Not even he, who had become a godly being after accepting the Primordial Darkness, could tell. However, he wished for one thing.

“As always, the ending should be—”

Clack.

Kang-Hee in pajamas opened the door to her room and walked out as Kang-Woo was reminiscing.

“Hm? Were you sleeping, my princess?”

“Mmm. Yes. I’ve been sleepy more often after the excursion.”

“Is that so?”

It was likely an aftereffect from using her powers. Although she possessed extraordinary talent, it had been too soon for her to use such a power.

“Where’s oppa?” Kang-Hee asked.

“Oh, I sent Kang-Hyun on an errand to the supermarket,” answered Kang-Woo, recalling Kang-Hyun asking him not to tell Kang-Hee.

“Hmm. How strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“I installed a tracking app on oppa’s phone, and... he’s not at the supermarket.”

“...”

‘Huh? This isn’t the ending I had in mind.’