Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Descent of Beelzebub, Lucifer's Equal
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In the Land of Ruin's lore, the arrival of Beelzebub—said to be on par with Lucifer himself—
struck every player like a thunderbolt. Just watching him drained their very life force, his black aura pulsing ominously.
He dwarfed the five great demons we'd faced before, making them seem like a joke.
As everyone froze in place, I stepped forward toward Beelzebub.
"Hey, Beelzebub."
He glared at me.
"......Thanks. Because of you, this guy woke me up."
"Thanks, my ass. I just woke up a guy who was gonna wake up anyway, a little early."
"......Good to meet you. I've heard a lot about you while I was asleep."
"About me? I haven't been in Hell that long."
Beelzebub shook his head.
"You think my domain is limited to just Hell?"
"......What, as a former Demon King, you've got reach into the human world too, huh. But weren't you sealed in Lucifer's throne?"
"I've been out of that throne for ages. Not that many know, though."
"......"
How the hell did he get out? He must've been bound by seals even he couldn't break.
Just as I was about to ask, Beelzebub continued.
"Kim Cheonjae, why are you here?"
"Huh?"
"I asked why you're here."
"......"
I got the intent behind the question loud and clear. It had to do with how I'd been acting since arriving in Hell.
Teasing alliances with demons but never committing.
Keeping angels at arm's length but not quite.
My ambiguous stance had him scheming to recruit me.
I shrugged at him.
"'Cause I want to be here?"
"......Kuhaha! You slippery bastard."
"Slippery, huh? At least I'm not a bug."
"Heh heh—."
"Anyway, you know I killed Leviathan?"
At the mention of Leviathan, Beelzebub's expression shifted. The stern look he'd worn moments ago cracked, his eyebrow twitching.
"I do."
"Yeah?"
I aimed my scythe at Beelzebub. He glanced at the blade, then smirked.
"Enough. I don't feel like fighting you."
"What?"
"Kim Cheonjae, let me be direct. How about becoming my subordinate?"
"......?"
"It's not a bad deal. Join me, and I'll turn you into a demon—grant you immense power. Not some run-of-the-mill demon, but a great demon on my level."
Tempting offer.
Think I'd bite? Even if I die here, I respawn in the living world. No point turning demon now.
Unless it was angel, maybe.
Plus, I don't wanna stay a game demon forever.
I waved him off, rejecting flat-out.
"Nah. Why the hell would I become a demon?"
"Become a demon, gain power, and you could rule the world you came from."
"Ruler?"
"Yeah. If you've read the 'Hell Bible,' you know I turned Lucifer into a demon too."
"......"
"You could gain that same immense power. Just take my hand."
Beelzebub glanced at Michael and Raphael in turn, then extended his hand toward me.
The demon's temptation, preying on skilled but mentally fragile players.
I reached out as if to take it,
then flipped him off right in his face.
"Fuck off. Why would I hold hands with you?"
Beelzebub let out a disbelieving chuckle. I'd turned down an offer from a great demon whose influence spanned Hell, Heaven, and Earth. No wonder he was flustered.
"You don't need my power?"
"Nope."
"......No regrets?"
"Of course not."
He awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Every player gathered in the Chamber of the Lion tensed up, forming ranks while eyeing him warily.
Beelzebub scanned every single player's face.
"Impressive. For humans to get this strong is no easy feat."
"......"
"Well then, that's it for today. I'm not at full strength yet, so I'll come back later."
A surge of intense aura erupted from Beelzebub's body, enveloping the nearby samurai players.
It happened so fast no one could react.
Whoosh—the sound of wind slicing through air, and the samurai players' heads came clean off.
Thud.
Regular players, not even NPCs. Top-tier ones who'd reached the seventh round, no less.
As the samurai heads hit the ground, Beelzebub wrapped himself in shadowy aura.
['Great Demon Beelzebub' begins absorbing the players' auras.]
Steam-like aura poured from the dead players' bodies, weaving into Beelzebub's like threads.
He snapped his fingers, and it all sucked into him.
"Kim Cheonjae, next time we meet, I'll take your head too."
"......"
The air grew heavy as the space beside him warped.
Just like when Satan shook reality to breach the cathedral's barrier.
We all just watched him vanish.
Not a single thought of charging in.
We knew we'd lose.
"......Ma Jeongwoo."
Jeongwoo sidled up beside me.
"Yeah."
"Beelzebub... he's stronger than I thought."
"If he was weak, this wouldn't work. We've gotta fight Lucifer later."
"Then how strong is Lucifer, who beat this guy?"
"......Who knows. One thing's for sure—the difficulty spiked way beyond before."
"......"
* * * * *
Beelzebub was gone.
Once his aura faded completely, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. I checked the spot where he'd stood, scanning for traces.
He couldn't fully revive in Hanjo's body. Unstable state. He won't challenge Lucifer till he's back at full power.
"Everyone, get ready!"
At my shout, the players scattered in all directions. We had to protect Michael in case of surprises.
Once prepared, we watched Michael anxiously.
Soon, the archangel sealed in the seventh round would awaken.
If she did, the ancient angels' power would whisk us straight to Heaven.
Skipping Hell's rounds seven, eight, and nine—to straight to round ten.
The cathedral clock ticked down to Raphael's revival.
[00:00:00]
[System Message]
[Raphael will revive shortly.]
[The Great Demon of the South, 'Leviathan of Jealousy,' attacks the cathedral.]
I crossed my arms and glanced at Michael. The blade was pulling free from Raphael's chest—over 90% out already.
In the standard story, killing Leviathan freed the sword from Raphael's chest. But this time, it yanked out in one go.
Pop!
[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated the Great Demon of the South, 'Leviathan of Jealousy'!]
[Special reward granted to player 'Kim Cheonjae' for solo kill.]
A smile crept across my face. Reward for Leviathan, handled pre-emptively without a fight.
[Reward: Thunderbolt Orb]
[*Thunderbolt Orb: An orb containing the power of thunder and lightning. When consumed by a player, it adds job-specific traits.]
A holographic orb materialized before me, and the other players clapped.
-Congrats!
-Only got beef with it going to someone who deserves it. Damn.
-Eat that and you get lightning magic, right? Ugh... jealous! A necromancer with electric powers too.
I swallowed the orb in one gulp.
No sharing here. I need to get stronger myself to handle what's ahead cleanly.
Gulp.
[Player 'Kim Cheonjae' has consumed the Thunderbolt Orb.]
[Necromancer-exclusive NEW! Trait unlocked!]
[Skeleton soldiers under the player can now wield the Thunder God's power—devastating lightning.]
Crackle-crackle.
Sparks crackled in my ears. My skeletons were on standby outside the cathedral, yet the thunder reached all the way here?
"......Nice."
Michael set the sword he'd pulled from Raphael's chest down on the ground.
Clang!
['Raphael's' seal has been released.]
[All angel seals within the Burning Cathedral are released.]
The moment Raphael's seal broke, the ground quaked. Angel statues inside the cathedral cracked open one by one, revealing soldiers radiating blue light.
Hundreds of them, at least.
Raphael opened her eyes and beamed.
"Michael, it's been ages."
"Raphael!"
[Current time: The first phase of the seventh round concludes.]
The cathedral filled with angels as they took flight. Players cheered, welcoming them.
-Woooah!!! The angels are finally free!
-Does this mean a way out of the game...?
-We can leave Hell now?
I ignored the players' chatter and asked Michael.
"Michael."
"Speak."
"I've paved the way to Heaven. Time to head back."
"......You?"
"Yeah."
* * * * *
Outside the cathedral, a pillar of light poured down where the World Tree had fallen.
A holy aura, as if awaiting us.
Michael eyed the gate at the light's source and asked me.
"How'd you find that? Thought Lucifer smashed it."
"......He probably planned to return to Heaven someday too."
"Lucifer?"
"Yeah, no idea why, but..."
Back when our Transcendent group pushed to the fifteenth round's end—
No one cleared the sixteenth, the supposed finale. Lucifer left that gate for reasons unknown.
Michael tilted his head, then asked Raphael.
"Raphael, staying here? Or back to the cathedral?"
Raphael surveyed the shattered cathedral and sighed deeply.
"Better head back, I think? No telling what might happen if I'm here alone."
"Good call. Then..."
Michael raised his sword overhead. No words needed—the angels understood, soaring high.
Destination set.
The gate to Heaven.
Before departure, I asked Michael.
"Michael, see those Vietnamese players I turned undead over there?"
"Yup!"
"Revive 'em all. Damage under 5%, should work."
"Ooh—okay!"
I'd gathered the Vietnamese players in one spot and canceled their summons.
Drained of souls, their bodies slumped lifeless to the ground.
Michael stood before the fallen Vietnamese players and chanted like a Catholic priest.
[ Prayer for the Dead ]
"In the Father's name..."
As his murmur ended, life stirred in the dead players' bodies.
They rose as if from a dream, none the worse for wear.
The first Vietnamese player to stand rubbed his eyes and asked me.
"Huh, what happened?"
Turns out they had no memory of being undead.
I gave them a rough rundown of events.
Their apparent leader grabbed my hand and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!"
"No problem. Get ready to move."
With players prepped, Michael started toward the gate.
We followed silently in his wake.
The holy march from Hell began.
No demons—not a soul—barred our path. They hid instead.
With Lucifer still bound to his throne, no one could stop two archangels.
"......Everyone, halt!"
A booming voice echoed.
Michael, leading from the front. He swung his sword wide, slicing empty air.
Boom—the space split open.
What the—?
The sky was falling.
No other way to put it.
Hell itself was warping—that fit best.
The sky shattered like a mirror into countless shards, plummeting to the ground.
Rumble-rumble-rumble—
First time seeing this.
Michael scanned around, hissing through clenched teeth.
Ssss.
"All hands, back to the cathedral!"
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