Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: The Hero's End
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Lucifer and Satan left behind sleazy laughter. Before they departed, they crammed an orb into Kim Jeongjae's hand.
It was an orange orb I'd never seen before. It must have been the source of the power that made him so strong.
But what exactly was that power?
He'd ridden a dragon around, ruling like an emperor with his exceptional magic and swordsmanship.
No one knew his true abilities.
No one had ever reached the sixteenth round, called the final round, where he was said to reveal his real strength.
Kim Jeongjae hugged his own body tightly, as if struck by a chill, trembling violently.
"Tha…. What is that…. Grandpa…. Grandpa…."
I flew over to his side and overheard his mutterings. From the sound of it, he was shocked by the sudden transformation of the grandfather who'd raised him since childhood.
Kim Jeongjae stared at his grandfather's skin sprawled on the ground and swallowed hard.
‘……Poor bastard.’
He was nothing like the Kim Jeongjae I'd seen in the game back then.
The guy who'd strutted confidently across the entire map, treating other players like trash—he was cowering in fear like this.
I spat on the top of his head,
*Ptui!*
then kicked him square in the face with my foot. Of course, like always, it didn't cause any direct damage.
This time, knowing the story, I'd avoided Kim Jeongjae to progress, but back in the day, he'd made things really tough for me.
Countless players died every round due to his rampages and power trips.
Kim Jeongjae, who had been weeping pathetically alone, suddenly widened his eyes and shot to his feet. As if he'd made some resolve, he abruptly swallowed the orange orb.
Curious about his power, I quietly observed the changes.
"Urgh…. Uuugh…."
What was this?
He was suddenly writhing in pain. I didn't think much of it—it was one of the reactions that came with consuming an ability orb. I'd experienced it myself when I swallowed two of them earlier.
Kim Jeongjae rolled on the ground before suddenly springing up and examining his body. No visible changes?
The moment I thought that, his body began to grow. It wasn't just getting taller like a tree—it transformed into an adult's in an instant.
His entire body bulked up with solid muscle,
and auras of various colors burst forth from him all at once.
To think the orb from the demon held this kind of power.
‘Impressive.’
I watched him intently. Wondering how he'd achieved such a transformation, the answer came quickly.
‘……All auras amplified.’
There was no other explanation.
The orb Kim Jeongjae swallowed must have been an item that massively boosted a person's aura aptitudes. He had the rare constitution of possessing multiple types of auras.
He'd had ‘multi-auras,’ and Lucifer had given him the orb to unlock that potential.
I nodded, impressed by my own deduction.
But that lasted only a moment.
After confirming just how strong he'd become, I fell into thought. With that level of power, my current self couldn't win.
Kim Jeongjae wasn't someone who could crush Beelzebub and sweep through hell for nothing.
Having confirmed his power, Kim Jeongjae suddenly let out a sneer.
I wondered if he'd lost his mind, so I listened to his mutterings. Turns out he really had gone completely insane.
"Amazing…. So this is my power…."
Staring at the auras flowing from his body, he suddenly punched the wall.
Boom! The wall cracked and crumbled with the sound. It was unbelievable strength for a bare fist.
"Wow!"
He rushed out of the cave, kicked a tree to snap it, and pulverized a massive boulder with a straight punch.
‘……Testing his strength, huh.’
Kim Jeongjae began rampaging like a madman.
And with his laughter ringing out, a fog curtain suddenly descended.
I lowered my head.
"……I see."
* * * * *
A few seconds passed, and we returned to reality. Or should I say, back in the game? Anyway, it was the moment I faced Kim Jeongjae.
Kim Jeongjae spoke to me again.
"Kill me."
"……What the hell are you talking about?"
"You can do it."
I shook my head firmly.
"No! You can't die right now."
"Why not?"
What should I say?
You have to kill Beelzebub for the story to progress smoothly, so no?
As the opener, you need to fight the demons with everything you've got to protect humanity?
You're born to receive blessings?
‘Haha….’
I had no idea what to say. I hated Kim Jeongjae, but for the story's sake, it was better for him to stay alive.
I raised my finger and gently placed it over my lips.
"……Secret."
Kim Jeongjae furrowed his brow.
"Don't mess around."
"No, it's because I don't want to kill you, but you're begging me to."
"……"
But why was he asking me to kill him? He was wrapped up in pride and now had unimaginably strong power.
I tilted my head and asked him.
"Why do you want me to kill you? Tell me the reason first."
"……A demon is inside my body."
"A demon?"
"Yeah."
Kim Jeongjae sat up and bared his chest. A fist-sized black crystal shard was embedded near his heart.
"No way…."
"You know what this is?"
Of course I did.
Anyone who'd passed the mid-game knew about it.
A crystal containing a demon's soul—a tool that could transform someone into an archdemon.
"Any changes in your body?"
"Can't you tell?"
Well, he'd turned into a monster, so I'd been too slow on the uptake.
His transformation meant,
he was turning into a demon.
One of the archdemons called the strongest in hell, no less.
"How'd that happen?"
"……I got played."
"By who?"
"Lucifer."
"Lucifer? But he's sealed."
"……Yeah."
"Yeah? Then how'd he play you?"
Kim Jeongjae opened his mouth wide and spat fire, leaving behind an afterimage of Lucifer.
"What does this look like to you?"
"……Lucifer?"
"Right. Just like I recreated Lucifer's form, Beelzebub made a puppet doll of Lucifer."
"So it's not really Lucifer?"
"……No. Lucifer's soul was injected into that puppet doll. Not perfectly, though."
Haha—.
So Lucifer's soul had slipped out of the hourglass. "Not perfect" meant only a tiny fragment had been injected.
I stroked my chin and said to Kim Jeongjae.
"You've been tainted by darkness, so kill me. That's it?"
"Yes."
"……No thought to using that dark power to fight them?"
"No. My mind will be gone soon."
"Your mind?"
"Yeah. Even while talking to you now, I feel like I'll turn back into that beastly monster from earlier."
"……"
Kim Jeongjae had already resolved to die. Killing him would be incredibly easy.
No resistance—just sever his neck and everyone pile on attacks to whittle down his life force. Done.
I glanced up at the event timer ticking down in midair as I thought this.
Time kept flowing even as I pondered.
Kim Jeongjae clutched his head in agony, groaning. Dark aura swirled wildly from the black crystal embedded in his chest.
-Kraaaah!
I gripped my scythe tightly.
I knew what to do for the best outcome for both of us.
"……Kim Jeongjae. Any last words?"
"Urgh…. Those guys…. Make sure…. To take them out…."
I took one more step toward him.
Step.
"I promise. I'll handle them."
My scythe arced gracefully, slicing across Kim Jeongjae's neck.
If he'd been on the defensive, it would've been hard to even scratch him, but it was too easy.
The severed head twitched.
His face looked serene.
We all unleashed a barrage of attacks on Kim Jeongjae like fighter jets bombing a target.
His life force barely budged. Hell, it felt like it'd be easier to chip away at Beelzebub's.
Fortunately,
we'd met him before he fully turned into a monster.
And he'd resolved to die by our hands without ill intent.
[‘Hero Kim Jeongjae’ has been annihilated by Kim Cheonjae's group.]
[The altered story flow is newly inscribed in the ‘Lion’s Book.’]
[The past hero vanishes, and a new hero is set to arrive.]
A new hero is coming?
[‘The Third Eye’ anticipates the birth of the new hero.]
Ma Jeongwoo shouted.
"Kim Cheonjae! Not much time left!"
I turned to check the remaining time.
[Raphael's Barrier]
[Time Remaining: 00:21:35]
About twenty minutes.
Short for some, long for others.
"……Let's go."
* * * * *
Cracks began to form in the hourglass. Gabriel's body was mostly submerged in sand.
Lucifer stroked his chin with a satisfied expression.
"Beelzebub. What about Michael's whereabouts?"
A shadow rippled from the ground in response.
"They're all heading up to the throne."
"……Good."
"But there's one problem."
"Problem?"
"Yeah."
Beelzebub spread his arms wide, and space warped, revealing another location.
Kim Cheonjae and his party were sprinting at full speed toward the basement of the demon castle.
While everyone else headed upward,
they'd veered downward.
"No way—they're coming this way?"
Beelzebub nodded.
"Yep."
"How do they know?"
"No idea, but they seem to have pinpointed the hourglass's location."
"This is insane! What the hell is Kim Jeongjae doing, not blocking them?"
"……"
Lucifer stomped on Beelzebub's silent shadow and said.
"What is Kim Jeongjae doing?"
"……He's dead."
"What?"
"Dead. They killed him. The idiot let them do it without any resistance."
Beelzebub opened another space, showing Kim Jeongjae's fallen body. Lucifer burst into incredulous laughter.
He seemed pretty shocked that the dark crystal he'd personally made hadn't consumed Kim Jeongjae's mind.
"……Beelzebub."
"Speak."
"Go block them yourself."
"……Hmm, it might be risky for me alone."
"Without Michael and Raphael, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
"No, it's not that simple. That Kim Cheonjae guy. Never underestimate him."
"Kim Cheonjae…."
"You got done in by him once too, remember? One of your countless soul shards, sure."
Lucifer tapped the hourglass's surface and looked down at Gabriel.
"……True. He got me good."
"Lucifer, how about this?"
"……Let's hear it."
Beelzebub's shadow split into multiples. His physical forms multiplied accordingly.
One of the multiplied Beelzebubs approached Lucifer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave one here. You come with me personally to block them."
"……"
"That should buy enough time to break the seal, right?"