Gluttony Knew From the Beginning
Gluttony had known from the beginning. That the reason for this war was me.
The three great archangels of heaven. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. One of them, Raphael, had descended personally. The bastard with powers of healing and wind, restoration and support. Rather than swinging a sword on the front lines, he was the pillar who managed the lives and momentum of the entire legion. For Raphael to come down to hell and lead the legion meant it wasn't a mere raid—it was an extermination operation. The resolve to pour out low-rank angels like sand, to carve out entire cities with pillars of light, all to eliminate just one guy. Me. The birth of a Great Demon. The demon of Gluttony. It was almost funny to think that Raphael and his entire legion had come down just to kill little old me. That's how dangerous I was. And that's how strong I was destined to become.
"Maintain the defensive formation!"
"Circular formation centered on Lord Bell—plug the gaps!"
On the blood-soaked ramparts. High-, mid-, and low-rank demons formed a circular defense around me at the center. They all bowed their heads.
"Lord Bell, please move to the rear!"
"We'll hold the front!"
"Lord Bell, you must focus on maintaining your power—"
I stood right in the middle. Black hair. A sharp, piercing gaze. A height over 190 cm, with a black, perfectly balanced body. No armor. No weapons. Bare body. Bare fists. That was the most comfortable for me.
"You guys are being a bit too overprotective, don't you think?"
I said it casually, but inside, I was laser-focused on one thing. Today was my real first battle. I'd never pushed Gluttony to its limits before. This formation wasn't built on my 'current strength'—it was betting on my 'potential.' I had no intention of betraying that trust.
The sky tore open. The first pillar of light struck before the sound, shattering my vision.
───BOOM!
The rampart split in half. A high-rank demon at the front vanished from the waist up. Flesh, bone, and remnants of power shattered in the white light, drifting through the air. The shockwave pushed me back half a step. My ears rang. The smell of burning flesh. Black-red blood scattered in the air.
My instincts screamed. I can eat that.
The second pillar followed. One corner of the circular formation vanished entirely, turning two mid-rank demons to ash without a scream. Sticky black residue remained in their place.
Judgment was swift. At this rate, every demon in this sector would be shredded. And I'd end up the same if I just stood there watching. I didn't like that.
My hand moved first.
Black void surges from the ground.
Chunks of the severed high- and mid-rank demons—flesh, bone, power—all fused into one mass and sucked toward me.
"Sorry."
I didn't kill them, but better I consume them than let them rot. That's how I rationalized it.
The next instant, my insides twisted. My stomach flipped, my heart seemed to stop and shrink before bursting. The sensation of my ribs cracking open from within.
"Ngh... damn it."
Blood filled my mouth. My knees buckled slightly. I could have fallen. But I endured. I forcibly crushed the rampaging foreign power inside, blending it. Mashing it without order, dyeing it my color. The roughly assembled new strength clung greedily to my bones and muscles.
I felt it. I was stronger.
The third pillar. This one dug deeper, more precisely. The defensive line tore with it, slicing three demons mid-air.
"Lord Bell! Retreat—"
I saw the light's trajectory. The angle made its landing spot crystal clear. I took one step forward. I kicked aside the three low-rank demons standing where it would hit. They rolled away and survived. Instead, a mid-rank demon charging from my side took the full blast and vaporized.
Remnants left behind. No hesitation this time.
Black energy sweeps up the fragments.
Overload again. My organs screamed once more, then quieted faster than before. The pain lessened.
"......Getting used to it, huh."
Catching my breath, I felt it. The sensation of my broken bones knitting thicker. Torn muscles replaced with tougher fibers. The raw agony of the first swallow had dulled to mere 'adjustment' stimulation. My body was reconstructing itself around Gluttony.
More. Let's devour it all.
Then, something fell. A high-rank angel corpse, plummeting with the light. Severed wings. Shattered armor. Holy light still leaking from the hole in its chest.
The demons instinctively backed away.
"Lord Bell, you can't!"
"An angel's remains are poison—if you absorb it—!"
"You think there's anything I can't eat?"
I laughed. I knew. Angel power had a different structure. Orderly, regular, relentlessly 'pure.' Force it into a demon's frame, and you'd normally explode. But I was already beyond normal.
I reached out.
Angel's flesh, blood, and leaking light dye black and turbid, pouring into me like a waterfall.
A clean blade grinding my insides. Expansion. My spine burned, my brain shook, my veins flipped.
"Lord Bell!!"
Screams from somewhere. The thought that I might die flickered thin. Then vanished. Survive this, and I'd be stronger. Simple conclusion.
I seized that power inside and tore it apart. Shattered the order, mixed it with demon remnants into murky black mud. Imprinted my will, overwriting it as my own strength.
"Ngh..."
One knee grazed the ground. Stopped before touching. I stood again. Inhaled. Unnaturally light.
I clenched and unclenched my fist. Power seeped to my fingertips. Pain? Still there. But meaningless now. Just loud white noise.
"So that's why you came to kill me."
Blood-smeared lips curled up.
"I get it."
Every pillar that fell shredded demons. I walked through the gaps. Power piled up at every fallen spot.
Repeated consumption refines the body.
My ribs thickened, muscle fibers densified, blood grew heavier and thicker. At some point, even shards of light barely registered as wounds. If my arm burned, regeneration outpaced the pain. A gash in my side? Blink, and it was gone. Each use of power reduced pain, leaving only control.
A squad of low-rank angels came into view. Dozens wielding swords and spears of light.
"Surround the Demon of Gluttony."
"Subdue with simultaneous strike."
They charged in formation. A decent numbers game before. Perfect to test now.
I held my ground. Inhaled deeply───exhaled slowly. Clenched my fist. Slowly raised my arm. They closed in unison. The moment spear tips filled my vision.
I thrust.
"Get lost."
My fist cut the air, unleashing a black shockwave forward. Brief silence.
─────────KABOOM!!!
The explosion followed. Front-line low-rank angels crumpled inward, then burst from pressure. Their bodies folded into the ones behind, chain-reacting through the pack. Light, blood, and wing fragments scattered at once.
"......"
The battlefield fell quiet for a moment. I shook out my fist. My arm felt neither heavy nor sore. Low-rank angels meant nothing now.
Angel remnants absorbed seamlessly.
The exploded angels' debris blackened and seeped into my feet. No turmoil this time. Strength settled naturally. Even as I grabbed charging low-rank angels' arms and snapped them, slammed heads into the ground, kicked jaws to crush skulls—my body took almost no damage. Light grazed me? Regeneration arrived before the burn.
"Lord Bell... you must stop absorbing..."
A trembling voice from somewhere. I turned. Met the demon's eyes. Fear. Awe. Expectation. Obvious.
I said curtly, "Don't worry."
Shaking off blood, I grinned.
"I won't die."
Even if I did once— I'd just eat more.
Two mid-rank angels descended from the front. Light swords crossed toward my neck and waist. This time, I didn't dodge on purpose. Caught the first sword barehanded. Before the light could burn my palm, my grip shattered its form. Stomped the second's gut. Its torso crumpled, flew back, and burst mid-air.
"Next."
Am I struggling? Who knows. My power was near saturation. One more bite might crack me wide open. Didn't matter. If I break, I'll pick up the pieces and eat them. That's what Gluttony is. Break, devour, reassemble. Only those who endure the process stand till the end. I'm that type. Built for it. Already proving it.
I shook the blood from my gore-soaked knuckles and looked up at the light-infused sky.
"Raphael."
One of the three great archangels. The one gripping the legion's lifeline.
"Keep sending them."
My lips curled.
"I'm curious too—how much can I eat?"
All eyes below turned to me. I saw the rule. The ones howling and dying here. Me, eating and standing above. Prey and hunter—distinction over. In the heart of this hell, by the name of Gluttony, the hunter was clearly—
Me.