Chapter 260: Beelzebub Grimoire (2)
A space distorted into strange, warped forms. The ceiling soared unnaturally high, flushed blood-red, while flies buzzed frantically in every direction.
On the table lay chunks of meat already beginning to rot and decay. Thick fingers gripped a piece crawling with wriggling maggots.
The plump, fleshy palm shoved the rotten meat into its maw. Yet the face attached to it was unmistakably not human.
The ruddy, glistening face resembled that of a fly. No, the entire face was shaped like a fly. That hideous maw chomped down on the flesh while spewing foul offal and viscous greenish bile in all directions.
Beelzebub, the fly king and one of the greatest lords of Hell, rattled his jaws ceaselessly.
"Pathetic."
The human head spoke with haughty authority.
"Pathetic."
The frog head croaked.
"Pathetic."
The cat head sneered.
It couldn't be helped, Bael. That is simply his nature.
The voice that rebuked Beelzebub called him Bael, and another voice joined the conversation.
The figure neutral from voice to face spoke softly.
"Baalzephon."
As a demon, one cannot defy one's nature. Correct?
But even acting like this in a meeting...
It would do us no good to fight among ourselves. Only by gathering do we become Beelzebub. Isn't that right?
...Tsk.
At those words, Beelzebub clicked his tongue. Yet instead of delivering an ugly retort, he simply closed his mouth, appearing to at least acknowledge and respect Bael's statement as much as his own.
No matter the era, when asked to name the most powerful demon, the names usually cited are Satan, Lucifer, Belial, Leviathan... and Beelzebub.
Beelzebub was an incredibly powerful being, enough to be included among those five always discussed.
...However, he was too powerful.
So powerful that the Church deemed him too dangerous. And he possessed such massive self-pride that he would never submit to such a Church.
Yet because he lacked the strength to completely defeat the Church, he met his end.
But, as they say, for beings who live in the netherworld, that logic sometimes applies.
As long as legends and myths remain, the demon cannot be completely eradicated.
Setting aside whether the reborn being is truly the same entity or not, Beelzebub ultimately returned.
...Even in a torn state.
Beelzebub, Baalzephon, Baalzephon, Bael. He had countless names befitting his fame.
But, unfortunately, during the revival process, that being was torn apart into different names.
This normally doesn't happen. It's as absurd as a single arm being severed and the being continuing to function as one organism.
However, in this case, Beelzebub was too massive. Even after being split and split again, the revival occurred because he was such a powerful entity.
Whether this situation was coincidental or the Church had some scheme, they themselves didn't know.
Anyway, the spirit and flesh of this great fly king had been divided into four large parts and continued the lineage until this moment.
At this point, it felt less like the same entity and more like siblings with the same parent.
Naturally, unified opinions were hard to come by, and they had even fought among themselves several times.
But as they say, the most effective way to unite is against a common enemy. The four Beelzebubs had finally come together for the first time since splitting apart.
Above all, showing ourselves fighting among ourselves in front of others is of no benefit, is it not?
...That's true. My apologies.
At Baalzephon's words, Bael's frog head looked around.
At the end of that gaze were numerous demons gathered in agreement with Beelzebub's plan.
In the distorted space, a long table long enough to be tens of meters was placed, filled to capacity with the number of demons.
Orobas, Amdusias, Samael, Decarabia, Abaddon, Manesmat, Adramelech, Satanachia, Mephistopheles, Nebiros, Vine, Shax, Camio, Belphegor... Even just the widely known names were too many to count.
From this, one could see how much hatred the loathsome Margarita had earned. Even the lazy Belphegor, though sleeping on the table, had attended this gathering.
Of course, Beelzebub's reputation had influenced this greatly.
Satan and Lucifer sealed in the Church, Leviathan missing, Beelzebub, who holds one of the two axes of Hell along with Belial, had all gathered.
That is, at this point in time, among the demons, there was no force capable of opposing them alone except Belial.
Even so, I heard that Belial sided with the Church!
Amid this, Orobas, a demon who spoke up with a loud voice, interjected. He made a rumbling sound and glared at the three at the head table: Bael, Baalzephon, and Beelzebub.
With Beelzebub, even fighting the Church might be possible.
But if Belial had sided with the Church, the odds would be against them. And with the worry that they had declared too hastily spreading, it was no wonder such a situation had occurred.
Belial can be ignored.
It was at that moment that Beelzebub, who had been preoccupied with chewing rotten meat, spoke. He moved his maw still full of flesh and said.
He agreed to cooperate with the Church. However, since he became unable to move, he said only his subordinates would move.
That's better than him moving himself! But it's still a problem! How big a force Belial has built! You don't know?
Think about it. He was injured to the point where he had to hide for a while, but there's no information about the cause. Even though it was the terrifying Belial who was attacked.
Beelzebub rattled his jaw and continued.
To secretly attack and inflict damage on Belial, one would need to bring even Lucifer who is imprisoned in the Church.
Then! What does that mean?!
He's just using illness as an excuse. It's what the subordinates of the Far Eastern countries did.
In short, he had only expressed support by flattering the Church, but actually didn't want to put much strength into that side. Clearly, sending subordinate demons was just for show.
Only after hearing Beelzebub's explanation did Orobas nod and sit down.
And, now is not the time to miss the opportunity.
Moreover, Baalzephon added. He stood up from his seat as if alternating with Orobas, then stretched his arms exaggeratedly and said.
The next Bartholomew, Han Seoyeon, has been quite worn out dealing with the scenarios that arose in both North and South Korea. She even jumped into the main role of the Bartholomew Evaristo extermination battle.
In other words, the expression "beaten to a pulp" fits perfectly.
Of course, even in this state, most demons would sing while slaughtering her—though everyone here knows she wouldn't do that—but at least it could be said she was much weaker than usual.
If you give her time to recover again, and eventually she inherits the apostolic succession and the holy relics... then there may be no more opportunities. For the rest of her life.
His gaze swept the room.
How long will you keep stealing the compensation from the contract? Even if you can't cheat your opponent, isn't it shameful for the demon side to be the one being taken advantage of?
So, let's die. That disgusting scammer.
With those words, the demons shouted vigorously. Some rolled their feet, some pounded the table.
Except for Belphegor, who was sleeping with an eye mask, all shouted for the death of Han Seoyeon Margarita.
×
Everyone present at the meeting agreed to the opinion of killing Margarita.
They had gathered here because they had agreed to it in the first place.
However, what followed was the question of "how to kill her".
The discussion on that issue continued for a long time. Many agendas were proposed, and sometimes it became heated with raised voices.
Of course, it was not meaningless. As the discussion continued, the plans to target Margarita's neck grew sharper and sharper.
...It has become quite long.
However, it was indeed a tiring process.
Bael, one of the four chairpersons of the Margarita extermination meeting, commonly known as 'Beelzebub', let out a tired sigh as he walked down the corridor of his palace.
His dozen legs, resembling a spider, clacked on the floor of the corridor.
Tired. Go prepare the bathroom, Grimoire.
While the frog head sighed, the cat head commanded the subordinate following him. Meanwhile, the human head muttered the contents of the meeting in a small voice.
Grimoire?
Then, Bael, who realized that no answer came even after a long time, spoke with a puzzled voice. He wasn't someone who could be ignored.
Soon, all three heads turned to look behind him.
...And a chunk of meat crushed on the ground greeted him.
The only thing that told what it was was the blood-soaked red hair.
On top of that, sitting with both legs, was a red-haired woman resembling Grimoire, with pale skin. She was picking up the flesh stuck to the floor with her thumb and index finger and putting it into her mouth.
Mmm. This is quite delicious when it's slightly spicy.
What, what? You?!
No matter how much Bael, he couldn't help but be surprised by this situation.
Sudden attack. Moreover, the aura emanating from the opponent's entire body was not ordinary.
Even Bael himself wouldn't have, but among his subordinates, no one rose to the challenge. It was that level of momentum.
I heard you gathered demons who want to kill the next Bartholomew, Han Seoyeon?
However, despite the question, the woman who spoke her mind without regard for Bael seemed very calm in contrast. She leisurely took out a sheet of paper from her pocket.
We will exterminate the loathsome Margarita.
By the names of Baalzephon, Beelzebub, Bael, Baalzephon — By the name of Beelzebub.
She handed it to Bael, and the woman smiled with a bright, innocent smile.
By the way, are you thinking of hiring a chef for this organization?