A Wound Upon the King of Hell
A sharp, continuous screech of steel tore through the air.
Blood trickled down.
"Huk?!"
When Baek Do-ha's Demon-Slaying Blade carved a shallow diagonal gash across Yama's chest, Dool—who had been hiding—nearly jumped out of his skin.
Fortunately it was not a fatal wound, yet if the strike had sunk even a fraction deeper, Yama would have suffered irreversible injury.
Drip. Drip.
"——"
Watching the blood run from his chest, Yama narrowed his eyes.
He had clearly blocked the final attack—yet it had pierced through.
It was not that Do-ha's energy was stronger.
Nor was the attack faster than Yama's own movements.
And still, the blade had landed.
A soft shift of breath.
The only time an attack can land is when the realm has not yet been surpassed.
Which meant Do-ha had wounded him while still in the Profound Realm.
How was one even supposed to explain this?
If he went and told the gods he was close to, they would only laugh and tell him to stop talking nonsense.
Even he, experiencing it firsthand, could scarcely believe it—so how could gods who had not witnessed it possibly accept it?
Genius… or monster… even those words fall short.
In all the long ages he had lived, he had seen countless beings called geniuses or monsters.
To exaggerate only a little, he had seen as many of them as there were grains of sand beneath the sea.
Yet the Baek Do-ha standing before him was something outside every measure.
There was no definition that fit; he simply felt like a mutation.
He is still only at the entry stage… and it was only recently that he lost his power fighting the Demon God. Even if he has walked this path before, the speed is unnaturally fast.
The Life-or-Death Realm itself was divided into grades.
The entry stage.
The stage of full maturity.
The stage of absolute peak.
The Life-or-Death Realm followed the same progression.
A soft rustle of energy.
"That's enough."
Just as Do-ha prepared to move again, Yama withdrew his power and waved a hand.
If they continued fighting in this state, he would win.
After all, Do-ha's stamina was already at rock bottom, and even though he had ascended to the Life-or-Death Realm, he was still only at the entry stage.
In that condition, ten minutes—
No, five minutes of fighting would kill him outright.
But I want to see more.
If the being called Baek Do-ha did not die and kept advancing—
Just how far would he reach?
Would he kill the Demon God who had failed before?
Or would he be defeated once again?
I wonder what result he will show this time.
As a god of the Underworld, he was supposed to remain impartial.
He was not to inject personal feelings, nor help anyone simply because he disliked another god.
That was the nature of the position of Underworld god.
Yet this once, he found himself wanting to take Do-ha's side as an exception.
Invading Seon-gye and wounding a god was more than enough reason for annihilation, but he intended to let it slide this time.
A soft, fading shimmer.
The radiant light pouring from Do-ha's body began to settle and dim.
"What's your angle?"
"Just… a whim? Or maybe indifference?"
"What?"
"There are things like that. Call it simply my mood. Besides, you did win the bet."
A quiet ripple of power.
Yama gave a faint smile and ran a hand down his own body; the wound gradually healed.
Yet the scar remained.
"Truly a vicious power. Even after healing the wound, the scar stays."
"Normally scars don't remain."
"Because they all die?"
"Exactly."
"Heh heh, you're right. Since they all die, there would be no scars left behind."
At Do-ha's words, Yama laughed heartily.
A soft metallic whisper.
A quiet click.
Seeing Yama's demeanor, Do-ha likewise stored his sword in subspace.
At first he had wondered whether it was a lie meant to make him drop his guard, but after watching a little longer, the god truly seemed to have no will to fight.
"Since you won the bet, I will grant what you asked for."
"——"
When Yama looked his way, the hidden Dool awkwardly stepped forward.
No one had told him to come, yet once their eyes met he found himself walking out without thinking.
"As promised, I will not hold you responsible."
"Th-thank you!"
Dool scratched his head with a dazed expression.
He was actually going to honor that?
Yama was not a being who spoke falsehoods, so the words had to be true.
"You have truly found a fine friend. Seeing how he fought me—Yama himself—just to protect you from any possible reprimand."
"Ah…"
At those words Dool turned to Do-ha with a look of pure emotion.
Had he really fought for his sake?
"It wasn't because of you, so wipe that creepy look off your face."
Do-ha frowned at the sparkling light in Dool's eyes.
In truth he had protected Dool simply because he disliked the unpleasant feeling that would follow otherwise.
How awkward would it be if someone suddenly got punished because of him?
More than that, if he wanted information about Seon-gye, Dool needed to remain free of trouble.
"Honestly… would it kill you to just say yes even if it's a lie…"
Dool pouted.
They might not be the closest of friends, but they had known each other for decades and drunk together more than once—yet Do-ha was being far too cold.
"And there was one more thing staked on the bet."
The Book of the Dead.
Unreadable characters filled the first page; everything after was blank white paper.
"The reason the later pages of the Book of the Dead are blank is because the lock has not been released."
It was a kind of safety device.
A book containing divine magic could not simply have everything written out unprotected.
That was why the first page held an incantation written in characters only the gods of the Underworld could recognize.
Others could not read those characters precisely because they were not gods of the Underworld.
"A lock?"
"Think of it like the lock screen on a phone."
"Ahh… wait. You… know what a phone is?"
Do-ha, who had been nodding along, looked startled at Yama's words.
Hearing the word "phone" come from Yama's mouth felt somehow awkward and strangely fascinating.
"Why so surprised? I have one myself."
A casual motion.
Looking at Do-ha, Yama pulled a smartphone from his pocket and held it up.
How many humans died and came to the Underworld? Of course he would know about smartphones.
These days the Underworld even handled its work with computers.
"—…I feel like some of my common sense is being destroyed."
"The middle realm keeps advancing. We cannot simply stay still."
Even the attire of the reapers had changed; now they wore black suits.
In truth the change had only happened a few years ago.
Until a few decades prior they had still gone about in the familiar black gat and black hanbok.
Now they moved in clean, sharp suits.
"The road across the Samdocheon into the Underworld has been paved as well. There's even a high-pass lane."
"Are the other Underworlds the same?"
"No. Only we have developed this far. The others still cling to the old ways."
Yama shook his head as if he found it regrettable.
He could not understand the stubbornness.
He understood that the old methods felt familiar, yet adapting to a changing age would raise work efficiency and ease the body.
Yet they still lived exactly as they had in the past.
"We've strayed a little. In any case, to read the Book of the Dead you must recite the incantation on the first page. Only then will the characters appear on the blank paper."
"What is the incantation?"
A soft, soundless flow.
At Do-ha's question, Yama sent the incantation directly into his mind.
He could have spoken it aloud, but uttering the Book of the Dead's incantation with the mouth was forbidden, so there was no choice.
More precisely, it was forbidden for a god of another Underworld to speak it.
"If you hold the Book of the Dead and speak that incantation, the lock upon it will open."
Telling the incantation to someone who was not a god of the Underworld was itself a wrongful act.
Yet the water had already been spilled.
"Hmm… my thanks."
Having received the incantation like a telepathic spell, Do-ha nodded.
He could feel that the formula poured into his mind was genuine.
"But why do you wish to look at the Book of the Dead? It is not the ledger of the dead, after all."
"For the magic."
"I saw earlier that you already use magic. Do you truly need the magic inside the Book of the Dead as well? Strictly speaking it is black magic—it does not seem to suit you."
He could use it if he wanted, but it did not match Do-ha's combat style.
"I'm not the one who will use it. There's someone it suits far better."
"You intend to show the Book of the Dead to someone else?!"
Yama was thoroughly startled.
It was divine magic.
To show such magic to another!
Of course it was none of his concern.
It belonged to another Underworld, and Anubis would have to deal with the consequences himself.
Still, setting that aside, revealing divine magic to anyone was an extremely dangerous act.
"I plan to give it to the one called the King of the Underworld."
"King of the Underworld? What do you—ah?"
Yama, who had been frowning, suddenly clapped his hands as if someone had come to mind.
There was one who bore the arrogant epithet "King of the Underworld."
"Canteas."
"That's right. That guy."
"Hmm, so you will give the Book of the Dead to Canteas."
"?"
At the change in Yama's tone, Do-ha tilted his head.
Only moments ago the god had looked ready to stop him; why the face full of curiosity now?
"By all means, deliver it well."
"What is this? You're making me uneasy."
"No need to be uneasy. This too is simply my curiosity."
In truth Yama had always liked Canteas.
The reason was simple: even as a mortal, he was a being who crossed the boundary of death.
Long before he ever learned of Do-ha's existence, he had been watching Canteas.
How interesting and entertaining it had been to see someone rise to that height without disturbing the order of the Underworld.
"I wonder how much more entertaining it will become once he has the Book of the Dead."
"Hmm…"
Looking at Yama, Do-ha suddenly recalled something familiar.
This sight was one he had seen often—
Inside games.
It was exactly the look of a veteran watching a newbie.
"Heh heh, Anubis is going to have a headache."
"So a veteran from another server getting into trouble is none of your business, huh."
"Hm? What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
Do-ha shook his head.
A quiet motion.
"I look forward to meeting you again."
Having finished speaking, Yama clasped his hands behind his back and turned away.
He had originally come to meet the Black Tortoise, yet today he had spent a thoroughly enjoyable time.
"Ah, and one more thing—would you pass a message to Canteas for me?"
"?"
"If he ever takes an interest in the position of Underworld god, tell him to come find me."
"I doubt he will, but I'll pass it on."
"Heh heh, I leave it to you."
A soft fading.
Laughing, Yama blurred and vanished.
Thud.
Only then did the tension leave Dool; he sank to the ground where he stood.
When Yama had appeared he had thought everything was over, yet somehow they had gotten through it safely.
"You only hid the whole time—why are you the one collapsing?"
"Ah, my friend! Of course my strength left me so I sat down. Do you have any idea how terrified I was?"
"Terrified of what? At worst you'd just die."
"That's exactly what's terrifying…"
"Still, it's a relief it worked out well…"
A soft collapse.
Thud.
Do-ha, who had been about to take a step, slowly toppled forward.
"Do… Do-ha! My friend!"
Dool was greatly alarmed.
There were no visible wounds—why was this happening?!
"Ah… damn it."
Do-ha let out a sigh.
He had no right to scold Dool for sitting down.
Energy draining away in a rush.
A realm that had risen all at once.
Fatigue accumulated through a long battle.
And on top of it all, the tension that released the moment the fight ended.
All of it combined, and his body could no longer hold.
"Dool…"
"Sp-speak!"
"I'm going to sleep a bit. Wake me later."
A soft closing of eyes.
Looking at Dool, Do-ha gave a faint smile and shut his eyes.