Chapter 383: Water Comes Out Of Even a Dry Rag If You Wring It Hard Enough

Boom! Boom—!

The sound of banging on the door rang out.

"Haaa, aahh."

Suppressed groans seeped out from the seams of the door, and then...

"Aaarrrggghhh!!"

The groans turned into terrifying screams.

Clack, clack, clack.

The door handle shook noisily. Balrog stood in front of the door and firmly held onto the handle. He crouched with his back to the door as if he was preventing something from getting out, and clenched his fists hard while listening to the screams through the door.

Balrog lowered his head while biting his lip. His heart felt like it was being carved with a knife every time the screams rang out.

"Kang-Woo!"

Balrog looked up to see a woman running through the hallway. It was Han Seol-Ah, his king's woman as well as the human whom the soul of the Celestial Goddess indwelled.

"You cannot." Balrog extended his arm to stop Seol-Ah from opening the door.

Seol-Ah glared at Balrog fiercely. "Move."

Balrog firmly shook his head.

Rumble.

Suffocatingly powerful energy poured out from Seol-Ah. The unfathomable amount of sacred power weighed down on Balrog.

"Kurgh, cough!"

Balrog grimaced. His muscles expanded as if they would burst. He could barely breathe within the immense pressure, but he still did not move.

"Move..." Seol-Ah demanded.

Twelve wings sprouted from her back. Balrog bit his lip. Her power truly was terrifyingly immense.

'With power like that... She would be of help to the king.'

It was an undeniable truth. Balrog was confused, frustrated, and enraged. He had spent the past millennia struggling just to be able to walk alongside his king, but a human that was not even thirty years old had far surpassed him just because she possessed the soul of the Celestial Goddess. He could not help but think that it was unfair.

Balrog gritted his teeth and remarked, "You... cannot pass."

He stood his ground firmly despite being under immense pressure. He could not let her pass, since his king was on the other side of the door.

The light in Seol-Ah's eyes disappeared. Emotion disappeared from her face as she slowly reached for the door handle.

"I told you... that you cannot."

Balrog grabbed Seol-Ah's wrist. Blood vessels were protruding from all over his body, showing how much strength he was using just to move within the immense energy.

Seol-Ah looked down coldly at the crouched Balrog.

"Why? Why am I not allowed to enter when Kang-Woo is suffering that badly?"

"Because... there is nothing... you can do... for him."

"I am confident in healing magic. At the very least, I'll be able to lessen his pain," Seol-Ah remarked while pouring out sacred power and fluttering her twelve wings.

Balrog shook his head with sunken eyes. "No, there is nothing you can do."

"I haven't even tried yet!"

"We have. We have tried everything. Countless times."

After the king had molted, they had tried everything possible to lessen his pain, but it had all been pointless; they had only worsened his condition.

"Stay put. Please, just... stay put," Balrog said desperately.

Seol-Ah lowered her head while biting her lip. She asked with a trembling voice, "Why... Why did Kang-Woo fight on his own?"

The pressure weighing down on Balrog disappeared as Seol-Ah's twelve wings faded.

Balrog sighed. He stared at her for a moment in silence, and then replied, "Like how angels are driven by obsession, demons are driven by desire. I am sure you know what it is like since you have accepted Seraph's power."

"Kang-Woo's desire?"

"Yes."

Balrog looked around. The fact that Kang-Woo still possessed the body of a demon needed to be hidden at all costs, especially from Kim Si-Hun and Gaia's incarnation. Thankfully, the two of them had gone to take care of the thousands of wraiths that had been released from the barrier.

"The king's desire is to battle powerful foes and partake in their flesh."

"Partake... in their flesh?"

Flinch. Seol-Ah's expression hardened.

Balrog nodded. "You could say that he craves it."

Seol-Ah's eyes darkened. "So, who was the Constellation that Kang-Woo fought?"

Balrog shook his head. "I don't know."

"Hmm."

Seol-Ah stared at the door while narrowing her eyes. Just then, Balrog saw Lilith quickly running toward them.

"B-Balrog!" She clenched Balrog's collar and shouted sharply, "The king fought the Constellations by himself?! What the hell happened?!"

Lilith was panting heavily, as if she had run here at full speed after hearing the news from afar.

Balrog remained silent.

Lilith clenched Balrog's collar harder as she frowned even more aggressively.

"Balrog. What the hell were you doing while this was happening?" she asked furiously.

Balrog averted his gaze. Lilith burst with rage and raised her hand to attack him, but Seol-Ah stopped her.

"P-Please calm down, Lilith. It apparently couldn't be helped because of Kang-Woo's desire."

"Desire?" Lilith frowned, but not because she was not aware of what Kang-Woo's desire was. She turned to Balrog and asked, "What is she talking about?"

It was absurd that Kang-Woo had fought by himself because he was unable to hold back his desire. If he was unable to control his desire, there was no way that this world would be in one piece. As far as Lilith knew, there was no demon who was in perfect control over their desire like Kang-Woo.

Balrog simply lowered his head in silence.

The lip that he was biting was shaking in frustration. Seeing that, Lilith was more or less able to figure out what had happened.

"Hah," she feigned laughter and glared at Balrog in disdain. She said while suppressing her fury, "Even after getting that new power you call Overlord Armor or whatever, you haven't changed one bit from the past."

Balrog could not raise his head.

"What are you talking about?" Seol-Ah asked while looking back and forth at them, unable to understand.

"Hmph," Lilith snorted lightly. She swept her hair back and said, "It's nothing for you to worry about. This is our problem to deal with."

Her arms fell to her sides lifelessly.

Lilith cautiously asked Balrog, "He opened a Door, right?"

"Yes." Balrog nodded.

Lilith sighed. This was the second time that she had seen Kang-Woo open a Door. The first time was when he had faced Mammon, and the second time was now.

'Though I heard that he had also used it once before I arrived on Earth.'

Regardless, this was the second time that she had seen it herself.

She felt the same way after the ordeal with Mammon, but she couldn't help her rage from surging at Kang-Woo, who put his life on the line as if it were some token coin in an arcade. She felt like she was burning from the inside, and she teared up as she bit her lip aggressively.

'I should've realized it sooner.'

Whatever the reason, she needed to stop Kang-Woo from acting on his own. If there was no one to stop him, he would continue to try to shoulder everything by himself.

"Argh!"

Bang! Lilith stomped on the ground in frustration. Seol-Ah, likely having been influenced by Lilith, also yelled in rage.

Balrog smiled bitterly while looking at the two of them.

He remarked, "I have a request."

"What is it?" Seol-Ah asked coldly.

"I would like you two to keep silent about this incident even after the king wakes up."

A heavy silence fell.

Lilith narrowed her eyes and replied, "I don't think I can do that. I understand how the king feels, but we need to make sure he never does this kind of thing again."

Although Lilith knew why Kang-Woo had made such a reckless decision to fight a Constellation by himself, she could not let him do such a thing again. If she did, there was no point in her serving him by his side. Even if she were to perish from a single attack of a Constellation, she at least needed to be a shield that could block that one attack. She could not afford to stay as baggage that always needed to be protected.

"I beg of you."

Balrog bowed deeply. One could feel his strong determination despite him bowing. Lilith stared at him, and then turned around.

"Hmph. I'll be with the children, so take care of things here by yourself."

She was referring to Echidna and Halcyon. Balrog smiled faintly as he watched Lilith walking away. Seol-Ah was highly anxious due to Kang-Woo's endless screams past the door, but Lilith took Seol-Ah with her. Only Balrog remained in the hallway in front of the rattling door.

"Haaa..." he sighed deeply.

He could feel the door that he was leaning on rattling. His king's screams did not stop. Balrog shut his eyes tight, blocked his ears and lowered his head while praying for the time to pass quickly.

***

"Are you really alright?" Balrog asked.

"I told you, I'm fine," Kang-Woo answered half-heartedly on the bed.

He still couldn't move because of the side effects, but it was true that the pain had subsided significantly. Balrog sighed as he looked down at Kang-Woo laying on the bed.

"Sigh. In that case, please get some rest."

Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and nodded.

'He looks like he'll give me a beating if I fight on my own again.'

He thought that he should probably bring Balrog along next time to avoid a lecture.

Click. Balrog opened the door and left the room. Kang-Woo relaxed on the bed.

"Well, in any case..."

It had been the most fun he had in a long time. Kang-Woo smiled while recalling his battle against the Constellations. Balrog had made Kang-Woo out to be some advocate of self-sacrifice, but it had partly been due to his own personal selfishness as well. Kang-Woo felt much better after his desire to hunt powerful foes and eat them, which had been left unsated for a long time, subsided significantly.

'No, that's not it.'

Kang-Woo shook his head and smiled. Although it was laying dormant now, he had a feeling that his desire had grown stronger.

'That guy...'

Kang-Woo's heart beat rapidly when he thought about the middle-aged man with the diagonal slash scar on his face. The feeling of his blood boiling and the impulse of wanting to go after the man right this second was hard to endure.

"Hehehe," Kang-Woo giggled.

Thankfully, their battle would be inevitable. Even if that man did not take action, Kang-Woo would.

'I wonder how delicious he is?'

His mouth was watering already. Kang-Woo relaxed on the bed while looking forward to the day that he would meet the man again.

Clack.

"Umm... Kang-Woo."

"Oh, darling?"

Seol-Ah entered the room. Kang-Woo welcomed her with a smile, but she did not look very happy.

"How are you feeling?" Seol-Ah asked.

"Well... I can barely move, but I'm not in pain anymore. I'll be back on my feet if I rest for a few days."

Considering the broken ability that was opening the Doors, side effects of this level were nothing. Seol-Ah sighed in relief.

"I brought you some fruit," she said as she held up a tray that was filled with fruit sliced to a size easy to eat.

There were also some fruits exclusive to Aernor.

"Thanks." Kang-Woo smiled while his eyes shone.

He had been wanting to eat something sweet.

"Here, ahhh~"

Seol-Ah grabbed a piece of fruit and brought it close to Kang-Woo. Since Kang-Woo couldn't move at all due to the side effects, he was fed by Seol-Ah like a baby bird.

"Come to think of it, I heard about your desire from Balrog," Seol-Ah remarked.

"Huh? My desire?"

"Yes. I heard you craved for people's bodies... and were driven by the desire to partake in them."

"I mean, that's true, but..."

'Why did she put it so weirdly?'

Seol-Ah put the fruit tray down on the table and caressed Kang-Woo's body.

"It becomes dangerous for you if you don't act on your desires, just like my obsession, right?"

"Yeah, but I managed to resolve it somewhat this time."

Although Kang-Woo had not been able to eat the other Constellations, he had managed to devour the Constellation of Fear. Not just that, the battle itself had been very satisfactory.

"It was resolved?" Seol-Ah's eyes widened as they shook while staring at Kang-Woo. She asked carefully, "Was there... a woman among the Constellations?"

"Oh, there was one." Kang-Woo nodded.

It had been a beautiful elf named Proserpine.

The light in Seol-Ah's eyes faded. She muttered something with her head lowered, and then got on the bed.

"Hello...? Seol-Ah?"

Kang-Woo looked up at Seol-Ah in confusion. Seol-Ah looked down at him as her lips quivered.

"F-Fufu. Yes. It must be my fault for being unable to satisfy your desire, right? I understand."

"No, I don't think you do."

"Come to think of it, you can't move right now, can you?"

Seol-Ah licked her lips.

"Umm, I think there's been some sort of—"

Click.

As Kang-Woo was about to say that there had been some sort of misunderstanding, he heard the door locking.

"Huh?"

'What was that?'

***

"Where the hell is that son of a bitch Oh Kang-Woo?!"

"Oh, Yeon-Joo."

"Is Kang-Woo in there?"

"Yeah, but he's sleeping now."

"Hmph. Step out of the way. Not only did that bastard fly off by himself last time, he—"

"Oh, it's okay. That'll never happen again."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Fufu." Seol-Ah giggled while covering her mouth. "Water comes out of even a dry rag if you wring it hard enough."