Chapter 405: To My King

Fwoosh!

The nightmarish voracious flames powerful enough to engulf the entire world blazed.

"Why..." Tai Wuji's eyes shook.

Oh Kang-Woo suddenly turned into a giant black sphere the moment the Demon God's legacy stuck to him. Tai Wuji had no idea what was happening inside, but there was one thing he knew.

"Why... do I feel... his energy from..."

Tai Wuji could vividly feel from within the black sphere Demon God Bauli, his former enemy but now master to whom he had pledged his soul, imprisoned within an endless abyss. He could hear him struggling and roaring. Tai Wuji's face paled from imagining an absurd possibility.

'It's as if... he's been devoured by the monster.'

The Demon God was bellowing miserably within the monster.

"Why... Why... Why...?" Tai Wuji continued to ask.

He had no idea what the monster was, why the Demon God, whom he had been trying to revive, was inside the monster, and why the Demon God was unable to get out. The clashing of the information flowing into his brain and the logic that was already in there made him nauseous.

Crack.

And then, the black sphere slowly split open. Tai Wuji looked up with shining eyes, hoping that it was his master who had come out of the sphere.

"What a persistent fellow," said the one who had come out of the sphere.

However, what came out of the sphere was not hope but bottomless despair.

"A-Aaaahh." Tai Wuji trembled with his mouth agape.

He hoped that all of this was a lie and just a bad dream.

"Now, then." Kang-Woo placed his hand on the trembling Tai Wuji's shoulder. "Time to eat the rest."

Split.

Kang-Woo widened his mouth and ate Tai Wuji whole before his hopes could be fulfilled.

Crunch.

Chilling sounds of bones breaking echoed.

***

"Haaa, haaa!" Cha Yeon-Joo panted heavily.

"Skree!"

A demonic beast that looked like a giant scorpion charged toward Yeon-Joo and shot its tail at her. However, the scorpion did not have a stinger at the end of its tail, but something that looked like a crocodile's mouth.

"Guh...!" Yeon-Joo quickly twisted her body.

Snap!

The demonic beast's tail just grazed her and slammed into the ground. A large hole formed on the ground as if it had been dug with an excavator.

"Shit!" Yeon-Joo cursed.

Clatter!

Chains poured out from her bracelets and coiled around the scorpion's tail. She grabbed the chains like a certain spider hero and jumped behind the demonic beast.

'Energy Drain.'

The demonic beast's life force was rapidly absorbed through the chains. As long as she stayed like this, the demonic beast would become a dry corpse after some time.

"Grrrrrkk!"

"Kyaaaah!"

However, the demonic beast's struggles were fiercer than Yeon-Joo had expected. The demonic beast violently swung its tail while trying to aim for Yeon-Joo with the crocodile mouth at the end of its tail. Yeon-Joo was flung around like the striking head of a flail.

"Urpp!" She covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from vomiting.

She was slowly losing her grip on the chains.

'Not good—'

Just as warming signals rang out inside her head, someone caught her.

"Bal...rog?"

It was Balrog, who was currently in the form of a tall brown-haired young man to hide his demon appearance. He reached for the chains before answering Yeon-Joo.

"Hey, wait—"

Energy Drain did not distinguish between friend and foe. If Balrog touched the chains, his life force would also be drained. However, he ignored Yeon-Joo's warning and grabbed the chains.

Boom!

Balrog stomped his feet aggressively and pulled the chains.

"Skreeeee!"

The scorpion which was about a dozen meters tall was dragged toward Balrog. Balrog lowered his stance and raised his fist.

Ker-thunk.

A black gauntlet formed on his hand by summoning the Overlord Armor, and he swung down his fist like an ax.

Smash—!!

The giant scorpion's head was crushed with just one blow. Green fluids splattered all over the place.

"Are you okay?" Balrog let go of the chains and turned toward Yeon-Joo.

Yeon-Joo's mouth refused to close after witnessing such absurd strength.

"Skreee!"

More demonic beasts charged toward them. Balrog lightly twisted and swung his arm. Just that light motion was enough to mangle the demonic beasts and blow them back.

"Uhhh... They were called ancient demonic beasts, right? How did they even get here?" Yeon-Joo asked cautiously.

Balrog clicked his tongue and shook his head. "This isn't good."

"What do you mean?"

"Kim Si-Hun and Gaia's incarnation have been incapacitated. The king's woman has left the battlefield as well."

"Wh-What?" Yeon-Joo's eyes widened. She asked as her voice and lips trembled, "Are they... dead?"

"No, they're not." Balrog shook his head, at which Yeon-Joo expressed relief. Balrog continued in irritation, "But we've been put in a bad spot because of that."

Leaving Gaia's incarnation aside, Kim Si-Hun's absence severely impacted their combat ability. There weren't many people who were able to face ancient demonic beasts and there were far too many regular demonic beasts. Most importantly...

"The Constellation of Nightmares has joined the battle."

The participation of the boy with blank eyes, who didn't seem to have any use in combat, had completely flipped the momentum of the battle. Not only could the Constellation of Nightmares control demonic beasts, but he could also cast powerful buffs on them like Han Seol-Ah.

In addition to that, Halcyon and Echidna had also left the formation to retrieve Layla, who was injured during her battle against Proserpine, and Kim Si-Hun, who was left in the middle of the battlefield while enveloped in a golden barrier.

"The line would have been broken long ago if not for the angels," Balrog said calmly.

However, the contents of his words were not things to take lightly. It meant that Balrog was here because he was going from place to place to hold the collapsing line as best as he could.

"W-Will we be able to hold out, then?" Yeon-Joo asked anxiously after hearing the gist of the situation.

Balrog shook his head. "I don't know. One thing I know for sure is that we have to hold the line until the king returns."

Balrog charged forward, and Yeon-Joo quickly followed behind him.

"Gaaaaaahhh!"

"Arghhh!"

"H-Help me!"

Screams echoed from all around them. A swarm of demonic beasts was massacring the humans and angels.

Bash! Crush!

"Roaaaar!"

Balrog arrived at the collapsing line and charged forward while wiping out demonic beasts with Overlord Armor gauntlets on both arms fuming like a steam engine. Chains spread out like a net and blocked the demonic beasts' escape route.

[Skreeeeeeeeeeee!!]

Just then, a giant snake rose as the ground shook and split. Ouroboros, a twenty-meter-long snake glared at Balrog as it flicked its snakelike tongue.

"Step back," Balrog said calmly to Yeon-Joo and raised his fists.

[Grrrrrr.] Ouroboros stared at Balrog with its slit pupils. It stammered, [You... face me... dare... by yourself?]

Its sentence structure was also a little off. Although it possessed intelligence because it was an ancient demonic beast, it did not seem to possess full intelligence.

[A human... impertinent... you are.]

Ouroboros twisted its giant body and swung its thick tail.

Boom!

Balrog blocked the tail but was pushed back, lines forming on the ground as his feet dragged. However, that was only for a moment; Balrog grabbed Ouroboros's tail with both arms and smirked.

"I never imagined I would hear such a thing from a mere demonic beast."

Crack!

Balrog's hands dug into the flesh of Ouroboros's tail.

[Graaaaaaaaahh!]

"A demonic beast should...."

Boom!

Balrog stomped his feet and lifted Ouroboros with his absurd strength.

"Stick to roaring like a beast!"

Rumble—!!

Balrog flung the twenty-meter snake away.

[Skreeeeee!]

Ouroboros writhed in pain.

Fwoosh!

Just then, a giant demonic beast covered in flames jumped out from behind the collapsed Ouroboros. It was Bul-Kathos, a fire demonic beast referred to as the final form of demonic beasts like the Hell Hound and Cerberus. The giant lion glared at Balrog as its mane made of fire fluttered.

Balrog remained silent.

He was facing two ancient demonic beasts. Not only that, but they were many times stronger than usual thanks to receiving the power of the Constellation of Nightmares. It would be difficult to face even one, but now there were two of them.

'This won't be easy.'

That was an understatement; Balrog would not be able to win. He slowly walked forward.

"H-Hey! I-It's dangerous!" Yeon-Joo shouted.

Balrog continued to walk forward firmly. He knew that he was no match for them both, but he walked forward regardless; no, he needed to.

Balrog saw his king's familiar back. He turned around to see Yeon-Joo shouting at him. He could see his past self— no, his current self in her.

'Was this... how you felt?'

If they failed to hold this line, the demonic beasts would invade the heart of their formation in an instant. There were the collapsed Gaia and Kim Si-Hun there, and likely Lilith as well.

"Kehehe," Balrog laughed softly.

He had never felt this way before. He turned forward again to see Ouroboros and Bul-Kathos glaring at him. Just seeing those two was enough to make him hold his breath. He was filled with anxiety and fear. However...

'Just like the king always does...'

He walked forward, toward the two ancient demonic beasts.

Ker-thunk.

The gauntlets on his arms slowly grew bigger. The sounds of cogs turning echoed within him. He raised his hand and touched his pendant. His human skin disappeared and he grew bigger, bursting muscles taking the place of his weak human body. Goat horns and bat wings grew from him as well.

"Hurghhh."

Balrog was in his demon form for only a moment. Black armor began to wrap around him. They covered his chest, shoulders, stomach, thighs, and legs one by one. Metallic sounds echoed from between the gaps in the armor. Cogwheels filled the joint areas of the armor as if Balrog was wearing a robotic suit.

Pshhh—!

White vapor burst out from the gaps in the armor as the cogwheels turned quickly.

"Victory..." Balrog slowly clenched his fist. "To my king."