Chapter 228: The Price of Peace

Episode 228:

The silence was short-lived.

The dark space erupted in a cacophony of voices.

[…Did I hear that right?]

[Omurga? Omurga???]

[Ho ho ho! Our little friend is quite brave. Do you even know what Omurga means to us?]

[If that was a provocation, then well done! I’m not letting that kid leave here alive!]

[Hey, Dantalian! What did you tell him? What do you think you’ll gain by provoking us like this?!]

Amidst the growing chaos, only three beings remained silent.

Kim Jinsung, Dantalian, and the Demon God who had asked for his name.

[Kim Jinsung.]

The Demon God spoke, and as if on cue, the other Demon Gods fell silent.

[You said your other identity is Omurga. Is that true?]

“Yes.”

Kim Jinsung nodded calmly.

The Demon God’s voice lowered.

[I’ll ask again. Is your other identity ‘The One Who Absorbs All’, Omurga?]

“Yes, it is. Do you want me to prove it?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his appearance started changing rapidly.

His body grew larger, transforming into a translucent black form made of Demonic Energy, just like when he had broken out of his ‘shell’.

[…!]

[Gasp…!]

[T-this energy is truly…!]

The Demon Gods gasped in shock, overwhelmed by the powerful energy emanating from him.

His growth finally stopped.

Fierce red eyes, a giant maw filled with razor-sharp teeth,

eight massive muscular arms with 40 long, sharp claws,

a muscular body covered in thick, impenetrable scales that seemed immune even to a nuclear blast.

“Do you believe me now?”

Kim Jinsung’s youthful voice came from the monstrous creature’s mouth.

But none of the Demon Gods paid attention to his unchanged voice.

[O-Omurga!]

[Kyaaah! This is insane…!]

[How did that monster come back to life?!]

[Everyone, retreat! If we engage him unprepared, the Demon Realm might be on the verge of destruction, like last time!]

[We need to return to our territories and prepare for a full-scale war…!]

[Dantalian, you senile old fool! What have you done?!]

The Demon Gods panicked, screaming and shouting, confirming that he was truly Omurga.

They couldn’t see each other in the pitch-black darkness, but they could sense the chaos from their frantic movements.

[Wait!!!]

The Demon God who had remained calm shouted, his voice booming through the space, powerful enough to make the Demonic Energy tremble.

The other Demon Gods stopped their commotion and turned to look at him.

[Kim Jinsung, answer me.]

“Huh?”

Omurga, in Kim Jinsung’s form, simply stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

The Demon God’s eyes narrowed, and he said,

[My name is Baal.]

“Ah~.”

Kim Jinsung exclaimed.

The undisputed number one among the 72 Demon Gods, the leader.

He had heard of Baal, even if he didn’t know the other Demon Gods.

“So you’re the leader of the Demon Gods here.”

[…Is that all you feel?]

“Huh? What do you mean?”

[Is that all that comes to mind when you hear my name?]

“No.”

[…Are you sure?]

He raised an eyebrow, confused by Baal’s persistent questioning.

Dantalian’s voice came from behind him.

[What you’re worried about won’t happen. This Omurga possesses the ‘reason’ of that human child, Kim Jinsung.]

He emphasized the word ‘reason’.

The Demon Gods erupted in another commotion.

[Reason?]

[He has reason?]

[That single-celled monster has reason?! That’s impossible!!]

[Ah! Is that why he hasn’t attacked us yet…?]

[You think so? It doesn’t make sense for that monster to just stand there after hearing Baal’s name…?]

They were skeptical.

Dantalian continued, looking directly at Baal,

[You realized that too, didn’t you? That’s why you revealed your name. The Omurga we know would have charged at you without hesitation, consumed by rage, the moment he heard your name.]

Baal didn’t answer. It was a silent confirmation.

[Wait a minute, kid.]

A female voice spoke.

Kim Jinsung turned to look at her. She seemed to be the only female Demon God present.

[Do you not feel any urge to devour us, even though you’re looking at us?]

“Who are you?”

[Oh my! You know Baal’s name, but not mine, Gremory? That’s so mean!]

He answered her,

“Honestly, I do want to devour you.”

[…!]

[W-what…!]

“Not just you, but everything I see. Ever since I transformed into Omurga, I’ve had this urge to devour everything. Dantalian had a hard time stopping me at first.”

[I thought I was going to die…]

Dantalian muttered from behind him.

If Kim Jinsung hadn’t regained his reason quickly after transforming into Omurga for the first time, he might have devoured Dantalian.

He wouldn’t have been brought here if that had happened, but fortunately, it didn’t.

“But…”

He paused, and his body started shrinking back to its original size.

He returned to his human form and continued,

“The urge disappears when I transform back into a human.”

[Oh, really?]

“Yeah. I think it’s an instinctual urge of the Omurga species.”

[So you can control it when you’re human?]

“Of course. I don’t have an eating disorder.”

The Demon Gods started murmuring amongst themselves again, confused.

[That monster, Omurga, the harbinger of destruction, can control his hunger?]

[No way, that’s impossible!]

[He hasn’t attacked us yet, which is different from the Omurga I encountered before.]

[That’s… true…]

[Isn’t this good for us? We might be able to persuade him to join our side.]

[He’s friends with Dantalian, so it might be easier to persuade him.]

[I disagree. Who knows when he’ll transform back into that monster?]

The vast space was filled with the clamor of over 70 Demon Gods arguing amongst themselves.

[I have a question.]

Baal spoke again, and silence fell over the space.

[Why are you here?]

He asked a fundamental question.

[Revealing your other identity as Omurga, the being we despise.]

Kim Jinsung answered immediately,

“I came here for two reasons. The first is to become stronger. But I think I’ve already achieved that, so let’s move on.”

He couldn’t get any stronger now that he had realized his true form as Omurga, the being all Demon Gods feared.

“The second is to destroy all the portals in the Middle Realm.”

[What does that have to do with us?]

“What do you mean? Dungeons started appearing everywhere after your Demon World Dungeons and Trial Towers appeared.”

500 years ago, the New Continent had suddenly appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

And the portals to the Trial Tower and the Demon World Dungeon, which had appeared near the center of the continent, where Sselepoh City now stood, were the cause of the current state of the Earth, overrun by dungeons and monsters.

“We, the humans of the Middle Realm, have suffered for over 500 years because of you. Countless lives have been lost.

Don’t you think it’s enough? Let us return to the old days, when there were no monsters.”

He finished his explanation and stated his purpose.

“I want the Demon World Dungeons and the Trial Towers to disappear from Earth forever. That’s all I want. Tell me how to do it. I’ll do anything, as long as it’s within my power.

And if you know how to destroy the other dungeon portals in other regions, that would be great too.”

He met Baal’s gaze.

After a moment of silence, Baal spoke,

[You’re arrogant and reckless, Kim Jinsung.]

“I’ve heard that a lot.”

[Tell me, why should we grant your request?]

He countered.

[Demon Gods don’t act without compensation. Do you know how many sacrifices Middle Realm creatures offer to use our powers?]

“So you want me to bring you money? Or a thousand virgin sacrifices, like in the movies?”

[We’ll decide that ourselves. But one thing’s for sure, Demon Gods only act if there’s a worthy compensation.

Empty pleas and emotional appeals won’t work on us, who have lived for eons.]

“Alright. I’ll give you a compensation.”

He transformed,

into Omurga, the monster that had terrified the Demon Gods.

“Baal, shall I start by devouring you?”

[…What?]

**Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!**

Before Baal could even react, powerful Demonic Energy erupted from Omurga,

enough to engulf all the Demon Gods present.

[Gasp…!]

[Hey, kid! Are you crazy?!]

[He’s finally showing his true colors!]

[I knew it! Reason or no reason, he’s still Omurga!]

The Demon Gods also unleashed their Demonic Energy, their faces tense.

Baal’s voice boomed, filled with anger,

[Do you realize what you’re doing?]

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

But Kim Jinsung’s voice was calm.

“I won’t repeat myself. Listen carefully. If you tell me how to destroy all the dungeons on Earth, nothing will happen.

But if you refuse…”

He didn’t finish his sentence.

Baal and the other Demon Gods already knew what he meant.

“A peaceful resolution, without any bloodshed. That’s the only compensation I can offer.

So, what will it be?”

He asked Baal, staring directly at him,

his face contorted into the monstrous visage of Omurga.

—