Ch.144Chapter 144 – Fallen Angel (2)

“Huh!”

Kwak Tae-woo tumbled out of the gate, gasping violently for breath. As he lost his balance and fell, Satan gracefully folded his wings and landed beside him.

“…I thought I was going to be killed for sure.”

“Haha, how was my acting? Convincing, wasn’t it?”

“Acting? That fallen angel Satamael?”

“Yes. Satamael is just one of my many fake identities. An identity I use to operate within the Gregori, the fallen angel collective.”

Satan answered while folding his wings back into his body. The wings melted naturally into his back as if they had always been a part of him.

“…Did you use the power of deception for those wings?”

“Hmm? No, these are my actual wings. Didn’t I tell you? Technically, I’m a fallen angel too. That’s why I don’t have fond feelings toward the Elohim.”

Satan, a fallen angel? At this unexpected revelation, Kwak Tae-woo’s eyes widened. Satan noticed the curiosity in his eyes and smirked.

“Curious? Forget it. It’s a story you can’t hear without shedding tears of blood.”

Satan walked ahead, beckoning with his hand.

“Just follow me for now. Someone is waiting.”

“Someone’s waiting? By the way, where are we?”

Only then did Kwak Tae-woo look around. The two had arrived at an old temple halfway up a mountain.

“The Sage’s dwelling. He should be talking with Shin Jae-hyuk by now.”

The name of his comrade, heard after a long time. Kwak Tae-woo followed Satan into the main hall. Sure enough, as Satan had said, the old monk whom Kwak Tae-woo had seen in his first life was sitting across from Shin Jae-hyuk, drinking tea.

“Shin Jae-hyuk!”

“Oh? Kwak Tae-woo? How did you get here…?”

Shin Jae-hyuk turned to look at Tae-woo’s companion. Satan greeted him with a smile and a wave.

“Satan… I see, you used his gate. Is your training in Eden complete?”

“Training is not the issue right now. Lucifer has been summoned to Eden.”

“…What?”

At this unbelievable news, Shin Jae-hyuk’s expression froze momentarily, then quickly turned to shock as he checked the civilization level in his status window.

“How so quickly!”

“The Emperor—that bastard was a Vampire Lord. He turned his people into vampires and then forced them to commit mass suicide to artificially raise the civilization experience.”

An unexpected situation. Even Kwak Tae-woo was experiencing this for the first time. In his first life, the Empire had been destroyed early by Beelzebub’s invasion, so Lucifer couldn’t use such an exploit and was summoned through normal means.

“I need to go to Eden right away.”

Shin Jae-hyuk jumped to his feet, looking ready to dash out immediately. But the Sage’s words stopped him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To the Empire. I need to stop Lucifer.”

“No. It’s already too late. The Empire’s destruction is inevitable. You, Kwak Tae-woo, who witnessed it firsthand, should know this.”

Kwak Tae-woo’s face darkened as he recalled the Empire’s final moments. The cruel slaughter, his master’s sacrifice. How wretched is the fall of a civilization.

From Kwak Tae-woo’s undenying reaction, Shin Jae-hyuk realized that everything was already over. The strength in his hands naturally loosened. His teacup fell helplessly and rolled across the floor.

“Damn it… damn it! I shouldn’t have left Eden…”

“It’s too early for sorrow. Lucifer’s advent is a crisis for humanity, but it’s also a great opportunity.”

Before the atmosphere could become too gloomy, the Sage tapped his wooden gong to redirect their attention. Shin Jae-hyuk forced down his grief. However, he still glared at the Sage with eyes full of anger.

“Hundreds of thousands, millions of people have died, and you call it an opportunity. What are you saying?”

“The fact that one of the two remaining Four Heavenly Kings has descended means that Hell’s defenses have weakened accordingly. It’s good to mourn what has already happened, but first, we must do everything we can.”

With two of the Four Heavenly Kings defeated and one now in the middle realm, the only powerful beings left in Hell were the Demon King and Beelzebub. Hell’s home forces had been reduced by more than half.

“We must seize this opportunity to destroy the enemy’s production factory.”

“Production factory?”

In response to Kwak Tae-woo’s question, the Sage explained.

“How do you think demons increase their numbers? Think about imps, the lowest-ranking demons. Imps make up about 90% of the hellish army, but they actually have no reproductive organs.”

“Indeed…”

Now that he thought about it, it was strange. A race that constitutes over 90% of the forces, yet physiologically incapable of reproduction?

“Hell’s forces aren’t born. They’re manufactured.”

“…!”

High-ranking demons have existed since ancient times, and mid-ranking demons are born from mating between high-ranking demons. But apart from these, the low-ranking demons that make up most of Hell’s population aren’t born through normal reproductive processes.

Imps and various other low-ranking demons are created through artificial wombs that mechanically produce populations.

These manufactured low-ranking demons are used for labor, drafted as slave soldiers for legions, or become meals for high-ranking demons. The high-ranking demons maintain Hell’s ecosystem by controlling the production of low-ranking demons.

“…That’s knowledge not even found in demon encyclopedias.”

“Of course. Anyone who knows Hell’s ecology in such detail would either be a spy or already in a demon’s stomach. I wouldn’t have known either if Satan hadn’t told me.”

Indeed. As a former Demon King, he would know various important information about Hell. The Sage continued.

“The demons’ production factory is located in Asmodeus’s territory near Lucifer’s domain. I want you to destroy that factory.”

If they could stop the nearly infinite production of troops, they could significantly reduce Hell’s military power. But there was one problem. Shin Jae-hyuk asked about it.

“Who will stop Lucifer while we infiltrate Hell?”

A valid question. The Sage and Satan had been operating carefully to avoid the eyes of the Elohim and the Demon King. They wouldn’t engage in an all-out battle with Lucifer. With Shin Jae-hyuk—the only one who could operate openly while possessing divinity—gone, who would stand against Lucifer?

The Sage’s answer was simple.

“Monsters should be left to hunters. Doesn’t humanity have heroes called S-rank Hunters? And Kim Jae-min, the ultimate weapon known as the Hero, is also alive and well.”

‘True… even a Heavenly King might be defeated if all the S-rank Hunters join forces. Unlike my first life, all seven S-rank Hunters are still alive this time.’

Even Kwak Tae-woo, who knew Lucifer’s power, made a similar judgment. In his first life, only three S-ranks had challenged Lucifer and were completely annihilated, but now, if all seven S-ranks united against Lucifer, they would have a good chance of winning.

“Neutralizing Hell’s troop production while Lucifer is away—that is your first mission.”

“First? So there’s a second one?”

“Yes. And the second objective is more difficult than the first.”

“…I’m listening.”

Following the Sage’s more serious tone, Shin Jae-hyuk and Kwak Tae-woo also adjusted their listening posture.

“Do you know where souls go when people die?”

“According to scripture, souls go to Purgatory, located in the middle of the three afterlife realms, where they are judged for the sins committed during their lifetime and then sent to Hell or Heaven—that’s what I know.”

“You know it precisely. But there’s one thing wrong with the scripture. The criterion that determines whether one goes to Heaven or Hell is not the presence of sin. It’s faith in Eloah.”

“…You mean even the most heinous sinners go to Heaven if they just believe in him?”

“That’s right. But Heaven isn’t the beautiful and happy world described in scripture either. Heaven is merely a place to store gray souls for use in promotion, not a paradise that guarantees happiness after death.”

Kwak Tae-woo frowned as he searched his memory. Salvation through faith alone? He had heard of a similar concept before. Christianity. A religion that claims one can go to Heaven simply by believing in God.

“But the Elohim hid this fact and spread a religion modified to his taste in both Eden and Earth. In Eden as the Order of Light, and on Earth as Catholicism and Christianity.”

In a world where monsters, demons, and divine power exist, it wasn’t difficult for people to accept and understand the existence of God. But in Earth, the second world created by the Elohim, where no monsters or supernatural abilities existed, it was hard for religion to spread.

So the Elohim had Satan show humans various myths and miracles, and based on these stories, religions believing in the Elohim spread. Historians called this period “B.C.”

“Recently, it seems the Elohim’s believers have been active in the form of the Paradise Church. I heard they even revised their doctrine to accept followers of the Empire’s Order of Light…”

“Paradise Church…! I thought it seemed like more than just a cult.”

“In my first life, the Paradise Church rapidly expanded by absorbing various religious factions. They performed many good deeds, including civilian support and refugee aid, so I thought they were a solid religious group. But as expected of a cult, they had sinister intentions.”

Kwak Tae-woo muttered, recalling old memories. At that time, the Paradise Church boasted a power comparable to the Human Alliance led by Cha Eun-kyung. A friendly group that supported the Human Alliance by operating a military group called the Knights and a relief group called the Priesthood.

“But I remember the Paradise Church in my first life was attacked and destroyed by Gregori. Weren’t the Demon King and God on the same side?”

“Hmm… Lucifer, who hates God, might do such a thing independently. Although the Demon King is essentially the Elohim’s puppet, he can’t control every move of the Four Heavenly Kings.”

Since the Sage had no memories of the first life, he could only speculate plausible possibilities rather than give a definitive answer.

“Leonardo? You know we don’t have much time, right?”

Noticing that the conversation had strayed from the topic, Satan cautioned the Sage. The Sage cleared his throat and returned to his explanation.

“Ahem, the story has digressed a bit. The point is, the Elohim is using religion as a tool to collect gray souls.”

“…Why are you bringing this up?”

“Because it’s related to what you need to do. You must infiltrate Heaven and destroy the ‘tank’ where gray souls are stored.”

This time, even Shin Jae-hyuk and Kwak Tae-woo couldn’t hide their disbelief.

“Infiltrate Heaven? Is that possible?”

“Yes. On the top of Gorgodia Hill in Asmodeus’s territory, there should be a passage leading to Purgatory. You’ll use that passage to ascend to Purgatory, and then through the gates of Heaven, enter Heaven itself.”

“But will the angels let us in so easily?”

The Sage quietly smiled and touched Shin Jae-hyuk’s chest.

“The divine blood and immense divine power within you will deceive the angels’ eyes. They will recognize you as one of their own, an angel.”

“Angels can’t be that stupid…”

“You’ll see when you meet them yourself.”

Though not easily convinced, Shin Jae-hyuk reluctantly nodded at the Sage’s confident tone.

“The Elohim is currently in a deep sleep, recovering the power consumed in creation. Originally, he should wake up to check the progress of his plan whenever one of the Four Heavenly Kings falls, but when Belphegor died, I prevented his awakening, so he should still be asleep. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about the Elohim’s interference—just quietly destroy the tank and return.”

It sounded simple, but it was an incredibly difficult mission. A pilgrim’s progress that required crossing Hell, passing through Purgatory, and finally reaching Heaven.

But neither Kwak Tae-woo nor Shin Jae-hyuk had a choice.

‘…To ensure the Empire’s fall and Lord Frederick’s sacrifice weren’t in vain.’

‘Sad as it is, this is an opportunity as the Sage says. A chance to significantly improve humanity’s odds. And…’

Shin Jae-hyuk discreetly observed the Sage’s expression. A face firmly believing in his own judgment. A face without a trace of falsehood. Yet Shin Jae-hyuk, whose lifetime of common sense had been denied, still couldn’t fully trust the Sage’s words.

‘If I see the reality of Hell and Heaven with my own eyes, I can judge whether everything the Sage says is true. And what the Elohim, whom I’ve served all my life, is really thinking…’

Shin Jae-hyuk exchanged glances with Kwak Tae-woo and stood up.

“It seems you’ve made your decision.”

“…Yes. I will cooperate with your plan, Leonardo.”

“Me too.”

After the long explanation and persuasion, when the two finally made up their minds, the Sage nodded with satisfaction and gently placed his palms on their foreheads.

“Good. Then I’ll give you my final blessing.”

A feeling of lightness in the body and clarity in the mind. If their previous mental state had been like looking through glasses covered in hazy dust, now it was as clear as fog lifting.

“…I feel refreshed.”

“It’s nothing special. Now you’ll be able to adapt to Hell’s environment without purification magic.”

The Sage signaled to Satan.

“Good, are we done talking? Then let’s go.”

Satan opened the gates of Hell before the two. The hellgate loomed imposingly like the maw of a monster trying to devour them. But Shin Jae-hyuk and Kwak Tae-woo stepped toward the unknown beyond without hesitation.

“The footsteps of the brave know no hesitation! May luck and blessings be upon you both.”

The Sage wished them luck as they disappeared.

Just before Satan passed through the hellgate, he paused momentarily and turned to the Sage.

“Was that really just a blessing? I sensed some other magic mixed in.”

“As expected, I found traces of repeated brainwashing in Shin Jae-hyuk. I undid it. Probably a measure taken by one of the Elohim’s close associates. Shin Jae-hyuk must be an important card for the Elohim too. Important enough to reincarnate him on Earth after his death…”

“Hmm. I should find out whose handiwork it was. By the way…”

Satan grinned unpleasantly. It was a chilling smile, like a child who hadn’t been caught in a mischievous prank.

“We shouldn’t tell them until the end, right? That it was us who helped the vampire captured by Shin Jae-hyuk to awaken the Emperor.”

In his explanation to Shin Jae-hyuk, the Sage deliberately concealed Satan’s actions. If he had revealed that they deliberately induced the Emperor to summon Lucifer to weaken Hell’s defenses, that holy knight wouldn’t have cooperated with them.

The Sage simply closed his eyes quietly.

“…Sometimes, smaller things must be sacrificed for the greater good.”

Satan couldn’t hold back his laughter and giggled. Does he consider the country and people he once ruled as small things? Is it just that he’s not swayed by personal emotions, or is he willing to use any means to achieve his goals?

Either way, it didn’t matter to Satan. He was a demon, a billion light-years removed from the human heart. For Satan, it was enough to accomplish his goal of killing God. Even if billions died for it.

“Yes. That’s why I like you.”

With a voice tinged with laughter, Satan’s figure disappeared into the gate. As the gate closed, the Sage was once again left alone in the spacious hall.

Shortly after, the old monk’s quiet chanting of sutras echoed through the silent temple.

A requiem.