Ch.149Chapter 149 – Lucifer (4)

Despite its grotesque appearance, riding the Death Worm was surprisingly comfortable. The hammock-like seat fixed in its throat wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it guaranteed safe passage. No demon in their right mind would dare disturb a Death Worm, the desert’s apex predator.

True to his mystical nature, Gode controlled the Death Worm using peculiar incantations. Under his command, the creature glided smoothly beneath the sand without any interference.

On the journey to Asmodeus’s domain, Shin Jaehyuk managed his complicated emotions. He wasn’t foolish enough to confuse priorities. For the sake of the mission, he decided to temporarily set aside his personal vendetta and maintain a calm mind.

‘Just ignore him. Treat him like a stranger…’

Despite his attempt to remain detached, the other party initiated conversation.

“Longinus, or should I say Shin Jaehyuk now? Since we have a long journey ahead, why not chat? Reincarnation is a phenomenon I’ve never witnessed before, and I’m quite curious about it.”

Undisguised curiosity gleamed in Gode’s eyes. Shin Jaehyuk suppressed his irritation. Right, this man had always been like this—someone who would betray even his comrades to satisfy his curiosity. Deciding it might be better to exchange information, Jaehyuk engaged in the conversation.

“What’s got you so desperate to know?”

“Living in hell, I’ve observed countless soul cycles. The souls of the dead are judged by angels in purgatory. Based on their verdict, human souls either ascend to heaven, reincarnate on earth without memories, or fall to hell. But I’ve never seen someone reincarnate while retaining their memories like you. How did you manage it? Did you use some technique I’m unaware of?”

“…I’m not sure. I thought I died in hell, but the next thing I knew, I woke up on Earth in an infant’s body.”

“Hmm… fascinating. So you don’t remember what happened in the afterlife? Well, souls don’t have sensory organs, after all.”

“Do you have any guesses why this happened only to me?”

Intrigued by the topic, Gode stroked his beard.

“I can think of three possibilities.”

“Three?”

“First, the simplest explanation: mere coincidence. Perhaps your soul luckily bypassed the memory erasure process.”

“Isn’t that assumption too vague?”

“I’m just discussing possibilities. I don’t believe this is the correct explanation either.”

“Then what’s the second?”

“It could be due to your divine power. That abnormally excessive divine power might have had some effect when you died.”

“But there are no cases of other venerated saints being reincarnated with their memories intact, are there?”

“Your divine power is overwhelming compared to other saints, isn’t it? Almost as if you’re not human… That might have confused even the angels.”

“Angels…”

“Lastly, it could be intentional intervention. You were called ‘the most beloved of God’ as Longinus—perhaps Eloah deliberately reincarnated you, just as your nickname suggests.”

This was the most plausible theory. It matched the conclusion Shin Jaehyuk had previously reached. No matter how he thought about it, only Elohim could interfere with the cycle of life and death in this world.

‘But why…’

Was it really because Elohim loved him, as Gode suggested? As a child, Shin Jaehyuk had believed that the Lord had some grand purpose for his reincarnation. But twenty years of neglect had changed that belief.

If Elohim had truly brought him into this world for an important purpose, He should have answered at least one of his prayers during those twenty years.

“…I still can’t figure it out.”

Shin Jaehyuk shook his head. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. It might be better to ask someone who might know something, like the Sage or Satan.

‘Or perhaps Elohim directly…’

Setting aside these troubling thoughts, Shin Jaehyuk changed the subject.

“You said you’ve lived in hell for a long time. Do you have information about the Demon King?”

“Oh, the Demon King. You’re not referring to Satan, I presume. You mean the King of Sorrow, Mara Papias.”

Shin Jaehyuk nodded. Information was scarce about this new Demon King who had ascended to the throne less than a hundred years ago by Eden’s timeline.

“Abilities, weaknesses, appearance, characteristics. Even trivial information would help. Tell me everything you know.”

“Characteristics… Actually, not much is known about the Demon King’s powers. His origins are unclear, and he’s never appeared on the battlefield, so even his strength remains unknown.”

“In hell, where strength rules, they crowned an outsider whose power is unknown?”

“He was vouched for by Rohim, the evil god above all demons. Besides, the Four Heavenly Kings also acknowledged him as Demon King, so their subordinates follow suit.”

“So there’s nothing known about him?”

Gode searched his memory.

“There are rumors. That he’s extremely thin, has three eyes, enjoys meditation, might be human. They say he earned the title ‘King of Sorrow’ because he often weeps during meditation.”

These characteristics were puzzling in many ways. The Demon King’s power remained a complete mystery, leaving Jaehyuk confused.

“Ah, and though this information isn’t certain, the Demon King is suspected to originate from Earth.”

“…What?”

“I heard the Demon King wears clothing similar to what Earth’s monks wear. Called a ‘monk’s robe,’ I believe. I’ve never seen it myself, so I can’t be sure.”

Monk? That reminded Shin Jaehyuk of someone.

‘The Sage Leonardo. He also dresses like a monk… Could they be connected?’

While deep in thought, the Death Worm suddenly jerked irregularly. Having surfaced, it soon stopped moving completely.

“Ah, it seems we’ve arrived.”

Following Gode out of the Death Worm, Shin Jaehyuk was greeted by a red sky and land covered in disgusting mucous membranes.

“Welcome to the domain of Asmodeus, Archduke of Hell.”

Asmodeus’s domain had an appearance that didn’t match the term “domain.” A proper domain should have inhabitants and a place for them to live, but this place was different.

A vast plain stretched around a towering tower of flesh. It wasn’t an ordinary plain. Instead of green grass, revolting organic membranes covered the ground, with blood vessels writhing across them. These vessels extended from the tower, connecting to translucent cocoons scattered across the plain.

Kwak Taewoo looked with disgust at the demon fetuses growing inside the cocoons’ artificial wombs.

“…So that’s why you called it a factory.”

“Demons call this place the Demon Plant. It’s hell’s most crucial facility, producing new demons daily.”

Shin Jaehyuk’s gaze turned skyward. Two massive aberrations floated in the sky, spewing a misty fog. They vaguely resembled whales, but their appearance was too blasphemous to be called that.

“What are those beasts?”

“Behemoth and Leviathan. Ancient monsters that appear even in scripture. They transport souls from purgatory to this place. See that mist-like breath around them? They’re sprinkling souls onto the ground, like farmers sowing seeds. Then cocoons form where the souls fall, creating new demons.”

“I thought souls that fell to hell were punished for their sins in life.”

Gode smirked and pointed at a cocoon.

“This is the punishment. Being born as a demon.”

“How is that a punishment?”

“Because demons are a race created to be slaves.”

Shin Jaehyuk recalled what the Sage had told him.

In the beginning, Elohim created angels. It was for an experiment—to discover what form of race would allow him to become the absolute god.

According to the Sage, angels were like dolls. Living mechanical devices that followed Elohim’s words without question or self-awareness. Elohim realized that angels’ souls were white, and white souls couldn’t be used for “promotion” because their power to observe the world was too weak.

So Elohim created a second race, demons. Demons were designed at the genetic level to be unable to defy Elohim. They strictly followed the chain of command and were governed by the logic of power.

Elohim tried to gain the power needed for promotion by forcing faith upon the demons’ minds. But this too failed. The black souls of demons were too influenced by their bodies, causing their self-awareness to be overwhelmed by instinct and lacking clear subjectivity.

So Elohim created humans. Beings who could choose anything by their own will. Beings with gray souls. Beings who could transfer their right to observe and define the world to others in the form of faith.

Although they were useless for conducting promotion, Elohim repurposed the two races he had already created. He gave them religious significance so humans would worship him. Angels were a race serving the good god Eloah, while demons worshipped the evil god Rohim.

Elohim even manipulated demons’ genes to make them behave like the demons described in scripture. That’s why demons are overwhelmed by uncontrollable hatred and murderous instinct when they see humans. Whether they want to or not, hormones and electrical signals in their brains forcibly make their minds violent. They can’t bear not to tear apart the humans before them.

“Who would choose to be born a demon? Who would willingly embrace the instinct for slaughter? Demons are sad creatures. A race of slaves castrated of their soul’s freedom.”

From Shin Jaehyuk’s perspective, having lost many friends and comrades to demons, it was hard to sympathize. But he understood.

‘Elohim’s experimental subjects… A race born to hate humans.’

Looking at the creatures growing in cocoons like lab animals in test tubes, Shin Jaehyuk felt a slight, very slight, pity.

“…How do we destroy the entire Demon Plant?”

Gode pointed toward the direction from which the blood vessels extended. At the top of a sloped hill stood a towering flesh tower, with blood vessels densely rooted beneath it like an ancient tree.

“See that tower on Gorgodian Hill? It’s called the Tree of Qliphoth. It’s a structure that supplies nutrients to all Demon Plants in the domain and also serves as Asmodeus’s castle. It also contains a gate to purgatory.”

“So we need to defeat Asmodeus, in the end.”

Following Gode, the group headed toward the center of the domain. Blood vessels writhed with an ominous glow beneath their feet.

***

Fifty-two nuclear missiles flew toward the Colosseum. They were all the Association had, each one sponsored by member countries. They launched all of them at once to maximize the success rate, fearing that a single missile might be blocked or evaded.

Pharaoh, with a hole in his abdomen, watched the scene while blood trickled from his mouth.

Lucifer, who had somehow already mastered English, descended beside him and spoke.

“Your tearful struggle has finally ended. How does it feel to be abandoned by your comrades?”

“Heh… They didn’t abandon me. I chose to stay behind.”

When headquarters notified them about the nuclear launch, Adriano immediately retreated from the battlefield with the fallen Zeus. Pharaoh could have escaped too, but he refused to retreat.

Someone needed to keep Lucifer from fleeing, and it was obvious what would happen to the evacuees on the outskirts if dozens of nuclear warheads detonated. Despite being mocked as a “concept freak” for his arrogant speech pattern as if he were a real king, Pharaoh’s concern for people was genuine.

Gathering his last strength, Pharaoh created a massive sand dome covering the Colosseum. Inside the thick dome were Pharaoh himself, Lucifer, and the nuclear missiles.

‘This should keep the civilians safe…’

Smiling, Pharaoh gazed at humanity’s weapons of death. Knowing the power of nuclear weapons, he had no doubt that the 52 missiles would erase Lucifer without leaving a trace.

“Arrogant one, your pride will be your downfall.”

Light flashed from above the dome.

Lucifer, who had only just noticed the missiles while fighting Pharaoh, looked up at the fireballs in the sky.

“Ah, so you were a diversion. The real strategy was those explosives…”

“It’s too late to realize that noooow—”

Lucifer’s consciousness accelerated. In the slowed time, he heard Pharaoh’s elongated words, but his mind was fully focused on the explosion.

‘Indeed, weapons that push particle reactions to their limits. Impressive…’

In the slowed time, Lucifer’s eyes observed the chain reaction. Neutrons striking atoms, and neutrons from split atoms causing other atoms to collapse. This chain reaction continued, releasing powerful energy.

‘Atomic collapse… just like the moment a star dies. Truly a miracle of creation… Humans really do have much to teach us.’

Lucifer smiled radiantly.

***

“Reaction… gone…”

“…We’ve finally eliminated the enemy. Well done, everyone. Losing Rome is a great loss for humanity, but it was a necessary decision to prevent greater losses.”

“Um… Commander? What’s gone isn’t the enemy’s biological signature… it’s the nuclear explosion.”

“…What?”