Chapter 140: To the North! (2)

“Calling us South Korean scum? Unbelievable. You crazy bastards. What nonsense are you even spouting?”

“Looks like you don’t understand the situation?”

“You’re the ones who need to understand the situation. North Koreans, you say? Then why are you speaking awkward Korean and pretending to be from the North?”

The slave elf stepped up confidently.

She wasn’t wrong.

North Koreans usually say things like “comrade,” or speak in that weird rhythmic tone, right?

Stuff like “damn bastards,” or “is that so, is that so?”

They’d say that kind of thing too.

“Hold on, Miss Slave, can you just shut up for a second?”

“What the hell? Why are you being mean to me?”

“Let’s just be honest here. Look closely with those tiny eyes of yours. Do we look like Koreans to you?”

“You American imperialist bastards!”

These people are weird.

I have no idea where they’re really from.

They don’t quite feel like Chinese either.

More importantly, if you look at the state of this so-called North Korea, it’s obvious these guys didn’t flee here from China.

“We’re not American, and anyway, North Koreans don’t usually talk like that, right?”

“The South Korean president said learning Southern language was a condition for letting us in, you bastards!”

…What the hell do they want us to do?

“The president didn’t accept you?”

“We tried to cross over while being chased by monsters, and they sent some freaks after us to hunt us down. And now you think you can just stroll up here?”

“Ttengchili-nim, is that true?”

Well, that’s something only Ttengchili can answer.

“It’s not entirely wrong, but it’s a little different. The president hasn’t exactly been blocking North Koreans from entering. He just allows those who cross over in good condition.”

“So he meant they had to come over cleanly, not being chased by monsters or causing trouble?”

“That’s kind of common sense. But of all people, President Han Sang-jae had to add that they should also learn Seoul-standard Korean. That rubbed North Koreans the wrong way, so now they’re upset and refusing to come. Could be that.”

Makes sense.

That’s government business, not mine, but still—this is turning into a mess.

“So what, you guys got chased by monsters, tried to cross the border, and got stopped, and now you’re mad?”

“Shut your mouth!”

“Ugh, I don’t like your tone.”

These clowns—looking like someone smashed a metal pot onto their faces—have the nerve to tell us to shut up?

“Let’s catch them and hand them over to the Chinese!”

“Yeah, maybe we can get some millet porridge out of it!”

Millet porridge?

…Wait, are these people starving?

Looking closer, their bodies were all skin and bones.

Honestly, kind of pitiful.

But then I remembered what they said earlier:

We can get millet porridge for them.

In other words, our value—no, my value—is worth only a bowl of millet porridge.

“Wow. We’re only worth millet porridge, huh?”

“Seriously. Someone like me—literally the world’s most beautiful woman—is only worth that?”

That pissed me off.

Did they really just compare me to cheap food?

Looking at them again, they clearly weren’t in their right minds.

Do we even need to negotiate with people like this?

Maybe they could be swayed with food.

Maybe.

“Do you think negotiation’s possible?”

“I’d like to, but honestly, I’m kind of pissed right now.”

So negotiation’s off the table.

These human trash dare insult me?

“Because of the millet porridge comment?”

“Yes. How dare they. No, forget it—how dare they treat me as something equal to millet porridge? That’s basically blasphemy.”

My body is practically divine.

To sell someone like me?

And for that little?

That kind of insult deserves death.

This was the perfect excuse to start harvesting some souls.

The returnees looked uneasy, but what could we do?

They already knew I served a demonic god.

And once people are exposed to me, they can’t help but fall under my influence.

“Yikes…”

“Besides, doesn’t it look like they were planning this too? I mean, they even brought monsters.”

Sure enough, monsters were swarming the area.

To be precise, those self-proclaimed North Koreans were perched up on barricades made of ruins and scrap steel.

And on our side?

Monsters, likely released by them, were closing in.

Basically, they were trying to use monsters to catch us.

Are they brain-dead?

If they wanted to sell us out, shouldn’t they have captured us themselves in the first place?

Anyway, women with intact looks probably fetch a higher price.

Not that these guys would care—they’re literally begging for millet porridge.

“So, we’re wiping them all out?”

“Yes. Kill them.”

“What are you babbling about, you American imperialist whores!”

The self-proclaimed North Koreans, apparently blind to the Demon King, charged at us thinking we were just Westerners.

I feel bad saying this, but… maybe harvesting their souls now isn’t such a bad idea.

Though who knows if the goddess will even like it.

But she has grown fond of the taste of souls.

Maybe she’s actually an evil god at this point?

—Those souls seem a bit weak though. Maybe skip them…

The goddess didn’t even deny it.

Now she was just openly complaining.

Still, she’s so adorable like this.

She’s just a god who got addicted to the taste of human souls.

I wonder if she even realizes that I might be doing exactly what she wants?

She should just accept what I give her—she’s already being tamed by me.

Anyway, first we take care of the monsters, then we crush those bastards.

“How do you think they controlled the monsters?”

Doesn’t look like they actually did.

“Doesn’t look like they’re tamed.”

“We didn’t notice it, but this area seems to have been turned into a setup where the so-called Blasphemers can’t actually capture the monsters themselves. So they stay up in the ruins or the remaining buildings, build barricades, and put up barbed wire between the structures to create a pathway. The dumb monsters just wander inside that path.”

Smart thinking. I hadn’t noticed due to all the snow and ruins, but that’s the setup? They even made a proper route.

Well, it has been 15 years.

Even without being an Awakened, someone smart enough would’ve figured out a way to survive among monsters.

“So they can’t control the monsters directly. Got it. They just guided the starving ones this way by controlling the path.”

“Yeah. They only sent monsters they can manipulate via the route.”

“Pathetic bastards.”

The orc cracked his knuckles and gritted his teeth.

Yeah.

Pathetic indeed.

“If this was before we came, you could consider it a survival strategy. But to try something like that on us?”

“A bit weak for an attempt to wear us down.”

“Guess that’s the best they can do at a civilian level. Must’ve seen or heard something and thought they could weaken us.”

Utterly pathetic.

Maybe this is how they took down hunters from South Korea.

Doesn’t seem like they have any Awakened here anyway.

Here, all we need to do is block those numbers from swarming us.

“Cheonma Slash.”

With a flash, Cheonma cut down the monsters.

The orc’s punch crushed the monsters’ necks.

Battle mage’s spear pierced through them, and the elder girl’s playful flicks turned them into teddy bears.

“What the hell…”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? You really thought this would work on us? Ridiculous.”

“Seriously. Spirits, sweep away the snow!”

At the slave’s command, a black spirit appeared out of nowhere and cleared away the snow.

What it revealed were monster corpses and the Blasphemers hiding behind them, using the snow and bodies as shields.

They looked utterly horrified.

Of course they would be. They tried to weaken us, but got wiped out in a single blow.

They have no idea how powerful we really are.

Looks like dozens of them.

If there are this many just here, there must still be quite a few North Koreans alive.

So I unfurled my angelic wings and declared:

“Not a single one of you will leave here alive.”

“An… Angel?”

“We will give you a future far more dreadful than the dictators of this land ever did. You have insulted a god. You are guilty. Death is the only worth you hold.”

The returnees don’t interfere.

They can probably hear the goddess whispering, too.

Even if they don’t agree, they won’t stop me.

They know I’m just doing what must be done.

They’ve already blocked the escape routes so no one can run.

And with that, I grabbed my scythe and charged forward.

Slice!

I cut and cut again.

Heads. Skulls. Brains.

“Aaaaargh!”

“What’s with the screaming? This is nothing.”

Sometimes I held back just a bit, and the sound of cracking skulls brought out more screams.

“M-Monster…”

“These are the same people who tried to turn us into porridge. And now they cry?”

The divine scale wept in joy.

Even the goddess seemed satisfied.

“…Toss those filthy souls.”

“Fufufu… Craving heavenly souls, are we? But think of it another way, dear demon lord.”

Their souls may be trash, but the way they scream and wail as they’re crushed—that sound is truly sweet, isn’t it?

“You’re worse than I am. But… yeah, there’s a different flavor to it.”

And I’m enjoying it under the guise of serving the goddess.

If this wasn’t for her, if she hadn’t influenced the returnees, they’d probably just see me as a complete psychopath.

Because deep down, I enjoy smashing the skulls of the weak and cowardly.

“N-No… Please…”

“S-Spare me… Monster…!”

“Monster? How rude. I’m an angel, thank you.”

Splat!

The Blasphemers were thoroughly annihilated.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Skulls cracked, and their souls were harvested into the divine scale.

Then, the goddess and I devoured them.

Ecstasy.

Pure pleasure.

The feeling is similar to the satisfaction from idle hand-play to relieve boredom.

The screams rang out at first, but as more died, their numbers—and screams—dwindled.

And as I absorbed the final soul…

I wore a face of pure bliss.