Episode 544. God

The final moment.

Lucifer sensed the dangerous magic being created behind him. His sharp senses, honed over a lifetime, signaled him to evade.

He immediately let go of Liliana and twisted his body, but he couldn’t escape the aura of death that was already right in front of his nose.

Kwaddeudeudek-!

In the end, Lee Hoyeon’s spiral pierced Lucifer’s body.

Lucifer, frozen in the pose of reaching out to Liliana, slowly lowered his head.

“…Impressive. This is the first time I’ve sustained such a wound.”

The spiraling vortex tore Lucifer’s body apart, and his proud, strong physique collapsed.

Lucifer’s potent regeneration could heal any wound, but that was only when he had enough time and magic.

The current Lucifer didn’t have the leeway to heal his body.

Koong-

Lucifer’s massive frame, like an impregnable fortress, crumbled.

His slowly falling body knelt before Liliana.

‘I failed to see what was right in front of me. How foolish I was.’

Lucifer had believed in his own strength.

Because he was so confident, he hadn’t killed Lee Hoyeon and the humans.

Even knowing that Lee Hoyeon was an irregular who far surpassed the human race, he maintained his dismissive attitude until the very end.

‘The rage that filled my body moments ago has vanished. Is this also Lee Hoyeon’s doing?’

Only when facing death did Lucifer realize his emotions had been manipulated.

I thought my assessment of Lee Hoyeon was perfect, but was that also an underestimation?

Perhaps from the very beginning, he was a being beyond my judgment.

“….”

Lucifer’s consciousness blurred. Magic drained from his body.

I can’t end like this, not like this.

“Lee Hoyeon… I will definitely remember you.”

Lucifer clung to his fading consciousness, turned his head, and scanned Lee Hoyeon from head to toe.

He committed his image to memory until the very end.

“Next time, it will never end like this….”

Teolsseok-

Lucifer couldn’t finish his words and face-planted onto the floor.

Feeling all the strength leave his body, Lucifer closed his eyes.

*

“…Is he dead?”

Oodeudeuk-

Magic ropes tightly bound Lucifer’s body.

There was a hole in his abdomen large enough for one or two people to pass through, but that monster might still get up.

After ensuring Lucifer was completely immobilized, Lee Hoyeon confirmed the monster’s life or death.

“Haa…. That crazy bastard is still causing trouble till the end. Couldn’t he just die quietly?”

Lee Hoyeon exhaled a sigh of relief after confirming Lucifer’s breath had completely ceased.

‘I did it.’

He had defeated Lucifer, the Demon King from the original work and his toughest opponent.

Although his physical condition was the worst it could be, the fact that he had defeated a formidable enemy comforted Lee Hoyeon.

Now that Lucifer was dead, something naturally came to mind.

‘The Main Quest.’

It was the Main Quest, the reason Lee Hoyeon was going through so much trouble.

『Main Quest: Conquer all heroines and survive until the game’s ending. If you can. Failure Penalty: Death』

Lee Hoyeon checked the Main Quest for the first time in a while.

The wording, which showcased the deity of this world’s personality, always felt unpleasant.

‘Seeing no change in the Main Quest confirms Lucifer wasn’t the Demon King….’

He had hoped, but it was as he suspected.

Defeating Lucifer didn’t resolve the Main Quest.

This meant he had to defeat the Demon King currently existing in this timeline.

‘Why did things turn out this way? My actions couldn’t possibly have influenced the Underworld.’

What was the reason for the deviation from the original story?

At first, he thought it was a matter of time, but after facing Lucifer himself, it didn’t seem like time was the issue.

Lucifer, having regained his strength, showed the exact same appearance as when the Demon King descended in the original work.

Of course, he had the help of the fake dungeon magic circle, but considering he became the Demon King and the magic of the Demon King’s castle resided within him, it was essentially the same.

That’s where the problem lies.

Chiron had told him Lucifer was the strongest in the Underworld.

If the Demon King were stronger than Lucifer, there would be no reason to choose a successor.

So why was Lucifer still the successor?

What caused the difference between the Demon King in the original work and the current one?

The butterfly effect caused by Lee Hoyeon’s transmigration must have played a role.

No, considering all the actions Lee Hoyeon had taken since transmigrating, ‘tremendous’ would be a more fitting description.

However, whether that butterfly effect could influence the Underworld to the point of changing the Demon King required further consideration.

“…This isn’t the time. Liliana. Are you okay?”

“Ugh, ah… Yeah….”

It was an important concern, but Lee Hoyeon postponed his thoughts for a moment.

He reached out to Liliana before him and helped her up from the floor.

“Rest for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

Liliana still had a dazed expression, looking utterly bewildered.

He wanted to take better care of her, but others were in urgent need.

“Ahyoung-ssi. Snap out of it.”

Lee Hoyeon grabbed Baek Ahyoung’s shoulder, who was nearby.

Baek Ahyoung, who had been healing the Alice sisters, had collapsed after taking a direct hit from Lucifer’s magic.

Placing his hand on Baek Ahyoung’s shoulder, Lee Hoyeon slowly infused his magic.

He wasn’t as specialized a healer as Baek Ahyoung, but he could provide some healing.

“Ah… Thank you. Honey. Ughh.”

“It’s nothing. I should be thanking you. It’s all over now, so take your time and recover.”

“Nngh. Hoo. There’s no time to rest. I need to get my head straight. Hoyeon-ah, you check on the people around here. I’m going to check on Sol.”

As soon as Baek Ahyoung regained her senses, she hurried over towards Im Sol.

She was right. They needed to check on the injured.

Rebecca, who had flown over there, and Surin noona, who was still dazed, would likely be taken care of by Baek Ahyoung.

Lee Hoyeon approached the Alice sisters, who were struggling to stand behind Lucifer.

“Alice. Are you okay?”

“…Is Lucifer dead?”

“Yeah. He’s definitely dead.”

“Haa….”

Alice relaxed her body as she looked at Lucifer lying on the floor.

She couldn’t believe that monster was dead.

It was a feeling of helplessness she hadn’t felt in a long time, but relief at being alive overshadowed her wounded pride.

“Irene-ssi, please get up too.”

“Unnie. Are you really okay?”

“Alice… Nngh. I’m alive. Thank you too, Lee Hoyeon. Thanks to you, I survived….”

“You should thank Rebecca-ssi and Liliana more than me. They bought us time.”

“We fought alongside them the whole time. In the end, you were the one who finished Lucifer. You were truly amazing today.”

“…Really?”

Lee Hoyeon smiled wryly and administered first aid to the two.

He appreciated Irene’s bright smile, but when considering the cause of such a battle, he knew he was ultimately the problem.

Lee Hoyeon couldn’t find peace.

‘Once everyone recovers, I have to tell them the truth about the dungeon….’

He had intended to confess his mistakes, but he hadn’t figured out how to phrase it while fighting Lucifer.

After finishing the first aid for the Alice sisters, Lee Hoyeon shared his magic with Nam Daeun and Liliana, who were nearby.

The two of them were in better condition than the Alice sisters, relatively speaking.

“Amazing! You actually caught that monster!”

“Liliana-ssi. If you move too much, your wounds might reopen….”

Nam Daeun worried about Liliana, but Liliana jumped up and down with joy.

Lucifer had felt unpleasant from the first moment she saw him.

She didn’t like how someone she didn’t even know acted familiar, calling them siblings, so defeating him was reason enough to be happy.

Moreover, for some reason, her magic had grown stronger.

From Liliana’s perspective, it was no different from a festival.

“Right. Liliana, what’s up with your magic? Judging by the amount, it seems like you have more than me.”

“I dunnoooo.”

“…Why don’t you know?”

“It just suddenly happened? Maybe I became sexier, and my hidden Succubus powers manifested. By the way, when do we leave? Wouldn’t the door open once we defeat that guy?”

“We can leave anytime soon. I’ve taken control of the magic circle.”

The fake dungeon’s magic circle was now Lee Hoyeon’s property.

He could create an exit whenever he wanted.

He was already sending people out of the dungeon, one by one, from areas other than the central part, in real-time.

“Hoyeon-ah. I heard you created this magic circle. Is that true?”

Just then, Alice, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, threw a direct question at Lee Hoyeon.

Everyone else was beating around the bush, but Alice couldn’t contain her curiosity.

‘So they heard.’

Lee Hoyeon pursed his lips with a complicated feeling.

He must have heard it from Rebecca or Irene on the way to the center.

The other heroines seemed curious too, as he could feel them secretly focusing their attention this way.

It wasn’t just the people nearby.

The exhausted Lucy and Lumi twins, lying down.

Surin noona, who was completely drained.

Baek Ahyoung, treating the fallen Scarlet and Rebecca, and Im Sol beside her.

Everyone was waiting for Lee Hoyeon’s next words.

“I heard that goat bastard talking. He was furious about you stealing his magic circle. Wasn’t it his originally? What we saw was you, Lee Hoyeon, trying to stop the rampaging magic circle… right?”

“Hoyeon-ah. Is that really true?”

Lee Hoyeon gave a faint smile at Liliana’s words.

He knew better than anyone that what Liliana was saying lacked credibility.

Besides, Lucifer’s words were just random outbursts when his emotions were amplified.

There was no credibility to them.

However… the heroines didn’t know that.

If Lee Hoyeon insisted that it was true, wouldn’t they all accept it?

He might be able to escape this uncomfortable situation.

‘…Then it would be meaningless.’

There was only one thing that monstrous bastard Lucifer had been useful for.

He made Lee Hoyeon see himself a little more objectively.

Ultimately, Lee Hoyeon was responsible for all these situations.

He had avoided such situations until now, but he could no longer pretend ignorance and run away.

He didn’t want to become the cowardly hypocrite that bastard had called him.

“Haa.”

Lee Hoyeon calmed his mind.

Let’s discard useless thoughts.

There was no need to worry about the outcome before even acting.

Whatever he heard, it was something he had to bear.

“….”

The others also sensed the atmosphere from the silent Lee Hoyeon.

They all anticipated that something important was about to be said.

“Um… I don’t know how to put this….”

Choosing his opening words was difficult, but Lee Hoyeon slowly began to speak.

And at that moment.

An unknown magic enveloped Lee Hoyeon.

“W-what is this now…!”

It was a magic he had never felt before.

Lee Hoyeon immediately tried to resist by drawing up his magic, but the alien power ignored his resistance and transported his body somewhere.

Just as he felt they had traveled quite a distance.

His closed eyes naturally opened.

“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“…Who are you?”

Lee Hoyeon frowned at the sudden appearance.

A blond man adorned with gold all over his body.

The God of Betting appeared before Lee Hoyeon’s eyes.