episode_0194

The Judge of the Underworld.

The moment that name reached my ears,

I felt my whole body being weighed down heavily.

No.

Rather than being weighed down…

It feels more like the underworld is pulling me in.

“What in the world have you done to me?!”

|I have heard that the concept of the Underworld is also known in the mortal realm in the form of myths. Just as you already know|

I know.

I’ve heard of it before.

The myths about the Underworld feel somewhat out of place, as they frequently appear in the game’s story.

The Judge of the Underworld.

The title of the position that assists the Underworld God in judging the spirits of the deceased.

Since it’s a position, it’s definitely possible to pass it on to someone else.

But why me of all people…!

“Why me-”

|An appropriate candidate appeared and passed it on to you. Whether you are human or demon is irrelevant. It is only natural for a being familiar with death to be suited for the position of the Judge of the Underworld. If you were not suitable, it would have been impossible for you to be appointed. Congratulations. It seems the Underworld King believes you possess the necessary qualities to judge others|

It’s absurd.

Do I really have such outstanding qualities to judge others?

There are so many things I want to retort, but that’s not important right now.

What’s important right now is the overwhelming pressure weighing me down.

To be more precise, it’s the force of the underworld pulling me in.

The duty of the Underworld Judge that has been bestowed upon me is exerting immense power to keep me tethered to the underworld!

|I humbly ask for your cooperation. The position of the Judge of the Underworld comes with not only responsibility but also the opportunity to wield great wealth and power if desired-|

“Don’t make me laugh! Who would take on such a task? Take it back, Satan!”

|I’m sorry, but that is not possible. Until you abandon the desire to return to the mortal realm|

“······!”

Satan speaks with a sly smile.

A chill ran down my spine at the mere thought that Satan doesn’t want me to return to the mortal realm.

I never imagined he would go to such lengths to forcibly keep me here.

“I will return! So return the position of the Judge of the Underworld to me!”

|Haha. Try returning it once. The position can only be passed on when a more suitable candidate appears. Whether a more qualified individual will appear in the next ten thousand years is uncertain|

“······!”

It’s truly unbelievable.

No matter how much I try to appoint Satan as the Judge of the Underworld again and return the position, the force that grips my body is just a momentary surge of words.

There is no sign of me leaving at all.

“This bastard…!”

|Hahaha!|

Unable to control my anger, I rushed towards Satan like a flash of lightning.

When I was standing still, the weight of the Judge of the Underworld position that was pressing me down endlessly accelerated me to an incredible speed.

Satan didn’t react and ended up with my hands around his neck.

|I can assist you in relinquishing the Judge’s seat. If you assist in conducting an important ritual, I will find a more suitable candidate to take over the position|

“Why not just torture you in this position until the so-called suitable candidate emerges?”

|There seems to be a misunderstanding. The suitable candidate is not hiding within the underworld. At least in this underworld, there is no vessel that surpasses you, a being familiar with death. What we are about to conduct… Well, this is something that cannot be publicly disclosed|

Placing his hand on my wrist, which was gripping his neck,

Satan sent a small amount of magic and ‘will’ directly into my body.

My body trembled as the ‘will’ flowed through me.

“Separating the Demon Realm from the Divine Realm is a ritual that creates an independent world. Through this, we wander through the rifts of dimensions, seeking a being to replace you in another world.”

“······!”

Separating the Demon Realm from the Divine Realm?

What kind of nonsensical talk is this?

As if reading my expression, Satan immediately continued with determination.

“To human eyes, it may seem like a foolish choice. Humans will never understand. In the Divine Realm, with the gaze of the Divine exposed, living with the terrifying curse of knowing the Divine! Having lived in the mortal realm, you should know, right? A world rampant with lawlessness, disbelief, and all kinds of violence! Within it, the blooming love, trust, and harmony are truly beautiful and valuable!”

“······.”

“One, how about the Demon Realm? The demons are already in contact with the afterlife, living in fear of judgment! Deception and violence cannot even be dreamed of! Some may think that this place is a more peaceful and beautiful world, but in reality, it is not at all. It is a dreadful and false world. A world without freedom! A world where life, even though alive, is no different from being dead! This is why I, Satan, seek to separate the Demon Realm from the Divine Realm. The future demons will escape the gaze of the Divine, forget the Divine, and remember it only as a legend passed down in myths. And it will become a world as free and unrestrained as the mortal realm!”

“······.”

I also felt it.

I have thought many times that the Demon Realm is somewhat eerie.

From lifestyle and communication methods to ways of thinking, humans and demons are completely different in every aspect.

But after deep conversations, I realized that their essence is not so different.

However, occasionally, I have received a strange impression from the demons.

A world where crime, disbelief, and evil do not exist.

It may feel like a paradise, but in reality, there is no trust and harmony within it.

It has become so natural for demons that it is no longer precious or valuable.

Satan feels that this world is unnatural.

On the contrary, he feels that a world full of sin like the mortal realm is natural.

And what annoys me is that my thoughts align with Satan’s.

“Please help me. I beg of you.”

“You’re asking for help in the wrong way······.”

But this is not it.

This is not the way to go.

No matter how desperate it is, I shouldn’t be forcibly bound to the Demon Realm.

As magic gathered in my hands, gradually growing stronger, there was enough power to strangle Satan even with the addition of the Demon Realm’s judge’s power.

But Satan looked at me with a calm expression, as if it didn’t matter if he died now.

“In the execution of the ritual, the sacrifice of all the Great Demons is assumed.”

“If I kill you, won’t everything go to waste?”

“It doesn’t matter. If that’s what it takes to unravel the curse, then do it. When one Great Demon dies, their seat becomes vacant, allowing another demon to ascend to the seat of the Great Demon, so there should be no hindrance to the execution of the ritual.”

At first, I thought that if I killed Satan, my qualifications would be lost, and the judge’s seat would not leave.

But I quickly dismissed that thought.

If killing Satan doesn’t make the seat of Wrath disappear, then the murder is meaningless.

From the start, Satan himself seemed to have no attachment to life, so the desire to kill him vanished.

I also briefly considered breaking the other Great Demons sealed in anger.

But that would only be a hindrance to myself.

If I cannot separate the Demon Realm from the Divine Realm, I cannot step down from the judge’s seat and leave.

“Have you made up your mind? Whether you like it or not, we must join forces in the end-”

“Shut up.”

“Hehehehe!”

The moment the voice filled with anger erupted from my throat.

The entire demon realm shook as magical energy spewed out from the ground like a shallow mist.

It felt as if the entire demon realm was responding to me.

I had always felt like I got along well with the demon realm.

But from the moment I took on the position of the Chief Judge of the Underworld, a sense of omnipotence began to rise, as if I could rule the demon realm as I pleased.

Satan laughs grotesquely as if enjoying himself.

I don’t like it.

It feels like playing around.

Even if I were to help Satan succeed in the ritual, there is no guarantee that he would grant my request.

“Do you not feel it as well? The demon realm follows you! You are a being more suited to the demon realm than a demon itself! You will become stronger, greater, and wiser than anyone else here! You will lead the demon realm and be a rightful presence in it!”

However, Satan’s words are undoubtedly true.

This sense of omnipotence is not baseless confidence.

I have already surpassed the weak human state.

The magical energy that crawled up from the ground has covered my body, turning into a sturdy carapace.

My field of vision has widened, showing more than half of the demon realm.

And my power continues to rise in real-time, as if I could transcend the limits of humanity.

The transcendental being that Luna pursued so eagerly.

I feel like I am becoming a demi-god with infinite lifespan.

The Chief Judge of the Underworld.

As an aide to the realm that makes up a world, perhaps living an eternal life is only natural.

“If I continue like this, I will enjoy a life here as a king, or even a god.”

At first, I struggled to adapt to the bizarre and unfamiliar life of demons.

But as I conversed and interacted with them, I became somewhat familiar.

I still get surprised from time to time, but now I could live in the demon realm without much difficulty.

There are connections here too.

Living beings with emotions breathe here.

As Satan said, maybe I would be happier living here.

“Life is a series of choices…”

Do people live for happiness?

Yes.

Then, do happy people not have regrets?

Well, I’m not so sure.

“While we may not be able to choose how we are born and live with a name… Would living in the demon realm as an all-powerful god bring happiness?”

It would.

I could form a family.

I could make friends who share my thoughts.

Perhaps I could gain all the satisfaction that I couldn’t even with countless reincarnations.

But even so, I don’t think I wouldn’t have regrets.

I would regret many times.

I would curse the past me who accepted the position of Chief Judge helplessly many times.

I would never forget the heroines waiting for me until the end.

I would long for their embrace.

The guilt and anguish of not keeping my promises would weigh heavily on my heart for the rest of my life.

“One should be able to decide how to face the end.”

“What are you doing right now?!”

Fwoosh.

The magical energy that enveloped my body scattered and disappeared.

Suddenly, I returned to my human form, looking unharmed, resembling a demon no more.

Most of the power that surged through my body had dissipated.

The expansive view of the demon realm receded, and I could only see with human eyes.

My lifespan had significantly shortened, with only a few decades left.

But I still retained the position of the Chief Judge.

I closed my eyes and briefly glimpsed into my inner world.

The massive throne nestled in that snowy expanse.

The rooted, towering throne seemed to have no intention of leaving my inner self.

“It was a simple matter. I knew it from the beginning. I was just avoiding it out of fear.”

Mi-jeong slowly walked into the snowy field.

Faint flowers blooming humbly next to the giant tree.

Mi-jeong turned to me in front of them.

I nodded, sending a sign of approval.

Then, with a crisp sound, Mi-jeong began to break all the flowers without hesitation.

Yellow jasmine.

Black roses.

Blue cyclamen.

And red camellia.

Mi-jeong returned with all four flowers in her arms after breaking them.

I grabbed Mi-jeong’s hand tightly.

“Velfegor. You gave me a hint.”

“What? Me? What…”

“There’s a simple way to eliminate the connection with the demon realm. Erasing your identity.”

|What do you mean by that?! The connection that pulls demons is simply related to the identity of ‘demon,’ but the position bestowed upon you as a judge of the heavenly realm is different! It’s not about the identity of being human but about the existence engraved in you!|

“So, if I abandon my existence, the problem will be solved, right?”

|…?!|

Erasing my identity.

My identity as myself.

Eliminating everything that makes me who I am.

In simple terms, it’s like formatting a computer called ‘me.’

Then, the stubborn malicious viruses that weren’t deleted inside can be cleanly removed.

But the problem is…

Whether it’s possible to restore the remaining data after formatting is unknown.

|Are you joking? That’s… that’s impossible! Erasing existence! If you do that, everyone will forget you!|

“That’s what I want.”

|Forget! From everyone! From humans, from demons, from light! Don’t you understand what that means? It’s annihilation! Like you never existed in this world from the beginning!|

“It won’t be as simple as just disappearing.”

Satan speaks, trembling as if threatening me.

But it all sounds ridiculous to me.

I’ve already experienced the danger of annihilation.

Disappearing into emptiness in the dimension where there is no light or anything.

I have survived by relying on Mi-jeong and each other.

Even if I abandon my ‘existence,’ I can still live.

Even if everyone forgets me, Mi-jeong will remember me and prevent my annihilation.

That’s enough.

As long as I can escape the demon realm without disappearing.

After that, I can gradually restore my ‘existence.’

|No, no…!|

Snap.

The moment I flicked my finger.

My inner world condensed into a single point, flashing.