episode_0103

“… You sound ridiculous.”

Kanos let out a faint laugh.

“Why?”

“Hero, I can assure you that there is no creature in this world who knows Joker better than me. And the Joker… You can never beat me. That is the absolute truth.”

A solid, confident answer. But Frey was not embarrassed.

“There are no absolutes in this world.”

“Joker, he… .”

“When you do your best and do your best, something that suddenly comes to you is called a miracle. Didn’t the Demon King just say this?”

“… Ha.”

Kanos’s mouth closed as he thought he would respond to his words with his own arrogant words.

“After destroying all dimensions like this, what do you plan to do?”

“I plan to die. Because I’m tired of being forced to live this boring life.”

“Then judge for yourself. Before you die, will you try one last gamble, or will you end your life in vain like this?”

“… Stupid guy.”

Kanos knelt down but stared at the girl in front of him who had a strangely dignified appearance.

The hero came directly to the Demon King and presented him with a proposal in an attitude so low that it seemed almost subservient.

It would be quite humiliating. To the point where the name ‘warrior’ is a waste.

‘The blow a little while ago… His posture was so neat that it was almost perfect.’

Kanos caught the sight of the bowed sword in the girl’s hand. Then, I remembered the time when the sword was tracing its path.

An energy that sparkles and shines like gold. The Great Emperor Jecheon (太黃帝天). Only the imperial family and warriors of the empire can use it, and it is a great righteousness that goes beyond the energy of the sun and the energy of the heavenly king.

In theory, the Great Emperor Heaven is the strongest energy among all the energies in existence. Neither the dragon’s mana nor the Sword Master’s sword power can surpass the Emperor’s Heaven. Because the Emperor’s Heaven is the pinnacle energy gifted to the warrior by the main god. Cut down the evil in the world.

The warrior Frey adjusted the Emperor’s Heaven to the limit. A well-refined sword energy attacked him. It is equipped with a sharp strike that most sword masters would not be able to imagine.

This was a part that showed how much effort Frey had put into it. You can tell just by looking at his hands, which are all full of calluses.

‘But… My energy is so insignificant. Well, that’s the way the god is, there’s no way a warrior who receives the god’s power can exert his strength properly. On the contrary, it is astounding that he has reached such a level with the weakest talent among the warriors of all time.’

Even after putting in so much effort, he was blocked by his innate talent and eventually gave up on becoming a warrior.

Kanos couldn’t imagine the devastation Frey must be feeling.

“… Well, if we do as you say, if EJ’s move to capture this body using the Joker succeeds.”

Kanos sighed and opened his mouth. It was a sign of approval. But neither of them laughed.

“What do you plan to do after that? Can you handle the Joker who is stronger than me? When it comes to ‘notoriety’, the Joker is worse than me?”

“I seek to destroy the world, but Joker seeks to corrupt the continent. There will come a time when rules and morals will collapse and chaos and barbarism will boil over. It means there can never be a happy ending for you, hero.”

“Besides, Joker is different from me. I want a clean and complete battle between swords and swords, but Joker is a guy who will use any means possible if he has a goal. If Joker decides to kill me, he will try all sorts of strange ways to kill me. It will be far from the all-out fight I hoped for.”

Kanos’s continued rebuttal. Frey, who had prepared the answers in advance, spoke calmly and clearly.

“I have a friend.”

“Friend?”

“He is the most edifying friend under the vast sky. My friend ended up reforming that vicious Demon King’s Duke of West, the Succubus Queen Lilith.”

“Are you referring to Saint Mary of Charity?”

“Yes, that friend will be able to reform Joker. I believe in Saint Mary.”

It was a confident exhalation. To Kanos, it was just laughable.

“It’s a sloppy plan. A plan can be established through ‘faith’.”

“That’s because Maria is trustworthy.”

“What makes Joker grow? Also, what does it mean that he will respond to a real sword fight with me?”

“Do you know about Kronos, the god of time?”

“Kronos? You mean an Olympian god?”

“Yes, Kronos, the god of time, father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc. He has the ability to rewind time. If you are a god among gods, I don’t think it will be difficult to command him.”

“In short, bring back the Joker? So is there any guarantee that he will become stronger on his own?”

Frey took a moment to breathe.

“The story of Joker’s thorough revenge is famous. The Dragon Lord was killed, the people of the empire were massacred, and the elves’ world tree, Yggdrasil, was burned. This all happened when Joker’s family was touched.”

What if “?”

“Demon King Take revenge on Joker yourself. If you kill him and return him, Joker will automatically target you.”

“Hmm.”

“You said you were worried that Joker would try to assassinate you, right? That can’t be helped. It would be best if you just didn’t show up in front of the Joker.”

“There is no such thing as a future in which I die by something other than my own hands. What I’m worried about is that Joker doesn’t have the skills to make me happy, so he steps forward and ends up dead.”

A fierce war of words follows. Every time Kanos and Frey exchanged words, the picture they were drawing became clearer and clearer.

“No… I think it will work. If only Joker felt ‘obsessed’ with Saint Mary.”

“What does it mean?”

“Joker is approximately 500 years old. If you go back, it will take you back 500 years. And Joker tends to stick to the extreme. If the Joker is influenced by the goodness of Saint Mary you mentioned, he will not attack me for 500 years so as not to change the future. Because it wouldn’t work if the saint who was the object of his obsession wasn’t even born. Instead, you will build up the strength to take revenge on me.”

“I’ve heard of it. I listened to to the point where my ears were pounding.”

“Now then, what matters is 500 years later…? No, maybe it was when I was a toddler. Joker, who knows my power as an adult, will not hastily attack me until he is firmly convinced. I hope that the Joker’s confidence that he will come someday is not wrong… .”

Little by little, light began to emerge in the dark world of Kanos. The light called hope or desire was rising like the dawn of dawn.

“Joker and Saint… Before killing the Joker, we need to get them together to determine whether they will be influenced or not, so what should we do?”

“No death row inmate is executed right away, right? Anyway, it takes 111 days for Kronos to return someone.”

“Are you saying to keep Joker in prison for that amount of time? With Saint Mary? Is there a prison that can put these two in prison?”

“Tower of Babel. The world’s worst prison. If you are in Tartarus, the lowest level there, it would not be a dream to imprison the Joker and the saint.”

“In Tartarus, there is a water spirit king who already caused a flood on the continent and a black king who rules the back alleys.”

Just move it up “”

“… Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!”

The Demon King laughed loudly. It’s been a while since he laughed, and the Demon King didn’t hide his joy.

“Is it really possible! My wish is clearly impossible! Are you saying it can come true?”

“It depends on your actions. This is because you have to fool the Joker, a master of acting and deception. If he realizes your true intentions, he will be less inclined to take revenge. Because you will realize that not taking revenge is the best revenge.”

“Okay… I admit it’s a brilliant idea. I will accept it. Next 500 years. It is a grace period given to this world.”

The Demon King’s joyful declaration fell. After persistent persuasion, the hero persuaded the devil.

It was an unprecedented negotiation. The demon king asks to kill him and the hero asks for time as he will prepare someone to kill him. What an absurd, bizarre, and absurd negotiation this is. However, it is also a serious negotiation that will determine the fate of this continent.

“However, Kronos is not a philanthropist. Equivalent exchange. If you want to buy time, you have to pay something in return.”

“This is a problem that can be solved naturally if you, standing on top of Kronos, give one command.”

“No, all I earn is ‘my time’. Not yours and Joker’s.”

“… ! You said you would cooperate!”

“Don’t be mistaken, warrior. Just by not slitting your head right now, you’re cooperating enough. I did my best just to survive this boring and boring life for five hundred years. Now show your resolve. I am prepared to grant a grace period.”

‘Ha, let’s not despair. It was something I had planned from the beginning. I don’t know what Kronos will ask for, but I just have to handle Joker’s share. No matter how insignificant I am, I have the talent of a warrior. As long as you don’t break your spirit… .’

“… I understand.”

Frey’s answer after much deliberation. Kanos smiled in satisfaction.

“After some time, I will surrender to you and the Demon Lord’s army. On the surface.”

“Why is that?”

“There is no better way to unite someone than to make enemies. As long as there is a ‘hero’ like me, Saint Mary will not be able to completely stand on Joker’s side. The world must hate me.”

“Are you planning to call yourself a villain now? Anyway, if everything goes according to your plan, this episode will be a throwaway episode, right?”

“Because the bond between Joker and Maria needs to be formed within that ‘throwaway episode’.”

“Everyone you know will curse you. Wherever you go, you will be labeled a traitor, and you will be met with resentful looks and pointing fingers. Can you endure it? Your parents, teachers, comrades, and country will dismiss you as a traitor?”

“… If it can save the world, anything. Because I am a warrior. As he is the weakest warrior of all time, he must do more than others. Even if it is an unusual path.”

“Is it a straight belief? If Joker had seen it, he would have liked it.”

“… A saint has a saint’s path, and a warrior has a warrior’s path. If Maria’s role is to inspire even the Joker, who is called the worst, then this is my path.”

After speaking calmly, Frey stood up. And then he turned around.

“Oh, if you catch Saint Mary and lock her up with the Joker, gouge out her eyes.”

“It’s not difficult, but why is that?”

“There is something called prejudice. Maria has an upright perspective that sees her opponent with an unbiased gaze, but if that opponent is the Joker, she will try to keep her distance. Because I know the story of Joker and Cheonwoong.”

“So, are you telling me to gouge out his eyes so people don’t know he’s the Joker?”

“Yes, and after wounding the Joker, tie him up. To prevent Joker from harming Maria. Also, so that Maria can feel sympathy and pity for the Joker. Even if you just lead it to that point, their relationship, situation, and emotions will interlock and move like gears.”

“What else can I help you with? I won’t listen to you unconditionally.”

“If you can help me… After Joker and Maria meet, I would like you to visit Tartarus. And then make them firmly realize that they are their ‘enemy’. I will do the same. Only if Joker and Maria rely on each other can this plan succeed.”

After finishing reciting something that seemed to predict the future, Frey walked heavily. It was when he reached the door.

“It’s not something I would say as the Demon Lord, but you are truly cold-hearted. Even if it’s just for the sake of the world, you’re pushing a close friend into the jaws of a villain.”

Stand tall.

At the quiet words heard, Frey stood at an angle. Then he looked back and bit his lip.

Ugh-.

“… Maria is my dearest friend.”

A voice filled with evil inevitably escaped through my lips.

“You are a precious friend whom I love, respect, and respect the most. If I could, I would like to feed them only the most precious things in the world and allow them to experience only the most beautiful experiences.”

“How would I feel about cornering such a close friend into a villain with my own mouth and telling him to rip out his pupils…? ? If we don’t do this, the world will collapse… ?”

“… Let’s go now.”

Sigh-.

Clap-.

Eventually, the iron door closed. Kanos, left alone in the vast hall, looked at the sunglasses he had been wearing for the first time in a long time.

The world was still dark.

“Jisin… Are you watching?”

Kanos muttered into the air.

“Your heirs are doing really funny things. It’s a stupid plan. The Joker is killing me. The loser who lost to you is killing me. I plan on jumping up and down because it’s funny.”

A crooked smile was on her lips.

“In that ridiculous plan… I can’t believe I was persuaded. I wonder if I, too, have become a fool at the sound of this being the last hope… … Hahahaha!”

The sound of gloomy laughter rang out for a long time.

*****

– Hahahaha!

“… Fuck.”

Listening to the devil’s laughter coming through the iron gate.

Frey, the indomitable warrior, lost his legs and fell down.

His hands were soaked with sweat as if there was a flood.

“Ugh… .”

No, it wasn’t just sweat.

Frey squats on the floor, leaning against the door, burying his face into it. Hot liquid occupying the two palms filled with strength, covering his face.

Tears flowed drop by drop like rain during the rainy season. The rainy season never stops. The girl’s clouded and gloomy mind was exactly like that right now. Even though raindrops poured down like a storm, the girl’s dark clouds never seemed to clear up.

“You damn bastard… You idiot… .”

Feeling of shame.

It was the essence of fishy emotions flowing mixed with rainwater.

“If only I had been a little stronger… .”