After Ten Millennia in Hell

Side Story Chapter 181 - The World Without Law (1)

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

“N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“TH-THAT’S NOT ME!!! I SWEAR!!!”

“I’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRY.”

Screams of despair echoed throughout Luceo Pure. The residents of Paradise, who learned to lie after taking a bite of the sweet fruit handed to them by a demon, looked up at the footage of themselves with expressions as white as a sheet. The tens of thousands of footage displayed them laughing joyously and smiling radiantly, lying as naturally as they breathed. They were breaking the rules, trampling on the almighty being they had worshiped since birth.

“O-O GREAT AKAAAAAAART!!!”

“M-MERCY TO YOUR LOWLY SERVANT!!!”

“MERCYYYYYY!!”

“GUIDE US TO SALVATION—!!!”

The residents kneeled and bowed with their heads on the ground as they begged for mercy and salvation.

“Why...?”

Akart groaned as he looked up at the footage with his mouth agape. The residents in the footage... the beautiful souls he had saved... the flawless gems that should be shining... were filthy.

“A-Aaaahh.” Akart’s eyes widened as he trembled. He stared at Kang-Woo and said in anger, “Do you... understand what you have done...?”

His mind was filled with blazing fury.

Wham—!!!

He slammed his foot into the ground. A radiant golden wave spread throughout the town as if the sun had risen.

“I ASKED YOU IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!!!”

Luceo Pure was the only refuge the people of the dying Earth could evacuate to. It was the world Akart had protected even at the cost of his life. It was a paradise where everyone could be happy without worrying about hunger or fear of the world ending. That demon had dirtied the paradise filled with endless happiness and joy.

“BWEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” The demon laughed vulgarly. He shook his head and remarked, “Come on, don’t be so upset. I didn’t do anything.”

Kang-Woo had not forced anyone to do anything. He had simply made a suggestion— he had only handed them a fruit.

“This is a result of their own doing.”

He looked up at the skies of the paradise filled with lies and cackled.

“H-HE’S WRONG, GREAT AKART!!!”

“THIS IS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING!!!”

The residents shouted as they shook their heads as if they were wronged.

“W-WE WERE FORCED INTO IT BY THAT DEMON!!!”

“YES!! WE HAD NO CHOICE!!!”

They gazed at Kang-Woo with eyes filled with animosity. Kang-Woo leisurely shrugged.

“...” Akart bit his lip and shut his eyes tightly. “It was a world where everyone could be happy... it was a perfect world where no one had to be hurt as long as everyone followed the rules.”

He could tell the residents were lying of their own accord— they had deceived others for their desires.

“Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!!” Akart glared at the residents, his eyes filled with disappointment and expression filled with disgust. He asked with shaking eyes, “Why... did you all do this...?”

“A-Aaaahh.”

“W-Well...”

The residents trembled, their expressions filled with despair. A torrent of negative emotions spread like a plague.

[KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!] A dark blue light flashed. [WHAT IS THIS—?!! ARE YOU SURE I CAN EAT SOMETHING AS DELICIOUS-LOOKING AS THIS?!]

Midir’s blade shook intensely as if she were rushing Kang-Woo.

“Yeah, dig in.”

Kang-Woo smiled and stuck Midir into the ground. A dark blue light lit up the ground of Luceo Pure as if Midir was rooting herself into the ground.

‘With this...’

Midir would reach her final form.

Riiing!

[The final awakening condition of Midir, the despair-eating sword, has been fulfilled!]

[Midir, the despair-eating sword, has acquired all stars and reaches the Supreme stage!]

[Midir’s rank is rising from eleven-star to twelve-star!]

Message windows appeared before Kang-Woo. An immense aura shook the earth as Midir’s crazed laughter filled his head.

Rumble—!!!

The ground cracked and pieces of the earth sprouted like fangs. A dark blue storm raged with Midir at its epicenter.

Midir screamed ecstatically, [KYA—HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YES!!! YEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!! THIS IS THE STUUUUUUUUUUUUFF!!!]

Kang-Woo pulled out Midir from the ground.

‘This should be enough.’

He smiled as he clenched the sword. He could instinctively tell that Midir at its current power would be enough to fulfill his objective.

“That sword is...”

Akart’s eyes narrowed. The dark blue demonic sword shining menacingly was exuding energy far more powerful than when he had seen it at the top of the tower.

“I see.” He chuckled mockingly and stared intently at Kang-Woo. “Is that your trump card?”

“Cards are meant to be used for Duels.”

“Pardon?”

“Forget it.”

‘Tsk, tsk. You don’t even know the basics of a Duelist.’

Kang-Woo stared at Akart disappointingly as he clicked his tongue. Akart frowned in displeasure.

“Anyway... is that all?” he asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“That weapon.” Akart feigned laughter. “Do you truly believe you can defeat me with just that weapon?”

He was not being arrogant— he was simply curious. The power emitting from the demonic sword was certainly immense. It was likely on par with his scale spear created with the [Primordial Light].

‘But...’

No matter how powerful the weapon was, it was only a weapon. One’s weapon no doubt significantly influenced one’s combat prowess but had little influence on transcendental beings like Kang-Woo and Akart— no, it was no exaggeration to say it did not affect them at all.

‘It might have been different if I did not have my scale spear.’

Akart already possessed a weapon on par with that imposing demonic sword, hence the weapon quality was even more pointless.

Clink.

The golden dishes of the scale hit the spear shaft. Just that simple motion caused a radiant golden wave to spread. The golden light clashed with the dark blue light exuding from the demonic sword.

“Bwehehehehehe!!” Kang-Woo burst into laughter as Akart caused a golden wave as if showing off. “You’re asking if I can beat you with this sword?” @@novelbin@@

He couldn’t believe Akart was asking such a stupid question. He couldn’t help but laugh at Akart’s stupidity.

“Of course not, you dumbass.”

As Akart had mentioned, a weapon was but a weapon. Even if Midir had achieved twelve stars, it was meaningless in his battle against Akart.

“Then why...?”

Akart frowned, unable to understand. Kang-Woo knew a powerful weapon wouldn’t raise his chances of victory against Akart but went through all this trouble to awaken his weapon anyway. A sense of uneasiness went down Akart’s back.

“You see...” Kang-Woo slurred.

He cackled as he held the sword in a reverse grip with both hands. There was only one reason why he plunged Zexal and Luceo Pure into despair to awaken Midir.

“This was meant to be used on myself from the beginning.”

Stab!!!

Kang-Woo pierced Midir into himself without hesitation.

“What are...”

Akart’s eyes widened in shock at Kang-Woo’s unexpected action. He could not understand what was happening.

“H-HEY, OH KANG-WOO!!!”

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

“H-HYUNG-NIM!!!”

Akart was not the only confused one. Kang-Woo’s comrades except for Lilith ran toward him in shock.

“C-Cough! Kurgh!!”

Kang-Woo vomited black blood and smiled brightly. His body— to be more exact, the Demonic Sea— sensed the danger of death after being stabbed by the immensely powerful twelve-star demonic sword.

Crack, crunch—!!

Kang-Woo could feel the Demonic Sea altering his body. A few months ago, his body had changed to that of a little boy so that it could efficiently accept the Demonic Sea’s boundless power. The reconstruction had hastened through several battles and trials and reached the cusp of completion, but it was not complete. Kang-Woo had been one step away from the completion of his body reconstruction.

“Until now... that is...!”

Kang-Woo snickered with Midir piercing deep into his stomach.

Crunch! Crunch!

His body thrashed madly along with the sounds of bones breaking.

“Haaa...” he sighed as he slowly stood up.

He reached down to check inside his pants and smiled, the corners of his mouth ripping to his earlobes.

“I’m back.”