After Ten Millennia in Hell

Side Story Chapter 23 - The Flowers

[You'll... smash it down?] Rajang's eyes widened in disbelief. It then pulled on its hair and yelled hysterically, [BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIIIIIIT!!]

The golden wall made with Akart's power would not break until one realized the truth; Rajang could tell because it had spent countless days pursuing it.

[NO ONE CAN LEAVE UNTIL THE TRUTH OF THE GREAT AKART IS REALIZED!!]

"You never know until you try."

Oh Kang-Woo shrugged leisurely. Despite saying that to Rajang, he was sure of it before he even tried.

'There's no way it won't break.'

He smiled. Not even a prison made by a Titan could hold him. The Demonic Sea had been powerful enough to devour even a Titan. Hence, there was no way Kang-Woo couldn't break a prison made by a Titan with it.

"Move, monkey."

Fwoosh—!

The blazing Flames of Voracity wrapped Kang-Woo's fist. He lowered his stance and pulled his right arm back like nocking a bow. He spread his wings made of the Flames of Voracity and charged at the golden wall, standing tall like a creator looking down at their creations. Kang-Woo then swung his fist with all his might.

"Devour," he commanded the Flames of Voracity with Soul Speech.

The blazing Flames of Voracity smashed into the golden wall.

Crack—!

It only took one blow to crack a wall, standing without a scratch for ages. The wall that now had a crack like a spider web swayed.

"Tsk, I guess one strike won't do the job."

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and glared at the golden wall in dissatisfaction.

[H-How, how, how, HOW?!!] Rajang screamed in disbelief.

What it had hoped and desperately begged for had been granted to easily.

[A-Aaaahh! AAAAAAAAHHH!!] Rajang screeched as it pulled on its hair. [No...]

The tears flowing down its cheeks were not tears of joy.

[This... cannot be.]

If the wall was broken so easily with barely any effort, what became of Rajang's despair, agony, fear, desperation, hopes, time, and life?

[THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!]

Boom! Boom!

Rajang screamed as he twisted and turned. It did not matter to Rajang that it could finally get out of this place.

[YOU CANNOT LEAAAAAAAAAAVE!!]

Its entire being had been denied. The countless hours it had invested in pursuit for the truth and the life it had offered to Akart had become meaningless.

[ONE WHO HAS NOT REALIZED THE TRUTH CANNOT LEAVE THIS PLACE!!] Rajang screamed as it charged at Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo stared at the raging Rajang with deeply sunken eyes. He could understand its despair and desperation.

'I'm sure it's hard to accept.'

Rajang had been stuck in this prison for who knows how long, clinging on to the sliver of hope that it could get out of there as long as it realized the truth.

'But could it accept that someone stuck in the prison with him just opened the door and walked out? Could it bear the fact that its entire life was denied?'

"Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed as he looked at the swaying golden wall. "Akart."

He did not know who Akart was, why he created this temple, or why he kidnapped beings of outer worlds and locked them in this place. Kang-Woo couldn't understand his intentions, convictions, thoughts, philosophy, or ideas— no, he did not even want to understand.

'But...' Kang-Woo was sure of one thing. 'I'll kill you.'

[RAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!]

Rajang's roars grew closer. Kang-Woo slowly turned to look at the screeching monkey.

"Monkey," he said to the one whose entire life was denied and who lost everything. "You can rest now."

Thud.

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Kang-Woo lightly smacked Rajang on the forehead with the back of his hand.

Fwoosh—!

The bursting Flames of Voracity instantly engulfed the eight-meter monkey.

[Ah...]

Rajang did not have the time to feel pain, being sucked into the warmth of the fire. It felt as if it were sinking into a bottomless sea. Tears flowed down its cheeks.

[I... see.]

Rajang nodded as it felt the comfort of death enveloping it. He understood; he had realized the truth at last.

[You are...]

'My truth.'

Crunch—!

Rajang disappeared without a trace within the Flames of Voracity.

Kang-Woo stared at the space from where Rajang disappeared and turned back to approach the swaying golden wall with a web-like crack on it.

Boom—!!

He punched the golden wall engraved with a balance scale mark again. He could feel the distorted madness from the mark.

Whoooom!

The golden wall crumbled, golden light pouring out from its pieces and enveloping the entire temple.

"Huh...? W-We're...!"

Kang-Woo heard Kang Tae-Soo's voice. He looked around wide-eyed and saw a luxury apartment and traffic lights. The sweet scent of car exhaust entered his nose.

"A-Are we back, hyung-nim?!"

"I think so."

Their consciousness faded for a moment once the golden light enveloped the temple. The next thing they knew, they were back to where they had encountered the Wikiholic.

"Phew, for fuck's sake." Kang-Woo sighed deeply, both relieved and enraged.

"I am deeply sorry, hyung-nim! Because of me, you were..."

"Forget it, man."

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. He had indeed gotten stuck in the mess because of Tae-Soo's trolling, but he managed to return to Earth faster than expected.

'Did it take about a day?'

The sun was about to rise, hence Kang-Woo expected he was gone for less than a day.

"That aside, hyung-nim. Are you back to your former self?" Tae-Soo asked as he stared wide-eyed at Kang-Woo, who was back to his original appearance after having turned into a child for some reason.

"No, it won't be long until I'm—"

Crack!

Kang-Woo's bones cracked as he began to shrink before he could finish his sentence.

Riiing.

[Drastically hastening the reconstruction as per the influence of the demonic energy from the Abyss.]

[Drastically raising the amount of demonic energy available for use!]

"Whoa, what?"

Kang-Woo's eyes widened. He could feel an immense amount of demonic energy incomparable to what he had, surging from inside him. The majority of his Authorities were unlocked as well.

'This is pretty big.'

The amount of demonic energy given was several times as much as when he grew by over four centimeters at once. Kang-Woo could now hold his own against Kim Si-Hun or Balrog. Albeit limited, he could also use the Flames of Voracity.

"That's good and all, but what the fuck?"

'Why aren't I growing?'

He was waiting anticipatingly to see how much he would grow, but he did not receive any System messages regarding his growth no matter how long he waited.

Riiing.

[It is assumed that because of the extreme level of threat felt by the Demonic Sea, increasing the amount of demonic energy immediately available to Player Oh Kang-Woo was prioritized over physical growth.]

'What? That wasn't how things were going. I thought my growth was set to be proportional to how much of my powers I regained.'

[It can be set to however I want.]

'The hell does that mean?'

[Isn't it better to stay small than be only slightly bigger?]

'Better for what?'

[For roleplaying.]

'You crazy, bitch?'

[It would be a different story if you returned to your original form, but isn't it better to stay as a little Vienna (pfft) character?]

'Fucking hell, you're Layla, aren't you? Aren't you?'

[After all, we can't afford to play around anymore now that it has come to this.]

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking bout?"

'Now that it has come to what?'

[Akart has begun to keep his eyes on the Triad.] Eve continued, [This world... will not last long.]

The System message was filled with sorrow.

"Be... more specific."

[He is the creator of balance, truth, and light. Most of all, he does not tolerate worlds without balance... worlds of which its Law has been destroyed.]

"Does that mean..."

Kang-Woo's eyes narrowed.

[Yes.] The blue window appeared after a short silence. [Akart will end the Triad.]

Kang-Woo kept silent. The Titan known as Akart had not randomly reached out to various worlds; he had intentionally aimed for the world Kang-Woo lived in, filled with hostility and misplaced conviction.

"Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled.c "Let him come."

He gritted his teeth and smiled widely.

"I'll stuff a friend in here so Bauli doesn't get lonely."

The blue window flickered as Kang-Woo panted heatedly and licked his lips in excitement.

[Are you...] The message window— no, Eve continued, [Not afraid?]

The Titans were literal creators of worlds. Kang-Woo had become one with the Demonic Sea but not even he could take Titans lightly. Unlike Bauli, Akart possessed full strength.

"Barely any of the enemies I've fought have been weaker than me," Kang-Woo answered with a smile.

He had always been at a disadvantage from the moment he fell into Hell and struggled to survive for ten millennia. The situations he was put in were always illogical and nearly impossible to survive.

"But I'm still here."

He had always been the one to come out on top.

[...] Eve remained silent as if lost for words. The messages then continued solemnly, [O Guardian of the Triad. I am but an ego infused within a broken Law but I will devote myself to the Triad as per your wishes.]

There was no voice coming from the message but Kang-Woo could feel Eve's firm will.

"Okay." Kang-Woo nodded and also spoke solemnly, "Then help me get back to my original appearance for now."

[Oh, I will respectfully decline.]

"Why?"

[Because I'm having a blast watching you getting wrecked.]

"The fuck, bitch?"

***

Creak.

Kang-Woo carefully opened the door.

Rumble, bang!

A ruckus echoed throughout the house.

"KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!" A pale-faced Han Seol-Ah ran to the front door in an instant. "Where in the world have you been?! Huh? You didn't pick up your phone! You haven't replied to any of my messages!!"

"Oh, I..."

Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly as he stared at the crying Seol-Ah. He was sure Seol-Ah would make a bigger fuss if he told her the Wikiholic caught him.

'In that case... I'm sorry, Tae-Soo.'

"That son of a bitch Tae-Soo kept bugging me to drink all night because we hadn't seen each other in so long~ I had no choice but to spend the night with him. Ahahaha."

"Tae-Soo... did?"

"Y-Yeah."

The doorknob Seol-Ah was gripping was crushed.

'Jesus fucking Christ. Get me out of here.'

"Tae-Soo... did something like that? H-Hohoho. How dare that bastard... do that to you...?"

'Tae-Soo...'

"I will... never forgive him."

'You understand, right? You get why I had no choice but to do this, right?'

"I guess I should also visit Tae-Soo. It's been so long, after all."

"Yeah, give him a good scolding. I wanted to go home so badly but I couldn't because he was clinging to me so hard as he cried."

Kang-Woo nodded as his eyes shone.

"That aside..." Seol-Ah's eyes widened. "Tae-Soo didn't do anything weird to do when he was drunk, did he?"

"Huh?"

"H-He didn't molest you or anything like that, did he?!"

'The fuck are you on about?'

"I must check for myself!!"

'Excuse me, Darling?'

"W-Wait!" Kang-Woo shouted.

"Ass! Show me that ass, Kang-Woo!!"

"What the fuck?!"

Seol-Ah reached for Kang-Woo's pants and pulled them down without hesitation. She then felt around his [censored].

"Kurgh!"

"Mm. The texture is the same as usual. As for the inside..."

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Riiing!

[The flowers~ The flowers~ That one flower~][1]

'Shut up.'

[Yes, yes, it has bloomed~]

'Shut the fuck up.'

[Wooooooah~ Hwooooooah~ Hoooowoooooah~]

1. This is the lyrics from the song The Flowers by Busker Busker. ☜