CH 224

Asmodeus was one of the original Seven Kings of Hell. He was also one of the traitors who had betrayed Lou.

-Long time no see, Asmodeus.

Lou muttered.

“Haaahh. I’m glad you are happy to see me,” Asmodeus yawned and replied. He could seemingly hear Lou even though he was in his sword form and talking to Gi-Gyu silently. A relaxed look appeared on Yoo-Bin’s face while Gi-Gyu tried his best to regain control over his body.

“What an impatient boy you are,” Asmodeus commented when Gi-Gyu could finally move.

Gi-Gyu clenched his fists and attacked as soon as he regained control. The area was left shaking by a resounding blast when he punched Shin Yoo-Bin’s stomach. However, the punch hadn’t landed because Shin Yoo-Bin had leisurely caught it. Just when she was about to make her move, he freed himself from her grasp and vanished. When she looked up, she saw Gi-Gyu picking up Lim Hye-Sook.

“Hmm…” Asmodeus seemed amused by Gi-Gyu’s action.

Keeping his guard up, Gi-Gyu asked the elderly lady, “Are you okay?”

Lim Hye-Sook’s lips twitched. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but her lips refused to move. His eyes still on Shin Yoo-Bin, Gi-Gyu poured a bit of Life into her.

Some color returned to Lim Hye-Sook’s face, and she whispered, “Didn’t I tell you to run…?”

“Are you all right?” Gi-Gyu ignored Lim Hye-Sook’s protest and asked again.

Lim Hye-Sook smiled a little and mumbled, “You’re so stubborn…”

Her heavily wrinkled face made Gi-Gyu uncomfortable. Her voice trembling, she begged, “Please… save… Yoo-Bin…”

Despite receiving Life, Lim Hye-Sook’s condition wasn’t improving fast enough. Gi-Gyu dashed to a nearby wall and opened his gate. He threw Lim Hye-Sook into it and closed it.

“Hmm.” Asmodeus seemed curious, but Gi-Gyu didn’t pay him any attention. Lim Hye-Sook was now safe.

Gi-Gyu didn’t call for his creatures because they were busy battling the players in the Bukhan River region. And also because he wasn't looking for anyone’s help.

Shin Yoo-Bin asked, “Are you done yet?”

She licked her lips with her long tongue and asked, “Will you play with me now, Lucifer? It has been too long.”

Gi-Gyu quietly prepared for the battle.

***

“Ugh!” The leader of the Iron Guild group fighting the Bukhan River monsters found himself struggling to breathe. He had gone inside Rohan’s tent to make his report; there, he saw Lucifer strangling Rohan.

Now, Lucifer was looking at him. “I asked you who you are?”

Soo-Jung was the Iron Guild’s nemesis. When the leader heard her voice, his hands began to shake.

‘I’m going to die now,’ the leader thought in fear. His brain refused to work, but he still tried hard to find a way to survive.

Then suddenly, he remembered something.

‘The First Potion!’ 

The manager-level players received a higher grade First Potion which gave them a better chance of survival. He realized that he could use it to escape. If he were lucky, he would live.

His hands shook as he rummaged through his pockets. But before he could find it, a loud burst rang.

Crack!

Soo-Jung waved her hand; consequently, the leader no longer had to worry about dying because his head had exploded.

Baal raised his glasses and said to Soo-Jung, “You’re too cruel.”

“Hmm… It’s just that I have so many thoughts in my mind,” Soo-Jung replied as she looked down at the man she was strangling.

Rohan was trying desperately to get out of her grasp.

Jung Soo-Jung, Lucifer, mumbled, “Something feels strange.”

Plop.

She released Rohan, who gasped like a fish out of water. He wanted to say something, but Soo-Jung’s strangling had damaged his vocal cords severely.

Soo-Jung looked down at him and asked, “Just what are you?”

A few hours ago, Gi-Gyu’s monsters had stormed out of the Bukhan River region and initiated a battle. When numerous players left to fight them, Soo-Jung thought she could use this opportunity to get a gift for her disciple, which was Rohan’s head.

And as soon as Rohan arrived near the battlefield, she cornered him in this tent. Killing the guards was easy enough, and now she had her chance. She was about to kill him when she realized she couldn’t. Well, more accurately, she chose not to do it.

Soo-Jung asked, “What is your relationship with Gi-Gyu?”

She could feel odd energy from Rohan. It was faint, but…

“I can feel both Death and Life from you. Why is that?”

She could sense Gi-Gyu’s presence on this player.

***

Gi-Gyu tirelessly dashed around, launching attack after attack as if his sole purpose was to create chaos and destruction.

“Hmm…” Asmodeus, inside Shin Yoo-Bin’s body, seemed to be enjoying himself. He dodged Gi-Gyu’s attacks easily and asked, “Isn’t Lucifer going to come out to play?”

Gi-Gyu was moving as quickly as possible, but Shin Yoo-Bin seemed to be having a rest.

After dodging another one of his punches, she waved her hand.

Kaboom!

Her small magic attack absolutely wrecked the area Gi-Gyu had been standing on a moment ago. They finally stopped attacking and studied each other.

Shin Yoo-Bin grotesquely said, “What an interesting human you are. I heard you’re Lucifer’s master, but I didn’t believe it.”

Asmodeus's voice was slowly losing its strangeness, becoming increasingly natural.

Gi-Gyu wondered, ‘Is that because he is slowly taking over Yoo-Bin’s body?’ 

As soon as they had started fighting, Gi-Gyu could tell that the real Shin Yoo-Bin was resisting. The ritual was complete, but the hell king hadn’t completely overtaken the host body. The way Shin Yoo-Bin’s voice cracked into two—one that sounded like her and the other was Asmodeus’ voice—when she talked was proof of that. But slowly, the voice was merging.

“I thought they were talking about Lucifer using a shell, but it looks like it’s the other way around. You’re actually using Lucifer.” Shin Yoo-Bin tepidly continued the one-sided conversation.

She asked, “Are you sure you’re a human?”

“...”

“You’re no fun.” Shin Yoo-Bin pushed back her hair, and the black hair gradually turned crimson. The hair roots turned crimson first, and then the color spread to the hair shafts.

Lou said to Gi-Gyu,

-It’s not over yet. That shell is still very unstable. This is different from when you fought Leviathan. You might have a chance.

Gi-Gyu looked at Shin Yoo-Bin closely. He didn’t have El with him at the moment. He had sent her away with Choi Chang-Yong because Lou had warned him.

Lou had said, “If you think there is a chance you might have to fight the hell kings, don’t take El with you. It will be too dangerous.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t understand why Lou had insisted on this. He still wanted to know the reason behind Lou’s warning, but there was no time. So, in the end, he had followed Lou’s advice.

Gi-Gyu focused on Lou’s words.

-You can separate them.

Gi-Gyu remained quiet.

Shin Yoo-Bin licked her lips and asked, “What are you thinking? Are you talking to Lucifer right now? Can’t you include me in your conversation?”

Ignoring Shin Yoo-Bin, Gi-Gyu asked Lou, “You have to explain this.”

-I’m telling you that you must separate them before Asmodeus completely overtakes Shin Yoo-Bin’s shell. You still have a chance!

Lou yelled.

Annoyed by Gi-Gyu’s silence, Shin Yoo-Bin muttered, “I’m getting irritated here.”

Meanwhile, her hair didn’t stop gaining the crimson color; now, her hair strands were also gaining length.

Lou ordered,

-Restrain her first! That’s your priority right now! You can and have to do this before they merge completely! This is your last chance! Don’t fuck it up!

A blood-red sword appeared in Gi-Gyu’s hand. He was finally ready to use Lou.

“A good fight is always so exciting!” Shin Yoo-Bin exclaimed.

The battle finally began. Shin Yoo-Bin attacked with her hair. The hair strands flew toward Gi-Gyu, each holding a huge amount of magic and sorcerous energy.

‘I’ll be in trouble if they catch me,’ Gi-Gyu thought grimly. He swung Lou, but he chose not to use Death yet. The magic accumulated inside Lou transformed into sorcerous energy and created a black trajectory in the air.

Clunk!

It was difficult to believe that a sword and hair colliding could create such a crude noise. Gi-Gyu kicked the ground, stretched his body, and rotated. Like a drill, he flew toward her.

“Hmm!” Shin Yoo-Bin hummed, but she sounded much more interested this time. She was excited by the fight.

Whack!

Gi-Gyu’s elbow struck her face, making her scream in pain and sending her flying. He kicked the ground again and stretched out like a shadow to reach where Shin Yoo-Bin was about to fall.

Gi-Gyu raised his hand again, but this time, it was the hand that held Lou.

‘Lou, it’s your turn. We don’t have much time.’ 

Gi-Gyu swung Lou rapidly. He needed to separate Shin Yoo-Bin from Asmodeus, and there was a reason he had to do this as quickly as possible.

“Who is coming?!” Gi-Gyu screamed. A hell king descending into a body was an important event, which meant someone high up, maybe even Andras himself, would soon come to check.

Shin Yoo-Bin didn’t answer Gi-Gyu’s question. She only grabbed her face and screamed, “My face…! My face!”

Blaze!

Shin Yoo-Bin’s hair turned even redder and transformed into something resembling a spear.

***

Blood was everywhere. Still, neither of the two fighters seemed out of breath.

“Haa…” Shin Yoo-Bin sighed in pleasure.

Their battle was almost over. Gi-Gyu wasn’t panting, but he was already at his limit. He had continuously used Super Rush during the fight. He was stronger than when he had fought Leviathan, but restraining a hell king was no cakewalk.

-The longer this battle lasts, the more stable she’ll become. What are you saving your best move for?!

Lou screamed.

-If you really want to save Shin Yoo-Bin, don’t drag this out any longer!

Lou’s voice echoed inside Gi-Gyu’s head as he yelled,

-Hurry up already! I know using it is dangerous, but you have no other choice!

Gi-Gyu grasped Lou tighter.

“Ahh… You’re pretty good, huh? I’ve been playing with you because I wanted to see Lucifer, but this won’t do anymore.” Shin Yoo-Bin’s form was slowly changing. Her face crumpled into something ugly.

Gi-Gyu could see that Asmodeus was eating the real Shin Yoo-Bin. He couldn’t delay any longer and had to decide.

Gi-Gyu grinned as the power he dreaded began taking over. “Kekeke…” He smirked.

The smirk made Shin Yoo-Bin’s eyebrows dip further.

“Jupiter…” Gi-Gyu whispered, and his eye color changed.