Chapter 267: A War with the Demon Gods (Fin)

Diablo’s foot crushed Muyoung, but he grabbed it and twisted, and Diablo fell. Muyoung stood up, but his gaze was not on Diablo. Muyoung reached out with his hand, and Woohee flew out of Solomon’s grasp. If Solomon could influence Woohee, because of Muyoung’s and Woohee’s contract, there would be a problem as Muyoung and Woohee were tied together by a strong bond.

“Husband?”

“It’s been a long time.”

Woohee cried because she finally rejoined Muyoung. Solomon couldn’t believe it.

“You overcame the whispers of the Darkness?”

The Darkness! It had whispered to Muyoung of Despair, Futility and Hopelessness, but Muyoung had not listened to the whispers.

“It is impossible that any being could prevail against the whispers!”

Solomon was astonished because he knew that they all fell into despair before becoming gods. Most of them are swallowed by the Darkness and denied divinity. He had thought Muyoung would be one of them and had been sure he could not win. Solomon’s conviction crumbled as Muyoung stood triumphantly, with most of his wounds healed. More than anything else, Solomon could feel Muyoung’s divinity, and he had taken the first step as a god. If allowed, Muyoung’s transition would soon be complete.

“Diablo, kill him! Now is the time, right after he is out of the shell!”

Solomon began to feel pressure since he would lose his angels and the prayer of miracles if Muyoung indeed became a god.

Diablo rose to hear Solomon’s call with a battle cry, and Woohee spoke in despair.

“It’s no use. Diablo cannot be killed.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

Muyoung knew that Diablo could not be killed, and spoke to Woohee.

“How can I remove the ‘illusion’?

“We have to convince the woman who summoned Diablo.”

Woohee pointed at Snow. Snow! When she had her memories, she had a black wings signifying her fall and a white wings as a celestial. However, she lost all of her memories after summoning Diablo and now followed Muyoung because she thought Muyoung as her ‘father.’

Snow was unharmed, even though she was within Diablo’s attack range. Muyoung confirmed that some of his subordinates, including Snow and the high-elf Ain were there.

“Diablo cannot kill her, but she can erase Diablo.”

“What should I do?”

Diablo began to chase after Muyoung as he started to run.

“You have to make Snow believe that Diablo is a fake since Diablo is the ‘illusion’ of a god born from her wishes.”

“What happens if someone kills Snow?”

“That cannot happen! Then Diablo will be granted immortality!”

Woohee shook her head, and Muyoung felt some relief. He would not have to kill a woman who thought him as her father and followed him. The act would have left a bitter taste, and he did not want to do it in the first place.

‘The Diablo Order.’

While she had been a saint in the past, when Muyoung met Snow again, she was the High Priestess of the Diablo Order. Snow believed that they could not overcome the demon gods and faced extinction, so Diablo was the only hope to save this world. Therefore, Snow summoned Diablo because she was convinced that the almighty Demon God from another world would change everything.

However, her belief had been wrong.

“Father!”

Snow came running, although her shoes had disappeared, and her feet were bleeding. Her body was shaking from fear of Diablo. Hope had become fear in Snow.

“You do not have to be afraid.”

Muyoung stroked Snow’s head as he spoke. How should he remove this fear? He could not think of a way to erase Snow’s fear and make her believe that Diablo was only an illusion. If she were forced to believe but doubted it in her heart, Diablo would not disappear. So, Muyoung decided that he should just speak his heart.

“Snow, I don’t know if you remember, but if you do, I will say that you were mistaken.”

Muyoung went on with some difficulty since he was not used to consoling and soothing another person. But he had to do it, so the words kept flowing.

“We have to change ourselves. If you cannot overcome your fear, you will fall. After all, all you have done is pass on your fear to others.”

Summoning Diablo was giving up, to let her fears win. Snow had seen hope in Diablo because she thought she could not do it. She threw away her courage. Muyoung stared fiercely into Snow’s eyes.

“However, if you cannot control your fear even now.” Muyoung held Snow’s shoulders in a firm grasp.

“Believe that I will win, that I will save the world. If you believe me, I will make the impossible possible.”

The way Snow had chosen for the World’s Salvation was twisted. Muyoung was surrounded by proof. Here was not ‘salvation’, but Diablo burning down the entire world, leaving only ashes. Did Snow want this form of ‘salvation’? Probably not. Snow truly wanted to save the world even though she had chosen the wrong method. Snow had to face reality and take the next step. Muyoung was only holding out his hand.

Snow began to compose herself and spoke slowly.

“I believe…you.”

It was the first coherent sentence Snow had spoken after losing her memory. Snow had seen much by Muyoung’s side and watched him stand up after he had fallen over and over again. She knew that Muyoung was speaking the truth and that he possessed the power to make the impossible possible. Snow was sure Muyoung had that power.

He would not push her to believe that Diablo was an illusion, but that Muyoung could defeat it. Snow began to believe. Muyoung nodded and turned around. No more words were needed. Faith would become the power to change everything.

“Nothing will change! You will never defeat Diablo!”

Solomon’s words were like a spell because he wanted Muyoung to see he could not win against Diablo. It was a form of hypnosis, but now Muyoung denied everything. Solomon was finished. Muyoung denied Diablo.

“You are not gods.” Even if they were, Muyoung would oppose the notion and would prove they were not different from him as he denied and stepped on them. His sword began to moan savagely.

Muyoung was cutting down an illusion, and he did not even need to find the grain. Diablo’s flesh disappeared like smoke.

“How can a mere human…!”

Solomon screamed. The tables had turned, and Diablo could not do anything against Muyoung. Morever, humans were a failed race. How can one of them reach divinity? No matter how Solomon tried to deny it, Muyoung was a human who had opened all of his possibilities.

The word possibility. Solomon could not see it and refused to recognize it. He denied the possibility that existed in all races and just wanted to eradicate them. Of course, Solomon did not want to acknowledge it, but Diablo began to disappear whenever Muyoung’s sword touched him. This was reality, one that did not disappear no matter how hard Solomon tried to deny it!

‘Is it the effects of divinity?’ Diablo’s attacks could not damage Muyoung anymore because a ‘fake god’ loses to a ‘real god.’ Muyoung cut up Diablo’s body, and a strange phenomenon occurred when Diablo was completely obliterated.

Was it because Diablo had been an illusion? Everything came back, even the crushed, seared land, the dead demons, and Gregory and Amon, who had been at the brink of extinction. Muyoung’s subordinates also came back.

‘Amazing.’ It was an eye-opening sight as everything came back as if nothing had happened. However, the traces on Muyoung’s body, from fighting Diablo did not disappear.

“I cannot believe it,” Amon spoke as he stood up. He was the master of magic, but what just occurred was a miracle. While Amon had complicated feelings, he clearly had revived.

“Muyoung…you won.”

Gremory opened her mouth as she looked around. She understood the situation but did not know why they were happening. Solomon ground his teeth as his efforts resulted in nothing.

“You will regret destroying Diablo.”

“Regret?”

Solomon should be the one regretting because nothing would have happened if he did not target Muyoung. His attack had been the chance Muyoung needed. Because of Solomon, Muyoung had risen a number of levels, to an area he could not have reached if he had only faced the demon gods. It was that moment when Solomon looked at the sky and frowned.

“That sly [email protected]! He’s here already?”

The sky suddenly turned black as if to announce that there was still more to come. Rain began to fall, and dark clouds surrounded them.

‘This…’ Muyoung noticed the unexpected change, which was definitely not natural phenomenon. Also, the sheer amount of magic and countless indications of something approaching them was alarming. Solomon stared at Muyoung.

“He cannot be stopped without Diablo. Give me Ars Nova and Ars Paulina to me now! Or you and everything you believe in will be gone!”

Solomon looked desperate because he feared what was about to happen. Muyoung could hardly believe it. All the demon gods feared Solomon the most, but now he was the one who was afraid. Muyoung’s brow furrowed because of Solomon’s reaction and the immense amount of condensed magic he could sense signified only one thing.

“Is Baal coming?”

“Baal…yes, you called him that.”

Solomon’s words were significant, and a massive thunderstorm broke the sky at the same time. The numerous demons who had gathered from all around looked up. There were demon kings and demon gods among them, and they quickly assembled near Muyoung. However, they did not attack Muyoung or Solomon and only knelt facing the massive whirlwind.

“Baal!” “Baal!” “Save us!” “Save us!” The demons chanted with fanatical belief, and ‘he’ appeared from the center of the whirlwind.

‘Is it really Baal?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Muyoung frowned the moment he saw Baal. His eyes were not deceiving him, but Muyoung still could not believe what he was seeing. The ruler of all demon gods. The one who stands above all. The only being who can oppose Solomon! They called him ‘Baal.’

However, Muyoung had no idea what was going on.

‘Baal and Solomon…’

The two not only wore the same face on the outside but they were identical, down to the very nature of their existence!