C316
Being able to change shape has many advantages.
Especially when it comes to an item with almost infinite power, like the Uranus Heart.
Convenience and efficiency.
That was as important as the power of the item when choosing it.
For example...
Chijik-.
The bright light from the glove on his hand diminished.
The Uranus Heart transformed into a ring. Rings were the preferred form for all Players when it came to items, apart from weapons.
They were convenient to carry and lightweight.
'What you need is imagination. The form of use is not difficult.'
It was a familiar way of using it. Changing shape was as easy as flipping the palm of his hand, and now what remained was how to make the most of it in battle.
For YuWon, being able to change shape at will was something new.
'Now, what's left is the power.'
Chijik-.
Kwaaah-.
The Arcane Power flowing from the ring materialized into a spear, and YuWon's hand gripped it with all his might.
And the next moment...
Flash-!
The spear that slipped from YuWon's hand flew above the clouds.
--------------------
There was a grand event in the Demon Realm.
It was such a big event that it could be said that the demons existed only for that day.
"Let's crush them all once and for all."
"Is Michael fully recovered?"
"It seems Zeus punished him quite well."
"In short, the Archangels are all pride but no skills..."
"Any bets on who's going to kill more this time?"
The demons were excited.
Unlike the Demon Realm where they usually lived, the sky where the Demons were now gathered was clear and blue, without a single cloud.
The world of the 93rd floor, the world where the Heavens lived.
The demons gathered one after another there.
And among them.
"This Great Heaven Demon War (천마대전) is special."
Behemoth was more motivated than ever.
"Not only is Michael's injury fatal, but the Heavens have suffered an irreparable blow from the Ragnarok."
Smile~
The corners of his mouth curved upward in a smile, and Behemoth extended his arms towards the Demons.
"Follow me, and I will let you drink angelic blood to your heart's content! This is your chance to rise in the rankings!"
"Waaaah-!"
"Behemoth!"
"Behemoth! Behemoth!"
A fervent enthusiasm.
Behemoth, who was looking at the Demons from the cliff, nodded with satisfaction.
At that moment...
"Somehow, don't you think these empty speeches lead to no progress?"
There was a voice that cooled down the fiery atmosphere.
Behemoth turned his head with annoyance. He was so angry that he wanted to swing his hammer right at that moment, but he couldn't do it against this opponent.
"Take some responsibility for your position, Diablo."
"We, the demons, are a race that grows stronger when given freedom instead of forming groups. Why don't you stop being foolish?" he replied disdainfully.
It was Diablo, who reclined in a chair that no one knew where he had brought from.
Both had opposing thoughts.
Behemoth believed that the demons should organize more, while Diablo argued that it didn't make them true Demons.
Their ideologies clashed constantly, which never allowed them to unite as a single force.
"Why do you make such foolish decisions from the beginning...?" said Diablo, slowly raising his body as if mocking.
"This fight ends when we capture Metatron. But you always complicate things too much," he added.
"It's not just about Metatron. The angels are our enemies," said Behemoth.
The sharp voice of Behemoth startled Diablo.
At that moment, there seemed to be a dark glint in Diablo's eyes.
"What if you were a little more honest?" Diablo asked.
"What are you implying?" Behemoth responded, confused.
"It's about the ranking, isn't it? The outcome of this fight affects the ranking," Diablo explained.
For the Rankers, ranking was a matter of honor and power.
It was also the most tangible way to demonstrate one's worth in any Guild or profession.
And it was even more valuable in the Demon Realm.
The hierarchy of the Demons in the Demon Realm was determined by rank. Diablo, with the highest rank, was the leader of the Demons.
"You're thinking of forming a group somehow to increase your contribution and improve your rank, aren't you?"
Upon Diablo's words, Behemoth quickly averted his gaze.
"That doesn't interest me."
Avoiding the subject completely, he began to scrutinize the other Demons once again.
Diablo clicked his tongue in disbelief and reclined in his chair.
'Not interested.'
Behemoth.
Of all the Demons, he was Diablo's least favorite.
Although he ranked third in the hierarchy, after Diablo and Baal, his nature was completely opposite.
A type that preferred using collective power rather than his own power.
That was what Diablo found least appealing about Behemoth.
"A big, clumsy guy, how scared can he be?" Diablo murmured with a deep voice, gazing at the distant clouds.
The domain of the Heavens.
It had been twenty years since the last time he was here.
"It's almost time," Diablo thought.
The battle between the Demon Realm and the Heavens that repeated every ten years.
Initially, they bared their teeth as mutual enemies, but now the meaning of the battle had changed.
At some point, the Administrators intervened, the System was established, and young Demons began to treat the Great Heaven Demon War as if it were an event.
In an instant in Diablo's mind, scenes of the past Great Heaven Demon War rapidly passed by.
'Compared to back then, this is just child's play.'
The Demons down below did not know of the Great Heaven Demon War back then. And not only them, several Demon Kings, including Behemoth, also did not know.
The Great Heaven Demon War they experienced was simply a celebration to unleash the pent-up rage of the Demons and satisfy their craving to see blood, without reaching a resolution.
Desperation to survive? A desire for revenge? They probably did not have those things.
"I'm bored."
"I agree."
Diablo stretched his neck and looked back from his chair.
At some point, someone was looking at him from below.
And over his shoulder...
"Baat-."
A little child was perched, waving a cute little hand at him.
------------------------
Diablo ordered the Demons to quickly build an improvised headquarters and invited YuWon.
The improvised headquarters, which was made in just a few minutes, looked quite large and solid. There were chairs where they could sit facing each other, so it was quite well organized.
YuWon looked at the improvised headquarters that had been built so quickly and nodded with a surprised expression.
"They say Demons learn magic from the moment they take their first steps, seems like that's true."
"It's true for the youngsters nowadays. Even when I was young, there were many who used magic before they could even babble."
"Are you talking about yourself?"
"That's right."
Diablo shrugged and boasted in front of YuWon, who sat on the other side.
"How did you get here?"
"I came after passing the Trial."
"I suppose so. Still, it wasn't just a coincidence that we met, right? The 93rd floor isn't exactly a small world."
The 93rd floor was about half the size of the world YuWon lived in. It couldn't be said to be very large, but it wasn't a small world either.
It was too casual a meeting to say it was a coincidence. Moreover, YuWon came directly to Diablo among the many Demons.
"I have some business to take care of."
"Like in the Ragnarok?"
"That's right."
"You sure bring something interesting every time."
Diablo bared his fangs and smiled.
The Ragnarok was the most interesting event he had experienced recently. Among the dull and uninteresting events, the Ragnarok was the most thrilling.
"And you've changed a lot too."
Diablo's eyes, gazing at YuWon, were filled with interest.
When YuWon first appeared, Diablo felt that something had changed. But at first, he couldn't understand it right away; it took quite some time until he got close and became certain.
Something had changed.
It wasn't just the atmosphere or the gaze.
The flow of mana surrounding YuWon had completely changed. It was so evident that it couldn't be hidden, even if he tried to do so.
"Did you kill Indra?"
YuWon's eyebrow twitched unexpectedly at the question.
He couldn't keep this a secret forever, but he didn't expect that the news would reach Diablo so quickly.
Diablo shrugged at the surprised expression.
"It seems you've risen in rank."
"I've risen in rank?"
"Didn't you see it?"
Unlike other Rankers, YuWon didn't pay much attention to rankings. He was already familiar with it for a long time, and he knew the rankings of most Rankers.
But it turns out that his ranking had risen in a short time.
Suddenly, it seemed that the ranking system was more reliable than he thought.
"Your story is being talked about even among the Demons. They wonder how your ranking rises so fast. Probably, if you become a true Ranker, you'll rise in the rankings again."
Diablo's response didn't cause much reaction in YuWon.
Usually, when his ranking rose, he would take out his Player Kit to check it immediately, so it was an unexpected reaction.
"It doesn't seem to interest you much..."
"I can check it later, no hurry."
"You really are quite different."
Diablo grinned mischievously.
Talking to YuWon was always much more fun than dealing with the others who trembled in his presence. He was excited to see what kind of trouble would arise this time.
Those who didn't know the details might think that Odin or Surt were the protagonists of the Ragnarok, but Diablo knew.
Despite what they say, YuWon was the true protagonist who had unleashed the Ragnarok.
"So, what brings you here? Any interesting business?"
"Do you think I would have come here without a good reason?"
"Is it about the Great Heaven Demon War?"
"That's right."
Diablo had considered it, and so it was. The reason YuWon was here was for the Great Heaven Demon War.
An event that everyone in the Tower knows if they have even a minimal interest.
YuWon was interested in that.
"It's a boring battle. I have the purpose of killing, but I have no intention of letting either side win."
Diablo lost a bit of interest.
He had experienced the Great Heaven Demon War hundreds of times. But for Diablo, the recent Great Heaven Demon Wars were nothing more than child's play, no more, no less.
That was the reason Diablo was interested in the Ragnarok.
Recently, the Great Heaven Demon War hadn't really been fun.
"If you want to participate in the Great Heaven Demon War, go ahead. But you probably won't get too excited. Both the Angels and we consider this battle to be something sublime."
"It's not that I want to fight."
A question mark appeared over Diablo's head.
The Great Heaven Demon War was a war. Recently, this war had lost its original form and had become a simple event, but that was undeniable.
A battle where one kills and is killed.
However, YuWon was saying that he wasn't going to fight in the Great Heaven Demon War.
"What do you mean?"
"There's something I must do here."
"Something you must do?"
"From this moment on..."
The most important event on the 93rd floor.
The Great Heaven Demon War.
In this battle that occurs every ten years, what YuWon must do was exactly the opposite of the Angels and Demons.
"To put an end to the Great Heaven Demon War."
Tags:
LWTG (Novel)