Chapter 220

Frey didn’t get a chance to answer as Lucifer acted before him.

Puhuk!

His back cracked, and there was an explosion.

No. It wasn’t an explosion.

It was the sound of black wings being forced out of his back.

The size of the black wings was unusual. They were large enough to cover the sky, and they were as black as the darkest ink.

He could hardly believe it despite seeing those wings come out of Lucifer’s body with his own eyes.

A single flap of his wings caused a large gust of wind to sweep through the area. It was so powerful that even the boulders around them were blown away.

Lord smiled slightly and said. (TL: Do you think the author forgot that Lord is usually featureless?)

[Your twelve wings of the past have now become only three wings. How unsightly.]

“How do you know about my wings?”

[Well…]

Lucifer glared at Lord with a cold gaze.

Lord had called him the Fallen Angel. This was very close to his true identity, and it was something no one in the world should have known.

‘No, Frey might know.’

After all, he had managed to have a conversation with God. But he didn’t think that Frey was the one who told him.

His hatred for Lord went beyond imagination.

The same was true for his wings. Only God knew that he originally had twelve wings. (TL: author put ‘12 pairs’ each time, but I’m pretty sure the Seraphim – the highest ranked angels – had 12 wings total)

“…hoo.”

Lucifer sighed.

Then he looked at Lord and suddenly let out a laugh. He roughly wiped the blood from his lips before covering the hole in his chest with his hand.

“How interesting, Lord. Do you believe you gained the upper hand just because you pierced my chest? You should know that this kind of wound means nothing to us.”

Paht.

His wound healed in an instant, disappearing without a trace. But Lord nodded without hesitation.

[Of course. My goal wasn’t to do something so simple as to pierce your chest. Instead, Lucifer, it seems that you have no ‘core’ in your body.]

“…!”

Was that his goal?

‘…there was clearly no murderous intent in Lord’s attack.’

He could have dealt a bigger blow to Lucifer if he’d really wanted to.

But he didn’t. Instead, his attack had only been a means to carry out his search.

In fact, Lord’s judgement was accurate. For Lucifer, he would have preferred to lose some of his fighting power than face the current situation.

‘How terrifying.’

It wasn’t a good situation. To put it simply, it was a crisis.

Nevertheless, the corners of Lucifer’s mouth still rose.

Despite living for a frighteningly long time, this was the first time he’d ever felt pressured to such an extent.

He recalled his battle with Satan. In that bloody battle, if Satan hadn’t been weakened slightly, the loser would definitely have been Lucifer. He still felt a chill down his spine whenever he recalled that battle.

That was how terrifying Satan had been. And the current Lord was in no way inferior.

No, it would be more correct to say that he was actually better than the other. After all, he was much stronger than Lucifer, who was also stronger than when he’d fought Satan.

‘However.’

It was Lucifer who’d stood victorious at the end of that bloody fight.

Paht!

Feathers began falling from Lucifer’s wings. Because the wings on his back were large enough to cover the sky, each feather was the size of a person.

The feathers that fell from the wings froze in the air before they could reach the ground. Then, hundreds of feathers shot towards Lord at the same time.

Clang, clang, clang!

The terrain began to change following the terrifying explosions. Even a single feather had the power to completely destroy a castle. Therefore, when a hundred such feathers struck down at the same time, large boulders were sent flying just from the wind.

It was at that time when Frey noticed a lone feather.

Paht!

As though it had a will of its own, this feather turned and fled in the opposite direction from Lord. Then, it suddenly disappeared.

Frey narrowed his eyes.

‘It crossed dimensions.’

He was worried about his intentions.

Suddenly.

“Hey, Great Mage.”

Lucifer called out to him out of nowhere.

Frey didn’t answer, but he turned to look at him.

“I know it might be hard to believe in a situation like this, but how about forming an alliance?”

“It seems you still have the energy to talk nonsense.”

“Is that how it looks? To be honest, I’m quite pressed.”

Lucifer was still smiling, but there was a bit of cold sweat on his face.

“You better think carefully about how you will deal with Lord after he devours me.”

“…”

“In the first place, wasn’t your goal to control our fight and make sure each side took a relatively even amount of damage? If I’m beaten by the two of you, will you be able to handle him on your own?”

This was an undeniable fact.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t nod his head easily.

Even though it had reached this point, he didn’t believe Lucifer would suffer one-sidedly.

He was certain that this man still had some things hidden in his sleeves. The feather that had just disappeared was definitely one of them.

“I’m not alone. I have Lilith and Asura.”

“Hahaha! You don’t mean that, do you? Do you really think they would help you?”

Lucifer’s expression became cold.

“Look carefully, Frey Blake. Judge for yourself whether they would be of any help to you in your fight against Lord.”

Frey turned to see the appearance of Lord within the cloud of dust. He stood still in his spot without moving a finger. Nevertheless, the feathers, each boasting incredible power, were falling apart before they could even reach him.

In the end, Lucifer’s loud attack couldn’t even scratch Lord.

“I still have a method. Though it’s a bit complicated, it’s a card that could turn everything around. It could work as long as you cooperate with me.”

Frey didn’t pay attention to Lucifer’s words. This was because Lord had flown out of the dust cloud and into the sky.

It was an unexpected act, but the meaning behind it was clear. He was going to launch an attack.

‘It’s not me or Lucifer.’

And it was clear that he was aiming at someone else.

Divine power condensed in Lord’s hand.

“…!”

Frey realised Lord’s intention and responded immediately. Lord tore the space apart almost at the same time that he used space-time movement.

Crack, crack!

“K-, uhh…”

This was the second time he’d faced Lord’s attack. However, he felt that the pressure this time was completely incomparable to the first.

It almost brought him to his knees. It felt like his entire body was cracking.

“Get… back.”

“…!”

Then he felt someone flinch from behind him before the presence vanished once again. It was probably Lilith. He didn’t believe it was Asura.

He wanted to check the situation, but he couldn’t afford to. Instead, Frey could only stare at Lord with bloodshot eyes.

‘What is this…’

Was the power he’d displayed before not his true power?

Frey grit his teeth.

Lord’s power far surpassed his expectations. He had never underestimated his power. Nor did he overestimate himself.

It could even be said that Frey had made the most logical assumption.

The strange one was Lord.

The power he was displaying far exceeded Frey’s predictions.

Huk.

The pressure suddenly disappeared. This wasn’t because he’d successfully defended against the attack but because Lord had recalled his power.

Then, he asked in a seemingly confused voice.

[Why are you protecting her?]

“Why are you trying to kill her? Lucifer is your goal.”

Frey gripped his trembling forearm as he asked back.

Then Lord answered as though it was natural.

[She is also a demon.]

“Is that the reason?”

[Of course. The Demons showed their hostility toward my people. Asura even killed Apep. There’s no reason for me to let them live.]

“It was my plan to kill Apep.”

Lord tilted his head.

Then he suddenly nodded as though he understood.

[…ahh. Right. You did. But that’s okay. I forgive you, Frey. I hope you can forgive me too.]

Those words scared Frey greatly.

He hoped that he could forgive him? Lord himself?

He felt like a bolt of lightning had struck his head.

Frey felt a chill down his spine.

He finally understood.

The strange feeling he got from Lord while talking in Hell. His attitude while dealing with him. All of these things pointed to one fact.

Lord was now…

“…you see me as a Demigod.”

[Hmm.]

Lord made a sound similar to a sigh. Eyes appeared on his featureless face like floating on a still lake.

These eyes, which were spinning in a bizarre manner, looked at Frey intently.

[Is it wrong? You are already capable of using divine power, and you have the qualifications.]

“Absolutely. You’re crazy. Lord, what the hell happened to you?”

He had continued his tough relationship with Lord for thousands of years. He hated him from the bottom of his heart, but he also knew him better than most.

If it was the Lord he knew, he wouldn’t accept a human as his kin simply because they could use divine power. Rather, he would have wanted to kill them even sooner as their very existence brought him deep displeasure.

The current Lord had become twisted. But he was unsure of the reason.

That was why Frey felt even more afraid of Lord.

[I think that’s a good word to use… I mean the expression ‘crazy’. When you don’t understand something or when you refuse to understand it, you can use that word as an escape. Look at me. Do I really look crazy?]

“If you know you’re crazy, then you’re not really crazy.”

When Lucifer said those words, Lord turned to look at him.

[Your presence is starting to get on my nerves, Lucifer. I have no interest in you since you do not have a ‘core’.]

“If my mouth is getting on your nerves, then shouldn’t you just shut me up? Of course, if you’re able to.”

[Hahaha…]

Lord suddenly burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

[Do you think you can defeat me in that state? You wouldn’t be able to even if you were in your optimal state, so what can you do when you’re so drained?]

“What the hell are you talking about?”

[If you want to fight properly, then call your precious other half. I am willing to wait until then. Isn’t that why you sent your feather to the Continent?]

“…”

Lucifer fell silent at that moment. The ever-present smile disappeared from his lips.

“…you… no way.”

[You really didn’t think I’d notice. You’re far too arrogant. If you really wanted to hide it, you should have at least hidden the fact that you only have half of your wings.]

“Wings?”

Hearing Frey’s questioning tone, Lord chuckled.

[It’s a simple story. It’s not even surprising. It’s quite the obvious twist. The one who was defeated by me long ago and the one who isn’t confident in defeating me now have combined.]

The one who’d been ‘defeated’ by Lord. To be defeated meant they had to have fought.

And there was only one being who came to mind when the words ‘fight with Lord’ came up.

Frey’s expression became stiff.

“…the Dragon Lord. Are you saying that Lucifer and the Dragon Lord joined forces?”

[Joined forces? It’s much more intimate than that. Lucifer absorbed the Dragon Lord’s soul and heart.]

“He absorbed them. Like that time with Satan?”

[That’s a method that’s already failed. Lucifer isn’t a fool. Instead, he made up his mind. He decided to merge with the Dragon Lord’s very existence. There’s the risk that his ego would collapse or that he’d lose his mind, but… he wanted to digest an existence like the Dragon Lord, so he was willing to take the risk.]

Lord spoke with a humorous voice as he continued.

[However, the actions he took after were even more surprising. Lucifer wanted to combine the two sides before splitting them again.]

‘Split?’

Frey didn’t understand what he was saying.

[Frey Blake, have you ever heard of a Black Dragon?]

“I haven’t.

[And you still didn’t notice?… No, you don’t know much about Dragons, so it should be expected. In that case, let me give you a brief lesson. In the first place, there is no such thing as a Dragon with black scales.]

‘There is no Dragon with black scales.’

“…!”

It was only then that Frey understood what Lord was saying.

It was Dro’s image that appeared in his head at that moment. His appearance. A man with black hair and black eyes with a similar appearance to Lucifer’s.

A man who also had a Dragon Heart.

‘…Dro felt the presence of his Dragon Heart. But the heartbeat was not very strong.’

It was much stronger compared to Beniang’s, who was only a Half-Dragon, but it was not enough to be called the Dragon Lord’s.

Frey could tell even when he first met him. If the reason for this was because he had been split in half.

[The Dragon Lord became half of Lucifer, and Lucifer became half of the Dragon Lord. With a perfect understanding of each other, they could be one or two.]

Lord then smiled and looked at Lucifer.

[Then what should I call you now?]