Choi Jung-Hoon cried out Yi Ji-Hyukâs name with a voice filled with happiness and relief. Indeed, the person emerging from the scattering dust devil was none other than Yi Ji-Hyuk himself.
Even though he was shuddering from joy, Choi Jung-Hoon still scanned the vicinity in a hurry.
âAnd the demon king?â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Just where was Delkaran?
Not too long after, his searching eyes caught the figure of Delkaran. A roughly humanoid figure collapsed on its knees could be seen before Yi Ji-Hyuk.
âHe brought it down?â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Choi Jung-Hoon narrowed his eyes and look better. Meanwhile, Yi Ji-Hyuk cracked his neck this way and that.
âWell, a demon king is still a demon king, I guess.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Delkaran stared at him with dumbfounded eyes after hearing that declaration. Was that something a man who reduced a demon king to a dying mess with one hit should be saying?
âI always thought that you werenât really all that much to write home about even as a demon king, but well, I almost died here. I should praise you for that.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Delkaran formed a despondent expression.
This human drove it to the steps of death, yet for some reason, it couldnât bring itself to hate him. Sure, it was a bit strange for a demon to hate humans, but the truth was, Delkaran wasnât the type to harbour hatred towards its opponent just because it lost in a fight.
Instead of that, it began focusing on Yi Ji-Hyukâs attitude.
âŠOn his endless arrogance and viciousness that continued to make fun of the defeated. It came about so naturally to him.
âHe was like this in the past, too.â (Delkaran)
If the Bringer of Apocalypse didnât possess such a personality, he wouldnât have gone around smashing apart the demon world as he pleased. The peace that had returned there after his powers went away now displayed clear signs of fracture.
âDid you hide your true powers while fighting Beltreche?â (Delkaran)
Yi Ji-Hyuk heard Delkaranâs hushed question and scratched his head with a bit of sheepish expression.
âNo, wellâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
How should he go about explaining this?
âWell, itâs like this. Like, Iâm fighting crazy-hard with a handgun, but then, I look back and there it is, an M60.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Where would you even run into a situation like that?! (the Author)
ââŠ.Handgun? M60?â (Delkaran)
âM-mm. I guess that went over your head. Okay, so. Itâs like, Iâm flinging fireballs around, but then, I thrust my hand inside my pocket only to find a scroll for a Meteor spell in there.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âThatâs still a completely inadequate type of explanation.â (Delkaran)
âItâs hard to make you understand, so just take it as it is. Iâm being gracious here since youâre already on your way anyhow.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
So annoying, too. (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
Yi Ji-Hyuk muttered unhappily, while Delkaran was chuckling in a hushed voice.
âIn any case, fine. The 99th demon kingâŠ. No, human Yi Ji-Hyuk.â (Delkaran)
Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at the dying Delkaran with still eyes. Even when considering the tenacious vitality of demon kinds, it was nigh-on impossible to regenerate from the giant hole stretching from oneâs shoulder right down to its groin.
And since Delkaranâs actual body crossed over, not its avatar, the only thing waiting for it was a definite and final death.
âAs long as that great one wishes for your death, the demon world will never let you be. Iâm merely the beginning. Iâm sure you know this already?â (Delkaran)
âSeriously, I can feel it just by standing hereâŠâ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked softly.
âYou lot called demon kings do seem to have a ton of affection. You are about to die, yet youâre also worried about someone else, too. Iâm grateful, tho.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
He said he was grateful, but Delkaran could easily catch onto the thick sarcasm permeating his words.
âI shall be waiting for you on the other side.â (Delkaran)
Lifeforce gradually ebbed away from Delkaranâs body.
Seeing the demon king slowly crumble starting from its toes, Yi Ji-Hyuk let out a long sigh.
âWhy did you even bother to show up here only to get killed off? You couldâve just stayed back home and lived.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âThatâs just how we demons are like.â (Delkaran)
âWhat an idiot.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk felt this inexplicable sorrow.
If he didnât possess the power of immortality, then heâd have died like that back in Berafe. Heâd have died, with no one watching him go.
His family would have thought that Yi Ji-Hyuk not returning was a sign of him being dead somewhere and simply moved on.
âTch.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk extended his hand out.
WuuongâŠ.
Black-coloured magic energy poured out from his hand and began permeating into Delkaranâs body.
âThis is meaningless.â (Delkaran)
Delkaran shook its head.
âMy flesh have already exceeded its natural limit. Even magic will not be able to stop my death. Stop this, Yi Ji-Hyuk. Do not pity me. I fought with everything in my power and lost. Dying is a honourable fate.â (Delkaran)
âYeah, yeah. I know so well.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk pouted slightly.
âI know youâre going to die regardless of what. However, you ainât thinking of leaving behind that dirty body of yours in this place, right? Iâll give you enough magic energy, so scram back to your home world, got that?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
ââŠâŠ..â
Delkaranâs eyes quivered greatly.
Scram back?
He was wasting his Mana under the pretext of Delkaran âscrammingâ back to the demon world? Especially when no one knew just how many more demon kings and demons would invade this world in the future?
âI simply canât understand you.â (Delkaran)
It felt as if brand new questions regarding the human âYi Ji-Hyukâ, someone Delkaran thought it had understood in full, were rising up again.
Was this because who Yi Ji-Hyuk was, or because he was a human?
It was at this point Delkaran finally realised something; it knew much about who the 99th demon king was, but didnât know anything about âhumanâ Yi Ji-Hyuk.
In that case, was the being in front of its eyes the 99th demon king, or human Yi Ji-Hyuk?
âBut, does it matter which side is which?â (Delkaran)
There might be two, but he was one existence. Nothing would change whether it was this side or the other.
Besides, what it needed to do now wasnât to worry about the true nature of Yi Ji-Hyuk. Indeed, its task now was to have a fitting send-off for demon king for itself, not for him or anyone else.
âOh, Yi Ji-Hyuk.â (Delkaran)
âWhat now?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk replied disinterestedly.
âYou are about to engage the entire demon world in war as a simple human being. Are you confident of winning against them?â (Delkaran)
âStop overthinking it.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
He snorted derisively.
âWhere do you think this place is? The idiots of the demon world wonât rush here en masse. Even if they do, Iâll just run away, then. But, since that isnât going to happen, Iâm fighting back. You see, itâs still doable for me.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âKekeke.â (Delkaran)
Delkaran chuckled out, evidently happy to hear that reply. Indeed, that sure sounded like the 99th demon king.
âHow enjoyable. Watching from afar whether youâll win or the demon world will, might be quite entertaining.â (Delkaran)
âA demon king believing in the afterlife? The idea of occultism doesnât discriminate worlds, I guess.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âGods and devils exist, so thereâs no reason for the afterlife not to exist, too. In any case, fine. If there is indeed a life after death, then I can always go back to my home world whenever I wish. Which meansâŠ.â (Delkaran)
Delkaran suddenly formed a sly grin.
âI shall be choosing the âmore entertainingâ option.â (Delkaran)
âHmm?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
In that moment, pure black Mana began flowing into Yi Ji-Hyukâs body in a scary amount.
âWhat are you doing?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âIâm returning it back to you. With interest.â (Delkaran)
Mana quickly filled up Yi Ji-Hyukâs body.
All the hair on his head stood up; goosebumps broke out on his skin. The ecstasy from the pure Mana filling him up tried to take over his consciousness.
âKeuh-heuhâŠâ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Seeing Yi Ji-Hyuk gasp out in heavy moans, Delkaranâs eyes withdrew inwardly. From here onwards, this man would be involved in a long, continuous unending chain of battles.
However, itâd prove to be a rather disadvantageous warfare since heâd not be able to top himself up with Mana. That was why Delkaran was required to help with the balancing of the scale somewhat.
âWhat do you think youâre doing?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âWho knows.â (Delkaran)
Delkaran maintained that sly grin.
Even it didnât know exactly what it was trying to accomplish here. Was it truly for the sake of entertainment, or for something else?
Now that its consciousness had faded greatly from the lifeforce leaving its body, trying to analyse its own actions had become far too difficult, anyway. It could very well be that Delkaran was doing something impulsive and beyond its own understanding precisely because its consciousness had become so faint.
However, so what?
âI shall give you everything of mine. With this, you shall become even stronger.â (Delkaran)
âYou think I will be stronger with this pathetic amount?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âFufu. Still, itâd be enough to stop your body from disintegrating.â (Delkaran)
ââŠâŠâŠâ
Yi Ji-Hyuk gritted his teeth.
âIâm sure you know full well how dangerous it is to mix two different energy types and utilise them. The side effect will result in your mind and body being destroyed. It might be a glorious end to die alongside the 99th demon king, but regrettably, that wouldnât be as entertaining.â (Delkaran)
âHow dare a dang demonâŠ.!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âKekeke!â (Delkaran)
Delkaran sensed its own vision blurring now and it began trembling. It seemed to have reached the end of the road.
âIf there is hell, then I shall watch your struggles from there. To see how long you will last. It was fun, Yi Ji-Hyuk.â (Delkaran)
Those were its final words.
Even Delkaranâs chest area crumbled, and eventually, the demon king reverted to a handful of ash only to scatter away in the wind.
Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at that spectacle wordlessly before shaking his head with a lonesome expression on his face.
âD*mn stupid demon king b*stards.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Gods of another world and their so-called holy men all madly tried to kill him. The only ones to provide him with aid, even if it was nothing much, were demons and demon kings, as well as various monsters.
Somehow, he could very well be the true Bringer of Apocalypse, then.
âAll these demon kings, itâs a dang problem that they all try to look cool.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
You think going out like this makes you look cool or something?? (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
âThe only time when such a sight looks cool is when a good-looking person is involved, you know? With your looks, you disgusting b*stard, no one will think youâre a cool kid. What an idiot.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk spat on the ground and turned around to leave. However, his shoulders were trembling ever so softly.
âMister Yi Ji-Hyuk!!â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Choi Jung-Hoon ran up to him from afar.
It was unknown when he got hurt, but blood was trickling down from his forehead and he was covered in thick dust from head to toe.
Even thenâŠ
âWhy does he look so cool?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
You see? You see that, Delkaran?
A good-looking guy like that will look cool no matter what he does. You and me, we both arenât even remotely close. (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
âReborn as a handsome b*stard in your next life.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
ChiiekâŠ
Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up. He took a long puff before lightly tossing it to the spot where Delkaran breathed its last.
âDemon world didnât have cigarettes.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
So, have one on me, okay?
Because, Iâm a trash that recommends other people to smoke. (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
This was the best and perhaps the only sign of courtesy Yi Ji-Hyuk could make now.
âHave you defeated the creature?â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
ââŠ.Argh, how annoying.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at Choi Jung-Hoon and furrowed his brows. The latter had no idea what was going on and tilted its head.
âBut, why?â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
âWell, there is this thing. Iâm just getting really annoyed for some reason.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
What a strange thing this was.
Choi Jung-Hoon and him were the same human beings, while Delkaran was a disgusting demon, yet why was he identifying more with the perspective of a demon?
This handsome b*stard came across as a bigger enemy than a demon, indeed.
âOuch, that stings.â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Blood trickled into Choi Jung-Hoonâs eyes and he began rubbing his face. That only managed to spread the blood all over his mug, and it got caked with dust to create one heck of a dirty train wreck.
Now normally, one should feel disgusted from looking at such a face.
That should be normal, butâŠ
âWhy are you so handsome, man?!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âEh?â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Yi Ji-Hyuk blew his top, while Choi Jung-Hoon entered a full-on panic mode. He killed a demon king, but who knew heâd get all annoyed and stuff over a minor thing like this?
âWhy do you feel so bitter like that?â (Affeldrichae)
Affeldrichae had approached them unbeknownst to all and asked him.
âWhat was that?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âIt seems to me that youâre really angry about something. And thatâs why youâre throwing tantrums with a strange reason, isnât it? Are you unhappy that the demon king had died?â (Affeldrichae)
âWhy would I feel unhappy at some ball of snakes dying? Gimme a freaking break.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk wildly shook his head. Even then, Affeldrichae stared at him with unreadable eyes.
âIn any case, what a relief. I thought we were in a really dangerous situation, but things worked out easier than I feared.â (Affeldrichae)
âEasier, you say?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked derisively.
Your head only knows about magic, so you can run your mouth like that, you dang lizard woman.
This looked âeasyâ to you? (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
âEasy? Gimme a breakâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyukâs body slowly began tilting to one side.
âMister Yi Ji-Hyuk!!â (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Choi Jung-Hoon hurriedly rushed in to hold on to Yi Ji-Hyuk.
âImma go to sleep now, soâŠ. Take care of the mess, okay?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
With that, he lost his consciousness.
< 224. Itâll be quicker to learn with your body! -4 > Fin.