Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

Ch 483 - Taking Off The Mask (2)

“Ah…” Gaia’s eyes widened. She mumbled incoherently in pallor and shook her head as she trembled. “N-No. Th-There’s no way…”

“What do you mean, no? I’m saying it’s true.”

Oh Kang-Woo chuckled.

Gaia took staggering steps back and said, “Y-You said before that Bael was the Demon of Prophecy.”

“I lied, obviously. Did you expect me to tell you the truth?” answered Kang-Woo as he shrugged.

Tears welled up from Gaia’s eyes. She did not want to believe that the one she trusted with all her being and considered the light of salvation was the Demon of Prophecy— no, she couldn’t believe it.

“Th-Then… were you and Bael… on the same side from the beginning?”

“Why would I be on the same side as that loser?” Kang-Woo laughed in spite of himself and continued, “It’s true that I’m the Demon of Prophecy, but I have no intention of ending the world or devouring it.”

“... What?” Gaia stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed in disbelief.

Gaia’s eyes shook. She bit her lip and clenched her fists. “B-Bull! The Demon of Prophecy is meant to bring demise to—”

“What the fuck is that prophecy in the first place and why does it keep saying that a person who never even thought about ending the world will end it?” asked Kang-Woo with a frown. The pent-up frustration burst out all at once. “All this shit about prophecy and whatnot…”

Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and glared at Gaia. He couldn’t help but feel wrongfully accused.

“I stopped them.”

The Demon Cult, Satan, the Constellations of Evil, and the otherworldly invasion…

“I fucking stopped them all as the goddamn gods were stuck here because of the Law and bickering about their greedy desire to manifest!”

Kang-Woo had been the one to save the dying world. If it hadn’t been for him, this world would have ended a very long time ago.

“Let me hear you say it, Gaia.” Kang-Woo stared at Gaia coldly. “What the hell were you all doing as I was killing them all?”

“...” Gaia remained silent.

She wanted to deny Kang-Woo’s claims, but she couldn’t find the right words to.

“Hm? What did you all do?”

It was because Kang-Woo had said nothing wrong.

“Well, I’m sure you tried your best. You made Layla into your incarnation and selected Protectors to protect the Earth despite being shackled by the Law of Titans. But how did that end up? Hm? Do you seriously think you would have been able to stop them all? The Demon Cult? The princes of Hell? The Constellations of Evil? The Parasite King? … Bael?”

“Th-That’s…” Gaia stammered and lowered her head. She turned away from Kang-Woo as if averting her gaze from the truth.

Kang-Woo cackled. “What? Do you want me to praise you since you tried your best? Hm? Wow~ the almighty Lady Gaia sure must have had a hard time~ Want a medal?”

Kang-Woo walked up to Gaia, grabbed her chin, and yanked her head to face him. He said coldly, “What the hell did you all do other than mouth off about the prophecy?”

“...” Gaia remained silent. She slapped Kang-Woo’s hand away as she trembled. “Do not touch me!”

Tears flowed down her cheeks. She was filled with a sense of betrayal because Kang-Woo had been deceiving her all this time, and sorrow because she couldn’t refute any of his claims. Whether it be humans or gods, one’s reaction when they were faced with a truth they did not want to accept was the same.

“The prophecies of the World Tree are absolute!” Gaia shouted. “From the beginning of time to now… It has never been wrong.”

If Kang-Woo was truly the Demon of Prophecy, the world would end at his hands.

“As proof of that, you destroyed Huan!”

Kang-Woo had said that the footage Bael showed her was real. If that was the case, it meant that Kang-Woo had ended Huan.

Gaia bit her lip anxiously and continued, “Even if you truly have no intention of ending the world…”

She recalled what Kang-Woo looked like as he was fighting the Parasite King. His countless mouths, sharp teeth, and the shroud of darkness as black as the darkest abyss…

“The Demonic Sea will… one day take over you.”

If Kang-Woo possessed the prophesized Demonic Sea, the end of the world was already set in stone regardless of his intentions— one could even call it inevitable. Even if Kang-Woo were to kill Bael, he would eventually lose control over the Demonic Sea and lose his sanity. He would become a mindless monster and devour the world whole.

“The Demonic Sea is growing bigger inside you, is it not?” Gaia asked.

Kang-Woo remained silent.

As she had mentioned, The sea of demonic energy within his heart was growing bigger and bigger as if the universe was expanding, even without him eating anything.

“You…” Gaia stared at Kang-Woo sorrowfully. “Won’t be able to endure it.”

There was no way he would be able to. An individual couldn’t even begin to handle an infinitely expanding sea of demonic energy, even if that individual were a Titan.

“Pfft. I won’t be able to handle it?” Kang-Woo burst into laughter. “He said something similar too.”

He recalled the bellowing Demon God trapped within the Abyss of the Demonic Sea. The Demon God had also said that Kang-Woo wouldn’t be able to handle the Demonic Sea’s infinite power.

“Who—”

“Do you guys…” Kang-Woo interjected. He stared at Gaia with deeply sunken eyes. “... have any idea who I am?”

They had no idea who Kang-Woo was and what he had done to survive. They likely had no interest either; they simply prophesized the end after judging that the power wasn’t something a mere human could handle.

It was the case in Hell as well. No one thought Kang-Woo would survive in the Ninth Hell, kill the seven princes of Hell, and rule over Hell as its king. Despite all that, he was here.

“Well, fine. Let’s say that I won’t be able to handle the Demonic Sea’s power and that I’m the demon who will end the world.” Kang-Woo leaned on a broken pillar with his legs crossed. He said to Gaia, who was glaring at him, “So what?”

“...”

“What do you want me to do? Hm? Tell me.” Kang-Woo smiled and then continued calmly, “Alright, then. Kill me.”

“... What?”

“Stop spouting shit about prophecies and just kill me.”

Kang-Woo yanked Gaia’s hand toward him and placed it on his chest.

“The Demonic Sea is right here.” Kang-Woo tapped on his chest. “I haven’t opened the Doors or drawn out demonic energy, so you’ll be able to kill me with just one blow.”

Even if the Deific Essence barrier were to activate like a passive skill, Gaia’s Deific Essence would be able to penetrate it.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and kill me. Hm? I’m the Demon of Prophecy who will end the world, aren’t I?”

“Th-That’s…”

Gaia was left confused, not expecting Kang-Woo to act this way. Her hand on Kang-Woo’s chest trembled. She stared in pallor at Kang-Woo’s face.

- I will… dedicate myself to the light.

She recalled the day when she accepted Kang-Woo as her retainer. His voice had been filled with bravery and passion. Just remembering what Kang-Woo used to be pained her heart.

“Now, this is your golden opportunity to kill the Demon of Prophecy. It’s easy. Just use your Divinity and stab my heart,” Kang-Woo said calmly. He caressed the Crying Gaia’s hair and continued, “Go on. Save the world, Goddess of Parental Love.”

“...” Gaia’s lips turned blue as she stared at her trembling hand. She muttered, “I-I…”

She shut her eyes tightly. Her hand on Kang-Woo’s chest fell lifelessly.

“What? You can’t do it?” Kang-Woo smiled. “Then I’ll do it myself.”

Crush!

He stuck his hand into his chest. He tore his flesh apart and ripped out his bones. Blood poured out like a fountain from his carved-out chest cavity.

Gaia yelled in shock, “Wh-What are you doing?!”

She quickly reached for Kang-Woo’s arm and pulled out his hand before he could crush his own heart.

“Huff, huff,” Gaia panted heavily, cold sweats trickling down her forehead. She looked down at her hand that had pulled out Kang-Woo’s hand. “Why…?”

She was more confused by the fact that she had stopped Kang-Woo’s suicide attempt than Kang-Woo’s actions themselves.

‘The Demon of Prophecy would have died if I just left him be.’

“Arghhh…”

Gaia tried to let go of Kang-Woo’s arm, but her hand would not budge no matter how hard she tried.

“Why are you stopping me when I’m doing you a favor and killing myself?” Kang-Woo chuckled. He caressed Gaia’s hair and continued, “I mean, I guess you didn’t have a choice.”

Kang-Woo leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You swore on your Deific Essence, after all.”

“...!”

Gaia’s eyes widened. The words that she had said when she accepted Kang-Woo as her retainer struck in her head like a bolt of lightning.

- From now on, I, Gaia, swear on my Deific Essence of Parental Love that I will treat Protector Oh Kang-Woo as I would my child and spare no support and love for him.[1]

“A-Aaaahh.”

Gaia trembled. She understood why she was unable to let go of Kang-Woo’s arm despite finding out that he was the Demon of Prophecy and that everything he had shown her had been a lie.

“Pfft, bwehehehehe!!” Kang-Woo grabbed his stomach and laughed vulgarly. He wiped Gaia’s tears and remarked, “There’s no need to make things so complicated, Lady Gaia. You don’t have to be angry or sad by the betrayal either.”

He then whispered, “I’m sure you know as well, don’t you? That you can’t stop the end of the world without me.”

“...”

Gaia remained silent. She knew that no one but Kang-Woo could stand in Bael’s way. However, the world would inevitably end if the Demonic Sea within Kang-Woo were to keep expanding. In the end, she needed to choose the better of the two terrible scenarios.

Hence, Gaia had no choice but to trust that Kang-Woo would be able to endure the Demonic Sea’s attempt to take control over him and that he would become the savior of the world. Hanging on to the sliver of hope was the only choice allowed to her.

“A-Aaaahh,” Gaia stammered.

She stepped backward in pallor. She was finally able to realize that she never had a choice from the beginning even after finding out about Kang-Woo’s true identity. She was unable to kill Kang-Woo because of her pledge with her Deific Essence on the line— forget killing him, her body would move of its own accord to protect him if he were to be put in danger.

“Did you…”

Gaia could not expose Kang-Woo’s identity to the world either since he was the only hope that the world had to be saved from demise. All would despair if that hope turned out to be the Demon of Prophecy.

“Know about this…”

The only choice left to Gaia was to trust that the Demon of Prophecy, the being who would end the world, wouldn’t end it.

“From the beginning?”

She had no choice but to cling to Kang-Woo powerlessly.

“Who knows?” Kang-Woo smiled. “Right, have you decided what you’re going to do?” He caressed Gaia’s cheek and asked, “Will you kill me here and now, or trust the Demon of Prophecy destined to end the world?”

“...” Gaia remained silent and turned away from Kang-Woo.

“Answer.” Kang-Woo grabbed Gaia’s chin and forced her to face him. He looked into her trembling eyes and said, “Now.”

“...” Tears welled up around Gaia’s eyes again. She lowered her head and answered reluctantly, “I will… trust you.”

“Trust who?”

“I…” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “I will trust… the Demon of Prophecy.”

Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction. He opened his arms wide and embraced the frozen Gaia.

“Thank you very much for treasuring me so lovingly.”

“Sniff, hurgh.” Gaia trembled as she cried. “Y-You scumbag… H-How could you be so wicked…?”

Despite boiling with rage from the betrayal, she had no choice but to trust and put her hopes in Kang-Woo.

“Lady Gaia.” Kang-Woo got on one knee and continued, “I will dedicate my life to you.”

“Ah…” Gaia’s expression turned pale.

Kang-Woo had said that line when Gaia accepted him as her retainer.

“You… You…”

His expression, voice, and line were the same. Gaia knew his words were a sweet lie and that his true wicked nature was hidden behind that warm smile, but she found herself feeling relieved. She wanted to keep hearing those sweet lies— no, she preferred not knowing the truth at all.

“You are… truly a demon.”

Tears gathered on her chin. Kang-Woo lightly kissed the back of Gaia’s hand and smiled.

“Who in the world would fall for a demon’s temptations if their words were bitter?”

1. Slightly different from her pledge in Chapter 320, but whatever. ☜