◈ Episode 561. Attraction (1)

“My lord.”

“I’m listening.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Barbatos gave a small laugh.

“How could I be okay with that? As Charmen knows, I am the least powerful of the Ten, and I don’t have any respect for you in that regard.”

“What do you mean, my lord, that I am unworthy?”

“Because my lack of power has made you weak.”

“!”

Charmen, Barbatos’s only true servant.

Considering the privilege of being a corps commander who is granted the power of those who serve, Charmen, the only corps commander of Barbatos, the Demon King of the Eighth Throne, had to be strong.

But Charmen was not. Compare his power to Paimon’s Corps Commanders……. It was at a level that had to be compared with the corps commander’s direct subordinates, let alone the corps commander.

“Don’t say that……!”

He could have blamed Barbatos for that. Charmen shook his head furiously. As you can see, the Lord hadn’t admitted his own shortcomings first.

Charmen shook his head.

“Your words are unwarranted, my lord. It is my inability to fully utilize your power that is lacking, not you.”

“Your words are comforting, Charmen. But I am certain that I do not have what it takes to face the New Tenth, and that is my judgment.”

“I will trust your judgment, my lord.”

Charmen nodded weakly, and Barbatos cut to the chase.

“I intend to enter their world alone.”

“!”

“I don’t mean to say that I’ll ambush them, of course, for as I said, what could I possibly accomplish that Paimon couldn’t? I have no intention of fighting the humans, let alone the New Tenth Throne, and I have no intention of fighting them.”

“But Lord……!”

Barbatos shook his head impatiently.

“We have nothing to lose, no matter what the outcome.”

Nothing to lose?

That was his word.

Charmen couldn’t make sense of it.

“With all due respect, my lord, our opponents are the vicious Tenth. Gamigin and Buer. And the one who sent even Paimon to Hell without mercy!”

How did Paimon end up in Hell?

By being too fond of the man who ascended to the Ten Thrones as a human, and not picking the right time to kill him.

In that sense, it seemed unlikely that his master’s plan would work.

jeobeogjeobeog.

But he seemed to understand the concern.

Barbatos stepped forward.

He approached the kneeling Charmen and placed a hand on his head.

“My lord……?”

“Even if it means my death at his hands.”

“Please, don’t say that.”

He stroked his head gently.

“As Charmen said, he’s a human, not a demon, do you know what that means? It means that unlike us demons, who get their power from negative emotions, he, being human, will never be free of them.”

“!”

Charmen’s pupils dilated.

“Yes, that’s why I said I have nothing to lose. If I don’t die, it’s a good thing I don’t die. Even if I do die at his hands, it will bring terror to their world.”

At this, Barbatos spread his arms.

“Fear of a man who mercilessly killed a weak, harmless demon like me. Can humans infinitely trust the man who killed me? I don’t know, my Objective Eye tells me, Charmen.”

The Ten Thrones seemed to take shape.

“Not even a remote possibility.”

Barbatos crossed his arms once more.

“Which is why we have nothing to lose. Do you understand now, Charmen, and if you do, you can put your concerns to rest?”

As expected, it was my lord.

“You are right.”

Finally, Charmen understood.

He transcended personal feelings.

My lord, Barbatos, the demon of demons.

Charmen vowed, his face grim.

“I will defend your castle until you return.”

Barbatos smiled mercifully.

“You will always be in my debt, my Charmen.”

.

The land where the Evil Eyes shone brightest was the Demon World.

That was why the Ten Thrones used rituals to contact each other. There was too much of Evil Eyes in the Demon World for them to speak in private.

The meaning of the saying is simple.

“That snout is always disgusting, Barbatos.”

Everyone watched Barbatos, his performance.

The Ten Thrones had witnessed.

Barbatos turned on his henchman.

What tricks he played when he laid his hand on Charmen’s head.

Curse, 《Cracked Bowl》

When Barbatos was at the end of his rope.

He sacrificed Charmen’s flesh so that he could be resurrected.

The curse manifested in Charmen’s flesh.

“There’s a reason Paimon kept you away.”

Barbatos.

He was the kind of demon that even demons didn’t want to associate with.

Those who claim their weaknesses are more frightening than those who claim their strengths, and in that sense, Barbatos was perfect.

“To serve such a lord. I pity you, Charmen.”

Why does Barbatos maintain his seat on the Ten Thrones with only one corps commander and a small castle? Simple. Barbatos, he does not share his power with anyone.

That piqued my curiosity.

“The new Tenth Throne.”

“Can you see through it?”

“Barbatos’s thick face.”

Could the heinousness of Barbatos be valid against the new Tenth Throne?

One would say.

It’s as easy as stumbling across a river.

They were right.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

As I said, the Tenth had nothing to complain about.

Whether Barbatos’s plan succeeded or failed.

One way or another, their world would be thrown into chaos.

*

Leonie was the first to speak.

“Brace yourselves, boys.”

The reverse bet was successful.

I should have gotten goosebumps with excitement.

I try to suppress the goosebumps that should have been on my skin.

“I’ll take my time deciding what to wish for.”

Nam Taemin, Hisagi, and Jesse Heinness.

The three don’t have an easy answer.

The flickering system messages in their vision were unreal.

[The Demon King of the Eighth Throne, “Gentle Barbatos,” appears].

The power of the Eighth Throne is beyond comprehension.

If it was a simple advent message, I wouldn’t even be able to read it.

I’m sure it would have been a message filled with □’s.

But I could see it clearly.

Not only that.

[Barbatos’ influence reaches Seoul, the Land of the Anomalies. Your understanding in all areas is greatly increased].

Demons.

Demon-type monster.

It was giving players buffs that weren’t status abnormalities.

Leonie muttered.

“I feel so fucking dirty, by the way.”

She knew the system message didn’t lie.

Still, she couldn’t believe it.

They’d dealt with a lot of demons in their lives, lost a lot of friends to them.

So.

“Everyone, stay alert.”

“We still can’t rule out the possibility that this is a trap.”

“That’s right, even if Barbatos doesn’t have any hostility, it might not be Barbatos’ envoy, right? Okay, this is a trick……!!”

As if anyone needed to shout it.

Of those gathered before the portal as members of the Holy War Alliance.

None of them had loosened their grip on their weapons.

Gooooooo.

And then, the portal emitted a bright light.

“……!!!”

The Eighth Demon King, Barbatos.

He had truly appeared.

As if to silence all doubts about him.

All by himself.

“Nice to meet you, everyone.”

As if that weren’t enough.

As if he had no intention of attacking.

He raised his hands above his head and smiled.

“I, Barbatos, give you my greetings.”

The scene spread all over the world via internet.

.

AAU.

“That’s Barbatos?”

“No, is that really a demon?”

“By the looks of it, I’m guessing it’s the Ten Thrones……?”

It was thanks to witnessing the same Ten Thrones, Paimon.

Though not as colorful as Paimon.

Barbatos was radiating an aura that was unique to those of the Ten Thrones.

Of course, the direction of that momentum was different.

“It’s not hostile.”

“I wouldn’t call that a trick…….”

“He’s all alone, and even if he does call in reinforcements now, how many players are in there? Is that all he has? Even Harkon and Marcelo are watching him!”

Someone said in disbelief.

“So you’re saying the peace mission is real?”

Someone else took a sip of kimchi soup.

“Isn’t this going to end the Holy War in a way we never thought it would? If the Ten Thrones offer us a peace deal first……. we have no choice but to accept, right?”

Later in life.

Everyone at AAU is a senior like the sky.

Therefore, Sung Hyunjoon muttered inaudibly.

“There’s no reason not to.”

My heart was pounding in my chest.

‘Is it just me or is it weird?’

Sung Hyunjoon felt strangely dirty.

Decades after the Cataclysm.

Humanity and the Arcana continent had been trampled on by demons.

No, to say that they were simply trampled was an oversimplification. Mankind has been ravaged by demons, both physically and mentally.

“……Demons are such fucking assholes.”

AAU is the ideal of being in a group.

You can’t look away from the deaths of players.

Yes, for the sake of analysis.

Sung has seen countless records of players who have been ravaged by demons. The faces of players who attacked their teammates while possessed by demons?

-“Hahaha, cry more, despair more.”

It was a terrible sight, laughing and crying.

But then came the chance for revenge.

A chance to repay the debt.

By the way.

Now we’re supposed to get along……?

Pretend it never happened?

“Isn’t everyone feeling unfair?”

…… Grrttt.

Sung was grinding his teeth.

Suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder.

He didn’t even have to turn his head to recognize it.

It was Yoon Soogyeom, his senior.

“I’m so frustrated, my hands are shaking.”

……Parr.

A vibration that traveled through his shoulders.

Yoon Soogyeom was desperately suppressing his anger.

“But let’s wait and see, Hyunjoon.”

“Wait and see? All demons are the same, senior!”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Yoon Soogyeom’s voice gradually calmed down.

“Demons are different on the inside than on the outside. Maybe they’re playing with their lives. If that’s the case, you should take advantage of it.”

“Take advantage of? That thing, the Demon of the Ten Thrones?”

“Yeah. If he has an ulterior motive, he can’t show his true colors until he achieves it, so let’s take advantage of the fact that he has no choice but to stay low.”

……So how do you do it, that.

It was the moment Sung Hyunjoon wanted to ask back.

The voice of Park Minjae, the branch manager of AAU Korea Branch, was heard.

“That’s okay, Soogyeom, The OK sign is gone!”

Okay?

What?

Without me knowing?!

Park Minjae looked at Sung Hyunjoon, who was dumbfounded.

“After all, you and Hyun P.D. can talk well, right?”

.

“You really can’t talk!”

Yoon Jong Jin, the camera director, shouts.

“I can’t work with you anymore!”

What a crazy human being.

“Demon King, that’s a hundred questions and a hundred answers to the Ten Thrones?!”

“Don’t you have to show me?”

“What the hell!”

Hyun Yongseok raised the corners of his mouth nonchalantly.

“The viciousness of the broadcasting station’s bastards, worse than demons.”