"Are you ready to hunt down the king of hell?"
Lloyd's bold question was heard loud and clearly by those that followed. They lifted their heads and glanced at the estate developer, with similar thoughts in their minds.
He is indeed one of a kind.
Raphael, the angel of thrones, gulped nervously as he recalled what this human had performed throughout the day.
Can anyone else in this world do this well against the hell's army? Has anyone?
There hadn't been a single soul in the entire world and the heavenly realm.
The heavenly realm engaged the underworld in massive warfare about five times, excluding minor altercations. And it was an immensely huge one each time.
It was mostly a stalemate, with neither side being able to take decisive advantage. Their battles would influence the human realm as well.
A great extinction took place every time there was a war because the ecosystem in the human realm was affected. But Lloyd Frontera's war is different.
The estate developer was leading others in clean warfare, completely preventing such byproducts. He dominated the opponents without heading into a deadlock or being pushed back once.
This is a completely one-sided victory that even the heavenly realm has never achieved.
Raphael was astounded by how an ordinary human had made this accomplishment. It was jaw-dropping. Hell's knight Sir Giolexius standing next to Raphael thought likewise.
Thank goodness I got a new job.
Sir Giolexius clenched his fist behind everyone's back. He had had his concerns before this battle. Despite having disowned the king of hell, this frightening creature was still his former liege, and going up against him was certainly uncomfortable. Sir Giolexius even had worried about Lloyd's defeat. However, his new employer was literally dominating hell's army through genius tactics, causing the hell's knight to feel more loyal towards the new organization he worked for. It was likewise for each of the other comrades-in-arms.
Shriek! What a lucky day! I get to train my muscles more properly! Shriek!
Orc Arosh sniffed like a pig, excited by the grand battle.
There's literally no vegetation here. I suppose it is what hell would look like. Maybe I can plant some seeds here after the war and see how that goes.
Elf Moira strengthened her resolve internally to conquer this wretched place. The plan to attack the king of hell had to work.
"Alright, let's get going then! Hop on!" Lloyd shouted.
Yong Yong crouched down to allow everyone to get on its back while holding Bibeong in its arms. With robust flapping of its skeletal wings, Yong Yong's flight kicked off at explosive speed.
Kwoosh!
"That way!"
Lloyd pointed in the direction told by Sir Giolexius, and Yong Yong soared through hell's sky. The fierce wind hit the warrior's faces like a tsunami as Lloyd did the math in his head.
Ten minutes until we face the king of hell. Whew. I hope we're not too late.
Lloyd suspected the king of hell had nearly completely incarnated himself in the lich's body by now, expecting to open his eyes in the new body soon.
Come on. If we could get there before he actually does, our job would become much easier.
That would be the best possible scenario and the greatest achievement by far.
That's like hitting the lottery ten times in a row after letting the machine pick the numbers automatically.
Or perhaps even greater. But Lloyd felt a strong glare from his side and turned his head.
"...Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Because I have my doubts," said Javier with his characteristic stare, as his silver hair flew against the wind. "Do you really think we can defeat the king of hell with just us?"
"That's what worries you?"
"Yeah," nodded Javier adamantly. "Even if he's incarnating himself into a different body, he's still the king of hell. Without a special plan, this fight is a suicide mission."
"So it is."
“...”
"What. Why."
"I take it that you have devised a strange tactic again then?"
"What do you mean a strange tactic?"
"You were always like that. Even today," said Javier, with a subtle chuckle on his lips. "But I'm glad we're actually battling away from our home. I can't imagine what kind of damages our estate would have suffered if we fought there."
"True. And the king of hell will probably be furious that we brought the battle to the underworld."
"Yeah. Because he actually took time and effort to incarnate himself in the lich's body to invade the human realm."
"But we came here instead before he even stepped a foot up there."
"...Ha."
Javier failed to contain his laughter and chuckled out loud. Lloyd responded with a satisfactory smile of his own.
"So just trust in your hyung, because I know what I'm doing."
"If you insist."
"I do insist. One more thing. Don't overstretch yourself."
"It looks like I will have to today, though."
"No. We'll fail if you do."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"...Hold up."
"What now."
"You saw the result of this battle through the Jewel of Truth, then."
"Something like that."
"Did you see our victory?"
“...”
Lloyd looked back and saw the lingering cold stare from Javier's eyes. He did not know how to respond, because giving him the honest answer was going to make him vehemently oppose the tactic. Lloyd had to make a decision.
"Yeah. Our side is going to win."
Lloyd gave a half-true answer. Javier finally seemed relieved to hear the reply, and Lloyd thought that was enough. Today's victory was going to happen, regardless of what it takes, anyway.
"Get ready. We're almost there."
Lloyd barely managed to contain his emotions from bursting out. This wasn't the time to get sentimental, as there was a huge and last obstacle to overcome just yet.
"Listen carefully to what I tell you, and do exactly as I say. Okay?"
Lloyd strengthened his resolve and shared the detailed plan with Javier, as he looked at a certain point across the horizon.
♣
"They're here."
Inhale.
This was where the last terminal of the Hell Express was constructed. This was where countless souls entered through the gate of rebirth. The king of hell couldn't vacate this place even in his slumber while he was incarnating himself in a new body, in order to avoid the shutdown of the underworld's operation. The mighty creature opened his eyes in the middle of the huge platform. He actually saw everything despite the closed eyes, yet hadn't moved an inch. Instead, he sat still and watched the events unfold like a spectator. It was fun, exciting, and absolutely satisfying to find out he was right.
"I knew I was right about the talent Lloyd Frontera... I mean, Kim Suho possessed. He will turn out to be the best subject I've ever had."
Vibrate.
The statement resonated deeply within the king of hell's head, as Bibeong landed at the end of the platform followed by Yong Yong. The king of hell's grin became even more apparent.
"Welcome, Kim Suho."
"Welcome my ass. Don't grin like that, because you now look like the entire haunted house with the lich's face."
Lloyd replied with mockery instead. But the king of hell's grim smile through the lich's desolate face became stronger.
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. That'll make crushing you and making you serve me even more worthwhile."
“...”
"I realized that you were going to keep declining my request if I didn't get involved myself. But because I couldn't harm you in my original body due to the rules, I found myself a new body to house my soul. How do you like it?"
Stretch! The king of hell stretched out his two hands, and that was enough to exert a tremendous amount of pressure in the air. But even that was only a glimpse of the lich's endless supply of violent mana, empowered by the superior and transcendent powers the king of hell possessed. The hot, steamy air of the underworld instantly became cold, causing everyone to flinch inadvertently. Queen Alicia frowningly raised her spirits, Raphael let his fiery halo burn even more ferociously, Sir Giolexius shook his bony structure, the orc Arosh let out a deep breath, and the elf Moira inadvertently drew her arrow. But Lloyd was undisturbed.
"Whoa. Just look at this high-performance air conditioner."
“...”
"Can you do it again? This is actually very refreshing. I think you even got rid of all the volcanic ashes and fine dust with it."
“...”
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"...Ahem. Kim Suho."
"I'm listening."
"It's still not too late."
"What."
"Kneel and bow before me. Beg for your life and ask for the merciful power of the underworld so you may serve me in death. This is not that difficult."
"But it is."
"No. It's actually extremely easy. All you have to do is change your mind and ask me for this favor. You'll be given the power that no other vassals that serve me have been granted. You'll be set permanently."
"Like, a high position in the underworld?"
"Yeah. You'll be the most powerful person, only second to me, in the entire underworld. A man must have that much ambition to lead a meaningful life."
"Meaningful life... I think I get it."
"Ha. Finally."
"Yeah," nodded Lloyd, as he glared at the king of hell and tilted his head to one side. "That's exploitation of labor."
"...What?"
"Is there honey in the underworld?"
"Honey?"
"Yeah. Honey that is so sweet, that it retains its amazing taste even when dissolved in water."
"...No."
"That's where the problem comes from," said Lloyd with a blatant look of disappointment. "Think about it. There's no honey here, or anything fun to do. And it's not like the nature is amazing. Volcanoes erupt frequently, lava flows, and the average temperature is far higher than tropical rainforests. The presence of volcanic ashes makes it impossible to live without a mask."
“...”
"And you're telling me I can have so much power to rule over this wretched place? Let's be real. This is a scam offer."
Lloyd's voice gradually became louder, as if he just realized that he had been enticed to buy a buy-one-get-one- free item at a more expensive price than buying two items separately. He pointed out the sugar-coated offer, in reality, is nothing but an invitation to servitude without proper compensation. He was getting slightly worked up.
"Give me a break. Listen. If you want to recruit someone to work for you, at least establish a plausible workplace environment. But take a look here. There are no public facilities, no infrastructure, no schools here. Are you seriously asking me to work in a place where the real estate property is absolutely unlikely to go up in value in the next one million years? What good is there to exercise my authority in a dreadful place like this?" "But Kim Suho."
"I've heard enough. You're offering nothing substantial save for the sugar-coated words of honor. And you expect me to accept the position where I'll be exploited to provide labor for the rest of my life? Do you take me for a fool or something? Is this all you are?"
"Kim Suho!"
"Yeah."
"Think again. I advise you to stop looking at it from the narrow-minded human perspective." "Why?"
"You will go down in history as a legendary and mythical figure in the human world." "And?"
"Isn't that amazing?"
"Amazing? But there's no honey here."
“...”
"If you don't like my answer, let's at least see the draft of the employment contract you prepared."
"Employment... what?"
"I knew it," replied Lloyd with a sneer. "You didn't prepare anything."
"There is no need for documentation between us."
"Of course there is."
"I am the king of hell. I am the ruler of the eternal purgatory and the being that oversees death and rebirth. Why would I need to draft a stinking contract to have you serve under me?"
"...Ha."
Lloyd bitterly chuckled at the king of hell's question. The estate developer's stare became colder and his voice more cynical as he added.
"I knew it. All terrible employers always give this kind of evasively angry response when asked about the employment contract."
"What?"
"Do you honestly think the title king of hell or ruler of purgatory offers any bit of credibility? Unexpected events and accidents are bound to happen during one's tenure. How do you plan to take care of those unforeseen cases without the written contract?"
"The hell is--*
"Hell, hell, hell. I've heard enough about your hell. Malicious mployers that try to exploit desperate workers always say the same thing. They emphasize the relationship between them and the workers is like a familial one so there is no need to get upset about the lack of written guidelines, and stuff. Family, my ass. It's more like slavery."
“...”
"People like you bend the rules and skip the contract part, only to cheat off your employees by holding off on their wages later on. There is no extra pay for overtime or doing things that are outside of the job description. There is no vacation. Yet you demand the workers to show up before work hours and leave way after five. Each time an employee complains about it, you sugarcoat your acts of exploitation with phrases like you've learned about the passion, you've gotten experience, and that's way more valuable than the wage that's being withheld at the moment, and that you should thank me instead. That kind of bullcrap."
"What are you-
"Am I wrong? You so proudly mentioned the highest position second only to the king in the underworld, powers that I'd be given, and my name going down in history as the legendary and mythical figure in the human world. That's no different from those empty promises that are not substantial at all. I won't be gaining a dime through all that. You'll be the sole beneficiary of the fruit of my labor. What difference is there between you and those atrocious bastards that will enjoy luxury while their employees struggle to put food on the table with minimum wage?"
"Kim Suho."
"Don't call me like that. You don't even have anything good in your land."
"Kim Suho!" shouted the king of hell in genuine fury at Lloyd's sharp words. He was so infuriated that he had failed to suspect the blade being drawn behind him, while Lloyd was grabbing his attention with his tongue.
Shring.
“...!”
Before the king of hell could rise from his seat, grandmaster Javier's all-out thrusting of his sword pierced through the deathly ruler's chest.
