Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

"Kurgh!"

Moab’s skull caved in after Oh Kang-Woo smashed his fist down on his head. Moab screamed in pain as he grabbed his head. The sticky fluid covering his skin splattered all over the place.

"Huff, huff," Kang-Woo panted heavily.

He was trembling all over after unleashing all the emotions he had been suppressing this entire time.

"Hyung-nim…" Kim Si-Hun walked up to the heavily panting Kang-Woo and stared at him with a complicated expression. "So you’ve been keeping it in all this time."

"... I’m sorry for fighting by myself, Si-Hun."

Only then did Kang-Woo realize that he had rampaged by himself, blinded by his fury. Si-Hun was probably holding back more emotions than him.

"Not at all." Si-Hun shook his head. He continued in dejection, "I know very well… that I won’t be of help to you with my current strength."

He had becconfident in his skills after mastering Formless Sword and grasping the principle of Mind’s Sword.

’But…’

Getting blown away just from blocking the enemy’s attack, which did not even have the enemy’s full power behind it, made Si-Hun realize that his confidence had been conceit.

’It’s… still not enough. Nowhere near enough. I have to get stronger. Only then will I…’

Si-Hun looked up and saw Kang-Woo. He was overlapping with the heroes brutally murdered by demons. Si-Hun clenched his fists.

’I won’t let hyung die, at the very least. I’ll protect him at any cost.’

Si-Hun embedded the pledge deep within his heart.

[Savior…] Elune approached Kang-Woo and sorrowfully wiped the tears flowing down Kang-Woo’s cheeks. [I see that even a person as great as you… holds great sadness within your heart.]

Her eyes were filled with compassion, sympathy, and trust for Kang-Woo.

’Good,’ Kang-Woo thought as the corners of his mouth slightly rose.

Not only had he neutralized Moab, but he had also earned Elune’s trust. His earnings were massive despite this being an unexpected situation.

’What a fucking mess.’

Kang-Woo had never expected the Four Heavenly Kings to exist.

’Fucking hell. What should I do about the other three?’

Moab had referred to himself as the Fourth Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings. In other words, there was a First, Second, and Third Heaven.

’Everyone is thinking Moab is the final Heavenly King.’

Lucifer remained, but since his appearance had already been revealed to the whole world, the appearance of a new Heavenly King would cause extrconfusion.

’Goddammit.’

Kang-Woo’s mind was a mess. He sighed.

’Just focus on the task at hand.’

It was not the tto bother with the other Heavenly Kings that haven’t even shown themselves yet. Restoring the World Tree and having Elune find the Demon God’s corpse was of higher priority.

"U-Urghh," Han Seol-Ah groaned as she stared at Elune, anxiously biting her lip.

’Huh?’

Kang-Woo’s expression froze. An uneasy feeling ran down his back. He looked down at himself and saw that Elune was embracing him as if consoling him.

’Darling, no!’

Kang-Woo’s face turned pale as he imagined the worst-case scenario.

"Kang-Woo…" Seol-Ah walked toward him with dead eyes.

Just then, someone grabbed her shoulder.

"... Lilith?" Seol-Ah called.

"Shh." Lilith placed her index finger on her lips and winked.

Seol-Ah expressed reluctance for a moment and then nodded lifelessly.

’Nice!’

Kang-Woo smiled thanks to Lilith’s perfect intervention. Lilith was far more proficient in controlling Seol-Ah than him in sways. Even while Seol-Ah was on the verge of losing her sense of reason due to angelic instinct, she always listened to Lilith.

’And…’

Although Seol-Ah lacked control over her instincts, she was not bad enough for Kang-Woo to consider her a troll. Her obsession was to be with Kang-Woo; the stronger that obsession was, the stronger her emotion to not be hated by Kang-Woo got as well. She would never do something that would bring Kang-Woo harm.

’Darling seems to have calmed down.’

It was tto pull out the black thorn embedded in the World Tree now. Just as Kang-Woo was about to separate from Elune…

Rumble—!!

[Kyaaah!]

"Lady Elune!"

The roots of the World Tree shook greatly. Elune scrunched up and screamed in pain. Black light was pouring out of the roots.

’What the hell is this?’

Kang-Woo frowned as he supported Elune.

"Kurgh, argh." Moab flinched on the ground with his skull bashed in. The black light pouring out of the World Tree’s roots flowed into him. "Hissssssss!"

Moab’s head began to rapidly regenerate. The black light that had poured into him shot toward the surroundings.

"My king!"

"Hyung-nim!"

Both Balrog and Si-Hun stood in front of Kang-Woo to protect him. Balrog put on his Overlord Armor to block the light, and Si-Hun used his sword to deflect the light.

Wham! Crack!

The ray of black light destroyed one of the World Tree’s roots.

"Hyung-nim, this is…"

"Take care of Lady Elune for me," Kang-Woo said as he left the panting Elune to Si-Hun.

He smiled as he stared at the staggering Moab slowly standing up.

’Alright, you have a phase 2, do you?’

Kang-Woo had almost been disappointed that a battle against one of the guardian deities of a satellite world ended so anticlimactic. Kang-Woo walked up to Moab as he licked his lips.

"Kurghhh. You… bastard." Moab glared at Kang-Woo as he touched his head, which had caved in after Kang-Woo’s punch. He muttered furiously, "I won’t… forgive… you."

Kang-Woo looked back at Elune, who was looking at them, and clenched his fists.

"You’re not done yet… is it?" Kang-Woo dragged his foot in annoyance. He said in a low tone, "I already expected this to happen. It was like this with the other Heavenly Kings. Satan and Rakiel… didn’t die so easily either."

He was already used to it; neither Satan nor Rakiel allowed themselves to die without using the cowardly trump card up their sleeves.

"For the last fucking time, I don’t fucking know those goddamn people!!!" Moab yelled in desperation.

Kang-Woo frowned. "Hah, I’m surprised you don’t get tired of that shit. Are you still playing dumb?"

"Ah…" Moab grabbed the back of his neck as he staggered. "I see… You’ll act like that to the very end, is it?" Moab glared at Kang-Woo in bloodlust as if he had given up on explaining himself. "Let us see if you can keep saying that after you die."

Moab threw his urumi down on the ground.

"...?" Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he looked at Moab throwing away his weapon.

Moab smiled. "Your pointless show ends here."

He took a deep breath and straightened his back. He acknowledged his blunder.

’The human is powerful.’

The fact that Moab had gotten agitated due to the humans’ absurd bullshit was part of it, but that was not enough to explain his loss. The human in front of Moab was abnormally powerful to the point that he would not be able to beat him with his own strength.

’In that case…’

Moab’s eyes shone as he looked at the black light pouring out of the World Tree. The tree was no longer resisting, meaning that it had been fully corrupted. Moab smiled.

’At least the plan has succeeded.’

The primary part of their ultimate plan had succeeded; with this, his master had likely gotten his hands on what he wanted.

’Now…’

Moab smiled as he recalled his conversation with his master.

"What to do with the thorn once the World Tree has been corrupted?" Moab’s master waved his hand in disinterest and continued, "You can have it."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. You should replace that flimsy sword. It looks like it’d break from the slightest touch."

Moab’s master cackled. Although he was acting like it was no big deal, Moab knew better than anyone how immense the power within the thorn was.

"Hissssss." Moab flicked his tongue and snickered. "Human, do you know what material the high elves use when they create holy swords?"

"... What?"

Kang-Woo frowned due to the unexpected question. Why was Moab asking a question like that all of a sudden?

"Hiss, Elune, I’m sure you know the answer."

[D-don’t tellyou…] Elune stared at Moab with wide shaking eyes.

Moab continued as he cackled, "High elves use a branch of the World Tree when creating holy swords. A very, very small amount, at that." Moab curled his fingers to make a small circle and smiled. "In that case, what do you think the material would be for a demonic sword?"

[M-Moab! What are you trying to do?!] Elune hurriedly shouted.

Moab burst into crazed laughter. "Kehehe! I corrupted the World Tree, so how wasteful would it be to not use its branch?"

He extended his arm toward the World Tree pouring black light. The black thorn embedded in its root was slowly pulled out. It was exuding suffocating energy after absorbing as much of the impure energy of the corrupted World Tree as it could.

[N-no…]

Elune trembled in pallor. The black thorn had turned into a branch of the World Tree after absorbing the energy of the corrupted World Tree. Just imagining the power of a demonic sword created with a branch of the World Tree, one exuding far more energy than what regular branches contained no less, was terrifying in and of itself.

[S-savior! We have to stop Moab!]

"Understood." Kang-Woo nodded.

He had no idea what Moab was trying to do, but he at least knew that he shouldn’t let Moab do as he wished.

"Stop, Moab!" shouted Kang-Woo as radiant splendor poured out of him.

"Hiss!" Moab spread out his arms. "It’s too late! Come! Demonic sword of the World Tree, Ingrium!"

Rumble—!!

Immense energy poured out from the black thorn. The thorn containing the energy of the corrupted World Tree began to turn into a greatsword almost two meters long and floated in the air.

"The demonic sword will guide you all toward damnation— Huh?"

Demonic Sword Ingrium slowly flew in Kang-Woo’s direction.

’Wait, huh?’

Fwoom.

’Don’t chere.’

Fwoom.

’Don’t fucking cthis way, motherfucker.’

Fwoom.

’Please fuck off.’

Riiing.

[Demonic Sword Ingrium has recognized you as its master!]

[You have been chosen by Ingrium!]

[You have obtained the title ’Ruler of Demonic Swords’!]

’Fucking hell.’

Fwoom.

’What the fuck is this thing? Why is it coming to me?’