After Ten Millennia in Hell

Chapter 303 - The Secret That Oh Kang-Woo Had Been Hiding

"Why did you leave me on read yesterday?!" Uriel angrily shouted.

Having gone to the angels' fortress in Africa in search of Uriel, Oh Kang-Woo gave a bitter smile.

"There was a bit of a situation."

"What situation?"

"Well..."

Kang-Woo, who couldn't say that he had been waiting for Uriel to fall from grace, slurred while smiling awkwardly.

Uriel's eyes sharpened.

"Tell me what—"

"More importantly, Lord Uriel," Kang-Woo interjected. "There are a few things that I want to ask. Is that okay?"

"... What is it?" Uriel pouted and nodded.

It seemed like he had complaints due to what happened the day before, but it didn't seem like he would ignore Kang-Woo's request.

"Do you know of something called the 'Seed of Corruption'?"

"..."

There was a heavy silence.

Uriel's eyes widened.

"Where... did you hear that?" he asked in a low voice.

"I came across it while I had been investigating Rakiel on my own time," Kang-Woo answered while making a calm expression.

Uriel groaned. "You know that all angels are instinctively obsessed with something, right?"

"Yes."

"If that obsession becomes uncontrollable, their wings start to turn black, and if it worsens from there and enters the territory of madness..."

"You fall from grace."

"Yeah." Uriel nodded. "The Seed of Corruption refers to the stage right before the fall. In other words, the stage where the wings flicker black sometimes."

"Can the individual know if the Seed of Corruption has been sown in themselves?"

"No, they can't. I'm sure that others wouldn't be able to tell either. The flickering happens in the blink of an eye, which is why one must be even more cautious. It only takes an instant for an obsession to become madness."

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

'So they themselves don't know.'

Uriel didn't seem to be lying.

'In that case, Uriel doesn't know he's falling either.'

Based on his reaction, that seemed to be the case.

Considering Uriel's personality, Uriel wouldn't be so calm if he knew he was falling.

"What kind of changes happen when an angel falls from grace?"

With demons, if they couldn't control their desires, they turned into mindless demonic beasts, but based on records regarding Rakiel and having witnessed Raphael's fall, it didn't seem like fallen angels lost their ability to reason.

"The biggest difference is that the wings turn black and their sacred power turns into demonic energy. Oh, and they become far stronger in exchange for being unable to use divine magic."

In other words, they gained power in exchange for technique. It was similar to demons becoming demonic beasts where they lost their intelligence in exchange for overwhelming physical prowess.

"Is that all? You don't lose your mind or anything?"

"No, but... since their obsession borders on the line of madness, their actions turn very extreme. That's why, even if they can still reason, we kill them."

Uriel's expression darkened as he said that—he was probably thinking about his friend he'd killed with his own hands.

"Can an angel who fell from grace rise back up?" Kang-Woo asked, recalling from the system window that the fall would be acknowledged even if it was a temporary one.

Uriel shook his head.

"It's usually impossible, but... they can be brought back to normal right at the moment of the fall. As for Raphael... it was too late for him." Uriel looked down in sorrow. As he wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, he said, "But why are you asking me about that all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I was just curious about it since I came across it during my Rakiel investigations," he calmly answered.

All hail the Rakiel cheat code.

"Rakiel is a bit different in the sense that he fell from grace of his own accord."

"What was Rakiel's obsession?"

"I don't know. It's never been recorded."

Kang-Woo nodded. He had expected the answer.

"Lord Uriel, you said that you were obsessed with affection, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Then you must be having a hard time since you've been alone all the time lately. And with... what happened to Lord Raphael."

Uriel's expression darkened. "I-I'm fine. I can easily control my instinctive urges."

'Bullshit.'

It was easy to see that his obsession was worsening. If not, the Seed of Corruption wouldn't have been sown in him.

"Is that why you've been sending me so many messages?"

"N-Not at all!" he shouted.

Kang-Woo laughed.

Uriel turned his head as if he were sulking.

'I've heard everything I need to.'

His curiosity regarding the fall from grace had been more or less resolved. Please visit fr𝐞𝐞w𝒏.𝒸𝑜𝔪 website to read fastest update

'In that case...'

Kang-Woo licked his lips.

'Like I thought, that should be the best way to go about it.'

Only now when he was sure that Uriel's obsession was directed toward him would the plan that he had in mind work.

'I can't just lie around doing nothing.'

After the Seed of Corruption inside Uriel had stopped growing, he realized he couldn't just wait around. It was an undeniable fact that Uriel's obsession with affection was directed toward Kang-Woo after losing Raphael and being left all by himself.

Kang-Woo needed to pull some strings if he wanted to turn that obsession into madness.

"Shall we go search for traces of Rakiel?"

Kang-Woo made a smile that looked as if it would break at any moment. Uriel could feel the fear in his voice. Uriel remained silent and saw himself after having lost Raphael, in Kang-Woo.

'That's right.'

Kang-Woo inwardly laughed. He could see Uriel's fluctuating emotions on his face, as well as the blossoming of trust and sympathy toward him.

'Of course he'd sympathize.'

Just like how people who had experienced harsh breakups sympathized with people who had also gone through the same thing, it was only instinct for a living being to sympathize and console someone else who had gone through similar misfortunes.

'Now, Uriel...'

Kang-Woo looked at Uriel, who'd fallen into thought.

'Cling to me more.'

The empty void that Raphael had left...

'Fill it with me.'

Only then would his plan succeed.

Kang-Woo leisurely waited for Uriel's answer.

Uriel slowly opened his mouth as he looked at the smiling young man. "I don't know much about you, but... I think I know why Lord Tirion chose you as his apostle."

"Haha. You flatter me. I was just lucky."

"You think a god's choice depends on luck?" Uriel looked at him with serious eyes.

He'd heard about Kang-Woo in detail from Gaia and how hard he'd fought against the demons, as well as the accomplishments he had made and the legend he had built.

According to Gaia, if it weren't for Kang-Woo, Earth would've already become riddled with demons. Hearing his achievements, Uriel couldn't help but agree. Although it was not widely spread among the public, Kang-Woo had been the decisive factor in taking down the Demon Cult.

'He doesn't want to lose any more people precious to him.'

Uriel closed his eyes and remembered Raphael, his friend he'd spent thousands of years with, and how much he had despaired after killing him.

'He's the same as me.'

They were not different in any way. Uriel's heart resonated. The difference between the usual Kang-Woo and his smile that would shatter at any moment gave him mixed feelings. Uriel held Kang-Woo's hand without holding back the wave of emotions he was feeling.

"I'll help you too."

"..."

"I'll lend you my strength so you don't have to lose anything else."

"Haha..." Kang-Woo's eyes teared up, and a dry laugh left his mouth. "Thank you. Thank you... very much."

"A-Ahem."

"Haha. This is the first time I've told this to anyone."

"You didn't tell Kim Si-Hun?"

"Yes. I didn't want him to worry. I've never even mentioned it to my lover."

"R-really? Then I'm the first?"

"Yes."

Uriel's expression brightened.

The fact that he was the first to hear the truth that Oh Kang-Woo had been hiding made him feel happy, and he felt his face reddening.

"R-Right, then, let's get on with the investigation!" Uriel quickly stood up.

Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. "Yes, of course."

Kang-Woo put the empty kimchi stew pot away and stood up. He followed after Uriel and investigated the traces of demonic energy all around them.

Then...

"Huh...?"

Uriel's eyes widened. He found traces that were more recent than the other traces around them. The demonic energy signature was capable of making him, an archangel, shudder.

"Th-This isn't simply recent..."

It had literally been left moments ago.

"Watch ou—"

Crackle!

Black lightning poured down like rain the moment he stood up with a pale face. Uriel spread his wings and flew to the side while grabbing Kang-Woo.

"Wh-What the—?!"

"Shit! So this is where Rakiel was hiding!!"

It was good that they'd finally found Rakiel, but the problem was that it was Rakiel who found them first.

Step, step.

"Hmm, I was wondering what insects were scurrying around here."

A being with silver hair that reached far down his shoulder, ten black wings, and armor made of wriggling green tentacles slowly walked toward them. He smiled while looking at Kang-Woo.

"Kekeke, I'm surprised you are still alive. I didn't think you'd last this long."

Uriel did not understand what he meant by that.

"Rakiel..."

Uriel's fists trembled, and blue lightning danced off of him.

"Kang-Woo! I'll buy you time, so contact Guardians!" he said while standing between Kang-Woo and Rakiel.

However, there was no reply.

"... Kang-Woo?"

Uriel turned his head.

"A-Arghh."

There, he saw Kang-Woo holding his head and groaning in pain.

"Wh-What's wrong?"

Uriel's expression paled. He had seen Kang-Woo like this before, when he saw Rakiel's demonic energy in the angel fortress when they first met.

"A-Aaaaahh!"

Kang-Woo knelt and collapsed while clenching his head. His mouth frothed, and his eyes rolled back.

"Oh Kang-Woo!!"

Uriel grabbed Kang-Woo, who was scrunched up on the ground, and...

"Huh...?"

He undoubtedly felt demonic energy from Kang-Woo's body.

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