After Ten Millennia in Hell

Chapter 366 - Crybaby

“You... can move?”

The Constellation of Agony had linked his senses with that of the human through his Authority. He was sure that the human was feeling as much pain— no, even greater pain than what he himself was feeling. There was no way a living being could endure such pain unless they also possessed as much resistance to pain as him. Pain was a very effective weapon even against those of godhood, but...

“How can you move under that much pain?!” the Constellation of Agony screamed madly.

Kang-Woo smirked and answered calmly, “Because it doesn’t hurt. This much pain is more than tolerable.”

“Tolerable... you say?”

The Constellation of Agony’s eyes shook. He had harmed himself to a significant extent because he had wanted to see the disrespectful human writhing pathetically in pain, but the human was enduring it just fine.

“I mean, if I had to say whether it hurts or not, it definitely does,” Kang-Woo expressed. There was no way that breaking bones, tearing apart flesh, and burning blood vessels did not hurt. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Kang-Woo shrugged. He was as calm as if his finger had been slightly nicked with a box cutter. It was not the type of pain that was the problem, but its intensity.

“Rather, it’s better than the usual,” Kang-Woo continued while lightly stretching.

It did not feel all that bad, just like how light punches felt more relaxing than painful.

“What?” The Constellation of Agony’s mouth fell open.

He could not understand what was going on. Pain was feared by all, mortal and immortal beings alike. Not even death was more terrifying than pain.

“U-Urghh!!”

The Constellation of Agony grimaced. This could not be happening— no, it should not be happening. He placed his hand on his eyelids.

“Let’s see how long you can keep up that absurd act for!”

Crush! Ooze.

The Constellation of Agony squashed his own eyeballs. The excruciating pain of one’s eyes being crushed and pulled out was sent straight to Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo’s eyebrows slightly rose.

The Constellation of Agony burst out laughing. “Kehe, hahahaha! Yes! There’s no way that you’d be fine!”

Kang-Woo was acting like he was completely fine, but the Constellation of Agony knew that he was just enduring the pain with all his might.

“No, not that.” Kang-Woo chuckled. “You just destroyed your eyes. What’s up with that?”

‘How are you gonna fight?’

Kang-Woo stared at the Constellation of Agony, surprised by his ridiculous action. When he had first felt pain in his body, Kang-Woo had thought that the Constellation of Agony’s ability was to make a target feel pain.

‘Is that not it?’

When the Constellation of Agony squashed his own eyeballs, Kang-Woo also felt pain in his eyes as well.

“Ohhh, I get it.” Kang-Woo nodded as if he understood.

‘It’s not an ability that makes someone feel pain, but an ability that links one’s senses with that of others.’

He finally understood what sort of Authority the Constellation of Agony possessed. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Then do you attack by hurting yourself?” Kang-Woo asked.

‘What a dumbass Authority.’

Attacking through self-harm was certainly a novel idea, but it had far too many demerits. One’s own combat ability would fall from the injuries they themselves made through self-harm. Not just that, the Constellation of Agony had squashed his eyes of all things. Sight was a very important sense; although one could sense the enemy through sensing Qi like in martial arts novels, it did not seem like the Constellation of Agony possessed such an ability.

“Kuh, you can still act that way?” The Constellation of Agony frowned.

His eyes were regenerated at an incredible rate as soon as he took his fingers out of his eye sockets.

Kang-Woo’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I see.”

His regeneration speed was as fast as that of a slime.

‘No wonder.’

Kang-Woo had thought that it was a ridiculous fighting method, but it made sense with the absurdly fast regeneration speed that the Constellation of Agony had shown that surpassed even the Authority of Regeneration. It was almost as if he was immortal.

“Try to endure this as well!” The Constellation of Agony shouted.

Crunch! Crack! Crunch—!

The sound of bones breaking could be heard from all over the Constellation of Agony. His body was being deformed everywhere like a child playing with play-doh.

“Oh? This hurts a bit.” Kang-Woo’s eyes shone. The pain that came from one’s body being deformed like kneading dough was considerably higher than before. “But it’s still nothing I can’t handle.”

Kang-Woo had felt pain of this level countless times to the point that he was sick of it.

“Wh...at?”

The Constellation of Agony was widening his eyes so much that it looked like the corners were about to rip. The pain just now was hard to endure even for him, who possessed a resistance to pain. No, it was so bad that even he wanted to stop harming himself right this second. He couldn’t believe that a mere human, who did not even possess Bottom-rank Deific Essence, was able to handle pain that not even he, the Constellation of Agony who had been the subject of fear among countless angels and humans during the era of myths, was able to handle.

“What... are you? What the fuck are you?” The Constellation of Agony asked.

Kang-Woo smirked. “I mean, even so...”

He did not like being in pain. Kang-Woo leaped toward the self-harming Constellation of Agony. He slightly twisted mid-air, brought his arms above his head and used an Authority.

‘Inferno.’

The Key of the Demonic Sea changed form to create a greatsword burning with yellow flames.

Fwoosh—!!!

Incredible flames burned along the greatsword’s edge. Kang-Woo swung down the sword.

“Gaaaaaaaahhh!!” the Constellation of Agony screamed.

Yellow flames engulfed him; the pain of being burned was added on top of the self-harm.

“Nghh.”

Kang-Woo also slightly grimaced. The pain was sent right to him as soon as he attacked the Constellation of Agony.

‘This is a bit difficult. I should end this quickly.’

Kang-Woo continuously swung Inferno.

“It’s... pointless... human...!”

The Constellation of Agony stopped hurting himself and scrunched up. He was regenerating at an absurd rate even while being engulfed in flames. Not just that, demonic energy infused with Divinity covered him as protection.

Clang—! Clang!

Inferno bounced off of the demonic energy. Kang-Woo infused even more demonic energy into the Key of the Demonic Sea.

Crack!

The demonic energy barrier protecting the Constellation of Agony was slowly being broken. Kang-Woo did not stop.

“When you don’t have Divinity...”

One just needed to break the opponent’s Divinity with stupid amounts of demonic energy. Kang-Woo continued to swing the greatsword. The demonic energy barrier was finally broken, and Inferno slashed the Constellation of Agony.

“What the—?!”

The Constellation of Agony was shocked. Breaking through the power of a god in such a barbaric way was like piercing through a boulder with a water cannon.

“Kurgh, gaaaaaahh!” The Constellation of Agony twisted and turned as the continuous attacks slashed him apart. He drew out Divinity while biting his lip. “I told you... that it’s pointless, humaaaaaaan!”

Boom—!

Sharp wedges shot out from all over the Constellation of Agony as protection. Kang-Woo dodged the wedges and widened the distance from the Constellation of Agony, who had managed to fully recover in that short moment.

“Hmm,” Kang-Woo expressed.

The Constellation of Agony’s regeneration speed was truly impressive. He twirled Inferno while under thought.

“I guess...” Kang-Woo nodded. He had no choice but to admit it. “I can’t kill you in a physical fight.”

There actually was a way; if Kang-Woo used a Chaos skill, he would be able to tear apart the Constellation of Agony’s Divinity and deal great damage to him.

‘But...’

Even that would be pointless before that absurd regeneration speed. It was so fast that the Constellation of Agony would even be able to fully regenerate within seconds, even if all that was left of him was a finger.

‘I want it.’

The Authority of Regeneration could not even compare to it.

“Huff, huff!” The Constellation of Agony panted heavily.

He once again scrunched up and protected himself with a demonic energy barrier infused with Divinity. Kang-Woo’s eyes shone sharply.

‘To face that son of a bitch...’

He would have to obliterate the Constellation of Agony before he even had a chance to regenerate, or continue to hurt him until his regenerative ability was exhausted.

‘’Neither one would be easy.’

Divinity was severely getting in Kang-Woo’s way. He had used so much demonic energy to get through the Constellation of Agony’s Divinity that dealing a decisive attack was highly difficult.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!!” the Constellation of Agony cursed.

He did not expect to be pushed so far by a mere mortal with no Deific Essence.

‘If I unleash the Demon God’s power...’

The Constellation of Agony quickly shook his head to chase away the momentary thought. Unleashing the Demon God’s Deific Essence against a mere human was enough of an embarrassment for him to become a laughing stock for eternity among the other Constellations.

The Constellation of Agony stared at Kang-Woo in conflict. Since his strongest weapon, pain, was not working, he was not confident that he would be able to beat that human in a head-on battle. He continued to hesitate.

“Kurgh!”

The Constellation of Agony bit his lip. He could tell that he would have no way to come out victorious without unleashing the Deific Essence.

‘Against a mere human!’

The Constellation of Agony attempted to unleash the Demon God’s Deific Essence while frowning, but...

“Huh?” It did not work. The immense power within his heart was not budging in the slightest. The Constellation of Agony expressed confusion. “Wh-What the hell?”

“Oh, I know.” Just then, Kang-Woo clapped his hands together and nodded. He smiled as if he was very satisfied with the idea he had come up with. “Come to think of it, your ability isn’t to make others feel pain, but to share your senses with them, right?”

If their senses were shared, it meant that Kang-Woo’s pain would also be sent to the Constellation of Agony.

‘If that’s the case...’

Kang-Woo had a very easy way to face the Constellation of Agony.

“You were going off about true agony and shit earlier, weren’t you?” Kang-Woo smiled widely. “I’ll specially show you a whole new world, man.” He placed his hand over his heart while snickering and said, “Molting.”

“What are you d—” Just as the Constellation was about to ask what Kang-Woo was doing, his eyes popped open. “A-Aaaahh.”

He felt pain. Incomprehensible and unimaginable pain that he had never experienced took over his body and tore it apart.

“Argh, urgh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

‘It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.’

All other thoughts were erased as horrifying pain engulfed the Constellation of Agony.

“S-Stop!! Stoooooooooop!!!” The Constellation of Agony extended his arm in desperation while screaming madly.

Kang-Woo smiled. “What a fucking crybaby.”

‘I haven’t even gotten started, man.’