Chapter 67
Mammon had infiltrated two types of his followers into Scrap Yard.
One group was among the factory owners, endlessly stimulating their greed for wealth.
And the other group was among the laborists, endlessly inciting their fighting spirit and anger.
When the anger and greed that had reached a critical point like that met, it would cause a huge explosion, leading to a long-lasting civil war.
Is it just here?
There was a high possibility that the entire empire would become a mess with the fight between laborists and capitalists.
Then Mammon planned to happily grow by devouring the souls and resentments falling from that battlefield where lust for power and greed for wealth danced.
And the most important thing in that process was that Mammon's identity mustn’t be revealed.
Mammon only needed to control all of this from behind the scenes and devour the resentment.
It was a very safe and certain way to benefit, unlike Satan of Wrath or Leviathan of Envy who fought head-on with the Pantheon.
So his followers, too, had been extremely careful to ensure their identities wouldn't be revealed.
They had been living carefully, taking every precaution not to provoke the Pantheon or imperial family, but...
Surely that was the case, but…
"What are you guys? Why don't my abilities work on you?"
When the saint threw out one fierce word while untying his belt and gripping it in his hand, the followers' expressions rotted.
What on earth is this situation?
As if Time Stop had been applied, everything in the room was motionless, and in the meantime, only they and the saint could move as if they were the only things existing in this world.
"You dirty bastards. You were intentionally inciting Karl Renaro to make blood spill? You were planning to spill blood and offer those resentments and souls to the one you serve?"
The followers' eyes shake frantically at the saint's angry voice.
They were extremely confused, but the followers made a quick judgment.
"Mammon!! Grant us power!!"
A bright red dagger made of blood was created and grasped in their hands.
And in that state, they rushed towards the saint.
Now that their identity had been discovered, they had to eliminate him.
Although it would provoke and draw in the Pantheon and imperial family, since their identity had already been revealed, they had no choice but to eliminate him.
After enhancing their bodies with sorcery and casting powerful black magic on the dagger that could directly harm the opponent's soul, the saint looked like too easy prey in the eyes of the followers rushing towards him.
The narrow space where Time Stop had been released was similar to a back alley, and they were experts accustomed to secretly assassinating or cursing people to death in back alleys.
They rushed at the saint, convinced that this naive-looking saint bastard who seemed too kind to have ever fought couldn't possibly defeat them.
But the next moment.
"Alright. Let's do this, you sons of bitches."
The belt flew with a sound that tore the air.
And the followers' corn kernels began to fly through the air.
***
Mammon.
It was the name of a Demon King I know, too.
Yeah.
Of course there would be rats in this rotten, festering sewer.
The action of excessively pushing Karl Renaro.
Come to think of it, it was clearly a ploy to intentionally pit the working class against the capitalist class and suck up the resentments and souls of humans that would fall between them.
I couldn't stand it.
Right now outside, there are people spread out dying of hunger because they have nothing to eat and suffering because they have no way to get treatment, but these sons of bitches were thinking of using that to build a resentment factory?
"You demon bastards!!"
I swung my belt.
As I dodged to the side of the followers rushing towards me, I swung my belt.
With a pleasant cracking sound, one follower flew back, scattering corn kernels in the air.
But because the space where Time Stop had been released was so narrow, while subduing one person.
The other two managed to run towards me and succeed in stabbing daggers into my stomach.
Smiles bloomed on their faces.
"We stabbed...!! Aagh!!"
But soon the two let out painful screams, dropped their daggers, and stepped back.
Blood was flowing from their hands.
How did I do it?
It was simple really.
I applied Time Stop to the space in front of my abdomen.
The daggers couldn't pass through the space where time was stopped and were blocked, resulting in them injuring themselves with the daggers they were holding.
Thank you, Tower Master Yorgen.
The performance of the psychic amplifier was amazing.
The control was on a completely different level from before.
"Y-you, who the hell are you!? Who on earth are you to be able to wield such power!?"
"Can't you see? I'm the saint, you fucking bastards."
"That's impossible!! There's no god among the Pantheon who can stop time!! W-who are you!? What's your identity!?"
"That's not important. What's important is that you're going to get beaten to death by me today!!"
With a tearing sound, the belt flew through the air once again.
Having lost even their daggers, the two followers were no match for me now.
After raising my strength and reflexes ridiculously with Body Modification, followers or whatever were no match.
After a few more satisfying sounds of skin bursting, the three followers collapsed on the ground like steamed buns.
I deliberately didn't kill them.
I needed to interrogate them.
What plans they had.
Why demon follower bastards were pretending to be laborists.
I wiped off the sweat beads flowing on my forehead and approached the three.
Preparing to activate 3000x Sensitivity.
"From now on, it's going to hurt like hell. It'll hurt like hell, but you won't die. I don't want to get any more blood on my clothes, so let's just finish this quickly. Tell me honestly. What were you trying to do in this city..."
I stopped in my tracks.
Because all three followers started shaking as if having a seizure.
But their expressions were ecstatic as if experiencing an orgasm.
"Ah!! Aaah!! He's manifesting!!"
"M-Mammon!! I offer!! I offer my flesh!!"
The steamed buns shouted, and then something black began to dwell in the bodies of the three people.
The bodies of the three melted and then instantly began to clump together like clay.
I didn't know what was what, but one thing was clear.
This wasn't good.
My instinct was screaming that I should run away.
I hurriedly tried to apply time stop again.
"Gack!! Keuup!!"
But I was a step too late.
Before I could do anything, I was already being slowly lifted into the air with my neck grabbed.
[Skill use impossible!!]
[Skill use impossible!!]
Time Stop.
Body Modification.
Absolute Hypnosis.
3000x Sensitivity.
Not a single one followed my command.
While I was helplessly flailing in the air like that.
[When the worm from the abyss spoke, I thought it was a lie.]
A disgusting form with dozens of eyeballs densely sprouting on its face.
A familiar divine voice that made the soul resonate.
The lump of flesh created by combining the bodies of three people now took on a complete human form and began to chuckle while looking up at me.
[Time Stop, huh? There's no being among the gods of the Pantheon capable of this. I couldn't believe it because it was so absurd and ridiculous… To think it was the truth.]
Dozens of eyeballs all turn towards me at once.
He didn't bother introducing himself, but I could easily recognize who was in front of me.
[Asmodeus of Lust playing the role of a saint. Everyone in Pandemonium would be shocked.]
Mammon.
The Demon King of Greed had manifested before me.
***
The power to stop all time in the human realm, celestial realm, hell, and abyss, and be able to move around only oneself.
As far as Mammon knew, stopping time was a power synonymous with Lust.
How many times had he been backstabbed and escaped with that power.
Just thinking about some memories that came to mind made Mammon's blood boil.
But fortunately, the one who applied the stopping of time now couldn't properly utilize the cheat-like power that could be called absolute.
To stop time right in front of his followers.
It was like he was advertising that Asmodeus' power was here.
This made it too easy to pinpoint the location and manifest.
It was certainly a miserable level of utilization ability that could be called pathetic compared to how Asmodeus used it in his prime.
Mammon looked at the saint.
A shabby appearance from not eating or washing properly while taking care of the sick.
Greasy hair.
A musty smell.
What the hell is this nonsense?
Mammon burst into laughter.
But although it was funny and surprising, it wasn't shocking.
Because Lust was originally that kind of guy.
It was a desire that could become uglier, dirtier, and more disgusting than anything else, but at the same time the root of the most brilliant act of the birth of life.
That was Lust.
A desire that could become both demon and god.
Because of that, Lust was the one who could disguise himself more perfectly than anyone and come and go through the Pantheon and abyss as if it were his home.
In the end, his tail got too long and he became the only one among the Demon Kings of Pandemonium to be annihilated in the celestial war.
[Asmodeus. I remember our relationship wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst either. You didn't hope to be safe after pouring shit water on someone else's board, did you?]
Mammon spoke mockingly while gripping the saint's neck.
[The saying, 'Misfortune turns into a blessing,' seems to describe the current situation.]
The Evil God bastard's words were right.
I didn't believe it, thinking there was no way Asmodeus of Lust would really be playing the role of a saint, but now that those words have been proven true.
Mammon had no reason not to devour the saint in front of him.
With time stopped, the bastards of the Pantheon wouldn't be able to stop him.
Of course, after the saint died, the imperial family and Pantheon would send troops and the plan prepared for many years would fly away, but it didn't matter.
If he succeeded in absorbing another Demon King's power, it would never be a loss even if the board laid out for decades flew away.
No.
Rather, it was an enormous gain.
The hand not gripping the saint slowly.
Changed into a sharp awl.
Mammon carefully brought that awl to the saint's heart.
[You did something stupid. Think about it. If all time in the world is stopped, and only some of my followers can move, wouldn't all attention be focused there? It's something the past Asmodeus would never have done.]
Mammon bursts into laughter.
[After absorbing your power, I'll use that power to make the human world suffer for a long, long time. I'll devour all the souls and resentments that fall in the process. I'll allow you to watch from inside me as I become the most powerful being among all the Demon Kings of Pandemonium.]
"No... Please..."
The saint struggled, shedding tears.
But it was already too late.
[The Pantheon, the Evil God, other Demon Kings, time is stopped so they can't interfere with me devouring you. I express my gratitude for creating such a perfectly easy situation to devour.]
Mammon's awl dug into the saint's body.
As his heart bursts, blood gushed out of the saint's mouth.
The saint's body that was shaking for a moment soon stops moving.
He was dead.
Now the soul would separate from the flesh.
Then all he has to do was swallow the power of Lust contained in that soul intact and devour it.
[Hehehehe!! Hahahahaha!! To think things would turn out like this! What a windfall!!]
Mammon began to greedily drool and pull the saint's soul into himself.
Just a little more.
If he sucked just a little more, the power of that Lust bastard would be his.
Now he would become the absolute being of Pandemonium, stronger even than Lucifer of Pride.
At the moment Mammon was laughing at the rosy future.
[...Huh?]
Mammon suddenly felt the surrounding scenery change.
Not the basement of Scrap Yard where time was stopped.
Mammon was standing in a cold, hard, white world.
[Mental world? Wait. Why am I here?]
While Mammon was bewildered.
[So it's you. The one who hurt my sweetie pie.]
A heavy voice was heard from behind, and Mammon turned his head back.
An angular face.
Tremendous muscles.
A man with a peculiar shaped beard was quietly looking at Mammon while holding the fainted soul of the saint in his arms.
Mammon immediately recognized the identity of the other party.
[Lust? Is that you? What's with that funny appearance?]
[Why did you hurt my sweetie pie?]
What’s with that funny expression "sweetie pie".
Mammon couldn't hold back his laughter at Lust's never-before-seen foolish appearance and shrugged his shoulders.
[What do you care about that human's body and soul, Lust? Don't resist and come over to me. If you and I join forces, we could become the new rulers of Pandemonium. Pride's Lucifer has been at it for too long. It's our turn to rule now.]
[What will you do if I refuse?]
[If you refuse, huh?]
Mammon giggled and began to increase his size.
In an instant, Lust and the saint became as small as bugs clinging to Mammon's feet.
[Do you think you, who haven't swallowed any resentment or soul for 300 years, can defeat me?]
At Mammon's mockery, Lust quietly put the saint's soul down behind him.
[It's rather fortunate that my sweetie pie is unconscious. I didn't want to show this appearance.]
And the next moment.
Lust's body began to grow, too.
Opposite to just now, he grew until Mammon became like a bug at Lust's feet.
Mammon was shocked.
[W-where did you...]
[How much do you think the amount of faith I sucked up in the capital for half a year would be? You're misunderstanding something. You didn't devour me.]
Gigachad.
No.
Asmodeus of Lust slowly opened his mouth with an expression full of derision.
[I entered into you. Because it's easier to devour when I enter your source. I'll make you pay the price for hurting my sweetie pie properly.]