The world was a shade of ash.
The quiet sky, the barren earth—everywhere I looked, there was nothing but gray. It was a world painted entirely in tones of ash and dust.
“Welcome to the Avici Hell.”
I glanced to my side and saw the Hell Duke bowing slightly, his head lowered in a graceful, almost princess-like greeting. But in a place like this, it felt oddly out of place—something didn’t quite fit.
“So, what do you think?”
“Hm?”
“This section here. I want to hear your thoughts.”
“Avici? Well… if I had to say something…”
Trailing off, I slowly scanned my surroundings.
Avici Hell. I’d been here once before, on my first run, but even setting that aside, there was truly nothing to see. Not a trace of life anywhere. You couldn’t find a single tree, not even the faintest sign of growth. All that remained was emptiness and void—how could anyone feel anything but bleakness here? It was just desolate.
Still, I couldn’t ignore the Hell Duke’s expectant, sparkling eyes urging me to speak, so I reluctantly answered.
“It feels like a dead world.”
“Hmm? Elaborate.”
“Well… it’s like looking at ashes left after a fire.”
“…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say, even as a white lie, “It’s nice.” But I tried to soften the blow as much as possible. When I glanced sideways, the Hell Duke was staring at me intently.
‘Maybe I should have said it has an old-world charm instead?’
Just as I was starting to get a little nervous, wondering if he might take offense—
“Did he tell you to say that?”
“Huh? No.”
The moment I realized “he” referred to Hwajeong, I shook my head. Since we crossed into Avici after our earlier conversation, Hwajeong hadn’t said a single word.
“Hmm.”
The Hell Duke let out a light, surprised snort, then turned and began walking somewhere. I watched his back for a moment before following slowly.
“Where are you going?”
“Who knows.”
I asked cautiously, but his answer was as vague as ever.
“Then…”
I paused, thinking, then spoke again.
“Are you trying to reconstruct this section?”
“Maybe.”
The Hell Duke nodded half-heartedly. I crossed my arms, trying to suppress the growing frustration in my chest.
After finishing his talk with Hwajeong earlier, the Hell Duke had seemed deep in thought. Then suddenly, he’d insisted on coming here to Avici, and now he was acting like this again. I wanted to press him—what now?—but I held back. At least I knew enough not to push too hard.
How much time had passed?
“Do you know the true nature of this Avici Hell?”
As we walked endlessly, boredom creeping in, the Hell Duke suddenly asked in a low voice.
True nature of Avici Hell? Does a section even have a true nature?
He continued.
“It is called the place where the king is born and falls asleep.”
“And?”
I snapped back, a little curt. How was I supposed to respond without knowing the context? Constant questions without answers weren’t exactly pleasant.
“Of course, it probably doesn’t concern you much.”
The Hell Duke chuckled lightly and stopped walking. I stopped too, and he turned to me, arms wide open.
“Actually, your description earlier was quite accurate.”
“…?”
“A world like ashes left after a fire… What I want is to kindle a spark from those ashes and make it blaze. That’s why I hoped Hwajeong would play that role.”
“But Hwajeong said it was impossible… that he couldn’t become king, right?”
The Hell Duke’s eyes widened, then he smiled gently.
“So you do have ears to listen.”
Not just listen—he was telling me directly.
“Well then…”
Since Hwajeong had at least given me some insight, I decided it was time to wrap this up.
There were still so many questions: how a king could exist in hell, what kind of being he was, why they wanted to resurrect him, what exactly the ‘true nature’ meant… But I had to be selective. After all, if there’s a duke, there’s no reason a king can’t exist too. The concept of ‘king’ probably wasn’t so different from what I knew. The reason for resurrection was likely personal, so asking about it wouldn’t help. And the ‘true nature’… well, it wasn’t mentioned without reason.
The most important thing now was to find a way to help the Hell Duke achieve his goal. Only then could I return to the human world.
With that in mind, I resumed the conversation I’d cut off earlier.
“You want to resurrect the king, right?”
“Hm?”
“From what I gather, you want to reconstruct this Avici section. And as part of that, you want to bring the king back… is that right?”
“That’s not quite the right way to put it. It’s not resurrection, but establishing a new king.”
The Hell Duke shook his head slightly, correcting me.
“But other than that, you’re correct. The key is to establish a new king. Everything else will follow as a consequence.”
“So, when the new king appears, this Avici section will come back to life too…?”
“Exactly. As I said before, Avici is the place where the king is born and meets his end. It’s like a kind of tomb.”
“A tomb.”
I found that strangely fascinating. What would Avici Hell look like after the king’s birth?
Anyway.
I was finally starting to understand, even if just a little.
The crux of the matter was to establish a new king. The Hell Duke was counting on me, but Hwajeong had denied the possibility. So…
“I kind of expected this, but… it’s troublesome.”
Lost in thought, the Hell Duke’s voice suddenly broke the silence. Though he appeared calm on the surface, he kept staring down at the barren ground. Watching him, I felt a twinge of pity.
“Is a new king absolutely necessary? Why not just have you be king, even if only in name?”
“Well, that wouldn’t be bad… but it’s better if there really is one. Only then can I return to my original place.”
Return to his original place? I had no idea what that meant.
After a moment, the Hell Duke slowly lifted his head and gazed blankly at the sky.
“If I can’t have it, and you can’t either… if the Flame of the End, the ultimate flame, and the Primordial Flame both fail… then what am I supposed to do?”
His voice drifted off in a whisper.
I didn’t know how deeply the Hell Duke longed for his wish, but having experienced the despair of failing to achieve what I wanted, I understood at least a little of how he felt.
Maybe that’s why, feeling a bit sorry for him, I spoke without thinking.
“Hey, Hell Duke.”
“Hm?”
“Does there have to be only one king?”
“That’s how it is.”
He answered simply, then asked why I was asking. I quickly continued.
“Then how about this? What if you combined the two powers?”
“Combine the two powers?”
“Yeah. You said Avici Hell is where the king is born and meets his end.”
“That’s right.”
The Hell Duke nodded.
“Think about it. Hwajeong is the Primordial Flame. ‘Primordial’ means ancient, the beginning. And Geophwa is the Flame of the End. ‘End’ means destruction, the final moment.”
“So?”
“Now, apply that to Avici Hell’s nature. If there were a being who possessed both powers… oh.”
“…!”
I suddenly realized my mistake mid-sentence. I’d been trying to offer an idea, but it wasn’t far from the original question.
The Hell Duke had said the two forces were fundamentally opposed, which was why he hadn’t taken my power. In other words, my idea was based on a flawed premise.
‘Shouldn’t have said anything.’
Just as I was about to apologize for bringing it up, a sudden sound caught us all off guard.
“Huh?”
Hwajeong and the Hell Duke both gasped in surprise.
“You…”
The Hell Duke blinked in astonishment.
Hwajeong’s voice echoed in my mind, voicing the same question I’d been wrestling with.
“That’s right. You have a point. No, actually, it might be the only option left.”
The Hell Duke muttered rapidly to himself, then suddenly lifted his head, eyes blazing as he stared at me. His red gaze was so intense I flinched.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”
I wanted to ask, but my words faltered. The Hell Duke was suddenly striding toward me, his steps heavy and purposeful, as if he could rip my heart out without breaking a sweat.
“Wait!”
I shouted, and thankfully, he stopped.
“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Hm? You’re the one who brought up the idea. I just thought it made sense.”
“No, you said it wouldn’t work. That the two powers are opposed and can’t coexist.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did the Duke of Hell let out a faint, almost dismissive laugh, as if he finally understood what I meant. He shrugged his shoulders and suddenly wore a strange, inscrutable smile.
“I did say it’s not something to be taken lightly. But I never said there was no way at all, did I?”
R-Really?
‘Sure, I have the power to suppress that force, but it’s like saying it’s pointless.’
‘Unless it’s an entirely natural method, forcibly mixing two opposing energies with some kind of coercion…’
…Now that I think about it, I do recall hearing something along those lines before.
“What do you mean by that?”
“To put it simply, although the two energies are fundamentally different, they both stem from the same essence—fire energy. In other words, Hwajeong and Geophwa aren’t like water and fire that can never mix. …After hearing your words, I found a possibility here.”
“……?”
“Listen carefully. The two energies only repel each other because their natures are so starkly opposed. But in principle, their union isn’t an impossible phenomenon. …So, to sum it up, if the two energies can be united through a thoroughly natural and convincing method, it can be done.”
“Then what exactly is this natural method?”
“That is…”
Still clueless, I cautiously asked.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Duke of Hell answered.
“Conception.”
For a brief moment, I couldn’t grasp what he meant.
—Oh, wait. That’s right. Now that I think about it, there was such a method.
That was before Hwajeong’s voice echoed in my mind.
—Hey, I’ve got it! Kim Suhyun, you’re pretty sharp, huh? To think of that method.
Hwajeong spoke with a tone full of admiration.
“Of course. Bringing you here was the right call.”
Then I saw the Duke of Hell approaching again, his face bright with a smile. I took a hesitant step back, my mind in utter chaos.
‘Hwajeong, Hwajeong! What on earth is he talking about right now?’
—Huh? You’re the one who said it. How can you say you don’t understand after giving your opinion?
‘No, it’s not that. What the hell does “conception” have to do with this?’
—Conception? Yeah. He’s not wrong at all.
Hwajeong calmly agreed with the Duke of Hell’s reasoning as if it were perfectly reasonable. Meanwhile, the Duke of Hell closed the distance between us to less than five meters. I shook my head desperately.
‘No, that’s not it…!’
—Why are you backing away? Why are you so flustered? Listen. The act of bearing offspring is a universal principle, applicable in any dimension. It’s a natural law the world allows, a fundamental order that’s been around since the dawn of time. There’s no method more natural than this.
‘…….’
—Ah, maybe that was too complicated. Think of it from a human perspective—as a concept of an heir. Imagine planting your seed, carrying my energy, into the womb of the Duke of Hell, who holds the energy of Geophwa…
Wrong. Both the Duke of Hell and Hwajeong were patiently explaining, but they completely missed the point of my confusion.
—What do you mean you don’t get it? You just have to let the Duke of Hell’s body carry you once. Can’t you understand that?
At that moment, Hwajeong grumbled in a scolding tone.
I was left utterly speechless.
‘…Are you a god or something?’
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Hmm… The next chapter…
Honestly, it’s not a very pleasant one. Just a heads-up: Kim Suhyun will be pretty pissed off. Uh, so…
There’s a slight touch of SM in the latter half. If that’s something you’re uncomfortable with, I recommend skipping it. It’s intense enough to make the Duke of Hell shed tears from shock…
Anyway, I hope all the readers have a great day. (__)