Chapter 99: The Tyrannical God

This demon is quite interesting, of course, even more interesting are Jack and the priest it possesses.

Jack’s willpower is strong—he actually resisted the demon’s corruption and even merged with it.

As for the priest, his methods were impressive—he managed to craft a box that harnesses the demon. But in the end, he still lost by one move, tricked by the demon, and now his soul must descend to hell.

Currently, three side effects are known: descent into hell, one-time use only, and limited power.

So, what can I do with this?

Wish away the side effects? Or wish for eternal life to bypass them? Or something else…

That depends on the item’s priority order, but I doubt it’ll work—after all, this thing’s power comes from the demon, and demons have their own thoughts; they won’t let you exploit them so easily.

They’re the masters of exploiting loopholes.

While Louis was still pondering, Karl had already opened his eyes—he’d made his decision.

“Louis, leave this place.”

Clearly, Karl wanted Louis to leave, to keep the demon from targeting him.

“Grandfather… will go to hell,” Louis said, frowning, his tone sharpening.

Unexpectedly, Karl uttered a sentence that stunned Louis.

“I was always going to hell.”

“Living a few more decades, enjoying life on earth—that’s already a gain.”

???

Always going to hell?

“Grandfather, what are you saying?”

“I’ve killed countless people in my life—when I was young, I killed rivals to survive; in middle age, I harmed locals for my gang’s interests; in old age, though I no longer acted directly, many orders came from me. How could such a man not go to hell?”

“Rather than die naturally and descend to hell, I’d rather live a few more decades and enjoy myself.”

Honestly, logically, Grandfather’s reasoning made sense.

But all of this rests on one assumption: that Grandfather is truly certain he will go to hell?

Beside them, Ilyes’s expression was strange.

“Grandfather, are you really so certain you’ll go to hell?” Louis asked.

Hearing this, Karl laughed. “Miss Ilyes, why don’t you explain this to my grandson?”

Ilyes organized her thoughts, then spoke first:

“The Church teaches that all humans are sinful, and in the Middle Ages, they sold indulgences—this was an interpretation of doctrine, though perhaps a distortion.”

She continued:

“On this earth, every soul must have a destination. If you believe in Christ, your soul falls under God and Satan’s jurisdiction; correspondingly, whatever you believe in governs you.”

“But that was an old rule.”

“Now, due to unknown reasons and regional factors, God often…”

Here, Ilyes fell silent.

Karl picked up the thread: “God is tyrannical—he frequently oversteps his bounds to claim jurisdiction. So usually, every soul has only two paths: heaven or hell.”

“Thus, all humans are sinful, everyone must atone—or descend to hell.”

“And I, clearly, have no atonement left.”

Louis understood.

It was a matter of business division—because of certain reasons, the top boss, God, had seized most of the territory and invaded other gangs’ domains. Worse, he imposed rules: anyone he wanted to control had to follow his rules.

And Grandfather, by those rules, was steeped in sin—he must descend to hell.

So Grandfather wanted to get ahead of the game—contact hell early, take a backdoor route, and have the demon grant him parole for decades, to enjoy life a while longer.

Holy hell, that’s how it is!

This world’s God is incredibly tyrannical.

Even if you don’t believe in him, you still have to follow his rules.

Louis was stunned. So does that mean… wait, I shouldn’t count—I’m under divine protection.

“Grandfather, have you ever tried worshipping another god?”

Karl shook his head. “Of course I tried. Useless. Born on this land, everything was decided from the start.”

“And now, many pagan gods no longer answer prayers—we don’t know why.”

“….”

So what should we do now?

Stop Grandfather? Or don’t stop him?

Louis stood there thinking. The room fell silent again. Karl made no rush—only gazed at Louis with gentle, loving eyes.

He knew Louis cared for him, didn’t want him to go to hell.

That concern alone proved everything. After he was gone, Louis’s abilities could help Max protect the gang and safeguard the family—but first, he needed to be trained, educated. Otherwise, even with early wisdom, he might grow twisted…

“Grandfather, don’t use it yet. Give it to me—I’ll find a way. If all else fails, my future self will have a solution,” Louis said suddenly, his gaze fixed intently on Karl.

Karl, lost in thought about the future, froze.

“Louis! Don’t interfere with your grandfather’s decision,” Max snapped.

He meant no harm—he simply agreed with Karl: this was the best choice. At least now, Karl could live decades longer.

“Uncle Max, those who tangle with demons rarely end well. I don’t trust this box. Besides, hell isn’t the only option—I believe my future self will be able to help Grandfather.”

Louis spoke seriously, raising a finger—flame ignited spontaneously, twisting into a fiery dragon that coiled through the room, majestic and awe-inspiring.

The room grew scorching hot, proving the power was real.

Ilyes’s eyes widened. Minnie trembled slightly. Max stared in astonishment.

“Hahaha!” Karl burst into laughter.

His gaze at Louis was filled with satisfaction—he no longer hesitated.

He stood, walked to Louis, and patted his shoulder. “Good. Good boy.”

“I promise you—I won’t use it yet.”

“I still have many years left. If I truly need it, I’ll use it then. Until then, I’ll follow your advice.”

Louis nodded, committing this to memory.

He didn’t believe the Left-Path Folk Canon lacked ways to extend life. If nothing else, he’d try that kowtow technique first.

Max, seeing his father change his mind, said no more. He himself didn’t want his father using the box—it felt too dangerous. Demons were simply too unreliable.

Ilyes sighed in relief.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to live longer—this method required sacrificing others’ lives and souls, and dealing with demons always ended badly. That was truth.

Minnie, who had been trailing Ilyes, remained utterly confused. She didn’t understand any of their words—forgive her, she was just a regular public high school student.

Hell? Tyrannical God? What nonsense. It’s so weird.

(End of Chapter)