Miko had returned to the white space. He was greeted by the mysterious voice from earlier.

(Looks like the diamond has been polished.)

He looked around silently. Just like before, there was no one to be found.

“Who’s there?”

(Well, I guess you have the right to know after everything you’ve been through. But first, a question.)

“Ask away. It doesn’t look like I can get out here without your help anyway. At least not yet.”

(Oh? You seem confident, unlike before.)

“……..”

(Okay. I won’t beat around the bush.)

The voice then asked its question.

(How do you feel right now?)

“Like shit.”

The voice burst out laughing.

(At least you’re honest.)

Miko didn’t reply.

(You seem eager to return. Is there something that you need to do?)

“That’s right. I need to end a friend’s suffering.”

(So you’re now willing to kill a friend? That’s interesting considering your personality and morals. Or is it that those morals have been torn away?)

“You’re surprisingly talkative. Do you find me that interesting? What could be interesting about yourself?”

(Oh? So you believe that I’m you? Well, it’s natural you’d think that way with those two apparitions being a part of your soul.)

He was talking about the silhouette and the beast chained in the tomb inside Miko’s soul.

(I’m different from those two while being an apparition myself. Those two are manifestations of your Irregularity, I’m a completely separate entity.)

“You’re a ghost possessing me?”

(That’s incorrect as well. I’m no ghost, although I do appear like one.)

“You’re confusing me here. Are you a ghost or not?”

(I can’t be killed, so technically no. But I’m like a part of another’s soul that is present in you.)

“You can’t be killed? Then are you suggesting you’re immortal?”

(That’s right.)

“Impossible. There’s no true immortal in this world. Even Higher Beings have been slain before.”

(Don’t compare me to those brats. I’m an existence far higher. I stand at the pinnacle of all living things.)

“Sounds like you’re bullshitting to me.”

(Hmph. Then let me ask you this. Can death be killed?)

“…………”

Miko didn’t answer, because the question was very abnormal.

(I’m death itself. So I can’t be killed as long as mortal beings exist.)

“Death itself? There are countless death gods in this world, so which one are you?”

(I’m not a mere god, you fool. I’m the literal personification of death. Everybody else is inferior to me.)

“You make it sound like you’re the Supreme Being.”

(Tsk. Don’t mention that idiot.)

Miko suddenly looked a bit confused.

(Does he know the Supreme Being? Not just anyone would dare to call him an idiot.)

Miko thought to himself.

(This is getting nowhere. It would be faster if we meet face to face.)

The white space started to crumble. Miko saw a black hole appear a bit away from him. Miko was sucked into that black hole without any resistance and brought somewhere else.

“………”

When he opened his eyes, he was in a dark place filled with snakes. There was a sole tree that illuminated the area. On this tree were several strange fruits. They made one enter deep thought when staring at them.

“This tree….”

“Does it look familiar?”

He heard a voice. He saw a serpent different from the rest slither down the tree. This serpent was jet-blank with red dots all over it and had fierce golden eyes.

When Miko looked at the snake, he felt like an insect that could be swallowed whenever the snake willed it. He felt like there was nothing this snake couldn’t devour.

“You look surprised. I guess this wasn’t what you expected to see.”

The snake spoke to him.

“But this form will due. I’m too far away from my main body to take my true form.”

“Real body? True form?”

Miko was confused. The snake before him was a stranger, but he felt a strange attraction toward it. As if he had met a kinsman for the first time.

“Who are you?”

“Hmm….That’s a tricky question to answer. I have many forms and go by many names after all. But I’ll just use the name that’s the most known.”

Serpent smiled and said-

“Samael.”

“?!”

Miko retreated with all of his strength. He stared at the serpent with a pale face and his eyes peeled open. It was as if the snake made a move now, he would run away with all of his might. This was the natural reaction if one met this being.

“The archenemy of god, Satan.”

“That’s my title, not my name.”

Samael was amused by Miko’s reaction.

“Looks like you know a bit about me.”

“Of course. You’re the archangel of death, Samael. The one who was said to be the adversary of God, Satan.”

Samael. The name means the poison of god, venom of god, or blindness of god. He was an archangel who was an accuser, seducer, and destroyer, and had been regarded as both good and evil. Samael was a special type of archangel. Unlike the others, who were tasked with admirable deeds, he was tasked with the evilest and vile deeds. He was truly the dark side of heaven.

One of Samael's greatest roles in lore was that of the main archangel of death. He was death himself.

He remains one of God's servants even though he condones the sins of man. As an angel, Samael resides in the seventh heaven, although he is declared to be the chief angel of the fifth heaven, the reason for this being the presence of the throne of glory in the seventh heaven. However, there was one thing about him that trumped all the previous information.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Samael was the true name of the one called Satan. It goes without saying that he was the most feared existence in history.

“Why is someone like you haunting me? In the first place, weren’t you sealed away by the Supreme Being?”

“I’m surprised you know that.”

Samael looked delighted.

“Me and my brother indeed lost and were sealed away by that moron. But since we were beings of similar levels, he couldn’t completely seal us away. My brother broke his seal and escaped before being sealed again. I, on the other hand, decided to take it easy and wait.”

“Wait? For what?”

“For an existence similar to ours to be born. Someone who can defy this world’s order.”

Samael slithered towards Miko.

“That person was you. Young Adversary (Satan).”

“Young Adversary?....Young Satan, huh.”

The literal meaning of Satan was adversary, since Satan was originally the title of the being who was the enemy of god.

“You look confused. Is it that hard to accept being a similar entity to myself? I mean, you should’ve already realized that fate saw you as its enemy, and that inside you dwells the power to plunge the world into chaos. This is all because you were born to defy this world.”

“You mean like an Irregular.”

Samael nodded.

“That’s what Irregulars are really. Beings that defy the laws of the universe and do as they please. While they’re all kinds of Irregulars, you lean over more to my side.”

“…….”

“Looks like you still don’t get it.”

Samael sighed.

“This is why brats are…..Fine, I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”

“The beginning? Which beginning?”

“The beginning of everything. What else could I mean?”

Samael then went on to explain everything.

“A long time ago…”

“Ah, you know what, never mind. Let’s stop.”

Miko suddenly cut him off.

“While learning about the beginning of everything sounds nice, I still have a fight to finish.”

“What?”

“My fight with Darius, I still wanna finish it. So can we talk about this another time?”

“You’re putting off the chance to learn the secrets of the world just so that you can finish a fight with a mortal?”

“Yeah.”

“………”

“………”

The two looked at each other in silence.

“Are you an idiot? Does ending this fight mean more than your origin and role?”

“My origins are important, but my role is mine to decide. At the moment, my role isn’t to be here. It’s to finish something that I’ve started.”

Samael looked at Miko as if he was examining him. After a while, he smiled.

“Interesting. You don’t care about anything except what means the most to you. I like it. Polishing you was the right choice.”

He nodded looking pleased.

“However, how do you intend to win? Your opponent outclassed you in every way. Not to mention, you’re on the verge of death with no strength to go on.”

“Yeah. Can you do something about that? You’re the father of the first demons, right? Someone who rivals the Supreme Being. Surely you can help a guy out.”

“You’re asking me for help? You do realize that I’m the actual devil, right? Requesting something from me is literally selling your soul to the devil.”

Miko nodded.

“But we’re kinsmen, right? It’s just one Satan helping another.”

“Hahahaha! I like that logic. Very well, I’ll help you out. But this is only to prepare you for the future.”

Samael slithered his way up Miko’s body and wrapped himself around his shoulder like a scarf.

“If you want to survive and win this, then there’s only one thing you can rely on. Your Irregularity.”

“But I’ve already tried that it didn’t work.”

“Fool, that black beast form isn’t your Irregularity. No, it is, but only a small part of it. It’s the same for that form you called Dark Apostle. Although, that form is closer to your Irregularity.”

“They’re only a small part? Then you’re saying I can do much more?”

“Of course. You didn’t really tap into the power inside you, did you?”

“That’s because I have a feeling that if I did, everything will be destroyed.”

“You’re correct. But that power is your Irregularity.”

“But I can’t control it.”

“Well, that’s a given; considering the type of Irregular you are.”

Samael looked like he just remembered something.

“By the way, do you even know your title as an Irregular?”

“No.”

“Hmm….Your power really is troublesome if you can’t even recall your own title. I mean, I immediately knew my title the moment I was manifested in this world.”

“Wait, you’re an Irregular?”

“Of course, but let’s get into that another time. Let’s focus on you. Lucky for you, I fused a part of my soul with you. So I know everything about your powers.”

He said.

“Your Irregular title is True Adversary and your Irregularity is Disorder.”

“True Adversary….True Satan?”

“That’s right. Another way to interrupt your title is to say that you’re a True Satan. Like myself.”

Samael lifted his head and looked Miko in the eye.

“Your role is to be the adversary of this world. You’re born to literally go against everything that maintains this world’s harmony. That’s why this world tries to make your life miserable. Although, it kinda does that for all Irregulars.”

“So basically, the world’s racist.”

“Yup.”

Samael laughed.

“Anyway, as for your power, Disorder, it’s the ability to oppose everything that allows the world to exist in harmony. But that’s not all it does, it destroys order itself. This is the reason why you can’t control it.”

“If I can’t control it, how do I use it?”

“That’s the reason why I’m here. My real body is sealed off, but when I felt your birth I immediately realized that you’re a kinsman who can’t control itself. So I decided to act as a limiter and made it easier for you to grow into something that can end this war.”

“Wait…..Could it be that the disasters that got me labeled as a monster at birth were your doing?”

“Hmm….In a way, it's both of our faults. When you were born your power was rampaging and was about to attempt to destroy the world. I fused a part of my soul with yours to prevent that, but I couldn’t completely keep your power under control because I myself was sealed away, so I had to distribute the excess power somewhere.”

And that led to the disasters surrounding Miko’s birth.

“Hmm…..So I can use my irregularity with your help?”

“Yeah, but even I couldn’t control its unruly behavior, so I had to cut it up into 5 stages.”

*Rumble!*

At that moment the area started to shake. Miko soon saw five doors rise out from underground and appear in front of him. The doors all had different designs and colors. They were black, azure, gray, silver, and scarlet.

“Your power defies the harmony of the world, which is maintained by five attributes. As such, your power also has five attributes. I’ve divided your power to correspond to each attribute.”

Samael explained.

Miko walked up and touched the black gate.

“?!”

He felt a dark and sinister sensation enter his body. He had to withdraw his hand immediately.

“What are the five attributes that can maintain harmony?”

“Light, Order, Reason, Benevolence, and Godliness.”

Miko looked at the gates again and spoke as if he was in a trance.

“Darkness, Chaos, Insanity, Malevolence, and Wickedness.”

“These really are your powers, you knew them by heart.”

Said Samael.

“Behind these gates are the powers of the attributes you just listed. Each is far more powerful than the other. However, since your body can’t bear them all, you have to reach a certain level before you could meet the conditions needed to use each of them. For example, the current you can only endure the power behind the first gate, Darkness. This is why you were able to wield the power of darkness earlier.”

“What if I opened a gate I can’t endure?”

“It won’t budge normally. However, you can open them if you try with all your might. But that would only destroy you, so don’t do it no matter how much power you can get.”

Miko looked at the gates that represented Chaos, Insanity, Malevolence, and Wickedness. He could feel unimaginable power coming from behind them, but he could tell that he would be devoured by that power.

“Also I should state, as you are, you can only open the first gate, but you still need my assistance. Once you’ve fully mastered the power from the first gate then you can freely open it whenever you want, and then move on to the next gate. Also, the power comes with its own unique abilities, it's best you learn them to use your power to the fullest.”

Miko looked at the black gate again.

“So if I open this gate, I’ll gain the power needed to end my fight with Darius?”

“Theoretically, your power will double and you’ll gain new abilities, but whether you win will be up to you. Let me say this, don’t rely on these powers. Make them your own, but you need to improve in other aspects, otherwise, you will never win this war. There are those who can stop you. Higher Beings, mortals, and Irregulars alike.”

“I wasn’t intending on being satisfied with this anyway.”

Miko rubbed the gate that had a demonic being on it.

“After experiencing Darius’ memories and fusing with them, I’m different than before. I’m far more greedier, and there many more things that I need to do.”

A savage grin appeared on his face.

“And the first thing on the list is to settle all grudges, both old and new!”

He pushed the gate with both hands and a deafening creaking sound resounded in the area. Samael jumped from Miko’s neck and slithered back to the glowing tree he was at before.

*Howl!*

An eerie howl came from beyond the gate. A sea of darkness rushed out and devoured Miko. Samael watched this with a satisfied smile.

“The first step for the birth of a Satan will be taken today. Just you wait, Supreme Being! We will be the ones laughing in the end!”

Darkness flooded the world and everything was wiped blank.

“?!”

Meanwhile, Darius who was left in a blank state finally came back to his sense.

“D-Did I just see Miko’s life flash before my eyes?”

He muttered while holding his head. He looked down on the severely wounded and burnt Miko. He saw a thick dark mist coming from his body.

*Bam!*

Darkness exploded from Miko’s body and covered the area like a sea.

“Wha?!”

Darius flew back using the orb behind him.

“What’s happening now?”

He looked down below and saw a sea of darkness spreading out underneath him. The darkness started to swirl like water in a blender. A hole opened up in the center. Darius saw something floating out of it. He saw Miko’s severely hurt body float above the darkness. The darkness then to attach itself to Miko as if webs shot out by a spider.

The darkness covered his body like slime. The slimy darkness seeps into Miko’s body.

“I know I should stop this, but my body won’t move.”

Darius looked down at his hands and saw that they were shaking. His entire body was trembling before Miko, despite him not knowing why. It was like his body had instinctively feared Miko.

“What the hell is this?”

The sea of darkness quickly reduced in size as it entered Miko’s body. It didn’t take long before it completely disappeared, leaving behind a silhouette in its place.

*Crack!*

The silhouette started to crack. From the cracks, black haze leaked out.

*Bam!*

The silhouette exploded and a black wave spread across the entire empire.

“?!”

Countless beings across the nation felt a chill run up their spines. An unreasonable fear crept into their hearts. It didn’t matter who it was, mortal or Higher Being alike. They all felt afraid even if it was only for a second. As for Darius who was near Miko, he was hit with mind-numbing fear that felt like it lasted forever, despite only a moment passing in reality.

He saw an unknown being hovering in the sky. He was tall, lean but muscular, dark-skinned, had Demonic red eyes, black hair, a devilishly handsome face, and a black star under his right eye. He was dressed in a black trench coat with a fierce Buddha on the back, red pants, and red and black spiky boots.

“Is that Miko?”

The being in front of him didn’t look like the feminine Miko at all. It looked like a demon god straight from hell. Miko looked at Darius with his red eyes and spoke.

“Ascending Satan, 1st Gate- Dark Lord.”