Hell (기술) is the Gift used by Engen, the Smiling Man. It allows him to create and control darkness inspired by the eight layers of the fiery realms of Buddhist Hell.

Description

Hell enables Engen to form a solidified form of darkness with his EST.^[1] This ability was first showcased when Engen used the darkness to restraint John Nash from attacking Ihwa and again when Hero Killer escaped the hero, Victoria, by enveloping the Elder in a torrent of darkness, although she initially lacked full control over it.

Engen can manifest humanoid creatures or specific body parts with Hell, forming armies or groups to overwhelm opponents. The constructs can merge into a single large entity, often taking the form of a monstrous, undead woman.

Engen can mount or hide inside her mouth or use other terrifying apparitions to form massive organisms or objects. These shadow-based entities can also blind enemies by obscuring their vision. While the Gift is primarily darkness, Engen can also shape it into a large executioner's sword, enhancing his offensive capabilities and manifesting stronger techniques.

Usage

Engen usually controls Hell with hand movements and gestures, choosing maximized attacks or techniques with minimal effort, inflicting physical damage on a massive scale or with just a few strikes. He will typically use long-range manipulation when in combat and facing opponents. However, when faced with far more powerful or multiple opponents, he can create complex constructs, including giant humanoid creatures, undead armies, and appendages, all under his control.

Engen has mastered Hell to the fullest extent as the Gift requires immense control and experience, especially at night.^[2] His offensive capabilities lie in the use of Hell's solidified darkness to either knock out or kill opponents. Beyond that, his primary techniques draw and utilize versatile, all-around combat moves based on the eight layers of the Buddhist Hell myth.

Aside from combat, Engen can also use Hell to create tangible darkness to levitate and fly like Victoria, act as a bandage for wounds as a form of first aid, and capture opponents. After climbing the Tower of Milen Kula and achieving a Breakthrough, Hell's abilities were enhanced and reached new heights.^[3]

Engen gained the ability to create massive EST beams of pure darkness capable of obliterating landscapes, summon faster and more agile undead creatures, and teleport over short distances.^[4] His techniques would also expand to include more diabolical displays like opening dimensional portals to summon otherworldly monstrosities capable of devasting combat like a devouring anything their way, unleashing destructive dark flames, and manipulating massive spires to destroy entire landscapes.

Weaknesses

Despite its versatility, Hell has notable weaknesses. Its effectiveness diminishes when exposed to sunlight or light-based powers, such as Victoria's A Beautiful Dream, which can reduce the destructive potential of its darkness.

Techniques

Image	Name	Description
	Hell (기술)	Engen creates a large executioner broadsword that he wields as his main weapon against his opponents or telekinetically redirect and control Hell's manifestations.[5]
	Sañjīva (산지바)	Engen creates a giant harvestmen-like creature with a tiny exoskeleton body and 12 giant legs with blades at the end of each one with the creature appearing to be able to fuse with their target and immobilize them.
	Kalasutra (칼라수트라)	Engen summons a multitude of umbral spikes from a surface to impale a target or opponents all over their body.
	Samghata (삼가타)	Engen summons a series of giant halves stones larger than each other from each other that will collide at a chosen point in a sequential motion to pulverize the target. It can also serve as a shield from multiple directional attacks.
	Raurava (라우라바)	Engen envelops his eyes with Hell to manifest a portal revealing a giant, grotesque mouth of a monster. This mouth can either consume everything in its path or unleash a loud, high-frequency shriek. The portal’s manifestation depends on the direction of where he looks. This technique was acquired after his Breakthrough in climbing the Tower of Milen Kula.[6]
	Mahāraurava (마하라우라바)	Engen manifests a portal, similar to Raurava, that summons grotesque insects which devour everything in their path. This ability was also gained after his Breakthrough from climbing the Tower of Milen Kula.
	Tapana (타파나)	Engen lifts Hell above his head, causing it to dissipate into the air and create countless giant spheres in the sky. Once formed, these spheres release tiny bits of energy that instantly "erase" anything they touch. This technique was obtained after his Breakthrough from climbing the Tower of Milen Kula.
	Incineration (소각)	Using the spheres from Tapana, Engen creates large, cone-shaped spikes capable of "erasing" anything they touch. These colossal cones can cover the sky and reshape entire landscapes. This technique was obtained after his breakthrough from climbing the Tower of Milen Kula.
	Pratāpana (프라타파나)	Engen absorbs all of Hell into himself to unleash purplish-black flames capable of erasing anything they touch. This technique is considered an "ultimate sword," especially when it clashed against Reagan Sinclair's "ultimate shield" of Underworld Verdancy, empowered by Project Yggdrasil. However, it was a double-edged technique, as Engen burned through his life force with its first use. He attained this technique while near death, which allowed him to Breakthrough his limitations during the battle with the Mad Elder, Reagan Sinclair.
	Avīci (아비지옥)	In honor of all those who fought alongside him and against him, Engen creates "reborn" allies through Hell to fight for him. This technique was attained when he was near death during his battle with the Mad Elder, Reagan Sinclair, which pushed him to Breakthrough his limitations.[7]
	Forest Wave	Avīci's Reagan copy unleashes a widespread crushing wave of massive wooden stalks against his opponent.[8]
	Netherworld Damnation	Avīci's Reagan copy unleashes multiple stakes around his opponent, causing an explosion.
	Netherworld Scepter	Avīci's Reagan copy uses an imitation of the Mad Elder's ultimate technique, Netherworld Scepter. By gathering EST into a purple Amorphophallus titanum, the titan arum blooms with a glowing light. Once it blooms, he can fire thin, sharp beams of EST at his opponent from long range. While its exact comparison to the original remains unclear, the force of the copy was strong enough to shatter the One Hundred-Sided Blade in three shots.
	Arbuda	A new technique created after the Battle of Langord and continued rise to power. It creates a white humanoid entity that flash freezes people within the area. It was powerful enough to freeze multiple members of the Special Forces. Engen's control of it is great enough to leave their bodies completely intact.
	Sañjīva Convergence (산지바 수렴)	Due to the similarities between Hell and Abyss Dancer's Sañjīva, Engen was able to merge their respective Gifts, using Abyss' body as an extension of Hell. This fusion allowed him to combine their techniques, performing devastating attacks against his opponents.[9]

Unnamed Techniques

These techniques have no official name and are named solely based on conjecture.

Image	Technique	Description
	Eclipse Veil	Engen can cast and spread Hell to block out the sun, enhancing his abilities but at the cost of significantly increasing his EST requirements and draining his reserves. As an Elder, this technique has evolved, now manifesting as a giant humanoid woman whose hands block out the sun.
	Army of Shadow Souls	Engen releases a wave of umbral-based humanoid creatures that overwhelm any opponents in their path. These creatures can also restrain targets using the hands created from the humanoid shadows.
	Hands of Hell	Engen manifests giant humanoid hands that can block attacks aimed at him. These hands are powerful enough to withstand strikes from Elders like Bishop, though it’s presumed he was holding back and endured Jintae Yang's Torch-powered sword strike. The hands can also be used to restrain or attack targets.
	Teleportation	Engen obtained the ability to teleport after his Breakthrough from climbing the Tower of Milen Kula. The range of his ability is currently unknown.[10]
	Levitation/Flight	Engen can create tangible darkness that allows him to levitate and help him fly through the air.
	Night Empowerment	According to Engen, his Gift and abilities are greatly enhanced during the night or in dark spaces.[11] This was first shown when Hero Killer used Hell to escape from Victoria by wrapping the Elder in a torrent of darkness during their encounter at night.[12]

Gallery

Trivia

• Hell used to have the color schemes of black and gray shades along with highlights of night blue and cosmic-like star patterns on Engen's manifestations but after climbing the Tower of Milen Kula, the Gift's color was converted to a more purplish appearance.
• The Gift pays homage to the Hot Narakas, the eight great hot hells located on one Cakkavāla in Buddhist sutras.
  • Sañjīva, the "reviving" Naraka, has ground made of hot iron heated by an immense fire. Beings in this Naraka appear fully grown, already in a state of fear and misery.
  • Kālasūtra, the "black thread" Naraka, includes the torments of Sañjīva. In addition, black lines are drawn upon the body, which hell guards use as guides to cut the beings with fiery saws and sharp axes.
  • Saṃghāta, the "crushing" Naraka, is surrounded by huge masses of rock that smash together and crush the beings to a bloody jelly. When the rocks move apart again, life is restored to the being and the process starts again.
  • Raurava, the "screaming" Naraka, is where beings run wildly about, looking for refuge from the burning ground. When they find an apparent shelter, they are locked inside it as it blazes around them, while they scream inside.
  • Mahāraurava, the "great screaming" Naraka, is similar to Raurava. Punishment here is for people who maintain their own body by hurting others. In this hell, ruru animals known as kravyāda torment them and eat their flesh.
  • Tapana, the "heating" Naraka, where hell guards impale beings on a fiery spear until flames issue from their noses and mouths.
  • Pratāpana, the "great heating" Naraka. The tortures here are similar to the Tapana Naraka, but the beings are pierced more bloodily with a trident.
  • Avīci, the "uninterrupted" Naraka. Beings are roasted in an immense blazing oven with terrible suffering. Life in this Naraka is said to last for the length of an antarakalpa.
• Hell's humanoid creatures' likening is similar to various evil creatures and ghouls from Buddhism like Preta, a type of supernatural being described in Buddhism as undergoing suffering greater than that of humans, particularly an extreme level of hunger and thirst and Jikininki, corpse-eating spirits.

References

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