Descent of the Demon Master

Gulp!

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t help but gulp his saliva nervously.

‘Even if this was a movie, I still wouldn't have believed it!'

Even though current-day Hollywood possessed the technical know-how to perfectly translate comic books into big-budget blockbusters, Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t think they could recreate the spectacle before his eyes into a movie scene.

No, maybe it was possible. However, would they be able to recreate the heart-stopping tension and the skin-prickling pressure currently crushing down on Lee Hyeon-Su on film? Definitely not!

It felt like his eyes had finally opened.

‘It was the right call to come here, after all!’

Lee Hyeon-Su would've remained a frog trapped in a well had he not personally witnessed this spectacle. No, not a frog, but a clueless strategist who only knew of theories and concepts while deploying the available forces!

At least he now had some idea of how the absolute beings fought their battles.

‘He’s powerful enough to stop a war by himself!’

Kang Jin-Ho clashing against the Elder Knights signaled the end of the hostilities between the two sides. Even though they were bitterly fighting in order to kill the other party only a few moments ago, these people had now forgotten about staying on guard and were dazedly watching the battle in the middle of the hall.

In a way, one could argue they were only doing the most sensible thing here.

After all, it wouldn’t matter what they did. It wouldn’t have changed the outcome, anyway!

The outcome of this war would be decided on how the battle in the center of the hall unfolded. Since that was the case, why would the other people risk their lives and keep fighting?

However, that was the kind of reasoning an outsider might think while looking at this situation.

The fighters participating in a war to kill or be killed wouldn't suddenly stop fighting just because the reason to do so had vanished into thin air. After all, a war that began with a purpose and benefits in mind was bound to continue on and on because of people's resentment in the end!

So, the actual reason why these people had stopped fighting was something else. And that was… They wanted to witness this battle. That was it.

This was a life-or-death battle between top-level experts, and these people might never get to witness another one again for the rest of their lives.

Humans would always be curious about what the highest level of performers in their chosen field were like. That curiosity was several times higher in the martial world.

The common-or-garden martial artists always picked China’s Three Kings as the strongest in the world. However, objectively speaking? How many could claim to have actually witnessed them fight before? 𝘙ἈŊоβÈ𝒮

For martial artists, growing stronger and stronger meant they would inevitably become the “big fish.” Funnily enough, though, the bigger the fish, the less likely they would get involved in battles.

That was partly because such a big fish usually employed a whole crowd of people as their willing subordinates. And they also avoided fighting in the first place to not expose their combat strength.

But the biggest reason was the shockwave generated by the big fish's defeat at the hands of another would be too devastating.

A good example would be the Martial Assembly’s situation. This organization would’ve been utterly destroyed had Kang Jin-Ho lost against the Crimson King and failed to escape China.

All the organizational structures in the Martial Assembly were built around Kang Jin-Ho. While he was around, this system would chug along just fine, but when the central piece of the puzzle was no longer there? It’d crumble like a sand castle.

In other words, it'd be impossible to replace Kang Jin-Ho.

However, what if he was gone? Then what? Vator? Wiggins? Could they take over?

Unfortunately, asking a foreigner to become the head of the Korean Martial Assembly would not be viable. In that case, what about Bang Jin-Hun?

Bang Jin-Hun lacked Kang Jin-Ho’s level of charisma. Of course, he could proudly say he was the best among the folks cultivating in purely Korean martial arts. Even so, he’d fall way short in comparison to Kang Jin-Ho.

Besides, the Martial Assembly had already accepted teachings from different parts of the world, anyway. The demon cult was in an inconvenient cohabitation with the Assembly. Meanwhile, France's Chevaliers also formed a cornerstone of the Assembly. Demonic cultivation techniques were being handed down among the willing Assembly members, while new types of martial art techniques introduced to the rest were gradually gaining momentum and should display their worth soon, too.

So, imagine what would happen if Kang Jin-Ho died while all these things were happening. The Martial Assembly would obviously get fractured and destroyed.

First of all, Yi Myeong-Hwan, currently standing behind Lee Hyeon-Su and spectating the battle with a dazed face, would've stopped taking orders altogether. Even though he didn't look that way on the surface, this brat was surprisingly ambitious.

Since the Demon Flames had become the strongest combat force in the Martial Assembly, it’d be impossible to stop Yi Myeong-Hwan if he wanted to lead them and act independently.

The story would be the same with the demon cult and the Chevaliers. And the odds of the age-old friction between the Yeongnam Group and the Martial Assembly, which some people thought had been largely resolved, coming to a head were rather high, too.

‘No, hang on. I’d be happy if things got that far, actually!’

There was no need to look that far ahead into the future.

Without Kang Jin-Ho, the Koreans would not have any way to stop the Japanese from invading Korea. And then, the Korean martial society would get annihilated.

In that case, could one say South Korea's situation was weird for how delicately poised it was? Of course not!

If the Crimson King was killed during that battle… The outcome for his faction would’ve been the same: utter destruction.

Since the Martial Assembly didn't have the spare capacity at the moment to get involved in China, it'd have no choice but to exercise its influence from a tiny territory. However, it was obvious what would happen to the vast territory belonging to the Crimson King's faction. It'd get torn apart and swallowed up by the Azure King and Dark King!

If that happened, Cai Kechang's despair-filled cry would've been heard across the land, that's for sure!

This was how risky the defeat of the absolute being was for the people serving said absolute being. That was why the top-level experts avoided personally stepping on to a battlefield. Even if they were given the opportunity to duel someone, these powerful and proud people tended to prefer not having any audience.

Although calling the martial artists in this hall 'ordinary' didn't seem fair, it was also true that they hadn't climbed to the peak level yet. And to such “ordinary” folks, the opportunity to witness the battle between absolute peak masters might come around maybe once in their entire lifetime.

So, why would they risk missing out on this golden opportunity? Especially when merely witnessing such a battle was enough to shatter their preconceived notions, broaden their horizons, and even reestablish their martial path?

Lee Hyeon-Su didn't have much talent in martial arts, yet he was still shocked by what he could see. So, he didn't even have to ask what others felt from this spectacle. Besides, he only had to glance at the entranced and dazed faces of Wiggins and the former Master of the Round Table right next to him to figure that out!

“M-mm…!” The Master gasped quietly.

That sound sobered Wiggins up, too, and he fake-coughed to clear his throat.

“Hmm. This situation, well…” The Master sheepishly scratched his head. “Huhuhu… Well, I’ll be.”

Every little impressed gasp or word conveyed how flustered and shocked he was right now.

The Master had already accepted that Kang Jin-Ho wasn't going all out while dueling him back in Korea. Even so, this spectacle still sent quite severe ripples of shock throughout his senses.

“...Just what have I been blinding myself with all this time, I wonder?” The Master quietly muttered.

“Please don’t beat yourself up, Master,” said Wiggins. “You’ve already achieved so much, after all. It’s just that, well… Those folks are too extraordinary to be compared to mere mortals like us.”

“That doesn’t comfort me at all, Wiggins.”

“I wasn’t trying to. Even someone as accomplished as you feels this shocked by this situation, so can you imagine how much worse it is for me?”

“Mm…!”

Both the Master and Wiggins had established some renown in their own right. But they still couldn't even begin to guess how it was possible to reach the realm those people in the center of the hall had attained.

‘I… better start over from my foundation.’

Wiggins bit down hard on his lip. With his current methods, he knew it'd be impossible to get anywhere near Kang Jin-Ho's level. Worse still, he was also not confident of reaching the Elder Knights' realm of strength, either!

Another sky above the sky; that phrase seemed perfectly appropriate for this situation.

To Wiggins, these Elder Knights were like the tall sky beyond reach.@@novelbin@@

While the Master was more like an object of envy, the Elder Knights were like lofty figures of mythical legends no one dared to compare themselves to, including Wiggins himself.

Yet, such Elder Knights were one-sidedly getting massacred. So, what did that make Kang Jin-Ho, then? And what about the Crimson King, who fought evenly and even managed to bring Kang Jin-Ho down? Just how strong was that man?

Despite focusing his whole life on improving his martial prowess, Wiggins still got to learn that there was another sky way above the sky he could see. He shuddered painfully after realizing he was just another frog in a well.

Wiggins quietly licked his lips. The battle wasn't over yet, so it was too early to say anything, but…

But if he could get out of this place alive? Wiggins had a powerful hunch that the memories of this battle would greatly change his life.

It should also be the same story for…

‘...That man, I’d wager.’

Wiggins briefly glanced in Vator’s direction.

***

“Uhm, uh…” Gong Yeong-Gil was about to say something but clamped his mouth shut again.

He sensed that Vator's state was rather weird and wanted to ask what was wrong.

But the indescribable pressure Vator emitted proved too strong a deterrent for Gong Yeong-Gil to raise his voice.

‘Yeah, let’s just keep my mouth shut for now.’

Something told him that opening his trap now would only result in Vator's gigantic knuckle sandwich special directly stuffed into his mouth.

A massive bomb itching to blow up at a moment’s notice… That was what Vator felt like to Gong Yeong-Gil.

Gong Yeong-Gil cautiously glanced lower at Vator’s fists. Those huge fists were trembling intermittently.

Even a man with big family jewels would still feel like wetting their pants after noticing a giant was trembling in anger while tightly clenching fists larger than most adults' heads!

‘Why is he so pissed off, though?’

Gong Yeong-Gil couldn’t understand why Vator was reacting this way. Still confused, he resumed staring at the battle in the center of the hall.

‘I mean… Isn’t that a good thing?’

Gong Yeong-Gil lacked the insight or strength to accurately assess a battle of such high caliber. Even then, on the surface at least, it looked like Kang Jin-Ho was one-sidedly massacring those weird knights in fancy armor.

That should be the best possible outcome from the Martial Assembly's point of view. So why was Vator acting like an enraged bull?

Not only that…

‘Well, it’s not like Sir Vator is the only one reacting like that, so, uh…’

Gong Yeong-Gil couldn’t help but notice that several others were responding similarly to Vator. Even the European knights maintaining an uneasy cohabitation with the Martial Assembly’s people by staying in the distance looked as if an indescribable tension had gripped them for a while now.

Gong Yeong-Gil scratched his head in confusion. He couldn't figure out why all these people were reacting this way. Then again, others often accused him of being too dull-witted for his own good and lacking the requisite instincts for martial arts, so his current confusion might not be a huge surprise, after all!

“...Hey, man?” Gong Yeong-Gil cautiously whispered to a comrade next to him.

At least he had one big advantage over his peers, and that was how he diligently absorbed the guidance of other people more knowledgeable than him. And also… He didn't feel a lick of shame while getting schooled by others, too!

Since he had no idea, he might as well ask. Wasn't that way too obvious a solution?

“Bro, you know why Sir Vator is acting that way?”

No matter how quiet Gong Yeong-Gil whispered, Vator would still hear it. But would he accurately understand a question asked in Korean? Gong Yeong-Gil doubted it. Besides… He had a feeling that Vator wouldn't be paying attention, anyway. Nothing would be entering Vator's ears in his current state, after all!

“Oii, Yeong-Gil?”

“Yeah?”

“Please… Please, keep your pie hole shut, okay?”

“…”

Gong Yeong-Gil was a good listener. And an obedient follower, too. After clamping his mouth shut, he glanced around to gauge the mood in the surroundings. As it turned out, everyone except him was glaring intensely in Kang Jin-Ho's direction, their complexions pale like a bunch of people who had witnessed a terrifying specter!

‘Huh? What’s so shocking about this? I don’t get it!’

Wasn't Kang Jin-Ho an inhuman monster, to begin with?

Back when Kang Jin-Ho first showed up in the Martial Assembly, he was provoked by the utterly clueless Gong Yeong-Gil. That experience had taught Gong Yeong-Gil a valuable lesson on how terrifying Kang Jin-Ho really was.

As a matter of fact, Gong Yeong-Gil wouldn’t be surprised to see Kang Jin-Ho suddenly sprout wings and start soaring high into the heavens!

From his perspective, others getting shocked by Kang Jin-Ho’s godly might today was a completely indecipherable mystery.

While tilting his head, Gong Yeong-Gil glanced back at Vator.

‘At least Sir Vator's state seems a little different from everyone else, but…'

Obviously, Gong Yeong-Gil had no idea what was on Vator’s mind. But it was still easy enough to guess the intense shock the big man must be feeling right now.

That was when Gong Yeong-Gil realized something. From his perspective, both Kang Jin-Ho and Vator were super experts he wouldn't even dare compare himself to. However, those two weren't equals. Indeed, there was a gap between the two men's strengths.

A gap so massive that even the one and only Vator would freak out like this!

CRACK…!

Sounds of joints popping rang out vividly from Vator’s huge fists.