Descent of the Demon Master

KWA-AAAAAAAH!

KWA-AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Vortexes continued to rain down.

Even though he continuously pumped out spear strikes containing incredible destructive power, Gawain's charging speed did not slow down.

It felt like his feet were cracking and crumbling away. Worse still, his body felt like it was withering into a husk before breaking off as ashes after he sucked every bit of energy out of himself.

It wasn’t just his feelings, though. Gawain really was pouring his everything into each spear strike.

Until now, Gawain couldn’t accept the explanation of Kang Jin-Ho’s greater mana pool being the reason for that devil’s incredible strength. Kang Jin-Ho attaining a higher realm of martial arts also didn’t seem like a good enough excuse for his preternatural sword skills.

However, right in this very moment, Gawain finally figured out how Kang Jin-Ho could display such an inconceivable level of martial prowess. After all, wasn't he successfully recreating that unexplainable phenomenon himself?

‘Huh. Huhuhu…’

Gawain was now capable of unleashing incredible attacks that seemed completely unthinkable before this battle commenced, but the more he did that, the greater his respect for Kang Jin-Ho became.

After all, Kang Jin-Ho lived in this realm. The realm that Gawain only managed to catch the shadows of after throwing his life away in a desperate attempt to bring the battle to its conclusion!

Unlike Gawain, though, Kang Jin-Ho lived in this lofty realm as if it were his home. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world!

Gawain's respect wasn't for Kang Jin-Ho's strength. No, it was for Kang Jin-Ho's methods.

Only after crossing a millennium did Gawain finally find someone worthy of his unreserved respect. Although it was unfortunate that the person in question had to be an enemy…

No, maybe that was a blessing instead. This moment of enlightenment might have never happened if Kang Jin-Ho had been an ally, after all!

Gawain had to wait a millennium to proudly refer to himself as a true martial artist.

KWA-AHHHH!

‘One more attack!’

KWA-AAAAAHHHHH!!!

Gawain’s hair crumbled and shattered. His nails also crumbled as his skin withered like a desert under the hot sun before falling off his body altogether.

Vitality, the energy that sustained his life, was rapidly draining out of him.

‘However, I’ve reached a realm that I would’ve never reached otherwise!’

This delight! This incredible, indescribable delight washed over Gawain.

Unfortunately, the cost to get here proved too steep. Gawain's body had already gone beyond the critical point. He wouldn't be able to sustain his life for long even if Kang Jin-Ho didn't do anything to him. 𝙍ΑＮ𝘰𝐛ЕŞ

That was the price Gawain must pay for extracting everything out of his body and soul. Even then, he didn’t feel an ounce of regret.

“Ohhhhhhh!”

A Vortex so much larger and more vicious than previous ones flew rapidly toward Kang Jin-Ho.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!

As usual, Kang Jin-Ho's Crimson Destiny swiftly smacked the oncoming Vortex away. However, he failed to deflect it as uneventfully as before. The impact pushed him off balance, causing Kang Jin-Ho to stagger.

Tristan and Percival didn’t need any other prompts. The two Elder Knights shot forward like streaks of lightning to exploit that brief opening.

“Death to our enemies!”

“Die, you monsteeeer!”

Tristan and Percival were no longer the same people as earlier. They had already given up on their lives. And they had also diverted away energy and attention meant for defense and poured every fiber of their being into their next attacks. As a result, their strikes proved dangerous even to one and only Kang Jin-Ho!

Tristan fired the Silver Moon, which was materialized sword qi in the shape of a crescent moon, while Percival's sword also emitted light brighter than the sun itself. The two immense attacks split the air and closed in on Kang Jin-Ho next.

Kang Jin-Ho’s crimson eyes quaked subtly in delight just then.

This was it. This was the battle to decide life and death!

A fierce battle where everyone aimed to kill each other!

A desperate battle where the participants gambled their everything to win! Only by fighting in such battles did Kang Jin-Ho feel that he was truly alive!

Pitch-black demonic qi gushed out of Kang Jin-Ho’s body and burned like black flames.

Of course, his wounds were quite grievous. And he had been feeling a little dizzy for some time now. Maybe those black steel needle things were coated in powerful poison.

However, it didn’t matter. Kang Jin-Ho had suffered injuries like this dozens of times before, anyway.

The black flames masking Kang Jin-Ho’s face wavered eerily. As an elated smile he couldn’t hold back broke out on his face, Kang Jin-Ho rapidly swung his Azuremourne.

Spliiiiit!

The incoming crescent silver moon split right down the middle. Its rays illuminating the surroundings rapidly vanished before disappearing completely into the darkness. At the same time…

The man responsible for creating this wondrous silver moon also split apart in half.

Splaaaat!

Tristan’s body split into two, starting from the top of his head right down to his groin, before flying apart in opposite directions.

Despite the gruesome death of his comrade right next to him, however, Percival didn’t even bat an eyelid. That was because his duty wasn’t to protect his comrades. At least, not anymore. And it was also not about protecting the Round Table.

No, his duty… was to kill Kang Jin-Ho. That was it!

He had already forgotten the noble goal of safeguarding world peace and the Round Table. He even forgot about his sacred duty to stand as the final line of defense for the Round Table.

The battle that was supposed to be a grand and sacred spectacle had devolved into a struggle of straightforward resentment and hatred for Percival!

However, that only made him so much more desperate. So much more vicious than ever before!

...And that allowed him to engage in a battle in its purest form.

Percival's sword emitted blinding rays of aura. It blanketed the vision of all who could see in the surroundings. It even bathed the world in pure, impenetrable light. And as the world turned pale-white from this light, Percival's blade mercilessly targeted Kang Jin-Ho's throat.

From afar, this sight seemed so marvelous. So noble and divine!

Unfortunately, Percival's opponent this time was Kang Jin-Ho. And he was not an average demonic cultivator. No, he was the one and only Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor!

The world bathed in white light suddenly became “corrupted” by a single black dot.

Fwhooooosh!

That black dot almost too small to be visible instantly devoured the white light around it and grew explosively in size. Once the darkness took over, a pair of crimson glows burned fiercely in the center of it all.

Percival’s grimacing eyes locked on to the primal beast-like glare.

PAAAAAANG!

An ear-splitting sonic boom later, Percival's hands holding the sword were severed from the rest of his arms. Kang Jin-Ho had struck with so much force that Percival's sword flew like a bullet and stabbed deeply into the ceiling, the severed hands still gripping the hilt tightly.

PAAAAAANG!

Before Percival could realize what happened, his legs were the next part of his limbs to get severed. And before his body crumbled from the lack of balance, Percival’s waist was severed next. And then… His head went flying.

Even as the severed head spun around madly in the air, Percival did not realize what happened to him. All he perceived was something happening faster than a blink of an eye, then the world began flipping upside down in his view.

The only thing he could see in this flipped-upside-down world was a pair of crimson eyes. Those eyes emitted an eerie glow as if the flames of Hell burned within. And those eyes stared at Percival right until the end.

‘Ah…’

That was when Percival had an epiphany. This… was death. An unavoidable and absolute command of nature itself!

Percival saw a blade wrapped in black flames rapidly closing in. And that was the last thing he got to see.

SLAM!

Kang Jin-Ho used the flat side of his blade to smack Percival's severed head at Gawain. However, the Elder Knight didn't even flinch while firing yet another Vortex into the path of the flying head.

Percival’s head got smashed and torn apart into tiny chunks. Even as the fleshy chunks that used to be his friend's head struck his body, Gawain continued to charge forward.

KWA-AAAAAAHHH!

KWA-AAHHHHHH!

‘Come on! Reach him! Reach him!’

Just once! Just one hit!

After exhausting everything his body had to offer to fire his attacks, Gawain no longer ran as fast as before. His legs carrying him forward like a streak of lightning weakened to the point where standing upright was all they could do. His waist, a crucial element in imbuing his spear attacks with the necessary strength, quivered and trembled weakly as if it’d falter and bend at any second.

Even then, Gawain did not stop.

‘Just once! Just one hit!’

He only needed to get one hit in to prove that his life, his everything, wasn't just a mistake! Maybe he was being too shameless, like a little child throwing a tantrum. However, his desire was purer and more ardent than anything in this world, too.

‘Just this one time… Reach him!’

Even if Gawain had to throw everything at it! Even if he had to burn his soul as fuel! Just one hit! That was what he wanted!

He wasn’t doing this for the Round Table. And he wasn’t trying to console the souls of his departed comrades, either.

His attacks were meant to prove that Gawain was indeed a martial artist. Nothing more, nothing less!

Even as each Vortex's color grew more vivid, Gawain's figure grew paler and paler.

Even then, the intensity and destructive power of his attacks only grew stronger.

‘More! More!’

Finally…!

Gawain's eyes became withdrawn. He could instinctively feel it. The next Vortex would be his last. At this point, he didn't even have a sliver of a soul left where he could pull more energy from.

He couldn't remember anything. No, it'd be more like his memories had faded.

Who was he? Why was he standing here? And why did he have to fight?

He had forgotten them all.

He had no purpose remaining. His desire, his will… Nothing remained. They had all vanished.

What did remain, though…

Squeeze…!

Gawain’s grip on the spear tightened for one last time.

He suddenly recalled the time he first picked up a spear. He was a young lad who found the feeling of this weighty object in his hand rather enjoyable. And he spent the whole night swinging and thrusting that crude spear around.

‘That’s right. Back then, I… I…’

All the strength gathered in his hands gradually ebbed away. Only in the final moments of his life did Gawain let go of everything holding him down, even his grip on the spear itself.

Rumble…!

The spear resonated quietly and began releasing waves of silvery aura. And then…

“Vortex.”

Gawain's final Vortex containing his last drop of essence energy flew toward Kang Jin-Ho with so much greater intensity than ever before.@@novelbin@@

Gawain's cloudy eyes caught the brief moment of Kang Jin-Ho flinching. That was when...

The sole remaining mage among the Elder Knights didn’t miss that opening.

Kay suddenly popped out of nowhere right behind Kang Jin-Ho. He had performed a Blink spell to arrive at the blindspot of the enemy!

Usually, such a move would be dangerous beyond description for a mage like Kay. Even a single counterattack would've utterly destroyed him.

However, Kay still chose to close the distance instead of maintaining it. A mage would only make such a choice out of sheer desperation. But it seemed he made the right choice this time.

“Now, freeeeeeze!”

Currents of freezing air gushed out of Kay’s figure. The air turned white in an instant. Simply looking at the whiteness was almost enough to hypnotize anyone looking at it.

Kay had roused so much mana that even his body began freezing up!

This signaled the end of a mage who had unleashed an attack he couldn’t handle. It was no different than committing suicide, but this desperate attack still did its intended job.

White blocks of ice quickly materialized on Kang Jin-Ho’s back. Even the burning black flames gradually froze up. And then… Kang Jin-Ho’s body stopped moving.

Gawain did not miss the opening created by Kay sacrificing his life.

“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”

Go! Go! Gooooo!

The Vortex created through exhausting every bit of essence energy sustaining Gawain’s life flew toward Kang Jin-Ho like an angry bull. The silvery air currents rocked and billowed as if to tear the world apart before closing in on Kang Jin-Ho’s figure.

The two swords enveloped in black flames slammed into the oncoming twister.

Ka-gagagagagagagak!!!

The swords collided with the twister and got pushed back while making thunderous grinding noises… Before swiftly returning to their original spots in front of their owner!

‘Yes, one more time!’

Gawain gritted his teeth. He could feel it. Just one more hit now, and then…

Just one more!

“Uwaaaaaaaaahk!”

Gawain split the air for one last time with his spear. He had no more energy left. His spear couldn't create another Vortex. But he still thrust forward his trusty weapon to stab at Kang Jin-Ho's swords.

KA-BOOOOOOOM!

...And then, Gawain clearly saw everything. The world slowed down to a crawl in his view, his hearing deafened by the ear-rupturing explosion noises. Inside this slowed-down world, he saw his spear deflecting Kang Jin-Ho’s swords away!

Kang Jin-Ho's Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne were shoved away to his left and right. And the pair of crimson eyeballs within the darkness covering his face quaked noticeably.

Staaab!

Gawain's spear began digging into Kang Jin-Ho's chest. Gawain could vividly feel the sensation. As his brain registered this unmistakable sensation from his fingertips, Gawain… dazedly stared at the figure in front of him.

Grab!

Kang Jin-Ho grabbed the spear burrowing into his chest. The black flames enveloping his body were already gone by then.

‘I… reached him? Him? My spear… did?’

As Gawain dazedly stared, Kang Jin-Ho glanced casually at the spear stabbing into his chest. Then, he wordlessly looked up to stare into Gawain's eyes.

For what seemed like an eternity, the two men didn’t say anything and continued to stare at each other. Eventually, though, Kang Jin-Ho grinned at the Elder Knight. “I take back what I said earlier.”

“…?”

“You are indeed a commendable martial artist. That is why… It’s okay for you to rest now.”

Gawain couldn't hear anything else. That was because, after exhausting his everything to get here, Gawain had stopped breathing while gripping his spear tightly.

Even as heat quickly left his body, a smile of satisfaction more radiant than all the smiles he had made in life was etched on his face.