Descent of the Demon Master

‘This is no bloody joke!’

Lee Hyeon-Su’s complexion was as pale as it could get.

Why wouldn't it when he was witnessing a fierce battle between absolute beings?! A no-holds-barred contest of life or death, waged by experts at the peak of their martial arts, no less!

Lee Hyeon-Su had never witnessed a battle as incredible as this one in his entire life. The story should be the same for everyone else here, too!

Kang Jin-Ho had already fought the mighty Crimson King in China, but only a few people from the Martial Assembly were present to witness it. Only Vator could claim to have witnessed the battle from start to finish.

However, now that he finally got to witness the battle between transcendental beings, something he had been dreaming of for so long...

Lee Hyeon-Su was somewhat surprised to learn that his impression of this spectacle wasn't what he had envisioned.

‘We might get crushed if we stay here!’

Imagine what might happen to a tiny mouse trapped inside a cage where a tiger was fighting a lion. Even if those two apex predators had zero interest in the mouse, a careless misstep from one of them would still be enough to trample the little critter to death!

While grimacing, he glanced at the hall. “Will this place be alright?”

“...I’m not sure myself, sir,” said Yi Myeong-Hwan. He was also just as helpless as Lee Hyeon-Su in this situation.

He wasn’t even conscious of the risk until Lee Hyeon-Su brought it up. And now, Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn’t help but get nervous about the possibility of this place collapsing!

Of course, he hadn't forgotten that they were in the Round Table's HQ. Such a lofty organization allowing sloppy construction work on their headquarters was simply unthinkable. Indeed, this facility should be strong enough to withstand practically anything in case enemies invaded and fierce battles were waged within its halls.

Even if that was true…

‘Would this place survive that kind of battle, though?’

Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't help but stare at the holes burrowed into the scorched walls. This battle had only just started, yet it still devastated the surroundings this badly. So, would this underground structure be able to hold on?

Maybe the smart thing to do was getting out of here before it was too late…?

“Don’t worry, this place will hold,” said Wiggins.

“Ah! Master, you’re back!” Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly turned around to look, his expression brightening up.

Wiggins had already returned with the Master in tow. Even the Garter Knight Order was behind them.

Wiggins pointed at the hall. “This place is sturdier than you think, Mister Lee. It's been constructed to withstand a bombing raid or even a bunker buster's explosion. Such a thing might be structurally improbable, but that's what magical reinforcement is for.” Ȓ𝐀ℕÓʙЁṧ

“...I see. Isn’t magic pretty much omnipotent?”

“Hardly, Mister Lee. Rather than omnipotent, I’d argue it’s more cumbersome and annoying than anything else.” Wiggins chuckled helplessly. “If magic really was that convenient and efficient, why would science come to dominate the human race? The shock you’re getting from magic right now is nothing in comparison to what the ancient mages felt while confronting the advancement in science.”

“Oh, uh… I see…?” Lee Hyeon-Su muttered while sneakily glancing at the Master. He was somewhat leery about the Master stepping inside the hall under the current situation.

“...So, that’s an Elder Knight?” The Master muttered, his focus solely locked on Kang Jin-Ho and the Elder Knights visible up ahead. If this situation had been less extraordinary, he would’ve noticed Lee Hyeon-Su’s discomfort and chuckled affably back at the latter, but now was not the right time for that.

“Master, shouldn’t we do something about this situation?” Wiggins urgently asked. However…

“There is nothing we can do now,” the Master sighed while shaking his head. “Elder Knights are not under anyone's command, you see? They might be the Round Table's ultimate protectors, but they are also not tied down by the organization's rules. They will do anything for the Round Table's sake, but…! If they triumph over your Assembly Master today, those Elder Knights will undoubtedly use the pretext of reforming the organization to execute all the surviving Knights!”

“...I beg your pardon??” Wiggins' brows shot up at that unexpected revelation. “But why? Aren't they supposed to protect the Round Table?”

“It is precisely because they are the protectors, Wiggins. They are simply sticking to the pragmatic approach of the Round Table. The one you spoke of in the past.

“Obviously, our ancestors were well aware of the possibility of the Round Table's system becoming corrupted, so they have prepared a powerful remedy, a toxin, that would ensure everything would be reset if the corruption and irrationality reached the point of threatening the Round Table's very existence…!”

Wiggins clamped his mouth shut.

‘What on Earth is this even…’

Every Knight knew that Elder Knights existed to protect the Round Table. However, to think that protection actually meant this…!

‘Well, it is technically protecting, isn’t it?’

At least, when viewed from the Elder Knights' point of view, that was! Especially when their idea of protecting the Round Table wouldn't just entail protecting it from external dangers!

The Master muttered grimly. “Wiggins, you said the Round Table treats its people as cogs in a machine… Well, it seems your assertion is not incorrect, after all. If a cog is too rusty to operate properly, the logical thing is to replace it with a new one, no?”

Wiggins bit his lower lip while listening.

“How troublesome this is. I’m supposed to wish for the Round Table’s victory, but for my own survival, I must wish for the Elder Knights’ defeat. If they win today, well… I can’t say for sure what will happen to others, but Leveaux and I will definitely face summary execution. They will designate us as culprits responsible for creating this crisis, after all!”

“Master, do you think Leveaux knew that?”

“No, he probably didn’t. If he did, he wouldn’t have attempted to wake up the Elder Knights. He sealed his own fate by opening the entrance to the Knights temple. That was why I told him to prepare adequately, but… Tsk, tsk.” The Master gloomily observed Elder Knights and the still-oblivious Leveaux. “Well, I can only pray that your Assembly Master emerges victorious.”

Lee Hyeon-Su replied instead of Wiggins. “Of course he will win, sir.”

“...I sure hope so.”

Lee Hyeon-Su focused his attention on Kang Jin-Ho again.

There was no way Kang Jin-Ho would lose. As a matter of fact, him losing was unthinkable. Even if he was fighting against more than one adversary!

Even though that was what he thought, Lee Hyeon-Su had been clenching his fists so tightly that blood nearly stopped circulating in his hands.

The Master continued to explain the situation. “If your Assembly Master succeeds in defeating the Elder Knights, well… The Round Table will have no choice but to cooperate with him. We wouldn’t be able to stand against such strength and capability, after all. However… Believe me when I say that these Elder Knights are stupendously powerful. To put their strength in perspective, even I wasn’t good enough to be considered as the final Elder Knight. No, let me correct that statement. I wasn’t even good enough to receive the test to become an Elder Knight!”

“…!”

“It’s true that I don’t know how powerful the Elder Knights are. However, we’ll soon discover the truth, now won’t we?”

Everyone tensely observed the situation in the center of the hall.

***

A chilling noise registered in Breunor's hearing. And it was supposed to be the sound of a person breathing!

However, it sounded more like a beast growling away. Whether it was a growl or breathing didn't really matter since neither description felt right. At the same time, though… Both seemed oddly right, too!

‘Well, at least now I know my heart is functioning as it should!’

Breunor's heart, despite three centuries of inactivity, was eagerly pounding away. As a matter of fact, Breunor even worried about it exploding from how fast it was beating!

His heart beating so vigorously even after a lengthy slumber should be a cause for a celebration, but it beating this fast could not have been good news at all.

Breunor glared at the culprit responsible for making his heart pound this quickly… The devil named Kang Jin-Ho!

This devil was leisurely walking toward the Elder Knights as pitch-black flames enveloped his entire figure.

Cold sweat trickled down the spines of these Elder Knights.

“So, no damage, then?”

“...Seems that way.”

“Even after all those attacks? How is it possible?”

“No need to get shocked. We expected this outcome, after all.”

Gawain nodded slightly. An enemy capable of easily fending off multiple Vortexes would never die from this level of combined attacks. That should have been easy enough to estimate.

‘Indeed… But what surprised us is something else.’

The Elder Knights believed they could hurt Kang Jin-Ho to some degree, considering the enormous amount of magical energy they had exhausted just now. But Kang Jin-Ho appeared completely unscathed.

Although it was difficult to confirm if Kang Jin-Ho was indeed unhurt due to the mysterious black flames enveloping him, the aura gushing out of him had not lessened by any appreciable amount or intensity. And his steps remained firm and unwavering. Considering all those things, it was safe to assume he was not hurt at all.

Gawain glanced to his side. Knight Bedivere’s face was noticeably drained of color.

Was it because she had to rouse excessive mana and use all of it in one go? Or was it because she was shocked by the fact that her full-powered magic failed to hurt the enemy?

Gawain muttered quietly. “It seems… We can’t finish this battle without making sacrifices, gentlemen.”

“Indeed…” Breunor slowly nodded.

Making sacrifices, he said. Breunor was no fool and knew perfectly well what those words meant. After all, it was his job as the vanguard to stand at the front of the group and defend them from the enemy attacks. If someone was going to be sacrificed, logic dictated that he'd be the first in line.

Even so, Breunor did not waver.

Fear? Terror? Those things were trying to crush him. There was no denying that. However, Breunor's will, which was firmer and more determined than forged steel, plus his undying loyalty toward the Round Table, helped him overcome his fear.

He had already branded his soul with the determination to throw his life away if it was to protect the Round Table!

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly raised his voice to worsen the already tense atmosphere. “So, is this all you have?”

“…!”

“No, that can’t be right.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. However, the Elder Knights could only see the black flames shaking around and not much else. “It seems you have more tricks up your sleeve. In that case, don’t stop there and show them to me. I’m beginning to enjoy this, you see?”

“…!” Gawain chewed on his lips. He could tell that the devil wasn't bluffing.

Kang Jin-Ho really was enjoying this battle. Even though his idea of “enjoying” was drastically different from other people's idea of enjoyment!

“...Our opponent is illogically strong, isn’t he?”

“Yes. So much so that he can't be a human like us.”

“Are there more monsters like him living in the East?”

“That doesn’t seem likely. He has to be an irregular. If not, the Round Table wouldn’t be able to exist for this long.”

If monsters like Kang Jin-Ho were born in their droves every era, the Round Table would've already ceased to exist before reaching the current age. But it hadn't. It still existed, proving that that devil had to be an irregular existence even in East Asia.

Gawain smirked. “That means… We only need to defeat that man. Should I say there still is hope for us, then?”

“You’ve become a lot more talkative, Sir Gawain,” Breunor grunted gruffly.

“...I will admit that I’m scared,” Gawain slowly nodded.

He knew that he and his comrades must kill that devil. But this situation scared him to no end. Then again, a knight was supposed to overcome such fears.

‘This fear is more primal in nature.’

Someone with a fear of death wouldn't be able to willingly enter a state of slumber similar to dying.

It was safe to say these Elder Knights had already stopped worrying about their lives. Even though that was the case, they still felt this inexplicable fear merely from standing face-to-face with Kang Jin-Ho!

This fear was different from the one humans might feel while desperately trying to save themselves.

Breunor grimaced deeply. “Sir Gawain? Promise me this one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Do not miss the opening. Got it?”

Gawain nodded grimly. “I give you my word.”

Breunor suddenly roared like a bear and charged straight into Kang Jin-Ho. While hiding behind his towering shield, he figuratively became a flash of lightning to crash violently into his target.

His speed belied his impressive physique. It was as if a huge American Football player threw himself forward for a vicious tackle. Of course, Breunor’s speed was much faster than that.@@novelbin@@

However, Kang Jin-Ho simply smiled faintly as the big armored knight charged at him. “Still not good enough.”

He suddenly tossed the Crimson Destiny in the air before throwing a devastating punch at the incoming shield belonging to Breunor. The punch was so strong that even the black flames covering his body explosively blew open!

KWA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Even though the fleshy fist of a human slammed into a metal shield, the sound it produced was an absurdly loud explosion noise. As for the man wielding said shield…

Breunor was flung back at the same speed as his forward charge. However, it was only his upper torso that got flung back.

Fuhuuut!

A fountain of blood spewed out from Breunor’s mouth even as his lower torso remained firmly rooted on the spot.

“Now! Attack!”

Right on cue, three shadows leaped into the air from behind Breunor. Almost at the same time, a scream-like incantation rocked the hall.

“Lock!”

Whitish hands of stone suddenly emerged from the floor to grab hold of Kang Jin-Ho’s legs. White smoke billowed as those stone hands came in contact with the materialized pitch-black demonic qi. Despite melting and crumbling away, those hands wrapped around Kang Jin-Ho’s legs even more tenaciously.

“Diiiiiiiie!”

“Death to our enemy!”

Three Elder Knights leaping into the air from behind Breunor mercilessly swung down their sword, spear, and a massive mace on top of Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes took in this sight as a crazed smile bloomed on his face. As if he couldn’t wait anymore, the black flames enveloping him exploded vigorously to even burn the tall ceiling before swallowing up the incoming Elder Knights.

It was as if Paladins, who had dedicated their lives to their God, were risking everything to battle the devil himself!