Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 969

“The door is broken!” Knight Chadwick was in a state of shock. ‘It’s breached? The door?’ He checked again, thinking he might have misheard, but the result was the same. It was one thing to accept that the door had been ‘opened.’ Even though they had changed the activation phrase, Knight Wiggins was a recognized mage within England, and he was someone who could find a breakthrough in an unexpected way. If the door had simply opened, he would have admired Wiggins, the former Knight. But this was different. ‘Broken?’ That door? This was something he had never even imagined. The entrance to the Round Table was not something they had created. It was a door made during the golden age of magic, before the persecution of the old faith began as the new faith grew stronger. Now, there was no way for them to break that door, no matter what they tried. If they lost the activation phrase, giving up on the door would be the only option. But they broke that door? ‘Impossible!’ He wasn’t foolish enough to deny what had already happened. But how many people would believe what they saw with their own eyes when they witnessed a scene where the sky and earth seemed to turn upside down? He wanted to deny it. But after hearing the explosion that nearly blew him away, he had no choice but to accept it. Since the opponent was Wiggins, he didn’t think they could stop him completely. Wiggins would eventually find a way. But that wasn’t a defeat. The victory or defeat depended on whether they could buy time until the reinforcements, who were probably rushing here even now, arrived. He thought he could buy at least half a day, but they couldn’t even hold out for 10 minutes! ‘What on earth did they do?’ He couldn’t think of any magic that could break the door, no matter how hard he tried. Physical force? They would need to mobilize a bomber. It was impossible to break that door with the firepower of a personal bomb. It was a door that could withstand the firepower of a 105mm howitzer [a type of artillery] or a tank gun. How could they mobilize more firepower than that! “Knight Chadwick!” A voice calling him sounded urgent. “Orders!” Knight Chadwick bit his lip. What did that matter now? The important thing was that they had opened the door and were now pouring into the Round Table. “Block the entrance! Request support! Right now!” “Yes!” “Summon the Garter Knights! Tell them to stop them!” “W-will they move?” “That is a Knight’s order!” Even though he spoke firmly, the eyes of the one receiving the order were still doubtful. “B-but the opponent is Wiggins. The Garter Knights…” “Am I not a Knight!” “I am the Knight! Summon the Garter Knights!” “Yes, Knight!” As the messenger ran out, Knight Chadwick punched the wall. Bang! A loud explosion echoed through the hallway. ‘Damn it, Wiggins!’ To Knight Chadwick, Wiggins was like an insurmountable wall. Because he was born five years later than him, he had to watch Wiggins endlessly move ahead of him his entire life. Five years. It was too short a time to be treated as a different generation, and too long a time to have a fair competition. Being judged by the same standards as someone born five years earlier was too unfair for those born later. Especially if that opponent was a once-in-a-lifetime genius? There was no way to catch up. The five years of an ordinary person and the five years of a genius are different. If an ordinary person produces a result of ten in five years, a genius can produce a result of a hundred or a thousand. Wiggins was such a genius. How could he catch up to someone who was hard to catch up to even if they were born at the same time, when he started five years later? Chadwick had lived his entire life under the shadow of Wiggins’s brilliance. Only after Wiggins gave up his position as a Knight was he able to erase his existence and rise to the position of Knight. But now, that Wiggins had returned. And as an enemy. ‘No, Wiggins.’ He didn’t have any particular bad feelings towards Wiggins. If Wiggins hadn’t given up his position as a Knight, he would have been satisfied with his position as an ordinary warrior serving Wiggins for the rest of his life. Sometimes he would feel unfair and angry, but even without using the example of Salieri [a composer known for his rivalry with Mozart], there would have been countless ordinary people who had to live their lives in the shadow of a genius. Not everyone needs to be the main character. But it was Wiggins who led Chadwick, who was satisfied with his life, to the position of the main character. And now, he was going to take that position back? ‘That can’t happen, Wiggins.’ There is a saying, a frog in a well. But Chadwick doesn’t think that the saying ‘a frog in a well’ is a bad thing. Forcing unhappiness on a frog who is finding happiness in the well, just because it hasn’t seen the wide world, is just the arrogance of those who live outside the well. But a frog that has seen the outside of the well can never go back into the well. If it hadn’t seen it in the first place, it wouldn’t know, but for a frog that has seen the outside of the well, the well is just too small. It can never find happiness again. ‘It was you who dragged me out of the well.’ Chadwick gritted his teeth and stood up. He knew it too. That the Garter Knights didn’t trust him. No matter how much he was the current Knight, they still didn’t recognize him. No. If the opponent was someone else, they might follow Chadwick. But if the opponent was Wiggins, they wouldn’t trust Chadwick. They had been loyal to Wiggins their entire lives. ‘But you can’t refuse either.’ No matter what anyone said, the current Knight was Chadwick himself, and Wiggins was just a traitor. Taking the side of a traitor was something that could never happen to them. So, no matter how reluctant they were, they would eventually have to follow Chadwick’s orders. That was power. At that moment, his phone started ringing. Chadwick looked at the phone with a stiff face. Knight Levo’s number was displayed. “This is Chadwick.” [To the Round Table.] “Understood.” Chadwick, who had hung up the phone simply, strode towards the Round Table. ‘Wiggins, you made the wrong choice.’ He didn’t know how he had broken the door, but entering the Round Table was nothing short of suicide. If it were the usual Round Table, they might have been caught off guard. But not now. For the election of a new master, more than half of the Knights of the Round Table were gathered here. Knights were those who represented their countries. They didn’t necessarily have to be the strongest in each country, but those who were not recognized for their martial prowess could not even apply to be a Knight. It was the same as saying that the strongest forces in Europe were all gathered here. ‘I will cut off your head.’ At least it would be better than ending his life at the hands of Knight Levo. This was the best consideration that Knight Chadwick could give to Wiggins. “Things are pretty complicated… Is it always like this?” “Well, um…” Wiggins scratched his head at Bang Jin-hoon’s question. “I’ve never entered the Round Table like this before, so I don’t know how to answer. Anyway, we’ve made it to the position I was expecting.” “Move! Ugh!” Bator, who was stuck in the crack in the ground, struggled to push himself out. It was a crack big enough for two grown men to pass through easily, but it seemed too narrow for Bator. “…You’re something else.” “What?” “Nothing.” Bang Jin-hoon shut his mouth. Wiggins was slightly impressed by Bang Jin-hoon. ‘Being able to be so cheeky is also a talent.’ Especially to Bator. To be honest, no human with a normal brain would even think of being cheeky to Bator. Even though Bator was more rational than he appeared, even a playful flick of his finger could turn a human to dust. To joke with such a person was impossible without a great deal of courage. ‘Is it because he’s spent so much time with the Lord?’ Or is he just fearless? When Kang Jin-ho jumped down last, everyone looked at him. “Wiggins.” “Yes, Lord.” “What now?” “Originally…” Wiggins looked at Kang Jin-ho with a sulky look. “Since this is the only entrance, we could have just pushed our way in step by step. Once we occupy this place, they are nothing more than rats in a trap. But now, everyone knows that we have invaded this place.” “Don’t they already know?” Bator’s words made Wiggins growl. “I don’t mean the people inside the Round Table! I mean everyone outside the Round Table! It wouldn’t be strange if the army was already on its way!” “Surely not the army.” “…We should always assume the worst-case scenario.” Wiggins’s words were laced with reproach, but Kang Jin-ho, as always, didn’t care. Kang Jin-ho, who had now matured and considered many things in peacetime, knew that too much thinking on the battlefield was poison. Sometimes, simplicity was the answer. “So, what should we do?” “We need to be quick.” Wiggins pointed ahead. “The path to the Round Table is full of mazes and traps. If they have activated all the traps, the path won’t be easy. There will be countless people blocking us directly.” “Hmm.” “But there is no other way. We have to push through.” Bator grinned. “You’re finally saying something I like.” “…I’m glad you took it well.” Kang Jin-ho nodded. “Let’s confirm one thing first.” “Yes, Lord.” “What is the ending you are trying to create?” “…What do you mean?” “I know that the Round Table you are talking about is the final goal. What is there when we get there?” “The Knights will be gathered there. Since there is no master, the ones who will be leading the Round Table will be Knight Levo or Knight Chadwick, and they must protect the Round Table according to the rules.” “So, the goal isn’t the Round Table, but the Knights.” “Yes, Lord.” “Is your goal to kill them?” Wiggins closed his mouth. Depending on how he answered now, it would determine how many people would die. “…We must not kill everyone.” “Then?” “The only one we need to kill is Knight Levo. But…” Wiggins said firmly. “If anyone supports Knight Levo and tries to save him, or resists the Lord, we will have no choice but to kill them.” “Simple.” Kang Jin-ho nodded. “The one we need to kill is Knight Levo, and those who stand in our way. Is that right?” “That’s correct.” “Good.” Kang Jin-ho grinned, revealing his teeth. Then, he drew Red Dew and Blue Dew. “Don’t fall behind. I’ll open the way.” “Yes!” Wiggins smiled wryly as he watched Kang Jin-ho start to move. Perhaps the one who was most excited right now wasn’t Bator, but Kang Jin-ho.