Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 601

“How foolish.” Elena watched the elders rushing towards Knight Wiggins with cold eyes. To her, they looked like moths drawn to a bonfire in the middle of summer. “What do they think Knight is?” It wasn’t because he was her father. Even if it wasn’t Knight Wiggins but another Knight standing there, her assessment wouldn’t change. That’s how outstanding the abilities of the Knights were. It was something that anyone could understand if they thought about it a little. If they understood the contradiction of the Round Table. The members of the Round Table have equal authority. The Master has the authority to coordinate, but doesn’t have much more power than a Knight. On the surface, it seems like a very democratic and fair system. But if you look at the other side, it’s not like that at all. Each Knight represents a nation. They do so entirely, without consulting anyone or having anyone to assist them. One person represents a nation? Even the presidents or prime ministers of the outside world cannot fully represent their nation’s position on their own. Even the kings of the past had to be mindful of their vassals. Those who handled everything according to their own will were branded as dictators or remembered in history as builders of absolute monarchies. But the Round Table forces it. For one person to fully represent the position of a nation. So, how immense is the burden placed on a Knight? They must possess not only martial prowess but also common sense, an understanding of current affairs, and sharp calculation skills. The training they undergo transcends the common sense of ordinary people. That’s what a Knight is. Elena was still certain. In this country, the only ones who could contend with her father were Kang Jin-ho and Bator. And even they could only contend with him. In terms of martial prowess, Kang Jin-ho and Bator might be able to overwhelm Knight Wiggins, but in terms of overall ability, they couldn’t even compare to Knight Wiggins. Frankly, in her opinion, it was a severe waste of talent and a loss for humanity that Knight Wiggins had come to this small country and was working as a director instead of the head of the General Assembly. When he was treated like a strange foreign instructor by the young martial artists of the General Assembly, Elena almost yelled in anger. ‘What on earth are you trying to do here?’ She didn’t respect Wiggins as a father, but she respected Wiggins as a Knight. And that Knight Wiggins had abandoned everything to come here. Elena couldn’t fathom the reason. No matter how much he felt limited by his life as a Knight, wasn’t the alternative he chose too insignificant? She had asked him several times, but Knight Wiggins had only said that she couldn’t understand yet. ‘I’ll keep an eye on you, Father.’ What you’re trying to do here, and whether it’s the right choice. “Huuup!” An arm is pulled back. Strength flows into every muscle, and his whole body is filled with taut tension. Then comes the strike! Whoooosh! The sword is swung. Woo Il-hwan gritted his teeth as he saw the sword flying towards his head. Just a sword strike. A simple upward slash that he had blocked thousands, tens of thousands, or perhaps even millions of times. It was a simple strike falling from above onto his head. But Woo Il-hwan’s face was turning black as he faced the strike. “Ugh!” Woo Il-hwan crossed his hands. The short staffs in his hands crossed, blocking above his head. He poured the gathered energy into the staffs and braced his legs to prepare for the impact that would engulf his body. It wasn’t bad. He couldn’t claim it was a perfect defense, but at least he had done the best he could. But there are things in the world that are unavoidable. Kuuuuuung! It sounded like a giant boulder rolling down a mountain. The sound was too loud and magnificent to be made by a human. After all, the greater the impact, the louder the sound. A loud collision sound meant that the force behind the collision was beyond imagination. And the price for taking that force with his body was high. “Kkeueueuk.” It flowed down. A waterfall of blood poured from Woo Il-hwan’s mouth. So much blood gushed out at once that it was worrying he might die from excessive bleeding. Through his blurring vision, he saw his broken arm. ‘N-not a human……’ His thoughts couldn’t continue. Woo Il-hwan, whose spine had been shattered, collapsed to the ground. He hadn’t died, but even if he survived, he would never return to a normal body. “Hmm, I should have controlled my strength a bit more.” Knight Wiggins clicked his tongue as if he was in trouble. He thought they could withstand this much, but it seemed he had overestimated the elders a little. “I’m sorry.” It wasn’t a taunt, but a sincere apology. He hadn’t intended to go this far. Although he had no intention of becoming their comrade again. “Kkeureureuk.” Blood foam flowed from Woo Il-hwan’s mouth. Knight Wiggins shook his sword and looked around. He could feel gazes that looked at him as if he were a monster. Disbelief and shock. They were familiar looks. “I know what you’re trying to say. I’m sorry that I didn’t meet your expectations in that regard. It seems like people from other regions always have questions about it.” Strangely, there seemed to be a fixed idea that Western martial arts involved meticulous swordsmanship. Perhaps due to the influence of fencing, many people thought that they emphasized speed and accuracy rather than power. These people must be the same. That’s a big misconception. Rather, it is the East, not the West, that focuses on speed. The reason was very simple. The existence of armor. Eastern swordsmanship developed as a training tool. As a result, it doesn’t consider the existence of armor. If you can somehow quickly stab the opponent’s body with a sword, victory is guaranteed. But the West was different. When using a sword against knights who were covered in full plate mail, or at least wearing chain mail, speed and accuracy were meaningless. Especially on horseback. Then, the best way was to beat the opponent to a pulp, even if you couldn’t deliver a powerful blow in one strike. Moreover, since they would have a shield in their other hand, you had to inflict damage even if they blocked. As a result, their swordsmanship developed to emphasize only power. If they blocked with a shield, they would break the shield, and if they blocked with armor, they would cut the armor in two. However, what should I say……. ‘It is crude.’ When an old swordsman with white hair wields a sword, people expect something. A nimble and natural attack. And an attack that feels like it has the experience and technique of age. An attack that feels like it has transcended the mundane. But unfortunately, Knight Wiggins couldn’t meet those expectations. His sword was about beating the opponent to death based on his soaring aura. ‘It’s a bit embarrassing at times like this.’ He felt embarrassed every time he received those ‘What is that old man doing?’ looks. Even he, who had been active in the Round Table for a long time and traveled overseas, didn’t know he would be treated like this. ‘Movies are ruining the kids.’ In movies, knights clash swords and roll around, so people who watch those movies think that Western knights naturally fight like that. That’s crazy. If you just look at the guy in front of you and swing your sword on the battlefield, you’ll get a knife in your back. Who would do such ridiculous actions? The important thing is practicality. But……. “I should go to an action school or something. Tsk.” Still, those gazes were uncomfortable. But well, it doesn’t matter. He could just change the surprised gazes into shocked ones. “Hup!” As if he wouldn’t give them any more leeway, Knight Wiggins swung his sword. Whoooosh! The sound of the wind being cut tore at the ears. A single strike that seemed capable of killing with just the sound of it. Kuuuuung! The power was certain. The person who blocked the incoming blade was flung into the air like a pebble. As if shot out of a cannon, the person flew into the air at a terrifying speed before falling to the ground. Thud! Thud! After bouncing a couple of times, the person who crashed into the ground didn’t even twitch. One strike, one kill. He had struck with the flat of the blade, so it ended like this, but if he had struck with the edge, the body would have been lying on the ground in two pieces by now. “Euchha!” It was a slightly strange sight. The sword that Knight Wiggins swung was imbued with an energy as heavy as a mountain. Each strike was a massive force that could take the lives of martial artists in one blow. But the face of Knight Wiggins, who was wielding the sword, was as calm as could be. A casual and light sword, like chasing away a fly. But those who were caught by that sword had their bones crushed and spat out blood. ‘Damn it.’ Choi Sang-mu gritted his teeth. He was strong. He was unbelievably strong. He was so strong that he couldn’t understand how a human could use such a sword. ‘How did you gather only such monsters, Kang Jin-ho?’ He knew he was strong, but he didn’t know he had such virtue. The more he realized how powerful the enemy was, the more anxious Choi Sang-mu became. ‘I can’t fall like this.’ Behind this guy is Lee Hyun-soo. They knew how quick Lee Hyun-soo was with calculations. How much profit they had made thanks to Lee Hyun-soo’s mind. Surely, not only this place but other places were also under attack. If they collapsed like this, Knight Wiggins would calmly join the others and attack that place. He absolutely couldn’t let that happen. ‘When is it, when!’ Just a little bit, if they had a little more time. If they could buy a little more time, there would be a way……. “We’re ready.” Choi Sang-mu’s face lit up. “Fire right away! Kill him!” “Yes.” Choi Sang-mu looked at Knight Wiggins with a sinister smile. ‘I admit he’s strong.’ But times have changed. Now, in this era, individual strength can’t do anything. Now, that guy will also learn that fact. No, he will die without knowing that fact. ‘What is it?’ Elena was looking down with a slightly displeased expression. Of course, they were no match. The battle was already decided by the fact that they didn’t know what a Knight was. If they had known what Knights were, they wouldn’t have created a confrontation with such a small force. They would have run away the moment they saw him. The moment they foolishly engaged in an emotional fight and gathered in the center, their fate was sealed. As she thought this and leisurely looked down, a strange sight caught Elena’s eye. They wouldn’t be able to see it from below. She could see it because she was floating in the air. That building was completely out of sight from below. The window of that building. Something black popped out of a small window. Black and long, like……. ‘A gun barrel?’ Before she could think, Elena shouted. “Father, dodge! It’s a sniper!” But her voice was drowned out by the loud gunshot that shook the world.