Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 990

“……This is insane.”

“I concur.”

A bizarre situation was unfolding.

Bang Jin-hoon and Bangsang had stopped fighting, staring blankly at the intense scene in the center. The men they led had also retreated from the corridor and lined up on one side.

Even the knights they had been blocking had created some distance and were simply watching the battle in the center.

It wasn’t just them.

The battles that had been taking place elsewhere had also ceased.

Bator and Jang Min had also stopped fighting and re-entered, staring blankly at the center.

Irresponsible?

It wasn’t that.

Those present instinctively knew that their battles would have no impact on the overall situation.

Even if they were to subdue each other, there was no way to stop those monsters.

The outcome of the battle in the center would determine the outcome of this war. Therefore, they didn’t want to waste their strength unnecessarily. And as martial artists, they couldn’t miss this absurd battle.

The Assembly was speechless at the divine power Kang Jin-ho was displaying, while the Round Table was paying homage to the power of the resurrected legends.

“Can a human really be like that?”

“……I feel a sense of self-loathing.”

Bangsang bit his lip.

Until recently, he had been intoxicated by the power they possessed. The time spent in the Assembly had clearly made them stronger, allowing them to overwhelmingly subdue those who would have been difficult to face in the past.

But the battle unfolding before their eyes now completely shattered that confidence.

There was no comparison.

A despairing difference, an overwhelming difference.

Even if they trained and trained their whole lives, they couldn’t help but doubt whether they could even follow in their footsteps.

It wasn’t about comparing themselves to Kang Jin-ho.

His gaze was drawn not to Kang Jin-ho, but to the Elder Knights. From the start, he had given up comparing himself to Kang Jin-ho. What he had seen, heard, and experienced in the Assembly had already defined Kang Jin-ho as a being from another dimension in his mind.

Even the eleven Elder Knights facing Kang Jin-ho were like beings from above to him.

‘Is it possible?’

They learned the same martial arts and trained the same way, so how could they reach such a level?

Everyone else was shocked, but especially the swordsmanship Tristan showed left an indelible mark on Bangsang’s heart.

It was the same sword.

And the same martial art with the same flow.

Yet, how could the results be so different?

It wasn’t a difference that could be explained by age or experience. Tristan’s swordsmanship showed an overwhelming gap that he could not catch up to unless he was reborn.

“……Damn it, I thought I had caught up a little.”

At that moment, Bang Jin-hoon groaned. It seemed that Bang Jin-hoon was thinking about Kang Jin-ho what he was thinking about Tristan.

‘It must be shocking.’

The gap Bang Jin-hoon felt when looking at Kang Jin-ho would be greater than the gap he felt when looking at the Elder Knights.

And……

‘It seems they are feeling the same way.’

The knights of the Round Table, standing at a distance, also seemed to be at a loss for words.

It was a strange thing.

Even though many people were in a situation where they had to fight each other to the death, the moment the battle in the center stopped, the hall was filled with a cold silence. And now, Kang Jin-ho was drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.

The Round Table and the Assembly.

Even by world standards, the elites of two forces who could boast of being the rulers of at least one region, or even the strongmen of the world, were gathered here, but those fighting in the center were turning everyone else into mere spectators.

‘It’s so amazing that it’s unbelievable.’

Bangsang narrowed his eyes.

He had to watch.

He didn’t know how the situation would unfold after the battle ended, but for this moment, he had to watch this scene. It might be a tremendous battle that he would never see again in his life.

Everyone was watching the center with the same mindset.

“Elder Knights.”

Wiggins said with a groan.

“They are terrifying.”

“It’s my first time seeing them in person too.”

The Master’s voice was also subdued.

“They exceed expectations. I thought we had made some progress, even though many martial arts have been lost…… I was mistaken.”

“It’s not your fault, Master.”

“It’s not a matter of fault. It’s a matter of self-loathing. I knew they were stronger than me. I’m a human who didn’t even qualify for the Elder Knight’s test. But…… this is beyond imagination.”

Wiggins nodded.

Indeed, this was beyond imagination.

He already knew that the knights of the past were stronger than the current ones. But he thought it was simply a matter of the loss of magic and the modern environment.

He couldn’t compare the past environment, where they could learn martial arts with all the national and regional support, to the current environment, where they had to learn martial arts while hiding from the eyes of others.

But that wasn’t it.

The Elder Knights were simply strong. They were just strong. They would be strong even if they were born in the modern era.

‘In the end, it’s a matter of the person.’

Even if they learn the same martial arts for the same amount of time, the results vary as much as heaven and earth depending on who learns it.

The martial arts they learned were not special.

An overwhelming achievement that made them not even dare to think of catching up, even though they learned the same martial arts.

The Elder Knights were the result of gathering and gathering talents that were recognized as special even in the long history of the Round Table.

“But those Elder Knights……”

“They are not human.”

The Master shook his head.

“I knew they were holding back when they fought me, but this is almost like being toyed with. If they had wanted to, I would have been in the underworld in the blink of an eye.”

Wiggins couldn’t say anything. No matter what he said now, he couldn’t comfort the Master. And he didn’t particularly feel like comforting him.

It wasn’t just the Master who was shocked by Kang Jin-ho’s divine power.

‘My heart feels like it’s being squeezed.’

Wiggins felt the same way.

He had only seen Kang Jin-ho rampage once, to be precise. The only time he had seen Kang Jin-ho in action was when he was beating Bator.

Other than that, it was either when Kang Jin-ho didn’t need to exert his full power, or

‘It was already over.’

When the Red King and Kang Jin-ho fought, he didn’t see the fight directly. He had only rescued Kang Jin-ho after he had collapsed from exhaustion.

Just by briefly facing the Red King, he could understand how strong Kang Jin-ho was and how tremendous the battle he had fought was, but there was a huge difference between understanding and seeing it with his own eyes.

Kang Jin-ho’s power, which he saw with his own eyes, was like……

‘Does it even matter?’

To that person.

Power, subordinates… does any of that matter?

Until now, Wiggins thought that Kang Jin-ho was leading the Assembly. But deep down, he believed that there was also an intention to strengthen the Assembly and use it as a shield for himself.

But after seeing Kang Jin-ho’s current appearance, he began to fundamentally doubt that idea.

Does power really matter to an individual with that much strength?

Wouldn’t it be more of a cumbersome burden?

Wiggins bit his lip.

What was he thinking so nonchalantly? That ‘cumbersome burden’ included Wiggins himself.

‘I have to get stronger.’

Wiggins had thought that he could relax a little on his passion for martial arts because Kang Jin-ho was there.

But Kang Jin-ho’s current appearance was reigniting his passion.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“Ah……”

Wiggins took a deep breath. This was not the kind of appearance he should show in front of the Master.

“I’m sorry.”

“I feel the same way, so you must feel it even more. You’re still young.”

“Master, you are young too.”

“Well, compared to those guys, I guess I am young.”

The Master looked at the Elder Knights with a strange gaze.

“I’ve definitely realized one thing.”

“What is it……”

“If those Elder Knights are the pinnacle that can be reached with the Assembly’s martial arts and system……”

The Master paused slightly and continued.

“It’s true that they look too shabby compared to your Lord.”

“That’s right.”

This was obvious. The Elder Knights were strong. But they were only fighting Kang Jin-ho on equal terms by gathering eleven of them. Individually, they were not even worth comparing.

“But the result could be different.”

“Yes?”

“The strongest individual doesn’t always win. Even a lion is eventually killed when it encounters a pack of hyenas. This place is a wilderness. It’s not the strong individual that is strong. The group that is strong wins.”

Wiggins nodded silently.

Indeed, that was true.

No matter how strong Kang Jin-ho was, if he couldn’t win against the Elder Knights there, it would be meaningless. He would end up losing while being strong.

“Do you think the Elder Knights will win?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, it’s not a battle that a novice like me can dare to evaluate.”

“However, one thing.”

“Yes?”

The Master said with a subdued gaze.

“If your Lord wins even that fight, the Round Table will have to change. It will be proven wrong. I’ll say it in advance, if your Lord wins, I will……”

The Master spat out the words.

“I’m going to throw away my pride and everything else and overturn the Round Table. Of course, the Assembly will be at the center of that reform.”

Wiggins’ gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

‘You have to win, Lord.’

Crack, crack, crack.

The blue and red robes scraped against the floor, creating a grating sound.

The eyes of the Elder Knights, looking at Kang Jin-ho slowly approaching them, became fierce.

The way Kang Jin-ho was calmly approaching them made them think of many things.

Grind.

The sound of teeth grinding could be heard from somewhere.

They acknowledged it.

Kang Jin-ho was strong.

If they were to face Kang Jin-ho alone, they would not even be able to resist properly and would have to give up their necks.

But this was not a one-on-one duel. It was a war where they had to pour out all their power to determine the outcome.

The entire power of the Elder Knights was here.

If they were all gathered, they could even destroy a country. Yet, even in the face of that much power, Kang Jin-ho was leisurely pressuring them as if nothing was wrong.

Where else could there be such humiliation?

“Don’t get excited.”

A low voice was heard.

“The enemy is incredibly strong. We can’t even guarantee that we can win even if we risk all of our lives. If we get excited, defeat is too obvious.”

“Ugh.”

The Elder Knights regained their composure at Gawain’s voice.

This excitement was not coming from anger. It came from fear. If the person approaching them with such composure was not as strong as Kang Jin-ho, the emotion they would be showing would not be anger, but ridicule.

It was because the opponent was too strong that anger arose.

“Brunor!”

“I’m here.”

“This is where it splits. You know that, right?”

“Of course!”

Brunor’s hand gripped his shield as if it would break.

Then, he glared at Kang Jin-ho with bloodshot eyes.

“Let’s go!”

“Uooooooo!”

Brunor ran forward with all his might.