Descent of the Demon Master

It was as if the gates of Hell had been thrown wide open.

A giant was fearlessly striding out of the forest covered by pelting rocks, debris, dirt, and even embers of flames.

This unforgettable sight left everyone utterly speechless.

That was undoubtedly an enemy. The enemy they must fight was now standing right in front of everyone's noses!

However, no one thought about defending their position or attacking the enemy. No, they just stood there in stupefaction, utterly overwhelmed by the enemy's terrifying, majestic aura!

Crunch…!

Fortunately, they sobered up instantly by the loud noise of the giant clenching his fist.

That noise was far too loud and soul-chilling to be produced by a human being clenching their fist, though! However, that giant's fist was about the size of an adult's head. In that case, it'd be impossible for anyone with a functioning mind to remain unmoved by this sight.

‘Just what… Or who is that?!’

Kendrick's figure froze up on the spot. While on his way here, he briefly wondered if the Hell's army had invaded this place. However, that was just him being silly.

But reality had a tendency to surpass one's imagination more often than not, and it turned his silly joke into something that was not a joke anymore!

That was when another change began taking shape around the giant.

‘...What are those?!’

Floating embers of flames began appearing one by one behind the giant. But were they really flames? Of course not!

Stomp! Crack! Crackle!

As the sounds of footsteps ruthlessly stomping on the grassy ground resounded everywhere, those crimson flame balls gradually marched closer and closer to Kendrick and Co.

...And when he realized those crimson light balls were actually the eyes of the enemies following the giant, Kendrick's legs finally gave in.

The unknown group of men, their eyes shooting out crimson rays of light, stood in line left and right to the giant in the middle. Fierce auras of beasts ready to pounce on their prey emanated thickly from these men. As a matter of fact, Kendrick thought he could hear the beastly growling coming from them, too!

Kendrick’s heart pounded and shuddered in fear.

‘But… But…!’

But no one told me we’d be fighting enemies like them!

Kendrick urgently scanned his own comrades, but it was ultimately a pointless exercise in the end. After all, the rest of the Round Table's knights to his left and right were reacting largely the same as him. They were stuck in complete stupefaction!

Without a shadow of a doubt, they had been overwhelmed. No thoughts of fighting these enemies entered their minds. The price of encountering an incomprehensible existence was all these people reverting to mindless morons!

“Krrrrk!”

A vicious, animal-like growl leaked out from the giant's crooked lips. And when that giant's shoulders seemed to quiver a little, Kendrick momentarily saw the illusion of his body shattering into a million pieces!

That was his brain warning him that Kendrick would end up like that… When the giant from Hell pounced on him!

However, just as his fear reached new heights…

“Why did you stop?”

The normal-sounding voice of a man registered in Kendrick's hearing. Soon afterward, the owner of that voice leisurely walked out of the forest.

Something bizarre happened just then. Whether it was the giant raring to pounce on the hapless Brits or the smaller, more human-sized devils surrounding him… They all obediently stepped back when this man appeared. And then, they even bowed their heads to express their obedience!

This man continued to leisurely walk down the path created by the devils parting to left and right. And that seemed to allow Kendrick and everyone else to start breathing again.

Unlike the group of devils, this individual at least resembled a human being.

‘An… Asian man?’

That was when Kendrick belated realized something… That all these scary devils were, in fact, East Asians.

Some posited that, back when Genghis Khan invaded Europe, the Europeans didn't view the Mongol soldiers as an invading army of humans but as plagues or natural disasters. That was because the enemy was impossible to comprehend through the accepted common sense of the day.

Kendrick used to mock such a notion. Even if different races of humanity rarely, if ever, came in contact in those days, such a thing still should be a laughable exaggeration of the truth. At least, that was what he believed. However, he could finally figure out why the people back then viewed the invaders that way.

After all, that was the exact sentiment Kendrick felt right this second!

How was he supposed to view these enemies as his fellow human beings after coming face-to-face with them?! Forget humans, they had to be demons from East Asia!

The only human standing amidst all these demons calmly raised his voice to ask again. “Why did you stop?”

Kendrick wasn't sure what that man said. It was the language of a country he didn't readily recognize. Besides, there was no need for him to understand the question as it was meant for the giant, anyway.

The giant grimly asked back. “...Should I kill them all?”

“Didn’t I say kill everyone who stands in our way?”

“Mm…!” The giant, Vator, grunted before glancing behind him.

Clear signs of bloodthirst were still burning brightly within his eyes, but the big man hadn't completely lost his reasoning this time, unlike before. Which indicated his attainment in demonic cultivation had improved significantly compared to before.

Although there was still no guarantee of him maintaining his rational mind during fierce life-or-death battles, at least Vator could hold himself back and not go out of control while dealing with enemies much weaker than him.

Sweeping aside this feeble attempt at stopping Vator would be too easy. However, he remembered that someone here would not forget the sight of the big man ruthlessly slaughtering all these helpless idiots.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned when Vator hesitated slightly. Before he could express his displeasure, though, the troubled voice of a man coming from behind stopped him.

“...This isn’t the kind of situation I’d like to see, but it seems only I can resolve it, my lord.”

Wiggins slowly emerged from the crowd.

‘That… is Knight Wiggins!’

Kendrick's brows shot up high. Like a stunned man struck by a hammer in the back of his head, he wordlessly stared at the face of the new entrant to the scene.

There was no doubt about it. That man was… Knight Wiggins!

‘But… What is he even doing here?’

Of course, Kendrick did entertain the possibility of Knight Wiggins being the invader. But that was back when this whole crisis had just begun.

The only likely suspect who'd come all this far to free the Master of the Round Table from his unjust confinement was Knight Wiggins, after all.

That was what Kendrick believed, but that belief promptly went out the window after witnessing the giant's emergence.

But now, Knight Wiggins really did show up among these demons from Hell!

‘Does that mean these demons… Uh, people are from South Korea?’

Practically everyone in the British martial society knew that Knight Wiggins had thrown his lot with an organization called the Korean Martial Assembly.

One could only arrive at one conclusion when the two factors of “East Asian martial artists” and “Knight Wiggins' presence” were combined. And that would be…

Knight Wiggins had mobilized the Korean Martial Assembly to invade the Round Table's HQ!

Although, this encounter changed Kendrick's mental image of the Martial Assembly by quite a lot!

“Before we begin, I’d like to thank you, Sir Vator,” Wiggins bowed slightly.

“Hmph…” Vator sheepishly turned his head away. Even then, he still didn't forget to gauge Kang Jin-Ho's mood. He seemed a little troubled by willingly disobeying Kang Jin-Ho's order to slaughter every enemy standing in their way.

Thankfully, though, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t seem interested in criticizing Vator for it.

Wiggins addressed Kang Jin-Ho next. “Please give me a chance, my lord. I shall definitely make them step back.”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “It won’t do us any good by wasting time like this, though?”

“I will produce a better result than the other method, my lord,” said Wiggins, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. In his view, only two camps existed on a battlefield: enemies and allies.

In that sense, these Brits were enemies. And the only fate waiting for enemies was death.

To Kang Jin-Ho, it didn’t matter whether these people used to be Wiggins’ subordinates or not. He never learned “how” to be merciful to enemies daring to block his path. And he sure as heck wasn’t interested in learning it now.

Even so, Kang Jin-Ho still nodded to indicate his approval. Not because he wanted to be considerate toward Wiggins' circumstances, though. No, it was just that this situation reminded him of his past self.

Back when Kang Jin-Ho was stuck in Zhongyuan, he longed to go back home one day. He thought about traveling to Korea countless times but never managed to fulfill that dream even till his dying moment.

Simply heading to the Korean peninsula back then would be meaningless, after all. Besides, his situation didn't want to grant him the freedom to do so either.

For some reason, it felt like Wiggins' current situation was eerily similar to Kang Jin-Ho's from back then.

“I won’t wait for long,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Thank you, my lord,” Wiggins bowed smartly in Kang Jin-Ho’s way. This show of appreciation and respect was as straightforward as it could get, with none of Wiggins’ usual mischievousness diluting his intent.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded again, then turned around to head back into the crowd.

Wiggins’ expression sobered up, his eyes withdrawn, as he scanned Kendrick and Co. “It’s good to see some familiar faces.”

Kendrick nervously swallowed his saliva when English was finally spoken. He wasn’t sure what Wiggins and the others were chatting about, but at least he was certain of something.

The crimson glow in the eyes of all these East Asian martial artists began to burn even more fiercely the moment that normal-looking young man stepped aside. That confirmed it. Wiggins stepping up didn't mean the grave threat was over!

Wiggins' gaze slowly moved from left to right as if he wanted to take in everyone without missing a single person. And when his gaze finally stopped moving, he asked, “Why are you all here?”

His voice sounded cold, clearly unimpressed. And then, without skipping a beat, he made a simple declaration.

“I came here to rescue the Master.”

That one sentence was more powerful than an explanation dozens of sentences long. The British knights, tensely waiting for what Wiggins might say, clamped their mouths shut at that unexpected straight ball.

“Who among you doesn’t know about the Master’s confinement?”

No one replied.

“Who among you doesn’t know that Knight Leveaux is responsible for unjustly imprisoning the Master?”

Again, no one said anything. However, the subtle unrest among the British knights was getting more noticeable.

‘That’s not surprising…!’

Kendrick clenched his teeth. There was no need to even mention that everyone's dissatisfaction had already reached the boiling point. Simply pointing the truth out would be enough to elicit some kind of response.

However, pointing it out didn't benefit Wiggins as much as he might have expected.

“Knight Wiggins…! Do you think you have the qualifications to say that to us?”

Someone's trembling voice broke the silence of the night. No one here bothered to find out who said it, though. After all, that person took the words right out of everyone's mouths. Who was responsible didn't matter one jot in that case.

However, Kendrick couldn't help but think that question was strangely formulated. Even though it clearly contained the intention of the speaker to criticize Wiggins, he was still being addressed respectfully as a Knight.

Perhaps that question perfectly encapsulated the complicated emotions running amok in everyone's minds.

“Didn’t your abandonment of your duties lead to this situation, sir?”

Once someone opened the floodgate, a tsunami of criticisms poured out from the British knights. That was because Wiggins stepping forward had eased the pressure they had been under.

Wiggins silently listened to their outpouring of criticisms before addressing them in a solemn voice. “Yes, you may be right. I am likely responsible for this crisis. However, that doesn't change the fact that I'm here to fix the situation I created while all of you are trying to stop me from doing so. Do I need to explain which side is in the right, too?”

“…!”

“We don’t have much time,” said Wiggins while pointing to the side. “If you insist on hindering our path… We will have no choice but to take your lives. That is why I ask of you to step aside. Let us pass. That is all.”

The British agents of the Round Table began exchanging silent but meaningful glances with each other. In all honesty, none of them wanted to fight against Knight Wiggins. Especially when he had brought along these demonic beings, too!

Even so, these warriors didn't immediately give up and step aside. They couldn't help but be cognizant of how their colleagues might view them. Plus, the thoughts of disobeying orders had never crossed their minds until now.

‘What… should we do here?’

Kendrick grimaced. He wouldn't have agonized over his actions this much had the enemy been someone else, not Wiggins. He and his fellow knights of the Round Table had never been trained to negotiate with the enemy, after all!

But Wiggins used to be these people’s trusted superior not too long ago, wasn’t he! No wonder they had to pause their actions and agonize over their decisions.

However, that was when…!

“What are you all doing!”

A loud roar coming from behind sobered the Round Table’s men.

“How dare you fall for the treachery of a traitor! And you call yourselves the proud knights of the British Empire?! Kill that man right now!”

The atmosphere in the surroundings instantly grew icy.