Descent of the Demon Master

This spectacle could be summed up with one description: a rampaging beast.

If a bloodthirsty beast was let loose within a flock of sheep, a spectacle similar to this one would've been recreated.

Vincent's heart pounded like crazy as a quiet gasp-like noise leaked out of his lips. "Huk...!"

Just what was going on here? What was the meaning of this?

Vincent knew who these Japanese warriors were. He knew they were from Nanahoshi-gumi.

The Round Table dissected and analyzed various factions in almost every nation on Earth, ostensibly for the purpose of protecting world peace. As such, Vincent would've obviously known about Nanahoshi-gumi's name. After all, he was a member of the Round Table and the proud captain of the Chevaliers that represented France's martial might.

Besides, Nanahoshi-gumi was infamous for its belligerence among its counterparts, anyway. Although it couldn't claim to be Japan's top gumi, it still had a secure stronghold with a firm foundation in its home nation. Any organization with a sizable territory in Japan could be considered a gathering of the top martial artists in the world.

Even then, those warriors were still being slaughtered like little lambs.

"Kkuuuhuhk!"

"Urhk!"

Those poor men couldn't even scream properly. And they weren't collapsing from something like treatable injuries, either. Their torsos were sliced apart from a single sword strike, or their necks were broken with just one flick of Kang Jin-Ho's hand. In other words, instant death!

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There was no such thing as a border region between life and death for Kang Jin-Ho. He was making sure there could be only one option for his victims. And most of his victims... No, make that every single one of his victims was forced to choose death.

'And... Just what are his swords made out of?!'

Vincent believed that swords didn't really matter in a battle to death. The legends of divine or treasure swords existed in various forms in practically every nation on Earth. The truth was, however, no such thing as a real divine sword existed in reality. There must've been a few famous holy swords or weapons similar to that in the ancient past, but the fact of the matter was this: weapons created through modern science easily exceeded the performance of those historical relics.

A good example was the katanas used by the members of Nanahoshi-gumi.

On the surface, their elegant forms might suggest that these swords were crafted through the time-honored tradition. However, those swords were actually products of modern blacksmithing techniques.

But now... Those modern weapons were being cleaved and sliced apart as if they were made out of cardboard. Katanas were clashing with what looked like ancient Chinese-style swords only to get cleanly sliced apart, so how could Vincent not question the performance of the two swords held in Kang Jin-Ho's hands!?

'How can such a thing even be possible?!'

If only Vincent's knowledge of Asian martial arts and cultivation techniques had been at a certain level, he would have had a simpler time understanding this phenomenon. Unfortunately, he didn't know much about those things, which meant he couldn't figure out how a pair of plain-looking swords without an aura coating could slice metal apart like tofu.

Of course, katanas weren't the only things being broken and sliced apart at the moment.

Slice!

A human body was sliced apart in two halves along with his weapon. Blood gushed out from the severed waist along with internal organs. Kang Jin-Ho kicked the bothersome corpse away, then leaped forward to slice apart three Japanese warriors blocking his way with a single sword strike.

Paaaaaaahng!

That noise was produced by a sword cutting through the air. Vincent flinched every time those ear-shredding sonic booms struck him.

'Just what... What the hell am I witnessing here?'

His eyes might be witnessing this scene, but he still couldn't believe it. And what seemed even more unbelievable was... The fact that he and his knight order had shown up here to kill that Kang Jin-Ho!

Vincent suddenly remembered how he had been worried about Kang Jin-Ho's allies hiding somewhere while he and his men traveled to this place. In hindsight, though...!

'Yeah, I must have lost my marbles!'

Did he really think they could kill that man? With only the Chevaliers?

Vincent also remembered what Elena said to him. She said Kang Jin-Ho wasn't just another detonator in the munitions storage. No, he was the nuke itself!

Vincent should've never ignored her warning. The basic rule for any member of the Round Table was to never ignore the information collected by the field agents, yet he did just that. All because Elena was a British and Knight Wiggins' daughter...!

Soon, Vincent would pay the price for bringing his private feelings into an official matter. With his life!

For now, the Chevaliers didn't suffer any losses. Yet. Unlike the members of Nanahoshi-gumi who actively tried to "respond" to Kang Jin-Ho, the Frenchmen didn't move an inch from the spot after the shock and terror had paralyzed them. Thanks to that, they still got to keep their pathetic lives.

However, at this rate...! It'd become impossible for these men to escape from Kang Jin-Ho's demonic rage. After all, they were stuck on an uninhabited island with no escape!

"C-captain, shouldn't we join the Japanese?" Mathieu stuttered out a question.

Vincent could only sneer at that suggestion. "Join them, you say?"

"Y-yes, captain. We... We should join Nanahoshi-gumi. If we don't, every one of us will die!"

"You idiot...!" Vincent gritted his teeth. "A hundred kittens can't win against a tiger. In that case, what do you think you can achieve by joining the Japanese?"

"B-but... We must do something...!"

"Stay put, Mathieu."

"Captain?"

"I said, shut up and stay put!"

Mathieu clamped his mouth shut after noticing Vincent quietly gritting his teeth.

Of course Vincent was frustrated. How could he not be? However, acting recklessly out of frustration would only hasten the total and absolute annihilation of his Chevaliers.

'Come on, think!'

Now wasn't the time to be physical but to use his brain. Like how one needed to stay alert and ready when a tiger dragged them away!

"Kuwaaaaahk!"

A blood-curdling scream suddenly resounded in the air. Vincent felt his entire body shudder.

Kang Jin-Ho's sword cut diagonally from the top and went through a Japanese warrior's shoulder, but the blade was stopped around the victim's abdomen. The Japanese warrior wouldn't have felt much pain if his torso was sliced apart cleanly, but for some misguided reason, another Japanese warrior tried to block Kang Jin-Ho's sword sticking out halfway with his own katana.

This meant the poor warrior, trapped between the two men, could only scream tragically while stuck in the no man's land between life and death.

"Kuhuk...! Kkuuuuuhk!"

Thankfully, though, Kang Jin-Ho... was merciful. As if he couldn't bear to see his victim suffering like this, Kang Jin-Ho forced his sword to continue its downward trajectory. The katana blocking him was chopped apart, and the poor Japanese warrior was finally put out of his misery as his torso was split into two halves.

The sight of severed human torsos wriggling and writhing around on the ground was a truly grotesque and horrifying scene to behold.

Kang Jin-Ho's swords, heated up from all the blood, began emitting faint white smoke.

"Ah, aaaah!" The last surviving self-claimed samurai of Nanahoshi-gumi was pitifully trembling before Kang Jin-Ho's blood-soaked figure.

Kang Jin-Ho smirked at this sight. "So... Where is your so-called spirit of the Japanese warrior?"

"Euh...!"

"I guess it was never here, to begin with? In that case, I should go look for it somewhere else."

Slice!

A severed head flew up in the sky.

Drop, tumble!

And then, it unceremoniously landed on the ground. The dead man's eyes were wide open as if he was searching for something. Did he find it, though? No one would ever know since dead men told no tales.

Tears of blood trickled out of Saito's eyes. Utter annihilation! There was no other word to describe this catastrophe other than total annihilation!

Not a single person survived. Not his right-hand man, Oizumi, nor the elites of his gumi that Saito worked so hard to train...! Not even a single one!

Saito's hands gripping the hilt of his katana shivered and trembled in the purest mixture of rage, hatred and terror.

"You... You abominable son of a b*tch!" Saito Genryu started swearing loudly even as Kang Jin-Ho began laughing at him. "This... this is not something a human being can do! Look! If you have eyes, look at what you have done!"

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow and followed Saito's pointing finger. When he looked behind, a scene that could only be described as Hell itself was laid out there.

The previously-pristine white beach was now turned into a crimson and muddy field, decorated by severed human torsos, internal organs and broken weapons. Waves lazily rolling in danced with the blood to spit out crimson bubbles. If there really was Hell, it would surely look like this.

Kang Jin-Ho slowly turned his head back and stared at Saito. He was still enveloped in the demonic qi, and anyone looking at his figure would've had a difficult time trying to control their emotions.

"Even if the martial artist is fated to shed blood, is this what a human should do?! Tell me! Even after committing such atrocities, you dare pretend to act like a human being like the rest of us?!"

As Saito's yell roared into the night sky, the demonic qi enveloping Kang Jin-Ho's figure slowly dissipated, eventually revealing him to Saito's eyes. And that allowed the leader of Nanahoshi-gumi to see it.

He saw Kang Jin-Ho's face. A face with the corners of his lips curled up in a derisive smirk!

Saito shuddered in indignation. "...You!"

Kang Jin-Ho's smirk deepened. He didn't know what Saito was shouting about. However, he thought he could understand the contents for some reason. What that Japanese man would say in this situation was plainly obvious, after all.

Saito's expression and body language were enough to translate what he was saying. At least, that was what Kang Jin-Ho thought.

"How absurd," Kang Jin-Ho muttered, his voice half-permeating with chilly air. "The bastard who chased after me all this way just to take my life thinks he's entitled to yap on and on about such things?"

"You...!"

"So, if I kill you cleanly and respectfully, are you going to thank me?"

"...!"

"This thing called the Japanese courtesy seems rather bizarre to me. You want to thank me for ending your life without ugly injuries? In that case, bow your head. Actually, no. Drop your head to the ground and grovel. Express how grateful you are. Then I shall respectfully kill you." Kang Jin-Ho's sneering words slammed into Saito's hearing like thunderclaps.

However, all Saito could do was shudder in indignation while gripping his sword tightly.

"There are two possible results for you. Death or walking out of here alive. How you get to those results is irrelevant. In that case, we utilize the most efficient method available. Isn't that what martial arts are all about?" Kang Jin-Ho asked with a derisive smirk.

His words didn't register in Saito's mind, however. Of course he didn't know what Kang Jin-Ho was saying. All he could see was Kang Jin-Ho's sneering expression and the utter confidence and leisure contained in Kang Jin-Ho's manner of speech.

Saito sensed all strength seep out of his body. There was no point in conversing with this monster. Besides, he shouldn't be saying anything, anyway. Saito was the loser, after all.

No matter what he said, it'd still be pathetic excuses coming out of a loser's mouth, that was all.

"...Things will not end this way," Saito slowly chewed these words out. Kang Jin-Ho silently stared back at the Japanese. "You should be proud of killing us today. Indeed, you have earned the right. However, this will be your downfall. Once the world learns about how you single-handedly annihilated the entire Nanahoshi-gumi...! Everyone will realize how dangerous you really are and stop at nothing to eliminate you. Kekekeke! Yes, we'll perish tonight, but you'll also die because of us! If I can ensure your death by giving up on our lives...! Well, that doesn't sound like a bad trade."

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in silence and kept staring at Saito.

"It's too late for regrets now, Kang Jin-Ho! You are..." Before Saito could finish his sentence...

Paaaaahng!

Kang Jin-Ho's sword scythed through the air and flew toward Saito's throat.

"Kuk!" Saito grunted and raised his katana like a flash of lightning to block Kang Jin-Ho's sword.

CLANG!

For the first time tonight, the proper sound of metal clashing with another metal resounded out. Kang Jin-Ho seemed genuinely amused that Saito had managed to block his strike. "Mm? You're strong."

Saito quickly stepped back while withdrawing his katana, then assumed the jodan stance from kenjutsu. "You arrogant, insolent bastard! I shall teach you how strong a true warrior of Japan is!"

Kang Jin-Ho's eyes began burning in a dangerous light. "Yes. Yes, you're strong, aren't you...?"

As he muttered that to no one in particular, dense demonic qi began gushing out from both his hands. Soon, the dark qi emerging from his limbs completely enveloped him like a cloak.

"Kekeke...!" Kang Jin-Ho cackled in excitement.

That was when Saito saw something that sent shivers down his spine. Before the demonic qi covered Kang Jin-Ho's face, his expression had distorted to resemble something hideous. Something inhuman!

"That means... You'll be able to last a bit longer than everyone else." Kang Jin-Ho leisurely strode toward Saito. "I don't know if you can understand me, but…"

Languages were developed as a way to communicate one's intentions to other people. That was how it was supposed to be, but Saito got to learn something new about communication today. Even if words didn't get through, the tone of one's speech alone was enough to deliver the speaker's intentions.

"Don't die too easily, okay?" Kang Jin-Ho cackled.

So that I can enjoy myself a little more...!

Soul-chilling crimson streaks of light began gushing out of Kang Jin-Ho's eyes.