Side Story Chapter 157 - Master of the Tower (4)

“Demon King...” Akart’s eyes trembled subtly as he uttered the filthy words. He swept his white hair back and glared at Oh Kang-Woo. “Yes... I must have forgotten what kind of man you are.”

“As long as you’ve realized it.”

Kang-Woo smiled as he put his feet on the table.

‘With this, it’s clear.’

There was no compromise with Akart.

‘I never wanted to in the first place.’

It didn’t matter what reason Akart had, how noble his cause was, or his circumstances. It didn’t justify his actions.

“That aside, you’re a motherfucking lunatic, aren’t you? You want to kill ninety-nine percent of Earth’s population to select one percent that will survive?”

The logic was so idiotic that Kang-Woo couldn’t help but laugh. No, it couldn’t even be considered as logic.

“How dare you act normal, bitch?” Kang-Woo criticized as he glared at Akart. “You’re just a madman.”

Akart was merely a man drowning in his beliefs and isolated in his little imaginary world.

“You’re... calling me... a madman?” asked Akart as he bit his lips.

“Yeah.”

“Hah, I can’t believe you have the gall to say such a thing when you’re willing to decimate many outer worlds so your world can survive.”

“Why should I give a shit about them getting decimated?” Kang-Woo put his legs back down from the table and slowly stood up. “I’m already having a hard enough time protecting what I have.”

He had lost far too much in the span of ten millennia.

‘No more.’

He refused to lose anything else, even if the price was the decimation of other worlds. He was willing to create a sea of blood if it meant protecting the happiness he had managed to earn.

‘So...’

Kang-Woo slowly raised his right arm. The palm of his right hand split and black mucus poured out. A dark blue sword sprouted from the black mucus. It was Midir, the demonic sword made from despair.

“I suppose it ultimately led to this.” Akart sighed as he snapped his finger.

A golden liquid pulsed and turned into a light made of radiant light.

“I now understand. You are—”

Akart grabbed the spear— no, Kang-Woo wondered if it could even be called a spear. The end wasn’t an edge but sprouted left and right into a T-shape. Golden dishes were dangling on each end. The weapon was more like a scale than a spear.

“A lifeform that must not exist.”

Clink.

The golden dishes shook and a clear sound echoed.

Whoooom!!!

An immense and extraordinary wave of golden light surged.

“You’re the one who mustn’t exist, you motherless bitch,” Kang-Woo retorted.

“...” Akart dumbfoundedly stared at Kang-Woo.

“What, bitch?”

“I was just thinking you are very vulgar for a Demon King.”

“Not as much as your mom.”

“What exactly drives you to make such comments...?”

“Thoughts of your mom.”

“...”

Akart chuckled in disappointment as Kang-Woo continued to make the mom jokes.

‘Were you expecting a heart-pounding battle between the strongest beings in the universe who represent light and darkness? Sorry, but I’m not that serious.’

“I do not have a mother.”

“What...?” Kang-Woo’s eyes widened in shock. An unbelievable sense of rage surged from inside him. “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT YOUR LATE MOTHER?!!”

“What?”

“HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HOW SAD YOUR MOTHER MUST BE IN HEAVEN AFTER HEARING THAT?!! HUH?! HOW HEARTBROKEN SHE MUST BE?!!”

“I’m saying—”

“Can’t you... hear it? Your mother’s cries?! Her screams that are full of sorrow and despair?! Are you seriously saying you can’t hear them?!!”

“What have you been talking about since—”

“SHUT UP!!! DO YOU HAVE SO LITTLE TO SAY TO YOUR MOTHER THAT YOU RESORT TO CURSING HER?!! YOU SHAMELESS BASTARD!!!”

“I told you, I have never had a mother.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m just playing.”

“...”

Akart frowned in displeasure.

‘Looks like badmouthing parents works even on people who don’t have parents. I learned something good today.’

“It seems I shouldn’t bother conversing with you,” Akart expressed.

“I’m surprised you only found that out just now despite seeing everything I’ve done in the tower.”

‘Did you expect to hold a proper conversation with someone who climbs the tower as they do a headspin?’

“Yes, I supposed I had my hopes up for no reason.”

Akart narrowed his eyes and gripped his spear tightly. The surging wave of golden light poured down on Kang-Woo.

Fwoosh—!!

The Flames of Voracity blazed around Midir’s blade. Kang-Woo crouched slightly and sprang back up as he slashed Midir upward. The light-devouring flames slashed the golden wave in half.

Clang—!!

Akart swung his spear low. Kang-Woo swung down Midir to block the spear. The impact numbed Kang-Woo’s arms and the shockwave from the clash was as if he were hit with a cannonball. A massive impact Kang-Woo had never experienced before shook him.

“Motherfucker!!!”

‘He’s so goddamn strong!!!’

Whaaam—!!!

Kang-Woo was blown backward like a baseball smashed by a bat swung by a cleanup hitter at the bottom of the ninth in a team with seventeen consecutive losses, instilled with the power of the universe as he thought of his wife and daughter.

“This propulsive power—!!”

Kang-Woo couldn’t even tell how many kilometers he was blown away as the surroundings changed by the millisecond. He barely managed to get himself in order and land on his feet.

“It far surpasses the manufacturer’s calculations!”

Rumble—!!

“Kurgh!”

Kang-Woo tumbled across the ground like a skipping stone on the water despite landing on his feet. As expected of a Titan— Akart’s strike was unlike anything Kang-Woo had ever experienced.

‘I doubt that’s even his true form, and he’s that powerful?’

No one would think Akart was a Titan in his current size. He was either possessing his incarnation or changed his form— whichever it was, he was not at his full power. Despite all that, Akart was unimaginably powerful.

“You may be the Master of the Demonic Sea, but you are no match for a Titan.”

A golden light flashed. Akart turned himself into light and appeared in front of Kang-Woo instantly. He raised his spear over his head and spun it like a windmill.

Clink!

The sound of the golden dishes hitting each other echoed. A golden wave surged upward and poured like rainfall.

Pitter patter!!

“Oh, shit!”

Kang-Woo quickly dodged each drop of golden rain by rolling on the ground. Ear-splitting sounds echoed all over the place but the floor of the tower was perfectly intact somehow.

Whoooom!

Akart turned into light again and moved directly on top of Kang-Woo at literally the speed of light. He swung down the bottom end of the spear at Kang-Woo’s head.

“Huup!”

Kang-Woo reflexively brought Midir forward and protected his head. He would have stuck his head forward and counterattacked if he were facing anyone else but Akart was different. His light possessed the power to negate the immortality granted by the Demonic Sea.

Clang—!!

The scale spear and Midir clashed and the immense shockwave weighed down on Kang-Woo.

Fwoosh!

The Flames of Voracity scattered, unable to completely negate the Light of Akart.

Whoosh!

Akart brought his right foot back as soon as his attack was blocked and kicked the crouching Kang-Woo.

“Kurgh!! Arghhh!”

The immense impact blew him backward like a cannonball but was slightly less powerful since it was from Akart’s kick and not his scale spear.

“Huup!!!”

Kang-Woo spun in midair, grabbed Midir with both hands and raised it above his head.

Fwoosh—!!

The scattered Flames of Voracity blazed again and condensed into Midir’s blade. Since Kang-Woo saw the floor was perfectly fine, he figured it was okay to attack with all his might.

“EX...”

Fwoosh—!!!

The Flames of Voracity traveled along and beyond the blade as if Midir had extended several dozens of meters.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“CALIBUR—!!!”

He swung it down.

Rumble—!!!

The condensed Flames of Voracity slashed the garden, destroying the beautiful flowers.

“Ngh...!”

Akart raised his scale spear to block the Flames of Voracity. His feet dragged slightly backward as he couldn’t block the attack completely.

“Kurghhh...”

Akart had lacerations resembling beast bites around his body. He frowned and softly groaned. The Light of Akart was fatal to Kang-Woo but so was the Demonic Sea to Akart. The darkness of the Demonic Sea was so boundless that even Akart needed to face it with the risk of being annihilated.

“Fucking hell, that hurts like shit.”

Kang-Woo walked toward Akart as he rubbed his chest where Akart kicked him.

“...” Akart narrowed his eyes as he stared at Kang-Woo. “Do you have no intention of fighting seriously?”

“Eh? What the hell are you talking about? I’m serious as fuck. How much more serious do you want me to be?”

“I can tell... you are not serious at all.”

“Really?”

Kang-Woo cackled. Akart was right; Kang-Woo was not fighting seriously. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fucked around, making all those jokes.

“But shouldn’t I be the one saying that?” Kang-Woo remarked.

Akart was certainly powerful, overpowering to the point that not even Kang-Woo was on par with him.

‘But that can’t be his full power.’

It was obvious just from the fact that he was maintaining a human form.

“It is because I did not see the need to display my full power,” Akart answered coldly.

“Oh, is that so?”

Kang-Woo smiled.

‘He doesn’t even need to go all out against the likes of me, does he? Well, he’s not wrong.’

Although Kang-Woo managed to damage Akart, Kang-Woo was getting manhandled the entire battle.

“Then I guess I have no choice.”

If Akart did not feel the need to go all out, Kang-Woo would need to make him feel that need.

“No choice but what...?” asked Akart with his eyes narrowed.

“Hm? What? I thought you knew.”

“...?”

Akart frowned as he tilted his head in wonder.

“Pfft!!” Kang-Woo laughed. “Oh, I see.”

It seemed like Kang-Woo had been overestimating Akart because he figured out Kang-Woo had the Demonic Sea.

“That’s all you know, huh?”

“I am not sure what you mean.”

“Bwehehe! Don’t make such a scary face. I’ll thoroughly teach you even if you don’t want to know.”

Kang-Woo slowly moved his right arm. He did not need to put his hand over his heart anymore but it had become a habit.

“What are you doing...?”

Akart frowned as he stared at Kang-Woo. An inexplicably unsettling traveled down his back.

Rumble—!!!

“Huh?”

“Hmm...”

Crack!!

Just then, the floor of the tower was split and the entire garden shook.

Translator’s Notes:

Kang-Woo’s decision irks me... letting innocent people die is different from killing them yourself. He’s saying he would destroy several entire worlds so his own would be safe, but the outer worlds also have innocent people who also don’t deserve to die. Would other members of his party come to the same decision? Would they let several worlds full of people die so they can live?

I can’t even see Akart as the villain anymore... he’s willing to be annihilated so he can at least save one percent of the people in a world that’s doomed to be destroyed. It’s not even his fault this is happening either; he’s just cleaning up someone else’s mess. Bael might have been the one to damage Earth’s Law of Titans beyond repair but Kang-Woo is pretty much the root cause.

I’m not justifying Akart’s decision to kill 99% to select the 1% to live but Kang-Woo could have at least tried to find another way than jump straight to eradicating worlds...