Chapter 1008. Concluding (3)

Plop...

The last remaining Elder Knight fell. And then... Eerie silence reminiscent of death descended on this hall.

However, the occasion of an old legend falling and getting replaced by a new one was always supposed to be accompanied by a sense of unease and disharmony.

Splash!

Kang Jin-Ho casually flicked the Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne to scatter the blood on the blades to the floor. Then, he casually stashed his weapons into his subspace. That signified the battle was over in his view.

Even though other knight orders and Leveaux were still around, Kang Jin-Ho declared the end of the hostilities through his actions. Of course, no one dared to raise their objections.

Step.

Kang Jin-Ho began walking toward his new target. Every time he took a step, a new footprint made out of blood was left behind.

Kang Jin-Ho’s body was a mess. It was dyed crimson from all the blood dumped on him. Each step prompted the droplets of blood dangling from his hair to fall.

The needles from the Dragon Killer had left behind numerous holes in Kang Jin-Ho's body. The explosion itself had scorched various parts of his flesh, too. And then, there was a large hole in Kang Jin-Ho's chest, a gift from Gawain before the Elder Knight passed on.

An ordinary person would've died on the spot from all these injuries. However, Kang Jin-Ho walked around without any visible concern on his face, as if there was nothing to worry about.

Step, step...

Besides, no one dared to step forward and dissuade him in the first place, anyway. Instead, they all held their breaths and continued to observe Kang Jin-Ho’s stroll.

They wanted to witness what the man responsible for destroying the Round Table's legend to create a new one would do next. And engrave everything they saw into their memories!

‘Well, it’s definitely over now.’

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded while scanning the surroundings.

Objectively speaking, the war was still in the beginning stage. Both the Martial Assembly and the Round Table had not exhausted ten percent of their available forces, after all. The Elder Knights revealing themselves before the war commenced properly was responsible for this state.

Even though people should've resumed fighting each other since the Elder Knights were gone...

‘No one would do that now.’

For all intents and purposes... This war was over.

Right now, this underground space was completely under Kang Jin-Ho’s rule. No one would dare get on his nerves, never mind try to get in his way!

Like a colony of little rabbits trapped inside a cage with a lion, everyone in this hall shrank back and hid in dark corners, praying that they wouldn't become the next prey. Not only the Round Table's people, but even the Martial Assembly's members held their breath.

Then again, it made sense that the person pulling the curtains down on this war would be “him!”

...And that man was leisurely walking toward his new target. Even though he wasn’t walking as slowly as everyone perceived, the audience still thought the time between each step was as long as the eternity itself.

The heart-stopping tension only got worse and worse. Even as the atmosphere grew more and more unbearable, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t stop and continued to approach his target.

Almost at the same time...

“Hiii... Hiii...!”

Leveaux was hurriedly but ungainly scrambling back while still plopped on his butt. His face was pale with fright as if he had seen the grim reaper closing in.

Step!

Leveaux could see the terrifying figure of Kang Jin-Ho gradually closing in. Even if all the terror existing in the world was brought together, it'd still be nothing compared to the fear crippling Leveaux right now!

Blood was dripping nonstop from Kang Jin-Ho's figure.

The devil had finished destroying the Round Table and killed the Elder Knights. And now, his attention was focused solely on Leveaux!

That was when the Frenchman realized something. Once that devil’s steps brought him closer to Leveaux, he... He’d die. Without a shred of doubt!

Death no one could escape from or survive was swiftly closing in on Leveaux.

“U-uwaaahhh...?!”

Leveaux always saw himself as a fearless man. A man who didn't fear death. As it turned out, though, he was merely being delusional.

“Death” depended on what type of death it was.

Of course, the outcome of death was just that, dying. What mattered in this equation, though, was not the outcome but the process.

The fear of death at the hands of Kang Jin-Ho was so much more crippling and terrifying than dying as a martyr or a soldier on a battlefield!

“Ah... ah...!”

Leveaux looked up at Kang Jin-Ho closing the final few meters, and his complexion grew as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

He instinctively could tell. That devil... No words would get through to that devil! No matter how much Leveaux begged, prayed, and shed tears, that devil would still unhesitantly rip his head off!

In that case, what should he do here to survive this crisis?

“...! W-Wiggins! Wiggins!” Leveaux desperately cried out. “L-listen! I admit it! I lost! I said, I lost! The R-Round Table is yours now! And, and! I'll give you the Master's position, too! T-that's why... Please! Please help me!”

Listening to Leveaux's pleas was like a torture for everyone here. Even those who hated him or didn't hold any favorable views of the man couldn't continue watching and turned their heads away.

Even if Leveaux's crimes deserved the punishment of death, watching a once-proud man lose his mind and beg like that was not a pleasant viewing experience.

“...! M-Master! Master! Please help me! Save me! Master! I’m sorry! I, I’m sorry! I made a mistake! Masteeeer!”

Even the Master squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away. And when everyone looked away from him, Leveaux's body began shivering noticeably.

His death... It was approaching! And its name was Kang Jin-Ho!

Step, step...

Kang Jin-Ho eventually stopped just one step away from the plopped Leveaux. The Frenchman shivered like a lone leaf in stormy winds while staring at those blood-covered feet.

So, so much blood!

Most people would respond similarly when confronted by a powerful, gigantic enemy they could not fight against.

Leveaux’s hands gathered before his chest without him even realizing it. It was as if he was praying to a god.

Unfortunately, everyone here knew that Leveaux’s god couldn’t save him right now. Maybe this god could save Leveaux’s soul after he died. But even gods had no power to stop Kang Jin-Ho in reality!

That was because... At least, right in this place at this moment in time, Kang Jin-Ho was the god of death!

“I... I was merely...” Leveaux forced his clattering jaw to move and spat out some words. “I... I can... Yes, I can be of some use to you! I...”

Crack.

The eerie noise of joints popping rang out from Kang Jin-Ho’s hands.

Leveaux, who couldn’t bring himself to look at Kang Jin-Ho’s face until then, had no choice but to slowly raise his head. After what felt like an eternity of agony, he finally took a look at the face of the man standing before him.

...And then, he saw ‘it.’

Just below the bangs soaked in crimson blood, Kang Jin-Ho's fangs were bared in a toothy smirk. As if he was a little kid who had found an amusing little toy!

Kang Jin-Ho flatly muttered, “Looks like you’re mistaken about something...”

“...?!”

“I don’t have any bad blood with you.”

“...Ah!” Leveaux's body shivered more intensely, but it was for a different reason this time. A seed of hope he didn't think still existed had suddenly sprouted in his heart just then.

When he quickly thought about it, what Kang Jin-Ho said made some sense.

Leveaux never really tried to antagonize Kang Jin-Ho. Yes, he did awaken the Elder Knights to stop Kang Jin-Ho, but anyone serving as the Master of the Round Table would’ve done the same thing. It was their duty, after all.

That was why Kang Jin-Ho was not going to...

“That is why I’m not doing this out of resentment, okay?” Kang Jin-Ho continued to mutter while lowering his body.

Soon, a pair of deeply withdrawn black eyes stared into Leveaux’s trembling eyes. He had never seen such indescribably ominous darkness in someone’s eyes before. The darkness was so deep that it might suck him in and never let go...!

“Since you did something, it’s only right that you take the responsibility. Isn’t that right?” Kang Jin-Ho grinned while staring into Leveaux’s eyes.

That was supposed to be just a grin. But to Leveaux, that grin was even more goosebumps-inducing than a wolf baring its fangs and growling away!

“That’s what it means to be the boss, you see? A boss must be held accountable for what they’ve started. And the buck still stops with the boss even if they haven’t started anything. You didn’t become the boss of this place without knowing that, now did you?”

“I, I was...”

“Ohh... It seems you didn’t know,” Kang Jin-Ho bared his fangs again.

His right hand began moving. Its movement was definitely not fast at all. As a matter of fact, it was so slow that even those who didn't know any martial arts would have found it too slow-moving!

Even then, Kang Jin-Ho's hand still securely gripped Leveaux's throat!

“Kkeuuuuuuhhk?!”

Leveaux reflexively bit his tongue after sensing the tremendous power tightening around his throat. He hurriedly grabbed at Kang Jin-Ho’s hand. He even tried to claw at it.

However, Kang Jin-Ho’s hand didn’t budge an inch.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely stood up again while gripping Leveaux’s throat. The Frenchman was gradually raised up to his feet, then eventually became an object helplessly dangling in the air.

“Kku-huph?! Kuk!”

Leveaux couldn’t breathe. Foams bubbled out of his mouth as he ungainly kicked and struggled. His nails tried to dig into Kang Jin-Ho’s arm.

Kang Jin-Ho disinterestedly observed this scene before breaking his silence. “Do you know why you’ll die?”

He had a hunch that Leveaux couldn't hear anything right now. After all, Leveaux shouldn't have the mental leeway to hear and process external sounds in the middle of his desperate struggle. However, whether he did or not ultimately was a moot point.

“Those who wish to wage war must put their lives on the line. Anyone who thinks they can hide in the background like some rat and toy with people’s lives is not qualified to stand on a battlefield.”

This place was undoubtedly a war zone. And Leveaux did not have the qualifications to be here. That alone was ample enough reason for him to die in Kang Jin-Ho's books!

Leveaux's body violently spasmed. Even now, the demonic qi entering through his throat was leaving a trail of destruction behind inside his helpless body. He must be under intense pain akin to hundreds of razorblades dancing around inside his gut.

However, that kind of punishment was still inadequate for the sins Leveaux had committed.

The old Kang Jin-Ho would’ve gifted Leveaux with every type of pain imaginable. But he didn’t feel like doing that today.

Was it because others were watching? No, not really.

Regardless of what, Leveaux was still the Master of the Round Table, an individual that the Elder Knights tried to protect.

Granting Leveaux a “clean” death was not Kang Jin-Ho trying to be merciful toward the Frenchman, but more like his way of paying respect to those Elder Knights.

Without saying anything else, Kang Jin-Ho turned his head to glance at Wiggins some distance away. Wiggins sensed the intent behind that gaze and weightily nodded. That was enough for Kang Jin-Ho.

Crack!

A chilling noise echoed in the hall. A noise so eerie and spooky that no one here wanted to hear it ever again!

Leveaux, now his neck bent at a bizarre angle, spasmed and shuddered before going limp.

For a cunning schemer who had engineered the Master's downfall and seized control of this powerful organization, his final moments could only be described as pitiful. Empty. Even anti-climatic.

Plop!

Leveaux’s dead body fell to the floor. Compared to the Elder Knights, who remained proud even as death came for them, Leveaux’s end was pathetic. Shameful, even.

...And his pathetic end shattered any lingering thoughts of resistance within the Round Table’s warriors inside the hall.

Kang Jin-Ho quietly turned his head and scanned everyone in the hall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no one dared to meet his gaze. Everywhere he looked, people all hurriedly lowered their gazes and stared at their toes.

With that, the war was officially over.

Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly walked away from Leveaux’s corpse and headed elsewhere. His new destination was where Gawain still stood, even in his death.

After reaching the Elder Knight, Kang Jin-Ho silently studied the dead man before reaching out to gently touch it. That gentle touch was still enough to break the body's balance, causing it to fall. Kang Jin-Ho carefully caught the body, then laid it down slowly on the floor.

“...My lord,” said Wiggins. He had walked up to Kang Jin-Ho while the latter was busy with the body.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the former Knight of the Round Table. “...Wiggins.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Handle the clean-up.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly rose back up to his feet, then looked at Gawain's still-smiling face. “...And be as respectful as you can with these warriors.”

“I will!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then turned around to leave. With that, the long and twisty night had finally come to an end.