Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 977: Invading (2)

“The doorway has been destroyed, sir!”

Knight Chadwick nearly fell into a bout of dazed stupor just then.

‘The doorway has been breached? Really?’

He double-checked just in case he misheard it, but no! The result remained the same.

At least he wouldn't have had a problem accepting the report of the door being “opened.”

Even if the activation spell for the elevator had changed, Wiggins was still one of the best mages in the United Kingdom. Someone like him should have the necessary skills to find a breakthrough no one else could have thought of.

So, Knight Chadwick would've offered wholehearted praise to Wiggins if the doorway had been thrown wide open. However, this situation was definitely not that, now was it!

‘Destroyed?! That door?!’

What an unexpected turn of events this was.

The entrance to the Round Table was not the creation of the current-era mages. No, it was a product from the time before Christianity took hold of the land and ushered in the era of persecution of all things mystical. Indeed, it was a relic from the time seen as the peak of magic craft, one fondly referred to as the Golden Age by the current generation!

The current-era mages wouldn't be able to destroy that doorway regardless of what they tried. Such was the unbreachable nature of the doorway that if the activation spell was forgotten somehow, the Round Table wouldn't have any other option than to abandon the base altogether!

But now… Such a doorway was destroyed?

‘Impossible!’

Chadwick wasn't stupid enough to deny what had already happened. Even then… How many people would stare at the spectacle of the sky and ground flipping around and unquestioningly believe what they saw was real?

Chadwick badly wanted to reject this reality. Unfortunately, that option was no longer available after he heard and felt that incredible explosion just now. The explosion that seemed hell-bent on tearing his body apart into pieces!

Since the opponent this time was Wiggins, Chadwick didn’t think they’d be able to stall him forever. Wiggins was rather good at finding solutions, after all!

However, that wouldn’t signal defeat for the Round Table. Victory or defeat could only be decided by the organization’s ability to buy enough time for the arrival of the reinforcements currently on the way.

Chadwick believed they could at least buy half a day's worth of time, but to think that the dependable doorway wouldn't even last ten minutes!

‘Just… Just what did you do!’

Even after recalling all the spells he had memorized, Chadwick couldn’t think of one that could destroy the doorway. In that case, was the attack more physical in nature?

In order to break that door down, one would have to resort to deploying a bomber. The firepower of explosives individuals could carry simply wasn't enough to destroy that doorway. It was impossible. After all, it could withstand the power of a tank or 105mm howitzer blast!

That should have been the case, so how… Just where did Wiggins find a destructive power even stronger than those?!

“Knight Chadwick, sir!”

Chadwick sobered up at the urgent cry of his subordinate.

“Please give us your orders!”

While grimacing, Chadwick chewed on his lip. Who cared about where Wiggins found the requisite firepower? What Chadwick must focus on right now should be the fact that the doorway had been breached, and the enemy was trying to flood into the Round Table!

Chadwick roared at the top of his lungs. “Block the entrance! And summon the reinforcements! Right away!”

“Yessir!”

“And summon the Garter Knight Order! Tell them to stop the enemy's advance!”[1]

“B-but would they even heed your summons, sir?”

“It's a Knight's order! Of course they will!” Knight Chadwick roared while putting his foot down.

However, the subordinate still remained somewhat hesitant. “But the opponent this time is Wiggins, sir. The Garter Knight Order probably won't…”

“Wiggins is not a Knight, now is he!”

“…”

“I am Britain's Knight! As such, I command you to summon the Garter Knight Order, right now!”

“Yes, sir!”

Once the subordinate quickly dashed away to deliver the message, Knight Chadwick slammed his fist against a nearby wall.

BANG!

A loud noise echoed angrily within the corridor.

‘Damn you, Wiggins!’

To Knight Chadwick, Wiggins was similar to a wall that could never be surpassed. The misfortune of being born five years later meant Chadwick had no choice but to witness the spectacle of Wiggins always surging ahead of him.

‘Five years!’

That was too short for Chadwick to be seen as someone from a different generation. But it was also too long for a fair competition between him and Wiggins.

Being judged by the same yardstick as someone born five years earlier was indescribably unfair. Especially when that someone in question happened to be a peerless genius!

Catching up to someone like that would be an exercise in futility.

Five years to a genius was starkly different from five years to a regular person. If a regular person could produce something worthy of ten points in five years, a genius could produce a hundred, nay, a thousand points worth of something in the same time frame!

Wiggins was that kind of genius. Catching up to him would’ve been incredibly tough for people born in the same year as him, so how was Chadwick supposed to do that when he was five years younger?

That was why Chadwick had to stay crushed by Wiggins’ brilliance for the longest time. Only after Wiggins willingly cast aside his life here did Chadwick manage to wipe out all traces of that brilliance and claim the Knight position for himself!

But now… that Wiggins had returned! And as an enemy, no less!

‘I cannot allow that, Wiggins!’

Chadwick didn't hold any particular animosity toward Wiggins. Had Wiggins not thrown away his position as the Knight, Chadwick would have been perfectly content as a “regular” agent of the Round Table for the rest of his life.

Yes, he might have felt a little shortchanged and angry about his situation every now and then. But plenty of examples of talented people getting overshadowed by once-in-a-generation genius's brilliance could be found throughout history. For instance, someone like Salieri.

Not everyone had to be the main character, after all!

However, Wiggins was the culprit responsible for dragging Chadwick, who had been perfectly satisfied with his life up to that point, into the role of the main character.

So, how dare he show up now to take that role away?

‘I won’t let you do that, Wiggins!’

Some people often talk about a frog in a well. The thing was, though… Chadwick didn’t think that old saying wasn’t necessarily all bad.

Imagine a frog living its best-possible life inside a well, unaware of the wider world outside. Forcing it to go through misfortune and hardship just because it hadn't seen the world was nothing more than the sheer arrogance of those on the outside.

Unfortunately for this frog, once it saw what things were like outside the well, it'd never be able to go back to its old life. Ignorance was, indeed, bliss. Knowing the truth would make the interior of the well far, far too cramped for the frog, even though it used to be just fine. And the frog would never find happiness again.

‘Remember, Wiggins! You are the one who dragged me out of my well!’

Chadwick clenched his teeth while standing up.

Of course, he was aware of the unfortunate fact that the Garter Knight Order did not trust him. Even though Chadwick had been elected as Britain's representative Knight, those people still hadn't acknowledged him.

If the enemy had been someone else, they might have had no problem following Chadwick's orders. But Wiggins was the enemy this time. So, the odds of the Garter Knight Order not heeding Chadwick's orders were rather high. After all, those people spent their entire lives loyally serving Wiggins, didn't they?

‘Even so… You cannot reject my command!’

It didn't matter what anyone said; Wiggins was still nothing more than a traitor to the organization. That fact would never change.

Meanwhile, Chadwick was the Knight in charge here. Siding with the traitor would be utterly unthinkable to a loyal agent of the Round Table!

No matter how unhappy the Garter Knight Order might be about this situation, they should realize that… They must obey Chadwick’s command!

That was the power of the authority granted to Chadwick, after all.

Just as Chadwick’s thoughts reached that far, his phone suddenly began ringing. He stared at the phone, his expression getting stiffer. The caller’s number belonged to Knight Leveaux.

“...This is Chadwick speaking.”

-Come to the Round Table.

“Understood.”

Chadwick ended the call without saying anything else, then headed to the Round Table in large, determined steps.

‘Wiggins, you made a wrong choice this time!'

Chadwick couldn't even begin to guess what trickery Wiggins resorted to destroying the doorway. However, he was confident of one thing. Stepping foot inside the Round Table would be nothing more than a suicide!

Wiggins could have succeeded in catching the Round Table with its pants down if the situation had been different, but not this time. That was because the majority of the Knights were present in the HQ for the upcoming selection of the new Master!

Each Knight represented their country. Being the strongest in their homeland wasn't the be-all-end-all qualification, but it was also true that someone lacking in strength couldn't even apply to become a candidate for the Knighthood. In other words, it was safe to assume that Europe's best fighters were staying in this place right this moment!

‘...And I shall personally take your head, Wiggins!’

That would be a better end for Wiggins than letting Knight Leveaux have his way. And it’d also be Knight Chadwick’s act of kindness for the former Knight.

***

Bang Jin-Hun tilted his head. “This is kinda complicated, isn’t it…? Is it supposed to be like this?”

“No, well…” Wiggins scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure what to tell you since this is also my first time entering the Round Table this way. At the very least, we’ve managed to reach the location I had in mind.”

“Get out of the way! Urgh… Eeeek!” Vator, who was seemingly stuck in the chasm on the ground, grunted and struggled ungainly to push himself through. Even though the gap should've been wide enough for two healthy adults to fit through side-by-side, it was still not quite enough for Vator and his size.

Bang Jin-Hun groaned loudly. “...It’s one thing after another, isn’t it?”

Vator sharply glared back. “What was that?!”

“It’s nothing,” Bang Jin-Hun tutted, then clamped his mouth shut.

Wiggins couldn’t help but admire Bang Jin-Hun right now.

‘Well, well… Being snarky to this degree takes some talent, alright.'

Especially when the target of the snarky comments happened to Vator!

Anyone with all their brain screws in the right places would never consider being so cheeky with Vator. Even if the big man was shockingly rational despite his boorish appearance, one should never forget that he could still turn living human beings into powder with just a playful flick of his fingers!

It’d take some extraordinary balls of brass to relentlessly tease someone capable of doing that!

‘Is it because Director Bang has spent a lot of time with my lord?’

Or maybe Bang Jin-Hun was just fearless?

The last person to jump down the gap was Kang Jin-Ho. Everyone stared at him in silent anticipation.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Wiggins. “So, Wiggins?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“What’s our next move?”

“Well, my original plan was…” Wiggins pouted slightly. “Since this is the only exit, we could've taken a bit of time while cautiously moving toward our ultimate destination. Everyone inside would've been no different to rats in a pot with us holding this location, you see? However, now everyone knows of our invasion, and we can't do that anymore.”

“Huh? Doesn’t the enemy already know?” Vator cocked an eyebrow and asked back.

Wiggins growled unhappily. “I’m not talking about the Round Table, sir! It’s the people outside that I’m worried about! They must’ve realized something’s going on by now! Don’t be surprised if the army suddenly shows up outside!”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly shrugged. “I’m sure things won’t go that far.”

“...My lord, it’s prudent to always plan for the worst.”

There was a hint of reproach in Wiggins' voice, but as usual, Kang Jin-Ho didn't pay much mind to it. Even if he had gotten somewhat mature and considered his actions a lot more often these days, Kang Jin-Ho knew that overthinking did more harm than good on a battlefield.

Sometimes, keeping it simple was the correct answer.

“So, what should we do?” Kang Jin-Ho asked again.

“It’s blitzkrieg, my lord,” said Wiggins while pointing up ahead. “The path toward the Round Table is a maze filled with various traps. With all those activated, our journey will only get harder. And we shouldn’t forget the countless defenders we will no doubt encounter along the way, too.”

“Hmm…”

“However, there is no other way, my lord. We simply have to break through, somehow.”

Vator smirked deeply. “Finally. Something that sounds good to my ear.”

“...I’m happy that you’re so upbeat about this, Sir Vator,” Wiggins sighed under his breath.

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded. “Let me confirm one thing before we begin.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“What is the conclusion you want to achieve?”

Wiggins narrowed his eyes. “...I don’t quite follow?”

“I get that our ultimate destination is the Round Table. However, what will we find once we get there?”

“Knights from various countries should be there to protect the Round Table as per the regulation. Since the Master position is technically vacant, the command will fall on either Knight Leveaux or Chadwick.”

“So, the actual goal isn’t the Round Table but these Knights?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And the conclusion you want is the death of all those Knights?”

Wiggins clamped his mouth shut. His answer would determine how many people would lose their lives tonight. After a few seconds of deliberation, Wiggins cautiously broke his silence. “...We must not kill everyone, my lord.”

“Then, what?”

“The one we must get rid of is Knight Leveaux. Him only. However…” Wiggins' expression stiffened in determination. “Anyone in cahoots with Leveaux or foolishly stands in your way… will have to die as well.”

“Simple enough,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “The one who’ll die tonight is Knight Leveaux, then anyone who tries to stop us. Correct?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Good,” Kang Jin-Ho bared his fangs in a ferocious smirk. Then, he unsheathed the Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne. “Do your best to keep up. I’ll carve open the path forward.”

“Yes, sir!”

Wiggins could only smile wryly while watching Kang Jin-Ho take a step forward.

Maybe the most excited person in this group wasn’t Vator but Kang Jin-Ho.

1. The Order of the Garter is a real knight order in the UK, but I'm sure the author didn't mean that one. ?