Ch.71EP.19 – The Knight Defies the Seasons (1)

The Demon King’s body was pierced with harpoons all over.

It looked as if someone had arranged flowers with harpoons.

All thirteen harpoons had hit their mark.

It was nothing short of precision shooting, and even an archer known as a divine marksman couldn’t have pierced the creature so accurately.

Splash!

Blood flowed profusely.

Pierced thighs, arms, and even the chest.

With injuries like that, the footsteps of death should rightfully be heard approaching, but unfortunately, death couldn’t come near the Demon King.

It would be natural for even death itself to fear the Demon King’s might and flee.

Above all.

[[I’ll… kill… you…!]]

The Demon King wasn’t a being who would die from “mere wounds” like these.

BOOM!!

Though wounded, his life force hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

For ordinary creatures, a pierced chest or severed neck would mean certain death, but for the Demon King, these barely qualified as injuries.

[[GAAA!!]]

They only served to enrage him further.

The Demon King’s fist came crashing down toward Ihan.

KWAAANG!

A deafening explosion shook the air with a sound like tearing space.

The tremor felt like an earthquake, causing people standing throughout the Academy to frequently lose balance and fall.

Aftershocks made it difficult to maintain equilibrium, and the epicenter of this seismic wave was, naturally…

Crumble…!

The ground was not just dented but on the verge of collapse.

A power capable of destroying nations.

This was undeniable proof of how such power could exist.

In that situation…

“I’m right here.”

[[!!?]]

In an instant, he had climbed onto the Demon King’s shoulder and swung his sword mercilessly.

It wasn’t any named technique, just simple…

Slash, slash!

Butchery.

His blade traced countless trajectories as it hacked at the Demon King’s arm.

More than ten slashes.

[[Die… now-!]]

However, the Demon King’s skin wasn’t easily penetrated.

Of course, the large harpoons had barely pierced it, and most weapons would struggle to even scratch it.

-That is, if his body were in normal condition.

SPLASH!

[[!!]]

The monster howled in pain.

“That’s what happens when you leave those harpoons stuck in you.”

He was both disgusted by the stupidity of ignoring the embedded harpoons and pleased by it.

After all, stupidity makes an opponent easier to deal with.

The harpoons the Demon King hadn’t removed, and the cracks they had created.

By precisely slashing and tearing at those spots, Ihan had mangled the Demon King’s arm terribly.

[[Get… out… of… my… way!]]

Whoosh, came the incoming fist.

A swift and precise strike that belied the creature’s size.

Those watching would imagine a boulder falling from the sky.

His intelligence might be lacking, but his physical abilities were extraordinary.

Swish!

“Well, damn. Your physical specs are off the charts.”

But Ihan immediately dodged the falling fist.

The technique of Gungsintanyeong.

A method of moving as fast as an arrow shot, his own unique high-speed movement technique.

Ihan literally became the wind as he moved, and each time…

Slash!

He swung his sword repeatedly.

Back, legs, shoulders, knees, groin, and even the neck.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Ihan clearly demonstrated this saying, showing the perfect example of hit-and-run tactics.

However, no matter how quickly and skillfully he toyed with his opponent, he couldn’t let his guard down.

After all…

[[No, no-!]]

KWAAANG!

…one mistake would mean death.

“Ha, you monster…”

Ihan gave a dry laugh as he dripped with cold sweat.

-Every time the monster’s arms and legs swung, a numbing pressure washed over his entire body.

It felt like razor-sharp winds cutting at him and heavy hammers pounding his body simultaneously.

‘How is this considered weakened?’

It was absurd.

This was supposedly less than 30% of the creature’s power in its prime.

If it were at 100%, he would have been dead long ago.

‘No, even without being in his prime, if he just had a bit more intelligence, I’d be finished.’

It was only possible to fight him because he relied solely on brute force.

If this creature had been slightly more intelligent and used martial arts, or if he had tried to flee and attack elsewhere, this fight would have been meaningless long ago.

There was value in ‘deliberately’ provoking him to focus all his hostility and killing intent solely on himself.

At least until he killed Ihan, he wouldn’t leave this place.

Therefore…

‘I really can’t die here.’

The moment he died, all the disciples at the Colosseum and every student at the Academy would perish.

Somehow, Ihan’s mission had become crucial, and he formed a new resolve against the Demon King who was gradually becoming accustomed to his movements and preparing to attack.

A resolve to never be penetrated.

So…

‘I won’t give you time to get used to it.’

Whoosh!

He decided to show something even more spectacular.

Stagger!

The Demon King staggered.

Just when he thought he’d finally caught his opponent and moved with all his might, his target suddenly disappeared, which was understandable.

But Ihan hadn’t disappeared.

He had simply…

Swoosh! Swoosh!

[[!!]]

Adopted movements far more complex than before.

Ihan’s movements seemed to follow no fixed pattern, freely creating confusion that toyed with his opponent.

In an instant, the afterimages created by Gungsintanyeong bewildered the Demon King’s eyes and caused his senses to become disoriented.

[[Mul…tiplied.]]

“——.”

Ihan gritted his teeth without even making a groan.

The moment he revealed his hidden secret technique, his entire body screamed in protest.

But the effect was excellent, and Ihan moved more roughly to toy with his opponent.

Originally, this was a secret technique he had been saving to show Baltar Grace, yet here he was revealing it first to a monster.

– Phantom Eight Trigrams Step (Hwanyong Palgwae Bo)

It combined the ultimate speed of Gungsintanyeong, the afterimages it created, and the principles of the eight trigrams.

It was still incomplete.

His knowledge of the eight trigrams was insufficient, and trying to execute the movement technique while considering the principles of the eight trigrams was causing an overload.

But…

‘It should be enough to toy with one monster.’

It was Ihan’s movement technique imbued with mystical profundity amid freedom, creating illusions along with high-speed movement—more than sufficient to bewitch a monster.

Crack!

…Unfortunately, it wasn’t a technique he could use for long.

The strain on his body was considerable.

He couldn’t hold out for long.

So what he needed to do was…

“Hah!”

While the monster was still disoriented, he had to deliver an even more devastating attack.

Crack!

[[??]]

The Demon King’s jaw turned.

It was painful, but what the Demon King couldn’t understand was…

[[Why-?]]

He’s over there?

Clearly, he sensed his opponent below, so why had his head turned?

This incomprehension preceded the pain.

Baekbosingwon.

In boxing or martial arts, reach—the length of arms and legs—is one of the crucial elements for dominating a match.

In that sense, when facing a monster whose reach exceeded his own by dozens of times, there was nothing better than the techniques of Gyeoksantau.

Hence, Baekbosingwon.

Ihan’s fist technique that restructured Gyeoksantau’s methods.

The Baekbosingwon technique, which ignored the opponent’s size and reach, pummeled the monster’s body from all directions in succession.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

[[Gaaa!!?]]

Sensory disruption using the Phantom Eight Trigrams Step.

Indiscriminate strikes that defied distance and direction through Baekbosingwon.

And additionally…

BOOM!!

The wonders of Naegajungsuhyeop in his footwork.

Ihan was undoubtedly overwhelming the Demon King.

…However, to third-party observers…

“H-how? The instructor is going to die at this rate!”

It looked like he could collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

Although the Demon King was currently being overwhelmed, his regenerative abilities remained strong, and his intimidating presence hadn’t diminished at all since he first appeared.

He was merely confused by the unfamiliar techniques, but once he became accustomed to them—

“No, this is bad!”

The mere thought was terrifying.

[Even someone like him will suffer if he keeps using such powerful techniques in succession. Irene, quickly help him with your magic!]

“I need an opening to help!”

Did Irene Windler not want to help him?

But ordinary magic didn’t work on the Demon King’s body.

Even now, any attempt to attack with magic was nullified.

This powerful magic resistance explained why Odwal lost his will to fight as soon as he saw the Demon King.

But Irene…

“Something big, I need to prepare one massive spell…”

Irene gathered all the magic power she could.

The opponent has powerful magic resistance?

Then she would launch an overwhelming barrage that even that resistance couldn’t withstand.

So the girl gathered magic power with all her might, waiting for an opportunity to cast her spell.

To help him in his moment of crisis…!

“Then, I just need to create an opening?”

“Yes, just create an opening!”

“…How much of an opening would be sufficient?”

“Hmm, about 1 meter of distance between the instructor and him?”

“I see. I’ll try to create an opening.”

“That would be helpful, but… who are you?”

“…You’re asking me that now?”

The boy with the faint presence looked at Irene with disbelief.

An expression of disappointment, as if she didn’t match the image he had expected.

Irene blinked in confusion, not understanding why he was disappointed in her, but instead of satisfying her curiosity, the boy said:

“…Sigh, just think of me as a passing coward. Someone who couldn’t do anything but made requests of him…”

“Huh?”

“So I should at least help now, however belatedly.”

The boy with distinctive gray hair stepped forward with these enigmatic mutterings and unleashed his final, life-risking move.

[Thief Class – Ultimate Skill]

“…Mantianhwau, activate…!”

– The sky is filled with flower rain (Mantianhwau).

Derrick Pendragon rained down throwing knives from the sky.