How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Read it only at Utoon.net!
Discord
At dawn, Choi Ji-Woon and Kim Do-Ha visited Choi Ji-O once more.
“Have you made your decision?”
Choi Ji-Woon asked, his voice low and cold. Choi Ji-O, who sat with his eyes closed, quietly nodded.
“Huh, that’s unexpected.”
Choi Ji-Woon twisted his lips into a bitter smile.
“I figured you’d stubbornly resist to the end, so I made plans to deal with that…”
Tap, tap.
As Choi Ji-Woon touched Choi Ji-O’s shoulder, Choi Ji-O felt the paralysis in his body begin to fade.
‘Ah…’
Choi Ji-O let out a bitter sigh inside.
His younger brother had never possessed such skill.
‘It’s… already too late to turn back.’
“You made the right choice. Go Johan will never walk out of here alive.”
Kim Do-Ha’s voice sounded behind him.
“I have only one question.”
Now free, Choi Ji-O asked,
“What about the recording devices? Don’t tell me… is the Association in on this, too?”
“Don’t worry, that’s all part of the plan.”
Choi Ji-Woon leaned in even closer, dark shadows flickering deep in his eyes.
“You made the right choice, hyung. Lucky you’ve got a brother like me, right?”
Choi Ji-O did not reply, but deep down, he was sure.
‘It’s not as deep as his.’
He recalled how, when he glimpsed into Go Johan’s eyes, the intensity of those burning flames was enough to make his own body feel like it was turning to ash.
*
*
*
That first night spent camping had clearly been used to sway Choi Ji-O.
After that, the expedition pressed on with no rest stops.
“You’ll take the lead, right?”
“Please do.”
So it was no surprise that Choi Ji-Woon and Kim Do-Ha openly pushed Go Johan to the very front.
On the pretext of injuries from the last centaur battle, they fell back and made Go Johan advance alone.
If he had refused, that would have been something.
But-
Swoosh.
Go Johan moved without a word, acting exactly as they demanded.
“That bastard monster!”
As Go Johan vanished up ahead, Choi Ji-Woon muttered through gritted teeth.
“…He’s already been tainted by something, but even to my eyes, he’s just a freak.”
Mountains of beast corpses accumulated where Go Johan advanced, and the party was given hardly a moment’s rest.
Drip, drip.
But Go Johan never seemed tired, dispatching adversaries with absurd ease.
It was as if his face and manner were mocking them-
‘Is that all? No more?’
That’s what he seemed to ask, without ever voicing the words.
“…Even that monster will get tired eventually.”
Kim Do-Ha spoke in a shaky voice, clearly unnerved.
“He’s still just a person.”
“A person? Does that look like a person to you?”
“Who cares? All we need is for him to wear out. If he gets injured, that’s even better.”
Almost a whole day of continuous combat wore down the party.
Anyone with a living body and mind would have to tire.
“Mana recovery is slow in a Black Gate.”
No matter how strong you were, your mana would eventually run out. Even if your body held up, your mind would waver, and a small mistake would mean an injury.
But-
“Hah.”
Choi Ji-Woon gave a short, incredulous laugh.
Their predictions were completely mistaken.
They reached the boss zone before long.
“That blood… that’s not Go Johan’s, is it?”
“You see any wounds on him?”
“Maybe we should rethink this…”
Kim Do-Ha sounded truly daunted now.
She began to wonder if their plan, against such a monster, could even succeed.
“There’s nothing to reconsider.”
Choi Ji-Woon’s voice was firm.
“Their plan is absolute. Nothing will change.”
Up ahead, Go Johan moved forward, silent.
Choi Ji-Woon muttered under his breath,
“Here, Go Johan will die.”
And at last, when they arrived at the boss area-
[You have entered the first peak of the Kantara Mountain Range.]
[The Tri-Horned Demon Tandrah manifests.]
“This is it…? That’s it?”
A voice of disappointment burst out of someone’s lips.
*
*
*
The Tri-Horned Demon had already been faced by Geo and Viren before.
Those things were certainly monsters worthy of the name, but with a combined effort they could be defeated.
Even if Geo and Viren didn’t step up-
No one believed that Go Johan, who until now had shown monstrous ability, would fail to defeat merely a Tri-Horned Demon.
“I told you not to doubt.”
Choi Ji-Woon’s voice echoed.
Swish!
He raised one of the blessed items.
“If it was truly a trap, do you think that sly fox would have come?”
His tone had changed completely, his words laced with venom.
Twitch.
The veins on his forehead bulged.
“Kraaaagh!”
Choi Ji-Woon screamed.
Boom!
His arm exploded, and the blessed item flew from his grasp.
Yet, his face twisted in a gruesome smile-filled with absolute confidence in victory.
Squirm.
Something began to stir, taking shape.
“…!”
It was so grotesque that Choi Ji-O had to stifle a gag.
Up ahead-
Bzzzzt!
The Tri-Horned Demon Tandrah glared at Go Johan.
“This will be your tomb.”
With the force of a judge, Tandrah declared, stretching out both arms.
Boom!
Explosions burst from all around.
The ground rose, forming prison-like walls, and Tandrah’s aura fused with the mountain range, spreading everywhere.
“Gurk! Aaagh!”
Screams erupted from one side of the Geo Guild.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
The screams spread.
“Choi Ji-Woon! What have you done!”
Choi Ji-O yelled, stunned.
The members of Geo Guild, their bodies also twisted, looked little different from Choi Ji-Woon.
Menacing, black veins connected the supposedly blessed items to their owners.
Pik, pik.
Those very items tore their owners apart.
“That-the spirits!”
Viren Guild was no different.
Until now, the spirits had obeyed them well, but suddenly, they clung to the spirit summoners of Viren instead.
“What’s going on! Stop-aaagh!!”
The screams rang out.
“Hrk.”
Choi Ji-O clapped his hand over his mouth like a frightened girl at the horrific spectacle.
The blessed items, believed to be holy and good, devoured their hosts. The spirits, who had seemed gentle and sacred, now consumed the spirit summoners.
Crack!
They ate their summoners in a scene-
-That was more hellish than any hell Choi Ji-O had ever imagined.
He was paralyzed.
[Tri-Horned Demon…]
[Tri-Horned Demon…]
[Tri-Horned Demon…]
[…….]
The system’s voice echoed endlessly.
“Kuh!”
Even the blessed items could not withstand the curse.
[A Tri-Horned Demon, Bulaje, has manifested.]
Nearly fifty Tri-Horned Demons appeared.
“I told you not to doubt.”
Choi Ji-Woon staggered to his feet, victorious.
Almost fifty Tri-Horned Demons manifested and advanced together in a grotesque display, each with their own twisted forms, all moving toward the prison where Go Johan was trapped.
“Kuh… kuh…”
It was a sight so unreal, even breathing and thinking became impossible.
“…Choi Ji-Woon!”
Choi Ji-O screamed.
“What… what have you done…”
If Go Johan died here, and those things made it out to the world-
With even the strongest guilds only just barely able to defeat a single Tri-Horned Demon, if all of these were unleashed at once-
“What have you done!”
At least, all of Korea would be utterly destroyed.
He could already see the faces and expressions of those who would die.
“Aah… aaaaaah!”
This could never be undone.
No one could stop it.
And even that was not the end.
*
*
*
The manifested Tri-Horned Demons, without even speaking, raised their hands.
With faces at once pained and delighted, they drove their claws through their own bodies and cut off their own heads.
“…Tri-Horned Demon Bulaje?”
It was a spectacle impossible to understand, but it didn’t take long to grasp the meaning.
Kawooooom!
The power of the demons killing each other collected and flowed into Tandrah, the first demon to appear.
‘A ritual.’
An ancient, primal ritual where sacrifices summoned a greater being.
And its effects were certain.
‘This… this can’t be stopped.’
Choi Ji-O was sure.
No matter how strong Go Johan was, this trap was inescapable.
Go Johan was arrogant, and in the end, he had failed.
“Hyung.”
Choi Ji-Woon appeared before Choi Ji-O.
“Now, isn’t it easier to make up your mind?”
He grinned; it was no longer the brother Choi Ji-O had known.
“What…”
“I never thought you’d obediently cooperate. You’ve always been too stubborn. So…”
His face twisted coldly.
“You missed every chance, wasted every opportunity. Now, you’ll just live like trash.”
“You…”
He already knew.
“Do you finally understand? That you can kill Go Johan now?”
“…Why are you doing all this?”
Choi Ji-O asked.
If he already knew, why leave him alive, why torment him this way?
“Because you’re my brother.”
Family?
“Watching that haughty face twist in despair, seeing you-the high and mighty-crawl at my feet…”
Boom!
Choi Ji-O hit the ground as he was kicked.
“Isn’t that natural?”
Choi Ji-Woon sneered.
“A new era’s coming. Hyung, just crawl at my feet. With that alone, you’ll get the Korea you always dreamed about-number one.”
It was all so empty.
And then.
Whoosh!
Choi Ji-O made up his mind.
“Choi Ji-Woon!”
He thought there would be a chance.
If Go Johan won and survived, even his corrupted brother could be brought back.
But he realized, now, there was no turning back.
Shhhhh!
He had to kill him.
This could not be undone.
With that resolve, he drew his sword-but-
“Are you a real idiot?”
Choi Ji-Woon blocked the sword with laughable ease.
“To try to kill me with a sword you got from me, tsk.”
The supposedly blessed sword, once obedient, now seized Choi Ji-O’s body.
“It’s over. Watch carefully.”
Choi Ji-Woon forced Choi Ji-O to his knees. Ahead, the body of Tandrah began to writhe.
Boom!
Tandrah’s body exploded.
[Ritual complete.]
[Archdemon Gallandril manifests.]
KWAOOOOOOM!
A pillar of darkness fell, swallowing all light.
Inside it-
PHAAAK!
Black arms and a monstrous body appeared.
Brrrrrrr.
Just from the presence, it felt like his heart would burst.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
Compared to this, the Tri-Horned Demons were nothing.
This-this was a true demon.
A true archdemon.
Gallandril took form, the remaining Tri-Horned Demons moved as one.
Weapons and flesh made from the corpses of slain demons hurtled toward the prison where Go Johan had been trapped.
KWAOOOOOOOOOOOOM-!
The explosion and thunderclap seemed to rip the very world apart.
Even after that, the demons pulled back-
Then, Gallandril’s fist smashed the prison, blowing it away.
Fwoooosh.
It was over.
Nothing could survive that.
A force that could split oceans and erase mountains.
If anyone could survive that-
Shhhhh.
They would be a true monster.
And then-
“Is that all you’ve got?”
A chill, freezing voice echoed from within.
“I can wait a little longer.”
Silver-white hair danced in the wind.
“I didn’t wait just to hunt scum like you.”
It was Go Johan.