Chapter 399
*Shhhh.*
There was nothing that could stop the spear wrapped in *Kang-gi* (Strong Energy). Not the leather that deflected bullets, nor the bones and flesh harder than steel.
*Puh-puh-puk!*
The broad target added a bonus. The spear that pierced through the chest of the lycanthrope skewered the monsters behind it like they were all lined up on a spit.
*Grrk… guh.*
The expression in its wide-open eyes was one of confusion and frustration.
The look in its eyes seemed to ask, “Why me, out of all these monsters? I didn’t even cross the line of death you’ve drawn.”
“No, you did.”
With a low voice, I yanked the spear back.
*Shhhhh.*
The lycanthrope’s claws scraped the ground as it was pulled toward the spear.
“You crossed it. Just now.”
This is the end. I pulled out the spear that had been lodged in its chest with lightning speed and swung it horizontally.
*Fwoosh, Kwoooom!*
The blue flames that scorched the air engulfed the monsters.
The living ones screamed as they burned to death, while those already undead crumbled to ash.
*Ding. Ding. Ding…*
The system alerts of defeated monsters rang continuously.
How many did I just kill with that one strike? Dozens? Hundreds?
Rather than counting each one, I chose to keep moving forward. From the beginning, my objective wasn’t about how many monsters I killed.
*Annihilation.*
The deadly struggle between humans and monsters had been a fate continuing for decades.
Only one species would survive this battle today, and I wasn’t going to be the one to fall.
*Thud.*
I stepped over the spear embedded deep into the cement floor. At the same time, as if on cue, the monsters retreated.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
I kept walking, yet the distance between me and the monsters didn’t close. As I advanced, they retreated.
– This is insane…!
Behind me, the Skeleton Warlord muttered as if in disbelief.
It was the sight of a single human overwhelming an army of thousands of monsters.
At this rate, it might not make it into the history books, but it would surely be worthy of at least a paragraph.
– Wh-where are you going?!
“Just keep an eye on those two. I’m not going far.”
More accurately, I didn’t need to go far.
There was no reason to go meet them when my guest had already arrived.
‘Finally, you’re here.’
My guess was right. Through the monsters parting like the receding tide, riding atop a skeletal horse made entirely of black bones, the ‘one’ appeared. From a distance.
*Clop. Clop.*
Underneath the jet-black full plate armor and the deeply pressed-down helmet, red eyes gleamed clearly.
Though its figure was much smaller than that of an ogre or other large monsters, the power flowing from it was immense.
[Lv.135 Death Knight Lord]
Level 135. A number I had never seen before in any monster I had faced until now.
As I watched the Death Knight Lord slowly approach, I suddenly wondered.
‘Can I defeat that thing?’
The battle with the *Seo-cheon Magun* (Western Heavenly Demon) in the martial world had been a life-or-death struggle.
If Seo-cheon Magun had decided to kill me from the beginning, if Chunryeokma hadn’t transferred his power to me, if I hadn’t experienced the miraculous recovery that came with leveling up, if Jeok Cheon-gang hadn’t awakened to save me in moments of crisis… I would have died three or four times over.
But in the end, I survived and grew stronger.
That was when the question began to linger in my mind.
‘How strong am I now?’
The system told me my martial arts and stats had improved.
I had distributed my stats and fought just like before, but beyond the presence of *Kang-gi*, I couldn’t be sure.
I hadn’t yet realized just how strong I’d become because things had become too easy for me at some point.
And now…
*Thud-thud-thud!*
As the Death Knight Lord rushed toward me like a gust of wind, I realized something.
Even though overwhelming energy flowed from its body like a waterfall, I wasn’t shaken. And that realization hit me.
‘I’m… stronger than anyone else on this battlefield.’
In the world that seemed to slow down, I extended *Baekyeom* (White Flame).
The blue-white flame shot up the spear, consuming the darkness.
—
A deafening roar echoed as if the sky had split apart.
*Kwaaaang!*
The ground sank in a radius of hundreds of meters, and the hospital, which had stood strong for decades, collapsed.
Compressed air burst out in layers like a sonic boom, whipping through everything around it, sending debris flying.
And at the center of it all, there stood two beings who no one else could possibly rival.
*Whoosh! Swoosh! Boom!*
In the blink of an eye, perhaps several times or even dozens of times, blue-white flames clashed with the black darkness, mixing together. Every time they collided, deafening explosions and destructive shockwaves followed.
No human or monster could even perceive the movements of the two.
They existed in a higher dimension, colliding within their own world and time.
*Swoosh!*
The silver spear in Jin Tae-kyung’s hand sliced through the air.
Tearing through space, the blue-white flames cascaded down. But the Black Knight did not retreat, swinging its sword in retaliation.
*Boom!*
When the surging mana collided with the flames, the pressure was so immense that the skeletal horse the Black Knight was riding shattered into pieces.
But the loss of his loyal steed, an A-rank monster known as a Nightmare, was nothing compared to what was about to come.
*Swoosh!*
A spear thrown like a flash of lightning, without any preparatory stance.
The Black Knight instinctively twisted its body. The searing heat grazed his chest, piercing through the ranks of monsters behind him.
*Crunch! Boom!*
The spear that had skewered dozens of monsters hit the ground, creating a massive crater with a thunderous crash.
Before the monsters, caught up in the aftermath, could even scream in terror, Jin Tae-kyung was already charging toward the Black Knight.
*Swish.*
No sound, no sign.
By the time the Black Knight realized what had happened, Jin Tae-kyung had already closed the gap of dozens of meters. His fist was flying toward the Black Knight’s chest.
“Get lost.”
*Boom!*
*Myeoryeom Shingeon* (Annihilating Flame Divine Fist). The heat, hotter than molten lava, smashed into the armor.
The Black Knight was thrown back at an incredible speed, flipping in midair before regaining his balance. At the same time, his hand gripped his sword tightly, unleashing a powerful strike.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Dozens of bolts of black magic shot toward Jin Tae-kyung, each one powerful enough to shake the heavens and earth.
But Jin Tae-kyung was no longer there.
*Crash!*
With a burst of dust, Jin Tae-kyung rushed forward again, stretching out his hands.
At some point, the Black Knight’s sword, which had been aiming for his head, was caught between Jin Tae-kyung’s palms as if in prayer.
*Kongsu-napbaekin* (Empty Hand Catching a White Blade).
Jin Tae-kyung’s hands, wrapped in blue flames, and the massive sword imbued with dark magic trembled between the two beings.
The one blocking. The one advancing.
This intense confrontation, which had momentarily halted the relentless exchange of blows, was abruptly interrupted by an unexpected intruder.
– You, human!
The moment a Death Knight appeared from behind, swinging its mace at Jin Tae-kyung’s back.
*Boom!*
The Death Knight didn’t even realize how or when it had died.
Its head, helmet and all, exploded from a single heel strike from Jin Tae-kyung.
*Thud.*
Though its death was swift and pointless, the attack wasn’t entirely meaningless.
The red glow in the Black Knight’s eyes flared as the sword in his hand unleashed an even stronger wave of magic.
A tiny opening.
The brief moment when Jin Tae-kyung had diverted his energy to dispatch the Death Knight was enough to tip the balance.
*Crunch! Slash!*
Blood spurted into the air.
Bright red—human blood. A clear mark of the Black Knight’s sword slicing through Jin Tae-kyung’s chest.
A single thought crossed the Black Knight’s mind.
‘It’s over.’
And in the next instant, Jin Tae-kyung’s flame-wreathed fist slammed into the Black Knight’s side.
—
*Crack!*
The Death Knight Lord’s body jolted.
True to its nature as an undead monster, it felt no pain and made no sound. But I could read the bewilderment in the glowing eyes behind its helmet.
‘How?’
Yes, that’s exactly the look it had.
In a calm voice, I responded.
“What, you thought you were the only one with armor?”
*Boom!*
This time, it was *Hwayeom Shinjang* (Flame Divine Palm).
With continuous strikes, the cracks in the Death Knight Lord’s armor widened, and pieces began to break off.
“It hurt, you bastard.”
I grabbed its gauntleted wrist, twisted it, and broke it cleanly.
I wasn’t sure how much this meant to an undead monster, but it mattered enough to make it drop its sword.
*Clang.*
The sound of the sword hitting the ground echoed. The Death Knight Lord, now unarmed, was met with a barrage of unrelenting attacks.
*Boom! Crack! Thud!*
I stomped on its foot and delivered punch after punch without hesitation.
The shoulders, arms, ribs, chest.
The Death Knight Lord, despite enduring dozens of blows in a matter of seconds, tried to retaliate, but it didn’t matter.
*Wham!*
-…?
“Don’t be so surprised. My armor’s pretty decent too.”
I had the *Hwayonggap* (Flame Dragon Armor).
‘I didn’t expect to use it here.’
The *Hwayonggap* was a divine weapon I obtained after defeating Seo-cheon Magun.
It had taken severe damage during the battle in the martial world, and even now it was still in the process of self-repair. But even with only about 50% of it restored, it had already proven its worth.
‘I almost died when that sword cut me, but…’
When I was struck, I did feel dizzy for a moment.
But I’d experienced far worse pain than this many times before.
Besides, it was nothing compared to the agony endured by those who had died ahead of me today.
“This is… for the people you killed.”
With all my strength, I smashed my fist into the Death Knight Lord’s face.
With the force of my *Myeoryeom Shingeon* (Annihilating Flame Divine Fist), the Death Knight’s helmet, which had withstood every other attack, shattered, revealing the monster’s face underneath.
Now, the scales of victory were tipping in my favor. Just one more blow—one final strike—and I could take its life.
“And this is for—”
At that moment, the fist I had raised high suddenly stopped.
I blinked through the blood that had caked my eyes, and for a fleeting moment, time seemed to freeze.
A face.
A face that was unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar, stared back at me. It was a pale face, already dead, with glowing red eyes. He looked eerily like someone I had seen before, someone from a hologram video.
“…Lei Fei?”
