Chapter 600. Overwhelmed (5)
Rumble, whiiiir...
Now, that was a strange noise—as strange as something invisible in the air resonating heavily and lazily.
'Huh? What's that?'
Director Choi stared at this sight with a stupefied look on his face. Then again, something he had never witnessed before was unfolding right before his eyes, so his reaction was understandable.
To summarize, this foreigner named Wiggins suddenly showed up, extended his hand into the empty air, and then... Ripples began appearing in space?
That description might sound strange, but Director Choi couldn't think of a better alternative. The empty space distorted like a drop of water falling on a clear lake to disturb its surface, then Wiggins' hand just... slipped right through the ripples to disappear from the view!
"Heok?!" Director Choi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
When Wiggins pulled his hand back out of the distorted space, he also brought out a lengthy 'cane' in his grip.
'W-what the hell is that?!'
How could that man pull an item out of the literal thin air?! Director Choi's jaw dropped to the floor at this freakish event.
Wiggins casually swung the 'cane' in his hand a few times before shrugging his shoulders in slight disappointment. "Is it because I haven't wielded it in such a long while? It just doesn't feel right at all. Indeed, it's been too long since I joined an actual combat situation."
Elena suspiciously asked her father. "I hope your skills haven't rusted, Dad."
"Well, I can't guarantee that, child. Even then..." Wiggins scanned the crowd around him, then smiled airily. "This much should be enough, don't you think so? Still, my rustiness could become an issue later on, so I better whip myself back into shape soon."
Elena's lips parted several times only to clamp shut again. She oh-so-dearly wanted to retort sarcastically, but no words wanted to come out. That was because Wiggins' skillset should never be underestimated by any member of the Round Table. Especially those who knew Wiggins personally!
Slam!
Wiggins stabbed the pointy end of his 'cane' into the ground, then leisurely raised his head to stare straight at Director Choi. "So, here we are. Before we proceed, I'll offer you one last chance."
"...One last chance, you say?"
"Yes. And please, don't think of it as a threat. You see, practically everyone views me as a suspicious foreign laborer, which means I need to prove my worth to them. I'm already being bombarded by the gazes of my students that say, 'Hey, isn't he just another no-visa con man?'
"It would've been wonderful if I could get the approved educator's certificate or some such, but my circumstances preclude me from doing so. In that case, this is the next best thing to prove my qualifications. I'd love nothing more than to get this show on the road right away, but my experiences force me to use violence as my absolute last resort."
"Huh?" Director Choi tilted his head. "What is this crazy son of a b*tch even saying?"
"It's simple. Surrender," Wiggins guffawed loudly. "I will uphold the Geneva Convention and swear to treat you humanely. Even if my lord loses his cool, I'll do my best to guarantee your safety."
"Hah..." Director Choi groaned in dismay while studying Wiggins from top to bottom. What was the matter with this damn foreigner? Was his brain malfunctioning or something? Couldn't he see the situation for himself?
The number of the Yeongnam Group martial arts surrounding him was over one hundred. Not only that, but these men weren't some random riff-raff, either! They were the best of the best, selected personally by Director Choi himself!
This group of folks consisted of experts and elders as strong, or even stronger, than the former Yeongnam Group's team leaders. With a combat force this strong, not even Kim Seok-Il or Lee Jung-Geol would last five minutes before turning into bloody lumps of meat!
Even if that stupid foreigner, no, the 'white bro', was ten times stronger than Kim Seok-Il, he should be on his knees begging for his life, yet... Yet he dared to threaten them instead?
Director Choi tutted disapprovingly. "You're supposed to be a knight of the Round Table or something, right?"
"Oh? Have you heard about me before?"
"Obviously. So, are you a knight or not?"
"I'm currently not. Once upon a time not too long ago, my title was indeed Knight Wiggins. But you can call me Mister Wiggins now."
Director Choi sneered openly next. "I'm gonna ask you a question, okay? Are all knights as insane as you?"
"Mm? I don't understand your question."
"I'm asking you if all knights are as stupid as you and can't even grasp the trouble you're in but keep putting on airs. If that's the case, I guess this Round Table or whatever it's called must be a joke, too."
The former knight Wiggins grew stupefied by that statement. "Can't even grasp the trouble I'm in...? Hang on a second. You think you've got me surrounded? Is that it? Did you think you've cornered me like a rat?"
"...?"
"My, my... I can't believe how badly I'm being underestimated here. Even if this is Asia, I thought you'd at least hold a minimum level of understanding on what a knight is, but this...! I better improve my PR game or something. If this continues, I'll be in deep trouble..."
Elena groaned softly while listening to her father's 'depressed' voice. She really, genuinely wanted to tell her father to act more dignified, but now didn't seem like the right time to do that. She was also stupefied by Director Choi's disparaging remark about knights, after all!
'Where are they getting their confidence from?'
Elena grimaced deeply. Did these idiots think they were on a similar level of strength as Kang Jin-Ho?
Objectively speaking, the Martial Assembly was nothing without Kang Jin-Ho's presence. The Chevaliers had to submit to Kang Jin-Ho's strength, but that group alone would've been enough to half-destroy the Martial Assembly. It might not be total destruction, but destruction was still destruction, wasn't it!
But now...!
'We're not talking about the Chevaliers here, but an actual knight of the Round Table. And they are underestimating him so much?'
Wiggins and Elena suddenly felt glad about stationing the members of Chevaliers far, far back, well out of sight. If they were here to witness this sorry spectacle, Wiggins would've suffered from insomnia for many days out of sheer embarrassment!
"Well, I'll be. Even though I've stopped being a knight now, I still used to be intensely proud of holding that title, you know... Being disparaged like this certainly does not feel good, I have to say. In that case, how should I respond now?" Wiggins smartly spun the 'cane' once before placing it under his arm.
"Hmm. I guess words are no longer necessary, then. You won't surrender no matter how much I try to convince you, anyway. So, let's not waste any more time and go straight into demonstrations of our powers, shall we? Oh, and you don't have to be too nervous. I'm different from others and have no desire to kill you. As a matter of fact, you should thank your lucky stars for running into me. If my lord or Sir Vator had shown up here, you'd be busy searching for your severed head rolling around on the ground by now."
Director Choi's expression grew colder, more sober, as he listened.
'What is up with this bastard?'
Obviously, he was aware of who Wiggins was. This foreigner began hanging around Kang Jin-Ho not too long ago. Although, him being a former knight had been news to him.
'Still, where is he getting his confidence from?'
Director Choi wanted to keep treating this Wiggins as a lunatic but knew better than anyone that he should not. After all, someone Kang Jin-Ho had acknowledged wouldn't be an idiot lacking the mental capacity to accurately gauge the situation.
A close confidant of Kang Jin-Ho, and a former knight, to boot...?
Director Choi's expression grew withdrawn. "Everyone, listen up! Be careful with this guy."
"Director? What do you mean?"
"Do not look down on him. You do that, and we might be the ones dying tonight!"
"...?"
Director Choi growled menacingly. "Even if you can't understand, just do as I say! Don't hold anything back and go all out, you hear me!"
"Yes, Director!"
Wiggins tutted unhappily at Director Choi's surprisingly speedy response. "Tsk. It'd make my job easier if you remained complacent..."
This situation didn't resolve as ideally as he hoped but that ultimately didn't matter. From the get-go, the difference in combat strength couldn't accurately be understood with guesswork only, anyway.
"Yes, indeed. Dealing with me should be much, much preferable if you wish to retain your lives. However..." Wiggins slowly scratched his ear. "I'm not sure if you'd actually prefer that."
"...Say what?"
"Because of my background, I've become the type of person who must hear every important detail first before executing my target, you see? So, I only ask questions regarding what I want to hear, but my victims... They all beg me to kill them first."
That was when Director Choi briefly felt a creepy chill run down his spine.
Wiggins was composed. Utterly unflustered. He really wasn't threatening anyone, seemingly stating only the obvious truths.
'Just what... What is he?'
This inexplicable anxiety suddenly began washing over Director Choi.
"Well, then. Shall we find out how you all will react? As I've said before, no need to worry too much. I don't have a hobby of wasting time torturing people who don't know anything. I'll just... select a few who seem to know some things. Of course..." Wiggins' insidious gaze locked on Director Choi next. "You must be included in my selection. Wouldn't you agree?"
Wiggins' gaze seemed clear, unclouded, but unbearably taut tension still coursed throughout Director Choi's body as if he was turning into a bowstring being pulled back hard.
'This bastard... There's something different about him!'
That was when...!
Wiggins theatrically swung his cane in a wide arc while muttering casually. "Well, then. To start off, I should ensure none of you can escape."
Director Choi failed to understand what the former knight Wiggins was trying to do here. How would swinging some cane around would prevent people from fleeing?
Before he could finish thinking that Wiggins was doing something stupid, a freakish event suddenly unfolded right before Director Choi's eyes.
Rumble!
"...Huh?!"
A small ball of flames suddenly appeared before Wiggins.
'Flames?'
Why did a ball of flames suddenly ignite like that? It wasn't like someone used Yang energy circulation to start that fire, so how...?
Director Choi never got the chance to finish that question in his mind. That was because Wiggins casually shook his cane, causing the ball of flames to fall to the ground. It didn't stop there, however.
The flames began spreading to the sides next. Initially, they looked like a miniature bonfire but then...! Flames billowed and danced menacingly to grow taller than even the tallest humans!
"Heooook?!" Director Choi freaked out and hurriedly stumbled back.
The streak of flames... No, the walls of flames, instantly broke through the encirclement of the martial artists to rush outside, only to form a giant circular bulwark surrounding everyone, including the shocked and flustered Yeongnam Group's finest!
Kwa-aaaaah! RUMBLE!
The flames rose higher and higher into the sky!
"W-what is going on here?!"
The only fitting description here was that gigantic walls of flames had captured them inside. Only then did Director Choi understand what Wiggins meant by preventing people from fleeing. Wanting to break through flames as tall and hot as these was asking for an impossibility. Anyone attempting to do so might as well forget about emerging on the other side still in one piece!
"No need to be so shocked, gentlemen. I'm merely setting up the stage for us, anyway. Now we can fight to our heart's content, wouldn't you say?" Wiggins casually wielded his cane as if nothing of note had happened here.
In stark contrast to his relaxed appearance, though, Director Choi's expression was indescribably stiff.
Director Choi couldn't understand what kind of supernatural phenomenon this was. Figuring out the principles behind creating such a phenomenon was well beyond his ability to compute. Even so, he quickly grew certain about one thing.
If this wall of flames was not some kind of a fake, a piece of clever illusion meant to manipulate the eyes of these martial artists, but created purely out of Wiggins' unknown power...
'It seems we must risk our lives to survive!'
Although the meaning was a little different when applied to Wiggins, there was no doubt that this foreigner was a high-level expert in martial arts as well! Director Choi tightly clenched his fists. His grimacing eyes were now locked squarely on Wiggins.
However, the former knight still remained relaxed and casual in demeanor.
"Excuse me, your name is Choi, isn't it? Director Choi?"
Director Choi briefly pondered how he should respond before nodding once.
Wiggins continued to yap on. "Let me tell you something about myself. You see, I've been feeling the limits of my martial arts lately. So, I decided to rebuild and refine my martial arts in this land. But then, a new problem raised its head in my quest. Whether it's my lord or Sir Vator, they... Well, let's just say they are far too unique in their approach to martial arts to adequately show me what the standard techniques in Asia are like. So, how about it? Would you like to demonstrate your martial techniques for me?"
Director Choi gritted his teeth. "I accept that it was my mistake to underestimate you."
"Oh? You apologized sooner than I thought."
"However! That will still not change your fate! Asia's standard techniques?! Fine! I shall show them to you. As for my compensation, I will take your life!"
"Oh, before we start," Wiggins suddenly wagged his finger. "When you're demonstrating, please exclude the cliches usually associated with the East. I've never been a fan of people full of hot air or their tough-guy attitudes, you see?"
"You... You bastard!"
"Kekekeke!" Wiggins cackled like a naughty kid, then thrust his empty hand into his subspace once more. And when it emerged back in the open, a large longsword was firmly gripped in his palm. "Now, now. Let's stop this chatter and start our playtime, shall we? Don't be too nervous. I'll try my best to refrain from killing as much as possible. After all, some of you need to survive, so the stories about me can proliferate faster, thereby making my life more bearable later on. So, keep your eyes peeled and watch closely. And learn what kind of an existence a knight of the Round Table is...!"
Pure-white aura quickly permeated Wiggins's longsword.
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