Clang-!!
The clear sound of steel spread through the surroundings, and a huge impact spread through his hand that was holding the holy sword.
"Ugh!"
Kim ShiHoon's was pushed back, and his feet were embedded into the earth.
"Haa, haa…"
His hands trembled around the hilt of the sword.
"Ludwig…"
He raised his head and looked at Ludwig.
His skin was as pale as a corpse’s, and his body was covered in green tentacles and demonic energy.
It was too different from the Ludwig he remembered.
"Damn it."
Kim ShiHoon bit his lips.
His hands trembled, and he was so tired that he felt he was about to faint at any moment.
He’d used too much qi to stop the second landslide.
'No…'
Kim ShiHoon tried to hold onto his fading consciousness.
'I can’t collapse yet.'
He couldn't feel any human emotion in Ludwig's eyes anymore. Leaving his former friend in such a state would be wrong.
'I have to end it with my own hands.'
It had no meaning if he wasn't able to finish it himself.
"Haa…" He took a deep breath and tried to squeeze his dantian to pull out more qi.
"Ugh, aah."
"…"
Ludwig was screaming like a monster.
His friend resembled a zombie pulled straight from a b-list horror film.
'I always thought such scenes were too common.'
There was a reason why some things were cliche.
The fallen Ludwig was imprinted in Kim ShiHoon's mind.
"AAGGHH!!"
Ludwig charged forward.
Kim ShiHioon pressed his lips together and raised his sword.
A white light shone from Holy Sword Ludwig.
'Blue Dragon's Dance.'
White sword energy swirled from the holy sword and swept the area like a vortex.
Ludwig held a greatsword he had gotten from somewhere and charged toward the vortex of sword energy.
Clang-!!!
Flames poured in all directions.
The sound of a hammer hitting steel spread to the surroundings many times a second.
"Grrr!"
Ludwig swung his greatsword horizontally.
He didn't use any special or complex techniques—it was just an attack that used overwhelming power.
"Ugh!"
ShiHoon lowered his head, and the attack brushed past him.
Just the pressure of his sword was enough to cut his skin and make him bleed.
'I can’t win a head-on battle.'
Ludwig was faster and stronger than him. On top of that, demonic energy continuously poured out of him, increasing his destructive power even more.
A direct battle in that situation was suicidal.
"…"
ShiHoon remained silent and took a deep breath.
If a direct fight was impossible, then he had only one choice…
'Sword Control.'
He raised his hand, and the weapons scattered over the battlefield rose into the sky.
His qi rapidly decreased.
"Ugh, aah."
Kim ShiHoon started to tremble.
His head hurt, and he felt like vomiting.
Ting-
[Warning.]
[You don't have enough qi. If you continue to use qi, you will enter a state of ‘Qi Overflow’.
"Ugh…"
His vision blurred.
His fingers trembled, and he began feeling pressure on his body.
'What do you want me to do?'
He raised his head while clenching his fists.
He didn't have time to think about Qi Overflow or whatever.
Clang-! Clang! Clang!
He shot the floating weapons downward toward Ludwig as if they were bullets.
"AGH!!"
Ludwig swung his greatsword in a brute attack that relied only on instincts.
Clang. The greatsword annihilated a spear… an iron mace… a scythe… an axe… they were all destroyed before they could harm Ludwig.
"Cough."
Kim ShiHoon began vomiting.
He’d used too much qi and entered a state of Qi Overflow.
He felt his insides churning, and his blood burnt like it was lava.
"Ah, ugh."
He spread his hands and tried to pick up his holy sword from the ground.
Clang-
He couldn't put strength into his hands anymore.
"…"
A memory naturally came back to him.
He recalled when Mamon had severed his hands and he had lost his ability to hold a sword.
Fear surged in.
"H-hyeong…" he called out.
He turned his head and began looking for him.
'In situations like this…'
He thought of the hyeong who'd become closer and more important than his blood-related family.
It was always like that.
In situations like that, KangWoo always appeared and helped him.
—When he'd fallen from the seed Satan had planted inside him, when he'd collapsed after losing both arms to Mamon, when Lucifer's subordinates almost killed him, and…
'When Kim YeongHoon almost killed me.'
KangWoo always helped him in his times of greatest need.
"Ha, haha," Kim ShiHoon laughed.
He lowered his head.
"I’m such a… dumbass…"
He was a pathetic piece of trash, an idiot who was overly fearful of everything.
He knew it from the beginning—he had just ignored it.
He'd just turned his eyes from what he didn't want to see.
'I…'
* * *
Not even once had he ever stood up on his own.
He'd always received help.
His talent, effort, beliefs, and will…
He knew they would have meant nothing if KangWoo wasn't there.
"…"
Kim ShiHoon spread his hands and grabbed the holy sword.
'Stand up.'
He stood up with trembling legs.
'If not now…'
When would he ever be able to stand on his own?
Ting-
[Warning, warning.]
[You're entering a state of ‘Qi Overflow’.]
"Shut up."
He cast aside the message window and pointed his sword at Ludwig.
'KangWoo hyeong…'
He saw KangWoo's lonely back as he walked ahead down a solitary road while carrying an immeasurable burden on his shoulders.
"Now…"
For how long was he going to simply follow and watch KangWoo’s back?
Kim ShiHoon stood up while putting more strength in his legs.
There was no help from KangWoo or the Martial God.
For the first time…
After losing so many times…
He stood up on his own.
"I'm going to walk with you."
He took the first heavy step and ran toward KangWoo, who was walking far ahead of him.
* * *
"Cough! Cough!"
Red blood poured out in all directions.
His legs trembled, and he felt like his eyes were about to close.
"Ah, ugh, ah."
"…"
He held onto his consciousness and raised his head.
Ludwig was ahead of him, holding his hands over his chest.
Holy Sword Ludwig had pierced his heart.
" Kim… ShiHoon…?"
It seemed like his rationality returned for a brief moment.
Ludwig raised his trembling hand toward ShiHoon.
"You… should… be careful… The one behind… everything…"
It seemed like Ludwig wanted to say something.
Kim ShiHoon lowered Ludwig's body to the floor.
It wasn't hard to imagine what he wanted to say.
"I know, Ludwig."
"…"
"I'm going to kill Satan with my hands."
"No… that's not…"
"Rest in peace."
He didn't want Ludwig to suffer any longer—he twisted the holy sword that had pierced Ludwig's heart.
Ludwig's body turned to dust and scattered to the wind.
"Ugh…"
He put more strength in his legs and tried to stand up as he looked around.
'Is it almost over?'
The war had entered its last stage.
The combined forces of angels, Light Watchers, and Guardians had managed to corner the cultists.
Even the demons that had resisted until the end were starting to collapse one by one.
"…"
The long fight against the Demon Cult was reaching an end.
Kim ShiHoon let go of the holy sword, which turned into particles of light and entered his body.
He went up the mountain with trembling legs.
Shargiel…
He saw an angel with short, silver hair running somewhere.
"Mr. Raphael! Please, wake up! Mr. Raphael!!" Shargiel shouted while holding Raphael, who had collapsed to the ground.
Kim ShiHoon walked toward him.
"Was he hit by Satan?"
"Yes…"
Shargiel nodded while biting his lips.
Kim ShiHoon clenched his fists.
"What happened with Satan?"
"He created a black fissure and escaped, and… the apostle of Hero God Tyrion followed him."
"Wh-what?"
Kim ShiHoon's eyes widened.
The news struck him like lightning.
"H-hyeongnim followed Satan by himself?!"
"Yes."
He felt as if the world was collapsing.
Kim ShiHoon trembled.
Even if KangWoo were strong, following Satan alone would be suicidal.
"Damn it!!"
He quickly looked around, but he couldn't see the black fissure.
"Where did that black fissure appear?"
"It already disappeared…"
"Where was it?!"
He grabbed Shargiel's collar.
Although he was in a bad state, he couldn't stand still and do nothing.
'I must save him.'
Exhaustion? Qi Overload?
Who cares?
If it were for KangWoo, he wouldn't mind destroying his body.
"It appeared there…"
Shargiel pointed while looking at Kim ShiHoon's desperate expression.
Then…
Crack-!
A black fissure appeared in the air as if a glass pane was breaking.
Kim ShiHoon, Shargiel, the angels, and Guardians all looked toward the fissure.
"Ugh!"
"It… it isn't over yet?"
Everyone’s expressions fell to despair.
"Hyeongnim!!"
Kim ShiHoon rushed toward the fissure.
A white light began gathering, and a sword formed.
He looked at the black fissure anxiously.
Crack-!
The fissure got bigger.
From inside it…
"Cough! Cough!"
"H-hyeongnim?!"
KangWoo appeared, and he was covered in wounds.
Kim ShiHoon grabbed KangWoo, who looked as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
Shargiel also quickly walked toward KangWoo.
"Hyeongnim, are you okay?!"
"Ugh… Yes."
KangWoo's expression distorted.
Although he said he was okay, he didn’t look ok.
His clothes had been torn apart, and 'red blood' was pouring from his body.
"Did… you kill Satan?" Shargiel asked while making a hard expression.
Angels and players alike tensed.
The war’s primary goal…
The Demon of Prophecy, Satan.
"…"
KangWoo's mouth remained closed.
There was a heavy silence on the battlefield that had been noisy until then.
"Satan…"
He clenched his fists and bit his lips.
"Escaped."
KangWoo lowered his head as if he were struggling to talk.
"Ah, aah."
Everyone around them let out exclamations of surprise.
After so many sacrifices and losing so much blood…
Satan hadn't died.
The Demon of Prophecy was still alive.
The danger hadn't ended yet.
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