Clash with the Death God
I met the protagonist.
"Damn it! Whatever!"
Chun-sik charged at me, looking like he'd made some kind of resolution. His weapon was a set of brass knuckles.
Chun-sik glared with bulging eyes and clenched his fist tight. I just stood there, waiting for him.
"I'm gonna take you down and become the leader of this squad!"
Chun-sik swung his fist toward my face. It was slow, but...
He's gotten stronger.
Compared to when I first saw him, he'd improved a lot. Still not enough to land a hit on me, though.
Thwack—!
His fist stopped in my hand, not my face. Without panicking, Chun-sik followed up with his next attack.
He whipped his leg out like a lash, aiming for the back of my knee.
Before his kick could connect, I yanked the hand I was holding forward.
"Huh?"
Chun-sik lost his balance and pitched forward. I drove my knee into his gut.
"Guhk!"
He crumpled to the ground. But his grit kicked in—he got right back up and swung at me again.
Of course, from my perspective, it was still a slow attack. I tilted my head slightly to dodge.
"Hah!"
Chun-sik's eyes wavered. He was realizing the gap in our strength.
But he didn't give up, launching attack after attack.
Nice.
The more I saw, the more I liked him. If he could just fix that arrogant streak, he'd be worth keeping around.
Time to drill it into him for good.
Make sure he never gets cocky again. Etch it into his body.
I stored Gram in my Inventory and fought him barehanded. I dodged all his strikes and landed every one of mine.
"Guhk!" "Urk!" "Hic!"
I'd gone easy on him, but my hits still packed some real power. Chun-sik took them all.
He kept getting up, refusing to quit. His face was already a mess of tears and snot.
I wondered why he wouldn't give up, so I just asked.
"Why won't you tap out?"
"This is just punishment from you, big bro..."
Chun-sik figured he was paying for mouthing off to me. Smart kid.
He thought I was pissed and planned to take the beating until I cooled off.
To avoid getting abandoned by me...
He must've seen me store Gram and figured I wasn't gonna kill him, leading to this decision. That should be enough.
His whole body was bruised red. His face was filthy with blood, tears, and snot.
After a thrashing like that, even his smug attitude should be fixed.
If it doesn't straighten him out, that's just weird.
So I stopped. The moment my attacks halted...
Thud—!
Chun-sik passed out cold.
"Squad 1 takes the win."
The examiner, who'd been watching from hiding, appeared. He approached me and asked,
"Why didn't you kill him?"
He eyed the injured but breathing examinees.
"They're all gonna be my squadmates anyway. Why bother killing them?"
"Cocky bastard."
He called me cocky, but the corner of his mouth was twitching upward.
"Good work. Results come out tomorrow."
And with that, the Demonic Cult exam was over. I passed, naturally.
Squad 1—mine—and Squad 2—Chun-sik's—made the final cut. The two merged, leaving me as leader of 19 total members.
We got thrown straight into the battlefield. We fought righteous faction bastards, yokai, you name it.
Facing the righteous sects felt like playing a game, which made it bearable. One month, two months...
Time flew by. As the war dragged on, higher ranks started dropping.
My squadmates didn't make it either. A few lasted months, but most bit it after days.
Sigh... what the hell am I doing?
I came to conquer the heroine, and here I am, stuck in endless war. My combat skills had leveled up, sure, but this wasn't what I wanted.
Several months passed like that. No buildup for seducing the heroine—not even a glimpse of her face.
The squad turned over completely. Only Chun-sik survived all those fields.
Well, I made sure he did.
"Hoh, interesting guy."
Another new battlefield. That's where I ran into an insanely handsome dude.
A white-haired man with long hair, straight out of a wuxia tale.
He's young.
Young but strong. His grating felt just on the edge of perceptible.
Instinct told me: protagonist.
"D-Death God!"
The Demonic Cult called him 'Baek-gang'—the Death God. I ended up meeting the protagonist before the heroine.
Wonder if I can take him.
My grating was higher. Problem was, it wasn't the combat-boosting kind.
I gripped Gram tight.
"Chun-sik."
"Yes, big bro."
He swallowed hard before answering.
"Keep the others off me."
Crisis and opportunity. I charged at the protagonist, Baek-gang.
"Scum like you dares—!"
A soldier blocked my path.
"Can't let you get in big bro's way!"
Chun-sik cleared him out. Baek-gang was a swordsman like me.
Crackle—!
Lightning wrapped his body as he rushed in. His blade clashed with mine.
Kagagak—!
"Oh, nice sword. It'll make a fine spare."
Baek-gang had a solid blade himself, yet he eyed mine greedily.
He swung probing, pulling his power back. I did the same, testing him.
Strength's about even?
To match my combat growth... fitting for the final arc's protagonist.
My prediction, anyway.
Clang—! Kagagak—!
After a few more exchanges, he sized me up—his eyes changed.
Fast!
Baek-gang closed in instantly. Lightning on his legs meant his Thunder God Style boosted speed.
His blade slashed at my neck in one breath. I summoned the Solar Holy Sword Gram to block.
Clang—!
Swords collided, sparks and gusts erupting from both.
Like two mages duking it out. While fighting, I analyzed his martial arts.
Thunder God Style: speed. Wind God Style: slashes.
He flowed my attacks naturally away. Water sprayed from his blade.
Water God Style: defense. Fire God Style...
Couldn't tell since it didn't land. Human-made arts can't pierce the World Tree, after all.
Gram was pulling its weight perfectly. Wounds piled up on both of us.
Baek-gang, using Water God Style, had fewer.
Dragging this out puts me at a disadvantage.
I always go for quick finishes... makes sense, given my abilities are built for bursts.
The longer it went, the more his face twisted—not from pain.
He's pissed?
Like a kid throwing a tantrum over something unfair. It reminded me of what Chun-sik said.
'He just showed up outta nowhere. Not from any famous sect.'
Baek-gang appeared in the martial world suddenly, winning without a single loss.
Now someone on his level blocks him—not the Heavenly Demon, just her subordinate.
An unknown nobody standing in his way. That's what's irritating him.
He's getting frantic.
Mistakes crept in. Gaps appeared in his clean strikes.
His perfect guard grew sloppy.
Should I... scratch him a bit?
Tempted to kill the protagonist here. Curious what happens.
My guess? Nothing major.
To test it, gotta graze him first.
I smirked instantly—the mocking grin Kang Nabi and Yvonah raved about.
I flashed it full force at Baek-gang.
Grind—!
Our eyes met, and he gnashed his teeth.
Whoa, hits hard.
Baek-gang was a different beast now. I taunted him more.
"The famous Death God amounts to this? What a letdown."
I used polite speech on purpose. Talking down while acting deferential.
It worked. He fell for the bait, swinging wide.
Opening exposed.
His specs and mentality are worlds apart.
Normally, that realm means ironclad mentality from endless trials.
But Baek-gang got power too easy—no mental tempering.
"Hey now!"
I dodged the big swing.
"Die!"
His gut. I slashed Gram into the gap.
Before the holy sword touched Baek-gang's abdomen, someone yanked him back. A white-haired elder.
His power felt one step below mine.
But with Baek-gang? Tough.
Right now, Baek-gang was sloppy from provocation—if he calmed, it'd be rough. I glanced back, wondering where backup was.
Chun-sik, covered in dust and wounds. My squadmates getting pushed back.
Shame, but this is it.
Killing the protagonist would've been nice, but not worth dying for.
My goal's the heroine Heavenly Demon. I put distance between us in a flash.
No pursuit. Thanks to that, I mopped up the righteous remnants.
Baek-gang glared once, then left the field. Wherever he went, the Demonic Cult lost.
But...
"Victory for the Demonic Cult!!"
This battlefield was ours.
"Hmm, are you the one who forced Baek-gang to retreat?"
Thanks, Baek-gang. Thanks to you, I'm having a one-on-one with the Heavenly Demon!