"M-Ms. Gaia!!!"
A demon ambushed them out of nowhere.
Horrifying tentacles were holding Gaia, and she was letting out a desperate cry.
Kim ShiHoon quickly tried to grab the sword at his waist.
It was a unique-ranked sword he'd obtained after the El Quero Blade had melted down.
Clang-
"Ah."
The sword fell from his hand.
He frowned and let out a short exclamation.
Even at that moment…
At such an important moment…
His hand couldn't hold the sword.
[E-ehem!]
Yogsaron, the demon covered with tentacles, coughed.
He looked at Gaia, flustered.
It was as if he wasn't expecting something like that to happen.
Squeak-
"AAHH!! M. Mr. ShiHoon!"
"W-wait a bit, Ms. Gaia!!!"
Gaia screamed.
The effect of those fear-filled screams was quite impressive.
Kim ShiHoon was grabbing his sword so tightly that blood was pouring out from his hand.
It was just a little bit, but he was able to raise the sword.
[Hahaha! It's all pointless!]
Yogsaron let out killing intent.
Breathtakingly intense demonic energy pressured Kim ShiHoon.
[Kill that pathetic human!]
"Kiieekk!"
"Krrrr!"
The demon extended his hands.
At his orders, a group of undead charged toward Kim ShiHoon.
ShiHoon swung his sword.
Tap-
"Ugh!"
As soon as it touched the undead, the sword fell to the ground.
The only thing he could do was hold the sword, so there was no way he'd be able to swing it.
Instead, he let out a flurry of punches.
He left an afterimage behind, and his body moved as if it were sliding.
"KIIEEKK!"
He kicked.
His body slightly rose, and the spinning kick hit the undead's temple.
Paf. The Qi-infused kick made the monster’s head explode.
He couldn't use his hands to hold a sword, but it wasn't that he couldn't use kicks.
There were strong physical techniques created to supplement the sword ones in the martial arts of the Martial Arts God, and he could easily get rid of weak monsters by using those techniques.
[Hmm? Why aren't you using the sword? Do you just have it for decorative purposes?]
"Ugh."
In the end, Kim ShiHoon was a swordsman.
Maybe if he could use another weapon, things would be different, but without his hands, he couldn't use even 1/4 of his normal power.
'Damn.'
He quickly rolled on the ground and extended his hands to grab the sword, but it didn't matter how much he concentrated, there was no way he would be able to hold a sword he couldn't even properly grab.
His body was pushed back by the kick of an undead next to him.
"Cough!"
He rolled on the ground.
He extended his hands to grab and rebalance himself, but he couldn't put strength in his hands; they just bounced away.
[You're different from what I thought.]
The demon’s voice was in his ears.
[Are you hiding your strength?]
"…"
He remained silent.
His body trembled, and his head hurt.
Hiding his strength?
There was no way that was true.
He turned his head and saw Gaia, who seemed tired after screaming so much.
Her body was weak, and she was so thin that she seemed like she would break if you touched her wrong.
She was right in front of him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
[You're different from what Mr. Satan told me. He said you're a human who will become as strong as an archduke…]
"Did Satan send you?"
[Yes.]
"Why… now?"
‘Why…’
‘Why did he have to appear now?’
Kim ShiHoon looked at his trembling hands.
[He said you lack despair.]
"…"
[Mr. Satan has high expectations of you.]
"Why… why me? Why does he have expectations of me?"
[That's what I wanted to ask,] Yogsaron said as if he were making fun of him.
[Why is he interested in a piece of trash like you?]
"…"
[Human, grab your sword. Prove yourself.]
"Shut, up."
[Hahaha.]
The green tentacles wiggled.
[If you cannot prove yourself, die. There's no reason for him to be expectant about a useless person who can't even grab a sword.]
Slide-!
The tentacles shot forward.
* * *
They moved at a speed close to the sound.
Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground and tried his best to dodge the tentacles.
The tentacles brushed past his body, his flesh was cut, and blood poured in all directions.
The tentacles bent and targeted his shoulders.
He subconsciously raised his sword, but what was in his hands was just air.
Paf-
"Ugh!!"
His shoulder was pierced, and intense pain spread through his body.
He rolled on the ground and dodged the attacks, ending up next to a sword.
—A sword he couldn't even hold.
[Grab your sword, human,] the demon said.
He felt like crying.
He wanted to grab it more desperately than anyone else.
He spread his hands.
Clang-
The sword fell from his hands.
[Tsk, so you were a piece of trash in the end.]
"M-Mr. ShiHoon…"
Gaia called out his name in a sad voice, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Squeak-
"Ugh!"
[Are you okay with watching this girl die in front of you?]
The tentacles grabbed Gaia's neck.
Gaia wiggled as if her breath was about to be cut short at any moment.
"You motherfucker!!"
He stomped on the ground and desperately leaped forward. He didn't have time to use any techniques.
He poured all of his Qi out and charged toward Yogsaron.
Yogsaron waved his hands as if he were annoyed.
Paf-!
"Cough!"
His body bent, and he bounced away.
The rough earth and stones grated his skin, and his clothes were torn apart.
He was right…
A swordsman who couldn't hold a sword was just a piece of trash.
"Ugh…! M-Mr. ShiHoon!!"
Gaia, who was being held captive, desperately screamed.
"P-please escape, Mr. ShiHoon!!"
"Ms. Gaia…"
Considering the demon was grabbing her neck, her pronunciation was quite precise, but he didn't have time to think about that.
Kim ShiHoon looked at Yogsaron with trembling eyes.
Intense anger spread through his body.
He extended his hands toward the fallen sword again.
'Please…'
Just that once…
Just at that moment…
He didn't want much more.
Even if he couldn't grab the sword ever again, he would be ok.
'So please.'
He needed the power to protect her.
"Agh."
He grabbed the sword and put his concentration on each trembling finger.
He was sweating as if it were raining outside.
His body refused to grab the sword as if it were whispering to him that he could no longer hold a sword.
He ignored it.
"Please…"
His nose bled. The blood passed down his lips and gathered on his chin.
He tried to do what his head forcibly rejected.
He raised his sword, held it tight, and…
Clang-
The sword fell to the ground.
"Ah."
"Mr. ShiHoon…"
He heard Gaia's voice and raised his head.
She was looking at him and making a faint smile.
"I'm okay. Mr. ShiHoon, please don't worry about… Ugh!"
[This girl talks too much.]
Yogsaron frowned.
The tentacles tightened around Gaia's neck.
She lost consciousness.
[Huh?] Yogsaron exclaimed in surprise. He wasn't expecting her to really lose consciousness, but he quickly regained his composure.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Kim ShiHoon with contemptuous eyes.
[So you can't hold a sword.]
"…"
[There's no need to feel bad, human.]
He kept talking as if it didn't matter.
[This just means this is your limit.]
"…"
- In the end, you're just a human that's only worth this much.’
- You can't do anything.’
- You won't be able to achieve anything.’
- You're just a human.’
"Shut, up."
His body trembled.
He heard a voice.
- I'm sorry for giving birth to you.
A nightmarish voice… the voice that devoured his life.
The trauma was a stigma that was engraved in his mind. The voice told him that he was at his limit.
He'd done the best he could to deny those voices in his head.
But…
"Shut up, you mother fucker!!"
He cried and raised his arms, picking up the sword again between his arms instead of with his hands.
He stomped on the floor and charged toward the demon.
A sword swung without actually being held…
There was no way such a thing would work.
He bounced away and collapsed.
He saw Gaia, the woman he'd sworn to protect, being held hostage by the demon.
"Move…"
He said words that wouldn’t work.
"Please, move…"
His senses were faint. No matter how much he tried, his hands just trembled.
He couldn't hold the sword.
A swordsman that couldn't hold a sword…
Couldn't do anything.
"Ah…"
A desperate cry left his mouth, and tears dripped from his eyes.
A thirst started to spread in his body.
'I don't need anything.'
He was okay with any price, it didn't matter what it was.
He thought he would be okay even if he had to sell his soul to a demon.
He needed strength…
Strength to protect her.
"Ah-AAGGHH!!"
A fire ignited in his mind.
His sight became blurry.
Something within his body, a giant ball of strength, started to spread.
* * *
"…"
KangWoo frowned.
He heard Kim ShiHoon crying desperately.
He'd left his perch in the trees.
"It's hard to see."
It was something he'd planned and executed, but even so, seeing Kim ShiHoon struggling like that was hard.
'Should I have waited?'
He shook his head at the sudden thought that crossed his mind.
They couldn't wait, Kim ShiHoon needed a push.
He needed a desperate situation that would allow him to overcome the despair and grow.
Humans were cunning creatures. It didn't matter if they tried their best or how desperate they were, they wouldn't sincerely move unless they had to face that situation upfront.
It was just like one didn’t realize how many years of his life he would lose by entering the military until the day when they were actually shipped off arrived.
Something like despair was hard to understand unless faced.
'Even if that despair is fabricated…'
Someone had to put the pressure on him.
"Ah, AAGGHH!!!"
He heard Kim ShiHoon's cry. It was the desperate cry of someone who had hit rock bottom.
KangWoo's mouth went up.
"Done."
He heard the desperation explode like a volcano.
If it were the Kim ShiHoon he knew, there was no way he wouldn't Awaken in that situation.
'ShiHoon, stand up!'
He looked at him with expectant eyes.
BOOM-!!
As if he were answering his expectations, a huge strength began spreading through Kim ShiHoon's body.
'Yes. Now take the strength of the Martial God…'
"I don't need anything!!"
Kim ShiHoon cried.
A huge amount of demonic energy spread through his body.
"Huh?"
"I don't need anything! I don't care if it's the last time!!"
'Hey, wait. What? Why is this guy emitting demonic energy?'
"I need strength!!"
'Oh, fuck. Hey, ShiHoon, what are you doing?'
The soul of the Martial God was within ShiHoon’s body, but besides that…
His soul was connected to KangWoo's.
"If I can save her, I'm willing to do anything!!"
Horns appeared from Kim ShiHoon's forehead.
"No."
Bat wings appeared from his back.
"Fuck, wait."
Kim ShiHoon's eyes turned black.
Black pupils appeared in his horizontal torn, yellow eyes.
"ShiHoon…"
KangWoo grabbed his head with his hands.
The more Kim ShiHoon's body changed, the more demonic energy flowed out of his body.
"Why did you fall, you dumbass…?"
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