Chapter 243
Chapter 243: Kang Chul-In’s Dilemma
“Grrrrr…!”
Drakan lost his cool after having his tail sliced off . His dragon-like ferocity, which he had displayed during his past battle with Kang Chul-In, had awakened .
“Roar…!”
The same went for Amur .
The tiger general, with fur standing on its end all around his whole body, flashed his sharp canines .
No!
Lucia foresaw the disaster that was about to happen .
Rampage?
That was good .
The more beast-like a demi-human was, the more powerful he was during a rampage .
That, however, only held true when the opponent was ‘decently strong . ’ This was just like how a rampaging Drakan and Amur could never defeat Kang Chul-In!
They will both die!
Lucia thought .
Chuk!
She then immediately rushed in between Drakan and Amur and smashed them with her shield .
Bang,
Bang!
Both Amur and Drakan were sent flying . They crashed onto the ground several meters away from her .
We have to run no matter what!
Lucia displayed no bravado .
Psst!
She immediately dashed away,
If she confronted the white knight, she would die before seeing Kang Chul-In’s face again .
“Running away, huh?”
The white knight spoke in a disappointed tone .
Psst!
He then made his move as well .
His target was Lucia’s back .
His light-speed sword pierced through space towards Lucia .
At that moment .
Clang!
A metallic whip parried the white knight’s blow .
“ . . . !”
The white knight faltered momentarily .
Brrrrr…!
Sword .
The hand holding Arondight, the famous sword, shivered uncontrollably .
The whip’s power was that great .
“Fast . ”
A low and heavy voice could be heard .
“Y-your Majesty!”
Lucia turned back and shouted in delight .
“Don’t be ashamed of today’s loss . ”
Kang Chul-In, who appeared out of nowhere, told Lucia .
“It was an expected loss . ”
“But your Majesty . . . ”
“You guys are no match for this bastard here . ”
“ . . . !”
“I will deal with Brynhildr, the white knight . ”
Kang Chul-In turned around and faced the white knight .
***
While the greatest generals of Pangaea were battling at Laputa’s west . . .
Crack!
Alex Rothschild had the highest quality crystal ashtray smack his forehead .
“You useless bastard!”
An elderly gentleman with white hair and a short beard reprimanded Rothschild .
David Rothschild .
He was the current head of the Rothschild family, and also the father of Alex Rothschild .
“How much gold do you think you’ve squandered so far?”
“ . . . ”
“Even after all that, what did you say? You need more sponsorship?”
“ . . . ”
“How much longer do I need to trust and support you before you finally show some results? How much longer!?”
His scolding was justified .
After Alex Rothschild had become a lord, the Rothschild family had sponsored a heavenly sum of gold over the years .
The sponsorship was so much that it even made gold’s price on Earth rise exponentially .
“I’ve never imagined you to be this useless . ”
David Rothschild glared at his son with total condescension .
Brrrr…!
Alex Rothschild’s body trembled as if he had an epilepsy .
Do I… do I really deserve to receive this kind of treatment…? Me, Alex Rothschild!?
He had always been portrayed as the perfect heir to the Rothschild family . Nobody doubted that he was the next head of the family .
However,
Kang Chul-In…!
He really had bad blood with the demon with black hair . His life couldn’t possibly be in a worse state than this .
This is my limit . . .
Rothschild had run out of options .
He harbored hatred and rage against Kang Chul-In, fear of getting killed, and his vengeance for Lee Gong-Myung .
He even performed a genocide that could induce a rebellion . Rothschild was on the brink of madness .
Now, even his father was pressuring him .
“This is your last chance . ”
David warned .
“If you squander any more resources and drag our family’s good name through the mud, I will no longer recognize you as a member of the Rothschild family . ”
“ . . . !”
“Bring me results, son . ”
It was his last warning .
“If not . . . ”
At that moment .
Bang!
Alex Rothschild grabbed his father by his throat .
“Kuhuk…!”
David Rothschild groaned in pain . He couldn’t breathe due to the incredible grip strength .
“Even you are cornering me, father . ”
“S-Son…!”
“Do you even understand the situation I’m in? Huh?”
Alex Rothschild increased his grip strength .
“Keuuuuuk…!”
“I’m so sick of it . ”
“Keuk…!”
“Everyone is patronizing and mocking me . And Kang Chul-In, that fucker… he’s toying with me, even now . ”
Strictly speaking, Kang Chul-In was not toying with Rothschild . He always aimed to kill the latter, who never failed to slip away like a cockroach .
“L-Let… go… o-of… me first… s-security… guard . . . ”
David Rothschild’s face was now blood red . He struggled to breathe .
“You should have comforted me . ”
Rothschild had gone insane to the point that he couldn’t even recognize his own father .
C-Crack!
With a horrifying sound of twisting bones and muscles, David Rothschild’s body fell limp .
“ . . . !”
Alex Rothschild woke up in shock .
“F-Father…!”
He came to the sudden realization of what he had just done .
***
Nothing has changed .
Kang Chul-In recalled a nostalgic memory as he faced Brynhildr .
This powerful opponent was the same, be it in the past or present .
His pure white armor with a golden pattern was the highest-rank epic item called the ‘Almighty Silhouette Set’ . It was superior to the ‘Flaming Revenge of Bali Set’, which Kang Chul-In wore in the past .
And the sword . . .
Arondight was on par with Fragarach, a sword which Kang Chul-In yielded in the past .
In other words, Brynhildr possessed most of his items from the past . That was impressive considering that the Great Summoning happened just two years ago .
There was just one item .
He doesn’t have that yet .
A ring that emits a brilliant spark .
The Sonic Ring, a constituent of the Trinity Impact, was nowhere to be seen . Kang Chul-In was extremely disappointed .
“Kang Chul-In…?”
Brynhildr spoke .
“Are you really Overlord Kang Chul-In?”
“Apparently so . ”
Kang Chul-In replied with a smirk .
Chuk!
Brynhildr raised and pointed Arondight at Kang Chul-In . It was a silent signal for a face-off .
As expected .
Kang Chul-In laughed .
Brynhildr had always been like this .
He was a man of few words .
He always hid behind the white armor and refused to reveal his identity .
Even his voice could potentially be fake .
“Well, bring it on . ”
Kang Chul-In, however, did not dislike this attitude .
In fact, he liked it .
A swordsman spoke through his sword .
There was no need for long commentaries when the strongest characters in Pangaea were about to battle .
Bang!
Kang Chul-In dashed towards Brynhildr with a sonic boom trailing behind him .
***
“These cunning bastards . . . ”
Unlike Kang Chul-In who rushed immediately to the frontlines, Kwak Jung chose to stay in Laputa .
His duty as a tactician was to strategize, not to be physically present on the battlefield .
“Damn it, why are there so many of them?”
Kwak Jung frowned as he confirmed the enemy’s strength with a satellite map .
They had over 40,000 soldiers .
Overlord Albrecht Vilhelm and Ao Xin had each contributed 20,000 men to form the first Gullveig Coalition troop . Laputa wasn’t too comfortable with that .
Both the Full Metal Dragon and Zeppelin are under repair, damn it… we also don’t have any tactical weapons to use . . .
No matter how hard he brainstormed, he couldn’t find a simple method to annihilate the Gullveig Coalition army .
“If nothing works, just trample on them . ”
At that moment, Kwak Jung recalled Kang Chul-In’s words .
“Sorry? What do you mean by ‘trample’?”
“The castle will be in shatters… but that’s better than enduring through an arduous fight . ”
“N-No way…!”
“There’s quite some cash incoming, so do it if you are really driven into a corner . ”
Kang Chul-In’s proposal should never be used in normal circumstances . However, it could be a good solution in times like this, in which he had to focus on internal affairs .
“Argh, I don’t know anymore!”
Kwak Jung shouted .
“Departing, ready to depart!”
It wasn’t a fire attack .
It wasn’t a surprise attack .
It wasn’t a distraction, either .
What Kang Chul-In had suggested was to make Laputa, the flying fortress, float… and then to drop it on the heads of the enemy soldiers!
***
Clang,
Clang!
Kang Chul-In and Brynhildr exchanged blow after blow . The atmosphere was incredibly intense .
He’s strong…!
Kang Chul-In was surprised .
Not only did Brynhildr possess most of his high-class items from the past, he also boasted a formidable battle prowess .
…This guy is a genius .
Kang Chul-In and Kwak Jung had evolved over time with hard work and some innate talent, but it was different for Brynhildr .
He had mastered the art of swordsmanship in a mere span of two years . That was real talent .
Of course, his limited potential would prove to be his downfall in the future .
Clang!
Kaiforce and Arondight collided .
Bang!
The mana from the two of them collided to release a tremendous shockwave .
“ . . . ”
“ . . . ”
The shockwave knocked both Kang Chul-In and Brynhildr back by 10 metres each .
“Just like the rumors, Overlord Kang Chul-In . ”
Brynhildr spoke with pure admiration .
“You are strong . ”
He seemed genuinely surprised .
“Those rumors are nothing . ”
Kang Chul-In grinned .
Rumors tended to exaggerate things, but it was the opposite for Kang Chul-In’s case . The rumors underestimated his true power .
Not only did he possess the [Full Moon] buff and the [Spell Thirst] ability, but he also powered up using the Overpower Bracelet .
With these three upgrades, even Brynhildr would be no match for him .
“Let me show you . ”
Kang Chul-In swung his Kaiforce mischievously and prepared himself to dash towards Brynhildr .
Wait a second .
Kang Chul-In stopped .
If he killed Brynhildr here, the Trinity Impact could never be his . How could he possibly know where the Sonic Ring was?
Kang Chul-In pondered .
He had two options .
The first option was to kill Brynhildr, a potential source of danger, right now and thus weaken the Gullveig Coalition . The other option would be to let him live and steal his Sonic Ring in the future .
Each option had its boon and bane .
It would have been ideal if he could kill Brynhildr and take his ring immediately, but Brynhildr wasn’t wearing the Sonic Ring as of now .
Kang Chul-In grasped Kaiforce more tightly .
“Let’s just . . . ”
At that moment .
Wiiingggg!
About 3 kilometres away from them, space began to warp in the sky .
Hue hue… I will burn you bastard into crisps!
Kwak Jung’s voice rang through the magic-engineered loudspeaker