Martial Arts Returnee's Game Broadcast-Chapter 391: Demon King Swordsman VS Korea’s Top Ten
1.
One step. One more step.
The power built through effort is strong.
That was true for So Wonjoong’s awakening ability, <Beast's Claw>.
“It’s nothing more than a power that makes claws grow from the back of my hand, barely better than the werewolves in some superhero movies.”
There was no regeneration ability.
No superhuman leaping ability.
All he had was the ability to take out and retract claws.
Shorter than a spear or a sword.
Its reach was barely more than that of a fist.
And the strength of those claws was pathetic.
A useless ability.
The lowest, most insignificant skill.
A talent so worthless that it would have been better to have been born an ordinary person.
“So Wonjoong, don’t limit your abilities. The strength of a power grows according to the will of its user.”
That was what Jo Ilseong had said to him.
A man who never stopped believing in human potential, who never gave up despite the limits.
“Your ability can still grow stronger.”
He didn’t want to refute those words.
He wanted to prove that he wasn’t garbage.
“Teach me! Tell me what I should do!”
“All creation-type abilities carry the potential for ‘reconstruction.’”
“Reconstruction...?”
“Have you ever imagined it? A future where your claws become stronger and stronger, until they are strong enough to cut through anything in the world.”
“No. That’s impossible. With these pathetic claws—no way...”
“Then, think of it. And pay the price.”
“The price?”
“You must break your claws, over and over, until you understand.”
“Break my claws?!”
“It will hurt. It will be maddening. But this thought will come to you: If the pain is this great, if you endure this much agony, shouldn’t you be able to cut through metal at least?”
“......!!”
“When your rage exceeds its limit, your power will evolve. Believe in the potential of your claws to cut through anything. Gather your rage.”
“Potential...”
“If you survive the end of this war, you will be the strongest.”
Jo Ilseong’s words were true.
New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.
A war against monsters.
A war against the government.
After overcoming all those trials, he had become strong.
One of the Ten Greatest Heroes of Korea, his name boldly displayed for the world to see.
“It’s been a while. Remembering those old days.”
The last ten years had been different.
At some point, he had changed.
He had begun craving blood and thirst, tearing through everything with his claws.
The thirst to become the strongest was no longer there.
He only needed a sacrifice to quell his cruel bloodlust.
He had stopped breaking his claws.
Instead, he had shattered everything that couldn’t be broken—again and again.
<Awakening Ability – Claws of Calamity>
<Unusual Technique – Greatsword Transformation>
<Special Technique – Blood Silence, First Twilight>
Bloodstains spread like the twilight of early evening.
A heat that pulses with the light of life, but quickly fades as if setting beyond the horizon—a final extinction.
Even until the moment he wielded his secret technique, So Wonjoong believed this would be just another massacre.
Kaang!!
“!!”
Until the claws capable of slicing through diamonds and even a Golem’s outer armor were stopped,
they were blocked.
As soon as he realized the failure, every hair on his body stood on end, and his heart sank.
An eternity stretched within a single second.
His blood went cold, and all sensations from his limbs disappeared.
Purple Qi.
An impenetrable barrier.
And from beyond it came the flash of death.
Screech!
It was cut.
Not him, but Park Yangpyeong, who stood in his way.
“Live. You cannot lose your claws.”
Perhaps it was because of the friendship shared on the battlefield.
Park Yangpyeong blocked him, dying in his place.
[ has been killed.]
He knew.
It was just a false death in the virtual world.
But it had become a clear catalyst.
The countless deaths he had endured.
The hell he faced over ten years ago on the battlefield.
The desperation from that time.
The hopelessness of that moment.
It all played out like a film reel in his mind.
“AAAHHH!!”
It was just like then.
Countless comrades had given their lives.
Humans had died like ants.
Ten deaths meant ninety more would advance.
Twenty deaths meant seventy would attack.
Thirty deaths meant forty would survive.
It was those forty who were attacked by Awakeners of the Shadow Division.
They didn’t need heroes of the people.
They feared the loss of their own power.
He had asked for little.
Only for the spirits of the dead to be honored.
But what he received was lead bullets, and fire rain pouring down from the sky.
No one honors them.
No one is grateful.
“Don’t you want revenge? On the disgusting bastards who mocked and desecrated the sacrifices of your comrades?”
Someone reached out to him.
A voice and face he didn’t recognize.
“Yes, it’s revenge. Don’t think of anything else.”
The words were blurry, like static.
A voice—he couldn’t tell if it was a man’s or a woman’s—spoke to him.
“If the memories only bring pain, then they are no longer needed.”
And so, he forgot.
All that was left was pure hatred.
Hatred without knowing what it was aimed at.
That seal was broken.
At this very moment, by recalling the desperate memories of the battlefield.
<Zao Yun Doji (紫雲渡地)>
Purple clouds, heralding the end of the world, descend upon the earth.
The ground collapses, and the land is erased.
A nightmare of the past, where comrades’ lives, precious memories, and promises shatter.
Just like the invasion of the Untouchable-level monster from long ago.
The world is certainly heading toward destruction.
“Yes, it was like this then too.”
He clearly recalled it now.
Back then, his claws were not like these dull claws.
There were no thorns growing inside his body to tear apart his intestines.
Those claws were pure, forged solely with one intent:
To cut the enemy in front of him.
“I don’t need these claws anymore.”
Kaang!
He ripped them apart.
With the pain of splitting bones, his vision went white.
<Awakening Ability – Claws of Calamity>
<Special Technique – Ultimate Evolution>
Two?
No, maybe three?
In that brief moment, more comrades died.
When his vision returned, only desperation remained.
His eyes witnessed Jo Ilseong, the leader of Korea’s Top Ten, single-handedly stopping the monster.
“Everyone!! Open the path for So Wonjoong!!”
“Just this once. Never again.”
<Awakening Ability – Dance of the Swordmaster>
<Ultimate Expansion – Dance of Extinction>
The blooming purple plum blossoms from Jang Ihwa’s sword desperately [N O V E L I G H T] blocked the final strike.
The expert in shapeshifting swords was now drenched in blood, scars increasing with every growing shift.
Thanks to her sacrifice, So Wonjoong gained the opportunity to approach.
“Let me stop that!”
<Awakening Ability – Master of the Seas>
<Ultimate Expansion – Maximum Dive>
Beyond the blossoming purple, a sphere of light containing unimaginable power came rushing toward them.
The leader of Ocean World Guild, Michael, gathered the light and dived, disappearing into the depths.
Boom—!
The tremor shook the earth.
This new attack, less dense than the previous one but overwhelming in size, spread over the earth like an enormous wave.
“Tch. I hate losing deals.”
Kim Jojoon took aim with his magic bow, his eyes filled with blue energy.
<Awakening Ability – The Eyes of the Divine Archer>
<Ultimate Expansion – Divine Wrath>
The more time passed, the greater the destructive power, but the cost was his sight.
The intensity of his power tore through the light barrier, opening the path.
“Finally, it’s my turn!”
“Still some unreliable ones left.”
“Shut up. You take the claws, I’ll take the shield.”
Too many had fallen.
There was no one left to take their place.
Boom!
Jo Ilseong, who had held on tenaciously to keep the Demon King Swordsman in check, had finally collapsed.
Now, only Kang Taebaek remained between the Demon King Swordsman and So Wonjoong.
“Leave the tanking to me.”
It could easily lead to death.
With a single blow, Kang Taebaek would die, and So Wonjoong would follow.
Korea’s Top Ten could be annihilated.
But he was not afraid.
<Awakening Ability – Tyrant’s Power>
<Ultimate Expansion – Heaven-shaking Movement>
It was breaking.
The strength of his bones cracked before the enemy’s sword.
Even his trained body couldn’t withstand it.
But still,
He didn’t fear his bones breaking, and he fought back.
Swooosh!
The sword accelerated like lightning, slicing through veins and nerves in his arm.
“I knew it. With your skill, you’d pull this off!”
That’s why Kang Taebaek held up his arm, empowered by mana instead of muscle and bone.
His resolve allowed him to strike without losing speed.
He pushed forward.
He took the immense power of the oncoming tsunami and met it with his final ultimate move.
Ssssst
As the force of the attack pushed back, the sword’s energy shifted, freezing the air.
It froze his lungs, not allowing him to breathe.
The explosive mixture of Yin and Yang pushed out the freezing air.
Half of his body was torn off in a single strike, but the death notification was delayed by 0.3 seconds.
“If I’m the tank, I can’t just drop dead after one strike!!”
Even as his breath was cut off, Kang Taebaek didn’t stagger or collapse.
He pushed the blast off to the side with So Wonjoong’s infiltration, sending the explosion flying away.
Zing—
The light that appeared before him turned white, making all his desperate struggles seem meaningless.
It was too late.
No matter how quickly the claws swung, it was useless.
No claw could move faster than light.
Is it the end?
After coming this far, to end like this, so pointlessly?
<Awakening Ability – Unlimited>
<Special Technique – Tyrant’s Power>
As the light burst forth, with a sharp crack, the Silent Swordsman’s forehead was pushed back.
Jo Ilseong, the leader of Korea’s Top Ten, broke the beam’s path, twisting it upward.
The single opportunity had finally arrived.
<Awakening Ability – Claws of Calamity>
<Ultimate Expansion – Extermination>
So Wonjoong’s claws flashed.
The Korea’s Top Ten came together in a life-or-death final assault.
At the end of this desperate charge,
[Zihailgi Gong has been broken.]
[Zihashin Gong shatters.]
The invincible power.
The purple energy that never drained dissipated.
“We did it.”
So Wonjoong grinned, unable to hide his joy.
His world had been turned upside down.
[ has been killed.]
His head severed, his body standing frozen.
The severed head’s view reflected only one survivor.
“With just one left, the others died. What terrible cost-efficiency.”
He didn’t even realize when everyone else had fallen.
The cost of defeating Demon King Swordsman’s Zihashin Gong was the death of nine out of Korea’s Top Ten.
Only Jo Ilseong, the strongest of the Ten Great Guilds, survived.
