章節 44: Hang in There, if You Can (3)
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One day, the head instructor said something to me.
"Hyun-Woo. Why are you learning boxing? When you signed up, I saw you also do jiu-jitsu. It's good to combine striking and grappling, but wouldn't it be better to stick to one discipline?"
He wasn't wrong.
Both boxing and jiu-jitsu are not something you can learn and use effectively in a short period of time.
No matter how good the combination of striking and grappling is, if you learn them haphazardly, you'll end up being mediocre at both.
The reason he decided to learn boxing despite this was simple.
"The reason? I heard boxing is the most practical. As you know, the world is dangerous these days."
Grappling arts like jiu-jitsu are undoubtedly powerful.
But that's in a one-on-one scenario. In a fight against multiple opponents, the result would be entirely different.
"You can win by breaking an arm or pinning someone to the ground. But while you're doing that, if someone else attacks you, it's over."
That's why he decided to learn striking techniques.
By learning both striking and grappling, I thought I could handle situations involving multiple opponents.
And boxing is a sport that ignites a man's spirit.
He thought it was worth learning, even though it was tough to juggle both.
But the head instructor just laughed.
"Hahaha. That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Boxing is strong in a fight against multiple opponents? Do you really think so?"
"Isn't it?"
"Of course, it's more useful than grappling. But if you really care about practicality, wouldn't it be better to learn kendo instead of boxing?"
People who learn boxing can be formidable.
Even just learning basic footwork would allow you to easily dodge a layman's punches and land blows to their face continuously.
But saying boxing is strong against multiple opponents is absurd.
"You've got it wrong. It's not that boxing is strong in a fight against multiple opponents. Other martial arts are just weaker. Did you think you could dodge punches and beat them up by learning boxing?"
"Uh…."
Have you never heard of this? Even in the past, sword masters would run away if they faced more than three enemies. Fighting when you're outnumbered is a foolish thing."
There is no martial art that is strong against multiple opponents. Of course, the world is vast, but among accessible martial arts, none offer that kind of advantage.
"Hyun-Woo, remember this. If you want to fight against more than two people, you should go to some place that teaches Hanmumo or something and learn spear techniques. Otherwise, just running away is the best option. Boxing is good in that regard. Your legs are always ready to run…."
The head instructor's advice, which I had lightly dismissed at the time, was something Ian felt deeply now.
Bam!
"Aagh!"
'This is f*cking hard.'
Ian's brows furrowed as he pummeled the incoming barbarians.
The situation was quickly deteriorating.
'They've completely analyzed me.'
He had anticipated a trap, but…
Was it because he was a Demon King? The enemy had crafted a trap that perfectly analyzed his fighting style.
'As if having 100 barbarians attack at once wasn't enough, the Demon King of Gluttony attacks whenever there's an opening….'
If it were 100 ordinary men whose heads could be crushed with a single punch, handling them wouldn't be a problem.
But now, reinforced by demonic power, they wouldn't fall unless struck precisely in the head.
'Of course, this is also because I'm out-fighting instead of in-fighting….'
Out-fighting, which uses space and jabs for control, was the strategy, as opposed to in-fighting, which involves getting close and using hooks or uppercuts.
With the enhanced enemies, relying only on jabs showed no signs of improving the situation.
Even now…
Craaa!
Crrr!
"Ugh!"
A moment of distraction, and Beelzebub's manifested demonic jaws were upon him, tearing at his flesh.
Drip! Drip!
'Damn….'
The sharp pain from the torn flesh on his arm made Ian grit his teeth.
'I don't know how much longer I can hold out.'
– Ian…. Should I use my divine power now?
'Not yet…. Hold on.'
– You're not in good shape…. But I'll wait.
Ian frowned at Neltalion's sullen expression.
Of course, using Neltalion's divine power would turn the tide.
With the technique that had even driven Alex Volkanov to a corner, he could obliterate these barbarians, regardless of their demonic enhancements.
But Ian couldn't do that.
'Those b*stards… they haven't even joined the fight yet, so I can't use it now.'
If he used it here, dealing with them later would become even more difficult.
Using it now for immediate relief would only lead to disaster later.
This was why Ian pretended to be in a dire situation without using Lo Aias or Super Regeneration.
'Like with Lilith, those who are desperate to take my life won't let me die at the hands of mere barbarians.'
Pretending to be on the brink of death was a good lure against demons who acted on impulse.
Perhaps because of this…
"I can't wait any longer!"
Beelzebub, cutting down the approaching barbarians, began to move closer.
Attacking only from a distance with his powers must not have satisfied him, as his hands were now shrouded in dark magic.
Surely, he intended to kill Ian with those hands.
Beelzebub smiled wickedly as he placed his hand on Ian's neck.
Slick!
Blood trickled out like from a blade wound, and Beelzebub grinned as he watched.
Behind him, Mammon stood, arms crossed, looking down at Ian indifferently.
Perhaps because he believed victory was assured, Beelzebub began to speak leisurely.
"Commendable courage, stepping foot here to save the prisoners… but your struggle ends here. Truly foolish."
"Foolish? Is that how it looks?"
"You should know your place. Confident mortal… did you think you could defeat everyone here? But what's the result? You're the one who fell, aren't you!"
How could someone be so filled with arrogance?
It was astonishing.
What could a mere human believe in to act so audaciously?
And thinking about how Lilith failed to capture this one made Beelzebub furious.
'Thinking about that woman makes my blood boil…'
But Beelzebub suppressed his anger.
It was a good day, after all. The day he would finally deal with Ian Volkanov.
Today, he would refrain from getting angry and enjoy it.
Taking a deep breath of the cold air, Beelzebub prepared to strike and then asked.
"Any last words? Anything is fine. You can speak to the prisoners watching your demise or to your family. I'll make sure the message is delivered."
"I only have one thing to say to you."
"And what is that? Speak quickly."
As Beelzebub lowered himself to hear Ian's last words, Ian spoke.
"Look up, you idiot."
"What?"
Kugugoogung!
Just as the curse left Ian's mouth, the ground began to tremble wildly.
"What the hell is this?"
What was happening? Not only did the nearly dead man spew nonsense, but now the ground was shaking?
As Beelzebub stood there confused, a voice full of resignation came from behind.
"This is insane."
"What? Mammon! Did you see something? Then speak up!"
"If you have eyes, look around, Beelzebub."
"Around? What do you… Gasp!"
It was then that Beelzebub saw it.
Boom! Boom boom boom!
The Sisyphus Mountains were erupting under an attack.
But the crucial part came next.
Rumble!
'An avalanche… no way.'
Snow piled high on the mountains started to surge like a tsunami towards them.
It was a situation that could only be described as a suicide attack. Yet, Ian, the one responsible, was grinning as if pleased.
"Like the reaction? Do you like what I prepared?"
"Are you insane! Causing an avalanche! Don't you know the hostages will die too?"
"Why would the hostages die? Look closely at their condition…."
"What condition?"
They should be imprisoned in a cage made of dark magic, so what could possibly be the problem?
Thinking this, Beelzebub turned his head and saw it.
"What! How is that…?"
"Do you like it? It was so shabby, I made some upgrades."
The prison, once made of dark mana, was now surrounded by a protective shield of black mana.
Ian had used the Ether and mana to move the prisoners out of the avalanche's path.
"This… Even if the hostages are safe, your ancestors' remains are buried beneath this place, aren't they? Don't you realize that this will make it impossible to recover them?"
"The remains… What do you want me to do about them?"
"What?"
"They've been buried for over a hundred years, so they've probably returned to nature by now, don't you think? If anything is left, well, consider it as having a nice cool blanket over them."
"You're insane… Truly, you're a madman!"
"Did you just realize that now?"
"Ugh!"
Beelzebub, now enraged to the point of his head feeling like it was going to explode, gritted his teeth.
Unforeseen problems kept emerging.
The man who seemed easy to dispatch was tenaciously surviving and had managed to cause an avalanche.
The barbarians, whom they had hoped to keep mostly intact, were significantly lost.
Ultimately, Beelzebub and Mammon had no choice but to make a decision.
"Damn… Just killing him and leaving this place is the right thing to do."
Being mocked by a human despite being a Demon King was a victory full of wounds, but winning was still the priority.
Killing him and leaving would be far better than being mocked and losing.
Beelzebub wrapped his arms in dark magic once more. He needed to behead this wretch and return to Astelgia.
With that thought, he turned his gaze to Ian. What he saw shocked him.
"He was supposed to be… How…"
"What is happening…"
Ian, who had been kneeling, seemingly on the brink of death, was nowhere to be seen.
Kwooong!
"Now I'll show you what happens when you mess with a madman."
All his wounds had vanished, and behind him, a massive manifestation of a thousand hands had appeared.
"How did you gain his power…?"
Beelzebub's low voice was cut off as the thousand hands behind Ian extended forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The King of a Thousand Arms, Neltalion, was revealing his true power at that moment.
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