Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 602

In modern times, there’s one question that every martial artist can’t avoid:

Can martial artists truly overcome modern firearms?

The answers vary.

Some say that the human body can’t withstand the impact of bullets. And they’re not wrong. No matter how well-trained a martial artist is, it’s impossible to endure a direct hit from a gun.

A pistol might be manageable, but even a submachine gun renders the human body utterly helpless. Only a few, like masters of external force [those who focus on physical strength and impact] like Bartor or those who can use their inner energy to defend themselves, can be free from the impact of bullets.

However, there are counterarguments.

No attack is meaningful on its own. An attack only matters if it hits the target. Even someone with a machine gun can be devoured by a beast if they’re not a skilled marksman. Therefore, some argue that martial artists aren’t necessarily at a disadvantage against those with guns.

When guns first appeared, martial artists dismissed them. At the time, they were just more convenient, not necessarily better than bows.

The stones thrown by martial artists had superior killing power and range compared to guns, so who would pay attention to them?

But the world changed rapidly.

Humans evolve through war. Nothing has advanced humanity more than the technology developed to kill enemies. Humans focused on guns, eventually creating weapons that were stronger and more convenient than any traditional weapon.

That’s when the tables turned.

The martial artists who had secretly controlled the world began to suffer significant blows. While masters at the highest levels were immune to guns, it was impossible to expect that level from ordinary martial artists. It took decades to train a martial artist who could withstand bullets, but it only took a week to train a rifleman.

Eventually, martial artists lost their dominance and retreated into the shadows to survive.

Then the world advanced even further.

Numerous weapons were developed. Some were so powerful that even those who considered themselves supreme masters couldn’t handle them. The destructive power of gunpowder finally began to surpass the destructive power of inner energy.

Martial artists, feeling threatened, began to operate in secret.

They created a sense of crisis and hindered the development of weapons. They banned the use of bullets that could destroy a human with a single shot. They created numerous treaties to tie the hands of developers.

Yet, the gap continued to widen.

And then, data began to accumulate.

To counter the martial artists who had retreated into the shadows, the underworld began to use firearms. At the end of that long war, a conclusion was reached.

The more numerous the forces and the more open the battlefield, the more disadvantageous it was for martial artists in a fight against an army. A small group of martial artists could dominate in urban warfare, but they would be annihilated without a chance in a desert battle against an army.

This led martial artists to infiltrate developed countries and cities. Martial artists, who had preferred secluded places in the past, were forced to hide among civilians for survival.

This was also why martial artists were nearly wiped out in the Middle East and Africa.

So, what about the masters?

You’ll find out now.

Jeong Eun-ho took a deep breath.

In the scope of his 20mm takedown rifle, Knight Wiggins’ head was perfectly centered.

‘Don’t be impatient.’

With each heartbeat, the barrel of the gun trembled slightly.

‘It’s just once.’

He wouldn’t get a second chance to snipe a master of that caliber. If he didn’t finish it in one shot, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the master’s speed. The battle between a sniper and a martial artist was a race to see who could spot the other first, and how calmly they could finish it with a single blow.

No matter how strong someone is, they can’t survive a headshot. This 20mm sniper rifle could pierce an elephant in one shot. No one made of bone and flesh could withstand it.

“Hoo…”

Jeong Eun-ho took his hand off the gun and pressed his chest.

‘Damn it.’

He was nervous.

It was impossible not to be nervous when facing a master of that level. The challenge wasn’t overcoming the nervousness, but succeeding in the shot despite it.

Jeong Eun-ho slowly began to aim, following his own routine. But then, Knight Wiggins moved slightly forward.

‘Damn it.’

If he went there, the angle wouldn’t work. What should he do now?

The best option was to move to the next point immediately. That spot was cleaner and had a higher chance of success.

But…

‘They’ll be annihilated in the meantime.’

Knight Wiggins’ abilities were beyond their calculations. They thought the elders could buy them at least some time, but the elders were barely holding off Knight Wiggins.

They were more helpless than leaves in a storm.

‘Damn it.’

The moment he moved his position, the elders holding off Knight Wiggins would all fall. Then it would be hard to escape the master’s perception. At this distance, he would sense his killing intent.

In the end, there was only one option.

‘I have to take a risk.’

Jeong Eun-ho slowly walked towards the window.

Even though they couldn’t see each other and he had found a perfect blind spot, he wasn’t relieved.

That wasn’t a human.

You shouldn’t think of martial artists as humans. They could sense things that humans could never sense, and see things that humans could never see.

He had to move as if the master’s gaze was on him.

“Hoo…”

Jeong Eun-ho took one last shallow breath. Even deep breaths were dangerous now.

Jeong Eun-ho carefully placed the barrel of the gun right behind the window. An ordinary person wouldn’t even think of shouldering and firing this 20kg gun, but he was also a martial artist.

Free from the constraints of weight and posture, he had enough of an advantage.

The angle wasn’t right like this. To snipe, he needed to stick the barrel out of the window. It was incredibly dangerous, but…

‘It’s worth a try.’

He couldn’t avoid the risk. Without this anti-material rifle, he wouldn’t even last a second against Knight Wiggins. It would be arrogant to refuse to take a risk when trying to take down a martial artist he couldn’t even look in the eye.

Gambling is only for those who are prepared to lose, even if what they lose is their life.

Jeong Eun-ho was confident he wouldn’t regret it.

‘Here I go.’

Jeong Eun-ho took a short breath and held it. Then, he carefully stuck the barrel out of the window.

In a normal situation, no one would notice a gun barrel sticking out of a window at this distance. But his opponent wasn’t normal. He had to be careful, and then even more careful.

Slowly, very slowly.

He extended the barrel at a speed that wouldn’t disturb a single speck of air, and brought his eye to the scope. Knight Wiggins’ head was perfectly aligned in the crosshairs.

‘Die!’

The last thing he needed was decisiveness.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jeong Eun-ho pulled the trigger.

Thoom!

A low, heavy gunshot echoed. Jeong Eun-ho was certain of the hit. At this distance, there was no way he could miss.

The acrid smoke from the barrel stung his nose, and through the scope, he saw Knight Wiggins.

“…Huh.”

Jeong Eun-ho was speechless.

What on earth was happening?

He had clearly pulled the trigger. He had fired the gun. But Knight Wiggins, visible in the scope, was exactly the same as before.

‘Am I dreaming?’

That couldn’t be.

The acrid smell of gunpowder was stinging his nose. How could this be a dream?

‘Then what the hell is it!’

It was as if this place and that place were separated.

Like the same space had become different worlds.

And at that moment, the separated worlds began to merge. Knight Wiggins slowly began to turn his head.

Through the scope, Jeong Eun-ho and Knight Wiggins’ eyes met.

The moment their eyes met, Jeong Eun-ho felt a shock that seemed to stop his heart.

Knight Wiggins was smiling.

“Crude.”

Knight Wiggins held out his hand. In his hand was a red-hot bullet.

“We’ve been fighting against guns longer than you have. I don’t deny the power of guns, but if you think we haven’t prepared any countermeasures, that’s too naive.”

Especially for a Knight.

How futile would it be if a Knight, who had all the information of every country in his head, lost his life to a single sniper shot?

No one could handle the aftermath. Countless pieces of information would be lost, and even if they chose a new Knight, it would be impossible to perfectly replace the previous one.

The Round Table [a secret organization of powerful individuals] had always been aware of such risks, and since the advent of sniper rifles, they had begun developing magic to counter them.

It had been over thirty years since magic had been deployed in the field, and now they were using a sniper rifle? How old-fashioned.

‘But it was a bit dangerous.’

He hadn’t expected to be sniped in this country where firearms were banned. If he hadn’t habitually cast a spell, Knight Wiggins would have been a headless corpse by now.

From that perspective, they had prepared well too.

“It seems that was your trump card against the Lord. But!”

Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!

Realizing that the situation wasn’t going well, Jeong Eun-ho fired his gun in rapid succession. Since he had been discovered, there was no other way.

But the bullets he fired curved near Knight Wiggins.

They drew curves that bullets could never draw, completely missing their target.

“Magic to block arrows existed even a thousand years ago.”

Unless the mages were fools who only studied old magic, it was natural for them to improve it into magic that could block guns in modern times. Of course, not all guns could be blocked just by learning magic.

If the impact was within their capacity, they could deflect all incoming bullets. It was like a miracle.

“But it was dangerous. So you have to pay the price.”

Knight Wiggins’ right hand emitted a pure white light. The light swirling around his hand flew towards the window where Jeong Eun-ho was at a dazzling speed.

“Gasp!”

The moment he saw it, the light was already right in front of him. Before his brain could even issue the command to dodge, the pure white light pierced his head.

Jeong Eun-ho fell without even screaming. The sound of the heavy anti-material rifle falling to the floor echoed clearly.

“Well, if you have anything else to try, you should do it.”

Choi Sang-mu’s face darkened at Knight Wiggins’ composure.