Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 612

“Since I haven’t lost my will to fight, am I worth your time? I’d like to drive a sword through your neck right now.”

Go Seong-hyeon’s face was twisted like a demon’s.

They fell.

They died.

Among those who had fallen to the ground, some were already dead. His disciples, whom he had cherished like his own children, had fallen one after another. It was fortunate that those who had fled had saved their lives, but in the time it took to take a few breaths, more than half of them had lost consciousness and were lying on the ground.

And half of those were probably already dead.

Tears streamed from Go Seong-hyeon’s eyes.

“Answer me! Am I worth your time!”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Go Seong-hyeon with indifferent eyes.

“You bastard! What did they ever do to you that you could kill people so cruelly!”

“Did I kill them?”

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up.

“No, it wasn’t me. It was you who killed them.”

Go Seong-hyeon’s body flinched.

“I already told you all. If you didn’t want to die, get lost. Staying was your choice, wasn’t it?”

“…Is a martial artist supposed to turn their back and run away?”

“Is it humiliating?”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

Humiliating?

Humiliation?

Those who speak of humiliation have yet to learn how terrifying the world can be. Kang Jin-ho had run and run again to survive. He had thrown himself into turbulent waters to avoid blades flying at his back, and he had jumped off cliffs.

Running away is humiliating?

What a load of crap.

The real humiliation is death. Dying at the hands of an enemy. As long as you’re alive, you can do anything.

“Answer me.”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth calmly.

“Will you praise them?”

“Will you praise them for fighting bravely instead of running away?”

Go Seong-hyeon couldn’t answer.

There was no way he could praise them. Because he knew.

There is no such thing as a noble death in this world. You can applaud the death of someone you have no emotional connection to, but no one can applaud the noble death of their own acquaintance.

If only they had run away.

If only they hadn’t spoken of that damned honor and just ran away.

‘I killed them.’

His teachings had led them to their deaths. If he hadn’t habitually spoken of honor, they wouldn’t have died.

That fact was tearing Go Seong-hyeon’s heart to shreds.

“I…”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Go Seong-hyeon calmly.

“I…”

Kang Jin-ho calmly approached and grabbed Go Seong-hyeon’s face. Then, he slowly lifted it up.

“Kuh.”

“The choice is always yours. So, you don’t need to take responsibility. That’s just useless guilt.”

Crack.

Kang Jin-ho’s fingers dug into Go Seong-hyeon’s head.

“There’s no need to worry. It’s not your burden anymore. There’s only one thing you have to pay for. The price of not running away.”

Splat.

With a sound like a ripe watermelon being smashed, Go Seong-hyeon’s headless corpse fell to the ground. Kang Jin-ho shook the blood off his hands and turned away.

‘What a disgusting feeling.’

It was like looking at those righteous bastards from the past.

Those who pushed innocent lives into hell with words like righteousness and honor. And then shed tears, mourning their deaths.

He knew.

He couldn’t say they were completely wrong. It was just their way of life. Their tears weren’t fake.

But that’s why it was even more disgusting.

Hypocrisy was better.

Because even sadness wasn’t allowed for the lives sacrificed in the name of a great cause.

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

Those who met his eyes all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

The burning heat in his heart cooled down.

“Move out.”

“Yes!”

Leaving the fallen behind, Kang Jin-ho and his group began to climb the mountain again.

Even while holding his breath so as not to disturb Kang Jin-ho’s mood, Lee Myeong-hwan found it difficult to calm his racing heart.

‘This is demonic energy.’

Lee Myeong-hwan’s heart was trembling.

He was afraid.

Not of others, but of himself.

When demonic energy was drawn out to its full potential, an unimaginable excitement swept through the body. It was as if he had been injected with an aphrodisiac, a sense of euphoria that made him feel like he could do anything, numbing his mind.

After that, there was an urge to destroy everything in sight.

‘Is it okay to keep using this?’

The power was immense.

He had already experienced that power. If it had been the Lee Myeong-hwan of the past, he would have struggled to block Jeong Yun-seong’s sword more than three times. But Lee Myeong-hwan, who had drawn out his demonic energy, had toyed with Jeong Yun-seong one-sidedly. If he had wanted to, he could have ended his life much sooner.

This tremendous power.

The word ‘development’ was meaningless.

It was a power that transcended martial principles, experience… everything.

Jeong Yun-seong’s swordsmanship was incomparable to Lee Myeong-hwan’s. If they had fought with the same power, Lee Myeong-hwan would never have been able to defeat Jeong Yun-seong.

But demonic energy had created an insurmountable wall between Jeong Yun-seong and him.

It was like how even the most technically skilled boxer can’t overcome the difference in weight class. The moment a flyweight fighter faces a heavyweight fighter, technique becomes meaningless. A punch that lands on the guard can knock a person unconscious.

‘I’ve become stronger.’

Lee Myeong-hwan’s face flushed.

That’s right. He had become stronger.

Kang Jin-ho’s words that he would make them so strong that they wouldn’t lose to anyone if they followed him were true. Lee Myeong-hwan glanced around.

Flushed faces.

They were suppressing the joy of realizing how strong they had become, unable to express it.

‘It’s over.’

Lee Myeong-hwan realized.

Until now, they hadn’t dared to defy Kang Jin-ho. The more they mastered demonic energy, the more they felt the overwhelming gap in power. They were so terrified that they couldn’t even talk back.

But now, they would surpass that level.

Now that they knew how strong Kang Jin-ho had made them, no one would even think of defying him. They would probably jump into a fire without hesitation if he ordered them to.

And Lee Myeong-hwan was no different.

‘I need an opponent.’

It felt like a fire was burning in his throat. To relieve this feeling, he needed more opponents. Strong opponents he could punch without restraint.

Ecstasy.

Yes, this was ecstasy.

For a martial artist, there is nothing more enjoyable than realizing that you are strong. It was an extreme sense of self-esteem that could not be obtained with money, drugs, or women.

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth calmly.

“Do you think you’ve become stronger?”

No one answered. They didn’t understand what Kang Jin-ho’s question meant.

“I asked if you think you’ve become stronger.”

“…Yes.”

They couldn’t ignore the second question. Lee Myeong-hwan answered with a hesitant voice.

“Then that’s good.”

Kang Jin-ho continued casually.

“But it’s still not enough.”

“…It’s not enough.”

He wanted to become stronger.

More.

He wanted to become even stronger.

Now that he had experienced what it meant to be strong, he could never go back to the way he was before. Even if he could turn back time, Lee Myeong-hwan would run to Kang Jin-ho without hesitation and grab his pant leg.

The others would be the same.

“Then fight. Humans become stronger in real combat. It’s even more so with demonic energy.”

Euphoria.

An uncontrollable euphoria was burning in his heart.

“However.”

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho threw cold water on them.

“I need someone who can fight with me, not a beast that has lost its reason. Fight the enemy while also fighting yourselves. I will kill with my own hands anyone who loses themselves.”

“Even though it’s incomparable in terms of stability, demonic energy is still demonic energy. Those who let go of themselves will eventually become killing demons. To advance with demonic energy is to fight yourself. If you’re going to die, die as humans. I don’t want you to die as beasts.”

“Understood.”

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘It’s better than I thought.’

Demonic energy was ultimately a martial art that paralyzed human nature. Even Kang Jin-ho was like a walking bomb until he reached the extreme level of demonic energy. This was why Kang Jin-ho didn’t have good memories of the Demonic Cult.

Those who mastered demonic energy were more violent than ordinary martial artists, no matter how gentle they were. There was a reason why demonic practitioners were ostracized. In the past, when he created the Demonic Flames, he had a lot of trouble because of their ferocity.

There were more than a few who had to have their martial arts sealed.

But these people were different from the Demonic Flames of the past.

‘It’s true that humans are greatly influenced by education.’

What was so different between when he was in the Central Plains and now? The world had changed, but humans hadn’t. The humans of then and now wouldn’t be different at the DNA level.

But they were definitely different.

Even though they were learning the same demonic energy and undergoing the same training, they were definitely more rational than the Demonic Flames of the past. Of course, their growth was slower, but if he had to choose one, the rational side was a hundred times better.

If there was a rifle that might explode at any moment and a safe pistol, the choice was obvious.

And it was the same when comparing their power.

In the end, only those with a sound mind could master the rising martial arts. The benefits of demonic energy were not long-lasting. The higher you go, the more important training and enlightenment become. Those who move only by instinct cannot break through the wall. Even if it takes a little longer, they will surpass the Demonic Flames of the past someday.

‘But the fact that it takes time is a problem.’

It was the same with the Demonic Cult in the Central Plains, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t have much time now. If he wanted to use them as a fighting force, he had to make them master demonic energy faster.

Kang Jin-ho, who had faced one task, opened his mouth.

“Fight without losing your reason. Just winning with your body is meaningless. Each attack, each defense… remember the demonic energy flowing through your body. That experience will make you stronger.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

“Now, then…”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head.

In front of them, the mansion of Lee Jung-geol was visible. And from within, a thick fighting spirit and killing intent were emanating. The demonic practitioners who felt the killing intent began to breathe heavily.

Well, it was true that they were more rational and less ferocious than the Demonic Flames of the past, but that didn’t mean they weren’t ferocious. Just because a serial killer is less vicious than another doesn’t mean that the serial killer is not bad.

“It seems like there are a lot of prey over there.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, demonic energy began to pour out one after another. It was like beasts drooling at the sight of prey.

“Go. Go and show them who you are.”

As soon as Kang Jin-ho’s permission was given, the demonic practitioners rushed forward like lightning, emitting demonic energy. Watching them from behind, it was as if black meteors were falling down.

Kang Jin-ho watched calmly with interest, then followed them.

It was a dark night.