Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 735

‘What am I even looking at?’ Reality had slipped away without me even noticing.

Woozhao watched the scene unfold before him as if he were watching a movie.

Get a grip on reality?

Is this really happening?

Who doesn’t know that?

I know, I know it.

So what about it?

If someone were to say that in front of him right now, Woozhao would grab them by the collar and pull their head close. Then, he would shout in their ear.

Look!

This is what’s happening right before your eyes.

So what?

Reality?

Don’t spout such nonsense.

How could something like this happen in reality!

Evil has no form.

Evil is spoken of everywhere in the world, but its form is never described.

But look.

It’s there.

Evil was taking shape there.

Nothing in the world could express the word ‘evil’ in such a perfect form.

Look.

Everything is black, as if being sucked in. And it’s dark.

Dark, black darkness is surging. It wasn’t just existing.

Evil is growling. As if it would rush in anywhere, tear, bite, and howl, more fiercely than ever.

‘What the hell is that?’

He too was a person who lived in the world of martial arts.

He knew better than anyone that half of the areas that humans consider unreal were already happening in reality.

Humans can’t fly, but they can jump into the sky…

They can’t live in water, but they can survive in it for a day.

The realm of common sense and the absurd.

Those who walk the tightrope of that precarious boundary are the martial artists. Perhaps, for them, the words ‘common sense’ and ‘reality’ might be meaningless.

But that’s not it.

That has already gone beyond the level that can be measured by the yardsticks of common sense or reality.

It was truly a fantasy.

It was truly despair.

A festival of despair that the soul reacted to before the eyes did.

“Uh… uh…”

Woozhao’s jaw trembled.

His upper and lower teeth were clattering violently, beyond his control.

Strength?

It’s not that.

Yes, he must be strong. Of course, he would be strong. If someone who creates such an absurd phenomenon were weak, what in the world would be strong?

But that wasn’t it.

What was making him tremble now wasn’t fear of the opponent’s ‘strength.’ It was something more fundamental.

Even a dog that has never seen a tiger in its life will tuck its tail and pee the moment it smells the tiger’s fur.

It’s not about knowing or understanding.

It was a fear embedded in instinct, in the soul.

His soul was screaming that he should naturally fear whatever was in front of him, that he should tremble with all his might.

“Ah…”

The reactions of others were no different.

Even Chai Ke-chang couldn’t stand still.

His swaying body barely regained its balance. Then, he covered his face with both hands.

‘A demon.’

The word ‘demon’ is too common.

But today, Chai Ke-chang realized why they were called ‘demons’.

It’s not because they use demonic arts.

Those who use righteous arts are not called righteous people, and those who use evil arts are not called evil people. Only those who use demonic arts are called demons.

He should have known the meaning from the start.

Those who have mastered demonic arts do not become martial artists. They become demons themselves.

Look.

At that figure.

That’s not a martial artist.

Yes. That’s truly a demon. (魔人) [A person who has become a demon through demonic arts]

What other word could describe him?

Chai Ke-chang shoved his trembling hands into his pockets.

He must not tremble. Even if everyone else is terrified, he must remain calm. Even if he can’t be calm inside, he must at least appear calm on the outside. That’s what it means to be in a position of leadership.

Who would listen to the orders of someone who is screaming in fear?

Chai Ke-chang took a deep breath.

“Don’t panic.”

Fortunately, his voice didn’t tremble.

Whether it only sounded that way to his ears or whether others heard it that way too, there was no way to confirm. He could only believe that it didn’t tremble.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances. That’s a person! A human!”

Even as he spoke, Chai Ke-chang felt like he wanted to cut his own tongue.

Is this the best he could do?

To say not to be afraid because that bizarre sight is just a human? There’s no way such persuasion would work.

His brain, which always moved so clearly, was creaking like a rusty bicycle chain.

But now was the time to force it.

He had to say something, anything. Before everyone was consumed by fear and gave up their will to resist, he had to say something, even if it was nonsense, to draw their attention elsewhere.

“Th…”

It was the moment Chai Ke-chang was about to say something again.

Chai Ke-chang’s not-so-large eyes widened as if they would tear.

It was coming.

Black demonic energy began to surge from Kang Jin-ho like a black wave.

No one knew.

What would happen if they touched that black demonic energy.

What was happening here was far beyond their common sense.

But everyone knew.

They must not touch it.

Even a three-year-old child could tell. How ominous that demonic energy was, and how dangerous.

“Get back! Get back! Now!”

“Dodge! Dodge it!”

A scene of chaos unfolded.

Those who had eyes and could move all struggled to get away from the demonic energy that Kang Jin-ho was emitting. Even the demons themselves, with terrified eyes, grabbed and clung to each other, trying to get as far away from the demonic energy as possible.

“Let go! Let go of me!”

Violent hands pushed away clinging comrades.

“Ah, no!”

The demonic energy engulfed the martial artists.

Darkness.

A vast darkness, where not a single ray of light could penetrate, covered the world.

“Hic!”

Those who couldn’t escape were enveloped in tar-like demonic energy. A heavy weight, as if their entire bodies were being pressed down by heavy water. They struggled to break free, but all they could do was flail around like they were lost in the deep sea.

“S, save me…”

The pressure increased.

They couldn’t see. They couldn’t hear. Everything disappeared in an instant. Even the squishy sensation they felt at their fingertips disappeared in an instant.

Darkness.

Everything was black.

Even the presence of the earth beneath their feet became faint.

“Ugh…”

They screamed at the top of their lungs, but they couldn’t even hear their own voices. It was as if they had been forcibly thrown into the dark depths of the sea, with their eyes covered and their ears plugged, and all they could do was flounder.

Fear.

A maddening fear washed over them.

Losing one’s senses is the same as losing one’s certainty. Humans are aware that they are standing on the earth by the sensation they feel in their feet, and they gauge their position by what they see. They feel reassured by what they hear, and they glance at the world by smelling it.

What if they couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, and couldn’t even smell?

What if they desperately groped and groped, but felt no sensation at their fingertips?

Could they feel that they were alive?

No one could be sure.

Even the clear sound of their heartbeats faded away. They couldn’t even tell if their heart was beating.

Fear.

This was a different kind of fear.

Even if they screamed, yelled, and rolled on the floor, they couldn’t hear any sound. They couldn’t even feel their bodies touching the floor. The world turned into nothingness.

If there was a hell, this was it.

It would be better to fall into the Avici Hell [The deepest level of hell in Buddhist cosmology], where the skin of sinners is peeled off and they are thrown into fire.

At least there, they could feel pain.

Pain is also a confirmation of being alive. It’s a sensation that allows them to confirm that they are alive.

But here, even that was not allowed.

The absence of sensation.

It was a pain worse than any torture imaginable.

They were going mad.

In an instant.

“Get back! Now!”

Chai Ke-chang shouted in horror.

‘There’s no movement.’

Those who had been swept into the wave of demonic energy were not coming out. Considering that those who had been sucked in were the proud martial artists of the Hongwang Clan, it was a very unusual situation.

Who would feel comfortable in that ominous place?

Even Chai Ke-chang would try to escape by cutting off his legs the moment the demonic energy touched his body. Yet, no one was able to get out.

That fact made Chai Ke-chang shudder.

‘Is this even possible?’

He wasn’t a fool. No matter how much it looked like a demon had descended, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t possibly be a real demon. If that was the case, then all of that was a phenomenon created by martial arts.

Was it possible?

No matter how strong Kang Jin-ho was, was it really possible to do such a ‘miracle’? To cover such a wide area with his energy and swallow trained martial artists in an instant?

It shouldn’t be possible.

But it was happening right before his eyes.

Common sense and the absurd were intertwined.

Reality and fantasy were mixed together.

Chai Ke-chang was at a loss.

Kang Jin-ho was different from anyone he had ever faced.

‘Are you telling me to kill myself out of self-loathing, you bastard!’

If the situation wasn’t so urgent, Chai Ke-chang might have torn out all of his hair by now.

That was Kang Jin-ho.

The one he thought was nothing.

The one he believed he could kill at any time if he had the chance.

And even after admitting that he could no longer do anything, he still believed in the geographical advantage of the Korean Peninsula!

That was Kang Jin-ho.

‘How dare you think such things.’

If he could, he would go back to the past and cut off his own tongue with a knife for uttering such nonsense. What had he been looking at?

He had eyes but couldn’t see, and he had a brain but couldn’t think.

That man was a monster.

A being that can be measured by common sense can no longer be called a monster. No matter how strong they are, the moment their strength can be understood, the monster is dragged down into the realm of understanding.

So the word ‘monster’ suited him perfectly.

Because he couldn’t be measured, and he couldn’t be understood.

“Kill him!”

If they couldn’t run, there was only one thing they could do.

There was no need to understand. Those who were dead no longer desired understanding.

With Chai Ke-chang’s scream, the Danhyeol Clan [A fictional martial arts clan] drew their swords and rushed towards Kang Jin-ho.

“Chaaap!”

A fierce charge.

More than a dozen white meteors flew towards the demon king, who was spewing out black demonic energy. It was a scene like something out of mythology.

The demonic energy that had been pushing against the ground writhed as if it were alive. Each one of them surged towards the charging Danhyeol Clan like a writhing monster.

Like a small volcano erupting,

The demonic energy engulfed the Danhyeol Clan. Some were able to cut through and resist, but others were helpless against the demonic energy that clung to them like leeches.

But not everyone was defeated.

Those who succeeded in avoiding the charging demonic energy gritted their teeth and kicked off the air, flying towards Kang Jin-ho.

Thwack!

A chilling sound of a sword piercing something rang out.