Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1786

“Hoo… Hoo, hoo.”

Rough breaths escaped him incessantly.

Crack.

The sword twisted in his heart, causing the already cold corpse to twitch.

To onlookers, it was a gruesome sight, but it wasn’t an act of disrespect to the dead. He was simply too exhausted to even properly grip the sword that had fallen to the ground.

Throb.

A terrible pain shot through his deeply gashed forearm. The three long claw marks on his side, left by Jo (0K), looked as if his insides might spill out at any moment, and his broken ankle dangled uselessly, unable to support his weight.

But his injuries were not without value.

In exchange for these wounds, he had taken the lives of five demons.

In the most agonizing way possible.

“…That guy survived again.”

“That tenacious bastard.”

“Isn’t this the first time someone who defected from the Central Plains has risen so high? Usually, they just try to stay alive, barely breathing.”

“That’s why he’s so vicious. He must have become a public enemy and fled all the way here.”

Kang Jin-ho.

Or rather, the one known here as the Red Demon, barely managed to catch his breath and slowly raised his head.

Through his blood-soaked, red hair, eyes gleaming with murderous intent were revealed.

They were not the eyes of a man, but more like those of a beast.

Not the majestic eyes of a tiger, nor the relaxed eyes of a dragon. They were the eyes of a starving wolf, on the verge of death.

Those who met his gaze subtly turned away, avoiding his eyes.

The Red Demon lowered his head to look at his sword.

The sword, with a large crack down the center, was no longer of any use. The Red Demon threw the sword he had pulled from his opponent’s heart to the ground and grabbed the knife held in the opponent’s hand.

But the corpse, stiff with death, did not easily release its grip. The Red Demon spat blood-tinged saliva on the ground and stomped on the corpse’s hand, still clutching the knife.

Crack.

With a gruesome sound of bones breaking, the hand was crushed.

Taking advantage of the opening, the Red Demon pulled out the knife, tore off the sheath from the corpse’s waist, and slid the knife into it.

Then.

Limp.

He managed to walk away from the spot, even with his broken ankle.

Those who watched the Red Demon limp away frowned and looked at the fallen figure.

“To even fall victim to the Ghost Soul Float [a technique or entity that can manipulate souls].”

“How many people has that Red Demon taken down already?”

“I don’t know for sure, but it’s well over a hundred.”

Blatant hostility.

And a subtle fear.

Those two emotions were mixed in the gazes directed at the Red Demon.

No one would show favor to a stranger who had defected to the Demonic Cult to escape pursuit from the Central Plains [a region often associated with traditional martial arts and orthodox sects] and had no interest in the cult’s teachings.

A nuisance.

In the Demonic Cult, where the strong are law, that alone was enough reason to die. Many had picked fights with the Red Demon. Sometimes, those of similar skill challenged him to life-or-death duels, and sometimes, he was forced into battles against great demons he could not possibly face.

And each time, the Red Demon had survived.

“…That guy really has a long life.”

“If it were anyone else, they would have died ten times over. Just look at today, how could the Ghost Soul Float be defeated by the likes of the Red Demon? But even with everyone attacking together, they couldn’t defeat the Red Demon…”

People tend to distance themselves from anything that surpasses their understanding.

And then, they gradually begin to fear it.

The faces of those talking about the Red Demon were filled with undisguised anxiety and fear.

“At this rate…”

Someone opened their mouth with a troubled expression.

“Isn’t it possible that the Red Demon might even receive the title of Demon [a high-ranking title within the Demonic Cult]?”

“That’s absurd!”

A hysterical shout immediately followed that statement.

“A Demon! Does that mean the Red Demon would become the Red Demon? Don’t you know that no outsider has ever received the title of Demon?”

“Well, yes… But no outsider has ever gone that far either.”

“It’s still nothing, it’s still nothing!”

The Demonic Cult members looked in the direction where the Red Demon had disappeared with mixed feelings.

One thing was certain.

Whether they acknowledged him or not, they had to admit that the Red Demon was unique, unlike anyone they had ever seen before.

“…Clean up the bodies.”

“Tsk.”

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

Strong liquor was poured over the gaping wounds. The moment the liquor touched the wounds, an indescribable pain surged, but Kang Jin-ho endured it without even flinching.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

He set the crushed bones and straightened the broken ones. He disinfected the cuts with liquor and tied them with clean cloth.

It was nothing special.

But there were countless people here who died because they couldn’t do these simple things. What was common sense to someone living in modern times had become strange knowledge to those living in this era.

If Kang Jin-ho had been a person of this era, he would probably have already died and become a wandering ghost.

No…

‘I’m no different from a ghost now.’ He had died, yet he could not die.

If that wasn’t a ghost, what was it?

Squeeze!

Kang Jin-ho, who had tightened the bandage around his wound, gulped down the remaining liquor in the bottle.

He knew how absurd it was for an injured person to drink, but the burning sensation of the strong liquor going down his throat calmed his bloodlust-filled heart a little.

But that was only for a moment.

Plop.

The liquor bottle soon hit the bottom.

Kang Jin-ho threw the bottle in his hand to the ground.

‘I’m tired.’

And it was tiresome.

He fought and fought again.

He killed and killed again, slashed and slashed again. This world was not kind to him. What was so obvious to him was not common sense in this barbaric land. No, it was often a terrible insult.

The layers of misunderstandings led to bloodshed, and the bloodshed accumulated resentment. As he fought against those who came at him to resolve their grudges, he was pushed to the edge of the Central Plains, to the land of the Demonic Cult, where the most vicious gathered.

‘And even here, I’m an outsider.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

Well.

Where in this world could he not be an outsider?

Even if he told them that he came from the distant future, no one would believe him. He would spend his life here, unable to mingle with anyone, fighting and fighting again until he died.

Again.

Then?

What would happen next?

Could he really die then? Or…

‘I’m tired.’

Whether it was the alcohol or the severity of his injuries, his body felt like a waterlogged rag.

Still, it would be nice to have another bottle of strong liquor…

Whoosh.

Kang Jin-ho turned his head sharply and reached out his hand.

Thud.

A heavy liquor bottle was caught in his hand.

“I thought you might need it, so I brought it.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the person slowly approaching him with half-open eyes.

He was a man with a strange appearance.

No, strange was a bit of an odd word. A man with fair skin and delicate features might be a common sight in the outside world.

But in this Demonic Cult, where only the most vicious demons gathered, such an appearance was certainly unique.

More like a martial artist than a demon.

More like a scholar than a martial artist.

Kang Jin-ho found it amusing for a moment.

A person who might be ordinary on the outside was considered unique in this Demonic Cult. It was a story quite similar to Kang Jin-ho, who didn’t fit into this world.

“Who are you?”

“I am called the Blue Demon.”

“Blue Demon?”

“Yes. A similar name to yours, Red Demon.”

The man who called himself the Blue Demon smiled faintly.

But Kang Jin-ho soon erased the name from his mind. Remembering the names of others here was meaningless. No, not just here, but anywhere.

“What is it? Did you come to take my head too?”

“I am not as foolish as those who died at your hands today.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head slightly and looked at the Blue Demon.

“Then?”

“I have come to join hands with you.”

“…Join hands?”

“Yes.”

Even without asking further, the Blue Demon spoke first.

“If you continue like this, you will die soon.”

“You have already reached a point where you cannot survive without fighting. The number of those who hold grudges against you within the cult is piling up like mountains. No matter how much luck you have, if you continue like this, you will be torn to shreds and fed to the dogs within three months.”

Kang Jin-ho opened the bottle and gulped down the liquor.

Thud.

Then, he roughly put down the bottle and wiped his mouth.

“If you’re done talking, get lost.”

“If I had poisoned that bottle, you would be dead now.”

The Blue Demon smiled wryly and opened his mouth.

“You possess unparalleled martial prowess, but you lack the experience and the brains to stand alone. In the end, you are only half a person.”

“Do you want to die?”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice turned cold, but the Blue Demon was not intimidated by it.

“But that is the same for me. I have unparalleled experience and brains, but I lack the martial power to stand alone.”

“What do you say?”

“What about?”

“Wouldn’t it be possible for cripples who can’t stand alone to stand if they had their backs to each other? I will make you the leader of the cult. So, you give me the position of being second only to you.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“You seem to be mistaken…”

“…Mistaken?”

“I have no interest in that. Why should I become the leader of the cult?”

“You are the one who is mistaken.”

“…What?”

The Blue Demon said indifferently.

“The position of the Demonic Cult leader is not something you can take just because you want to, nor can you refuse it just because you don’t want to. If you fight and fight again until there is no one left to fight, you will already be sitting in the position of the leader.”

“Aren’t you going to fight anyway?”

Kang Jin-ho looked straight into the Blue Demon’s eyes.

He couldn’t understand.

He had no idea what this person was thinking. He couldn’t read anything from those emotionless eyes.

“If you’re going to fight anyway, I’ll help you fight a little smarter. Then, perhaps your boring life will become a little more interesting. I promise you.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been silently looking at the Blue Demon, spat out the words.

“I’ll say it again.”

“If you’re done talking, get lost. Before I cut your throat.”

The Blue Demon raised both hands slightly, as if he had no intention of fighting, and stepped back.

“Very well. I will retreat for today.”

“I will come back tomorrow with another bottle of liquor.

A bottle of liquor is not a bad price to pay for keeping your head, wouldn’t you say?”

The Blue Demon smiled faintly.

“So, let’s meet again tomorrow.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly watching the Blue Demon’s back as he turned and walked away, let out a small, hollow laugh.

“Crazy bastard.”

Well.