Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1903

Swaaaaaaaash.

Red streaks spread across the pure white sink.

Water poured from the faucet, ceaselessly washing over the dark red hands. The dried blood gradually washed away, staining the once-white sink with red blotches.

Swaaaaaaaash.

After washing and washing for a long time, his hands finally regained their original color. The blood, which had dried and been layered with more blood, eventually washed away, like a glove that had been covering his hands.

“Hmph.”

Kong-ryung lifted his hands and lightly flicked off the water.

If the other Twelve Flying Blades saw this, they might have scoffed.

They could easily get rid of any dirt on their bodies by simply releasing their inner energy. Yet, he insisted on washing his hands, which might be considered a peculiar habit.

However, Kong-ryung preferred using water rather than his inner energy.

Inner energy is just inner energy.

It doesn’t provide the same refreshing feeling as washing with water when removing dirt from the body.

No, the refreshing feeling is secondary.

For Kong-ryung, this was a kind of ritual.

Kong-ryung turned off the water and looked up at the mirror. His reflection entered his eyes.

His hands were soaked in blood, but nowhere else on his body was there a single drop. It was a bizarre sight, but what was truly bizarre was not the sight itself, but the person reflected in the mirror.

‘A person…’

Kong-ryung chuckled.

Could he be called a person?

He was becoming a stronger martial artist. He endlessly surpassed his limits, eventually reaching a level that no one could approach, leaving his name in history.

And even at this moment, he was becoming stronger as a martial artist, climbing to even greater heights.

But the stronger he became, the more the ‘human’ within him disappeared.

A normal human would die a hundred times over from the wounds he could sustain and still survive, leaping up buildings with his bare hands, and destroying structures with his bare hands.

Could he really be called a person?

Kong-ryung himself was aware of it. The stronger he became, the further he drifted from being human.

The act of washing his hands with water was a ritual for him, a way to not forget that he was human.

If he wanted to, he could maintain perfect cleanliness without a single drop of water touching his body. He could go months without a drop of water in his mouth, and he could go a month without sleep without any problems.

His body was harder than steel, and the power emanating from his muscles had surpassed the realm of living beings.

He looked human, but his insides were no longer human. Nevertheless, he had to maintain his identity as a human.

The moment he forgot that he was human, he would truly become a monster.

Not a clumsy monster, but a real monster. Yes, so to speak…

Kong-ryung lightly shook his head.

He stared at the mirror for a moment, then turned and dried his hands with a hand towel. Then, with a not-so-fast pace, he walked out of the building.

Kong-ryung chuckled at the sight that unfolded outside the building.

“This is why…”

It made a mockery of his talk about being human or a monster.

It was as if he had painted red over a world that had turned gray. The warriors of the Hong King faction who had rushed to kill him were all dead, their bones and flesh filling the concrete ground.

A truly gruesome sight.

Modern people might have the chance to see similar scenes on screens. Whether it was the reality of war or a scene from a movie.

But seeing that scene with your own eyes was a completely different story.

An overwhelming sense of despair crawled up from your toes, crushing you with unimaginable weight. No matter how strong your mental fortitude was, you would not be able to withstand this sight.

However, Kong-ryung did not feel any particular emotion even as he witnessed this carnage.

Was it a carnage he had created?

It probably wasn’t.

His mind was already twisted beyond repair. He could not find any significant difference between the death of an insect and the death of a human.

This sight gave him only one feeling.

“It will be twisted.”

The incident at the Shanghai branch was glossed over, but could they really gloss over something like this?

The bodies could be removed. They might be able to cover their eyes and mouths. But there was no way to rebuild the destroyed buildings.

Scars.

Yes, this sight would remain as an indelible scar for them.

Kong-ryung twisted his lips and slowly raised his head.

Low moans.

A moan that felt devoid of any strength escaped, barely audible. Kong-ryung’s gaze turned to Wei Hong, who was hanging in the air.

Drip.

Drip.

Like water droplets falling from the eaves, blood dripped from Wei Hong’s head, which was hanging in the air.

Blood flowing was not a particularly eerie thing. What was truly eerie was that only a few drops of blood were flowing from Wei Hong’s body, which was riddled with wounds.

The floor was already soaked with the blood he had shed. A normal person would have found peace in death, but his trained body did not allow him to die. It only inflicted a terrible pain that seemed to last forever.

“Kuh…”

Perhaps sensing the presence below, Wei Hong slowly opened his eyes. His hazy pupils caught sight of Kong-ryung.

“You, you…”

The moment he slightly opened his mouth, his lips cracked, and blood dripped down again.

“You… you will die…”

Kong-ryung curled up the corners of his mouth as he heard those words.

“You will live.”

“You just need to convey what you saw. Whether you exaggerate it, or gloss over it, however you want…”

Kong-ryung turned his body.

As he tried to walk away from Wei Hong, Wei Hong, who was on the verge of death, suddenly convulsed.

“Die… You will… You will surely die! You bastard!”

From where did that strength come from? A desperate scream erupted from Wei Hong’s throat.

“Hoo… Hong King! The Hong King faction will surely tear you apart and kill you! You! They will tear you apart and kill you to appease the vengeful spirits of those who died here!”

Kong-ryung slightly turned his head and looked back at Wei Hong.

“Hong King?”

“Yes, Hong King! Hong King will… will punish you all.”

Wei Hong laughed lowly.

“Hong King, you say?”

Wei Hong’s mouth closed on its own.

It wasn’t that he felt threatened.

It was just…

That calm question, that smiling expression…

It was just so eerie and ominous.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“When you came here, what were you thinking?”

Kong-ryung turned his head and looked at the carnage he had created.

“At least, it wasn’t this kind of result, was it?”

Wei Hong couldn’t answer.

Those short words contained so much.

“Then…”

Kong-ryung’s teeth were bared. More eerily than ever.

“How different will the result that Hong King will face in Hangzhou be from your expectations?”

Wei Hong’s eyes widened.

“Ha, Hangzhou?”

“Haha!”

“You, you… How did you… You! How did you know that! You… You… Aaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Wei Hong, who was screaming, rolled his eyes and lost consciousness. His weakened body could not withstand the shock.

“Hahaha.”

Kong-ryung chuckled lowly, shook his head, and turned his body.

“It’s a delightful night.”

And now, it would become an even more delightful night.

The sky turned white.

The giant spear of light that had shot up in reverse momentarily turned even the black sky white.

A fantasy.

That was the only way to describe the sight that unfolded before their eyes.

But the meaning of the word ‘fantasy’ also included a brief sense of emptiness.

The sight that made the viewer shudder disappeared like a fantasy, and soon, darkness descended again on the quiet world.

“Hmm.”

Hong King let out a low groan and retracted his fist.

His gaze slowly turned downwards.

His lower left abdomen was pierced, and he was spitting out red blood. His pants were already stained crimson with the blood he had shed, and the blood that had flowed down was soaking the floor, spreading further and further.

It was only natural, considering that a hole large enough for a fully grown adult’s fist to easily pass through had been created.

Hong King lowered his hand and stopped the bleeding.

He had fought countless battles and sustained countless wounds, but this was the first time his body had been so easily pierced.

A strong one.

Shin-chang was definitely a strong one.

‘What would have happened if it were me from before?’

It probably wouldn’t have been easy to win. If it were him before he met the Demon King, he would have most likely lost.

But the current him was someone who had surpassed his past self.

“Cough! Cough!”

At the sound of a blood-soaked cough, he raised his head, his gaze leaving his wound and turning forward.

Where his gaze landed, a bloodied figure, his whole body stained with red blood, was barely supporting himself with a spear that had been broken in half.

“Cough!”

Each time he coughed, a large lump of blood was violently expelled.

The external wounds were severe, but the internal wounds were even more severe.

This one blow had decided the outcome.

“Th-this… this… bastard…”

His eyes were still alive.

But that was all.

Fighting spirit only had meaning when it was accompanied by a body that responded to that will. The current Shin-chang was no longer a threat to Hong King.

“It’s the same as hitting a wall.”

Hong King let out a low breath.

“It’s the same as being crushed by that wall. I understand the despair you felt towards the Black King. An overwhelming distance that seems like it will never be reached… If you think that distance is widening even at this moment, you would want to give up everything.”

“But the moment you give up, a martial artist is finished. Sage, your past may have been great, but the current you is not as good as your past self. It means that living again, getting another chance, doesn’t necessarily raise a person’s status.”

“Cough!”

Shin-chang, who had coughed up blood again, bared his bloodied teeth. The sound of his teeth grinding was eerie.

“You… you were just lucky…”

“It’s meaningless.”

Hong King shook his head.

“Even if you have higher inner energy than me, even if you are more skilled, even if your level is higher, you cannot defeat me. Martial arts are ultimately about the mind, body, and spirit. You may have the spirit and body. You may even have them more perfectly than your past self.

But you lack the mind.”

“Even if we fought again not a thousand times, but ten thousand times, it would be the same. The current you cannot defeat me. No, even your past self would not be able to defeat me.”

“Th-this…”

The moment Shin-chang trembled with anger, Hong King lightly clenched his fist.

“Your life has been excessively long. Now, go.”

He pulled his fist to his side. Now, just a light punch would end the life of Shin-chang, who was called the greatest spear in history.

But…

What stopped Hong King’s fist was not Shin-chang, but the slightly excited voices coming from his left and right.

“He has lived a long time.”

“Let’s go after he dies.”

“If we do that, the Black King will try to peel our skins off, won’t he?”

Hong King’s face hardened.

‘What is it?’

He hadn’t noticed them until they were this close? Even if he was focused on the battle?

With a hardened face, he turned his head left and right, and his gaze fell upon the figures of two people slowly walking towards him.

‘Strong ones…’

At least, they were as strong as Shin-chang. Hong King’s gaze turned to his lower abdomen.

A fatal wound, if not critical.

He couldn’t handle two Shin-changs even with a healthy body, so what about with an injured body?

“…Was it a trap from the beginning?”

The two people who had stopped at a distance on his left and right smiled wickedly.

“As you said, we may have lost our self-control.”

“We may be just simple hunting dogs.”

“But that’s why we are dangerous, you fool. A pack of wolves will run away from a single tiger, but hunting dogs hunt tigers in packs.”

The two people bared their teeth at the same time.

“So, you will die here today.”

Hong King closed his eyes without realizing it.