Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1664

‘Hmm?’

Kang Jin-ho stopped moving.

A thick killing intent began to emanate from all directions, targeting him. The killing intent grew stronger, soon becoming a massive pressure that bore down on him.

‘Hmph.’

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

‘That’s more like it.’

When you poke a dog, the owner is bound to come out. If not the owner, then someone stronger should appear. From the start, they wouldn’t have thought that ordinary warriors could handle Kang Jin-ho.

The ones coming now are the real deal that Chang Wang prepared. The dagger meant to pierce his heart was now flying towards Kang Jin-ho.

A chill ran down his spine.

The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily, and his heart began to race.

‘I’m sick.’

He wasn’t even possessed by demonic energy, yet he was excited about the upcoming battle. At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to use the excuse that he had been rampaging because of the demonic energy.

‘Hoo.’

Kang Jin-ho took a short breath and watched the long sword flying towards his face.

Clang!

Red Dew [a sword] cleanly sliced through the incoming long sword.

The eyes that were visible between the bandages on the opponent’s face were filled with shock. They probably couldn’t have imagined that a sword filled with explosive inner force could be split in one blow.

The price for their meager imagination was simple.

Swoosh!

The body, split in half vertically, sprayed blood and bounced to the left and right. Kang Jin-ho, who had ended a life without hesitation, took a step forward.

‘It seems…’

A suppressed voice escaped from Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

‘I’ve been underestimated.’

Kang Jin-ho gritted his teeth.

To dare send such weaklings to stop him?

This was nothing short of an insult to him.

Fine.

If he was being ignored, he would have to show them whether he was someone who could be ignored.

Swish!

Three swords flew towards Kang Jin-ho, aiming for his head and both sides of his waist.

Swords. Only swords.

The bodies of the people holding the swords were barely visible to his eyes.

A state where the sword and the person become one. Martial artists call this state ‘Sword and Body as One.’ It’s a state that those who train with swords dream of. One doesn’t need to imagine how much grueling training they must have gone through to reach that level.

But all of that was meaningless here.

Crack.

Crackle!

The demonic energy surrounding Kang Jin-ho extended out and covered the incoming swords. It was a sight like a demon’s hand reaching out from black flames.

Crackle!

The swords that had reached the state of ‘Sword and Body as One’ could split steel like tofu. But even though those sharp swords could cut through steel, they couldn’t penetrate Kang Jin-ho’s demonic energy.

Rather…

Clang!

With a sharp, ear-splitting sound, the swords caught in the demonic energy snapped in two.

‘Cough!’

‘Cough!’

The energy that backflowed from the broken swords ravaged the insides of the Ghost Sword Unit warriors. And Kang Jin-ho wasn’t one to miss the small opening created in the process.

Whoosh!

Red Dew and Blue Dew [another sword], covered in flame-like demonic energy, sliced the bodies of the groaning Ghost Sword Unit in half.

Not even a scream could be heard.

In an instant, those covered in demonic energy were deprived of the right to leave a final cry to the world. The small noise made by their bodies burning in the demonic energy served as their last words.

Kang Jin-ho quietly lowered his swords.

‘Fools.’

People often make mistakes.

Because he emits demonic energy.

Because his demonic energy takes on a monstrous form.

They think he’s the type to crush people to death with power and immense inner force like Bator. [a character from the previous chapter]

But that was a clear misunderstanding.

Kang Jin-ho is a swordsman.

One who pursues the limits of the sword.

His sword is rough but precise, destructive but swift. No clumsy tricks can penetrate his sword.

To attack Kang Jin-ho without knowing that is no different from offering up one’s neck. Of course, even if they knew, it wouldn’t have changed much.

‘Hoo…’

Kang Jin-ho took a short breath and scattered blood-red light from his eyes.

He could see more swords flying towards him.

‘They’re unwavering.’

Even after clearly witnessing their comrades being torn to pieces right in front of them, there was not a hint of hesitation at the tips of their swords. Unlike the riffraff he had faced until now, these were true martial artists.

They weren’t simply being pushed by fear; they were aiming for Kang Jin-ho’s life of their own volition.

Kang Jin-ho tightened his grip on Red Dew.

If they were martial artists, then he had to treat them accordingly.

Whoooom!

The dantian [an energy center in the body] screamed. The inner force that surged from the dantian swirled around his entire body, completely dyeing his body with black demonic energy. And it surged through his shoulders, arms, and wrists, flowing into Red Dew.

Thrummmmm.

Red Dew vibrated as if twisting, emitting a sword’s cry.

And then!

KWAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Red Dew, which had devoured demonic energy like crazy, was swung down in a straight line from above. At the same time, the black sword energy that erupted from Red Dew shot out like a black crescent moon in a cursed sky.

The ominous black crescent moon broke, crushed, and destroyed everything it touched.

KWAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The moon broke the swords.

The moon split the people.

The moon tore through the world, and even the sea of people that lay before it was split like the Red Sea.

KWAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The slash that tore through the sea cut through the building diagonally and soared into the dark night sky.

Silence.

A deep silence descended upon Zhangjiakou [a city].

It was as if time had stopped.

In that frozen time, the diagonally cut building slowly collapsed.

Rumble!

A cracking sound like thunder started time again. But while the world moved, the humans within it could not.

The Ghost Sword Unit that had been aiming for him.

The Ghost Sword Unit that had been keeping the directors in check to prevent them from helping.

The directors who had been fighting against the Ghost Sword Unit, and even Chang Wang’s warriors who had been running away in a panic, stopped moving and stared at the carnage that Kang Jin-ho had created.

On the large road of Zhangjiakou, which had been densely packed with people, a huge crack had appeared, as if a monster had clawed through it.

A crack with no end in sight.

That black and dark crack swallowed even the remaining traces of all those who had been cut down by the demon’s crescent moon into its deep darkness.

The trembling eyes moved again.

There he was.

The master of death.

A shura [a demon], covered in black flames that seemed to come from hell, with blood-red eyes, was looking at them with his swords hanging down in both hands.

A hollow laugh escaped from someone’s lips.

‘Demon King.’

A childish name.

But what else could they call him?

If the one who rules hell is called the Demon King, then the name for him should naturally be the Demon King, and if the one who rules death is called the King of the Underworld, then he should be the King of the Underworld.

And they also had to realize.

That where the Demon King exists, that place is hell, and where the King of the Underworld exists, that place is the judgment seat.

They were nothing more than weak beasts in the Demon King’s grasp.

Thud.

The demon took a step.

As if looking for his next victim.

And the ripple effect of that single step was more immense than anyone could have imagined.

‘Ah…’

Those who had lost the will to resist sat down on the spot.

Even those who had been rushing to take his head stepped back, trembling.

This wasn’t fear of martial prowess.

The souls of those who couldn’t accept Kang Jin-ho’s existence itself were crying out.

‘Didn’t I tell you?’

The demon’s lips curled.

‘That you’d all die in the end?’

Was it a mistake?

They had gathered so many people. Then, they had perfectly cornered him. So now, they thought they could push him and devour his blood and flesh.

But everyone here had no choice but to realize at this moment.

They were not the ones doing the hunting.

The only one with the right to hunt here was that demon. No matter how many humans gathered, they were nothing more than a table set with a feast for the demon.

It was at that very moment, when their last bit of resolve was about to crumble.

KWAHHHHHHHH!

A white burst of energy fell right in front of Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho slowly lowered his gaze.

There was a huge crater in front of him. It wasn’t as deep as the crack Kang Jin-ho had created, but its range was wider.

‘A bit disappointing.’

And with those words, as if whispering, the owner of that energy slowly began to walk out.

Chang Wang.

He had finally begun to move.

Kang Jin-ho frowned slightly as he watched Chang Wang walking towards him.

‘Appropriate.’

Just one more blow.

No, if just a little more time had passed, those here would have completely lost their will to fight. But Chang Wang was definitely not someone to be taken lightly.

The light returned to their fading eyes. After all, Chang Wang was the one who ruled the Central Plains.

Chang Wang’s warriors, who had been reminded of his existence, gritted their teeth and clenched their fists. They somehow managed to regain their composure and hold on.

Chang Wang looked around with cold eyes.

‘To think that my subordinates were this weak.’

Those who received his gaze flinched and lowered their heads.

‘Or…’

Chang Wang’s gaze fixed on Kang Jin-ho.

‘Is it that you’re strong?’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled at those words.

‘Who knows? But one thing is certain.’

‘…What is it?’

‘That it’s not something a guy who was standing with his hands behind his back while so many of his subordinates were dying should be saying now that he’s finally crawled out?’

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.

‘I heard you’re smart.’

‘You guys are just stupid.’

‘Yes, maybe so. Anyway, since you’re smart, you must be calculating right now. Whether you can face me, and what you need to do to do so, and how much more of my power you need to draw out.’

Kang Jin-ho withdrew his demonic energy.

Then, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit the cigarette with a lighter and slowly exhaled the smoke.

‘Go ahead, try it.’

‘Do everything you can. Then you’ll know.’

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth like a hungry beast.

‘You can’t measure me. Someone who moves with their head like you will never understand. That’s why, no matter how strong you are, you can’t be my opponent.’

Chang Wang wore a bitter smile.

‘Those don’t seem like appropriate last words.’

‘Go on, say it.’

Kang Jin-ho gestured towards Chang Wang with his chin.

‘I’ll listen to your last words.’

‘Haha… ha.’

Chang Wang shook his head.

‘Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho. Yes, I see. You and I are parallel lines. We can’t approach each other, and we can’t understand each other.’

‘You know it well.’

‘But that only means that I can’t understand you.’

Chang Wang raised his head.

A chilling coldness emanated from his eyes.

‘With my head?’

Chang Wang’s hands began to turn pure white.

‘You’re the one spouting nonsense, Kang Jin-ho. Martial artists do not submit to brains. What they submit to is only overwhelming power.’

A killing intent that seemed to cut through flesh.

And a coldness that seemed to slice through skin.

‘Who do you think put a hole in Hong Wang’s body?’

Chang Wang smiled coldly.

Kang Jin-ho’s indifferent gaze and Chang Wang’s cold gaze began to intertwine in the air.

‘I’ll show you, Kang Jin-ho. How I got the name Chang Wang.’

The ground around Chang Wang shattered and began to swirl.

One of the three kings who ruled the Central Plains.

Chang Wang, who was known as the Blue King, finally revealed his true power.