Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1668

Kwaaaaaaaah!

Kang Jin-ho’s demonic energy spread behind him like wings. Then, like a soaring bird, he shot through the dark clouds covering the sky, heading straight for Chang Wang.

Thud!

With a crazed look in his eyes, Kang Jin-ho grabbed Chang Wang’s neck. Then, maintaining his speed, he changed direction and plummeted downwards like a meteor.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The ground exploded, creating a massive crater. But Kang Jin-ho wasn’t satisfied; he kept his grip on Chang Wang’s neck and continued to charge forward.

The earth surged like soft tofu.

It was as if a giant earth dragon was bursting through the ground, writhing and thrashing about.

And this spectacle was being created solely by human strength.

“Gurgle!”

Chang Wang, gasping for breath, grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s wrist with his Nine Yin Bone Claw [a martial arts technique focused on striking with the fingers], the hand that was gripping his neck.

Crack!

His fingers dug into the flesh. But Kang Jin-ho didn’t even flinch; he pulled Chang Wang closer and slammed him into the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Hwaaaaaaak!”

Chang Wang roared, and his Minor Demonic Art [a technique that uses demonic energy] struck Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho’s body was thrown back, creating a wide gap between them.

“Hah…”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been slammed into the ground, slowly rose to his feet.

He was a mess.

Blood dripped from his blood-soaked hair, and crimson light pulsed from his blood-covered face. The only part of his head that wasn’t red was his teeth, half-covered in blood.

A chunk of his side was torn away, oozing black blood, and parts of his frozen body were turning black and dying.

But Chang Wang wasn’t in much better shape.

In fact, his condition seemed even worse than Kang Jin-ho’s.

Half of his neck was torn away, exposing raw red muscle, and his body was so lacerated that it was hard to believe he was still standing.

“Huff, huff…”

The two men stared at each other with bloodshot eyes.

They looked like wolves, their fur stained red with each other’s blood, baring their teeth.

A brief lull.

Only after this lull did the onlookers dare to breathe again.

Lee Hyun-soo watched the two men with trembling eyes.

‘What kind of fight is this…’

He had seen Kang Jin-ho fight countless times.

And he had rarely seen Kang Jin-ho win easily. His battles were always about enduring and persevering at the limit.

But this was different from any of Kang Jin-ho’s fights he had ever seen.

A battle of beasts.

It was more like a brawl or a territorial dispute than a noble fight.

The overwhelming bloodlust and malice were disorienting.

It was a moment that completely shattered the preconceived notion that a fight between masters who transcended common sense would be something refined.

‘Then, what about the other master?’

Lee Hyun-soo glanced at Hong Wang.

Then, he bit his lip slightly.

Hong Wang.

Even Hong Wang, who seemed like the embodiment of steadfastness, had an expression of utter shock on his face.

He, too, seemed to be shocked by the battle between Kang Jin-ho and Chang Wang.

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with trembling eyes.

Escape?

Strategy?

None of that mattered anymore.

Even if he was only half-baked, he was still a martial artist. Anyone who had learned martial arts could never stop watching this fight. There was no way he could not witness the outcome of this battle.

His earnest gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

‘Guild Master.’

Blood trickled into his eyes.

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand and wiped the blood from his eyes.

‘How long has it been?’

Since he had fought this crazily.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

He had faced life-threatening crises many times before. After fighting Hong Wang, he had to fight Japanese samurai, and he had also experienced battles with Elder Knights.

One wrong move, and his head would have been gone.

But this was incomparable.

In the end, they were groups. There was no one after Hong Wang who could face Kang Jin-ho alone. How long had it been since he had met an opponent who wouldn’t fall even if he was hit and slashed as much as he wanted, and who would fight back?

Others couldn’t even imagine it.

The fact that he could feel such fulfillment amidst the pain of his whole body being torn apart.

‘Chang Wang, huh…’

Even when he arrived at Zhangjiakou, and even when they faced each other, he hadn’t expected to feel this kind of fulfillment from Chang Wang.

But Chang Wang was stronger than he had imagined.

If he could, he wanted to continue this fight forever.

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth and smiled.

“I apologize.”

“You are stronger than I thought.”

And he also had to apologize for saying he wasn’t a martial artist.

Clearly, this man was a completely different type from Kang Jin-ho. He calculated with his mind before moving his body, and he was someone who moved the board with his cold, icy reason.

But.

There was no way that such martial prowess could be achieved through mere calculation. He must have reached this point through unimaginable training, no matter what method he used.

Then he had to respect him.

A strong person deserved to be treated accordingly.

“How novel.”

Chang Wang chuckled.

His face, covered in blood, wasn’t exactly pleasant to look at, but the fact that he could still afford to smile in front of Kang Jin-ho proved his strength.

“But let me ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Chang Wang and opened his mouth.

“What were you planning to do after unifying China?”

“That’s a foolish question.”

Chang Wang bared his teeth.

“What can you do by unifying China? The world no longer belongs to martial artists. All we can do is take a suitable position and boast about how strong we are.”

“Martial artists can no longer move the world. We are just an outdated group that will be forgotten in history books.”

“Then why are you fighting?”

“You don’t know why?”

Chang Wang glanced at Hong Wang.

“Peace wasn’t so bad. If possible, it would have been best to continue this stalemate and spend time.”

“Didn’t you make the first move?”

“No. You, the Demon King, created this situation.”

“…Me?”

Chang Wang nodded slowly.

“If you hadn’t provoked Hong Wang and led him to a higher place, this stalemate wouldn’t have changed. The land of China would have remained divided into three pieces, keeping each other in check for a while. But you changed everything. Don’t you understand?”

Chang Wang sneered.

“Thanks to you awakening Hong Wang, that balance was broken. Among the three kings, the one who is most actively trying to unify China is Hong Wang. But he lacked the power. But thanks to you, that balance was broken.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth.

He wanted to say it was nonsense, but he seemed to understand what Chang Wang was saying.

“There is no one more dangerous than a man who believes he has a cause. He will not hesitate to make any sacrifice for that cause. Hong Wang is such a person. If Hong Wang had been left alone, he would have started a war someday.”

His perception shifted in his mind.

“So…”

“Yes.”

Chang Wang bared his teeth.

“This whole situation is a result of what you created, Demon King. It has always been like this. You are chaos itself, dropped into this world. You say you want to live peacefully, but when you think about it, you are the one who always makes things bigger.”

“If you hadn’t come to China and stirred up Hong Wang by saying you would take the Demonic Cult [a martial arts sect known for its unorthodox and often dark practices], things wouldn’t have come this far. No, if you hadn’t dominated Korea in the first place, this wouldn’t have even started.”

Chang Wang chuckled softly.

“But you act and speak as if others are shaking you up when you are living peacefully.”

Chang Wang spread his arms to the sides.

“Look.”

The ruined buildings and the blood of the dead were creating a hellish scene.

“This scene is your creation.”

“You’re the one who made it.”

“If you want to avoid responsibility, go ahead.”

Chang Wang had a subtle smile on his face.

“You had several opportunities to avoid this situation. If you hadn’t come to help Hong Wang, who was practically your enemy, or if you had contacted us before helping Hong Wang. Even if you missed all of that, if you had taken my hand when I offered it here, you would have had peace. But…”

Chang Wang’s voice grew louder.

“So, what was your choice?”

“You are a ghoul.”

Chang Wang’s eyes gleamed eerily.

“The three kings are dangerous? No, the most dangerous person in this world right now is you. You are hungry for blood and death. You are dragging things in a direction where more people will die. And then…”

Chang Wang glanced around and said.

“This is what happens.”

“If I lose to you here, you will look for the next opponent. Another opponent to fight, kill, and spill blood. Is the reason you came to save Hong Wang really for peace? Or is it just because you don’t want to lose an opponent to exchange blows with?”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Chang Wang without a word.

Seeing his calm eyes, Chang Wang let out a sneer.

“A human addicted to blood will spend his whole life chasing the smell of blood. He will talk about peace and say that blood is needed for peace, but after achieving peace with a lot of bloodshed, he can’t stand the comfort and looks for an excuse to fight again.”

“That is the true nature of you, a ghoul.”

Kang Jin-ho unconsciously put his hand in his pocket.

He knew it wasn’t the right time, but strangely, he was looking for a cigarette.

Kang Jin-ho, who had confirmed the cigarette in his pocket with his fingertips, took his hand out of his pocket without grabbing the cigarette.

“Are you done talking?”

“I have a lot more to say, but…”

Chang Wang smiled.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to understand with that brain of yours.”

“Good for you for being so smart.”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth and smiled.

“Even if what you say is true, it won’t change anything in this situation. Right?”

“Hmm.”

“So, stop talking and come at me. You’ve bought enough time, haven’t you?”

As Kang Jin-ho raised Red Dew and Blue Dew again, Chang Wang looked at him with strange eyes.

“I think you’ve forgotten one thing.”

“…What?”

A twisted smile appeared on Chang Wang’s lips.

“Most of what you said is wrong, but one thing is not. By your standards, I am not a martial artist. I am just a hunter.”

“And a hunter…”

Chang Wang snapped his fingers.

“Doesn’t fight beasts. He just hunts.”

That was the moment.

As soon as Chang Wang gave the signal, the eyes of the Chang Wang faction’s martial artists, who had been watching the situation, flashed with a blue light.

“A moment ago, you could have faced all of them. But what about now?”

“Th-this…”

“Die there, Demon King. A wounded tiger is torn to death by a pack of wolves. May it be a death befitting you.”

Chang Wang stepped back with a sinister smile.

And at that moment, the martial artists of the Chang Wang faction roared and charged towards Kang Jin-ho like a surging tide.