Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1676

The armor of the self-propelled gun was sliced through like tofu.

Normally, the armor of a self-propelled gun isn’t designed to completely stop a tank shell, but it’s usually impossible to penetrate its thick armor with ordinary firepower.

However, such common sense was meaningless here.

Fwoooosh!

The sword cut through the steel, blowing away the entire turret of the self-propelled gun.

‘Hee-ik!’

Following behind, Lee Hyun-soo involuntarily let out a scream mixed with admiration.

In front of him, no, in front of Kang Jin-ho, self-propelled guns and tanks were densely packed. But now, they were charging forward as if there was nothing blocking their path.

The side of a tank that was kicked caved in, then spun away like a top.

Kwaaaaaang!

Then, a huge explosion occurred, and black smoke billowed from inside the tank.

‘This is insane!’

The sense of speed, enough to make his whole body tremble, overwhelmed Lee Hyun-soo.

‘This is seriously no joke.’

Come to think of it, he had fought alongside Kang Jin-ho… no, he had been in places where Kang Jin-ho was fighting countless times, but he had rarely followed behind Kang Jin-ho as he charged forward like this.

So, it hit him anew.

Just how ruthless of a weapon of destruction this man was.

He didn’t have the immense power of Bator. He wasn’t as bizarre as Jang Min. And he wasn’t as flashy as Wiggins.

But Kang Jin-ho, with an efficiency that couldn’t be compared to those three, literally broke through the shortest distance at the fastest speed. Watching from behind was terrifying.

The point was not only to clear a path but also to make them unable to fire from behind by rendering them combat-incapable.

Kang Jin-ho was executing that task perfectly.

“Fire!”

But they weren’t just going to sit back and take it.

A hail of fire was directed at Kang Jin-ho. The infantry units guarding the tank units unleashed fire from their guns.

In fact, these guys were harder to deal with than the tanks or self-propelled guns. It was almost impossible to turn the heavy gun barrels to aim at Kang Jin-ho.

But the guns that people used could somehow track Kang Jin-ho’s movements. Unlike gun barrels that were almost impossible to re-aim once they lost their target.

However, being able to aim and being able to inflict damage were clearly separate issues.

Tatatatatatatatang!

The bullets, flying like roasting beans, failed to penetrate the magical energy that Kang Jin-ho emitted and bounced off in all directions.

“Heeeeeek!”

Lee Hyun-soo, feeling the sensation of a bullet whizzing past right next to his face, screamed with a pale face.

“I’ll die if I get hit by those, Chairman! Please be more careful when deflecting them!”

For a moment, Kang Jin-ho’s head seemed to twitch, but Lee Hyun-soo didn’t bother to pay attention to that reaction.

He had to survive first.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

A huge explosion erupted from the side.

Bator, who had jumped into the middle and sent tanks flying in all directions, ran in a straight line and joined Kang Jin-ho.

“Kuh, Master!”

Bator’s eyes were bloodshot.

Seeing that, Lee Hyun-soo narrowed his eyes.

His chest rose and fell rapidly. It was the first time he had seen Bator panting like that.

‘I guess the battle must have taken its toll.’

He had already almost exhausted his strength fighting the Changwang group. And then, without time to recharge, he had been running like crazy. It was a series of extremely intense battles that would have exhausted even a master.

Moreover, Bator had taken the brunt of the self-propelled guns’ barrage to protect the group, and he had also been impacted by the subsequent missile explosions.

He might look fine on the outside, but he was probably a mess on the inside.

“Dieeeeeee!”

Jang Min, who had jumped into the middle of the infantry unit firing their guns, swung his long, grown claws in all directions.

Lee Hyun-soo reflexively turned his head the other way. It was a sight he had seen countless times, but he never wanted to get used to it.

The noise of the firearms and the screams of the people combined to create a terrible sound that pierced his eardrums.

“My Lord! There’s a concentrated unit ahead!”

“Hmm!”

Kang Jin-ho nodded slightly.

“What’s the situation?”

Wiggins, who had joined them, shouted, panting.

“They’re closer to the border than we thought! If we can break through, we can enter Mongolia right away!”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

‘Entry, huh…’

That was the primary goal.

“Clear your heads!”

Kang Jin-ho shouted decisively.

“For now, just focus on breaking through…”

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

An explosion occurred right next to Kang Jin-ho as he was speaking.

Kang Jin-ho, who had instantly shielded Lee Hyun-soo, contorted his face.

Trying to stop them with tanks and self-propelled guns might be a reckless idea. Even if they put everything else aside, they were not compatible. Heavy armor was meaningless against superhuman warriors, and their slow speed couldn’t keep up with them.

Hadn’t Kang Jin-ho already proven that in Nevada?

But this was different.

Before, Kang Jin-ho had unlimited time. But now, they didn’t have that time. Therefore, the goal had to be a breakthrough, not annihilation.

That’s where the problem arose.

If the goal was annihilation, they could take their time and completely destroy everything as they advanced, but the moment the goal became a breakthrough, they would inevitably leave troops behind them.

Unless Kang Jin-ho and the others turned back to fight, the more they broke through, the more troops would be able to focus solely on attacking without worrying about being attacked.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

And they began to fire their artillery.

They didn’t even care that their own tanks were right in front of them. Even if it meant directly hitting their own troops and causing casualties, they were determined to kill Kang Jin-ho and his group.

And these shells, fired at what could be considered point-blank range for tanks, were a definite threat to Kang Jin-ho and his group.

“Oooooooooh!”

As if knowing his role without being told, Bator, who had already moved to the rear of the group, punched the incoming shells with his fists.

Crunch! Crunch, crunch!

The shells collided with Bator’s fist, crumpled, and fell to the ground.

Thud!

“These bastards, they’re using armor-piercing rounds!”

Having judged that they couldn’t take down Kang Jin-ho and his group with high-explosive rounds, they were pouring out armor-piercing rounds without hesitation.

“Change positions!”

Kang Jin-ho yelled.

“Bator!”

“Speak, Master!”

“Go to the front! We’re breaking through!”

“Understood!”

Without a word, Bator leaped to the front. Now was not the time to consider reasons or efficiency. Even if it was a wrong order, they had to follow it without hesitation.

“Jang Min! Help Bator!”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Bang Jin-hoon! Protect Lee Hyun-soo and Chai Ke-chang in the center!”

“We’re already here!”

Kang Jin-ho kicked off the ground and flew to the rear. Blocking the barrage of shells was the most important thing. And the person who could do that most perfectly right now was none other than Kang Jin-ho.

And finally…

“Hong Wang!”

“Don’t order me, Demon King! I know!”

Hong Wang kicked off the ground and jumped up.

Golden energy radiated from his body like the sun.

“Oooooooooh!”

Hong Wang twisted his body in mid-air and threw a straight punch forward. At the same time, the golden energy that had been around him surged like a torrent of water during a downpour, passing over Kang Jin-ho and his group and directly hitting the troops in front.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

They were swept away.

It wasn’t just what was visible. The torrent of energy, like a swollen valley, literally swept away everything that had been blocking the way.

“That’s amazing.”

Bator gritted his teeth.

Strength?

Anyone could have that. Bator could also sweep them all away if given enough time.

But right now, Hong Wang wasn’t killing the enemies, he was pushing them back.

Perfect distribution of power.

Excessive power ultimately leads to excessive consumption of internal energy.

Instead of focusing on power, he widened the range, perfectly achieving the single goal of ‘clearing a path.’

This was Hong Wang’s ability.

And the sight created by that ability breathed life into everyone’s eyes.

“It’s open!”

Bator roared. A path leading to a wide prairie was created between the tanks that had been pushed to the left and right like the Red Sea. Instinctively sensing that the prairie was Mongolian territory, Bator ran forward without hesitation.

“Get out of the way, you trash!”

Kwaaaaaang!

Bator’s straight punch sent a tank that hadn’t been pushed back flying.

“We just need to get there! Just there!”

But the enemies weren’t just going to watch that happen.

Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

From behind, a barrage of tank and self-propelled gun fire rained down like a storm.

“My Lord!”

Kang Jin-ho swung his Red and Blue Swords, cutting and kicking away the incoming shells one by one.

His incredible dynamic vision accurately captured the shells moving at near supersonic speeds.

And his athletic ability to accurately cut down the shells flying at that speed.

There was nothing that wasn’t amazing.

But…

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

The shells that he failed to cut the fuses of accurately exploded in the middle. The high-explosive shells mixed among the armor-piercing shells created tremendous pressure. For an ordinary human, their limbs would have been torn apart by the pressure alone, without even being hit by the shrapnel.

Moreover…

“What is that?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s voice, Wiggins turned his head sharply.

“White, white phosphorus! Lord, it’s white phosphorus rounds! It’s a fire that won’t go out!”

Kang Jin-ho’s sword cut off the burning hem of his clothes. Not stopping there, he mercilessly sliced off the burning skin as well.

If they had more time, they could think of another way, but right now, they didn’t have the luxury of thinking of another way.

“Run! At this rate, the Lord will collapse first! You damn bastards, run, I said run!”

An expletive burst from Wiggins’ mouth.

The fact that such harsh words came from Wiggins’ mouth, of all people, showed just how urgent the situation was.

“Oooooooooh!”

Bator’s feet kicked off the ground. He saw the sight of the tanks that had been pushed back all turning their gun barrels at once.

‘Could it be?’

Bator’s eyes widened.

It couldn’t be, right?

But the situation always went to the worst possible outcome.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

With an explosion that seemed to burst his eardrums, the tanks that had been pushed to the left and right all fired their cannons at once.

It was impossible to avoid firing at the tanks on the other side at such close range. But there was not a shred of hesitation in their firing. There was a deep-seated malice that they would kill Kang Jin-ho and his group no matter what, even if it meant they all died.

The artillery fire aimed at each other hit each other. The exploded tanks spewed black smoke, and some even caused secondary explosions.

“Cough!”

Most of the shots missed them, but that small portion was enough.

Jang Min and Wiggins staggered, bleeding from all over their bodies. Chai Ke-chang and Lee Hyun-soo had already lost consciousness and were slumped over, and Bang Jin-hoon desperately held them.

“Run, you pathetic things!”

Bator grabbed Jang Min and Wiggins with one arm, and with the other arm, he pulled Bang Jin-hoon and the other three towards him.

“Hong Wang, are you okay?”

“How dare you speak to me like that?”

“Your damn mouth is still alive!”

Bator’s gaze turned to the rear.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

It was like a wall of fire had been erected.

The incoming shells were exploding in a chain reaction in mid-air without penetrating Kang Jin-ho’s sword. It was as if an invisible, transparent wall was blocking the shells.

“Master, leave me and run! It’s the end!”

“Hmm!”

Kang Jin-ho turned and started running.

Finally, a vast expanse of land came into view.

“It’s Mongolia!”

Of course, the artillery fire wouldn’t stop just because they had crossed the border, but they could no longer advance…

At that moment, Bator’s eyes shook.

In his eyes, far away, he saw a large-scale force approaching from beyond the prairie.

“That…”

Seeing that, Hong Wang sneered.

“It seems you missed one thing. Surely the warriors are on your side. But are the Mongolian soldiers on your side too? It seems they were more afraid of China than you?”

Bator’s eyes were filled with despair as he saw the tanks swarming across the Mongolian prairie.