Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1721

A Bitter Taste (7)

Koo-oong!

The impact of the fist and sword colliding shook the mountain.

“What, what is that!”

Members of the General Assembly, unaware that the two were fighting, rushed out of their dormitories.

“Is it an earthquake?”

Koo-oong!

As if to say it was no earthquake, another shockwave erupted. The faces of the members quickly turned pale at the clash of such immense energies.

“Is that…”

“Oh my god…”

It wasn’t hard to guess. There weren’t many people in the world capable of causing such a thing.

And of those few, two just happened to be staying at the General Assembly right now.

Reverence.

Beyond shock, everyone looked up at the mountain with eyes filled with reverence.

“C-can we go take a look?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. If they wanted to be watched, they would have fought in front of everyone.”

“Y-you’re right, I guess?”

The fact that they were fighting each other in the gap when they left the General Assembly meant they didn’t want to be watched. But even knowing this, the members of the General Assembly couldn’t quench their burning thirst.

‘Damn it, it’s a sight you’d be lucky to see once in your life.’

‘Just once, I wish I could get a peek…’

“Stop right there.”

A cold voice fell upon those who were stealthily trying to head upwards.

“Lee Myung-hwan…”

Lee Myung-hwan, who had appeared unnoticed, blocked the path leading up to the General Assembly.

“Hey! Who do you think you are to block the path…”

“The directors have ordered it. You can’t go up there.”

“And…”

Lee Myung-hwan frowned.

“If you guys are loitering around, it’ll be distracting. Do you have the nerve to ruin that duel?”

At those words, everyone shut their mouths.

‘No way.’

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. If they crowded around and affected the outcome of the match, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

They were martial artists too. If two people that anyone who pursued martial arts would admire were fighting, they couldn’t possibly interfere with the battle.

“Just wait quietly. I’m dying of frustration too.”

“Okay.”

At Lee Myung-hwan’s words, everyone nodded.

In fact, Lee Myung-hwan probably wanted to watch this battle up close more than anyone else.

As if that guess wasn’t wrong, Lee Myung-hwan’s face, while speaking calmly, was clearly showing signs of impatience, not matching his voice.

Koo-oong!

As if responding to their reactions, the mountain shook again.

Everyone looked up at the mountain, dumbfounded.

One tremor alone would be enough to cause a fright, but shockwaves akin to earthquakes were erupting continuously. Who would believe that such a thing could happen from two people fighting? Even those who were practicing martial arts were having a hard time accepting the current situation.

“Is this what they call a clash of dragons and tigers?”

“A dragon would be torn to shreds if it came here. What are you comparing to a dragon?”

Listening to the voices mixed with regret, anticipation, and frustration, Lee Myung-hwan turned his head and looked up at the mountain.

‘Damn it.’

He knew the truth.

Even if he watched this battle, he wouldn’t be able to learn much yet.

But he wanted to see it, with his own two eyes. Lee Myung-hwan nervously clenched his fist.

Kwaaaaang!

Kang Jin-ho, struck by a fist emitting golden energy, flew away like a fired cannonball.

Crack!

The trees in the direction he was thrown collided with Kang Jin-ho’s body, breaking powerlessly and being uprooted.

Thud!

After breaking dozens of innocent trees, Kang Jin-ho, who had fallen to the ground, shook his head a couple of times and got up.

‘This is no joke.’

He glanced down at his chest.

The flesh on his chest where he was hit was black and dead. Even being hit by a 105mm shell at point-blank range wouldn’t cause this kind of impact.

Hong Wang was Hong Wang.

How many people in the world could send him flying like a piece of paper?

Kang Jin-ho placed his hand on the ground and got up. After shaking his head a couple of times to dust off the dirt, Kang Jin-ho grabbed Cheongru and Jeokru [his twin swords] and walked towards Hong Wang.

Hong Wang was standing still where he had sent Kang Jin-ho flying, waiting for him.

But his situation didn’t look too good either.

The flesh visible through the torn clothing was cut and bleeding in many places. Especially the cut from his chin to his ear was enough to make anyone who saw it wince.

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped from his fingertips.

Hong Wang shook his hand once, as if annoyed, and glared at Kang Jin-ho with a distorted expression.

“Hoo.”

A low breath escaped his lips.

Those who had exchanged blows knew best who was dominating.

The one who had the leisure right now was Kang Jin-ho, who had been sent flying.

“That hurt.”

Hong Wang’s gaze went to Kang Jin-ho’s chest. The chest area, exposed by the torn clothes, was stained black.

A large wound.

But that was all.

Even though he had been hit head-on by his fist, which could tear steel like paper and crush rocks into sand, Kang Jin-ho’s body was still maintaining its form.

Humiliation.

More than being behind his opponent, the humiliation surged from the fact that his fist had failed to properly destroy his opponent’s body. His shattered pride stung him more than the wounds etched into his body.

‘A great wall…’

Before starting this duel, that Demon King had told him that he would let him meet a wall even greater than Chang Wang.

And now, Kang Jin-ho was putting those words into action.

“Your shoulders have become narrow.”

“Uncharacteristically so.”

Hong Wang’s face flushed.

There would be almost no one who had seen him show such intense emotions.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lowered as he watched the scene.

‘The defeat seems to be more significant than I thought.’

Those who have never been defeated are bound to be shocked by their first experience of defeat. That was the same for everyone. But Hong Wang’s defeat didn’t just end in disappointment; it had reached the realm of a mental demon.

Kang Jin-ho had also experienced defeat, but he hadn’t crumbled like Hong Wang.

The reason was very simple.

Kang Jin-ho also entered the duel with the conviction that he would never be defeated, but his confidence was fundamentally the result of facing his own weakness head-on.

But Hong Wang was not like that.

Hong Wang was a giant clad in steel armor made from two materials: skill and pride.

He was someone who was completely confident that no attack could penetrate his armor and no shield could block his fist.

But…

What would happen if he found out that there was a small hole in the back of that seemingly perfect armor?

He could ignore it because he didn’t know about it before. But from the moment he found out, he would always have to worry about when his opponent’s attack would penetrate that hole.

If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to unleash his full potential. He wouldn’t be able to fully concentrate on the duel.

That was what defeat meant to Hong Wang.

A subtle anxiety that he couldn’t help but be conscious of, even if he tried not to, and couldn’t forget, even if he tried to.

That subtle anxiety, which wouldn’t mean much to ordinary people, was what created an irreversible difference for those who walked on a knife’s edge.

“Are you afraid of losing?”

Hong Wang bit his lip slightly.

“Demon King, are you trying to insult me?”

“Insult?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“I don’t really care.”

Step.

Kang Jin-ho walked, closing the distance with Hong Wang.

“The way to overcome defeat is very simple. It’s for the defeated to win again. And another way is…”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth.

“To lose and lose again until you get used to defeat. Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

“You!”

Hong Wang, emitting golden energy in a rage, charged towards Kang Jin-ho.

Kwaang!

It was impossible to follow what happened with the eyes.

Along with a huge explosion, the ground cracked and caved in as if it had been hit by a meteorite. At the same time, a roar that clearly didn’t originate from the ground shook the mountain.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!

In an instant, dozens of craters were created on the mountain.

The ground made of dirt and gravel was too weak to withstand the impact of the stomping feet when the two collided.

They charged in at terrifying speeds, collided, and charged in again to collide again.

Power against power.

A series of fierce attacks without looking back.

This was the kind of fight that Hong Wang was most confident in. For Hong Wang, who prided himself on having the greatest inner strength and the greatest domineering aura in the world, power was an absolute and unyielding domain.

And now, a demon was trampling into that sacred and pure domain with muddy feet.

Kwaaaaang!

Koo-oong! Koo-oong!

Along with a huge explosion, two sounds erupted.

A crater was created, with two overlapping shapes as if two meteorites had fallen in one place.

That wasn’t a phenomenon created by a foot stepping forward. It meant that someone had been thrown backward.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang!

And with another explosion, Hong Wang’s figure was revealed.

“Kuh!”

His two feet were buried into the ground.

Even though Hong Wang was maintaining his posture firmly despite his legs digging into the ground, his eyes were shaking slightly, unlike his posture.

‘I, I’m losing in strength…’

In his eyes, he could see Kang Jin-ho charging towards him.

Kang Jin-ho, who had kicked off the ground, pulled his sword back. Jeokru, held in Kang Jin-ho’s hand, which was bent like a bow, was engulfed in black flames and blazed.

“Haaaaaaah!”

And then, Kang Jin-ho’s Jeokru, which had been pulled back, flew towards Hong Wang’s head with a roar like a jet engine.

“Kuh!”

Hong Wang’s fist, which had turned golden, met the incoming Jeokru, carrying all of his inner strength.

“Uaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The black sword and the golden fist collided in mid-air.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

The mountain shook, and all the windows of the General Assembly building shattered and fell like rain. The trees that had been standing tall were uprooted and flew away, and the ground cracked as if it had been hit by a drought.

The golden energy and the black demonic energy were torn to shreds and scattered in all directions like fireworks.

A sight that could not be found on the land where humans lived was unfolding here.

And…

Those who had created that tremendous sight were not unscathed either.

Koo-oong!

Hong Wang’s body, which had been thrown back, was buried into the ground.

“Cough!”

Fresh blood gushed from his mouth.

This one collision had completely turned his insides upside down.

Hong Wang stared at the rising dust cloud with bloodshot eyes… or rather, at the figure of a man visible through the dust cloud.

Step.

Kang Jin-ho walked towards Hong Wang, leaving the dust cloud behind him.

Blood was also dripping from his mouth and nose.

“…Demon King.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had raised one hand and wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve, gestured with his chin towards Hong Wang with a strange smile.

“Is that all?”

“…Y-you bastard!”

Hong Wang pressed down on the ground with his trembling arm and got up.

“That’s more like it.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled, revealing his blood-soaked teeth.

Crack!

Kang Jin-ho, who had stuck Jeokru into the ground, grabbed his opposite wrist with his empty hand.

Crack!

Kang Jin-ho, who had fixed his broken bones, pulled out Jeokru again as if nothing had happened.

“Entertain me a little more.”

Hong Wang screamed and charged towards Kang Jin-ho.