Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1746

The mountains, shrouded in darkness, heaved as if they were the form of a dragon emerging from the depths of a dark, black sea. The dragon’s spine-like ridges began to stir.

A scream broke the silence.

The stench of blood, acrid and sharp, overwhelmed the scent of the forest.

And more than that…

Even those who were deaf and anosmic [unable to smell] could not ignore the eerie feeling emanating from these mountains.

An unknown weight descended upon the mountain range, as if trying to twist the dragon.

Swoosh!

A severed head soared into the air.

“Block them!”

The warriors of the Azure King, emitting blue sword energy, charged up the mountain with fierce determination in their eyes. Their intent was to leave no enemy alive, and a chilling murderous aura emanated from them.

“Kill them!”

But their opponents were equally, if not more, formidable. In terms of sheer force, they were overwhelming the Azure King’s warriors.

Clang!

Swords clashed.

Thud!

A fist buried itself into bone.

A silent war.

Unlike the wars of the outside world, which now had to reveal their existence with artillery and gunfire, the war between martial artists was relatively quiet and desolate.

But…

Shick!

“Kkeueuk…”

The sword, embedded in the ribcage, severed the ribs and pierced the heart. Even before the sword was withdrawn, blood gushed out between the blade and flesh.

Swoosh!

The sword that had pierced the heart was pulled out without hesitation. The fallen man convulsed, spewing a fountain of blood from his wound.

But that was all.

The value of death is relative.

In a reality where death is rare, it is enough to draw everyone’s attention, but in a battlefield where death is rampant, it does not attract anyone’s gaze.

It was just another death added to the countless others.

All that the man with the split heart could do was wait for death, slowly approaching amidst the fallen leaves, sprouting grass, and the dust kicked up by trampling feet.

That’s why martial artists are like moths drawn to a flame.

To train oneself to kill others is, conversely, to make one’s own life worthless. Those who strive to rise only lower themselves as a result of their efforts.

This is the battlefield of such people.

A battlefield of ghouls who do not know value, do not know what is precious, and only aim to kill their opponents.

Thud!

A straight punch pierced through the upper body.

The man, his chest blown open as if by a cannonball, fell sideways with a blank expression, unable to stop the blood gushing from his mouth.

But the one standing before him did not let him fall. Before his body could touch the ground, Bator’s kick struck the already lifeless body.

Wham!

The human body, unable to withstand the immense force of the kick, shattered into pieces and was launched forward like a cannonball.

“Kuh!”

“Aaaagh!”

The bones and flesh fragments, shot like bullets, pierced the bodies of those who were charging forward.

Taking advantage of their hesitation, Bator rushed forward with movements that were unusually concise, unlike his usual style, and unleashed a dozen punches.

Splat! Splatter!

With sounds like something breaking, the heads of those who had charged at him exploded in an instant.

“Bator-nim!” [nim is a Korean honorific]

“Charge!”

Bator shouted resolutely.

There was no usual maniacal laughter. No shouts that would burst his throat. Bator, who never lost his excessive confidence in any situation, was more cautious than anyone else at this moment.

Bator’s eyes quickly scanned the front.

‘Thirty on the right, about forty on the left?’

The Azure King’s warriors were swarming to confront them. The enemy was endless, but they could not stop moving.

The key was time.

The enemy was a monster capable of anything if given time. They had to be pushed relentlessly without giving them even a moment’s respite.

“Gong Young-gil!”

“Yes!”

“Step forward! We’re switching!”

“Yes!”

Bator retreated without hesitation.

His disciples, whom he had personally trained, were by no means inferior to the Azure King’s warriors. In a one-on-one fight, they could easily crush ordinary Azure King warriors.

So, was he retreating because he trusted them?

No.

Even if Gong Young-gil and the others were unable to withstand the Azure King’s warriors and were killed, Bator would have retreated now.

‘I need to conserve my strength.’

When Kang Jin-ho and the Azure King had fought before, if he had had even a little more strength left, he could have taken the Azure King’s head when he was completely exhausted. But Bator could only watch.

Not this time.

This time, such a thing must never happen.

If they could kill the Azure King, even at the cost of any sacrifice, it would be their victory. No matter how large a snake is, it cannot live without its head.

“Don’t wait, charge forward! Don’t give the rats any room to escape!”

“Yes!”

His disciples, their muscles bulging as if they would burst, roared and charged forward.

Thud.

Bator lowered his head slightly.

The man who had fallen to the ground was reaching out, grabbing his leg.

Dilated pupils.

A terrified face.

The hand gripping the hem of his pants had no strength. Death had already consumed most of him.

Yet, was reaching out an act of will to live, or proof of a fighting spirit that had not been lost until the end?

Thump.

Bator flicked his leg, shaking off the hand that was grabbing his pants, and moved on.

Compassion? Pity?

…There was no such thing.

Those who stood here had all accepted death. The man was just unlucky to die early, and he was just lucky to have survived so far.

Pity and compassion were cheap sentiments that could only be had after escaping this hell alive.

“That was one expensive life.”

Bator licked his lips and moved on, slowly, as if not to waste even a drop of his inner energy.

Chai Ke-chang’s eyes burned coldly, very coldly.

Chai Ke-chang, who usually avoided taking the lead, a position that could put him in danger, found this task so important that he voluntarily took the lead.

‘Azure King!’

Chai Ke-chang’s eyes shone coldly.

‘You will never escape! Never!’

He was not one to trust his intuition, but this time he was confident that his intuition was correct. If they failed to capture the Azure King this time, they would never have another chance to corner him.

The Azure King was a cunning fox and a cautious raccoon.

Once he was in danger, he would be several times more cautious than he was now. If the side with the initial advantage was extremely cautious, the chance of a comeback would be as good as gone.

So, they had to seize this opportunity! They absolutely had to!

“Get out of my way, you trash!”

His hand, emitting a sharp, knife-like energy, was swung with such dazzling speed that it seemed almost chaotic.

His hand cleanly cut down the Azure King’s warriors who stood in his way.

“Pick up the pace!”

“Chai Ke-chang!”

The heavy voice of the Crimson King startled Chai Ke-chang.

“…Crimson King.”

“Calm yourself.”

Chai Ke-chang slowly nodded. His heated heart slowly cooled down.

“Aren’t we hunting right now?”

“Yes, Crimson King.”

“A hunter must always keep his reason cold. No prey is caught by an excited hunter.”

Chai Ke-chang bit his lip slightly.

There were things in the world that one could not do because one did not know, and things that one could not keep even if one knew. The mistake he had just made clearly belonged to the latter category.

He knew that he should always keep his head cool, but he had quickly become excited.

“Don’t blame yourself.”

“…Crimson King.”

“The Azure King is that dangerous. It’s more strange if you didn’t get your blood up, considering that we must kill him.”

The Crimson King’s voice was surprisingly calm.

But his eyes were emitting a strong golden light from time to time. It was as if he was not completely calm either.

“I also want to crush the Azure King right now. But to do that, we need to be a little more composed.”

“Yes.”

“Excitement is for when you have his head in your hands.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“And…”

“Yes?”

The Crimson King looked at Chai Ke-chang and spoke in a low voice.

“The opponent is the Azure King. It’s too easy for that.”

Chai Ke-chang closed his mouth.

‘Easy?’

Certainly…

It was not easy to corner the Azure King this far. Considering the effort and price they had paid to create this situation, it was definitely not a profitable deal.

They had invested so much that they could only call it a profit after they had beheaded the Azure King.

The problem was not that, but…

“The resistance is weak.”

“That’s right.”

The Crimson King nodded.

Even at this moment, the enemy was still swarming.

But it did not feel like the resistance was fierce. Rather, they were easily pushing into the enemy’s heart as if it were easy.

The opponent was the Azure King and the Azure King’s faction.

No matter how much they had been caught off guard, it was impossible for it to be this easy to fight him.

“There’s no core. They’ve just filled the numbers.”

“…I think so too.”

“Then what should we do?”

Chai Ke-chang frowned.

What should they do?

The opponent was the Azure King. The head and heart of the Azure King’s faction.

The Azure King’s faction, without the Azure King, would collapse far more rapidly than the Crimson King’s faction without the Crimson King.

His influence might even surpass Kang Jin-ho’s control in the General Assembly.

And those who were blocking the path to such an Azure King were weak?

‘What is he preparing, Azure King?’

Chai Ke-chang’s eyes flashed eerily.

“We advance.”

“Even if the enemy has set a trap?”

“I thought that sacrifices would be inevitable from the start.”

Chai Ke-chang said resolutely.

“This is a fight to kill or be killed, not a fight to minimize damage. Time is on his side, and the longer we drag it out, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. Even if he has set a trap, we have to crawl out of that trap and take his head.”

The Crimson King nodded lightly.

“However, I don’t know if my judgment is correct…”

“That’s enough.”

The Crimson King shook his head as if he didn’t need to hear more.

“There is no one here who can make a more accurate judgment than you. If you say so, I will just be your hands and feet and follow you. However…”

The Crimson King stepped forward.

“From now on, I will take the lead.”

“Crimson King, that’s too…”

“Don’t worry.”

The Crimson King waved his hand lightly.

“I have no intention of leaving the task of taking the Azure King’s head to the Demon Lord. That should be my role. So, it would be okay to enjoy some entertainment before reaching the Azure King.”

The Crimson King, who had taken the lead, began to emit a faint golden light.

“Relay to each unit. Increase the speed. A fox must be cornered at once!”

“Yes!”

Chai Ke-chang’s eyes shone coldly.

‘I will catch him! I will catch him!’

But contrary to his resolute determination, a corner of Chai Ke-chang’s heart was slowly cooling down with an unknown doubt.