Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1898

Feeling It (1)

At the same time.

“Es… Escape……”

KWA-AAAAAAK!

A crimson, dawn-like power engulfs those fleeing.

It was a shocking sight, like a massive tidal wave of blood sweeping over people.

CRACK! CRUNCH!

The difference from a real tidal wave was that while a natural tidal wave would simply grab and push people, this blood-colored wave crushed human bodies.

“Amitabha.”

A monk draped in red robes clasped his hands together, watching the scene.

“Life and death are but fleeting; there is no need to struggle so. Is not death the only way to escape the suffering of life?”

As the monk quietly chanted the Buddha’s name, those who had collapsed on the spot trembled and looked at him.

“Th… This crazy monk… Then you die first!”

“It is regrettable, but…”

The monk smiled gently.

“This humble one has already experienced death. It was a very special experience, but it did not eliminate the suffering that binds me. Therefore, I envy you. You can escape this tiresome life and enter the Pure Land [a Buddhist concept of paradise].”

The faces of those who heard those words contorted horribly.

What kind of dogshit was this?

However, what tormented them even more was that they did not have the strength to tear the mouth of the one spouting such nonsense.

‘How can such a…’

It was like witnessing the power of the Hong King.

The feeling was distinctly different, but the fact that they had to feel utter helplessness in the face of an overwhelming power that could not be overcome by human strength was exactly the same.

“Amitabha.”

The monk, with his hands clasped, walked towards them.

“D-Don’t come…”

“Life is not merely given. Human life exists to contemplate oneself and move towards a higher place.”

The monk smiled gently.

“In that sense, do you know who is the most sinful?”

The jaw of the Hong King’s warrior, who stood before the monk, trembled.

He was babbling something, but his words could not possibly reach his ears now.

“Those who do not suffer.”

His voice was not cold at all.

Far from being cold, it was filled with warmth. A warmth as if looking down on the pitiful.

That fact made the hearts of those who looked at the monk even more chilling.

“This crazy…”

The monk shook his head.

“People tend to feel repulsion when they see someone who is beyond their standards. But embracing all of that is the truly right path. Do not reject it. Everything is within you. However…”

The monk lightly waved his hand.

At the same time, the red blood energy emanating from his hand penetrated the bodies of the warriors.

Thud.

Thud.

There wasn’t even a scream.

Those who were consumed by the blood energy died without even screaming.

A death that was too quiet.

The only fortunate thing was that the faces of those who had fallen were no longer filled with fear, but with peace, but it was questionable whether that could be called fortunate.

“Amitabha, may you be reborn in paradise.”

The monk, who had prayed for their souls, turned his head. Behind him, many people had fallen as if they were sound asleep.

There were no major wounds to be found, but not a single one of them was still breathing.

“How can I bear this sin?”

The monk shook his head.

Even though it was clearly his own doing, he spoke as if someone else had done it.

That was why he was called a strange monk.

The strange monk, with his eyes lowered, looked around and quietly moved his feet. This place was a branch located in an inconspicuous area, but by now, the other twelve divisions were probably committing atrocities more flamboyantly.

‘It’s not something that will end with just that.’

Blood would flow.

So much blood.

He could not even imagine how much blood would have to be shed.

“Amitabha.”

As a Buddhist, it was a sad thing to have to watch the flowing blood. But the strange monk knew very well that it was ultimately blood that changed the world.

There is no birth without sacrifice.

“If I do not go to hell, who will?”

The strange monk, uttering a quiet Buddhist chant, quietly moved his feet.

WHIIIIIIIIING!

A blade, honed to a sharp blue, was swung with a sound like a typhoon.

CRACK!

The power carried by the blade was so strong that the torso, split in two, could not withstand the impact and spun violently, flying out like a bullet.

KWAANG!

KWAANG!

The torso that crashed into the ground created a huge explosion. The torso, with all its bones crushed, was beyond recognition.

But it wasn’t because of the impact of crashing into the ground. From the moment it was cut by the blade, all the bones in what should have been called a body were crushed.

“Hmm.”

The Blade Demon lightly flicked the blade in his hand. As if he was not satisfied.

“A blade…”

He opened his mouth, looking at those who stood in his way.

“Will become dull if it is not sharpened from time to time. The strange thing is… even a blade that has been perfectly sharpened will become less sharp over time without use.”

The eyes of those who were trembling as they looked at the Blade Demon were filled with questions.

Why was the man who had suddenly appeared and was slicing people like straw suddenly saying such things?

“People are no different from blades.”

“No matter how much you train, no matter how perfectly you prepare, you will become dull if you do not experience real combat.”

His blade shook lightly.

“It has been a long time of peace. I too have become dull. So, I must sharpen my blade.”

A sinister smile appeared on the Blade Demon’s lips.

A blade made of steel can be sharpened with a whetstone, but a blade called a human cannot be sharpened with a whetstone. It can only be sharpened by the blood shed by others.

“Let’s count from now on. How many do I have to kill for my blade to become as sharp as it used to be?”

The Blade Demon, with bloodlust gleaming in his eyes, rushed towards the Hong King’s warriors.

“Block him!”

“Su, support! Is support still far away?”

“Damn it! He’s coming!”

People are all different.

The moment they realize that an overwhelming, monstrous being is attacking them, their reactions vary.

Some try to run away without looking back.

Some try to resist despite everything.

Some freeze, and some close their eyes.

But the Blade Demon’s blade was simply fair to everyone.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

With a sound like scraping metal, the Blade Demon’s blade bisected everyone in front of him. Like a sharp sword cutting through the middle of a high-arching wave, the Blade Demon’s blade instantly sliced through the straw men called humans.

KWA-AAAAAA!

The bodies, unable to withstand the force, spun violently and flew away.

“Twelve.”

Unlike his terrifying swordsmanship, the Blade Demon’s voice was calm.

The combination of the carnage created by his swordsmanship and the Blade Demon’s calm voice created a sense of incongruity that made one want to vomit.

SWISH!

The Blade Demon’s foot kicked off the ground, and his blade fell on the heads of those who had not yet regained their senses.

KWAANG!

It was more like ‘crushing’ than ‘cutting.’

The incredibly sharp blade, carrying terrifying destructive power, literally crushed everything it touched.

“Seventeen!”

His gaze quickly chased after those who were running away. The Blade Demon’s foot stepped on the ground with utmost simplicity, and his blade was swung without a single unnecessary movement.

Some people make a mistake.

They think that there must be something special about the martial arts of those who have crossed the wall [a term for reaching a higher level of martial arts].

But that is just a mistake.

Crossing the wall means surpassing one’s limits. It was just about surpassing human limits to become faster and stronger.

But the result of that simple change was never simple.

KWA-AAAAAAANG!

The moment the blade was swung, an explosion erupted. The blade, which had exceeded the speed of sound, created a sonic boom, engulfing and exploding everything around it.

There was nothing special.

It was just fast, just strong.

But that unremarkable swordsmanship was tens of times more terrifying than any swordsmanship with all sorts of techniques.

“Thirty-eight.”

Even after cutting down so many people, not a single drop of blood stained his blade.

The Blade Demon’s eyes narrowed.

“At this rate, I’ll have to cut down a lot more.”

The number of times you sharpen a blade depends on what kind of whetstone you use. With such a soft whetstone, he could not sharpen the blade that was him.

But at that moment.

“They’re here!”

“It’s support!”

A group of people could be seen rushing from the other side.

The Blade Demon, realizing that the aura they were emitting was quite menacing, curled up the corners of his mouth.

“I wonder, will you be a little harder?”

The Blade Demon unleashed his aura and flew forward.

THUD.

Shin Chang’s foot pressed firmly on the ground.

‘I feel strange.’

Was this the sensation of tension?

It wasn’t that he wanted to make the arrogant statement that he hadn’t had anything to be tense about. He knew a great warrior who was incomparable to the likes of the one in front of him.

The Black King.

Every time he stood before him, Shin Chang would feel his own powerlessness.

That’s why he couldn’t be tense.

What a human feels when facing a lion is not tension, but fear.

But….

“It seems I am lucky.”

To face someone who could make him feel this tension, and even get a chance to compete with him.

“Isn’t that right, Hong King?”

Shin Chang’s gaze reached the Hong King standing across from him.

This place was an uninhabited mountain.

According to the original plan, they should have competed in a place where more people could see them. But Shin Chang had deliberately moved the location, following the Hong King.

Even if he didn’t achieve his goal….

Even if there came a moment when he regretted this….

At this moment, he didn’t want a single impurity to interfere with this match.

The Hong King quietly looked at Shin Chang before opening his mouth.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“As much as you want.”

“Who are you?”

Shin Chang gave a faint smile.

“In the past, I was called Shin Chang Gwan Il.”

“…Shin Chang Gwan Il.”

The Hong King’s eyes sank.

“The spear master who had no equal, the number one master of Jeomchang [a martial arts sect]. Shin Chang Gwan Il, Cho Mu Gun?”

“You know me?”

“…It would be stranger if I didn’t.”

The corners of the Hong King’s mouth twisted.

It was an absurd and ridiculous thing, but….

How could he bear the sight of the absolute masters of the past, whom he thought he could never compete with, alive and breathing before his eyes?

Shin Chang Gwan Il, Cho Mu Gun.

The absolute master of the spear who raised Jeomchang to the position of the number one sect in the world. Before and after him, it was said that no one had reached such a level of martial prowess with the spear. A legend of the martial world.

“The greatest spear of all time.”

“It’s an overstatement, but it’s not exactly wrong.”

“Good.”

A terrifying fighting spirit began to emanate from the Hong King’s body.

“I will know by facing you. Whether the martial world has simply regressed, or whether it has found a path even in that regression!”

Shin Chang’s face was filled with joy as he received the terrifying aura that seemed to make his heart explode just by facing it.

“Feel free to find out!”

“Ooooo!”

The two men’s bodies turned into rays of light and charged towards each other.