Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1902

Rumble!

The sensation of a spear piercing through human flesh.

Shin-chang’s heart pounded at the distinct feeling transmitted through his fingertips.

It wasn’t that he particularly enjoyed slaughter.

What he sought was a true contest, the tension of bodies honed to their limits colliding.

Slaughter was merely a secondary element that came with it.

However…

The sensation of his spear piercing the flesh of a strong opponent, especially one he acknowledged, gave him an overwhelming sense of satisfaction beyond compare.

Just like this very moment!

“Hoo!”

Shin-chang’s eyes, now glowing with a different light, clearly saw the spear embedded in Hong King’s shoulder.

The spearhead had torn through flesh and crushed bone.

‘I’ve won.’

Just as he was about to push the spear further in.

Thwack.

Hong King’s left hand casually grabbed the spear that had pierced his shoulder.

Then, his fingers gripped the spear as if to break it, and slowly pulled it out of his shoulder.

Crack!

Bits of flesh and blood spurted out like a fountain. But Hong King, holding the spear, didn’t even blink. It was as if the pierced shoulder wasn’t his own.

Thump!

And then, in quick succession!

Gooooooo!

Hong King’s left hand glowed with a dazzling golden light.

‘What?’

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The golden energy that erupted from his left hand created a massive pillar of light, literally sweeping away Shin-chang’s body.

Kwaaaaaaaaaa!

It was like a massive fire hose spewing water at tremendous pressure. Everything that the energy touched, and even what it didn’t, was crushed and destroyed.

The golden energy pierced through the land, which was connected by mountains, collapsing them and carving deep into the earth.

Krrrrrr!

The mountains, with their bases pierced, crumbled, and trees uprooted and soaring into the sky fell to the ground.

It was truly a scene of heaven and earth being overturned.

“Hmm.”

A short exclamation finally escaped him.

Hong King staunched the bleeding from his gaping shoulder. His indifferent gaze briefly glanced at the black hole in his shoulder before turning forward.

“Cough!”

There, Shin-chang was kneeling on one knee, using his spear to support himself. His appearance, after being swept away by Hong King’s energy, was utterly miserable.

The skin all over his body was torn, and his tattered clothes were completely stained crimson. One of his eyes was also bleeding red, as if severely injured.

“Cough! Cough!”

Dark red clots of blood gushed from Shin-chang’s mouth as he coughed dryly.

“Kuh…”

Shin-chang, letting out a stifled groan, put strength into his trembling legs and stood up.

‘Damn it.’

The problem was that he had momentarily let his guard down, thinking he had pierced the enemy’s shoulder.

Considering his martial prowess and experience, it was something that should never have happened.

But he too had overlooked one thing.

It had been over a hundred years since he had last engaged in a true life-or-death battle with an opponent worthy of him. No matter how much experience he had, if that much time had passed, his practical sense would have deteriorated to the bottom.

Not realizing that fact was what allowed him to suffer this blow.

Hong King’s eyes bore down on Shin-chang.

“It seems you thought you had won.”

“Your arrogance has cost you.”

Shin-chang gritted his teeth.

It was true that he had completely seized the advantage.

The visible wounds were not that important. The real injury Hong King had suffered was the aftermath of Shin-chang’s energy that had penetrated inside the moment his spear pierced his shoulder.

His dark, yin-natured [Yin energy is associated with darkness, cold, and passivity in traditional Chinese philosophy] profound heavenly energy would be shaking Hong King’s insides, and would be lodged like needles between his meridians [energy channels in the body according to traditional Chinese medicine].

In the battles of masters, having one’s energy shaken was no different from being unable to exert even eighty percent of one’s true power. In a situation where victory or defeat is decided by a hair’s breadth, such an injury was more than enough to determine the outcome.

But…

‘What was more important was not letting my guard down.’

He felt like strangling himself with his own hands.

But Hong King’s next words shook even Shin-chang’s thoughts.

“Do you think it was a mistake?”

“Don’t be mistaken. Even if we fought again from the beginning, you cannot defeat me.”

Shin-chang bared his teeth.

“You seem to be in a very good mood?”

“Do you think it’s just bravado?”

Hong King’s eyes suppressed Shin-chang.

“I’ve come to understand one thing for sure. As you said, the Black King is a powerful being that you cannot even dare to approach.”

Shin-chang’s eyes filled with doubt.

Why would such a conclusion come out in this situation?

“You’ve never fought the Black King properly. You haven’t challenged him.”

“In other words, you’ve never fought with all your might in a battle where you were destined to lose. It means you have an extreme lack of experience fighting someone stronger than yourself.”

“You’re spouting nonsense. Do you even know how many battles I’ve fought?”

“Yes, I’m sure you have. But those battles would be limited to opponents you could eventually win against, or opponents you could win against even now.”

“What the hell…”

Shin-chang shut his mouth.

His mind understood what Hong King was saying before he could even speak.

“You rose to your position because of your overflowing talent, but thanks to that overflowing talent, you’ve never faced a wall you couldn’t overcome. You’re just a weak coward who has only ever faced opponents you could handle.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not that I didn’t face them, it’s that I won against them all.”

“Then why did you submit to the Black King?”

Hong King’s cold gaze pierced through Shin-chang.

“Those who truly seek to rise never submit. Even if they know they cannot win, they fight and fight again, risking their lives. I’ve seen many such people.”

Both in this Central Plains [the historical heartland of China] and in small countries outside of it.

“Those people wouldn’t choose not to fight, no matter how strong the Black King is. And yet, those who have left their names in history and dominated an era are all huddled together, bowing their heads.”

“…You.”

“You cannot defeat me.”

Hong King clenched his fist.

“If your martial power and mine were equal, you could never defeat me. Because I’ve already learned what it’s like to fight someone stronger than myself. And-”

A golden light flashed in Hong King’s eyes.

“From the start, you’re not even on the same level as me. Come, I’ll end your hollow reputation here today!”

A tremendous aura erupted from Hong King’s body.

A kingly presence that overwhelmed the surroundings.

It didn’t matter who the opponent was.

Whether they had dominated the past or reached the pinnacle of the martial world…

No matter who the opponent was, he just needed to prove his strength.

“You are not qualified to be my equal. The you of the past may have been great, but the you of now is just a dog of the Black King.”

Blood vessels stood out in Shin-chang’s eyes.

“You little brat…”

When had he ever been insulted like this?

He was someone who had already dominated the world in the distant past, before Hong King was even born. And now, he was being treated like this by a martial artist who was a descendant from hundreds of years later?

Grrr.

Shin-chang, grinding his teeth, gripped his broken spear tightly.

“You seem to be very excited after gaining a single advantage, but I’ll pierce that neck of yours! Then let’s see if you can still talk!”

Shin-chang’s foot kicked off the ground.

As if to prove that the reputation passed down from the past was not hollow, his spear did not waver even though his whole body was injured.

Rather, it felt twice as sharp as before he was injured.

But Hong King, facing such Shin-chang, exuded the confidence and composure of a strongman.

Clang!

A terrifying explosion was created as fist and spear collided. Shin-chang’s spear rotated fiercely as if to pierce through Hong King’s fist, but the golden energy surrounding Hong King’s fist received Shin-chang’s attack as firmly as a mountain.

Kwaaaang!

The force of the explosion tore into Shin-chang’s left and right like the teeth of a wolf.

“Kuh!”

Shin-chang grimaced and retreated backward, again and again.

But Hong King’s fist strikes, as if waiting for him to retreat, came crashing down like a landslide, covering him from above, left, and right, from all three sides.

“Haaap!”

Shin-chang swung his spear widely. The energy emanating from his spear blocked Hong King’s incoming fist strikes, but the moment the two energies collided, his body was helplessly pushed back.

“Cough!”

Blood gushed from his throat, and his knees wobbled as if they were about to buckle.

He kept trying to plant his dragging feet on the ground, but no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to withstand this tremendous power in place.

Moreover…

‘That damn bastard!’

His spear was a spear that pierced the sun.

In terms of linear attacks, he was second to none. He was confident that if he could concentrate his energy and break through a single point, he could match even the Black King.

But the energies attacking him now were not targeting his front.

They were coming from above, left, and right, and even from behind, targeting his rear.

A spear was a long-handled weapon, longer than a sword.

When thrusting forward, when attacking the front, it was a weapon that could exert power that was incomparable to a sword. But as such, it was a weapon that was relatively vulnerable to the left, right, and rear.

Those who had reached the pinnacle transcended even the characteristics of their weapons, but if the opponent was also at the same level, it was impossible to overcome the fundamentals with force alone.

“Haaaaaaap!”

Shin-chang screamed as if in agony and thrust his spear. If once wasn’t enough, he would thrust ten times, and if ten times wasn’t enough, he would thrust a hundred times!

Perhaps it was worth pushing his power to the limit, as Hong King’s incoming energy was pierced and crushed.

But at that very moment.

Kooong!

Shin-chang’s eyes widened.

The front.

The area where his spear could exert the most power, which had been completely empty.

Hong King appeared there like a phantom and took a step forward.

‘Nine-Stage Consecutive Steps?’

Existing in a place where he shouldn’t exist.

Hong King, who had appeared as if transcending space, stomped on the ground and took the simplest stance for a straight punch.

And…

Shin-chang saw it.

The energy of the world being sucked into him. A sight like a lake swirling and being sucked into a hole beneath it.

Shin-chang instinctively gripped his spear.

The fastest and strongest strike he could make was realized by his body without going through his head.

One Flash Pierces the Sun.

The thunder force created by the collision of the yin-natured dark energy and the yang-natured [Yang energy is associated with light, heat, and activity in traditional Chinese philosophy] strong energy that swirled around his body moved his spear. His body was just following the raging thunder force!

“Aaaaaaaah!”

A flawless spear strike flew towards Hong King.

And at that moment, Hong King opened his closed eyes and threw a straight punch.

Overlord Heaven Collapse Strike.

A dazzling golden light that seemed to blind the eyes covered the world.

At the same time, a golden fist, like a spear of light that a celestial being had plunged into the black sky that enveloped the world, was embedded like a phantom.