Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1908

Enmity is an emotion one encounters countless times in life. Humans are destined to live in relationships with others. It would be ideal if everyone could have good relationships, but people are never universally amicable. Whether it’s one’s own fault or someone else’s, animosity inevitably arises between relationships. And… This emotion of enmity has a rather interesting characteristic. Unlike other emotions, the situation can completely change depending on who harbors the animosity, rather than the magnitude of the animosity itself. Someone who cannot affect me poses no threat, no matter how extreme their animosity might be. However, if someone with immense power harbors even a small amount of animosity, the situation becomes an overwhelming threat. And now. Nangon was acutely aware of what it meant for an incomparably powerful being to harbor animosity towards him. He was accustomed to killing intent. He was a man who had lived on the battlefield. A man who had drunk the blood of the battlefield like water and completed himself by tearing apart the flesh of his enemies. He had long since overcome the fear of death. He could scoff at the killing intent emitted by an enemy. But… The mere fact that the being before him harbored animosity towards him was enough to make his body react as if it were no longer the body he knew. Clench. Nangon bit his lip hard. Was it to deny that he felt fear towards his opponent? No. Nangon was someone who had complete confidence in himself. But the one before him was enough to shatter that self-assurance. The Demon Lord. The greatest demon of all time. No, the greatest being of all time. No matter how high Nangon’s reputation was, it was nothing more than a firefly before the sun in the face of the Demon Lord’s name. That renown. No, that infamy. Anyone involved in the martial world would know it. Even the Black King had once been under the Demon Lord’s command. ‘They wouldn’t know.’ Those standing behind him. Even Hong Wang, who had been saved by the Demon Lord. Those living in the present would not know how immense the name of the Demon Lord was. Those living in this era, where the existence of demons has become rare. He bit his lip merely to regain his focus, which was becoming clouded by this animosity. Look. As if the gates to hell had opened, black demonic energy swirled around the Demon Lord’s body. That ominous sight, beyond the level of power the demonic energy possessed, delivered an absurd sense of pressure. Thud! Nangon unconsciously turned his gaze to the side. Pakwon was clenching his fists, trembling. And on his face was a complex emotion that was hard to describe. Fear, terror, unease. And… Anticipation and excitement. Two conflicting emotions surged simultaneously. Nangon’s face slightly distorted as he saw that expression. ‘What an idiot.’ Facing the Demon Lord was an incredibly frightening thing. But for a martial artist, there was no way not to be excited by the fact that they could face the Demon Lord, who was called the greatest demon of all time. Yes, if they were a martial artist. But… His gaze turned to Hong Wang, who stood like a stone statue. ‘You weren’t so wrong.’ Something to make a martial artist’s heart race. But he and Pakwon could no longer be pure martial artists. From the moment they acknowledged and submitted to the being above them, they had become nothing more than hunting dogs. It was not a standard that could be applied equally to all martial artists in the world. Nevertheless, Nangon knew. Those who had never acknowledged even a single person above them. Those who only knew how to resist and climb over others could never be the same after they had succumbed to fear. No matter how much they tried to dress it up in the name of a cause, the reality would not change. That was why that bravado and fighting spirit were so irritating. “…Get a grip, you fool.” Pakwon’s gaze turned to Nangon. “We’re retreating.” A fierce blue killing intent flared in Pakwon’s eyes. But for Nangon, this was the best and wisest choice. “This is an unexpected situation. We need to retreat and report to the Black King.” He knew. This was an excuse. If the Black King lost contact with them here, he would guess everything. No, perhaps he had already grasped their movements. Nevertheless, mentioning the Black King was to restrain Pakwon, who might lose his reason and go wild. “Don’t forget what we’re fighting for.” Pakwon’s eyes slightly calmed down. Although the anger in his eyes had not completely subsided, it was true that he had become more composed. “…Damn it.” Pakwon, as if understanding his words, shifted his weight back, which had been leaning forward as if he was about to leap out. It was a fortunate thing. Thanks to Pakwon understanding his words, things had become much easier. The problem was… Those guys had no intention of understanding his words. Step, step. Kang Jin-ho, with a cigarette in his mouth, slowly approached Nangon. Even in that tense situation, a useless thought popped into Nangon’s mind. In the midst of the demonic energy that seemed to melt and tear apart even steel, how was that soft cigarette still holding up? “So…” Kang Jin-ho said, with a cigarette in his mouth. “Who’s going to face me?” Nangon’s eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. If one of them faced the Demon Lord, the other would have to face the four people here. There was no way to avoid calculating which side would be easier to escape from… “I will.” But it seemed that Pakwon didn’t need that calculation. He stepped forward a couple of steps and stood facing Kang Jin-ho. Just from the energy gathered in his two fists and his expression, one could see the fighting spirit that had risen to the top of his head. The smile on Kang Jin-ho’s lips deepened. Anyone who saw that twisted and ominous smile would have their heart turn cold. Kang Jin-ho stretched his hand forward and lightly bent his index finger. “Come.” Flames flared in Pakwon’s eyes. His feet kicked off the ground. With a light cracking sound, his body, which had become a black meteor, flew straight towards Kang Jin-ho. At the same time, Nangon leaped backward and flew away. Retreat? There was no way that was possible. He and Pakwon were bound by the same name, the Twelve Flying Blades, but they were not exactly what one would call comrades. That meant they had never coordinated their attacks to face someone. When they had an overwhelming advantage in power, they could improvise a combined attack, but when the enemy’s power was equal, fighting together would be more of a hindrance. On the other hand, the martial artists of the General Assembly had clearly had more experience working together. First, he had to separate the Demon Lord from them. As expected. “Where do you think you’re going!” Kwaaaaaaa! The power he had seen a moment ago flew in, blocking his retreat. For a moment, Nangon considered whether to take that power with his body and secure a retreat, but he had no choice but to stop first. He didn’t know their abilities well. Gambling was only worth trying after gauging the opponent and oneself. Now was not the time. He stopped and scanned his surroundings with the eyes of a predator eyeing its prey. In front, Bator and Jang Min, and behind, Wiggins and Bang Jin-hoon were surrounding him, closing the distance. “Everyone, step aside. I’ll handle him.” “No. Please calm down.” Bator gritted his teeth and tried to step forward, but Wiggins stopped him. “I understand your competitive spirit, but now is not the time. There are still ten or so of the Twelve Flying Blades left, so the moment will surely come when Bator-nim will have to face them alone.” “Right now, we need to inflict damage on them for sure. Without taking any damage ourselves.” Wiggins smiled and looked at Nangon. The composure in his eyes was irritating. “If we don’t capture them for sure, they’ll just look down on us. Opportunities like this don’t come easily.” “That’s right.” Jang Min also added, as if agreeing with those words. But even then, his eyes were as sharp as blades, not missing a single one of Nangon’s movements. “But… isn’t it enough to just stop them from escaping? If all four of us rush in at once, we might give them an opportunity?” “That is…” “That’s right! The old man has a good understanding! Even in his old age!” “…You should shut your mouth.” Jang Min gestured. “I’ll block the retreat. Finish him off for sure.” “Haha!” Bator took a step forward. Koo-oong! It wasn’t as if he had put any internal energy into his step, but it felt like the world was shaking. “I don’t like taking revenge on Baek Yeon-hong here, but now is not the time to be picky! I’ll tear you limb from limb!” Nangon, seeing Bator approaching him menacingly, blankly looked around. “…This is absurd.” There was no arrogance. For him, who had lived on the battlefield, strength was always relative. No, sometimes strength didn’t necessarily bring victory, and it didn’t guarantee survival either. But even so, this situation was hard to accept. “You seem to be mistaken…” He said with a hollow laugh. “The reason we’re tense is because the Demon Lord is over there. Do you think you can afford to be so relaxed against me?” At that moment, the power that Bator had unleashed flew towards Nangon. It wasn’t particularly fast, and if he wanted to avoid it, he could have easily done so. But Nangon did not avoid it and instead met the incoming power head-on. The words he had spoken had tied his feet, preventing him from leaving this place. Kwaaaaaaaang! The power that collided with the staff caused a huge explosion. The impact of the blast caused Nangon’s feet, which were planted on the ground, to betray his will and take a step back. Emotion disappeared from Nangon’s face. “You’ve got a good face.” “But that’s not enough. I’ll completely crush you to my liking, so come at me.” Squeeze. Nangon’s hands, gripping the staff, tightened. His mouth opened in a twisted manner. “…I understand that killing you first will make it easier to open a path.” “You fool!” As if that word was a signal, Bator and Nangon rushed towards each other. Woo-woo-woo-woong! The energy gathered in his fist could not be contained within it and spilled out, swirling around it. With a sound like thousands of bees flapping their wings, Bator’s fist exploded towards Nangon’s chest with explosive speed. But his opponent was the invincible staff of a hundred victories! Nangon, the King of Nang! Someone more accustomed to battle than anyone else. Whoosh! The staff, which had spun once in the air, struck down on Bator’s outstretched fist. The direction of the power that was being extended was twisted, and instead of hitting Nangon’s body, it was driven into the ground directly below. Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang! The moment his body shook from the explosion below, Nangon’s staff, not missing the slightest gap, struck Bator’s lower jaw like a ray of light.