Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1909

He falters.

Though not the mountain of a man he once was, the current Bator is still a giant, beyond description.

Yet, that massive frame stumbles and recoils from a single blow.

“Kuh!”

Bator’s hand instinctively flew to his jaw, where he had been struck.

The impact felt as if the area below his nose had vanished.

In the past, such a blow would have knocked him out cold. But having transcended his limits, he could maintain consciousness even after taking such a hit.

‘What was that!’

It was a very brief exchange.

From it, he gleaned two things.

Surprisingly, the difference in inner power [a form of internal energy used in martial arts] between him and Nangon wasn’t that significant. It was true that Nangon’s inner power was higher, but the gap was manageable with proper technique.

However, the difference between Nangon’s skill and his own was immense.

To so easily twist away a full-force blow?

And to deflect the impact and immediately transition into an attack?

‘Damn it!’

It was easy to say, too easy.

But what Nangon did was akin to pushing aside a speeding trailer truck while at full throttle, and then immediately sprinting forward without a single second of delay.

It was easy to imagine, but almost impossible to execute. Yet, Nangon had deflected his energy and struck his jaw as naturally as breathing.

He was forced to confront the difference in experience and skill between him and Nangon.

But….

Bator tasted the blood flowing from his split mouth and bared his teeth.

Nangon frowned at the smile that spread across his face.

“…You’re smiling?”

“Hehehe…”

Nangon’s eyes narrowed further.

The previous blow had landed squarely. No matter how tough the man’s body was, it should have felt like an average person being hit by a heavyweight boxer’s punch.

His jaw should be shattered, his brain rattled.

Yet, he was smiling?

“…This guy?”

How many had postured before him?

He had seen many who would smile and boast even with their legs crushed and arms torn off. But that was why he knew. This was no mere bravado.

Bator reached up and grabbed his jaw.

Trickle.

The blood that flowed down soaked his hand, but the heat only made Bator feel exhilarated.

He couldn’t help but smile, he had to smile.

‘If it were the old me?’

He wouldn’t even have felt despair.

He would have simply raged at the fact that he had been hit. But now, he could clearly see the difference between himself and Nangon.

Which meant.

‘I’m within range.’

Overcoming something begins with recognition. You have to know where the leader is to catch up.

When he had fought Baek Yeonhong, he couldn’t understand why he was losing.

It was simply a gap.

Losing to someone stronger.

A gap so vast that he couldn’t comprehend where they were stronger or what he needed to improve. How much despair had he felt in the face of that overwhelming difference?

But now, Nangon was within his reach.

“My blood is boiling.”

A fierce glint appeared in Bator’s eyes.

If this man was equal to Baek Yeonhong, then in this short time, he had finally brought Baek Yeonhong within his grasp. How could he not smile?

“Let’s keep going! Before this feeling fades!”

Bator roared like a beast and charged at Nangon.

Nangon’s face contorted as he watched Bator rush towards him with arms wide open.

‘Well now!’

There was no technique, no form.

The way he charged, swinging his arms, was more like a large beast than a martial artist. An attack that even a third-rate martial artist wouldn’t attempt, a violation of the basics of martial arts.

But he couldn’t deny that the attack was incredibly powerful and effective for Bator.

Nangon knew.

Methods didn’t matter.

Whether one defeated an opponent elegantly or by rolling on the ground covered in blood and stabbing a knife into their neck, it was still a victory.

Everything was justified under the goal of victory and survival.

“Haaah!”

Bator grabbed at Nangon with both arms, like a bear clutching a tree.

A bear hug.

It was a simple, crude attack, but it was perfectly suited for Bator, whose physical strength far surpassed the Twelve Blades [a group of powerful warriors].

And this was no ordinary bear hug.

The speed was astonishing, and the power was enough to crush a mountain.

Kwaaaaaa!

The sheer mass and speed of his charging body were enough to turn the ground over.

Nangon’s face hardened instantly.

“Kuh!”

Sensing that he couldn’t outrun Bator by retreating, Nangon instead lunged forward.

At the same time, his body lowered, almost scraping the ground.

“Oooooooo!”

Bator brought his outstretched arms down, as if to slam Nangon into the ground.

But Nangon’s speed was twice as fast as Bator’s downward strike.

Paak!

With a sound that made anyone flinch, Nangon’s staff struck Bator’s shin.

Bator’s body, like an iron tower, swayed unexpectedly.

Paak! Paak! Paak!

His instep, ankle, and knee were struck in rapid succession. A relentless barrage of attacks at terrifying speed.

It was a clear demonstration of what a martial artist like Nangon could do when focusing on speed and simplicity, using the smallest movements possible to unleash a flurry of blows.

Nangon used the fist holding the staff to slam into Bator’s thigh.

Kwaduduk!

The pointed handle of the staff tore through Bator’s thigh muscle, piercing his flesh.

Stagger.

Bator’s body tilted. But!

“Oooooooooo!”

Bator used his inner power to increase his body’s weight. He had drawn so much power that his firmly planted feet crushed the hard ground like mud.

And at the same time….

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

His arms, imbued with immense power, slammed into the ground!

As if a bunker buster had been dropped, the ground beneath them erupted like liquid, scattering in all directions.

Kwarururururung!

The world shook as if an earthquake had struck, and healthy trees were uprooted and tossed onto the ground.

Dust billowed like clouds, engulfing the surroundings.

Wiggins immediately waved his hand. At the same time, a strong wind blew, clearing away the dust that had obscured their vision.

“Ho….”

Wiggins’ eyes widened at the sight that was revealed.

Bator stood tall.

Right in front of him was a large pit. But what surprised Wiggins was not the fact that a pit had been created, but its shape.

It was deep. Too deep.

In the past, Bator had been able to unleash enough destructive power to turn over the ground. But the shape of the pit had always been that of a large crater.

But the current shape was clearly different from anything he had seen before.

The hole created by the downward punch was bottomless. A hole that pierced downwards, as if it were a gateway to hell.

It was less ‘destroyed’ and more ‘pierced’.

‘It’s not that his power is stronger.’

The power that had once spread out haphazardly was now beginning to focus on a single point.

A downward strike.

Yes, it was just a simple downward strike. But if that power was focused into one point? Considering Bator’s divine power and inner strength, that simple downward strike would be more powerful than any divine martial art.

Even if they fought in the same way, the current Bator was an existence that could not be compared to the Bator of the past.

“Keuheuh….”

Bator lowered his head and looked at the hole in his thigh.

‘Amazing.’

It wasn’t a staff, nor a sword, but a gon [a type of staff or club].

In other words, a club.

A club like the batons used by modern police. How difficult would it be to pierce his flesh with such a club?

But Nangon did it effortlessly. He couldn’t help but feel the full extent of his opponent’s strength. But….

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“That I’d completely crush you.”

Nangon slowly lowered his crossed staffs.

In his eyes, a boiling bloodlust that had not been seen before flickered.

But what caught the attention of the observers was not that look, but the tip of Nangon’s staff, which was trembling slightly.

The staff in his left hand was trembling slightly, unlike the one in his right hand. The gaze that moved past his hand and up his arm fixed on Nangon’s left shoulder.

The clothes on his shoulder were torn and gone.

The exposed skin of his shoulder was black and dead. He had managed to pull his body away, but he had failed to completely avoid Bator’s attack.

“What….”

Nangon gritted his teeth.

His staff had struck that bastard’s legs countless times. Any other master would have had all the blood vessels in their legs burst, their bones crushed, and would have died a limp mess.

But that damned man had taken his barrage of attacks and was still standing on two legs.

He couldn’t even begin to understand how his body was made. Just considering the toughness of his body, even the Crimson King, whom he had fought earlier, couldn’t compare.

Moreover….

Throb! Throb!

The pain in his shoulder made him clench his teeth.

It was just a graze. It wasn’t a direct hit, just a graze.

But the impact was far from small.

If it had been just one millimeter deeper, he might not have been able to use his left arm.

“…This is a losing game.”

He had to strike countless times to barely inflict damage, while the other could gain an advantage with just a graze.

This was too unfair.

‘To reach this level with external power. Even the monks of Shaolin [a famous Buddhist monastery known for martial arts] in the past weren’t this strong….’

It was astonishing.

But….

“Too slow.”

Nangon’s body instantly closed the distance between him and Bator.

“Kuh!”

Bator, seeing the man who had disappeared from his sight appear right in front of him, reflexively threw a punch.

But before his slightly drawn fist could even extend, Nangon’s staff pierced his armpit.

Kwaang!

Then, another staff struck the inside of his elbow….

Kwaang!

In quick succession, the staff that had pierced his armpit struck his wrist, which had not yet extended, and changed its direction.

Kwaaaaaaaa!

The inner power was transmitted.

But the power that was released with its direction twisted had nowhere to go and only destroyed a nearby mountain ridge.

“You!”

Bator, with bloodshot eyes, tried to headbutt Nangon.

But….

Kwaduk!

Before his body could even bend, Nangon’s staff, extended straight, pierced his neck.

Even the mighty Bator couldn’t ignore this, and his violently bending body stopped.

And then….

A massive body that had lost its speed was nothing more than a sandbag.

Nangon’s staff danced, creating countless shadows.

The energies that poured down like rain struck Bator’s body.

With a sound like a leather drum being beaten, Bator spat out blood and was thrown backwards.