Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1938

Clang! Clang! It was as if invisible rain was pelting against a shield. Wiggins’ eyes narrowed involuntarily. ‘Just how many strands is he controlling at once?’ Was it dozens, or hundreds? It was impossible for Wiggins to grasp the number of wires that momentarily crossed and then scattered again. Each strand moved like a living viper, targeting Wiggins from all directions. ‘This is no joke.’ He could cover his entire body with his shield. Thus, he could easily deal with attacks coming from all directions. But what if someone else, not him, was standing here? ‘They would never have been able to cope.’ It would be nearly impossible for a martial artist to block hundreds of wires pouring in from all directions using the methods of dodging or deflecting. They would be instantly killed, their bodies pierced by wires before they could even react. ‘Indeed.’ Could there be a martial art more effective for killing a single person? Its practicality aside, its effectiveness was undeniable. The only saving grace was that the power contained in each wire was not that strong. ‘Of course.’ Stabbing with a sword versus stabbing with a wire thinner than a strand of hair. Even a three-year-old would know which is easier and stronger. A sword can allow even an ordinary person to take another’s life, but with these thin wires, it would be difficult to even create a scratch, let alone kill someone. It was impressive that he could exert this much power while simultaneously deploying hundreds of such wires. No, it was beyond impressive; it was monstrous. However! “This isn’t enough!” Whoooom! Wiggins’ sword emitted light. He had drastically reduced casting time compared to the past when he had to draw magic circles in the air to manifest magic. This time allowed him to create another advantage. “Burn!” As his sword was swung, the ground beneath Kong Ling, who was controlling the wires from a distance, turned orange. Then, Whoooosh! An enormous flame erupted from the ground, soaring higher and higher. It was like shooting flames with a giant torch. The flames reached the ceiling and spread in all directions. The heat was enough to melt the ceiling. Yet, despite unleashing such firepower, Wiggins still looked relaxed. ‘He seems to prefer an all-in-one offense and defense.’ Eastern martial arts strive to organically weave offense and defense into their forms. But Wiggins didn’t need to do that. He could literally attack and defend at the same time. It was just a matter of how much magic power to allocate. He could block the opponent’s attacks with his shield while simultaneously launching another magic attack. In the past, he couldn’t even dream of doing this due to insufficient magic power and limited calculation ability, but now he could do it as naturally as flowing water. Clang! The power of the wires striking the shield noticeably decreased. He didn’t expect to defeat his opponent with that one blow. But this made it clear. ‘It can’t be easy to control that many wires at once.’ Even for a superhuman, it would require pushing their concentration to the limit. Naturally, simply shaking them off would reduce their power. ‘It seems like an absurd ability… but its weaknesses are just as clear.’ If one could attack unilaterally without being attacked, it would be a martial art that could be called a cheat. But if one were on the receiving end of an attack, it wouldn’t even be half as effective. Wiggins realized that this martial art was definitely designed for assassination. “Where!” Whoooosh! His sword emitted a dazzling light, and several spots on the floor turned orange. Soon, large pillars of flame rose up, higher and higher. Like a blind man finding a mouse? No! Whoooosh! As flames erupted from various places, the wires veered off the shield, piercing the walls and ceiling. The wires that he couldn’t perfectly control were nothing more than infinitely light threads. There was no way they could extend in their intended direction in such a heat storm. ‘This is easier than I thought…’ Just as Wiggins was about to relax his guard! Swoosh! With a sound like a large snake flicking its tongue, a single, particularly sharp wire flew with terrifying force and struck the shield. Thud! Just when he thought he had withstood it, the wire didn’t bounce off but instead wrapped tightly around the shield. And! Crack! With overwhelming power and sharpness, the wire instantly cut through the shield and began to constrict Wiggins’ entire body. “Hup!” Wiggins’ eyes widened. Crack! Crack! The tightly wrapped wires crossed each other, tearing through the air. But Wiggins was nowhere to be seen in the space that had been cut through with such sharpness. Sizzle. The wire that had fallen to the floor slithered like a crawling insect, being pulled back into Kong Ling’s grasp. Kong Ling tilted his head slightly and frowned. “…Strange.” His gaze turned to a corner of the stone chamber. Wiggins, slightly out of breath, could be seen. One of his shoulders was stained red. “To move suddenly without any warning? I don’t understand the principle at all.” Just as his wire was about to slice through Wiggins’ entire body like an apple, Wiggins disappeared from that spot and reappeared behind him. It was something he couldn’t comprehend with his knowledge of martial arts. But… Kong Ling’s eyes turned to Wiggins’ shoulder, which was stained red. “It seems you can’t completely avoid it. Then I just need to attack a little faster.” The principle didn’t matter. What mattered was not the principle but the result. Kong Ling flicked his fingertips. “Hah…” Sweat trickled down Wiggins’ forehead as he watched him. ‘That was close.’ He had underestimated the power of the wires. While the wires couldn’t exert much force when stabbing, they could exert a force incomparable to a sword when grabbing. If one could withstand the force applied by those thin wires, then all the power and internal energy would be concentrated in that thinness. Then, there would be nothing in the world that they couldn’t cut through. ‘I expected it, but…’ The force applied was beyond what he had imagined. “So, this is the Twelve Blades…” Is this what it takes to become a henchman of the Black King? It was enough to make him laugh in disbelief. “It’s very different from Baek Yeon-hong.” “Baek Yeon-hong? Ah, so you’re one of the council members who fought that idiot, Baek Yeon-hong.” Kong Ling chuckled. “But… you should watch your mouth. Baek Yeon-hong is an idiot, but he’s not weak. You should be grateful that you survived after crossing hands with him. It’s something impossible for the likes of you.” “Whatever…” At that moment, Wiggins swung his sword. Clang! Clang! Blades of wind rose from the floor, cutting off the wires that were slowly approaching him. “…Tricks.” “It’s a habit.” Kong Ling chuckled softly and slowly walked forward. “Now, I’m ready.” “…Hmm?” Wiggins, sensing a strange eeriness, narrowed his eyes. “Light.” As he raised his sword, a bright light emanated from it. At the same time, Wiggins’ face hardened. ‘When?’ The world before his eyes sparkled. It wasn’t a figure of speech; it was actually sparkling. Something was constantly sparkling in the air illuminated by the light he had created. Wires were installed on the ceiling, floor, and walls. Like a giant spider’s web. Sweat trickled down Wiggins’ forehead as he confirmed that the closest wire was less than a meter away. In other words, it meant that this entire space was under that guy’s control. “Tricks are just tricks in the end.” “That’s why protecting people is difficult. Normally, you wouldn’t have failed to notice this. But if you keep guarding against attacks from behind, your senses will eventually reach their limit.” That was true. Frankly speaking, Kong Ling could never be Wiggins’ subordinate. It was not easy to protect two people who knew nothing about martial arts while fighting for his life against such an opponent. “I’d like to drag this out and make you taste all sorts of pain, but I don’t have time for that. So…” Kong Ling ran his thumb across his lips. “I’ll play with you a little before killing you.” “You have a bad taste.” Wiggins, not wanting to be outdone, retorted and immediately poured mana into his rune sword. He had already learned the hard way that giving the initiative to that guy was dangerous. “Rise!” Krrrrrr! With a roar like an earthquake, jagged rocks rose from the floor and ceiling. It was an attempt to cut the wires, but absurdly, the rising rocks were cut by the installed wires rather than cutting them. But Wiggins’ attack didn’t end there. The moment the rising rocks obscured the opponent’s vision, Wiggins drew a large circle with his sword. At the same time, his left hand resonated with the rune sword, emitting mana. Wiggins, having drawn all the mana from the magic circle installed in his prosthetic hand and the pre-inserted mana battery, gripped the sword with both hands. ‘Will it hold?’ If he wasn’t careful, this entire space would collapse. ‘Don’t hesitate!’ The mana circle drawn in front of him turned red, emitting tremendous heat. The heat was so intense that the tips of his hair were burning. “Eat this!” Wiggins thrust his sword forward. The moment his sword pierced the heated magic circle, the heat turned into a storm of flames, blasting forward with terrifying speed. Like a dragon from legends breathing fire! The terrifying breath of fire melted and evaporated everything it touched, blasting out with incredible force. Ding! Ding! Ding! The sound of the wires melting and breaking as they touched the flames rang out like music. “Aaaah! M-Mr. Joo Seok!” “Kuh!” The two people behind him covered their faces and fell to the floor. The heat, which felt like it would burn their skin, was blasting towards them. It was clear that the unknown transparent barrier that had been erected around them was blocking the heat, but the heat that was still getting through was enough to burn a person to death. “Ugh…” The secretary-general, slightly parting his fingers, witnessed the scene before him. In the heat that felt like it would burn his eyes, he saw it clearly. The interior of the room itself was dyed red, an intense red. The ceiling was melting and pouring down, and the floor was burning a dark red. The melted rocks flowed like lava, and white and black smoke billowed out. It was a hellfire. How else could one describe this scene? In that hellfire, the secretary-general saw it clearly. The foreigner who was breathing fire, and something dark flickering above his head.