Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1939

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of piano strings snapping one after another echoed incessantly. No matter how specially crafted the wires were, while their strength could be increased, their melting point itself couldn’t be altered. Before the terrifying storm of flames that Wiggins had created, the metal was utterly powerless. Reinforcing the wires with inner force [a type of spiritual energy] might allow them to withstand a bit more, but by its very nature, inner force is harder to infuse the thinner the material. Even for a master of spiritual energy, infusing all those silver threads with inner force was an impossible task. Thus, he was left helpless. “Kuh!” The master of spiritual energy involuntarily sucked in a breath. ‘It’s like I’ve been transported to another world.’ The nature of the battle was too different. Usually, a martial artist’s fight involves countering the opponent’s techniques with their own, moving faster than the opponent. Martial arts battles generally don’t deviate much from this pattern. But that damned Westerner was forcibly dragging him out of the realm of combat he knew. If not for this situation, he might have taken it as a unique experience, but he didn’t have the luxury of time right now. Tap tap tap! His fingertips were burning. His sleeves had already turned to ash and crumbled away. The strands of hair that had fallen were starting to curl up, emitting a terrible smell. Even with the protection of inner force, it was this bad. For someone without inner energy, they would have been vaporized without a trace, such was the intensity of the heat. But the master of spiritual energy, leaping from the melted floor and onto the wires, had eyes that shone coldly, even more coldly. ‘This is beyond common sense.’ There was no way to produce such flames with the martial arts he knew. While some who used heat-based energy could generate high temperatures, this heat was on a different level. Then there was only one conclusion. Considering the situation and the unknown nature of the enemy’s abilities, the longer he dragged this out, the worse it would be for him. The master of spiritual energy crouched like a black panther stalking its prey, waiting for an opportunity. Fragments of flames flew incessantly, and lava poured like rain from the ceiling… Even as flames burned his clothes and molten lava grazed his back, he didn’t move an inch. Whoosh. The area around his shoulder caught fire. His black martial uniform instantly burst into flames. No matter how much he protected himself with inner force, there was no way to avoid injury when lava flowed down his back. Blisters instantly rose on the master of spiritual energy’s back, exposed through the burnt clothing. But even as his body melted, the light in his eyes didn’t change at all. And then! Swish! Wires danced from his fingertips, swirling like a whirlwind. As if dozens of snakes were coiling and tangling with each other, the swirling wires suddenly shot forward with fierce intensity. At the same time! Whoosh! The master of spiritual energy’s body shot forward like a black meteor. Tap! Tap tap! Tap tap tap! The black meteor moved at high speed, using the wires it had launched into the air as footholds. Flames poured forward like a waterfall cascading down a cliff, but his body dodged the large streams of fire, and charged through the smaller ones, advancing, and advancing again. Whoosh! Flames surged as if chasing after him, but the master of spiritual energy moved at high speed through the taut wires, dodging all the flames. Soon, having closed the distance in an instant, the master of spiritual energy’s body appeared like a phantom above Wiggins’ head, leaping over the flames. The two men’s gazes locked in the air. “Hah!” A short shout. But even before that shout could leave his lips and become a sound, the master of spiritual energy’s wires shot out like the tentacles of a giant monster, wrapping around the entire circular shield that Wiggins had deployed. Crack! The master of spiritual energy clenched his hand and pulled back sharply. At the same time, the wires wrapped around the shield pierced through it, shattering it in an instant. Swish! The wires crossed each other, tearing through the very fabric of space. But not a single drop of blood splattered from the intersecting wires. And at that moment. Whoosh! Right behind the master of spiritual energy, Wiggins appeared like a phantom in the air. With an utterly cold gaze, Wiggins swung the sword he held downwards in one swift motion. Those who faced him for the first time always overlooked one fact. That Wiggins was a magic swordsman. His swordsmanship might not be as high-level as his magic, but it was more than enough to cut down an enemy who had shown his back! “Ha!” The rune sword, brimming with pure white mana [magical energy], sliced through the back of the master of spiritual energy’s neck. Even a graze would cause the explosive mana to completely destroy the master of spiritual energy’s insides. ‘I’ve got him…’ Just as Wiggins was inwardly celebrating his victory. Clang! A sound that was now almost familiar. The moment he heard that sound, Wiggins’ face hardened. Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The rune sword cut through the deployed wires. In an instant, dozens of wires were severed, but with each strand cut, the momentum of the sword weakened, and the mana within the sword diminished. And at that moment, Wiggins saw it. A small smile playing on the master of spiritual energy’s eyes as he turned his head. Whoosh! The master of spiritual energy’s half-burnt sleeves tore open as if exploding, and hundreds of wires poured out like a waterfall. Swish! Swish! The flying wires wrapped around not Wiggins, but the rune sword he held. The thin wires wrapped around it so tightly that the pure white rune sword instantly looked as if it had been wrapped in black cloth. And then! Thud! The wires, pulled all at once, yanked the rune sword from Wiggins’ hand. The rune sword, flung away at terrifying speed, embedded itself in the ceiling. “Th-” Whoosh! A follow-up kick slammed into Wiggins’ abdomen. Wiggins’ body turned into a white meteor, crashing into the raging river of lava. Each time Wiggins’ body slammed into the floor and bounced back, thick lava splattered everywhere. Thud! Even then, Wiggins’ body, not losing its momentum, slammed into the wall. The wall, weakened by the heat and impact, cracked and created a spiderweb of fissures. “Cough!” Red blood poured from Wiggins’ mouth without stopping. He had only taken one blow, but his struck abdomen was completely shattered. His internal organs were ruptured, and blood was flowing back up his throat. “Like a rat.” The master of spiritual energy tore off the swollen skin on his shoulder, which had been burned. The pus that had formed flowed down, but he didn’t seem to care about the pain. Then, he slowly moved his feet towards the cooling river of lava. “You’re doing the same predictable things. Then you’ll have to pay the price.” “…Cough.” Wiggins covered his mouth with one hand. His face clearly showed his dismay. The bigger problem than having his stomach pierced was that the rune sword had left his hand. Without that sword, his power would be reduced by more than half. He wanted to blink over there and retrieve the rune sword, but there was no way that cunning man hadn’t prepared for that. The moment he moved there, Wiggins would surely be pierced by hundreds of wires and die a miserable death. “I… Cough! Might have taken a loss… But.” Wiggins raised his body. The situation wasn’t good, but he hadn’t lost the strength to fight yet. “You’re not looking so… Cough! Cough! Good… Yourself, are you?” “Hmph.” The master of spiritual energy glanced at his fingertips. His shoulder and back were fine. The problem was that his fingertips were severely burned. His martial art was one where the sensitivity of his fingertips was paramount. Just as Wiggins had lost his rune sword, he had lost the majority of his wires, which was no exaggeration. “I’ll admit, you were more troublesome than I expected.” The master of spiritual energy walked towards Wiggins on the floor, which was half-cooled and turning into black stone. “But the outcome is already decided, isn’t it?” Wiggins’ eyes narrowed. Was he being relaxed? No, it wasn’t that. That man was an assassin and a hunter. And not a hunter who chased after his prey, but one who toyed with his prey within his own territory. Even at this moment, thin, invisible wires were being arranged as he wished. Once that arrangement was complete, Wiggins would be defeated without being able to lift a finger. Then? Bang! At that moment, Wiggins kicked off the floor and moved forward. Rapidly forming hand seals with both hands, Wiggins slammed his hands down on the floor without slowing his running speed. Then, from the places where the lava hadn’t completely solidified, tree roots thicker than a human arm rose up one after another, wrapping around the master of spiritual energy. “Too slow.” The master of spiritual energy dodged all the tree roots that were rushing at him by simply taking a few steps back. Then, he pulled on his wires and cut down all the tree roots that were trying to pursue him. “Hah!” In that fleeting moment, Wiggins accelerated and charged towards the master of spiritual energy. A transparent barrier formed around his entire body, then instantly turned milky white, and then a bluish barrier. The master of spiritual energy’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “Tricks!” Swish! But instead of facing the charging Wiggins head-on, he launched wires in all directions. Front and back, above and below. Wiggins cut through the wires with his shield as he charged, but soon, the wires he couldn’t cut began to wrap around the shield like a spiderweb, pulling it. “Kuh!” Wiggins struggled to increase his speed, but the number of wires wrapping around the shield only increased. And then… Swish! The master of spiritual energy instantly changed direction and charged forward, scattering wires. The wires that poured out from both of his hands wrapped tightly around the shield that Wiggins had created. “Now, try to run away again.” “No matter where you go, the result will be the same. In a mousetrap, no matter how much you struggle, you’ll only meet death. You rat.” Crack! The wires tightened around the shield. The wires began to twist like a balloon wrapped in string. Unlike the shield that had been easily torn apart earlier, this shield was not easily torn, even though the master of spiritual energy was pulling with all his might. Wiggins also knew. That all the places where he could use blink [a form of teleportation] were already covered with wires. If he abandoned the shield and moved, all that would be left was his torn body. “Ugh!” Blood flowed from Wiggins’ eyes as he drew out mana with all his might. Seeing that, the master of spiritual energy let out a faint smile. “Where did all that bravado from earlier go?” “Giving up is also a limit. You’re hastening your own death. Do you think you can catch me by charging recklessly?” “There’s one thing…” “Hmm?” Wiggins forced his mouth open with a distorted face. “You seem to be mistaken… My goal isn’t to kill you.” “…What are you talking about?” “My goal has been achieved. If I had moved carelessly, I would have died sooner. This way, I can hold out while the remaining mana is consumed.” “What does that mean…” The master of spiritual energy’s eyes widened. His head tilted sharply upwards as if it had been bent. “I won, you rat. The cat that will catch you is coming.” A black and enormous… A cat that should be called a monster rather than a beast. Whoosh! The ceiling collapsed as if exploding, and black flames fell downwards. Whoosh! The wings of demonic energy fluttered, and beneath them, a man slowly raised his body. Kang Jin-ho. It was the descent of a demon.