Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1941

“Hmm.”

The Blood King surveyed the scene with a low, intense gaze.

‘Hong Wang, is it…’

‘He’s more than I expected.’

Of course, his reputation had been ringing in his ears. And he had already guessed that his power would be on par with theirs.

He didn’t know about the other twelve commanders, but the Blood King did not underestimate the three kings. Those who had ruled an era possessed a special quality that set them apart from ordinary people, no matter who they were.

‘But he even surpasses that.’

He’s strong.

The martial arts Hong Wang was displaying were rare even in his past life. It was a level that only the high monks of Shaolin [a famous Buddhist monastery known for its martial arts] who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, occasionally showed.

But even that power was not his full strength.

Considering that, Hong Wang’s inner strength was higher and stronger than even the high monks of Shaolin in the past.

‘Interesting.’

Humans are beings that are both controlled by their environment and transcend it. In any era, in any situation, there will always be someone who surpasses imagination.

But….

“That’s not enough.”

The Blood King’s gaze turned to the black-clad figures who were staggering to their feet.

No, they could no longer be called black-clad figures. The bandages that had covered their bodies were torn to shreds by Hong Wang’s power, revealing their bare skin.

But even though their identity as black-clad figures had disappeared, their identity as ‘black’ remained. Even their flesh, revealed from within the torn bandages, was as black as coal.

Black flesh writhed in the wounds that had been torn open by the fist, revealing white bones, and soon filled the empty spaces.

The Blood King smiled wryly at the sight.

His current power was only on par with or slightly superior to his past self. Surpassing his past self was not an easy task even for the twelve commanders.

But his living corpses had completely surpassed the level of his past living corpses.

They were at least three times stronger than his corpses that had once stained the Central Plains [a historical region in China] with blood and fear.

Why?

It was very simple. The materials were different.

In the past, he could not easily find people suitable to be made into living corpses. Those with low martial prowess were not worth the cost of materials, and it was almost impossible to capture the strong alive.

The good materials he managed to obtain were mostly discarded during the experiments to create living corpses, so after establishing a perfect method, there were almost no usable materials left.

But this life was different.

He had the perfect knowledge he had gained in his past life, and he had enough time to continue his research without having to reveal himself and attract the hatred of others.

Moreover, he could obtain materials for his living corpses several times more easily than when he led the Blood Cult.

He had the justification of being the Black King’s proxy and the reputation of being the king of the returnees.

He lured returnees in the name of the Black King, supported some of them to regain their martial prowess from their past lives, and then subdued them and turned them into living corpses when the time was right.

‘It was harder to restrain my desires.’

If the Black King hadn’t told him to stop at a reasonable number, he might have constantly created living corpses and formed a legion that was incomparable to the past. If he had, things would have been several times easier.

‘It can’t be helped.’

He could not disobey the Black King’s orders.

Even if he protected himself with a large army of living corpses, the Black King could easily break through that barrier and cut off his head.

But it didn’t matter. Thanks to that, he was able to focus on improving the quality of his living corpses rather than the quantity. The living corpses surrounding Hong Wang now were his masterpieces. They were beings that no one could easily face, not even Hong Wang.

Of course, many people had died in the process, but great results naturally come with sacrifices.

KWA-AAAAANG!

Hong Wang’s roundhouse kick slammed into the chest of a living corpse. The living corpse, with its chest caved in, spat out black blood and flew backward, crashing like crumpled paper.

But the body of the fallen began to stir. The one who should have died instantly with his chest completely caved in trembled and shook a few times, then suddenly raised his upper body.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Terrible bone sounds were heard from within the collapsed chest, and then the caved-in parts began to swell up like balloons. The overly swollen chest soon shrank again, and the initial wound was nowhere to be seen.

‘To shatter the enhanced body of a living corpse with one blow…’

‘That’s an incredible destructive power.’

‘But that won’t do.’

From the start, Hong Wang and the living corpses were not compatible. Not like that….

It was then.

WHIIIIIIING!

The golden aura that had been lingering at Hong Wang’s fingertips changed its form, taking on the shape of a long sword. The Blood King’s expression changed at the sight.

“TAAAAP!”

Hong Wang let out a shout and struck the living corpse in front of him with his aura.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

It was more like ‘shaving’ than ‘cutting’. The sharp aura, honed to perfection, sliced through the black shoulder of the living corpse and went down, and down.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

A sound like cutting steel with steel.

Whether this attack was effective or not, the living corpse, which had been approaching and attacking indifferently in any situation, stopped in its tracks.

CRACK!

The aura had penetrated to the chest area, but it could not go any further. Hong Wang frowned and was about to release his aura and pull back when….

“Not so fast.”

Hong Wang reflexively turned around at the small voice behind him.

But there was nothing there. Instead, he felt a sharp pain in his waist.

“Kuh!”

Hong Wang unleashed his power and swept behind him. He instantly punched in all directions, knocking away all the approaching living corpses, and then took a deep breath and regained his stance.

The Blood King, who was now much farther away from him, tilted his head slightly and looked at him.

“You’re not a complete idiot.”

Hong Wang’s hand touched his waist area. He felt a damp liquid on his fingertips. Hong Wang’s eyes sank deeply as he lifted his hand and checked the blood on his fingertips.

“Your body is quite tough. I’d like to study it.”

“…There’s someone more suitable for that.”

“Oh?”

Frustration appeared on Hong Wang’s face.

‘The Demon King was right.’ The Demon King had said that he had hardly ever had a proper fight. When he first heard those words, he thought they were nonsense, but now he understood why Kang Jin-ho had said that to him.

The battles he had experienced since fighting the Black King’s faction were completely different from what he had experienced before.

It wasn’t just a matter of who was stronger. They were targeting each other’s weaknesses with martial arts honed to the extreme. They were using every possible means to achieve only one result: victory.

He had never fought like this before.

Hong Wang’s gaze shifted slightly behind him.

He had brought two elders with him, but they were struggling to deal with even one living corpse.

Hong Wang could forcibly create distance from his opponent and catch his breath with his overwhelming destructive power, but those who couldn’t had to face monsters that didn’t get tired, didn’t retreat, and even recovered from injuries.

‘If these guys are released, it’s a disaster.’

And….

His waist was getting wet.

Dealing with the living corpses was not easy, but no matter how he looked at it, that Blood King was not his inferior. If he had come forward and attacked with the living corpses, he might have already been defeated and fallen.

The situation was the worst of the worst.

‘What should I…’

It was then.

WOOOOOOOOOONG!

“Hmm?”

Hong Wang and the Blood King turned their heads at the same time. A pure white circle suddenly appeared in the air directly in front of them.

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

The two, startled, simultaneously backed away. And in response, the two realized that this bizarre phenomenon was not created by either of them.

Then….

Before their thoughts could finish, something dark red shot out of the white circle at an incredible speed and slammed into the ground.

KWAAAAAAANG!

The world shook as if a major earthquake had occurred, along with an enormous shockwave that seemed to distort the terrain itself.

“This…”

Hong Wang could not hide his bewilderment. The Blood King’s expression was clearly contorted, even through his bandages.

“That idiot…”

The living corpses, swept away by the enormous charge, convulsed on the ground. Unlike when they had been getting up after being hit by Hong Wang’s power, this time the impact seemed to be greater.

“What are you doing, you stupid monk…”

KWA-BANG!

The place where the dark red figure had crashed exploded at once, and a monk wearing a gray robe appeared from within. The monk’s face, flushed red, was reminiscent of a demon from hell.

“You fiend! You’re playing tricks!”

The monk, Gwe-bul, didn’t even glance at the two of them and charged straight toward the mansion.

“I’ll kill youuuuuuu!”

Gwe-bul, letting out a roar like a wounded beast, disappeared from their sight in an instant.

“What…”

Hong Wang burst out laughing.

He knew that this was not the time to do so, but he was so dumbfounded that he was at a loss for words.

Hong Wang, who had roughly grasped the situation, was about to ignore Gwe-bul and focus on the Blood King when….

KWAAAAAAANG!

Gwe-bul, who had rushed into the mansion, was thrown out at an even faster speed than when he had rushed in.

THUD! THUD!

Gwe-bul, who had hit the ground several times, turned his body and regained his stance. But the impact was so great that one of his knees, unable to withstand it, touched the ground.

“This…”

Gwe-bul stared at the mansion with bloodshot eyes.

And then, one person slowly walked out from within.

“That human is like a ghost, anyway. I didn’t think he’d actually send one out.”

A large physique.

A man with a physique so large that he made the huge Hong Wang look small.

Bator, who had become somewhat more human-sized than before, but was still large enough to be called a giant, walked out with a grin.

Bator, who had quickly closed the distance with large strides, pounded his chest with his fist.

“I’ll take you on…”

“Bator!”

“Hmm? What is it, Hong Wang? Are you still trying to buy time?”

“Let’s switch!”

“…What?”

Hong Wang twisted the corners of his mouth.

“It’s better for you to take this side. I’ll deal with that guy.”

“What are you talking about?”

Bator, who had seen the living corpses surrounding him, tilted his head slightly.

“Are they crazy?”

“KAAAAAAK!”

The leading living corpse rushed at Bator and scratched his chest. The black-stained fingernails scratched Bator with the utmost sharpness. The sharp nails that easily pierced even Hong Wang’s flesh….

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

“What is this?”

…Those sharp fingernails couldn’t even leave a scratch on Bator’s flesh.

BANG!

Bator, who had punched the living corpse in the jaw and sent it flying, snorted.

“Well, whatever! All I have to do is destroy these things, right? It’s been a while since I’ve warmed up.”

Hong Wang laughed in disbelief as he watched Bator rush toward the living corpses.

“…Compatibility is truly terrifying.” Now the Blood King would understand that fact as well.