Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1946

“The Demon Lord…”

The Blood King, who had been watching the surging demonic energy like lava, turned his gaze and looked down at his own hands.

The tips of his fingers were trembling.

Seeing this, the Blood King’s pupils shook slightly.

‘Am I afraid?’

That was impossible.

He was the one who instilled fear in others, not the one who felt fear from others.

But no matter what he thought, his body was reacting very honestly to the person who had appeared before him.

No, it wasn’t just his body.

His soul screamed at the sight before him. Just recognizing the other’s presence made the muscles in his entire body twist, and his instincts screamed at him to run.

Kang Jin-ho, wrapped in black demonic energy that seemed to be burning his entire body, slowly walked out of the surging demonic energy.

Step by step.

He knew it.

There was no way that footsteps could be heard in this place where a roar was echoing. But to the Blood King’s ears, Kang Jin-ho’s footsteps sounded like thunder.

It felt like sharp needles were scratching the inside of his throat.

The Demon Lord.

That was the very same Demonic Lord of the Crimson Sky.

‘Wait a minute.’

It was then that he noticed something was wrong.

‘Then what about Gongryeong?’

The Goblin had been thrown out by some unknown trick. Then what about Gongryeong, who was aiming for Juseok’s life below?

It was at that moment.

Swish!

The Blood King’s gaze reflexively went upwards. And his eyes accurately captured something falling.

“Gong…”

Kuuuuuung!

Something fell with tremendous speed right in front of him and crashed into the ground.

“Cough! Cough! Ugh…”

The Blood King was speechless as he stared at the one who had fallen.

Gongryeong.

He was convulsing, having crashed in a miserable state. His clothes, torn like rags, were stained red with blood seeping from all over his body.

“Cough!”

Red blood was constantly being coughed up from Gongryeong’s mouth, where red lines had formed all over his face as if they had been slashed with a sharp razor.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

The Blood King closed his mouth.

He did not acknowledge the Goblin. Martial arts were not just about having strong inner strength and power. True martial arts were about using everything one had to completely defeat the opponent.

In that sense, Gongryeong was one of the few martial artists he acknowledged. But for such a Gongryeong to be defeated so miserably.

His gaze shifted from Gongryeong to the Demon Lord.

The black flames that had been surrounding him seemed to gradually subside, and soon his body, which had been hidden by the flames, revealed itself.

The Blood King bit his lip.

The Demon Lord, who had shed his demonic energy, was just an ordinary young man, someone you could see anywhere.

Unlike other superhumans who showed a clear difference from ordinary people just by their appearance, without even needing to sense the inner strength flowing out of them.

But that fact did not make the Blood King feel at ease.

He could see it.

How much was hidden behind that ordinary appearance.

“Cough, cough! Ugh…”

Gongryeong gripped the ground with bloodshot eyes.

Of course, it was true that Gongryeong was quite hot-tempered compared to the nature of the martial arts he had learned, but the Blood King had never seen him emit such a fierce grudge before.

“D…Demon…Lord…”

Gongryeong gritted his teeth and pushed his body off the ground. But his arms were trembling pitifully, to the point of being heartbreaking.

Thud!

Gongryeong, unable to support his own weight, crashed back to the ground. The Blood King, who had been watching the whole process, stared at Kang Jin-ho with a dumbfounded look.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly watching Gongryeong convulsing on the ground, reached into his pocket. Then, he took out a cigarette case and put a cigarette in his mouth.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho, who lit the end of the cigarette by rubbing it with his finger, slowly inhaled the smoke.

Whoosh.

At the same time, a Westerner with unusual platinum blonde hair appeared right next to him. He was carrying the Crimson King, who was half his size, on one shoulder.

“Fortunately, I managed to take care of it in time, Lord.”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze shifted slightly to the side. Kang Jin-ho, who stared at the unconscious Crimson King, nodded.

“Move him to a safe place.”

“Yes, as you command.”

Wiggins, who was carrying the Crimson King, disappeared like an illusion. Bator walked towards Kang Jin-ho, who was exhaling a short puff of cigarette smoke.

“What about Juseok?”

“I moved him to a suitable place.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Bator and smiled faintly.

“It seems like you’ve had a hard time.”

“…If I had a little more time, I could have turned him into a rag.”

“I’m sure you could have.”

“Don’t you believe me?”

“Of course, I believe you.”

“…Ugh.”

Bator sighed deeply at the answer that contained not a shred of soul.

To be honest, he had been unilaterally beaten by the Blood King, so there was no room for excuses.

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze quietly scanned the surroundings.

The Goblin, who had suffered massive injuries in the battle with the Crimson King, no longer had the strength to continue fighting. Gongryeong was also barely conscious and should be considered incapable of fighting.

Then what was left was…

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to the Blood King.

“Master, I can handle him.”

“I know.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“But it will take time.”

“Now is not the time to drag things out. We don’t know what he’s planning. Let’s finish this quickly.”

Bator frowned, but soon stepped back obediently, as if Kang Jin-ho’s words were right. Then, Kang Jin-ho took a deep drag of the cigarette in his mouth, threw the almost burnt butt to the ground, and looked at the Blood King.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho, who exhaled smoke, threw the almost burnt cigarette butt to the ground and looked at the Blood King.

“Let’s begin.”

The Blood King’s face hardened more than ever.

‘Damn it.’

To be honest, he didn’t want to fight.

Was it because there was no chance of winning?

That wasn’t it.

Of course, the Demon Lord was a formidable opponent. But the Blood King knew that there was no absolute in a fight. Looking back on his life, he had defeated stronger opponents many times.

But…

If he were to face such a person, he would have to risk his life, whether he won or lost. Even if he won, he would have to endure irreparable injuries.

Enduring damage was not his style. After all, his plan to take Juseok’s head had gone awry, and all the Twelve Flying Blades who had come with him had been neutralized.

If he were to calculate the odds, it would be right to run away without looking back.

Pride?

There was no way he had such a thing.

Pride only had meaning when one was alive. All dignity came from life. What the dead left behind was only arbitrarily damaged according to the needs of the living.

That was why the Blood King was a person who did not feel any hesitation in showing his back.

The only reason the Blood King was not running away now was one thing.

‘The moment I show my back, I die.’

Those who faced a beast should never show their backs. Showing one’s back was the same as giving the opponent a signal to start hunting.

He could clearly feel it.

The moment he showed his back, that demon would relentlessly pursue him and crush him more miserably than ever. He was not the kind of human who would show mercy just because he turned his back and ran away.

‘There is no way behind me.’

Then?

Crack!

The Blood King’s eyes turned bloodshot. His eyes, looking at Kang Jin-ho, emitted a rough roar like that of a beast fighting for territory.

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth also curled up slightly as he met that gaze.

The moment the two men’s eyes fiercely intertwined in the air, the Blood King began to move first.

Sizzle.

Red blood flowed from between the bandages that covered his entire body. And soon, the blood vaporized, creating a red mist.

“Hmm?”

That sight alone seemed unfamiliar to Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, which rarely showed surprise, widened slightly.

‘Using blood as a medium?’

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up.

Using inner strength by putting it into blood was a method that even Kang Jin-ho had never thought of. No, he couldn’t even grasp what principle made it possible.

Looking at that absurd sight, he realized it anew.

The path of martial arts was infinite.

No matter how much he was moving towards a realm where there was no higher place to go, that was just a matter of height. There were still countless martial arts in the world that Kang Jin-ho did not know and had not experienced.

The red smoke that had risen like a smoke bomb was all shot towards Kang Jin-ho at once. That bizarre sight was an attack so unfamiliar that even Kang Jin-ho, who had fought many battles, had to consider how to deal with it for a moment.

But…

“In the end, it’s no different.”

Black demonic energy rose from under Kang Jin-ho’s feet.

The demonic energy that had been circling under his feet soon wrapped around his body and began to spread like a wildfire hit by a storm.

Whoosh!

The burning black demonic energy intertwined with the red blood-colored smoke in the air. The blood mist that touched the demonic energy burned without being able to use any power. The incoming blood mist was pushed back and burned away in an instant.

It was so pathetic that it was hard to believe that it had tormented Bator so much.

“Ugh…”

The Blood King’s eyes distorted.

‘Damn it.’

This wasn’t the first time he had faced the demonic energy of demons. There were demons before Kang Jin-ho, and broadly speaking, the Blood King was also in that category.

But this was the first time he had faced such dense and intense demonic energy, he swore.

The demonic energy was so thick that it was like black tar was boiling. His blood energy, which could easily ravage an opponent without substance and tear apart even the body of a master, was not able to use any power against that demonic energy.

Whistle!

A sharp whistle echoed from his mouth. As soon as that signal was given, the living corpses that had been keeping their distance rushed towards Kang Jin-ho all at once.

No matter how much of a Demon Lord he was, it would not be easy to move his body while emitting that much demonic energy. And the living corpses, who had no fear of death and did not feel pain, would rush at him even if their arms and legs were torn off.

Demonic energy could not stop those living corpses. Even while their bodies were burning, they would bite into his body and die.

The living corpses flew towards Kang Jin-ho at a tremendous speed. Their black fingernails were swung as if they would pierce Kang Jin-ho’s head.

‘Now, what are you going to do…’

At that moment!

Kwaaaaaaang!

The living corpses that were rushing in crashed at a tremendous speed. The ground was dented and cracked as if a meteorite had fallen.

Poof!

Red blood gushed out like a fountain from the mouths and noses… no, from all the holes in the living corpses’ bodies.

The necks of the living corpses, which had been convulsing, fell to the side with a thud.

Instant death.

With just one blow, the living corpses, which had withstood even the Crimson King’s straight punch, were unable to regenerate and died.

The Blood King’s eyes twitched at that absurd sight.

“It seems like you don’t understand…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the Blood King with calm eyes.

The moment he met those eyes, the Blood King’s heart began to freeze.

“I’m not in the mood to play around right now.”

The burning demonic energy began to swirl around Kang Jin-ho’s body.

Ominously.

More ominously than ever.