Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2005

‘Lee, Lee Myung…’ Bang Jin-hoon reached his hand forward without realizing it. His eyes clearly saw Lee Myung-hwan collapsed and the blood flowing from his body. ‘Ugh…’ Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes widened in panic. ‘No, it can’t be…’ He knew it was impossible. No one here would have thought Lee Myung-hwan could defeat Gui Pyeon. But… ‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’ It was too helpless. Even if the difference was extreme, he thought Lee Myung-hwan would still be able to show something. The way he had acted so far was enough to earn the trust of the council members. But the sight of Lee Myung-hwan collapsed now made it clear how complacent he had been about the situation. ‘Damn it!’ It was the moment Bang Jin-hoon was about to rush forward. Thump. Jang Min grabbed Bang Jin-hoon’s shoulder and pulled him back. ‘Elder!’ Bang Jin-hoon reflexively shouted. But Jang Min only stared coldly with a stern face. ‘Wait.’ ‘Can’t you see?’ ‘I can, that’s why I’m telling you.’ Jang Min looked at the fallen Lee Myung-hwan with deeply sunken eyes. ‘Hmm.’ Gui Pyeon, with a strange expression, looked at the end of the whip that had pierced through Lee Myung-hwan’s back. ‘He managed to dodge it.’ He had tried to sever the spine, but it seemed he had twisted his body to avoid a direct hit. ‘If his spine had been severed at once, he could have died more comfortably.’ Whether it was instinct or reason. His tenacity to not give up until the very end was commendable, but tenacity alone could not achieve anything. What mattered was skill. Gui Pyeon coldly retracted his whip. ‘Hmm?’ But the tightly pulled whip did not come out easily. ‘…This guy?’ Dead bodies tend to stiffen. But it was too early for rigor mortis to set in, and even if it had, the mere stiffening of the body would not be enough to withstand his strength. That meant… Crack, crack. With the sound of bones twisting, Lee Myung-hwan, who had been lying on the floor, slowly raised his body. Gui Pyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly. Lee Myung-hwan, staggering as he rose, had his whip wrapped around his left hand. ‘Got… it…’ Lee Myung-hwan’s mouth opened slightly, revealing blood-soaked teeth as he lifted his head, his face covered in blood. Seeing Lee Myung-hwan smiling with such a grotesque face, even the mighty Gui Pyeon couldn’t help but feel a chill. ‘In that state?’ Any ordinary martial artist would have died ten times over from such an injury. And yet, he survived? If so, he should be happy about his luck. But to get up and show hostility? ‘…You want to keep going?’ ‘Heh…’ Lee Myung-hwan pulled the whip out of his stomach with trembling hands. Dark red blood gushed out from the gaping hole. Then, he repeatedly wrapped the whip around his arm. From his hand to his shoulder, he wrapped the whip and gripped it tightly. ‘How foolish…’ Gui Pyeon’s face twisted. If it were an ordinary whip, it could be subdued in such a way. But the one holding this whip was none other than Gui Pyeon. ‘I’ll tear your arm off!’ Gui Pyeon injected his inner force [internal energy] and forcefully pulled the whip. With the intention of completely severing Lee Myung-hwan’s shoulder! Crack! The black whip dug into Lee Myung-hwan’s arm. ‘…What?’ But contrary to his intention, Lee Myung-hwan’s arm did not fall off. Rather, thanks to the whip digging into his arm, it became even more firmly fixed. ‘What is this?’ This was impossible. His Black Dragon Whip was not something that a human body made of flesh and blood could withstand. Especially with his inner force injected into it. Yet, Lee Myung-hwan was clearly enduring his attack. ‘Inner force… no, this isn’t inner force.’ At that moment, a single word flashed through Gui Pyeon’s mind. ‘External force?’ ‘Heh…’ Lee Myung-hwan grinned, revealing his teeth. ‘…A man at the bottom… has to do anything, anything. It was the most convenient martial art I could learn.’ Because Gong Young-gil was there. Bator had raised his level by combining demonic and external forces. Bator had proven with his own body that the combination was effective. Gong Young-gil needed demonic force, and Lee Myung-hwan needed external force. And they happened to have half of what the other needed. So there was no reason not to learn. ‘This guy…’ Gui Pyeon’s face twisted horribly. What surprised him now was not the fact that Lee Myung-hwan had learned external force. It was the fact that he hadn’t felt any sign of it until just now. ‘He could have blocked the whip with external force, but he deliberately took it with his bare body?’ Of course, Lee Myung-hwan’s external force was not perfect. If it were perfect, the Black Dragon Whip wouldn’t have been able to twist and dig into his arm. But even if it was a low-level external force, if he had used it from the beginning, it would have reduced the scars on his body and lessened the terrible pain to some extent. But Lee Myung-hwan endured the pain of his soul being torn apart, and he did not use external force, taking his whip with his bare body. Just for this one moment. ‘Is he out of his mind?’ Looking at his arm, which was so tattered that it looked like it would fall off at any moment, he felt not just bewildered but even fear. ‘Hop!’ Lee Myung-hwan pulled the whip he was holding. ‘You fool!’ Gui Pyeon took a step forward and pulled the whip with his inner force. Bang! Lee Myung-hwan flew like a frog on a rubber band and crashed to the floor. ‘Did you think blocking the whip would change anything!’ Bang! Bang! Bang! Lee Myung-hwan was repeatedly slammed into the floor. A terrifying impact that would turn a human made of bones and flesh into mush in an instant. The blood that gushed out from Lee Myung-hwan, who was being swung around at the end of the whip, scattered like thin rain in the underground where there was no sky. Bang! Bang! Baaaaaang! Gui Pyeon, who had slammed Lee Myung-hwan into the floor with all his might, took a short breath. However… Gui Pyeon’s eyes flickered briefly. ‘This?’ The marks he had made on the floor were strange. ‘It’s getting closer?’ Could it be? ‘…You, in that situation?’ It was that moment. Baaaaaang! A huge explosion erupted from where Lee Myung-hwan had been lying, and Lee Myung-hwan’s body flew towards Gui Pyeon like a fired cannonball. The moment he met the gaze of Lee Myung-hwan, who was rushing at him with bloodshot eyes, a cold chill ran down Gui Pyeon’s spine. Whoosh! Black demonic energy poured out of Lee Myung-hwan’s entire body like a cloud. The black demonic energy emanating from his body and the blood-red light emanating from his eyes made him look like a demon. ‘Kahaaaaaaak!’ Lee Myung-hwan let out a beast-like roar and swung his hand at Gui Pyeon. The demonic energy gathered in his hand covered Gui Pyeon’s entire body. Gui Pyeon instinctively pulled the Black Dragon Whip. But his whip no longer had any use as a weapon. A whip wrapped around the opponent’s body was just a slightly tough rope. Bang! Lee Myung-hwan’s demonic energy struck Gui Pyeon. The impact was like an explosive detonating right in front of his body. And that wasn’t all. The demonic energy that flew in stuck to Gui Pyeon’s body like black paint and penetrated into his body. ‘What?’ Throb! Throb! It was like poison. The thick demonic energy penetrated his entire body. His skin was as painful as if it were on fire. Gui Pyeon spun around like a top and swung his arm. Flick Strike. The back of his hand, swung like a whip, struck Lee Myung-hwan’s jaw directly. His jaw was completely crushed in one blow. But… Baaaaang! ‘Guh…’ Even as his jaw was flying away, Lee Myung-hwan punched Gui Pyeon in the side. Did he feel pain? Gui Pyeon’s eyes blazed with murderous intent. ‘You little bastard!’ Bang! Bang! Bang! Gui Pyeon repeatedly slammed his elbow into Lee Myung-hwan’s face. But Lee Myung-hwan did not avoid the attacks, instead standing firmly as if rooted to the spot, and repeatedly punched Gui Pyeon in the abdomen. ‘Kuaaaaaak!’ Gui Pyeon kicked Lee Myung-hwan hard. Lee Myung-hwan’s body, which had been flung backward at a terrifying speed, stopped in mid-air. The whip tied to his arm pulled Lee Myung-hwan back like a yo-yo. At that moment, Gui Pyeon saw it. The desperate look in Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes, swollen and barely visible. A long, hardened fist grew from Lee Myung-hwan’s outstretched right hand. Swish! The hardened fist, cutting through the air, slashed across Gui Pyeon’s face. Gui Pyeon, who was trying to pull his body back, felt the presence of the tightly pulled whip and widened his eyes. Let go and retreat? Or… ‘This!’ Gui Pyeon raised his left arm. Crack, crack, crack! The hardened fist that flew in scraped his arm in an instant. His forearm, which had blocked the hardened fist, was deeply cut, and red blood gushed out. ‘Ughhh!’ Baaaaang! Gui Pyeon let out a suppressed groan and struck Lee Myung-hwan’s stomach. Crack! All of his ribs were crushed in one blow. Lee Myung-hwan’s body bent like a shrimp. Lee Myung-hwan, who had endured countless terrible pains so far, seemed to be overwhelmed by the impact of this blow. ‘Die…’ It was the moment Gui Pyeon was about to strike Lee Myung-hwan down and end his life. Whoosh! In an instant, Lee Myung-hwan’s bent body straightened out at a terrifying speed and sprang up like a spring. Gui Pyeon’s gaze momentarily turned to Lee Myung-hwan’s right hand. It was an accurate judgment. Lee Myung-hwan was a fist fighter. Now that he couldn’t use his left arm, most of his attacks would come from his right hand. But Lee Myung-hwan’s right hand was only clutching his pierced abdomen. ‘What?’ Gui Pyeon reflexively tilted his head back. If he wasn’t going to swing his arm, the only thing left was obvious. He would headbutt him. This was close range. This was also a good judgment. But that good judgment became a complete miscalculation at this moment. It was the moment Lee Myung-hwan’s head barely grazed his head. Crack! ‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!’ Gui Pyeon’s mouth let out a desperate scream. ‘Aaaak! Aaaaaaaaaak!’ Lee Myung-hwan had bitten Gui Pyeon’s face with his teeth. Crack, crack. The sound of teeth digging into the skin, tearing flesh, and scraping bone was terrifying. ‘Ugh, ughaaaaaaaaaak!’ Baaaaaaaaaang! The punch Gui Pyeon threw sent Lee Myung-hwan flying. Lee Myung-hwan bounced off the floor several times like a skipping stone, and his body, not losing momentum, crashed into the wall of the hangar. Cooooooong! ‘Kkeueuk…’ Lee Myung-hwan’s body slid down to the floor. Lee Myung-hwan, who had forced his upper body up with trembling hands, grinned, revealing his teeth. ‘Ptooey!’ Lee Myung-hwan spat out the flesh that filled his mouth and twisted the corners of his mouth, making a bizarre expression that was hard to call a smile. ‘…You… idiot.’ ‘You…’ Gui Pyeon’s eyes blazed with tremendous murderous intent. ‘I’ll tear you apart and kill you! You dog-like bastard!’ Gui Pyeon turned into a beam of light and rushed towards Lee Myung-hwan.