Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2014

It was a strange thing.

The man before him was clearly walking. But his footsteps were so silent that they were practically inaudible.

For ordinary people, this would be normal. The footsteps of a skilled martial artist are not something ordinary people can hear.

But if *he* couldn’t hear those footsteps, then the situation was different.

Kwon Seong frowned.

‘He doesn’t seem to be an assassin…’

It was true that he was wearing rather gloomy attire, but he didn’t have the sharp edge characteristic of an assassin. Nevertheless, the fact that his footsteps were inaudible meant that his opponent had mastered an unusual martial art.

There was a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Finally, when the Blood Demon stood before him, Kwon Seong calmly opened his mouth.

“Lee Wi-pyeong. In the past, I was called Kwon Seong.”

“Blood Demon.”

The moment he heard the name Blood Demon, Kwon Seong’s eyes narrowed.

“…Are you the leader of the Blood Cult?”

“It might be a pleasant thing to be remembered by some.”

The Blood Demon twisted the corner of his mouth.

It was an interesting thing.

The Demonic Cult had fallen. But even so, the name of the Demonic Cult still remained. The Demonic Cult members might say it was nonsense, but whether they were infamous or treated like trash, the fact that the name was passed down was a good thing.

Unlike the Blood Cult, whose name had disappeared.

Ironically, it was a former powerhouse who remembered such a Blood Cult.

“Blood Cult, Blood Cult… So the Blood Cult was still carrying on its legacy.”

“Luckily so.”

“Hmm.”

Kwon Seong tilted his head.

“Then that’s strange. The Blood Cult has always held ‘defying the heavens’ as its motto, hasn’t it? That doesn’t seem to align with their tendencies.”

The Blood Demon chuckled softly.

“Defying the heavens… You seem to know a lot about the Blood Cult.”

“I fought them quite often.”

At those words, the Blood Demon’s eyes narrowed.

“Kwon Seong… I’ve heard of you. The Subduing Demon, Venerating Saint, Lee Wi-pyeong.”

“That was my title once.”

The corners of the Blood Demon’s mouth curled up even more.

It was a common story.

Like the story of a hero who defeats the evil that covers the world and builds a great reputation. Of course, the Blood Cult was just a villain that made the hero’s name shine.

No, in most cases, they didn’t even become proper villains.

“In the past, I crossed fists with the Blood Cult countless times. I even fought against the Blood Demon of that era.”

“That’s why I didn’t recognize you. Compared to the Blood Demon of that time, you’ve changed too much. Back then, you were at least…”

“You’re a chatterbox.”

Kwon Seong’s eyes narrowed slightly.

But soon, Kwon Seong, with a confident expression, spoke in a voice filled with firm resolve.

“Although we were enemies in the past, there’s no reason to be enemies now. In the first place, the Twelve Flying Blades are such a group. People who fought with different ideas have simply entrusted themselves to a great cause. If so, there’s no reason for us to fight…”

“Do you have any intention of joining under the banner of the Black King?”

The Blood Demon’s head tilted slightly.

Even at that mocking gesture, Kwon Seong did not waver in the slightest.

“The world you desire is not on that side. The only one who can create the world you desire is the Black King.”

“The world I desire?”

Kwon Seong nodded.

“Isn’t it a world where the Blood Cult can be revived?”

“When the world changes, people must change too. The distinction between righteous and demonic has no meaning in today’s world. There is only the distinction between martial artists and non-martial artists.”

The Blood Demon silently listened to Kwon Seong’s words.

“Come to the Black King, you who have lost your past glory. The Black King will gladly promise your revival.”

“Why…”

The Blood Demon spoke in an emotionless voice.

“Is there a need to bring us in?”

“There is a need. Because I know the Blood Cult well.”

“I won’t pretend that your martial prowess is valuable. But your abilities are essential to the Black King.”

The Blood Demon’s gaze reached the Black King behind Kwon Seong.

The Black King was smiling at the Blood Demon without saying a word. Neither affirmation nor denial.

But the Blood Demon knew that that subtle smile meant affirmation. It wasn’t absolutely necessary, but there was no reason to push them away. For the Black King, the Blood Cult was of that much value.

However, that didn’t mean that Kwon Seong’s words were wrong.

“Your abilities will surely be helpful in governing the new world of martial artists. And they might be even more necessary when dealing with the outside world.”

“You will be used preciously. Unlike the world that the Demon Lord desires.”

The Blood Demon chuckled softly.

Certainly, those words were not entirely wrong. The Blood Cult members, who used bizarre sorcery as their power, would strengthen the Black King’s control.

And that power could be several times, no, several tens of times more powerful when dealing with soldiers rather than martial artists.

That was already proven when they were part of the People’s Liberation Army.

Humans will fight against tanks, but they will run away from ghosts.

It was a sweet talk.

It was a logical talk.

But…

“That’s why…”

The Blood Demon sneered and mocked Kwon Seong.

“I’m telling you, you can’t talk to those who are well-off and have nothing to envy.”

Kwon Seong frowned slightly.

“These are not empty words.”

“I know. You’re sincere. Mercifully so.”

“But you see…”

The Blood Demon looked at Kwon Seong with mocking eyes.

“A magnificent palace means nothing to a beggar.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Because it’s not mine anyway.”

Kwon Seong frowned as if he didn’t understand.

“See, see? The well-off can’t understand.”

Saying that they need them to join is the same as saying they will be discarded if they are not needed. There have been countless people who needed the Blood Cult. But who is with the Blood Cult now?

“Changed, you say…”

The Blood Demon trailed off.

“What you want to say isn’t ‘changed.’ It’s ‘weakened,’ ‘pathetic,’ or something like that, isn’t it?”

“Or that we’ve become like trash.”

“You can’t accept it.”

“It’s you who can’t accept it.”

A playful look appeared on the Blood Demon’s face. But to Kwon Seong, it didn’t look like a smile.

“The value you talk about means nothing to me. Whether it’s the new world the Black King talks about, or the coexistence the Demon Lord talks about, what does it have to do with me?”

The Blood Demon bared his teeth.

“Don’t think that everyone fights because they agree with your great logic and ideals. To those who are worried about their immediate survival, ideals are worth less than a piece of rice cake that has fallen on the floor and been trampled on. I don’t care what the two of you are babbling about. I don’t even care about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

They had been hunted countless times.

Sometimes to satisfy someone’s sense of justice.

Sometimes as an expression of someone’s remaining resentment.

Sometimes just for fun.

They had to change to survive, and they had to abandon things to survive. They sold their abilities, their pride, and everything else to survive.

Now, there was nothing left in their hands.

The world of martial artists was sickening. The things they had done hundreds of years ago followed them like shackles, and it was justified to be killed because of the evil deeds committed by someone they didn’t even know. This beastly world was too disgusting.

“We are different from the Demonic Cult.”

“I don’t care about glory. I don’t even wish for the past glory. The revival of the Blood Cult?”

The Blood Demon chuckled.

“The person who wants the Blood Cult to disappear the most is me, you moronic bastard.”

From his eyes flowed a vicious look that could not be interpreted.

“I can’t understand.”

Kwon Seong shook his head.

“If you’re so desperate, shouldn’t you follow the Black King? He is the one who can give you the peace you desire.”

“Peace?”

“There is no such thing as peace in this world.”

“People fight. They always fight. Humans who can’t fight trample on, mock, and bite the vulnerable. That’s human nature.”

Kwon Seong’s face contorted.

“What you want from us is to become dogs, and to become those dogs and build up more resentment. Yes, that’s right. That’s what you think the Blood Cult is.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“You’ve seen it very well. We are originally such trash.”

Kwon Seong clenched his fist.

The more he talked, the less he understood what this person was trying to say. Nonsense. There was no logic in his words, and he was just being arbitrary.

“So, what is it that you want?”

“I’m tired of your logic.”

“Your logic of striving and fighting for your own place is just the logic of the strong. It’s just the mockery of the victor in front of the defeated.”

The Blood Demon shrugged.

“Trash belongs in the trash can.”

“What we want is not glory. It’s a shade where we can rest our tired bodies, and a darkness where we can avoid hostile gazes. It’s a home where we don’t have to struggle to live, and a land where we don’t have to use all our strength to prove our worth.”

“That’s the world the Black King is trying to create.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

The Blood Demon sneered.

“It was you bastards who persecuted us. And you want me to walk into a place swarming with those kinds of people?”

“Why? Are you going to start hunting the Blood Cult again? Or? Will you hold onto the meager power given by the Black King and harshly monitor us as if you’re taking revenge?”

Red light emanated from the Blood Demon’s eyes.

“There’s only one thing that’s certain. You are invaders who have trampled on our hard-won place of rest with your dirty feet, and you are destroyers who are trying to break the place where we belong. So…”

The Blood Demon gave a chilling smile.

“You will know how fiercely someone who is about to lose their last remaining place can resist. Come on. I’ll show you how worthless the ideals you’re spouting with your fancy mouth are.”

Upon hearing those words, Kwon Seong shook his head.

“You are ignorant.”

“Haha!”

“But it’s okay. This match is not about crushing you. What I can give you now is just defeat, but even if you lose, you will enjoy the blessings under the Black King’s reign.”

The Blood Demon’s face twisted.

It was bright.

Spotlessly clear.

That’s why it was even more nauseating.

“Yes, you must be a hero. And I am the villain who stands in the way of that hero.”

Red blood energy flowed from the Blood Demon’s entire body.

“But you must know one thing. The reason a hero can be a hero is because they survived. A dead hero simply disappears without a name.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

White energy emanated from Kwon Seong’s entire body.

It was dazzlingly bright and sacred.

The blood energy emitted by the Blood Demon faltered before that dazzling light.

The Blood Demon, with crimson light emanating from his eyes, twisted his mouth and rushed towards Kwon Seong.