Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2017

The world was pressing down, a suffocating weight.

Kwon Seong’s eyes darted around, unable to focus. He had faced the Blood Cult countless times, but never had he encountered such an absurd illusion. What bewildered him even more was that this illusion wasn’t just distorting reality; it was completely overturning it. He craved a steadfast world, but this scene was denying the very foundation of the world he longed for.

Kaaah! Kaaah!

The echoing cry of a beast pierced Kwon Seong’s heart. ‘This is just a delusion,’ he told himself. He knew it, he was aware. It was just an illusion.

“Kuh!”

At that moment, a short groan escaped Kwon Seong’s lips. Lowering his gaze, he saw a demon gnawing at his foot. A form that could only be described as ‘grotesque.’ A beast with long, strange appendages that were neither arms nor legs, covered in red blood, was ferociously biting at his foot, even as its body was being burned by the lightning he had created.

“Eek!”

Kwaaaang!

Kwon Seong’s fist instantly crushed the demon. But that was it. Demons were already bubbling up from the blood-red floor like foam. ‘No!’ Kwon Seong gritted his teeth. He knew. This was just a suggestion, an illusion. And the fact that this illusion was being intentionally manifested was something impossible for anyone but the Blood Demon. In other words, the one who created this illusion was himself.

‘Is there such a hell inside me?’ That couldn’t be. It absolutely couldn’t be. His life had been a journey of self-discipline. He, who was once so weak that he had tried to take his own life, had been reborn as a chivalrous hero praised by all under the heavens. He had discarded all weakness. What filled that void was altruism for others and a sense of justice that revered righteousness. And now, he was trying to change the world to achieve something even greater. He had clearly become a human being far superior to his past self. No, he should have become one. But what was this? How was he supposed to accept the fact that such a scene existed within him?

“Oooooooooh!”

A beast-like roar erupted from Kwon Seong’s mouth. ‘This is all just a delusion!’ That vile leader of the Blood Cult must have played some trick on him. Kwon Seong’s fist shot out like lightning. And with that same speed, intense lightning erupted from his fist, burning the demons that rushed at him to a crisp.

“Ooh! Oooooooooh!”

Inner energy surged endlessly. Vitality coursing through his body, the intense power felt at the end of his fist! There was no reason for him to lose, no matter how he looked at it.

“Ooh!”

Kwarururururung!

Lightning turned the demons into charcoal. The lightning that spun around him not only incinerated the demons that attacked him but also twisted and burned the demons that rose from beneath his feet without mercy. Hundreds, thousands of demons rushed at him, but not a single one could touch Kwon Seong’s body. Overwhelming destructive power and the formidable endurance to maintain that power. It was a sight that made even the word ‘superhuman’ seem inadequate. Was this how Indra, the god of thunder, punished demons? [Indra is a major deity in Hinduism and Buddhism, often associated with thunder and lightning.]

The demons, turned to charcoal, scattered into dust. But even as he killed and killed again, burned and burned again, the demons were constantly reborn, screeching and rushing at him.

“Hoo!”

Kwon Seong drew more inner energy. ‘Stay calm!’ The one who gets agitated first loses. To realize his ideals with that power, the first thing he had to do was maintain a cool head. ‘That wall!’ His eyes caught sight of the blood-red curtain that covered the world. It was from that curtain, like a wall surrounding him, that all these demons were being born. Whether it was an illusion or reality, it didn’t matter. Even if it was an illusion, his fist could reach it. Even if the demons were created by his delusion, his power worked on them. Then he would just destroy them all.

With unwavering determination, Kwon Seong took a stance and unleashed a powerful punch. “Heavenly Thunder Strike!”

Kwarururururung!

Dozens of bolts of lightning merged into one and flew out. The demons that were directly hit by the lightning were obliterated, and even those that were merely grazed were instantly reduced to dust. The lightning, as if purifying a world filled with demons, carved a large path and, not satisfied, struck the blood-covered wall in a straight line.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

Once more!

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

Once more! Kwon Seong’s lightning fist, powered by consecutive stances, pierced and burned the blood-red wall that surrounded him. The light emitted by the white lightning illuminated the dark world brightly, even more brightly. An intensely powerful light. The world illuminated by that light was ablaze. It was like a scene of purifying a false world. The power, unleashed without a shred of doubt, purified all that was wicked with lightning and fire. This was it! Kwon Seong unleashed his power continuously. It felt as if his entire body was filled with heat. This was it! This was the realm he was trying to reach, the place he had been striving to reach. Martial arts became one with the body, and the body became one with the mind.

Kwon Seong, who had taken on the form of a white thunder god, unleashed countless bolts of even thicker lightning. The energy he released burned the red blood wall. Woo-woo-woo-woong! Beyond the distorted wall, a monochrome world could be seen. A dark concrete wall. That wall, which felt devoid of any vitality, was ironically the vividly living reality.

“Oooooooooh!”

Kwon Seong spurred on his power even more. If he could destroy anything with his fist, whether it was an illusion or not, then that was enough.

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”

His breathing began to grow rough. He was drawing up all his inner energy and unleashing his power. But in the end, he was just a person made of flesh and blood. There was no way he could maintain the moment of drawing out everything for long. ‘It doesn’t matter!’ It couldn’t be easy to create such an illusion. Perhaps the Blood Demon was also desperate by now. If he could just break this illusion, then he would win. A Blood Demon without illusions was someone he could easily defeat even without inner energy. So he would pour it all out! Without holding back!

Kaaah! Kaaah!

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!

At that moment, as if they couldn’t bear to see the world collapse, the demons screeched and rushed at Kwon Seong. Kwon Seong gritted his teeth and unleashed his lightning energy. The demons that rushed at him were instantly engulfed in the lightning energy and burned to a crisp.

Kaaah! Kaaah! Kaaah!

A miserable scream. The red bodies instantly burned and turned black, and white smoke billowed from their noses and mouths like clouds. Fasaak! As soon as they hit the ground, their charred bodies crumbled into dust.

“Futile efforts!” Kwon Seong roared. “Do you think you, who have only ever run away, can stand against me! I have never run away, not even for a moment! Lies are just lies, and no lie can ever overcome the truth!”

Pajijijijijik!

White lightning gathered at the end of his fist, fiercely intertwining. He would destroy it! All delusions! All lies! And even the slightest bit of weakness that might remain within him!

“Uooooooooooooooh!”

The moment Kwon Seong threw his fist, the lightning that erupted from his fist spread in all directions. Kwarururururung! The thunder of the gods exploded, and the blood-red wall that covered the world began to burn away completely. The boiling and twisted wall could no longer hold and began to collapse. Beyond the collapsed wall was a monochrome concrete wall. But that place clearly held the scent of life. At that very moment, when joy filled Kwon Seong’s eyes.

Paah!

One of the half-crumbled demon corpses that had been lying charred at Kwon Seong’s feet suddenly rose with terrifying speed and stabbed Kwon Seong’s chest.

Kwadudududuk!

“Cough!”

Kwon Seong’s eyes widened. His gaze, which had been fixed on the concrete wall, slowly lowered. The demon, whose eyes met his, grinned, revealing its white teeth. Its face was covered in blood. Kwaang! Kwon Seong’s fist sent the demon flying. The blackened demon flew and crashed into the wall without even being able to groan. Kwaaaang! The demon’s body, which had created countless cracks in the reinforced concrete, slid down and fell to the floor. At the same time, the blood-red world that had somehow been holding on collapsed all at once. As if proving that everything that had happened so far was just an illusion, both the mountain of demon corpses and the red wall that covered the world disappeared without a trace. In the world where all of that had disappeared, only two things remained. One was… “…Cough.” A dry cough escaped Kwon Seong’s lips. Red blood gurgled up his throat several times. Kwon Seong’s gaze turned to his chest. A familiar yet unfamiliar weapon. A military dagger was deeply embedded in his left chest, with only the handle remaining visible. “Cough!” His pupils trembled slightly. ‘How?’ Everything there was an illusion. No, even if it wasn’t an illusion, it was the same. There was no way the Blood Demon could have broken through his lightning strike. But how could he have disguised himself as a demon and hidden so close to him? He had turned all the demons into charcoal! But that question was quickly resolved. The second thing that hadn’t disappeared. The demon was getting up. Only then could Kwon Seong understand everything. It wasn’t that he hadn’t turned the demons into charcoal. It wasn’t that the Blood Demon had used the illusion as a shield. It was just… “Kuh, kukuk…” A man with a charred body limped forward. No, the word ‘limped’ didn’t fit. A limp was something that required two legs. The fact that this person, whose leg below the knee was completely shattered and invisible, was barely hopping forward on one leg couldn’t be called a limp. The body visible between the charred and stuck clothing was completely burned black. Red blood dripped between the black body. A sight that was too gruesome to even describe. In that state, the Blood Demon approached Kwon Seong. “You…” Kwon Seong’s body trembled. The boundary between reality and illusion. The Blood Demon had transformed into one of the demons within that boundary and had taken Kwon Seong’s power with his body. At the same time, he had taken a blow that would have been fatal. That was why there was no reason to doubt it. Just as the demons in the illusion had turned to charcoal, the Blood Demon in reality had also turned to charcoal. Shuuruk. Blood dripped from Kwon Seong’s mouth. Kwon Seong, who was staring at the Blood Demon without even thinking of wiping the flowing blood, opened his mouth after hesitating several times. “…What did you see, former member of the Blood Cult?” “What was inside me… what was inside me?” Upon hearing those words, the Blood Demon twisted his lips. Thick blood flowed from between his cracked lips.