Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2030

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Crimson Monarch’s fist tightened around the Divine Spear’s spear, which had pierced through the gap in the wall.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The force was enough to crush rocks and vaporize water with sheer pressure.

However, the Divine Spear’s spear, though bending as if it would break at any moment, continued to advance towards the Crimson Monarch.

“Haaah!”

At that moment, a huge roar erupted from the Divine Spear’s mouth.

Whoosh!

And then, with a flash of light that soared to the heavens, the spear tip turned into pure light and pierced through the Crimson Monarch’s body.

Boom!

A burst of sound erupted, and the storm of energy that had been swirling around them was instantly scattered in all directions.

“Aaaaargh!”

A scream of pain burst from Bang Jin-hoon’s mouth.

The battle between absolute masters inevitably creates tremendous pressure around them. Those who are not highly skilled in martial arts can lose their lives simply by being caught in the aftermath.

Bang Jin-hoon’s martial arts were certainly not low, but with his deeply injured body, it was not easy to withstand even this much of an aftershock.

“Damn it!”

At that moment, Wiggins stepped forward and put up a shield in front of Bang Jin-hoon.

As the incoming energy was blocked by the shield and bounced off, a groan escaped from Bang Jin-hoon’s lips.

“Tsk, you’re a lot of trouble.”

“What are you saying? If you had treated me earlier, I wouldn’t be in this state!”

“That’s why I’m saying you’re a lot of trouble.”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Bang Jin-hoon, after briefly expressing his dissatisfaction, fixed his gaze forward. He knew that now was not the time to bicker with Wiggins.

‘What happened?’

The Crimson Monarch is, of course, the Crimson Monarch.

It was true that the council directors had reached the realm of the absolute, but none of them dared to claim that they had reached the same level as the Crimson Monarch.

Yet, that Divine Spear’s spear had pierced through the Crimson Monarch’s defense.

‘He’s strong.’

As far as Bang Jin-hoon knew, the Crimson Monarch and the Divine Spear had already clashed once before. And he had heard that the Crimson Monarch had won that battle.

That’s why he had been watching with a somewhat relaxed mind, but the Divine Spear’s display of power was enough to shatter that sense of relief in an instant.

‘What happened?’

Bang Jin-hoon focused his vision.

As the raging storm of energy subsided, the figures of the two men facing each other came into view.

Nothing much had changed.

There was only one difference. But the meaning of that one small change was by no means small.

Red blood.

Red blood was streaming from the Crimson Monarch’s chest, which had been pierced through.

“Th-that…”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face turned pale. The location was slightly to the left of the center. That is… where the heart is.

“Se, se…”

“It’s shallow.”

Bator spat out the words in a slightly raised voice. Although he said that, he was also quite shocked to see the Crimson Monarch’s chest pierced, and he was biting his lip tightly.

‘Those Twelve Evil Factions bastards…’

Just when he thought they were finally becoming worthy opponents, they would show a clear gap in power. It was as if they were proving that the reason they had been able to win so far was just luck.

As the directors watched with serious eyes, the Crimson Monarch slowly raised his hand and pressed down on the hole in his chest.

“Hmm…”

If it had been just a little deeper, it would have been a fatal wound. If he hadn’t concentrated his energy at the last moment to block it, he might have been a corpse lying on the floor by now.

Underestimating him?

That was impossible.

He had confidence. Confidence that he would not be defeated. But that didn’t mean he had taken his opponent lightly. It was impossible for the Crimson Monarch to underestimate someone who had already surpassed the realm he had reached in the past.

Yet, the fact that he had suffered such an injury meant one thing.

“It must have been a short time.”

“It was long enough for me. Very much so.”

The Crimson Monarch’s solemn eyes captured the image of the Divine Spear.

Although he had left a severe wound on his body, the Divine Spear showed no sign of excitement. He was merely gathering his clearly subdued energy and aiming at him with cold eyes.

That was the true posture of a martial artist.

Unlike his previous arrogance, it seemed that one defeat had made the Divine Spear re-establish himself from the ground up.

“It seems I have to forget about our last match.”

The Divine Spear gripped his spear tightly.

It was true that he had inflicted a fatal wound on the Crimson Monarch’s body, but the pressure he felt had not diminished in the slightest.

‘I should have pierced through him.’

He thought he had created a perfect opening. It might have been an extremely small gap to others, but for those who had reached the absolute realm like the Crimson Monarch and him, that tiny gap was a huge difference that determined the outcome.

He had created a perfect opening and thrust with all his might. But although his spear had reached the Crimson Monarch, it had failed to produce the result he wanted.

What did that mean?

‘Either I still haven’t properly grasped his capabilities…’

Or it meant that the Crimson Monarch had become stronger in the meantime.

Either way, it was absurd. No, perhaps ‘bewildering’ was a more accurate word.

It was ridiculous that he had failed to grasp his opponent’s capabilities even after risking his life once, and it was even more ridiculous that his opponent had become stronger in such a short time.

“Let me ask you something.”

“Hmm?”

“…You’ve already been defeated by the Demonic Lord once, haven’t you?”

The Crimson Monarch’s eyebrows twitched.

“What are you trying to say?”

“It’s just pure curiosity.”

The Divine Spear’s gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho, who was behind the Crimson Monarch. The moment he took in Kang Jin-ho, who was sitting with his legs crossed in an extremely arrogant posture, every single muscle in his body tensed up, feeling as if they were being pulled taut.

An enormous pressure.

It was a pressure that only someone like the Divine Spear could feel. Even without feeling his energy, even without experiencing his martial prowess, the mere presence of Kang Jin-ho was enough to make him feel dumbfounded.

It was like…

Yes, like the Black Monarch.

“The despair you felt from the Demonic Lord must not be much different from the awe I felt towards the Black Monarch.”

“And yet, you intend to defeat the Demonic Lord?”

Upon hearing those words, the Crimson Monarch chuckled softly.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s such an absurd question that I’m wondering how to answer. Isn’t that too obvious?”

“…You must know it too, right?”

“Know what?”

“You cannot defeat the Demonic Lord.”

The Divine Spear spoke with conviction.

“Even if you try your whole life, it’s the same. The gap will only widen.”

The Divine Spear’s words were not simply meant as a provocation.

The Divine Spear knew. He had felt the same way.

He did not underestimate the Crimson Monarch. There was no way he could underestimate someone who had inflicted a miserable defeat on him. Perhaps he was one of those who evaluated the Crimson Monarch more highly than anyone else.

But even so, the reality did not change.

“You must have been praised as a genius and hailed as great. But you must also know that in front of them, we are just ordinary people.”

Everything in the world is relative.

Even someone who is called a genius by someone else can be nothing more than a dullard to another.

“No matter how hard you try, the gap will never close. You must know that too. And yet, you’re going to keep challenging the impossible?”

The Crimson Monarch stared at the Divine Spear without saying a word.

The words the Divine Spear had just spoken were like a dagger stabbing at the Crimson Monarch’s most intimate parts.

Perhaps it was a rather painful, no, a fatally painful sound.

But the Crimson Monarch’s expression had not changed in the slightest from the beginning. He opened his mouth with an utterly calm face.

“Is there anything strange about that?”

“…You don’t think it’s strange?”

“That’s right.”

The Divine Spear frowned.

“You’re saying it’s not strange to constantly challenge the impossible?”

“Foolish one, who would challenge what is possible?”

The Divine Spear stared at the Crimson Monarch with a blank face.

“Trying something that is clearly possible is not even worthy of being called a challenge. It is because it is a challenge to the impossible that it has value.”

“That’s nothing special. It’s not something to brag about as if it’s a great thing. Even at this moment, countless people are challenging the impossible. Some dedicate their lives to conquering incurable diseases, and some spend their lives trying to prove that their theories are true.”

The Crimson Monarch’s eyes gleamed with light.

“Compared to that, trying to catch up with someone who clearly exists in front of you is rather realistic.”

“Don’t you know?”

The Divine Spear bit his lip and asked.

“They can devote their passion because they believe that their efforts will one day be rewarded. But you must know, right? That your efforts will not be rewarded. That it is impossible even if you dedicate your whole life.”

“You’re still talking nonsense.”

The Crimson Monarch chuckled.

“So? Do you see me as weaker?”

The Divine Spear could not answer that question.

“Reward? Just compensation? I’ve never even hoped for such things. In the first place, martial arts is not something that is so easy that you get rewarded as much as you work hard. Even so, those who can rise are only those who do not blame their lack of talent, do not doubt their path, and do not lament their inability to move forward!”

The Crimson Monarch’s booming voice struck the Divine Spear.

“I do not doubt my path. Even if I can never reach it, I will not stop for a single moment until the day I die. If I keep rising, rising, and crawling relentlessly…”

The Crimson Monarch smiled faintly.

“…I just believe that I will at least get closer than I am now.”

The Divine Spear silently stared at the Crimson Monarch.

‘He’s dazzling.’

He seemed to understand what the Crimson Monarch meant.

The Crimson Monarch does not stop.

He knew of the Black Monarch’s existence and gave up on surpassing him. He thought that even if he devoted his entire remaining life, and even if he were given another life, it would be impossible to become as strong as the Black Monarch.

But the Crimson Monarch had chosen a different path.

Even though he knew of the Black Monarch and the Demonic Lord, he did not give up on his own potential.

That’s why he was dazzling.

Perhaps the brilliant light that was making him dazzle now might have once emanated from him as well.

But perhaps he would no longer see such light in himself.

“…I’m jealous.”

The Divine Spear gripped his spear tightly.

“But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost yet. As you said, no matter what happens in the future, it is the current skill that determines the outcome.”

“That’s right.”

Crack.

The Crimson Monarch clenched his fist.

The two men’s gazes clashed fiercely in the air.

And…

“Haaah!”

The Divine Spear, pointing his spear forward, kicked off the ground and charged at the Crimson Monarch. The Crimson Monarch also charged towards the Divine Spear without hesitation.

There was no retreat. The moment someone retreated would be the end of this match.

Knowing that fact well, the two men tried to prove their path by drawing out all their strength.