Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2031

Explosions erupt in rapid succession. The spear and fist collide countless times in brief moments, then separate again. Clang! Clang! Clang! It would be hard to find a scene that better embodies the phrase ‘a battle of equals’. “Oooooooo!” As the Divine Spear launches a desperate attack, the Crimson Monarch nullifies it with a steadfast defense. When the Crimson Monarch seizes an opening and tries to overwhelm his opponent with formidable inner power, the Divine Spear deflects his attacks with incredible resilience and flexibility. Even those with no particular knowledge of martial arts, even those who cannot follow this battle with their eyes, would clearly understand. ‘They’re evenly matched.’ ‘Who’s going to win?’ The eyes of the directors watching the fight were filled with urgency and confusion. To put it coldly, every battle up until now had been one-sided. Although the results were close, the battles themselves were not. But the two currently clashing were showing a truly equal match, where it was impossible to determine who had the upper hand. “That Crimson Monarch…” “Hmm.” The General Assembly couldn’t help but be shaken by this outcome. Most of them had thought that even a single victory against the Divine Spear would be fortunate, but they had at least expected the Crimson Monarch to have a clear advantage in this fight. This was neither recklessness nor arrogance. There were two reasons. One was that the Crimson Monarch had defeated the Divine Spear before. And the other, more decisive reason was… ‘The Crimson Monarch can’t lose.’ Among the cards they currently held, the Crimson Monarch was the most powerful, excluding Kang Jin-ho. Bator, Jang Min, and Wiggins. All three were powerful individuals who had clearly reached the realm of the superhuman. However, after reaching this level, they had no experience in life-or-death battles against equals. No, even beyond experience, no one would think that they could be equal to the Crimson Monarch just because they had recently broken through their limits. Considering both experience and skill, the current Crimson Monarch was clearly the second-in-command of their camp. If such a Crimson Monarch were to lose, their already slim chances of victory would plummet to the bottom. “…Those monstrous bastards.” The one most shocked by this situation was none other than Bator. For him, the Crimson Monarch was once like the sky, a goal he desperately wanted to overcome. As such, he knew better than anyone else just how strong the Crimson Monarch was. The current Crimson Monarch? He was incomparably stronger than the Crimson Monarch of the past, whom he had considered his lifelong goal. Yet, that Crimson Monarch was unable to gain an advantage against one of the Twelve Fiends, not even the Black King. Bator’s massive body trembled. Thrill. Yes, this had to be called a thrill. Although he did not share their goals, no one in the world could deny that the Twelve Fiends were an unprecedented elite group, regardless of the outcome of this war. ‘There are twelve individuals comparable to the Crimson Monarch.’ Looking at it closely, the reason this battle was even possible was because Kang Jin-ho had reduced the number of the Twelve Fiends beforehand. In other words, if Kang Jin-ho hadn’t dealt with them in advance, this battle wouldn’t have even been possible. It felt like ice water was being poured on his excited heart, which had been anticipating an unexpected victory. KWA-AAANG! At that moment, the Crimson Monarch retreated, blocking the Divine Spear’s lightning-fast thrust aimed at his neck. It wasn’t just the General Assembly that was trembling at the sight. “…That moronic bastard.” Baek Yeon-hong twisted his lips. Even through his eyes, it was hard to tell who was superior between the Crimson Monarch and the Divine Spear. Neither seemed better or worse than the other. Normally, Baek Yeon-hong would have hurled more aggressive insults, but now, harsh words did not easily come from his mouth. Because he knew. That this wasn’t happening because the Divine Spear was weak. The tip of the spear that was thrusting in was incredibly sharp. This was not the Divine Spear from before. The Divine Spear, who had honed himself once again, was showing a form that even Baek Yeon-hong was momentarily impressed by. Which meant… ‘Is it the Crimson Monarch who’s amazing?’ A groan-like voice escaped someone’s lips. “How can someone who isn’t a returnee be so…” In a way, it was only natural. No matter how much they were called the Twelve Fiends and had dominated an era, there were always absolute beings even in the eras before their existence. Therefore, it was only natural that there would be at least one person who could reach their level in this era. If that person was the Crimson Monarch, there was nothing strange or surprising about it. But even so, the faces of Baek Yeon-hong and the other Twelve Fiends were stiff as boards. This era was far inferior to the era they had lived in. At least for martial artists, it was a desolate era. For a martial artist equal to them to be born in such an era meant a great deal. “That idiot…” Baek Yeon-hong gritted his teeth. “Win! You moron!” A shout burst from Baek Yeon-hong’s mouth. He didn’t like the Divine Spear. If the opponent the Divine Spear was facing was not the Crimson Monarch but someone else, Baek Yeon-hong would have supported his opponent without question. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but his heart clearly wished for the Divine Spear’s defeat. But he couldn’t do that in this battle. The Crimson Monarch was not a returnee [a person who has returned from the future or another world]. Nor was he someone influenced by returnees. If the returnees hadn’t turned this world upside down, one of the Crimson Monarch and the Spear King would have surely become the absolute ruler of the era. To be defeated by such a person meant that those living in the present also had the potential to reach the same level as them in the past. Perhaps that fact negated everything they were trying to do now. Even Baek Yeon-hong, who didn’t fully agree with the Black King’s intentions, couldn’t accept that fact. The Twelve Fiends were emitting heat. And even the Black King, sitting behind them, watched this battle with a hardened face. KWA-AAANG! A desperate blow, delivered with all his might, was blocked by a crossed fist and bounced off. The Divine Spear gritted his teeth. His hands gripping the spear could no longer muster any strength. It felt as if he had exhausted all his inner power and even his physical strength. Even so, the Divine Spear took another step forward and thrust his spear. The skin on his hands gripping the spear was already black and dead, and his fingernails had long since been torn off. For the sake of justice? Or the future? It wasn’t anything grand like that. What was moving his creaking body wasn’t anything so lofty. It was simply that his body wouldn’t let him stop. His body was performing the countless repetitions on its own, moving before his will could even form. “Cough.” Blood kept gushing from his mouth and nose. Every time the Crimson Monarch threw a punch, a formidable pressure crushed his body. Grind. The sound of bones breaking came from his hand, which was gripping so tightly that blood couldn’t circulate. The Divine Spear, gripping the spear so tightly that blood couldn’t circulate, took a step forward against the pressure that felt like it would crush his entire body. Weeeeee! A sharp noise burst in his ears, then disappeared. It seemed his eardrums had burst. His vision was also extremely blurry. His eyes, excessively filled with blood, were on the verge of bursting. Thud! Even so, the Divine Spear took another step forward. Because he couldn’t win if he didn’t get closer. Because he would only lose if he didn’t thrust this spear. ‘Why is he going this far?’ It wasn’t as if the Black King’s faction would lose just because he lost. Believing that the success or failure of their plans depended on his actions was perhaps an arrogant overestimation. So, he could stop here. Even if he declared defeat, no one would deny that he had done his best. Baek Yeon-hong might grumble, but he wouldn’t criticize him. But… Crack. The bones in his toes were crushed. The immense pressure was invading and destroying his body, which couldn’t circulate energy properly. “Oh! Oooooooo!” The Crimson Monarch’s massive roar reached his one remaining ear. At the same time, his world was completely dyed in gold. The golden power emitted by the Crimson Monarch surged and surged again. ‘He’s like a god.’ He could clearly tell. Just like he had felt towards the Black King in the past. And just like he had said to the Crimson Monarch. He probably wouldn’t be able to defeat the Crimson Monarch again. He had realized and compensated for his weaknesses, which he hadn’t even been aware of. Just by regaining his past self, his martial arts had made a remarkable leap. But the Crimson Monarch, as if mocking that, had become even stronger in that short time. This gap would only widen. Was that why? No. He didn’t know. Even if this was the last chance to defeat the Crimson Monarch, it wasn’t a reason for him to risk everything. Even if the whole world was watching, it wasn’t a reason for him to throw away his life. What he wanted wasn’t fame, nor was it to be remembered. Yes, then… What was it that he truly wanted? ‘…I don’t know.’ Nothing was clear. He didn’t know what he wanted, why he was enduring this pain, or why he was fighting. Nothing was clear. His body was just moving. Like a fallen leaf drifting along the flow of water, he was simply moving towards the oncoming pressure. Swoosh! Half of his world was dyed black. It seemed one of his eyes had burst from the excessive pressure. But that wasn’t all. The world, dyed in gold, was gradually turning red and becoming increasingly blurry. “I…don’t…know…” It was dazzling. His attitude towards martial arts was admirable, and one couldn’t help but marvel at his will, which had never hesitated and had always walked his own path. His resentment towards the Crimson Monarch had long been forgotten. Rather, he now revered him more than ever. Unlike him, who could become stronger because he was weak, this man had risked everything to not be weak. So… So, wasn’t it enough? Where else could he find a more excellent opponent to inflict defeat upon him and complete his arduous life? So, now… Crack! One of his hands gripping the spear couldn’t withstand the pressure and burst. The flesh on the back of his hand was completely torn off, revealing the white bone. Thud! The foot he had stepped on had also lost all sensation. He couldn’t even see what he looked like with his own eyes. Because his eyes could no longer see. All the sensations in his body disappeared. He couldn’t even feel pain anymore. He sensed that he had reached the end. Yes. This was already the ‘last’ he had experienced twice. And at that moment. The Divine Spear’s face, blackened and dead, formed a twisted smile. ‘Ah… yes.’ I just… I just didn’t want to lose. Yes. That’s all it was. The Divine Spear’s spear, imbued with his soul, was swung. A clumsy swing that was neither fast nor strong. But the trajectory of that clumsy spear tore through space, tore through the incoming force… And even tore through the superhuman body that had blinded his eyes with its dazzling brilliance.