Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2083

Kwaaang!

Red blood gushed from Kang Jin-ho’s mouth.

Forcing down the blood that was rising in his throat, Kang Jin-ho threw a punch.

‘How long have I been fighting?’

He didn’t know.

It felt like he couldn’t even remember what had happened a little while ago. All he could think about was that he had to win against the person in front of him.

No…

Why did he have to win?

Thud!

Kang Jin-ho was slammed into the ground. His body shattered the concrete like an icebreaker cutting through a frozen sea. A long line appeared on the mangled concrete.

“Cough!”

Once again, dark red blood gushed from his mouth.

It was a wonder that he still had more blood to spill.

His consciousness was already half gone. He wasn’t even sure if it hurt anymore. It seemed he had become too accustomed to the sensation of pain.

Lying on the ground, Kang Jin-ho saw the black sky. The sky was endlessly pouring down rain. If the cold rain hadn’t been hitting his face, he might have lost consciousness.

He wanted to let go of everything.

If he just tilted his head back and closed his eyes, he would be at peace. He wouldn’t have to repeat this nightmare anymore.

How much longer would he have to fight?

Would this fight ever really end?

No…

If this fight ended, would peace really return?

Endless fighting, endless battles. For what was he spilling blood, for what was he throwing punches?

‘I just wanted to see it.’ Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly as he looked at the sky covered by dark clouds.

Once, he had just wanted to see that black sky. A black sky where not a single star could be seen. The sky that had existed above his head as if it was the most natural thing. He knew too well the pain a person had to endure when something that was natural became unnatural.

Crack.

Kang Jin-ho’s hand gripped the ground.

Then, with a trembling arm, he pushed himself off the ground.

Forcing his upper body up, Kang Jin-ho somehow managed to stand up with his trembling body.

And the Black King was just watching him.

A hollow laugh escaped Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

The Black King didn’t look too good either. Those so-called twelve something or others [referring to the Black King’s subordinates] must also have quite the faces right now.

The sight of the one who should be called the king of warriors, his legs trembling so much that they couldn’t even support his own weight, was beyond ridiculous.

‘Why did we start fighting?’

Well, he didn’t know.

He didn’t even know why he was bothering to get up.

Victory or defeat didn’t matter anymore. He had already reached his limit to move his body just because he didn’t want to lose.

Kang Jin-ho’s body swayed greatly.

In that moment, an unbearable temptation washed over him. If he just collapsed, he could be at peace. He wouldn’t have to endure this pain anymore, nor would he have to withstand the feeling of lethargy that made his brain feel like it was crumbling into sand.

But Kang Jin-ho ultimately managed to steady his swaying body.

‘…I see.’

Kang Jin-ho lifted his trembling head and looked at the Black King. The corner of his mouth twisted, revealing his blood-soaked teeth.

“…He’s waiting.”

For him to come over there.

Bang!

Kang Jin-ho kicked off the ground and flew towards the Black King.

The world slowed down.

It was as if he could see the flow of air passing by his face. Even the flow of ki [spiritual energy] in the world felt vivid, as if he could grasp it in his hand.

But that was all.

None of that entered Kang Jin-ho’s eyes. All he could see now was the existence of the Black King.

“Meeting me is a stroke of luck for the Cult Leader. Well, to be honest, meeting you might be a stroke of luck for me too. But Cult Leader, remember this clearly. The one who benefits from this meeting is not me, but you.”

‘Heh heh.’

A small laugh escaped Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

Do you know that, Cheongma [Black King’s name]?

Even if you didn’t say it like that…

‘I thought so too.’

Clang!

Kang Jin-ho’s fist collided with the Black King’s fist.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of bones being crushed could be heard. No, the bones were actually being crushed. The bones in their entire bodies were already completely shattered and crushed. But the bodies, where the martial arts they had built up remained intact, did not allow themselves to stop with such injuries.

The crushed bones quickly reattached, and the torn flesh was filled with new flesh before they could even notice.

As if telling them to fight more.

As if saying it was not enough yet.

The strong body that had always supported him was, at this moment, nothing more than a curse.

Kang Jin-ho’s elbow struck the Black King’s arm, and then his other elbow, which had rotated in succession, slammed into Cheongma’s temple.

Kwaaaang!

The moment an explosion that should never come from a human head erupted, Cheongma’s fist dug into Kang Jin-ho’s side.

Crack!

His ribs were completely shattered and dug into his internal organs. Kang Jin-ho, who swallowed the blood that gushed up to his mouth, slammed his leg into the ground.

Kuuuung!

It wasn’t to deliver a stronger blow.

It was to keep himself from falling, to somehow hold onto his body that felt like it would collapse like a doll with a broken string.

Clang!

Kang Jin-ho’s fist struck the Black King’s jaw.

The power that could easily destroy a building of dozens of floors was slammed into a person’s face made of bone and flesh.

With a strange sound that could not come from a human face, the Black King’s head was violently twisted. It was so violent that it was doubtful whether his neck would not be pulled out entirely.

Crack! Crack!

As the Black King turned his body back, he slammed his fist into Kang Jin-ho’s abdomen. With the shock that felt like his stomach was being bent in half, Kang Jin-ho’s body was bent like a shrimp.

Blood spurted from his open mouth.

Bang! Clang! Bang!

The two stood within striking distance of each other, throwing punches in succession.

This was no longer martial arts, or anything else.

They were just throwing punches.

They couldn’t even think of dodging. Even the basic action of turning their heads to cushion the impact was impossible.

Wasn’t martial arts supposed to be a technique to efficiently defeat an opponent? But efficiency no longer existed in this fight.

‘What’s left?’

It felt like his head was being bleached white.

‘What could be left?’

There was no hostility.

There wasn’t even a trace of competitiveness left.

The will to carry out his ideals?

It was laughable.

There was nothing left. What was standing here now was just an empty shell that had exhausted everything.

But…

But why couldn’t he fall?

Bang!

Kang Jin-ho’s tilted head somehow returned to its place.

And then Kang Jin-ho saw it. The Black King’s face, which was now exposed because he no longer had the strength to wear his demonic energy armor. His eyes, which had no bloodlust left, were both too familiar and too strange to him.

‘Cheongma.’

How long had he been looking at those eyes?

It was a funny story.

In terms of time, not even his family, the people of the Assembly he was with now, Choi Yeon-ha, or his friends… none of them could match his relationship with Cheongma.

Yes, they were evil friends.

Perhaps what had supported him in the days when nothing had any meaning for Kang Jin-ho was those eyes.

The confident eyes that looked at him without wavering.

Those eyes that believed that everything would flow according to his will.

A ship adrift needs a signpost.

For Kang Jin-ho, who was adrift in the middle of the vast ocean of the Central Plains [a region in the story’s world], those eyes were a signpost.

Those eyes were now in front of him, transcending time.

Clang!

The fist Kang Jin-ho threw slammed into the Black King’s neck. The Black King collapsed on the spot like a person whose strings had been cut.

Thud.

The Black King’s hand touched the ground.

‘Fall…

Don’t get up anymore.

Please, no more… don’t get up anymore.’

But the Black King ultimately got up again. Kang Jin-ho, seeing the Black King’s unfocused pupils regain their light, closed his eyes in the middle of the battle.

For what purpose?

Both he and the Black King were at their limits. If they just let go, they could be at peace. Perhaps what they needed was a little tolerance.

They knew that each other’s paths were wrong. But they also knew that their paths were not entirely wrong. They could have been another signpost to prevent each other from walking down a path that was too twisted.

But…

But why were they fighting so hard?

“Por…cu…”

The Black King’s lips twisted.

“…pine…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the Black King without a word.

He seemed to know what he was trying to say.

Yes, they were porcupines.

Unable to approach each other first, unable to acknowledge each other first.

Forced to raise their quills because they were alone in a world where they could do nothing, but unable to be completely alone because they longed for warmth more than anyone else.

Therefore, they had to sadly yearn for a small amount of warmth that could be faintly felt from a distance where their quills would not touch.

In the past, they were just that kind of relationship.

Decades of time.

The only beings they could rely on.

Yet, neither he nor Cheongma could reveal the deepest secrets they had hidden within themselves to each other.

Would things have been different if they had?

If they had approached each other a little more without fearing that the quills would pierce them, if they had revealed everything they had hidden and acknowledged each other as friends…

Would things really have been a little different?

No. It wouldn’t have been possible.

It was the same now.

Neither Kang Jin-ho nor Cheongma had changed at all. Even now, they were just porcupines.

They refused to talk, argued that each other was wrong, believed that they were right, and couldn’t bring out anything they had hidden inside.

It was ridiculous.

The fact that the two strongest people in the world were actually the two most clumsy people in the world.

Did he regret it?

Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly.

It was a funny story, but Cheongma.

I…

From then until now, there hasn’t been a single moment when I haven’t regretted it.

Kang Jin-ho cried out and threw a punch.

Clang!

His fist slammed into the Black King’s jaw, and everything became vivid.

The Black King’s twisted face, the sweat droplets scattering in the air, and even his knees momentarily swaying.

Clang!

And at that moment, the Black King’s fist shattered Kang Jin-ho’s cheekbone.

In his fading consciousness, Kang Jin-ho saw it.

In the distant past, in that time…

The figure of Cheongma smiling at him.

‘Is it too late?’

Well, he didn’t know.

But one thing was certain.

Kang Jin-ho pulled his foot out of the ground. Then he took another step forward.

Thud!

Kang Jin-ho, who had firmly planted his foot on the ground, took another step towards the Black King.

And at that moment, the Black King also moved forward as if agreeing with Kang Jin-ho’s words.

At a distance where their heads could touch, at a distance where they could vividly feel each other’s rough breaths, the two looked at each other.

In that moment.

The two, who smiled at each other like children, threw punches at each other at the same time, as if they had made a promise.

As if they were embracing each other.