Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 741

My skin tingled.

Even though the energy wasn’t directed at me, the aura emanating from the Hong King was enough to suppress and subjugate everything in the world. He was truly the embodiment of 覇道 (Hado, the Way of the Conqueror). His presence was in no way inferior to the name of the Three Kings.

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up without him realizing it.

His pearly white teeth were revealed, and his heart began to pound wildly.

Excitement.

When was the last time he felt such excitement?

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand and covered his face.

‘Calm down.’

He repeated it. He repeated it several times. He had to calm down.

His blood was boiling. Kang Jin-ho barely suppressed the soul’s cry to plunge a knife into the neck of the man before him.

If he were Jeokcheon, he would have rushed at the Hong King without holding back. In the face of an opponent who made his blood boil, Jeokcheon held nothing back.

Simply cutting them down was the way of the Demon Lord Jeokcheon.

“Hoo-ooo.”

But now, he was not the Demon Lord Jeokcheon. He had already abandoned his identity as Jeokcheon. The one standing here now was, without a doubt, Kang Jin-ho.

But….

Kang Jin-ho lowered his hand and clutched his chest.

‘I can’t say I’ve completely shaken it off.’

The Demon Lord Jeokcheon, still alive within him, was running wild. It was because of the presence of a rival who made his blood boil after so long.

Or perhaps this wasn’t Jeokcheon, but Kang Jin-ho’s own will.

He wanted to feel it. And he wanted to prove it.

He wanted to experience with his whole body the fight against this powerful being, where life and death were decided in an instant. And he wanted to prove that, in the end, Kang Jin-ho was the stronger one.

Was this feeling what they called competitiveness?

Kang Jin-ho pressed down on his chest, suppressing the rising competitiveness.

Then, he looked straight at the Hong King, who was sending him a determined gaze.

‘This era isn’t so weak after all.’

He could feel it.

The strength of that man.

When he was called the Demon Lord Jeokcheon, Kang Jin-ho had met and fought many powerful individuals. Some were just empty shells that didn’t live up to their reputation, but there were also those who were so strong that Kang Jin-ho had to risk his life.

Kang Jin-ho had made all of them kneel and had beheaded them.

In those countless battles, he had never once been defeated, which was why the name of the Demon Lord Jeokcheon became a legend and a myth. And as a result, the era of the Demonic Path had begun.

Yet, even now, Kang Jin-ho was tense.

He was strong.

He could tell without even crossing swords. How strong that man was.

覇道 (Hado, the Way of the Conqueror). Yes. That was 覇道.

It was a force that made the authority of the Hwangbo clan, which was said to topple the world, the authority of the Shaolin, which was said to be the heaviest in the world, and even the blade of the Peng family, which was said to be unmatched in 覇 (domination), pale in comparison.

‘He’s come this far.’

A strange feeling swept over Kang Jin-ho.

It was an era where martial arts were declining.

An era where one could not discuss the world with martial arts alone.

Even in the era when countless heroes and overlords discussed the throne of the world, the martial world could ignore the power of the heroes with their martial arts.

But as time passed, martial artists hid in the shadows.

Fewer martial artists. And less influence.

No matter how much martial artists were said to be active behind the scenes, it was considered impossible to regain their past glory. So, naturally, he didn’t expect much from the martial artists of this era.

The martial artists Kang Jin-ho had met so far were just those who had learned martial arts, not comparable to the martial artists of the past who had dedicated their lives solely to martial arts.

But that wasn’t all there was to it.

He was right before his eyes.

The one who connected the past and the present.

It was a strange feeling.

Even if it was the martial arts of the past, martial arts that weren’t demonic arts had no particular connection to Kang Jin-ho. If anything, it was the martial arts that those who had skipped sleep and rampaged to take his head had practiced, so it was normal to despise them.

Yet, a strange sense of pride was rising within him.

That the era had not ended. That their lineage had continued here, even though time had passed. It was a strange feeling.

Of course, those martial arts were still aimed at Kang Jin-ho’s head.

“Demon King!”

The Hong King’s booming voice shook the world.

Overwhelming 覇 (domination). And overwhelming charisma.

Those who followed the Hong King, and those who opposed him, dared not breathe at his words. They held their breath as if they would erase their very existence. They couldn’t even move their eyes.

Their minds went blank. Only the Hong King’s voice echoed in their heads.

“I cannot stand by and watch the darkness you will bring. As our ancestors did, as my teachers did, I will cut off your head and bring peace to the world. Step forward. If you are a martial artist, step forward and receive my sword. Surely you wouldn’t hide behind those rats and try to protect your safety?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

‘How old-fashioned.’

It was an all too familiar way of speaking. The fact that the way of speaking felt awkward meant that Kang Jin-ho had become a modern man in name and reality. That fact made Kang Jin-ho’s head cold.

“You said you’re the Hong King?”

The Hong King glared at Kang Jin-ho with his fierce eyes.

The two men’s gazes intertwined in the air.

‘Like the sun.’

That was the impression Kang Jin-ho had of the Hong King.

A blazing sun.

What should he say?

It was too intense to express in words.

Unwavering will. Unshakable confidence. That certainty, without a single trace of doubt, was like the sun rising in the sky and radiating light in all directions.

However….

‘A blazing red sun.’

It wasn’t such a gentle presence.

If the sun gave warm sunlight to everyone without discrimination and caressed all things, this red sun felt like an arrogant ruler floating in the 열해 (yeolhae, heat sea) of the desert.

Those who received that intense light would slowly wither away if they couldn’t find shade.

He was definitely a unique individual.

Even those who were called the best in the world in the past couldn’t emit such 覇道. It was only natural, as the current world was at its peak. Until the Demonic Cult swept through the world and unified it, no one could claim to be the overlord of the world.

The abbot of Shaolin had to seek the opinions of others, and even those who were confident in being the best swordsman had no choice but to be mindful of the other swordsmen.

But this man was different.

Three suns floating on their own.

A man who could call himself a king with his skill and power. His arrogance was all too natural.

At that moment, the Hong King was also deeply impressed by Kang Jin-ho.

‘I can’t see the end of him.’

A bottomless pit.

Kang Jin-ho was like a bottomless pit.

A black, dark hole was dug so deep that the end could not be seen. If you threw yourself into it, you couldn’t see how far you would fall.

‘Does that mean he has no limits?’

Discomfort tickled his spine. The Hong King narrowed his brow.

This feeling.

Wasn’t it a feeling he hadn’t felt in quite a while?

It was a feeling that was so unfamiliar that he had forgotten about it for too long. A strange feeling that he thought had disappeared from within him was stimulating the Hong King.

‘Is it fear?’

Or what should be called fear.

The Hong King clenched his fist.

‘Why?’

It was something he couldn’t understand.

Of course, the man before him was worthy of being called a Demon King. His appearance, covered in blood and flesh, was like a 羅刹 (Rakshasa, a demon), and the faint black demonic energy flowing from him was truly worthy of being called the incarnation of evil.

But he was the Hong King.

Even if the Asura of hell manifested directly into the world, he would not be afraid. Fear was something that existed only for those who cared about their own safety.

The Hong King was one who did not hesitate to throw his life away for his own 의 (righteousness) and 도리 (duty). And yet, fear.

The Hong King’s eyes shone with a sharp light.

‘It was good that I came myself.’

He had considered one in a thousand, one in ten thousand possibilities.

If he left his position and the other two kings were to act, a great crisis would befall the world. Nevertheless, he had come here after much deliberation. He had judged that the crisis that Kang Jin-ho would bring was by no means small compared to the crisis that the other two kings would bring.

Now, the Hong King was realizing how excellent that judgment had been.

This man must never be allowed to live.

The world ruled by the other two kings would be nothing short of hell. They did not know 인의 (inui, benevolence and righteousness). They did not know the value of human life.

If such people were to seize the hegemony of the world, it was clear that the world would fall into misery.

But what about this man?

‘It would be better if it were the other kings.’

This man was evil.

Just evil.

The other kings, although they possessed powers that transcended humanity, also had the identity of being human. Their evil deeds were based on their own desires.

But what about this man?

The Hong King couldn’t tell.

What would happen if such a man, who was only filled with malice, were to rule the world? It was unprecedented. Therefore, he could never allow such a thing to happen. The Hong King was not one to experiment with people as collateral.

Look.

At that malice.

Like ink seeping out of a broken jar, the demonic energy gushing out!

Wasn’t he truly the incarnation of evil?

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho quietly opened his mouth.

“Hong King, you say…”

His voice was slightly dazed.

“You’re going to kill me?”

“That’s right.”

The Hong King did not hesitate.

He did not doubt for a moment that killing this man was the way to stabilize the world.

Then, Kang Jin-ho slowly stepped forward.

“M-Master Demon!”

“Master Demon!”

The urgent voices of the demons were heard.

They knew it too.

How strong the Hong King was.

Even though they had built up a rock-solid trust in the Master Demon, the fact that he was facing the Hong King made them feel a sense of unease, as if their own lives were being threatened. That was how overwhelming the Hong King’s energy was.

They wanted to stop him.

The words, ‘We’ll stop him, so please run away from here,’ were rising to the tip of their throats.

But none of them stood in Kang Jin-ho’s way. That would be too disrespectful.

Kang Jin-ho, who had stepped forward through the demons, curled up the corners of his mouth.

A smile.

Pearly white teeth were revealed between his red-tinged face.

Seeing that sight, the Hong King couldn’t help but feel a chill.

The word ‘Demon King’ was meaningless.

No matter how much a Demon King worshipped evil, a person with the title of ‘King’ would have the dignity and seriousness that came with it.

But this man was not like that.

Raw.

He felt a wildness that seemed as if a thick, fishy smell would waft from him at any moment.

‘He’s just a beast.’

The Hong King’s will became even firmer.

That was a wolf.

A wolf that hunted according to its instincts, ripped open the belly of its prey, and buried its head in its entrails. And that wolf was now baring its teeth to tear open the Hong King’s belly.

“Do you know where those who tried to kill me are now?”

The Hong King’s eyes blazed like flames.

Grrrrk.

The Red Dew, touching the ground, scraped its surface, creating a grating sound.

“You’ll find out now.”

The black demonic energy flowing from Kang Jin-ho’s body flowed along the Red Dew and Blue Dew.

Kang Jin-ho, swaying the demonic energy like a black wave, slowly approached the Hong King.