Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 748

The Hong King’s words were not worth considering.

He was a great martial artist, and perhaps a great king. But that didn’t make him a great human being.

It couldn’t be.

The disposition emanating from him was telling.

A man born of a prestigious family, who mastered martial arts of the ascent.

A man who stood tall in the world solely through his own efforts.

He might have self-pride, but in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, the Hong King’s upbringing was nothing more than a greenhouse.

Of course, he wouldn’t disregard him just because he grew up in a greenhouse. Whether in a greenhouse or a barren field, if one grew tall and wide, that was enough.

However, for someone who grew up in a greenhouse to discuss matters outside of it was arrogance.

The world he lived in was different from the world Kang Jin-ho lived in.

However, there was one thing the Hong King’s words did awaken in Kang Jin-ho.

‘What am I fighting for?’

Kang Jin-ho realized again the fact he had forgotten due to the excitement of battle. If he were the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, he would have charged at the Hong King without caring about anything. But Kang Jin-ho was no longer the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign.

The difference between Kang Jin-ho and the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign?

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

Turning his head while facing an opponent like the Hong King was an extremely dangerous act, but Kang Jin-ho turned his body as if the Hong King didn’t exist.

“Jang Min.”

It was not a loud voice. It was a low voice, but the voice clearly reached Jang Min’s ears.

“Yes! My Lord!”

“Move.”

Jang Min’s body trembled.

As if he had given all his orders with those words, Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at the Hong King again.

No more orders were needed.

From the start, there was only one thing they were trying to do. What he had to do now was not to give orders but to fight.

Clang.

The Red Dew and Blue Dew [likely referring to swords] clashed, creating a heavy sound.

“Let’s begin.”

“Hmm.”

The Hong King also nodded.

He had made two offers. Because it was too regrettable and disappointing. He had even extended his hand, bending his pride and principles. But if he didn’t accept, there was nothing he could do.

Then there was only one thing left.

To end the Demon Lord’s life here and block all possible variables.

“You’ll regret it… no, no. You’re not the type to regret things. Yes, it will be an honor for you to have your life ended by my hands.”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth and laughed.

Until the very end, the Hong King did not understand Kang Jin-ho.

He was not someone who considered dying at the hands of the strong an honor, nor was he someone who did not regret his choices.

Compared to the dignified great man, the Hong King, Kang Jin-ho was like a petty person.

But so what? That was enough, that was.

“Everyone, run!”

Jang Min shouted.

Sweat like rain was flowing down his face.

He understood.

Why Bator had said that he didn’t know about the Demon Lord. Why their plan to hold back the Hong King was useless.

The moment he saw the Demon Lord’s eyes, he understood.

The Demon Lord had only ordered them to move. But the Demon Lord’s eyes giving that order were still blazing like a beast.

Bator was right.

The Demon Lord would not run away. Even if they opened a path with their blood, he had no intention of fleeing.

At least, that was clear now.

Then what should they do?

They had to run away.

That was the original purpose. No matter what hardships they faced, they had to jump into the sea. Amidst the battlefield where numerous problems piled up and exploded, they regained their initial purpose.

“Run!”

Many words were not needed.

Just as Jang Min understood what the Demon Lord’s order was at once, those who heard Jang Min’s order understood what Jang Min’s order was at once.

Loyalty to the Demon Lord.

Fear of the Hong King.

The bewilderment coming from a hellish battle they had never seen before.

In the midst of the battlefield where all of that was combined, there was only one thing that led the demons.

Survival.

The demons’ desires and orders were combined. Then there was only one thing to do.

Strength entered their loosened legs.

The gaping mouths were clenched shut.

They pressed the floor with their broken arms, put strength into their knees, and raised their bodies. Those who couldn’t stand up yet advanced forward, flailing their arms and legs.

The start was from the front. But in an instant, it became a wave, a flow. The demons, who clearly realized what they had to do, rushed in at once.

To the sea, to the sea.

No one could stop that flow.

The Hong King’s warriors, who were still dazed, were not as agile as those who were risking everything for life.

They were just bewildered, watching the situation.

And that was the end of it.

There was no way to stop the demons who had started running with momentum. If they jumped in with swords and spears, they would be torn to shreds by that ferocious momentum.

“Run! Run! Go to the sea! Everything is as the Demon Lord wills!”

Jang Min shouted at the top of his lungs.

His voice was filled with soul. Even if it wasn’t loud, even if it wasn’t big, everyone clearly understood how desperately he was shouting. That’s why they ran.

They pulled their allies, trampled on those who hesitated, and ran to the sea. Those in the lead ran until their legs broke, then split to the left and right. In front of them were the Demon Lord and the Hong King.

Those who risked everything to survive could not rush into a place of death. The wave of people, which seemed so ferocious and impossible to twist, suddenly changed direction and split to the left and right.

And then they jumped. Into the sea!

Saltwater seeped into their torn wounds.

The fatigue of the body and the fatigue of the mind instantly sapped their stamina, but they jumped into the cold sea and moved forward.

“We’re going too!”

Jang Min grabbed Bator’s body.

“Let go, let go! Old man!”

But Bator pushed away Jang Min, who was grabbing him.

Going?

Where was he going?

His master was fighting the Hong King over there, so where was he going?

It was impossible.

Kang Jin-ho was shedding blood, facing a lifelong rival. But Bator was not helping, and instead, he was groaning in pain from the collision between his master and the enemy.

As a martial artist, as a warrior of the plains, what could be more humiliating than this?

“Let go! Old man! I’m not going!”

“You damn bastard!”

Jang Min wrapped his arms around Bator’s huge waist. He was so huge that his two arms couldn’t even grasp all of it. But that was it, he didn’t feel any strength. Just maintaining consciousness was a great feat for Bator right now.

“We’re going!”

“Let go, you son of a bitch!”

A scream burst from Bator’s mouth. Jang Min ignored that desperate cry. Jang Min’s insides were rotting just as much. But he couldn’t kill everyone here.

‘It’ll only be a hindrance.’

The Hong King was not human.

The dream he had at first had already been shattered. Now he knew. Even if everyone here, not just the elders, rushed in, they wouldn’t be able to hold the Hong King for even a moment.

Then it was better not to be a hindrance, that was the way to help the Demon Lord. Knowing that fact, Jang Min carried Bator on his back, shedding tears of blood, and ran towards the sea.

“Master!”

Bator shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Stop them!”

Chaikercang shouted as if spitting out blood.

At his shout, the warriors who had been watching the situation with blank faces also rushed in to grab the demons’ ankles.

They didn’t know why they did it.

Whether the demons escaped from here or not was no longer important. Chaikercang knew that fact. If he had to give a clear order, he should have ordered them to surround the Hong King and Kang Jin-ho so that Kang Jin-ho could not escape.

But Chaikercang was grabbing the demons’ ankles.

Why?

He didn’t know.

Perhaps it was a reaction to his own powerlessness, unable to do anything in the face of the collision of two giants, or perhaps…

‘No!’

Chaikercang shook his head violently.

After failing again and again, it seemed like his head had gone mad. For the Hong King to personally step up to capture that demon king, and for him to even think that Kang Jin-ho would escape and train them.

‘I’ve gone mad.’

Chaikercang bit his lip.

But he did not withdraw the order he had given. Chaikercang, who had tried to change his order several times, eventually bit his lip tightly.

While all of that was happening, the Hong King and Kang Jin-ho did not take their eyes off each other.

Even if a volcano were to erupt here, they would not take their eyes off each other. The man in front of them was more important and threatening to them than anything else.

Kang Jin-ho’s world was changing.

Behind his back, countless demons were jumping into the sea, but Kang Jin-ho did not see that sight. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested, he really couldn’t see it.

The world turned black and white.

The background distorted.

His brain pushed everything except the Hong King in front of him to the back.

In contrast, the Hong King’s appearance was becoming too clear. Every single strand of his hair, swaying in the wind, was perfectly visible to Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

And even the fine hairs on the Hong King’s neck, stained with red blood, were visible.

Kang Jin-ho put strength into the hands holding the Red Dew and Blue Dew.

Nothing had changed.

There was only one thing he had to do. To tear the throat of the enemy in front of him, to break his bones. And his enemy was only one.

“Hongwaaaaaaaaaaang!”

Kang Jin-ho charged at the Hong King. The waves reversed, and lightning struck from the sky.

The splashing spray spread out into the world.

In that fantastical scene, the Hong King also shook his hands and charged at Kang Jin-ho.

Kuuuuung!

The sword and fist collided.

The moment the Red Dew was deflected, the Blue Dew fell towards the Hong King’s head. When even the Blue Dew was deflected, Kang Jin-ho’s foot, imbued with demonic energy, kicked the Hong King’s neck.

But the Hong King’s defense was impenetrable.

Kang Jin-ho’s body, struck by the descending fist, instantly pushed away the seawater and crashed into the ground. But even in the moment he crashed into the ground, Kang Jin-ho swung the Blue Dew and slashed the Hong King’s leg.

“Kuh!”

A scratch.

It was just a scratch, a wound that could only be called a scratch. But that wasn’t all. Kang Jin-ho, who had crashed into the ground, bounced forward with his body in a low stance and stabbed the Hong King’s abdomen.

“This, this bastard!”

Confusion appeared on the Hong King’s face.

Kang Jin-ho had thrown it away.

He had thrown away his pride as a demon, his face as a swordsman, and was just fighting.

This was neither martial arts nor a duel.

It was just a messy fight, filled with the will to kill the opponent.

And that messy fight was confusing the Hong King.

“What are you doing! You damn bastard!”

The fist energy, shot out in an instant, flew towards Kang Jin-ho.

It was fist energy that he thought would be easily avoided, fist energy that he had released to catch his breath for a moment.

But the Hong King realized his mistake at that moment.

Kang Jin-ho did not avoid the released fist energy, and with a demonic face, he charged forward again, clinging to it.