Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 895

Fear had a strange duality.

Humans experience greater fear when they are alone than when they are with others.

It’s easy to understand which is scarier: watching a horror movie in a crowded theater or watching it alone in an empty one, without even needing to experience it firsthand.

This is because humans feel more vulnerable when isolated.

Even if the level of fear is the same, the feeling of security increases when it can be shared with others.

But there was also the opposite effect.

Fear is contagious.

There are times when you feel fear yourself, even about things you wouldn’t normally think twice about, if you see others feeling fear.

Just like now.

Kazeichi was feeling this contagious fear.

He didn’t know where it started, and there was no need to find out.

Because this was more like a resonance than a contagion. It wasn’t a matter of who started it first.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, the feeling of fear was beginning to take root in Kazeichi’s heart as well.

Kazeichi bit his lip.

‘It’s natural,’ he thought.

You shouldn’t try to resist it. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of your current emotions and try to overcome them by force. The disharmony between body and mind will only stiffen your reactions.

It’s a natural thing.

Who wouldn’t feel fear after seeing that? It’s something that can’t be helped if you’re human. What’s important isn’t whether you feel fear, but whether you can kill that monster with your own hands.

Kill…

Yes, they had to kill that monster.

‘Can we do it?’

He couldn’t calculate the odds.

Kazeichi had killed countless people so far. If they were humans who got in the way of the Gumi’s [Yakuza-like organization] plans, he killed them without distinguishing between good and evil.

Among them were ordinary civilians and masters who had to be faced at the risk of their lives. Kazeichi was alive here now because he had successfully carried out so many killings without fail.

Killing someone was now too familiar. That’s why he usually had an estimate before carrying out a mission.

It was the same this time.

Based on the information obtained by the Gumi, three groups were more than enough to kill Kang Jin-ho.

Dark Moon Squad.

That was the name of the people he brought.

A military unit created by Shin’nichikai [a fictional organization] with all its might. Their power was second to none in Japan. A group of twelve could kill anyone in the world.

He had brought three such Dark Moon Squads.

He thought it didn’t matter who the opponent was.

Even if it wasn’t Kang Jin-ho, but the three kings of China, it wouldn’t take long for the Dark Moon Squad to take their lives. That was Kazeichi’s belief.

But that belief was now crumbling.

‘It’s no one’s fault.’

He wanted to resent and blame, but Kazeichi’s cold reason had already come to a conclusion. This was no one’s fault.

Look.

How could he describe that being?

Kazeichi himself couldn’t even properly convey what he had seen with his own eyes to others.

He might be able to describe the appearance itself. But he could never convey the fear that those who had witnessed that appearance felt, even if he cut out his brain and presented it.

Chilling fear.

This was beyond the realm of understanding.

It wasn’t because that being was strong.

Even if that being didn’t have any power, the fear he felt now wouldn’t diminish in the slightest.

“Hoo…”

Kazeichi took a deep breath.

Even he, who was almost devoid of emotion, felt this much fear, so he could easily imagine what the others were feeling now. If they dragged on any longer, they would suffocate from fear before they could even fight properly.

That couldn’t happen.

Swish.

His hand pulled out the dagger from his waist. As the two daggers were held in both hands, his mind seemed to calm down a little. His beloved weapons began to shine eerily in the moonlight.

Calm down.

He’s still just a human.

Even if he doesn’t look like a human at all, he can’t not be a human. If he’s human, a knife will pierce his body, and if a knife pierces his body, there’s nothing that can’t be killed.

Kazeichi’s eyes became resolute.

His gaze swept around. Those who received his gaze flinched, then began to regain their composure.

‘Thank goodness.’

He had managed to recover in time. If he hadn’t regained his reason, they would have been swept away before they could even try to fight. And now that he had regained his reason, he could see the opponent in front of him coldly and objectively.

He was strong.

Kazeichi bit his lip.

No matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t as strong as he had thought. He was strong enough with what he had shown before, but now he was surpassing even that.

Was there anyone in Japan who could face this person?

The Leader.

The Leader was there.

Despite having been together for so long, Kazeichi didn’t know how strong the Leader was. Just when he thought he knew, the Leader would be several steps ahead. That was the Leader.

His current strength would far exceed general expectations.

Yes, that was definitely the case.

But even the Leader wouldn’t be able to match Kang Jin-ho. It wasn’t because the Leader was weak, but because Kang Jin-ho’s strength was beyond common sense.

That’s why they had to kill him here.

Kazeichi knew it instinctively. If they missed this opportunity, they would never have another chance to kill Kang Jin-ho.

That being was strong. He was unbelievably strong himself, and he was surrounded by powerful forces.

As they had already seen, that force was also more

Growing stronger. Batoru and Wiggins were twice as strong as they initially seemed. No, to be precise, they’ve become twice as strong.

If there’s a pattern, predicting the next step is too easy. If Kang Jin-ho is stronger than expected, and his close aides are stronger than expected, then the General Assembly will also be stronger than expected. Even if they aren’t now, it was clear they would become stronger with a little more time.

So, they had to kill him.

Right now!

“Kahak!”

A beast-like groan escaped Kazeichi’s lips.

An Inja [a ninja or shadow warrior] is supposed to be silent.

It’s a virtue to approach the target silently, kill them silently, and leave silently. But now, Kazeichi let out a huge shout without even realizing it.

It was to shake off the confusion and fear that filled his heart.

And it wasn’t just Kazeichi who shook off the confusion with Kazeichi’s shout.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

One of the Dark Moon Squad members screamed and charged at Kang Jin-ho. Kazeichi bit his lip as he watched the scene.

That wasn’t courage.

It was just losing their minds, crushed by fear. It was like a praying mantis raising its forelegs to stop a cart.

And the price for that foolish act was immediate.

Flickering black flames.

Something that didn’t seem to belong to this world, something ominous, was being charged by a human. The Japanese sword held in both hands was glowing blue, but the metal made by humans felt too weak to cut through the black flames.

Kang Jin-ho’s red, bloodshot eyes turned slightly to the side. Kang Jin-ho’s lips twisted as he saw the Dark Moon Squad member charging at him.

Whirr.

The black flames moved wickedly like a demon’s tongue, then stretched out fiercely towards the Dark Moon Squad member flying towards him.

The one who saw the flames flying towards him gripped his sword.

An unexpected attack, and unexpected power.

“Hwaap!”

But the warrior’s instinct within his body moved even in that situation. Before his head could even think, he poured all his power into his sword and swung it down.

The force of a single strike.

He wasn’t aware of it himself, but it was the best strike he had ever unleashed in his life.

It split.

Whirr!

The black demonic energy couldn’t withstand the force of the downward swing and split to the left and right.

‘It works!’

A moment of joy heightened everyone’s emotions. It was the moment they confirmed that their attacks could work against those unreal black flames.

Whether it was a ghost, a spirit, or even a demon, if an attack could land, they could be defeated. There was no need to fear an entity that could be pierced by a sword!

But that hope turned to despair in an instant.

Kwaaaaaa!

The flames that had split to the left and right did not lose their momentum and engulfed the Dark Moon Squad member.

“Uheot!”

A gasp escaped him at the unexpected movement of the flames. But it was impossible for him to dodge the incoming flames, as he had poured all his strength into the attack.

It penetrated.

The flames penetrated the Dark Moon Squad member’s body. The Dark Moon Squad member, realizing that he couldn’t avoid it, gritted his teeth.

If only he could endure it just once…

But the moment the flames touched his body, the Dark Moon Squad member realized.

That this wasn’t fire.

It was just taking that form, but it wasn’t fire. It was just compressed and compressed demonic energy that had shed its form and taken the shape of flames.

Strength and aggression that surpassed even the aura [a person’s energy field].

The price for accepting the demonic flames, which were the extreme of demonic energy, into his body was too great.

“Kkeueueueueak!”

He tried to hold it in.

But his mouth opened on its own, and a scream burst out regardless of his will. All of his ribs were broken. And it didn’t stop there; the demonic energy tore through his body and turned his insides out.

His arms and legs were broken and crushed, and the mushy flesh was squeezed and burst out.

Crack! Crack!

What could he do in the face of unimaginable pain?

He could only scream. He could do nothing but grit his teeth. The body that should have resisted no longer listened to him. All the functions of his body were gone.

It only served the purpose of delivering pain to him.

Despair, and more despair.

“Kke…kkeueuk…”

The Dark Moon Squad member, who had fallen from the air to the ground, crashed straight into the floor.

“Heup…heueup, heh…”

His whole body was convulsing uncontrollably.

After convulsing for a while, something came into his view.

The convulsions stopped.

The demon surrounded by black flames was looking down at him.

It was like a mass of death. If the word ‘death’ were to be brought into the world, it would look like that.

The god of death.

How else could one describe that being?

The god of death quietly looked down at him. At the same time, the Dark Moon Squad member’s consciousness slowly faded.

He could now tell where he was going.

Death.

A complete severance from the current world.

He wasn’t afraid.

Compared to suffering in the clutches of this demon, death was a sweet escape. Just a little faster…

Then, a chilling voice, like scraping metal, was heard in his ear.

“Death isn’t the end.”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

The Dark Moon Squad member’s breath completely stopped as he saw the man’s bloodshot eyes.

He couldn’t even welcome death in peace.