Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 996

‘The gap widened further.’

It was an undeniable reality.

Among those at the Assembly, Bator knew Kang Jin-ho’s power best. It had to be Bator.

He was the only one who had faced Kang Jin-ho as an enemy.

When they first clashed, the difference between them wasn’t that significant. Of course, Bator didn’t think Kang Jin-ho had used his full power back then.

However, at that time, Kang Jin-ho had to endure some injuries to subdue Bator. There was a gap, but he didn’t think it was so large that he could never catch up.

But that was just Bator’s delusion.

The gap widened.

The distance grew.

As time passed, the difference between Kang Jin-ho and Bator only increased.

He had even accepted demonic cultivation out of anxiety that he might never catch up, but the gap between Bator and Kang Jin-ho only grew larger. Demonic cultivation had only slightly slowed the rate at which the gap widened.

Bator licked his lips.

Shock?

Of course, the shock was immense.

But the emotion Bator was feeling now was not despair.

‘I’m finally getting a rough idea.’

Bator knew very well how strong Kang Jin-ho was. No, he used to know very well. But he didn’t know how strong Kang Jin-ho was now.

The Kang Jin-ho he fought hadn’t used his full power, and there was a big difference between him and the current Kang Jin-ho.

Didn’t he see him fight the Crimson King?

How many people could gauge how strong a dragon and a Kirin [a mythical hooved Chinese creature] were just by watching them fight?

The battles of the untouchable powerhouses could open one’s eyes, but they couldn’t be felt on the skin. That was the case with the battle between the Crimson King and Kang Jin-ho.

He could tell they were terrifyingly strong, but he couldn’t quantify that strength.

But now, for the first time, Kang Jin-ho’s strength had entered the realm of calculation.

The Elder Knights.

Even Bator could see that their power was almost equal to his. The outcome would depend on the compatibility of their martial arts or who was in better condition.

No, to be cold, their power was slightly ahead of Bator’s. He was confident he could win if they fought directly, but objectively, their martial prowess clearly surpassed Bator’s.

In other words…

‘Even if there were eleven of me, I couldn’t beat the master.’

It was a fact he didn’t want to admit.

Bator had sworn allegiance to Kang Jin-ho. There was not a single change in that heart.

But being loyal to Kang Jin-ho didn’t mean giving up on surpassing him in the future.

Loyalty is loyalty, strength is strength.

There’s no reason why a general loyal to the king should be weaker than the king. It was only natural for him to be loyal to Kang Jin-ho but still strive to become stronger than him. He was a warrior, after all.

But rather than falling into despair, Bator was excited.

How could he not be?

Kang Jin-ho was now directly demonstrating the infinite possibilities of demonic cultivation.

In the past, Bator would have despaired. He would have felt keenly that no matter what he did, he could not catch up to Kang Jin-ho. But not the current Bator.

He had already accepted the demonic cultivation that Kang Jin-ho had passed on. And he was rapidly growing stronger even at this moment.

‘If I can make that power my own!’

If he could fully adapt to demonic cultivation and focus on training, he too could become as strong as Kang Jin-ho. How could he not be excited?

Bator licked his lips.

‘I will become stronger.’

Much more!

Much more than now! As strong as Kang Jin-ho!

Bator stared ahead, filled with excitement.

But at this moment, the most excited person was definitely not Bator.

‘••••••Demon Lord.’

A suppressed groan escaped.

Strong.

Unbelievably strong.

The divine power Kang Jin-ho was displaying was bringing an indescribable shock to those who had mastered the same demonic cultivation.

‘Look.’

Jang Min clenched his fist and said.

‘That is the Demon Lord. Your master, the master of all demons, and the one who will revive the glory of the Demonic Cult in this era.’

Gulp.

Dry saliva went down involuntarily.

How could they not know?

That Kang Jin-ho was the Demon Lord and their only leader.

When they saw his divine power in China, and when the Crimson King’s forces poured in, they had already acknowledged Kang Jin-ho as their only god in the fierce battle against the Crimson King.

But there was a huge difference between knowing something in your head and seeing it again with your own eyes.

And…

It was different.

Others only felt Kang Jin-ho’s strength, but these people were seeing another aspect in that spectacle.

The legend of the Demonic Cult.

The myth of the Demonic Cult.

Heavenly Beginning, Crimson End.

Demonic cultivation begins with the Heavenly Demon and ends with the Crimson Demon.

If all demonic cultivation began with the Heavenly Demon, then all demonic cultivation was completed with the Crimson Demon.

The sight of the protagonist of that myth wielding the Crimson and Azure Orbs, the sacred artifacts of the Demonic Cult, and slaughtering Western monsters as easily as flipping a child’s wrist, filled the demons watching with an indescribable emotion.

‘Do not doubt.’

‘He is the one who came from the past to save the Demonic Cult. He is the one who can rightfully take your lives, and rightfully rule all demons. In return, he will give you strength. Do not doubt.’

‘Yes!’

A resounding answer was heard.

Jang Min glanced back. The eyes of the children were filled with burning passion.

‘Oh, Demon Lord.’

It was unfaithful to demand proof from the Demon Lord. He was the one who came to save them. All they could offer him was unwavering faith and loyalty to the death.

But humans were cunning beings.

They didn’t believe what they couldn’t see, and even after believing, they doubted again and again.

The only way to make such people believe was…

To prove it.

And now, the Demon Lord was proving his power. And in the process of that proof, he was giving hope to those who believed in him.

The hope that they too would become stronger just by believing and following him.

‘It will be achieved.’

The Demonic Path Under Heaven.

Something they had longed for even in their dreams.

If he could even step on its shadow, if he could even witness the Demonic Path Under Heaven being achieved with his old eyes, Jang Min could smile even if his body was thrown into the fires of hell.

‘Watch! The Demon Lord will show you! The path you must take!’

Paah! Paah!

The skin on his fist tore, and blood flowed. He had swung his spear countless times in his life, but he had never put all his strength into a single strike like he was doing now.

Gawain was feeling the meaning of Kang Jin-ho’s words, ‘That was enough,’ to the bone.

He had not been desperate.

When had he ever risked his life to unleash a single strike to become stronger?

He had never known that if he unleashed a strike with all his might, his hand wouldn’t be able to withstand it. In other words, he had never unleashed a vortex with all his might in his long life.

Why was he realizing this now?

Gawain bit his lip.

‘No.’

Even if he had known, it wouldn’t have changed. There was no need for him to become that strong. Having obtained everything and only enjoying the glory, could he have abused himself to reach a slightly higher level that he didn’t need?

There was no way.

Humans couldn’t do that. Humans, once they had everything, eventually became lazy. There was no one who could abuse themselves from beginning to end for the sake of strength.

‘Is this the secret to his strength?’

Kang Jin-ho had been doing that.

The secret to strength?

Kang Jin-ho had been desperate.

He was still thinking, agonizing, and moving even at this moment to become stronger.

So, it was only natural that he was so strong.

In the end, there was no shortcut to strength. To become stronger, one had to strive and strive again. The one who had stubbornly kept that obvious truth was now before his eyes.

It was awe-inspiring.

He couldn’t help but respect him.

But…

‘Uwaaaaaaaah!’

Drawing up the blood that had spurted from his fist, a massive vortex flew towards Kang Jin-ho.

The best strike of his life.

‘You’re the one who’s going to die!’

Just because someone was stronger than him didn’t mean he couldn’t kill them. Gawain was prepared to die and poured everything into this strike.

The flying vortex, the pouring arrows, the cold chill that froze his entire body, the crescent sword light that suddenly rose, and the dazzling light of the sword strike that resembled Buddhist light.

All of it was pouring towards Kang Jin-ho at once.

Just watching it made his hair stand on end.

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth.

A wildness was roaring in his heart.

It was different.

It was definitely different from the attacks he had faced so far. Even if the power was similar, the attacks flying towards him now were clearly different from the attacks he had been receiving.

Killing intent.

The will to kill the opponent no matter what.

A vicious killing intent that aimed to give his neck and break the opponent’s bones was targeting him.

His hair stood on end.

His spine tingled with tension.

His hands gripping the Crimson and Azure Orbs unconsciously tightened.

Yes, this was it.

This was it!

This was a battle!

He felt like bursting into laughter. After losing five comrades, they had finally realized what a battle was.

Then he had to respond accordingly.

Fwaaaaaaah!

Black demonic flames burst out from his chest as if exploding. And the flames flowed through his arms and into the Crimson and Azure Orbs.

The Crimson and Azure Orbs, which had turned completely black, were instantly engulfed in flames. The Crimson and Azure Orbs, wrapped in rising flames, were swung wildly in the air.

A massive wall of flames was created.

The black wall of flames created by Kang Jin-ho and the attacks carrying the souls of the Elder Knights collided head-on.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

A storm of flames and slashes swept through the hall.

It didn’t just end with the shockwave. The rebounding aura and the exploding demonic flames scattered in all directions, hitting the walls, collapsing the pillars, and overturning the floor.

Kwarurururururung!

The hall shook as if an earthquake had struck. It was a wonder that the hall hadn’t collapsed despite the impact and shaking.

‘Block it!’

The fragments of aura and demonic energy scattering in all directions covered those who were watching.

Some managed to react in time, but others lost their lives instantly because they couldn’t react.

‘Kuh!’

Lee Hyun-soo, who was lying on the floor, suddenly raised his head.

‘What’s the result?’

At that moment, the figure of Kang Jin-ho rushing forward at a terrifying speed entered his sight.