Demon Immortal
Demon Immortal - Chapter 90: True Meaning of Heart of Killing

Duncan crashed through the walls and rolled a little bit before coming to a halt.

Duncan groaned in pain as he stood up and wiped some blood that leaked out of his mouth. The young man he was facing currently was really strong. Duncan was no match for him regardless of how he tried.

After clashing countless times with the young man, it became clear to Duncan that he wasn't going to injure the young man any further. That single drop of blood that spilled was the only thing Duncan was able to obtain until now. After that, it has continuously been his blood that was spilled.

The young man had wizened up to Duncan's strategy of aiming for the same location pretty quickly. Ever since then, every blow the young man had delivered was like a mountain smashing into him.

Duncan felt his insides shake from the impact with each blow. His arms were sore and every inch of his body ached in pain. Despite all that, Duncan didn't feel like giving in and dying. He could see that the young man wouldn't be merely satisfied with his death from the young man's eyes.

Those eyes were the same as a few sadistic individuals he had met in his town. He knew how these sick bastards acted. The moment a prey showed fear or the thought of giving up, they would increase the hurt they dealt to the prey. Thinking of being toyed with by the young man made Duncan snarl in his heart.

Rather than feeling fear or despair, Duncan only felt irritated that his sword wasn't doing anything to the young man. Despite all his efforts, his sword was simply unable to injure the young man at all. It was a miracle that it had stayed intact till now, despite Duncan's repeated usage.

Duncan snarled and once more entered the fray. He knew that there was no backing down from this fight. It was either he walked out alive or the young man. And Duncan refused to concede before his time was up.

If only his sword could deal some damage. If only he could fight back evenly instead of being tossed about like a ragdoll. If only he could cut that bastard into million pieces. If only…

Countless thoughts flew through Duncan's mind as he once more clashed with the young man. He was executing his martial arts to the best of his abilities, he wasn't just defending as he did earlier. Despite his best efforts, the bastard's skin was so tough that Duncan was beginning to get frustrated. And that frustration was soon turning into anger for Duncan.

Snarling at the young man, Duncan's sword once more connected with his punch. There was a perverse pleasure in the young man's eyes as Duncan once more flew back from the impact. Duncan smashed into yet another wall and slumped down.

This time Duncan didn't get up immediately like the previous time. Duncan laid still causing the young man to look at Duncan in surprise. The young man knew that he hadn't truly killed Duncan.

The young man had controlled his strength to the optimal level so that he could injure Duncan but not kill him. That way he would be able to play around with his prey for a long time. So, he knew that Duncan wasn't dead. But, Duncan's current state made him twitch in annoyance.

It seemed as if his prey's will to fight back was fully obliterated. If that was the case, then he didn't need to drag this on further. He could go ahead and torture his prey now.

Just as the young man decided to stop playing, he paused to see Duncan rising up from where he lay. However, something was different about the prey now. The prey usually rose up fast and would start to attack it relentlessly. But, this time the prey was rising up in a slow manner.

Just as the young man was conflicted about what to do, his prey looked up at him with a sneer on its face. The moment the young man made contact with the prey's eyes, he couldn't help but shiver. Something was different about it altogether.

Those eyes were devoid of any kindness, doubt, or anger. There was only mocking and pity in it. The young man had seen eyes like that before and it angered him to see such a thing on what he considered to be his prey. Those eyes told him that he wasn't the predator but rather the prey.

The young man snarled angrily and rushed to pummel that face into the ground. Only to stop midair as the prey swung its sword and stopped his attack nonchalantly.

The young man didn't know what was happening as he looked up in shock and confusion. He hadn't held back his strength while delivering this blow. By all rights, his prey must have been beaten to a pulp with his attack. But, the reality was completely different.

Before the young man could clear his mind, what he was considering as prey till now started chuckling. The sound was so horrifying that it sent shivers down his soul. His hair stood on the edge and he felt a primal fear come from deep within his heart.

"I understand…"

The prey said with a sinister smile that made the young man's heart palpitate.

*****

When Duncan flew back once more after being hit by the young man's attack, his mind blanked from the impact. The moment he slammed into the wall, his head hit the wall hard and Duncan fell into a daze as he slumped down.

Lying there, Duncan's mind was filled with images.

These weren't some normal images. These were images of him slaughtering the wild beasts during the beast tide. These were images of him fighting against a demonic beast despite being a mortal like a madman. These were images that he had subconsciously repressed in his mind for the sake of his own sanity.

While describing it took too long, this happened in just a moment as Duncan lay there in a daze. The memories of his fight with the wild beast horde filled Duncan's mind as he lay there stunned by the impact.

It wasn't just the memories he had repressed that filled Duncan's mind. Duncan somehow intuitively understood the state he was in at that moment. He grasped something that was indescribable but made perfect sense to him at that moment.

The moment he comprehended it, Duncan's rage, irritation, frustration, and anger at the situation vanished. He now knew the difference between how he fought currently and how he fought the wild beasts. With that knowledge, he could only pity this puny cannibal that had been beating him up for the past half a day.

He looked at the cannibal with pity and sneered at him. From what he understood, he realized why most demonic cultivators failed to cultivate a Heart of Killing. A single Heart of Killing was enough for his master to take him in as his disciple despite him being a mortal.

So, it was clear how powerful a Heart of Killing was.

If that were the case, then it is only logical that other people will also yearn to obtain it. But, none of them had been able to cultivate it so far. Why was that? The secret was now bare to Duncan and he intuitively understood what was different in him.

The cannibal couldn't hold his anger anymore and attacked Duncan with his full force. However, Duncan's heart wasn't fazed by that. While he couldn't follow the cannibal with his eyes, his instincts told him where the cannibal's attack came from.

He moved his sword. Not to cut, but to block. While he moved the sword, Duncan felt his actions and his heart's intentions merging in a mysterious way. It gave him the needed strength to block the cannibal as he knew he would be able to.

Feeling the cannibal's attack being blocked by his sword, Duncan finally confirmed what he had comprehended. It was true, Heart of Killing was a powerful tool. It increased his control over his qi and strengthened his body to a ridiculous degree.

What would have normally blown him back for a long distance was nothing in his eyes now? He was able to resolve the cannibal's attack easily. And this was not even his full power.

Duncan chuckled the moment he realized that.

"I understand…" Duncan muttered.

'The secret to Heart of Killing lies in the mindset. How could a mere rage or anger be enough to create something so wondrous as Heart of Killing? No, it needed more. My desire to kill can be a powerful motivator. My anger at my situation can be a great motivator. But, in the end, those were all human reactions.'

'It can never be compared to what a demon thinks. A demon is called a demon because its methods are different from typical human behavior. It is foolish to measure a demon's thoughts at the same level as a human's. There is a vast difference…'

'To even activate Heart of Killing, I need to desire for something more than killing…'

'True Destruction…'

Duncan laughed weirdly and punched the cannibal in his face sending him flying.

"I am going to kill you. I am going to annihilate you… I am going to… destroy you in every sense of the word…"

Duncan said sinisterly and pounced at the cannibal who was just standing up. As he pounced, a black aura started to waft from his body and when it reached his sword, it created a reddish hue that gave a baleful air to it.

*****

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