Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 243

Kang Jin-ho stared at the masked figures, his eyes hollow. Though their faces were hidden, he could read their emotions in the exposed parts around their eyes.

Confusion.

And fear.

Kang Jin-ho disliked those two emotions.

He wouldn’t stop until their expressions were painted with utter despair, not just fear.

“Next.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice echoed, and the masked figures flinched. Their gazes shifted to their fallen comrade—or rather, the corpse of someone who had been a comrade moments before.

Seeing the headless body and the blood gushing like a fountain, their minds reeled.

Had they seen death before?

Countless times.

The number of people they had killed with their own hands was beyond counting.

But never like this. They had always faced humans.

They had witnessed countless human deaths, but they had never imagined a human could be so easily decapitated, like a toy.

Because they were human.

Not toys.

Yet, the scene before them was not a movie or a cartoon, but an inescapable reality.

The fallen corpse was not a meticulously crafted dummy with special effects, but a person who had been talking and laughing with them just moments ago.

“…Crazy.”

There were so many things to say.

But no words came. Like a child with a limited vocabulary, the thoughts in their minds couldn’t be expressed.

They could only tremble.

Their bodies shook uncontrollably, betraying their will. Their vision blurred, and their ears rang.

In this moment, facing something unimaginable, they were not warriors but mere humans.

Mere humans.

The moment he realized he was human, Lee Jae-seok understood.

How reckless it was to fight that monster with a weak human body, lacking sharp claws or the ability to tear flesh and break bones in an instant.

‘I… I have to run.’

Wasn’t it cowardly for a warrior to think only of running without even trying to fight?

Bullshit.

The guy whose head was ripped off and rolling on the floor was also a warrior. Not some street thug.

A warrior who could literally leap into the sky and tear apart iron plates had ended up like that without even putting up a proper fight, and now they were talking about fighting?

This was no joke.

A warning signal blared in his head. The urge to run without looking back was so intense it threatened to overwhelm all other thoughts.

But….

‘Where do I run to?’

All sides were blocked.

The abandoned factory they had chosen to block Kang Jin-ho’s escape was now blocking their own. The only escape route had been neatly sealed by Kang Jin-ho when he blocked the door.

So where on earth were they supposed to run?

Lee Jae-seok felt like the factory was a giant cage.

A cage where a beast had been released.

And they were the prey thrown to the beast.

They couldn’t run, and they couldn’t resist.

“Who’s next?”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was calm.

It was so calm and composed that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had just killed someone like a child playing with a toy.

Lee Jae-seok looked at Kang Jin-ho with a hollow gaze.

The blood that had gushed from his comrade’s body had dyed Kang Jin-ho’s entire body bright red. Seeing Kang Jin-ho’s expressionless face, half-covered in blood, made him feel like the boundary between reality and unreality was collapsing.

“Damn it.”

A low curse from behind him snapped him back to his senses.

‘What am I doing?’

This was reality.

The person who was about to grab his head and rip it off was coming right at him. But why was he just standing there dumbly, as if watching a movie?

Lee Jae-seok shuddered and took a small step back. Then he whispered quietly.

“Get a grip!”

His voice seemed to have an effect, as his comrades began to react.

“There are more of us.”

Even as he spoke, Lee Jae-seok knew his words wouldn’t be of much help. It was such an obvious and predictable thing to say! Besides, the momentum of Kang Jin-ho and their own was not something that could be overturned simply by numerical superiority.

“Either we kill him or we die. Do you think that bastard will just leave you alone if you’re trembling in fear and pissing your pants?”

Those words seemed to have a bit of an effect.

He could feel movement behind him.

“Don’t be cowards, grit your teeth. If we don’t kill him, we die.”

Those words were not only for the others but also for Lee Jae-seok himself.

Thinking about it, it was ridiculous.

That they, the elite of the Yeongnam Assembly, were so terrified by a single person that they couldn’t do anything. How could that be possible?

They were the ones who were supposed to instill fear in others, not the ones who were supposed to feel fear.

How much would others laugh if they knew?

Lee Jae-seok couldn’t understand himself.

He thought of himself as someone who was nothing without his guts and aggression. Yet, even after seeing his comrade die before his eyes, he was not enraged but was trembling in fear.

Of course, he wasn’t completely free from fear even now.

But at least he could now recognize that his reaction was not normal.

Lee Jae-seok clenched his teeth.

No matter who the opponent was, they had already crossed the point of no return. So, all that was left was to see who would survive.

Just as Lee Jae-seok was thinking that and trying to muster his fighting spirit.

That thing happened.

Sss sss sss.

With a strange noise, something like a black cloud began to rise around Kang Jin-ho’s body.

Lee Jae-seok felt the fighting spirit he had been trying to build up disappear in an instant.

What the hell was that?

Lee Jae-seok’s eyes began to tremble.

The scene he was witnessing was fundamentally different from anything he had ever known.

Muhak [Martial arts using internal energy]?

No Muhak he knew could create something like that from a person’s body.

The scene Lee Jae-seok was seeing could only be defined as a mystery.

‘Is he human?’

What the hell is this guy….

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho’s figure stretched out like taffy. He tried to pull his body back in horror, but Kang Jin-ho’s speed was twice as fast as his reaction.

Thud!

Feeling something like black smoke grab his face, Lee Jae-seok’s body thrashed like a fish pierced by a harpoon.

“Get some sleep. We have a lot to talk about.”

And feeling an excruciating pain that was impossible to describe through his face, Lee Jae-seok’s consciousness gradually faded.

‘I can’t….’

His thoughts could no longer continue, and Lee Jae-seok completely lost consciousness.

How much time had passed?

His consciousness, which had been as blank as drifting in a vast ocean, slowly began to surface.

‘Where am I?’

When did I fall asleep?

His hazy consciousness couldn’t get a grip.

It was a feeling of not remembering anything and not knowing anything.

What awakened his drowsy consciousness, as if he had been anesthetized, was a fishy smell.

A pungent, fishy, yet incredibly clear scent that pierced his nose and refreshed his entire body.

‘The smell of blood.’

Only then was Lee Jae-seok able to open his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, the cells in his entire body began to awaken. The drowsiness vanished in an instant, and his muscles contracted frantically.

Lee Jae-seok, remembering what had happened before he fell asleep, widened his eyes and looked around. His unfocused vision gradually became clear, and the surrounding scenery came into view.

“Ah…”

What immediately came was indescribable despair and fear.

“Agh…”

Blood.

Blood was flowing everywhere.

The floor, the factory walls, and even the ceiling were all stained red. The scene was so bizarre that it seemed as if the entire wall had been painted with red paint.

But the fishy smell of blood filling the factory… it was clearly telling him what those red liquids were.

‘This bastard is crazy.’

He was someone who had heard countless times that he was not in his right mind.

He was notorious even within the Yeongnam Assembly, which could be said to be the most violent group of warriors in Korea, and he was known for being heartless and ruthless.

He was said to have no human compassion, and he had heard countless times that he was out of his mind.

But….

He was at least within the realm of humanity.

Yes, he had killed people. It was ridiculous for a murderer to say this, but he at least saw humans as humans when he killed them. He didn’t treat humans like toys or weapons like this.

“Crazy bastard…”

The words that came out of his mouth were not meant to be answered. But the one who heard his words was more kind than he thought. Because he answered right away.

“Are you awake?”

That voice was calm.

It was so calm, so calm that it sounded even more bizarre.

His seven comrades must have all been killed by this beastly bastard. And yet, the guy who had just killed seven humans in such a horrific way was maintaining such a calm voice. How chilling was that?

Lee Jae-seok gripped the floor. He could feel the dirt digging into his fingers, causing a stinging sensation, but now was not the time to worry about that.

Thud thud.

He could hear Kang Jin-ho walking behind him.

Lee Jae-seok couldn’t even think of resisting.

Run away?

He knew all too well how impossible that was.

From the moment Kang Jin-ho broke through the door and stormed into this factory, their fate was already sealed.

Like cattle trapped in a slaughterhouse.

All he could do was hope that the pain of death wouldn’t be too long.

“Here.”

Kang Jin-ho came right in front of Lee Jae-seok and squatted down.

Lee Jae-seok looked at Kang Jin-ho, panting.

He was ordinary.

It might sound ridiculous, but Kang Jin-ho’s face, seen in this situation, was more ordinary and peaceful than ever.

Who could have guessed that unimaginable violence was lurking behind that thin-looking face?

This crazy bastard would be more than capable of tearing his body to shreds in an instant with that peaceful face.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo…”

His breath was coming in short gasps. His whole body was trembling, and cold sweat poured down his body like rain.

His bloodshot eyes darted around, unable to find a place to settle.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly watching Lee Jae-seok’s changes, slowly opened his mouth.

“Tell me.”

Lee Jae-seok could not refuse.