Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 371

“He’s coming out.”

“So it seems.”

Jo Gyu-min and Bang Jin-hoon watched Kang Jin-ho walk out of the building.

“Well, look at that? He even changed his clothes?”

“You weren’t expecting him to come out looking like that, were you?”

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head violently, thinking about Kang Jin-ho’s state when he went inside the building.

“Oh, please. My heart can’t take it.”

“You, Chairman Bang?”

“I used to think my only advantage was my sturdy body, but ever since I met that man, I’ve realized my liver is a bit weak and my heart is fragile.”

“…I can’t argue with that.”

Jo Gyu-min, realizing that according to Bang Jin-hoon’s logic, he should also be classified as someone with a weak heart, quietly clutched his chest.

If something like today happened just one more time, it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed from a heart attack.

“Anyway, geez.”

Jo Gyu-min sighed quietly.

“So, is everything roughly settled now?”

“…Settled?”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned, looking at the devastated training ground and the Yeongnam Assembly members huddled in a corner.

‘How am I supposed to settle this?’

He had never imagined that the outcome of the war would be like this. No, actually, he hadn’t thought about it at all. Usually, when you go to war, you don’t think about the aftermath.

“Well, let’s ask for his opinion first.”

“We should.”

After all, how to settle this matter also depended on what Kang Jin-ho would say.

Watching Kang Jin-ho walk towards them, Jo Gyu-min opened his mouth weakly.

“He looks incredibly refreshed…”

“Does he?”

“He looks like he’s completely relieved his stress. It’s chilling, really.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

Bang Jin-hoon laughed awkwardly.

Everyone has different ways of relieving stress, but Kang Jin-ho’s way of relieving stress was definitely a bit problematic.

“You’ve been waiting.”

“Ah, well…”

Don’t talk so casually!

Bang Jin-hoon felt a sense of despair as he recalled what this young man had done just a moment ago, speaking so nonchalantly.

“It seems like everything’s roughly done, is there anything left to do?”

“Huh?”

Bang Jin-hoon looked at Kang Jin-ho with a bewildered expression.

‘Why are you asking me that?’

Everyone is waiting because of you.

“No. Well, there isn’t anything left to do, really.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go. You said there’s nothing more to do here, right?”

“W-well, that’s true, but…”

He felt like he was being dragged into something.

“Then what about those people?”

Bang Jin-hoon pointed to the Yeongnam Assembly members kneeling on one side, and Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“What about them?”

No, I mean, why are you asking me that!

Bang Jin-hoon felt like crying.

“Are you thinking of taking them and locking them up?”

“I don’t know if there’s a prison that can hold those people.”

Even if there was such a prison, there wouldn’t be one big enough to hold so many people.

“Then why are you worrying? Just leave them and go.”

“No…”

Jo Gyu-min grabbed Bang Jin-hoon’s arm as he was about to say something.

“Just a moment.”

Jo Gyu-min pulled Bang Jin-hoon back and spoke in a low voice.

“Calm down first.”

“…I don’t understand what he’s saying. Why is he like that?”

“It seems like there’s a difference in thinking.”

“Way of thinking?”

“To be precise, should I say perception? Anyway, right now, Chairman Bang, you’re thinking of this as a war between the General Assembly and the Yeongnam Assembly, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But it seems like Kang Jin-ho just came to turn the Yeongnam Assembly upside down because they messed with him.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He’s done what he wanted to do, so he doesn’t need to care about the rest.”

“Wow…”

So, he’s saying that he’s vented his anger, and the rest is none of his business?

“Aren’t you going to take over the Yeongnam Assembly with this opportunity?”

“No, that would be good. But that’s not his job.”

“Can I pull my hair out a little?”

“If it makes you feel better.”

Of course, there was no way he had the strength to do that, so Bang Jin-hoon had no choice but to lower his head powerlessly.

‘What sin did I commit in my past life to be stuck cleaning up after such a person?’

After sighing once, Bang Jin-hoon approached Kang Jin-ho again with a tearful face.

“So, you’re saying we should just leave those people behind?”

“Is there a need to take them?”

“Kang Jin-ho, this is a golden opportunity to integrate the Yeongnam Assembly.”

“Can you handle it if we integrate them?”

“Uh…”

Bang Jin-hoon’s mind began to get complicated.

Initially, his idea was to accept the Yeongnam Assembly into the General Assembly after completely subduing them through a war, but this situation was a bit different.

‘Can I control them?’

Thanks to Kang Jin-ho’s rampage, they had all surrendered, but even the remaining members outnumbered the General Assembly. Not only were there more of them, but their skills were also objectively superior to the General Assembly’s martial artists.

‘There are too many left.’

It was said that in the past, when conscripts led the war, even if only one in ten died on the front lines, the rest would scatter and fall apart, and this was exactly like that.

Looking at the remaining members, it was hard to understand why they were considered defeated soldiers.

‘They should have shown the spirit to fight until they collapsed.’

Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue a few times and glanced at Kang Jin-ho.

Given Kang Jin-ho’s personality, it was obvious that if he left this place today, he wouldn’t pay any attention to them. Without Kang Jin-ho’s help, it would be impossible to absorb them into the General Assembly’s forces without any losses.

If he forced it, it wouldn’t be helpful, but rather become a poison within the General Assembly.

“Ugh…”

Bang Jin-hoon, thinking there was no other way, eventually gave up.

‘It’ll give me indigestion if I eat it.’

If it’s not something you can digest even if you eat it nicely, then it’s wise not to eat it, no matter how appetizing it looks.

“Still, isn’t it a bit much to just leave them like this?”

“Lee Hyun-soo, or whatever his name is, will take care of the rest.”

“Lee Hyun-soo? Did you meet Lee Hyun-soo?”

“Yes. Inside there.”

Bang Jin-hoon said with a stiff face.

“Lee Hyun-soo is a very cunning person. You shouldn’t trust such a person…”

“I never trusted him.”

“Huh?”

“I just think he’ll act on his own. If he has any sense, that is.”

Bang Jin-hoon was momentarily speechless.

“No, still, being so lax…”

Bang Jin-hoon closed his mouth as he was about to say something.

Come to think of it, his relationship with Kang Jin-ho wasn’t that different from Lee Hyun-soo’s relationship with Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t restrict him in any way, nor did he ask anything of him.

But Bang Jin-hoon was already acting as if he was Kang Jin-ho’s subordinate.

‘That guy won’t be any different.’

Thinking about why he was sticking by Kang Jin-ho’s side, Bang Jin-hoon completely lost interest in the Yeongnam Assembly.

“Then are you going back?”

“Yes.”

“…T-then, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon made a disgruntled face as he watched Kang Jin-ho head towards the main gate without any hesitation.

‘Is he really leaving?’

How can it end like this?

Usually, in this kind of situation, even if they’re not good at it, they would at least try to show off in front of those who have kneeled and surrendered, or if not, they would try all sorts of things to use them like their own limbs.

“B-but… wait a minute!”

“Yes?”

Bang Jin-hoon, who had finally come up with an idea to stop Kang Jin-ho, shouted confidently.

“Is it okay with such a half-hearted approach? If this were a normal situation, you could take your time to organize the Yeongnam Assembly, but isn’t it a situation where Japan could make a move at any time?”

Kang Jin-ho laughed lightly.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s okay?”

“Yes. They’ll probably be quiet for a while. Otherwise, there’s no point in letting them live.”

“Letting them live?”

He wanted a more detailed explanation, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer. Seeing his gaze fixed on the distant forest, Bang Jin-hoon narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze in the direction Kang Jin-ho was looking.

‘Could it be?’

Is someone there? I don’t feel anything?

‘That monster…’

Sakatsuki hid behind a tree.

It was an instinctive action that had nothing to do with efficiency.

The tree was too weak of a cover to hide from the eyes of a guy who had the ability to know that he was being watched from this far away, but just the fact that their eyes weren’t directly meeting seemed to calm his pounding heart a little.

‘I have to report this.’

His head was already aching, wondering how he should explain what he had seen today. But he couldn’t not report it.

If he didn’t properly convey the information that there was such a monster in the peninsula, how much damage would they suffer in the future?

‘It’s unbelievable.’

It was shocking that such a martial artist had emerged in Joseon [Korea], which was practically a wasteland for martial arts. What was even more shocking was that today, Kang Jin-ho had unified the Korean martial arts world.

Of course, non-mainstream groups like minor sects and returnees would not be influenced by Kang Jin-ho, but unifying the visible forces alone was a great achievement.

Considering that China and Japan are currently divided into several factions and are in conflict, the unified power of Korea could exert an influence beyond imagination.

‘We have to stop him!’

Sakatsuki turned away and started running in the opposite direction, watching Kang Jin-ho heading towards the main gate.

‘I have to move quickly.’

Sakatsuki’s actions were completely different from what Kang Jin-ho had expected. Unlike Kang Jin-ho’s expectation that those who had witnessed his power would be more cautious, Sakatsuki was planning to demand that the Gumi side move immediately.

Sakatsuki thought the current situation was more dangerous than Kang Jin-ho thought. And he thought that if time passed and the Yeongnam Assembly and the General Assembly surrounding Kang Jin-ho regained stability and united, it would be even more difficult to strike Kang Jin-ho.

‘If I report what I saw today as it is, the higher-ups will also think it’s dangerous.’

If so, the higher-ups’ response would also change.

Perhaps, in order to take over the appetizing place called Korea, even rival forces might join hands and rush to Korea. If that were the case, even Kang Jin-ho…

“Krrrk.”

“What, what was that?”

Sakatsuki stopped in his tracks.

He had definitely heard a strange sound just now?

Sakatsuki shook his head, looking around wildly.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

There was no sign of anyone around.

“Krrrk.”

Sakatsuki was now certain that he hadn’t misheard.

A clear, beast-like growling sound was ringing clearly in his ears.

Someone was targeting him right now.

But Sakatsuki couldn’t move at all.

The place where the low growl came from was right behind his back.

Crack, crack.

Sakatsuki trembled, hearing an unidentified noise that he couldn’t even guess what it was.

‘What the hell is it…’

And a bizarre voice that couldn’t be imagined to be human began to be heard in his ears.

“Kang Jin-ho is mine.”

Sakatsuki couldn’t say anything.

He could only look down at someone’s hand that had pierced through his chest and was sticking out.

The hand that looked black with blood.

“Hehehehehe, Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho…”

As he felt his consciousness fading away, the last thing Sakatsuki heard was someone’s laughter that sounded like a ghost.