Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 891

“They’re coming!” A panicked voice echoed.

“They’re approaching! They’re approaching this way!”

“If the ship gets a hole, it’ll sink in an instant! Elder, we need a plan!”

“How…”

“It’s dangerous! We need a plan! No, support!”

It was at that moment.

“Go!” A massive roar erupted.

Everyone trembled as the roar vibrated through their skin. Those who had shaken themselves awake focused their gaze on the source of the roar.

“You pathetic fools.”

The source of the roar. Jang Min glared at everyone.

“The Demon Lord is watching. Rather than show such a disgraceful sight, jump into the water.”

His chilling voice made everyone tense. Jang Min wasn’t usually like this.

The Jang Min they remembered was more benevolent than anyone, and he cared for the disciples more than anyone else. For such a Jang Min to speak so coldly meant that they had done something truly shameful.

“Did you come to Korea to be protected by the Demon Lord? Didn’t you come here to protect the Demon Lord and revive the Demonic Cult!”

Joo Kang bit his lip slightly.

It was different. In truth, Joo Kang didn’t belong to either side. The reason he came here was to become stronger by receiving the Demon Lord’s blessing.

However, if he had to choose one of Jang Min’s words, it would ultimately be the latter. They weren’t being protected by the Demon Lord. It was important to receive his teachings and become stronger.

“Since when has the Demonic Cult left the resolution of its own crises to others! You pathetic things, I’ve been too lenient with you all this time!”

At Jang Min’s stern rebuke, everyone lowered their heads.

Even in this urgent situation, no one could raise their heads. If another elder had said those words, they might have rebelled. Even if Kang Jin-ho had said the same thing, they wouldn’t have accepted it.

Jang Min was the only one in the world who had the right to say such things.

Jang Min glared at everyone with his piercing eyes. His short-cropped white hair and neatly trimmed beard couldn’t hide his intensity.

“Not just anyone, but the Japanese are swarming, and you look like frightened mice. If our predecessors saw you, they would spit blood and beat the ground! Can you still call yourselves the glorious disciples of the Demonic Cult!”

Jang Min’s voice, as if spitting blood, echoed.

“Kill them! Drench the sea in blood by killing all those mice who dare to try and board our ship!”

“Yes!”

Only after the unified response erupted did Jang Min nod.

‘It’s not enough.’

However, Jang Min wasn’t satisfied. This response was far from sufficient.

It was true that the Cult’s situation wasn’t good. It was also true that the Cult was barely hanging on the edge of a cliff.

But that couldn’t be an excuse forever.

If the situation changed, their mindset had to change as well. With the current attitude of the disciples, nothing would change no matter how good the demonic arts they learned or how good the environment was.

Isn’t that what demonic arts are all about?

When Kang Jin-ho made his name as the Heavenly Demon Lord, and even before that, when the Demonic Cult flourished and threatened the world, it was always when the fierce spirit was alive and breathing.

Ironically, the Demonic Cult is a strange group that becomes more powerful when they hate and fight each other as if they would devour each other, rather than when everything is going well.

It might seem strange to outsiders, but it’s perfectly natural from the inside. It meant that those who had mastered demonic arts were so completely tainted by demonic energy that they couldn’t even hide their murderous intent from their comrades.

But now, they hadn’t reached that level. And if things continued like this, they would never reach that level. It was absolutely impossible. A demon who prioritizes their own safety and thinks about the danger to their life before the joy they can get from battle doesn’t even deserve to be called a demon.

‘It’s a good opportunity.’

Jang Min looked at the Japanese warriors swimming towards the ship with cold eyes.

In the end, all of this was for one reason.

Those who were busy with their livelihoods hadn’t experienced proper combat.

Of course, it wasn’t that they hadn’t experienced combat. The demons had been in charge of cleaning up dirty work in China, and they had seen hellish scenes that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

However, experiencing a battlefield and being the subject of combat were clearly different things.

In Jang Min’s view, the problem with the current disciples of the Demonic Cult wasn’t that they hadn’t trained properly, but that they hadn’t experienced proper combat.

If they were demons of the past, they would have fought with their lives on the line or charged without fear of death, but now they lowered their heads first and humbled themselves.

Yes, it was a defeatist mentality.

They needed to get rid of that defeatist mentality that was deeply ingrained within them.

‘If you can only fight when you’re strong enough, then you’re not strong.’

What’s the point of aggression that’s only displayed against those weaker than you? That wasn’t the Demonic Cult. Rather than see that, Jang Min would overturn the Demonic Cult with his own hands.

“Don’t back down!” Jang Min’s voice thundered.

“It’s better to die than to retreat. There has never been a retreat in the history of the Demonic Cult. When you enter battle, there are only two possibilities. Either I die, or the enemy dies! Don’t be afraid to die! Only those who are prepared to die can return alive! The Demon Lord is watching!”

“Understood!”

With a massive shout, the demons’ eyes lit up.

‘Bastards.’

‘You only die once, not twice, right?’

He knew it was an obvious thing to say. But he also knew that he had to stick to that obvious thing.

They knew it too.

That they had to change now.

They came to Korea. That was different from simply changing where they lived. It meant they had abandoned their entire lives up until now.

Solely to become stronger.

They had abandoned everything and come all the way here because they no longer wanted to be mistreated for being weak and for being demons. And this was the first battle they were facing since coming to Korea.

And yet, they were retreating?

Running away?

Being terrified?

Then what had changed?

“Kill them! Those damn Japs!”

“We’ll kill them all!”

Their eyes were bloodshot.

The moment they retreated here, they would live the same lives as before.

It’s only difficult for a person to retreat once. Once someone retreats, they retreat twice. After that, every time they encounter a wall or an obstacle, they will retreat and look for another way.

It’s not that they don’t know how to become stronger just because they’re not strong now. They can never become stronger that way. No matter how great the martial arts, no matter how great the demonic arts, the effect will ultimately depend on who is mastering them.

If a coward wields a famous sword, can that famous sword display its true value?

‘In the end, the Demonic Cult is that kind of place.’

Joo Kang chuckled.

He was suddenly reminded. What kind of place the Demonic Cult was, what kind of place it originally was.

The weak are eliminated. The weak die.

It’s not that those who are weak in martial arts are eliminated and die. Those who are weak in mind are eliminated and die. The Demonic Cult is a place where, if you don’t have power, you must have evil.

“Move aside. I’ll stand in front.”

Joo Kang pushed aside those guarding his left and right and stepped forward. Then, his eyes took in the endless black sea and the Japanese warriors charging over the black sea, creating white foam.

“Hoo.”

Joo Kang let out a low sigh and focused his eyes.

‘I won’t end up as the old me.’

He had no intention of saying anything grand like being reborn. He just didn’t want to be ashamed of himself.

Joo Kang drew his sword and thrust it forward.

Kill or be killed.

It was the beginning of simplicity.

“Kill or be killed!”

“What are you saying, you crazy bastard! Retreat! Retreat!”

“Damn it! How can a ship retreat, you idiot!”

“Then turn the bow!”

Chun Tae-hoon was going crazy.

‘No, how am I supposed to control these guys!’

Unlike other ships, the ship he was on was originally manned by members of the General Assembly.

The problem was that while other ships had relatively well-trained elites, this ship didn’t have any proper elites.

The reason was very simple.

Currently, if you were to pick the strongest people in the General Assembly, excluding the Demonic Cult and the Demonic Flames who were based on demonic arts, it would naturally have to be the middle-aged and older generation.

Normally, you would pick the elders, but the elders had been completely wiped out by Wiggins and Bator. Very cleanly. Not to mention the Lee Joong-gul’s personal guards who were guarding Lee Joong-gul. They had faced Kang Jin-ho.

Then the next generation, that is, the middle-aged generation between forty and sixty years old, would be the next generation. The disciples of the elders, their teachers.

Chun Tae-hoon himself was a disciple of Bang Jin-hoon, who belonged to that generation. So, the people who should actually be on this ship were not them, but the middle-aged generation.

‘But why did it turn out like this!’

However, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t select them.

There could be many reasons.

First of all, since their teachers were elders, they couldn’t be completely loyal to Kang Jin-ho.

Loyalty to the ruler, loyalty to the teacher.

They were people who had been taught to follow their teachers like fathers. No matter how much they understood the situation and organized their positions in their heads, they couldn’t completely eliminate the instinctive rejection of Kang Jin-ho.

That’s why Lee Hyun-soo pushed that generation back while reorganizing the General Assembly.

When new martial arts were taught and new benefits were given, the younger generation was given priority.

This was the price.

In the end, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Thanks to that, they were on this ship, standing at the forefront of the General Assembly.

Well, he understood that much. Isn’t that how the world works? If you receive something, you have to give something in return. That’s the world. And it wasn’t exactly forced either.

Even if they had received volunteers instead of being drafted, the composition of this ship wouldn’t have been much different. Everyone wanted to fight, and they were eager to gain merit and get noticed by the higher-ups.

So, that was fine. It was all fine, but…

“Why do I have to command these bastards!”

“I said turn the ship! You bastard!”

“Hey, Chun Tae-hoon! Make a decision quickly! The Japs are swarming!”

“Ah, if they’re swarming, then we just fight!”

“We can’t win!”

Chun Tae-hoon clutched his head.

‘Ha, these trashy bastards.’

At that moment, a low chuckle was heard.

“Hahahaha.”

“Who the hell…”

Chun Tae-hoon turned his head and his eyes widened.

“It seems there’s a problem.”

“Ah…”

What was it he said? Shu… shit… no, Chevalier. Yes, Chevalier!

But what was his name?

“It seems there’s a problem, so we’ll take the front. Not that we’re looking down on you, but you still need more time. And we need to earn our keep too.”

The Chevaliers began to disperse to the edge of the deck after finishing their preparations.

Watching the scene, Chun Tae-hoon tilted his head.

“Did anyone understand what he said?”

There was no answer.