Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 900

‘I would have told you.’

Indifferent.

And calm.

It was a voice that didn’t suit this eerie place at all. But Nakata Yuji thought that the voice suited that man well.

Because that man was that kind of man.

A person who was a little detached from the world.

A person who was not affected by things like common sense, laws, or the elements that govern the general world. Since it was the voice of such a person, it was natural that it didn’t match the surrounding environment.

He wouldn’t have thought this way when he didn’t know Kang Jin-ho. But now that he knew what kind of human Kang Jin-ho was, he couldn’t help but think that way.

Different.

This guy was different from anyone he had ever known. Just because he had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, two arms and two legs, didn’t make him the same as other humans.

This guy was something else in human form.

Strength?

It wasn’t that.

There would be others as strong as Kang Jin-ho in the world. The Red King, who Kang Jin-ho had fought on equal terms, would be one, and perhaps the Leader might also be at a similar level as Kang Jin-ho.

But they could never be Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho’s strength wasn’t just about brute force.

The power to overwhelm his surroundings. That was what Kang Jin-ho had.

Nakata Yuji had seen the Leader countless times and had been in awe of his power, but the Leader’s power and Kang Jin-ho’s power were of different kinds. The fear he felt from the Leader was a realistic fear that this guy might kill him at any moment.

But the fear he felt from Kang Jin-ho was not like that.

Even if a lion was tamed by humans, no one would dare put their head in front of the lion’s mouth.

That was not a matter of reason but of instinct.

The fear coming from Kang Jin-ho was not a calculated fear. It was the instinctive fear that humans felt when looking at an untamed beast. Kang Jin-ho had that.

‘You’re going to die a dog’s death.’

Step.

Kang Jin-ho took another step. Nakata Yuji stared at the scene with a slightly dazed look.

It didn’t feel real.

The situation he was in, what he was seeing in front of him, and even Kang Jin-ho approaching him… everything was blurry, as if submerged in water.

Nakata Yuji bit his lip.

‘This is escapism.’

Reality was reality.

No matter what the situation, what was needed to solve it was a clear understanding of reality.

This place was hell. And a demon was approaching him. But this wasn’t the end.

Nakata Yuji bit his lip.

‘What do you think?’

Step, step.

Kang Jin-ho came and stood right in front of Nakata Yuji. Kang Jin-ho’s legs came into Nakata Yuji’s eyes as he sat there.

He could feel it, the situation he was in right now.

Nakata Yuji slowly raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

There was nothing.

There was no emotion on his face.

But that didn’t mean he was indifferent. Kang Jin-ho’s face hadn’t changed much from the beginning. What did that fact mean?

‘It meant it was nothing.’

This battle, this war.

It meant it was nothing to this man. It was no different from an ordinary person taking a light stroll. To the man who had stood on countless deaths.

A laugh escaped him for no reason.

What did he say?

What did he babble to this man?

When Kang Jin-ho first jumped onto the ship, the words he had used to mock him came to mind.

How ridiculous he must have looked.

How pathetic he must have been.

Thinking about how Kang Jin-ho must have felt looking at Nakata Yuji mocking him, he felt like he wanted to stab himself with a knife and die right now.

‘The answer?’

Nakata Yuji looked at Kang Jin-ho with trembling eyes.

‘…A dog’s death.’

He muttered softly.

Then, a firm light entered Nakata Yuji’s eyes.

‘…I will not die a dog’s death.’

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up.

‘Can you do that?’

‘Yes. It is possible.’

‘How?’

He bit his lip. Then he clenched his fist tightly.

He could tell. This man wanted to talk to him right now.

‘That’s not for me to decide. It’s for you to decide.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled as if he was intrigued.

And from that smile, Nakata Yuji could feel Kang Jin-ho’s demonic nature. Just the number of people who had died at Kang Jin-ho’s hands in this place would be close to a hundred.

He didn’t even count the ones who had fallen into the sea and died. Just the number of people Kang Jin-ho had directly killed on this ship was that many.

And yet, he was smiling.

Even if war was like that, even if it was a war where you couldn’t help but kill people… how could someone who had killed that many people smile?

How many people had he killed, how many battlefields had he been through to be able to smile so nonchalantly even in this hellish battlefield?

For a moment, Nakata Yuji even forgot what situation he was in.

It was Kang Jin-ho’s voice that woke him up.

‘Why do you think I decide?’

‘…Because you spared me.’

‘Hmm?’

Nakata Yuji said in a trembling voice. He had to be calm. He had to be composed. Every word he uttered now would determine his life or death.

The tension was incomparable to when he spoke in front of the Leader. His hands and feet were already soaked with sweat, and his clothes were sticking to his back because of the sweat that had soaked through his back.

‘Everyone died. But I am alive. I don’t think this is because I was lucky. It’s because you, you spared me. And I think there’s a reason for that.’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Nakata Yuji without answering.

Then Nakata Yuji desperately continued.

‘Everything in the world has a cause and effect. If you spared me, there must be a reason. And I think that reason is because I am useful.’

‘Useful?’

‘Yes!’

Nakata Yuji said with conviction.

‘I know the Japanese martial world better than anyone else. And I can provide you with information about the Japanese martial world. Whether you try to stop Japan in the future, or try to invade Japan in reverse, either way, the information I have will be helpful.’

The sweat that flowed from his forehead seeped into his eyes.

His eyes stung, but Nakata Yuji didn’t close them. He didn’t take his eyes off Kang Jin-ho.

He shouldn’t try to play tricks here.

What he had to show was sincerity. These kinds of people weren’t that concerned with profit. Because they could create enough profit themselves.

Words were not important. What he gave was not important either.

What he had to show was not how valuable the information he could give was, but how proactively he was cooperating with Kang Jin-ho right now.

Nakata Yuji was confident he could do that.

Nation? Ethnicity?

Those things had no meaning. First, he had to live for there to be a nation or an ethnicity. And right now, this was the only way he could survive.

Nakata Yuji desperately clenched his trembling lips and looked at Kang Jin-ho. His eyes were bloodshot.

How to survive meeting a demon?

It was simple. Make a contract with the demon. Even if it meant giving up everything he had.

Then, a more terrible ending might await him, but he could survive for now. And Nakata Yuji thoroughly followed that method.

If he had to become a traitor, he would become a traitor, and if he had to become a dog, he would become a dog.

He didn’t even do mental gymnastics like swallowing mud for the future. He was just submitting to Kang Jin-ho to survive. He abandoned even the slightest bit of resistance in his heart and completely followed this man.

That was the path Nakata Yuji had chosen.

‘That’s a strange thing to say.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

‘You’re talking as if I’m going to invade Japan?’

‘…Aren’t you?’

Nakata Yuji said with a voice mixed with determination and tension.

‘Japan attacked first. And you repelled it. But in your calculations, this isn’t the end, is it?’

‘Your blood is too hot to end it with just repelling an unprovoked attack. You will surely try to punish Japan.’

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Nakata Yuji.

His mind was working as well as he thought.

‘Please use me.’

Nakata Yuji bowed his head to the ground.

‘I can be useful to you. If you use me, your goal can be achieved a little more easily.’

Nakata Yuji closed his mouth with those words.

Talking too much was counterproductive. At times like this, he had to wait quietly for his fate. He had to bow his head, but not be servile.

Then, Kang Jin-ho’s voice was heard.

‘You’re being overly submissive.’

‘It’s said to be a characteristic of the Japanese, but I don’t believe in national characteristics. People are just people. It’s just that the type of manners they have ingrained in their bodies is different.’

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Nakata Yuji and then opened his mouth.

‘I’m asking why you can surrender so submissively to an enemy you were fighting just a moment ago.’

‘It’s simple. It’s because I was impressed by you.’

‘Impressed?’

‘Yes.’

Nakata Yuji said firmly. This was not a lie.

‘Who wouldn’t be impressed by this man?’

His demonic strength, his determination, and his speed and boldness in handling things at an unbelievable pace as soon as he obtained information about them.

If he had to serve someone, it had to be someone like this.

‘There are people of various nationalities under your command. They must also be people who were impressed by you after fighting you. I think I know why they are under you. If I can’t reach the top myself, I want to serve someone who can.’

Nakata Yuji bowed his head to the ground again.

This was the end.

Now the decision would be made.

And…

‘This is a done deal.’

It was something that had been decided from the beginning. Otherwise, there would be no reason to spare Nakata Yuji. Why would he be alive now when all the stronger ones had died?

He just had to give a proper excuse and follow him sincerely.

And if he thought about it calmly, following Kang Jin-ho wasn’t that bad. Compared to that Leader, this man was someone who was truly worth serving.

So…

‘Interesting.’

It was the sound of laughter that broke Nakata Yuji’s thoughts.

‘You say I spared you because I needed you…’

And it was a laughter-filled remark that followed that laughter.

‘Do you know what a dog’s death is?’

‘…It’s when I die here opposing you.’

‘No, no. That’s not a dog’s death.’

Nakata Yuji raised his head.

Then his body froze like ice.

Eyes.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were slightly tinged with red. The moment he saw those eyes, Nakata Yuji instinctively knew that something was wrong.

‘The deaths of those who died here because of your orders are dog’s deaths. The deaths of those who had no choice but to make a forced choice are dog’s deaths.’

‘I, I…’

‘Of course, I don’t pity them. Even if it was a forced choice, a choice is a choice. However…’

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth.

‘You have to take responsibility.’

Crack.

Black magi claws grew from Kang Jin-ho’s hand.

‘If this war had succeeded, you would have achieved many things. So, it wouldn’t be bad to die paying the price for failure, would it?’

Nakata Yuji couldn’t say anything.

He could only look at Kang Jin-ho with trembling eyes.

He could only tremble before that overwhelming pressure.

‘Don’t worry.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.