Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 908

“It was such a chaotic battle, I couldn’t grasp it immediately. I apologize.”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

“It’s not Chief Lee’s fault. It was unavoidable.”

Kang Jin-ho tapped his knee with his finger.

‘Ten….’

A small number.

Considering the number of people who went out and those who invaded, ten was such a small number that it could be ignored.

But it couldn’t be ignored.

A number isn’t just a number. Ten loaves of bread are nothing, but ten lives cannot be devalued by their mere count.

Kang Jin-ho felt a strange sensation.

The death of ten.

In the past, he wouldn’t have cared. War is predicated on sacrifice. It’s impossible for there not to be casualties among those who fight to kill each other.

He had seen countless sacrifices and countless deaths. Not just the enemies he killed. Those who fought alongside him had also died countless times.

Yet, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t particularly cared about them.

But now, it was….

Now….

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand and lightly rubbed his face.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

“Make sure the families of the deceased receive proper compensation.”

“I will handle it accordingly.”

“Properly.”

Kang Jin-ho spoke again, emphasizing each word, and Lee Hyun-soo nodded heavily.

“It may not be comforting, but I will ensure that the Assembly does not give the impression of neglecting the sacrifices.”

“Good.”

He had a bitter taste in his mouth.

He didn’t know why. Was it because he had taken a step back from running the Demonic Cult in the past, or was it because he had changed now….

It wasn’t important.

What was important was that Kang Jin-ho was quite displeased right now.

“Continue.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo straightened his posture.

“We have controlled the accident area through the military and coast guard. It seems that the ships coming from Japan were allowed to pass, and they recovered the remaining survivors.”

“The ship?”

“It has completely sunk.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

He didn’t want to leave unnecessary traces. It was a sensitive issue, after all.

“It’s so deep that it’s unlikely to be discovered.”

“You never know in this world.”

“Even if it is revealed later, it doesn’t matter much. The ship’s nationality is Japanese, and they will have to explain it.”

Bator grinned.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be good if it was revealed?”

“…You have a bad taste.”

Lee Hyun-soo also smiled wryly.

Winning didn’t erase the animosity towards Japan. If a burglar broke into your house and you subdued them without harm, you wouldn’t suddenly like the burglar.

Especially if that burglar had broken into your house several times before.

“As a result, we have gained a lot. The news will probably spread all over the world soon. No country will be able to ignore the Assembly now. We lost some, but we gained much more.”

“Indeed.”

Wiggins added.

“Subduing the Japanese expeditionary force, of all things, is a valuable achievement.”

The exact details of what happened wouldn’t spread. But the fact that Korea defeated Japan would spread no matter what.

“What’s so great about those Japanese bastards?”

“They seem stronger than the Mongols, though?”

“What?”

Bator was furious, but Wiggins smoothly deflected Bator’s anger.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“…Be grateful that you only lost an arm. If you were whole, I would have pulverized you.”

“I am always grateful.”

Wiggins grinned and raised his prosthetic arm. Bator clicked his tongue as if he had nothing more to say.

‘I can’t win against him.’

Wiggins, having subdued Bator, turned to Kang Jin-ho.

“One Lord.”

“Hmm?”

“We achieved a great victory, but we didn’t really gain anything. If we’re being cold about it, we just exchanged sacrifices for fame. This fame seems helpful, but it’s also useless.”

“That’s right.”

“If we back down now, it seems like we’ll be at a loss… How about we tighten the screws a bit more?”

Kang Jin-ho fixed his gaze on Wiggins.

“Tighten?”

“Yes.”

Wiggins smiled and continued.

“They are in complete disarray right now. They’re probably busy trying to manage the internal situation. If we demand they take responsibility for the invasion, it will only cause more chaos.”

Lee Hyun-soo agreed.

“They won’t be able to handle it.”

“So, we can extract material compensation from them.”

“Material compensation…”

“They are a wealthy country, so we can extract quite a lot. Send me. I’m quite experienced in these kinds of negotiations.”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back on the sofa.

“Material compensation…”

He chuckled for some reason.

“Can you exchange a human life for money?”

Wiggins closed his mouth at Kang Jin-ho’s words.

“Compensation isn’t paid with such things. Money? Yes, money is important. But sometimes, there are things more important than money in this world.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice grew lower.

“The price of a life can only be paid with a life.”

His teeth were bared.

Everyone who saw Kang Jin-ho’s distorted expression knew instinctively.

This wasn’t a post-war settlement meeting.

Their war might be over, but Kang Jin-ho’s war was not.

But….

“So what if it isn’t?”

Wiggins asked, and Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette with a stern face.

Click.

The cigarette was lit. The smoke from the burning end dissipated into the air.

“Anyone can start a war.”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Kang Jin-ho.

“But ending a war isn’t something you can do as you please. Because I’m not done yet.”

The deeply inhaled cigarette smoke was slowly exhaled. Kang Jin-ho, half-hidden by the smoke, spat out the words.

“Kill the invaders. Don’t chase the fleeing.”

“If that’s the principle, what about them?”

Kang Jin-ho met each of their gazes.

“Did they invade?”

“No.”

“Then did they flee?”

“…No.”

Kang Jin-ho stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

“The ones who started the war weren’t the ones on the ship. The one who started the war is someone else. But they haven’t paid the price.”

His voice was getting lower and lower.

Soon, a slight metallic scraping sound began to emerge.

“They suffered damage?”

He laughed.

Kang Jin-ho was laughing quietly.

“Damage means blood. If they don’t shed their own blood, it’s not damage. No matter how much damage they suffer. It can’t compare to the pain of their own flesh falling off.”

Lee Hyun-soo swallowed hard.

The meaning of Kang Jin-ho’s words was clear.

But it was too reckless.

“B-but, Guild Leader.”

It was Lee Hyun-soo’s job to speak up at times like this.

“I understand your intentions, Guild Leader, but they are powerful. Just because we won one battle doesn’t guarantee we’ll win the next. Please postpone a full-scale war in this state.”

Wiggins also dropped his relaxed demeanor.

“I agree, Lord. If you really want to punish them, please give us a little more time. We will soon have the power to completely overwhelm them. There’s an Eastern saying that a gentleman’s revenge is not too late even after ten years.”

But there were those who did not agree with those words.

“The Demonic Lord was attacked.”

Jang Min’s face was full of anger.

“Although they targeted Korea, their goal was very clear. They attacked the Demonic Lord. How can we leave them be!”

Jang Min knelt before Kang Jin-ho.

“Demonic Lord, please give the order. I will lead the cult members and cut off their heads to make them realize the Demonic Lord’s majesty.”

Bator shrugged.

“I don’t want to agree with this old man if I can help it, but I agree this time. We were attacked. Just because we defended well doesn’t erase that fact. If we let this go, it will be clear that Korea and the Assembly are places that can be messed with if you have the power.”

Wiggins frowned.

“Such an extreme…”

“Those words don’t suit you. Have you forgotten? The Murim world [martial arts world] is like that. The weak are devoured. And that weakness doesn’t always mean a lack of power.”

“No one touches a tenacious person who can bite their ankles even while being beaten. But no matter how strong someone is, if they don’t retaliate after being hit, everyone will try to poke them. If you don’t show it when you need to, you’ll eventually become a target.”

Bator said firmly.

“It’s even more important at times like this. The Assembly has started to gain attention. With the involvement of Hong Wang and Japan, everyone’s eyes are on the Assembly. If we are not decisive at this time, we will never be decisive.”

Wiggins sighed.

In principle, Bator’s words were correct. The Murim world was originally like that. There was no place where the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ fit better.

The problem was that there were many factors in that ‘weakness’. A strong gentle person is sometimes devoured by a weak but tenacious one.

But rationally, the timing was not right.

The Assembly was in the midst of development. Demonic arts were being taught, and new martial arts were being created. And the system was being changed efficiently. And there were attempts to legalize the Assembly itself.

In the midst of that, war?

‘Reckless.’

Victory and defeat were not important. Whether they won or lost, they would suffer enormous damage.

Perhaps to the point where they could never recover.

If a little more time passed, they could subdue them without damage. So why rush and cause damage? They just needed to wait a little longer.

Then, Kang Jin-ho quietly opened his mouth.

“I think there’s a bit of a misunderstanding.”

As Kang Jin-ho spoke, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him.

“I never said I would wage a full-scale war. I said I would make them pay the price.”

“Yes?”

Lee Hyun-soo asked blankly.

The enemy was Japan itself.

It was clear who had planned this. Shin’nichikai, the largest yakuza group in Kansai. But how could they make them pay the price without a full-scale war?

“The one who has to pay the price will ultimately be one person, right?”

“…Are you talking about the head of Shin’nichikai?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes darkened.

“People died. If it hadn’t been for Nobuo, more people would have died. The debt of life can only be paid with a life.”

“But how?”

As soon as the words were finished, Kang Jin-ho answered.

“I’ll go.”

The moment Kang Jin-ho answered, Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

“Blood for blood, tooth for tooth.”

A cold killing intent permeated the room.