Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2084

Screeeeeech! The car screeched to a halt, its brakes protesting loudly. Goh Han-bong, in the passenger seat, frowned as he looked ahead. The road was blocked by a chaotic mess of tanks, making it impossible to drive any further. “It looks like we can’t go any further! We should get out here…” Before Goh Han-bong could finish his sentence, Choi Yeon-ha flung open the car door. Rain was pouring down, but she didn’t have the presence of mind to grab an umbrella. An inexplicable anxiety had been weighing on her for a while now. Now, there was no need to ask where to go. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on a single point. Kang Jin-ho was in the direction they were all looking. Choi Yeon-ha immediately rushed forward. She knew she should be leading Kang Jin-ho’s family, who were behind her, but she couldn’t resist the urge that was rising in her chest. But at that moment. Click! Dozens of gun barrels were pointed at her. Choi Yeon-ha flinched and took a step back, and then a soldier nearby approached and pressed the muzzle of his gun right below her neck. “W-wait a minute!” Goh Han-bong was horrified and rushed forward. They hadn’t brought any bodyguards because they had traveled in two cars. He could get into trouble if he acted recklessly, but Goh Han-bong didn’t have time to worry about that. “I am Goh Han-bong, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. Call your superior!” He spoke quickly in broken Chinese, but the soldiers’ eyes didn’t change at all. “What nonsense is this? They’re suspicious. Take them all away!” “W-wait, just let me make one phone call!” “Shut your mouth!” The soldiers, their nerves on edge, were about to drag them away when it happened. “Are these guys crazy?” Crack! Someone grabbed the gun pointed at Choi Yeon-ha and twisted it. The soldiers’ eyes widened as they watched the steel barrel bend like taffy. A huge man appeared, glaring at them with the eyes of a wild beast. “You bastards!” Thud! Kong Young-gil kicked the soldier in front of him hard. The soldiers who collided with the flying soldier were sent sprawling in all directions like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball. “Kong Young-gil.” Just as Kong Young-gil was about to shout, a cold voice came from behind him. “Don’t overdo it, and step aside.” “Damn it…” Kong Young-gil turned around, his eyes filled with annoyance. Ma Yeom was glaring at him, their eyes bloodshot. “No, you bastards! This isn’t the time for this, is it?” The moment the gun was pointed at Choi Yeon-ha, killing intent surged from Ma Yeom. Kong Young-gil had stepped in to prevent them from taking matters into their own hands. If they got involved, it wouldn’t end with just him stepping in. “I said step aside. Unless you want to die too.” “Can’t you understand what I’m saying?” Just as Kong Young-gil was about to glare, an annoyed voice came from Choi Yeon-ha. “What are you doing!” At her words, Ma Yeom turned to look at Choi Yeon-ha. “If we have time to fight amongst ourselves, let’s clear the way!” “Yes, Director!” Ma Yeom immediately nodded and began to move. “W-what are these guys?” “S-should we fire?” As the soldiers panicked, someone received a radio message and shouted loudly. “Pass! They said to let them pass!” “What?” “They said to let them pass immediately! And with respect!” The guard looked like he couldn’t understand, but he nodded. He didn’t need to understand. His job was to follow the orders he was given. “Please pass.” Hearing those words, Choi Yeon-ha led Kang Jin-ho’s family forward. Ma Yeom quickly surrounded them, as if they were protecting them. “Haaah.” Kong Young-gil let out a rough breath. ‘Damn bastards.’ What were they trying to do by causing trouble here? The reason why ordinary people fear martial artists was evident in this one scene. Ordinary people don’t try to retaliate immediately when someone acts aggressively. Of course, Ma Yeom was particularly violent among martial artists… Kong Young-gil might not look much different from them in the eyes of ordinary people. Feeling the gap that seemed impossible to bridge, Kong Young-gil quickly followed those who had rushed ahead. ‘Hurry!’ Choi Yeon-ha cursed herself for not being able to run faster, urging her feet forward. The raging storm had suddenly calmed down. The end of a storm should always be a good sign, but at this moment, Choi Yeon-ha couldn’t help but feel uneasy. As she emerged from the chaotic mess of tanks, a huge barrier of people came into view. But before Choi Yeon-ha could do anything, Ma Yeom moved first. “Get out of the way!” Ma Yeom rushed forward and cleared a path in an instant. Those who turned their heads, momentarily filled with anger, were terrified by the killing intent that Ma Yeom was emitting and backed away. It was partly because they sensed that their skills were no match for them, but more than that, it was because the energy they felt from them stimulated their instincts. It was unnecessary to explain what the demonic energy emanating from Ma Yeom meant to those who had completely lost their will to fight due to the fighting spirit emitted by Kang Jin-ho and the Black King. Following the path that had been cleared, Choi Yeon-ha ran. She was dizzy. She couldn’t understand the soldiers who had suddenly appeared, nor the people beyond them. She had no idea what was happening here. Nevertheless, Choi Yeon-ha ran. “S-sister! Wait for me…” Choi Yeon-ha turned her head and looked at Kang Eun-young. Choi Yeon-ha reached out and grabbed Kang Eun-young’s hand, then started running forward again. How long had she been running? Finally, a vast expanse of land came into view. Choi Yeon-ha’s steps gradually slowed. A wide, open plain. There was nothing particularly strange about it, yet it felt strangely out of place. And Choi Yeon-ha quickly understood the nature of the unease she was feeling. ‘It’s gone.’ A land where not a single artificial structure could be seen. But there wasn’t even a single natural thing there. Not even a single blade of grass that should naturally exist on such a vast land. It was a cliché, but if there was a place to use the term ‘land of death,’ it would be this place. Choi Yeon-ha could guess that the land she was seeing now hadn’t always looked like this. There must have been something man-made here. But now, there was nothing left here. Nothing. The harsh, unfamiliar sight tightened Choi Yeon-ha’s heart. In that desolate land, Choi Yeon-ha found the backs of familiar people. And beyond those familiar backs… Twitch. Choi Yeon-ha clenched her fist without realizing it. She could tell. Even though he was so small that she couldn’t even recognize his face, she could tell. She knew who was standing there. ‘Jin-ho.’ Choi Yeon-ha’s stopped feet began to move again. She just knew. Choi Yeon-ha walked forward as if possessed. Was it him? Was that person really the Kang Jin-ho she knew? Yes. But no. That back was so familiar to her. But it was also so unfamiliar. She had never seen it before. Kang Jin-ho, shaking so much. Kang Jin-ho, bending over as if he was about to collapse. He was so small and pitiful. That’s why it was unfamiliar. To her, Kang Jin-ho had always been a strong person. Clumsy and foolish, but still… an incredibly strong person. That person was collapsing now. Right before her eyes. “Ah…” Something welled up from deep inside her. Her fingertips trembled, and her vision blurred. He was there. In the middle of this desolate land, Kang Jin-ho was standing alone. Before her mind could even process it, her feet moved as if possessed. Forward, and forward again. Towards where Kang Jin-ho was. But then. “N-no, you can’t!” Someone grabbed her arm. Choi Yeon-ha turned her head, her face blank. “…Hyun-soo.” “N-no, you can’t, Director.” Lee Hyun-soo was crying, his face covered in tears, as he tried to stop Choi Yeon-ha. “That place… that place is not safe.” His hand, which was holding Choi Yeon-ha’s arm, was trembling. “Why?” Choi Yeon-ha asked, her eyes half-open. She knew that her ‘why’ wasn’t a question. But Lee Hyun-soo had to answer. “That place…” Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip and opened his mouth. His lips were trembling. “That place… is not a place for us to interfere. That place…” What else could he say? Lee Hyun-soo had simply understood. It was something that couldn’t be explained logically. No one could interfere there. It wasn’t because they were martial artists. It wasn’t because the strongest martial artists in the world were fighting there, putting their pride on the line. Lee Hyun-soo was one of the people who understood the pride of martial artists the least. It wasn’t because they were martial artists, but because they were human that they couldn’t interfere there. But Choi Yeon-ha didn’t seem to be able to accept that fact. “Let go.” “…Director.” “I said let go!” A tearing voice came from Choi Yeon-ha’s mouth. Her eyes were filled with boiling hostility. “Are you out of your mind? Can’t you see how he is?” “We can’t interfere? Why! Why can’t we! Why? A person is dying, and you’re telling me to just stand back and watch? Why? Why should I do that!” Lee Hyun-soo lowered his head. She wasn’t wrong. Maybe Choi Yeon-ha was right. They had to stop it. Logically, that was the right thing to do. Someone had to step in and stop this. This crazy act of destroying each other while holding onto each other was insane. But… “N-no… you can’t, Director.” Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t do it. He had been watching this fight from the beginning, so he knew. This was not a fight that anyone else could end. If they forcibly separated the two, all that would be left was destruction. They needed a resolution. For Kang Jin-ho, and for the Black King. “Hyun-soo, let go.” “I said let go, you bastard!” Choi Yeon-ha screamed. But Lee Hyun-soo just kept his head down and held onto her. He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t even say to just trust and watch. Because those words were too irresponsible right now. So, there was only one thing he could say. “…won’t want it.” “The Chairman… the Chairman won’t want it. So…” Choi Yeon-ha’s shoulders trembled. Just as she was about to shout something, it happened. Boom! A sharp and loud explosion. The moment the explosion rang out, Choi Yeon-ha and Lee Hyun-soo turned their heads at the same time. And at the same time, they saw it. Kang Jin-ho slowly collapsing. Like a scene from a movie, Kang Jin-ho slowly fell to the ground. “Jin-hooooooooo!” A tearing scream burst from Choi Yeon-ha’s mouth.