Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1010

Thud, thud.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway.

The man entered the hall with a leisurely gait. The moment the knights saw the man’s appearance, they unconsciously held their breath.

A young East Asian man in a black suit.

Outwardly, he was unremarkable. Except for the fact that he was handsome enough to be immediately considered good-looking despite the difference in race, he looked like an ordinary East Asian you might see at any tourist spot.

However, no one here could think of him as ordinary.

You see as much as you know.

This saying, common in the ordinary world, is used slightly differently in the world of martial artists.

You see as much as you are strong.

The stronger you are, the better you can grasp your opponent. The knights gathered here were all powerful individuals representing their countries, and thus, they could feel the immense energy hidden within Kang Jin-ho’s ordinary appearance.

Their mouths froze.

Only then could they understand.

How the Elder Knights had been defeated by a single person.

Why the Master, who was so proud, was speaking so weakly.

And why Wiggins, who held the supreme position of a Round Table Knight, had given up everything and devoted himself to the General Assembly.

The existence of this one man was the reason for everything.

‘Did I interrupt?’

‘No, Chairman. We were waiting for you.’

This was a meeting of the Round Table.

It was unheard of for an outsider to participate in such a meeting. It wasn’t specifically stipulated by law, but no one would consider the situation normal.

However, no one could point out that fact.

No, they couldn’t dare to point it out.

Wiggins rose from his seat, carefully rearranged his chair, and went to get a new chair for himself. That action symbolized many things.

Wiggins was quite an arrogant man.

He might think of himself as humble, but none of the Round Table Knights thought of Wiggins as humble. If anything, Wiggins was extremely arrogant. But no one took that as a flaw in Wiggins.

That was because Wiggins was entitled to be arrogant.

That arrogant man was supporting Kang Jin-ho’s authority and giving up his seat. And he was doing so with the utmost care.

It was a small thing, but that sight was clearly etched into the eyes of those watching. With just one of Wiggins’ actions, Kang Jin-ho’s status was clearly elevated.

And Kang Jin-ho’s reaction was also a bit unusual.

Thud.

Reaching out, Kang Jin-ho grabbed the chair and pulled it back. Not next to the Master, but behind him. And not directly behind, but diagonally behind.

Instantly, the interpretation split into two.

Some took this action as an expression of humility, ‘I am participating here, but I am merely an observer, so I will not sit in an equal position.’

But others took the position of the chair behind as an expression of surveillance.

Only Kang Jin-ho would know the intention behind it.

Wiggins, who had brought a new chair, saw the position of Kang Jin-ho’s chair, placed his chair a little away from him, and sat down.

‘Continue.’

‘Yes.’

The Master nodded.

‘The issue of the alliance is a secondary matter.’

The Master adopted a formal tone.

Even though Kang Jin-ho was watching, he seemed to emphasize that this meeting was an official meeting of the Round Table.

‘The important thing is whether you can trust me as the Master once again. If you trust me, you must also trust the policies I am pursuing, and if you do not trust me, you must also doubt those policies.’

‘Hmm…’

It meant that he was asking for trust and policy at the same time.

The knights’ minds became complicated.

‘Master.’

At that moment, Knight Negri opened his mouth.

Knight Negri, who had glanced at Kang Jin-ho once, opened his mouth with a resolute face.

‘Before we vote, I would like to ask one question.’

‘Go ahead.’

‘……What do you think is the reason why an alliance with the General Assembly is necessary?’

It was a strong statement.

The Master looked at Knight Negri with a grave expression.

To bring up this matter in a situation where Kang Jin-ho was watching meant that, depending on the situation, he might even be rebelling. It contained the will to protect the honor of the Round Table, even at the cost of death.

So, the answer was not the Master’s.

‘I’ll answer instead.’

Kang Jin-ho quietly opened his mouth.

The knights’ gazes turned to Kang Jin-ho.

‘I heard it on the way here. You asked if it was for development or survival.’

‘……That’s right.’

‘That’s a foolish question.’

Kang Jin-ho said indifferently.

‘Development is something you can only pursue when you are alive. Development and survival are not separate things. To develop, you must survive. So, survival has to be the priority.’

‘Does that mean…’

Knight Negri bit his lip tightly.

‘It sounds like a threat that if the Round Table does not accept the alliance, the Round Table could be eliminated.’

‘If it’s a threat?’

‘……Yes?’

‘If it’s a threat, what will you do?’

Knight Negri’s mouth closed.

And at that moment, Knight Negri realized.

‘This person is not the type of leader I know.’

Position makes a person.

To interpret that differently, it means that anyone who rises to a certain position has a certain formality and attitude that they must have.

But this person was completely outside of such formalities.

Even if you brought the head of any martial arts group in the world to this place, they would not speak or react in that way. To openly intimidate the other party is something that deviates from the etiquette and formality that the position should have.

But Kang Jin-ho was acting like a villain, not the Chairman of the General Assembly.

‘Do you think I can’t do it?’

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

That sinister smile was deeply embedded in Knight Negri’s eyes.

‘It’s my preferred solution. If you want to experience it, I won’t stop you.’

‘But…’

Kang Jin-ho’s back, which had been slightly leaning forward, leaned back against the chair again.

‘There’s no need for that either.’

‘Yes?’

‘There’s no need for me to intervene. The Round Table will collapse on its own. Those who were powerless from the beginning and those who had power and lost it are different.’

Knight Negri’s eyes twitched.

He unconsciously agreed.

The Round Table had lost too much.

Nearly half of the knights had died, and they had lost the Elder Knights. But they had lost something even greater than all of that.

Knight Negri looked around at the others.

There were over ten knights gathered here, but none of them were making eye contact with Kang Jin-ho.

The pride of the Round Table had completely collapsed.

If this continued, even if Kang Jin-ho stepped down, the Round Table would rot from within.

As Knight Negri was unable to find his bearings, the Master opened his mouth.

‘Knight Negri.’

‘Yes… Master.’

‘I want to ask you something.’

‘Yes?’

‘Do I look that foolish to you?’

Knight Negri shook his head. His body moved before he could even think.

At least as far as he knew, the Master was the person least likely to be called foolish.

‘I have thought and thought about the best direction for the Round Table. And I am convinced that this is the best. I can’t explain everything one by one, but please trust me. I haven’t disappointed you that many times, have I?’

Knight Negri nodded.

And with that action, the other knights also responded by slightly nodding their heads.

In fact, everyone knew.

They had no choice. They were just here as rubber stamps. The law that the Master must be elected through the votes of the knights.

They were just tools to avoid breaking that law.

What if they refused?

‘He definitely wouldn’t just step down.’

You could tell just by looking. That man, Kang Jin-ho, was definitely not someone who would step down easily as he said. No, even if Kang Jin-ho tried to step down, Wiggins would never allow it.

The moment they opposed, all the knights in this place would die. And new knights would be elected. It would take a little more time, but the new knights would repeat this process again.

If they opposed?

They would die again.

In the end, it was a fight that the General Assembly could only win.

So, they shouldn’t oppose. On the contrary, losing their lives would only be self-satisfaction. The knights elected as their successors would become puppets, and the Round Table would be controlled by them as they pleased.

To have even the slightest check, they had to survive.

‘Any questions?’

‘No, sir.’

‘I will proceed with the vote. I, Tony Ballard, will be nominated as the new Master. Knights, please express your approval or disapproval with your swords according to tradition and law.’

The knights all rose from their seats at once, drew their swords, and held them in front of their heads.

Then, they closed their eyes tightly and looked forward.

The Round Table, where they should have placed their swords, was gone.

To the knights, that sight felt like a symbol of their own loss of choice.

Thud.

Someone lowered their sword to the floor for the first time. Facing the center.

As the floodgates opened, the knights all began to lower their swords to the floor.

The stairs leading to the Elder Knights’ shrine.

The swords were placed around those stairs. As if they were aiming at the Elder Knights, who were their pride.

When all the swords were placed, the Master quietly nodded.

‘In accordance with the laws of the Round Table, I hereby declare that Tony Ballard has been appointed as the new Master.’

A heavy silence descended.

‘Knights, please do not leave the Round Table and take a rest. The meeting will have to continue a little longer.’

‘Yes, sir.’

The knights picked up their swords, put them back in their sheaths, turned, and left the hall.

In the now quiet hall, only the Master, Kang Jin-ho, and Wiggins remained, looking at each other.

‘You got what you wanted, Chairman.’

‘It’s what you wanted.’

The Master sighed.

‘Things have turned out this way for now, but don’t think that their dissatisfaction has disappeared. It will be expressed somehow. Perhaps it will be more violent than you think.’

‘That’s foolish talk.’

‘……What do you mean?’

‘You’ll be there to stop it.’

‘And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’d rather recommend encouraging it. It’ll be resolved all at once.’

The Master’s hair stood on end.

It was clear that it might be faster to resolve it that way. If they killed all those who rebelled, it would be a clear warning.

‘……I will make sure that doesn’t happen.’

‘Do that.’

Kang Jin-ho slowly rose from his seat.

With this, all the work Kang Jin-ho had to do at the Round Table was finished. The rest was up to the Master and Wiggins.

‘I’m going back.’

‘……Already?’

‘If you want me to stay, I will.’

‘We will prepare the plane here. As quickly as possible.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled at the Master’s jest.

‘Discuss the rest with Wiggins.’

‘Yes. Then.’

Kang Jin-ho, who had turned and was walking down the hallway, suddenly stopped.

The Master, looking at him with questioning eyes, saw Kang Jin-ho turn around with a stiff face. The Master flinched at that face.

Was there a problem?

‘In England…’

‘……Yes?’

‘What kind of souvenir should I buy when I go back from England?’

It was the most serious expression Kang Jin-ho had shown in days.