Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1108

“He’s not here.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“He’s not?”

“Yes. He’s not anywhere within the Round Table.”

“What about his phone?”

“It’s off.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t say anything, taking out a cigarette. He then snapped his fingers to light it.

Watching the scene, Wiggins felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

This was clearly his mistake.

It was he who sent Lee Hyun-soo to the Round Table, and it was also his idea to pressure the Knights while Lee Hyun-soo was there. Lee Hyun-soo and the Master carried out the plan, but he was the one who devised it.

‘I was an idiot.’

There was no room for excuses.

The mistake was one thing.

He failed to properly understand the uniqueness of Lee Hyun-soo’s existence.

Lee Hyun-soo is the most heterogeneous being in the General Assembly.

The directors of the General Assembly are all powerful. Unbelievably strong and unbelievably great.

It’s unimaginable to try any tricks on them.

Could Bator fall into a trap?

You’d have to bring an army to eliminate him. Unless the Red King himself stepped up to take him on, it’s unimaginable that Bator would be captured without even being able to escape.

Even if he were dropped in the middle of China, Bator would leisurely escape China and return to Korea.

Jang Min is the same.

Unlike the other two, Bang Jin-hoon is clearly less powerful, but he is much more cautious than the other two. Contrary to his appearance.

So, he doesn’t create situations where he could fall into a trap.

But what about Lee Hyun-soo?

Lee Hyun-soo is not like that.

Lee Hyun-soo is also a person who belongs to the category of martial artists, but his martial power is literally insignificant. He can be called a martial artist, but he can’t be used as a fighting force.

Even before the level of those the General Assembly was facing became exponentially higher, when the Yeongnam Association and the General Assembly were bickering over the leadership of the Korean martial arts world, he was not classified as a front-line force.

In other words, in the current situation, if Lee Hyun-soo is exposed to the enemy, he will not be able to resist at all.

‘I should have paid more attention.’

This is Wiggins’ fault.

Always talking and living with the other directors, he had at some point placed him on the same level as the other directors. He failed to reflect his individual characteristics.

There would be no problem within the General Assembly or in Korea. There wouldn’t be anyone in the world bold enough to target Lee Hyun-soo, who resides in the heart of the General Assembly.

But this place is enemy territory.

Even though the Master controls it, it is still right to call it enemy territory. Then, he should have paid more attention to Lee Hyun-soo’s safety.

No matter what he says now, it’s just an excuse.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly exhaled cigarette smoke.

Watching him, Wiggins trembled slightly. His hands were already soaked with sweat, and cold sweat kept flowing from his forehead.

Because of the mistake he made?

No.

Of course, that part bothered him, but the reason why Wiggins was so nervous that he couldn’t even breathe was different.

Tap.

Kang Jin-ho, who had tapped the ash into the ashtray, held the cigarette in his hand and looked at Wiggins.

“Wiggins.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Who is it?”

Wiggins bit his lip tightly.

Lee Hyun-soo would not cut off contact and disappear. Lee Hyun-soo is not that kind of person. Then, someone must have kidnapped Lee Hyun-soo.

Although they are still analyzing the CCTV, it is highly likely that Michelle, the Master’s secretary, is the culprit, as she has disappeared.

So, should he say that Michelle is the culprit?

No.

Michelle is just a henchman. The person who moved directly is not necessarily the culprit.

He needs to find out who ordered Michelle.

“I think the culprit is one of the Knights.”

Wiggins, who had paused once, took a deep breath.

“I don’t know which of the Knights it is. There are a few I can guess, but they are just guesses.”

The first one that comes to mind.

Knight Bellinger.

Knight Bellinger is the only one who could pull off something like this. Considering his nature, it’s hard to imagine him taking someone hostage, but Wiggins knows. When people are cornered, their true nature is revealed.

It wouldn’t be strange if Knight Bellinger, who could no longer maintain his composure, threw away the mask he was wearing.

“Is that so?”

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

Wiggins swallowed hard.

Wiggins knows how much Kang Jin-ho cares for Lee Hyun-soo.

In terms of connection, Bang Jin-hoon came first, and in terms of loyalty, no one can match Jang Min.

As Kang Jin-ho’s understanding partner, Bator, who pursues the same strength, may be the foremost.

But none of them are closer to Kang Jin-ho than Lee Hyun-soo. They are the most mismatched pair, and although they first met as enemies, Kang Jin-ho cares for Lee Hyun-soo more than anyone else in the General Assembly.

And now, Lee Hyun-soo has been kidnapped by the enemy.

He can’t even imagine how far Kang Jin-ho’s anger will go.

At that moment, the Master, who had been watching the situation, opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”

The Master bowed his head.

“It’s because I didn’t prepare properly. I never imagined my secretary would do such a thing…”

The Master cannot avoid responsibility either.

Overall, everyone was complacent. If they had just anticipated it, they could have prepared for it. But who would have thought they would stab Lee Hyun-soo from there?

“Master.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Gather the Knights.”

“••••••Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho answers with a blank face.

“They’re still in England, right? Tell them all to gather.”

“B-but.”

Is it okay?

They have secured Lee Hyun-soo’s custody. They haven’t made any demands yet, but it’s obvious that they will demand something in exchange for returning Lee Hyun-soo.

If they have any sense, they won’t do anything crazy like killing Lee Hyun-soo, but those who are cornered sometimes don’t hesitate to do crazy things.

So, now is the time to approach carefully.

But to summon the Knights right away.

“Chairman, I think it would be better to calm down first. Lee’s life is at stake.”

“Calm down?”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked at Wiggins.

Looking at his eyes, even Wiggins’ heart thumped.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, which were endlessly sunken, stared at Wiggins silently.

He couldn’t feel anything.

Whether he was angry, worried, or even enjoying the situation.

He couldn’t tell.

There was no trace of emotion in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes. It was just deep and deeper like an abyss.

Kang Jin-ho stared at Wiggins without saying anything, then turned his head to the Master.

“Call them.”

“W-when?”

“Right now.”

“…Understood.”

Kang Jin-ho put a new cigarette in his mouth and lit it. The Master rushed out to summon the Knights.

Wiggins pondered for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

“Lord, what are you planning to do?”

“Lee Hyun-soo could be in danger. We must be careful.”

“Wiggins.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Sometimes, caution causes problems.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Wiggins.

“This time, your way caused the problem.”

“That’s right.”

“So, I’ll just do it my way.”

“…Understood.”

Wiggins took a step back.

One thing is certain.

‘This is definitely not going to end well.’

It would have been better to just try to kill Kang Jin-ho with a bomb. Then, only those who attacked would have died and it would have been over. Not knowing that touching Lee Hyun-soo is more provocative than touching Kang Jin-ho is their mistake.

‘I should pray that the Round Table at least maintains its existence.’

Along with Lee Hyun-soo’s safety.

Knight Bellinger sat at the Round Table with an uncomfortable expression.

He saw the figures of those who couldn’t keep their heads still, looking uneasy.

‘Fools!’

It would be better to just advertise that I’m the culprit.

How did those weaklings get to the noble position of Knight?

Accepting all sorts of riffraff to pressure the Master was now holding Knight Bellinger back. If they just grabbed one of them and interrogated them, it would quickly be revealed that Knight Bellinger and Knight Kramer were the masterminds behind this.

Nevertheless, there was a clear reason why Knight Bellinger came to this place.

‘They can’t do anything.’

Kidnappers can be caught. But catching hostage-takers doesn’t end there.

Nothing is resolved unless the hostage returns.

When a citizen is captured by pirates, even a huge organization like a country cannot find a way to deal with it. If they wanted to, it would be easy to wipe them all out, but if they can’t get the hostage back, it’s a failure even if they kill them.

Lee Hyun-soo is in their hands.

So, neither the Master nor Kang Jin-ho can move.

‘I wonder what kind of face he’s making.’

Calling the Knights is not a good choice.

If they call them and show that they can’t handle it properly while being unreasonable, their fear of them will be diluted.

Everything was flowing in his favor.

However, one thing was worrying…

“He’s a madman.”

That was Knight Kramer’s assessment of Lee Hyun-soo.

If Kang Jin-ho is using someone who Knight Kramer would evaluate like that, there is a high probability that Kang Jin-ho is not in his right mind either. That unexpectedness is a bit of a concern, but…

‘They absolutely cannot move at this moment.’

It hasn’t even been ten hours since they captured Lee Hyun-soo. That means they didn’t have time to properly respond either.

Knight Bellinger waited leisurely for the Master, feeling a little more relaxed for the first time in a while.

“The Master is coming in.”

At that moment, the door opened and the Master entered. Seeing his stiff face and hurried gait, he felt a sense of relief.

And…

Step.

After a short interval, Kang Jin-ho entered. Unlike the Master’s stiff face, Kang Jin-ho’s face was expressionless.

It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

However, compared to his half-mocking face, it was clear that his tension had lowered.

Knight Bellinger tried hard not to show his subtle sense of victory on his face. They may already suspect him, but there was no need to give them certainty.

Then, Kang Jin-ho stood in front of the Round Table without even sitting down and looked at everyone.

A heavy gaze.

Those who had already been defeated by Kang Jin-ho once unconsciously avoided Kang Jin-ho’s gaze.

Now, what are you going to do, Kang Jin-ho?

Do you have a way?

Then, Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his mouth.

“Lee Hyun-soo, who came from the General Assembly, has gone missing.”

He wouldn’t be able to tell them to find him. They might choose to kill him and silence him rather than leave him alive as evidence. So here…

“It’s 24 hours.”

Knight Bellinger’s head shot up.

At that moment, Knight Bellinger saw it.

The malice lurking in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.