Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1225

A razor-sharp tension filled the air.

The coldness that seeped through his skin penetrated deep into his chest.

It was sharp.

And clear.

How long had it been since he’d felt such tension?

It was different from the tension of the battlefield. It was distinctly different from the hot tension that made his heart race and his blood pump faster.

His blood ran cold.

The boiling fighting spirit crumbled, and the confidence he had built up layer by layer flowed away, unsure where to go.

The slight ripple of air was vividly felt at his fingertips. At this moment, Kang Jin-ho was maintaining a sharper sense than ever before.

When was it?

He couldn’t remember.

Even when the Azure Demon led the righteous sects to cut off his breath, he had never felt such tension.

Because he couldn’t find a reason to cling to life.

When he faced Heungwang, he had trembled with excitement instead.

Because he could feel that he was alive.

But this was different.

It wasn’t the exhilaration felt on the edge of life and death. It was closer to the despair felt while falling into an endless abyss.

Yes.

In other words, fear.

The emotion Kang Jin-ho was feeling right now… if he had to put it into words, it was close to fear.

‘Am I feeling fear?’

It was absurd.

Anyone who knew Kang Jin-ho would never believe it. And Kang Jin-ho himself couldn’t believe it either.

Who was he?

The Demonic Lord of Absolute Heaven, who had reached the pinnacle of evil, the head of the Grand Assembly, and an unparalleled demon in the world.

Wasn’t he the one who controlled death and trampled on life?

Fear for Kang Jin-ho?

It was nonsense.

But that impossible thing was actually happening. Without realizing it, Kang Jin-ho raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat that had slightly formed on his forehead.

“Are you hot?”

“Ah, no.”

“But why are you sweating? Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m fine.”

The ruler of the Korean martial arts world, revered by ten thousand Demonic Cultists, respected by Korean martial artists, and even admired by martial artists from other countries, slightly raised his head and looked at the source of his fear.

It seemed that the saying that the devil comes in the most beautiful form was true. It was so beautiful that it was breathtaking.

But that expression was not beautiful at all.

“Tell me about it.”

“Yes?”

“Go on.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho wiped his sweat again. Why did this sweat keep coming out like this?

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha slightly curled up the corners of her lips.

“If it’s hard to talk, I’ll ask. You answer. Okay?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

With a tense face, Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“You also knew that I had noticed to some extent, right?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded again.

“I thought you would tell me on your own if I waited patiently. But if you keep hiding it and don’t say anything, how do you think I’d feel?”

“You’d be angry.”

“No. I’d be pissed off.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes sharpened.

Like a blade… no, it would be easier to deal with a real blade. At least that could be blocked.

“What really pisses me off is not that I can’t hear the story, but that you still think of me as someone you have to hide something from. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes.”

Of course, he understood.

If the roles were reversed, Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t be comfortable either. Forcing something that one cannot handle onto another was no different from violence.

“Do you know why I’m talking about this now?”

“…I don’t know.”

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened.

“Right?”

“Ah…”

Neither his parents nor Kang Eun-young had noticed. But how did Choi Yeon-ha know that fact?

“You’re acting differently than usual. And you have a scar on your neck. Do you know that?”

Kang Jin-ho unconsciously touched his neck. Then, he stopped, realizing his mistake. If he did this, it would be the same as admitting Choi Yeon-ha’s words.

“Where are you recklessly throwing your body around? You’re going to get scolded.”

Choi Yeon-ha stared at Kang Jin-ho with a sulky expression before opening her mouth.

“If it’s something you really need to hide, it’s okay if you don’t tell me.”

“No…”

“Don’t feel pressured to tell me. I don’t want to be given a favor either. Everyone has secrets that they can’t tell others. Relationships don’t always have to be clear to be good. I’m old enough to know that.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly.

“Instead, decide here. Whether you’ll keep it a secret until the end, or whether you’ll tell me here.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

He had thought that he would have to tell her someday. He wanted to hide it from his family if he could, but it was not easy to hide it from Choi Yeon-ha. Choi Yeon-ha was already half-involved with the Grand Assembly.

Hadn’t he already been pointed out by Lee Hyun-soo once?

“I wasn’t planning to keep it a secret forever.”

“At least you have a conscience.”

“But this is a bit…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

“Depending on how you hear it, it’s a bit of an absurd story…”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“Sometimes, when I see you, Kang Jin-ho, you seem to have a strange sense of common sense.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you know what kind of person you are? To others, you’re someone who doesn’t have a single normal aspect from the start.”

Thinking about it, that was also true.

“I wouldn’t be surprised even if you said you were an alien, so just tell me.”

“Hmm.”

“No matter what I hear, I won’t be surprised. I’m an actress, you know. I receive all kinds of scripts and screenplays. Even if I hear something more absurd than the most absurd story, I’ll just accept it.”

“Hmm.”

Still, when Kang Jin-ho seemed to hesitate slightly, Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her eyes.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“That’s disappointing. I thought we had built up that much trust between us by now.”

“It’s not that…”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

It seemed that Kang Jin-ho was a martial artist by nature. It was much easier to fight against an enemy.

“I don’t know where to start or how to explain it.”

“What’s so difficult about it?”

It wasn’t just a casual remark, it was really hard to explain.

Where should he start?

Should he start by explaining the concept of the martial arts world?

Or should he start by explaining martial arts?

Or should he start with Kang Jin-ho’s first life?

Or Kang Jin-ho’s second life?

Or from the beginning of this life?

It was difficult.

Kang Jin-ho unconsciously smiled slightly.

When he tried to organize it, he realized how extraordinary his life had been.

‘It can’t be organized.’

Then, it might be better to just spill everything without organizing it.

“It’s going to be a bit of a long story…”

“I’ve already gone to the bathroom.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s face was full of determination to hear it no matter what.

There was no place to escape.

This was Choi Yeon-ha’s house.

Kang Jin-ho sighed once more and opened his mouth.

“Then I’ll tell you, so if there’s anything you don’t understand or don’t know, just ask. It’s not a short story that can be summarized later.”

“Yes. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and drank the cold water on the table.

“So, it started…”

Many stories flowed out.

It was just a story listed in chronological order, but because he had lived a long life, many stories had to come out.

His first life.

The story of losing his family in a car accident, living as a disabled person, and eventually taking his own life.

And his second life.

The story of being swept into a distant past and living under a different name than Kang Jin-ho.

And even his third life.

What he had seen. What he had understood. What he had felt.

And even the numerous stories surrounding him now…

The story that started with stutters flowed calmly and then surged like a storm.

Choi Yeon-ha quietly nodded, sometimes agreed, and sometimes wiped her eyes as she listened to Kang Jin-ho’s story.

The story that started when the sun was high in the sky continued until the sun set and night came, covering the world with a dark sky.

Choi Yeon-ha simply accepted Kang Jin-ho’s life…

And Kang Jin-ho once again organized the path he had walked.

‘That’s strange.’

Kang Jin-ho had a slightly embarrassed expression.

It felt like the emotions that had been a bit intense were calming down.

Looking back on his life was not easy for Kang Jin-ho either. He had experienced too much, and there was too much misfortune he had to accept.

After looking back at all of that, he realized how much happiness and relationships Kang Jin-ho had grasped now.

After finishing the story, Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed his glass. After confirming that the water glass was empty, Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat, went to the water purifier, and got some water.

Until all of those actions were finished, Choi Yeon-ha sat silently, looking at the table.

As if she was organizing something.

Kang Jin-ho understood Choi Yeon-ha.

It was a long story.

A slightly tense breath escaped his lips.

Kang Jin-ho was prepared to accept whatever Choi Yeon-ha said. For Kang Jin-ho, telling his life story was like that.

A killer who had lived three lives.

That was the sentence Kang Jin-ho used to evaluate himself after organizing his life. What other words could be used to describe Kang Jin-ho?

It was impossible for ordinary people to accept Kang Jin-ho’s life. Even if it was Choi Yeon-ha.

Even if Choi Yeon-ha declared that she could not accept Kang Jin-ho and would leave, Kang Jin-ho would not stop her. People lived to be happy, and if Choi Yeon-ha’s happiness was not with Kang Jin-ho, he had to send her to a place where she could be happy.

“That…”

Choi Yeon-ha raised her head.

Her eyes were trembling slightly. Her eyes, looking at Kang Jin-ho, were filled with complex emotions.

‘I guess so.’

It must be hard to accept.

But Kang Jin-ho understood Choi Yeon-ha.

“So…”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been mumbling something, suddenly jumped up from her seat. Then, she looked at Kang Jin-ho and bit her lip.

“What?”

“So!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes were sharp.

Kang Jin-ho tried his best not to show his emotions. Usually, it was not easy to show them on purpose, but now it was hard to calm his twitching face.

I guess so.

This was the first time Kang Jin-ho had told his story to someone else. He had told the people of the Grand Assembly about his past life, but he had never told them about Kang Jin-ho’s life and emotions.

“If it’s hard to understand…”

“No!”

Choi Yeon-ha shouted, then pointed her finger at Kang Jin-ho.

Choi Yeon-ha’s trembling lips opened, and a sharp voice burst out.

“What is this, you human! You’re completely old!”

Was that it?

Uh, um…

“I thought you were a fresh young man! What is this! You fraud!”

Kang Jin-ho felt a strange sense of guilt and a peculiar sadness at the same time.