Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1228

A buzzing sound filled his ears. It was clearly speech, but his mind couldn’t process it.

Shimizu Makoto subtly turned his head to look around. The faces of those filling the room were all similar. They were dumbfounded, yet also filled with a subtle fear.

Thanks to that, Shimizu Makoto didn’t need to wonder what kind of face he was making. It would be the same.

His gaze slowly rose. He saw Akinori sitting at the head of the table. Dressed in formal attire and sitting upright, he exuded a dignity that had never been there before.

‘Is that the same person?’

Shimizu Makoto had seen Akinori a few times in the past. Back then, he had clearly felt like a trained martial artist, someone befitting the position of the head of Shin’nichi-kai [a Japanese organized crime syndicate]. But at least back then, Akinori didn’t have the same kind of presence he had now.

Did the position make the man, or had Akinori grown through this war?

‘Perhaps…’

It might be neither.

Shimizu’s gaze shifted to behind Akinori. His eyes landed on an old man sitting in a chair. Jang Min. That was probably his name.

A summons made in the name of the now-faded Shin’nichi-kai. The gang leader who had scoffed and attended the summons had returned in a coffin, a miserable corpse. Those filled with anger and resentment were left speechless at the sight of the corpse in the coffin.

After that, the names Jang Min and Kang Jin-ho were passed around. Those names had gathered the headless here.

“It’s not something you need to think about so hard,” Akinori continued in a low voice. “Haven’t you all been paying tribute to Shin’nichi-kai in the past? It’s no different. You give your tribute to Shin’nichi-kai, and we just send that tribute to the higher-ups. Nothing changes, so I don’t know why you’re hesitating.”

Shimizu bit his lip.

‘Traitor!’

Akinori was declaring that he would sell out the country with a gentle voice. No different? What a load of crap. Even if it was the same tribute, the situation would change 180 degrees depending on where the money went. How could paying tribute to fellow Japanese people be the same as paying tribute to Koreans?

It was a fallacy.

“Ha, Head Akinori.”

“No.”

“……Yes?”

“Call me Gang Leader Akinori.” Everyone slightly raised their heads to look at Akinori. It was no different than declaring that he would swallow the Shin’nichi-kai whole, now that its leader was gone. Of course, no one here hadn’t expected that. But there was a difference between saying it himself and moving subtly.

“…Gang Leader Akinori.”

“Speak.”

“I have a question I’d like to ask.”

“By all means.”

The person who spoke glared slightly at Akinori. Even though Akinori was from Shin’nichi-kai, those gathered here were the second-in-commands of each gang. They were not people that Akinori could treat so rudely. But no one pointed that out. Everyone was subtly aware that the situation had changed. Before entering this place, Akinori was their partner, but now Akinori was becoming their ruler.

“You said the tribute is the same… does that mean the tribute money won’t change?”

“How could it be?” Akinori chuckled. That laugh felt like a greater insult than any words.

“The money paid by those who haven’t lost and the money paid by those who have lost are bound to be different, wouldn’t you say? You’re not going to deny that ‘the winner takes all’ is the principle of this world.”

Shimizu made a sharp sound without realizing it.

“Who are the losers? Us?” He didn’t bother to say the rest. The losers were not them, but Shin’nichi-kai and Akinori. Everyone here knew the hidden meaning, even if it wasn’t said. Of course, Akinori would have understood as well.

“I admit it. You are not the losers.” Akinori nodded. But the words that followed were not so positive.

“You’re the ones who couldn’t even lose. Just because you didn’t stand on the battlefield, does that mean you’re free from the responsibility of defeat? I wonder if that’s something a warrior should say.”

Shimizu gritted his teeth.

‘Damn it.’

He wasn’t wrong. For a warrior, the greatest shame was not losing. It was not being able to lose. How ridiculous was it for those who lacked the ability to stand on the battlefield to criticize those who had lost?

In that sense, Akinori was accurately poking at their sore spots. Normally, no one would have been able to object to those words. But the reason why a sense of rebellion was rising from the depths of his heart was because the person saying those words was a traitor selling out the country. Even the same words could have a completely different meaning and feeling depending on who said them!

“Then… how much do you want…”

“Eighty percent.”

The person who asked shut his mouth tight. Eighty percent. In the past, the tribute they paid to Shin’nichi-kai was thirty percent. He was asking for more than double that amount.

‘No, is eighty percent even possible?’

This wasn’t a matter of eating more or less in the first place.

“If we pay eighty percent of the money from our businesses, it will be impossible to maintain the organization.”

“Vice Gang Leader Hideo.”

“…Yes.”

“The world has changed. If things can’t be done the same way as in the past, then you have to find a new way. Are those who lost the war going to live as if nothing happened? Change yourselves and overcome it with your mental strength. Then you’ll see a way.”

“What!”

“Ah, ah.” Akinori waved his hand. “There’s no need to be so angry. I have no intention of forcing you. This is just about asking for your cooperation. Those who don’t want to follow don’t have to.”

Shimizu quietly stared at Akinori before opening his mouth.

“What happens to those who don’t follow?”

The one who answered wasn’t Akinori.

“Are you curious?” Jang Min, who had been listening to the translation, stood up. Everyone’s shoulders slightly trembled at his heavy presence. That man was different. An ominous aura could be felt from that man. It wasn’t just because he was violent and cruel. There was a fundamental sense of otherness that set him apart from them.

‘Is that a demon?’

Demon. A term for those who had mastered demonic arts. The presence of demons had become extremely faint in this era, but there wasn’t a single martial artist who didn’t know how dangerous they were. And now, they were facing a true demon for the first time in their lives. Not some trash who had learned miscellaneous demonic arts.

“I didn’t call you here to talk about such trivial things as tribute money. Akinori.”

“I apologize, Elder.”

Step, step. Jang Min, who had walked forward, stood in the middle of the room and looked around. Those who were sitting upright with subtle expressions silently looked at him.

“Offer it.”

“Everything you have exists for the Demon Lord. Offer your lives, offer your wealth, offer your lives, offer everything you have. That is the only way you can atone for the blasphemy you have dared to commit against the Demon Lord.”

Shimizu’s eyes widened. Akinori was demanding something unreasonable. But Jang Min’s demands were even more extreme than Akinori’s. It wasn’t just about offering money.

“Isn’t that too much?”

“Too much?” Jang Min bared his teeth. “It seems you don’t know what ‘too much’ means.”

The translator desperately conveyed Jang Min’s words in a trembling voice. He seemed determined to convey these words to save even one more person.

“Know your sins, you wicked things. I am already at the limit of my patience just by letting you live, you who dared to draw your swords against the Demon Lord. If I had my way, I would tear you all to pieces right now.”

Those who were exposed to Jang Min’s growling aura gritted their teeth. It was a violent killing intent that made their whole bodies tremble. That killing intent was proving that Jang Min’s words were true.

“The reason why your heads are still attached is because the Demon Lord has shown mercy. If he hadn’t shown boundless mercy, you would have already been torn into a thousand, ten thousand pieces, yet you dare…” Jang Min’s aura swept through the room. The representatives of each gang filling the room couldn’t even breathe in the face of that storm-like killing intent.

‘Where did such a monster come from…’

‘Are there so many guys like that in Korea?’

The biggest shock was that the one pressuring them now wasn’t Kang Jin-ho. They had heard so much about Kang Jin-ho’s power and dignity that it hurt their ears. He had single-handedly grown the disorganized Assembly [Korean Martial Arts Assembly] into an organization that was equal to, no, even greater than Japan. But conversely, that also meant that there was no one to be wary of in the Assembly except for Kang Jin-ho. Wasn’t that their plan when they invaded Korea in the first place? To endure all the damage and eliminate Kang Jin-ho. But in the end, that plan had failed.

Shimizu couldn’t help but understand why their plan had failed.

‘The Assembly isn’t just Kang Jin-ho.’

There were monsters like this in the Assembly. So how could a group like Shin’nichi-kai possibly conquer Korea? It was an impossible task from the start.

“Decide here. Whether you will follow the Demon Lord and offer your loyalty, or whether you will receive the price for the sins you have committed.”

Shimizu swallowed hard.

‘How pathetic we are.’

Have they ever been treated like this by Koreans? In the distant past, there was a time when they lived supporting Korea, but that was literally in the distant past. Since the development of the era, Japan had never bowed its head to Korea. Rather, they had occupied and trampled on them.

Something surged from within his chest. Just as Shimizu was about to open his mouth.

“This is too much!” Someone stood up abruptly before him. “What? Loyalty? To some mere Korean! You don’t even seem to be Korean, yet you’re acting as a lackey for Korea? Kang Jin-ho? Loyalty? That’s a joke…”

Splat!

But unfortunately, the person who stood up didn’t get a chance to say all of his opinions. The corpse, torn into five pieces, flew in all directions. The sprayed blood poured down like rain in the room. Everyone stared blankly at the scene that had suddenly unfolded. Bewilderment. And shock. What came last was fear.

“It seems you don’t understand…” Jang Min said, grinding his teeth. “Do not dare to utter the Demon Lord’s name with that filthy mouth.”

“I am not as merciful as the Demon Lord. Choose. Whether you will offer your loyalty to him, or whether you will die here.”

Jang Min’s gaze swept around. Those who met his gaze turned their heads or bowed, convulsing. Jang Min’s eyes finally landed on Shimizu.

“Ugh…” That knife-like gaze.

“Choose.”

The devil’s scythe was placed on Shimizu’s neck.