Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1261

It’s suffocating.

Even the simple and natural act of breathing in and out didn’t come easy. His body was stiff, beyond his control.

He felt the blood in his entire body turn cold.

Ko Min-sung widened his eyes without realizing it.

He had expected Lee Hyun-soo.

After all, Lee Hyun-soo was the one who had captured him. But he hadn’t anticipated that Kang Jin-ho would come directly to this dark underground prison, deep within the main headquarters.

He was the Chairman.

A person who should be in the brightest place.

Questioning and punishing a member who had committed a crime wasn’t the Chairman’s job.

That’s what he thought, until just now.

Step, step.

But the person walking towards him now was definitely Kang Jin-ho.

Ko Min-sung’s eyes wavered.

Lee Hyun-soo was already someone he couldn’t handle. But Lee Hyun-soo and Kang Jin-ho were clearly different kinds of people.

Those eyes.

His eyes, endlessly cold and calm, stared at him, pressing down with a weight he had never experienced before.

“Keep going.”

Kang Jin-ho sat down on the chair in front of Ko Min-sung. Then, he took out a cigarette.

Click.

Lee Hyun-soo immediately lit the cigarette for Kang Jin-ho.

“Hoo…”

Kang Jin-ho lightly exhaled the smoke and looked at Ko Min-sung with a relaxed face. Ko Min-sung, who was completely frozen, still couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Isn’t what you were saying something you should be telling me, not the Chief? Instead of yelling at the wrong person, why don’t you tell me? It’s a good opportunity.”

Ko Min-sung bit his lip.

He was scared.

Terrified.

The realization hit him anew.

What it felt like to face Kang Jin-ho as an enemy.

In the past, when Kang Jin-ho had stormed into the Yeongnam Association, Ko Min-sung had frozen and couldn’t do anything. The reason he had survived then wasn’t because he was strong, but because he was weak.

Because he was weak, he couldn’t stand against Kang Jin-ho, and because he didn’t stand against him, he survived.

It was ironic, but true.

But just because he survived without facing Kang Jin-ho didn’t mean he hadn’t experienced him. His eyes, his body, remembered Kang Jin-ho clearly.

When he was on your side, he was the most reliable and respected person, but when he became an enemy, he was merciless and cruel…

Kang Jin-ho’s fangs no longer protected Ko Min-sung.

Rather, with that sharpness, he would bite into Ko Min-sung’s neck.

When Ko Min-sung couldn’t answer and remained frozen, Kang Jin-ho shrugged. Then, he leisurely exhaled cigarette smoke and looked back at Lee Hyun-soo.

“He’s not talking?”

“…He’s being picky. It’s a dirty world.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled at Lee Hyun-soo’s grumbling.

Actually, he felt a little strange.

When he had come in here, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t imagined that Ko Min-sung would be in such good condition. Since Lee Hyun-soo was supposed to be interrogating him, he had thought that it would be a miracle if he was still alive.

But Ko Min-sung was in better shape than he had expected.

The traces of the beating on his body were clearly not Lee Hyun-soo’s doing. Lee Hyun-soo didn’t have the strength to leave such marks on Ko Min-sung’s body.

In other words, after capturing Ko Min-sung, Lee Hyun-soo hadn’t touched him until Kang Jin-ho arrived. If it had been the old Lee Hyun-soo, he would have turned Ko Min-sung into a living lump of flesh before reporting to Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Lee Hyun-soo and then turned his gaze back to Ko Min-sung.

There was no need to mention this. Lee Hyun-soo was probably confused by his own actions.

“Did you say that it’s absurd for a murderer to judge a drug dealer?”

Kang Jin-ho slowly took a drag from his cigarette. The end of the cigarette burned bright red.

It was a trivial sight, a meaningless sight.

But from Ko Min-sung’s perspective, it couldn’t be meaningless.

Every time the cigarette burned, it felt like he was burning along with it. His mouth went dry, and his heart shrank.

‘A coward?’

What was so strange about that?

Living with an enemy in the Association meant that he had lived witnessing the things Kang Jin-ho had done. Anyone who knew Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t be able to help but be afraid.

If Ko Min-sung had been watching from the sidelines instead of being captured like this, he would have praised Ko Min-sung for not wetting himself the moment Kang Jin-ho appeared.

That’s what it meant.

To the martial artists of Korea, Kang Jin-ho was someone they couldn’t help but respect, and also the most terrifying being in the world.

“You seem to be mistaken…”

“Neither I nor Lee Hyun-soo are trying to judge you.”

Ko Min-sung raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“We’re not judges or police. We don’t have the right to judge anyone. Do you think I’m doing this because it’s wrong for you to distribute drugs?”

“…Isn’t that it?”

“Isn’t that it?”

Kang Jin-ho stood up from his seat.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled up. Kang Jin-ho took a step and came close to Ko Min-sung.

“You were talking so well.”

“Ugh…”

A suppressed groan escaped.

“Why do you think I’m enforcing the law of society?”

“Do I look like such a good guy?”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

It was strange.

Of course, he had changed from the past. Compared to the past, the current Kang Jin-ho might be much more compassionate and gentle.

But that didn’t mean Kang Jin-ho had become a good person.

No.

Rather, if you looked at it coldly, Kang Jin-ho might have become an even more ruthless human being than in the past.

In the past, the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign [a title referring to Kang Jin-ho’s past life] had solved everything with force. He thought that subjugating with force was the solution to all problems. And he didn’t pay attention to problems that didn’t need to be solved with force.

But the current Kang Jin-ho was different.

The current Kang Jin-ho used not only force but also all the methods he could use. He didn’t hesitate to use money, power, and even control minds. If it was to achieve a result, the current Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t hesitate to use any method.

But strangely, the people who knew him seemed to think of Kang Jin-ho as a good person.

It was funny.

“Don’t be mistaken.”

Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed Ko Min-sung’s neck. Then, he pulled him up. Ko Min-sung’s limp body swayed as he was dragged.

Kang Jin-ho pulled Ko Min-sung close to him and curled up the corners of his mouth. His lips parted, revealing Kang Jin-ho’s teeth.

Like a beast growling.

Kang Jin-ho whispered in Ko Min-sung’s ear.

“Do you know what crime you’ve committed?”

Ko Min-sung trembled and opened his mouth.

If Kang Jin-ho’s hand, which was now holding his neck, exerted just a little more force, he would become a corpse with a broken neck. He would die with his tongue hanging out and drool dripping.

“I, I distributed drugs.”

“No.”

A low and quiet voice.

That’s why it was even more chilling.

“You’ve missed the point. The crime you committed wasn’t touching drugs. It was ignoring my order not to touch drugs.”

“What right does a murderer have to judge a drug dealer?”

A small laugh was heard.

Kang Jin-ho was laughing.

It was a voice that flowed out like a groan, as if he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“I’m not judging you. I don’t even intend to. I’m just punishing a guy who didn’t listen to my orders.”

His neck tightened.

In Cho Min-sung’s vision, which was blocked, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, dyed red, came into view.

That eerie red, which felt like it was not of this world.

His eyes, as red as a devil’s, were glaring at Ko Min-sung with clear murderous intent.

Reason disappeared.

Logic crumbled, and even his senses dulled.

All that remained was a fear of not knowing what to do.

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

As a devil smiles at a pitiful human whose soul has been taken by a twisted contract, Kang Jin-ho smiled eerily and looked into Ko Min-sung’s eyes.

“You know, right?”

Ko Min-sung nodded as if he was possessed.

“You’re going to die.”

“Death is fair. But death is also unfair. Even if the result of death is the same, how you die is bound to be different.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly lowered Ko Min-sung back into the chair.

“I’ll give you a chance.”

With a bloodless face, Ko Min-sung looked at Kang Jin-ho. There was no will to live left on his face. But even so, there was something he couldn’t give up.

“Tell me everything you know. Without leaving out a single thing. If there’s anything useful, I’ll at least give you a chance to have a comfortable death. If not…”

Kang Jin-ho quietly reached out and touched Ko Min-sung’s forehead.

“You’ll find out. What pain is, what a painful death is. That’s not bad either. At least you’ll know something that others don’t know before you die.”

Kang Jin-ho took his hand off Ko Min-sung’s forehead.

Then, he smiled lightly.

“What’s your answer?”

The answer was already decided.

Clang.

Lee Hyun-soo opened the metal door and came out. The guards who were guarding the door bowed their heads to Lee Hyun-soo.

“Where is the Chairman?”

“He’s over there.”

Looking where the security team was pointing, Kang Jin-ho was standing on one side, smoking a cigarette and looking up at the sky.

Lee Hyun-soo sighed and approached Kang Jin-ho.

“It’s done.”

“What’s the result?”

“It’s not completely sorted out. If I had left him alone, he would have told me about wetting his bed in elementary school. Anyway, I’ve caught the mastermind.”

“Who is it?”

“Well…”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his head.

“Well, he’s not a big deal. He’s a guy who used to be a director but was pushed out. He had connections with that side since Lee Joong-geol was around. It seems he’s been recruiting a few people.”

Was it good news?

No.

In other words, even if he was just a martial artist of that level, it meant that if he knew how to use his power properly, he could cause that much trouble.

Kang Jin-ho knew that meaning well.

“How long will it take?”

“I’ll keep him locked up in there until sunrise.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

“Then.”

Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head slightly.

Then, as Lee Hyun-soo turned his back, Kang Jin-ho’s low voice was heard.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“…Yes?”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head.

Kang Jin-ho was standing there, his gaze fixed on the night sky.

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t rush Kang Jin-ho and quietly waited for him to continue.

A little time passed, and Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth in a voice that was a little lower than usual.

“Can a murderer judge a drug dealer?”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.

It was a difficult question to answer.

After not answering for a long time, Lee Hyun-soo barely managed to open his mouth.

“I don’t know either.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

“Okay. Go.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head once more and walked towards the main building. Lee Hyun-soo, who had been hurrying his steps, stopped and turned around.

Kang Jin-ho’s back, looking up at the night sky, came into his view.

Strangely…

Kang Jin-ho’s back, which always seemed strong, looked a little lonely today.

A little.

Just a little bit.