Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1336

A breeze brushed past Kang Jin-ho’s cheek.

Kang Jin-ho lowered his gaze slightly, looking down.

Those who had been hidden, blending into the forest, momentarily revealed themselves before disappearing again.

They were trying to find Kang Jin-ho’s trail.

However, Kang Jin-ho ignored them and landed on the roof of the building in an instant.

‘Not bad.’

If they had set up a defensive perimeter that was impossible to breach through normal means, then he would simply pass through it using abnormal methods.

Kang Jin-ho, having lured the enemy to disrupt their encirclement, climbed a tree and leaped across the forest in one go.

Below, there might be infrared sensors and all sorts of traps, but even with modern technology, they couldn’t set up traps in the air.

Thanks to that, Kang Jin-ho succeeded in approaching the safe house’s rooftop without any hindrance.

Of course, this method wasn’t perfect either.

If they couldn’t find Kang Jin-ho’s trail in the forest, there was only one thing they would do. They would leave some guards behind and storm the safe house in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.

Securing the target’s safety was their priority.

But that was enough.

It wouldn’t take long.

Kang Jin-ho scanned his surroundings with his eyes lowered.

According to the information Lee Jong-wook had given him, the safe house was built with this purpose in mind from the start. It wasn’t as elaborate as a bunker, but the walls were thick, and all the visible glass was specially made bulletproof glass.

All the doors in the building were designed to be unopenable from the outside unless someone opened them from the inside.

That’s why he had said it was impossible to enter the safe house normally, but that was Lee Jong-wook’s opinion…

Kang Jin-ho walked steadily to one end of the rooftop.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he jumped down to the ground.

“What!”

“Who!”

The guards standing at the door were startled and raised their guns. But before the triggers could be pulled, the guns were sliced into four pieces and sent flying into the air.

Thud, thud.

After splitting the guns, Kang Jin-ho grabbed the necks of the guards at the door and squeezed.

“Gurgle…”

The guards, their carotid arteries constricted, rolled their eyes and lost consciousness.

Kang Jin-ho placed the two men on the ground and looked at the door.

A steel door.

On the surface, it looked like an ordinary steel door. But it definitely wasn’t an ordinary steel door.

What should he do?

Should he melt it, break it?

Or…

Having made up his mind, Kang Jin-ho extended his hand to the right. As his hand touched the air, it seemed to ripple, and Kang Jin-ho’s hand plunged into that ripple.

Then, he pulled out the Red Dew from the subspace in one swift motion. [Subspace refers to a pocket dimension or storage space, often used in science fiction.]

The Red Dew, swung immediately after being drawn, sliced through the thick metal door like tofu.

Swish!

A clean, rectangular line appeared on the steel door with a crisp sound. Kang Jin-ho pushed the door slightly with his other hand.

Then, the cleanly cut door slid back as if it had always been that way.

Kang Jin-ho, having pushed the door open, threw the fallen guards inside while holding a piece of the cut door in one hand. Then, he put the piece of the cut door he was holding back into place.

The perfectly cut door regained its original appearance just by being put back in place. If it were bright daylight, the cut line on the door would be noticeable, but in this darkness, it would be impossible to discern.

Even if someone came around here, they wouldn’t find anything other than the fact that the guards had disappeared. And even if they rushed over here and opened the door, they would just be wasting time.

Kang Jin-ho, having finished tidying up, looked around.

‘There’s nothing particularly unusual?’

He had thought it would be either very bleak or very modern.

Even if it wasn’t that, he had expected something unique, but what he saw was no different from ordinary Chinese buildings.

Well, this wasn’t a military facility, but a safe house.

Even if the exterior was like this, the interior would be focused on living. After all, those who used this facility would be high-ranking party officials or national guests.

Kang Jin-ho, having pushed the Red Dew back into the subspace, took out his phone and opened the photo folder.

He could almost hear Lee Hyun-soo’s sneer in his ear.

“But, you know, those government officials sometimes seem to have no brains. What’s the point of blocking the holes and preventing data from being extracted? You can just turn on the data and take a picture of the screen. Isn’t that right?”

Of course, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t thought of that. It was Lee Hyun-soo who was strange for thinking that way.

“Well, when you think about it, they’re pitiful too. Do you think they didn’t know this? They must have known it was meaningless. But some high-ranking official with no understanding of electronic devices must have told them to block all the holes. That’s how bureaucracy gets you. How inefficient is that?”

No. Let’s not think about it.

Kang Jin-ho checked the face on the screen again.

Lee Gi-gwang.

Kang Jin-ho, having completely imprinted the face of Lee Gi-gwang, who was wearing the familiar party uniform, into his mind, put his phone back in his pocket.

From now on, it was uncharted territory.

They had been able to roughly grasp the exterior by mobilizing satellites and manpower, but there was no information about the interior. From here on, Kang Jin-ho would have to figure things out on his own.

‘That’s more comfortable anyway.’

If there was all sorts of information, there would definitely be all sorts of interference, and that would be very annoying for Kang Jin-ho. Even if he knew it was meaningless, he wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

Thud.

Kang Jin-ho walked forward with a calm stride.

Now, from here on, the feeling was a little different.

He spread his senses.

There were a total of fifteen people caught in Kang Jin-ho’s senses. Thirteen of them were definitely non-combatants.

Then, who were the remaining two?

‘It’s this way.’

It was highly likely that one of the two non-combatants was Lee Gi-gwang.

The fact that the non-combatants were arranged in a formation surrounding the others also reinforced Kang Jin-ho’s suspicion.

Where was the target?

Second floor.

Kang Jin-ho advanced at a pace that was neither fast nor slow. Passing through the hallway and entering the living room, he saw the stairs leading to the second floor.

And…

“What’s that?”

“That…”

The people guarding the living room all looked at Kang Jin-ho at once.

If he had tried to sneak in, it might have been possible. But Kang Jin-ho didn’t want to choose that method.

Because it would be a hindrance when eliminating the target and escaping?

Or because the risk would increase if he was discovered while infiltrating?

No.

Just enduring until this point had pushed Kang Jin-ho’s patience to its limit. If Kim Myung-chan hadn’t asked him to avoid causing trouble with China as much as possible, he wouldn’t have been able to endure this much.

Fortunately for Kang Jin-ho, the people who exclaimed in the living room were definitely not Chinese.

“You bastard!”

It was a phrase he would normally laugh off, but now it sounded more than welcome. After all, Kang Jin-ho and they could not negotiate. Their mission was to stop him, and Kang Jin-ho’s mission was to break through.

Even if Kang Jin-ho spared them, it was obvious that those who failed their mission would all be purged.

Then there was no need to hesitate.

The people guarding the living room drew two knives from their waists without another word.

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes as he watched them.

The sight of a blue aura surrounding a thick military greatsword was something even the experienced Kang Jin-ho was seeing for the first time. It was bound to be fascinating.

“You, how did you…”

“Don’t talk nonsense, just kill him!”

“Yes!”

The three men rushed towards Kang Jin-ho at once.

Closing the distance in the blink of an eye, the three men swung their knives simultaneously. The aura surrounding the knives exploded outwards.

But they didn’t know who they were facing.

That was the last mistake they would make in their lives.

Swish.

Kang Jin-ho brushed past the men who were charging at him. As if a ghost was passing through a person’s body.

The men, having lost their target in an instant, turned around with surprised faces. Or rather, they tried to turn around.

But…

‘What?’

Their bodies wouldn’t move.

They weren’t frozen, nor were they held by anything. Their bodies were simply refusing the commands their brains were giving.

“Why…”

Whoosh!

The three men’s heads simultaneously soared into the air. Their neatly severed necks gushed out spurts of blood.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The bodies that had lost their heads fell, and the heads that had soared into the air fell and rolled on the floor.

They would have died without even knowing how they died.

Kang Jin-ho glanced back.

He had somewhat expected it, but it was a very practical martial art. A killing technique solely for the purpose of killing the opponent.

‘It’s closer to a demonic art than a demonic technique.’

They were North Korean martial artists who were similar to the old Demonic Cult in terms of their mental aspects, but the martial arts they used were closer to the unorthodox ways rather than the demonic path. [Demonic Cult refers to a fictional group often depicted in martial arts novels, known for their ruthless and unorthodox methods.]

It was extremely practical and filled with killing intent.

‘They would be dangerous in a one-on-one fight with the Demonic Flames.’

Kang Jin-ho stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

The level was higher than he had expected. Of course, these men were also the best of the best chosen in North Korea, but even considering that fact, he had to acknowledge their martial prowess.

‘The person in charge must be here?’

A smile deepened on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

This wasn’t enough.

He wanted someone a little more…

He wanted someone a little more interesting.

The eyes of Kang Jin-ho, which had been calmly subdued, began to emit a faint red glow.

Squish.

Stepping on the blood that had soaked the floor, Kang Jin-ho headed for the stairs.

Stepping on the marble stairs, Kang Jin-ho headed to the second floor.

As he leisurely ascended to the second floor, Kang Jin-ho put his hand in his pocket and took out a cigarette, placing it in his mouth.

‘Something’s strange.’

If they had ears, they would have heard the noise from the living room. The people who were now dead had made noise. But there was no particular movement felt from above.

Even though they had clearly grasped that there was an intruder, and that the intruder had killed their comrades, there was no response.

What did that mean?

‘Either they don’t need to respond, or they can’t respond.’

One of the two.

Either way, there was no need to be secretive anymore. They had both identified each other’s presence.

Kang Jin-ho snapped his fingers and lit his cigarette.

The acrid cigarette smoke and the thick scent of blood mixed together. This was also something that could only be experienced in modern times.

‘Shall we see what’s waiting for me?’

Kang Jin-ho’s heart began to beat faintly.

Having completely ascended the stairs, Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to the huge door at the end of the hallway. His target was behind that door.

Without rushing, leisurely.

As if savoring a fine wine, Kang Jin-ho slowly walked towards the door.

“Hoo…”

It had turned out a little different from what he had expected, but it didn’t matter. As long as the result was the same, regardless of the form or process.

Kang Jin-ho, having reached the door, pushed it open with both hands.

The lights that were illuminating the interior poured out towards Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho, having opened the door and checked the inside, hardened his face.

“…What is this?”

A scene completely different from what he had expected was greeting Kang Jin-ho.