Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1459

There was no strength left to be surprised anymore.

Reggie Mercer could only stare at Kang Jin-ho, who was slowly walking towards him, with half-dead eyes.

The bunker was behind him.

For Kang Jin-ho to target the bunker,

he would have to pass through the command center where Reggie Mercer was.

Thud.

Thud.

‘He looks like a grim reaper.’

If it weren’t for the fact that he was holding a long sword instead of a scythe and that his face wasn’t a skull, Kang Jin-ho’s appearance was no different from that of a grim reaper.

If the definition of a grim reaper is one who governs the death of humans, then Kang Jin-ho’s current appearance was more than fitting for that definition.

At least the lives of those here were now in Kang Jin-ho’s hands at this moment.

“…C-Commander.”

The adjutant’s trembling voice pierced Reggie’s ears.

“S-Shall we fire?”

Reggie laughed.

Wasn’t it a funny question?

A clear enemy was approaching, and he was asking if they should fire. He had already told them to fire on their own without orders several times.

‘That’s not what he wants to say.’

He didn’t want to fire.

The moment they fired, this strange stalemate would end, and the battle would begin again.

That was what he was afraid of.

Perhaps the adjutant himself might not even know the hidden meaning behind his words. It wasn’t a thought-out statement.

However, that was a negative signal rather than a positive one. The fact that the command center, which wasn’t directly involved in the battle, was gripped by fear and unable to make proper judgments meant that those fighting the monster on the front lines were already half out of their minds.

As proof of that…

‘It’s quiet.’

Only the sound of something burning and low groans could be heard. The explosions and gunfire that had filled this place just a moment ago were no longer heard.

Instead…

Thud, thud.

Only Kang Jin-ho’s low footsteps suppressed the surrounding noise and pierced Reggie’s ears.

It was meaningless.

The thick armor, created through repeated research to withstand the enemy’s shelling, and the anti-tank rounds, created by pouring countless hours and funds to penetrate the enemy’s armor…

They were simply powerless against a human made of flesh and blood.

‘It’s over.’

Reggie’s head tilted slightly downward.

A small movement that those watching wouldn’t notice. But that movement meant that Reggie’s heart had been broken.

Thud.

Thud.

Even in the midst of all this, Kang Jin-ho was still approaching Reggie with a nonchalant expression.

The adjutants, seeing that, unconsciously stepped back.

But Reggie didn’t lift his feet from the ground.

The order he had received as a soldier was to stop Kang Jin-ho. From the moment he gave up on attacking, he had already disobeyed the order.

Reggie bit his lip.

Was he afraid for his life?

Absolutely not.

Of course, he valued his life. But what he valued now was not his own life, but the lives of his subordinates.

He wasn’t not attacking to save himself. To prove that, he couldn’t retreat even a single step from here.

Kang Jin-ho was approaching.

With burning tanks and black smoke rising into the sky behind him.

Kang Jin-ho was coming closer, step by step.

Only then could Reggie see Kang Jin-ho up close.

‘He’s ordinary.’

It was natural, but it felt unnatural.

Even though he had seen Kang Jin-ho’s appearance several times, it felt awkward and strange that Kang Jin-ho didn’t have horns on his head. He couldn’t feel like the same human being.

It was more like…

He was out for a walk.

Nothing could be felt from Kang Jin-ho.

Neither the excitement, the exhilaration, nor even the hostility towards them that one would feel from someone engaged in battle. He was simply present here.

Reggie curled up the corners of his lips.

He suddenly wondered how he would look in the eyes of that man.

The Kang Jin-ho he saw was a monster.

A being who wore the skin of a human but was not human.

He couldn’t understand how that man could breathe, eat, and sleep like him.

Then…

How would humans look in the eyes of that monster?

A plastic toy that could be broken at any time?

Or a crude sculpture made of clay?

He couldn’t know.

He couldn’t think from Kang Jin-ho’s perspective.

One thing was certain: there would be a huge gap between the humans he saw and the humans that man saw.

‘He must see us as insects.’

Small insects that could be crushed to death with a finger.

Insects that could speak and think, but could be killed without even realizing they were dying, whenever he felt like it.

Reggie laughed.

That’s right. He was an insect.

But just because he was an insect didn’t mean he had to cower before a human.

Insects had their own pride.

Reggie glared at Kang Jin-ho with bloodshot eyes.

Thud, thud.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, which had been walking indifferently, quietly stared at Reggie. Reggie’s legs gave way.

He could feel it.

That there was no one behind him.

His adjutants and guards had run away, unable to handle the approaching monster. But he didn’t particularly feel like blaming them.

If Reggie had been in the position of an adjutant rather than a commander, he would have run away without looking back. The reason he was in a higher position and received more money was because he had to take responsibility in times like this.

Reggie clenched his fist.

He put strength into his weakening legs and glared at Kang Jin-ho, who was approaching him.

Thud, thud.

Finally, Kang Jin-ho reached right in front of him.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been walking with his head slightly lowered, lifted his head. Under his long bangs, the black pupils of an Asian man were revealed.

Reggie held his breath.

Definite death.

There was definite death in front of him now.

And…

That death slowly opened its mouth.

“Will you stop me?”

Reggie couldn’t find the words to answer for a moment. Not because his mind wasn’t made up, but because he hadn’t imagined that man would speak to him.

Humans don’t talk to insects.

Reggie was momentarily taken aback by the soft English that came from Kang Jin-ho’s mouth. He braced his stomach and opened his mouth.

“…I don’t know.”

There was no one to hear him.

Everyone around him had run away.

That was why Reggie could give an honest answer.

“I don’t think I can stop you. I have a brain too. But… I just think I can’t retreat from here.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

And then, white teeth were revealed at the corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth.

Reggie thought that the smile was handsome, inappropriately for the situation.

“Yeah, that’s how a man should be.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded lightly, as if he was pleased.

“But not here.”

Kang Jin-ho reached out his hand. Then, he lightly grabbed Reggie’s shoulder.

A subtle force.

It was a careful touch, as if a human was carefully picking up an ant with their fingers, trying not to kill it.

That subtle touch slowly pushed Reggie away.

Reggie couldn’t resist that force.

No matter how much he struggled, he wouldn’t be able to have any effect on Kang Jin-ho. So what was the point of resisting?

Kang Jin-ho, who had lightly pushed Reggie away from him, patted his shoulder twice and then moved on.

As Kang Jin-ho was about to pass by him, Reggie gritted his teeth.

“Are you trying to humiliate me?”

Kang Jin-ho stopped walking.

Kang Jin-ho, in the same posture as he was walking, simply turned his head and looked at Reggie.

“Don’t you think I’ll put a bullet in your back?”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been looking at Reggie with a blank face, curled up the corners of his lips. Kang Jin-ho, who smiled as if he was in a good mood, spoke to Reggie with a still smiling face.

“Try it.”

“That’s something for later.”

“I….”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and said.

“Your command was pretty good. There were times when you were flustered.”

“This isn’t a battlefield. If it were a battlefield, you’d already be dead. But… there’s no need to kill someone who doesn’t need to be killed in a place that isn’t a battlefield.”

Not a battlefield, huh….

Was he saying it wasn’t a battlefield after doing all this?

Reggie didn’t know whether to be amazed by the scale or angry at the audacity.

“Life isn’t that valuable, but there’s no need to die a dog’s death in a place like this.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Reggie lightly and walked past him towards the bunker. Reggie could only watch his back without saying a word.

‘A complete defeat.’

It was almost refreshing.

He was completely crushed in terms of strength and capacity. He would never feel this much defeat again. But that was why he could accept it cleanly.

Reggie, who had been watching Kang Jin-ho approach the bunker, clenched his fist and turned his body. The battle was over. But the work he had to do was not over yet.

“What are you doing!”

Reggie’s voice boomed.

“Collect the wounded! The casualties as well! Put out the fires! Rescue the wounded from the places where the engines are on fire! Move!”

The frozen soldiers flinched and reacted to Reggie’s voice. They had followed orders countless times, and they reacted to the order before their heads could even understand it.

“Here! There’s a wounded person here!”

“Support over here! Now!”

As if life was returning to the dead, the frozen division began to move again. Reggie watched the scene and bit his lip slightly.

‘I hope the damage isn’t too bad….’

He didn’t care about those iron lumps. What was bothering him now were his subordinates inside those iron lumps. Machines could be fixed and replaced, but the dead could not return.

“Here, he’s alive!”

“He’s alive here too! Support! We need to pull him out!”

“This one is safe too!”

Reggie’s eyes widened slightly.

‘Alive?’

How could someone be alive inside a tank that was so badly damaged? Even in places that were split in two?

Reggie turned his head sharply at the incomprehensible phenomenon.

But Kang Jin-ho was leisurely walking towards the bunker as if he hadn’t heard anything.

“Commander, we need to… attack the bunker.”

“Leave it alone.”

“Commander?”

The adjutant, who had returned, looked at Reggie with incomprehension. But Reggie did not retract his words.

“Our role is over. A dog that loses in a fight has to tuck its tail and leave the fighting ring.”

“The rest is up to them.”

Soon, Kang Jin-ho, who had arrived in front of the bunker, slowly raised his sword.

And then…

Fwoooosh!

A black line appeared in the air and disappeared like a phantom. At the same time, the top of the bunker, made of special concrete, was neatly cut off and flung backward.

“Ah… ah…”

Phil Button sat down on the spot, looking at the blown-off ceiling. Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at the people inside the bunker before taking out a cigarette from his pocket.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho snapped his fingers to light the cigarette, exhaled smoke, and opened his mouth.

“Who’s the Vice Minister?”