Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1533

“By the way, what brings you here?”

“I’m here to ask you to accelerate your training.”

“Hmm?”

“And it would be good to secure proper cooperation from other countries. So that we don’t hesitate when we need to dispatch troops to other nations.”

The Master’s eyes slightly darkened.

“Does that mean the time is coming?”

“It’s inevitable.”

“Hmph…”

The Master let out a heavy sigh.

The General Assembly, having completed its internal reorganization, formed an alliance with the Round Table, occupied Japan, and established military cooperation with the United States.

In other words, there are now few major forces left that can stand against the General Assembly.

To be specific?

“The Three Kings’ Faction.”

“That’s correct.”

The Master’s eyes sank.

Every time he mentioned the Three Kings’ Faction, he felt a heavy stone pressing on his chest.

That’s how much the Three Kings were feared by those who lived in the Murim world [a martial arts world].

The Celestial Realm.

“Now it would be the Four Kings, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s also true.”

And now, Kang Jin-ho is also considered to be on par with them.

Although the size of the land they control cannot be compared to theirs, the General Assembly has already grown strong enough. The Master was the one who felt that power most acutely.

“Is it possible?”

“It’s still uncertain.”

Wiggins scratched his chin.

“If we were given a little more time… Yes. If we had just ten more years, I’m confident we could achieve certain victory.”

“Hmm, that means the General Assembly is growing that fast.”

“Yes, that’s right. But that’s not all.”

“Then?”

“The Lord is growing exponentially stronger even now. Watching him from the side, it’s not just frightening, it’s sickening.”

“…That doesn’t sound like simple boasting.”

“I wish it were just boasting.”

Wiggins gave a bitter smile.

The speed at which his master was growing made him feel more inferior as a martial artist than joyful. Sometimes, watching Kang Jin-ho’s growth, he felt like the biggest fool in the world.

“And the General Assembly’s allies will also become stronger and more efficient. Isn’t that the case with the Round Table?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“On the other hand, the Three Kings’ Faction will inevitably check each other and weaken their forces. In just ten years, we’ll be able to face at least two of the Three Kings simultaneously. But…”

“We won’t be given that time.”

“Yes. They’re not fools either.”

They will come up with a countermeasure soon.

Whether they stop the war or decide to settle things before the General Assembly becomes too strong to handle.

If the Three Kings were fools, they wouldn’t have become the Three Kings. Their minds are surely more brilliant than ordinary people can imagine.

Even the Red King was like that.

From the moment he met Kang Jin-ho, he had been wary of Kang Jin-ho to an extent that Wiggins found strange. And now, everyone in the Murim world understood why he had been wary of Kang Jin-ho.

It’s not difficult to evaluate things based on the revealed results.

The great thing is to predict the results before they happen. Among those who met Kang Jin-ho, only one, the Red King, foresaw this far ahead.

Would such people leave a beast growing behind their backs?

‘That won’t happen.’

They will surely come, surely.

And at the most difficult moment.

Wiggins raised his head and looked at the Master.

“As you know…”

“Hmm?”

“This isn’t just about the General Assembly. If the war of the Three Kings’ Faction is settled and they swallow the General Assembly, where will they go next?”

“Here, I suppose.”

Though they would go through Japan first.

“They are insatiable. The reason why those who discuss the Middle Kingdom [China] have only lived on that land is because they thought that world was everything. They are like huge, insatiable gullets.”

“Hmm.”

“They will surely reach out to other places. Eventually, they will try to bring the entire world under their influence.”

It was an absurd story.

But it was also not an absurd story.

‘Because they are already doing it.’

China is already infiltrating various parts of the world and increasing its influence. They are building their own power and creating a worldview centered on China, not the United States.

“Even in a world where there is an unshakable absolute power like the United States, China is trying to swallow other countries… It’s obvious how they will act in a realm where they become the absolute power.”

“It’s a matter of survival, then.”

“At least, that’s what I think.”

“I understand what you mean.”

It wasn’t just about participating to help an ally.

This was a matter of survival, and the fate of the Round Table was at stake. If the Three Kings’ Faction were to take control of the entire Murim world and wield it as they pleased, a terrible world would come.

“We are also preparing in our own way.”

“You need to do more.”

Wiggins looked at the Master with determined eyes.

“You must extract everything the Round Table can offer and support the General Assembly.”

“I’m already…”

“Master.”

Wiggins cut off the Master’s words.

“As I said, it’s about power.”

Wiggins spoke as if growling.

“Losing the future to protect the current comfort is something only fools do. If you don’t want to console yourself with the thought that you did as much as you could the moment your head is cut off, you need to extract more.”

“Even if the Round Table falls into chaos?”

“Even if it falls into chaos, the Round Table will still exist.”

“The moment they win, the Round Table will be no more.”

The Master let out a low sigh.

It was something he knew, but hearing it spoken like this felt completely different.

‘He’s telling me to squeeze everything out.’

He was telling him to squeeze out every last drop of sweat and blood and pour it into the General Assembly. Wiggins’ sudden visit was ultimately to say these words.

“There is no compromise.”

Wiggins said in a cold tone.

Hearing those words, a slight sense of rebellion arose in the Master’s heart.

Of course, he knew that his position was different from the past.

In the past, Wiggins was his subordinate and someone who would one day become his successor. But now, their positions were completely reversed.

At least in the current world, the head of the Round Table is not in a higher position than a director of the General Assembly.

He knew that, but…

“I’m having some doubts.”

“Doubts, you say?”

“I know I shouldn’t be thinking like this, but… I can’t completely shake it off. After supporting them with everything, what will the Round Table, left with only bones, get in return?”

“It’s just that the ruler will change, isn’t it?”

Wiggins smiled.

“Master.”

“Speak. I’m listening.”

“Get a grip.”

The Master’s eyes slightly wavered.

He had never heard such rude language from Wiggins before.

“The Round Table might not be any different. Living a life of groveling to maintain the Round Table might not be much better than the Round Table itself disappearing.”

“But the Master is different.”

The Master bit his lip slightly.

“I’m not going to say nice things. Master, you’re on the same boat as us. Do you think the Three Kings’ Faction would ever re-employ a Master like you?”

That was unlikely.

The Master also knew that.

“The only way to survive on a sinking ship is to either plug the holes by any means or row to land before the ship sinks.”

“Keep that in mind. There is no other way.”

The Master closed his eyes tightly.

Although the tone was forceful, he wasn’t wrong.

‘Since I made the choice, there is no other way.’

From the moment he decided to pledge allegiance to the General Assembly, this outcome was inevitable. They both knew it, but they just hoped that the time would come a little later.

“Or…”

Wiggins gave a subtle smile.

“Will you step down?”

The Master’s eyes slightly trembled.

“That’s also one way. Then at least the Master can avoid the criticism of driving the members of the Round Table to the battlefield to support a foreign war. Perhaps you could even be treated as an elder statesman.”

The Master’s hand gripped his thigh.

“If you step down peacefully now, at the peak of your power, no one will doubt the Master’s sincerity.”

“Then you’ll put up a suitable puppet and control the Round Table?”

Is it any different now?

Wiggins forcibly swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

He shouldn’t touch the last bit of pride of this old martial artist. As a courtesy to someone he once respected, regardless of practicalities.

“If you don’t want that, then what you need to do is clear.”

The Master closed his eyes.

As if he was agonizing.

As if he was in torment.

But Wiggins couldn’t watch that scene with the same tension as before.

‘An obvious conclusion.’

The conclusion was already out. The current Master was just looking for a way to package his desires.

By covering it with the word ‘agonizing’.

“You’re opening the gates of hell.”

“There’s a saying in the East, isn’t there? If not me, then who will go to hell?”

Wiggins’ lips curled up.

It was a suitable wrapping.

“I might not be a good leader. But if I step down from this position now, the Round Table will just become a place that is played by your hands. I don’t want to see the place where I’ve spent my whole life become like that.”

“I’ve also spent my whole life in the Round Table, haven’t I?”

“But you left.”

The Master added a word.

“And now, you’re working for the benefit of another place.”

“Haha.”

Wiggins slightly raised both hands as if he couldn’t win.

“Master, I apologize for being a bit harsh. But the situation is that urgent.”

“I understand what you mean.”

The Master let out a heavy sigh.

“I’ll support you. I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll mobilize troops, extract funds, and throw those who oppose me in jail.”

“It’s for the future.”

“I’m doing this because I believe those words. Please put in a good word for me with the Chairman.”

“Of course, Master.”

Wiggins slightly licked his lips.

Of course, it was for the future.

For the future of the General Assembly, not the Round Table.

He didn’t lie. No, even if it was a lie, it didn’t matter. The Master wasn’t someone who wouldn’t know that obvious lie.

‘It took a long time.’

Those who have tasted power can never go back to the past. Power is the most powerful drug that humanity has created.

And that drug had completely addicted even the Master.

As time passed, the Master, addicted to power, would do anything to protect his power. And knowing that his power came from Kang Jin-ho, he would not betray Kang Jin-ho no matter what happened.

‘It’s not a pleasant thing to push my old home into a fire pit, but…’

What can he do?

He had to be faithful to reality.

“Let’s have a beer together for old times’ sake.”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“I am busy, but isn’t it too sad to go back without having a beer with the Master? There’s a game on this evening, too.”

“Oh ho.”

The Master shrugged his shoulders.

“VIP room?”

“That’s not how you watch soccer.”

“You’re still a Brit. Alright, let’s go and enjoy it for old times’ sake.”

Wiggins smiled as he watched the Master, who was pleased.