Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1535

‘What’s the situation?’

‘They are still in a standoff.’

Kang Jin-ho slightly curled up the corners of his mouth as he looked at the Blood Demon, who had a serious expression.

The Blood Demon he knew would be smirking and teasing Kang Jin-ho by now, but the current Blood Demon was all business.

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to Jang Min, who was sitting behind the Blood Demon.

‘There really are natural enemies in this world.’

Even as he watched the Blood Demon glancing at Jang Min, he found it hard to suppress his laughter.

‘How long are you going to keep this up?’

‘The one who moves first will lose,’ the Blood Demon said firmly.

‘In a martial arts contest, the one who gains the upper hand in the beginning has an overwhelming advantage.’

‘That’s right.’

Kang Jin-ho had benefited from that many times.

Kang Jin-ho’s favorite tactic was to charge headfirst, regardless of formation, and shatter the enemy’s morale.

Martial artists, who are strong individually, can unleash endless power when their morale is high.

‘They don’t want to give up the initiative. That’s why they’re waiting.’

‘But there must be a limit to that?’

‘Of course. This situation won’t continue indefinitely. Besides…’

The Blood Demon shrugged.

‘The Chang King might be patient, but the Hong King isn’t the type to be so relaxed, so he’ll reach his limit soon. There’s even a rumor that he’s been pacing around his residence like a dog that needs to pee.’

Perhaps the Blood Demon was the only person in the world who could use such an expression for the Hong King. Even Kang Jin-ho couldn’t speak so casually about the Hong King.

‘It wouldn’t hurt to have at least one sane person around.’

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

‘So…’

Lee Hyun-soo frowned and asked,

‘Who has the advantage?’

‘Advantage?’

The Blood Demon seemed to ponder for a moment, then answered nonchalantly.

‘There are so many variables that it’s impossible to say who has the advantage.’

‘If you had to bet money?’

‘The Hong King.’

‘What?’

Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted at the Blood Demon’s confident answer.

‘You just said it’s impossible to say who has the advantage.’

‘I mean it’s marginal. It depends on the luck of the day. But…’

The Blood Demon scratched his chin.

‘If I had to choose, I’d lean slightly towards the Hong King.’

‘Why?’

‘No one knows who is stronger between the Chang King and the Hong King. But it’s clear who is stronger between the Hong King faction and the Chang King faction.’

‘Hmm.’

‘The Hong King is unusually generous among the three kings. Thanks to that, many more experts have gathered under him than elsewhere.’

Bator nodded.

‘When I sought guidance from the three kings, the only one who seriously engaged with me was the Hong King. The other two… well…’

Bator scratched his head.

‘I was turned away at the door.’

‘Are the three kings’ factions so great that they would turn you away?’

Bator grinned.

‘To be precise, it wasn’t that I was turned away, but they didn’t even know where their king was.’

‘…That’s surprising.’

Come to think of it, it wasn’t that surprising.

It used to be common.

The best martial artist of the Wudang Sect [a famous Taoist martial arts school] would seclude himself in a remote place to seek enlightenment. The leader of the Beggars’ Sect [a fictional martial arts sect often depicted as having a network of information] would leave his position to see the world and then quietly return after a few years.

‘There wasn’t a sane one among the experts.’

Of course, that included Kang Jin-ho. It was something he hadn’t thought about deeply at the time, but looking back now, it wasn’t that there weren’t any sane experts, but rather that people with a screw loose were more likely to become experts.

If someone could think rationally, they wouldn’t endure the arduous training.

‘Are you completely ignoring the existence of the Black King?’

‘It’s not that I’m ignoring him, but…’

The Blood Demon made a strange expression.

‘That’s the very reason why the balance has been maintained until now. The Black King’s existence is truly shrouded in mystery. Even the intelligence agency hasn’t been able to ascertain his identity.’

‘Has he never shown his face?’

‘Whenever he appears, he always wears a black coat.’

‘It’s like something out of a film noir…’

‘Ah, to give the Black King a little defense, the time when he started appearing in a black coat was before film noir became popular.’

Is that important?

Really?

‘Anyway, if we keep being conscious of the Black King’s existence, this standoff will continue forever. So, we need to see a conclusion, one way or another. We need to avoid the worst-case scenario.’

‘The worst-case scenario?’

‘You, Master.’

‘…Me?’

‘Yes, oh Great Demon Lord. The Messiah of the Peninsula and the Nightmare of China. It is too painful for them that you are growing stronger here.’

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

‘Why is that?’

‘The Great Demon Lord is subjugating all places except China. You have conquered Europe, brought Japan to its knees, and joined hands with the United States. Oh, even those Yankees are under your control…’

‘Enough.’

‘Yes, sir!’

At Jang Min’s words, the Blood Demon immediately changed his tone.

‘In fact, China wasn’t that wary of the Demon Lord. To be more precise, they didn’t think it would become such a problem. Because, after all, the Demon Lord is trapped in the narrow peninsula [referring to the Korean peninsula].’

‘Hmm.’

‘As long as you are confined within the framework of Korea, the General Assembly cannot meet the number and quantity of martial artists they need. They must have calculated that even if the Demon Lord became as strong as the three kings, they could handle you if you didn’t have enough support. But…’

The Blood Demon shook his head.

‘The Demon Lord is taking over all places except China. If time passes like this, even if China is unified, all places except China will gather under the Demon Lord’s banner. That’s a result they don’t want.’

‘So, they’re in a hurry?’

‘That’s my opinion, my opinion.’

The Blood Demon joked.

‘How could I know the thoughts of those great people? However, that’s how the situation is turning out.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

‘Anyway, you mean a fight will break out soon?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then what will happen?’

‘The result will come out in an instant. The winner will then fight the Black King faction.’

‘What about the Chinese government?’

‘They won’t interfere as long as their safety is guaranteed. They are desperate to survive, so they must be reaching out everywhere. Anyway, it’s not like the Demon Lord will help them.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

That was true.

‘So, in the end, you’re saying that China will be unified soon…’

Kang Jin-ho’s expression became strange.

It was something to be afraid of, but strangely, he didn’t feel any fear.

Rather, it was more like.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

He was excited by this situation.

‘If it’s decided how the enemy will come out, we need to prepare our side as well,’

Lee Hyun-soo said quietly.

‘Of course, I think it will take a little longer than the Blood Demon predicts.’

‘Why?’

‘Because they have too much to lose.’

Lee Hyun-soo tapped the Chinese map with his hand.

‘Especially, unlike the Blood Demon’s prediction, the Hong King will endure as much as he can.’

Opinions were divided.

Then, the Blood Demon narrowed his eyes.

‘The Hong King is impulsive, so he doesn’t have much patience.’

‘That’s right. He came to us impulsively in China. He definitely has that side to him.’

‘Then why?’

‘Because his subordinates’ lives are at stake.’

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

‘It’s not something that will end with one or two people dying. The Hong King I met was a great man. I don’t think such a person would be impulsive when tens of thousands of lives are at stake.’

Kang Jin-ho agreed with that.

‘He would be like that.’

If the Hong King was really that impulsive, he would have thrown a punch the moment he met Kang Jin-ho. But the Hong King, like a beast drooling over meat in front of him, did not try to fight Kang Jin-ho.

‘Lee Hyun-soo is right on this one.’

Lee Hyun-soo looked at the Blood Demon triumphantly. Then, the Blood Demon’s eyes filled with murderous intent.

‘I’ll pluck your eyes out.’

At Jang Min’s reprimand, the Blood Demon became docile again, like a rabbit.

Lee Hyun-soo, who had taken the lead, continued.

‘The problem is that the Chang King is an unknown. But if he has any sense, the standoff will continue a little longer. And…’

Lee Hyun-soo stroked his chin.

‘It would be better if they could keep the standoff a little longer. While their mental strength is being consumed and their power is being depleted, we can accumulate our strength.’

‘No, no, that’s not right.’

At that moment, Wiggins interjected.

‘Let’s refrain from praying. If you want something, you have to get it yourself. You can’t just open your mouth and expect a persimmon to fall from the tree [a Korean idiom meaning you can’t expect good things to happen without effort].’

Lee Hyun-soo smiled contentedly.

‘How far has that man’s Korean improved?’

Now, even Lee Hyun-soo wanted to learn from him.

‘Do you have any ideas?’

‘We can make things a little uncomfortable. For example…’

Wiggins tapped a part of the map.

‘There’s a land that’s perfect for someone to run wild, right behind the Chang King’s faction.’

Everyone’s gaze turned to Bator.

The place Wiggins pointed to was none other than Mongolia.

‘Are you saying to lead the Mongolian warriors and attack?’

‘No.’

Wiggins shook his head.

‘It’s enough just to deploy the warriors on the border. If the Hong King faction doesn’t move first, we need to give the Chang King faction a reason why they can’t move either. Isn’t that possible with Bator’s abilities?’

‘Hmm, it’s not a difficult task.’

Leading an attack is one thing, but a full deployment is another.

‘Besides that, there are a few other things I want to try…’

Wiggins smiled.

‘I’ll try to get a little more information from within China. I think I can tell you more after that.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

If Wiggins said so, it would be correct. For now, they just needed to trust Wiggins and wait.

‘However.’

Kang Jin-ho looked at everyone and opened his mouth.

‘There’s no guarantee that they will move according to our plan. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow.’

‘You are right.’

‘Let’s not be negligent in our preparations. Everything is at stake here. If we can’t overcome them in the end, everything we’ve done so far will be for nothing.’

Not everyone will die.

But everyone here will die.

Those who knew the weight of those words nodded silently.

‘Don’t make such faces.’

Kang Jin-ho said indifferently.

‘Whether it’s the Hong King, the Chang King, or the Black King. I’ll take their heads. You just need to deal with the leftovers.’

‘Hehehehe.’

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Bator let out a low laugh.

‘I don’t know if it’s confidence or arrogance, Master.’

‘It’s confidence.’

‘Ho ho.’

Bator stood up.

‘Then, shall we see if that confidence can really be called confidence?’

At that provocation, Kang Jin-ho smiled.

‘Did you eat enough for lunch?’

‘Huh?’

‘Because you won’t be able to eat dinner.’

Bator’s eyes emitted fighting spirit.

‘Come out, Master. Today, I’ll show you what insubordination is.’

‘As you wish.’

As the two of them left, emitting fighting spirit, the others smiled wryly.

‘Why does it always end up like this?’

Who knows?

Do we look like we know?