Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1547

Ryuichi frowned at the crowd that had gathered in the room.

‘…So many?’

‘This probably isn’t even all of them.’

‘What?’

‘They wouldn’t be able to gather everyone in the country this quickly. They’re probably planning to recruit separately by region.’

‘And the other regions probably didn’t send as many as here. This is Kyoto, after all.’

Ryuichi nodded slowly.

While Tokyo is the center of Japan, Kyoto is the center of the Japanese martial world. It’s where the most martial artists reside and where the most powerful factions were formed.

Of course, that was until last year.

‘Seeing that they’ve rented a place this big, they must have more money than I thought.’

‘Yeah, probably. The money we squeezed out is probably flowing straight to them.’

Michihiro frowned at the cynical tone.

‘I get your point, but you should watch your mouth.’

‘…What are you talking about?’

Michihiro shrugged. Then, he subtly gestured around.

‘By your standards, this place is full of traitors and pro-Koreans you’d love to chew out. But from their perspective, wouldn’t they want to kill a patriot like you?’

‘If you don’t want to get killed before you achieve anything, you should watch your mouth. A few of them are already glaring at you.’

‘People who are hit where it hurts tend to get emotional.’

Michihiro chuckled.

Ryuichi frowned at that.

‘He’s having a field day.’

The Ryuichi who used to be full of life was originally this type. He was never serious about anything, always joking around, and constantly mocking people when he was bored.

That’s why he thought he didn’t fit in with martial artists…

‘Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t fit in.’

Ryuichi bit his lip slightly.

But what does it matter?

‘Showing spirit is enough.’

He would show those bastards exactly how a Japanese warrior dies.

Ryuichi gripped the small sword hidden in his clothes.

And at that moment, as he renewed his resolve.

Bang.

The front door opened, and a man walked in.

‘Konno?’

It was a familiar face.

He couldn’t call him director or deputy director anymore, but if he was seeing correctly, the man who had just stepped forward was definitely Konno, the former deputy director of the Yamakawa-kai [a yakuza group].

Ryuichi remembered Konno from when the Yamakawa-kai’s power was at its peak. He was a true samurai, a martial artist who knew the way of the warrior.

But now, there was no trace of that in Konno.

‘How can a person change so much?’

He looked more like an office worker than a martial artist.

And a middle-aged man at that, one who was sweating from the stress of life.

‘E-everyone…’

Konno opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

‘Thank you for coming… Thank you for your hard work.’

He didn’t seem to know what tone to use. At the same time, Konno kept glancing behind him, not at the people gathered here.

‘What is it?’

This was strange.

Ryuichi could understand that Konno had lost his past vigor. But Konno’s current state wasn’t just that of someone who had lost their spirit.

He looked like he was afraid of something.

‘Has a big shot arrived?’

Ryuichi slightly clenched his thigh.

They would have to explain the situation in Korea, so someone from the main council must have come in person. And if Konno was that intimidated, it was clear that a very high-ranking member of the council had arrived.

‘That’s actually better.’

There was no point in spilling blood on small fry. A high-ranking member would react accordingly.

‘A-as you’ve heard, um…’

‘Among the applicants here…’

Konno, panting, shook his head.

‘I-it’s better to hear it directly from the person who came, rather than from me. E-everyone, please stand up. It’s an honor, the head of the council has come here in person to encourage you all.’

At that moment, the small murmuring in the room died down into a deathly silence.

Even Ryuichi couldn’t say anything, his eyes wide open.

The head of the council?

Kang Jin-ho?

That Kang Jin-ho came in person?

Ryuichi was shocked and grabbed the armrest of his chair.

Crack.

The armrest he was holding broke off. But Ryuichi didn’t seem to notice that he had broken the chair, staring straight ahead.

Konno glanced at the door.

It was a short time.

But for those waiting, that short time felt like an eternity.

And after that eternity…

Step.

With soft footsteps, Kang Jin-ho appeared.

Kang Jin-ho, wearing a black suit, walked in calmly. Then, he naturally stepped onto the platform that Konno had been occupying.

Following him was a man in the same black suit.

The thoughts of everyone in the room converged into one.

What would he say?

What would be his first words?

And Kang Jin-ho’s first words far exceeded their expectations.

‘Nice to meet you, trash. I’m Kang Jin-ho.’

A low voice echoed.

Konno was shocked and turned to look at Kang Jin-ho. He was asking if it was okay to translate those words directly.

But the answer came not from Kang Jin-ho, but from the man standing behind him.

‘That’s enough from you, step aside. I’ll translate.’

‘…Y-yes, sir, manager.’

Lee Hyun-soo stepped forward, grabbed the microphone, and chuckled softly. Then, he translated Kang Jin-ho’s greeting without any filter.

A commotion began.

The people who heard Kang Jin-ho’s words looked at each other.

‘What is this?’

‘Did he call us trash?’

They couldn’t react.

They couldn’t express their dissatisfaction, nor could they agree. They had expected at least a polite greeting, but now they were at a loss, just staring at Kang Jin-ho.

‘Is that not right?’

Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Then, Lee Hyun-soo, who was translating, quickly lit Kang Jin-ho’s cigarette.

‘Hoo.’

Kang Jin-ho exhaled a short puff of smoke and gave a subtle smile.

‘The Japanese martial artists who aren’t trash are already dead. Or they’ve had their martial arts sealed and become cripples.’

‘The guys here are the ones who stayed silent while others were dying, just to save their own lives. And now, they’ve crawled all the way here to try and get a piece of the pie.’

Lee Hyun-soo, who had translated all of Kang Jin-ho’s words, added a comment.

‘This is the head of the council’s personal opinion, and it differs from the official position of the council.’

‘Oh, and for the record, my opinion is the same, you trash.’

Lee Hyun-soo smiled brightly.

‘Y-you bastard!’

It was at that moment.

One of the men sitting in the front drew a sword hidden in his clothes and charged straight at Kang Jin-ho.

‘Dieeeeee!’

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand dismissively at the martial artist charging at him.

Thwack!

With the sound of a leather drum bursting, the martial artist was flung back faster than he had charged.

The man, instantly turned into a bloody mess, bounced on the floor a few times before losing consciousness and collapsing.

‘I apologize, head of the council. We should have done a weapon check.’

‘It’s fine.’

Kang Jin-ho said as if it was nothing.

He only gets angry when something is actually a threat.

‘You’re trying to show some spirit, but it’s laughable. You who have lived in silence until now don’t even have the right to show spirit. What can you possibly show? Everything you could show has already been shown by those who are dead.’

Ryuichi’s body trembled.

Kang Jin-ho’s words pierced his heart.

‘Cowards disguise their cowardice with the word ‘patience.’ I endured. I waited for a bigger opportunity. But that bigger opportunity will never come. A person who misses their chance will only hold onto their cowardice.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

‘But aren’t you still trash?’

No one could open their mouths.

‘Hoo.’

Kang Jin-ho exhaled a short puff of smoke and raised his head to look at everyone.

Those who met Kang Jin-ho’s gaze couldn’t bear to look him in the eye and lowered their heads.

‘But I don’t hate trash like you.’

To be precise, it was a little different.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t like those who lacked passion and didn’t push themselves.

But could he apply that standard to them?

Well.

Then, like those who died first, was it right to fight to the last man, even in a situation where the outcome was already decided?

Kang Jin-ho didn’t think so.

The council felt the same way.

If Kang Jin-ho were to die at the hands of the Three Kings [a powerful group], and there was no way to win, the best option would be to survive, even if it meant bowing down to them.

Survival was what mattered.

Death for the sake of honor was worthless to Kang Jin-ho. Especially if that honor was just a sense of belonging to a pathetic organization.

‘It doesn’t matter if you’re trash. At least you know that your own lives are important. So, I propose…’

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘I will open a path for you to rule this Japan.’

Words that were not refined at all.

Raw words pierced the ears of those gathered.

‘It’s simple. Come to Korea. Train there and return stronger than those who remain in Japan. In return, just do a few simple tasks, and I’ll guarantee your autonomy as much as possible.’

Someone opened their mouth with a trembling voice.

‘A-are you saying we should become your lackeys?’

‘Yes.’

He didn’t even try to sugarcoat it.

‘Lackeys, dogs, pro-Koreans. You can call it whatever you want. The essence won’t change.’

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

‘I think they came up with a decent name on their side, but I forgot. But the name doesn’t matter, does it? Whatever you’re called, the job won’t change. Your job is simple. Rule the Japanese for me.’

‘Those who will do it, stay. The rest, leave.’

As Kang Jin-ho finished speaking, a hellish silence descended.

It was too different from what they had imagined.

At the very least, they had expected a gentle invitation and sweet talk. No one who came here didn’t know what kind of work they would be doing. This wasn’t a place for such fools.

But at least they thought there would be some kind of sugarcoating.

It would be a thin layer that would be peeled off with just a touch, but whether it existed or not made a bigger difference than they thought.

But Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem to have any intention of sugarcoating anything.

What should they say?

Or what…

It was then.

Ryuichi quietly stood up from his seat.

Then, he looked straight at Kang Jin-ho.

His legs were trembling.

His fists were clenched tightly.

And his eyes were slightly red.

That appearance showed how much pressure he was under and how much turmoil he was enduring.