Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1694

“We need to get stronger.”

Lee Hyun-soo spoke, his words clipped.

“The directors and the Flame Demons are somehow getting stronger with the help of Hong Wang, but this war isn’t something that can be resolved at that level. The General Assembly’s regular members also have to fight against the Chang Wang faction. If we fall behind there, there’s no going back.”

“…It’s not like I don’t know that.”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“This is a bottomless problem. Telling us to train the kids right now for a war that might not even happen. They should know that learning something new poorly is worse than not learning at all, right?”

“We still have to do it.”

Lee Hyun-soo stated firmly.

“If it’s going to fail anyway, we should at least take a risk.”

“Hey, Chief Lee.”

Bang Jin-hoon glared at Lee Hyun-soo, clearly displeased.

“It’s not like the situation is that bad. We’ve formed an alliance with Hong Wang, and we can use the Hong Wang faction. When facing the Chang Wang faction, the Hong Wang faction and the General Assembly aren’t that far behind in terms of power, are they?”

“Are you talking about the Hong Wang faction that was unilaterally beaten and ran away from the Chang Wang faction without being able to do anything?”

Bang Jin-hoon shut his mouth.

Lee Hyun-soo stared at Bang Jin-hoon before lowering his head.

“I apologize, Director. I was a bit harsh.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like I was the one who got insulted.”

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his head.

Bang Jin-hoon could push back harder if Lee Hyun-soo came on strong, but when he lowered his head like that, it became awkward to press him further.

“So, Chief Lee, do you think the Hong Wang faction isn’t a big help?”

“To be precise, my calculation is that the Hong Wang faction is strong, but the Chang Wang faction is stronger. The Hong Wang faction ultimately couldn’t escape the limitations of being a group of martial artists. But the Chang Wang faction is closer to an army. And it’s an army that is highly organized and mechanically follows orders, unlike anything that has ever existed before.”

« o..*

….

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“An army has its strengths, and martial artists have theirs. But honestly, I can’t even guess what kind of power a martial artist who is organized like an army can unleash.”

“What’s so hard to guess?” Bator frowned as he spoke.

“We’ve already experienced it once. It was truly terrible.”

He still remembered.

The martial artists of the Chang Wang faction who rushed at them, disregarding their own lives.

It wasn’t something that could be explained by calling them an army. It had to be seen as a unique characteristic that only the Chang Wang faction could display.

To be cold about it, even this General Assembly, which was completely under Kang Jin-ho’s control, didn’t seem like it could show the same level of organization as the Chang Wang faction.

“We have to do everything we can. Because the most fundamental problem still remains.”

“What’s that fundamental problem?”

“Chang Wang isn’t moving.”

Everyone who heard that frowned.

“No, to be precise, we don’t know what that guy is doing right now. Given his personality, there’s no way he’s just sitting around doing nothing. He’s definitely doing something. But we have no way of finding out, and we can’t even predict it.”

“That’s why we have to do something. Right now.”

Wiggins nodded.

“You’re right. That’s why Bator, myself, and even Director Bang are all doing our best in our own ways.”

“I’m saying that’s not enough…”

“Chief Lee.”

Wiggins cut off Lee Hyun-soo’s words with a cold voice.

“Calm down.”

“I know you’re anxious. But Chief Lee, you don’t seem like your usual self. Doing your best to handle the tasks at hand and just being impatient are two completely different things. In my opinion, you seem to be the latter right now.”

Wiggins got up from his seat and spoke.

“Let’s end the meeting here today.”

“Master.”

“That’s enough.”

Wiggins approached Lee Hyun-soo and patted him on the shoulder.

“I know you’re anxious. But if the Assembly Head saw you like this, he would be disappointed. Don’t lose your composure too much. Maybe that’s what the enemy wants the most right now.”

“…Yes.”

The directors got up from their seats.

Then, they each glanced at Lee Hyun-soo before slowly leaving the conference room.

Lee Hyun-soo, who had been left alone in the conference room for a long time, let out a deep sigh.

“…Damn it.”

His hand nervously rubbed his face.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s foot, which was pressing the accelerator, slightly lost its strength. He leaned back almost lying down in his seat, as the headlights flashed past him.

[Is telling you to take care of yourself such a big deal that you’re being so irritable? Do you want to die?]

“No, I’m not being irritable, I’m just a little tired…”

[…I guess you would be. Don’t think about anything today and just rest. You shouldn’t just take care of the Assembly Head, you need to take care of yourself too. Why are you becoming like the Assembly Head? You know very well that overdoing it isn’t good.]

“Okay, I understand. Don’t worry.”

[Call me when you get home.]

“Okay.”

As soon as the call ended, Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head slightly.

‘Why am I becoming like him…’

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“That’s why you shouldn’t nag so carelessly.”

Lee Hyun-soo had repeatedly pointed out that Kang Jin-ho didn’t manage his own stress and pushed himself too hard.

But before he knew it, he was doing the same thing as Kang Jin-ho.

Why?

Why, indeed…

Lee Hyun-soo sighed softly.

‘I said something presumptuous.’

His basic thoughts hadn’t changed much. People need rest. A mind that is overworked without rest cannot come up with new ideas, and a body that is overworked without rest cannot gain vitality.

But keeping that obvious thing was not so easy.

‘I’ve been relying on the Assembly Head all this time.’

Whenever Kang Jin-ho pushed himself too hard, Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t understand him. But after experiencing Chang Wang, he felt like he understood why Kang Jin-ho had been doing that.

‘In the end, I was believing that the Assembly Head would take care of the martial arts aspect.’

The reason he realized that was, of course, Chang Wang.

The strategic part of the General Assembly was entirely Lee Hyun-soo’s responsibility. In other words, it meant that he had to somehow overcome Chang Wang, who had been holding him in the palm of his hand.

As soon as he realized that fact, an indescribable pressure began to tighten around Lee Hyun-soo. A huge pressure that made the remaining time feel like just one second.

“Damn it.”

The martial world was a place where martial power was more important than strategy.

In such a place, Lee Hyun-soo was a different kind of being. Lee Hyun-soo had pride in having survived until now with his own mind, but that also meant that there weren’t many people who could match him in a battle of wits.

Maybe only Chai Ke-chang at best.

‘What was I so proud of?’

On the other hand, Kang Jin-ho had fought countless enemies who had stood in his way until now. Sometimes, he had even made up for the General Assembly’s lack of power.

It was only after facing an enemy that was too much for him to handle that he could realize what kind of path Kang Jin-ho had walked.

All this time, he had been saying things like ‘I understand’ and ‘You’re working hard,’ but in reality, Lee Hyun-soo hadn’t known anything.

If he could go back to the past, he would want to grab his own mouth that had been talking so proudly and tear it apart.

‘And yet, he’s been silently doing his job without a single complaint.’

It’s laughable.

The difference in their capacity was so enormous that it was absurd.

Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip tightly.

‘It seems like I’ve developed some trauma.’

Just thinking of the name Chang Wang made him unable to calm down. This wasn’t just an emotion stemming from revenge.

Whether positive or negative, the fact that he had experienced Chang Wang had clearly left a huge mark on Lee Hyun-soo’s heart.

“There’s nothing I can do about it! Damn it!”

Baaang!

Lee Hyun-soo slammed his hand on the steering wheel without realizing it.

‘That bastard is crazy!’

A principle that Lee Hyun-soo had followed while living in the martial world.

That was to prevent the things he did within the martial world from affecting the outside world.

Even if it did have an effect, it had to end within a realm that could somehow be managed.

But Chang Wang was outside of that principle.

A hollow laugh escaped from Lee Hyun-soo’s lips.

“So, this is how the guys who called me crazy felt.”

Realizing how the people who had faced him felt was quite interesting, but unfortunately, Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t fully enjoy the situation.

“Hoo.”

Lee Hyun-soo, who had confirmed that he had reached near his house, reached out and rubbed his eyes.

‘I’m tired.’

Lee Hyun-soo, who had parked his car in the parking lot, opened the car door and got out.

Late at night. His footsteps began to echo in the silent underground parking lot.

The fatigue and pressure weighing on his shoulders made his steps heavy.

He hadn’t felt like this since the time when he had to face Kang Jin-ho as the second-in-command of the Yeongnam Assembly.

The only difference was…

‘Back then, no one had any expectations of me.’

Perhaps Lee Hyun-soo of the Yeongnam Assembly was an even sharper being than he was now. He didn’t have to care about anyone’s eyes, and he wasn’t bound by any restrictions.

That’s why he didn’t hesitate, and there was nothing he had to protect.

He thought that if he lived as he pleased and died because he was overwhelmed, that would be enough.

But what about now?

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled softly.

It was a funny thing.

Just a few years ago, could he have ever imagined that there would come a day when he would rack his brains to protect people?

But now, there were too many things he had to protect.

Lee Hyun-joo, of course, the directors of the General Assembly, the members of the General Assembly who now playfully teased him, and most of all…

‘Assembly Head.’

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes shone coldly.

Even if they were defeated, there were several ways for the General Assembly to survive. It wouldn’t be easy for that Chang Wang or the Black King to manage everything from North Korea to South Korea.

Depending on the negotiations, they might be able to keep the General Assembly’s name somehow.

But in any of those endings, there was no ending where Kang Jin-ho was alive.

‘Then it’s meaningless.’

An ending where Lee Hyun-soo survives and Kang Jin-ho dies doesn’t exist in Lee Hyun-soo’s mind. The world he lives in now is all from Kang Jin-ho.

A world where others survive without Kang Jin-ho?

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

Perhaps Kang Jin-ho might accept such an ending calmly. Because that’s the kind of person he is. But Lee Hyun-soo could never accept that shitty ending.

If it was a world that survived through someone’s sacrifice, it would be better if it didn’t exist at all. Especially if the target of that sacrifice was Kang Jin-ho.

Therefore…

To protect the current General Assembly, Lee Hyun-soo would jump into hell himself.

If he could protect everyone that way.

Even if he was the only one burning in the fires of hell, he would be able to smile.