Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1731

“This is getting complicated…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s cigarette burned nervously at the tip.

‘It’s not the Sky King realm, is it?’

Right now, the Sky King realm is the only suspect.

But didn’t Kang Jin-ho say it didn’t seem like the Sky King realm? In these matters, Kang Jin-ho’s senses are almost supernatural. There’s no reason not to trust him.

‘Then the Black King realm? Or a third party…?’

Logically, it should be the Black King realm.

A new force appearing here with a watcher capable of evading Kang Jin-ho’s grasp? That’s too unrealistic. But what troubles Lee Hyun-soo is that this industry is a place where the absurd happens as easily as breathing.

“Damn it.”

In the end, Lee Hyun-soo, unable to reach any conclusion, just sighed, his head a mess.

“The timing is just perfect.”

Now, all preparations to enter China are complete. The Red King realm has already started making moves in China.

It’s a fait accompli [an irreversible action]. If they stop their plans here, the Red King realm in China will be isolated and wither away. It already feels like Chaikechang’s curses are ringing in his ears.

‘I don’t care if those bastards die, but we’ll be the ones who miss them if they’re gone.’

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his head, looking at the monitor with a frustrated expression.

After staring at the data on the monitor for a while, Lee Hyun-soo roughly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and jumped up from his seat.

‘First, I need to talk to the Guild Leader…’

He quickly left the office.

“Huh…?”

Lee Hyun-soo blinked a couple of times and then tilted his head.

“You’re looking… radiant today?”

“Huh?”

“No, no. You just seem… extra glowy today?”

“Must be your imagination.”

“…I guess so?”

Yeah, it must be. It has to be.

But why do you look so happy, Guild Leader?

Lee Hyun-soo stared blankly at Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho coughed awkwardly, as if he felt a bit embarrassed.

“…You do know what the situation is right now, right?”

“Of course.”

“That… the plan we were about to carry out could be completely messed up by the appearance of these new guys, you’re aware of that, right?”

“Obviously.”

“…You really do know, right?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes narrowed.

‘No way.’

This guy is happy right now? Right now?

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes flashed.

“No! How can you be grinning like that when you know the situation? This isn’t just some minor issue!”

“…Who’s grinning?”

“The person in front of me!”

“…Do you even think of me as a person?”

Not a ‘thing’, but a ‘person’?

“Of course. I respect you so much, Guild Leader. I’d even put you before King Sejong [a highly revered king of Korea].”

“Put some saliva on your lips before you lie.”

“I already did earlier.”

Lee Hyun-soo naturally pulled out lip balm from his pocket.

Seeing Lee Hyun-soo casually applying lip balm, his fist twitched.

“Anyway, this isn’t… something to be happy about!”

“I know.”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back on the sofa with a nonchalant expression. But in his relaxed posture, there was no sign of anxiety.

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Huh?”

“Are we changing the plan?”

“…It’s impossible now.”

They have to charge ahead, come what may. The plan is already in motion.

Sometimes, rushing headfirst in the wrong direction yields better results than hesitating and trying to find the right path.

“Then do you have any other countermeasures?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

Lee Hyun-soo blinked.

“Well, there’s no answer, but…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

That’s the problem with smart people. They worry about things that ordinary people wouldn’t even consider.

“Sometimes, forgetting about problems you can’t solve is a solution.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed softly.

“Besides…”

“Yes?”

“We have an incredibly reliable ally, don’t we?”

“The Red King?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a bored expression.

“Are you perhaps talking about the Sky King right now?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo made a strange face.

‘An ally, huh…’

It’s not wrong.

If the newcomers aren’t part of the Sky King realm, they could be a variable on the battlefield. And the Sky King is the type who hates variables, isn’t he?

“The probability of them joining hands with the Sky King…”

“It’s uncertain, but… honestly, I don’t think there’s a chance of that happening.”

“Me neither.”

If the Sky King was going to join hands with someone, he would have already done so. But the Sky King chose Kang Jin-ho as his ally.

Would he have prepared a second option?

‘Probably not.’

If he could have, he would have already joined hands with someone and destroyed the Red King realm. This isn’t just a matter of power.

The Sky King is like a gourmet. For him, food isn’t just something to eat. It’s something that completes his aesthetics. There’s no way he would immediately look for someone else just because he had a falling out with the person he proposed an alliance to.

Lee Hyun-soo made a short hum and then opened his mouth.

“So, that means they’re just an unexpected variable for both us and the Sky King, right?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo rubbed his face roughly with both hands.

‘How could I not think of something so simple?’

When you’re not relaxed, your mind doesn’t work. Lee Hyun-soo would never have missed something like this normally.

“Clear your head a bit.”

“…Ugh, sorry.”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed deeply and then lifted his head.

“Logically speaking, the Sky King realm must have already sent out surveillance, right?”

“Probably.”

“And the Sky King wouldn’t be unaware of that.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

While he might not be as skilled in martial arts, when it comes to meticulousness, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t even compare to the Sky King. The Sky King was on a different level in that regard.

“A common enemy…”

Lee Hyun-soo laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.

“To have another common enemy while we’re fighting… this is just ridiculous.”

“It’s common, even in the past.”

“Well, it’s a common occurrence in history.”

It’s so common for people to fight each other and then join forces when an external enemy appears that there’s no need to give examples.

“But it’s a coincidence. It seems similar to what happened with the Red King realm.”

“War is always like that.”

“Countless people fight each other, absorb each other, or join forces and form alliances. If that process is repeated, eventually, they’ll all reach one place.”

“Unification.”

“Right.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Guild Leader?”

“Hmm?”

“I have a question. You know that such a process eventually leads to unification, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why don’t you try to swallow the Red King realm? You could even dominate all of China?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled bitterly.

The Demonic Cult of the past almost achieved unification of the martial world through that process. If the Azure Demon hadn’t betrayed them, they would have annihilated all the orthodox sects, including the Nine Great Sects, and opened an era of demonic dominance.

But what would have unfolded after that?

“As long as I’m alive, things will somehow work out.”

“That’s true.”

“But what about after that?”

“But if you think about it that way, Japan also…”

“Japan is the same. Japan destroyed itself. It poured all its masters into a war and ruined itself. That’s why taking over Japan didn’t involve much bloodshed.”

“That’s true.”

“Then? What would you do if you had to kill thousands of people to dominate Japan?”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.

His head screams that he should do it. The benefits that can be gained from that blood price are too enormous. But…

‘I’m still human.’

He wants to be cold-blooded, but he doesn’t want to be a mass murderer.

“That’s how it is.”

Kang Jin-ho said in a slightly lower voice.

“Even if we destroy the entire Red King realm, there are still countless martial artists in China. Would they willingly bow down to us? There will be people resisting for countless years, and we’ll have to keep killing them. And all we’d get in return is a few coins.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Hyun-soo opened his mouth as if he had a different opinion.

“It’s not wrong, but it’s not right either. They don’t resist against overwhelming power. Aren’t they already doing that? It’s different from us, who risked our lives to overthrow the country.”

“What about after I die?”

“That’s…”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“To be safe, you’d have to kill all the potential threats or eradicate their martial arts. The result is the same.”

“Besides…”

“Yes?”

“That’s not really important. What’s important is that even if I take down all three King realms and take over China, the only benefit I’d get is money that I can’t even use anymore. Instead, I’d be endlessly bothered. I don’t particularly want to do that.”

“That money…”

“And…”

Kang Jin-ho gestured at Lee Hyun-soo with his chin.

“With you around, we can extract everything we need whether the Red King is there or not.”

Oh…

That’s true.

“The principle hasn’t changed.”

Kang Jin-ho said simply.

“Anyone who attacks us will die. But I don’t intend to go out of my way to kill those who don’t try to fight us. China is too vast and diverse to lump everyone together. The sins of the three King realms are the sins of the three King realms.”

“Hmm, I understand what you mean.”

“However…”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“Those who betrayed us this time will have to pay the price.”

“Are you talking about the Chinese People’s Army?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“They were the ones who attacked first.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled.

He’s changed a lot, but there are things that haven’t changed.

What’s certain is that this person isn’t particularly interested in ‘domination’. Come to think of it, he became the Guild Leader of the General Assembly almost by force, dragged and seated against his will.

“Understood. Then we’ll exclude them and proceed with the plan.”

“When do we depart?”

“The plan is in three days. Unless there are any special variables, we’ll proceed as planned.”

“Three days…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It’s a long time if it’s long, and a short time if it’s short.

“Well, fine. It’s a time worth waiting for.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes narrowed.

This guy is definitely happy!

“So, are we going by ship this time?”

“Given the number of people, yes. For now, the country will requisition a cargo ship for us.”

“…It feels like we’ve been downgraded?”

“A cruise ship is out of the question. There’s no way a cruise ship would be entering China in this situation. And… cargo ships aren’t that bad either.”

“Well, whatever.”

Kang Jin-ho put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

“Got it.”

“Yes. Then.”

As Lee Hyun-soo bowed and left, Kang Jin-ho took a long drag of his cigarette.

‘Three days…’

Crack.

His fist made a cracking sound.

‘I’m getting impatient.’

The closer the battle gets, the more his mind clears and the more his thoughts disappear.

It’s as if his body has been lowering its tension all this time just for this moment.

‘Anyone is fine.’