Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1750

There are those in this world.

Those who, simply by being present, dominate everything around them.

Whether it’s due to their unique way of speaking, their handsome appearance.

Or perhaps their innate presence is so overwhelming that it cannot be compared to others.

To Lee Hyun-soo, the Azure King was such a being.

There were an excessive number of people here who could overwhelm their surroundings.

Directors of the General Assembly like Bator, Jang Min, and Wiggins were also individuals whose presence was second to none in the world.

Not to mention Kang Jin-ho, and the Crimson King was also a presence comparable to Kang Jin-ho.

But at this moment.

With a simple appearance and a few words, the Azure King made it impossible for anyone here to take their eyes off him.

The term ‘kingly talent’ can be interpreted in many ways.

What the Crimson King possesses is also such, and what Kang Jin-ho possesses is also such.

But what the Azure King possessed was definitely kingly talent.

The name Azure King suited the being who shone alone in the chilling blue dawn.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

Lee Hyun-soo, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the Azure King, quickly regained his reason. At the same time, goosebumps rose all over his body, and cold sweat trickled down his spine.

‘Why at this timing?’

If the Azure King reveals himself now, wouldn’t everything they’ve endured so far become meaningless?

Unable to understand his opponent, Lee Hyun-soo opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Chairman, that bastard right now…”

Kang Jin-ho stared at the Azure King for a moment before opening his mouth.

“If we move, he’ll run inside.”

“Chasing him isn’t that much of a problem, but it seems like that’s the result he wants, right?”

Lee Hyun-soo also agreed with that statement. However, unlike his reason, his heart desperately wanted the Crimson King and Kang Jin-ho to rush out and tear the Azure King’s throat apart right now.

The moment they missed this opportunity, a sense of unease surged, as if something absurd would happen.

“If we rush in, he’ll retreat back into the building.”

The Crimson King muttered.

“And inside that building, there will be countless things he has prepared.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened coldly.

‘Am I making a mistake?’

If the Azure King retreats back inside, the ones who will have to lead the chase will ultimately be the Crimson King or Kang Jin-ho.

It can’t be helped. Because no one else can keep up with the Azure King’s speed except for those two. But the problem is that those two are the ones who will be in the lead.

The Azure King couldn’t possibly not know that.

Then, of course, he would have prepared a way to deal with them. What if one of them, Kang Jin-ho or the Crimson King, is killed in the worst-case scenario while carelessly chasing after the Azure King?

‘No way.’

But what if there won’t be another chance if it’s not now?

If possible, shouldn’t they chase after the Azure King, even if it means throwing the Crimson King in as a sacrifice?

No, the Azure King would anticipate that Lee Hyun-soo would move like that, right?

Then the Azure King’s target would inevitably be Kang Jin-ho.

No, no. Even if he predicted this situation, it wouldn’t go that far…

Tuk.

Twitch!

Lee Hyun-soo let out a big breath.

“Haa! Haa! Haa!”

His face, which had been turning pale from hyperventilation, quickly regained its original color.

With a face covered in cold sweat, Lee Hyun-soo turned his head. Kang Jin-ho had placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t get agitated.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip in humiliation.

The Azure King hadn’t done anything. He had simply opened the door, come out, and greeted them.

But that seemingly insignificant action had mixed up Lee Hyun-soo’s mind as if it had been put through a blender. Lee Hyun-soo was feeling not just humiliation but even a sense of thrill at this absurd difference in power.

“Nothing much has changed. We came to kill him, and he just showed up.”

“But there are traps inside…”

“Even if there are traps, killing him is still a good deal. That’s what you said, wasn’t it?”

Lee Hyun-soo blankly nodded his head.

He remembered.

It’s impossible to capture someone like the Azure King without any losses. He’s someone you shouldn’t try to deal with by calculating gains and losses. He’s someone you must pour everything into and kill.

“Then, Chairman…”

It was just as Lee Hyun-soo was about to continue speaking.

“Heave-ho.”

The Azure King reached his hand into the open door.

Then, he picked up something and slowly began to walk forward.

‘He’s coming out?’

He’s moving away from the door?

Lee Hyun-soo stared blankly at the Azure King.

The only way to make up for this overwhelming difference in power would be to rush inside and use the advantages of the building that he knew.

What on earth is he thinking, moving away from the door?

“…That damn bastard.”

Chai Ke-chang also seemed to be thinking similarly, as he cursed.

“A chair?”

Lee Hyun-soo, having confirmed that the object in the Azure King’s hand was a chair, looked at the Azure King with an even more puzzled expression.

‘What on earth…’

Before their thoughts could be organized, the Azure King, who had walked to the center, placed the chair on the ground, then sat down with his legs crossed.

Then, leaning back, he looked at Kang Jin-ho and the others.

“It’s good to see you again, Demon King.”

“Hmm, and the Crimson King too. But this one isn’t so welcome. Even if the situation isn’t good, for someone like you to become the Demon King’s dog and try to bite me.”

“If you want, I can bite you even more fiercely.”

“No thanks, no thanks. My bones are thin, so if someone like you bites me, they’ll be easily torn off.”

The Azure King gave a bitter smile and swept back his fallen hair.

“Let’s talk, let’s talk.”

His gaze slowly turned towards Lee Hyun-soo.

“It’s good to see you again, Lee Hyun-soo. Did you receive the gift I sent well?”

“If you’re planning to stall for time, you’d better not. We’re not stupid enough to fall for such tricks.”

“In other words, are you saying I’m stupid enough to waste time unnecessarily?”

The Azure King laughed.

“Don’t do that, Lee Hyun-soo. You’re the one who outsmarted me. Don’t disappoint me. You know it too, right? Now that I’ve revealed myself, time has no meaning. If you can cut off my head, all those who are running from behind will give up the fight and run away. That’s how much of a presence I am to them.”

The Azure King raised his finger and made a gesture of cutting his own neck.

“That’s why you came here, isn’t it, to cut off the dragon’s head.”

“It’s the head of a poisonous snake.”

“It’s just a difference in expression, a difference in expression.”

The Azure King laughed softly.

It was irritating.

That composure.

The Azure King’s words were not wrong. This was no longer a battle of time. The warriors of the Azure King’s faction were nothing more than puppets without the Azure King. If they could kill the Azure King, they would collapse in an instant, whether there were a million or ten million of them.

A body without a head cannot fight with its own will.

There were two essential things for them to lose the war.

One was that they would be surrounded by the enemies who were rushing in, and the other was that the Azure King must be alive until then.

Even if they were surrounded and attacked, the battle would end if they could kill the Azure King.

To achieve that condition, the Azure King had to protect himself. He had to wait and hold out in the deepest part of the underground, waiting for help to arrive. Even if it meant giving up everything.

But now, the Azure King was mocking all those expectations by revealing himself and walking towards them.

It was as if…

‘As if something was different from the beginning.’

It was as if he was fighting on a different board.

The composure that emanated from every gesture and word of the Azure King was chilling Lee Hyun-soo’s blood. There were those who smiled even at the moment of their death, but that composure was different from that.

It was the composure of a victor in a match.

The composure of someone who had already won before even fighting.

The Azure King, watching Lee Hyun-soo’s pale expression, smiled gently.

“Do you want to know what went wrong?”

He couldn’t bring himself to nod. But silence was as good as an affirmation, wasn’t it?

“You guys weren’t exactly wrong.”

The Azure King shook his head.

“No. Rather, I should say you were amazing. I didn’t think you guys would be able to push in so aggressively. It was bold. Yes, it was incredibly bold.”

The Azure King said, looking at Kang Jin-ho.

“Can I have a smoke?”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been staring intently at the Azure King, took out a cigarette from his pocket and threw it.

Tuk.

The Azure King took out one cigarette and threw the pack back to Kang Jin-ho.

“One is enough. I don’t really enjoy this. But I feel like I need to have one now.”

The Azure King, with a cigarette in his mouth, flicked his finger to light it.

“…It’s bitter.”

The Azure King, having exhaled smoke, looked around at everyone and opened his mouth.

“I thought you would come, but I didn’t expect you to be this fast, and I didn’t expect you to be this intense. You guys are definitely a bit different from the ones I’ve faced so far. Sometimes, I was even a little scared.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“What do you think is inside there?” Lee Hyun-soo turned his head to look at the building.

“There’s nothing.”

The Azure King smiled coldly.

“At most, a few situation officers, a few scattered bottles of alcohol, a comfortable chair, and a few toy-like machine guns?”

“A maze? Hahahaha! That would be interesting. Of course, it would be fun to make a maze, but I’m a bit directionally challenged. I might get lost first.”

“…I asked what you were trying to say.”

Behind Lee Hyun-soo, who was speaking as if growling, Kang Jin-ho stared silently at the Azure King.

He had no interest in the conversation between Lee Hyun-soo and the Azure King.

What strategy, what plan. That was a story that had nothing to do with him.

What was important was not that, but whether he could cut off that bastard’s head at this moment.

But…

‘I can’t catch him.’

Strangely, the scene of cutting off the Azure King’s head didn’t come to mind. No matter how he attacked, it felt like he would slip away like smoke. He didn’t know why he had such a thought.

“The board was perfect. No, let me correct that. Because perfection doesn’t exist. But I should say it was the best within that. If I had played within this board, I would be thinking about what kind of expression I should make at the moment of my death to make it more plausible.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s blood ran cold.

“But you know…”

The Azure King slowly exhaled cigarette smoke and smiled brightly.

“If you’re a strategist, you should have thought about it first, whether I would even come onto this board.”

“Lee Hyun-soo, and Chai Ke-chang.”

The Azure King smiled coldly.

“You overestimated me too much. I’m not that great, and I’m not that smart. I can’t do the kind of extraordinary, out-of-the-box ideas that you guys think of.”

“But you underestimated me. I’m more obsessive than you think. I was once tricked, so why did you believe I wouldn’t think about it?”

“…What?”

“What did I say? What’s inside there?”

“Situation officers, alcohol, a comfortable chair, toys. Um… yes, let’s add one more. A person.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s gaze reflexively turned towards the door.

The iron door creaking in the wind.

From within that wide-open iron door, a person was slowly walking out.

Lee Hyun-soo’s body froze.

“Why…”

The Azure King smiled brightly.

“The way to break a board is simple. You just kick away the legs that make up the board. What’s even better is to make those legs your allies.”

He couldn’t say anything.

Because he knew what it meant for that person to be here.

Because he understood that everything had been twisted from the beginning.

In that shock, where time seemed to have stopped, it wasn’t Lee Hyun-soo who spoke first.

Wiggins.

With a face as if he had seen a demon, he opened his mouth with a groan.

“…Master.”

The old man who had appeared from inside the door. The Master of the Round Table was walking out, looking at them with cold eyes.

“I don’t think I need to introduce him, do I? Then, how about you guys greet each other?”

The Azure King’s eerie laughter pierced everyone’s ears.

The laughter of a devil that pushes humans into the abyss and bursts them open.