Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1805

Cheongma’s lips twisted into a smirk.

Instantly, a sharp killing intent, palpable enough to tear flesh and shatter bone, filled the air.

‘Some things haven’t changed.’

It was a curious thing.

He found himself constantly comparing the Kang Jin-ho of the past with the Kang Jin-ho of the present.

He felt a sense of unfamiliarity when he noticed the changes, and a subtle relief when he saw the aspects that remained the same.

Even though he himself had declared that there was no point in meeting again if he didn’t witness a grown and changed appearance.

‘Am I also just human?’

He could maintain his composure when observing from afar. But the moment he faced Kang Jin-ho directly, his emotions surged, overpowering his reason.

Suppressing the maelstrom of complex emotions that he himself couldn’t fully understand, Cheongma gripped his coffee cup.

“How could I forget?”

Cheongma slowly took a sip of his coffee.

Setting the cup back on the table, Cheongma spoke with a wry smile.

“If I had forgotten, would I be standing in front of you now?”

“Don’t get so worked up, Cult Leader. I just wanted to confirm something. Whether the past you still resides within you.”

“So, did you confirm it?”

“Well…”

Cheongma smiled.

“One thing is certain. If the past you had heard those same words, you would never have let it end with just words. You’ve become more mature than before, but you’ve also become that much more docile.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

He had no intention of denying it. That was the change Kang Jin-ho had sought.

“Instead of getting to the point, you keep spouting useless nonsense.”

“I’m the type who saves the best for last, you see.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned at Cheongma’s sly demeanor.

‘He’s different.’

It wasn’t just him who had changed.

What stood before him now was undeniably Cheongma. That was an undeniable fact. From his way of speaking, the flow of his movements, and even his thoughts, the essence of the past Cheongma was strong.

But something was definitely different.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what had changed, but something had definitely shifted.

“A reunion is…”

“An interesting thing.”

“It’s also a bit bittersweet.”

“Indeed.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

“That’s right.”

Click.

Kang Jin-ho, having lit a cigarette, stared blankly at the ceiling. He slowly exhaled the smoke, then fixed his gaze intently on Cheongma’s face.

“It’s a bit unfair.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve watched my life, but I don’t know how you’ve lived in this world. You didn’t even talk about your life in the past.”

“You should get your facts straight.”

Cheongma waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s not that I hid it; it’s that you, Cult Leader, had no interest in me at all. I can’t just ramble on about things you don’t ask about.”

“…You never asked once?”

“You don’t know yourself very well. In the past, you had absolutely no interest in others. No, you weren’t even interested in yourself.”

“I should have noticed it then.”

Cheongma shook his head.

“No, it’s natural that you didn’t notice. Usually, those who come back from the dead have a strong desire for life. That’s what I was like. But you, despite experiencing death, didn’t have much attachment to life. So, you never even thought about it.”

Cheongma’s gaze was fixed on Kang Jin-ho.

“That you were someone living a second life.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled cigarette smoke.

“I was just as taken aback.”

“I understand. I fully understand.”

Cheongma smiled like a child.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly observing him, finally spoke.

“So, tell me now.”

“Tell me the reason why you watched me and appeared before me.”

Cheongma stared intently at Kang Jin-ho.

“Why?”

“Cult Leader.”

Cheongma picked up Kang Jin-ho’s cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and placed it in his mouth. Then, he lightly snapped his fingers to light it.

“You’re mistaken about something, Cult Leader.”

“Mistaken?”

“Yes. It’s a mistake only you, Cult Leader, can make. In that respect, you haven’t changed at all.”

“…What do you mean?”

“That you’re endlessly self-centered.”

Cheongma exhaled a short puff of cigarette smoke and smiled.

“There’s a hidden meaning in what you’re saying now. Whether you know it or not…”

Cheongma rubbed the still-long cigarette butt on the ashtray. The middle of the cigarette snapped with a crack.

“The thought that I’m definitely going to do something to you? The thought that I need to do something with you to achieve something I’m planning?”

“Whether it’s cooperation or hostility.”

Cheongma shrugged and looked at Kang Jin-ho. The moment he saw the playful glint in his eyes, Kang Jin-ho’s face subtly hardened.

“But Cult Leader, I really just wanted to see you. I just wanted to see with my own eyes how you’re living, how you’ve changed.”

“…Then that’s excessive interest.”

“I admit it.”

Cheongma nodded.

“For me, you’re an existence that transcends the realm of reason. There’s no one who can draw out such intense favor from me as you, and there’s no one who can plunge me into hatred as much as you. That’s something I also acknowledge. However…”

Cheongma’s snake-like eyes pierced through Kang Jin-ho.

“That’s all.”

“That’s enough. If you were to become an obstacle to me, things might have been a little different, but the current you is not an obstacle to me.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyebrows twitched.

“How dare you spout…”

“You should listen to what people have to say until the end. I think I’ve told you several times before, but you still don’t listen to others.”

Cheongma, speaking as if he were coaxing a child, looked at Kang Jin-ho with amusement.

“It doesn’t mean that you’re too weak to hinder me. It means that there’s no need for you and me to be hostile.”

“What do you mean?”

“The past you was…” Cheongma’s eyes became a little wistful.

As if chasing after the ghost of the past Kang Jin-ho. But the words that came out of his mouth were not so friendly.

“You were a human who couldn’t accept that someone existed above you, even if there was no relationship. If I hadn’t been there, you would have fought endlessly with stronger people and eventually died from exhaustion.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t particularly object to that. Because he thought it was true.

“But the current you is different.”

Cheongma shook his head.

“The values you pursue have already changed. You no longer cling to strength, and you no longer pursue only power. What you want is something else and to protect it. Isn’t that right?”

“…Was that what you wanted to confirm?”

“Half of it.”

Cheongma chuckled.

“It’s an absurd thing. The great Cheonma Demon Lord [Cheonma is a title meaning Heavenly Demon] clinging to protecting something. Even when those who risked their lives to follow you died in battle, you didn’t even bat an eye, and you were a cold-blooded human who didn’t even feel gratitude to those who gave their lives for you…”

Cheongma’s cold gaze was fixed on Kang Jin-ho.

“To be playing house in this small country.”

Killing intent flowed from Cheongma. But that killing intent had no target. It seemed to be directed at Kang Jin-ho, but it didn’t reach him.

It was just a futile killing intent.

“Well, fine. If that’s the life you’ve chosen.”

Cheongma picked up his coffee cup and poured the remaining coffee into his mouth.

“Thanks to that, I can face you like this and have coffee. I’ll drop by from time to time, so don’t be too harsh. There are times when I need a friend too.”

“A friend?”

“Isn’t that right?”

Cheongma smiled.

“Or should I bow my head and serve you as my lord like before? That’s a bit awkward now.”

“I’ll decline on my end. There’s no good in keeping a guy like you under me.”

“Haha, you’re really turning the tables. There’s no good in serving someone like you, Cult Leader.”

Cheongma got up from his seat. As if he had said everything he wanted to say.

But Kang Jin-ho hadn’t heard anything.

“Hey.”

Kang Jin-ho said, looking at Cheongma.

“What are you trying to do?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“You…”

“How many more times do I have to tell you that you should listen to what people have to say until the end? It’s not that you’re not in a position to know, it’s that you really have no reason to know.”

“What I’m going to do won’t affect your life at all.”

“I won’t even set foot in your territory. Then we can live happily, reminiscing about the past without any trouble.”

Cheongma slightly spread his hands and then brought them together in the middle.

“The past you was a human who expanded the world. You were a pioneer, a conqueror, and a ruler. If that were you, I would have tried to kill you no matter what, but…”

Cheongma smiled.

“The current you is just a guard dog who is satisfied with protecting just this.”

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just couldn’t think of a suitable word. The way to have a good relationship with a guard dog is very simple. Don’t step into the area the dog has to protect.”

“You want me to believe that?”

“There’s no reason not to believe it. You’ll find out eventually no matter what I do.”

“So just watch from here. I’ll protect your small world. So…”

Cheongma bared his teeth.

“Don’t step out of there. I don’t want to break you and throw you back in there.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face contorted.

“Cheongma!”

“Ah, one more thing.”

Before Kang Jin-ho could say anything, Cheongma took the lead.

“What I said at the beginning was honestly a lie.”

“Huh?”

“It’s also true that you don’t need to be hostile to me, but…”

At that moment, a dark red demonic energy began to flow from Cheongma’s entire body.

Ominous.

Kang Jin-ho unknowingly grabbed the armrest of the sofa.

Crack!

The armrest of the sofa instantly turned to dust and crumbled. But Kang Jin-ho didn’t even feel it, his eyes wide open, unable to take his gaze off Cheongma.

“It’s also true that you are no longer an obstacle to me.”

Cheongma raised his index finger and lightly flicked it.

He couldn’t breathe.

As if the power he had shown in his Black King form before wasn’t even his full strength, the energy flowing from Cheongma pressed down on Kang Jin-ho’s entire body and crushed him.

Blood vessels stood out in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

“Ah, that was a bit much.”

Cheongma lightly waved his hand, blowing away the energy. Then, Kang Jin-ho, who had momentarily escaped the pressure of the energy, stirred his body.

“Cult Leader, my old friend.”

Cheongma put his hands together in a fist and bowed. As if showing respect in the Central Plains [a region in China, often used to refer to the heartland of Chinese civilization].

“Protect your world within the new cage I have prepared for you.”

Cheongma smiled and turned his body.

“Please keep my words in mind. I don’t want to become your enemy. I don’t want to kill the only friend I have left with my own hands.”

Cheongma, who was opening the door to leave, turned his head sharply.

“Ah, and please compensate for that sofa, Cult Leader. It’s different from before, you see.”

Cheongma smiled and waved his hand.

“Then.”

His figure disappeared out the door.

Kang Jin-ho’s face, who was staring blankly at the door, contorted horribly.

Kwaaaang!

The table he slammed down shattered into pieces and collapsed.

“This…”