Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1890

The faces of those watching the screen hardened like stone.

The speaker screamed, and the camera angle capturing the scene changed wildly, causing a dizzying effect. Yet, it was precisely because of this that they could feel the gravity of what was happening there.

The sound of sirens.

The sound of screams.

The sound of someone yelling to maintain control.

The camera, which had been moving erratically, focused on an armed public security officer approaching it.

“Put down your phone!”

The moment a rough hand covered the screen, the video ended, and the screen switched back to the studio.

[You have just seen a citizen’s report video from Shanghai. Next, we will connect with a correspondent on the scene. Reporter Kim Min-seok.]

After a brief silence, the screen split in half, showing the reporter on location.

[This is Kim Min-seok reporting from Shanghai.]

[What is the situation like on the ground?]

[Currently, the Chinese authorities have blocked off the area, making access impossible. However, even from this distance, the chaos is palpable.]

Whether he was in a nearby building or not, the image of smoke rising from a building was clearly visible through the window behind the reporter.

[Has there been any official statement about what exactly is happening?]

[The Chinese authorities have not yet released a statement. However, based on eyewitness accounts and reports on social media, it is presumed that unidentified terrorists entered the building and attacked civilians.]

The anchor’s face grew even more serious.

[A terrorist attack in the middle of Shanghai in broad daylight is unprecedented in China, isn’t it?]

[That’s right! While terrorist attacks have often occurred in Europe and the United States, East Asia, including China, has been considered relatively safe from terrorism. However, as of today, it seems we can no longer say that.]

[Is there any information about the identity of the terrorists?]

[Currently, their identities cannot be confirmed. We will have to wait for an announcement from the Chinese government.]

[Has the number of casualties been determined?]

[Local Chinese media are currently estimating the number of deaths to be over 100. However, it is difficult to confirm the exact number until the authorities release their statement.]

[It seems we will have to wait for the Chinese government’s announcement. What is the government’s response?]

[It seems there will be a statement soon. However, it appears that the terrorist suppression has not yet been completed, so the statement may be delayed. And…]

KWA-AA-AA-ANG!

At that moment, a massive explosion occurred in the building across the street. The reporter, his face filled with fear, turned his head to check the state of the building and stammered.

[As you can see, the scene is still not under control…]

Then, suddenly, the screen went black, and the connection was lost.

The studio view, which had been splitting the screen, switched to full screen, and the anchor continued speaking without any sign of panic.

[We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the chaotic situation on the ground.]

The anchor, who had been slightly craning his neck as if receiving news, let out a sigh of relief and continued.

[We have been informed that filming is prohibited as the location is inaccessible for coverage. The reporters on the scene are currently moving to safety, so there is no need to worry. Now, we will show you a viewer-submitted video of the scene.]

The screen returned to the scene.

Lee Hyun-soo, who had been watching the news in a daze, let out an involuntary groan.

“…Those crazy bastards…”

It was a common curse, but Lee Hyun-soo was too stunned to find a more intense one.

The scene before his eyes didn’t feel real.

And he wasn’t the only one shocked by this event.

Bator, Jang Min, Wiggins, Bang Jin-hoon…

They were all staring at the screen with blank expressions.

“Hoo…”

Feeling a tightness in his chest, Lee Hyun-soo exhaled roughly.

It wasn’t just the excessiveness of what they had done.

How could he even describe this?

The common sense he had always known was collapsing, and the laws he had believed to be eternal were being overturned. It felt like the boundaries of the world were crumbling, and the sky and earth were being reversed.

He knew.

These boundaries were never perfect to begin with.

But those who lived in the Murim world [a world of martial arts practitioners] had made desperate efforts to maintain these boundaries.

Even the Chang King had done everything he could to protect the boundaries between the two worlds. It was no exaggeration to say that one’s ability in this world was determined by whether or not they could perfectly manage the consequences of their actions.

But now.

The balance that had been barely maintained was shattered in an instant.

“What are they going to do about this?”

“…There’s no answer.”

Even if this terrorist attack wasn’t the work of the Black King but a terrorist act by a specific religious group or another country, it was still a massive event. It was as if an entire building had been blown away.

The news estimated the number of deaths to be over a hundred, but it couldn’t possibly end there.

“No… If it was a building occupied by the Hong King faction, the number might be lower than expected.”

“That’s right. Because of security issues. But that doesn’t mean it’s something that can be easily resolved.”

“…I guess not.”

Even Wiggins seemed at a loss, nervously clenching and unclenching his fists.

‘This is something the government can’t ignore.’

It was already on the news.

China was a country that was second to none in terms of control. Even China had failed to prevent this incident from reaching the media.

‘Of course. Damn it.’

Shanghai was China’s largest city. How much traffic must there be around that building? It was impossible for anyone to cover the eyes of so many people.

Media blackout?

That was nonsense.

These days, news of an incident appears on social media before it even reaches the news. If they tried to conceal it clumsily and the whole story spread, it would be impossible to clean up the mess.

In the end, they would have to release it as it was. 90% truth mixed with 10% lies.

“Hmph.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been watching the screen from the back, let out a low groan.

‘In the end…’

Even Jang Min and Bator, who usually didn’t pay much attention to worldly affairs, were unable to shake off the shock, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t feel much of anything.

This was probably not because Kang Jin-ho was brave, but because he was a returnee who had already lived in a world where Murim was integrated with the world.

‘Chungma must be the same.’

This divided world was nothing more than a frustrating cage to them. Kang Jin-ho himself had spent an enormous amount of mental energy not revealing his power to the outside world.

That was probably why he could make such a decision so casually.

“What’s the Hong King faction’s response?”

“…There’s no contact. Probably… Yes, they’re probably in a panic.”

Lee Hyun-soo, who usually couldn’t wait to devour Chai Ke-chang, genuinely pitied him at this moment.

‘How are they supposed to respond to this?’

The one place where Lee Hyun-soo didn’t bother to set up a defense plan was MK [a company or organization].

He thought there was no one crazy enough to attack MK in the middle of Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul]. Lee Hyun-soo himself wouldn’t have a clue how to respond if someone had invaded the MK and started a massacre.

It would be a blessing if they were even in a state to think.

“We need to discuss this with the government and try to resolve it.”

“This isn’t the time to talk about responses. This isn’t a war with the Black King, it’s a media war with the world.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, watching the executives exchange words with serious expressions.

“What are you talking about?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t understand. What do you need to do?”

“…Shouldn’t we resolve this situation?”

Wiggins replied with a stiff face.

“It’s impossible to completely hide it, but we can gloss over it to some extent. With the power of the Chinese government, they can create the bodies of terrorists with some random corpses. They can say that they couldn’t capture them alive and that they were all killed. And then they can say that they are investigating who they were and what their purpose was.”

“Why?”

“…People want answers. They’ll want to know who did this and why.”

“No. That’s not what I’m asking.”

“…Yes?”

Wiggins looked at Kang Jin-ho, not understanding.

Then, Kang Jin-ho frowned and said,

“I’m saying that it’s impossible to resolve it with that.”

“…But it’s the best we can do.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been staring at Wiggins, nodded.

“I see, that’s why we’re not on the same page.”

“It seems like you’re all making a big mistake…”

“Yes?”

“Why do you think this will only happen once?”

Everyone closed their mouths and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“The first time is the hardest. The second time is a little better, and the third time is easy. Why do you think they can’t do something twice if they’ve done it once?”

“But, once the government recognizes the situation…”

“If they were afraid of that, they wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

“Understand this clearly. This is a warning from Chungma. He’s declaring that he doesn’t care about the laws that the Murim world has upheld. It means that from now on, he will ignore all laws and unwritten rules and attack.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s lips twitched.

‘This kind of thing will happen again? Again?’ That was absurd.

So far, it was terrorism. It was an enormous event, but it could still be categorized as terrorism.

But what if things got bigger from here?

‘Then it’s war.’

It might not be a war between Murim factions, but a war between the Black King faction and the Chinese government.

And that war would be more than enough to shatter the balance of the world that had been maintained until now.

Did they not understand how serious this was? Really?

“Chungma said it before.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled bitterly.

“The side with nothing to protect wins the war. I used to understand that to mean that the side with more to lose would lose. But… I was completely wrong. It was literally the side with more to protect.”

Compared to those who had been preparing for a hundred years while starving, the Hong King faction was nothing more than a bloated pig.

And that was no different for Kang Jin-ho.

“I understand now.”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth, looking at the chaotic screen.

‘What you’re trying to do.’

Whether it was the Hong King faction or the Chang King faction.

Chungma had never been interested in such things. They were just small fry who couldn’t satisfy Chungma’s appetite.

“It’s always been like that.”

Kang Jin-ho fought to relieve his emptiness.

Then what did Chungma fight for?

“One thing is certain.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to him.

“They will probably burn everything that stands in their way from now on. Whether it’s the Hong King faction, us, or even the country, or the world.”

A chilling tension ran down the executives’ spines.

None of them had thought that this war would go this far.

It felt as if the flames of hell that had risen from their feet were engulfing them and burning them.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes!”

“Connect me to the Hong King.”

“Yes!”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth, watching Lee Hyun-soo rush out.

‘The fact that I’ve become weak wasn’t just about being physically weaker. Right, Chungma?’

It was clearly alive there.

The malice of the demon that lived in that era.

More vividly than ever.