Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1891

Is it possible for a person’s face to be this cold?

Looking at that face, one wouldn’t dare open their mouth, yet there was no way to avoid giving the report.

What was fortunate was that the person receiving the report wasn’t the type to kill the messenger based on their mood.

“The government side… is asking for countermeasures…”

“They’ll try to control the media as much as possible, but it’s hard to control it any further. They seem… very angry. It’s almost impossible to reason with them…”

“Angry?”

“…Yes.”

The person reporting wiped away cold sweat.

“They’re saying that controlling the Black King wasn’t our responsibility, and if we show such incompetence… or rather, a lack of ability, they might…”

“They’re just spouting whatever comes to mind.”

The reporter held their breath.

A cold, murderous aura that couldn’t be described with words began to emanate from Chai Ke-chang.

“Our responsibility?”

“Those morons…”

Chai Ke-chang gritted his teeth.

They were just dealing with the headache of trying to manage the situation, but the Hong King faction had lost its entire Shanghai branch.

The material and human damage was beyond words.

But more severe than that was the psychological burden that nowhere in the country was safe anymore.

They thought the enemy would target the outskirts, but they suddenly appeared in the middle of Shanghai and committed a massacre in broad daylight. This was a declaration that they would attack without regard for time, space, or external scrutiny.

“Those damn bastards!”

Kwaaaang!

The hand that slammed down shattered the desk.

The monitor on the desk fell to the floor, its screen cracked and emitting a bizarre light.

“Hoo!”

Still not satisfied, Chai Ke-chang exhaled roughly.

Minor damage.

Yes, if you think about it, it was minor damage.

If you exclude the fact that it was Shanghai and that the war was exposed externally, it was just one branch that had disappeared.

The Hong King faction still had nearly a hundred branches left, and the main headquarters was completely unharmed. In terms of people, it was no more than a needle prick on a toe.

The problem was that there was no way to pull out the needle that was digging between the toenails.

What was the difference between this and torture?

‘Damn it!’

Even if the enemy was strong, he wasn’t afraid to fight in the ring. If he was wearing gloves and fighting within the rules, he was confident he could win no matter what the enemy did.

But the enemy was refusing to fight in the ring.

He had worked hard to cut weight to match his opponent’s class, wrapped his fists in gloves, and prepared to fight with only his hands, but the opponent hadn’t even stepped into the ring and was instead pulling out an AK-47 from a bag and spraying bullets.

And the police, who should have been mediating the situation, were instead yelling at him, saying it wasn’t his problem.

‘Asking for countermeasures?’

There was no way the Murim [martial arts world] could deal with something like this.

“So, what happened to that madman?”

“…They swept through everything up to the top floor and then vanished without a trace.”

“Haha, this is driving me crazy.”

So, even though so many troops were surrounding the building, they just disappeared without a trace?

Well, it wasn’t that difficult.

They could just jump over a few adjacent buildings and be done with it.

“The casualties…”

“Out of the 572 employees working in the building, including contract workers… about 300 survivors have been identified. It’s not confirmed yet.”

“Three hundred… More survived than I thought.”

“It’s a large building. Unless the power was cut, there was no way to stop those going down in the elevators.”

“Hoo.”

It was a stroke of luck that the elevators weren’t concentrated in the center.

‘But depending on how you look at it, it’s actually a bad result.’

It meant there were that many more mouths to silence.

“What’s the government’s response?”

“They’re arresting all the survivors under the pretext of medical checkups and holding them in controlled areas. They’ve confiscated and are destroying all cell phones… It seems they plan to keep the general public detained until things calm down.”

“Where are the general public? Those damn bastards.”

Those who had cooperated with the Hong King faction without learning martial arts were under their jurisdiction.

“Isn’t it inevitable?”

“…I guess so.”

Basically, Chai Ke-chang was a Murim, and Murim hated being controlled. He himself didn’t usually like the strong control of the Chinese government.

But at times like this, he couldn’t help but be grateful for the power of the Public Security Bureau, which could do such things without hesitation. The governments of other countries wouldn’t dare to do such a thing, even if it meant facing public backlash.

“Damn it.”

He kept cursing.

The most frustrating thing about this situation was that even though the enemy had stirred up their heart, they couldn’t even think of a proper countermeasure.

Unlike them, who were bound by the constraints of reality, the Black King faction was too free.

If they were a group of rabbits huddled together on the ground, the Black King faction was a hawk gliding through the sky. How could a rabbit stop a hawk that swooped down to snatch one of them and then flew away?

No.

If they were a group of rabbits, they could at least run away.

‘Are we like rabbits with our feet tied?’

A hollow laugh escaped him.

The mighty Hong King faction, like rabbits with their feet tied. It was a ridiculous story.

“Hoo…”

Self-pity, anger, hatred, and annoyance swirled like a storm, but now was not the time to be caught up in such emotions. What he had to do now was to gather every bit of energy he could muster and find a way to deal with it.

“Tell the government to somehow handle it on their own.”

“A-are you sure?”

“They’re in the same boat as us. If we let go, they’ll have a bigger problem to deal with. We’ll cooperate as much as possible, so tell them to somehow smooth things over!”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“…Damn it.”

Chai Ke-chang rubbed his face with one hand.

They could somehow manage this one time. If they could control the media, making lies into truth was nothing. Usually, foreign correspondents or foreign journalists would make a fuss about revealing the truth, but this was an issue that the entire country had to bury together.

The problem was from now on.

‘What should I do?’

If they could attack Shanghai, they could attack Beijing, Chongqing… anywhere they wanted.

Looking at the situation, it was clear that they had already obtained complete information about the Hong King faction’s branches. In a situation where everyone could be targeted, and the branch’s forces alone couldn’t defend them, how could they defend the branches scattered across this vast China?

“Have they still not been able to track down their whereabouts?”

“We’re mobilizing as many people as possible, but…”

“…First, secure the CCTV footage from the Shanghai branch that was attacked. It would be better if we could at least get a picture of their faces.”

“We’re already retrieving it.”

Just as Chai Ke-chang was about to sigh again, the door burst open, and an unexpected person walked in.

“H-Hong King!”

Chai Ke-chang, confirming who had entered, jumped up from his seat to greet the Hong King. He swallowed hard.

‘H-how?’

The Hong King usually didn’t come to see him directly. If he had something to say to him, he would call him, not move himself.

The Hong King, who had entered, glanced at the shattered desk and monitor.

“T-this is…”

“Your anger is excessive.”

“…I apologize.”

Chai Ke-chang bowed his head deeply.

“I received a message from the Demon King.”

“Yes?”

Chai Ke-chang raised his head sharply.

Kang Jin-ho?

“He told me to withdraw all the branches and pull them back.”

Chai Ke-chang clenched his fist.

He knew that was the only realistic answer. With their forces scattered, they could never stop the Black King faction’s attacks.

But that was the same as completely surrendering to the Black King. It wasn’t a response that the Hong King faction, the sect that ruled China, should make.

“And he said one more thing.”

“…May I ask what it is?”

“He said that’s what they want. To pull the branches back.”

“…Yes?”

“He said the Black King enjoys cutting off his opponent’s limbs. He cuts off their information, makes it impossible for them to know how he’ll move, and then torments and devours them bit by bit.”

“But once you’re caught up in it, there’s no countermeasure, that’s his opinion. He said it’s better to do as they want and at least preserve our forces…”

Grrr.

Chai Ke-chang gritted his teeth. It was utterly humiliating.

What made it even more painful was that this proposal wasn’t meant to mock them.

“So, I’ll ask you, Chai Ke-chang.”

“…Yes.”

“What do you think we should do?”

Chai Ke-chang closed his mouth.

For him to not immediately answer the Hong King’s question and to contemplate it was something that never happened. It was the qualification of an aide to always have an answer ready for any question.

But this time, Chai Ke-chang had no choice but to take his time.

“Hong King.”

“Speak.”

“Please give me one more chance.”

“According to the Demon King, they will attack our branches even more. And there will be no pattern to those attacks.”

“So?”

“But…”

Chai Ke-chang looked at the Hong King with determined eyes.

“I will find it. I will definitely guess where they will strike next. And I will bind their feet with blood and pierce their necks!”

“Hmm…”

“So, I beg you to give me one more chance!”

Chai Ke-chang prostrated himself on the spot.

But the Hong King frowned as if he didn’t like the sight.

“Get up.”

“I entrusted the choice to you. So why are you asking for my permission? Your thoughts should be my thoughts.”

“H-Hong King!”

“Do as you see fit. I will be your hands and feet and destroy the enemy. I have never once doubted your judgment.”

“Thank you!”

Chai Ke-chang lowered his head even further.

A man dies for the one who recognizes him.

A heavy burden pressed down on his shoulders, but Chai Ke-chang was prepared to accept it.

‘We are the ones who won that terrible war.’

While the Black King faction was playing god, they had won in the hellish abyss of the underworld and climbed up to this point.

‘You will pay the price for underestimating us, Black King!’

Chai Ke-chang rose to his feet with bloodshot eyes.

The Hong King smiled quietly as he saw those eyes.

“It’s unfair to just keep getting hit.”

“Of course.”

“Even if we get hit ten times, one time is enough. With that one time, we will pierce their hearts.”

“I will definitely…”

Chai Ke-chang, gritting his teeth, spoke resolutely.

“I will definitely make it so, Hong King.”

It was a chilling vow.