Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1915

“I thought there was one more?”

“Looks like he ran away.”

Jang Min frowned.

“We should have caught at least one more when we had the chance.”

“Even this is a great achievement.”

Weigins’ self-assessment didn’t seem to please Jang Min.

“How can you call it an achievement when we let a rag doll escape? A mistake is a mistake.”

Weigins gave a wry smile.

When they had just arrived, they couldn’t take their eyes off Pakwon and Nangon. They had to gauge their strength and determine if they could be subdued with their current numbers, making escape impossible.

However, he could understand Jang Min’s feelings.

Two and three are clearly different.

Catching two was a tremendous achievement, but catching three would have brought a joy that was on a different level.

‘The Twelve Flying Blades…’

Weigins narrowed his eyes.

‘With our current strength, it’s still difficult to face them.’

To put it nicely, they fought bravely.

Compared to the past when they were unilaterally defeated by Baek Yeon-hong, this was a remarkable improvement and a dazzling achievement.

But in hindsight,

Bator was unilaterally defeated, and even Jang Min couldn’t overpower the injured Nangon in the end, needing help from Weigins and Bang Jin-hoon.

Weigins frowned as he looked at Nangon’s corpse lying in front of them.

‘If the Lord hadn’t been watching from behind, the outcome might have been different.’

A cold feeling washed over his heart.

The joy of being able to face the Twelve Flying Blades was mixed with the fear that they had to go this far to barely defeat one.

There are ten remaining Flying Blades.

And the Black King is still alive and well.

They were able to gain an advantage by ambushing them this time, but next time, they would be prepared for the Alliance’s attack. There would probably never be an easy fight like this again.

“Still, a victory is a victory. It’s good to be happy when you can.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled at those words.

“You’re saying that after we ganged up on one guy?”

“Aren’t you happy?”

“I’m ecstatic. Gang up or whatever, winning is all that matters.”

Weigins was once again reconsidering Bang Jin-hoon’s character, but what he said wasn’t wrong.

In a fair duel or match, the word ‘fair’ might have meaning, but this is war. In war, there is no such thing as fairness. The definition of justice is to defeat the enemy and survive, no matter what methods are used.

Weigins clicked his tongue and turned his head.

He saw Kang Jin-ho standing face to face with the Red King. And behind him, Lee Hyun-soo was panting, having arrived at some point.

“That useless human. He just arrived and is acting like he’s exhausted.”

“…Don’t call him a useless human, call him pathetic. He’s not useless.”

Weigins smiled wryly at Bang Jin-hoon’s harsh words.

Then, he slowly started walking towards Kang Jin-ho.

“How’s your body?”

“…I can manage.”

The Red King looked at Kang Jin-ho with a complex expression.

This wasn’t the first time, but being saved by this Demon King always made him feel a complicated mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

The Red King bit his lip once and bowed his head, looking straight at Kang Jin-ho.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“If you hadn’t come in time, I would have been visiting the afterlife.”

“You never know.”

“But…”

The Red King looked at Kang Jin-ho with suspicious eyes.

“How did you know to come?”

“My location?”

“No. Of course, you heard it from Chaikeochang [a messenger or informant]. I mean, how did you know I was going to be defeated by them?”

“It wasn’t that difficult.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Since the result of you being defeated was already set,

I just needed to confirm your location.”

“The result was set?”

“You guys thought you were being clever, but originally, the Azure… no, the Black King is that kind of guy. He’s like a snake that eats snakes.”

“If you know the result, intervening isn’t difficult. As you can see.”

The Red King bit his lip slightly.

The fact that they thought he would be played by the Black King without even considering the circumstances was twisting his insides.

“Don’t make that face. I was probably played as well.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Did he really not know that I would come here?”

The Red King frowned.

“You never know. But in my opinion, he probably expected it to some extent.”

“He expected it, and yet he left the Twelve Flying Blades as they were?”

“You’re mistaken.”

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t forget. The Azure Demon has no subordinates, no allies. Everything is just a tool.”

“Tools can be sold off at any time if the price is right. They can be discarded for something bigger, and it’s not difficult to break them for a simple confirmation.”

The Azure Demon had been constantly asking Kang Jin-ho.

Whether he would intervene.

Or remain silent.

Whether he would live in the same world as his friend, or stand on the opposite side as his enemy.

And now, the Azure Demon would hear the answer.

‘I’m curious.’

How the Azure Demon would react to Kang Jin-ho’s answer.

“Cough!”

The Red King covered his mouth and coughed.

He had been pretending to be fine, but with his origin damaged, it was almost impossible to manage his internal state alone.

“Go back.”

“Why? Are you worried I might try something while you’re vulnerable?”

The Red King laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

If Kang Jin-ho wanted to, he could kill him in the blink of an eye in his current battered state. So, what was the big deal about showing his back?

“I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d entrust my back to a demon.”

“That’s life.”

“Life, huh…”

The Red King chuckled and turned around.

Then, Kang Jin-ho silently placed a hand on his back.

He flinched.

The Red King’s face turned pale.

‘This is…’

The energy that was seeping into his body was too foreign. It was a terrible feeling of nausea, like drinking oil instead of water.

‘This is demonic energy.’

He had experienced demonic energy enough to be sick of it, but dealing with external demonic energy was a completely different matter from accepting it into his own body.

Even though Kang Jin-ho was clearly pushing in the most refined demonic energy possible, he was overcome with the urge to roll away and escape this situation.

The Red King gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

He fixed his body and accepted the incoming demonic energy. Then, Kang Jin-ho’s demonic energy began to swirl through his body.

Crack! Crack!

It straightened the twisted meridians [energy channels in the body] and forcibly restored the broken energy pathways.

It wasn’t like a gentle doctor’s way of treating a patient. It was like washing away a broken building and filling the holes with concrete, a rough hand.

But the rough energy reliably repaired the broken areas.

Crack!

The Red King, the best of the best, groaned in pain. It was a terrible pain, like cutting open raw flesh, sprinkling salt on it, and branding it with a hot iron.

No, it was more than that.

The Red King wouldn’t have even blinked at that level of pain.

Crack!

Blood flowed from his tightly bitten lip. But that was all, the Red King didn’t even flinch and silently endured the pain.

Soon, the demonic energy that had been digging into his body like a sharp razor blade flowed out through his back.

“Done.”

“Ugh!”

The Red King vomited a large amount of blood. With eyes that could barely focus, he checked the black blood that stained the floor and wiped his mouth with a wry smile.

“Hah.”

The moment he raised his head again, he knew. His body was several times better. Of course, a dream-like event like his injuries healing instantly wouldn’t happen, but now that he had fixed his twisted energy channels, he would be able to regain his condition within a few days.

If he hadn’t, he would have had to fight this injury for at least a few months.

“…I didn’t know you had a talent for this kind of thing.”

“You’ll find out.”

Kang Jin-ho said indifferently.

“When you spend more time living with injuries than living with a healthy body.”

It was a story that made his hair stand on end just by listening to it.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Well.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

“I didn’t really come here thinking about what to do next. I guess I should go back to Korea for now. There’s nothing more to do here.”

“Demon King, can I ask you for a favor?”

“…What?”

The Red King looked at Kang Jin-ho with a stern face.

“Stay here for three more days.”

“…Why?”

The Red King bit his lip slightly and opened his mouth.

“I cannot predict the enemy’s methods.

But one thing is certain. If they come for me before I recover, there is no way to stop them.”

“The Red King faction isn’t that weak, is it?”

“I have that much pride. They’re not so stupid that they can’t do anything without me. But I don’t know their strength accurately.”

The Red King said firmly.

“If you’re going to cross a stone bridge, you should tap it a hundred times, not just ten. So, I’m asking you. Protect me.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Even though times are different, I never thought I’d hear these words from a righteous sect guy.”

“…That’s life, as someone said.”

“Haha.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“I’ll stay.”

A strong person abandons his pride and bows his head for something greater. How could he not respond to that?

“I’ll prepare good liquor.”

“That would be nice.”

Bang Jin-hoon, who had been listening to the two of them talk, frowned.

“Hey, Elder.”

“What is it?”

“…According to what they said, are we going to the Red King faction’s place now?”

“That’s right.”

“Say something. It’s dangerous.”

“What? We’re allies now.”

“Allies my ass! How can we trust those Chinese bastards!”

“…Director Bang.”

“Yes?”

“I’m also Chinese.”

Bang Jin-hoon shut his mouth. He tried to step back, but Jang Min’s hand was already on his neck.

“You… you’re too Korean.”

“Have you said your last words?”

“Please save me… Keek!”

Jang Min squeezed Bang Jin-hoon’s neck once and clicked his tongue, letting go.

“Take care of that idiot. How badly was he hit that he still hasn’t regained consciousness? What a waste of size, what a waste.”

“It’s the same if you get hit in the jaw.”

“It’s because he lacks mental fortitude!”

Jang Min clicked his tongue, and Bang Jin-hoon sighed deeply.

‘Ah, the Red King faction is really uncomfortable…’

But there was nothing he could do about a decision that had already been made. Bang Jin-hoon shook his head and slung the fallen Bator over his shoulder.

“No, this guy’s body has shrunk, but his weight is the same? Why is he so heavy? Should I just throw him down and drag him?”

In Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes, he saw the Red King faction’s warriors running from afar.

“They’re finally here. Like snails.”

“…You’re dissatisfied with everything in the world.”

“Just leave him be. It’s his personality.”

Weigins shook his head and gave a subtle smile.

“Anyway…”

“Yes?”

“It feels like we’ve finally formed a proper alliance.”

And that was probably what the Red King was feeling as well.