Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1916

“Your Majesty, the Red King!”Chai Ke-chang, looking ashen, rushed towards the Red King.His tattered clothes, pale complexion, and the dark, clotted bloodstains seeping through his garments spoke volumes about the fierce battle he had endured.Unable to speak, Chai Ke-chang stood facing the Red King, his fists clenched tightly.What should he say?His mistake had nearly cost the Red King his life.And it was the people from the General Assembly, not him, who had saved the Red King. He couldn’t bring himself to look the Red King in the face.But then, the Red King’s calm voice reached Chai Ke-chang’s ears.“Why do you look so grim?”“To greet a returning victor with such a face, Chai Ke-chang, you must be getting old.”“Your Majesty…”The Red King smiled gently.“I’ve returned after achieving my goal, so I trust you’ve prepared some fine wine?”Chai Ke-chang bit his lip.“I will prepare it immediately.”“Good.”The Red King reached out and patted Chai Ke-chang’s shoulder once.Then, he gestured with his chin towards the back.“Make sure our guests are well taken care of.”“Do not worry.”“Very well.”The Red King nodded and turned to face Kang Jin-ho.“Demon King, I know it’s not proper, but I must excuse myself for a moment.”“I have a question…”“Hmm?”Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the Red King’s tattered robes.“That dragon robe… do you have several similar ones?”The Red King’s eyebrows twitched slightly.“Similar? If you look closely, they’re all different!”It wasn’t a direct answer, but it was an answer nonetheless.“Alright, I’ll see you later.”“…Then.”The Red King headed inside first. As someone with transcendent regenerative abilities, his external wounds were already healing, but it would be foolish to neglect treatment. Modern medicine was far superior to that of the past. Even warriors of old sought out physicians when injured, so what more needed to be said now?The medical team, who had been waiting, rushed towards the Red King.“This way, Your Majesty!”“We will disinfect you immediately!”Watching this, Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue.“…He’s treated like royalty.”Of course, the General Assembly also had medical personnel. They also had agreements with hospitals to ensure their members could receive treatment discreetly, with funds secretly provided by the organization to avoid information leaks.However, the number of doctors attending to the Red King now exceeded ten. Could they mobilize more than ten doctors simultaneously if Kang Jin-ho were injured?Considering Chai Ke-chang’s obsessive nature, each of these doctors was undoubtedly a renowned physician in China. As Bang Jin-hoon said, he was indeed being treated like a king.“This is disheartening. Let’s get something like that for ourselves, Chief Lee!”Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted at those words.“It’s not like I don’t want to do it, it’s just that I can’t!”“Then why? Are we short on money?”“Money? We have more than enough. But the Chairman says it’s too much trouble and not to do unnecessary things.”“Ha, damn… it’s like, a person’s authority isn’t just built on skill alone. Look at him. He looks so cool.”Lee Hyun-soo looked enviously at the Red King as he headed inside with the medical team.“…He does look impressive.”“Each of those protocols builds a person’s stature. Why do congressmen and politicians obsess over protocol? If they just walk in, they’re ordinary people, but if they have flower petals scattered around them and trumpets blaring, they become someone important, no matter who they are.”“I’m getting frustrated, really.”“…Calm down, man.”Bang Jin-hoon, who had gained nothing from his comment, clicked his tongue.‘Anyway…’The Red King’s aura didn’t just come from the large medical team. There were countless warriors from the Red King faction within this branch. Although they weren’t showing hostility now, having been given prior notice, the sheer number of warriors gathered in one place was bound to create a sense of pressure, even without any overt aggression.It was a stark reminder of how powerful the Red King faction was.‘And it also shows how terrifying the Black King is, to have played with such a faction.’Bang Jin-hoon sighed, looking like he was about to die.‘This is why I didn’t want to come.’He preferred Korea. Overseas, whether it was China, Japan, or Europe, it was all just uncomfortable.As the Red King disappeared inside the building, Chai Ke-chang turned his head to look at Kang Jin-ho.Then, he bowed deeply.Of course, Chai Ke-chang had always been respectful towards Kang Jin-ho. At least, since the Red King faction and the General Assembly had formed an alliance, he had never shown hostility in his presence and had always been polite when they met.However, this action was clearly different from the respect Chai Ke-chang had shown until now. If his past actions were simply ‘polite,’ then Chai Ke-chang’s current behavior was closer to ‘respect.’He was expressing his sincere gratitude for saving the Red King.“I don’t know what to say.”“Do you have any cola inside?”“…Excuse me?”“Something cold.”Chai Ke-chang looked at Kang Jin-ho, bewildered.After a moment of being stunned, Chai Ke-chang quickly nodded.“I will prepare it immediately.”“If you have any strong liquor, bring that too. After seeing blood, one tends to crave alcohol.”“Would Maotai [a type of Chinese liquor] be acceptable?”“Anything. The faster, the better.”“Understood.”Kang Jin-ho chuckled and headed inside. The people who had been waiting quickly rushed out, bowed their heads, and guided Kang Jin-ho.“We will escort you.”“It is an honor.”Lee Hyun-soo gave a wry smile at the scene.Whether it was because the news of Kang Jin-ho saving the Red King had spread, or whether the Red King faction’s warriors had finally accepted the General Assembly as allies, their attitude towards Kang Jin-ho was filled with a firm sense of reverence.‘Well, I guess.’Even if they didn’t feel that way, they couldn’t treat Kang Jin-ho carelessly. After all, they had witnessed his divine power several times.“It feels like we’re being treated like guests.”“Let’s go.”Bang Jin-hoon, Weigins, and Jang Min followed behind. As Lee Hyun-soo, who had been watching them, was about to move, Chai Ke-chang approached him.“What is it?”Chai Ke-chang stared intently at Lee Hyun-soo with sharp eyes before bowing his head deeply.“Thank you.”Lee Hyun-soo flinched as he looked at Chai Ke-chang. He had never imagined that this guy would ever bow to him. Even if the General Assembly completely destroyed the Red King faction and captured him as a prisoner, he thought this guy would rather have his head chopped off than bow.“What’s with the sudden change?”“You saved me. I am truly grateful.”Lee Hyun-soo’s lips twitched.“You’ve got the wrong idea. I didn’t do anything this time. It was entirely the Chairman’s idea.”“Even so, if you had opposed it, he wouldn’t have moved.”“I would have hesitated.”Lee Hyun-soo frowned.Chai Ke-chang’s words seemed to pierce his inner thoughts.‘Hesitated, huh…’To be honest, it would be a lie to say he hadn’t hesitated. He didn’t know about Kang Jin-ho, but from Lee Hyun-soo’s perspective, both the Black King and the Red King were just nuisances.Right now, the Black King was the more threatening presence, so they had no choice but to join hands with the Red King. But who wouldn’t know that once the Black King was gone, the Red King would become their most dangerous enemy?Kang Jin-ho had said that the Red King would no longer be able to oppose him, but strategists couldn’t ignore even the smallest possibility.Just by not moving, they could have had a chance to eliminate the Red King.Now, Chai Ke-chang was thanking him for choosing to save the Red King from that dilemma.“Don’t talk nonsense. If the Red King disappears, the Red King faction will fall apart. Then we’d have to fight that Black King or whatever his name is all by ourselves.”“We can’t let you guys off the hook like that.”Chai Ke-chang chuckled.“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you look so awkward.”“Same here.”“Let’s go inside. I’ll treat you to a drink.”“…You Chinese think everything can be solved with alcohol. Just give me money instead.”Chai Ke-chang laughed and grabbed Lee Hyun-soo’s sleeve when he flinched, having become speechless.“Let’s go.”“Tsk.”Lee Hyun-soo shook his head and headed inside.“They’re not easy to deal with.”Chai Ke-chang nodded heavily, hearing Lee Hyun-soo’s words as they walked.“I’ve never met anyone like them.”“The most terrifying thing is that I have no idea what these guys will do next. It was like that with the Creation King too, but…”Lee Hyun-soo continued with a subtle expression.“At least the Creation King felt like he was fighting within the rules. He played with people within the rules. He was like a game master. But the Black King is different. He’s a rule breaker.”“…I agree.”Chai Ke-chang agreed with a grim face.If it weren’t for the General Assembly’s intervention, China would have fallen into the hands of the Black King faction with this one move. The Red King faction, having lost their king, would not have been able to counter the Black King faction by any means.They thought they had responded to the unconventional with the unconventional.For the Red King faction, the Red King was their ultimate weapon and the king they had to protect at all costs. Placing that king at the forefront was an unconventional move that Chai Ke-chang would never have considered under normal circumstances.They thought they had pushed their own limits to strike back at the relentless opponent, but looking back now…‘He led us on.’By making a series of unconventional moves, he had created a situation where they would have to retaliate in the same way. If the Creation King was someone who shook people in the realm of logic and strategy, the Black King played with human psychology.“The Demon King responded…”That was a story with quite a few implications.It meant that only Kang Jin-ho could calmly see through the Black King’s plan, which was to manipulate human psychology and lead the game as he wanted.‘Even from the Black King’s perspective, the Demon King must be the most troublesome.’“Anyway…”Lee Hyun-soo said nonchalantly.“Cutting down two of the Twelve Flying Blades [elite warriors of the Black King faction] is a great achievement. They’ll be in a panic.”“Indeed.”“For now, it will take time to recover. For both sides.”“I agree.”“So…”Lee Hyun-soo grinned.“We can forget about everything and rest for today. We’ll be busy again starting tomorrow.”Seeing that smile, Chai Ke-chang couldn’t help but chuckle.“Let’s drink until we pass out.”“I never thought I’d be drinking with you.”“Me neither. Especially in this situation.”The two men, with subtle smiles, walked inside shoulder to shoulder.It was a night where the awkwardness of the word ‘comrade’ was slowly fading away.