Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1928

A flame bursts from the end of a match.

The fiercely burning flame seems to calm down a bit, then it transfers to the thin wooden stick, beginning to glow softly.

The person who brought the lit match to the end of a cigarette slowly inhaled. The cigarette fully lit, the person lightly shook the match to extinguish the flame and tossed the blackened match into an ashtray.

Swoosh.

The man, having lightly slid the matchbox closed, leaned back in his chair.

The antique chair, made of natural leather, groaned softly as it supported his heavy weight.

“The martial world, huh…”

The man took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. The air purifier installed in the ceiling fiercely sucked in the smoke he exhaled and continuously released clear, purified air, but the man couldn’t shake off the stuffiness he felt, even as he watched the scene.

He hated this place.

Underground. Deep underground, at that.

A perfectly sealed space where not even an ant could set foot without permission.

It was impenetrable to any kind of firepower, and not even bunker busters or the Rods of God [kinetic bombardment weapons] could reach this place.

Perfectly sealed and self-sufficient in oxygen production, it was even immune to chemical weapons. The interior was protected by dozens of layers of shielding and a company-sized special forces unit, and even martial artists specially trained by the Party were deployed for ironclad defense.

Even if a foreign country invaded and completely subdued the outside, one could, if they so chose, hold out here for more than ten years, self-sufficiently.

But that was precisely why this place was the least suitable for the Emperor.

The moment the Imperial Palace is surrounded by enemies, the Emperor is no longer the Emperor. The Emperor is a being who must suppress the entire nation with his dignity alone and command the respect of all.

How can one who hides from fear of the enemy claim to be an Emperor?

“Hoo.”

The man, having exhaled a short puff of smoke, quietly closed his eyes.

“What a pathetic sight.”

“…Chairman.”

“I’m aware.”

The man, called Chairman, calmly raised his hand and pushed back his slightly disheveled bangs. His head tilted slightly to the side, revealing a neat pompadour.

“China still has a long way to go.”

“It’s not yet time to celebrate. About half of what I say externally is just bravado. I know that bravado without real strength will eventually be exposed. What I want is for clear water to fill the bottom before it’s exposed. However…”

The man’s hand, having swept back his hair, naturally moved to stroke his chin.

He could feel the prickly sensation of stubble on his fingertips. It meant he hadn’t even had the time to shave properly.

“There are no arrogant enemies, but still, I never thought I’d end up here because of those barbarians.”

“I apologize.”

“I’m not blaming you.”

The man, with his eyes closed, let out a small sigh.

“It’s just… absurd.”

“They are like wasps.”

“Wasps?”

“If you wear protective gear, you can kill hundreds of wasps. But a person without protection can’t even handle one wasp properly. If you try to touch them carelessly, you might lose your life to their venom.”

The person standing in front of the man licked his lips as if his mouth was dry, and continued.

“Just because a wasp can kill a person doesn’t make it greater or more impressive than a person. A wasp is just an insect. But even people sometimes have to hide from those insignificant insects.”

It didn’t seem to be much of a comfort, but it did succeed in making him feel a bit better, as the Chairman’s stiff lips relaxed slightly.

“I am truly sorry to have brought you to a place like this. But above all, the Chairman’s safety is paramount, so there was no room for compromise. If you can bear with it a little longer, we will definitely come up with a solution.”

“A solution…”

The Chairman reached out and grabbed a glass of water. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the slightly wrinkled back of his hand.

“We must find one.”

“Yes.”

The Chairman took a sip of water to quench his dry throat and let out a low sigh. Seeing this, the person lightly pressed his in-ear device and ordered the humidity in the room to be increased.

The Chairman was about to say that it wasn’t necessary, but he soon slumped back in his chair as if he was too bothered to do so.

“This is a headache.”

The Chairman clicked his tongue softly.

“If I could at least take a break from work instead of being stuck in this place, I might feel like I’m on vacation. But to have to keep working even while imprisoned…”

The Chairman coughed a few times and rubbed his eyes.

“Listen.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“You’d better find a solution quickly.”

“We will do our best…”

“Understand my words properly before you answer.”

The secretary’s body stiffened like a statue at the sharp glint that flashed in the Chairman’s eyes for a moment.

“I’m not complaining. I know the importance of this matter. I’m not so idle that I would whine about not liking being stuck here.”

“O-Of course, sir.”

“You don’t know the weight of this position. I’m someone who can’t hide even if I want to. If I don’t appear in public for just three days, people will start talking about all sorts of issues, and if it goes on for more than a week, they’ll start to wonder if I’m dead.”

“Having power means bearing that much responsibility. Hide in a bunker because your life is in danger? That’s not something I’m allowed to do. A person in power must smile even with a knife at their back.”

“Yes… Chairman.”

“At most, three days, that’s the limit. That’s how long I can stay here. If you can’t find an answer within that time, you might end up staying here.”

Staying here.

The secretary was not so ignorant as to not know what those words meant.

Cold sweat trickled down his spine. The feeling of his wet shirt sticking to his back felt particularly eerie today.

“I will definitely find a solution.”

“You’d better.”

The Chairman lightly touched his lips.

‘Martial artists, huh…’

Until now, he had no choice but to tolerate them to a certain extent.

The reason he was able to exist in his current position was because he had seized control of the Party. And there was no way he could have used only clean methods to seize control of the Party.

How many people had died because of his orders?

Sometimes by accident, sometimes by illness.

He knew it was dirty work, but the Chairman did not regret any of those actions.

‘The Great Way has no gate.’ [A Taoist saying meaning there are many paths to enlightenment]

You don’t have to walk the righteous path to reach a high place. The world is a place where you have to reach a high place to do the right thing.

No ideal, no future can be created without gaining power. To grasp the ideal he desires, he must not hesitate to eat mud [endure hardship].

That was the path he had taken.

That was why he had tolerated them to a certain extent until now. He thought that they still had a long way to go, and they couldn’t afford to waste their strength on internal strife.

But the series of events he was currently experiencing were forcing him to make a choice.

‘Perhaps…’

Even if this matter is resolved well, the outcome will be decided. No matter how much sincerity they show.

Thanks to this series of events, the Party’s leadership had already confirmed that they were an uncontrollable blade.

The moment you stroke the face of a well-behaved dog and accidentally see its sharp fangs with your own eyes.

The moment you face the danger you already knew and understood, with your own eyes.

Those who feel that chilling sensation can never look at the dog with the same eyes as before. Not after they have thought that the dog might bite their neck someday.

‘It’s just a matter of time.’

The human desire for safety sometimes transcends even the desires for food and sex. Even if he tries to endure it, their voices will eventually grow louder.

A line once drawn cannot be reattached. It will only grow wider.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at the ceiling.

‘Emperor, huh…’

People called him the Emperor. The Emperor resurrected in modern times.

The Chairman chuckled softly.

‘Either those people are wrong, or being an Emperor isn’t that great.’

Either way.

Yes, either way.

A long road stretched along the mountainside. At the end of that road stood a large house.

At first glance, it looked like a wealthy tycoon’s villa, but upon closer inspection, one could soon discover some unusual aspects.

First.

The number of people guarding the front gate was excessive for a villa.

No, if you consider how rare it is to have gatekeepers at a villa in the first place, it’s not hard to realize that this scene is quite strange.

Second.

There were no sounds of insects chirping in the garden leading from the front gate to the building.

Insects never stop chirping in places where there are no people. In other words, either there were no insects in that garden, or someone was hiding in that lush garden.

Finally….

“All clear.”

One of the three people standing at the entrance to the building pressed his in-ear device and spoke in a low voice.

“I will report immediately if there are any unusual circumstances.”

The person who took his hand off the in-ear device looked around once.

He knew.

That this was a meaningless act.

There were over five hundred people stationed around this building right now. No, that might not even be all of them.

Excluding the deployment inside the building, which was top secret and inaccessible to him, there were over five hundred people deployed outside the building alone.

It was impossible for anyone to approach his surroundings without being detected by their eyes, unless they were a bird or an insect.

Nevertheless, he habitually checked his surroundings. The harsh training he had undergone for years to protect this place had already permeated his life, taking away his decision-making power long ago.

Moreover….

His gaze subtly turned back. A sense of tension filled his eyes as he looked at the heavy iron door that was firmly closed.

Considering who was currently residing here, there could not be even the slightest negligence.

Beep!

A signal sounded in his ear again.

A report sound that came every ten minutes.

He pressed his in-ear device, glanced around, and opened his mouth.

“All clear.”

And it was the moment he took his hand off the in-ear device.

“That’s an accurate report.”

At first, he thought it was his colleague who had spoken. There was no one else who could speak right next to his ear.

But soon, he realized that the voice he heard was unfamiliar, and his head turned violently to the side.

The man’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

The colleague who had been standing next to him a moment ago was still standing there. The only difference was that his neck was not visible above his upright torso.

For a moment, he didn’t understand what was wrong.

The scene that had changed so naturally, a scene he had never even imagined, made his brain stop.

“Until the next report, it’s not wrong.”

Swoosh!

The man’s head, with his eyes wide open, rolled to the floor.

Thud.

He didn’t understand what was happening to him until the moment his head hit the floor, the moment his consciousness faded.

Swish!

The person who retrieved the wire cracked his neck from side to side and reached for the firmly closed iron door.

Click.

The wire, which had slipped into the tiny gap between the two doors, severed the lock.

Screeeech!

The iron door began to shake and open, and alarms went off everywhere. In an instant, the entire area seemed to have transformed into a different place, with a fierce reaction erupting.

But the man, without paying any attention to the reaction, walked inside indifferently.

“This is hardly an assassination, but…”

The wire was pulled taut at the tip of Gong-ryeong’s finger.

“As long as the result is the same, it doesn’t matter.”

The smile on his lips, illuminated by the moonlight shining into the building, turned white.