Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1951

It wasn’t strange to see Cheongma’s face on the screen.

In a world where video calls were commonplace and video transmission was easy, it wasn’t unusual.

However, Kang Jin-ho’s expression was as stiff as could be.

The word ‘LIVE’ in red letters on the left side of the video was clearly visible.

“…Where is this being broadcast right now? A video site?”

“That is…”

Wiggins stammered. It was something he almost never did.

“It seems to be on various video sites, as well as on public broadcasting channels.”

“Public broadcasting?”

“On several channels…”

His mind went blank.

He had faced countless dangerous situations before. What had saved Kang Jin-ho each time was not only the martial prowess he had built up, but also his ability to make calm judgments without losing his composure.

But at this moment, he was truly blank. It felt like his mind had been bleached white.

‘What is he trying to do?’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were fixed on Cheongma in the video.

Cheongma, with a subtle smile, exuded an unsettling sense of ease.

“I think you should see the situation.”

“Hmm?”

“Not here… I mean, let’s move.”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned towards Gong-ryeong.

As if sensing something, Gong-ryeong’s feet were not pointing towards Kang Jin-ho.

His intention was to flee rather than fight if the battle were to resume.

He could easily catch him if he wanted to, but that would inevitably waste time.

Even Gwe-bul, who had regained his strength, was approaching from behind Gong-ryeong. If this continued, it was obvious that it would take even more time.

Kang Jin-ho wore a subtle smile on his lips.

“You’re lucky.”

“Remember this. You won’t be this lucky next time.”

Gong-ryeong was not important right now.

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Gong-ryeong and Gwe-bul and said in a low voice.

“Bator.”

“I’m going, Master!”

Bator quickly ran to Wiggins’ side. Wiggins reached out and grabbed Kang Jin-ho and Bator.

“Is it possible?”

“It’s not too far, so I can handle about three people. There’s one who’s a bit much to count as one, but anyway.”

Bator’s lips twitched, but he didn’t argue. It wasn’t a matter of admitting it, but rather that this wasn’t the time to waste time on such a squabble.

“Then, we’ll move.”

Pee-it.

With a strange noise, Kang Jin-ho, Wiggins, and Bator disappeared.

Thud.

After confirming that they had completely disappeared, Gong-ryeong collapsed on the spot as if his legs had given out.

Cold sweat streamed down his face.

“Are you alright, Benefactor?”

Gong-ryeong turned his gaze to face Gwe-bul. Gwe-bul’s eyes were also filled with a deep sense of emptiness.

“The Demon Lord… I’ve heard the stories, but I never thought it would be this much.”

Gwe-bul bit his lip as if he didn’t want to think about it again.

He had heard countless stories of the Heavenly Demon Lord’s reputation, but he thought it was just an exaggerated reputation. Their reputations were often exaggerated or embellished with false anecdotes over time.

No, even if there was no exaggeration, he thought he could handle it.

The achievements of the Demon Lord were undeniable, but achievements are not determined by how strong one is. It is important whether there was anyone who could stop him in his time.

If Han Go-je [Emperor Gaozu of Han], Liu Bang, had not existed, it would have been too easy for Xiang Yu to unify the world. Achievements are not only about one’s own abilities, but also about luck.

However, Kang Jin-ho, whom they had faced directly, was a being that far exceeded their expectations.

“…I literally survived by luck.”

“Well, is that so?”

“…What do you mean?”

Gwe-bul smiled weakly.

“Wouldn’t the Black King have predicted that this situation would unfold by now?”

Gong-ryeong closed his mouth.

‘He predicted it?’

That’s absurd.

He wasn’t watching through CCTV, so how could he know the situation here?

It would be understandable if the Black King had been watching from afar and sent someone to report, but as far as he knew, the Black King was not the type to use people in that way.

‘But…’

If it was the Black King, he might have really predicted the situation here just from the circumstances.

“Isn’t the world relative?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Gwe-bul chuckled.

The world called him a mad monk, but Gwe-bul moved for his own definition of justice.

Such a firm will could not come from just being crazy. In other words, he was following an interpretation of Buddhism in his own way.

It was rare to see him with such a cynical expression.

“In the end, we are just being played by the battle between two giants, the Demon Lord and the Black King. We thought of ourselves as whales, but in their eyes, we are just shrimp.”

“…So, are you saying that the shrimp’s back is broken in the whale fight?”

“That’s about right.”

Gong-ryeong bit his lip.

He wanted to deny it, but there was no way to deny it. In the end, they were just pawns being played by the Black King. But hadn’t he already confirmed that the Black King didn’t see Kang Jin-ho as just another pawn like them?

“Don’t talk nonsense, Gwe-bul.”

Gong-ryeong, having sorted out his thoughts, spat out.

“Even if I’m just a pawn, so what? Even if I’m just a pawn, the fact that I contributed to creating the result I wanted doesn’t change.”

“If I’m going to be used, I’ll be used as much as I can. But I’ll get one thing in return. Isn’t that what we wanted?”

“Amitabha.”

Gwe-bul smiled faintly.

“Now I see that there is a Buddha within you, Benefactor.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Gong-ryeong got up.

He couldn’t just sit here forever. If Kang Jin-ho changed his mind, he might come back. Then, the only result would be death.

He wasn’t afraid of death, but he didn’t want a meaningless death. He had barely escaped from the shark’s mouth, and if he were to be bitten to death again while splashing around, he would have no excuse even if he received applause for dying well.

“By the way…”

“Hmm?”

“What are you going to do?”

At Gwe-bul’s words, Gong-ryeong turned his head.

In his eyes, he could see the Blood King, who was now convulsing briefly as if shivering from the cold.

Gong-ryeong walked silently towards the Blood King and looked down at him. He was clearly visible, but there was no response in the Blood King’s unfocused eyes.

“Hoo…”

A short sigh escaped his lips.

“Can you undo it?”

“It’s impossible for me.”

Gwe-bul shook his head.

“It is true that Buddhist martial arts have the power to dispel evil, but it is only meaningful when the body can withstand it. If you forcibly undo this level of soul-binding, your whole body will explode and you will die.”

“…Is that because you’re a monk?”

“That’s not entirely wrong.”

Gong-ryeong looked at the Blood King with eyes that suppressed his emotions.

He didn’t have any loyalty to this guy…

Swish.

The wire that came out of his fingertips wrapped around the Blood King’s neck.

“There is a courtesy as a comrade.”

Gaga-ga-ga-gak.

The wire dug into the Blood King’s neck. He wanted to cut it off in one go, but the Blood King’s body, which had become a zombie, was not easily cut even with all his strength.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Blood King did not show any reaction even though his neck was being cut. It seemed that the pain he was already experiencing was too great to react to such pain.

Gak! Gaga-ga-gak! Tuwoong!

The tightly pulled wire dug into the Blood King’s neck and cut it off in one go.

Gong-ryeong, seeing the head that had bounced up and fallen to the floor, turned his head without any regrets. He had the mercy to end his life, but he had no loyalty to pray for his soul.

No.

Even the word ‘rest in peace’ was too much for them.

“Even if you die, the only place you’ll go is the Avici Hell [the lowest level of hell in Buddhist cosmology], but that’s better than living.”

Gong-ryeong walked forward silently.

“Let’s go, Gwe-bul. We have to return.”

Gong-ryeong, who had taken a few steps, stopped. Then, he turned his head and looked at Gwe-bul.

“Gwe-bul?”

“…Benefactor.”

Gwe-bul shook his head.

“Please go, Benefactor.”

“…What are you thinking?”

Gong-ryeong’s face contorted.

“Are you going to betray me? Did you get scared? The great Gwe-bul?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then? What are you doing?”

Gwe-bul looked at Gong-ryeong with calm eyes.

“I won’t be needed anymore.”

“My role is over. There is no place for me in the world that you are trying to create.”

“Nonsense…”

“Have you forgotten, Benefactor? The Twelve Blades are just followers of the Black King. If our hearts don’t align, it’s not strange to leave on our own. It’s just that there hasn’t been anyone like that until now.”

Gong-ryeong glared at Gwe-bul with a fierce look. But seeing Gwe-bul’s calm face, Gong-ryeong soon shook his head.

“I don’t understand. Now…”

“It’s just that our paths are different.”

Gong-ryeong looked at Gwe-bul silently before letting out a sigh.

“Do as you please. You fool.”

Hearing Gong-ryeong’s blunt voice, Gwe-bul smiled gently.

“Thank you, Benefactor.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Next time I see you, I’ll take your head. Take good care of it.”

“I will.”

Gong-ryeong, who had been glaring at Gwe-bul as if he didn’t like him until the end, turned his body and quickly moved away. Gwe-bul, who had been watching him silently, recited the Buddha’s name in a low voice.

“Amitabha…”

He closed his eyes quietly.

‘A new world…’

What would be there?

“If you turn your head, it’s the other shore…”

Whooong!

Kang Jin-ho looked around.

The first thing that caught his eye was a wall that looked rather desolate. A white-toned, undecorated wall, and a huge door in front of it.

“Where is this?”

“It’s the Chairman’s mansion.”

“…Huh?”

Wiggins said with a stiff face.

“Since the enemy targeted the Chairman’s villa, I thought this place would be safe, so we moved here. In the first place, there are more than one or two houses, so it’s impossible to cover all of them. They are few in number.”

“So, why did you come here?”

“…It’s inside there.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and headed towards the door that Wiggins was pointing at. As Wiggins lightly flicked his hand, the tightly closed door opened wide, revealing the scene inside.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight inside.

Screens.

Inside the huge room visible through the door, dozens of screens were visible on the entire front wall,

and Cheongma filled each of those screens. Judging by the subtly different image quality, it seemed that they had turned on all the images of Cheongma coming out on different channels and media.

“…What is that?”

“Broadcasting varies slightly from region to region in China. But in this room, it seems that you can see all the channels of the broadcasts that go out nationwide. In other words…”

Wiggins said with a groan.

“Those screens are currently being broadcast not only throughout China, but also overseas.”

A hollow laugh escaped from Kang Jin-ho’s mouth.

“…It’s still an overwhelming scale.”

Kang Jin-ho, glaring at Cheongma visible beyond the screen, walked into the room and pulled out a chair in the center.

Then, he sat on the chair and crossed his legs.

“Well…”

Start it.

What the hell are you trying to do?