Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1954

“I’ve already given instructions to block the broadcast. This way…”

“Quiet.”

The chief secretary’s urgent voice was cut off by the chairman’s heavy tone.

“Let’s listen first. If we can’t stop it anyway, we should at least be able to respond properly.”

“…Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho subtly turned his head to check the chairman’s face.

Seeing his expressionless face, which didn’t reveal any particular emotion, he nodded to himself.

‘He’s still the leader of a country, after all.’

Regardless of his public image, this man had walked on countless blades. Among the vast population of China, only the verified elites gathered in the Party.

He had overcome all the checks, jealousies, and schemes within that Party and finally stood in this position.

He was not comparable to the emperors who had gained their positions solely through bloodline.

‘Whether it’s for good or bad, he’s a monster in either direction. In the martial world, he’s at least on par with the Hong King [a high-ranking martial artist].’

Kang Jin-ho subtly turned his head and looked at the screen again.

‘But…’

The one he had to face now was a being beyond a monster.

Cheongma [Black King].

That damn bastard was now shaking the entire world in his hands. Even though the world had changed with the existence of media, this was a realm that even Kang Jin-ho in the past couldn’t dare to reach.

‘He’s really like a devil.’

On the screen, Cheongma leaned back leisurely in his chair. To others, it might seem like Cheongma, an ordinary person unfamiliar with broadcasting, was choosing his words, but Kang Jin-ho knew.

Cheongma knew everything right now.

He knew what the chairman was thinking while watching this broadcast, what the general public watching this broadcast was thinking, what those watching this broadcast in foreign lands were planning, and above all…

‘What the martial artists, who are directly related to this broadcast, are feeling.’

Among those martial artists, Kang Jin-ho was included.

Kang Jin-ho turned his gaze to the complex and subtle expressions of the directors watching the broadcast.

They had faces that showed they couldn’t figure out how to accept this situation.

Of course.

Kang Jin-ho was feeling something similar.

Their goal was to stop all of Cheongma’s actions. They had definitely prevented the assassination of the chairman, but looking at the broadcast now, it was clear that Cheongma’s goal was not this from the start.

Targeting the chairman was just a bonus if it succeeded, or it was enough to use it as bait to lure Kang Jin-ho. The real purpose was clearly this broadcast.

Everyone here had failed to stop Cheongma.

Yet, in Kang Jin-ho’s heart, there was an unknown sense of exhilaration rather than anger.

Anyone who had learned martial arts would have thought about it at least once.

Why do we have to live so bound?

Why do we have to live squabbling among ourselves in this narrow world?

Why do we have to hide like criminals, avoiding the eyes of others, even though we have the power to shake the world?

It’s human nature to want to use power if you have it. It’s like an instinct that no one can escape. But martial artists had to live hiding their power.

Moreover, it wasn’t others who prevented them from roaming the outside world, but other martial artists. Kang Jin-ho himself, under the name of the General Assembly, had abolished the martial arts of those who left the General Assembly and monitored them to prevent them from doing anything foolish.

There was the justification of doing it for everyone’s safety, but even Kang Jin-ho couldn’t answer whether it was really the right thing to do.

But now, Cheongma was shouting to all the martial artists in the world.

He wouldn’t hide anymore, and the world from now on would be different from what it had been.

Before even thinking about the repercussions this would bring, something was boiling inside him just from that statement.

Even he, who knew Cheongma well, was like this, so what must the other martial artists be feeling right now?

One thing was certain.

From this moment on, the world could never go back to what it was before.

Even if Cheongma couldn’t do anything here, was suppressed, lost his life, and this broadcast was reduced to a mere joke, there would definitely be martial artists who would remember this moment.

And there would definitely be those who would question why they had to live in hiding.

The fire had been lit.

Whether this flame would make the world a little better, or whether it would burn the entire world to ashes, was unknown at this moment…

‘Whether for good or bad, it can no longer be the same as the past.’

Never again.

On the screen, the Black King leisurely poured wine into a wine glass.

That extremely relaxed appearance was rather eye-catching.

[Cheers.]

The Black King lightly held out his glass towards the screen and took a small sip of wine.

He seemed out of his mind.

Basically, terrorism is about resisting public authority.

Whatever the intention of that act, it was clear that those who ruled China would not tolerate such a deviation.

But the Black King didn’t show any impatience. That composure made those watching unable to take their eyes off the screen.

[It’s a good day for a drink.]

Cheongma, having put down his glass, turned his gaze forward, as if looking at someone beyond the screen.

[Perhaps many people are watching at this very moment. To those who don’t understand the meaning of this broadcast, it will just look like the ravings of a madman. But that doesn’t matter. What’s important are those who understand what I’m trying to say.]

The Black King’s eyes looked beyond the screen.

[Yes. People like you.]

The Black King slowly crossed his legs and placed his clasped hands on his knees. Leaning back leisurely, he opened his mouth in a calm voice.

[At this rate, we will eventually become obsolete.]

Those words struck Kang Jin-ho right in the heart. Those words, without any particularly grand rhetoric.

The reason was very simple. Kang Jin-ho had been thinking the same thing.

[The world of martial artists is getting smaller and smaller. It might have been better when we were all scattered. A unified world will suppress you even more, and eventually, the martial arts you’ve spent your whole life building will become meaningless indicators, no better than levels in a game. And in less than a hundred years, the world of martial artists will collapse, and we will be buried without even leaving a trace in history. Then!]

The Black King’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

[What are we living for?]

“Lord, that’s…”

“I know.”

Kang Jin-ho cut off Wiggins’ words. Wiggins also knew that there was nothing they could do by being anxious here. Nevertheless, the reason why Wiggins was opening his mouth without any real meaning was obvious.

‘Even Wiggins is being shaken by those words.’

Those words accurately pierced the anxiety that martial artists had.

[I’m not trying to incite you.]

The Black King continued to speak with an extremely serious face.

[Whether I incite you or not, we are already heading towards a predetermined outcome. If we close our eyes and shut our mouths right now, we can manage to maintain a life similar to what we have now. But how much longer do you think that will last?]

The Black King’s voice had a power that drew people in.

[The reason why this ridiculous distortion can be maintained is because we still have value. But when that value ends, the result is obvious. In just a few decades, their power has increased hundreds of times. It will increase even more in the future. Do you think they will still acknowledge our existence and try to coexist with us then?]

The Black King made a gun shape with his fingers and brought it to his temple.

[Bang.]

A twisted smile appeared on the Black King’s face as he pretended to shoot.

[When the hunt is over, the dog is boiled [a Chinese idiom meaning to discard someone after they’ve served their purpose]. Do you think what you are enjoying now will last forever? Or is it just that you want to believe it?]

[I know that just spouting these words is nothing more than complaining without a solution. So… I have prepared a solution for you.]

‘A solution?’

Kang Jin-ho’s expression changed for the first time.

‘What is he trying to say?’

[The start is negotiation. This negotiation might be reckless. But if those of you watching this broadcast join me, a reckless negotiation will not be reckless. And then, we might even change this twisted world. That’s why I propose here.]

The Black King’s smile deepened.

[Join me. Come to me. I will not rule or reign. I will only create a world where you can live openly and proudly. I will create a world where martial artists and ordinary people can coexist without hiding. How?]

The Black King looked at the screen with a face that seemed to be holding back laughter.

[To the great people watching this broadcast, to the great people who believe they hold the power of the world in their hands, let me tell you one thing. Aren’t you curious about where I’m broadcasting from? If you knew, you could cut off my head in an instant, right?]

Kang Jin-ho gripped the armrest of his chair.

The Black King’s expression was telling him. That was the face the Black King made when he had a trump card hidden and was about to reveal it.

And at that moment.

“Chairman!”

Behind the wide-open door, a group of people rushed in with all their might. Just by looking at their pale faces, he could sense that something had gone terribly wrong.

And before they could even arrive, the screen changed.

Back, further back.

The screen, which had been showing the Black King’s whole body, gradually moved back, revealing the space he was in.

Concrete.

A huge concrete wall. That thick and magnificent concrete wall was conveying an indescribable sense of pressure beyond the screen.

But what really caught the eye was something else.

Corpses.

As the screen captured more and more, the figures of those who had fallen, bleeding, to the left and right of the Black King’s chair came into clear view.

They were all wearing military uniforms. Judging by the firearms scattered around where they had fallen, they seemed to be the soldiers guarding the place.

‘Wait. Soldiers?’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh, no…”

What made him certain that something was wrong was a single word that came from the chairman’s mouth.

The chairman’s face, which had never lost its composure until now, turned pale.

The Black King on the screen slowly stood up from his seat. Then, he smiled brightly.

[If you want to know, I’ll tell you. This place is… well, maybe it’s better to just show you?]

At that moment, the screen moved to the side.

The sight that appeared on the screen next made even the mighty Kang Jin-ho groan.

Concrete walls mixed with gray and white.

In front of that wall, a dozen huge, long pieces of metal revealed their forms. A dozen pieces of metal with camouflage paint.

“…Missiles.”

At that moment, the Black King walked back in front of the screen.

[This is a nuclear missile launch site. Let me tell you in advance that this place is now completely under my control. If you want to attack, try it. The price will be paid by none other than you. Hahahahahaha!]

Kang Jin-ho unknowingly turned to look at the chairman.

The moment he saw the chairman’s pale face, he couldn’t help but realize that all of this was an unavoidable truth.

Slowly turning his head, Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at the Black King on the screen before taking out a cigarette.

Click, click, click.

Uncharacteristically, Kang Jin-ho failed to light the lighter several times before finally lighting the cigarette and slumping back in his chair.

“This is more than I expected…”

The Black King’s madness was engulfing him.

No.

It was engulfing the entire world.