Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2102

Things moved swiftly.

Lee Hyun-soo, having received full authority from Kang Jin-ho, quickly sought cooperation from the Round Table and the Hongwang Faction.

The response he received was more positive than he had anticipated.

[Didn’t you say you were delegating?]

Lee Hyun-soo sighed deeply at the irritated voice of Cai Keqiang coming through the phone.

“The situation has changed, so I have to inform you.”

[Just handle it appropriately. We don’t have the time to worry about that right now.]

“Do you even understand how important this is?”

[You’re the one who doesn’t understand.]

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyebrows twitched. Just as he was about to retort, Cai Keqiang’s indifferent voice came through.

[How much do you think China will align with international cooperation?]

Lee Hyun-soo, at a loss for words, closed his mouth.

‘Come to think of it…’

The Round Table is fine. Once the General Assembly and the outside world have cooperated, Europe will naturally follow that decision.

But what about China? Is there any guarantee that China will do the same?

[China has suffered the most damage from this incident. Not only its external image but also real damage. A huge number of people died. In that situation, do you think this country will follow a treaty decided by the US and Europe?]

“…Probably not.”

[Right. So, we’re also on the front lines. Don’t be stupid.]

Lee Hyun-soo was speechless.

He had been so focused on Kang Jin-ho and the General Assembly that he hadn’t fully grasped this situation.

“You must be swamped too.”

[I wish I had five bodies.]

Cai Keqiang’s sigh came through the phone.

“How’s the situation?”

[Not good. China is a country that’s paranoid about groups with specific goals forming within its borders.]

“That’s true.”

[And of all things, the unmanned autonomous zone that the Hawk King demanded was within China. That idiot stirred up a hornet’s nest. I don’t think things would have ended with laughter even if the Hawk King had won this fight. They’re furious right now.]

Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

It was obvious when he thought about it. From the Chinese government’s perspective, they couldn’t just say, ‘Let’s pretend this never happened’ now that everything was over.

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

[Don’t be arrogant, Lee Hyun-soo.]

Cai Keqiang’s growling voice came through.

[The General Assembly may have taken the lead, but the Hongwang Faction is not so weak that it needs to beg the General Assembly for help. Don’t forget that the Hongwang Faction is still the largest faction in the Murim world [Martial Arts World].]

“Yes, yes. Of course.”

A moment of silence passed.

Lee Hyun-soo could imagine what kind of expression Cai Keqiang, who was in China, was making right now.

[Anyway…]

“Hmm?”

[If the Hong King had declared a power struggle with the General Assembly, things would have been different… but now, the Hong King is also respecting the Demon King’s position. Maybe even more than the Demon King himself.]

“That Hong King?”

[Yes.]

Cai Keqiang muttered as if he had a headache.

[The situation has changed. In the past, Murim affairs ended within Murim. But now, even if you unify the Murim world within China, there are other things left. We have to walk a tightrope with those who can attack us at any time and gradually improve our relationship.]

“That’s why everyone is suffering.”

[The Hong King seems to think he’s not the right person for that job. He’s spent his whole life unifying China, and now he says it’s impossible to care about the Murim of other countries. So, he’s going to push all the troublesome things onto the General Assembly… no, he’s going to leave it to the General Assembly and focus on the situation within China.]

“Hey, you almost revealed your true feelings there?”

[It’s a misunderstanding.]

“Misunderstanding my ass. You bastards.”

Lee Hyun-soo cursed, but Cai Keqiang didn’t budge.

[Isn’t the goal the same anyway?]

“Goal?”

[Yes.]

Cai Keqiang continued calmly.

[The reason why the Hong King tried to unify the Central Plains [China] was because he knew from the start that neither the Chang King nor the Hawk King were people who would care about the lives of Murim people.]

“Don’t talk nonsense, you bastard. Then why did you give us so much trouble?”

[Put yourself in our shoes. If the leader of the Demonic Cult, who turned the Central Plains into a sea of blood in the past, was resurrected and gathered all the persecuted Demonic Cult members to build power right next to the border, what would you have done?]

“I would have wiped them all out.”

[That’s right.]

Cai Keqiang’s sound of lighting a cigarette came through.

[But the Demon King was surprisingly a reasonable person, and we realized he was someone willing to risk his life for the Murim people, so there was no reason not to cooperate. To be honest, there’s no other way. Our situation is not good enough to turn our eyes abroad right now.]

“Can you do it?”

[We are the Hongwang Faction.]

Cai Keqiang’s sound of grinding his teeth came through again.

[If the Hong King had intended to, he would have not only conquered China but also destroyed your General Assembly. But… now that the Hong King has declared peace and stability, our conflict ends here.]

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

‘Do you even have the power?’ The words almost slipped out, but he held them back. It wasn’t a victor’s place to trample on the last bit of pride of someone admitting defeat.

[Anyway, you don’t have to worry about China. But it will be difficult to help with matters abroad.]

“Just handling China well is enough. Instead, let’s align your position with ours.”

[We will. That’s what the Hong King wants.]

“Understood.”

[Contact me again if there’s anything.]

The call ended abruptly. Lee Hyun-soo stared blankly at the disconnected phone and chuckled.

‘He must be in a really bad mood.’ He made all sorts of excuses, but in the end, he was admitting the General Assembly’s superiority. The condition they had set was complete control over China. In return, they would follow the General Assembly’s position on all external matters.

There was nothing bad for the General Assembly.

Cai Keqiang still seemed to have some regrets, but the Hong King had clearly stated his position.

‘Is his ambition smaller than I thought?’ No, that couldn’t be it.

The Hong King that Lee Hyun-soo had observed was surprisingly not that aggressive. From the beginning, he was someone who discussed the legitimacy and pride of China, not someone who looked abroad.

The strategy of using Japan to target Korea, or the Hongwang Faction’s schemes within Korea, were all things that Cai Keqiang had done independently.

No matter how much regret Cai Keqiang had, if the Hong King, the leader of the Hongwang Faction, had stated his position like that, there would be nothing he could do.

“It’s a bit of a shame.”

There were countless small countries around China. If China could act as their center, Lee Hyun-soo could have less work to do.

‘It’s not exactly a good choice.’ Anyway, giving them the opportunity to expand their influence abroad was not a good thing. People’s hearts are not eternal. They had declared that they would walk the same path as the General Assembly now, but the Hong King’s heart could change at any time.

Before that happened, he had to secure influence over the Murim world in the countries surrounding China and surround China.

“Cai Keqiang would throw a fit if he knew… well, it can’t be helped.”

That’s how politics is. And from the start, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t have a good feeling about Cai Keqiang. They just understood each other because their positions were similar.

“Then, that’s the Hongwang Faction settled for now…”

Lee Hyun-soo made another call.

Before the ringing had even finished, someone answered the phone.

[Nice to hear from you, Director.]

“It’s been a while, Knight Moore. I’d like to know about your situation.”

Knight Moore.

A British knight who Wiggin had placed to manage the internal affairs of the Round Table while he was the Master. He was the one who held the real power of the Round Table in the current situation where both the Master and Wiggin were absent.

If a new Master was elected, that power would disappear in an instant, but with the Master’s position vacant, there was no one within the Round Table who could oppose Knight Moore, who had the General Assembly’s subtle support.

[As I mentioned before, the Round Table has no objection to walking the same path as the General Assembly. Whatever decision the Chairman makes, the Round Table will fully support him.]

“Are there no objections?”

[Of course, there are. Quite a few.]

Lee Hyun-soo frowned.

“That’s a bit different from what you said…”

[You have to understand the Round Table, Director. The Round Table is not a place where imperial power works like the systems in China or Korea. The identity of the Round Table is a council, and a council is a system where there will always be opposition.]

“That’s true.”

[Support for the General Assembly is over 60% and approaching 70%. You must know what it means to secure 70% in a council.]

70% was a number that could even allow for constitutional amendments in a normal country.

“That’s enough to not have any problems. But personally, I’m still amazed. The Round Table wasn’t a very friendly place to the General Assembly. Did the heroic deaths of the Master and Wiggin have a big impact?”

[Well, in my opinion… of course, it had an impact, but I don’t think that’s what decided everything. The biggest reason for this choice is probably the situation.]

“What do you mean by the situation?”

[The Round Table does not have the power to stand alone against the outside world.]

[Unlike other Murim factions, the Round Table is funded by subsidies from each country. In this situation, if each country decides to reject the Murim world, the Round Table will have to wither and die without even being able to fight properly.]

“That…”

[Isn’t money more important than you think?]

A sigh that sounded like the earth was collapsing came from Lee Hyun-soo’s mouth.

[What’s wrong?]

“No… I’m just suddenly so envious that there are so many people who understand that.”

From Lee Hyun-soo’s perspective, who had to discuss important matters with martial arts idiots whose heads were full of only internal energy, the ‘common sense’ being discussed at the Round Table was tearfully enviable.

When he thought about it, they were people who represented the positions of each country. It would be impossible to become a knight with only martial power.

[Anyway, you don’t have to worry about the Round Table. However… as a check, the Master is likely to be elected from the anti-General Assembly faction, so you should hurry with your decision. You must finish your decision before a new Master is elected.]

“If you want, Knight Moore, you could also become the Master?”

[That’s not a good idea.]

“…Why?”

[The Master and the previous Master gave them a lot. In that situation, if I become greedy for power, their intentions will be tarnished.]

“Hmm.”

[I will just do my best in my assigned role for now. That’s what they would want.]

“I understand for now.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded and left a request.

“Please also gather the small countries that are not affiliated with the Round Table. You can do that much, right?”

[It won’t be easy, but I’ll try.]

“Thank you.”

[Then.]

Lee Hyun-soo hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh.

‘I’ve overcome a big hurdle with this.’

There were still some minor things left… but from now on, it was more Kang Jin-ho’s job than his.

‘He’ll do well.’

It might be a reckless belief, but Lee Hyun-soo really thought that only Kang Jin-ho could solve this whole situation.

Because he was Kang Jin-ho.