Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2105

‘So, what you’re saying is…’

A white-haired man with an intense face had the end of his cigar burning red.

Even though it was a video conference, his behavior could hardly be called polite, considering the people he was connected with. However, no one watching the screen blamed him for his rudeness.

Was it because of his position?

Of course, that might be one reason. But a more fundamental reason was that this meeting was more about candid honesty than etiquette.

‘Are you saying that the General Assembly will directly manage the martial artists worldwide?’

‘That’s what they conveyed.’

‘Hmm.’

The man’s eyes, slightly obscured by the cigar smoke, narrowed thoughtfully.

‘It’s what we wanted, but…’

The man frowned slightly, as if something was bothering him.

‘It’s not a bad thing.’

Another man with thick blond hair spoke from another screen.

‘The most troublesome part about dealing with martial artists is that it’s not easy for us to control them. It’s difficult to identify them, even more difficult to track them, and even more difficult to suppress or eliminate them.’

‘Hmm, indeed.’

‘If the martial artists can resolve these issues among themselves, it’s not bad for us, is it? Anyway, this is not a problem we can just ignore anymore.’

The man put his cigar in the ashtray and nodded.

‘Prime Minister.’

‘Yes.’

‘What are their demands?’

‘Yes. In exchange for resolving all of this perfectly, the General Assembly wants us to prohibit the oppression of martial artists, recognize the General Assembly as an official organization and grant them primary control over martial artists, and prohibit discrimination against martial artists. Those are the three main demands.’

‘Prohibition of discrimination…’

The man chuckled.

‘It seems they think we’re kings or something? There’s no way that’s possible.’

‘Discrimination between people is unavoidable, but they want to at least not be discriminated against in laws and administration.’

‘That’s easier said than done, isn’t it?’

‘That’s true.’

Koh Han-bong sighed softly.

As the head of the administration, he knew how difficult this request was. In the United States, it would be like granting gun ownership to potential terrorists.

‘Realistically, I don’t think there’s any other way. Their position is also very firm.’

‘I heard that Kang Jin-ho, the head of the General Assembly, is a moderate…’

‘That’s true of Kang Jin-ho, the head of the Assembly,’ Koh Han-bong said firmly.

‘But just as a country is not run by one person’s will, the General Assembly is not run by Kang Jin-ho alone. Those of you here know that best.’

‘Hmm.’

‘Those around Kang Jin-ho are all radicals. In fact, they might be even more hawkish than the Black King faction.’

‘Saying they’re more than the Black King faction seems a bit of an exaggeration.’

‘It’s not at all.’

Koh Han-bong took a deep breath and began to explain.

‘What the Black King faction did was certainly extreme. But if you think about it, they only acted once after decades of patience.’

‘…That’s right.’

‘But the General Assembly is different. Since Kang Jin-ho appeared in the General Assembly, they have been constantly at war. Thanks to that, the General Assembly, which was just a small force in the Far East, quickly rose to a position of uniting and leading the martial arts world.’

The man, looking frustrated, quickly put a cigar in his mouth.

‘As you know, when people are cornered, they tend to stick to the methods that have worked for them.’

‘You mean war?’

‘I hope not, but we can’t just proceed with wishful thinking, can we?’

‘Hmm.’

A frustrated sigh escaped.

‘This is a difficult matter.’

Complex expressions appeared on each face on the screen.

‘And I don’t understand why you’re hesitating. Isn’t this the form you wanted most?’

‘Of course. Natural control over them is what we wanted more than anything. But the problem is… their position is being established faster than we thought.’

‘…May I ask what that means?’

‘Let’s not play dumb, Prime Minister.’ The white-haired man chuckled.

‘It’s convenient for us that the General Assembly manages and represents the martial arts world, but it’s also problematic if they resolve it too easily. If the General Assembly’s control over the martial arts world is this strong, it means that they could all turn against us in an emergency.’

‘Think about it. What would happen if those diverse Islamic extremist groups united under one banner? It’s safer if dangerous people are somewhat divided. But these people are more dangerous than extreme terrorists.’

‘We definitely need to address that point.’

Koh Han-bong said with a hardened expression.

‘Because of what you just said, some of you here might have other ideas. For example, cutting off the head to try to divide them.’

‘That’s not a bad idea.’

‘It’s also realistic.’

Koh Han-bong bit his lip at the calm voices.

These fools don’t understand the situation at all.

‘But I’ll stake my name on this: the methods you’re thinking of will never be a solution. If we lose Kang Jin-ho, we’ll completely lose control over them.’

‘That’s an exaggeration.’

‘No. It’s not an exaggeration,’ Koh Han-bong said firmly.

‘Interpreting them as if they were a nation will lead to irreversible mistakes. Don’t forget that Kang Jin-ho is not someone who filled an existing position, but someone who created a position that didn’t exist.’

The moment those words ended, uncomfortable murmurs arose from here and there.

‘There’s no need to overthink it,’ Koh Han-bong continued calmly.

‘The fact that Kang Jin-ho is the one who can control the martial artists at this time is fortunate for us. He is a clear pacifist. His existence will only help us, not harm us.’

‘Prime Minister.’

The white-haired man said with a stern face.

‘It sounds like you’re speaking as if you’re a spokesperson for the General Assembly.’

‘That’s not wrong.’

‘…What do you mean?’

‘As the Prime Minister of South Korea, I want stability for South Korea. And personally, I want to prevent my name from being recorded in history with disgrace.’

‘I’ve been in contact with the General Assembly and its head, Kang Jin-ho, since before this happened. But it’s more of a strained relationship than a good one. Kang Jin-ho is the one who drove the person I served to an irreversible state.’

‘But…’

‘Even so, there’s no denying that Kang Jin-ho is the most reliable option in this whole situation. As long as the direction he wants and the direction we want are not different, he will be the most reliable card for us.’

There was a brief silence as they all seemed to have a lot to think about.

‘I think we’re a bit off the point…’

Then, an Asian man in the corner of the screen spoke.

‘The important thing is not what their tendencies are, but whether we can really trust them.’

‘Head Kang Jin-ho…’

‘Don’t beat around the bush, Prime Minister.’

The sharp-looking Asian man slightly adjusted his glasses.

‘Everything you’re saying now is just a temporary fix, and you know best that it can’t be a fundamental solution to this whole situation.’

Koh Han-bong closed his mouth.

‘Whether they can be controlled or not is a secondary issue. What we need to think about is whether we can fundamentally harmonize with them.’

‘In the meantime, we’ve drawn lines with those we couldn’t harmonize with. We’ve set up borders and taken measures by not interacting with each other. But that’s fundamentally impossible with them.’

As soon as he finished speaking, a mocking voice was heard.

‘It’s a bit funny to hear that from your country. Wasn’t your country’s method to castrate those who couldn’t harmonize to make them able to harmonize?’

The Asian man said with a sharp gaze.

‘I don’t think we asked for your comments on our internal affairs?’

The man who spoke raised both hands and chuckled at the sharp voice.

‘I’m just saying, just saying. It’s just a bit funny.’

‘You…’

‘That’s enough.’

The white-haired man cut off their words.

‘This is not a place to discuss other political issues, so be careful.’

‘Understood.’

The white-haired man opened his mouth.

‘Indeed… we need to think about whether this system can be maintained forever.’

‘But right now, everyone will agree that we need to use temporary measures rather than solving such fundamental problems.’

No one objected to that. Everyone would agree that the first priority was to calm the angry public.

‘Let’s have an official meeting soon and start detailed coordination.’

‘Does that mean you’re going to recognize the General Assembly’s control over the martial arts world in the name of the international community?’

‘The United States will,’ the white-haired man shrugged.

‘But we won’t force it. There will only be backlash if we try to unite everyone with one voice. Once we have a rough framework, let each country decide whether to recognize the General Assembly or not.’

‘But you should remember one thing. Countries that don’t participate in this agreement will have to accept that their country will become a haven for the radicals pushed out by the General Assembly.’

‘Hmm.’

Heavy groans came from here and there.

‘Prime Minister.’

‘Yes.’

‘I hope you will continue to work hard.’

‘…Understood.’

‘I understand that you are dedicating a lot to this matter, Prime Minister…’

The white-haired man gave a strange smile.

‘You’re not getting much for your efforts, so I won’t bother with empty praise.’

‘Then.’

The screens began to turn black.

Only after all the screens went dark did Koh Han-bong let out a deep sigh.

‘Monsters.’

Their outsides and insides were different, and the words they spoke were different from what they thought. These were things that politicians had to do, but they seemed more like monsters hiding in the dark than politicians.

But…

‘Even so, there’s no other way.’

To their eyes, the martial artists and Kang Jin-ho would look like monsters.

Monsters that they couldn’t handle with their power.

Koh Han-bong could see it. The subtle fear in their eyes, disguised as composure.

‘A temporary fix…’

Koh Han-bong chuckled and took out a cigarette.

‘I wonder if there’s anything in politics that isn’t a temporary fix.’

It was a bitter voice.