Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2106

Shock always arrives suddenly.

The series of events caused by the Black King had significantly shaken the world, which had maintained a certain order.

Faced with a situation where perfectly fine city buildings collapsed in an instant, and incomprehensible beings stole nuclear missiles to threaten the world, people could only be astonished, scream, weep, and worry.

Some couldn’t hide their bewilderment, others spoke of coexistence, and some extreme individuals even spread conspiracy theories, claiming that all of this was a manipulation by the powerful to deceive the people.

However, most people simply waited in silence.

Because they couldn’t understand it, couldn’t judge it.

But the appearance of Kang Jin-ho on the screen, one after another, and his declaration, eventually made even those who had been holding their breath accept the entire situation.

That day, those who were living in the world finally admitted it.

That the world they knew was not everything, that on the other side of this world, there were others who were like them but different.

Some panicked, some denounced the nations that had hidden all these facts. Some demanded countermeasures, and some fell into distrust, wary of everyone around them.

Regardless of the reaction, the world fell into unprecedented chaos.

Some were sensitive to all these events, while others turned a blind eye, believing it had little to do with them, but the world was tormented by the feeling that it could be turned upside down at any moment.

It was only natural.

For those who had been living ordinary lives, this was too sudden a change. Overnight, the world they knew had completely changed from the past, so how many people could calmly accept all of that?

And before that shock could even subside, the showdown between the General Assembly and the Black King’s faction was broadcast worldwide.

For those who had only vaguely accepted the existence of martial artists, that series of videos was like ice water directly hammered into their minds.

In the end, even the media, which was constantly touting the victory of the moderates, could not quell their fear. Protests with unclear objectives were held every day, and those who had chosen the profession of politician were subjected to pressure that could only be described as harsh.

And…

Nothing happened.

“Well…”

Gong Young-gil looked at the people passing by outside the window and gave a hollow laugh.

“Why?”

Lee Myung-hwan, who was sipping his coffee, asked, and Gong Young-gil replied with a face mixed with annoyance and relief.

“For a few days after the incident, it was hard to see a soul on the streets, but I don’t know how long it’s been, and it’s packed again like this.”

“It’s a good thing, I guess.”

“It’s a good thing, but…”

Gong Young-gil frowned.

‘Then they shouldn’t have made such a fuss.’

He clearly remembered the articles that had been pouring out non-stop since the recognition of the existence of martial artists. The so-called major media outlets tried to calm the situation with the most moderate articles possible, but were all the media in the world like that?

The yellow press [tabloid media], obsessed with views, poured out hundreds of sensational articles every day.

“What? They’re saying the military should be mobilized to round up all the martial artists?”

“Still, they’re saying ’round them up.’ It’s not like they’re saying ‘kill them.'”

“Hey, you bastard. Do you really think that means round them up? They wrote it like that because they couldn’t write ‘kill them all’ in the article. There were even bastards who actually wrote that they should be killed, right?”

“There are always extreme people everywhere.”

“Extreme? There were countless of them.”

Lee Myung-hwan chuckled.

“Calm down. That’s just how people are.”

“Look at what this bastard is saying? Hey, you bastard. Isn’t that the kind of guy who got caught trying to cause a ruckus at a media company?”

“Those bastards crossed the line! No, damn it! Is it even reasonable to call the Lord of the Assembly a dangerous element? They risked their lives to save those bastards who were about to die from a nuclear missile, and now they’re ungrateful!”

“…Take the blood out of your eyes. You’re scaring me.”

“Aish.”

In fact, it wasn’t just Gong Young-gil who was driven crazy by the flood of extreme articles. Lee Myung-hwan, as well as many members of the General Assembly, had almost caused accidents several times because they couldn’t stand the extreme denigration written by the yellow press.

If Lee Hyun-soo hadn’t prepared in advance, there would have been several incidents.

“That’s why I’m so frustrated. Didn’t you see the comments on the articles? I thought we were some kind of Nazis. Even if we had been massacring people, we wouldn’t have gotten those kinds of comments.”

“…That’s true.”

Lee Myung-hwan smiled bitterly.

Even though internet article comments are a place for all kinds of hatred and anger to be vented, the comments on those articles went a bit too far.

It made one wonder how people could hate other people so much. Some people were even spewing out intense hatred towards ordinary people because of those comments.

‘Towards the same people…’

A low sigh escaped from Lee Myung-hwan’s lips.

‘It’s not that, they don’t see them as people.’

Not in a rhetorical sense, but literally, they didn’t seem to treat martial artists as people.

Well…

People create barriers based on race, and if that’s not enough, they create barriers based on nation. Within a nation, they create barriers based on region, and if the region is the same, they find another reason to separate themselves from others.

For such people, how convenient are martial artists? Because they are different, they can be freely criticized, and they can openly spew hatred and base anger without having to maintain appearances, and no one will say that it’s wrong.

Even in political correctness, which rejects all discrimination based on race, gender, and identity, martial artists were an exception.

“When you think about it…”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t we being treated worse than animals by those people? There are animal protection groups, but there’s no one on our side.”

“Why are you stating the obvious? It’s only natural.”

Lee Myung-hwan sighed again.

Every time he felt this way, even Lee Myung-hwan began to doubt whether the Black King was wrong.

‘Extreme methods will inevitably lead to ruin.’

He believed that thought was definitely not wrong. Because that’s what history proves.

But what about when the people they have to face become extreme?

It takes two to clap. If the other side has no intention of clapping with them, what’s the point of this side waving their hands around?

“And yet, now they’re walking around like nothing happened. There are two of us here, those vermin martial artists who said they’d get goosebumps just thinking about being near us.”

“Hey, why are you talking like that?”

“Because I’m frustrated, you bastard! Frustrated!”

Gong Young-gil roughly gulped down the drink in front of him.

“There were people who risked their lives there to save those bastards who didn’t lift a finger. When did they treat us worse than human criminals, and now they’re acting like nothing happened and living their lives?”

“Well, what can we do? We can’t not go to work. Those people have to live too.”

“Damn it.”

Lee Myung-hwan looked out the window with a bitter expression. The sight of people busily going back and forth seemed no different from before the world had turned upside down.

‘Even I don’t find what I’m saying convincing.’

Perhaps the world is just like this.

When something happens, everyone is on edge, but after a little bit of that routine, everyone becomes numb. At some point, everyone adapts to the changed life as if it were natural.

“Still, we shouldn’t say that. Look how much trouble the Chief had to go through.”

“Tsk.”

The person who contributed the most to all of this was none other than Lee Hyun-soo.

Until recently, the world was like a parched reed field. No, it would be more accurate to say that it was a situation where gasoline had been poured on a parched reed field. Even the smallest spark could have caused an uncontrollable fire.

Lee Hyun-soo ran around without sleeping to eliminate that spark. He reached out to the martial arts communities in various countries, even in countries where Lee Myung-hwan and Gong Young-gil would say, ‘There are martial artists in that country too?’, to prevent accidents.

He sought cooperation, controlled, sometimes threatened, and even used force.

Thanks to Lee Hyun-soo’s desperate efforts to remove the sparks, they were able to protect the reed field until the drizzle began.

Thanks to that, they can still talk about coexistence.

But…

‘Coexistence, huh…’

Lee Myung-hwan stirred the drink in his cup with a bitter face.

‘Is that really possible?’

He couldn’t fully guess Kang Jin-ho’s intentions, but at least the Kang Jin-ho he knew wouldn’t want a coexistence that was being completed so subtly, as if seeping in.

Because they had already paid too much of a price to be satisfied with a fragile, glass-like coexistence that would shatter the moment anyone said, ‘I never agreed to this.’

But is it really possible?

To discuss coexistence with those who don’t feel the need to coexist with them?

Politicians might be able to gain something from the two words ‘coexistence,’ but for ordinary people, the existence of martial artists is nothing more or less than a threat.

In order to force the other party to accept that threat, they must be given appropriate compensation. But…

‘There’s nothing to give.’

The martial artists can’t give them anything. What they demand from the martial artists is for them to disappear from their lives.

Lee Myung-hwan laughed softly.

“It’s a difficult deal, really.”

“What are you muttering about?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Lee Myung-hwan sighed deeply.

‘It’s really difficult.’

Perhaps Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo had been worrying about these issues for a long time. It suddenly occurred to him that it was because of them that people like him could live without worry, just focusing on training.

“Anyway, keep the kids in check.”

“What am I, you bastard?”

“Still, you have a bit more popularity with the kids than I do.”

“That’s because you’re such an idiot.”

“…What did you say, you bastard?”

“What?”

Lee Myung-hwan sighed deeply.

“Because now there’s really no way to go back.”

Lee Myung-hwan’s gaze turned to the screen on his phone. A large, magnificent building. A blond man was walking towards the podium set up in front of the building.

The dozens of microphones installed on the podium seemed to prove the importance of this announcement.

“Either go to the extreme, or coexist. It’s time to make a decision.”

At that moment, media outlets around the world began reporting simultaneously.

Reports that 18 countries, including the United States and China, officially recognized the existence of martial artists and would establish an organization to manage them.

Reports that although it started with 18 countries, other countries would soon announce their positions as well.

It was the moment when the existence of martial artists, who had disappeared into history, was officially recognized for the first time.