Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 279

‘Are you ready?’

‘I’ve finished the preparations.’

Kang Jin-ho stared silently at Bang Jin-hoon. His gaze held many unspoken words. Was the preparation truly complete? Was he prepared to pay the price if it wasn’t?

Bang Jin-hoon bit his lip, meeting the gaze that held so many meanings.

‘How many years do you think I’ve been preparing for this? It was brought forward a little because of you, Kang Jin-ho. But even without you, it was something I had to do eventually.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded slowly. Bang Jin-hoon was right.

Bang Jin-hoon had been steadily planning to overturn the Assembly [a governing body or organization]. If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t intervened, he would have succeeded in overthrowing the Assembly Head, and then suppressed any opposition with force.

There was no way he would have been careless in his preparations.

‘This is also a matter of my life.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded slowly at Bang Jin-hoon’s voice, filled with determination.

‘Understood. Then, I’d like to hear about the situation.’

Bang Jin-hoon took a deep breath and began to speak.

‘First, the overall power balance is about seven to three.’

Cho Kyu-min asked,

‘Are we the seven?’

‘No. We’re the three.’

Cho Kyu-min frowned.

‘I don’t understand. I heard that you, Bang Jin-hoon, had almost taken control of the Assembly recently. Are you saying that our side only has three parts of the power?’

‘Yes.’

Bang Jin-hoon said as if it were obvious.

‘This isn’t a war between nations.’

‘Even so…’

‘You don’t understand. A war for control isn’t decided by power alone. You don’t think the coup d’état during the May 16th military coup [a military coup in South Korea in 1961] was successful because that man could mobilize more than half of South Korea’s power, do you?’

‘…I see.’

Bang Jin-hoon nodded.

‘That’s how it is. This is a game where the side that ousts the top dog wins. In fact, even though it’s seven to three, how many people will actually move will only become clear when the time comes.’

‘If it succeeds, it’s a revolution, and if it fails, it’s a rebellion. It’s ridiculous, but even those who failed in rebellion must have believed they would succeed when they started, thinking of themselves as revolutionaries.’

Cho Kyu-min nodded slowly.

Then, his eyes gleamed slightly.

‘Unexpected.’

Bang Jin-hoon’s outward appearance was rough.

He was dressed neatly and had put some effort into his appearance, but he was not the type to look particularly intelligent.

However, the way Bang Jin-hoon was acting now was more rational than he had expected.

‘Well…’

Bang Jin-hoon was said to be the most powerful director in the Assembly. There was no way someone who had risen to that position could be stupid. If he were stupid, people would never have followed him, and he would not have been able to seize power.

‘Then this is the key.’

Let’s look at Bang Jin-hoon objectively.

This man had increased his standing in the Korean Martial Arts Assembly, where the Assembly Head had built a solid power base, and had risen to the position of second-in-command through his own efforts. He had then naturally overwhelmed the Assembly Head and almost seized the position of Assembly Head.

If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t appeared, the Assembly would now be reorganized around a new Assembly Head, Bang Jin-hoon.

‘It’s a new feeling, but this man is also a self-made person.’

How to handle this man will determine how things will unfold in the future.

And…

Cho Kyu-min was confident.

No matter how great a person Bang Jin-hoon was, he would not be able to escape his grasp. Because Kang Jin-ho was behind him.

Bang Jin-hoon’s misfortune was that he had met Kang Jin-ho.

Even Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo, who could be called a legend in the Korean business world, sometimes felt ordinary when compared to Kang Jin-ho.

Therefore, Bang Jin-hoon could not avoid such an evaluation either.

‘Anyway, that’s the power balance.’

‘What about the actual power, not just the numbers?’

‘Then it widens even more.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded slowly. So, the question was left to Cho Kyu-min.

‘With such a power difference, can you really take control of the Assembly? I prefer to create overwhelming power before fighting, even when playing games.’

Bang Jin-hoon nodded as if he understood.

‘The objective power is definitely inferior. But we can win.’

‘How?’

‘Because not all of this power is real power.’

‘…Huh?’

Bang Jin-hoon elaborated as Cho Kyu-min tilted his head, not understanding.

‘They are divided into the Assembly Head faction and the Director faction, but if a fight actually breaks out and they start going for each other’s throats… most of them will turn neutral. From their perspective, it’s more advantageous to watch quietly and side with the winner. Besides…’

Bang Jin-hoon gulped down his coffee as if his throat was burning and said,

‘Martial artists are originally indifferent to these power struggles. They are very sensitive and aggressive to attacks from the outside, but they have a tendency to stand by in internal conflicts. So, in reality, it will be a fight between my solid forces and the Assembly Head’s forces.’

‘Certainly.’

Cho Kyu-min nodded as if it made sense.

‘Then it means we can take a gamble?’

‘I’m confident we can win.’

‘Hmm.’

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly listening to Cho Kyu-min and Bang Jin-hoon’s conversation, opened his mouth.

‘You said the preparations were complete?’

‘Yes!’

‘I see.’

Then, Kang Jin-ho said indifferently,

‘The plan is solid, right?’

‘Of course.’

‘Discard it all.’

‘…Pardon?’

Bang Jin-hoon thought he had misheard Kang Jin-ho. But Kang Jin-ho said again calmly,

‘Discard it all.’

‘…’

What the hell is this guy talking about?

Bang Jin-hoon had to try hard to regain his composure as his mind was filled with confusion.

Wasn’t Kang Jin-ho the same person who had done absurd things so casually before? If he got worked up about every little thing, it would only be Bang Jin-hoon who suffered.

‘What exactly do you mean?’

Kang Jin-ho answered lightly to Bang Jin-hoon’s question.

‘Those who follow you are probably the core power in the Assembly, right? Or am I wrong?’

‘…That’s correct.’

Given Bang Jin-hoon’s personality, he wouldn’t have gathered a bunch of nobodies to build his power. He would have gathered only the core of the core, the most skilled of the skilled, to create a small elite force.

Considering Bang Jin-hoon’s tendency to think that the battle would ultimately be decided by a fight between the personal guards, it was only natural.

‘The Assembly Head’s side would be the same.’

‘Probably.’

‘Then, if the two clash and inflict damage on each other, we can assume that half of the Assembly’s total power will be gone.’

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes twitched slightly. It was something he hadn’t thought of.

‘Then can we stop the Yeongnam Assembly [a regional branch of the Martial Arts Assembly]?’

‘…It’s difficult.’

‘When thinking about a civil war, you have to think about the outside. Otherwise, you’ll lose everything even if you win.’

Bang Jin-hoon bit his lip. Why hadn’t he thought of this obvious principle all this time?

‘No. It’s not that I didn’t think of it.’

According to his scenario, the Assembly Head faction, having lost their leader, would have fallen into chaos. It wouldn’t be difficult to defeat those with weakened cohesion.

The situation had been twisted by Kang Jin-ho’s appearance, and Bang Jin-hoon’s judgment had been clouded by the shock of being subdued by Kang Jin-ho.

‘Then what should we do?’

‘There’s no need for the majority to move.’

‘Yes.’

‘Wait for a while. And if there’s no change, then execute the previous plan as it is.’

‘By previous plan, do you mean?’

‘Strike the leader.’

Bang Jin-hoon’s body trembled.

The situation was different.

Bang Jin-hoon had waited and waited, aiming for a gap in the Assembly Head’s guard. He had secretly nurtured his forces, hiding them so that the other side wouldn’t notice, and even reached out to the Yeongnam Assembly to create an opportunity to overthrow the Assembly Head.

It was a combination of patience and luck that things had gone so well. Normally, it wouldn’t have been easy to approach the Assembly Head, who was surrounded by multiple layers of guards.

Now that the Assembly Head had experienced this incident, his security would be even tighter, and he would never come out again. He would be hiding in the deepest part of the Assembly, waiting.

But Kang Jin-ho was saying that they would use the previous method as it was.

‘He’s not stupid.’

This was confidence.

Confidence that even if the entire Assembly came forward, they wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Bang Jin-hoon clenched his fist without realizing it at that extreme arrogance.

This was it.

Yes, this was it.

The image of a martial artist he had longed for since he began learning martial arts and walking the path of a martial artist.

A true martial artist who could deny all power and relationships with his own strength alone.

‘That’s right.’

He had been worn down by time and beaten by the world, and he had built his own power and compromised with reality, but the reason he had learned martial arts was to become like Kang Jin-ho now.

It felt reckless, but strangely, his heart was pounding.

What if it was Bang Jin-hoon himself sitting there and saying those words, instead of Kang Jin-ho?

If he could boast that he would put the world at his feet with unwavering confidence in his own abilities?

‘Heh heh heh.’

Bang Jin-hoon laughed.

Even if he failed and died miserably, he could say that he had lived as a martial artist without shame.

‘I will follow your instructions.’

Bang Jin-hoon stood up from his seat and bowed deeply to Kang Jin-ho.

It wasn’t because he was inferior in power that he was submitting. It was a sincere respect for someone who had reached a place he had ultimately had to give up on.

‘It won’t be easy.’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Kang Jin-ho continued calmly.

‘If you turn back just because it’s not easy, you’ll have to pay the price later.’

It sounded like something from experience.

Bang Jin-hoon nodded lightly and asked,

‘Then when do you plan to execute it?’

‘Two days.’

Kang Jin-ho’s answer came immediately.

‘Wait for two days. If there’s no contact by then, we move.’

‘By contact, do you mean?’

‘Contact saying he will step down from the position of Assembly Head himself.’

Bang Jin-hoon’s face twisted slightly.

‘The Assembly Head is a greedy man. He will never give up that position.’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled lightly.

‘A cornered mouse only has two options. Either quietly offer its neck, or make a last-ditch struggle.’

Kang Jin-ho slowly leaned back on the sofa and took out a cigarette.

Click!

As Cho Kyu-min lit his cigarette, Kang Jin-ho said in a languid voice,

‘Aren’t you excited? What kind of struggle will the old mouse make? I hope it’s fun.’

Kang Jin-ho’s low laughter filled the conference room.

Strangely, goosebumps kept rising on his skin.

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes narrowed.

‘Maybe this man is looking at a place further than I thought.’

The reason for waiting for the Assembly Head’s struggle didn’t seem to be just for fun.

‘I’ll find out if I watch.’

Bang Jin-hoon clenched his teeth as he watched the cigarette smoke slowly dissipate into the air.

Two days.

It’s two days.

In two days, the world will be shaken. By this young man’s hands.