Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 292

What is evil?

It’s a question no one can easily answer. People have vague, abstract concepts of evil, but they struggle to define it clearly.

One thing is certain: those labeled as evil by others often don’t see themselves as bad people.

Most people who claim to be evil do so not because they believe they are evil, but because they seek the benefits of feigned wickedness.

The pretense and calculation of ‘I’m so evil, don’t mess with me’ makes people talk about evil.

However, except for special cases, most people live with the thought that ‘I’m not so bad after all.’

In that sense, Takahira Shingo was a bit special.

Because he thought of himself as a villain.

Those in this world all try to justify the murder and crimes they commit with various reasons.

They say things like, ‘That’s just how the lives of martial artists are.’

But Takahira Shingo hated such words. Murder is murder, and crime is crime, no matter the reason. Therefore, one must be aware of what they are doing.

I am a criminal, and also a murderer.

And I am evil.

Acknowledging that fact was his standard for not falling into excessive evil.

However, at this moment, Takahira Shingo felt that the standard he had held was clearly shaking.

The one who entered through the door made him think that what he had thought of as evil was actually a misunderstanding of something completely different.

It couldn’t be helped.

‘What am I even looking at?’

What appeared when the door opened were two men.

To be precise, one man standing and another man being dragged by his hair.

The standing man was someone he didn’t know, but the man being dragged by his hair was someone he knew very well.

He couldn’t not recognize a subordinate he had personally trained and raised. Unless he was blind.

However, the moment Takahira Shingo saw the scene through the open door, he couldn’t help but deny the existence of the man being dragged on the floor.

Absolute propositions collide.

His subordinates were trained to the extreme and would never show weakness in front of the enemy. They would rather choose death than lose their dignity as men of the Great Japanese Empire. [A reference to the historical Japanese Empire and its emphasis on honor.]

They were men who would face the end with dignity, no matter the situation, whether they were tortured or drugged.

But the sight before his eyes was not the appearance of the subordinate he knew.

His eyes were bloodshot, tears of blood were streaming down, and saliva was dripping messily from his mouth, which was revealed above his fallen mask.

And…

“Huuuh.. aah.. hhh, huuu..”

Only then did Takahira Shingo realize.

Where the sounds he had been hearing, like groans and cries, were coming from.

And the fact that the sound was coming from his subordinate’s mouth completely shattered his composure.

His gaze slowly moved upwards.

The moment Takahira Shingo directly faced the face of the man who had grabbed his subordinate’s hair and dragged him here, he realized.

Evil is here.

Perhaps evil is not determined by what a person does or thinks, unlike what he thought.

Maybe there are those who are born with evil from the moment they are born, and who will become evil is predetermined.

The reason why he had to think such absurd thoughts… is right before his eyes.

The young man staring at him with a blank face seemed as if he had gathered all the malice in the world. Just looking at him made him feel a fear that made him want to run away immediately.

‘What do they call that?’

It’s different.

It was different from the evil he knew.

It’s not that he’s wicked or that his actions are evil.

Something more fundamental.

‘Right.’

Takahara Shingo finally understood.

That’s not evil.

The world called such things ‘demon’ (魔) [A term referring to a malevolent supernatural being]. Good and evil are divided by decision. But a demon’s origin is black. Humans can be good or evil, but no one thinks a demon can be good.

“Kueeeeee…”

It was his subordinate’s cry that broke Takahira Shingo’s thoughts.

It’s ironic.

They are forced to kill all emotions. Through countless training and almost brainwashing-like practices, they trained and trained to eliminate emotions, at least from their expressions.

But now, all the emotions a human can show seemed to be on his subordinate’s face. On the other hand, Kang Jin-ho’s face, who was holding his hair, was utterly expressionless.

That irony made Takahira Shingo furious.

Anger rises through fear and terror. But soon, his anger had to cool down.

“Takahira Shingo?”

His eyes widened slightly.

“56 years old. Is that right?”

His eyes were not directed at Kang Jin-ho.

They had no choice but to turn to his subordinate, who was held in Kang Jin-ho’s hand.

‘Did he tell him?’

Everything about himself?

It is the duty of an Inja [A term referring to a type of spy or assassin] to find out everything about the opponent through torture, interrogation, drugs, and hypnosis. Therefore, they were also trained not to leak any information if they were captured by the opponent.

Takahira Shingo had always prided himself on training his subordinates more thoroughly than anyone else in that regard.

But…

“Your subordinates say you are a much stronger man than them. Is that so?”

It’s bleak. It’s dumbfounding.

“…How?”

Even though he knew he shouldn’t talk, he couldn’t help but ask.

“How did you find out? How did you make them open their mouths? How?”

The tone was getting louder.

But Kang Jin-ho didn’t change his expression and turned his head to Lee Joong-gul.

“What is he saying?”

What does he want from him?

“Translate.”

Watching Kang Jin-ho calmly ask for a translation, the situation felt strange. Lee Joong-gul, who was wondering what attitude to show, sighed and began to translate.

“He’s asking how you made them open their mouths.”

“What does that mean?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

Is he mocking me?

No.

Kang Jin-ho’s attitude was that of someone who really didn’t know.

Lee Joong-gul opened his mouth with a stiff face.

“Japanese ninjas are trained to resist pain and never reveal their information. But it seems you broke that training and extracted information, so he’s surprised and asking.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“Really?”

That’s strange.

“They just told me when I asked?”

Lee Joong-gul did not convey Kang Jin-ho’s words to Shingo. No one would be able to convey such words.

However, Shingo seemed to have already understood Kang Jin-ho’s words just from the tone, and his whole body trembled.

“What happened to the others?”

“No, there’s no need to ask. They wouldn’t just let the enemy go even if they were alive. That’s how I taught them.”

Shingo sighed lowly.

“It’s my mistake. I admit it. I failed to properly assess the opponent’s capabilities. It’s my fault for thinking that a lowly Joseon person [A historical term referring to Koreans, often used derogatorily] couldn’t be that strong.”

“What is he saying?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Joong-gul as if he didn’t understand at all.

Lee Joong-gul felt this scene was the ultimate comedy.

Takahira Shingo, who was speaking in a solemn tone, and Kang Jin-ho, who was looking back at him with an annoyed face because he didn’t understand what he was saying.

If this were a scene from a movie, it would be a funny situation to burst into laughter.

But Lee Joong-gul couldn’t laugh.

This is not a comedy. No, it’s rather a tragedy. And it was not unrelated to himself.

“…You are strong. You are really strong. But you will die. You will surely die. I will make it so!”

Takahira Shingo, his face distorted like a demon, slowly drew his sword. As his katana was drawn from his waist, Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he finally understood.

“That’s how you should come out.”

Kang Jin-ho threw the ninja he had been dragging at Takahira’s feet.

“Huuuuh…”

Barely escaping Kang Jin-ho’s grasp, he grabbed Takahira’s leg and clung to it.

“I, I…”

But Takahira didn’t even look at him.

“Hide.”

“Yes? Yes!”

“You know what you have to do.”

“Originally, it wouldn’t be allowed for a guy like you. But I will give you a special chance to protect your honor.”

The one called Hide began to tremble.

“It’s not a situation to be formal in front of the enemy, right? Let’s do it informally.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the two of them with interest.

Although he couldn’t understand the words, there was an atmosphere.

Especially in such extreme situations, people tend to act similarly.

“What are you doing!”

At Takahira’s shout, Hide put his trembling hand into his chest. Then he took out a small sword.

Kneeling on the spot, Hide drew the small sword and looked at the chillingly shining blade.

“Ah… ah…”

“Are you going to show a pathetic appearance in front of the enemy?”

“Ugh!”

He grabbed the small sword with both hands, holding it in reverse, and raised the blade to his head. Now all he had to do was bring it down.

Seppuku. [A form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.]

The last chance to die with honor.

But it was just suicide.

“Uaaaaaaa!”

Hide screamed and threw the sword to the floor and started running towards Kang Jin-ho. What he saw in his eyes was probably the door behind Kang Jin-ho.

“Fool!”

Takahira Shingo, who spat out a curse, swung the sword in his hand, aiming precisely at the back of Hide’s neck, who was running away.

But his sword never reached Hide’s neck.

Clang!

With a sharp metallic sound, his sword was deflected.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

Kang Jin-ho had blocked Shingo’s sword.

“I thought it would be okay to die doing something stupid, but if you’re going to live, that’s not bad either. Because you’ll be worth something.”

Shingo, who couldn’t understand Kang Jin-ho’s words, could clearly understand that Kang Jin-ho was showing that he would protect Hide.

“You arrogant Joseon bastard!”

“Hehehe.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

“It’s not the time to be angry, is it?”

Even though he doesn’t seem to understand at all.

“I don’t need both of you.”

With that, Takahira Shingo’s fate was as good as decided.

Srrr.

Along with Red Dew, Blue Dew was slowly drawn from its scabbard.