Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 294

“This is not something a person should do.”

Cho Gyu-min stared at his silent phone and lit another cigarette. The car was so filled with smoke that anyone passing by would think it was on fire.

He lowered the window a crack to ventilate the car, then glanced back and forth between his phone and the street outside.

“If you’re going to start, you should at least say you’re starting.”

Of course, even if Cho Gyu-min knew, it wouldn’t change anything, but he felt there was a big difference between working together and being left in the dark.

After making such a fuss to join them, how could they just leave him out like this? That was his point.

“What’s the point of talking?”

Considering Kang Jin-ho’s easygoing personality, there was no point in saying anything. He would probably just say he’d be more careful next time, and then leave him out again as if nothing had happened.

That’s just how Kang Jin-ho was.

So, to get his share, he couldn’t just wait passively. He had to constantly think about and monitor Kang Jin-ho’s movements.

A bizarre and terrible situation, where a subordinate had to monitor his superior to do his job.

Cho Gyu-min took a sip of his lukewarm Americano and frowned as he looked at the distant building outside the window.

‘Are all those people in that building?’

It was amazing to think about.

It was strange that these people were operating so openly, yet no one knew about them.

It was like having aliens walking around right next to you without noticing. No, it was more than that. It was like aliens building a building and living there.

‘Maybe they do know.’

In this situation, it was hard to believe they had kept it completely secret. Maybe the powerful people in society knew about their existence.

‘The chairman also hinted that he knew something before.’

Cho Gyu-min’s thoughts deepened.

How much influence did they have?

If each one of them had the power of Kang Jin-ho, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were manipulating the country. But if there were many like Kang Jin-ho, the world wouldn’t be the same, for better or worse.

“Now is not the time to think about that.”

He would find out naturally after a little time anyway.

Cho Gyu-min reclined his seat slightly and lit another cigarette. It was an unavoidable choice to fight off sleepiness.

“Night duty at this age.”

Cho Gyu-min sighed and looked at the distant building.

“Please come out quickly and get this over with.”

Cho Gyu-min wasn’t worried about Kang Jin-ho at all.

Seeing a person’s head rolling on the floor was never a pleasant sight. Especially if that head belonged to someone he had been talking to just moments ago.

It might just be a change in the height of the head, but Lee Jung-geol couldn’t help but feel an unbearable sadness.

‘It’s over.’

Lee Jung-geol knew that everything was over.

He had devoted his whole life to the General Assembly, but now there was nothing to stand between him and Kang Jin-ho.

“Is there anything left?”

As if he knew his feelings, Kang Jin-ho spoke to Lee Jung-geol.

“If there’s anything left, bring it all out. I’ll get rid of your regrets.”

Lee Jung-geol answered in a hoarse voice, unable to overcome his despair.

“There’s nothing left now, nothing.”

His voice was filled with deep self-pity.

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Jung-geol for a moment, then turned his head.

“Come in.”

A cough was heard from outside the door, and then Bang Jin-hoon walked in. Lee Jung-geol’s eyes slowly began to regain their light as he looked at Bang Jin-hoon.

Even in the despair of losing everything, his hatred for Bang Jin-hoon had not faded.

“You bastard…”

Lee Jung-geol trembled.

Strangely, he didn’t feel any anger towards Kang Jin-ho. From Lee Jung-geol’s perspective, Kang Jin-ho was like a natural disaster. No one gets angry at a typhoon.

But Bang Jin-hoon was different.

From Lee Jung-geol’s perspective, Bang Jin-hoon was just a traitor who had tried to steal his position despite receiving help from the association he had built.

“It’s been a while.”

Bang Jin-hoon bowed his head slightly.

“You dare show your face in front of me.”

“Of course.”

Bang Jin-hoon shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s only right that I see you off on your final journey. After all, I’ve received grace from the Chairman.”

“You must have oiled your tongue. It’s still working well.”

“Are you going to buy me a chicken?”

Bang Jin-hoon laughed lightly.

He could clearly see Lee Jung-geol, who couldn’t suppress his anger. It would be fun to attack him further and raise his blood pressure to the limit, but he had no interest in mocking a defeated man.

“Do you think it’s my fault?”

“Do you really think I was excessive, Chairman?”

Bang Jin-hoon’s tone was very serious.

“I warned you. I warned you several times. I told you every time that things couldn’t go on like this. If you remember even a little, you’ll know that I’m not doing this because of my desire for power or ambition.

I warned you again and again. Don’t you remember?”

Lee Jung-geol couldn’t open his mouth.

It was true.

Even at the last meeting, Bang Jin-hoon had warned him several times. That things couldn’t go on like this.

It was Lee Jung-geol who had ignored his words. What could he say now?

“How many years ago did I start saying that the Yeongnam Association [a regional martial arts group] was unusual? I told you several times that we had to cut off the roots. I told you that China and Japan were also unusual, so we had to settle the Yeongnam Association as soon as possible and unify the Korean martial arts world!”

Bang Jin-hoon’s voice gradually rose, and by the end, it sounded almost like a shout. The room echoed loudly.

“I told you so much, but you ignored me. Now that we’ve reached the end, don’t look at me like a traitor!”

Bang Jin-hoon stomped his foot hard on the floor. The sound was threatening.

“The General Assembly doesn’t belong to the Chairman. It belongs to everyone in the General Assembly. Why don’t you know that the Chairman’s complacent judgment is putting those in the General Assembly in danger! I told you so much!”

“I…”

Just as Lee Jung-geol was about to make an excuse, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

“Enough.”

Both men’s gazes turned to Kang Jin-ho.

“I was thinking.”

What was he going to say?

Both Bang Jin-hoon and Lee Jung-geol held their breath and waited for Kang Jin-ho’s next words.

“I was thinking about whether it was right to change the Chairman like this.”

“What do you mean…”

Bang Jin-hoon’s voice trembled.

“I’m an outsider. As long as the General Assembly is unified and can help me, it doesn’t matter who the head is. So I was thinking. It’s okay to take this approach. But is it right to intervene in the General Assembly and change the head?”

Kang Jin-ho looked directly at Lee Jung-geol and said,

“Lee Jung-geol.”

“…Speak.”

“If you hadn’t used this method, maybe I would have given you another chance.”

“If you bring in the Japanese to stop me, what’s left? You’ll hand over the General Assembly to them and just keep your position. What’s left?”

Lee Jung-geol’s eyes wavered.

“I, I…”

Lee Jung-geol, his face distorted, shouted,

“Then are you saying I should hand over what I’ve built my whole life to someone else! Would you do that if you were me?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Jung-geol without answering.

What would he feel if he knew that he had died in the past in the Central Plains [a historical region in China] after being attacked while trying to give up the Shura Sword [a legendary sword]?

‘He can’t let go.’

Humans don’t easily let go of what they hold in their hands. If they touch something, they grab it first. And if they think it’s valuable, they never let it go.

They have to let go to grab something else.

Kang Jin-ho quietly shook his head.

This man was not someone he should reach out to. His eyes were no longer looking at people.

“I’m entrusting the General Assembly to Bang Jin-hoon.”

“…Hey!”

“Shhh.”

Kang Jin-ho raised a finger to his lips and stopped Lee Jung-geol from speaking.

“I didn’t tell you to speak.”

“I’m giving the General Assembly to Bang Jin-hoon. You’re already too old.”

“Is it wrong to be old?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“It’s not a sin to get old. The sin is when your heart gets old. It’s not a sin that your heart is old either. But…”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes became a little colder.

“It’s a sin to know that your old heart is causing trouble for others, but you ignore it because of your greed.”

At that moment, Lee Jung-geol’s body shook as if he had been struck by lightning.

“I, I… I…”

But Kang Jin-ho didn’t wait for his excuses.

“I’ll spare your life. There’s no reason to kill you. But if everything isn’t settled by tomorrow, I’ll come back. If you’re confident you can stop me then, you can do whatever you want.”

Lee Jung-geol laughed in despair.

Confident to stop him?

There was no way he could.

“Think carefully.”

Kang Jin-ho said those words and put Red Dew and Blue Dew back into their scabbards. Then, without a word, he turned and walked out.

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes burned as he watched Kang Jin-ho’s back as he left after finishing his work.

‘He looks cool.’

Maybe that was the kind of look he had always wanted. But now, if he tried to do that, it would be too cringey.

‘Is it because he’s handsome?’

Why does it look cool when that guy does it, but it looks like a bluff when he does it?

For a moment, he felt a sense of injustice.

“Hehehe.”

Lee Jung-geol’s hollow laughter brought his consciousness back to reality.

“Hehehehe.”

In that short moment, Lee Jung-geol had become like a deflated balloon. Even Bang Jin-hoon could clearly see that Lee Jung-geol had lost all his will.

“Chairman.”

Suddenly, Lee Jung-geol decided to show the man in front of him the last of his respect.

“Please take over the Chairman’s position.”

“Shouldn’t we call it a transfer? If we call it a takeover, it sounds too harsh.”

“A transfer…”

Lee Jung-geol nodded very slowly.

“Take it. Take it all.”

Lee Jung-geol’s voice had no strength in it.

“If you have to take it, then take it. If you want it, take my life too.”

It was the moment when the martial artist who had ruled Korea lost his light.

Bang Jin-hoon clenched his teeth.

He had fought with the Chairman for so long, but it wasn’t to see him like this. Aside from the cause, Lee Jung-geol was a worthy opponent, and such a man deserved a fitting end.

“Why are you so disappointed?”

“…What do you want to say?” Bang Jin-hoon said in a hollow tone.

“Do you really think something is over?”

Lee Jung-geol’s eyes were filled with question.