Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 327

‘Did I let my guard down?’

Kang Jin-ho bit his lip.

It was clearly his mistake that he hadn’t noticed so many warriors gathering around him. That would have never happened in the past.

But it was clearly happening now.

‘Who are they?’

Currently, there were two groups that might hold a grudge against him. One was the Yeongnam Association, and the other was Japan.

However, as he had felt when he faced the Japanese ninjas before, the martial arts of the Japanese warriors, which were different from his own, had a different energy. The energy he felt around him now didn’t have the same foreign feeling as when he faced the ninjas.

‘Then they must be from Korea or China…’

There was no reason for China to send so many people to try to harm him. Then…

“Is it the Yeongnam Association?”

There was no answer. But Kang Jin-ho had already figured it out.

‘It’s familiar.’

How many times had he clashed with the Yeongnam Association already?

The energy a martial artist gives off varies depending on the martial arts they have learned. And it wasn’t difficult to distinguish modern martial artists. Unlike the past, when different martial arts were practiced even within the same group, modern martial artists tended to have a unified style.

In the past, various types of martial artists coexisted under one roof, but modern martial artists seemed to have similar martial arts if they belonged to the same organization.

It was probably the result of combining the ease of control and the rationality of teaching the most promising martial arts.

It was impossible to say which was right. What was certain was that Kang Jin-ho was feeling the energy of the Yeongnam Association from them.

“Who are those people?”

As the encirclement narrowed and the warriors began to appear one by one, Choi Yeon-ha looked around anxiously.

They were currently on a deserted riverside. While riding along the riverside bike path, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t take it anymore and stopped his bicycle.

There was no way so many people would be around.

The sight of people all dressed in black suits, slowly approaching from the darkness, was too scary for Choi Yeon-ha to handle.

“K-Kang Jin-ho?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s voice trembled.

Then Kang Jin-ho said calmly.

“Don’t grab my hair.”

“Huh?”

“As long as you don’t grab my hair, everything will be fine, so hold my waist tightly. Okay?”

“…Yes.”

She didn’t know what was going on, but she had no choice but to believe Kang Jin-ho.

She had been in the entertainment industry for over ten years and had a good sense of things. There was no way she wouldn’t know that the situation was not normal.

“They’re so impatient.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

How long had it been since they came to ask for an alliance, and now they were sending so many people to try to capture him?

To put it nicely, they were very proactive, but to put it badly, they were too impatient. So far, their impatience had worked in their favor, helping them rise to their position, but it was also the reason they were at odds with Kang Jin-ho.

He wanted to turn the people surrounding him into mincemeat…

Kang Jin-ho glanced back.

Seeing Choi Yeon-ha trembling and holding onto his waist tightly, he couldn’t do it.

He didn’t care how he looked in her eyes, but if an ordinary person saw Kang Jin-ho fighting properly, they might have to receive psychiatric treatment due to severe trauma.

‘Hmm.’

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho felt a slight sense of incongruity.

Since when had he started caring about the shock that people who weren’t even his family would receive?

If it were the old him, he would have solved the situation in his own way, regardless of whether Choi Yeon-ha, who was riding behind him, was shocked or not.

He would give a fair death to those who attacked him.

That was Kang Jin-ho’s way, and the way of the Heavenly Demon [a powerful martial artist title].

But now, Kang Jin-ho wasn’t even thinking about the situation involving bloodshed. It was too natural.

‘I don’t know.’

Was this because Kang Jin-ho was feeling closer to and more considerate of others than before, or was it because Kang Jin-ho didn’t see Choi Yeon-ha as just another person?

Kang Jin-ho, whose head was slightly complicated, let out a soft groan, and Choi Yeon-ha, who felt it from behind, spoke up.

“Should I call the police?”

The police…

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

He was curious.

What would happen if he called the police in this situation?

They had probably taken measures to prevent the police from being dispatched, but if the police were to come, what would they do?

‘It would be ridiculous if they ran away.’

The thought of martial artists running away just because people who could be dealt with with a single finger were coming made him laugh without realizing it.

This was the limit that martial artists had in this world. The situation was completely different from the past in the Central Plains [ancient China], where the government and the martial world did not interfere with each other. Most police officers wouldn’t even know of their existence.

“No. It’s okay.”

He might see something interesting, but Kang Jin-ho and Choi Yeon-ha would have to deal with the aftermath. Of course, Kang Jin-ho didn’t have a hobby of making trouble for himself.

His hobby was…

“Hold on tight.”

“Yes?”

Now and then, it was bicycles.

Whoosh!

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

As he forcefully stepped on the specially made pedals, Geumdong [the bicycle’s name] shot forward with a scream. And with that incredible speed, Choi Yeon-ha also screamed at the top of her lungs.

The bicycle was speeding forward like a motorcycle.

“Huh!”

“Shit, what is that!”

The warriors who were closing in from the front began to panic as Kang Jin-ho charged straight at them on his bicycle.

They had already heard enough about who Kang Jin-ho was. And they had been told repeatedly how dangerous Kang Jin-ho was.

Lee Hyun-soo’s sincere warning had given them both caution and anxiety. They were putting pressure on him, but they themselves were also under pressure.

But when Kang Jin-ho started charging on his bicycle, their anxiety turned into bewilderment.

No matter how many people came, only a few could face Kang Jin-ho at the same time, as they had formed an encirclement.

Whoosh.

The rapidly spinning wheels were creating a strange sound as they rubbed against the ground. Seeing the bicycle approaching at an incredible speed, those blocking the front were momentarily conflicted.

They had to stop him.

Based on Lee Hyun-soo’s explanation, it was suicide for them to try to stop Kang Jin-ho alone. But letting Kang Jin-ho go was also suicide.

Lee Hyun-soo and Kim Seok-il, who were furious, would not leave them alone. Sometimes, allies were more terrifying than enemies.

There was only one choice for those who knew that fact well.

“Kill him!”

Clang! Clang!

The sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths echoed in the dark night sky.

Even so, Kang Jin-ho still charged forward with calm eyes.

“Uwaaaah!”

Unable to withstand the pressure of the charging bicycle, they started jumping towards Kang Jin-ho instead. Kang Jin-ho put strength into his legs and stepped on the pedals.

Squeak! Squeeeak!

Geumdong, who was originally born to run fast, couldn’t withstand Kang Jin-ho’s power and was breaking down in various places. Despite repeated reinforcements, a scream-like noise began to flow from his entire body as Kang Jin-ho stepped on the pedals a little too violently.

Then…

“Hup!”

Kang Jin-ho kicked off the ground and lifted the bicycle into the air.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had slightly opened her eyes at the feeling of her body floating, realized that she was flying in the air and grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s waist tightly, screaming.

“Uh…”

And those who were rushing towards Kang Jin-ho all stopped in their tracks, their mouths agape as they watched the bicycle flying far above them.

Humans live based on common sense.

Would a person catching rabbits assume that a rabbit would suddenly fly into the sky and run away?

If that actually happened, even the most experienced hunter would not be able to cope.

It was the same result.

They understood well enough that Kang Jin-ho was dangerous, but bicycles ran on the ground. They could be faster, but they couldn’t fly in the sky.

That common sense was exploited.

They should have attacked the bicycle that had risen into the air, but they were momentarily flustered and just stared blankly at the scene with their mouths open.

The bicycle that had soared into the sky fell down with the moon behind it.

Thud! Thud!

As it landed on the ground, Kang Jin-ho spun the bicycle around and made eye contact with those who were looking at him.

Those who met Kang Jin-ho’s calm eyes flinched.

No matter the reason, the fact that Kang Jin-ho was running away from them now did not change. But Kang Jin-ho’s eyes now were not those of someone who was running away.

Just as a tiger doesn’t become a different creature just because it’s trapped in a cage, Kang Jin-ho was making them unable to move with just his eyes, even as he was running away.

‘What were they thinking when they sent us?’

If they had surrounded Kang Jin-ho without the variable of the bicycle, would they have been able to defeat Kang Jin-ho as planned?

‘No way.’

A rabbit is still a rabbit, no matter how many of them gather. No matter how many of them gather, they cannot handle a single tiger.

Then, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth quietly.

“Go and tell them.”

“Tell them that I’ll be coming soon, so they don’t have to rush.”

Kang Jin-ho licked his lips.

“I can’t take it anymore either. You’ll see me soon. I promise. It won’t be long. So until then…”

“Enjoy it a little more.”

“Because you won’t have that time again.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at them quietly before turning his bicycle around.

Then he slowly rode his bicycle forward.

The ones left behind were martial artists. If they were determined to chase him, they would be faster than a bicycle. But none of them dared to think about chasing Kang Jin-ho.

To be precise…

“Is it right to drive him that way?”

“Yeah. If we go that way, there’s a tunnel.”

“Ugh, shit. I got goosebumps. Did you see his eyes?”

“…Don’t say it. I feel like I’m going to pee.”

One of them, who was making a fuss as if he didn’t want to think about it, opened his mouth quietly.

“It reminded me of when I saw the Outer Demon before. I got goosebumps then too, but compared to that guy, the Outer Demon is just a homeless person.”

One of them, who was slightly trembling, curled up the corners of his mouth as he looked at where Kang Jin-ho was heading.

“You have to corner a beast to kill it, not kill it with force. You have to make it think it’s running away and slowly make it crawl into a trap.”

“Contact them and tell them that the target went in the expected direction.”

“Okay.”

The man quietly watched Kang Jin-ho moving under the moonlight.

‘If we can’t kill him, we’ll die. And in the most brutal way.’

Because a wounded beast is that much more dangerous.