Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 367

Swish!

‘Kangjeon?’

Short arrows, about the length of a hand, carrying a sharp blue energy, began to fly towards Kang Jin-ho.

It was a very logical attack.

In an open space, it might be different, but here, where there aren’t many places to dodge, such an attack shines.

That is, if the opponent were an ordinary person.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kang Jin-ho swung Cheongru and Jeokru like lightning.

Kangjeon flew in fiercely, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t dodge or retreat. He deflected each and every one of the flying Kangjeon with Cheongru and Jeokru, completely nullifying them. Then, baring his teeth, he increased his speed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each step he took caused the floor to cave in, creating large footprints.

His legs, filled with inner energy, were shaking the building.

And the effect was certain. With each push off the floor, Kang Jin-ho advanced almost 5 meters, charging forward at a speed that was impossible to follow with the eye.

“Hah!”

Surprised by Kang Jin-ho’s speed, which exceeded all expectations, the sound of people sucking in air could be heard from all around.

Fwaaaang!

The man holding Kangjeon in both hands was startled by Kang Jin-ho, who suddenly appeared right in front of him, and he frantically threw his hands out.

Swish!

The Kangjeon was shot right at his face. Kang Jin-ho tilted his head to the side. Thwip.

With a shallow tearing sound, Kang Jin-ho’s cheek was grazed. He didn’t know what it was made of, but the Kangjeon easily cut through Kang Jin-ho’s skin.

But the price was high. Without losing his stance, Kang Jin-ho, who had only tilted his head to avoid the attack, slashed the man’s neck with Jeokru.

“Guh-uhk!”

With a sound like air escaping, the man clutched at his neck. But it was futile.

Kang Jin-ho lifted his leg and stomped on the man’s knee.

Crack!

With the sound of bones twisting, the man’s knee bent backward. Unable to bear the pain, the man’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

But that couldn’t be the end.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three kicks.

And three explosions.

The first kick crushed his hip bone, the second kick burst all his internal organs. And the third kick mangled his right shoulder.

The man’s mouth gaped open.

Unable to even scream in the face of such great pain, blood gushed from the man’s neck.

Kang Jin-ho made eye contact with the man and smiled.

“As a reward for injuring my body… I won’t kill you.”

“Kuh-uh-uhk.”

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes.

He was going to be spared?

In this state?

His knee was bent backward, his hip bone was shattered, and all his internal organs were burst. On top of that, his trachea was cut, making it difficult to breathe.

He was alive only because he was a martial artist; an ordinary person would already be dead. And yet…

‘A demon.’

It would be more merciful to cut off his breath. Then he could at least lessen the pain. But Kang Jin-ho left the man behind, with a bitter smile.

Left in the hallway, he waited for a passing colleague to cut off his breath, but even his colleagues, with urgent faces, left him behind and chased after Kang Jin-ho.

In the darkness where nothing could be seen, the man waited endlessly for the death that might come at any moment.

“Kuh-uh-uhk!”

“Aaaah!”

Screams were bound to echo.

Especially in an empty building, the sound would spread out strangely wide.

Kim Seok-il was feeling that fact anew.

When he went up to the rooftop after hearing the news that the Assembly had invaded, what he saw was Kang Jin-ho, who looked like a demon, massacring his subordinates.

And seeing that, Kim Seok-il instinctively knew that his subordinates could not stop Kang Jin-ho.

It was something anyone could see.

Logically, no matter how strong he was, there was a question of whether he could face all of the thousands of Yeongnam Association members, but those who saw the scene would throw away all calculations and look for a way to escape.

Kim Seok-il was no different.

What he did after seeing that scene was to deploy his personal guards throughout the building and then lock himself in the chairman’s office, which was located deep inside.

A fifty-fifty chance.

Even if he were to face the personal guards he had personally raised, he could not guarantee a 10% chance of winning. Moreover, in a narrow and damp place like this dark building, the odds of winning would be cut in half again.

So he had to be at ease.

He had to be able to be at ease.

But…

“Kuaaaaaaak!”

The terrible screams of a man echoing in the quiet silence had the power to make the listener’s heart drop.

And what if that scream was heard from closer and closer?

An ordinary person would have already gone crazy.

Kim Seok-il desperately took out a cigarette case with trembling hands.

After dropping a few cigarettes on the floor, Kim Seok-il finally managed to put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with difficulty.

Maybe this cigarette…

“Damn it!”

Kim Seok-il, who had tried to shake off the ominous thoughts that were rising in his head, began to think.

Where did it all go wrong?

No matter how much he went back over it, he couldn’t figure it out. Clearly, something had gone terribly wrong somewhere, but he couldn’t figure out where.

Was it not anticipating Lee Hyun-soo’s betrayal?

Was it giving Lee Hyun-soo too much authority?

Was it that the plan he had set up for the Assembly had fallen apart?

Or was it that he had rashly started a confrontation with the Assembly in a situation that was not yet perfect?

No, that’s not it.

If you think about it, it might be the price of not growing on his own and accepting capital from China.

If not that…

Thump!

Kim Seok-il’s body jumped halfway up at the loud noise from outside.

The loud noise echoed from the wall across the way.

Then…

He’s here.

He was already almost there.

The grim reaper named Kang Jin-ho was already approaching him.

Kim Seok-il closed his eyes.

‘I am the head of the Yeongnam Association.’

His fate was already sealed. Then at least he shouldn’t show a pathetic appearance.

Creak.

The sound of the door opening was heard.

Kim Seok-il bit his lip and looked at the slowly opening door. The door opened wide, and a dark figure walked in.

At first, he thought it was a shadow.

But it wasn’t a shadow.

He walked in with his whole body turned black, as if his blood had dried and hardened like body paint.

‘Metaphysical.’

Everyone has a different idea of what a grim reaper looks like, but no one would think of a grim reaper in this form.

That figure was too violent and barbaric to be called a grim reaper.

A figure that did not feel any of the sacredness of the word ‘god’.

It was truly a collection of savagery.

“Hoo-oo-oo…”

A low breath flowed from the grim reaper’s mouth.

But that appearance was too perfect. If you were to express the appearance of a god leading people to death, you would not be able to find a better appearance than that.

Red eyes.

Red eyes, shining brightly as if a light had been turned on in the darkness, chased after Kim Seok-il. And then, his pure white teeth were revealed.

Just looking at him and smiling could make a person tremble like this. He was the only one in the whole world who could do that.

“It’s been a while.”

“…It has.”

Kim Seok-il nodded quietly at the greeting from the grim reaper named Kang Jin-ho.

They were already acquaintances.

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette case. But Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed as he opened the cigarette case. The cigarettes inside were completely soaked with blood and in a state where they could not be smoked.

“Want one?”

When Kim Seok-il offered his cigarette, Kang Jin-ho looked at the cigarette for a moment before accepting it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kang Jin-ho put the cigarette in his mouth and snapped his fingers to light it. Then, he sat down across from Kim Seok-il and leaned back naturally.

Watching Kang Jin-ho slowly exhale cigarette smoke, Kim Seok-il opened his mouth.

“Are they all dead?”

“The ones inside.”

“What about outside?”

“Most of them are alive.”

Kim Seok-il nodded.

“I should thank you for sparing them.”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“I don’t want to hear praise from someone who doesn’t particularly appreciate it.”

“Heh heh heh, you’re sharp.”

Kim Seok-il readily nodded.

Whether the subordinates outside were alive or dead, it didn’t really matter to Kim Seok-il. He was the type of person who valued his own life more than the lives of everyone outside.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“…How is this possible?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Kim Seok-il.

Kim Seok-il spoke in a suppressed voice, as if he couldn’t bear it.

“This is the Yeongnam Association! The Yeongnam Association! But how can you do this alone? Am I dreaming? How is this possible!”

Kim Seok-il’s last cry was close to a scream.

“How can an organization that I’ve spent my whole life building be destroyed by just one person? I would understand if the Assembly had attacked together. But that’s not the case! How can the Yeongnam Association, the largest organization in Korea, be defeated by just one person and end up like this? How!”

Even at Kim Seok-il’s wailing, which was close to a scream, Kang Jin-ho didn’t show any particular reaction.

Kang Jin-ho, who had quietly smoked his cigarette and exhaled, asked instead.

“Why can’t you understand?”

“Is this a situation that can be understood?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly as he looked at Kim Seok-il’s face.

“What I can’t understand is on my side.”

“…What?”

“What’s so great about the Yeongnam Association that you have such pride in it?”

Kim Seok-il’s face went blank.

“The reason is simple. It’s because I’m strong and you’re weak.”

Kim Seok-il’s face was filled with despair.

That’s right.

What other reason could there be?

There was no point in attaching any other reason. There was only one real reason.

Kang Jin-ho was stronger than the entire Yeongnam Association combined.

That was the only reason.

“Why did it turn out like this?”

Kim Seok-il’s voice, as if his soul had left him, slowly flowed out.

“Where did it go wrong?”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”

Kang Jin-ho stubbed out his cigarette on the floor and quietly got up from his seat.

“You know, don’t you?”

The sneer on his face made Kim Seok-il feel sad.

This man had taken everything from him.

The Yeongnam Association, the pride he had in building the Yeongnam Association like this.

And now, he would even take his life.

“You shouldn’t have touched me.”

Kang Jin-ho reached over the table, grabbed Kim Seok-il by the neck.

Kim Seok-il’s eyes widened at the shock, as if a huge piece of heavy equipment was tightening around his neck.

Kang Jin-ho, who had grabbed Kim Seok-il by the neck and lifted him up, pulled him closer and brought his face close to his.

“Your fate was already decided the moment you touched me.”

Only then did it seem like all the questions were answered.

All the reasons were clear and concise.

And the one who had all those reasons growled at Kim Seok-il.

“The price for touching me is high. And the price for touching my family is even higher. You better be prepared. Because you will never die easily.”

Watching the devil’s hand reach out, Kim Seok-il quietly closed his eyes.

No matter how early you regret, it’s always too late. That was Kim Seok-il’s misfortune.