Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 473

[It seems everyone’s in.]

“Double-check that no one else is joining. And make sure the ships are under strict control.”

[Yes, sir. We’ll make no mistakes.]

“I’ve already informed the police, so no ships will be leaving for two days. Just in case, keep a close watch for anyone trying to sneak out. Got it?”

[Yes, sir!]

“I’m hanging up.”

Lee Hyun-soo hung up the phone and leaned back on the sofa.

“Hoo…”

He raised his hand and pressed down on his eyelids. He felt like his vision was blurred from the excessive tension.

Just then, the door burst open.

“Hey, Lee Hyun-soo!”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face slightly hardened as he saw Bang Jin-hoon enter. Bang Jin-hoon’s expression was anything but calm.

“What are you plotting, you bastard!” A terrifying aura emanated from the enraged Bang Jin-hoon.

‘Indeed, Bang Jin-hoon.’

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

This man had unified the Korean martial arts world, which had been divided between Lee Joong-gul and Kim Seok-il. His achievements alone were on par with those two.

He was just different in style from those two, but he was in no way inferior to them.

‘And that Kim Seok-il.’

Lee Hyun-soo hated Kim Seok-il. But even with that hatred, he couldn’t escape Kim Seok-il’s grasp. Regardless of his personality, Kim Seok-il’s abilities were beyond Lee Hyun-soo’s control.

And objectively speaking, Bang Jin-hoon was more capable than Kim Seok-il. He was just less noticeable because of his gentle nature and being overshadowed by Kang Jin-ho. But Bang Jin-hoon, who had gathered his forces within the General Assembly controlled by Lee Joong-gul and eventually defeated him, couldn’t be an ordinary person.

Considering that, it was only natural that Lee Hyun-soo was momentarily overwhelmed by Bang Jin-hoon.

“What’s the matter?” Lee Hyun-soo asked politely.

“What’s the matter? Look at this bastard, how smoothly he talks! You wanna throw away all pretense and fight me, you punk?”

Lee Hyun-soo sighed deeply.

If it had been Kim Seok-il, he would have subtly probed and tried to exploit his weaknesses. But Bang Jin-hoon’s style was completely different. He was almost flustered by this direct approach, which he had rarely experienced.

“Please calm down, Assembly Head.”

“Assembly Head? You son of a bitch, Assembly Head? You said it right, you punk. I’m the Assembly Head, and you’re the manager, so you think you can do whatever you want without reporting to me? Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo jumped up from his seat.

“What? You wanna fight?”

“I apologize.”

Then he bowed deeply.

“Huh?”

Bang Jin-hoon seemed momentarily flustered and hesitated.

“It was a matter that required utmost secrecy. I thought that if too many people knew and our side became chaotic, they would never take the bait.”

“They? Explain it so I can understand.”

Lee Hyun-soo, seeing that the topic had shifted from accusation to conversation, gestured to a seat.

“Please, sit down, Assembly Head.”

“So, there were that many people targeting Kang Jin-ho?”

“Yes.”

“I expected it, but not to this extent. And why are the French suddenly in Korea?”

“I didn’t expect it either. I thought there would be other forces, but I don’t know why they came…”

“They’re definitely hostile, right?”

“They wouldn’t have moved like that otherwise.”

“France…”

Bang Jin-hoon looked serious.

‘This is a headache.’

During his power struggle with Lee Joong-gul, he didn’t need to worry about such things. It was unthinkable for a foreign country to interfere in Korea.

‘But Japan and France…’

As one problem was solved, a new one arose. The thought that foreign forces were actively intervening in the country made Bang Jin-hoon feel a sudden fear.

‘Can I handle this?’

It was not an easy problem.

Bang Jin-hoon realized that he was completely ignorant of international affairs.

‘Then what the hell is this guy?’

Even he, the head of a faction, couldn’t handle this situation, yet this guy was not only grasping the situation but also trying to solve the problem on his own.

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes narrowed.

As if understanding what Bang Jin-hoon’s gaze meant, Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m no threat to you, Assembly Head Bang.”

“What did you think I was thinking?”

“That I’m a threat.”

When Bang Jin-hoon didn’t answer, Lee Hyun-soo spoke first.

“You might think I’m aiming for the Assembly Head position. If Kang Jin-ho trusts me and believes in my abilities, it would be more efficient to put me in the Assembly Head position and have me control the General Assembly than you, Assembly Head Bang. I know that you’re not happy about me gaining Kang Jin-ho’s recognition or becoming close to him. However, you’re completely mistaken about that.”

“Mistaken?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo took out a cigarette from his pocket and subtly pushed it towards Bang Jin-hoon.

“All of that is up to Kang Jin-ho. And Kang Jin-ho has both great strengths and weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses?”

“Yes. This is very Korean, in a way… He doesn’t separate public and private matters.”

“…Huh?”

What the hell is this guy talking about?

“Even if I’m incredibly capable and it’s obvious that I should lead the General Assembly, Kang Jin-ho won’t give me that position. Because he’s personally close to you, Assembly Head Bang.”

“…That’s a ‘Hell Joseon’ [a term used to describe the harsh realities of life in South Korea] style.”

“Yes. He’s exactly that kind of person. It’s not hard to understand. He’s an old-fashioned guy.

From my perspective, it’s frustrating… but it can’t be helped. So, you don’t need to be wary of that.”

“Who’s being wary, you idiot! I’m not being wary, I just want to know the situation. What the hell is going on?”

“I’ve lured all the guys who came to Korea targeting Kang Jin-ho. They gathered better than I expected.”

“I heard they went out on a ship?”

“I lured them to an uninhabited island. They followed like idiots.”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“Hey, you bastard! If you put it the other way around, it means all the guys targeting Kang Jin-ho are gathered there now.”

“That’s right.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Plan?”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Bang Jin-hoon as if asking what he was talking about.

“What do you mean by a plan?”

“They’re all gathered there, right?”

“Then you must have set a trap. You’re not stupid.”

“Assembly Head, please calm down.”

Lee Hyun-soo took out a cigarette from the pack and offered it to Bang Jin-hoon.

Bang Jin-hoon stared at the cigarette for a moment before putting it in his mouth.

“I did set a trap. But it’s not a typical trap.”

“Not a typical trap?”

“Yes. So… I let them go.”

“…Stop talking in circles and just say it. It’s frustrating.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled.

“Countless CCTVs, pedestrians. A civilization where there’s no place that isn’t lit up.”

Lee Hyun-soo began to chuckle.

“Because of that, they couldn’t properly target Kang Jin-ho. But they were mistaken.”

“Mistaken?”

“Yes. It wasn’t that they couldn’t target him because of that, but rather that they were being protected by it. By civilization.”

“They’re probably realizing it now.

That they were being protected by the exposed world. And what it means to face Kang Jin-ho in a place without civilization.”

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his arm.

Just listening to the words made his whole body crawl with goosebumps.

Only then did Bang Jin-hoon realize how stupid he had been.

‘A trap?’

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and lit his cigarette.

A trap?

Of course, there is one.

Kang Jin-ho is the trap. Those idiots will realize that now.

* * *

What would you do if a comrade died for an incomprehensible reason?

If you were sure of the killer, even if you didn’t know how they did it?

Would you fight back?

Would you run away?

Or would you think?

There are many choices. Because humans are all different, their actions varied.

The brave ones grabbed their weapons and charged forward.

The cautious ones stopped in their tracks, trying to analyze what had happened, and the timid ones hesitantly backed away.

And that’s what decided their fate.

Thwack!

Cheongru [Kang Jin-ho’s sword] pierces through the neck of a charging martial artist.

“Gurgle.”

The blood flowing from the pierced neck flowed back through the esophagus, creating a sound like boiling water.

The martial artist, realizing that his neck had been pierced without him even noticing, looked at Kang Jin-ho with disbelief.

“You don’t need to understand.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly pulled out Cheongru.

The martial artist, realizing what would happen the moment the sword was pulled out, raised both hands and grabbed Cheongru. But Cheongru’s sharpness cleanly exceeded his expectations, only resulting in his hands being cut off.

Swish.

As the sword was pulled out, a massive amount of blood gushed out from his neck with a whoosh.

Kang Jin-ho smiled as he was showered with the blood spraying towards him. His gaze was fixed on the martial artist’s eyes, which were filled with disbelief.

“The result won’t change.”

Stepping over the body of the martial artist who had fallen to the ground, Kang Jin-ho moved forward.

‘Something…’

It was a strange feeling.

Like he was liberated?

‘I was being suppressed.’

Thinking about it, it was only natural. He was quite a flamboyant person. Once he swung his sword, it wouldn’t end without death. But this world was too inconvenient for him to carry out his ways.

He had to be mindful of who might pass by and where cameras might be filming them. Kang Jin-ho, who had to fight while being aware of all of that, was feeling a sense of liberation at this moment.

He didn’t need to worry about anything.

He just needed to swing his sword and kill.

Everything in front of him.

“Heh heh heh.”

A twisted laugh escaped his lips.

It was a familiar sight.

Cheongru, shining in the dim moonlight in the darkness where his fingertips were barely visible.

And…

Eyes filled with fear.

Old memories began to creep up.

When he wasn’t Kang Jin-ho.

When he was called the Heavenly Demon Lord, not Kang Jin-ho.

Memories shape personality.

The sword, which had been flowing gracefully, gradually became faster. Then it became more violent, and then more precise.

A pure form.

All unnecessary movements were removed, and only movements aimed at killing the opponent began.

He sliced through the waist of a charging man in one blow, and decapitated the neck of a frozen man. He stabbed the spine of a fleeing man with his sword and twisted it, cutting him down.

Kang Jin-ho, who had sent three lives to the afterlife in the blink of an eye, slowly inhaled.

Blood scent.

The thick smell of blood was stimulating his nose.

Smelling the familiar scent of blood and death, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes grew darker and darker.

And soon, from his body flowed a dark, dense demonic energy, darker than the darkness surrounding him.

“Don’t disappoint me. It shouldn’t be this easy.”

Kang Jin-ho, with his eyes turned red, began to move again.