Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 553

Jang Da-jing was driving, his nerves on edge.

Now that he had committed to joining Kang Jin-ho, his entire life had to change. He could no longer live under the protection of the Hongwang Group. They, and Bator, were now enemies.

Kang Jin-ho’s first order was for the two of them to join the General Assembly.

‘I’ve gone completely mad.’

Jang Da-jing glanced at the rearview mirror. Bator’s face, visible in the reflection, was utterly serene.

That placidness grated on Jang Da-jing’s nerves.

‘Damn it.’

He knew it.

He knew that Kang Jin-ho wasn’t a bad person, not really.

If they were to be categorized into good and bad, Jang Da-jing and Bator were the villains. They were the ones who had invaded Kang Jin-ho’s life, a man who had lived peacefully without any particular animosity towards the Hongwang Group, and tried to kill him.

He was aware that he was paying a just price for his actions. However, Jang Da-jing was just an ordinary man. Only those who could be cold and objective about their own sins were considered saints. Jang Da-jing was no saint, so he couldn’t look at his actions with detached reflection.

It was excessive.

The punishment Kang Jin-ho had inflicted on Bator was far too harsh.

And Jang Da-jing was also caught in the crossfire of that excessive punishment.

A low sigh escaped him.

Bator was too large to travel by car unless it was a specially made van. Even if they chartered a bus, he wouldn’t fit in most of the seats.

In the end, even if he hadn’t joined, escorting Bator to the General Assembly would likely have been his last task. The only difference was whether he would return from there or not.

And that difference was immense.

‘There’s going to be a huge mess now.’

By now, the remaining informants would probably know that he had defected to Korea with Bator. Soon, this report would reach the higher-ups, and the Hongwang Group would be furious and try to capture and kill them.

Because betrayers are never forgiven in the martial arts world.

The thought of the Hongwang Group turning against him sent a chill down his spine.

But Jang Da-jing had no other choice.

He couldn’t possibly live in peace after handing Bator over to Kang Jin-ho as a slave.

“Damn it.”

He cursed without realizing it.

He knew. He knew that the situation had to unfold this way. But understanding it intellectually and accepting it emotionally were two completely different things.

“Jang Da-jing.”

As if sensing Jang Da-jing’s inner turmoil, Bator spoke quietly.

“Yes, Bator-nim.”

“Go back now.”

“You don’t have to stay with me. You were originally with Hongwang. You don’t have to share my fate. You can get out of this now.”

“Your words… thank you for your words.”

Jang Da-jing bit his lip.

“But it’s okay, Bator-nim.”

“Why is that?”

“…Because this is more comfortable for me.”

“You make it impossible for me to offer that again.”

Bator replied with a sullen expression. If a different answer had been given, he might have argued, but this reason was irrefutable.

“Jang Da-jing.”

“Yes.”

“What should I do?”

Jang Da-jing bit his lip tightly. Judging from Bator’s behavior so far, Kang Jin-ho’s influence over Bator wasn’t absolute. There was a certain pattern to it. There were moments when he couldn’t refuse, and there were times when he regained some of his reason.

The further away he was from Kang Jin-ho, and the less his existence was mentioned, the more calmly Bator made decisions.

“Is it hard to break free?”

“It’s impossible.”

Bator said with his eyes closed.

“I have resisted so far. I have continued to resist, but it is impossible. My soul is already captured by him. It’s like making a deal with the devil.”

“…I see.”

From Kang Jin-ho’s confident attitude, the outcome was as good as decided.

“Are you in pain?”

“When I resist.”

“How much…”

“I know what it means to say that your soul is burning. I can resist any physical pain, but there is no way to resist the pain that makes it feel like my very existence is being extinguished. What’s even more frightening is that just by resisting ‘him,’ I might actually disappear. If I resist beyond a certain point, I might become an idiot.”

“Bastard.”

Jang Da-jing bit his lip tightly again.

“Tell me, Jang Da-jing. What should I do? I cannot make normal judgments about matters related to him. You are the only one I can trust and rely on right now.”

Jang Da-jing gripped the steering wheel tightly.

A heavy sense of responsibility.

And… a subtle emotion.

Just as he trusted and followed Bator, Bator also trusted and relied on him.

It was precisely because of this that he couldn’t abandon Bator.

“Relax, Bator-nim.”

“…”

“Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to trust Kang Jin-ho.”

“Trust him?”

“Isn’t there any other way?”

Jang Da-jing sighed.

“If there is a hopeful aspect, it’s that Kang Jin-ho, from what I’ve seen, is not someone who can’t be reasoned with. He’s not the type to assert his own authority… and frankly, he’s quite indifferent to his subordinates.”

“Hmm…”

“He may have captured Bator-nim for now, but he probably doesn’t have a plan on how to use him. So, for now, we need to lay low under him.”

“How long do we have to do this?”

“That depends on Bator-nim.”

Jang Da-jing glanced back.

“According to Kang Jin-ho, the stronger Bator-nim becomes, the less influence Kang Jin-ho will have. Get stronger as quickly as possible. And break free from that damn guy’s influence. I will do my best to assist Bator-nim in the meantime.”

“But… I have no choice but to absolutely obey his orders. Even at this moment, I have the urge to break your neck for trying to deceive him. How can I…”

“It’s because of the merging.”

“Merging?”

“Yes. Think of it as getting stronger for Kang Jin-ho. If someone who works for him gets stronger, it’s good for him too. The process only needs to be the same. I will twist the results.”

“…That’s a valid point.”

With those words, Bator closed his eyes and crossed his arms. A look of anguish appeared on his face.

‘Bator-nim.’

Jang Da-jing bit his lip tightly.

‘Let’s think positively.’

The only positive thing to think about was that Kang Jin-ho wasn’t such a bad leader.

What he had felt while observing Kang Jin-ho was that the guy would have been stripped of everything, even his underwear, in China. He trusted people too much and didn’t put any restraints on them. He was a man who didn’t even prepare minimal safety measures based on the flimsy thing called trust.

From an outsider’s perspective, he looked foolish, but when he thought about working under him, the noose around his neck felt a little looser.

‘Maybe this is an opportunity.’

There were limits to what he could do in the Hongwang Group.

No, to be precise, his life would have ended as a disregarded subordinate.

If his life was already ruined, it wouldn’t be bad to take a gamble. To start over in a new environment with new people.

Jang Da-jing constantly comforted himself like that.

The General Assembly building in the distance felt incredibly imposing.

“Are you really going to be okay?”

“Why are you so worried?”

“Because I can’t understand it.”

Elena frowned as she watched Knight Wiggins calmly drinking his coffee.

“Father, you’ve already achieved everything.”

“Does it look that way?”

“It was Father who said that being a Knight was the most glorious position.”

“Yes, I did. I thought so too.”

“Of course, I know you can have complaints. There’s no place in the world that will perfectly suit you. Wherever you go, there will naturally be things you don’t like and complaints you might have. But it’s not like Father to throw away everything you’ve achieved so far and start over because of those complaints.”

‘Honestly, you’re a bit of a rigid type.’

Elena quietly swallowed her last words. It was something she didn’t need to say.

But Wiggins, as if knowing Elena’s thoughts, smiled gently and replied.

“Parents and children are very close to each other, but sometimes there are things that parents and children can’t understand because they are parents and children.”

“I’m telling you this now, but even though I was proud to be a Knight, I’ve never felt attached to achieving something for myself.”

“Huh?”

What was he talking about?

“I don’t want to build something up. I want to change my world. If I can’t create the world I want there, it’s natural to leave that place.”

“The Round Table won’t understand.”

“The world always needs understanding. But sometimes you have to do things that others don’t understand. I just didn’t have the courage to do it.”

“Do you have that courage now?”

“Courage… To be precise, I should say that he gave me courage.”

“Father, I don’t understand. What do you see in Kang Jin-ho? I think he’s an extremely dangerous person. But what can you do with him?”

“Guns are dangerous.”

Knight Wiggins said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“But if you don’t use guns because they’re dangerous, you can’t go to war. Being dangerous is not a reason to avoid it. It’s just a reason to understand it more deeply.”

Knight Wiggins said with a confident tone.

“I will help him. I will help him change this world. And in the process, I will change the world he wants into the world I want.”

“Is that possible?”

“It won’t be easy. But is there anything easy in this world? What I have to do is try. Not as Knight Wiggins, but as Alan Wiggins.”

Elena nodded quietly.

She still couldn’t understand her father. But if this was what he truly wanted, she understood that it was her duty as a family member to support him.

“Good luck, Father.”

“Thank you. Then you should go back now.”

“Huh? Go back?”

“Yes. I may have left the Round Table, but you haven’t. It’s time for you to go back.”

“What are you talking about? How can I go back when you’re here?”

“You’ve been walking your own path for the past 10 years. You don’t have to follow me. The Round Table isn’t that rigid, so they’ll understand you. Or should I write a letter to the Master?”

“There’s no need for that.”

The answer came not from Elena, but from someone else.

Vincent entered the room with a stiff face.