Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 581

“I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Lee Joong-gul reached for the liquor, as if his throat was parched, and downed it in one gulp.

Was it because he had been talking so much?

No, that couldn’t be it.

Lee Joong-gul knew it too. The reason his throat was dry was because Kang Jin-ho’s name had come up.

“That guy… he’s capable.”

Lee Joong-gul ended up saying those words.

Acknowledging an enemy is different from praising them. At least when trying to rally support to fight an enemy, it was best not to say such things.

But he couldn’t help but say it.

He had to start with this premise, or else he couldn’t say anything. He needed to make sure everyone understood that Kang Jin-ho was not to be underestimated.

“Many people overlook this, but Kang Jin-ho is not just a strong, dumb brute.”

Director Jo chuckled awkwardly and replied,

“That’s something we all know.”

“No, you don’t.” Lee Joong-gul said with a stern face.

“Kang Jin-ho is more meticulous than you think.”

The directors’ expressions became subtle.

“One thing….”

“Trust me.”

Lee Joong-gul knew.

Most of those who had fallen to Kang Jin-ho’s hands had underestimated him. Even Lee Joong-gul had been the same. He knew Kang Jin-ho was strong, but he believed he could control him.

And this was the result.

Kang Jin-ho, who had seized control of the General Assembly without missing a single opportunity, had put Bang Jin-hoon forward as a puppet and completely taken over the General Assembly.

“How much time do you think it took for Kang Jin-ho to dismantle the Yeongnam Association [a regional organization] and bring in outside forces after taking over the General Assembly?”

Everyone fell silent.

“If it were someone else, they would be busy trying to manage the chaos within the Yeongnam Association and the General Assembly. But among those of you here, has anyone heard that such a thing is a problem?”

There was no answer.

Lee Joong-gul nodded quietly.

“That’s what you all thought, right? That he’s reckless, too fast, acting without thinking of the consequences. But this is the result. Many of you probably thought that it would eventually fall apart, and you would seize the opportunity to reclaim your rights. But I’m telling you clearly now!”

Lee Joong-gul paused for a moment, building the tension.

“That will not happen.”

“Hmm.”

Groans of agreement came from here and there.

“Kang Jin-ho is not stupid. On the contrary, he’s very smart. And he has the ability to place the right people in the right positions. Whether it’s calculated or instinctive. He’s a guy who knows how to run an organization by placing the right people in the right places. We were waiting for discord, but the General Assembly is now stabilizing. We have to admit it.”

Everyone nodded.

“Until now, those who have faced Kang Jin-ho have only focused on his brute strength. They thought that if they could overpower him with greater force, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it. But the result…”

Lee Joong-gul licked his lips.

The result didn’t need to be stated.

“Everyone has failed to overcome his strength. But I guarantee you, even if you surpass his strength, you won’t be able to defeat him. Because he has never used all the power he can mobilize. He has only faced those who have come at him alone because he calculated that it was okay to do so. What if an enemy appears that he can’t handle? He will not hesitate to use all the power he can muster.”

“…Then what are we supposed to do?”

“Cut off his hands and feet.”

Lee Joong-gul said as if it were obvious.

“In one single opportunity, we must cut off all his hands and feet, and then use all the power we can to take his head.”

“Chairman.”

Director Jo said in a stiff voice.

“We know that too. The problem is how to execute it. You said you would go with us now. Please provide a more concrete plan.”

Lee Joong-gul looked around at everyone.

No one avoided his gaze. Rather, a strange heat was rising.

‘The hunting dogs are fired up.’

Yes, he understood.

Lee Joong-gul felt the same way.

They had been away from war for too long. They were once people who lived a harsh life, unable to sleep because they feared the enemy. For them, peace was nothing more than a boring repetition that didn’t make their hearts beat.

They would be afraid.

They would be scared.

But their hearts would be racing. These people, addicted to adrenaline, were baring their teeth, intoxicated by the brain drugs that were being released in their minds.

Perhaps Lee Joong-gul was the same.

“We will cut off his hands and feet.”

The directors’ eyes lit up.

“Although you have stepped down from the front lines, you still have influence within the General Assembly. Most of those in important positions within the General Assembly are your disciples or students.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s not difficult to mobilize them to paralyze the General Assembly for a while.”

“But will Bang Jin-hoon’s faction just stand by and watch?”

Lee Joong-gul smiled.

“A naughty child needs a spanking. Those children need punishment. And it will be me and you who will wield the whip.”

A slightly flushed face could be seen.

‘I guess so.’

Kang Jin-ho was an extraordinary being. They knew that they would inevitably have to face Kang Jin-ho, but they didn’t think they could do anything to him directly.

But Bang Jin-hoon was different.

The one they truly hated was not Kang Jin-ho, but Bang Jin-hoon. Kang Jin-ho was merely ruling, but Bang Jin-hoon had actually taken away all the honor and authority they had.

Someone who was once equal to them, or even below them, had taken control of the General Assembly and pushed them out. Who wouldn’t harbor resentment?

The fact that they had the opportunity to punish Bang Jin-hoon with their own hands was exciting the directors.

“Then what about Kang Jin-ho?”

Lee Joong-gul curled up the corners of his mouth.

“I said it earlier. To catch Kang Jin-ho, we must use any means necessary. To be honest, it’s difficult for us to face Kang Jin-ho with our own strength alone.”

“Ch, Chairman, what are you saying?”

Why was he suddenly saying this after doing so well?

The hall became slightly noisy, and Lee Joong-gul raised his hand to stop the directors.

“There’s no need to worry. It’s not that we won’t face him. I’m just talking about the realistic problem.

If we face him, we might be able to do it. But the sacrifice will be too great. What’s the point of regaining power after most of the people here have died?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

A consensus was quickly formed. And Lee Joong-gul swallowed a bitter smile as he watched the scene.

‘Most of them? Not a single one of them will survive.’

Having the will and having the ability were two different things. If they tried to face Kang Jin-ho with only the people here, they would be torn apart in an instant, even if they had a hundred lives.

Lee Joong-gul was not an idealist. Realistically, they were not a fighting force at all. At least not when facing Kang Jin-ho.

“So, we need more power.”

“…But we don’t have any more external forces we can mobilize, do we?”

The General Assembly had already unified Korea. That meant there were no more external forces within Korea.

Of course, there were those who hated the General Assembly as an organization and maintained their own traditions, but there was no reason for them to help Lee Joong-gul and his group.

“That’s why there’s someone I want to introduce to you. It might be a familiar face.”

“Huh?”

Lee Joong-gul didn’t answer and turned his head. Then the door slowly began to open.

“Huh?”

“Ah, no, is that person…?”

“Oh my god!”

The people here had been through thick and thin. They were people who would never show surprise at ordinary things. But when the directors saw the person behind the door, they were shocked as if they had seen a ghost.

A wheelchair.

A small child was riding in a large electric wheelchair.

No, it wasn’t a child.

It was just that his limbs were missing, making his body look small. The person in the wheelchair was an old man like them.

And there was no one among them who didn’t know the old man’s name.

“How is Kim Seok-il here…?”

Kim Seok-il.

Kim Seok-il, the former chairman of the Yeongnam Association, had appeared here.

Wee-ing.

Kim Seok-il moved his electric wheelchair forward with a blank face. The sound of the electric wheelchair’s wheels was so loud that the inside of the conference room became quiet.

“Ch, Chairman!”

The directors of the Yeongnam Association looked at Kim Seok-il with a mixture of fear and emotion.

“Are you alive?”

“We all thought you were dead…”

Kim Seok-il slightly raised his head and looked at everyone. Then he chuckled.

“A guy who should have died came back alive, and you all look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Everyone couldn’t hide their embarrassment.

After the day the Yeongnam Association was attacked,

Kim Seok-il had disappeared. That’s why everyone thought Kim Seok-il was dead. But Kim Seok-il had appeared alive and well.

Of course, the word ‘alive and well’ didn’t suit someone without arms and legs.

“Chairman, your body…”

Kim Seok-il replied with a bitter face.

“I was caught by that bastard, and it’s a miracle that I survived in this state. By that bastard, I mean.”

Every time he said ‘that bastard,’ Kim Seok-il’s face twitched.

Was it because of anger?

No, it wasn’t.

That was fear.

And that sight made the directors feel uneasy. Perhaps Kim Seok-il was fighting an unbearable fear every time he mentioned Kang Jin-ho.

And… if this plan failed, they would all end up like Kim Seok-il. As they realized this, a fear that made them want to run away immediately took over them.

“There’s no need to worry so much.”

Kim Seok-il slowly opened his mouth, as if he understood their feelings.

“What do you think is the reason I came back to this place in this state? If I didn’t have the confidence to face that bastard, I would never have come back.”

“Confidence…”

“That’s right.”

Kim Seok-il gritted his teeth.

“I wanted to die. I really wanted to die. You can’t even imagine it. For a martial artist to lose their martial arts and end up like this is worse than death. I wanted to bite my tongue and die dozens of times a day.”

Those who turned their heads away.

Those who couldn’t bear to look at Kim Seok-il’s face.

That’s how terrible Kim Seok-il’s words were.

Could they live in that state?

No one could easily answer.

“But the only reason I didn’t die was because of one thing. Because I have to kill that bastard, because I have to take revenge. So I’ve been holding my breath and waiting until now. Only for this moment.”

Tears of blood began to flow from Kim Seok-il’s eyes.

“Now the preparations are complete. I will kill Kang Jin-ho. I will kill that Kang Jin-ho, and I will sink my teeth into his neck and drink his blood. Now… now I will tell you the method.”

Everyone sensed one thing from Kim Seok-il’s chilling voice.

They had now come to a point of no return.

Now, no one would be able to run away.