Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 627

‘Am I doing something terribly wrong?’

That thought was unavoidable.

“Of course! I trust Bator-nim completely. But, my Lord! China? It’s not a place Bator-nim can handle alone. It’s China, after all. Of course, you might not know much about China, my Lord!”

I know it well.

Very well, in fact.

I lived my whole life in China. Though my concept of a ‘whole life’ might be a bit different from others.

“You know it’s dangerous, don’t you? Right now, the entire Assembly and the Korean martial world are relying heavily on you, my Lord. Have you considered how much your absence, or an accident, could affect things?”

There have been big changes recently.

So, basically…

‘There are so many more people nagging me now.’

It was good to surround myself with my own people. But these ‘own people’ of mine all seem to have so much to say. Even Bator, whom I trusted implicitly, is quite talkative.

“I don’t think this is right.”

“Then?”

“Take me with you.”

Could it be?

That the escort is just an excuse, and these guys… they all just want to go on an overseas trip?

“You can go sightseeing in Korea, can’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

He’s British, so isn’t this overseas for him too? And yet, he wants to follow me all the way to China.

“I came all this way trusting only you, my Lord. I absolutely cannot let you be in danger. Besides, there’s a reason why I must go with you.”

“Reason?”

“I may not be as strong as Bator-nim, but I’m exceptionally good at escaping. I’m the most reliable person to have around in the most dangerous moments!”

It sounded pathetic, but it was a very solid reason.

“But Wiggins.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply and said,

“A young man, a giant, and an old Westerner… that combination might get us on TV.”

“That’s…”

Knight Wiggins hesitated, as if unable to argue.

“Besides, you have things to do here.”

“That’s true, but…”

“I’ll come back safe and sound, so just look after things here.”

Knight Wiggins looked unconvinced, but he nodded as if he had no choice. He hadn’t yet built up enough influence to force Kang Jin-ho to do anything. Pushing further would only lead to hurt feelings.

“Then, please take this.”

Knight Wiggins took something out of his pocket and handed it to Kang Jin-ho.

“What is it?”

“It’s a pendant.”

“A pendant?”

Kang Jin-ho frowned at the elaborate, bejeweled metalwork.

“Is this for me to sell if I run out of money for travel expenses?”

“It’s an artifact.”

“An arti… huh?”

“No, well… I don’t think an explanation would be very meaningful. Just take it. You absolutely must not take it off your body. Please promise me that.”

“I promise.”

I don’t know what he’s planning, but it’s clearly out of good intentions, so there’s no need to refuse.

“Then, how about taking Elena with you…”

“…Wiggins.”

“Understood. I won’t mention this matter any further.”

Knight Wiggins smiled. Now that everything was settled, he should send them off with good cheer.

“But, my Lord.”

“Hmm?”

“It might sound strange to say this to someone going to China, but the thing you should be wary of right now might not be China.”

“What do you mean?”

“Japan’s movements are strange.” Knight Wiggins lowered his voice slightly as he continued.

“It’s not something to be overly concerned about yet, but it’s different from usual.”

“In what way?”

“It’s hard to explain clearly. It’s more of a hunch, you see.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho hummed thoughtfully.

‘Japan, huh….’

They had been quiet.

Japan, who had sent dozens of martial artists to kill Kang Jin-ho. All of them had been killed, yet Japan had remained silent. That was definitely strange.

“The Japanese are persistent. They would never let this go. They must be preparing something.”

“That’s likely.”

“The longer it takes, the bigger the thing they’re preparing might be.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Like a full-scale war?”

“That would be difficult. It’s hard for a full-scale war to break out in modern times.”

“Indeed.”

The more people involved, the higher the chance of exposure. That’s why modern martial arts battles tend to be more about elite forces than full-scale wars.

It was also because one skilled master could do more than a thousand mediocre fighters.

“So, please be careful. Just because it’s China doesn’t mean Japan’s reach won’t extend there.”

“I understand.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly got up from his seat.

‘This is tiring.’

It was finally sinking in.

He was now the head of the Assembly. He had thought that it wouldn’t be much different from when Bang Jin-hoon was nominally in that position. But sitting in this seat was completely different.

Just by taking on the title of head, the things he had to worry about had increased, and the attention and criticism directed at him had intensified.

Kang Jin-ho was now realizing what it meant to be the head of the Assembly.

“Well, now that’s over…”

“Then, let’s pass the baton to the next person.”

“Next person?”

Wiggins smiled and got up from his seat, walking towards the door.

*Thud.*

As the door opened, Bang Jin-hoon stood there with a face like an angry boar.

“Let’s have a word.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look at the distant sky as Bang Jin-hoon, snorting, entered the room.

When will this end?

Everyone who held a position in the Assembly was complaining about Kang Jin-ho’s irresponsibility.

While others were half-dead trying to reorganize the Assembly, he was going to China for fun, and to make matters worse, he was going to the most dangerous place, China. How inconsiderate.

There were so many reasons to criticize him that there was no need to come up with any logical arguments.

Most of the reasons for their anger were related to Kang Jin-ho’s safety, so Kang Jin-ho couldn’t retaliate. And most of those who were angry were genuinely worried about Kang Jin-ho and were very concerned about him going to China.

But among them, the most troubled person was someone else.

‘Why me!’

Jang Da-jing’s soul was escaping through his mouth.

‘Why meeeeee!’

Everything was fine. Everything was good.

Whether Kang Jin-ho went to China, or the Assembly was turned upside down, it was all good. But why did he have to escort Kang Jin-ho to China?

It was China, the place he had longed for so much.

Due to his status, he had been dispatched to Korea. Because of the excessive workload and cold treatment, it had been over three years since he had been able to go to China.

Jang Da-jing had been living with the hope of stepping on his homeland again. If he had been able to go to China just one month earlier, he would have danced with joy, but….

‘Why now! Why!’

Heaven was so cruel.

He had worked like a dog under the Hongwang Group, and when he had longed for it so much, they never sent him. But as soon as he betrayed the Hongwang Group and China became a land of death, he was going to China.

No matter how harsh fate was, this was too much.

“This is too much. Really.”

China, of all places.

The Triads, who controlled the Chinese underworld, were known for their brutal retaliation. They never forgave traitors. With their cruelty, the Triads acted as a breakwater, preventing the darkness of other countries from entering China.

But their cruelty was nothing compared to the retaliation of the Chinese martial world, including the Hongwang Group.

In the first place, those underworld thugs had benchmarked the retaliation of the martial world, so it was only natural. To put it simply, the moment Jang Da-jing, who had betrayed the Hongwang Group, was caught by them, it wouldn’t be a matter of life or death. He would suffer something worse than death.

And now, he was being told to go to China of his own volition? Of his own volition?

And to serve that man?

Jang Da-jing looked at Kang Jin-ho with trembling eyes.

Strangely, Kang Jin-ho also had a half-lost look on his face. Just by looking at his appearance, he seemed like a naive young man. His face was handsome, but there was no vitality in that handsome face.

But Jang Da-jing had no intention of being fooled by that innocent face.

That was a demon king.

A proper demon king.

The one who had appeared in the Korean martial world and immediately caused Hongwang’s blood pressure to skyrocket, turning Korea into the eye of a storm.

He was ruthless, strong, and….

‘And a nuisance, you idiot!’

No, why are you going to China now!

If you’re going, why are you dragging Bator along!

No matter how hard he tried to think positively, there was nothing positive about this guy.

It was called an escort, but what could Bator possibly escort?

How could someone whose arm muscles were so thick that he couldn’t even scratch his own back escort anyone?

All the chores would obviously fall on him.

Kang Jin-ho was a lord to Bator, but to Jang Da-jing, he was an enemy. And yet, he had to escort that enemy with his own hands….

Jang Da-jing’s eyes welled up at this absurd situation.

“It seems like you’re happy to go back to your hometown.”

Bator was grinning, oblivious to Jang Da-jing’s inner turmoil.

Can I really trust and follow this person? Really?

“Hehe, don’t worry. If things go well, I’ll try to make sure we can visit your hometown.”

Yes. That would be great.

There are so many martial artists who know my face there. It would be a real spectacle to see those guys with swords and spears foaming at the mouth and chasing me in broad daylight, Bator-nim. You carefree fool!

What’s the point of saying anything?

Better to die than suffer.

Jang Da-jing weakly reached out and picked up his luggage. It was simple, but he had to pack at least the essentials.

“Well then, let’s go, Master.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Bator with a reluctant expression and sighed.

“Let’s go. I guess.”

“There’s no point in delaying. Let’s leave quickly.”

“Okay…”

The grinning giant grabbed the two men by their shoulders. Kang Jin-ho and Jang Da-jing were dragged away by him, powerless. Even the cows being led to the slaughterhouse wouldn’t look as miserable as they did.

And there were those who watched them from afar.

“They’re leaving.”

“Foolishly, too.”

The eyes of those hidden in the shadows were focused through scopes. After confirming Kang Jin-ho and the plane he would be boarding, they slowly took their eyes off the scopes and smiled.

“He doesn’t know what it means to leave my territory. He’ll only realize it when he loses his life in a distant land.”

“The report?”

“I’ll do it now.”

The man’s eyes were fixed on Kang Jin-ho’s back, which was too far away to see clearly.

“You will pay the price for opposing the Great Japanese Empire, you foolish Joseon pig.”

It was the moment Kang Jin-ho departed for China, receiving the attention and gazes of many.