Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 695

I had heard quite a bit about ‘that guy.’

A figure who suddenly appeared in Korea, a land that was practically a wasteland.

And the one who unified that Korea in an instant.

Up to that point, I was able to maintain a certain level of composure. I knew that the martial world of Korea was an extremely weak place.

A land that anyone could take at any time if they set their mind to it, but a land that was beyond our reach at the moment.

Yes, if I had to put a name to it, it was a bonus.

National unification.

A bonus given to the one who achieves national unification, a goal that has been the aim of countless people throughout history.

That was how Japan perceived Korea.

Who occupied such a place was not very important. If they were to move, the owner would soon change.

That thought changed because of one incident.

The Nanahoshi-gumi, a group that could be considered a fairly influential organization, got involved with that guy in Korea, and their organization was shaken. Eventually, they crossed over to Korea for a showdown and were completely annihilated.

This incident gave a huge shock to the martial artists in Japan.

How could it not?

The Nanahoshi-gumi could not be called a representative organization of Japan. However, there were not many sects that could confidently claim to be able to destroy the Nanahoshi-gumi single-handedly.

The Nanahoshi-gumi was a group that was not quite influential, but also a bit lacking to be called a mid-tier organization.

Such a group was wiped out by a Korean.

In Korea, a place they believed they could dominate at any time if they set their minds to it.

From that point on, they could no longer ignore Korea. They had confirmed that the power of Korea, which they had thought could be dealt with by just one of the many organizations that filled Japan, was stronger than they had imagined.

‘It’s a funny thing.’

The difference still existed.

However, as soon as they confirmed that Korea’s power was stronger than expected, they could not shake off their unease.

They had already experienced it once.

They had clearly seen with their own eyes how an opponent they thought had created an insurmountable gap had eventually caught up and put a knife to their throat.

Just half a century ago, there was a gap between Korea and Japan that was as big as the difference between the third world and a developed country.

But what about now?

More and more people were showing neurotic reactions to Korea’s pursuit.

On the surface, they pretended to be relaxed, but inside, they were twisted.

The result was this.

Many organizations discussed retaliation against Korea. They began to speak with one voice, saying that they should conquer Korea right now. With the obvious logic that they had to repay what they had suffered.

‘What a joke.’

Since when had they ever avenged the grudges of other organizations? That was not revenge for a grudge. It was a desperate attempt to cut off the source of their fear.

The difference still exists. And this was something that could be called an ‘accident.’

However, those who had already experienced being chased were terrified that such a thing would happen again. That was why they tried to quickly stomp out the bud without giving it time.

This was the result.

With Nakata Yuji of the Yamakawa-kai at the forefront, a retaliation against Korea, or more precisely, against ‘that guy,’ was planned. According to the higher-ups, Korea was ultimately centered around ‘that guy,’ and if ‘that guy’ was removed, they would no longer be able to maintain the current system and would collapse.

At first glance, it made sense.

But…….

‘Was this really a wise thing to do?’

The question arose from this very spot.

Kondo looked at the man smoking a cigarette in the middle of the road with a slightly displeased gaze.

Yes.

That man was ‘that guy.’

Kang Jin-ho.

The one who suddenly appeared and unified Korea.

And the one who made the upper echelons, who always liked to save face and sit in the back room, look like a horse with its tail on fire [a phrase meaning to be in a state of panic or extreme agitation].

Kondo glanced back.

The headlights were blinding. There were more people gathered here than those numerous lights.

Of course, there were limits. This was China, and no matter how much the alliance had tried, it was not easy to smuggle a large number of martial artists into China. In the end, only a limited number of people could cross over.

Even so, it was excessive.

Since the war, there had never been so many people gathered to face a single person in the Japanese martial world, nor had so many organizations joined forces to form a group of this size.

The strongest expeditionary force ever created, formed with the Yamakawa-kai and Michiyoshi-gumi as the main forces and supported by each organization.

It was the first time in Japanese history that such a force had left the country to operate overseas.

Unprecedented.

That was the only way to describe the people gathered here.

His heart was pounding, and his blood was boiling.

But…….

‘Is that guy Kang Jin-ho?’

Kondo’s blood was rapidly cooling as he looked at the man who was thought to be Kang Jin-ho.

‘He’s ordinary.’

It wasn’t that he expected a monster with three heads and six arms. He was a human being after all. But he thought there would at least be some special aura that could be felt with the eyes.

However, Kang Jin-ho, whom he saw with his own eyes, was just an ordinary young man who could be seen anywhere. Thinking that such a person had turned the archipelago upside down, he even felt a subtle sense of emptiness.

‘Rather……’

The one who caught his eye was not Kang Jin-ho, but an unknown martial artist with a huge physique.

It was hard to take his eyes off the intense muscles visible under the sleeves of his shirt, which were rolled up to his elbows.

It was an excessive physique for a martial artist, but that was why it was more eye-catching. In a way, it was even beautiful. The ultimate physique that a human could pursue was there.

If that man had been Kang Jin-ho, he would have been able to ignite his motivation. But when he realized that the ordinary young man was Kang Jin-ho, his motivation quickly faded.

All that remained was an obvious outcome.

This many people had gathered.

This many people were gritting their teeth to kill a single person. Who could survive in this place?

Kondo was sure that Kang Jin-ho would think the same.

There was no way that anyone in the world could maintain their composure in front of this many people. If his reputation was not a sham, if even half of it was true, he would understand how desperate his situation was.

But…….

“So… how do you want to die?”

Those were the words that came out of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth.

Those words, mumbled with a cigarette in his mouth, pierced Kondo’s ears.

‘Is he crazy?’

He couldn’t understand it.

He couldn’t accept it.

He even thought that he might have gone crazy because he was in such a desperate situation.

Five hundred.

Five hundred had come.

They had failed to bring in the one thousand assassins they had originally aimed for, but still, it was five hundred. With this many, they could turn over any small country in three days.

But how did he want to die?

“Ha……”

A hollow sigh escaped his lips.

It seemed that the guy was not the kind of person they had thought he was. There was a fool standing there, not knowing what situation he was in and just bluffing.

If Kondo had been in the same situation as Kang Jin-ho, he would have looked for a way to escape. If they clashed, he would surely die. If that was the case, he should at least run away.

However, Kang Jin-ho allowed them to approach. Now, he could not even run away.

‘Well, maybe that’s the right reaction.’

Japan’s response to him was only one thing.

Elimination.

No compromise was allowed.

If he was going to die anyway, it might be better to die with his pride intact. How a person lives is important, but how they die is also important.

“How do you want to die, you say……”

Morikawa Atsushi, who was at the front, let out a mocking laugh.

He was now the representative of the Japanese martial world.

Nakata Yuji of the Yamakawa-kai, who had organized this event, should have been the representative, but the influential figures of each organization, the so-called ‘named’ ones, were being watched by the Chinese martial world. If they entered the country carelessly, they would be stirring up a hornet’s nest.

That was why Morikawa Atsushi, who could be called Nakata Yuji’s right-hand man, had crossed over to China to lead them.

“It doesn’t seem necessary, but I should still check as a formality. Are you Kang Jin-ho?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled at the question.

Then, slowly and leisurely, with a relaxed motion, he turned his head and looked at Jang Da-jing.

“What did he say?”

“Tell him to speak in Korean. Or Chinese. At least in English.”

“Huh……”

Jang Da-jing was flustered.

“I, I don’t know Japanese either.”

“You’re an informant.”

“I wasn’t originally raised to be an informant. I just became an informant because I’m weak. My head was already splitting trying to learn Korean, so Japanese is too much.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Morikawa Atsushi with an awkward expression and said,

“Is there no one here who can speak Korean?”

Morikawa Atsushi smiled wryly and turned his head back.

“Hey, what is that bastard saying?”

Those who did not understand Korean all looked around with blank faces.

“Hey, is there anyone who can speak Korean?”

A culture clash was occurring.

Kang Jin-ho’s group, who had never imagined that they would meet and talk with Japanese people in China, and the Japanese, who had only heard that they had to catch and kill the Korean bastard and had not thought that they would have to communicate with him, began to flounder.

Looking at the farce, Bator chuckled.

“They’re making a fuss.”

What was the point of listening to what the other side was saying when they were going to fight each other anyway? It wasn’t like they were going to understand each other.

Bator, filled with annoyance, shouted,

“Master!”

“Hmm?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just going to listen to what they’re saying. I’m curious.”

There were many things to be curious about.

Bator spoke with genuine intensity.

“Turn on the translator, the translator! Use some modern technology!”

“Ah……”

Kang Jin-ho took out his phone.

‘He’s really an old-fashioned person.’

Bator shook his head as if he was dumbfounded. They could just turn on the translator on their phone and talk. Even merchants who only knew ‘Ni hao ma’ in Chinese were selling goods while talking with a translator.

But why…….

‘Wait. What is he doing?’

He was supposed to turn on the translator, but why was he putting the phone to his ear? Was he touching the app with his earlobe?

That was when it happened.

Kang Jin-ho put the phone down again and pressed something. Then, a sound began to come from the phone.

[Yes, this is Lee Hyun-soo. What is it, Lord?]

Lee Hyun-soo?

Why was Lee Hyun-soo here?

Was he going to ask for support from Korea?

Or was he checking if something had happened in Korea?

However, Kang Jin-ho’s intention far exceeded Bator’s imagination.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

[Yes.]

“Listen to what those bastards are saying and translate it for me. We can’t understand each other.”

[…….]

A low silence.

A silence mixed with bewilderment, absurdity, and despair at his own situation flowed.

Even Bator’s mouth dropped open, and Jang Da-jing covered his face with both hands and held back tears.

Kang Jin-ho, who had turned on the ‘human translator,’ smiled with satisfaction as if he had finally solved the problem and opened his mouth.

“I turned on the translator, so say it again. What was it?”

Looking at his master, who had solved the problem simply and was extremely wise, Bator groaned.

“Is this… something that should be called hopeless, or something that should be called amazing?”

Either way, it’s awesome.

It’s really awesome.