Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 709

As the briefing concluded, Kang Jin-ho quietly rubbed his chin.

Jang Min subtly observed Kang Jin-ho’s expression.

Kang Jin-ho was usually expressionless. His emotions were rarely visible on his face. Therefore, it wasn’t easy to discern what Kang Jin-ho was thinking right now.

However…

‘Even without his expression, I can tell.’

Just by seeing his hand, which didn’t know where to go, reach into his pocket and pull out a cigarette, one could guess what Kang Jin-ho was thinking.

Indeed.

Even Jang Min felt a sense of despair throughout the briefing, so how much more would Kang Jin-ho feel?

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit the cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke.

Jang Min quietly waited for the scolding that Kang Jin-ho would unleash, feeling like a condemned soul awaiting the judgment of the King of the Underworld.

“It’s not as bad as I thought.”

“Pardon?”

Jang Min’s eyes widened.

“Demon Lord, it is with great sorrow and pain that I must say this… but the current state of the Demonic Cult is utterly hopeless.”

Jang Min wiped his forehead once and continued.

“Among those called ‘Demonic Individuals,’ none have properly mastered Demonic Arts. The Demonic Arts passed down to me contain some essence of the past, but I inherited them through a proxy from a previous guardian, so I couldn’t pass them on. As a result, only crude imitations of Demonic Arts remain.”

“I see.”

“To be frank, all the current Demonic Cult has is the number of its followers. And even that number is dwindling, so now…”

Pain flickered across Jang Min’s face.

Kang Jin-ho could understand the old man’s pain.

Though the world shunned the Demonic Cult, the cultists’ affection for it surpassed that of other sects. Those who could live normal lives would not have joined the Demonic Cult in the first place.

For them, the Demonic Cult was their last refuge.

Jang Min had watched the cult slowly decline for over a century.

From the days when the name of the Demonic Cult echoed through the world, to the days when it was suppressed and rapidly crumbled, and then to the days when it had to hide underground to maintain its existence.

He had endured it all, seeing it with his own eyes and hearing it with his own ears. All while waiting for Kang Jin-ho to return.

‘But…’

Kang Jin-ho sighed and opened his mouth.

“There are a few things I want to ask.”

“Ask away, Demon Lord.”

“Firstly, who the hell started and spread the rumor that I would return?”

“I do not know either. It was so long ago.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t really expect a clear answer.

Savior myths were almost always created in oppressed nations or religions. It probably meant that the cultists had no one else to rely on.

‘It’s not something I can’t understand.’

The previous Demonic Cult leaders were, to put it bluntly, just crazy bastards.

It was inevitable. The leader of the Demonic Cult was the strongest person in the cult, which meant that the leader was the one who had mastered Demonic Arts the most deeply in that era.

That was synonymous with being the craziest bastard. The deeper one delved into Demonic Arts, the more Demonic energy would fill their brain.

If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t inherited martial arts from his master, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid madness. Even now, if he tried to draw out Demonic Arts, he would be consumed by madness.

But what if he didn’t have his master’s martial arts?

He would have joined the ranks of the madmen as well.

Demonic individuals with Demonic energy in their marrow did not distinguish between friend and foe. To the cultists, the leader was not someone they could rely on and follow, but the most terrifying and frightening being.

Among them, Kang Jin-ho was the most normal human being…

Kang Jin-ho’s face slightly contorted.

“Jang Min.”

“Yes.”

“I’m just asking to be sure, but is it certain that the Demon Lord who will return refers to Red Heaven?”

“Yes, that is correct. It was said that when the era of the Demonic Cultists suffering in darkness ends, the dawn will break. When the eastern sky turns red, the Demon Lord will return to the world. This is the legend passed down to us.”

“A sky dyed red…”

Something gave him goosebumps.

“Then how am I portrayed to the Demonic Cultists?”

“The strongest one, the only honorable one, the master of all demons and the ruler of evil, and a parent who loved the cultists despite his strength. Infinitely benevolent, infinitely strong, and also…”

“That’s enough.”

Kang Jin-ho cut off Jang Min’s words. If he listened any further, he felt like wings would sprout from his armpits.

It seemed that his anecdotes and the stories fabricated by later generations had combined and been passed down in a strange direction.

“Jang Min, I’ll say this in advance…”

“Ah, Demon Lord. There is no need for such worries.”

“Huh?”

“It is the 21st century now. Who would believe such legends? They just think of it as a legend.”

You waited for over a hundred years, you old man!

What am I supposed to agree with?

“The fact that the Demon Lord has returned is enough. Whether you are benevolent or strict, to us, the Demon Lord is like a father. Whatever kind of person you are, a father is a father. Isn’t that enough?”

The words were very touching, but being called ‘father’ by a 180-year-old man didn’t feel particularly good. It felt somewhat sad and embarrassing.

“Okay, I understand that for now.”

“Yes.”

“There’s one more thing I want to ask.”

“Ask away.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed and said,

“When you first learned Demonic Arts, were they already depleted? Was the level similar to what it is now?”

“That is not the case. Back then, Demonic Arts were depleted, but the martial arts of the Demonic Cultists were far superior to what they are now. However, they became cruder as time passed. This is because the Demonic Arts passed down orally were gradually lost.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“Lost?”

“No, Demon Lord. Even when I learned Demonic Arts, the higher-level arts were already lost. All I could do was gather the remaining arts and create crude versions.”

Then, it could be said that the lineage of Demonic Arts had already been severed before Jang Min was even born.

‘What the hell happened?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand. This was definitely unnatural. It was impossible without external intervention.

‘But why?’

If someone had the ability to eliminate all the Demonic Arts remaining in the Demonic Cult, they would have been able to destroy the disorganized cult as well. But they only eliminated the Demonic Arts and left the cult intact. Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand that fact.

However…

“Should I call it a blessing in disguise?”

“What do you mean?”

“You survived because the Demonic Arts were lost.”

“Ah…”

Jang Min nodded with a bitter expression.

If the Demonic Arts had been properly passed down until now, the Demonic Cult would have been destroyed. The righteous sects wouldn’t have left the Demonic Cult alone.

“The righteous sects are suffering from trauma regarding the Demonic Cult. Even when they see the fallen Demonic Cult as it is now, they do not let their guard down. If you think about it, it’s all because…”

“Is it because of me?”

“It is because you are too great, Demon Lord. The name of Red Heaven is passed down even among the righteous sects. It is a humiliating history, so they do not mention the name, but those who know do not forget the history of the Central Plains being dominated by the cult.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho rubbed his chin.

“Whatever.”

Analyzing the past now wouldn’t change anything. It was better to focus on the future.

“The first priority is to make the cultists stronger.”

“Demon Lord, that is what I have been hoping for. However… I cannot hide my unease.”

“Unease?”

“Yes, Demon Lord.”

Jang Min swallowed hard and spoke.

“I am sorry to say this, but the current cultists have a weak sense of loyalty to the cult. And their respect for the Demon Lord is also weak. Teaching such people will be more difficult and time-consuming than you think.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho said as if it were nothing.

“I’ll take care of that myself.”

Jang Min prostrated himself on the spot.

“Please punish me for not properly managing the cult.”

“Get up.”

“Demon Lord.”

“I said get up.”

A calm voice.

But it was a voice that could not be resisted. Jang Min quickly stood up. Kang Jin-ho stared at Jang Min for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Loyalty is not something that comes from coercion.”

“But…”

“If the cult has done nothing for them, then you shouldn’t demand loyalty from them. Deceiving people with false words and expecting blind loyalty to the cult is what cults do. Wasn’t that why the Demonic Cult was branded as a cult in the past?”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. The main reason was that the Demonic Cultists were malicious, but Kang Jin-ho’s words were not wrong either.

“Times have changed. If we repeat what was wrong in the past, the result will be obvious. Loyalty is not necessary. Just work for yourselves. If what we want is the same, the result will naturally follow.”

“You are right.”

“However.”

Jang Min raised his head as Kang Jin-ho paused.

Jang Min’s body tensed up as he saw the expression on Kang Jin-ho’s face. A sinister smile was on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“It is also not right to give everything without expecting anything in return. Let’s see, let’s see. Whether they can move as I want them to.”

Jang Min lowered his head.

‘This person is not gentle at all.’ Just because he didn’t want blind loyalty and talked about rationality like a leader shouldn’t, didn’t mean that Kang Jin-ho was a good person. What Kang Jin-ho wanted were cultists who could meet his standards. He would give to those who did, and discard those who didn’t.

“Jang Min.”

“Yes, Demon Lord.”

“To be honest, I don’t care about the revival of the Demonic Cult.”

Jang Min, at a loss for words, raised his head.

These were words that should not come from the Demon Lord’s mouth. What was his intention in saying such things?

“Don’t cling to the ghosts of the past. What’s important is living in the present. Whatever the Demonic Cult was like in the past, whatever it pursued, throw it all away. If there is anything that doesn’t fit, discard it without hesitation, and if there is anything new to accept, accept it all.”

“I will follow your orders, Demon Lord.”

Watching Jang Min prostrate himself, Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked at the ceiling.

‘If it were Blue Demon, he would have said this.’

Most of his unconventional ideas came from Blue Demon’s mind. Now he had to become Red Demon, but also Blue Demon. It wouldn’t be easy.

‘I’ll keep the lineage alive. But whether they can revive again is not in my hands. So don’t look at me with those eyes.’

The image of Blue Demon smiling at him kept appearing.

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes with a subtle smile.

The moment the new history of the Demonic Cult began.