Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 726

Hell probably doesn’t have just one form. At least, that’s what Joo Kang thought. If hell is a place where you pay for the sins you committed in life, wouldn’t it be unreasonable to receive a uniform punishment? Various religions describe hell differently, but if a place called hell truly exists, and if there is a divine being capable of punishing souls, Joo Kang thought that hell would be more diverse and detailed than what is commonly known. However, if that’s the case… ‘What sin did I commit to be dragged into this hell?’ Although this space exists in the living world and not the afterlife, it was no less than hell. “Hey, don’t push! You’ll break my shoulder!” “What, you punk? Do you think I want to push? If you get off here, I’ll cut your throat!” “Is your liver swollen? Who are you?” “Get down, you bastard!” “Hey, you bastards, shut up! It’s already annoying enough with the echoes, why are you yelling and making a fuss!” “And who are you, huh!” Joo Kang slowly shook his head. ‘It’s hell, it’s hell.’ This place perfectly meets the conditions of hell. First, it was full of sinners. And those sinners were being punished. Even the fact that the gatekeepers of hell were preventing them from escaping, even though they wanted to get out of the pain, was the same. So, wouldn’t it be okay to call this place hell? Then, what kind of hell should this place be called? Crushing hell? Or dark hell? Joo Kang didn’t think so. Because what tormented him the most was not the pressure or the darkness from all sides, but the smell. “Wash yourselves, you bastards!” Joo Kang couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted. Where the hell did these bastards come from? The mixture of various smells was making him want to vomit. He had brought tissues in his pocket just in case and blocked his nose, but that wasn’t enough to solve the situation. ‘If someone throws up, it’ll be a disaster.’ Of course, since they were martial artists with physical control abilities far superior to ordinary people, the probability of that happening was low. Or maybe, the probability was high. Martial artists have superior physical abilities and senses compared to ordinary people. That means they can clearly detect smells that ordinary people can’t. In short, martial artists all have noses like dogs. “These filthy bastards.” “Ah, this is driving me crazy.” It seemed he wasn’t the only one suffering from the smell. Groans were coming from everywhere. “No, if this is going to be like this, at least make a hole! There’s no ventilation!” “You have to treat people like people!” It was a very natural protest. Humans should be treated like humans. ‘They wouldn’t even transport pigs like this.’ To cram people into a container where the air doesn’t circulate well, so tightly that they can’t even lift their arms, and then close the door. How could they move for hours in a place like this? No matter how much they were martial artists and demons, there were things that were possible and things that were not. “Open the door!” “We can’t go like this! Absolutely not!” “Is there anyone outside?” Clang! As soon as the words were spoken, the sound of the iron door being unlocked from the outside was heard. The demons, who had been pushed this way and that inside the container, leaned towards the door, trying to rush out as soon as it opened. Thud! Then, the door opened violently. The demons who had leaned forward didn’t move from that position. Something larger than the open door was visible at the entrance. “The one who made noise.” “The one who made noise.” There was no answer. There were so many things to say, but no one could say those words in front of Bator. Since people were packed as tightly as bean sprouts, those in the back might have shouted without knowing who opened the door, but Bator’s huge size didn’t provide a blind spot even for those in the back. “Why the commotion? Any complaints?” “…No, sir.” “You men are just whining because you’re a little cramped. Anyone who’s uncomfortable, come out. I’ll guide you to a comfortable spot.” Someone spoke. Humans are curious animals. Sometimes, humans can’t resist curiosity even when they know they shouldn’t do something. They can fully guess that the end won’t be good, but there are those who can’t bear it without trying. There was such a person here. “Um…” “What is it?” “Could you tell me where that comfortable spot is?” “It’s next to me. It’s spacious and comfortable.” “…I’m sorry. I was wrong.” It seemed that there was an unspeakable gap between the comfort they were thinking of and the comfort Bator was thinking of. Bator twitched his eyes. “If you make a fuss one more time, I’ll take it as a sign that you want to have a conversation with me. I don’t like conversations. But strangely, others don’t seem to enjoy talking with me. If there’s a volunteer who can have a conversation with me and find out the reason, I welcome them anytime.” Creeeak. The iron door that Bator was holding bent in a strange direction. “Oops, I put too much strength into my hand.” Bator calmly straightened the bent iron door again. The iron door, made of metal, was straightened out as smoothly as clay. Those who saw the scene couldn’t help but smile. ‘Let’s just go like this.’ ‘A little smell won’t kill anyone. It’s better to be alive.’ They say it’s better to live in this world even if you’re rolling in a pile of dog poop. Environmentally, this place wasn’t much better than a pile of dog poop, but it was definitely a better environment than the afterlife. A hellish place is better than hell, right? Yes. “Any problems?” When there was no answer, Bator grinned. “Be quiet, be quiet. It’s easiest for me to just pick out the loudest one and deal with them.” Thud. The door closed, and the inside of the container was once again plunged into darkness. After a long period of strange silence, a faint voice was heard from the container. “We’ll stop at a rest area, right?” There was still someone who hadn’t given up on their dreams. “Hmph…” Bator, having checked the container door, looked around. Cars were everywhere. Buses, trucks, trailers, and even small delivery trucks for parcels… It was no exaggeration to say that all vehicles capable of carrying something were gathered here. Bator nodded with a satisfied expression. The loading… no, boarding was almost complete. There were some disturbances here and there, but Bator was quickly suppressing the situations each time. ‘It’s strange.’ The demons he had experienced firsthand were very different from the image he had in mind. He had a stereotype that demons were all bloodthirsty or half-crazed, but the demons he actually met were quite simple. If Bator had done the same thing in the Hongwang faction [a righteous martial arts sect], he wouldn’t have been able to avoid rebellious gazes, even if no one voiced their complaints. He couldn’t tell if it was because Bator was backed by Kang Jin-ho’s authority, or if the demons were different from what he had imagined. ‘Or maybe it’s because they see me as an ally.’ Considering the persecution they had suffered, it was possible that their way of treating outsiders and insiders was drastically different. ‘That’s sad in its own way.’ Bator smiled bitterly. He couldn’t simply be happy about the fact that he, a righteous sect member, was being accepted as an ally by the demonic cultists. Bator shook his head to shake off the unnecessary thoughts. Now was not the time to worry about his own identity. Now, his priority was to perfectly complete the task that Kang Jin-ho had ordered. “Move! Finish up quickly!” “Yes, sir!” “Jang Da-jing!” “Yes! I’m coming, Bator-nim!” Jang Da-jing, who had been running around and controlling the situation, rushed over. “Is everything ready?” “Yes. The boarding is complete, starting with the lead vehicles. We are currently doing the final checks.” “Good.” Bator nodded. It wasn’t just to load more people that they had prepared trucks and trailers. It would look unnatural if only buses were moving, so they mixed various vehicles. The intention was to increase speed by increasing the types of vehicles that could be mobilized and to avoid suspicion as much as possible. Even so, they couldn’t completely avoid the public security’s crackdown, but it was better than openly shouting, ‘We’re moving.’ The problem was that the real threat to them wasn’t the public security. “We’ll depart in ten minutes. Tell the elders.” “Yes, sir!” Jang Da-jing also answered with a very tense face. The situation was a bit ridiculous, but Jang Da-jing knew how important this task was. Even if civilians were to do something like this, it would be a huge incident. But the people who were trying to leave China for Korea now were martial artists, and demons at that. Looking back in the future, this could be a historical event. ‘But why am I in the middle of it!’ Jang Da-jing hadn’t even considered this when he decided to follow Bator. Jang Da-jing wasn’t great enough to foresee such a future and decide on his actions today. He was just an ordinary citizen. But he couldn’t show weakness. Right now, others saw him as Bator’s adjutant. If he showed weakness, it would be a disgrace to Bator! “I’ll take care of it right away.” Bator smiled as if satisfied and turned his body. The direction he was heading was, of course, where Kang Jin-ho was. Bator approached Kang Jin-ho, who was watching the situation with a cigarette in his mouth, and reported. “Master, preparations are complete.” Kang Jin-ho looked around and opened his mouth. “What’s the prediction?” “If I were them, I would target us during the move. But to avoid a commotion, they might target the destination.” “Does that mean they know where we’re going?” “They might know, or they might not. But we can’t ignore their intelligence capabilities.” “I guess so.” Kang Jin-ho nodded. When the situation was ambiguous, it was better to move assuming the worst. “What’s the probability of a trap at the destination?” “More than 80 percent.” “We can assume it’s a certainty then.” “At least, that’s what I think. If you think it’s dangerous, we can change our route and go somewhere else.” “That’ll only buy us time.” The more time passed, the more disadvantageous it was for them. The number of people they could mobilize was definitely greater than theirs. To the disorganized Demonic Cult, ten thousand was an enormous number, but to them, ten thousand was just a handful. “We’ll proceed as planned.” “Indeed.” Bator smiled as if he was pleased. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And the way out always comes with blood. Nothing can be achieved without spilling blood. However… “If we really assume the worst…” “Hmm?” “Hongwang might be there.” The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up. “That’s good.” Kang Jin-ho paused for a moment and finished his sentence. “I wanted to see him once.” “Hongwang is scary.” “What about me?” Bator looked at Kang Jin-ho for a moment and nodded. “Yes, Master. You are also scary.” “Then it’s fine.” Kang Jin-ho flicked his cigarette and put it out. “Let’s go.”