Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 764

A strange face stared back from the mirror.

His neatly combed hair was now disheveled and messy, and the chin, once always cleanly shaven, was covered in overgrown stubble.

The shadows under his eyes were dark, and his skin looked rough.

It was an unfamiliar sight.

‘Damn it.’

Chai Ke-chang splashed water from the faucet onto his face. There was no time for a proper grooming session now, but he at least needed to look presentable. After washing his face, he swept his wet bangs back with his hand.

‘Lee Hyun-soo.’

The three syllables of Lee Hyun-soo’s name surfaced in his mind.

Then, naturally, a torrent of curses followed. Just thinking of Lee Hyun-soo’s name now made curses spill from his mouth.

“Hoo…”

Chai Ke-chang roughly rubbed his eyes.

“He’s really making a mess of things.”

As the so-called ‘brain’ of the Hong Wang faction, he had negotiated and coordinated with countless people. Among those he had dealt with were the leaders of the Chang Wang and Black Wang factions.

But he could confidently say that no one had ever exhausted him as much as this.

Lee Hyun-soo was like a hunting dog.

If the people he had dealt with so far were like foxes or stray dogs, Lee Hyun-soo acted like a thoroughly trained hunting dog. If the opponent showed a weakness, he would tenaciously latch onto it.

He didn’t have the intention to defeat his opponent and make them his feast for the day. He just leisurely poked at them, as if they would eventually collapse from excessive bleeding if he just dragged out the time.

If he were an ally, he would have praised him. He would have applauded and tried to nurture him as a successor. But the fact that he was in the Assembly was what was exhausting Chai Ke-chang.

‘The Assembly, it’s always the Assembly.’

He had never thought that the Assembly would be an obstacle. For him, the burden was Kang Jin-ho, not the Assembly. The Assembly was like sand filling the frame of Kang Jin-ho. It looked tall and massive, but if there was a hole in the frame, the sand would quickly leak out.

But the sandcastle he experienced was more solid than he had imagined.

‘I don’t know.’

He didn’t know if the Assembly originally had this much potential, or if Kang Jin-ho had grown the Assembly this much in such a short time.

If it was the latter, it was a terrible thing.

After drying himself and tidying his clothes, Chai Ke-chang let out a deep sigh and left the bathroom. Then, he walked down the red-painted hallway and stood in front of a massive door.

“Hoo.”

After taking a deep breath, Chai Ke-chang spoke in a heavy voice.

“It’s Chai Ke-chang.”

The door opened.

Chai Ke-chang entered on his knees. Reaching the stairs inside the vast space, he bowed his head to the ground and spoke.

“I have come to report, Your Majesty Hong Wang.”

On the throne above the high stairs.

Hong Wang sat on the throne with a languid expression. Hong Wang, who had been watching Chai Ke-chang with his head bowed, opened his mouth in a booming voice.

“Speak.”

“Yes. Negotiations with the Assembly are progressing. They are asking for a lot, which is taking time, but the negotiations will be concluded soon.”

“Asking for a lot?”

“They want more.”

“…Is that so?”

Hong Wang tilted his head silently.

Silence.

A heavy silence pressed down on Chai Ke-chang’s shoulders. Chai Ke-chang bit his lip.

If there had been a mistake, if he had done something wrong and the negotiations were progressing so slowly, his heart would have been much lighter. He could just ask for forgiveness for that mistake.

But he had done nothing wrong. Yet, the reason the negotiations were dragging on was because of the situation the Hong Wang faction was in. That fact made Chai Ke-chang’s heart ache.

A changed status.

They hadn’t changed much, but their status was not the same as before. If they had negotiated with the Assembly just a month ago, they could have grabbed them by the neck and shaken them as they pleased.

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“Yes, Your Majesty Hong Wang.”

“Do not bow your head.”

Chai Ke-chang’s head shot up.

Hong Wang was looking at him with unwavering eyes.

“It is not your fault. No, even if it were your fault, nothing would change. Do not bow your head. You are my head. If the head bows, the body will naturally follow. Do you want to make me a loser?”

Chai Ke-chang clenched his fist tightly.

“How could I dare do such a thing!”

“Then raise your head.”

“Yes!”

Chai Ke-chang raised his head proudly.

Hong Wang smiled as if satisfied with the sight.

“I have burdened you because I am weak.”

“Your Majesty Hong Wang, please do not say such things. It is because of the wicked Chang Wang’s group that is acting up. How could it be Your Majesty’s fault? It is my fault for not predicting the opponent’s movements.”

“It wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t weak.”

Hong Wang’s voice was unwavering.

“But that doesn’t mean you should bow your head. Defeat comes at any time. Han Gaozu [Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder of the Han dynasty] was defeated, defeated, and defeated again. But he won in the end, so he could become emperor. If he had given up his dream after one defeat, he would have been remembered in history as a loser.”

“That is correct.”

“It will be difficult and humiliating. But even that is the path we must walk. Do not frown as you walk through the thorny path. Even if you are cut and stabbed and blood flows, grit your teeth and endure it.”

“Yes!”

“Rewards are not given. They are to be seized. You must not forget this humiliation. Someday, you can repay those who inflicted this humiliation a thousand, ten thousand times over.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

Hong Wang nodded and continued.

“So, the negotiations themselves are progressing.”

“Yes. They have also agreed to a truce. However, they are demanding excessive wealth.”

“Give it to them.”

“…Yes?”

“We are not short of money, so if they demand something, just give it to them.”

“But, Your Majesty Hong Wang.”

Chai Ke-chang swallowed hard. It was always a burden to oppose Hong Wang’s opinion.

Especially after this incident with Kang Jin-ho, it had become even more burdensome.

“It’s not that I’m afraid our wealth will diminish. I’m afraid that their power will become stronger. If they gain power because of the wealth we easily give them…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Chai Ke-chang glanced up at Hong Wang’s expression.

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“Yes.”

“To drag out time, exhaust our energy, and on top of that, hand over wealth, that is the worst path. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“Do you have a brilliant plan to prevent us from falling into such a situation?”

“…Not a brilliant plan, but if I am given a little more time, I can reduce the damage.”

“It is more important to me that your energy is not harmed than that petty sum of money. Do not judge your worth as you please. You are more important to me than you think. Just give them what they want in those negotiations. And then, reorganize yourself and lead me. That is your role.”

Chai Ke-chang bit his lip slightly.

He had made many mistakes.

If he had seized just one of the many opportunities he had been given before this situation, he wouldn’t have been cornered like this.

Even if he was called incompetent, he had no excuse. If Hong Wang had tried to punish him for this and cut off his head, he would have gladly offered his cleanly washed neck.

But instead, Hong Wang was showing him trust.

How could he not follow, how could he not?

“I will do as you say, Your Majesty Hong Wang.”

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“Yes!”

“Kang Jin-ho and the Assembly are getting stronger.”

“Do not try to stop an unstoppable flow. A dam built in the middle of a river will eventually collapse. You may be able to stop it for a while, but in the end, it will only make the current more violent.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Stopping the opponent from getting stronger is not always the best solution. The right solution is for us to become stronger. If we maintain the gap, the opponent’s growth will be nothing.”

Chai Ke-chang nodded.

Just like Kang Jin-ho, they still had a way to become stronger. They needed to cut and divide their bloated body and reform.

“If I hadn’t been injured, those wicked bastards wouldn’t have been able to act up like this. Endure it for now. Bow your head and take the rain with your whole body. You have to endure it by chewing on the mud and filth. The time will come when you will be compensated for all that humiliation.”

“…I will not forget this humiliation.”

Hong Wang didn’t say anything more. Then, Chai Ke-chang bowed his head deeply and left the great hall on his knees.

Left alone, Hong Wang raised his hand and pressed his stomach. A dull pain was felt, and his brow furrowed. The wound had not yet healed.

‘Kang Jin-ho.’

Thinking of Kang Jin-ho made the wound throb again.

The face of him laughing like a demon and wielding his sword.

The sticky, ominous demonic energy that covered his whole body.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that image, and every time he slept, he was tormented by nightmares.

Every time, Hong Wang engraved anger and hatred deep into his bones.

“…Kang Jin-ho.”

The wound Kang Jin-ho had left on his body was greater than he had thought. The physical wound was not everything. Kang Jin-ho’s demonic energy had shaken Hong Wang’s entire body.

Moreover, the price of using all of his innate energy was too great. The demonic energy had ravaged his weakened body. If it had been his original self, he would have recovered from the wound in a week, but there was no sign of recovery.

It would take at least a few months to return to his perfect state.

The reason for rushing the negotiations was because of that.

His body was not normal, and in that gap, the Chang Wang faction had begun to act up. Even if his body was perfect, he wanted to avoid fighting surrounded by enemies on all sides, but if his body was not perfect, there was no room for hesitation.

Crack.

Hong Wang gritted his teeth.

Humiliation.

It was the ultimate humiliation.

The words he had said to Chai Ke-chang were not to comfort him. They were words to reassure himself. If he couldn’t control his anger and acted rashly,

the future he would face was too obvious. For now, he had no choice but to endure and persevere.

‘But I can’t end it like this.’

Hong Wang’s eyes gleamed.

A dagger should be aimed at the back, not the belly. The role of a dagger is to stab the back when the opponent is most at ease. Hong Wang knew very well what he had to do now.

“You won this time. But that victory will not last long.”

The wounded lion buried his body deep in the throne.

The moment he rises from this throne, the world will change once again. Now, peace is over.

The balance of power created by the three kings was broken by the appearance of Kang Jin-ho. Now, they would no longer be able to maintain peace, and the world would once again be engulfed in war.

No one knew how far the damage of that war would reach.