Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 840

“There aren’t any major movements.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. There are no external activities. And they don’t seem to be trying to stop our dispatched informants. There’s no sign of heightened security or any movement to restrict entry.”

“None?”

“Yes. That’s what I’ve confirmed.”

“Did you check properly?”

Chai Ke-chang slightly frowned.

“Over 80 new informants we sent to Korea have successfully entered without any issues. If we exclude those who entered illegally, about 40 people went through the airport into Korea.”

“…This is a headache.”

Chai Ke-chang scratched his head vigorously.

‘These guys are so unpredictable.’

Neither Lee Hyun-soo nor Kang Jin-ho are fools. They must be aware that this situation is another war. Just because they’ve made an agreement doesn’t mean they can completely trust the other side. Humans can’t live without suspicion.

From the moment the agreement was made, the war entered its second phase.

Now, it wasn’t a war fought with swords and fists, but a war fought with information and schemes.

But….

“You’re saying there’s no countermeasure?”

What kind of absurd nonsense was this?

‘No, no, they can’t be that foolish, surely.’

Chai Ke-chang felt his stress levels rising rapidly.

Objectively speaking, the Assembly was not their enemy yet. While their capabilities and potential were highly regarded, the Hong King faction still overwhelmed the Assembly with their current power.

The enemy they needed to focus on the most was, without a doubt, the Chang King faction.

The Chang King was a threatening enemy, and his schemes were not to be taken lightly. Therefore, this was the time to focus entirely on the Chang King faction. Wasn’t that why they made the agreement?

‘Who doesn’t know that!’

One thing was certain.

While the Chang King faction was the most threatening enemy, the Assembly was the most annoying one.

Even the Chang King faction, which was much stronger, didn’t bother Chai Ke-chang this much. Now, they were even bothering him by doing nothing.

“What the hell is Kang Jin-ho doing?”

“Yes. According to the information we’ve received…”

“He recovered from his injuries, went in and out of his house for a while, met his friends…”

“After that, he stayed at the orphanage he owns for a while, then took the children from the orphanage to the aquarium…”

“Aquarium?”

“…Yes.”

“Why are you reporting that, you bastard!”

“There was an accident. The aquarium broke, and a major disaster was about to happen, but Kang Jin-ho stopped it.”

Chai Ke-chang was speechless and hesitated. Taking advantage of the pause, the report continued.

“And then he went back to the Assembly. He’s going to work at the Assembly.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t understand.

Chai Ke-chang couldn’t understand Kang Jin-ho and the Assembly at all.

‘These guys, do they really think we’re allies or something?’

No, surely not.

Even the dumbest person wouldn’t live so carelessly. And from what he had seen, these guys were definitely not dumb. If he let his guard down even a little, they were the type to put a dagger to Chai Ke-chang’s chin.

“Is this the ‘Great Way’ [a philosophical concept emphasizing natural order and harmony]?”

Chai Ke-chang clicked his tongue.

He could roughly guess what they were thinking. In the end, what they needed to do was strengthen their power. And now, they had the available manpower in their hands.

There was no need to worry about the outside. They just needed to control the inside and focus on training to increase their power.

‘Such a naive thing to do.’

Chai Ke-chang jumped up from his seat.

“Alright.”

“Yes.”

Chai Ke-chang walked out of the room roughly.

‘Who doesn’t know that?’

Strengthening power wasn’t something that could be done easily. It was the same no matter how great one’s abilities were. Raising people required one more element.

Time.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho had bought two years. But those two years were far too short to strengthen internal power.

‘And I have no intention of waiting for that time to pass.’

They had underestimated Chai Ke-chang too much.

Did they think he would be satisfied with the small gains he had made?

No way.

Chai Ke-chang was going to move.

He would move and move again to crush the Assembly.

No matter what others did, he just needed to do his job well. Yes, that was the right thing to do. But the world didn’t work according to the right thing.

The talented ones thought that everyone else lived without thinking. But inside, everyone had their own thoughts and experiences.

‘The results will prove who was right.’

They would only realize after a thorough failure how wrong their choices were.

To do that….

Chai Ke-chang, who had entered the long hallway, checked his attire. After neatly adjusting his clothes, Chai Ke-chang took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. Standing in front of a huge door, Chai Ke-chang quietly knelt down.

“Hong King, this is Chai Ke-chang.”

The door opened silently.

Chai Ke-chang entered on his knees.

The Hong King, who was sitting on the throne, sighed as he looked at Chai Ke-chang.

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“Yes, Hong King! This humble being greets the Hong King.”

“I told you to walk in.”

“…How could I dare?”

“Get rid of the formalities. This isn’t that kind of world anymore.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Chai Ke-chang quietly put his head to the floor. No matter what the Hong King said, his respect would not disappear. And that respect had to be expressed physically.

People couldn’t know each other’s hearts. They could only guess through expression.

Wasn’t that the proper etiquette?

‘He’s changed.’

The Hong King was definitely different from before.

If it were the old Hong King, he wouldn’t have told Chai Ke-chang to skip the formalities, no matter how much he trusted him. But the current Hong King was trying to eliminate the superficial. It was proof that he had become more pragmatic.

Whether this was a good change or not, what was certain was that the Hong King was changing.

“What is it?”

“I have a report.”

Chai Ke-chang told the Hong King everything he had heard. He mixed in his own opinions and left out some unimportant details, but he tried to convey what he had heard as accurately as possible.

What a strategist should be most wary of was trying to judge his superior with his own mind.

If he only told what he wanted to tell and tried to explain and convince, it would surely end in disaster. He was an aide. Not the decision-maker.

“That’s like him.”

The Hong King smiled faintly.

“Hong King, we need to provide more support to the Japanese.”

“The Japanese?”

“Yes. Just as they aimed a knife at our backs, Japan can aim a knife at their backs. Please grant your approval.”

“Approval… You’re saying something unlike you.”

The Hong King laughed lightly.

The aura emanating from his body subtly pressed down on Chai Ke-chang.

“Very well. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you for your grace, Hong King.”

A simple permission.

Chai Ke-chang’s hand tightened slightly.

He was confident that he would eventually get permission, but he didn’t expect it to be this easy.

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“Yes!”

Chai Ke-chang raised his head at the sound of his name.

“You can do as you wish. You are qualified to do so.”

“That is too kind of you.”

“But there is one thing you must not forget.”

Chai Ke-chang quietly waited for the Hong King’s words. Chai Ke-chang was ready to accept any words from the Hong King as if they were golden rules.

“We are martial artists. No matter what schemes you have, they cannot overcome power in the end. Your plan is not wrong. But as martial artists, their attitude is the right one.”

“One…”

Chai Ke-chang hurriedly closed his mouth.

One? How dare he say such a thing in front of the Hong King?

‘This crazy bastard!’

While his mind was talking about respect and whatnot, how dare he say such a thing?

“I know you don’t understand.”

“N-No, that’s not true, Hong King!”

“There’s no need to. I’ll make you understand.”

The Hong King raised one hand.

Chai Ke-chang fixed his gaze on the Hong King’s hand.

Whoooom.

A huge mass of light emitted from the Hong King’s right hand filled the room. But that was only for a moment. The mass of light, which seemed as if it would break through the ceiling at any moment, instantly condensed and gathered into the Hong King’s hand.

‘Ah….’

A small bead.

It was a Palm Ring [a manifestation of martial arts mastery].

A Palm Ring was being created in the Hong King’s hand. And not just one. Half a dozen Palm Rings floated around the Hong King’s body.

Chai Ke-chang slammed his head on the floor with emotion.

“I congratulate you on achieving great success!”

“It’s not something to call great success. It’s just a trick.”

The Hong King smiled lightly and absorbed the Palm Rings again.

“But it is true that there has been progress. Thanks to that, I have realized one thing.”

“…What is it?”

“We have endured for too long.”

The Hong King shook his head slightly.

“The time that I and the other kings, the three kings, have acknowledged and been wary of each other has been too long. Even though we could have become each other’s opponents and grown together, we were too afraid.”

“Hong King, how can you…”

“The truth is the truth. As a result of cowering in fear of defeat, we haven’t properly crossed hands for decades. We only looked for ways to defeat each other through training. And this is the result. We have stagnated.”

Even though he was talking about his own mistakes, the Hong King’s voice was full of confidence. Seeing that attitude, Chai Ke-chang was certain. This wasn’t a reflection on failure. It was a reflection with the confidence to move forward.

“The Demon King broke through that stagnation. That battle left a deep wound on me, but it also gave me unparalleled progress. So how can I not call it a blessing?”

Chai Ke-chang’s heart was filled with emotion.

It meant that the Hong King had broken through another wall through his battle with Kang Jin-ho. If so, the Hong King would become even stronger from now on.

The Hong King, who already had god-like power, was going to become even stronger?

‘The three kings will soon be no match for the Hong King.’

Thinking that, his mind cleared. The things he could do increased countless times, and the strategies he could use increased tremendously.

In the end, he had no choice but to understand that strengthening his skills was the priority.

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“Yes, Hong King.”

“Do what you want. It’s okay to fail. Don’t forget that I am behind you.”

“I will keep that in mind!”

Watching Chai Ke-chang leave the hall with an emotional face, the Hong King smiled lightly.

How much did he understand?

It was good for him to not know too much right now. It would only add to the burden.

‘It’s not just me.’

Just as he had opened a new path through battle, Kang Jin-ho was also becoming stronger now. If he, who was already worthy of the name Demon King, became even stronger, what should he be called?

“I will be the one standing at the end, Kang Jin-ho.”

So it was good to enjoy it a little now.

Before the end comes to you.

The Hong King’s low laughter slowly echoed.