Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 889

Kang Jin-ho stared silently ahead.

Everyone was fleeing. Terrified, they were clambering over and trampling their comrades, jumping into the sea, further and further out.

He had already made a promise.

He had said he wouldn’t kill those who jumped into the sea. So, were those fleeing to jump into the sea enemies he should kill, or were they people he should leave alone?

It was a matter of choice.

And at that moment, Kang Jin-ho realized something.

If it had been him in the past, when he was called the Demonic Heavenly Lord, or even when he first learned about the Assembly after returning to this world, he wouldn’t be hesitating now.

He would have used this time to rush in and bury his Red Tear into their backs. The fact that he was even contemplating this was proof that he had completely changed from his past self.

‘Hmm.’

He couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

For the human Kang Jin-ho, it was a good thing. A person taking another person’s life could not be justified for any reason. He would still be an unforgivable villain, but…

However, for the martial artist Kang Jin-ho, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

A person who fights with weapons, trying to kill another, shouldn’t be preoccupied with the thought of not wanting to take another’s life. That moment of hesitation could dull the edge of his blade, and that dulled blade could end up tightening around his own neck.

Kang Jin-ho slightly narrowed his brow.

This wasn’t a matter of choice.

Even if Kang Jin-ho decided not to, his body wouldn’t automatically respond. No matter how hard he tried to be ruthless, what he did consciously and what he did instinctively could never be the same.

‘In the end, it’s about changing.’

It was the same for anyone, not just him.

Everyone changes. They have no choice but to change. The important thing wasn’t ‘whether they change or not,’ but whether the direction of that change was ‘right.’

It was difficult to judge that at this moment.

“Krrrk.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

Bator, his eyes bloodshot, was breathing heavily. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the backs of those fleeing. He looked ready to rush in and tear them apart.

“Hmm.”

It wouldn’t be bad.

But it wouldn’t be good either.

Being swept away by demonic energy didn’t mean losing one’s memories. The moment his reason returned, he would look back on his actions and decisions. If Bator still had a human heart, he might be shocked by his own slaughter.

“Khaaaak!”

Bator charged forward. Or, he tried to charge forward. But his charge was blocked by a longsword held to his neck.

Kang Jin-ho raised Blue Tear and placed it against Bator’s neck.

Sss.

His skin was lightly cut, and blood trickled down. Bator’s gaze slowly turned to Kang Jin-ho.

His gaze was filled with hostility.

“…Get out of my way.”

Kang Jin-ho slightly frowned.

It was understandable that he was rampaging while out of his mind. But the fact that he was still trying to kill even when someone he could call a comrade was trying to stop him was proof that Bator was losing himself.

If he had lost himself, he had to be brought back.

“Get out of my way! Or I’ll tear you apart, even if you’re my master…”

Clack.

The sword spun around and pressed against Bator’s neck. Kang Jin-ho, with the flat of the blade against Bator’s neck, pulled the sword back forcefully. As the sword, imbued with the power of absorption, was pulled, Bator’s massive body momentarily staggered and was pulled towards Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho placed his hand on Bator’s head. Then, he began to absorb the demonic energy that filled his head.

“Ugh, ugh!”

He tried to resist. But Bator’s body was as stiff as a stone and wouldn’t move. Even with his divine power, he couldn’t resist.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

Bator breathed heavily.

“Get a hold of yourself.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s cold voice, Bator’s head lifted. His eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.

“Can’t you hear me?”

“Y-yes, I understand. I understand… I understand.”

Bator’s fingertips trembled.

‘What have I done?’

He was insane.

That was the only explanation. Although he was a martial artist, he was still a righteous person. He didn’t take human lives lightly. He didn’t hesitate to kill those who deserved to die, but the people he had just killed were not enemies who deserved to die.

He had chased after those who were fleeing and tried to tear them apart. That was something Bator would never do under normal circumstances.

But that wasn’t why Bator was so shocked.

‘I was subdued?’

In an instant?

Even though Bator had lost his reason, his power hadn’t diminished. In fact, his power was even stronger than usual. Demonic energy had strengthened his body and amplified his inner energy. Compared to the Bator of the past, his output was at least twice as strong.

Yet, he had been subdued in one move.

It wasn’t unexpected. All of his attention had been focused on Kang Jin-ho. But even though he was watching, he couldn’t stop Kang Jin-ho from subduing him.

It was as if a toddler had been subdued by an adult, completely helpless. The shock had left Bator speechless.

‘How is this possible?’

He knew Kang Jin-ho was strong. And he knew that he had become much stronger than when they had last fought. But wasn’t this too much?

How long had it been since Kang Jin-ho had faced him? It hadn’t even been a few months. How could the gap between two people who were once relatively equal widen so much in just a few months?

“Bator.”

“This is a battlefield.”

“…Ah!”

Bator bit his lip.

Kang Jin-ho was right. This was a battlefield. He could think about these things later.

As long as he was on the battlefield, he had to focus on the fight.

‘Mistakes can happen. But if you keep making mistakes, it’s not a mistake anymore.’

It seemed his mind had become lax.

Bator regained his composure and turned his head. If there were onlookers, they would think the battle was almost over. But both Bator and Kang Jin-ho knew.

The real fight was just beginning.

Their true power had yet to be revealed.

“…Impressive.”

And that power was now approaching.

Nakada Yuji approached them with a grim expression. A group of people followed behind Nakada Yuji.

The scene looked somewhat relaxed.

But that was only natural. This was on a ship. A ship floating on the vast ocean.

There was nowhere to run.

So, there was no need to rush.

Nakada Yuji pursed his lips.

Yes, there was no escape here. Normally, in a fight between thousands and four, the side that couldn’t escape would be the thousands. But Nakada Yuji felt like he was trapped in a giant cage.

Ironically.

‘Okay, let’s admit it.’

It was absurd, but… looking at it calmly, they were at a disadvantage.

They were a swarm of rats. And now, they had to bite the necks of those monsters to survive.

“Kang Jin-ho…”

Nakada Yuji’s mouth formed Kang Jin-ho’s name.

Then, he met Kang Jin-ho’s gaze.

Flint.

Nakada Yuji’s body trembled.

The moment he met Kang Jin-ho’s sunken eyes, he felt an indescribable shock.

Nakada Yuji had seen countless powerful individuals. Among those he had faced in Japan, there were only a handful he could handle. Most of them were stronger than him. And all of them were more ruthless than him.

But Kang Jin-ho was a being that surpassed those standards. Compared to Kang Jin-ho, the names of all those he had faced before seemed insignificant.

“First… I think I need to apologize.”

This was a sincere statement.

He had underestimated Kang Jin-ho. No matter how strong Kang Jin-ho was, even if he was the Kang Jin-ho who had been shaking the martial world recently, he thought that he would be crushed by numbers in a place where so much power had gathered.

That’s why he thought it was reckless.

He thought it was foolish.

But he was wrong. It wasn’t Kang Jin-ho who was reckless, but them, and it wasn’t Kang Jin-ho who was foolish, but Nakada Yuji himself.

‘This was a mission that could never succeed.’

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. But they didn’t know Kang Jin-ho. A mission organized without understanding the enemy’s power could never succeed.

If the ship had entered Korea, everyone here would have died. They might have achieved some victories in places where Kang Jin-ho wasn’t present, as they were fighting the Assembly and Kang Jin-ho at the same time, but those were just local victories. If the same thing happened repeatedly, where everyone died in the presence of Kang Jin-ho and Bator, the mission would lose its power.

All that would be left was dying in a foreign land.

But…

‘An opportunity has arisen.’

It was the worst situation, but they had created an opportunity.

Kang Jin-ho was incredibly cruel. But in Nakada Yuji’s eyes, Kang Jin-ho was not just a cruel person. The reason he had jumped in here was too clear.

Kang Jin-ho must have known that the moment they stepped onto Korean soil, the Assembly would be forced to make unavoidable sacrifices. That’s why he had come to finish things before they entered Korea.

Yes, Kang Jin-ho had the right to do that. He had the power to do it.

But thanks to that, an opportunity had arisen.

No matter how strong Kang Jin-ho was, and no matter how strong Bator was, it couldn’t be more difficult to fight them than to fight them alongside the Assembly.

In other words, now was the best and only chance to kill Kang Jin-ho. If Kang Jin-ho had faced them with the Assembly in Korea, their blades wouldn’t even have had a chance to touch Kang Jin-ho’s neck.

“You are…”

Nakada Yuji bit his lip and said,

“You are too strong. And you are too amazing. I have never seen a being like you before.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly stared at Nakada Yuji.

“But!”

A bloodcurdling cry burst from Nakada Yuji’s throat.

“That’s why you will die here. If you were just a little weaker, you wouldn’t have dared to come here. Your strength! Your strength will kill you. I will make it happen. I will!”

At Nakada Yuji’s cry, Kang Jin-ho raised his head.

“Kill me?”

A smile bloomed on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

Bator unconsciously took a step back. When Kang Jin-ho smiled like that, someone was bound to die. He knew that fact all too well now.

“I’ve heard that a lot. But I haven’t heard it lately. Do you know why?”

“Because they’re all dead. The ones who said that to me.”

Nakada Yuji’s face turned pale.

“What about you? Aren’t you curious?”

Kang Jin-ho, with Red Tear and Blue Tear hanging down, slowly walked towards Nakada Yuji.

Scrape, scrape, scrape.

The sound of the swords dragging on the floor echoed eerily.