Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 897

He felt like he had become a demon himself.

He felt like he had become an irredeemable piece of trash. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel self-loathing. But his hatred for Kang Jin-ho was greater than that self-loathing.

That’s why he had come this far.

But…

Kim Seok-il was on a different level.

This guy was a different kind of devil than Kang Jin-ho. A true demon who wouldn’t hesitate to drag thousands of humans into hell to achieve his own goals.

That was Kim Seok-il.

It was a fact he already knew. Kim Seok-il was originally that kind of guy. Back when he was the head of the Yeongnam Assembly [a regional political faction], the inhumane things Kim Seok-il had done were countless.

Things that were not known to ordinary martial artists.

How many things were there that we had to hide because we couldn’t bring ourselves to say that our enemy was such a demonic being?

Lee Sung-hwi knew.

He was Lee Jung-gul’s disciple.

Lee Jung-gul, whom even the elders didn’t trust, often confided secret facts only to Lee Sung-hwi and Lee Hyun-joo.

He had forgotten.

Kim Seok-il, whose limbs had necrotized and fallen off. He thought that no matter how demonic he was, there would be limits to what he could do in that state.

But now, Lee Sung-hwi realized.

Demonic nature doesn’t come from the body. It comes from the mind. Even if Kim Seok-il’s body were completely destroyed and only his head remained, Kim Seok-il’s demonic nature would not dull in the slightest.

Rather, it would become sharper. Just like now.

“…Was this your plan from the beginning?”

“You know Kang Jin-ho.”

Kim Seok-il lightly exhaled smoke.

Then he slowly took another drag of his cigarette. The end of the cigarette glowed red. Bright red.

“That guy can’t be killed by ordinary means. Especially these moronic Japanese bastards, they can never kill him. These idiots who still think they are superior, they’re going to kill Kang Jin-ho? If Kang Jin-ho was that easy to kill, we wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.”

“Morons, morons… Yeah, they’re a bunch of morons. Morons. Did you see? Nakata Yuji, did you see that stupid bastard’s face? That moron who acts like he’s above everyone else? Hahahaha! He’s a moron. Yeah, he’s a moron. The easiest guys to manipulate are those kinds of guys. Just give them a little hot air and they’ll go wild on their own.”

Kim Seok-il’s cigarette flew out of his mouth. Seeing Kim Seok-il ranting with spittle flying, he was convinced.

This guy was insane.

He had been insane for a long time.

“Those kinds of guys are going to catch Kang Jin-ho? Those morons are going to catch Kang Jin-ho, who even I couldn’t lay a finger on? Hahahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I was turning red trying to hold back my laughter… It’s a good thing I don’t have arms and legs. I couldn’t have thrashed around. Hahahaha!”

Lee Sung-hwi took a step back without realizing it.

He was overwhelmed.

Lee Sung-hwi gritted his teeth.

If he wanted to, it wouldn’t be difficult to kill Kim Seok-il. He could put a hole in Kim Seok-il’s neck with just a flick of his finger. But at this moment, Lee Sung-hwi was completely overwhelmed by Kim Seok-il.

Look at that madness.

Who could remain sane in the face of such intense madness? Even Lee Sung-hwi felt like he was going insane.

“Ooh… Ooh…”

Kim Seok-il took a deep breath.

“Was I a little too excited?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die soon anyway, so what does it matter if you’re excited or not.”

Kim Seok-il stared at Lee Sung-hwi.

“It might be a good thing you came. It’s a little lonely to die alone. I thought it would be nice to have someone watch me at the end. I don’t really like that it’s you… No, maybe it’s better that way. You’re the only one in this world who can understand me.”

“That’s the worst compliment, it makes me feel really dirty.”

“Is that so? Hehehehehe.”

Kim Seok-il said with a low laugh.

“Even trash has its uses. These pieces of trash will be the detonator. Maybe ‘fuse’ is a more appropriate term.”

“If they go to Korea and get wiped out fighting, then there’s something to be said for it. But if they all die without even setting foot on Korean soil, then Shin’nichikai [a fictional Japanese organization] will naturally be held responsible. Shin’nichikai will have no choice but to attack Korea with all their might to avoid losing their position. To do that…”

Kim Seok-il shrugged his shoulders.

That natural movement was rather eerie. That movement as if nothing was wrong.

“They all have to die.”

“…Everyone here?”

“You know Kang Jin-ho well.”

Lee Sung-hwi didn’t answer. Did he know him?

Did he really know Kang Jin-ho well?

He couldn’t answer.

He thought he knew him well. But now that certainty had disappeared. He only knew Kang Jin-ho’s actions.

‘But how can I be sure?’

Didn’t he know through Kim Seok-il? He also knew Kim Seok-il’s actions. But he never thought that Kim Seok-il would do such a crazy thing.

No matter how well you think you know someone, you can’t predict them. He felt that deeply now.

“That guy is ruthless. But on the other hand, he’s also a bit of a softie. He doesn’t show even a shred of mercy to those he deems his enemies. But, you see…”

Kim Seok-il gestured with his chin towards the wall.

More precisely, he was pointing to the sea beyond the wall.

“Are these guys Kang Jin-ho’s enemies?”

“No, they won’t be. Kang Jin-ho doesn’t even recognize such small fries as his enemies. He always targets the top dogs. He knows that if you take out the head, the rest of the body is meaningless. So, here’s the question. What will Kang Jin-ho do after removing all the heads?”

Lee Sung-hwi could now guess the answer.

When the situation narrows down, it’s possible to predict.

“He’ll just go back.”

“Bingo!”

Kim Seok-il vigorously waved his remaining arm. As if he was clapping. That sight looked more than grotesque.

“He’ll go back. That guy will just go back. Then the next step is obvious. The guys who jump into the sea and survive will come back on the ship. They’ll turn the ship towards Japan. And then they’ll report. Kang Jin-ho did this and that and killed all the top dogs. So they came back. What do you think will happen then?”

“A failed war won’t be fought again. They’ll start dragging their feet under the pretext of reorganizing their forces, under the pretext of making a more perfect plan. Then that’s the end of it. Kang Jin-ho will get stronger in that time, and eventually they’ll miss the last chance to kill Kang Jin-ho even through an all-out war.”

“Won’t the Hongwang Clan [a fictional martial arts clan] stay still?”

“The Hongwang Clan? Those morons? They can’t even handle the Changwang Clan [another fictional martial arts clan], so they can’t even touch Kang Jin-ho, and they’re going to come to Japan for an expedition? Hey, Lee Sung-hwi. Your head is there to think. It seems like you’re using it for other purposes.”

Lee Sung-hwi gritted his teeth.

But he couldn’t deny that everything Kim Seok-il said was correct.

“Then that’s the end of everything. I’m saving this East Asia right now. If that happens, what do you think will happen in the end? At some point, neither Japan nor China will be able to handle Kang Jin-ho. Then this region will be conquered by Kang Jin-ho. No one would want that.”

Kim Seok-il grinned, baring his teeth.

“Isn’t it a cheap price to pay with just a thousand lives to prevent that?”

“There’s one thing for sure.”

Lee Sung-hwi spat out the words.

“You’re insane.”

“Hahahahahahaha! What are you talking about? Do you think I could have endured without going insane? Do you think I could fight Kang Jin-ho with a sane mind? Lee Sung-hwi, Lee Sung-hwi! Lee Sung-hwi!”

Kim Seok-il, who had shouted so loudly that his body trembled, collapsed on the floor.

Kim Seok-il had even abandoned his wheelchair and crawled to get to the lowest part of the ship. That terrifying obsession made Lee Sung-hwi shudder.

“…You can’t do anything that way.”

“To kill a demon, you have to become a demon. Lee Sung-hwi, you have to realize it now. Kang Jin-ho is not human. You must not be deceived by his appearance. Don’t you understand?”

Kim Seok-il said, as if sobbing.

“The reason humans can be human is because they die. The fear of death completes humans. Humans live knowing that death is inevitable, even while struggling to avoid it. That’s what humans are. But…”

Kim Seok-il was going more and more insane.

Dozens of emotions appeared on his face at the same time.

Fear, anger, joy, disgust.

His face was changing colors in real time.

There was nothing to say but that he was insane.

“That guy has no fear of death.”

“Think back. That guy has always pushed himself to the brink of death. I was convinced after seeing him fight Hongwang this time. If he was a normal person, he would never do such a thing. He protects those around him? That’s a joke. If he really wanted to protect those around him, he should have run away. He didn’t need to risk his life there because of those useless Demonic Cult guys. That guy just doesn’t have a fear of death…”

Kim Seok-il coughed a few times and spat out phlegm. His face was turning blue.

He was dying.

Lee Sung-hwi could tell. Kim Seok-il was dying now. When he thought about it, it was obvious. His body was completely broken. It wasn’t just that his arms and legs were cut off. Kang Jin-ho had completely destroyed even the remaining parts of his body.

It was a miracle that he had lived this long.

If Kim Seok-il thought that he had now achieved everything, it was not strange that he was dying. The last thread had been cut.

“…To kill that guy, you have to do everything you can. Remember, Lee Sung-hwi. I don’t know what path you will choose. But you must survive and watch. How my arrangements kill Kang Jin-ho. You must be the only one!”

Lee Sung-hwi bit his lip.

He was insane.

This guy was really insane.

But…

But at this moment, he couldn’t bring himself to curse Kim Seok-il. This terrible hatred that even threw away his own life. He knew well how much that hatred was burning him up.

The direction might not be right, but at this moment, Kim Seok-il’s will was so firm that no one could ignore it.

“Now go.”

“I won’t stop you if you want to die with me. But I’d rather not go to the underworld holding hands with you. It’s disgusting.”

“I had no intention of doing that.”

Lee Sung-hwi turned his body.

Lee Sung-hwi, who was walking out resolutely, stopped.

Then he hesitated for a moment.

But Lee Sung-hwi continued walking without saying anything else.

There was nothing to say to Kim Seok-il.

He just had to watch.

What he had left behind.

What his hatred would achieve.