Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 958

Infiltration (1)

“How are you holding up?”

Night Levo smiled as he looked at the Master inside the bars.

In just a few days, the Master’s face had become terribly gaunt. There had been no torture or harassment. Yet, his appearance suggested that his inner turmoil was profound.

“I should be the one asking that, shouldn’t I?”

However, unlike his gaunt face, the Master’s voice remained calm and composed.

“You’re asking me, Master?”

“Indeed.”

“That’s strange. Master, you’ve lost everything, so it’s understandable that you’re in anguish, but I’m gaining everything, aren’t I? So why would you ask me such a thing?”

“Then why are you here?”

Night Levo fell silent.

“To gloat over the defeated? No, that’s not it. Even if you have a bad personality, you’re not someone who can’t distinguish the time and place. You must be very busy right now. There’s no reason for you to take the time to come here. You could have done it after you took the Master’s seat.”

Night Levo couldn’t refute that.

“Yet, you’re here, which means you’re feeling insecure.”

“I am not insecure.”

“Your face says otherwise.”

The Master chuckled.

“It’s easier to admit it. That’s how people are. They’re full of confidence before they start something, but when things actually happen, they get scared.”

“I am not a coward.”

“You misunderstand.”

The Master shook his head.

“I’m not criticizing you. I’m saying that’s how people are. I’m the same. I’ve tried hard to act like I’m not wavering. But if you take off the mask, my expression would probably be a sight to see.”

Night Levo raised his hand and touched his mask.

The cold sensation of metal touched his fingertips.

Usually, when he touched his mask, he could feel his excitement calm down. But not now. The mask couldn’t calm his heart.

“It was ironic.”

The Master chuckled.

“The mask symbolizes the Round Table. It’s the biggest proof that individuals don’t exist, only the system does. But conversely, that mask is the biggest proof that humans and the Round Table are imperfect.”

“You’re talking as if you’ve realized something. Now that you’ve lost power and strength, do you see something new?”

“It’s not because I lost it.”

The Master quietly shook his head.

“It’s not because I lost it. It’s because I experienced it. Even if I had subdued you and remained in the Master’s seat, I would have had the same thoughts.”

Night Levo quietly stared at the Master.

“Anyway, that’s fine. I don’t want to deny it. I also agree that the Round Table’s system is flawed.”

“Though our directions are different.”

Night Levo didn’t respond any further.

“…Rest well.”

“Hey.”

Night Levo turned to leave, then stopped.

“Is the preparation going well?”

“…Preparation?”

“The preparation for those who will come looking for you.”

The face under the mask contorted.

“I don’t know what delusions you’re having, but that will not happen.”

“Delusions?”

Night Levo turned sharply.

“What could they possibly gain by coming to Europe? You don’t think they’re coming to save you, do you? Wake up. The Master’s value comes from their position. You, who have been pushed out of the Master’s seat, are just a worthless old man.”

“Perhaps.”

The Master chuckled.

“But remember this. The world doesn’t always work according to common sense. Sometimes, absurd things happen, and those absurd things change history.”

“I’m sorry, but my time learning from you is over. I have nothing more to learn from you.”

Night Levo stared at the Master with cold eyes.

“Your comfortable rest won’t last much longer. Perhaps this time is the last bit of leisure you’ll have in your life. I hope you enjoy it to the fullest.”

Night Levo strode away from the prison.

“Hey, Levo.”

Night Levo didn’t turn around. The Master’s voice reached him from behind.

“You should study about demons. Otherwise, you might have your soul ripped out.”

‘Crazy old man.’

Night Levo grimaced as he climbed the stairs.

A little anger, and a little disappointment. That was all he was feeling now.

The Master, who used to be so cool-headed and rational, was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was an old man spouting nonsense.

Night Levo was annoyed at the thought that he had served such a person until now.

Night Levo opened the massive iron door and stepped outside. He snapped at the attendant guarding him.

“Is the surveillance of those entering the country being done properly?”

“Yes, Night! We are monitoring them thoroughly.”

Night Levo’s eyes narrowed.

“Can you take responsibility for that statement?”

“I will stake my life on it.”

He didn’t like it.

That boastful statement made him even more distrustful. Normally, that one sentence would have given him confidence, but he was in no mood for that now.

‘Am I wavering?’ Because of a few words from that old man? He felt a surge of irritation.

“Two days.”

Night Levo raised his hand and grabbed his mask.

“Two days, if I can get through just two days without any problems, I can handle anything that happens. I just need to push through for two days. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Night!”

“…I hope you do.”

Night Levo started walking down the hallway.

‘The Master’s words are worthless.’

Yet, there was a reason why he was bothered by those words.

‘Wiggins.’

There was one thing the Master said that he agreed with. If Wiggins had obtained information about how the Round Table was moving now, he would never stand idly by.

He knew better than anyone what it meant for Night Levo to take control of the Round Table.

‘But what can he do alone?’

The Round Table was enormous.

Immensely enormous.

It was not a place where individual power could work.

Or was he going to move that small Eastern country called the Assembly? That was a pipe dream.

No matter how strong the Assembly had become, it couldn’t compare to the Round Table. Even if a miracle happened and the Assembly’s power became comparable to the Round Table, it was still the same.

The Assembly was on the other side of the world, and there was a limit to the forces they could deploy here. Even the United States was reluctant to fight a war on the other side of the world.

Logically speaking, there was nothing to worry about.

But….

‘But why am I so uneasy?’

Night Levo’s steps began to show his agitation.

‘Whatever.’

Two days, just two days.

Whether he was uneasy or not, everything would be over if he could just hold out for two days.

“Even if you come directly, it won’t change anything, Wiggins.”

Except for your head rolling.

米 米 米

“Are you alright?”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been closing his eyes, slowly opened them at the voice calling him. Wiggins was looking at him.

“Is there a problem?”

“No… It’s not that there’s a problem.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Wiggins. Wiggins was fidgeting like a dog that needed to pee.

This was the first time he had seen Wiggins like this. Wasn’t this the same Wiggins who had remained calm even when his arm was cut off?

“Calm down for now.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Wiggins sighed. Even he thought that he was not acting like his usual self.

“I apologize, Lord Assembly Leader.”

“For what?”

“…When I first made the proposal to you, I was confident that all of my suggestions were based on rational calculations. But now, looking back, I’m not sure if it was entirely a rational decision.”

Wiggins’s eyes became gloomy.

“I believe that if you can gain a great advantage by taking a small risk, you should definitely take the challenge. But that’s the calculation when you’re risking your own life. If the price of the gain could be the lives of others, I should have reconsidered it more…”

Wiggins couldn’t continue and sighed.

Only after boarding the plane did it hit him. There was a clear possibility that everyone on board might not return.

He didn’t know.

He had commanded countless battles and given countless orders. But his battlefields had always been the Round Table. He judged people by numbers and calculated gains by amounts.

But these people were not ones that could be replaced by numbers.

People who had worked together and worried together. There was a possibility that they could all die because of one decision by Wiggins. This weight was something Wiggins had never experienced before.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“What if the price of doing this was a threat to your life?”

“…If that were the case, I wouldn’t have hesitated.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Kang Jin-ho said calmly.

“If you think about your life and what you might lose, you can’t do anything. Sometimes, you have to move even if you have to risk everything.”

Kang Jin-ho met Wiggins’s gaze.

“You can worry and agonize as much as you want before you move. But don’t worry after you move. If the leader is shaking with anxiety, those who follow will also shake.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes again.

Wiggins looked at Kang Jin-ho, who was leaning against the wall of the plane, and let out a soft sigh.

‘You’re always carrying this burden.’

Being in this position, he could guess how much pressure Kang Jin-ho had been under all this time. He was only carrying the lives of a hundred people, but Kang Jin-ho was carrying the lives of tens of thousands.

How could he possibly endure the burden of knowing that his one choice could kill tens of thousands of people who had been through thick and thin with him?

He was impressed by Kang Jin-ho once again.

They could avoid responsibility by passing the choice to Kang Jin-ho, but Kang Jin-ho could not avoid responsibility. The choice was entirely his, and the responsibility was entirely his.

‘So that’s why we can trust him and fight.’

It was then.

Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his eyes.

“There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Once we infiltrate England, what do you plan to do next?”

Wiggins swallowed hard.

“I know where they are and what they are doing now.”

“So?”

“I will eliminate the core.”

“The Round Table is centered around the Knights. All decisions are made through the Knights. In other words, the Round Table can be stopped just by eliminating the Knights.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

“••••••Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

“That’s my specialty.”

It was a chilling statement.

But at this moment, it was more trustworthy than any other words.

Wiggins clenched his fist as he looked at Kang Jin-ho.