Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 978

“Huh…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes darted around, quickly assessing the situation.

After taking in the ongoing battle, his assessment was, once again, concise.

‘It’s a complete mess.’

There was no order, no strategy.

Kang Jin-ho’s order was clear: ‘Guard the gate.’ Yet, those who were supposed to be guarding the gate were now charging into the corridor.

“No…”

Bator, he understood.

Bator was always like that. Even in the past, he was someone who couldn’t control his aggression once a fight began. After learning demonic arts, he had become ten times more aggressive than before.

It was impossible for such a person to stay put and only kill the enemies that came to him.

So, he had expected this.

However, Jang Min’s behavior was a bit unexpected.

‘I should never underestimate him.’

In truth, he had always seen Jang Min as a somewhat comical figure.

He knew that Jang Min was an elder of the Demonic Cult. He also knew that he was in a different class among the elders. However, from Jang Min’s usual behavior, Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t see the image of a ‘demon’ that he had in mind.

The standard for a demon in Lee Hyun-soo’s mind was Kang Jin-ho.

It was hard to explain, but once Kang Jin-ho entered a battle using demonic energy, he became so cruel and violent that the word ‘demon’ suited him perfectly.

However, Jang Min didn’t show any of that.

His fashion sense was not suitable for his age, he would bow his head to the floor whenever Kang Jin-ho spoke, and he was an early adopter that even Wiggins was amazed by. [Early adopter: someone who is among the first to use or adopt a new technology or product.]

There was nothing about him that made people afraid.

Rather, Wiggins or Bator were much more intimidating.

If he had to put it into words, he would say that he had the impression of a funny, old neighbor.

But now, Lee Hyun-soo realized how much he had misjudged Jang Min.

Jang Min was emitting a black aura that stretched over a meter, and he was literally tearing apart the charging knights. This showed why he was the First Elder of the Demonic Cult, and why he was so respected by the demons.

A true demon.

The sight of Jang Min, with bloodshot eyes and a maniacal laugh, was so eerie and frightening that it was hard to believe it was the same person.

And he was strong.

Unbelievably so.

It was said that he had once fought Bator to a draw. Bator claimed it was a minor scuffle, but listening to him, Lee Hyun-soo had often thought that Jang Min might have actually won.

And now, Lee Hyun-soo was certain.

He didn’t know the result of that match, but Jang Min was definitely not a warrior who was inferior to Bator. Rather, in the way he led the Demonic Cult members and killed the enemies, he felt a destructive power that surpassed Bator.

‘I don’t think I need to help.’

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head to the other side.

‘And why is that person acting like that!’

The most composed person here was Bang Jin-hoon. But today, Bang Jin-hoon seemed to have thrown caution to the wind, abandoning his composure and running wild.

He had already pushed over ten meters into the corridor.

‘But was Director Bang always this strong?’

Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head.

Of course, Bang Jin-hoon was a well-known martial artist in Korea in the past. When Lee Joong-geol and Kim Seok-il were representing Korea, Bang Jin-hoon was among the top ten martial artists in Korea.

Considering his age, it was no exaggeration to say that he was destined to become the next best martial artist in Korea. However, as martial artists from overseas began to flood into Korea, he had an image of competing with experience and leadership rather than martial prowess.

‘He’s incredibly strong.’

Lee Hyun-soo realized once again that Bang Jin-hoon was a formidable martial artist.

And the martial artists of the General Assembly behind him were not falling behind the Chevaliers [Chevaliers: French for knights] who were running wild right next to them. In some ways, they even seemed better.

Of course, unlike other places, they were not overwhelming and crushing the incoming knights, but they were perfectly establishing the front line and engaging in an equal battle.

They couldn’t overwhelm them, but they weren’t being pushed back either.

In terms of stopping power, they were achieving the ideal form that Lee Hyun-soo had hoped for.

So, what this means is…

“Chief.”

“…What.”

“What are we doing?”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head slightly and sighed.

The Flame Demons, led by Lee Myung-hwan, were standing there blankly, looking at him.

“…Should I get some popcorn?”

“Stop joking!”

“There’s nothing to do, so what else can I do?”

“No!”

Lee Myung-hwan shouted with a very wronged expression.

“There’s a war going on, but we have nothing to do! That doesn’t make any sense!”

‘The problem is that the nonsense is actually happening.’

Usually, the main force in the General Assembly’s battles was always the Flame Demons. Others still needed time to grow, while those who had been trained by Kang Jin-ho from the beginning were classified as immediate combat power.

When the General Assembly went to war with someone, it was basic to mobilize them first.

But now, they had nothing to do.

It was the right choice to keep the Flame Demons, who didn’t have a commander, in the back. Other places had a clear concept of a commander and a clear concept of reinforcements. But the Flame Demons were originally meant to fight under Kang Jin-ho’s command.

And it was still unreliable to put Lee Myung-hwan in charge.

So, it was best for the directors to establish a defensive line and deploy an appropriate number of Flame Demons to places that seemed to be pushed back.

The problem was that there was nowhere to be pushed back.

‘Are they weaker than I thought?’

No, that couldn’t be.

This was the Round Table. And the ones rushing in now were the elite knight orders from each country. There was no way they could be weak.

Moreover, a new master had been chosen here. They wouldn’t have come without their elites while dealing with a situation where they didn’t know what variables would occur.

They weren’t weak.

‘We’re strong.’

Only then did Lee Hyun-soo realize how strong the General Assembly had become.

Until now, there hadn’t been a reason to realize it. Most battles were simply swept away by Kang Jin-ho, and those who barely escaped Kang Jin-ho were swept away by the directors.

All that was left for the others to do was to clean up the survivors in the areas that Kang Jin-ho and the directors had completely cleared.

So, there was no way to realize it.

But at this moment, Lee Hyun-soo could clearly understand.

While the ordinary members of the General Assembly were not yet superior to other countries, the top-tier martial artists who could be called elites were not inferior to other countries.

No, in some ways, they were clearly ahead.

Lee Hyun-soo clenched his fist.

Since Kang Jin-ho appeared, their topic of conversation had been only one thing. How to make the General Assembly stronger.

The result of that worry and agony was finally beginning to appear.

This pride….

“No, so what are we supposed to do!”

“Ah, damn it!”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head and glared at Lee Myung-hwan.

“Hey, you bastard. It’s a good thing if you have nothing to do! If you guys step up, the situation will become unfavorable, so why are you acting up without understanding the situation! You wanna die!”

“…Aww.”

Lee Myung-hwan lowered his head as Lee Hyun-soo, who would be killed in three seconds if they actually fought, glared at him.

It was an irony that could only be seen in the General Assembly.

“Or you can help over there.”

“Where?”

“There.”

Lee Hyun-soo pointed to the center of the hall.

Kang Jin-ho, covered in black demonic energy, was massacring the knights.

Lee Myung-hwan smiled bitterly at the sight.

“I’ll stay here.”

“We’ll die if we go there.”

“…Then shut your mouth, you idiot.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled wryly and turned his head.

‘We’ll die too’….

It was a very awkward thing to hear. Even though Bator and Jang Min were running wild, the fact that the Flame Demons were the best combat power of the General Assembly did not change.

Bator and Jang Min’s strength was their individual strength. But the Flame Demons’ strength was their strength as an organization. What they could do was different.

And Lee Hyun-soo seriously thought that now, if the Flame Demons gathered, they could even compete with Wiggins or Bator. If the Flame Demons disregarded death and tried to kill Bator, Bator would never be safe.

Such Flame Demons would die?

It sounded ridiculous, but….

‘It’s an obvious fact.’

Lee Hyun-soo’s gaze was fixed on Kang Jin-ho.

It was a sight that he was now used to. Kang Jin-ho, who had fully unleashed his demonic energy and entered battle, now took that form as if it was natural.

But there were things in the world that one could never get used to, no matter how often one saw them.

His hair stood on end, and his knees trembled.

Just by looking at it, cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Even though he knew that the overwhelming hostility and madness were not directed at him.

This was not a matter of reason. It was a biological instinct.

Lee Hyun-soo looked at the knights facing Kang Jin-ho.

They were strong.

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t have an eye for martial artists, but even he could clearly feel how powerful the knights were.

Thinking about it, it was natural. No matter how unique Wiggins was, he was also a knight, and he was not beyond the level of competing with other knights.

In other words, each of the people there had power equal to Wiggins.

Considering how much the General Assembly’s power had increased with the joining of Wiggins and Bator, those dozen or so knights might be equal to the entire General Assembly’s power.

Nevertheless, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t worry about Kang Jin-ho. Instead, he expressed his condolences to the knights facing him.

‘They met the wrong opponent.’

Kang Jin-ho was getting stronger even at this moment.

Like a runaway train without brakes. He could only feel sorry for those who had to face such Kang Jin-ho.

Once that area was cleared, the battle would be over….

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened slightly.

‘What is that, what are they doing?’

A strange movement was caught in Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes.

Knight Levo.

In the midst of the battle, Knight Levo was slowly retreating.

‘Is he running away?’

No way.

This place was a trap.

The fact that they were blocking others from entering meant that no one could escape from inside. There was no way to run away.

No.

Even if he could run away, what would that mean?

If all the knights died and the Round Table was occupied, the game would be over. Even though Knight Levo had become the master, the master was not a king. Just because he survived didn’t mean that it would end in a draw.

Then what was he doing?

Knight Levo, who had been slowly retreating, began to run towards the Round Table with all his might. And seeing that, Wiggins also jumped over Kang Jin-ho and flew towards the Round Table.

“What?”

And at that moment, the Round Table began to emit a dazzling light.

A blindingly intense light.

The light instantly turned the huge hall white.