Descent of the Demon Master

Cai Kechang asked suspiciously, “The Round Table, you say?”

“Yes, sir.”

Cai Kechang's expression grew weird as he stared straight at the subordinate making this report. “Okay, so… Are you saying Kang Jin-Ho vacated Korea again and hopped over to England? But now he's back?”

“...Yes, sir.”

“As for you... You had no idea about it until now, but you still thought it'd be a good idea to proudly waltz in here to report to me?”

“S-sir! I deserve death as punishment!”

The subordinate, Zhang Hao, desperately prostrated on the floor, cold sweat strands trickling down his forehead.

Cai Kechang was a strict follower of the mantra, “Reward good work and punish failures,” and dispensed appropriate rewards and punishments whenever deemed necessary.

What happened here was clearly Zhang Hao's mistake. Unfortunately, the mistake happened to involve that one individual Cai Kechang clearly did not want to get tangled up with… Kang Jin-Ho!

“The Round Table, eh…?” Cai Kechang leaned against his chair before a smirk floated on his face.

What if the Crimson King’s faction invaded South Korea during Kang Jin-Ho’s absence? Obviously, that country would’ve been utterly destroyed. Kang Jin-Ho must’ve known that, yet he still dared to vacate his position!

“Should I chalk that down to him having balls of brass? Or him being stupidly reckless? Even though we’re right next door, he still left Korea…? He’s not dumb enough to believe in the empty promise of an alliance, so why?”

Cai Kechang couldn’t wrap his head around the actions and mindsets of Kang Jin-Ho and the Martial Assembly.

“Then again… An opening no one can exploit isn’t really an opening, now is it?”

Zhang Hao cried out, “M-my apologies, sir. I’ve made a grave mistake!”

“So? How did it happen?”

“S-sir?”

“How did you fail to accurately monitor Kang Jin-Ho’s movements?”

“T-that is…” Zhang Hao nervously swallowed his saliva. “He, he moved too quickly and decisively for us to…”

“And then?”

“My apologies…”

Cai Kechang slowly shook his head.

‘Makes sense.’

A matter like this couldn't be handled by throwing lots of people at it.

The Martial Assembly could dispatch plenty of spies, but discovering the Crimson King's movements would still be impossible. That was because powerful experts like Kang Jin-Ho and the Crimson King boasted a much more expansive perception range.

Monitoring an expert on Kang Jin-Ho’s level from somewhere outside his detection range?

‘We might as well use the Hubble Telescope, then!’

Realistically speaking, that would be utterly impossible!

When looked at this way, the task at hand seemed like pulling off a miracle. However, as with all things in life, there were sometimes workarounds to make the miracle happen for real.

An expert’s sensory perception was superior to any sensors. However, a human’s sensory perception was just that, a human being’s senses. A martial artist sensed the energy given off by other people. Inevitably, even the top expert’s senses wouldn’t work as well against machines with no qi.

Various methods to monitor Kang Jin-Ho existed, such as installing CCTV cameras in the known routes he frequently used or deploying drones from far away.

However, such methods only worked when everything was still “business as usual.”

It'd become difficult to keep up with such methods once Kang Jin-Ho began making sudden and unexpected moves.

‘Well, it’s not like we can do something even if we know what that bastard is doing, anyway!’

Cai Kechang groaned deeply.

The Crimson King's faction could devour the Kang Jin-Ho-less Martial Assembly at any time it wants. However, going after that prize would only expose the Crimson King's faction to a similar fate to the Koreans.

The factions belonging to the Azure King and the Dark King would never overlook this opening, after all!

‘How… frustrating!’

The reason for Cai Kechang’s frustration was simple enough. The Crimson King still hadn’t emerged from his closed-door cultivation yet!

The Crimson King’s closed-door cultivation was the source of both Cai Kechang’s hope and frustration.

A martial artist on the level of the Crimson King gaining enlightenment was an extraordinary affair. That was because an expert at the peak of cultivation rarely encountered opportunities to earn enlightenment. After all, haven't they already reached near-perfection in their cultivation by then?

So, when enlightenment did occur, it'd do much, much more than simply improving their cultivation.

The expert in question would break free from the framework containing them. They would break free from the shell of their former self.

They would overcome the wall and step into a new, unprecedented realm!

The Crimson King was already the sovereign of one-third of the world, yet he was about to become even stronger?

‘He can… unite everything under the heavens!’

Cai Kechang tightly clenched his fists. The Crimson King acquiring an upper hand over the other two Kings would finally put an end to this long-in-the-tooth standoff. The delicate balance where none of the three factions could afford to attack or defend would finally shatter!

Cai Kechang's prediction of the future could only be described as rosy. His problem, then, was the intense frustration of waiting that was consuming him right now.

“...Get up, Zhang Hao,” said Cai Kechang.

Zhang Hao cautiously stood up but didn’t dare look into Cai Kechang’s eyes.

“Damn it. It can’t be helped,” Cai Kechang groaned while trying to calm his boiling blood.

Yes, he was frustrated and irritated. But that didn’t mean he should take his frustration out on his subordinates. The fundamental reason for this mistake was Kang Jin-Ho’s incredible strength. And the agents meant to monitor him weren’t simply good enough to keep up!

Cai Kechang could order his subordinates to keep running as hard as they could. However, he couldn’t demand them to start flying just because they were not fast enough, now could he!

“Okay, so? What did Kang Jin-Ho do in Britain?”

“My apologies, sir. The United Kingdom is outside our territory, so we couldn’t…”

Cai Kechang squeezed his eyes in even more frustration.

Yes, he knew not to lose his cool. Of course he knew that! Even then…

‘Kang Jin-Ho, you bastard…!’

Cai Kechang always had a tough time making rational decisions in things involving Kang Jin-Ho. He knew that the source of his impatience was his wariness toward Kang Jin-Ho.

‘My liege, the Crimson King, will undoubtedly become stronger.’

Indeed, much, much stronger than imaginable!

Cai Kechang knew this, so why…

‘Why can’t I overcome my wariness toward Kang Jin-Ho?’

Once the Crimson King had gotten stronger, his first priority would undoubtedly be eliminating Kang Jin-Ho. After all, he had acknowledged the Korean returner as a fellow martial artist and a genuine threat.

Although Cai Kechang didn't agree, the Crimson King predicted that Kang Jin-Ho would one day become an enemy even more threatening than the other two Kings.

In that case, it'd be foolish to wait for a bud to mature into an abundant tree. The smart thing was to kill the tiger cub before it had a chance to grow into a full-blown tiger.

Once the Crimson King finished comprehending his enlightenment and emerged from his closed-door cultivation… Kang Jin-Ho would be as good as a dead man!

Cai Kechang understood all this, so why… Why was he still so nervous?

‘Dammit! Why?’

Cai Kechang slowly rubbed his face.

‘Do I… Do I really believe that Kang Jin-Ho’s rate of growth is faster than the Crimson King’s speed of comprehension? Is that it?’

What an absurd judgment that was. No matter how powerful Kang Jin-Ho was, such a thing should still be utterly unimaginable!

When objectively analyzed, anyone could see that Kang Jin-Ho's fight against the Crimson King had ended in the latter's favor. As a matter of fact, Kang Jin-Ho would've buried his bones in China had no external factors come into play!

The Crimson King, an expert already superior in terms of strength to Kang Jin-Ho, gained enlightenment during that winning battle, allowing him to evolve and progress even further. So, how could Kang Jin-Ho deal with the Crimson King, in that case? Logically, it made no sense.

Even so…!

‘When did logic ever apply to that bastard?’

Cai Kechang combed through his memories, but the answer remained frustratingly the same. And it was “never.”

Kang Jin-Ho would’ve died many times over had any of Cai Kechang’s predictions proved true. But that didn’t happen, and as a result, Kang Jin-Ho was still alive and well.

‘Although it’s sacrilegious to think this way…’

Cai Kechang couldn't just sit back and trust the Crimson King's strength alone. He shouldn't put his blind faith in his liege and let enemies do whatever they pleased.

Even if the Crimson King held the power to resolve any conflicts, Cai Kechang should still take separate, and arguably just as appropriate, measures to end those conflicts.

That was how Cai Kechang operated, after all!

He glanced at Zhang Hao. “So, we have no idea what Kang Jin-Ho acquired in Britain?”

“Unfortunately… However, by looking at the current situation…!”

Cai Kechang rested his head on the seat back and sank deeper into the cushion.

‘The current situation, eh…?’

It was obvious, wasn't it? Since Kang Jin-Ho didn't return in a coffin and walked right back into the country on his own steam, the Round Table must be his thing now.

Kang Jin-Ho might not be capable, but with the abilities of Lee Hyeon-Su and Wiggins? Such a thing should be more than doable.

The West might hold the Round Table in high regard, but that organization’s combat strength was nothing to write home about. The Crimson King’s faction wouldn’t even need a month to utterly wipe the Round Table off the face of Earth… If it weren’t for other Kings’ factions tying them down in China!

Such weaklings wouldn’t stand a chance against Kang Jin-Ho.

‘Dammit. This is no laughing matter, is it!’

The more he thought about it, the more absurd this situation seemed to Cai Kechang.

Objectively speaking, Kang Jin-Ho was weaker than the Three Kings. Even his faction was incomparably weaker than other King’s, too. Logic dictated that Kang Jin-Ho’s Martial Assembly should be crushed by the pressure emitted by the Three Kings, forcing it into its shell and unable to do anything.

However, the Three Kings and their factions were tied down by their own wariness toward each other. They were the ones forced into their shells. Meanwhile, the weakest of the bunch was traveling all over the world and doing whatever it wanted.

From the perspective of a strategist like Cai Kechang, this situation was worse than raising his blood pressure. The flames of displeasure burning in his heart were turning his innards into cinders!

Zhang Hao cautiously asked, “Sir? What should we do about…”

“Keep monitoring Kang Jin-Ho,” said Cai Kechang while rubbing his face with both hands.

Merely thinking about Kang Jin-Ho was enough to awaken a thumping migraine in Cai Kechang. He massaged the aching part of his skull, then chewed his words out. “What about Japan? What’s going on there?”

“S-sir. It seems the chaos in Japan hasn’t died down yet.”

“Hah… Incompetent bastards.”

Thinking about the Japanese made Cai Kechang grit his teeth. He supported them so much, yet those fools still failed to hold Kang Jin-Ho back, even for a bloody second!

Of course, it wasn’t as if Cai Kechang believed the Japanese could kill or even defeat Kang Jin-Ho. Even so, he still thought the islanders should be able to waste Kang Jin-Ho’s time and resources.

‘But they got completely wiped out instead!’

There couldn't have been many victories as comprehensive as that one throughout history. Had the Martial Assembly not let the Japanese know about the destruction and mercifully allowed the rescue boats to enter the Korean waters, over one thousand Japanese warriors would've become new guests in Davey Jones' locker!

Humiliation. That was the only word to describe the sentiment of the Japanese.

What an incompetent showing that was, though. Once upon a time, the world viewed Japanese martial society as second only to its Chinese counterpart. So, what happened for them to devolve so much in such a short amount of time?

“Although they are a bunch of stinking losers…” Cai Kechang licked his lips.

Since the Crimson King’s faction couldn’t spare any combatants, he had no choice but to use the Japanese instead. He was in no position to care who did the dirty work at the moment.

“...Prepare my personal plane.”

“S-sir? Where to?”

“I’ll personally travel to Japan.”

“…! But, sir! If you vacate your position right now…”

“It’ll be only one day at most. I hope you weren’t thinking of saying you can’t last that long without me. Someone that incompetent doesn’t deserve to live, wouldn’t you say?”

Zhang Hao’s head faltered.

“This is something that must be done. We can’t let those bastards do whatever they want, anyway!”

“Sir! We’ll prepare your plane right away!”

Cai Kechang coolly nodded, prompting Zhang Hao to rush outside the office.

Without saying anything else, Cai Kechang mouthed a cigarette.

‘Incompetent bastards…!’

While Kang Jin-Ho was masterfully exploiting his underlings to strengthen his influence and faction, Cai Kechang had no subordinate he could depend on during his absence.

‘However… Doesn’t that apply to me, too?’

A wry chuckle left Cai Kechang’s lips. He saw his subordinates as incompetent, but from the Crimson King’s perspective? Cai Kechang must seem like the incompetent one.

Even though this faction possessed a much stronger force and a far higher number of experts capable of ripping the sky asunder, here was Cai Kechang, acting like a lost lamb after being bamboozled by an enemy hailing from a minor nation to the East!

Crunch!

The cigarette between Cai Kechang's lips got crushed by his teeth and fell to pieces.

“...Don’t think you can keep doing whatever you want, Kang Jin-Ho!”

Cai Kechang shot up to his feet and stomped his way toward the exit of his office.

‘I failed because I was too focused on dragging things out!’

It dawned on Cai Kechang that now wasn't the time to delay Kang Jin-Ho's progress. That man was amply capable of cutting off his own arm and charging ahead if his enemies had grabbed hold of that limb to pull him back.

To stop someone like that… The only way was to keep challenging him!

Cai Kechang’s brain kicked into a higher gear.

‘One challenge won’t be enough.’

A series of… hindrances coming from every direction! Traps laid out everywhere! And cunning schemes working against Kang Jin-Ho at every turn!

This was the only way to hunt a fierce predator down.

‘I promise you, you won’t escape so easily this time, Kang Jin-Ho!’

The time for Cai Kechang to risk everything had come.

He walked toward his destination in unwavering steps, his expression stiff from determination.