Descent of the Demon Master

A feeling of disconnect washed over Lee Seong-Hwi.

Maybe "disconnect" wasn't the correct term to describe what he felt right now. After all, it was something much more bizarre than that, like the feeling of eery weightlessness while levitating in the air. Lee Seong-Hwi wasn't literary enough to find a suitable way to express this feeling.

'I don't belong in this place.'

He wasn't quite sure how he ended up attending this shindig.

This place… It wasn't where martial artists like him risked their lives to fight and win. Although Lee Seong-Hwi had become something else and couldn't really call himself a martial artist anymore, he still didn't belong here.

A tense quietness one could cut with a knife flowed in the chamber.

This atmosphere wasn't the source of Lee Seong-Hwi's discomfort, though. Things like the antiquated tatami floor or the sight of a screen obscuring the seat of honor like a scene from a movie… He didn't mind any of these things.

What made him uncomfortable was the man sitting on Lee Seong-Hwi's opposite side. Or, more correctly, his hand.

Lee Seong-Hwi could only see four fingers. A spot where a person's pinkie should be… was empty. Just clean air. And that was what made him uncomfortable.

He already knew the Japanese loved to do bizarre things before coming here. He also heard that one of the ways the Japanese warriors took responsibility for their blunders was to cut off one of their fingers.

'What a bunch of idiots.'

It wasn't as if Lee Seong-Hwi held Yubitsume, the finger-severing ritual, in contempt. The Korean patriotic martyrs also cut their fingers off to prove their will and commitment in the past, after all.

However, what differentiated the Koreans from the Japanese was that… The Koreans didn't cut people's fingers off as punishment for simple mistakes!

To call it a cultural difference… Lee Seong-Hwi found it way too barbaric for his liking. Besides, no modern Japanese in the surface world adhered to this so-called culture, anyway. Only the Yakuza or other trash of society still exercised this tradition in this day and age.

So, Lee Seong-Hwi was uncomfortable with the fact that such a barbaric tradition was still alive and kicking in this place of martial artists.

'Besides, that man is…'

...Nakata Yuji!

He was the head of the Yamakawa-kai. In other words, a big fish in Japan.

Being the head of a sect or a clan didn't automatically mean you were a big fish. However, there was no doubt that Nakata Yuji was one. The influence he wielded on the Japanese martial arts society was undeniable.

Yet, someone like that was missing a finger.

Gulp.

Lee Seong-Hwi unwittingly swallowed his saliva. Didn't it mean the individual behind the screen was a much bigger fish? Someone scary enough to order Nakata Yuji to cut his finger off?

A slight chuckle almost leaked out of Lee Seong-Hwi unconsciously.

'Hah. Did I get nervous just now?'

What an idiot he was. What did it matter to him if the man behind the screen was a big fish in Japan?

Lee Seong-Hwi suddenly found several things in this situation rather funny.

He found it funny that he'd change his attitude depending on who he was talking to… Even though he was supposed to be a desperate man who swore to throw his life away in order to destroy Kang Jin-Ho.

It was also funny that he berated the Japanese as barbaric idiots for cutting their fingers off, then thinking about the Korean martyrs who risked their lives for the independence of their mother nation. Funny, because he thought of all these things with his corrupted mind!

What would those martyrs think of Lee Seong-Hwi? They would definitely spit on him. Curse at him. In that case, what qualifications did Lee Seong-Hwi have to insult the Japanese or anyone else, for that matter? He should be insulting himself first instead!

While Lee Seong-Hwi was stewing in self-hatred…

"Mm…" Kim Seok-Il raised his voice and broke this weighty silence. "First of all, please accept my apologies for showing you such an unsightly scene. Also, I apologize for not offering you a proper greeting."

"No, no need," said the figure behind the screen in an aged voice.

Lee Seong-Hwi didn't speak Japanese, so he could only roughly guess the contents.

"So… Have you come to us with a message from the Crimson King's faction?"

Kim Seok-Il slowly nodded. "Yes, I am."

"The Crimson King's faction, is it…?"

A weighty silence descended in this antiquated room. No one dared to break it for a while.

Eventually, the man behind the screen raised his voice first. "The Chinese shouldn't have a reason to aid us, so why?"

Kim Seok-Il replied, "Isn't it because the enemy of my enemy is a friend?"

"What a cliched thing to say. An enemy of my enemy is still an enemy. No such thing as friends exists in our world."

"Mm… Wise words, indeed. However, even if being friends is a stretch, we can still form alliances. As long as our goals align, joining hands temporarily should seriously be considered," said Kim Seok-Il without a moment's hesitation.

The figure behind the screen shifted his attention. "Nakata Yuji!"

"Yes, iemoto!" Nakata Yuji bowed deeply in his knees to express obedience.[1]

"What is your opinion on this situation?"

"Personally, I believe it's a good offer."

"A good offer… Why do you say so?"

"The Chinese are offering us assistance, and we don't have a reason not to accept."

The man behind the screen spoke quietly. "Your plan failed, Nakata Yuji."

"Yes, it has."

"You have sacrificed many perfectly healthy lives. Your scheme to manipulate the Chinese to kill our target also failed. Despite all of our sacrifices, Kang Jin-Ho still roams South Korea unscathed."

"I have no excuses to offer to you, iemoto," Nakata Yuji deeply bowed his head again. However, he wasn't groveling. His expression and the tone of voice proved that.

"In that case, is there a good enough reason why I should continue listening to your counsel?"

"Yes, there is."

"Very well. Tell us."

Nakata Yuji sucked in a quick but deep breath. "Iemoto, I've undoubtedly failed you. However, my failures still do not take away from the fact that I'm the wisest, shrewdest among your advisors."

"Hmm. You're embellishing yourself there, Nakata Yuji."

"I only speak the truth, iemoto."

The figure behind the screen cackled quietly. "Very well. Continue."

"Thank you." Nakata Yuji spoke resolutely. "It is undeniable that I have failed you. But that does not prove I'm incompetent. If anything, it indicates that Kang Jin-Ho is stronger than anyone expected. That is all."

"Failing to anticipate is also a sign of incompetence, is it not?"

"Sir, is it not unfair to hold me responsible when no one else could do it, either?"

No one else, he said. That implied even the iemoto had failed to anticipate Kang Jin-Ho's strength.

"How impertinent!" The figure behind the screen tutted.

Nakata Yuji kept his head bowed as if he had finished his piece. The voice of iemoto drifted over the kneeling-and-bowing Nakata Yuji.

"However, you're not wrong, either. Your advice is still worthy of my consideration. So… Speak what is on your mind, Nakata Yuji."

"Thank you. Since the Chinese have offered a helping hand, not accepting it is an act of a fool."

"Nothing is free in this world, Nakata Yuji."

"If what they want is ultimately the same as what we are trying to achieve… Calling it a price to pay doesn't seem fair, iemoto."

"Are you implying that we plan to invade South Korea?"

"Are we not?" Nakata Yuji raised his head for the first time during this exchange, then stared unwaveringly at the screen. "This course of action has already been decided, sir. If Kang Jin-Ho had died in China, the story would've changed. However, he didn't. He returned with a great achievement and fame under his belt. And soon, he will use them as his springboard to transform South Korea into something even more formidable."

"Why do you think that?" The figure behind the screen asked.

That was when an unreadable smirk floated up on Kim Seok-Il's smile. "Do you mind if I answer that… With my body?"

The cold gaze penetrating through the screen scanned Kim Seok-Il's paralyzed and battered body.

"I see. Your state is pitiful, Kim Seok-Il."

"If it hadn't been for Kang Jin-Ho, I would've been offering my greetings to you as the representative of South Korea. Of course, that doesn't mean I would have spoken rudely in your presence. But I'd still have some of my pride intact," Kim Seok-Il cackled and spoke in jest.

What he said was clearly incorrect, though. If Kim Seok-Il's body had been intact, he wouldn't even be able to breathe properly in this place. That was because he would've had too much to lose.

But now, he had nothing to lose. He'd not care even if death came for him this second. No wonder he could maintain such a carefree attitude in this environment.

"Kang Jin-Ho is responsible for my current state. And he swallowed up South Korea's strongest organization literally overnight. From my perspective, there is no one more avaricious and cruel than Kang Jin-Ho. When someone like that acquires power and renown… He will undoubtedly create even more violent ripples."

"Hmm…" A loud grunt came from behind the screen. "...Nakata Yuji!"

"Yes, iemoto!"

"What if we choose not to invade South Korea?"

"We will get devoured, sir!"

The iemoto maintained his silence as if that reply was unexpected.

That silence spurred Nakata Yuji to explain himself better. "There is no question that Japan's current combat strength far surpasses South Korea's. However! It won't even take five years, iemoto. The true danger Kang Jin-Ho poses isn't his individual strength. No, it's his identity as a reformer, a revolutionary. If he pursues speedy reforms despite the risk of severe fallout, South Korea's Martial Assembly will transform into a completely different beast."

"And you think this will happen within five years."

"Yes, iemoto! That is my belief."

"Nakata Yuji…"

"Yes, iemoto!"

"Do you honestly believe I won't be strong enough to stop Kang Jin-Ho?"

"Iemoto... That question already has an answer."

"...Clarify yourself, Nakata Yuji."

Nakata Yuji coughed to clear his throat, then resumed his explanation. "If the situation has reached a point where you must fight Kang Jin-Ho personally… We have already failed, sir. Nothing would be more shameful of a failure than being unable to humiliate a trifling opponent and letting the situation fester to the point of our leader personally stepping up."

"Mm…"

While listening to Nakata Yuji, Kim Seok-Il smirked to himself.

'Hah. You sure have a silver tongue, don't you?'

Without a doubt, Nakata Yuji was dangerous. Not because he was capable of scaring the iemoto with the visions of the future, though.

According to Kim Seok-Il's calculation, the Martial Assembly should be able to catch up to Japan's combat strength in less than three years. Someone as capable as Nakata Yuji should also know this. Even then, he still said five years instead of three.

Nakata Yuji was expertly heightening the sense of danger without spitting on the pride of the iemoto. And now that iemoto had heard all this, he didn't have a choice but to make a move. By now, his head must be full of images of the Martial Assembly warriors invading Japan in five years.

...If the iemoto had been an ordinary man, that was!

'Obviously, it can't be that easy.'

The figure behind the screen was none other than Shinichi-kai's boss. In other words, he ruled over half of Japan!

Although, the claim of "half" was incorrect in reality. In the Japanese martial arts society, the Kansai region held more influence than the Kanto region, so it was not an exaggeration to say the person ruling the Kansai region also ruled over the whole of Japan.

A man like that obviously wouldn't…!

"Nakata Yuji."

"Yes, sir."

"Those with clever minds will try to control the world to their whims."

"…!"

"However, you should engrave this into your soul. Those who wish to rule the world with their smarts cannot see what's below their feet."

"Sir! I shall engrave your teachings deep into my soul!"

"I shall forgive your transgression this time. However, next time you try this again, your punishment won't simply end with your finger."

"Thank you, iemoto!"

The atmosphere instantly became incredibly heavy. Cold sweat began trickling down Nakata Yuji's forehead. That sight alone proved how nervous he was.

'Yes, as expected…'

Kim Seok-Il didn't say anything and calmly observed this flow of events.

Someone of Nakata Yuji's caliber wouldn't get nervous from a threat of such a level. Yet, he did. Which could only mean that was no mere threat.

Nakata Yuji's missing finger was all the proof needed to verify that observation.

The figure behind the screen spoke in a less reprimanding tone. "Since you're so insistent, I'm guessing you've already made plans?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Our odds of victory?"

"It's ninety percent, iemoto!"

"Ninety, you say…"

Yet another bout of weighty silence descended on the room. Even Kim Seok-Il grew tense in this atmosphere despite proclaiming himself to be a man with nothing to lose! It wasn't just him, though.

Even Lee Seong-Hwi, who didn't speak a lick of Japanese, nervously swallowed his saliva. Despite having confronted Cai Kechang in China, the imposing aura oozing off from the silhouette behind the screen was enough to convince Lee Seong-Hwi that the Crimson King's right-hand man couldn't even hold a candle to that mysterious figure.

After what felt like an eternity, a still voice came from behind the screen.

"A gamble to conquer South Korea with the winning odds of ninety percent? It seems we don't have a choice but to play our hand, then. And someone else even promised to foot the wager for us. In that case, backing out now will only bring us untold humiliation."

The tone of iemoto's voice noticeably changed just then.

"We… invade Joseon!"

A declaration spoken in a subtle but unshakable voice echoed in the room.

1. "Iemoto" means grandmaster in Japanese. ☜