Descent of the Demon Master

Fury. It was a rather unique emotion.

Fury had to be the only human emotion capable of negatively affecting everyone merely by letting yourself get taken over by it.

Even if you were sad, even if you were happy... Those emotions couldn't really affect other people around you. However, if a person next to them was seething in extreme fury, everyone was bound to become alert and wary of this angry man.

Fury robbed a person of their reasoning and their patience. And the severity of the 'fury' would change greatly depending on who was furious.

Cai Kechang was soaked in cold sweat. Droplets of cold sweat from his forehead trickled down his nose, and even more sweat streamed down from the back of his jaw to drip down from his chin. Cai Kechang's lowered head allowed him to see how wet the carpet below him had become from his sweat alone.

If a regular person sweated as much as Cai Kechang had done, they would've been taken to a hospital by now. However, a martial artist sweating this much was even stranger. Even so, he had no choice but to sweat like crazy.

After all, he was facing the Crimson King's fury head-on right now!

A regular person's heart would've stopped when the Crimson King's fury landed on them. Even a trained martial artist would've fainted from the intense pressure. And it was squarely crushing down on Cai Kechang right now.

Cai Kechang bit his lower lip. The skin tore from his biting teeth, and his mouth was quickly filled with the metallic taste of blood. The pain seemed to clear Cai Kechang's mind a little.

“Cai... Kechang!” The Crimson King's voice roared within the hall.

Cai Kechang didn't need to think about what he should do at that soul-cracking roar and slammed his forehead on the floor. “Your servant is here, my liege!”

“I have granted you enough opportunities.”

“...Yes, my liege.”

“However, you keep disappointing me!”

Cai Kechang buried his forehead even deeper into the floor. He knew he had no excuses to offer.

'Damn it all to hell! How did the situation end up this way!'

It wasn't as if Cai Kechang had let his guard down. As a man serving the Crimson King, he naturally tried his best to complete every one of his tasks as perfectly as possible. One of the things he feared the most was missing out on the big picture due to his carelessness or inattention, after all. As such, he gave his absolute everything in every task.

Cai Kechang was extremely cautious and meticulous that if his task was to cross a stone bridge, he'd not only knock on it to ensure its sturdiness, but even build another bridge right next to it just in case!

'And that's what I got wrong this time!'

No, that wasn't right. Cai Kechang couldn't be wrong here. Objectively speaking, his method was not bad at all. It had to be the right one if he didn't want to upset the delicate power balance still prevalent in China while carefully and slowly gaining supremacy over the Crimson King's rivals.

As to prove Cai Kechang right, his methods always worked in the past, and the once-inferior Crimson King's faction succeeded in gaining somewhat of supremacy in the power struggle.

However, that was all before that Korean bastard showed up.

'...Kang Jin-Ho!'

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Indeed, Kang Jin-Ho's appearance was the start of Cai Kechang's plans going awry.

'Dammit!'

Cai Kechang's biggest mistake was judging Kang Jin-Ho with common sense. Logic dictated that a lone Korean martial artist couldn't be this strong. He couldn't have been this destructive.

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho was strong enough to turn the accepted common sense of martial artists into antiquated prejudice. Kang Jin-Ho turned out to be someone far exceeding Cai Kechang's imagination!

This intense, choking sense of defeat washed over Cai Kechang. He had no choice but to admit that his schemes were ultimately inadequate to slow down Kang Jin-Ho.

Cai Kechang kept his head buried while addressing the Crimson King. “I have no excuses to offer you, my liege. Please punish me as you see fit.”

The Crimson King's eyes silently burrowed deep into Cai Kechang's figure. The fierce light burning in those eyes shrunk Cai Kechang even further.

It would've been less torturous if the Crimson King openly criticized and even punished Cai Kechang. Sometimes, unbearable silence filled with unspoken words could be even more hurtful than thorny insults thrown in one's face.

“Tell me, Cai Kechang. Have I overestimated you?”

“...”

“No, that isn't it,” the Crimson King muttered confidently. “You and I have underestimated Kang Jin-Ho. That has to be it. That's why Kang Jin-Ho has managed to unite South Korea and overcame Japan's attempt to keep him contained. He created a powerful faction with his own strength, and now... He has even created a connection with those foolish foreigners, too!”

“My liege! I deserve death as punishment!”

“And so, Kang Jin-Ho is no longer an enemy that can be silently assassinated. His bud should've been nipped before he could reach this far. And now, it's too late to do anything about the bud.”

Cai Kechang fully agreed with that assessment. Kang Jin-Ho had more or less perfectly taken over South Korea's martial society. The weight of fighting him now would be so much heavier than back when he was still some nobody.

Even if South Korea's martial society was weak...

'...We still can't ignore the number of martial artists there.'

To kill a man hiding behind the proverbial walls of people, those walls had to be eliminated first. In other words, a war needed to be fought.

The idea of so many people dying just to kill Kang Jin-Ho was a difficult pill to swallow. A massive burden to bear. The Crimson King's faction boasted an overwhelmingly superior combat force, but problems and losses were bound to occur when dealing with an enemy faction of such scale.

Cai Kechang suddenly gained a renewed appreciation of the Crimson King's foresight when he said Kang Jin-Ho must be killed even at the risk of severely weakening his faction's combat force.

'Just what did my liege see in Kang Jin-Ho?'

Without a doubt, pretty much everyone would've thought the same as Cai Kechang in this situation. Even if Kang Jin-Ho was a dangerous existence, was he an important-enough threat to risk exposing the Crimson King's back to other Kings while eliminating him?

Besides, everyone would've also thought, like Cai Kechang, that South Korea's martial artists should've been enough to eliminate Kang Jin-Ho.

Cai Kechang regretted not being more attentive toward the Crimson King's worries back then. If he did, this situation wouldn't have developed this far.

“Cai Kechang. You said that the demonic cultivators are getting more active lately.”

“Yes, my liege.”

“What are the odds of their activity... being related to Kang Jin-Ho's appearance?”

“My liege, that doesn't seem...”

The Crimson King furrowed his brow. “How foolish!”

“...! My liege, I beg you to enlighten this idiot servant of yours!”

“Kang Jin-Ho is a demonic cultivator. Not just any, but a truly powerful demonic cultivator, the likes of which have not been seen before! It's possible that he possesses the demon cult's long-lost secret cultivation technique. The appearance of such an individual coincides with the renewed activities of the demonic cultivators, yet you think there is no connection between the two!”

Cai Kechang rammed his forehead on the floor again. “My sincerest apologies!”

“Fuu-woo...” The Crimson King sighed quietly. Fury wasn't the emotion ruling over him right now. It was more like frustration.

Having world-conquering martial prowess meant little if he couldn't use it properly. The Crimson King wanted to fly to Korea this instant and kill Kang Jin-Ho with his own two hands, but leaving his throne empty would no doubt give the other two Kings ample opportunity to sow chaos.

Worse still, the Azure King craftily got in the way whenever the Crimson King couldn't endure his frustration and urge and decided to get personally involved. It was as if... As if the Azure King was deliberately preventing the Crimson King from reaching Kang Jin-Ho.

'I'm sure it's purely coincidence, but...!'

The Azure King causing chaos was nothing new. So, it had to be unlucky coincidences that just so happened at terrible timing. However, those coincidences piled up one after the other until the situation had reached its current state. And Kang Jin-Ho exploited this opportunity to set a firm foundation, his own territory, smack dab in the middle of two of the strongest nations on Earth, China and Japan.

That was the current situation, yet even Europe decided to butt into East Asia's affairs now. No wonder the Crimson King's headache was getting worse.

“We cannot afford to take our time anymore, Cai Kechang.”

“Yes, my liege.”

“Even if we have to take on some losses, we must eliminate Kang Jin-Ho!”

“B-but, my liege...!” Cai Kechang hurriedly raised his head. “Eliminating Kang Jin-Ho is not difficult, but sacrifices on our end will be considerable!”

“If there is no other way, we must be prepared to pay the cost, Cai Kechang!”

“My liege, what if…” Cai Kechang faltered and didn't finish his sentence. He had to hesitate since he knew the following words could earn him the Crimson King's wrath. However, Cai Kechang's role was an adviser. Even if he was subjected to his liege's rage and insults, he had to perform his role. “What if we try to befriend Kang Jin-Ho?”

“...Did you just say we befriend him?”

“Yes, my liege,” Cai Kechang faintly licked his lips when the Crimson King's wrath didn't fall on him immediately. “We have no choice but to acknowledge the man named Kang Jin-Ho's powers. In such a short time, he united South Korea's martial society and brought it under his complete control. He has ripped away the shadows cast by the former titans of Korean martial society, leaving only his name behind on the scene.”

“...What unpleasant news that is.”

“Thanks to his actions, South Korea's martial society is experiencing a period of unprecedented prosperity. Antagonizing Kang Jin-Ho and the South Korean martial society will only create many problems, my liege. Not only do we need to deal with the vacuum in our forces, but Japan could also potentially interfere. And then, the activities of the demonic cultivators should not be ignored, as well. A horde of insects can indeed kill a person, my liege.”

“So, your advice is to befriend Kang Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, my liege. As long as it is possible, I believe it is the most optimal option on the table. Doing so will be more than simply suppressing the issue. As South Korea's martial society is now under one banner, bringing them to our side will…”

“Cai Kechang,” the Crimson King quietly muttered while resting his chin on his hand. “Have you forgotten that Kang Jin-Ho is a demonic cultivator?”

“...”

“Very well, let's stop bringing up antiquated ideas. Whether that man is a demonic cultivator or not shouldn't really matter in his day and age. As long as he's deemed useful to me, I should consider joining forces with him. Even if I'm the inheritor of the orthodox sect’s teachings, I'm also sensible enough to understand that not every demonic cultivator is my irreconcilable enemy. Indeed, we now live in an era where practical benefits mean everything.”

Cai Kechang animatedly nodded away. Here was one of the main factors why he remained so loyal to the Crimson King.

The Crimson King's martial prowess had already reached the heavens. Therefore, he had all the qualifications to be haughty. Arrogant. Drunk in his powers.

However, he never fell into the trap of arrogance. The Crimson King also worked hard not to fall behind in the rapidly-changing era. And he never summarily dismissed the advice of someone incomparably insignificant like Cai Kechang.

The realm the Crimson King occupied was so high that from up there, Cai Kechang's words must've seemed like a chirping from an ant. Yet he still was interested in something seemingly so trifling.

The Crimson King continued to explain his case. “Even so... The biggest, most concerning fact is that Kang Jin-Ho is undoubtedly a demonic cultivator. And do not be mistaken, a demonic cultivator at the peak of his cultivation will be extremely arrogant. Even if he's not at the peak realm, a demonic cultivator would not want to cooperate with someone else for long.”

“...Oh!”

“It might be possible to entice him now with sweet-sounding deals. However, a demonic cultivator like him will inevitably stab you in the back. In that case, we cannot afford to leave ourselves open to Kang Jin-Ho.”

Cai Kechang wordlessly lowered his head. His thoughts were different, but the Crimson King had the final say. Cai Kechang's role was to speak his opinions and counsel, after all. It was not his job to question every decision the Crimson King made.

“...My liege. In that case, we now need a different method.”

“Indeed. Indeed…” The Crimson King bitterly tutted away. “Summon Vator.”

“My liege? V-Vator…!" Cai Kechang's eyes shot open wide. “Do you mean... that Vator?”

“Yes. Vator is the only combatant we can spare at the moment, or am I mistaken?”

“N-no, my liege. However, Vator is...!”

“Yes, I'm also not happy about this choice. However, the more we waste time, the harder it will be for us to deal with Kang Jin-Ho, even for Vator. In that case, we need to resolve this situation as soon as possible. Hesitate and miss our timing, and Kang Jin-Ho could very well be the end of us...!”

Cai Kechang bit his lower lip. This heroic decisiveness had to be the biggest difference between him and the Crimson King. “I shall obey, my liege.”

The Crimson King slowly nodded. He leaned his back against the throne, a hint of fatigue creeping into his face.

'It's... getting heavier, isn't it?'

Even the titan leading the world forward was slowly getting devoured by his ever-changing era.