Descent of the Demon Master
Chapter 1118. Responding (3)

Chapter 1118. Responding (3)

“All of you will die. In the most gruesome manner imaginable.”

The complexions of the Knights paled instantly.

What a stock threat that was, something that a cartoon villain might spit out during an uninteresting monologue.

However, none of the Knights thought Kang Jin-Ho’s threat was cartoonish. That was because they could all feel it in their souls that he didn’t spew a single lie. He was dead serious!

He’d kill everyone here? Every single Knight?

Currently, there were three groups of people inside the Round Table. The first group consisted of the folks sitting around this table.

The second group was the Garter Knight Order, whose job was to guard the Round Table HQ. The last group was the personal guards the Knights brought with them.

The Master had not restricted these guards from accompanying the Knights yet. One privilege the Master hadn’t taken away from them, then. Of course, the number of these personal troops wasn’t anything to brag about, but one must not forget that all the Knights were currently present within the organization’s HQ.

Combining all their numbers should be enough to exceed the combat capability of the Garter Knight Order. In that case...

Kang Jin-Ho’s threat could only mean he, the Master, and Wiggins would slaughter every Knight in here!

That absurd claim should have been treated with derisive scoffs and snorts of contempt. A laughable threat no one should take seriously, in other words!

However, Wellinger couldn’t laugh. He knew all too well Kang Jin-Ho could make it happen, after all!

Even though that threat was as humiliating as anything could get, no one here dared to raise their voice in displeasure. That should be enough proof that other Knights also knew this painful truth.

Kang Jin-Ho growled again. “What are you all doing?”

Knights all hurriedly looked up at him.

“Call your people.”

“...What do you mean?”

“It seems you failed to understand me. Find Lee Hyeon-Su. If you don’t, you will die.”

“What...?”

The lips of Knights visibly flapped and bobbed, but no words came out from them. Even though they knew they had to say something!

Since they weren’t idiots, they could see that Kang Jin-Ho was not in any mood to listen to them right now.

Wiggins’ eyes gleamed sharply.

‘Ah. I see now...!’

Whether Kang Jin-Ho had been intending for this effect or not, the reactions of the Knights were clearly divided right now.

One side immediately grabbed their phones as soon as Kang Jin-Ho ordered them. They had no reason to dilly-dally and waste time when the only way to survive was to find Lee Hyeon-Su's whereabouts.

Some Knights hadn't grabbed their phones yet but clearly were trying to think of a way to ensure their survival. It'd be safe to assume they belonged to the first group.

On the other hand...

‘So, you are looking away even in this situation?’

Several Knights sneaked a very quick glance in Wellinger and Kramer's direction. The exchanges of glances happened so quickly that Wiggins would've missed it had he not been paying attention. But he was, and he certainly noticed it without a problem.

Since Wiggins saw it, Kang Jin-Ho must’ve noticed it, too!

‘Still, knowing that doesn’t change our situation.’

What Kang Jin-Ho wanted was to secure Lee Hyeon-Su. He couldn't do much if slaughtering these Knights did not guarantee Lee Hyeon-Su's safety.

So, what would Kang Jin-Ho do now?

“Looks like you don’t mind dying, then.”

The moment Kang Jin-Ho said that, every Knight yanked their phones out and began shouting into their mobile devices.

In the blink of an eye, this place turned into a madhouse.

Their shouts messily tangled with each other, making it nearly impossible to make out what they were saying. The ones on the other side of the line were probably having just as torrid time trying to decipher what was what, too.

Kang Jin-Ho silently observed this spectacle. His cold glare scanned each and every Knight, one at a time. Knights flinched and hurriedly lowered their heads when Kang Jin-Ho’s glare locked onto them.

Only two Knights didn’t bother evading the cold glare—Wellinger and Besley.

Kang Jin-Ho finally sat on the empty chair, then crossed his arms. His head slightly lowered as if to say he was mulling something.

The commotion in the hall gradually petered out until some semblance of order returned. Having issued orders to find Lee Hyeon-Su to knight orders and members of their entourage, the Knights ended their calls, one by one.

Once the eerie silence returned, they nervously swallowed their saliva and cautiously studied Kang Jin-Ho’s mood.

‘It's over. We're done.'

Wellinger couldn’t help but chuckle weakly.

This moment had starkly demonstrated the sad truth to him. Even if he pulled this scheme off and managed to drive Kang Jin-Ho out of the Round Table, this organization could never go back to how it used to be.

The Round Table only managed to maintain itself, its framework, up until now thanks to its structure being powerful and sturdy enough to stop any external attempts to control it.

Other than the Chinese martial society, no other group or groups could rival the Round Table. Fortunately, China was still mired in internal conflicts which prevented its rulers from extending their influence internationally. That meant nothing could stand in the Round Table’s way.

However, that was no longer true.

Unless Kang Jin-Ho was eliminated for good, those affiliated with the Round Table would always have to live with the fear of someone much, much stronger potentially crushing them into oblivion!

Once that mindset settled in, this organization’s system would have to change. It was inevitable, really.

Either the organization evolved into something else, potentially for better or worse, or... These Knights would have to quit.

Wellinger was certain that these Knights would desperately try to find an answer, whatever it was.

From this moment on, the Round Table Wellinger remembered could no longer exist.

In that case, should he admit defeat and surrender now?

‘Not on my life!’

Even if this war would give him nothing but heartache and loss, Wellinger could not back out from it after the enemy had humiliated him and what he believed in.

His life had been a story of rational, logical decisions. Since that was how he got this far, wouldn't it be okay to act unreasonably just this once? And he couldn't have asked for a better opponent to act unreasonably, too.

He would never find another enemy as stupendous as Kang Jin-Ho for the rest of his life, after all!

Wellinger had already prepared himself for death. Even if he died here today, he must show Kang Jin-Ho the unbreakable will of the Round Table. Because his generation might be the last “true” Knights this organization produced!

‘That’s why you better not think you can threaten me like this!’

Wellinger didn’t care about dying.

Since Kang Jin-Ho was willing to go this far, Lee Hyeon-Su must mean so much more to him than Wellinger had bargained for.

There was no need for Wellinger to call his people. If he died here today, the agents monitoring Lee Hyeon-Su would kill their guest, after all! Wellinger’s death would saddle Kang Jin-Ho with an unhealable wound for the rest of his life.

That idea sounded rather appealing to Wellinger. Just as his thoughts reached that far, though...

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly raised his head and glanced at the Knights. “Let’s get started.”

The Knights stared in shock at Kang Jin-Ho. Start? Start what? After all, hadn't they already obeyed his orders?

Kang Jin-Ho got up. His index finger seemed to cut through space and point out one particular Knight on the other side of the table.

This Knight flinched grandly and stared in fear at Kang Jin-Ho. But the latter simply beckoned at him.

“Come here.”

The Knight being singled out was Zoltan.

Wellinger's brows rose up ever so slightly. After all, Zoltan was one of his and Kramer's supporters. Was it a coincidence that Kang Jin-Ho singled Zoltan out? What if it was not?

Zoltan stammered, “M-me, sir?”

“Come here.”

“But, but...” Zoltan faltered as if he wanted to say something, then listlessly got up from his assigned chair. Then, he circled around the table to approach Kang Jin-Ho like a hypnotized man.

His weak footsteps echoed eerily within the grand hall to break the pin-drop silence.

His steps were getting slower and slower.

Of course, no one blamed him for it. Even they wouldn't want to hurry up in this situation. After all, no sane cow would willingly walk into an abattoir.

Eventually, though, Zoltan arrived before Kang Jin-Ho. It was torturous to stare at his pale-as-snow terrified complexion.

“W-why me...?”

“No particular reason,” said Kang Jin-Ho, before suddenly grabbing Zoltan's face.

“Kuk?!”

Zoltan couldn’t resist.

He realized something when Kang Jin-Ho’s firm grip squeezed his face. And that was... Resistance was futile!

The 'Kang Jin-Ho' he heard about and the 'Kang Jin-Ho' he witnessed was not the same person. And the difference between the 'Kang Jin-Ho' he saw and the 'Kang Jin-Ho' he experienced was even more extreme!

Zoltan couldn’t even dare fight back.

Even if he had the desire, nothing would have changed, anyway. This indescribably horrifying energy flooded into his body after Kang Jin-Ho grabbed him, after all!

“Kku-aaaaaaaaaah!”

The pain Zoltan felt was akin to every one of his vessels set ablaze. No vocabulary existing in this world could adequately describe this pain, and it instantly blew away Zoltan’s rational mind.

“Kuhhuk! Kkuuuuuuhuhuuk?! Kukh!”

Zoltan’s body spasmed and writhed. Tears and drool flooded down his face beneath Kang Jin-Ho’s firm grip. His arms flailed and danced about before stiffening and bending in unnatural angles as if to break themselves in half!

“Kurrruk! Kkrrrrrreuk?!”

Soon, the drool became crimson bubbles. Veins bulged vividly on Zoltan’s skin.

“W-what are you doing?!” One of the Knights hurriedly shot up and cried out in shock.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly replied, his grip on Zoltan still unyielding. “That you’ll die?”

“B-but! Didn’t you say you’ll give us twenty-four hours to...!”

“Yes, I did say half of you will live.”

“So, why...!”

“If I kill one of you every hour, we’ll get to that number eventually.”

It felt like a deadly dagger had stabbed the Knights in their hearts just then. They finally understood the horrifying truth. The truth of what it meant to provoke this man!

Some people in this world should have never been provoked, and Kang Jin-Ho was one of them!

“Kkkuruuuuk! Kuruk!”

Sounds that a human should not make began coming out of Zoltan’s throat. His whole body distorted and writhed like a victim of electrical torture. His groin was rapidly getting soaked in his own piss.

While holding Zoltan with one hand, Kang Jin-Ho calmly scanned the Knights. A faint smirk floated up on his lips. “I thought you all have resolved yourselves already?”

“...!”

The smirk grew deeper into a toothy grin. However, could anyone call Kang Jin-Ho baring his fangs a 'smile' at this point? When it was far closer to a predator growling menacingly instead!

“I’ve been respecting your way of doing things until now,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Wellinger might have scoffed at that line had the situation been not so dire as this. Because Kang Jin-Ho was nothing more than a rabid wolf trying to bite into the Round Table’s flesh in his eyes.

However, this development forced him to admit that, yes, he was wrong, and that Kang Jin-Ho was right all along!

“So, I’m going to do things my way from now on.”

Zoltan's figure bent backward. Such was the angle of his bent back that for a moment there, it looked as if his spine had snapped in half and resulted in his death.

However, Zoltan was still alive. And that was what terrified the Knights here the most.

They could easily guess how painful it must be from Zoltan’s physical reaction alone. However, despite that incredible pain, Zoltan was not dead. Worse still, he seemed fully conscious, too!

Even then, all he could do was whimper, grunt, moan, and scream at this unstoppable pain.

Beheading him in one clean strike would have been much more merciful than this!

“Bring me Lee Hyeon-Su alive and unhurt, and I’ll let you all leave.”

“...”

“However, if you don’t...” Kang Jin-Ho smiled brightly again. “You better quickly decide who goes next.”

Craaack, splat!

Blood gushed out of Zoltan’s seven orifices and splattered on the floor. Even then, even as this hellish pain tortured him, he was still alive.

The grand hall was filled with the bizarre and horrifying noises of bones getting crushed, muscles twisting and blowing apart, and the victim’s occasional pitiful whimpers.

Soul-chilling noises that couldn’t possibly come from a human body continued to stab into the Knights’ hearing.

The noble, sacred Round Table responsible for protecting Europe for many millennia was suddenly plunged into the bottom of Hell.

...And the devil responsible for this event stood in the middle of this Hell to smile at his victims.

Kang Jin-Ho, now covered from head to toe in Zoltan’s blood, grinned like an innocent child having fun.

Knights couldn’t look on anymore and hurriedly averted their gazes away.

This was... Hell!

‘Oh, dear Lord!’

Wellinger squeezed his eyes shut as his heart desperately tried to reawaken his long-lost faith in God.