Descent of the Demon Master

What a strange feeling this was.

Lee Seong-Hwi unconsciously clutched at his chest. This feeling weighing down on his chest was a bit too strange to be described as sorrow. But it certainly was messy and complicated.

'F*ck!'

He couldn't help but be dismayed. Lee Seong-Hwi never once felt a sense of comradeship with Kim Seok-Il. Or, for that matter, any emotional bond. Then again, his so-called relationship was never meant to be that way.

These two men hated each other's guts. They could not stand each other but still had to cooperate for the common goal. If it hadn't been for that goal, they might have stabbed each other to death by now.

That was supposed to be the situation, so how could Lee Seong-Hwi possibly explain this feeling?

Griiiit!

Lee Seong-Hwi gritted his teeth, then glanced behind him.

The cruise ship's passageway was as dark as it could physically get after its electricity supply got cut off some time ago. Even then, all the blood dripping from the deck above into this passageway gave off the chilling impression that Hell's entrance was just beyond the darkness up ahead.

His odds of survival? Of course there was no such thing.

A man in his physical state would never survive in the ocean. In a twisted way, Kim Seok-Il should be thankful for his state since he no longer had to rack his brain to solve that despair-inducing quandary.

With his wrecked body, once he roused up every ounce of what little energy remained within him to puncture a hole in the ship's hull… Kim Seok-Il would undoubtedly die on the spot. Considering that madman's personality, he probably wouldn't worry about preserving his life.

Despite knowing all this, though…

Lee Seong-Hwi couldn't stop thinking about this one little thing.

'...Is there a meaning to doing all this?'

Even if Kim Seok-Il's scheme bore fruit and Kang Jin-Ho's empire crumbled to nothingness as a result, what would be the point of it all? When the schemer, Kim Seok-Il, would be long dead by then?

What kind of a meaning would a goal, scored after the striker had died, hold to the striker himself?

'Did he really not have anything left?'

Did Kim Seok-Il not have an alternative way out? Did he have to throw his entire being into the murky depths of hatred toward Kang Jin-Ho, even though this path clearly led to his own ruination?

"Kuk…!"

Lee Seong-Hwi grimaced before turning around to leave.

He had no way of knowing the answer. Even if there had been other ways, Lee Seong-Hwi was responsible for "rescuing" Kim Seok-Il from confinement and led the cripple down the path to Hell. In other words, he had no right to pity or sympathize with Kim Seok-Il.

It was just that…

"...F*ck!"

Lee Seong-Hwi angrily stormed off.

***

"Cough! Cough!"

Kim Seok-Il, currently collapsed on the floor, coughed and wheezed nonstop. Blood flew out along with spittle from his mouth. He smirked derisively while glancing at the blood soaking the floor.

"Hah… Can't even wipe this without a hand."

How inconvenient was this?

Kim Seok-Il glanced around. His only companion was darkness and not much else.

With all the lights gone, the bottom of this cruise ship was simply a space of darkness. But Kim Seok-Il thought this was a rather fitting place for his funeral.

His life had always been shrouded in darkness since the beginning, after all!

'Do I regret it?'

Of course he didn't. Even if he could wind the clock back and start his life anew, Kim Seok-Il was sure he'd still make the same choices. No, he'd be even crueler and more vicious than in this life!

As far as he could tell, that was the only path available to him.

Life hadn't granted Kim Seok-Il things that might help him be more considerate and walk the path of benevolence.

Those who could talk about empathy and righteousness had safety nets that could catch them if they stumbled and fell below the steep cliff called life. However, not Kim Seok-Il. The cliff he had to scale was steeper and more unforgiving. To him, ideas like righteousness and benevolence were luxuries he couldn't afford.

'I mean… Look at me!'

I am Kim Seok-Il!

He was the man who crawled from the dirt with nothing to establish the Yeongnam Group in the land ruled by Lee Jung-Geol and other trash, otherwise known as South Korea. Since that was the case, why should he be regretting anything?

If his goal was to live a life where everyone praised and respected him, Kim Seok-Il would've chosen to become an elder in the Martial Assembly instead.

'No, hang on. Maybe not?'

Kim Seok-Il might have died along with everyone when Kang Jin-Ho wiped out Lee Jung-Geol's faction for good. That should've been the fate handed down to him, but…

But Kim Seok-Il rejected that fate. He rebelled against it.

'So what if I did? I didn't do anything wrong!'

Wasn't this human nature? Their desire to move up in life? Even if it was only by a little bit? And to possess even more than before?

What about things like a fair competition? Now there was a laughable notion.

The human race's history was littered with instances of one group using swords and spears to oppress another group. That was how humans evolved and made progress with their culture.

Records of war constantly pockmarked human history. Not even a second went by before a human murdered their fellow human being somewhere on Earth.

That was what humans were like. They killed. They stole. They took.

Kim Seok-Il's sin wasn't him taking and murdering. No, it was allowing someone else to take from him. And let himself wither away to death.

That someone else… was Kang Jin-Ho!

"Kekekeke!"

Kim Seok-Il's figure shuddered and quivered as he cackled.

Maybe his fate was a predestined one? Kim Seok-Il had spent his entire life murdering others and taking things from them, after all. Since that was the case, didn't it make sense for someone else to take things away from him and drive him to the brink of death?

That knowledge didn't dishearten Kim Seok-Il, though. If that was the unbreakable rule of this world, then wouldn't it also be applied to Kang Jin-Ho one day?

That man was a monster who slaughtered countless people and voraciously devoured what others had built. So, the righteous retribution would eventually come for him sooner or later.

Unfortunately, Kim Seok-Il knew the truth about this world. And that was… Such a retribution would never happen.

The whole concept of "what goes around comes around" was a fairy tale, a silly story written with bloody tears of those who had lost their everything.

If one truly allowed themselves to be lost to their hatred…

If one was too heartbroken and angry about losing their wealth and the life they had built up, then it was up to them to flail about and struggle with all of their might to crawl back up, even if their limbs had been severed! And then, they should sink their sharp fangs into the throat of their enemy.

That was how Kim Seok-Il operated. That was his philosophy!

"Kuh-heuh…!"

Kim Seok-Il shuddered slightly. He grimaced and looked at himself.

'Am I scared?'

It seemed he had become somewhat emotional. Even if he was the one and only Kim Seok-Il, it seemed the knowledge of his impending demise had triggered some hesitation in his heart.

However, he was not scared about dying. Kim Seok-Il's living moments were far more excruciating than dying, after all. Indeed, death would be a blessing, a way to liberate himself from this hellish prison.

The reason for his hesitation wasn't his fear of death but something else.

One, he was rueful about not being there to witness Kang Jin-Ho's destruction with his own two eyes. And two… He was worried about his scheme failing to bore fruit for some unexpected reason.

However, he knew that everything was now out of his hands. In that case, wasn't it clear what he should do next?

Kim Seok-Il pressed his face against the floor, then slowly rubbed his cheek against the cold metal surface. He could sense the coldness from below seeping in, indicating the ocean was right below this thing.

"Now this is a nice luxury."

Even deaths had different classes. For instance, Kim Seok-Il wasn't originally fated to die like this. No, he was supposed to get killed by someone, and his corpse should have been disposed of in a landfill somewhere. Or, slowly wither away on a hospital bed somewhere in a state that was neither alive nor dead.

Those two things should have been his fate. But that fate got out of whack, allowing him to reach this point in life. If the price of going against his fate was to die in the middle of this vast ocean… Wouldn't that be a considerably nice luxury?

"Kekekeke!"

Kim Seok-Il cackled as tears of blood began trickling out of his eyes.

'So… I have nothing, eh?'

Even though death swiftly approached, he couldn't remember anything noteworthy from his life. All he had left was this feeling of emptiness.

Looking back into his life told the sad story of nothingness. He had no family. He didn't even have a disciple who could carry on his legacy.

The Yeongnam Group Kim Seok-Il shed his blood, sweat, and tears to build from nothing had already become Kang Jin-Ho's thing. Not a single member of that group missed Kim Seok-Il. Probably.

"Kekekeke!"

Kim Seok-Il couldn't help but cackle when he realized the only people he thought about during his final moments were Lee Seong-Hwi and Lee Jung-Geol, and then…

"...Kang Jin-Ho!"

That was the strongest, the most visceral presence in Kim Seok-Il's head. That bastard's powerful presence shone blindingly to prop up Kim Seok-Il's psyche that had been completely taken over by the inky-black darkness. His hatred against Kang Jin-Ho had been the fuel sustaining him all this time.

Would Kang Jin-Ho even remember who Kim Seok-Il was?

'Doesn't matter!'

Kim Seok-Il didn't care about being remembered. He only wanted to destroy Kang Jin-Ho. As long as that could be done, it didn't matter even if Kang Jin-Ho had no idea his destruction was triggered by Kim Seok-Il.

What Kim Seok-Il always chased after were results, anyway. Always!

Crack. Crunch! Craaaack!

Kim Seok-Il's bones began cracking and shattering. He shoved every ounce of qi left in his body to his head and his spine.

"Cough!"

The backlash from even using up his essence qi caused his internal organs to rupture. Blood quickly welled up his throat and gushed outside his mouth. Bits and pieces of Kim Seok-Il's organs flooded outside with all the blood.

"Kek… Heheheheh!"

Even then, Kim Seok-Il continued to cackle. How could he not when his powers were overflowing!

In this singular moment, just as he sacrificed his life for one purpose! The fulfillment akin to finally regaining his old self filled Kim Seok-Il up to the brim.

"I am…!"

CRAAACK!

His teeth broke into pieces. The force behind his tightly clenched jaw was too strong for his teeth to endure, causing them to break apart and get crushed into powder.

Kim Seok-Il's figure shivered, but he didn't feel any pain. His mind was too focused on one spot on the ship's bottom to care about such things. And then, he…

"I! Am! Kim Seok-Il! Kang Jin-Hooooo!"

BAAAAAAAANG!!!

Kim Seok-Il's skull slammed into the ship's floor. Despite the thick steel, the floor easily caved in before rupturing. In the blink of an eye, pitch-black water exploded inside the empty space.

Rumble! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The seawater flooded in with unstoppable force and instantly swept Kim Seok-Il and his destroyed skull away. And then, the water gushed through the open doorway and into the rest of the ship.

Someone died in this place tonight.

However, no one would know about what happened here.

***

BAAAAAAAANG!!!

'...What was that?'

Wiggins' brows shot up after he sensed a faint tremor and just-as-faint noise coming from somewhere far below.

He could have missed them had he not been concentrating just now. Despite how faint that noise was, Wiggins was convinced that something had happened to the ship. Why? Because the ship did not stop shaking!

This cruise ship should be unaffected. Despite the cruel slaughter taking place on the deck, the ship had not been damaged structurally. However, the minute tremors Wiggins could sense through his feet signaled something bad must've happened below deck.

'Is it… going to sink?'

That was what Wiggins' instincts told him. However, this wasn't some simple ominous foreboding. His ultra-sharp perception continued to pick up on this large cruise ship's subtle but unceasing tremors. Tremors that were growing in intensity, no less!

"Hmm…!"

Wiggins furrowed his brow.

'This… might be a problem.'

Sinking this ship was not a part of the plan. Kang Jin-Ho and Co. had to resort to this cumbersome method precisely because they didn't want to damage the ship. The aftermath of a cruise ship sinking would be too much to handle, after all!

More importantly, though…

'Will they all die here?'

Of course, Wiggins meant the Japanese warriors.

Wiggins shifted his gaze toward the people swimming in the water below. At first glance, it seemed like a lot of warriors were trying to take over the Koreans' boats. However, their numbers were still tiny compared to the actual number of the Japanese that had jumped off this ship.

Those people couldn't do much but float in the water, waiting anxiously for some kind of resolution.

This was the current situation, so… What if this cruise ship sank beneath the waves?

All those Japanese warriors would die.

If those people had started swimming toward Japan immediately after hitting the water, they might have stood a chance of reaching home. However, the sights of boats had fooled them into wasting their valuable stamina in this place! And now, none of them should have enough strength left to swim toward even the closest Japanese island.

Nobuo panicked slightly after noticing the grave look on Wiggins' face. "S-Sir? Did something happen?"

"Hmm…" Wiggins furrowed his brow. "Unfortunately, your treatment will have to be postponed for the time being, young man."

"Sorry?"

"I need to make a report to my lord, you see? It seems we need an urgent countermeasure."

"Y-you want to make a report right now?" Nobuo's brows shot up high.

What kind of laidback nonsense was this? Kang Jin-Ho was in the middle of a fierce battle against the Shinichi-kai's elites! So, what report was this man even talking about?

Wiggins noticed the incredulous look on Nobuo's face and chuckled. "Oh. Well, I'm sure it's difficult for you to understand. Don't worry. You don't have to force yourself to understand."

"…?"

"Soon, you will see for yourself. It's going to end soon, you see?"

Nobuo's gaze quickly shifted over to where Kang Jin-Ho was. That was when…!

Dozens of the Dark Moon Squad members seemingly transformed themselves into shooting stars as they pounced on Kang Jin-Ho. That was when Nobuo witnessed something.

He saw the… jet-black flames!

Flames so dark and ominous that they might swallow up the world danced and billowed while seemingly spreading to all corners of the deck.