Descent of the Demon Master

g's expression crumpled unsightly.
He had half a mind to hop on a plane and head to Korea right now.
Unfortunately, the timing was simply too bad, and he couldn't afford to leave his post.
“Very well.
Select suitable individuals to dispatch to Korea.”

“Lord Crimson King, if I may…” Cai Kechang cautiously asked, “Why are you interested in such a minor matter?”

“A minor matter?” The Crimson King grimaced before beckoning at Wu Yuan.
Like a man in a trance, Wu Yuan got up and walked up closer.

Riiiip!

The Crimson King tore off Wu Yuan's shirt to reveal the flesh underneath, and Cai Kechang's eyes flew open in shock.
Wu Yuan's entire upper half was dyed in a black hue.
His flesh…
had died!

“B-but, how?!”

According to Wu Yuan's testimony, he got struck only once.
In that case, how did his body end up in this state?!

The Crimson King growled again.
“This is the power of the demonic arts.”

“B-b-but, my lord, the demonic arts can't…”

“The 'demonic arts' you know are nothing more than a collection of half-baked trash.
The true master of the demonic arts can directly rule over death!”

Cai Kechang couldn't understand what that meant, but he still realized how incredible the power of true demonic arts was.

The Crimson King continued, “Judging from this level of strength, we must assume the ancient demon cult's cultivation technique has been revived.”

“The ancient…
demon cult, my lord?” Cai Kechang tilted his head slightly.

The Crimson King frowned at this sight.
Unfortunately, this was an expected response.
Someone like Cai Kechang would obviously be unfamiliar with the term 'demon cult.’

'If that brat is just a descendant of the demon cult, there is no need to worry.
However, what if he's one of the demon cult's leaders…
returning to the modern era?'

If the demon cult's cultivation techniques that had been lost to time got unleashed upon this world, endless chaos would rule everything under the heavens once more.
That possibility had to be stopped, no matter what!

“Find that brat.
It doesn't matter whether he's in Korea or not! Find out who he is and what kind of a life he's living, then report everything to me!” the Crimson King roared.

“By your will!” Cai Kechang deeply bowed.

The Crimson King swiftly turned around and left Wu Yuan's home.

'It seems I must call for a conference…!'

This matter was not something he could resolve alone.
A certain thought popped into his head just then.
Maybe, this was the sign that their peace was about to end.
The Crimson King's body shuddered imperceptibly at that thought.

'I can smell the blood already…'

Whether that young man was a returner or not, boasting attainment of such a level in demonic arts meant that he had to be a cruel and violent person.
Historically speaking, all demonic arts practitioners that had reached the peak realm were infamous for their violent, vicious natures.

The Crimson King slowly licked his lips.
A subtle hint of excitement slipped into his expression as he walked away.

“…Kukuku. Looks like the bastards in the peninsula will go through a tough time for a while.”

***

“…Dear passenger, are you not feeling well, sir?” A flight attendant worriedly asked.

Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly waved his hands at her.
“N-no, I'm fine.”

“Would you like a glass of cold water, just in case?”

“Yes, please?”

“We also have chilled wine and beer as well.”

When Jo Gyu-Min heard that, he fell deep into a dilemma.

'Will getting drunk and passing out make it easier for me…?'

Gu-oooooh…!

Jo Gyu-Min glanced at the seat next to his, then squeezed his eyes shut.
“Bring me something strong…”

“I'm sorry, sir? Could you please repeat that again?”

“I don't care how it tastes.
Just bring me your strongest booze.”

“O-of course…”

Jo Gyu-Min watched the flight attendant quickly walk away and groaned under his breath.

Kang Jin-Ho sitting in the next seat was busy unleashing a stormy cold front from his entire body.
The salacious gossip involving his little sister's love life had already stoked his anger.
However, what exacerbated his raging inferno was learning about how he couldn't bring his two swords inside a plane because…
Well, a sword was a weapon, wasn't it?

'He didn't even have a permit to carry swords around, so what was he thinking…?'

Indeed, what was Kang Jin-Ho thinking of when he tried to bring a pair of such scary-looking swords into Korea without the necessary permit? Jo Gyu-Min had to diligently explain that the weapons would be in the care of Jaegyeong's local branch before being shipped into the country at a later date.
He worked his butt off to convince Kang Jin-Ho and finally got the young man to give his consent regarding leaving the weapons behind.

'Does he have a history with those swords?'

If those two swords were just some nice antiques, Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't have been so obsessed with them.
For one, he was never much interested in money or accruing wealth.
And, if he was looking for a keen sword, a blade crafted through modern science should be far more effective than something made in the ancient past.

Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho would be aware of that.
So, for him to place such importance on those two swords…
He should have some kind of an untold history with them.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Jo Gyu-Min.
“How long until we reach Korea?”

“Around two more hours, I believe.”

“…I see.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded heavily.

Jo Gyu-Min groaned under his breath again when Kang Jin-Ho closed his eyes and buried himself into the airplane's seat.

'I dearly hope that idol bastard isn't dating Miss Se-Ah…'

The young man before Jo Gyu-Min's eyes seemed to think he was a very cool person, but the truth be told, he could be shockingly narrow-minded on a few very specific topics.
Especially when it came to his family or the people he considered one of his own; he had a tendency to become overprotective about them.
And the matters related to Kang Eun-Yeong often brought out the worst of that tendency in him…

What if that gigolo-like idol bastard was really dating Kang Eun-Yeong? What would happen then?

“…!” Jo Gyu-Min stopped his imagination right there and urgently shook his head.

'No, that must not happen!'

If that were true, Kang Eun-Yeong's security detail could increase several times in size.
She was already receiving an excessive level of protection, so being monitored even more intensely could push her to the limit and lead to panic disorder!

Jo Gyu-Min carefully sneaked his phone out of his pocket.

'To think that I can get a wifi reception inside a plane.
The world has advanced a lot, hasn't it?'

Jo Gyu-Min silently browsed the net for more news while avoiding Kang Jin-Ho's eyes.
He had already called the talent agency, but they could only report that Kang Eun-Yeong wasn't answering her phone.

He accessed the entertainment section, and his eyes shot wide open at the top headline.

 

[The Voice's Jun Yeong, in oppa-dongsaeng relationship with Kang Se-Ah! In the process of getting to know each other~!]