Chapter 369: Proving Himself (4)

“...Excuse me, Assembly Master?”

Bang Jin-Hun glanced at the Martial Assembly member. “What is it?”

“How are we supposed to suppress them?”

“Mm?”

“...We can't figure out how to suppress those Yeongnam bastards and herd them to a corner, sir. It's not like we can knock them out with a blow to the backs of their heads.”

“...Ah!” Bang Jin-Hun finally understood what the problem was and scanned the still-stupefied Yeongnam Group members with a slightly wry expression. “Just lead them to a corner over there.”

“Will that be okay? If they suddenly start fighting back, it's gonna lead to one hell of a fuss, Master.”

“You have a better idea, then?”

“...No, sir.”

Bang Jin-Hun tutted. “And do they look like they are gonna fight back?”

“No, Master.”

“Then, why are you asking me, you dumbass?!” Bang Jin-Hun yelled loudly.

The Assembly member flinched and hurriedly turned around to leave, but he still mumbled, “Blooming hell, it's my job to report, so why?!”

Bang Jin-Hun clearly heard that but didn't try to stop that member. More correctly, he didn't have the energy to do so.

'This... F*cking hell.'

He couldn't control this hollow chuckle from breaking out of his lips. His flabbergast had already reached the point of utter disbelief at this point. His mind was still trying to process this situation.

The front yard of the Yeongnam Group HQ was deathly quiet. The wrecked Yeongnam Group members and the witnesses from the Assembly dared not say anything.

The person responsible for creating this scene was Kang Jin-Ho, but he had disappeared inside the main building. And the ones remaining outside had to clean up the remnants from Kang Jin-Ho's bloody rampage and the resulting mess.

“Seriously now... Gimme a break.”

This was undoubtedly a major victory. No, calling it that was still not enough. In terms of war, this situation would be like the general spearheading the attack tripped and cracked his head open on a rock, then bled to death, leaving his soldiers with little choice other than surrendering to the enemy.

Despite winning against such a formidable opponent without shedding the allies' blood once, Bang Jin-Hun couldn't bring himself to celebrate.

Another Martial Assembly member walked up to Bang Jin-Hun. “Assembly Master, what about the corpses...?”

“God dammit! Take care of it yourselves, okay?! Can't you see that I'm in no position to deal with every little crappy problem you can think of?! So, stop bothering me and do as you normally do, dammit! You dumbsh*ts!”

The Martial Assembly members flinched grandly at Bang Jin-Hun's furious roar and began distancing themselves from him. They thought their boss was losing his cool for no good reason, but... They also understood why Bang Jin-Hun was acting this way.

They felt unwilling and leery about what they had witnessed earlier, so how much worse would it be for Bang Jin-Hun?

Bang Jin-Hun ignored them and continued to pant and huff like a raging bull. He couldn't tell exactly why he felt this irritated, nay, furious. However, he did understand some of it was down to the frustration clogging up his heart, which was probably a side effect of witnessing Kang Jin-Ho's rampage.

'Dammit. I gotta sober up!'

Bang Jin-Hun was the Assembly Master, a leader of a faction. He couldn't let his frustration get the better of him. He had work to do, after all. He glanced around and issued a few commands here and there. Once that was done, he walked over to what he thought was the most urgent problem in this place. That was the front gate.

Not even the front gate's trace was left behind after Kang Jin-Ho blew it apart. And a lone man was plopped down there, unmoving. Bang Jin-Hun felt the waves of guilt crashing into him at this sight.

“Oi, Yi Myeong-Hwan?” Bang Jin-Hun cautiously called out, prompting Yi Myeong-Hwan to raise his head and stare at the Assembly Master.

'What have I done to this kid?'

Regret quickly filled Bang Jin-Hun's head as he stared at Yi Myeong-Hwan's dazed face.

“Hey, man. I'm sorry about this..” Bang Jin-Hun pat Yi Myeong-Hwan on the shoulder. Yi Myeong-Hwan should be even more shocked by what happened than Bang Jin-Hun or anybody else. This poor bastard had arguably the 'best' view of Kang Jin-Ho's rampage, after all!

“Come on, man. Get a hold of yourself.”

Bang Jin-Hun knew he should be more comforting, but this surge of anger welling up inside ensured that his tone was rougher than necessary.

Bang Jin-Hun licked his lips while wondering what to say next, but Yi Myeong-Hwan muttered weakly first. “...Did you see that, sir?”

“Yeah.”

“...What kind of man can do that?”

“Well, you saw it, didn't you?” Bang Jin-Hun sighed deeply. Yi Myeong-Hwan probably wasn't conscious of what his mouth was saying. He was too dazed for that. Bang Jin-Hun shook his head. “I had no idea this situation would end up this way. If I knew, I wouldn't have asked you, Myeong-Hwan.”

“I'm sorry?” Yi Myeong-Hwan's confused face turned toward Bang Jin-Hun.

“In any case, I'm sorry about what happened, Myeong-Hwan.”

“No, hang on. You don't have to apologize, Assembly Master. I should be thanking you, you know?”

“Thank me? Huh?” Bang Jin-Hun stared weirdly at Yi Myeong-Hwan. Did this guy hit his head or something?

“Getting a front-row seat to an event like this is a rare opportunity, you know?”

Bang Jin-Hun's expression grew weirder. “...Sure, if you say so.”

.

“It's, it's like... I can't even breathe properly, sir. I mean, wow... Seriously... This was..” Yi Myeong-Hwan's eyes gradually grew dreamy.

Bang Jin-Hun cocked an eyebrow, then slapped Yi Myeong-Hwan on the shoulder. “Fine, fine. I get what you're saying, so hurry up and join the others. I told them to prepare something warm for you, so drink that. You'll feel better afterward.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan ungainly got back to his feet and staggered toward his comrades. However, he suddenly stopped and called out to Bang Jin-Hun. “Assembly Master?”

“What now?”

“Are you going to stick me next to Mister Kang Jin-Ho from now on?”

“...I haven't decided yet. What's wrong? You don't wanna?”

“No, sir,” Yi Myeong-Hwan resolutely replied, his eyes burning in fierce flames of determination. “I wish to stay next to him even if it kills me.”

“Huh. You perverted bastard..”

“Please let me assist Mister Kang Jin-Ho. I swear I can do a great job, sir!”

“Yes, yes. I got it, so get out of here, will ya!” Bang Jin-Hun unhappily waved his hand, then tutted softly while watching Yi Myeong-Hwan walk away.

'Hah, that treacherous bastard.'

Logically speaking, Yi Myeong-Hwan's response made a ton of sense. Anyone who had witnessed Kang Jin-Ho's feat tonight would realize that he now had the Martial Assembly and the Yeongnam Group under his thumb.

In less than thirty minutes, Kang Jin-Ho had successfully branded his presence in the souls of everyone here. So visceral was the impression he had left in everyone's minds that Bang Jin-Hun had to wonder why he wasted time trying to introduce Kang Jin-Ho to everyone last night. All of Bang Jin-Hun's worries were meaningless in the end, weren't they?

No one here would even think about opposing Kang Jin-Ho now. And everyone would naturally acknowledge his influence. Even without occupying any official position or status, Kang Jin-Ho had solidified himself as the true ruler of the South Korean martial world.

'And then, the sight of me bowing to him probably played a part, too.'

Bang Jin-Hun was the Martial Assembly's Master. However, he acted like a private answering his division commander when Kang Jin-Ho called out to him. So, anyone with functioning eyes would've realized who was the superior between Kang Jin-Ho and Bang Jin-Hun.

Even then, no one was puzzled. No one asked Bang Jin-Hun for clarification, either. That pretty much proved how people viewed Kang Jin-Ho in their minds.

If Kang Jin-Ho demanded the right to rule the Yeongnam Group, no one would oppose him. He was already above Bang Jin-Hun in terms of status, to begin with, and he destroyed the Yeongnam Group with his own two hands, so he was amply qualified to do whatever he wanted.

Bang Jin-Hun glanced at the Yeongnam Group martial artists. They still looked dazed, their legs weak and shaking. They were forcing their unwilling bodies to move to a corner of the yard, as directed by the Assembly's martial artists.

While observing this scene, Bang Jin-Hun began wondering to himself.

'The martial arts I've been learning all these years... What was the point of it all?'

Bang Jin-Hun thought he was mastering martial arts like everyone else, but Kang Jin-Ho's overwhelming performance tonight instilled a growing skepticism in his heart.

'...This won't do.'

China and Japan wouldn't sit still at the news of Korea's martial world unifying under one banner. And to win against their pressure... Bang Jin-Hun knew that this ragtag bunch of mobs wouldn't cut it.

Bang Jin-Hun decided he'd have a serious discussion with Kang Jin-Ho once everything was sorted, then glanced at the Yeongnam Group HQ's main building. Kang Jin-Ho was inside that structure and should soon find where Kim Seok-Il was hiding.

Bang Jin-Hun closed his eyes and offered his silent prayer to Kim Seok-Il, who was about to be subjected to Kang Jin-Ho's fury.

***

Kang Jin-Ho silently walked down the dark corridor.

'I went overboard again...'

He couldn't help but think there was no need to go that far. Kang Jin-Ho didn't think this way while the blood was rushing to his head, but now that he had regained his cool, some regret tried to worm its way into his heart.

Initially, Kang Jin-Ho thought what he did tonight wasn't too different from what he used to do. However, he realized that was a problem. After all, this was not Zhongyuan.

No, he was living in 21st-century South Korea. Even if the martial artists were more used to violence than regular civilians, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't deny that the baptism of blood and destruction they experienced tonight far exceeded their capacity to understand.

It also indicated that Kang Jin-Ho was still not free from Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor's influence.

'It's still not enough...!'

Kang Jin-Ho sensed the 'thirst' clawing at him.

He had given up on holding back his cultivation. Once he decided to cultivate again, everything he had been suppressing until now displayed explosive growth.

His body began growing stronger. The external energy entered his body and converted into his internal qi while transforming the 'quality' of his muscles. His bones strengthened while his physique continued to evolve to better suit his cultivation.

In the past, martial artists called this process the 'total transformation of one's physical body'.

Technically speaking, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't going through something as drastic as that where every body part would be changed anew. He was simply returning to his previous heights, little by little, by going through a similar process. Of course, he still had a long way to go.

However, Kang Jin-Ho still managed to acquire power that seemed too OP for this world, allowing him to cut loose to his heart's content tonight.

“Fuu-huuuph...!”

Even then, Kang Jin-Ho's heart hadn't settled down yet. He still needed more!

More blood. More violence. More rage...!

'This is not enough!'

His thirst couldn't be sated that easily. Perhaps as a rebound for suppressing his true nature after returning to the modern era, Kang Jin-Ho's thirst seemed to get worse with each passing day.

However, he wasn't concerned. He'd soon find his relief, anyway. Of course, he was talking about blood meant to quench his thirst.

The blood of others wouldn't do it for Kang Jin-Ho. They were nothing more than pitiful bastards that got swept up in the story between Kang Jin-Ho and Kim Seok-Il, after all.

The man who dared to target Kang Jin-Ho's life and tried to harm Kang Jin-Ho's family was up ahead. The man who attempted to crush Kang Jin-Ho's everything with muddy boots was waiting for him!

Kang Jin-Ho's tongue snaked out and began licking his lips. He picked up the acrid metallic taste of blood that didn't belong to him. This taste was familiar, yet Kang Jin-Ho was sure he'd never get fully used to it.

As the taste of blood lingered on his tongue, Kang Jin-Ho slowly walked in measured steps.

Shu-ru-ru-rung...!

In the meantime, he unsheathed his sword. With Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne in his hands, Kang Jin-Ho marched forward.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, and a man rapidly emerged from the dust cloud to thrust a lengthy steel spear at Kang Jin-Ho.

Paaaaahng!

The air noisily split apart just as the man aiming at Kang Jin-Ho fell to the ground in two halves. Kang Jin-Ho's expressionless face emerged from the dense dust cloud as he continued to march forward. This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

From the corridor ahead of him...

In the corridor he had already walked past...

And even in the ceiling...

Kang Jin-Ho's skin pricked from dense killing intent. He hadn't felt such powerful killing intent since his return to the modern era.

“This is more like it,” Kang Jin-Ho bared his fangs and smirked.

Honestly, that was a bit of a letdown earlier, you see?

Surely, that couldn't be everything you have?

A snake-like bastard would never entrust his life to ordinary idiots like that, after all!

Kang Jin-Ho knew all about people like Kim Seok-Il. They would never entrust their lives to the combat force that everyone was already aware of. They would go to great lengths to conceal the 'real' combat force meant to protect their lives.

...Exactly like the Fallen from some time ago.

Kang Jin-Ho sensed the faint whiff of demonic qi from all the killing intent pouring down on him, and a joyous chuckle broke out of his mouth.

'Not enough...!'

Kang Jin-Ho still hadn't had enough. Whether it was blood or death, Kang Jin-Ho hadn't finished enjoying himself yet!

In that case, would these fools sate his thirst? His thirst that acted like a barrel with a hole near the bottom and could never be fully filled before it emptied again!

“Well, then. Let us begin!”

Kang Jin-Ho dashed forward while leaving behind trails of crimson light burning in his eyes.

Inside the dark building with no light switched on... The Demon Emperor began roaring like a hungry devil.