Chapter 368: Proving Himself (3)

“What do you mean by that?” Bang Jin-Hun asked.

He could see that Jo Gyu-Min's complexion was as pale as a human face could get.

That wasn't all that surprising, however. Even Bang Jin-Hun, who thought he had seen quite a few deaths in his life, still felt his stomach churn from this sight, so it must be even worse for Jo Gyu-Min.

It was already praiseworthy of him to not turn around and flee from here. However, Jo Gyu-Min went one step further by keeping his composure and coldly analyzing this situation. His withdrawn eyes were proof of this.

“Mister Jin-Ho doesn't like inefficient actions, Mister Jin-Hun,” said Jo Gyu-Min.

“...Yes, I agree.”

“That means he has a reason for doing what he's doing right now. If his ultimate aim was to completely destroy the Yeongnam Group, he'd have told us to wait for his signal. And he'd have given us that when the Yeongnam Group's fighting spirit was completely crushed. However, he didn't do that. He wants us to observe until the end. He must have a plan in mind.”

“Mmm…” Bang Jin-Hun quietly breathed deeply.

For sure, Jo Gyu-Min was right. Looking back, Bang Jin-Hun realized that Kang Jin-Ho wasn't the type to explain everything down to its minute detail. However, if he wanted something done, Kang Jin-Ho would tell someone about it. He wasn't crazy enough to expect others to read his facial expressions and respond appropriately.

“Then, why is he doing that, Mister Gyu-Min?”

“Can't you tell even though you're witnessing it?”

“Huh?”

Jo Gyu-Min pointed at the Yeongnam Group martial artists on the opposite side of Kang Jin-Ho. “Look.”

Bang Jin-Hun narrowed his eyes and tried to see what he was missing. And then...

'...Ah.'

And then, Bang Jin-Hun finally understood it. He was only a bystander observing the battle from far away, yet what he could see still scared the living daylights out of him. So, how much worse would it be for the Yeongnam Group bastards while watching Kang Jin-Ho's blood-soaked rampage, knowing they would be next to die?

It seemed the poor bastards had half-let go of their sanity by now.

Those trying to run away, those trying to fight back and those fallen to the ground in shock were tangled up in a chaotic mess to create a nightmarish scene straight out of Hell. If a war broke out, and the middle of a busy city was hit by a bombing raid, the ensuing result might be similar to this scene.

“...Weren't they willing to fight not too long ago?”

After Kang Jin-Ho provoked them, a large number of Yeongnam Group martial artists seemed ready and willing to fight. However, the sight of those in the lead getting brutally butchered quickly broke their spirit. In the end, these poor bastards had no choice but to pray for a quick death from the fangs of a ravenous wolf pouncing on them. Or swing around their blunt weapons to offer meaningless resistance.

“Gimme a break,” Bang Jin-Hun groaned in barely-contained dismay.

Kang Jin-Ho had, quite literally, walked through the Yeongnam Group's front door to destroy this place without anyone's help. And the Yeongnam Group was supposed to be South Korea's largest, most powerful martial arts organization!

“...Gimme a freaking break, will ya!” Bang Jin-Hun yelled loudly into the sky. His words seemed to perfectly encapsulate the sentiments of everyone present.

***

“Ku-ru-ruk...!”

Blood gushed out of a martial artist whose throat had been sliced open. He grabbed his neck while collapsing to the ground, revealing the sight of the terrified martial artists standing behind him to Kang Jin-Ho's eyes.

“Ah, aaaaah...!”

“Hieeeeeik?!”

The blood-covered Kang Jin-Ho ominously closing the distance was frightening enough to even appear in their dreams!

“Fuu-woo…” Kang Jin-Ho let out a slow, measured sigh.

Drip, drip...

Blood soaking Kang Jin-Ho's hair slowly dripped to the ground. Kang Jin-Ho looked up at the night sky and saw the pale moon among the ocean of stars.

.

“Fuu-woo…” Kang Jin-Ho regulated his breathing once more, then turned his head to glare at the martial artists. They were visibly frightened.

Their eyes, as if they were looking at a creature not human but something else, evoked this familiar feeling within Kang Jin-Ho.

They no longer held hostility, as evidenced by their expressions. And none of them dared to meet Kang Jin-Ho's probing glare.

'This... It's been a while.'

Kang Jin-Ho let out a faint sigh of lamentation.

The voice coming from inside his chest continued to egg Kang Jin-Ho. It said he must rampage for a little longer.

'Shut up!'

However, Kang Jin-Ho trampled on that voice, suppressing it.

He knew he was a murderer. A serial killer. A killer in his previous life, a killer in his current life. And without a doubt... a killer in his future life, too.

Even so, Kang Jin-Ho didn't want to get drunk on the taste of blood. If he became obsessed with killing without a purpose, Kang Jin-Ho knew he'd lose what made him 'him' and descend to become yet another mindless demonic cultivator.

“...Who's next?”

Kang Jin-Ho's words resounded in the night air, causing the martial arts nearest him to plop pathetically on the ground and try to crawl away from him.

The combination of tears and snot turned their faces into a mess, but none of it mattered while facing the terror of death.

“Next…” Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered again while raising his head to look. “Who wishes to die next?”

“...!”

Again, no one dared to reply.

'It's still the same, then.'

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho's lips curled up.

What he had done tonight was a method he used to rely on quite often in the past. And it boasted an absurdly high effectiveness.

Using the might of the demon cult to bulldoze through his enemies would've been a simple-enough affair. The demon cult was arguably the strongest faction in Zhongyuan, after all.

If such a faction showed up on the doorsteps of a hostile sect, no one would win against the temptation to surrender immediately. As a matter of fact, those with intimate knowledge of how brutal and obsessive the demon cult was would be the first ones to raise white flags of surrender and beg for leniency, even if the perceived offense was nothing more than a minor misunderstanding.

However, their surrender would only be superficial. The submission induced by a faction's strength would always seek a weakness to escape. The sects suppressed that way always aimed for a chance to escape the demon cult's influence and strove toward stabbing their so-called overlords in the back.

Accepting those who had not truly submitted to one's rule was the same as injecting oneself with slow-acting poison.

However, Kang Jin-Ho's method was different. When two factions went to war, people would calculate and strategize. What should they do to win? What would be the best way to avoid defeat? What should they do to minimize the losses?

However, what if the enemy wasn't a faction but an individual? In such situations, one's emotions would override their reasoning.

The ones witnessing Kang Jin-Ho's rampage tonight would never dare to rebel against him in the future. That was the case with those who had witnessed Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor's madness back in Zhongyuan.

That was why Azure Demon didn't bother to rope in the martial artists of the enemy factions or the cult followers to kill Kang Jin-Ho. No, he had to resort to bringing in the greatest experts under the heavens instead.

Kang Jin-Ho was disinterested in the running of the demon cult, and Azure Demon had practically taken over the actual authority of the cult itself. Even then, he couldn't order the cult members to attack Kang Jin-Ho. Their fear of him was simply too overwhelming. And now, these Yeongnam Group martial artists would walk on the same path as them.

There was another reason for using this method. It also minimized unnecessary sacrifices.

If Kang Jin-Ho had mobilized the Martial Assembly and started the war, the number of lives lost would've been ten times higher.

It wasn't like Kang Jin-Ho was doing this out of a humanitarian reason, though. Since these martial artists were usable pawns, he'd rather save as many of them as possible.

“Now, choose.” Kang Jin-Ho began driving the final nails in the proverbial coffin. “Die tonight. Or…”

Splaaaash!

A trail of blood shot out from Crimson Destiny when he swung it in the empty air. One swing was enough to remove the blood off the white blade, and the reflected moonlight burned coldly into the retinas of the martial artists.

“...Or submit.”

Utter silence!

The silence so still and heavy that the sound of nervous swallowing resembled a thunderclap descended on the exercise yard of the Yeongnam Group HQ. Chirpings of insects could be heard coming from the distance as if the screams and pitiful wailings of a few seconds ago were all horrible lies.

“Continue resisting if you wish to die. I'm not merciful enough to spare the lives of those who want to die.”

Everyone's attention was fixed on Kang Jin-Ho.

“However, I will let you live as long as you submit.”

In-depth weighing of pros and cons? Analysis of this situation? Such things were unnecessary.

The moment Kang Jin-Ho announced his intention was when everyone here instinctively understood what they had to do.

“If you wish to submit, drop your weapons and get down on your hands and knees. As for those who don't want to do that, keep standing still. You'll join your friends soon enough.”

Joining friends? That... made sense. Those choosing to stand would get cut down by Kang Jin-Ho's swords and fall to the ground, after all!

Shu-woo-woo...!

From Kang Jin-Ho's figure, a sound similar to a swarm of bees buzzing began leaking out.

'W-w-what's going on?!'

A dark crimson aura gushed out of Kang Jin-Ho's body and began enveloping him. From his head to his toe, this smoke-like aura swallowed him up. Only his eyes seemed to burn brightly in the color of blood as his body was dyed in pitch-black darkness.

“I will count from three,” Kang Jin-Ho spoke in a slightly harsher voice. His quiet yet eerie voice, reminiscent of a whisper from the depth of the netherworld, sent shivers down the spines of the Yeongnam Group martial artists.

They could tell. They could tell what would happen to those refusing to follow Kang Jin-Ho's command. Those brave fools would be forced to crawl on the ground... after their bodies were sliced apart in half!

“Three.”

Tumble, drop!

The sounds of weapons clattering on the ground echoed like the pitter-patter of raindrops.

Plop! Plop!

And then, people began weakly kneeling down in various locations. Kang Jin-Ho's count had only just begun, yet most of the Yeongnam Group martial artists were already prostrating on the ground like corpses.

Those still standing looked around them as panic began settling in their expressions.

“Two.”

They finally figured out their situation and hurriedly went down to the ground.

“...One.”

By the time Kang Jin-Ho muttered the last number, no one was standing up. The fear of death, and the overwhelming pressure Kang Jin-Ho exuded, made it easier for these people to choose.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely scanned his surroundings before muttering quietly. “A bunch of trash…”

Goosebumps broke out on the skin of every single martial artist prostrating on the ground. They clearly sensed Kang Jin-Ho's desire to continue from his voice.

Despite slaughtering so many martial artists already, that devil still thirsted for more blood! Kang Jin-Ho was angry at how no one was opposing him, thus depriving him of the opportunity to shed more blood.

This realization was too horrifying. It scared everyone here to death!

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho stabbed the Crimson Destiny and Azuremourne on the ground, then sucked in a deep breath before turning his head slightly at Bang Jin-Hun. “...Bang Jin-Hun.”

Bang Jin-Hun had been dazedly staring at Kang Jin-Ho until then and failed to respond immediately. He jumped up in surprise and hurriedly cried out, “Y-yes, I'm here!”

“Confiscate their weapons, suppress them, and herd them to a corner.”

“Understood.”

“...Kill anyone who resists.”

“Yes, sir!” Bang Jin-Hun powerfully replied while bowing ninety degrees.

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at Bang Jin-Hun for a second or two before pulling his swords out from the ground. He slowly sheathed them.

Shu-ru-ru-rung...

Shu-ru-ru-rung...!

The sounds of two blades returning to their scabbards sent waves of relief to everyone present. Some even started sobbing, knowing they somehow managed to survive the night.

'...It's all over.'

Bang Jin-Hun learned something while observing this scene. And that was...

None of these people would rebel against Kang Jin-Ho for the rest of their lives. They wouldn't even be able to breathe properly in Kang Jin-Ho's presence. The terror of Kang Jin-Ho was branded too deeply in their souls from tonight's event for that.

'Well, it's the same story for us, too, isn't it?'

The Yeongnam Group martial artists weren't the only unfortunate witnesses to Kang Jin-Ho's rampage. The Martial Assembly members were also present, after all!

Bang Jin-Hun clenched his teeth.

'From tonight onward... Not a single person from either faction will even think about rebelling against Mister Jin-Ho!'

What Kang Jin-Ho accomplished tonight was something no one could even dream of doing: utterly trampling on two of the largest and strongest martial arts factions in South Korea. With his muddy shoes, no less!

However, Bang Jin-Hun didn't know it yet. The rampage might be over, but Kang Jin-Ho wasn't finished yet!

“Where is Kim Seok-Il?”

The wolf, its hunger still not sated yet, began baring its fangs toward the next prey.