Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1053

“What’s the situation?”

The leader spoke, his voice low.

His tone usually carried an air of ease, but now, all traces of his usual composure were gone. It was a voice tinged with nervousness and anxiety.

Yohei frowned slightly at the leader’s change. No matter how worried he was, it was the duty of those in charge to maintain their composure, at least outwardly. Until now, the leader had always fulfilled that duty well. But at this moment, he was abandoning it.

‘It’s not necessarily a bad thing.’

The only ones present were the leader, Yohei, and Cai Keqiang. There was no point in putting on a show of composure for Cai Keqiang. He was someone who wouldn’t be fooled by appearances, and he knew the inner workings of Shin’nichikai [New Japan Society] better than they did themselves.

What was interesting was that the leader had even dropped his mask in front of Yohei.

That meant…

‘It means I’ve also been classified as a close aide.’

Yohei desperately suppressed the urge to smile. Wasn’t it an ironic situation? Until recently, Yohei had been one of the most vocal opponents of the leader, almost a representative of that faction. And now, he was being considered a close confidant in the leader’s mind.

What was even more ironic was that Yohei didn’t particularly want to correct the leader’s perception.

‘The old saying is never wrong.’

If an internal enemy becomes a problem, create an external enemy. There’s nothing like war to control a shaky internal situation. As long as a war between nations is ongoing, rifts are sealed, and conflicts are buried.

“First of all, there are no more people openly opposing us,” Yohei said.

The leader nodded silently. The explanation was sufficient. If there were still people who couldn’t accept the situation, they didn’t deserve to be in a leadership position.

“However, it’s not like everyone is cooperating.”

“I suppose not.”

The leader frowned. Conversely, it was unreasonable to expect everyone to be convinced by just a verbal explanation.

“We have no choice but to seek cooperation from our side. Sort out those who are negative. Even if I have to bow my head to meet them directly…”

“How foolish.”

The leader’s gaze slowly turned. He saw Cai Keqiang clicking his tongue.

“…What did you just say?”

“I said you’re foolish,” Cai Keqiang said indifferently. The leader’s mustache twitched.

No matter how much Cai Keqiang was the real power behind the Hongwang Group [Red King Group], and Shin’nichikai was a force that couldn’t compare to the Hongwang Group, it wasn’t something he could say to the leader of a faction.

“You…”

“Stop playing the benevolent leader.”

The leader shut his mouth tightly. Cai Keqiang’s words felt like a jab. Seeing the leader’s reaction, Cai Keqiang chuckled.

“It seems you don’t like being called a ‘pretender.’ If so, I apologize. But I didn’t mean it in a bad way. In fact, hiding one’s true self and pretending to be a gentleman is something leaders should naturally do. However…”

Cai Keqiang said firmly, “That’s a story for peacetime.”

“Wartime is different from peacetime. In peacetime, people may want to be under a benevolent leader, but when war breaks out, they want a fierce general. In times like these, bowing your head to your subordinates and asking for cooperation is only undermining yourself.”

The leader’s eyes narrowed. Yohei watched their reactions for a while and then spoke. It was time for him to intervene.

“If we don’t seek cooperation, it will take time to secure our forces.”

“Absolutely not.”

Cai Keqiang leaned back and said indifferently, “There are two ways to move lazy pigs. Lure them with food, or kick their asses.”

Yohei couldn’t hide his stiff expression. Even if it was a figurative expression, it wasn’t pleasant for a Chinese man to compare the Japanese to lazy pigs.

“In peacetime, it’s good to lure them with food. It doesn’t hurt their feelings. But when a fire breaks out in a pigsty, the stupid piggies who are still wandering around need to have their asses kicked.”

“You’re good with words,” the leader said through gritted teeth.

“You told me not to pretend to be a benevolent leader, but it seems you’re going to play riddles.”

“Ah, my apologies. I should have considered the intelligence of the listener.”

The leader stared at Cai Keqiang without saying anything. Cai Keqiang smiled and nodded at the gaze.

“Yes, that’s it. You should look at me with those eyes,” Cai Keqiang shrugged. “If I provoke you any further, I might not make it back alive, so I’ll stop here. The method is simple. Create a suitable excuse to ask for cooperation.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“And make an example of one of the uncooperative groups and kill them all.”

Yohei and the leader looked up sharply at Cai Keqiang.

“All of them?”

“Let’s not pretend to be naive,” Cai Keqiang chuckled. “You already know, right? The strengthening of power is accompanied by blood. And blood needs an excuse. Historically, the most perfect excuse is war. The excuse that you might lose the war if you don’t cooperate proactively justifies everything.”

“You don’t know the situation in Japan.”

“I may not know the current situation in Japan, but I know Japanese history well. Isn’t the way Japan strengthens its power always through war?”

The leader bit his lip slightly. He wanted to refute it, but Cai Keqiang’s words were not wrong.

“From my perspective, I can’t understand it. You might think you’re walking a tightrope, pursuing both legitimacy and practicality, but to me, it just looks weak.”

“Watch your words.”

“Those who are not prepared to get their hands dirty don’t deserve to be in charge. You might think you’ve gotten your hands dirty enough, but that’s not getting your hands dirty. It’s just removing obstacles.”

Cai Keqiang bared his teeth. “Getting your hands dirty means ruling with fear. The fear of power comes from irrationality. If you commit a crime that is understandable and receive a punishment that is understandable, no one will feel fear. They will rather look down on you. When an excessively harsh punishment beyond common sense follows a minor crime that is not understandable, humans feel fear.”

The leader stared at Cai Keqiang with a stiff gaze. How many trials must he have gone through to get to this point? The leader felt a sense of pride in having overcome all of that to get here. But now, listening to Cai Keqiang’s words, he had other thoughts.

‘If this guy had been by my side, would my status be different now?’ He couldn’t help but think that. So far, all the strategies he had used were just about exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses and distinguishing when to bow down and when to push. It was difficult to gain power with such methods, but in the end, the leader had succeeded.

But… This guy’s words were also not wrong. Power that cannot be suppressed by force can eventually be overturned by a few words. Hadn’t he already seen the sight of those guys who were about to riot just because they lost a few young warriors?

‘In the end, power is not eternal.’ Even in the midst of seeming peace, there are ups and downs. Power that doesn’t waver even when a crisis comes is true power. Power that wavers like a small boat in a typhoon with just a small crisis cannot be called power.

The leader understood why those who seized power were so eager to become dictators.

“That’s not our way,” Yohei intervened, but Cai Keqiang didn’t even look at Yohei. As if he wasn’t a conversation partner, he only fixed his gaze on the leader.

“Yohei.”

“Yes, leader.”

“Contact each group. Tell them to provide support because we need funds for the expedition.”

“Yes?” Yohei involuntarily asked back.

“H-However… Leader, the funding support should be a little later…”

“Do as I say.”

Yohei bit his lip slightly. There was bound to be a backlash. The issue of funding had already been agreed upon. But if the schedule was suddenly moved up without discussion, there would definitely be a backlash. The problem was that the leader wasn’t giving the order because he didn’t know that.

‘He’s trying to create a backlash.’ To do as Cai Keqiang said.

“Leader…” Yohei, who was about to say something, closed his mouth. Capture and execute those who rebel as an example. The thought that Yohei himself could be among those ‘rebels’ crossed his mind. Swallowing hard, he looked at the leader, who was already watching him with cold eyes.

“I will do as you say,” Yohei bowed his head.

‘Damn it.’ What had changed was not just the direction. In any case, the government had decided to wage war against Kang Jin-ho and Korea. And the command of that war was entrusted to the leader. That fact alone changed the situation. The leader was now in a position to wield the sword under the pretext of victory in the war. And that sword… could be wielded not only against Korea but also against Japan.

Yohei realized that fact at this moment.

‘Is this the right thing to do?’ Historically, the pacifists always existed. Even in wars with clear objectives, there were those who opposed them. Yohei had always found those people frustrating when looking at history, but now that he was in that position, he felt like he understood why they opposed war. The interests of the nation are not the same as the interests of the individual. Even if they won the war, if the leader used that as an excuse to eliminate all the opposition and solidify his power, what would Yohei gain?

‘It’s already too late.’ But the situation was not good for rebelling. The moment he rebelled against the leader here, his head would be the first to fall.

“It seems you’ve grasped the situation,” Yohei slowly raised his head and looked at Cai Keqiang. Cai Keqiang was smiling with a chilling face.

“War always starts with blood. But the real war starts with my blood, not the enemy’s. Those who fear blood are not qualified to win.”

“That’s right,” the leader nodded. In that short time, the leader’s face had changed slightly. The composure and gentleness had completely disappeared. The anxiety and unease had also hidden their faces. What remained was venom and malice. From the leader’s once gentle eyes, killing intent dripped.

Yohei bit his lip tightly. Cai Keqiang. This guy is a viper. A viper that walked into Japan alone, shook the leader, and pushed even Japan into its coils. The viper with venomous poison smiled brightly.

‘It would be good if that poison were directed towards Korea, but…’ Poison does not distinguish between friend and foe. Perhaps it is not Korea but Japan that will collapse under that poison.