Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1173

“Okay, this way, please. It’s this way.”

“…What’s going on, at this hour?”

“I apologize. A hazardous substance was discovered. We’re just following orders, so we don’t know the details.”

“Man, I’ve seen a lot in my life.”

“Anyway, we’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

“No, no. It’s not the officers’ fault. You’re just doing what you’re told. So, we just get on here?”

“Yes.”

“Where are we going?”

“A temporary shelter has been set up at Wolmyeong Gymnasium. They’re also preparing accommodations at nearby elementary schools, so you might go there.”

“Hey, we’re not going somewhere weird, are we?”

“Come on, you’re joking.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Those boarding the bus glanced at Jo Han-bong with slightly uneasy eyes. But Jo Han-bong didn’t have anything more to say either. He also didn’t know what was happening here right now.

He had simply received orders to evacuate the residents because there was a problem.

‘Hazardous substance… What, did some radiation leak?’

That couldn’t be.

There are no nuclear-related facilities in Gunsan.

There was a commotion recently because of a hydrofluoric acid leak, but there were no such facilities nearby.

“Hey, did the commies come down?”

“…Then the military would be here.”

“That’s true.”

The people boarding the bus casually threw out jokes.

When the bus was full, Jo Han-bong knocked on the bus door. Then the bus door closed, and the bus slowly started moving.

“Whew…”

Jo Han-bong wiped his forehead.

Evacuating people in the middle of the night is never easy. People forcibly awakened from their sleep are bound to be on edge, and all sorts of complaints were directed at Jo Han-bong.

He didn’t have the power to give orders to the police on the front lines, but do people ever consider that? Still, the people who boarded this time were quite civil.

They grumbled, but they didn’t curse.

Jo Han-bong wiped his forehead again. It was chilly enough that he wondered if he should prepare a padded jacket, but he was sweating profusely.

‘Is it really a war or something?’

Of course, he knew that couldn’t be the case.

If there was a war, there was no way an evacuation order would be issued in Gunsan, which is far from the armistice line. And no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t see any military units.

The thought that maybe North Korea sent a special forces unit, as the old man said earlier, did cross his mind, but then at least there should be a military response.

So, does that mean a real hazardous substance was discovered?

Jo Han-bong tilted his head and turned his gaze toward the coast. The distance was so far that he couldn’t see anything from here, but…

Thump!

“Huh?”

Jo Han-bong narrowed his eyes.

Did he just hear a sound?

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“Man, we’re busy, what are you doing there? Hurry up and get people on board. Once everyone here is on, we need to move to the gymnasium. It’s a mess over there too.”

“No, didn’t you hear that sound just now?”

“What sound?”

“No, like, a bomb sound. I heard a loud noise…”

“Stop talking nonsense, man.”

“No, I’m telling you, it sounded like something exploded.”

“Before I explode, let’s get to work, huh? The mayor is already in a panic, if we dawdle here, either I’ll explode or my head will explode. Okay?”

“…Yes.”

Jo Han-bong looked towards the coast and tilted his head.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

He picked at his ear and ran towards the next bus.

* * *

The resolve was firm.

Even though they were following orders, stepping onto foreign land for war was not something one could do without a strong resolve.

They were prepared to risk their lives for the glory of the Empire. And even those who were pushed into it with half-hearted resolve had no choice but to steel themselves as they moved to Korea.

That’s how mob psychology works.

Are all the soldiers who invade enemy territory, commit massacres, and kill people like it’s a game, murderers?

Humans are inherently like that.

Even the kindest, most gentle, and respectful people, when they belong to a group and get caught up in that mob mentality, don’t feel any qualms about killing the ‘person’ in front of them.

That’s what belonging is like.

The moment humans belong to a group, they feel a sense of unity. At the same time, they can shed their guilt simply because of an order. All that’s left is to run wild following orders.

The justification is also sufficient.

Who invaded first is not that important. What’s important is who is stronger.

If Korea, and the General Assembly, grew stronger than Japan without difficulty, would they respect Japan’s autonomy?

Absolutely not.

Humans have never escaped the law of the jungle. If Korea’s power becomes sufficient, they will surely target Japan. This is something that both the Korean and Japanese martial arts worlds are aware of.

Moreover, now that Japan has already committed an act, Korea will never reconcile with the Japanese martial arts world. In the end, it’s just a matter of who attacks first,

War was bound to happen.

So, what’s there to hesitate about?

The resolve is firm, and the justification is clear.

Then, all they have to do is do their best according to orders.

But…

That firm resolve didn’t even last a minute before it shattered.

“You insignificant things!”

Batoru’s fist shot forward like a fired shell.

Kwaaaang!

A sonic boom erupted as his fist struck a person. Naturally, the person who took Batoru’s fist with their body could not be unharmed. Their body was shattered and flung in all directions.

Those behind them screamed in pain as their comrade’s fragmented body pierced their own.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

“Aaaah!”

“A m-monster!”

Batoru’s eyes glowed with a bloody light. His body, heated red, roared as it emitted steam.

He didn’t exactly learn a martial art that emits steam. It’s just that the sweat pouring from his body was vaporizing due to his heated flesh. Since his body was so large, the vaporization of his sweat alone had the effect of dry ice being sprayed.

There’s no need to explain how that would look to the Japanese.

Batoru is different from ordinary martial artists.

The martial arts of ordinary martial artists are primarily based on internal energy.

In other words, while the power they can unleash is tremendous, their physical strength does not match it.

To put it simply, those who have mastered internal energy gain overwhelming offensive power, but their defensive power tends to fall short of their offensive power. Therefore, masters focus on increasing their speed based on their internal energy to block and evade their opponent’s attacks.

In other words…

No matter how unskilled someone is, if they can stab a sword into a master’s body,

they can end their life.

It’s not impossible for an unskilled person to win if they face someone with twice the internal energy. It would be difficult, but if they can somehow stab the master’s vital point with a sword, it’s not impossible to kill them.

This is a fate that even Kang Jin-ho cannot escape. It’s difficult to compare Kang Jin-ho, who has primarily mastered demonic arts, with ordinary martial artists, but he would also die if a sword pierced his neck, wouldn’t he?

But Batoru is different.

His martial arts are primarily focused on external strength from the start.

External strength is a martial art that has almost become obsolete, but Batoru has mastered it to the extreme.

While those who have mastered internal energy have an advantage in attack, external strength is a martial art for defense. If internal energy is a spear, external strength is a shield. And someone who has mastered external strength to the level of Batoru has a body as hard as, or even harder than, steel.

Puh-uh-uh-uh-ung!

The person hit by Batoru’s fist soared into the air.
The person who flew endlessly fell into the sea.

“Aaaaaaah!”

A terrified person swung their sword at Batoru. A blue blade sliced towards Batoru’s neck.

But…

Clang!

The sword that struck Batoru’s neck broke in half. The sword, which could cut through steel with the internal energy poured into it, broke easily as if it were a reed.

“…Huh?”

The person who swung the sword stared wide-eyed at the unbelievable sight.

“Th-this…”

Batoru gritted his teeth and grabbed the head of the person who swung the sword.

Crack!

It’s not normal for a person to grab another person’s head with one hand, but Batoru’s massive size made it possible.

Crunch!

The head was crushed.

The body hanging in the air twitched before falling limp.

The eyes of those who saw it were filled with terror.

The sword doesn’t work.

The sword, which was clearly swung with all their might, broke instead of cutting, even though it struck the neck.

How are they supposed to fight such a monster?

For ordinary martial artists to fight Batoru is no different than charging at a tank with a pistol. If they had a decent bomb, they might have some reckless hope, but all they had in their hands was a pistol that couldn’t even scratch the tracks, let alone the armor plating.

Resolve?

Resolve only has meaning when there is a possibility.

Being able to throw away one’s life for a purpose is only possible when there is hope that one’s death can achieve that purpose, or when there is a belief that even if it has no meaning right now, that death can be a catalyst.

Otherwise?

It’s just a dog’s death.

Who would want to die a dog’s death in a foreign land?

Batoru, by his mere existence, was driving the morale of those who had risked their lives to come to this land to the very bottom.

“Hoo-oo-oo-oo.”

Batoru took a deep breath.

His breath, touching the cold night air, scattered in white.

“This is the master’s land.”

Batoru’s voice, like that of a hellish deity, slowly echoed.

“Those who have invaded the master’s land without permission will not return alive!”

Batoru’s body began to emit a crimson aura. Even though it was a dark harbor, the aura that Batoru emitted was clearly visible to everyone.

“Kill them! Don’t let a single one of them live!”

“Oooooooooh!”

At the same time as Batoru charged, Batoru’s faction also charged, shouting at the top of their lungs.

Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!

Like a baseball hit by a bat, human bodies flew into the sky and were flung into the distant sea. Like a herd of mad buffaloes on a rampage, Batoru’s faction, led by Batoru, tore through the Yamashiro-gumi’s ranks.

Overwhelming power.

It was a force that they couldn’t even dare to resist.

“S-stop them! Stop them!”

“Don’t retreat!”

“Damn it! Don’t push! There’s nowhere else to go behind us!”

Behind them was the sea.

And it was the West Sea [also known as the Yellow Sea].

Would jumping into the sea open a path to survival?

They might survive for a while. But being alone while fleeing in enemy territory, with no way to return by land, was no different from dying.

Batoru let out a huge roar at the Japanese martial artists who were stuck between a rock and a hard place.