Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1178

“Reporting in!” Kang Jin-ho quietly watched the man who had opened the door and entered.

“Begin.”

“Yes! We’ve received word that our forces are currently engaged in battle with Japanese landing troops in Gunsan! The situation is overwhelmingly in our favor. We expect the enemy to be completely annihilated in approximately one to two hours.”

“Understood.”

“Yes! I will report again as soon as I receive further news! Then!” The door closed, and Kang Jin-ho, now alone, took out a cigarette.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit the cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke. After staring at the ceiling for a while, he chuckled.

‘This is unfamiliar.’ A subtle unease lingered.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust those who were fighting. Bator and Wiggins were there. Bang Jin-hoon and Jang Min were also there. And those he had nurtured with all his effort were supporting them. He believed they wouldn’t be defeated.

Yet, the inability to shake off this unease wasn’t a matter of reason. It was a matter of emotion. This was something he hadn’t experienced when he led the Demonic Cult in the past.

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t be present on every battlefield. On the battlefields where he was present, he always led from the front, but there were also battlefields he couldn’t reach. Did he suffer from anxiety then? No, he didn’t. The outcome of battles where he wasn’t present didn’t hold much significance for Kang Jin-ho. If they won, that was good, and if they lost, he could make up for it where he was. That was the extent of it.

But the Assembly was different. Kang Jin-ho was realizing anew that the current Assembly had become a much greater presence to him than the Demonic Cult of the past. He felt like rushing to the battlefield right away. Even though they had gained the upper hand, victory didn’t mean there would be no casualties. If he were there, he could reduce the damage by more than half. But he had to endure. He knew that unconditionally embracing and protecting them wasn’t the only answer. The Assembly couldn’t be the same as it was in the past. The enemies they had to face were scattered across the world. As the battlefields expanded, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t be with them every time. They had to learn to fight on their own.

‘I know that, but…’ Kang Jin-ho chuckled. Knowing and enduring were different. It was surprisingly difficult to keep his restless rear on the chair. Besides… That wasn’t the only reason Kang Jin-ho was here.

“Hmm.”

At that moment, the phone rang. Kang Jin-ho reached out, checked the screen, and answered the call.

[Chairman, this is Seok Dong-soo.] Seok Dong-soo’s voice was filled with perfect respect. Considering his position as a minister, his voice sounded quite awkward.

“Speak.”

[I have handled it as you instructed. And we are continuously checking the part you mentioned.]

“Understood.”

[I did my best, but I’m not sure if it was handled properly.]

“It’s fine. That’s enough.”

[I will report immediately if any other unusual matters arise.] Kang Jin-ho hung up without another word. Then, he slowly closed his eyes.

Seok Dong-soo was proving to be a good card. The fact that a minister of a country blindly followed Kang Jin-ho broadened his scope of activity. That’s why Kang Jin-ho sometimes felt an impulse. If he were to use soul subjugation [a technique to control a person’s mind] not only on those who were hostile to him but also on those who were somewhat friendly, making them subservient to him, things would be much easier.

‘The Chinese bastards are probably already doing that.’ Soul subjugation wasn’t unique to the Demonic Cult. Although it was looked down upon as a sorcery, the techniques of manipulating and brainwashing humans were widespread among numerous heretical sects and cults at the time. Most of them were nothing more than crude sorcery, but there must be proper soul subjugation techniques that had been passed down. There was no way the Three Kings would not use them.

However, Kang Jin-ho did not abuse soul subjugation. Implanting compulsions in a person’s mind was extremely dangerous. If soul subjugation wasn’t done properly, a person could become an idiot, and even if they didn’t become an idiot, problems would arise. And even if soul subjugation was done well, the problems didn’t end there. Humans have free will. People are beings who naturally make rational judgments that benefit them. If they continuously experience the process of having those rational judgments forcibly twisted, they will eventually break down. Anything abused will break the balance. If he were to shake up the political world for immediate convenience, Kang Jin-ho would have to bear the consequences. That’s why he only used it on people like Seok Dong-soo. Because he was someone who could be broken without consequence. Or he could use it on someone like Bator, who would never break.

Kang Jin-ho leaned back on the sofa. The unlit room was gradually filling with darkness.

“Stop!” The light stick was quickly waved. The police officers, lined up, narrowed their eyes as they watched the lights approaching through the dawn darkness.

“We’ll have a brief check.”

“Is it a DUI check?”

“No, sir. May I ask where you are headed?”

“Where else would a delivery truck be going at this hour? It’s on its way to the logistics center.”

The police officer raised his head and checked the back. Small trucks were lined up, stopped. The police officer nodded after confirming the delivery company’s logo wrapped on the trucks.

“Are you going to the hub terminal?”

“Yes. I’m late, right now.”

The police officer looked slightly troubled.

‘I don’t really need to check.’ He had been instructed to report any suspicious individuals, but delivery trucks going to the logistics hub terminal at this hour was a routine occurrence. Besides, they seemed to be company-owned delivery trucks, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

“Hey, open all of those.”

“The delivery trucks?”

“Didn’t you hear me say to check everything individually?”

“Yes, I understand.”

The police officer sighed and said,

“Did you hear that? It seems we need to check the inside.”

“Why?”

“Please cooperate.”

“There’s nothing there. It’s a truck going to the logistics center to load cargo. What are you investigating?”

“We still need to check.”

At that moment, the driver’s face contorted.

“Are you going to open all of those?”

The police officer’s gaze turned to the back. He frowned at the sight of nearly thirty trucks.

“We’re already late, and you’re going to check all of those one by one? Officer, you know our company. Those bastards tell us to dump it if we’re even a little late. We’re out here since dawn, and what if we don’t get paid?”

“I’m sorry, but…”

“Ha…” The driver sighed and nodded.

“Then go ahead and open them. You can open them from the back.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The police officer slowly walked towards the back of the delivery truck. Then, he placed his hand on the locking handle.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Yes? I’m conducting a check.”

“They found suspicious people in the back. Join them quickly.”

“Yes!” The police officer shouted urgently.

“Pass! Pass!”

“Can we go?”

“Yes. Go ahead.” The light stick was waved, and the delivery trucks passed through the checkpoint and began to accelerate simultaneously. The driver, glancing at the rearview mirror, let out a low sigh.

“Ha, that was close.” After confirming that all the delivery trucks had passed through the checkpoint, he turned his gaze forward.

‘They’re making me do all sorts of things, those bastards.’ The dangerous checkpoint was now behind them. Having passed this point, there would be no more checkpoints. The thought of the promised hefty bonus made him press down on the accelerator.

“I just need to make money.”

Swoosh. Yoshinobu slowly slid the sword he had drawn back into its sheath. The narrow cargo hold, where not a single ray of light entered, was subtly shaking.

“It seems we’ve passed the checkpoint.”

“You look terrible.”

“We must endure for the greater good, mustn’t we?”

“Hmm.” Yoshinobu scoffed.

When they came by ship, they were in the fish hold, and now, after entering Korea, they were traveling in the cargo hold of a truck. It was something unimaginable in Japan.

“The men’s pride must be in tatters.”

“Everything will be compensated if we achieve our goal. Thanks to this, we can avoid unnecessary conflicts, can’t we?”

“That’s right.” Yoshinobu wore a subtle smile.

‘Koreans are truly strange people.’ In the past, when they ruled Korea, he had heard that it wasn’t the Japanese but the Koreans themselves who were at the forefront of oppressing Koreans. Although it couldn’t be compared to that situation, the current situation was quite ironic. The ones who provided them with vehicles and helped them avoid checkpoints were none other than Korean companies. Although it was prearranged, it was something Yoshinobu couldn’t understand with his common sense. For a Korean company to help the Japanese avoid public authority. Even if businessmen were the kind of people who would sell anyone for money, wasn’t this going too far? Thanks to this, they were able to achieve their planned goals.

“You’ve managed to secure cooperation well.”

“It’s thanks to the political world moving diligently. They must have thought it was a good deal to receive support from the Japanese government and be able to export to Japan.”

“Not knowing the ground they stand on is crumbling?”

“How many people can see that far ahead? And as far as I know, this company is originally friendly to Japan.”

“Hmm.” Yoshinobu nodded. The details were not his concern. He only needed to achieve the goal set by the leader, using the means provided by the leader.

“So, how much longer?”

“We’ll arrive in two hours.”

“Slow.”

“It’s unavoidable to avoid suspicion. The area around here is heavily guarded. We can increase speed once we get out of this area.”

At that moment, the phone rang. The aide who answered the phone mumbled a few words in Korean and then hung up.

“General.”

“What is it?”

“It has been confirmed that the target is at the destination.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Good.” Yoshinobu nodded vigorously. His slightly exaggerated reaction seemed to reflect his current feelings.

“In the end, war is decided by who takes the head of the general.” It was true that they were the advance team. However, unlike what they had told Kanto, their purpose wasn’t to enter first and buy time for the subsequent landing force to land safely. What did it matter to Shinichikai [a Japanese organization] whether the Yamashiro-gumi [another Japanese organization] landed safely or not? In reality, it was the opposite. The Yamashiro-gumi was drawing their attention. Of course, the Yamashiro-gumi had no idea, but the real bait wasn’t them but the Yamashiro-gumi. By now, the Assembly and the Yamashiro-gumi would be fiercely fighting each other. And Yoshinobu would exploit that gap.

“I don’t know what kind of guts they have to move separately, but I’ll make them pay the price. I’ll take Kang Jin-ho’s head before sunrise.”

“Yes!” The delivery trucks, filling the national highway, were advancing towards the Assembly like a giant serpent along the winding road. The only goal was Kang Jin-ho’s head. The dagger that the leader had thrown was now flying towards Kang Jin-ho.