Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1200

Clean Up (4)

Outskirts of Shiroi City, Tokyo.

Whoooosh.

A large logistics warehouse, rarely visited by people. The inside of the warehouse, which had been closed for months and was covered in white dust, was filled with a pure white light.

The perfectly closed doors completely blocked any light from escaping.

And soon, a figure slowly walked out from within the light.

“Home.”

Master.

He was clad in full armor, and his face was unusually stern as he walked out and looked around.

“Master!”

A man rushed over and bowed his head to the Master. The Master nodded lightly in response and opened his mouth.

“It seems the preparations are complete.”

“It will take a little more time for the gate to stabilize. However, there should be no difficulty in teleporting even now.”

“What about the additional coordinates?”

“The additional coordinates require work on the other side as well. But even if we hurry as much as possible, it will take at least another 48 hours.”

“That’s too much time.”

The Master stroked his beard.

Time-consuming was not good news, but it wasn’t something to rush either.

Magical engineering was like a precision machine, and rushing could cause the formulas to go awry. Once a formula was off, it couldn’t be fixed by simply correcting it. It was like a building with a faulty foundation; no matter how much you reinforced it, there would be limits.

“The additional coordinates aren’t urgent, so focus on stabilizing the gate first.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Master nodded at the reply and turned around.

Clank.

The armor clanked with every movement.

‘It feels awkward.’

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had worn full armor. Recently, the Round Table had been involved in some major incidents, but ridiculously, the Master had been more of an outsider in those events.

It was strange.

The Master was, without a doubt, the representative of the Round Table. Yet, during the Round Table’s major upheavals, the Master had never once fought with a sword. He had merely watched others fight as a third party, whether by choice or by circumstance.

Perhaps because of that frustration, the Master’s heart was strangely agitated.

Clank.

Listening to the metallic sound, the Master smiled.

“I’m getting too old to be acting like this.”

“For someone saying that, you look very natural?”

The Master turned his head.

Knight Vesley was slowly emerging from the gate. He too was clad in full plate mail.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Watching you, I feel a strange surge of excitement myself.”

“To hear you say that, I’m quite moved.”

The Master chuckled.

“It is an honor for me to go on an expedition with you, Master.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I mean it, Master.”

The Master wanted to make another joke, but Knight Vesley’s face was too serious, so he kept his mouth shut.

“I wish the other knights had the chance to share this honor.”

“It’s too early for that,” the Master shook his head.

“And now is not the time to move the knights carelessly. The situation is too sensitive. If I only take some, it will be said that I favor certain knights, and if I take them all, there are too many. Things will get complicated.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s a hassle. There are so many things to consider even for a single move.”

In the past, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

He would simply select the knights who could achieve the best efficiency and ask for their cooperation. That was possible when everyone agreed that the Round Table operated that way.

But not now.

Now, the knights were focused on the Master’s every move. Even a trivial action by the Master could lead to various interpretations.

“I feel like I’ve become Louis XIV [King of France known for his absolute rule and courtly intrigue].”

“Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to wear that ridiculous wig.”

“It’s a good thing the Chevaliers [French for Knights] aren’t here. That’s quite a sensitive remark, you know.”

“Surely they wouldn’t object? Unless Knight Levo comes back to life, that won’t happen.”

“I can’t help you,” the Master shook his head.

Knight Vesley had become more talkative than before. Or rather, he had started making more jokes. If the Master had become more cautious with his words, Knight Vesley was making more jokes as if to match the Master’s mood.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere wasn’t too heavy. The Master was secretly quite grateful.

“Anyway, we’ve brought as much force as possible, so that should be enough.”

“Two knight orders seem insufficient.”

“It’s fine. Normally, it would be, but this place is a no-man’s-land right now.”

The Master curled up the corners of his mouth.

Certainly, under normal circumstances, invading Japan with two knight orders would be absolutely impossible. Japan’s military power was not to be underestimated.

But as he had said earlier, Japan was now practically a no-man’s-land. The core forces had all left Japan to invade Korea.

All that remained were a few powerful figures and a bunch of riffraff.

“In this situation…”

The Master smiled as he watched those walking out of the gate.

“Wouldn’t this be enough?” The Garter Knights and the Teutonic Knights. Knights in heavy armor, clanking with metal, walked out with measured steps.

Even Knight Vesley couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“They certainly look formidable.”

“Now, let’s hurry. If we’re late, we might lose face with the Chairman.”

The Master, guided by the intelligence officers who were waiting, slowly headed towards the entrance.

Watching him, Knight Vesley wore a subtle expression.

‘Lose face, huh…’

That might be true.

It was Wiggins who had requested the landing in Japan in the name of the alliance. But it was obvious whose intention was behind Wiggins’s orders, without even having to ask.

Kang Jin-ho.

Wiggins could not have made such a request without the permission of the Korean Demon King.

In other words, their expedition was the first request and order from Kang Jin-ho, the Chairman of the General Assembly. The future standing of the Round Table would depend on how perfectly they carried out this order.

‘Standing, huh…’

Knight Vesley couldn’t help but smile wryly.

That the standing of the Round Table would be determined by whether or not it satisfied one person was an absurd thought. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

“Knight Vesley?”

Knight Vesley nodded at the voice from behind.

“We’re moving out.”

Thoughts could wait.

Now was the time to fight.

Crack.

The tip of a branch snapped as the hand holding it tightened.

“What did you say?”

His voice was filled with doubt and shock.

Shinya was sweating profusely as he lowered his head.

“Say it again.”

“…My Lord.”

“Hurry!”

Shinya squeezed his eyes shut.

“The second unit that attempted to land in Gunsan was completely annihilated by the General Assembly’s combined attack.”

The Lord stared at Shinya without saying a word.

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He was waiting for the next words.

“And…”

Shinya swallowed hard and continued with difficulty.

“We have lost contact with the first unit that attacked Kang Jin-ho, who was alone in the General Assembly. The last message we received said they had suffered severe damage while fighting Kang Jin-ho. We haven’t heard from them for over 20 minutes. Perhaps…”

Snap.

Shinya looked up at the strange sound piercing his ears. The trunk of a bonsai tree was being torn off.

A precious bonsai tree that had been carefully cultivated for years was being torn apart. But he didn’t feel any regret. This was not the time to worry about such a bonsai.

“No contact?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Do you know what that means?”

Shinya closed his mouth.

How could he not know?

It had been emphasized countless times that contact must be maintained. It was impossible to receive detailed reports of battles in other countries from here. So, at the very least, a verification procedure had been established.

At the very least.

That was exactly what it meant.

But now, they were in a situation where they couldn’t even maintain that minimum.

If he were to think as positively as possible, he could assume that they had killed Kang Jin-ho and were so overjoyed that they had forgotten to contact them…

‘That’s impossible.’

A victory only had meaning if there was someone to acknowledge it. If they had achieved the greatest victory, it was historically and logically appropriate to report it immediately.

Yet, the lack of contact meant only one thing.

A crushing defeat.

Or annihilation.

Either way, it was the same. If they had been defeated, it meant they had scattered, and there was nowhere to go if they fled in a foreign land.

“My Lord…”

The Lord’s face flushed red.

It was the first time Shinya had ever seen such emotion on his face. The Lord was that angry.

“Was the information I received wrong?”

“I was told that Kang Jin-ho was alone in the General Assembly.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“And yet, they were defeated?”

The Lord’s face contorted. The bonsai tree in his hand crumbled into dust.

“Are you saying that Kang Jin-ho single-handedly killed them all? Do you expect me to believe that?”

Shinya couldn’t say anything and bowed his head deeply.

He didn’t know either.

He had no idea what had happened there to lead to this situation.

‘It’s like falling into a vast darkness.’

The land of Korea.

He never thought that a land that could be reached several times a day would feel so dark. Perhaps they had been too hasty.

“Confirm it.”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Find out the situation by any means! Even if it means sending the third unit that is landing to the General Assembly! Immediately!”

“Yes!”

The Lord’s face trembled. This was the worst.

If the situation they were anticipating had occurred, then this war was as good as over. Even if the main force conquered Korea, the glory would not go to Shin-Nichi-Kai [A fictional Japanese organization].

“Right now!”

“Yes, my Lord!”

It was at that moment.

The Lord’s head snapped around. His gaze went to the end of the garden.

“This…”

The sharp sounds of weapons and shouts pierced his ears.

Shinya also noticed the change and widened his eyes.

Someone ran into the garden and fell to their knees.

“Reporting! There are intruders! We are doing our best to stop them, but we are outnumbered!”

“Intruders?”

Intruders?

Who would dare to invade this place?