Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1165

“Haa…”

Yoshinobu waded through the seawater, heading towards the shore. He glanced back at the patrol boats in the distance, their movements chaotic.

‘As expected,’ he thought.

It was a strategy that seemed reckless at first glance, but it was based on Chaikechang’s meticulous calculations.

Ships belong to the realm of the outside world. No matter how many martial artists are on board, as long as they are using a tool like a ship, they are subject to its limitations. They can’t escape being controlled.

But people are different.

The ones who jumped into the sea now are martial artists. The moment you try to forcibly restrain them, the balance between the outside world and the martial world will be disrupted.

The coast guards on those ships probably don’t understand the current situation. They must have received orders from above not to interfere with those who jumped into the water.

“Assemble.”

“Yes, Department Head!”

The men who had jumped out of the water quickly lined up in formation.

Yoshinobu swiftly checked the numbers and unsheathed his beloved sword from its vinyl wrapping.

“Personnel?”

“All present and accounted for!”

“Hmm.”

Yoshinobu nodded slightly.

He had anticipated that a few might have had an accident, but fortunately, no one had been left behind. The water temperature was cold, but the waves were not too high, which made it possible.

‘The heavens are smiling upon us.’

It wasn’t a situation where they could postpone the landing due to bad weather. If the waves had been moderately high, there would have been casualties, and if there had been a storm, he had been prepared for about a third of them not reaching their destination properly.

But today, the heavens smiled upon Yoshinobu and Shin’nichikai [New Japan Society].

Just like how a typhoon had blocked the Mongol army in the past, today the wind had subsided to support their landing.

Yoshinobu wasn’t particularly superstitious, but he welcomed the fact that things were going well from the start.

“Department Head, all personnel have assembled!”

“Good.”

Yoshinobu’s eyes gleamed.

“There’s a lot of snow here. For now, we’ll hide. We won’t attempt a clumsy advance, and we’ll wait for the second unit.”

“Are we going together?”

“Of course not. There’s no reason to move with the cowards from Kanto [a region in Japan]. But those fools will naturally draw the enemy’s attention.”

“Ah!”

“We’ll strike our target in that gap.” Yoshinobu’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

‘And I need to take Kang Jin-ho’s head.’

“Let’s go!”

The Shin’nichikai assault team, gathered on the shore, began to melt into the darkness.

“They’ve landed?”

“Yes!”

Wiggins’ face contorted in anger.

‘Damn it!’

They had been caught off guard.

And they had been caught completely off guard. It was a mistake that left no room for excuses.

“Where did they land?”

“The exact location hasn’t been determined. It seems to be either near Taean or Gunsan [cities on the west coast of South Korea].”

Lee Hyun-soo’s voice was filled with irritation.

“Taean to Gunsan is a stretch of almost 100 kilometers! How can the landing point be so vague?”

“It’s nighttime, and the sea makes tracking difficult. They said they could only roughly track the direction.”

“This…”

Lee Hyun-soo rubbed his face with both hands.

This was not a matter to get angry about. It was something he had to blame on his own incompetence. No matter how angry he was, if he vented his anger on his subordinates or the reporter, information would not circulate properly.

“Okay. Get the West Sea surveillance posts to cooperate and tell them to contact us immediately if they detect any suspicious large-scale movements.”

“Yes, Chief!”

As the reporter rushed out, Lee Hyun-soo took out his smart pad with an anxious look and turned on the map.

‘Taean or Gunsan….’

He tried to set a random landing point at a suitable location.

‘Three hours by car.’

It would take about three hours by car on the national highway.

“Director Bang.”

“Hmm!”

Bang Jin-hoon was also watching Lee Hyun-soo with a serious expression.

“If the elite martial artists of Japan move at full speed, can they move faster than a vehicle?”

“Impossible.”

Bang Jin-hoon answered cleanly.

“It might be possible for a small number. They could run freely without being noticed. But if that place is enemy territory, it’s a different story. The estimated landing force is close to a thousand, and for a thousand people to move without being noticed, they can only move along mountain paths.”

“Even so, wouldn’t they be fast enough?”

“Maybe if they were Korean. Put yourself in their shoes. If you were dropped between Japan and Korea, would you be able to lead your men and move at high speed along mountain paths to Tokyo?”

“…Probably not.”

If they ran in one direction with a compass, they could reduce the time, but they would be discovered before they even moved 100 kilometers. Nowadays, there are smartphones and various electronic devices, and GPS that doesn’t require using a telecommunications company, so the situation is much better, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s difficult.

“Then…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

They couldn’t pinpoint their location.

If they were moving towards the General Assembly, he had no idea how long it would take.

From the beginning, the General Assembly’s plan was to stop the Japanese invasion at the coast. But if the defense line was so easily breached, they had to activate Plan B.

However, the prepared Plan B was a system to defend the inland from the East Sea, not a plan to block an attack from the West Sea.

“Then first, we…”

“First, calm down.”

At Wiggins’ words, Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip.

‘I got agitated.’

Those who make plans should not get agitated in any situation. Normally, Lee Hyun-soo would never show such a side of himself in front of others.

But the shock and humiliation of being caught off guard by Japan had temporarily blinded Lee Hyun-soo.

‘No, to be precise, it’s a sense of crisis.’

It was Japan.

They were not a weak enemy.

Japan, whose power was considered to be on par with or greater than the Round Table [a powerful organization in the story]. And facing Japan was completely different from facing the Round Table before.

First of all, when they faced the Round Table, they were on an expedition. Even if they lost, there would be no damage except for the deaths of the personnel involved.

As long as the mainland was alive, if Kang Jin-ho and the board members survived, they could somehow recover.

And those they faced were only a small elite force. The knights and knight orders gathered at the Round Table, and the Elder Knights.

Kang Jin-ho and the board members, and the elites of the General Assembly, had a clear advantage over them. They were able to strike the opponent’s weak points with their strengths.

If the main force of the Round Table and the main force of Japan had clashed, the result would never have been the same as before. The General Assembly has a clear advantage in the power of the chairman and the board members, but the power of ordinary martial artists is clearly weaker than that of other countries of similar size.

What was making Lee Hyun-soo panic was that once they had landed without interference, a small-scale battle was no longer possible.

That meant that the General Assembly was likely to suffer enormous damage.

“First, we need to find out what their objective is. There’s a chance they’ll just push straight into the General Assembly, but they might also try to seize a base.”

“Indeed…”

At Wiggins’ words, Lee Hyun-soo looked at the map with a serious expression. It would be easier to deal with if they just pushed into the General Assembly. But if they didn’t move like that….

“Before that…”

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly watching the meeting, opened his mouth.

“Isn’t there something we need to confirm?”

“Yes?”

Lee Hyun-soo raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“What is the number of personnel who landed?”

“It’s estimated to be about a thousand.”

“What is the number of people who disappeared from the airport?”

“That’s also a thousand…”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.

The number of people they had identified at the airport was about two thousand. Of those, a thousand had disappeared, and those thousand had now appeared in the West Sea.

‘That can’t be.’

The fact that the number they had identified was two thousand meant that the actual number moving was far greater than two thousand. No matter how good the Round Table’s intelligence was, it was impossible to perfectly grasp the movements of martial artists from other countries.

“Wiggins.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“What is the estimated number of enemies?”

“About five thousand.”

“How many landed?”

“One thousand.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Wiggins for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“Where are the remaining four thousand?”

Wiggins bit his lip.

He had told Lee Hyun-soo not to get agitated, but he himself was agitated.

‘It’s different.’

Only then did Wiggins realize.

No matter how many battles he had experienced and how many operations he had carried out around the world, he had never experienced his own country or his own forces being invaded.

Wiggins was now realizing how much psychological burden the fact that the enemy was pushing into his own country placed on the defending side.

Click.

Everyone turned their heads at the sound of a lighter being lit.

Kang Jin-ho calmly lit a cigarette and looked at everyone.

Seeing Kang Jin-ho’s face, which was no different from usual, made his racing heart feel calmer.

Even though the enemy was pushing in, Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem to be shaken at all.

‘Perhaps it’s only natural.’

Kang Jin-ho is the leader of the Demonic Cult [a powerful martial arts sect].

According to what Jang Min had said and what Kang Jin-ho had said in passing, he had fought countless battles in the past and had grown the Demonic Cult into the greatest sect in the world through countless wars.

And he had always fought at the forefront against the enemy.

If that was the case, then war would be like everyday life for Kang Jin-ho. It meant that there was no reason to be shaken by the fact that the enemy was pushing in.

“It wouldn’t be war if things went as planned,” Kang Jin-ho said calmly.

Hearing those words, his breathing slowly calmed down.

Wiggins smiled without realizing it.

‘As expected, those who stand at the top are different.’

Wiggins himself had almost become a master and led the Round Table, but now that he was looking at Kang Jin-ho, he thought it was fortunate that he had not chosen that path.

You can tell by looking at Kang Jin-ho.

Those who truly lead do not reveal themselves in peacetime. In peacetime, people like Wiggins can lead as much as they want. The time when a leader truly reveals their value is in a crisis like this.

Just by Kang Jin-ho saying one word, the heated atmosphere of the conference room instantly calmed down. At the same time, everyone’s eyes changed. This was the reason why Kang Jin-ho was sitting in the position of the chairman of the General Assembly.

“Let’s look at it calmly.”

Kang Jin-ho pointed to the map.

“About a thousand people have entered the country.”

“Yes.”

“In other words… only a thousand people.” The cigarette in Kang Jin-ho’s hand was crushed.

“It’s a number that can be trampled to death.” Wiggins nodded.

They had been agitated by the fact that the enemy had invaded, but a thousand people could be dealt with at any time. It might be annoying if they spread out, but they were not a real threat.

“So they probably don’t intend to end it here either. They will definitely land more.”

“You are right.”

“Let’s accurately grasp the current situation first. Start again.”

“Yes!”

Wiggins answered firmly and turned the smart pad to the side.