Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1183

‘Damn it, we’re completely screwed!’

Urgency flooded Lee Hyun-soo’s face.

He assessed the situation while calculating the optimal movement route. The moment he took stock of the individuals present, he understood how dire things were.

Bator-class fighters, Chevaliers [elite knights], and physically weak mages, along with the general martial artists of the Assembly.

And the Demonic Cultists, who were struggling and exhausted from being controlled by demonic energy.

‘Lack of mobility.’

Slow.

They were incredibly slow. If they were in top condition, some might have been able to reach the Assembly faster than a car, but that was impossible now. Asking those who had already fought a battle to exert their full power again was an unreasonable demand.

“Wiggins, Bator! Select a small group and immediately provide support to the Assembly!”

“Understood!”

“Let’s go!”

The two of them began to move without complaint. Everyone understood how urgent the situation was. There was no need for further words.

“Director Bang!”

“Okay.”

Bang Jin-hoon also nodded. He had no choice but to stop the treatment midway.

It was impossible to pull Wiggins away to treat Bang Jin-hoon right now.

“Please take care of the aftermath.”

Bang Jin-hoon slightly turned his head.

The harbor was a mess. The fact that the floor was broken and buildings were destroyed could be explained away somehow, but there were over a thousand corpses. If someone were to see this scene when the sun rose, it would cause chaos.

With the surrounding area under control, they had to somehow clean up the situation.

“…Understood.”

Bang Jin-hoon hesitated slightly before nodding.

His feelings were understandable. The Chairman was being targeted. He must have wanted to rush to the Assembly right away.

But someone had to clean up this place. If he were in good condition, he would have protested, but now Bang Jin-hoon was in no shape to be of any help.

Knowing this, Bang Jin-hoon had no choice but to suppress his complaints.

“We don’t need everyone. Leave about a hundred guys and take the rest.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“The first group isn’t the only one going, is it? There are a lot of them there, so we need to fill the ranks with a second wave!”

“I understand. I’ll do that.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded vigorously. Regardless of whether the words were right or wrong, this was not the time to argue with Bang Jin-hoon. They had to save every second.

“But what about these corpses? There are so many that we can’t handle them like usual.”

“I’ve called for a ship. Let’s load them all on there for now.”

“A hundred will do. A hundred is a lot, but we don’t know if any additional incidents will occur.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded vigorously.

In the end, their means of transportation would have to be vehicles. They would load the general martial artists and Demonic Cultists into the vehicles. And then…

“Wiggins!”

Wiggins turned his head.

Lee Hyun-soo spoke urgently.

“Is it possible to teleport from here to the Assembly?”

“Impossible.”

Wiggins shook his head.

“Teleportation isn’t something you can use anywhere. That kind of distance requires a lot of preparation.”

“I see.”

“If we prepare right now, it might be possible somehow. But even then, we could only move a couple of people. Large-scale teleportation circles are not only difficult to create, but also require help from the other side.”

“I guess it’s impossible.”

Wiggins nodded with a heavy face.

“If it were just me going, the preparation wouldn’t take long. But that wouldn’t…”

Lee Hyun-soo understood the meaning of Wiggins’ words.

That would be meaningless.

In front of an army of thousands, what difference would it make if there was one or two of them? No matter how strong Wiggins was, he couldn’t change the tide of the battle alone.

“And we can’t waste magic power like that.”

Wiggins said firmly.

“Let’s select the first group. I can increase the speed of the first support team.”

“Is that possible?”

“Even if it’s impossible, we have to! Look at the situation!”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo agreed without hesitation.

His mind was racing. The personnel who could move right now. Among them, those who could be of help.

“How many?”

“Cut out anyone who might slow down the speed even a little. Have them come with the second support team. Only pick those who can go the fastest.”

“About ten people?”

“The elders of the Demonic Cult, Bator and his top disciples! Even the Chevaliers! The rest, you lead them.”

Lee Hyun-soo gritted his teeth.

‘This is why being half-baked is…’

He understood it logically. He was also included in the group that would slow down the mobility.

He knew it, but when he heard those words, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

“Director Bang is here. I’ll join too.”

“You…”

Wiggins, who was about to say something, shut his mouth. He knew how Lee Hyun-soo felt, so he couldn’t stop him.

“Do as you please. But don’t expect us to wait if you fall behind. Don’t blame anyone if you collapse and die on the road.”

“Thank you.”

“Move! Right now!”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo started running with all his might.

The urgency on his face grew more and more intense.

“Get out!”

The doors clanged open.

Several dozen delivery trucks opened their doors simultaneously. It was a scene you might see at a logistics hub, but they had not arrived at a logistics hub. They were in the middle of a deserted national highway.

As if they had prepared in advance, those who had been in the delivery trucks quickly got out and lined up, holding their breath.

Yoshinobu, who was watching the scene, slowly nodded.

He had a satisfied look on his face.

“Such a place.”

He looked around and then raised his head towards the mountain. Not a single light could be seen.

“Are you sure?”

“According to the information, it’s definitely here.”

“Hmm.”

Yoshinobu frowned.

“I don’t know much about this place, but if it’s this deserted, it must be far from any urban area. This isn’t a big city like Seoul or Busan.”

“Yes. It seems the situation is a bit different from Japan.”

“I see.”

It was something unimaginable in Japan.

Basically, the Yakuza in Japan have their own territories. So they have their bases within those territories.

The Shinichi-kai controls Kyoto. Therefore, their headquarters are in Kyoto. And even within Kyoto, they set up their headquarters not far from the downtown area.

Because that’s where the most money and people move.

‘What can they do in this mountain?’

It was something he couldn’t understand. But there was no need to understand it. This place would soon disappear. And Korea would also be reorganized into the Japanese system.

“Everyone, be prepared.”

“Yes!”

“The Assembly is up there, and Kang Jin-ho is there. If we just capture and kill Kang Jin-ho, this war will be over. We will be the ones who decide the victory of this war.”

A subtle sense of excitement flowed through them.

The name Kang Jin-ho had already spread widely among the general warriors of the Shinichi-kai.

It couldn’t be helped.

Words were like the wind, and no amount of manpower could stop them.

Even if Kang Jin-ho had done nothing, rumors would have spread, but he had already inflicted a record defeat on the Shinichi-kai.

Those who had survived that day at sea trembled and lost their minds at the mere mention of Kang Jin-ho’s name. So it was inevitable that rumors would spread.

Kang Jin-ho.

The head of the Assembly, the only martial arts group in Korea.

A man who, in just one year, had pushed the Assembly, which had not even reached the feet of Japan, to the very edge of Japan.

And… the strongest man in Korean history.

They were on their way to take the head of such a man. How could they not be excited?

“Those who behead Kang Jin-ho will receive a reward from the leader. I promise you a reward beyond your imagination!”

There was no answer.

But there was no need to hear an answer. Just by looking at the changing air and atmosphere, one could guess what everyone was feeling.

Yoshinobu stared at everyone silently before turning his body.

“Let’s go up.”

“Yes!”

The elites of the Shinichi-kai began to advance at a rapid pace along the two-lane road leading up the mountain.

The road was longer than expected. They said the headquarters were deep in the mountains…

‘Isn’t this just a refuge?’

You could feel their determination to completely avoid people’s eyes.

There were two ways for humans to hide from other humans.

One was to be completely isolated, avoiding their gaze, and the other was to blend in with the crowd.

Japan had chosen the latter, but these guys seemed to have chosen the former. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have thought of building a structure in this deep place.

But soon his thoughts changed.

The small two-lane road, with lush trees stretching out on both sides, continued, and then suddenly, the view opened up, and a four-lane road appeared.

‘Hmm?’

And on both sides, large buildings were lined up.

“Is this it?”

“No. It’s further up. As far as I know, this is the dormitory.”

“Dormitory?”

Yoshinobu’s eyes widened.

All those buildings were dormitories? And they looked newly built?

“Ignore it and go up.”

“Yes!”

While quickly driving along the road, Yoshinobu’s mind was racing.

‘This is no joke.’

To build such a large-scale structure in a deserted, deep mountain?

It was something unimaginable with ordinary financial power.

Even for the Shinichi-kai, it would be a huge burden to do something like this.

‘Come to think of it, it’s not that strange.’

The Yakuza in Japan were divided into dozens of groups. Although the Shinichi-kai controlled Kansai [a region in Japan], they were only receiving appropriate tributes from small and medium-sized Yakuza groups. But the Assembly was monopolizing all the money earned in the Korean martial arts world.

Even though the economic power of Japan and Korea was more than double, it was the same situation as the Shinichi-kai monopolizing all the income of Kansai.

‘They must be overflowing with money.’

Yoshinobu quietly licked his lips.

He understood what it meant when people said that Korea was a land that laid golden eggs. He also understood why the Nanahoshi-gumi [another Yakuza group] had targeted Korea in the past. If they could monopolize this much wealth, the Shinichi-kai could gain power that was incomparable to what they had before.

‘If we just kill that Kang Jin-ho, anything is possible.’

If they could get their hands on this land, they could not only completely dominate Japan, but also aim for China beyond Korea.

Yoshinobu quietly gripped his beloved sword at his waist.

‘Today, you will die by my hand.’

He had said that he would give a great reward to those who beheaded Kang Jin-ho, but it didn’t seem like they could kill Kang Jin-ho. It was Yoshinobu’s role to behead Kang Jin-ho and raise the morale of the Shinichi-kai.

“There it is!”

Yoshinobu’s gaze turned upwards. Next to the steep hill, he could see the road leading to the underground parking lot, and above it, a large building.

Yoshinobu put strength into his legs and increased his speed.