Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1453

“This is no joke.”

Lee Hyun-soo handed the smart pad he was holding to Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho frowned as he looked at the enemy’s base on the pad.

“…How did they film this?”

“A drone. I bought one. I thought it might be necessary.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Lee Hyun-soo with a blank look.

Sometimes, Lee Hyun-soo seemed like an unparalleled genius, and other times, like a complete idiot. And the results he produced were sometimes incredibly useful, and other times, completely useless.

“Won’t this get caught?”

“It’s a micro-drone, so it should be fine. The US military’s radar is very high quality, but I did some personal tuning.”

To have the technical ability to tune it to avoid US military radar…

If Lee Hyun-soo became a terrorist, wouldn’t he become a globally wanted criminal?

‘No, no. Come to think of it, he was like that from the start.’

Even when he was the second-in-command of the Yeongnam Association, Lee Hyun-soo was no different from a terrorist.

Kang Jin-ho had been forgetting that fact lately.

“Anyway, amazing…”

“That’s impossible.”

Wiggins chuckled and cut him off.

“They know about it. They’re just not shooting it down.”

“Why?”

“Well, it could be the magnanimity of the strong, or it could be that they’re refraining from a preemptive strike since they haven’t started the war yet… Anyway, there’s no way they’d miss a visually distinct drone at close range.”

Kang Jin-ho turned to Lee Hyun-soo with a blank face.

But Lee Hyun-soo ignored Kang Jin-ho’s reaction and pointed at the screen, making a fuss.

“Do you see the tanks, the tanks?”

“Wow! Those bastards even brought self-propelled artillery. Are they starting a war? It looks like an entire mechanized division came.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at the screen, then slightly turned his head to look at Willie. Willie had a slightly awkward expression.

“Assigning defensive forces is entirely their job, so…”

“You’re incompetent, really.”

“But the number of troops decreased more than expected, didn’t it?”

“It decreased a lot. You must be happy.”

Willie smiled awkwardly.

Whether it’s one division or two doesn’t really matter. Either way, people made of flesh and blood have to charge at those steel monsters.

There might be a big difference between facing one tank and ten, but the difference between ten and twenty isn’t something you can feel.

“We’ve received word that they’ve completed their preparations. What would you like to do, Lord?”

It was a question of whether he would change his mind after seeing the troops with his own eyes.

To say this after setting up the situation like this might sound like mockery, but…

‘That doesn’t seem to be the case.’

Willie’s expression was also pale.

Seeing the division’s troops, which he had only thought about in his head, with his own eyes, he seemed at a loss. People charging at that ridiculous force with their bare bodies?

‘This is no joke.’

There was a huge difference between thinking about it and seeing the scene with your own eyes. The difference between the division’s troops being divided into each unit and being gathered and arrayed in one place was also significant.

On the other hand, what about Kang Jin-ho?

No matter how strong he was, he was just a human made of flesh and bone. Could he really withstand that firepower with his body?

‘Am I doing something pointless?’

It was something he had already calculated, but at this point, he couldn’t help but doubt whether their calculations were really correct.

Whether he knew how Willie was feeling or not, Kang Jin-ho calmly took out a cigarette and lit it.

“Haa…”

Kang Jin-ho exhaled a short puff of smoke and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the distant US military camp.

“So, can we go now?”

“…Since we agreed to start when they completed their preparations, there’s no need to report our situation. You can start whenever you want, Lord.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded lightly.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

“••••••Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho started walking without another word. Willie’s eyes widened at the sight.

Was he going for a walk?

Even Willie, who wasn’t directly facing those troops, felt his legs tremble, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem to be under any pressure.

He was leisurely walking with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Please wait a moment, Lord.”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

“Why?”

“Looking at this, it seems like this isn’t a fight between you and them, but a fight between us and them?”

Wiggins looked at Willie with a face asking for agreement. Willie nodded with a bewildered expression.

“In principle, that’s correct. Although it’s unofficial, it’s a matter of record, and a fight between an individual and the military doesn’t look good…”

There were other reasons, but they weren’t that important.

“Then shouldn’t we do something too?”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Wiggins with a surprised expression.

“Is it necessary?”

“It’s not a matter of necessity, but a matter of opportunity. There are things we can only do at times like this. It’s the first time they’re facing the unmanned, but it’s also the first time we’re facing such a large army, isn’t it?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“You just want to try out your magic on them, don’t you?”

“Exactly.”

Wiggins didn’t deny it and smiled.

Kang Jin-ho shook his head. Whether it was his passion for research as a mage or just simple curiosity…

‘It can’t hurt.’

Experience is always helpful. If there’s something to gain, it’s good to get it all.

“Do as you please.”

“Thank you, Lord. Then.”

Wiggins took out his phone and sent a message somewhere.

‘Huh?’

And not long after, a large van came speeding from behind them.

“Disembark!”

People poured out of the stopped van. They were faces that were quite familiar to Kang Jin-ho.

The magic corps that Wiggins had brought from Korea disembarked from the van and lined up.

“…Did you have them on standby?”

“Preparation is necessary for everything in the world. I had them on standby just in case.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded blankly.

Anyway, Wiggins was no ordinary person.

“Now, where…”

Wiggins’ gaze turned to the distant US military.

‘It’s within range.’

If they wanted to, they could strike this place at any time. But they chose to just wait. It must mean that it wouldn’t be fun to end the situation at once by shelling the distant enemy.

That arrogance, what should I say…

At this moment, it was welcome. Thanks to it, they could do what they wanted to do.

“What’s the range of the self-propelled artillery?”

Lee Hyun-soo answered clearly.

“It varies depending on the shell, but basically it’s 20km. If you use special shells, you can hit targets over 40km away.”

“…That’s quite amazing.”

“With the basic range, you can hit from Seoul to Anyang [cities in South Korea], and if you use special shells, you can hit Yongin [another city near Seoul]. In other words… it means that they can wipe us out at any time since we are within their visual range.”

Lee Hyun-soo spread his hands exaggeratedly.

“Boom.”

Wiggins was realizing how ridiculous modern weapons were.

‘So, in an open field… no, no. If I look at it coldly, it means that there is no way to counter them the moment we engage at long range.’

Even if it’s a distance they can’t see, it doesn’t matter to them. They’ll probably use satellite support to find the opponent’s location. At long range, they’ll fire artillery based on coordinates, and once they close the 40km distance that infantry would have to march all day to reach, the tank units will be waiting.

“In short, it means that the magic corps is weak against a mechanized division.”

Due to the nature of the magic corps, which can only cast magic once they have visually identified their target, they would only be good targets for self-propelled artillery. Of course, it’s unlikely that the two would actually clash.

‘So, I can’t miss this opportunity.’

It might be the last chance to use magic against a mechanized division.

Wiggins slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Form ranks.”

“Yes!”

Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo stepped back and watched Wiggins’ actions with interest.

The magic corps lined up behind Wiggins.

Then Wiggins turned his head.

“What are you doing?”

“…Me?”

“Then do you have something else to do here?”

Wiggins’ head tilted.

“You learn magic when you need it, and when it’s annoying, you stick to the Lord’s side and pretend to be an office worker. Even a bat wouldn’t do that.”

“Hey, I have to analyze the situation. If I run out of energy, who will write the report and analyze it later?”

“Tsk, tsk!”

Wiggins shook his head as if he didn’t like it.

And Willie, who had watched the whole process, looked up at the sky with a look of disillusionment.

‘Did they come for a military field trip?’

They had to face the US military, which was called the strongest on earth. But nowhere in their actions could he find any sense of tension.

“I’ll make sure to get that report.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll write it perfectly. I’m recording it too.”

Wiggins sighed.

How did he end up with such a guy as his disciple in his old age?

Wiggins, resigned, turned his body. In fact, there was almost no difference whether Lee Hyun-soo was there or not. He just didn’t want to see that guy loafing around.

“Let’s begin.”

Wiggins’ eyes gleamed.

As the order was given, those behind Wiggins began casting. The mana flowing from their bodies emitted light and began to be transmitted to Wiggins.

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho watched the scene with interest.

“Ah, this is the first time you’re seeing this, Lord?”

“Is something like that possible?”

“They were raised based on that from the start. It would be difficult for those with different wavelengths, but it’s possible if you can match the wavelengths.”

‘Is it a concept where fellow disciples share their energy?’

Mana had many different aspects depending on the individual, so it was difficult, but it was something that could be seen occasionally in the orthodox sects. It was surprising that it could be applied to magic as well.

“Will it be effective?”

Kang Jin-ho had a pure question.

Magic was basically about using elements. Summoning fire, shooting lightning, and blowing wind.

But it didn’t seem like that would work on those heavy metal lumps. Unless they could continuously maintain the flames and completely heat them up, even if they set them on fire, it didn’t seem like the people inside would be harmed.

Lightning and wind would be even less effective.

It was obvious what the result would be if you thought about it even a little.

‘Wiggins must have a plan.’

Wiggins, who had received the mana from behind, slowly began casting. Traces of light began to appear in the air where his hand had passed.

When his hand stopped, a very complex and bizarre magic circle appeared in the air.

“Now, let’s see… if you can handle this?”

The magic circle emitted a huge light and descended to the ground. Wiggins whispered as he watched the magic circle seep into the ground.

“Shake it up!”