Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1454

“I think I see them over there?”Reggie squinted, then raised his binoculars to look at the spot his adjutant was pointing to.Indeed, something seemed to be visible.’Is that the main force?’It wasn’t clear due to the distance. If they could get a video feed, they could know more, but just from what he could see, they were definitely not the majority.At most, there were less than 30 people.The number 30 could be considered a lot or a little depending on the standard, but anyone who wasn’t an idiot would agree that it wasn’t a large number to face Reggie’s division.”This is no joke.” Reggie’s face hardened coldly.He wanted to take it lightly if possible, but it was getting more and more ridiculous. At this point, he was starting to wonder if they were all in on a prank to make fun of him.”What’s the probability they’re civilians?””The surrounding area is completely controlled. However, it’s such a deserted desert that civilians wouldn’t come in. Still, there’s a slight chance, so I’ll check it out.”Reggie narrowed his brow.That would be more realistic. But that couldn’t be it.”A preemptive strike… hmm, no.”Reggie shook his head.If they were in plain sight, there would be no problem in blowing them away with artillery. Then they could cleanly end this idiotic training.But Reggie was a soldier. Launching a preemptive strike against an unidentified enemy was a bit unsettling. It was also fundamentally against the rules of engagement.”Stand by for now.””We can fire artillery.””Stand by!””Yes, sir!”As the adjutant stepped back, Reggie narrowed his eyes slightly.’I’ll play along.’It wasn’t that he didn’t want to blow them away with artillery right now. But a soldier had to be calm. More than anything, the higher-ups wouldn’t want that result.What they wanted was a proper battle and solid data.Self-propelled artillery was definitely part of their force, but it was undeniable that it would lead to a bland result.So, it would be better to confirm at close range…”Hmm?”Suddenly, Reggie’s brow furrowed.Something strange began to enter his vision.Those who were just small dots due to the distance suddenly began to emit light.’Light, you say?’Reggie reflexively looked up.This was a desert.A desert where the scorching sun tormented people. It was strange to be able to see that much light with the naked eye in this desert.’What the heck is that?’The question didn’t last long. It was soon replaced by an even bigger question.The blazing light began to take shape. Then, a bizarre pattern that he had never seen before was drawn in the air.”…Is that some kind of new weapon developed by another country?”Reggie’s face contorted.”Should we engage?””Damn it, did we get hit by a shell? What are we going to say after firing? That those bastards were emitting light and drawing graffiti in the air, so we blew them away with self-propelled artillery?””…I’m sorry.”Reggie suppressed his annoyance and glared at the pattern being drawn in the air.’Try something.’I’ll blow you away right away.It was at that moment.The pattern drawn in the air slowly descended and seeped into the ground. Reggie could only stare blankly at the bizarre harmony.’Seep in?’That was it.It became quiet.”What the heck…”After that, it didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t over.Woo-woo-woo-woong.”Hmm?”A low vibration sound was heard.A disturbing sound, like a swarm of bees flying around, sharply pierced his ears.”What’s that sound?”Reggie soon realized.That this sound wasn’t the important thing right now.’It’s shaking?’His gaze turned downwards.He had felt something strange since a while ago, and now his whole body began to tremble. Looking at the ground, he could see pebbles trembling and moving slightly.”An earthquake?”And it came suddenly.Kwarurururururung!The earth began to shake violently.The small tremors gradually grew larger, and soon became a noticeable vibration, and before they could even react, a huge tremor that made it difficult to stand covered the base.”Wh-what is it!””It’s an earthquake!””Stay calm! Stay calm! Hold your positions!”But it was a futile cry.The vibration soon became an earthquake and engulfed them.”Aaaaaaah!”Reggie collapsed to the ground.He tried to stand, but the vibration was too much. It felt like being trapped in a giant shaker bottle and being shaken violently. His feet repeatedly left the ground and then touched it again.Reggie, who was lying flat on the ground, desperately shouted.”Get down! Now! Grab onto something!”Whether his shout worked, or they instinctively found a way to survive, everyone in sight lay flat on the ground.’Damn it!’Why an earthquake all of a sudden?Everything in his vision was shaking. He couldn’t tell if he was shaking, or if the things he saw were shaking.Of course, it was probably both. Damn it!Reggie bit his lip and quickly thought. Although they had been hit head-on by an earthquake that they couldn’t control with manpower, the damage wouldn’t be great in this desert where there was nothing to collapse. At most, those inside the narrow vehicles would be injured from bumping into things.So, if they reorganized well…It was at that moment.Kwaaaaaaaang!A sound like something exploding was heard.’Artillery fire?’No.It was similar but different. This was different from an explosion. It was closer to the sound of something breaking…’Breaking?’A question arose.Breaking, what the heck was…And that question was quickly answered. In the worst possible form imaginable.Kurururururung!The ground was twisting.It wasn’t shaking. It was literally twisting.Crack, with a sound, long cracks began to appear on the dry desert floor.’N-no way?’Reggie’s eyes were bloodshot.”Damn it! Hold on tighttttttt!”The cracked ground began to split.At the same time, some areas rose up, and others sank down.”Aaaaaaaack!”The desperate screams of those who fell into the cracked ground pierced his ears.Kiiiiiiiiing!The ground twisted, causing the tanks that had been in formation to tilt sideways, and some even fell into the cracked ground.A terrible earthquake.The weapons created by humans were powerful, but they were helpless in the face of natural disasters. The artillery that could only exert its power by attaching its tracks to the ground lost its value the moment the ground collapsed.The formation was completely destroyed.Reggie watched the whole scene while lying flat on the ground.’What the heck is going on.’Why now, and why here, was such an absurd earthquake happening?”C-commander, we need a plan! If we stay here, the damage will get worse!””We need to evacuate!”Easy to say!They didn’t know where the ground would crack next. And how were they supposed to evacuate from the terrain that had been randomly raised and lowered, turning it into something like clay that a child had trampled on?If they tried to move carelessly, the damage would only get worse.”Shut up and just lie down!”As Reggie yelled like a scream, the adjutants around him also gritted their teeth and lay flat on the ground.But that didn’t mean they were safe.Crack, crack, crack.It was cracking.Black lines were spreading on the ground. It was obvious what would happen if those lines cracked.Reggie stared at the lines with eyes that looked like they would pop out. The lines that were reaching towards him felt like the touch of a grim reaper.His whole body was soon soaked with cold sweat.Crack, crack.’Please!’The black line that had been slowly advancing stopped right in front of Reggie.”Ah…”Kwadudududuk!But before he could even feel relieved, the ground cracked with a loud sound, and began to swallow people.”Aaaaaaaaaaack!”The adjutant who had been lying in front of him fell into the cracked gap. Reggie squeezed his eyes shut.He couldn’t help them.The helplessness of not being able to do anything even as his subordinates were dying right in front of him crushed Reggie.”Guh, guuuh.””Ah!”But Reggie’s head snapped up at the groan he heard.”Wilson!”Reggie crawled towards the cracked gap and looked down.”C-commander.”A question arose in Reggie’s eyes as he looked down.’It’s shallow?’Judging by the way it was cracking, it seemed like there would be an abyss with no bottom, but the bottom of the gap was actually not that deep.At most, it was only 2 or 3 meters high.’Is this even possible?’An earthquake wasn’t something that happened on the surface.With this much shaking, it wouldn’t be strange if a cliff had formed here, but the depth he could see was only enough for two people to stand.And soon, the earthquake subsided.Woo-woo-woo-woong.The large shaking turned into a small vibration, and eventually weakened to the level of a slight tremor.Reggie carefully raised his body and looked around.”Th-this…”It was a truly miserable sight.Who would call this a desert?Everywhere was cracked open, revealing black mouths, and the ground that wasn’t cracked was randomly raised and sunken. They hadn’t even done anything yet, but it already looked like they had fought several wars.And of course, those who had been standing on that ground couldn’t be safe.Tanks that had fallen into the gaps, self-propelled artillery that had been overturned. And even tanks that were half-hanging on the raised ground, spewing smoke…Collapse.This was a collapse.”H-how the heck did this happen?”Phil Button, who was holding his head in his hands, came out of the bunker behind him, shouting.But there was no answer that Reggie could give.”Oh my god… Lord.”Phil’s groan seemed to represent Reggie’s feelings right now.”Th-this way…”Phil’s eyes were shaking.They had concentrated the firepower of two divisions here. But that firepower was now useless. What could those overturned tanks and smoking self-propelled artillery do?Basically, artillery was only meaningful if it had its tracks on the ground and recognized the coordinates of the exact target. But in this state, they couldn’t fire even if they knew the coordinates.”Stop the training… stop the training, Vice-Minister. It’s a natural disaster. If we stay like this…””N-no, it’s not.””Yes?”Reggie reflexively turned his head.Phil’s face was pale.”It’s, it’s not a disaster. This… this isn’t a disaster?”What kind of nonsense was that… Reggie, who was about to point something out, closed his mouth.’That light.’That incomprehensible cluster of light and bizarre pattern.Then, could it be that?Reggie reflexively turned his head. The place his gaze was directed was naturally where those who had been emitting light were.Then, Reggie saw it.Not far away.A man was slowly walking towards them from a place that had suddenly become much closer.This is Wolbaek.First of all, I would like to thank the readers who read Demon Lord’s Advent.I have been working for the past few days, and I have been experiencing pain and weakness in my right hand. After visiting the hospital, I was diagnosed with needing rest. I have decided that I need some rest myself, so today’s Demon Lord’s Advent will only be updated once.I will take enough rest and come back with better content.The missing episodes will be supplemented next week, so please understand.