Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1652

There are times when playing a game that you have an experience like this.

It’s the experience of a high-level user with a lot of high-end equipment coming to a beginner hunting ground to hunt with your newly created character.

When that happens, you see your experience points rising at an absurd rate.

Lee Hyun-soo was feeling exactly like that right now.

Of course, reality isn’t a game, so even if those who were with him were hunting instead of him, his experience points wouldn’t go up.

But one thing that was even better was that the enemies were being swept away at a speed that couldn’t be compared to a game.

KWA-AH-AH-AH-ANG!

Once again, an explosion erupted, and a huge path opened up in front.

It’s been said that since ancient times, great roads have been made with the blood and sweat of people.

The meaning might be a little different, but the great road that Bator was creating was definitely being made with human blood and sweat.

‘Kuhahahahahat! You trash!’

The screams and Bator’s maniacal laughter created a gruesome orchestra. Lee Hyun-soo listened to that orchestra like background music and spurred on his run.

‘What’s the distance?’

’10km ahead. We’ll arrive in an instant.’

‘What’s the situation?’

Kang Jin-ho, who was walking as if taking a stroll, asked with a slightly indifferent look on his face. Lee Hyun-soo pondered for a moment before continuing.

‘It’s true that the directors are putting on an unbelievable performance, but…’

Lee Hyun-soo hesitated slightly in his answer.

There are two possibilities.

One is that the Chang King completely overlooked the abilities of the General Assembly directors, or that they never expected an elite force of directors to break through.

‘It’s not impossible.’ Just as the Chang King’s faction was completely unknown to them, the General Assembly would have been an impossible force for the Chang King to gauge. The Hong King’s faction had some interaction with the General Assembly, so they would have been able to grasp the General Assembly to some extent, but the Chang King’s faction had no way of gauging the General Assembly’s power other than the rumors they heard.

So, they could have completely miscalculated.

And the other possibility is…

‘There’s a possibility that they know we’ll break through but are just letting it happen.’

‘Why?’

‘They judged that they couldn’t divert the forces they poured into chasing the Hong King…’

‘It’s a trap.’

‘Yes!’

Lee Hyun-soo nodded firmly.

‘Which possibility is more likely?’

‘The former is overwhelmingly more likely.’

‘Why?’

‘Because there’s no reason to create a trap. A trap exists to lure the enemy to a favorable location. But we’re already inside their belly.’

It’s like they walked into the trap themselves, so what kind of trap are they going to set up?

‘Is that so?’

Kang Jin-ho had a somewhat displeased look on his face.

‘…What’s wrong?’

‘No, well, nothing in particular…’

‘Perhaps your hands are itching?’

That’s right.

This guy is bored.

Lee Hyun-soo let out a hollow laugh.

Well, it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

If Kang Jin-ho were to be classified, he would be the type of general who would only be satisfied if he were at the forefront. There hasn’t been a single time he’s been in a battle and watched from behind.

But the current situation was clearly ambiguous for Kang Jin-ho to step forward.

If he stepped forward to help, it would be like interfering when they were doing well on their own, and if he just followed along, it would be a difficult task because it was unfamiliar.

‘You need to conserve your strength.’

‘I know.’

‘I’ll say it again, but this is China. And we might have to face the Chang King. So, Lord, you must maintain your best condition.’

‘…Do you think I’ll get tired from beating those guys?’

‘Of course, it’s not like that, but…’ Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

‘Still, we have to prepare for the worst. Surely you know why the directors are going ahead like that?’

‘Reason?’

Kang Jin-ho glanced ahead.

‘Get out of the way, old man! Before I beat you to death!’

‘You weakling, you’re all talk!’

‘You two, please keep it down.’

‘Ah, stop spilling the leftovers! Do it cleanly!’

Kang Jin-ho’s head turned back to Lee Hyun-soo.

‘They just seem excited?’

Lee Hyun-soo, who had nothing to say, awkwardly changed the subject.

‘Anyway, we need to get to Zhangjiakou as soon as possible.’

‘Oh, yeah. Thanks for telling me something I didn’t know.’

‘What’s the situation?’

‘The Russian fighters that entered Chinese airspace suffered minor damage, but they all managed to escape China without any major problems.’

‘Those crazy bastards.’

Reynolds shook his head.

‘Even if the situation is what it is, targeting another country’s fighter jets.’

Warning shots are often fired. But targeting is something that can’t happen without being prepared for all-out war.

In other words, China judged that Kang Jin-ho’s entry into China was more dangerous than a military clash with Russia.

‘Or they panicked at the order to stop them at all costs.’

That’s also something to consider.

It might seem like the bureaucrats who run the country are all elites and rational, but when their lives are in danger, that so-called rationality disappears in an instant.

Looking at the countless wars that have occurred throughout history, there are hardly any wars that have occurred with a truly legitimate cause. There were twice as many wars that occurred due to simple whims or errors.

When that error is passed through several stages, things that are completely different from the original intention can happen.

‘Anyway, it’s a relief. If even one had been shot down, something truly uncontrollable would have happened.’

‘Surely they wouldn’t be that reckless?’

‘…That reckless?’

Reggie Mercer closed his mouth with an embarrassed look on his face.

That’s because he knew that ‘that reckless’ was not a phrase that worked well in China.

‘Anyway, it seems like the entry itself was successful. Now that there’s no more information we can get, we just have to pray.’

‘That’s… that’s not quite right, Undersecretary.’

‘Hmm? What do you mean by that?’

‘You need to see this.’

Reggie Mercer turned the monitor towards Reynolds. Reynolds narrowed his eyes and looked at the monitor.

It was a satellite photo that didn’t look any different. It just showed a wide range of forest.

‘Huh?’

Reynolds blinked.

In the middle of the seemingly vast forest, there was a path that looked like an earthworm crawling.

It’s not strange for there to be a path in a forest, but the problem was that the path didn’t look like it was artificially made.

If it was, they wouldn’t have made it so crooked.

‘But why is that…’

It was at that moment.

The monitor seemed to flicker slightly, and a new photo of the same terrain was updated.

‘Huh?’

Reynolds’ eyes widened.

‘The path moved forward?’

The path that looked like an earthworm in the photo had moved further forward.

‘Ah, no, this isn’t some kind of drawing program…’

Judging by the fact that the trees were almost like dots, the range of the photo alone would be over tens of kilometers, so does that mean they’ve created a new path of several kilometers in that time?

‘N, no way?’

‘Yes. It’s exactly that no way.’

‘They’re going to Zhangjiakou like that?’

‘…It seems so.’

Reynolds stared blankly at the satellite photo again. At the end of the path that looked like an earthworm, there was clearly something that looked like a city.

So that’s Zhangjiakou.

‘Those crazy bastards…’

A groan escaped from Reynolds’ mouth.

If that was Korea instead of China, Reynolds might have applauded. This was an aggressive advance that he had never seen in his decades of working in the military.

But that was China.

And the people who had entered that place were five people and one person who wasn’t a fighting force.

Those six people, or rather, not six people, were advancing while smashing everything around them as if they were spreading rumors all over the place?

‘Are they out of their minds?’

It would be more moderate to shout with a megaphone asking them to just kill him.

‘Is it okay like that?’

Reynolds asked Reggie Mercer with a blank look. But Reggie Mercer also had no answer.

‘What can we do? They’re doing it themselves.’

‘…I just can’t understand those humans sometimes.’

‘It’s a good thing it’s just sometimes. I never understand them.’

The two men, who were looking at the advance route of the damned martial artists, simultaneously let out a deep sigh.

* * *

‘The forest is about to end.’

Kang Jin-ho nodded slightly.

After the forest ends, there is a suitable plain, and then Zhangjiakou. Hong King would probably be there.

‘And the Chang King too.’

‘Lord!’

‘Speak.’

‘Zhangjiakou is a city. There will inevitably be civilians. What are you going to do?’

‘Is there a need to choose?’

‘Yes?’

At Lee Hyun-soo’s question, Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘First, we enter.’

‘And then?’

‘If those guys want to start something, they’ll attack, and if not, they’ll stop.’

‘Ah!’

‘We’ll deal with them according to their reaction.’ Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

‘What will you do if the enemy comes out with a strong attack?’

‘That’s obvious.’

Kang Jin-ho’s smile deepened a little more.

‘There’s no reason for us to care about the civilians when they don’t care about them.’

‘Understood.’

Lee Hyun-soo also hardened his face.

And it was at that moment.

‘Lee Hyun-soo!’

‘Yes?’

‘Follow behind Bang Jin-hoon!’

Lee Hyun-soo moved without delay. Normally, he would ask why he was giving such an order, but now was an emergency. There must be a reason for Kang Jin-ho’s words, so he had to move before thinking.

At the same time, Kang Jin-ho began to rush forward, covering his whole body with mana.

WOO-WOO-WOO-WOONG!

The Red Dew and Blue Dew, which were pulled out of the subspace, were instantly covered in black mana.

‘Master?’

‘Lord!’

The directors were startled and shouted as they saw Kang Jin-ho jumping over their heads and charging forward.

Right after that!

KAA-AH-AH-AH-AH-ANG!

Kang Jin-ho’s Red Dew, with its burning mana, tore through the air. The mana that spewed out like hellfire literally blew away the upper part of the dense forest.

At the same time, blood and flesh began to pour down like rain from the sky.

‘Ambush?’

Bator’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t noticed at all, but when did they set up an ambush there?

‘It seems like this is the real deal from now on.’

At Wiggins’ words, the directors nodded with serious expressions. And naturally, their gazes were fixed on Kang Jin-ho’s back, who had noticed the ambush before them and rushed out.

In the darkness.

Kang Jin-ho, covered in mana darker than the darkness, slowly advanced.

It was as if the surrounding darkness was being sucked into Kang Jin-ho.

The mana covering Kang Jin-ho’s mouth was constantly fluctuating. Anyone who knew Kang Jin-ho would be able to guess what kind of expression he was making in that mana.

‘Let’s see.’

How strong you are.

How much you can entertain me.

Kang Jin-ho, who was grinning like a demon, broke through the darkness and advanced like a grim reaper.