Chapter 128

A single radio message.

It sent a quiet ripple of unease across the Japanese mainland.

Until now, they had never held much apprehension towards Korea.

Indeed, it was a historical fact that they had been the target of numerous invasions, and in countless wars, including the Imjin War, Japan had pushed them to the brink of annihilation.

Furthermore, the period of Japanese colonial rule, when Korea’s lifeline was completely severed, typically lasted 36 years.

Japan was a military powerhouse that had even ignited a world war, and it was a widely accepted notion that, even before the Mega Shock, Korea’s military strength was significantly inferior to Japan’s.

While their ground forces couldn’t be compared, there was an overwhelming difference in naval and air power.

Therefore, the idea of the Korean military landing in Japan was unthinkable.

But now, a bizarre radio message had come from the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit’s Fukuoka branch.

Intelligence, no less, that an invasion force from Korea had landed.

No Japanese person could remain unprovoked by this.

So, the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit decided to dispatch a preliminary vanguard.

And this vanguard was by no means a force to be underestimated.

130 Chakra Users.

10 Magic Users.

A force of this size possessed destructive power formidable enough to overwhelm even a typical A-rank Guild.

Their destination was the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit’s Fukuoka branch.

Their intention was to crush the Korean attack unit that had supposedly invaded that area.

They believed that even if they had crossed the sea, the scale of the force wouldn’t be large.

In truth, their assumption was somewhat correct.

Only 25 individuals.

That was the entirety of the attack unit that had crossed into Japan.

The 140-strong attack unit surged towards Fukuoka like a tide.

“Let’s capture and kill those insolent Joseon bastards!”

“Let’s tear them to shreds like their ancestors!”

As they charged, uttering harsh words, their faces were contorted into expressions like those of vengeful demons.

“They’re coming.”

Yu Il-han, the scout for the Stardust Attack Unit, radioed in.

“Copy that.”

Kang Yuseong nodded upon hearing the message.

He then looked at the tablet he held in his hand.

Connected to a Korean satellite, the tablet displayed the current situation in Japan in real-time.

Special sensors were attached to the bodies of the 25 Stardust members, showing them as blue dots, while other life forms were marked as red dots.

Kang Yuseong had already identified the life forms in this vicinity.

Therefore, the movements of the Japanese attack units heading their way were quickly ascertained.

They probably hadn’t considered this.

That their movements were being tracked so precisely.

But Kang Yuseong had set a perfect trap for this operation.

A “rat trap,” as he called it.

‘Anyone who falls into the trap dies.’

It was exactly as Kang Yuseong had predicted.

The enemies were heading precisely to the spot he had envisioned, and a perfect trap awaited them there.

‘Estimated arrival time: in about 30 minutes.’

There were about 30 minutes left until the rats would fall into the trap.

Once 30 minutes had passed, the slaughter would begin.

Kang Yuseong climbed onto a tall rooftop and looked in the direction from which the enemies would soon arrive.

They were probably rushing forward, unaware that this place might become their grave.

“Team 1, prepare.”

It was almost time for them to arrive, so he intended to throw out some tempting bait to draw them in.

This would surely lead them into the trap.

A death trap from which there was no escape.

Just then, a radio message came through.

“Enemy spotted, commencing operation.”

Kang Yuseong’s lips curled into a cold smile, and he nodded.

“Permission granted.”

Instantly, a tumultuous sound echoed from afar.

Flashes of light flickered, and the continuous sound of gunshots rang out.

Kang Yuseong’s eyes pierced through the distance, fixated on that spot.

Now, the enemies had taken the bait.

Team 1 would disrupt the enemies and perfectly lure them into the trap.

This was the second trap Kang Yuseong had planned.

Since they would deliberately feign retreat after fighting, the enemies were bound to fall for it.

“Team 3, standing by.”

At that moment, a radio message came from Team 3.

A message from Team 3 indicated one clear fact.

They had succeeded in luring the enemy—

A faint smile touched Kang Yuseong’s lips. It was time for hell to unfold.

Team 3 would play the role of slamming shut the gates of that hell.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Yuseong said to Kim Do-jin, who was beside him.

Kim Do-jin grinned and nodded.

The two then headed towards where the Tsukuyomi vanguard was.

By now, that place was likely a bloody hell.

Gil Hyeok-jun.

Because he was there.

* * * * *

*Boom!*

A thunderous explosion ripped through the air.

“Ugh!”

With that powerful blow, the body of a man, who had been human just moments before, was completely torn apart.

*Kwoooom!*

Another explosion erupted beside the man, who had died without even a proper death rattle.

*Crunch!*

The man had a sturdy steel shield on his arm, but astonishingly, even that shield was utterly shattered and dismembered as he fell.

The Hunters of the vanguard sent by Japan’s Tsukuyomi Attack Unit stared ahead with expressions of disbelief.

Their faces clearly showed their incredulity.

*Thump!*

Intense combat raged behind them as well, and countless Hunters were dying.

The 10 Magic Users were already completely tied down by a few enemies, and the Chakra Users found themselves unable to advance or retreat, blocked by a man wielding a massive greatsword like a fiendish demon.

With powerful pressure also coming from behind, the vanguard was completely trapped.

“Damn it, you bastards!”

“Push them back, I said push them back!”

The team leaders of the vanguard shouted themselves hoarse, urging on the attack unit, but the chaos that had erupted once would not easily subside.

Just then, the Korean attack unit that had been blocking them suddenly seemed to withdraw.

As their breath caught, Kawasaki, the vanguard leader, leading the charge, seized the opportunity and roared.

“The enemies are retreating! Chase them and cut off their heads!”

“Waaah!”

The Korean attack unit appeared to be retreating after an intense bloodbath, so the Hunters of the Japanese Tsukuyomi Attack Unit, desperate to devour them, charged forward with frantic shouts.

At this moment, the Korean Hunters were nothing more than targets to be killed; they had no inkling that a sinister plot was unfolding.

It was in that instant.

*Swoosh!*

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The Tsukuyomi Attack Unit Hunters, who had been charging towards the Korean Hunters, were flung into the air as fireballs, appearing out of nowhere, exploded.

*Swoosh!*

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

“Ugh!”

In an instant, a rain of fire poured down around them, and Kawasaki, leading the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit, suddenly wore a blank expression.

An ambush.

He couldn’t believe there was an ambush here!

“G-Go back! Retreat, I said retreat!”

Only then did the terrain of the area register in Kawasaki’s eyes.

A type of terrain where, once entered, there was no exit other than the way they came.

He knew this kind of terrain all too well.

It was the kind of terrain he frequently used when hunting monsters inside dungeons.

‘D-Damn it!’

Moreover, the barrage of fire now raining down possessed power beyond imagination.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

*Whoosh!*

“Aaaargh!”

Seeing those dying in flames beside him, Kawasaki was on the verge of losing his mind.

Many were dying, their bodies torn apart by direct hits from the firestorm, and the Korean attack unit, which had been retreating as if being chased, now charged out like madmen, beginning to slaughter them.

Among them, the most terrifying was the man wielding the colossal greatsword.

From his eyes, a piercing light emanated, completely freezing any enemies who dared to face him. The moment that opening appeared, the greatsword he wielded slashed through the air, carving up and shattering bodies.

The firestorm, as if measured with a ruler, relentlessly targeted their rear, and the vanguard’s numbers were halved in an instant.

“What are you doing! Yoshiki, quickly, a shield!”

Kawasaki, thinking he at least had to avoid the firestorm, shouted loudly at Yoshiki, the Magic User team leader. But Yoshiki’s expression was momentarily blank.

*Boom!*

Yoshiki.

He was hailed as a genius Magic User, possessing outstanding skill even among Magic Users.

Within Japan, he was one of the top five Magic Users, a wielder of immense power, and his defensive magic, in particular, was on an incredible level.

It was even rumored that if all the Magic Users in Japan gathered to attack him, he could block every single one of their assaults.

The veracity of that claim couldn’t be confirmed, but his skill was indeed formidable.

But now, his appearance…

*Thump!*

“C-Cough!”

The massive energy shield Yoshiki had deployed with all his might was directly hit by a fireball from afar, shattering instantly and sending him flying backward, where he crashed down.

His energy shield was strong enough to withstand even Kawasaki’s full-power strike.

Yet, it had been neutralized with such ease, as if tearing a piece of paper.

Magic Users were seen hastily deploying shields, but they, too, were swept away in an instant by the massive fireball offensive.

‘I…Impossible!’

It was simply insurmountable.

Whoever it was, the attack from the Korean Magic User was enough to completely extinguish Kawasaki’s will to fight.

*Tremble—*

Kawasaki involuntarily shivered.

‘These… these people…!’

Coming here, he had indeed underestimated them, seeing that there were only a few of them.

But that was his fatal mistake.

At first, he had knowingly fallen for their feigned retreat, allowing himself to be lured.

He had been that confident.

But now, that thought had completely reversed.

These people…

‘Dangerous! These people are extremely dangerous!’

Kawasaki, belatedly feeling intense fear, gritted his teeth.

He had to somehow escape this place and report this fact.

That was all that consumed him now.

“Get out of the way!”

Kawasaki roughly pushed aside his subordinates, who were entangled in a chaotic mess behind him, and dashed towards the rear.

“C-Commander!”

The Hunters, seeing their commander flee, called out to him, but Kawasaki pretended not to hear. Even if all the forces here were annihilated, reporting this fact was the most crucial task.

If he failed, Japan would face an enormous catastrophe.

*Whack!*

Having knocked away a subordinate who blocked his path, Kawasaki managed to reach the exit with difficulty.

But there were forces stationed there too.

Kawasaki gritted his teeth and charged at them.

They seemed, at least, weaker than the enemies at the front.

“Damn it!”

Kawasaki was also a considerable skilled fighter, so he slid through the long distance and brought his sword down.

*Clang!*

At that moment, Kawasaki felt immense pain as the grip of both his hands was torn, and he watched his descending sword bounce off.

“Ugh!”

*Thud—*

He involuntarily staggered back a few steps and looked ahead.

It felt as if he had struck a steel wall…

“Do you have an appointment or something?”

Standing before him was a man who exuded an aura like a colossal mountain.

A man with a cold smile playing on his lips.

Kawasaki instantly realized.

Everything he had experienced so far, combined, could not compare to the danger this man radiated!

This man was extremely dangerous.

“You… you damned Joseon— *Gag!*”

He stopped speaking mid-sentence, his eyes wide, and violently coughed up blood.

His face, contorted in pain, was filled with an expression of disbelief.

The man had, by then, approached him.

*Clink—*

And he withdrew the sword that had pierced Kawasaki’s chest, then sheathed it again.

“You’d do well to choose your words carefully. Because those words are the ones I hate the most.”

Kang Yuseong, having instantly killed Kawasaki with a single strike, calmly raised his gaze and looked straight ahead.

Within that sight, hell had already unfolded.

A pandemonium of hell, where people were burned to death, beaten to death, and cut to death by swords.

“It’s too late…”

A chilling glint appeared in Kang Yuseong’s eyes.

“The day for you to atone for your sins with your lives.”

Hell continued to unfold.