The Precious Demon King - Chapter 51

WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 51: Mad Monarch Alert

"Ahhh, whiskey's fine, but since we're in Japan, let's go taste some sake."

"Jose. We're not here to play."

"Whoa, whoa. I know. But a warrior knows when to fight and when to rest."

Logan Hayes was annoyed by Jose Ramirez's completely unserious attitude, but he didn't blame him. As the world's top hunters, they each had their own routines before battle.

"Just the three of us here?"

"Yeah. Jabari Okoye refused."

"The king of Africa is too lazy to move."

Arjun Mehra sneered.

"Sophie aside, what about Vikram?"

Sophie, suffering from celebrity fever, had refused to come to South Korea, citing consecutive meetings with European leaders as an excuse.

"Vikram has a schedule with the United States Army."

In truth, it was due to a treaty with the United States government that required one of them to remain in the United States, but Logan Hayes glossed over that detail.

"Hmm."

"Hey, Buddha. Don't worry about it."

"Our opponent isn't just the demon sword woman. And I'm Hindu."

Arjun Mehra scowled, but Jose Ramirez didn't care.

"Of course. Anyway, I've heard about him too. They say he might be the Mad Monarch."

Jose Ramirez looked to Logan Hayes for confirmation.

"All right. Let's do a briefing on the enemy."

Logan Hayes took out a glass of whiskey, drank it, and then pulled out a tablet.

"A Japanese SR-rank named Kenchi Takahashi identified him as the Mad Monarch."

"Whew, the Mad Monarch was an Earthling like us?"

"Listen, Jose. Right after that, Ryu Jai immediately denied it."

"Ryu Jai is crazy right now, isn't she?"

"It's really hard to ignore."

The question of whether Kim Junyong was the Mad Monarch.

"Are there no other channels of confirmation?"

"All we have are the suspicious circumstances a few people raised."

Arjun Mehra, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

"Why does it matter if it's true?"

He grinned.

"The Mad Monarch is nothing more than a cunning opportunist."

Jose Ramirez chimed in.

"Right. He only survived and spread his infamy because he never ran into us."

"He only preyed on the Allied Forces' weak points. Like a cunning demon."

As Arjun Mehra and Jose Ramirez carried on, Logan Hayes changed the tone of the conversation. Losing morale before the fight was a problem, but so was underestimating the enemy and letting down their guard.

"The Mad Monarch is not someone to be taken lightly."

"He's a snake! South Korea is being fooled. They're trying to turn a traitor into a hero."

"The South American playboy is right about this one."

Logan Hayes nodded.

"All right. We'll call it Plan A if he's the Mad Monarch. The real problem is Plan B."

"What if he's not the Mad Monarch? Why's that a problem?"

"Ryu Jai referred to him as an apostle of the Goddess."

"Whoa, so what?"

Logan Hayes's expression grew heavier.

"According to the information I obtained with great difficulty, a golden pillar struck Ryu Jai."

"Golden?"

Arjun Mehra and Jose Ramirez's faces darkened.

"The fact is, that guy can steal or absorb the Goddess's power."

"So that's what happened to Ryu Jai."

There was undeniable proof. Once a G-rank, Ryu Jai had fallen to 833rd rank.

In other words, her combat strength was only about that much without the Goddess's blessed power.

"¡Qué bruta! I'm different from that weak woman. Even without divine power, I would still be around 8th in rank."

No one responded to Jose Ramirez's overconfidence.

"What kind of power could it be?"

"No idea. But even if one of us goes down, two can attack together."

"Arjun has a point. I doubt he could handle all three of us at once."

"What about asking Ryu Jai?"

"Ryu Jai's crazy."

"Crazy or not, she's definitely not normal."

The bigger issue was that Ryu Jai was acting like Kim Junyong's follower.

"There's a risk of information leaks. We won't meet her."

"Then Plans A and B are the same, aren't they?"

Regardless of whether Kim Junyong was the Mad Monarch, three G-ranks were after him. What obstacle could there be? Ryu Jai was taken down only because she was alone.

"Still, we'll strike when those two are separated."

The mysterious woman with the demon sword. And the one suspected to be the Mad Monarch.

"Simple enough."

"How do we get to South Korea?"

The three had slipped into Japan in secret, each having prepared airtight alibis beforehand.

Naturally, only a few of their closest aides knew they were in Japan. They had even left behind the staff who were like their right hands.

"We'll use these."

Logan Hayes took out forged IDs. They were fake, but officially issued, IDs and passports.

"We'll pose as tourists sightseeing in Japan before heading to South Korea."

"America really does make things easy."

"Once we're in South Korea, we'll wait until they're separated. Then, we'll take them down one by one and recover the demon sword."

Logan Hayes pulled out three more passports.

"On the way back, we'll cross into Japan under these identities and then each return separately."

"Good. I like it."

"Not a bad plan."

It was simple. Since their assassinations would never be revealed to the world, South Korea's response could be disregarded. Once Kim Junyong was gone, South Korea would simply return to being an awkward hedgehog wedged between great powers.

Kim Junyong was for Arjun Mehra's personal revenge, and Remi was for determining the demon sword's authenticity.

After sneaking into the country, they would kill and then flee under new identities.

"Even if there's commotion, the mission must succeed."

"Of course."

No one thought secrets could be kept forever. What mattered were their efforts to stay hidden, their justifications for their actions, and their strength to see it through.

Even if South Korea lost Kim Junyong, they couldn't blame Logan Hayes, an American. Any evidence brought forth would be denied as false. America did not judge the truth. It was a country with the power to create it.

"Okay. Then shall we enjoy tonight a little?"

"No going out. We'll drink here quietly. Tomorrow morning we'll fly to South Korea."

"Whoa, that's strict."

Jose Ramirez knew better. He had prepared countless alibis before coming to Japan.

They were about to assassinate the hero that South Korea exalted as its "Special Advisor." For something so dishonorable, anonymity was essential.

Private Club.

Frequently visited by Japan's political and financial elites, the club never leaked information. However, reports inevitably went up the chain.

Kazuma Saiga–the kumicho of Japan's largest yakuza group, Orochi-gumi, and the club's true owner–rubbed his forehead at the two urgent reports.

"So Logan is in Japan right now?"

"Yes, he seems to have entered under the name James."

"Entering secretly under a false identity..."

Logan Hayes, who usually traveled by private jet, had come to Japan on a commercial flight under a fake name.

"We also identified the two people meeting with him. They entered under the names Rohan and Joseph, but their real identities are Arjun and Jose."

"Heh, a gathering of G-ranks."

Three G-ranks were secretly meeting in Japan's Private Club. They hadn't come just to drink. They had a purpose...

The hot issue shaking Japan lately was, of course, Kenchi Takahashi's proposal to subjugate the Mad Monarch.

"N-No way. Did the G-ranks respond to Kenchi's appeal?"

"The brains of the organization are speculating as much."

"Hoo! So world peace is being forged in Japan."

Kazuma Saiga was deeply moved. The world had answered Japan's call for peace. His body trembled.

"Is Kenchi still in seclusion?"

"Yes. Should we contact him?"

"Yes, let him know this joyous news."

"Understood."

It was the Japanese government that turned its back on Kenchi Takahashi's resolve. How desperate must he have been, that he came to the yakuza group, Orochi-gumi, to make a request?

Reduced to a liar, Kenchi Takahashi pleaded again and again. He asked Orochi-gumi to recruit a death squad to subjugate the Mad Monarch.

Even if they couldn't act openly, he wanted those with the resolve to give their lives for world peace to be gathered swiftly and secretly.

With the Mad Monarch regaining strength by the hour, there was no time to lose.

Once this is over, Orochi-gumi will have an SR-rank superhuman in its fold.

Kenchi Takahashi had pledged to join Orochi-gumi.

"Kumicho! What about those thugs spotted in Ginza?"

"Give them the best treatment. Feed them, then lure them into the trap."

"Understood."

Kazuma Saiga's eyes gleamed fiercely. Though he was in his seventies, his heart pounded as if he were back in his fiery twenties.

"That arrogant Korean brat. To think he's wandering around, not knowing that this is his grave..."

The man who had shaken the world beyond East Asia–the hunter who dethroned Ryu Jai and became the Tiger of East Asia–had appeared on the streets of Japan.

"Still no record of his entry or time of arrival?"

"Yes, we're combing through CCTV footage from all the airports from yesterday and today, but nothing has turned up."

"Heh, a rotten bastard."

He must have arrived in Japan several days ago. Discovering him now was extremely fortunate.

"Let's start the tiger hunt."

Things were starting to go smoothly, and everything was beginning to fall into place.

Both the hunters and the prey had entered Japan. Now, all that remained was to prepare the trap.

* * *

Tokyo, Ginza.

A man, a woman, and a cat walked along a street lined with Japanese signs.

The white cat, strolling without a leash, was adorably cute to the point of cheekiness.

"K-Kawaii!"

"How is it so smart?"

"A cat out for a walk? Incredible!"

Most people whispered. Some even froze, staring in bewilderment as if they had suffered a heart attack.

"W-What? Hifumi-chan?"

"Outrageous beauty!"

The trio drew every gaze, but none of them cared about the humans' trivial attention.

"Nyaa, there are so many people here, nya."

"Yeah."

"Master doesn't know this place either, nya?"

"It's my first time here too."

"Nyaa? Then how will we find good restaurants, nya?"

"We'll just have to look."

"Nyaa?"

Edmond tilted his head at his master's lack of planning.

"N-No destination, nya?"

"Why wouldn't there be? Good restaurants."

"..."

So they hadn't even decided on the type of restaurant. Seeing Kim Junyong's confident face and Remi's blank one, Edmond was bewildered.

How could they be so carefree without a plan?

"I'll find us something, nya."

"We'll just walk and go wherever feels right."

"B-But what if it doesn't taste good, nya?"

"That's reason enough to kill."

"Nyaa!"

These people! No, these demons!

"I-I'll find something, nya."

"Let's do that. I was thinking of having sushi, but I don't see any."

Did they have to walk further? Leaving the human underlings behind turned out to be rather inconvenient.

Should I train one for situations like this?

Maybe bring one here now as a guide?

"Nyaa! There's a sushi place, nya! Michelin-rated!"

"Oh, really?"

"Nyaa, we just have to walk another 900 meters."

"Good, let's go there."

The trio resumed walking, now with a destination. At the sight of a cat walking on two legs and using a phone, everyone without exception pulled out their phones to take pictures.

"A-Amazing!"

"A doll?"

"You idiot. There's no way it's a doll. It's been speaking Korean the whole time."

Ignoring the gawkers, they arrived at their destination.

"Irasshaimase, may I have the name on your reservation?"

"What?"

"Ah, are you perhaps Korean?"

The staff member was fluent in foreign languages.

"Excuse me, may I confirm your reservation?"

"We don't have one."

"Ah, then I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we cannot accommodate you."

Remi stepped forward.