“What a terrible hobby that is.”
Vator chuckled helplessly while watching Kang Jin-Ho from behind.
Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem interested in fixing that weird hobby of his. An expert of his caliber didn't have to get soaked by the gushing and falling blood. He didn't even have to physically dodge anything either; simply unleashing his considerable aura should be enough to deflect the blood droplets.
However, Kang Jin-Ho never did that. As if he was doing it deliberately, he always let the blood completely drench him from top to bottom.
‘This is why the demonic cultivators can be so...’
Vator wasn’t quite sure why Kang Jin-Ho insisted on doing this.
Maybe Kang Jin-Ho's thirst for bloodshed remained unaffected even after he reached the True Demon realm and overcame the demonic cultivation's violent tendencies.
Or, it could be that Kang Jin-Ho deliberately tried to look like a boogieman to stoke the flames of terror in his enemies' hearts.
Vator wasn't sure about the former explanation. However, if the latter explanation was correct, one could say Kang Jin-Ho was getting what he wanted right this moment.
“Hue-aaaaahk?!”
“Urgh... Aaaaah...!”
They were... retreating.
The elites of Japan, rigorously handpicked for the purpose of invading South Korea, were retreating with frightened looks on their faces. They acted as if a terrifying specter had come for them!
‘What a spectacle this is.’
Vator tutted to himself.
Despite how relatively cramped this deck was, there had to be at least several hundred enemies here. Obviously, this number meant the place was packed like a can of sardines, yet all these people were still trying desperately to escape.
...All because they were frightened by one person!
Vator cackled at this spectacle.
‘I’ve got to hand it to my master. He sure knows how to provoke people.’
The Japanese weren't the only ones affected by Kang Jin-Ho's antics. While the display of Kang Jin-Ho's godly might had freaked out the Japanese warriors to the point of losing their rational minds, the same display stimulated Vator's competitive streak even more.
This outcome shouldn't come as a surprise, however.
What Kang Jin-Ho had done here was something every person walking on the journey of cultivation would have dreamed of achieving one day. And that would be to become an expert possessing the absolute and overwhelming godly strength who could easily overcome the difference in numbers and push a large army back on their own!
If a martial artist said they had never once dreamed of reaching that state, they would be a liar.
Anyone seeking strength would've imagined being a hero capable of pulling off this feat at least once. And a spectacle only existing in Vator's imagination was taking place right before his eyes. In that case, how could he stay calm and not be affected by it?
‘In any case...!’
What an unstoppable force of nature Kang Jin-Ho was.
Vator could rightfully claim to be an unparalleled martial artist. One could search the heavens and earth and still have trouble finding Vator's equal.
Even so, Kang Jin-Ho's demonstration of power was not something Vator or anyone claiming to be strong could even hope to imitate. One first had to possess boldness, cruelty, and a cold heart on top of overwhelming power!
The ideal every martial artist dreamed of achieving was now unfolding right before Vator’s eyes!
Before Vator could continue admiring this demonstration, he heard an impressed-sounding whistle coming from his side. When Vator glanced at the source, Wiggins could be seen ruefully shaking his head.
“My lord can be... rather frightening, wouldn’t you agree?”
“...Yeah, he is.”
“I have to say, I can never get used to this side of my lord. Don’t you agree he’s far too different from his usual self during battles?”
‘What a fool.’
Vator sneered subtly at Wiggins. Kang Jin-Ho’s usual self? Such a thing obviously didn’t exist.
The “Kang Jin-Ho” that everyone freely nagged every day and this “Kang Jin-Ho” were not two separate individuals. The so-called everyday Kang Jin-Ho only looked like a pushover because he had been desperately suppressing the demonic savagery bubbling deep within himself.
He wasn't flipping some switch inside him to become someone else whenever it was time to fight. The everyday Kang Jin-Ho was simply the result of him thinking of the most optimum way to live an ordinary life and be more like a human being. And he entered this demonic mode because he must've thought that to be the most efficient method during the battles.
All of these facets belonged to Kang Jin-Ho. They were all him.
Joining Kang Jin-Ho's side after a fierce battle meant Vator had gained insights into these things. Kang Jin-Ho being vicious and cruel was probably far closer to his true nature.
Vator actually found Kang Jin-Ho's usual dazed demeanor several times more out of place. However, the story was different with Wiggins as the Englishman didn't fight Kang Jin-Ho before joining the group. And it seemed Wiggins believed Kang Jin-Ho's behavior outside of fights was closer to his true nature.
‘Hah. What a joke!’
After all, no one would be pleased to hear that the shrapnel piercing them happened to be bone fragments shooting out from their now torn-apart comrade!
Crunch!
Everything Vator's hands grabbed was either ripped apart or got crushed to mush. Everything his fists landed exploded into bits and pieces.
It was like witnessing a crimson tornado. Anyone unfortunate enough to enter Vator's attack range couldn't maintain their shapes and got ripped apart into bloody chunks and pieces. Fountains of blood gushed into the air.
“...Huh. Isn’t this, you know, a bit too gory?” Bang Jin-Hun muttered with a deep scowl. He was getting an upset stomach merely by watching this gruesome massacre.
Obviously, Bang Jin-Hun had gone through life-or-death struggles before. Ditto for many bloody dogfights. Even then, this sight was still difficult to stomach.
Wiggins quietly muttered, “Isn’t it like having a front-row seat to the rampage of two wild predators?”
Bang Jin-Hun tutted. “Sorry, but my English isn’t good enough to understand that.”
“...My apologies, then.” Wiggins briefly shook his head. He decided to give up on conversing with Bang Jin-Hun just then.
Bang Jin-Hun watched as Wiggins pulled out his sword from subspace. “Huh? Are you going to join the fight?”
“Of course,” Wiggins nodded coolly, “...Otherwise, my lord will bite my head off for lazing around in the background. Doing one's share is my lord's pet theory, after all.”
“But, uh... You want to join that?” Bang Jin-Hun pointed to the carnage up ahead, his jaw falling slightly.
Indeed, it was a carnage. A pure pandemonium!
Kang Jin-Ho got the proceedings going by attacking first. Then, Vator brought up the rear. When two monsters no one on this ship could hope to fight back began their rampage, the only choice the Japanese warriors had was to freak out and flee.
However, where could they run off to in this relatively cramped ship?
The warriors at the front of the crowd struggled with all their might to retreat. Meanwhile, the ones behind kicked and yelled at the people in front to avoid getting crushed.
Everyone got into a messy tangle. And they screamed and howled in despair.
It had been less than a minute since Kang Jin-Ho started wielding his sword, yet the cruise ship had already turned into a Hell on Earth.
So, for Wiggins to join that madness?
‘Yup, this old gent is a monster, too!’
Bang Jin-Hun had to admit that Wiggins was also not exactly normal in his head either. Especially when the Englishman was staring at the carnage with an amused smirk on his face!
Bang Jin-Hun suddenly wondered what madness had emboldened him into joining this particular trip out to sea.
Compared to this trio of madmen, Bang Jin-Hun was relatively sane and level-headed. No, maybe not sane, but... Ordinary? An ordinary martial artist?
Bang Jin-Hun admitted that he didn’t have the right mindset to join this demonstration of madness. Even then, he had to grit his teeth.
He couldn’t afford to back away from here. After all, wasn’t he here to represent the Korean Martial Assembly? So, for him to leave the battle for South Korea’s future to a Brit, a Mongol, and a man who inherited the Chinese demonic arts and spectate from afar?
That basically meant Koreans would be pushed out from the core of the Korean Martial Assembly! Bang Jin-Hun could never accept that outcome. Especially when...!
“...When we’re fighting the goddamn Jap bastards! I ain’t gonna let this chance go by!”
As a hot-blooded Korean man, Bang Jin-Hun could never miss out on a chance to fight the Japanese. Leaving the battle to the warriors of other countries and spectating the proceedings from a safe distance would be an indescribable humiliation!
“I’m joining, too!” Bang Jin-Hun roared before dashing forward.
“Hold on, Director... Bang...” Wiggins hurriedly reached out to stop Bang Jin-Hun, but it was too late by then.
‘Huh. But it might be too dangerous for him, though...?’
Bang Jin-Hun wasn’t strong enough to maintain his rational mind inside that storm of madness. And that would make things very dangerous for him.
However, Wiggins didn’t try to stop Bang Jin-Hun. He knew what the former Assembly Master was feeling deep inside, after all. Besides, he had a hunch that no words would discourage Bang Jin-Hun in this situation, anyway.
‘It’s easy enough to see why, isn’t it?’
Nothing could be more stimulating for martial artists than the bloody spectacle unfolding before their eyes. Anyone with even a hint of cultivation would want to join in and fight to their heart's content!
‘In that case, I shouldn’t dally, as well.’
Wiggins licked his lips without even realizing it. His new prosthetic arm creaked and clacked ominously as if to remind its new owner that the time had come to test it out.
For the first time in a long while, Wiggins let go of his inhibitions. And then... he jumped right into the whirlpool of madness Kang Jin-Ho had set off. With his eyes flickering dangerously, Wiggins rushed into the crowd up ahead.
KA-BOOOOOOM!
Soon, explosions, screams, and chilling noises of human flesh being sliced apart echoed in the air. A banquet of death got underway on this empty, vast ocean. And no one was here to witness the carnage.
1. Holy cow, I hope Marvel doesn’t sue this author and the novel for copying Red Hulk... ☜