“...!”
When confronted by an unbelievable reality, humans would react in various ways. Some would despair. Some would freak out. And some would fly into a rage.
However, Nakata Yuji was an exception, someone who didn’t fall under any of those categories.
Even if he had to face off against an unbelievable reality, Nakata Yuji’s job was to produce solutions and countermeasures. As such, he must never panic.
Regardless of what the situation was like, he must always maintain his objectivity and composure. Only then would he be able to think of a correct response to the situation at hand! However...!
‘Goddamn it! You think that’s possible in this chaos?!’
Indeed, that was asking too much from him.
Those who could remain calm after witnessing the carnage before their eyes shouldn't be labeled as human beings. Either they didn't have a beating heart or a functioning brain. Maybe their whole body was made out of mechanical bits and pieces!
“What is the meaning of...!”
Nakata Yuji heard that pained gasp coming from behind him.
The big shots of the Japanese martial society were also witnessing this massacre. The massacre caused by those four Koreans rampaging around like abominable devils! Even then, they still couldn’t bring themselves to accept this reality.
Just who were they? Weren’t they the elites of the Great Japanese Empire?
China might have been a bit too much, but South Korea? These warriors all believed they were strong enough to wipe out the South Koreans in the proverbial blink of an eye. But now, the ones getting wiped out were the Japanese!
At the hands of only four enemies, no less!
“S-since when did the Joseon bastards become that strong?!”
“Shouldn’t we do something about this?!”
The top experts said those things in a poorly disguised attempt to urge Nakata Yuji on. Despite knowing the truth, though... Nakata Yuji remained speechless and too dazed to do anything.
What was he supposed to do, anyway? Especially against that carnage? What? What could he do in this situation, anyway?
His enemies were few in number. Only four, to be exact.
Plenty of strategies and tactics existed to allow a small number of combatants to confront a much larger enemy force. However, there weren't many tactics for a larger force to attack a smaller one other than something elemental like siege warfare.
Why was that, though? Because there was no need.
The numerical superiority itself was an accepted military tactic, a near-surefire strategy. With such an advantage, one didn't need to cook up extraordinary plans. Rushing the enemy with superior numbers should guarantee a straightforward victory. That was what was so attractive about having a larger, stronger army.
That was what common sense dictated, but on this cruise ship... The numerical advantage was not an advantage. And the small number didn't seem so small anymore.
One thousand or so Japanese warriors were facing off against a handful of enemies. Even then, they were getting pushed back. They were running away while panicking and howling in fear!
Nakata Yuji chewed on his lips. Blood leaked out of the torn skin to trickle down his chin.
‘Dammit!’
Nakata Yuji had overlooked the truth. No, rather than overlooking... It should be more correct to say he had failed to analyze the truth.
The numerical advantage only meant something when the two armies boasted similar standards. For example, an army of ants several thousand strong would still mean nothing against one elephant.
‘This is how strong they were? Seriously?!’
Nakata Yuji thought he knew the truth. He genuinely believed that.
Kang Jin-Ho fought the Crimson King and survived. He didn't stop there and also brought all those high-and-mighty Chinese martial artists down several pegs. Didn't Kang Jin-Ho also defeat Vator, the giant currently rampaging alongside his master?
Nakata Yuji knew all these things. However, the difference between merely knowing them and actually experiencing the truth was as vast as the one between Heaven and Earth!
Then again... How could Nakata Yuji know? Know how strong the Crimson King was in reality? And how could he have known what it meant to fight the Crimson King to a standstill?
Nakata Yuji heard about these things so, so many times. But that didn’t mean he had fully understood them. In a way, it was similar to humans not really understanding how strong a dragon could be. How would mere humans know who would win in a fight between a dragon and a unicorn?
To Nakata Yuji, the Crimson King was that kind of existence. An existence that seemed peerless and imposing... A martial art expert with unrivaled strength!
Indeed, the desperate one always had been Lee Seong-Hwi, not Nakata Yuji. However, at this moment... Their positions had flipped around.
Nakata Yuji gulped nervously. “B-but, how...”
“Looks like you’re still out of it, then!” Lee Seong-Hwi grunted, then grabbed Nakata Yuji’s collars.
Even if Nakata Yuji’s martial prowess was nothing to write home about, that was only when compared to his peers. Unlike Lee Hyeon-Su, who could be seen as an incomplete mess of a martial artist, Nakata Yuji was a full-on warrior who could hold his ground.
Despite their gap in strength, however, Nakata Yuji was far too stunned by this situation to stop this insolent behavior.
Lee Seong-Hwi yanked Nakata Yuji close, then pointed to the massacre up ahead. “Look closely! Look! Can you see it?”
Nakata Yuji dazedly nodded. Indeed he could see.
He could see Kang Jin-Ho and Vator rampaging around unchecked. Meanwhile, the people who were supposed to fight back were fleeing in terror. This fear was like contagion spreading at the speed of light and sent waves of panic among the Japanese warriors.
This was what humans were like. If they saw someone busy running away, they would instinctively join this person and flee first, questions be damned. That was because humans used other people to determine what their future would be like.
When the martial artists in front started running, the ones at the rear would naturally join in. Why would they, though? The answer was simple enough—the ones at the back weren't confident about being overwhelmingly stronger than the ones at the front, that was why!
Since that was the case, wouldn't their fate be pretty much the same as those who had already died?
However, what if people weren’t just fleeing? What if they were sobbing and wailing like crazy? What if they were doing everything in their power to get away, including crawling like bugs? What if... they were ready to cut their own comrades down to carve open an escape path?
In a situation like that, who would be able to maintain their composure?
The warriors near the edge of the deck unhesitantly threw themselves overboard. They had chosen to swim back to Japan rather than confront Kang Jin-Ho and Vator. Which could actually be a smart move under the circumstances. Even if it sounded reckless, at least one could attempt it out of their own volition!
Pulling out one’s weapon and confronting those insane devils could not be classified as an attempt at survival. It wasn’t even a fair challenge! No, it was nothing more than stupid bravado. An act of sheer lunacy!
“That... is Kang Jin-Ho!” Lee Seong-Hwi snarled like a wounded beast. He then grabbed Nakata Yuji’s head and forced the latter to stare at Kang Jin-Ho.
Nakata Yuji flinched nastily. He could see pitch-black demonic qi oozing out of Kang Jin-Ho, even as the latter’s figure was still enveloped in fountains of blood.
The ship’s deck was semi-lit, with the surrounding world bathed in the darkness of the night.
Whether it was the sky or the ocean below, everything was dyed in darkness. And Kang Jin-Ho was assimilating into all that darkness, too. It was like watching a grim reaper revealing itself in the open.
This sight was so surreal that Nakata Yuji briefly thought he was seeing an illusion. Of course, he knew this situation was definitely not a figment of his imagination.
After all, if it really was an imagination, people wouldn’t be screaming in fright and agony as their bodies got sliced and diced in half!
Lee Seong-Hwi growled again. “I told you, didn’t I? To never underestimate Kang Jin-Ho?”
“...!”
“Humans have to see with their own eyes and experience it personally to finally believe. Did you think you could easily take Kang Jin-Ho’s life by creating a nice little army? Even though you’ve calculated that South Korea’s strength could surpass Japan’s in a few years, you subconsciously believed that would never happen, didn’t you?”
Nakata Yuji couldn’t refute that accusation. After all, Lee Seong-Hwi had accurately seen through him.
Even though he believed Kang Jin-Ho posed a threat to Japan, Nakata Yuji still downplayed that threat to some degree. Because he believed it was only a matter of time before Kang Jin-Ho was dealt with.
Kang Jin-Ho posing a threat to Japan was undeniably true. However, something like that would only be possible if Japan allowed him to do whatever he wanted for a few years.
However, the Japanese would never let that happen. Indeed, they would have eliminated Kang Jin-Ho long before that.
This was what Nakata Yuji thought. And the events unfolded just as he had calculated. However, he realized something crucial while watching the massacre unfold.
‘A few years?’
What a laughable miscalculation that was!
A few years would’ve turned Kang Jin-Ho into a problem Japan could never handle. Even now, he was strong enough to thrust his blade right under the chins of the Japanese!
The hunt was over. And now, it was the matter of... Kill or be killed!
Nakata Yuji’s eyes became bloodshot.