"My apologies, Assembly Master. I was unable to notice the situation due to how chaotic everything was," Lee Hyeon-Su lowered his head apologetically.
"No, don't apologize," said Kang Jin-Ho while waving his hand. "It's not your fault, Chief Lee. Even if you knew, there was nothing you could have done, anyway."
After saying that, Kang Jin-Ho leaned back in the seat and wordlessly drummed on his knee with his fingers.
'Ten lives, is it...?'
That was fewer than expected. Considering the number of martial artists participating, as well as how many Japanese warriors had shown up this time, ten people losing their lives seemed insignificant enough to brush aside without a care in the world.
Of course, that was not going to happen under Kang Jin-Ho's watch.
Not all numbers were equal. For instance, ten loaves of bread were just that, bread. But ten human lives? Their true value could never be signified with mere numbers.
Kang Jin-Ho was currently experiencing a strange set of emotions.
Ten people dying wouldn't have been something to be concerned about for his old self. After all, a war was fought with human sacrifices. It'd be impossible not to see any loss of life when people were fighting to the death.
He had witnessed countless sacrifices and warriors dying in the heat of the battle. And no, he wasn't simply recalling the ones he had killed. His comrades, people who fought alongside him... also died in countless numbers.
Even then, Kang Jin-Ho didn't spare too much thought on them. So, what was different about this situation to make him feel this way? This situation, it...
Kang Jin-Ho slowly rubbed his face. "...Lee Hyeon-Su?"
"Yes, sir."
"Compensate the family members of the ones who didn't make it home."
"Understood."
"Make sure they receive appropriate compensation. Got that?" Kang Jin-Ho coldly muttered, prompting Lee Hyeon-Su to weightily nod back.
"Sir. I know it's not much of a consolation for those families, but I'll still ensure that people don't think of the Assembly as uncaring toward victims of unprovoked attacks on us."
"Okay. I'll leave it to you," said Kang Jin-Ho. The aftertaste left in his mouth remained bitter, however. And he wasn't sure why that was.
Was it because Kang Jin-Ho used to be less invested back in Zhongyuan whenever it was time to deploy the demon cult's forces? Or did he change from that version of himself into something more human...?
Whatever the answer was, searching for it didn't seem important right now. What was important, however, was that Kang Jin-Ho didn't feel good about this situation.
"Okay. Let's move on. Continue, Lee Hyeon-Su."
"Yes, sir!" Lee Hyeon-Su righted his posture, then resumed his briefing. "The battle location has been blocked off with the cooperation of the Navy and Coast Guard, sir. We've allowed the Japanese rescue ships to enter the territorial waters, and they seemed to have finished retrieving all the survivors."
"I see. What about the cruise ship, then?"
"It's completely sunk beneath the waves, sir."
"Is that right...?" Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded.
He didn't want to leave behind unnecessary evidence since a ship going down was still a sensitive, painful topic for the Koreans.
Lee Hyeon-Su noticed the look on Kang Jin-Ho's face and tried to reassure the latter. "The ocean depth in that area is pretty deep, so it's unlikely that people will notice, sir."
"Mm... But you can never predict how things will work out."
"Even if the ship is discovered, it shouldn't be a problem for us, sir. It was registered as a Japanese vessel, after all. And it'd be the Japanese who would have to provide an explanation to the world."
Vator smirked at that. "In that case, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let the world know, wouldn't you say?"
"...That's an evil but admittedly fun idea, sir," Lee Hyeon-Su wryly smiled.
Trouncing the Japanese so thoroughly didn't mean the animosity toward them had dissipated. Subduing an armed thief breaking into your house without too much harm to yourself wouldn't suddenly make you more sympathetic toward said thief, after all!
...And that hostile feeling would only be more intense if this thief was responsible for previous break-ins, too!
Lee Hyeon-Su scanned everyone before continuing on. "Results-wise, we have gained so much from this war. Soon, the news will spread all over the world. And no one will ever underestimate the Martial Assembly again. Although we've lost some things... What we gained in return is even greater."
"Indeed," Wiggins nodded and joined his disciple. "We've suppressed the expeditionary force of not some random country but Japan's. I can't stress enough how impressive our achievement is."
The details of what happened would probably get omitted, but the crux of the story, Koreans kicking Japanese warriors back to where they came from, should still spread unchecked.
Vator tutted. "Japanese aren't all that tough, so what's all this big hullabaloo for?"
Wiggins playfully cocked an eyebrow. "They are certainly much stronger than Mongolia, though?"
Lee Hyeon-Su tensely swallowed his saliva. Kang Jin-Ho's intentions seemed crystal clear at this point. However, what he proposed was far too reckless to be carried out in reality!
"B-but, Assembly Master..." Lee Hyeon-Su raised his voice, knowing his role was to interject in moments like this one. "I understand your wishes, sir. However, our enemies are still stronger. Winning one battle doesn't guarantee another victory down the line. Please consider postponing another full-on battle against the Japanese, especially in our current state."
Wiggins also dropped his relaxed demeanor and joined his disciple. "I agree with Mister Lee, my lord. If you're dead-set on making the Japanese pay, please give us more time. A combat force strong enough to overwhelm our enemies should be ready in due course. Wasn't there an Eastern proverb about how a nobleman's revenge could take a decade and still wouldn't be considered tardy?"
Unfortunately for Wiggins and Lee Hyeon-Su, some people in this place didn't seem to agree with them.
"My liege! Enemies dared to attack you," said Chang Min, his expression distorted in rage. "They might have targeted South Korea, but even a fool can tell their true aim was you, my liege! They dared to harm you. In that case, how can we not punish them severely for their sin?!"
Chang Min roared in anger before prostrating in front of Kang Jin-Ho.
"My liege! Give me your orders! I shall lead the faithful cult members and cut off the head of every enemy! Soon, they will learn of your everlasting glory!"
Vator casually shrugged. "I don't want to agree with this old fart's opinions if I can help it, but this time? I'm on his side, master. They struck us first. Sure, we managed to fend them off, but that does not change the fact that they provoked us first.
"It's pretty obvious to me. Not punishing the Japanese will make people think that South Korea and the Martial Assembly can be messed around with as long as you have sufficient strength."
Wiggins furrowed his brow. "Isn't that mindset too extreme to..."
Vator tutted. "That's not something you should be saying. Have you forgotten? This is how the martial world operates. An easy target will eventually get devoured by the others. And that easiness isn't always determined by one's strength."
"..."
"Others will be wary of provoking a bastard who is weak but still tenacious enough to bite into the ankles of anyone beating him up. However, if you are strong but never hit back against bullies, everyone is bound to provoke you at least once to see where your limits lie. So, if you don't show them you mean business, you will be marked as an easy target."
Vator resolutely voiced his opinion, then glanced at Kang Jin-Ho.
"In times like this? Nothing could be more important than showing the world, master. The Assembly will be receiving plenty of attention soon, after all! We've already tangled with the Crimson King and his people. And now, we've tangled successfully with Japan, too. Being the center of attention will be a given after all that chaos. We better show them we mean business right now. Or we might never get a chance to do that again."
Wiggins sighed softly under his breath.
In terms of principles, Vator was absolutely spot-on. This was the martial world's way of doing things. Nowhere else was more fitting than this world for the concept of the strong preying upon the weak.
The issue here was there were various factors determining the "weak" in this equation. A powerful but naive fool sometimes could get devoured by a weaker but more tenacious and driven bastard.
Wiggins agreed to all this. However, logically speaking... The timing was just wrong.
The Martial Assembly was still in the middle of its "growth" period. Demonic cultivation methods had been distributed to those who wished to master them. Meanwhile, a new cultivation method had been created recently, as well. Not to mention, the organization's structure was being reformed to something more efficient.
Finally, Kang Jin-Ho and Co. were in the middle of legalizing the Martial Assembly. So, for them to wage another war?
'It's too reckless.'
Victory or defeat ultimately didn't matter in this scenario. Regardless of what the result would be, both sides would walk away with losses of varying severity. Maybe the losses could end up too severe to be recovered from!
However, the current opponent could be suppressed without incurring any further losses if they wait for a bit. Kang Jin-Ho should know this, so why was he being so impatient? He only had to sit still for a little while, so why?
As if to dispel Wiggins' confusion, Kang Jin-Ho calmly raised his voice. "It looks like you're all mistaken about something..."
Naturally, everyone locked their gazes on Kang Jin-Ho.
"I never said we'd wage a full-on war. No, I merely said the ones responsible must pay for what they have done."
"I'm sorry?" Lee Hyeon-Su dazedly asked back.
The enemy this time was Japan. And it was clear who was behind this event... which was Shinichi-kai, Kansai's largest, most powerful clan! How was Kang Jin-Ho planning to make such a powerful enemy pay without waging a full-on war?
"The buck must stop at the top, right? Only one person fits that bill. Wouldn't you agree?" Kang Jin-Ho asked, the light in his eyes withdrawn and cold.
"...Sir? Do you mean the leader of the Shinichi-kai?"
"Yes, him," Kang Jin-Ho expressionlessly nodded. "People died. Without Nobuo alerting us, the number of the dead would've been even higher. The debt of blood can only be repaid through more blood."
"But, how...?"
Even before Lee Hyeon-Su could finish asking, Kang Jin-Ho replied first.
"I'll personally go to Japan."
Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at that shocking reply.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," said Kang Jin-Ho.
Bone-chilling killing intent flooded the conference room just then.