Chapter 1185. Annihilated (5)

Chapter 1185. Annihilated (5)

‘Geez, this is no joke.’

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t help but be impressed while scanning the battle.

Anyone with eyes could tell the Koreans held the upper hand. It made sense that the Assembly overwhelmed the Japanese, though.

For one, they had a much higher headcount.

Having a higher number was a source of incredible power. Wasn’t it common sense that a side with more soldiers would trample on the opponent with fewer soldiers?

The gap in power would only grow exponentially greater the larger the difference in the numbers between the sides.

If an army of one hundred needed to sacrifice twenty of its soldiers to annihilate fifty enemies, an army of two hundred would only need to lose ten to face the same fifty.

As long as the army could position its troops properly and unleash everything in its arsenal on the enemy, the difference in numbers could produce an extraordinary difference in combat effectiveness.

Right now, the Korean Martial Assembly had the enemy surrounded. This was the most optimal tactic when a larger number had to deal with a smaller number. And the completed encirclement was truly praiseworthy for how thorough it was.

The credit should go to Vator this time.

The Assembly risked a lot to win this battle. It ignored the one thousand Japanese forces that had already infiltrated South Korea and unhesitantly deployed all of its forces at this harbor.

The current situation would never have come about if the Assembly divided its forces to deal with the Japanese advance party. Doing so would’ve made securing an overwhelming numerical advantage impossible, and the losses to the Koreans would have only increased as a result.

If one only looked at this situation on the surface, it must seem like the Koreans were one-sidedly slaughtering the Japanese, but Vator had to take on two risk factors to create this situation.

One was giving up on protecting the rear.

What if the Japanese advance party was hiding nearby? That would’ve exposed the Koreans to a sneak attack from the rear. Getting hit in the unguarded back as the Assembly surrounded the enemy would have turned the situation around in the proverbial blink of an eye.

The people making up an encirclement were basically defenseless to attacks coming from behind. The losses would be incalculable if they got surrounded instead.

The second risk factor was not knowing what the Japanese advance party’s actual target was. What if they were aiming for a place the Assembly had not thought of?

‘Now that will be terrifying.’

The Assembly had deployed all of its combat forces to this place. Although the Demon Flames were guarding the eastern coastline, it’d be unrealistic to expect them to respond to any and all emergency situations on a short notice.

Losses would be inevitable. Despite knowing that, Vator still concentrated the Assembly’s combat forces to this place. While giving the enemy an extra move, he wanted to set up a sure-fire move for his allies to win in this place.

Since that was the case, they simply had to win this battle. And overwhelmingly so, too!

‘Sure, that’s what we want, but this...’

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t help but be amazed. He knew his side would win. But this situation still exceeded his expectations by a lot.

Japan’s elites couldn’t do anything notable toward the Assembly’s warriors right now. Which was something Lee Hyeon-Su would’ve never guessed in a thousand years!

Was it because the Japanese warriors were weaker than anticipated? No, that couldn’t be it.

Lee Hyeon-Su could sense the traces of qi from the Japanese. With that, he could confidently say that individually, these Japanese warriors were stronger than the Assembly’s martial artists.

In that case, how did this situation come about? Lee Hyeon-Su could think of three reasons.

One, the Assembly’s experts were demonstrably stronger than the Japanese’s.

Vator was pretty much a humanoid weapon of mass destruction.

The big man was no more than a supporting act in battles dominated by Kang Jin-Ho’s antics. But on a mountain without a tiger, a fox would be treated like a king. Besides, Vator shouldn’t be equated to a mere fox, either.

At the very least, a brown bear would be a better comparison!

The crucial point to remember was that a brown bear like Vator had cut loose on this battlefield.

Even in a large-scale war where the army’s positioning and formations mattered more than individual experts’ battle prowess, a true top-tier expert would still find a way to shine brightly.

Vator was performing his role at 120% capacity. And Wiggins and Bang Jin-Hun were pulling their weight, too.

No wonder the Japanese were in a panic right now.

The second reason was...

‘Maybe the person dominating this battlefield isn’t Sir Vator but my master.’

...It could very well be ‘variety’.

After Kang Jin-Ho overhauled the Assembly’s structure and system, the organization unhesitantly accepted ‘powers’ from outsiders. Although some people, with Bang Jin-Hun as the spearhead, argued that doing so would lead to the loss of unique Korean identity, Kang Jin-Ho cleanly ignored them and pushed ahead with his ideas.

The result of his actions was now on full display.

Chevaliers stood valiantly on the front as the mages supported them. Younger martial artists who studied external arts under Vator were running over the enemy like a large squadron of tanks. And magic spells rained down like artillery fire on the enemy’s rear.

Even Lee Hyeon-Su had no idea this combination would be this effective.

At least one thing seemed certain now. Without vanguards like the Chevaliers and Vator’s disciples, and without Wiggins’ ability to hit the enemy’s rear, this battle would’ve been yet another ordinary battle between martial artists, even if one side was surrounding the other side in a deadly encirclement!

Without a doubt, their presence had added a unique dimension to this war.

As for the last reason...

“The Japs must be in utter chaos.”

Would Lee Hyeon-Su be able to respond appropriately if he ran into this kind of attack for the first time? Definitely not.

One needed to know what was what first before they could make appropriate countermeasures. And unknown threats would make it impossible to do anything meaningful.

Of course, the Japanese must’ve done their homework and diligently studied the Korean martial society. Unfortunately, their information should be from the days when Lee Jung-Geol was still running the show.

Accurately analyzing the Assembly, which had gone through a shocking sea change in less than a year, should have been impossible for the Japanese.

Even Lee Hyeon-Su, who was an actual member of the Assembly, had to stare at this scene slack-jawed, so how much worse would it be for the Japanese?

Those three factors criss-crossed perfectly to create this one-sided slaughter.

‘I don’t know what will happen later, but for now, we’ve won this!’

Lee Hyeon-Su tightly clenched his fists.

He could appreciate it now. The Assembly had gotten stronger!

Joy swelled in Lee Hyeon-Su’s chest. Of course he knew this. But if he was being honest, he had not

felt

it until now. After all, being stronger was a relative concept that needed someone to compare it to.

Getting stronger than before merely wouldn’t cut it.

The Korean Martial Assembly had become several times stronger than during Lee Jung-Geol’s reign. However, if the rate of improvement matched the rate enjoyed by the surrounding countries, the gap in strength would never decrease.

Only by surpassing that gap, or decreasing it as much as possible, could one confidently say that the Assembly had become stronger than before.

Right now, right in this place, the Assembly’s martial artists proved how much stronger they had gotten.

What was even more encouraging about this situation was that...!

‘...The Assembly Master isn’t even here!’

Lee Hyeon-Su could guess why Kang Jin-Ho chose to step aside and not lead the war personally.

The Martial Assembly relied on Kang Jin-Ho rather excessively. In all of its do-or-die battles, Kang Jin-Ho was a constant presence.

As far as Lee Hyeon-Su was concerned, only three battles until now were worthy of being called history-defining for the Assembly.

The first one would be the battle against the Yeongnam Group.

But that battle was basically a one-man show for Kang Jin-Ho. He relied on his overwhelming strength and abilities to make the Yeongnam Group completely and utterly yield. And that display also ensured that no Assembly martial artist would ever challenge his authority.

The same story roughly applied to the battle against the Crimson King’s faction in China.

The fact that Kang Jin-Ho survived while fighting off the Crimson King’s faction instilled pride in the hearts of the Martial Assembly members. And it also allowed the demon cult to settle in South Korea successfully.

The final battle was the Assembly members fighting against the Round Table. However, the main character in that battle was still Kang Jin-Ho.

The others did their part, of course. However, what decided the outcome in the end was Kang Jin-Ho’s battle against the Elder Knights.

In other words, Kang Jin-Ho was involved in all the battles that decided the Assembly’s fate. Without his presence, the Assembly could not have come this far.

But when that was flipped around, it meant that the Assembly could not do anything by itself without Kang Jin-Ho showing the way.

If the Assembly wanted to grow and improve even further, it must rely less on Kang Jin-Ho.

It must learn to win without Kang Jin-Ho. It must learn how to act without him leading the charge.

Although it was difficult to guess Kang Jin-Ho’s true intentions, the reason for his absence this time shouldn’t be too far off Lee Hyeon-Su’s guess. And his ‘intention’ seemed to be paying off.

As long as the Martial Assembly could win without Kang Jin-Ho, it’d be the same as the organization taking one more step toward the brighter future. Everyone participating in this battle would grow even more confident, and they would also become more appreciative of the weight of the duties and responsibilities on their shoulders, after all!

“This is going well.”

Wiggins muttered while commanding the mages.

Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at his master. The Englishman looked a little fatigued after casting a wide-scale magic spell, but his eyes remained razor-sharp as he surveyed the battle.

“I agree, master. But there’s a bitter aftertaste, too.”

“Yes, there’s that.”

They both knew that this battle was half-intentional.

What they meant was that Shinichi-kai and Cai Kechang probably threw these poor bastards away as bait to crush Kanto, which had been a thorn in their side for too long.

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked. “Even if that’s true, I’m sure they probably didn’t expect this outcome.”

“That’s why I keep saying this, disciple. It’s impossible to predict the future with a human brain. If that’s possible, the side with the best strategist should always win. However, that’s not the case, now is it?”

“Well, yes.”

“Variables happen all the time in a war. A battle with a certain, complete victory doesn’t exist in reality,” said Wiggins.

“...Even when the Assembly Master is involved?”

“...”

Wiggins clamped his mouth.

His head said that Kang Jin-Ho’s presence could not guarantee a certain victory. Even if the Assembly Master’s strength had far surpassed the human limitations, three other people existed in this world who were stronger than him.

Those three were... the Crimson King, the Azure King, and the Dark King!

China’s Three Kings were powerful enough to rival, or even surpass, Kang Jin-Ho. And who would dare guess how many more powerful individuals existed in this world? Individuals who had not announced themselves to the world for one reason or the other?

Despite knowing this, however...!

“Isn’t it strange?” Wiggins muttered. “It feels like we won’t lose as long as my lord is with us. People must be rational about things, but when he’s involved, it becomes impossible to calculate the odds.”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “I totally agree, sir.”

“Still, this is no time for an idle chat. Having some leeway is good, but letting your guard down is forbidden. The time to wrap this up is fast approaching.”

While saying that, Wiggins shifted his gaze to a corner of the battlefield. He could see Bang Jin-Hun blocking Kazuhiro’s path.

“There’s our main character for tonight. How absurd of him, though. To think he’s so well aware of his role despite no one saying anything first!”

Wiggins chuckled softly.

Most people would point at Vator and say he was the main character of this battle. However, the one who must take the mantle of ‘true hero’ had to be none other than Bang Jin-Hun.

He was the only person who could prove how much stronger the Assembly had gotten. And he was also the only existence capable of instilling hope in the hearts of the Assembly’s regular members.

It didn’t matter how incredible ‘outsiders’ like Wiggins and Vator were tonight. Their strength couldn’t prove the Assembly’s improved strength. But Bang Jin-Hun had always been with the Assembly. His history meant he was perfect for the role of declaring how much stronger the organization had become. And to act as a beacon for others to follow.

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked softly. “Master? Your expression is getting a bit weird now.”

Wiggins tutted. “Shut up and focus on commanding the mages.”

“Yessir.”

When Lee Hyeon-Su resumed casting another spell, Wiggins shifted his attention back to Bang Jin-Hun, his expression growing more withdrawn.

‘However, losing now means everything would go back to square one. Director Bang, if you wish to acquire something, you must bet something else in return, too.'

The corners of Wiggins’ lips curled up as he observed Bang Jin-Hun clashing against Kazuhiro. Even he couldn’t tell how much stronger the former Assembly Master had gotten.

But the outcome of this battle should be enough for an accurate assessment.