Chapter 1184 of 1419
Chapter 1184, Annihilated (4)
Chapter 1184, Annihilated (4)
“
Huff, huff! Wheeze!
”
Kim Won-Hyeok spat out heavy breaths.
His heart pounded away madly. Blood rushed to his face, turning it crimson to the point of nearly rupturing all the blood vessels on his skin!
He gradually stopped thinking altogether.
No, that wasn’t quite right. Rather than not thinking anymore, it’d be more correct to say his mind was gradually blanking out.
What an absurd development that was. He was in the middle of a battlefield, after all!
In this place full of intense battles, one mistake or moment of distraction could cost you your head. So, it was rather audacious of Kim Won-Hyeok to empty his mind like this.
Audacious or not, though, he really was doing it.
‘Just what... am I even doing here?
’
Everything here was so chaotic.
Near the front of where he was, ‘explosion’ noises went off nonstop. Somewhere further back, a massive wall of flames billowed. Looking at it made Kim Won-Hyeok nearly faint.
The nasty stench of blood stabbed his nostrils. Worse still, thick body odor of sweat and something else wafting from all around him messily tangled in the air to create this indescribable smell.
Indescribable was right. He couldn’t describe any of these sensations, after all!
Maybe he could compare these things to how he might feel after catching a nasty cold.
Kim Won-Hyeok’s body felt as heavy as a wet sponge. There was a constant loud buzzing in his ear too, and... No matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn’t.
Even though the world and his eyes looking at it had not changed, it still
felt
a tiny bit different to Kim Won-Hyeok’s perception.
That was when something came flying in toward Kim Won-Hyeok’s face.
It was slender. Long, too. And gleamed white, in a way. It was...
“Wake the hell up!”
A sharp yell dug into Kim Won-Hyeok’s hearing. Almost at the same time, he sensed a visceral impact on the back of his head.
Crrrreaaaak!
“...!
Ah
!”
That was precisely when the world suddenly began moving quickly again like a wound spring being released.
Of course, Kim Won-Hyeok knew that the world hadn’t suddenly accelerated. It was simply his perception that had slowed down a crawl and made everything so surreal simply matching the speed of reality once more.
That was when he also noticed eardrum-tearing noises burrowing into his senses.
“Get a grip, you dumb sh*t!”
“...!”
Kim Won-Hyeok gritted his teeth.
A staff thrusting out from somewhere next to him was blocking a katana clearly aimed at Kim Won-Hyeok’s face. Without that staff’s timely intervention, he would’ve become another corpse lying on the ground. He wouldn’t have a way to defend against such a sharp blade, after all!
“Stinking Jap bastards!”
The wielder of that staff powerfully shoved the katana away. He swiftly swung the lengthy polearm around before thrusting forward again. The Japanese warriors stopped rushing in like crazed bulls and hurriedly stumbled back.
“Stand tall and clench your teeth, you sh*theads! If you die, people around you will die, too! You are not only protecting your life, okay!”
Kim Won-Hyeok sobered up immediately as those words slammed into his brain.
‘What the f*ck am I doing! Wake the hell up, man!’
This was a war zone. Unless he kept his wits about him, he could die at any given moment, and nothing could excuse him for his mistake.
As an example, didn’t he nearly die just now? The dawning of that realization sent a chill down his back and every hair on his body stood on its end.
“
Hah
-
aaaaaaaaah
!”
He wasn’t the only one desperately struggling on this battlefield.
The Japanese warriors charged at the Koreans while spitting out indecipherable curses and insults. Their eyes were bloodshot. Veins bulged hideously in their arms. Hot breaths gushed out through their clenched teeth. Their demeanor easily conveyed how agitated and desperate they were.
“
Huwaaaaaht
!”
Kim Won-Hyeok also didn’t cower and roared right back. He punched an incoming Japanese warrior as hard as he could.
Slam!
His fist accurately slammed into the Japanese’s face. The enemy’s katana brushed past his shoulder at the same time.
Burning sensations immediately screamed from his shoulder, but Kim Won-Hyeok didn’t turn his head to look. He kicked the falling Japanese in the gut instead.
Bang!
The unconscious Japanese warrior tumbled around on the ground. His defeat didn’t change anything, however, as more Japanese warriors trampled over him and charged crazily at the Koreans.
“
Huff, huff! Huff!
”
Kim Won-Hyeok might have sobered up, but his situation remained the same.
These Japanese bastards were still charging right into the Koreans encircling them like wild boars enraged about getting hit in the blind spot.
Of course, there was a good reason for the Japanese going on a rampage like this. The massive wall of flames behind them must be the culprit. Also, Vator’s presence should have a lot to do with their behavior, too. After all, even Kim Won-Hyeok felt goosebumps of terror at the big man’s aura!
“
Ku-ahahahahah
! Where do you think you are going, you little rat bastards! None of you will leave here alive!” Vator howled and roared while rampaging around like the demon of the netherworld.
The crimson-hued Vator crushing and killing while crimson aura gushed out from his massive figure was the stuff of nightmares. Since it was this terrifying for him, how much worse would it be for the Japanese?
It must’ve felt like ten starving tigers were chasing after them!
No wonder the Japanese warriors had lost their minds.
Keep your heart ablaze, but keep your head cool at all times; Kim Won-Hyeok heard that maxim frequently throughout his life. A martial artist like Kim Won-Hyeok must remember that saying, no matter what, as if it was the absolute truth.
However, the thing about such a maxim was that... Sticking to it was easier said than done. That was why the higher-ups emphasized it so much every single day, wasn’t it?
Their comrades were dying in droves right before their eyes. Blood rained down on this battlefield. How could anyone maintain a cool head when surrounded by all these deaths and destruction? That’d be next to impossible.
...And that was why they now had this situation on their hands.
“
Aaaaaaahk
!”
The Japanese warrior, who charged into the Koreans recklessly, received a reward in the form of a sword stabbing deep into his side.
Objectively speaking, this warrior should have been incomparably stronger than Kim Won-Hyeok. In any other situations, he wouldn’t have weaker martial artists land blows on him even if they had formed a battle formation.
One’s mindset was half of one’s martial prowess. With Vator and magical flames rampaging around behind them, the Japanese warriors found it impossible to unleash their full martial prowess.
If they had taken their time to attack strategically, the wall before their eyes could’ve been easily overcome. Yet such a wall transformed into an unbreachable barrier of despair after they rashly tried to overcome it as quickly as possible.
And Kim Won-Hyeok was one of the ‘bricks’ forming this wall.
“
Fuu-huuph!
”
He finally understood what Bang Jin-Hun said earlier.
The actual war differed from his imaginations. This place was Hell on Earth.
Didn’t Kim Won-Hyeok train his butt off? Didn’t he do his best to get this far? Sure, he certainly had done that.
However, what about the Japanese? Did that warrior, who got gutted by the blade stabbing him in the side before being sent flying away, laze around and neglect his training? Of course not.
That man didn’t look all that older than Kim Won-Hyeok. Since he was stronger despite being around the same age, he must’ve put in even more effort than Kim Won-Hyeok.
However, he died in vain without enjoying the chance to benefit from all his hard work. And one warrior’s death in a war was worth literally nothing.
“So, just quit it now, man. If I’m being honest here, I kinda get what Director Bang was trying to say after taking a good look at you. You’re a good friend, but I still don’t want to entrust my back to you in a war zone.”
Kim Won-Hyeok said those words to Seong Ju-Chan earlier. And thinking about them made him almost laugh at himself for it.
‘Why did I run my bloody mouth back then? As if I knew something?’
He oh-so badly wanted to rip his trap out right now. Even though he knew nothing, he acted as if he did!
If he could go back to that moment in time, he’d never say those things to his friend. Could he still confidently say he’d pull his weight in a war? Even after witnessing this bloody spectacle?
Definitely not!
That wouldn’t be confidence, just his ego running out of control!
For the first time in his life, Kim Won-Hyeok understood what living as a martial artist truly signified.
Life and death were crisscrossing in this very place.
No one knew who’d die and live from this war. Even those manning the safest spot on this battlefield still had a foot inside the chill-inducing territory of death.
Anyone could die at any given moment in any number of ways in this war zone. But for Kim Won-Hyeok to keep living on as a martial artist... He must make it out of here alive!
He became painfully aware of how carefree his life had been under the Martial Assembly’s protection and how he acted all so high and mighty as a martial artist until now.
Kang Jin-Ho and the executives fought while risking their lives in the front lines, while Kim Won-Hyeok stayed back in safe places, growing drunk on their achievements.
Strictly speaking, he and his peers hadn’t achieved anything.
The brass shed all the blood, sweat, and tears to achieve the glory and progress of the Martial Assembly. Meanwhile, Kim Won-Hyeok hadn’t done anything other than watching all the fierce battles from the safety of the rear. But he stupidly had been drunk on the success as if he played a major role!
And now he was paying for his stupidity.
“Kkueeeh...!”
Kim Won-Hyeok’s sword stabbing into the Japanese’s torso transmitted goosebumps-inducing sensation of a living person’s bones splitting apart through his hands.
The Japanese, with a sword stabbing deep into his gut, glared at Kim Won-Hyeok. The look on his face was as chilling as it could get.
The Japanese’s empty hand slowly reached toward Kim Won-Hyeok’s face. It must’ve been the dying man’s last defiant stand.
Despite knowing he must shove the enemy away from him, Kim Won-Hyeok couldn’t do anything.
Eventually, that bloodied hand began scratching at Kim Won-Hyeok’s face. But the Japanese didn’t even have enough strength to leave superficial wounds on Kim Won-Hyeok’s skin. The hand touched his forehead, only to leave behind a trail of blood before powerlessly falling to the ground.
The limp body weighed heavily against Kim Won-Hyeok’s grip on the weapon.
“Euh...!”
Whether he pushed the Japanese off with a kick or a shove, Kim Won-Hyeok knew he must do something to yank his weapon free and get ready to fight again. However, for some unfathomable reason, he couldn’t do anything.
“
Huff, huff...! Fuu-huuph!
”
Kim Won-Hyeok’s breathing grew heavier and more labored. Dizziness rapidly set in, while his vision began blurring. Maybe the blood trickling down from his forehead had gotten under his eyelids; keeping his eyes open grew harder and harder to do.
“
Aaaaahk
!”
“Die! Die, you b*tch!”
“
Aaaahk
?! My arm! My arm!
Aaaaahk
!”
The world quickly grew surreal once more. All the screams he could hear sounded like fakes.
Without meaning to, Kim Won-Hyeok turned his head and scanned his vicinity in a daze.
People making crazed faces were roaring and yelling while wielding their swords. Fists were flying. Kicks were raining down. Rather than martial artists who trained in various techniques, they looked more like... Soldiers. Desperate soldiers fighting in a war!
The same applied to the Japanese, as well.
The Japanese were supposed to be obsessive about the aesthetics of their actions, but not today. It was impossible to find such a thing from their expressions.
They kept charging over and over at their enemies as fear of death and unstoppable hatred burned crazily in their faces.
Two groups making similar faces were swinging and thrusting their weapons at each other. Blood exploded like fountains, while severed limbs and other body parts flew around in the air.
Someone suddenly yelled at Kim Won-Hyeok. “What the f*ck are you doing?!”
Kim Won-Hyeok stammered ungainly, “I... I...?”
“Get back!”
“Sorry?”
“Get back, you dipsh*t! Hurry up if you don’t want to f*cking die!”
“
Uh
...?”
The owner of that voice grabbed Kim Won-Hyeok’s shoulder and yanked him back. And that was when he saw it.
‘...Eh?’
His eyes caught something, and that was... a figure of a man jumping over the charging Japanese warriors to make a beeline toward Kim Won-Hyeok’s position!
He moved at a speed incomparably faster than any other Japanese warriors before him. It was like a momentary blur, and then, he was already right in front of Kim Won-Hyeok!
That was when Kim Won-Hyeok knew it instinctively. This Japanese was an expert. An expert so strong that he couldn’t hope to win in a thousand years!
“You trash
Chosenjin
!”
The katana gleaming coldly under the waning moonlight rapidly thrust forward at the speed of lightning.
How odd was this?
Even though the blade was thrust at a speed Kim Won-Hyeok’s eyes shouldn’t be able to follow, he still saw everything in startling clarity.
Of course, being able to see wasn’t the same as being able to dodge in time. And Kim Won-Hyeok had to watch the katana’s blade plunging deep into his gut in vivid clarity, too!
Stab!
He didn’t feel any pain.
But he did feel something hot in his gut. At the same time, his legs gave way, and his body crumbled as if he was some kind of mollusk.
“
Ah
...”
He instinctively knew it. Death was coming for him.
He had one foot in the realm of death all this time, yet it finally began expanding toward him. And once it completely devoured him, he’d no longer be alive.
Just as all thoughts emptied out of his mind...!
Grab!
Kim Won-Hyeok vividly sensed someone grabbing his shoulder.
KA-BOOM!
At the same time, the Japanese expert stumbled back a couple of steps as another explosion noise rang out. The indescribable pain finally registered in Kim Won-Hyeok’s brain as the katana stabbing his gut was pulled out.
The hand grabbing his shoulder powerfully pulled him back.
The owner of that hand yelled in clear unhappiness. “Drag the injured people back to safety, you dipsh*ts! You’re supposed to be martial artists! How could you abandon your comrades just to save your ass?! When did I teach you to do that!”
That voice sounded familiar to Kim Won-Hyeok.
The man finally turned his head to look at Kim Won-Hyeok.
‘Director Bang...!’
Bang Jin-Hun’s expression was slightly distorted. He even spoke rapidly, too. “Stop wetting your bloody pants, you dumbass! You ain’t gonna die from a stab wound like that, okay! Go to the rear and tend to your wound!”
Kim Won-Hyeok felt someone else hold him from behind. As he was being passed over to an unknown ally, his eyes vividly took in the broad back of Bang Jin-Hun standing tall.
“Stop messing around with these kids and have a go at someone your size, you stinking son of a b*tch!”
It was the usual Bang Jin-Hun.