Chapter 1180. Clashing (5)

What a strange feeling this was.

One could feel a variety of emotions while looking at another person’s body.

Being impressed was one, while mockery was the other. Maybe a person’s physique made you pity them. Or envy. Jealousy, even.

However, what Miura Kazuhiro felt at this giant’s appearance was on another scale of intensity to all those emotions.

‘It’s like I’m staring at a bomb that might explode at any second!’

Miura Kazuhiro reflexively sucked in a deep breath.

He was a martial artist.

The difference between martial arts and hand-to-hand combat was fairly straightforward. The hand-to-hand combat techniques focused on tempering the human body until one could do extraordinary things. Meanwhile, martial arts allowed you to transcend the limitations of a human physique and reach the heights unimaginable by common sense.

That meant it didn’t matter how highly tempered one was physically, they could never threaten a true martial artist.

That was what Muira Kazuhiro believed. Until a few seconds ago, that was!

However, Vator’s presence easily shattered that notion. The big man’s physique even left Muira Kazuhiro, a man deeply proud of his attainment in martial arts, utterly speechless.

The physique of the gods... That description seemed perfectly suited for the freak of nature, Vator!

“

Eugh

...!”

Miura Kazuhiro instantly sobered up when he heard that shocked gasp coming from somewhere nearby.

‘Damn it! I made a mistake.’

Now wasn’t the time to admire the enemy’s physique. Vator was one of the Martial Assembly’s executives. Since he was here, that could only mean the Japanese’s plan had gone awry somewhere.

Miura Kazuhiro muttered, “Kokubo!”

“Y-yes, sir? Ah! Sir, I’m listening!”

“Get everyone ready for battle.”

Kokubo Shigeru nodded weightily, his expression grave. He wasn’t stupid enough to not figure out that something unexpected had happened here.

Once his adviser had stealthily stepped back toward the army, Miura Kazuhiro took a step forward while repeatedly clenching and unfurling his fists.

He raised his voice to address Vator. “Looks like someone important has decided to grace us with his presence!”

Vator suddenly raised his hand. “Hold on, hold on.”

“...?”

“Can you speak in Korean?”

“...”

“If not, Chinese? Maybe English?”

When Miura Kazuhiro didn’t answer and simply stared back, Vator’s expression crumpled in unhappiness.

“What’s this? A bastard daring to invade Korea doesn’t even know the language of this country? Is the story of Japanese bastards valuing etiquette above all else a load of nonsense?”

That was when someone walked out from behind Vator’s gigantic figure and sourly retorted. “But, sir. You also didn’t speak a lick of Korean when you first ‘invaded’ Korea.”

“Yeah, I won’t deny that. But at least I showed up with an interpreter!”

“...That is a strangely convincing argument, sir.”

Miura Kazuhiro’s face stiffened as he studied the unknown man. He... couldn’t sense anything from that man.

No, that wasn’t quite right. A hint of aura unique to martial artists did waft out from that man, but his presence was definitely not as visceral as Vator’s.

That revelation only crushed down mercilessly on Miura Kazuhiro, however.

That was because that man’s entrance utterly shattered any hopes of Vator being the only enemy here!

“In any case, don’t worry about anything and state your mind, mister. I’ll translate for you,” said the unknown man in fluent Japanese. He even smiled brightly on top of that, too!

Miura Kazuhiro glared sharply at this man before chewing his words out. “Who are you?”

“Well, now. To think you’d care about some lowly interpreter like myself... You’re a surprisingly nice person, aren’t you? My name is Lee Hyeon-Su. And my job is the chief administrator of the Martial Assembly.”

“Lee Hyeon-Su...!”

Miura Kazuhiro had not heard of that name before.

Of course, the information on Lee Hyeon-Su had already reached Japan. Cai Kechang had already warned Shinichi-kai to be careful around a man named ‘Lee Hyeon-Su,’ after all.

It was just that Shinichi-kai conveniently ‘forgot’ to share that information with Yamashiro-gumi!

Thanks to that deliberate oversight, Lee Hyeon-Su unexpectedly found himself demoted to a mere interpreter tonight.

Miura Kazuhiro grimly asked, “Since when did we become close enough to exchange pleasantries?”

“

Oh

, don’t be so stiff like that now. You’re guests coming from far away, after all. It’s only correct to welcome you into our country. South Korea is famed as the country of courteous people and never treats its guests poorly, you see?”

Miura Kazuhiro subtly bit his lips before asking another question. “How did you know we’ll be here?”

“Your side informed us, actually. We were initially unsure of the info’s veracity. But then, the Coast Guard told us about a fleet of suspicious ships approaching the country. And that’s how we got here.”

Miura Kazuhiro subconsciously clenched his fists.

The Koreans were alerted ahead of time? But, by who?

Lee Hyeon-Su spotted the stiff expression on the Japanese man’s face and casually shrugged.

“Don’t glare at us like that. What can we do in this situation, anyway? Yes, we know we’re being used, but sometimes? There are moments in our lives where we just don’t have a choice but to do as told. That’s why you should’ve played nice with each other and made more friends when you had the chance.”

While saying that, Lee Hyeon-Su smirked like an odious snake-oil salesman.

Who was destined to die first in a war? Was it the group leading the charge? Or was it the supply division?

The answer was none of the above!

‘No, it’s the ones who are at odds with the leadership!’

Japan’s Kanto and Kansai regions had been at each other’s throats for the longest time. One could even say that Kansai hated Kanto’s martial society far more than South Korea’s!

So, for Kanto to jump at the chance to work with Kansai and obediently go along with the latter’s plans without any safety net...! Not even being naïve could forgive such a stupid mistake.

...And in a war, the naïve idiots were destined to be used and thrown away first!

Miura Kazuhiro muttered bitterly. “I’ve always known that Kansai bastards are insidious cowards, but to think they’d stab us in the back after forming an alliance to fight against foreigners!”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled. “Stuff like this happens all the time. Especially in your neck of the woods. Am I wrong?”

Back in World War Two, the Japanese army and navy were busy squabbling with each other while fighting against the American forces. With a precedent like that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to no one that history would repeat itself.

Miura Kazuhiro slowly reached down and gripped the hilt of his sword.

‘Those abominable Shinichi-kai bastards...!’

He obviously knew the bastards from Kansai would try to stab the noble warriors of Kanto in the back sooner or later. He wasn’t an idiot, after all!

Even then, he never expected the backstabbing to start as soon as they made the landfall!

This was not how Shinchi-kai operated in the past. So who could be behind this cowardly move?

Miura Kazuhiro chewed his next question out. “Who alerted you?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked deeply. “Not sure if you’ve heard of his name before. It’s Cai Kechang.”

“...A Chinese?”

“Remember that name. Because, pretty soon, we’ll send him to the same place you’re going to now. You’ll get even with him, then.”

Miura Kazuhiro bared his fangs in a ferocious smirk. “Get even? Don’t worry, I can take care of that on my own. Your assistance is not needed. Besides, it sounds like you have a grudge with this Cai Kechang, too. In that case, let me yield the chance for a revenge to you.”

“Eii~. Thanks for your consideration, but I’m in no position to exact revenge personally.”

While saying that, the corners of Lee Hyeon-Su’s lips curled up. That clear-as-day ridicule left Miura Kazuhiro fuming and gritting his teeth.

“It sounds like you’ve gotten too full of yourself! We are not the same as the ones you’ve fought so far. A bunch of dogs surrounding tigers isn’t much of a trap. From where I am, you’ve eliminated the annoying need to chase down every single one of you!”

“Ah, on that last point, I do agree with you,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. He even theatrically nodded away, too! “However, I wonder if this gentleman will agree, too.”

After listening to Lee Hyeon-Su translating what the Japanese said, Vator scoffed derisively.

“Hah! It sounds like these islanders are slow on the uptake.”

Vator suddenly raised his hand in the air.

‘What was that?’

Miura Kazuhiro tensed up immediately and scanned the surroundings. However, nothing happened for a good few seconds. In that case, why did Vator make that gesture?

Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly asked, “Sir? Are you trying to contact the others?”

Vator clamped his mouth shut and didn’t say anything. That prompted Lee Hyeon-Su to stare up at the big man’s face, his expression conveying how unimpressed he was.

Vator’s cheeks reddened slightly as he whispered urgently. “Why didn’t you take the hint and radio the others?! Do I have to spell everything out for you, too?”

“How do you expect me to respond when you haven’t said anything to me ahead of time, sir? And weren’t you doing that for others to see you? But they can’t see it from where they are, you know?”

“...Stop it. Just call them already.”

“Understood,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. He then raised his walkie-talkie and depressed the button on top. “Encircle the area. I repeat, encircle the area now!”

This comedy act that would’ve never been allowed in Japan made Miura Kazuhiro’s expression crumple. However, he never got a chance to criticize this ridiculous spectacle.

Rumble, boomboomboomboom...!

The land seemed to rock precariously. Thanks to the night being so quiet and still, Miura Kazuhiro could sense the disturbance even clearer than usual. A large number of people were approaching this place.

In the blink of an eye, martial artists emitting skin-pricking killing intent appeared on all the alleyways and rooftops of storage units.

Miura Kazuhiro bit his lip as countless enemies surrounded him and his men.

‘They sure have laid out a red carpet for us.’

Judging from the size of the Assembly’s army, Miura Kazuhiro had to assume that the information had been leaked to the Koreans a long time ago.

Without a doubt... Shinichi-kai and Cai Kechang had tricked him good this time!

“Hah. Hahah...”

A hollow chuckle leaked out of Miura Kazuhiro’s mouth.

Bang Jin-Hun, who arrived with the elites of the Assembly, finished surrounding the area with his men, then tilted his head.

He even muttered in a puzzled voice. “What the hell? Look at that bastard laughing away. Does he not understand the trouble he’s in?”

Wiggins chimed in. “Don’t worry, he’ll soon realize it.”

Bang Jin-Hun looked up at Wiggins and tutted away. “Mister Wiggins? Aren’t you embarrassed to be standing on top of a storage like that?”

“...Let me enjoy this moment, okay?”

Shu-ru-rung!

That was when Miura Kazuhiro slowly and deliberately unsheathed his sword before discarding the scabbard on the ground with some force.

When he did that, all the Japanese warriors standing in line behind him also yanked their weapons out in near-perfect sync and discarded their scabbards.

Bang Jin-Hun pointed at the Japanese and yelled, “What the f*ck, man! Those bastards dare litter in someone else’s backyard?!”

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned loudly.

“Sir, that’s the Japanese way of expressing their determination. They are saying they won’t sheathe their weapons again. Meaning, they are prepared to die here.”

“Really? No one said they’ll be spared today, though?” Bang Jin-Hun growled like a beast as the flames in his eyes burned fiercely.

He was already pissed off even before arriving here. And the sight of these Japanese invaders was enough to raise his anger level by another 100%, at least!

“Who the f*ck do they think they are, acting like some goddamn heroes in an epic movie?!”

When Bang Jin-Hun began spitting curse words, Lee Hyeon-Su grimaced and tried to calm him down.

“Sir, please calm down.”

“You want me to calm down?! When those motherf*ckers invaded us first?! So how dare they act all so determined and heroic and stuff?! I’m telling you, these bastards are experts at cosplaying as perpetual victims!”

Bang Jin-Hun loudly grumbled. Steam gushed out of his nostrils like a bull ready to charge at the matador.

While he couldn’t be as frank as Bang Jin-Hun, Lee Hyeon-Su’s sentiments were pretty much the same as the former Assembly Master’s. These Japanese were invaders trying to line their pockets by pillaging another country, so it was laughable to see them act like heroes ready to sacrifice their lives for a noble cause.

“So,” Lee Hyeon-Su asked, “You don’t have any thoughts of surrendering?”

Miura Kazuhiro smirked derisively. “A noble Japanese warrior never surrenders!”

Lee Hyeon-Su innocently tilted his head. “What are you on about? I saw the footage of your emperor signing the Instrument of Surrender on Y*utube, you know?”

“You...! You!”

After provoking the enemy, Lee Hyeon-Su sneakily slipped to the back. His job was done, and from this moment on... It was Vator’s time to shine.

Vator took one step forward. And that was enough to increase the intensity of the pressure his presence emitted.

“You bastards...”

Vator growled as his eyes gradually turned crimson.

“Be grateful that you’ll die in this place. Had my master gotten his hands on you, you wouldn’t even have intact corpses left to bury, after all!”

Vator fiercely clenched his fists. His upper torso seemed to balloon up, and his clothes began ripping apart. All the rippling muscles on his torso revealed itself into the night air.

“As for me...!”

Crack, crackle!

The sounds of joints popping echoed noisily in the air.

The Japanese didn’t need to hear any orders. They were already in formation, anyway. Since that was the case, there was only one thing left to do. And that was to charge forward and slaughter the enemies!

Besides, enemies surrounded them from all three sides. Meanwhile, an endless stretch of the ocean was behind them, preventing their escape.

It was a perfect stage for humans to kill and butcher each other in sheer desperation!

“We’ll kill every one of you!”

Vator roared like a dragon while charging forward. Almost at the same time, his disciples, including Gong Yeong-Gil, followed the giant and rushed forward as well!

“They are coming!” Miura Kazuhiro cried out at the top of his lungs. “Forget escaping from here! There is only one way to live! And that is to kill them all! Do not fear! We’re not weak enough to lose to some

Chosenjin

bastards! Dye the ocean with their blood! Glory to the Emperor of Japan! Banzai!”

“Glory to the emperor! Banzai!”

While roaring in unison, the Japanese warriors brandished their weapons and dashed forward with Miura Kazuhiro taking the lead.

The time was early dawn. Within this inky-black darkness, the fireworks of the war finally went off in a raucous display.