Lee Hyeon-Su quickly replied, “Assembly Master is receiving medical treatment.”

Vator slowly nodded. “I see. What are his odds?”

“...I'm not sure, but Sir Wiggins said we can rest easy.”

Only after hearing that reply did Vator plop down on his butt. Even Lee Hyeon-Su could clearly sense all the tension and strength hurriedly abandoning the big man.

“Is that so...” Vator sighed loudly. His large frame seemed to quiver noticeably. “If it's that bastard's assurance, well...”

Wiggins responded from a distance. “I hope you were about to say you trust my judgment, Sir Vator.”

Vator slowly turned his head and glanced at Wiggins walking up to him.

“Bloody hell... To think I'd be glad to see that punchable face,” Vator chuckled and was about to say something snarky, only for his tired gaze to land on Wiggins's missing limb. “...What happened to your arm?”

“I had to leave it behind as a tribute.”

“To the Crimson King?”

“Other people don't have the qualifications to receive such a tribute from me, you know. However, the Crimson King seems pretty qualified to me. Wouldn't you agree?”

Vator bit his lower lip and said nothing while glaring at Wiggins. Eventually, he slowly chewed his words out. “Was there a reason to prove your loyalty like this?”

Wiggins shook his head. “Even I had no idea I'd get to prove myself this way. Yes, I did something terribly stupid, but humans can't always make smart decisions.”

Vator chuckled hollowly.

He always remained wary of Wiggins. That was because the Englishman seemed to have some kind of an ulterior motive. A man who used to wield so much power wouldn't suddenly choose to follow Kang Jin-Ho around for no reason. That was simply not logical.

So, Vator believed Wiggins was aiming for something, most likely malicious in nature. However, this event grandly shattered his suspicion. Vator didn't think Wiggins would have a hidden agenda urgent or desperate enough to sacrifice an arm.

“You fool…” Vator gruffly muttered.

Wiggins still caught the hint of sorrow and sympathy in Vator's voice, though, and smiled back at the big man. “Don't worry. It's still a profitable trade for me in the end.”

“How so?”

“Missing an arm will make my life somewhat inconvenient, but my lord's trust in me will undoubtedly go up. And he will value my input even more now. An aging fox is trying to leech off a lion, so giving up a leg as a snack doesn't sound like a bad trade to me.”

“Insane bastard,” Vator grunted while shaking his head. He always found Wiggins a glib bastard, but to think the latter would still crack jokes even as blood trickled out of his open wound! It was tough to feel sympathy for a guy like that. “Even so…”

Wiggins tilted his head a little. “Yes?”

“...You did good.”

Wiggins didn't reply in his usual manner and nodded briefly like a proper gentleman. An earnest praise required an earnest response, after all.

“What's our current situation?” Vator asked Lee Hyeon-Su next.

Since Kang Jin-Ho was temporarily out of commission, Vator would have to take over the command and lead everyone here. This knowledge motivated him to desperately hold on to his consciousness despite his wrecked body crying out for some rest.

Lee Hyeon-Su began his explanation. “For now, it doesn't seem like anyone is pursuing us. So far, we haven't encountered any trouble, and the ship is currently en route to South Korea.”

“Hmm. Cai Kechang isn't an easily giving up type.”

“I see. We'll increase our pace as much as possible, then.”

“Mm…” Vator slowly nodded. Unlike on dry land, there wasn't a whole lot he could do in an ocean. And it was also difficult to predict what the Crimson King's faction would do now.

'Still... Even if it's the Crimson King, he wouldn't carelessly invade another country's territory.'

There was a limit to how much those in power could hide the existence of martial artists. If this problem spilled over the borders and became an international incident, the politicians wouldn't sit still and do nothing. Knowing this... the Crimson King shouldn't haphazardly try something unwise.

Of course, Vator didn't know that Cai Kechang would stop at nothing to kill Kang Jin-Ho, even if that would lead to serious diplomatic problems. It was just that he didn't have a sure-fire way to kill someone overseas and had to give up... For the time being, at least

Vator grunted and addressed Lee Hyeon-Su again. “Get some men to monitor our surroundings.”

“Sir? Even when we're in the middle of an ocean?”

“If I was Cai Kechang, I'd have picked several men ready to kill themselves and put a hole in the ship's hull.”

“I see. I'll get to it immediately.”

“Mm!” Vator nodded, then looked at Chang Min next. “As for keeping the demonic cultivators in line...”

Chang Min shook his head. “Leave that to me and stop worrying about it.”

Now that he had finished issuing commands, Vator leaned against a wall before crumbling to the floor. “Then, from now on, the commander will be...” Vator slowly glanced in Wiggins' direction.

Wiggins smiled warmly. “Missing an arm doesn't mean I've suddenly become a mute too, Sir Vator.”

“Hmph,” Vator grunted, then his eyes slowly closed. Once he passed out for good, everyone nearby sighed quietly.

Out of three people leading the Martial Assembly, Kang Jin-Ho was inside an operating room. Vator passed out from his severe injuries. Only Wiggins was still conscious, albeit with a missing arm.

This scene was all the proof needed to let Lee Hyeon-Su know how horrifying the battlefield must've been.

“It's been a long night,” Wiggins quietly muttered while leaning against a nearby wall. He gripped his aching shoulder and grimaced a little.

“It's still not over yet, master,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Good that you know. Whether we reach South Korea in one piece or not now depends on you. Sir Vator is obviously in a bad state. And I'm also not 100%. We'll all die if they catch up to us. You understand that, don't you?”

“Of course!” Lee Hyeon-Su nodded, his expression stiff and solemn.

Wiggins smirked slightly. “You're finally making a dependable expression, my disciple!”

“I'll finish organizing the situation on deck.”

“Good. I'll be at the bridge. Do your best.”

“Leave it to me!” Lee Hyeon-Su nodded, then quickly rushed away.

Wiggins didn't hang around and turned around to leave.

The Crimson King's attack didn't just rob Wiggins of his arm. His innards were also all messed up. Utterly destroyed. If enemies decided to target him now... Well, he'd have no choice but to obediently offer his neck for a chance of a painless death.

'The Crimson King was indeed a monster.'

Now that Wiggins had an opportunity to face the Crimson King, he could safely say that man was well deserving of the 'monster' moniker. Even though the Crimson King was in such a tattered state, he still managed to wreck Wiggins with a single blow!

Most martial artists would've had a hard time surviving the injuries crippling the Crimson King. Yet, he was still capable of unleashing an attack of that magnitude...!

'However, our side also has a monster, now don't we?'

Indeed, Wiggins' side also boasted a monster capable of hurting the Crimson King to that degree. Wiggins' lips curled up slowly while recalling what he saw back then.

He didn't get to see everything from the beginning till the end. Kang Jin-Ho chose to remain all by himself, after all. However, Wiggins still witnessed the last moments where the Crimson King was prepared to throw his life away to kill Kang Jin-Ho.

The Crimson King considering Kang Jin-Ho as a threat worthy of the ultimate sacrifice implied so, so much.

“Indeed, it was a cheap price to pay...” Wiggins muttered while massaging his shoulder.

***

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to run around here and there like a madman.

All the problems didn't magically disappear just because the demonic cultivators finished boarding the ship. The next challenge for Lee Hyeon-Su was safely guiding the ship back to South Korea.

The Korean coastguard wasn't incompetent enough to let an unknown ship teeming with 'undeclared migrants' slip through their net. So, Lee Hyeon-Su went around kicking and screaming at the demonic cultivators behaving like lazy swines and shoved them inside the containers.

'Goddamn it!'

Neatly stacking up shipping containers was easy. Unfortunately, the problem with stacking containers that way was that people couldn't get inside the ones higher up. So, Lee Hyeon-Su had no choice but to stack the containers in such a way that people could actually climb into them.

...And that led to the creation of a cargo ship that even a moron would find suspicious.

To think they'd enter the Korean territorial waters with such a ship! And it was also teeming with suspicious people, too! This seemed like a terrible idea.

Lee Hyeon-Su greased all the right palms before setting off, but could he place all of his trust in that solution? No, not really. People with an unnecessary sense of justice and a desire to do right by their jobs could be found in surprisingly high numbers around the world, after all.

Lee Hyeon-Su was desperate not to get sucker-punched by a one-in-a-million chance during this voyage. Right now, the three 'leaders' of the Martial Assembly were... somewhat indisposed. If a problem reared its ugly head now, everything could go to hell in a handbasket in no time at all.

Lee Hyeon-Su yelled at the demonic cultivators again. “Crawl in there already, you f*cking bastards!”

“Huh...”

The demonic cultivators chuckled hollowly at the Korean martial artist biting their heads off.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

They would've felt less aggrieved if this Korean happened to be stronger than them, but no! Who wouldn't get pissed off when a weakling they could beat up in less than three seconds was hurling all sorts of insults at them with an ugly frown on his face?

Of course, they had no choice but to swallow their dissatisfaction.

“You heard him! Climb into the containers! Hurry up!”

With Chang Min in the lead, the elders ran around here and there to control and manage the demonic cultivators. Regardless of how demeaning and ugly this situation was, they had no choice but to obey. Besides, they knew this Korean brought the ship over under the demon emperor's orders. Someone like that wouldn't be a pushover.

“Fuu-woo...!”

After finally tucking all the demonic cultivators inside the shipping containers, Lee Hyeon-Su pulled out a packet of cigarettes with trembling hands. While mouthing a cigarette, he stared at the distant horizon.

'Goddamn it...'

The morning sun was breaking through the dawn's darkness, and Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but frown deeply. If everything had worked out according to the plan, the ship would've reached the Korean coast before sunrise. And the demonic cultivators would've swam toward the dry land under the cover of darkness.

Now that the sun was up, though... It'd be impossible to smuggle so many people through a port.

'Which means we will have to keep the ship on standby for now...'

Docking the ship was unfeasible, and so was dropping the 'cargo' in the ocean. In that case... What other choice did they have other than be on standby? They should spend the day like this before resuming their covert activities once the night returns.

Lee Hyeon-Su obviously wanted to get a move on. However, didn't the wise old 'they' say one should take the longer way around the more pressed one felt? Rushing into things would undoubtedly create problems.

Thankfully, Lee Hyeon-Su had the foresight to register the ship as a cargo ship with the authorities and set a date for when it'd dock in a port. So, the ship spending a day on standby out on water wouldn't rouse too much suspicion.

That was when someone rushed up to Lee Hyeon-Su. He glanced at this person. “...How is the Assembly Master's condition?”

“Sir! I've been told he's been stabilized.”

“...I see.” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed. His legs suddenly went limp after listening to that report.

'Stabilized, huh...'

Lee Hyeon-Su pulled out the cigarette out of his mouth with his left hand, then roughly rubbed his face with his right hand.

After doing that for a good few seconds, Lee Hyeon-Su addressed the subordinate again. “Okay, got it. Keep me informed.”

“Yes, sir!”

The subordinate went away, leaving Lee Hyeon-Su by himself again. He tossed the half-burned cigarette away and pulled out a fresh one before mouthing it.

Click... Click!

The stiff ocean breezes prevented his lighter from doing its job, but Lee Hyeon-Su persevered and eventually lit his cigarette up. He wordlessly sucked in a lungful of unhealthy smoke.

Knowing Kang Jin-Ho was now stable, thoughts Lee Hyeon-Su had suppressed until now reared their heads in his mind. He tried so hard to avoid thinking about it, but... How could he not think about them now?

“You idiots...” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed.

What they did... No one could have demanded it from them. No one had the right to order them to do it. Even then, those guys, they... They voluntarily threw their lives away.

Lee Hyeon-Su willingly shoved countless subordinates into the gates of Hell plenty of times in the past for his own benefit. But none of their deaths weighed as heavily on Lee Hyeon-Su's mind as the sacrifice this time.

What he got in return for their sacrifice was incomparably more beneficial. And the sacrificial lambs volunteered, knowing what would happen. So, why... Why did Lee Hyeon-Su's heart feel so heavy?

“Fuu-woo...” Lee Hyeon-Su sucked in another lungful of smoke, his slightly-dazed gaze scanning the vast empty ocean. “God f*cking dammit...”

His mouth tasted bitter. Probably because of the cigarette.

Retrieving their remains would be... most likely impossible, no?

What were those guys thinking of while dying? Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but wonder.

Sacrificing oneself for a greater cause was something Lee Hyeon-Su would never fully understand. Wouldn't 'greater cause' mean something only if you got to be a part of it, too? To think some people were willing to die for a future they wouldn't even get to see... Lee Hyeon-Su just couldn't wrap his head around it.

How stupid was that? Truly idiotic, that was what it was.

Even so...

Lee Hyeon-Su pulled out his cigarette packet again. He flicked the cigarette in his mouth into the ocean, then mouthed a fresh one. He lit it, only to cast it into the ocean again. Then, he did the same with a new cigarette. And another. And another...

After tossing the same number of cigarettes into the ocean as those who would never return from China, Lee Hyeon-Su wordlessly squeezed his eyes shut. Although he had no qualifications or the right to offer a prayer for their souls... At least he could offer a cigarette to each one of them.

“You... bunch of idiots.”

Lee Hyeon-Su muttered weakly before turning around to head toward the bridge. Since the situation had been more or less sorted out, he should report back to Wiggins.

Even though he was walking away without a moment's hesitation, Lee Hyeon-Su's figure, when viewed from behind... seemed uncharacteristically heavier.