“They are coming!”

Panicked voices urgently spread within the boat.

“They are heading this way, elder! They are closing in on us!”

“I-if they put a hole in our hull, we’ll go down in no time at all! Elder, we need to do something!”

“Please, do something!”

“It's too dangerous! We need to… Yes, we need to ask for help from…”

Just as the demonic cultivators were about to lose their minds to fear and despair…!

“Shut up!”

An ear-rupturing lion-like roar exploded into the night sky.

Everyone shuddered in shock when that angry roar sent numbing feelings all over their skin. Once their shudder stopped, the demonic cultivators focused their attention on the person responsible for that roar.

“You pathetic fools!” The roaring man, Chang Min, glared in barely contained rage at the demonic cultivators. “Our demon emperor is watching us! Stop behaving disgracefully, or jump into the ocean and kill yourselves instead!”

Chang Min’s icy voice sent a chill down their spines, and everyone tensed up immediately. That was because Chang Min usually didn’t speak this way.

Everyone knew Chang Min as someone who was more generous and benevolent than anyone. And a leader who cared about the cult believers and their well-being more than anyone, too.

So, for Chang Min to sound so cold like this? It could only mean the demonic cultivators were behaving far too shamefully.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“Did you come to Korea to receive the demon emperor’s protection? Or did you come here to protect the demon emperor and bring prosperity back to our cult? Which is it?!”

Zhu Gang subtly bit his lower lip. Truth be told, neither of those options applied to him.

If he was being honest here, Zhu Gang didn't come to South Korea to do either of those things. He simply wanted to grow stronger by receiving the demon emperor's favor and guidance. That was it.

Still, if he were forced to choose between Chang Min's two options… It'd be the latter.

Zhu Gang and the rest shouldn't get hung up on receiving the demon emperor's protection. No, their sole focus should be on getting stronger through the demon emperor's guidance.

“Since when did the believers of the cult start begging others to resolve their troubles?! You disappointing fools! It seems I’ve been too soft with you lot until now!”

Chang Min’s weighty rebuke rang in the air, forcing the others to lower their heads in shame.

Despite the urgency of the situation, no one dared to look up. If other elders had said those things, the demonic cultivators might try to argue back first. As a matter of fact, they would have raised dissenting voices even if Kang Jin-Ho had been the one telling them all these things!

Only Chang Min had the qualification to say these things to them.

Chang Min's scary glare swept over the demonic cultivators. His neatly trimmed gray hair and beard still couldn't mask the fierceness of his aura.

“We are not talking about some random enemies, but the Japanese! Yet you all act like scared little rats! Our ancestors would've vomited blood and pounded the ground in lamentation if they saw you right now! And you dare call yourselves believers of the glorious demon cult?!”

Chang Min's voice rocked the night air. He yelled like a man about to vomit blood.

“Kill them all! Kill those Japanese rats daring to board this boat belonging to the cult! And dye the ocean red with their blood!”

“YESSIR!”

When that united roar loudly resounded out from the demonic cultivators, Chang Min finally nodded to show he accepted their resolve. However…

‘It’s still not enough!’

Chang Min wasn't satisfied. That spirited reply still wasn't enough. Not by a long shot.

It was true that the demon cult’s situation had not been favorable. As a matter of fact, it’d be more accurate to say the cult had been barely clinging on to the precipice of utter ruination for some time now.

However, how long was the cult thinking of using that as its excuse?

Since the cult’s situation had changed, the mindset of its believers should change accordingly. With their current attitude, no amount of top-tier demonic arts and favorable environments could transform them into better, more confident warriors.

This was what demonic cultivation was like since ancient times.

Including the period when Kang Jin-Ho's renown as Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor sent dreadful shivers down everyone's spine, the demon cult's prosperity always coincided with eras of uncertainty and fierce competitiveness among its members.

Somewhat funnily enough, the demon cult’s renown grew greater whenever its members were at each other’s throats and couldn’t wait to rip others apart. In short, one could say it was an organization of weirdos!

Third parties might view this phenomenon as absolutely bizarre, but to the cult members, this was how things were supposed to be. If a demonic cultivator failed to hide their murderous intent from their allies, it could only mean they had been completely taken over by the demonic qi.

However, the current-era demonic cultivators couldn’t reach those lofty peaks. And, with how things were going, reaching those peaks would remain a pipe dream, an absolute impossibility!

That was because someone who worried about being comfortable and prioritized their life first instead of the pleasure of the battle didn’t deserve to be called the demonic cultivator!

‘This might be a good opportunity!’

Chang Min’s icy glare locked on the Japanese warriors madly swimming toward the boat he was in.

The demonic cultivators' current situation could be blamed on one thing. And that would be… Their lack of battle experience due to how focused they were on putting enough food on their table every single day!

Of course, that didn't mean these demonic cultivators were completely new to life-or-death battles. Back in China, they were usually tasked with mopping up some of the dirtiest, most detestable things imaginable. Which meant they must've enjoyed plenty of opportunities to witness Hell-on-Earth situations most people couldn't even dream of.

Even so, experiencing war as a side character and being the main protagonist of a fierce battle were two very different things.

In Chang Min's honest observation, the problem with these cult members wasn't the lack of good training but their lack of battle experience.

The past generations of demonic cultivators would not hesitate to risk their lives to fight back for that slim chance of victory or completely ignore the dangers to their lives to get things done. However, when the current demonic cultivators faced these same challenges, they would lower their heads in subservience and try to cower in a corner.

‘Yes, I admit it. It’s the lack of confidence. The mindset of the perpetually defeated!’

In that case, there was an urgent need to get rid of that unremitting sense of defeat knocking down these people’s confidence.

‘If you can only fight after getting decently strong enough… That isn’t strength!’

What was the point of aggressiveness when it was only unleashed toward those weaker than you? That wasn’t how the demon cult operated.

Watching these demonic cultivators behave so disgracefully even made Chang Min briefly entertain the idea of destroying the cult and rebuilding it from the ground up!

“Do not back down!” Chang Min's roar rocked the night sky once more. “We'd rather kill ourselves instead of backing down! Never in the demon cult's history have we ever retreated! Once a battle begins, there can be only one of two possible outcomes! Either we die, or the enemies die!

“Do not care about your lives! Only those who are prepared to throw their lives away can survive the ordeal! Remember that our demon emperor is watching us!”

“We shall obey!"

As the demonic cultivators loudly roared back, their eyes began burning fiercely.

‘Those damn Jap sons of b*tches!’

‘Dammit! We only live once, right? No one can live forever, anyway!’

Of course the demonic cultivators already knew Chang Min was spewing cliches. And they also knew it was their duty to uphold all those cliches.

More importantly, though… They knew that they had to change.

For their future, the demonic cultivators came to South Korea. And it wasn't simply to change their living environment either. What it did mean was that they had thrown away their former lives. Just so that they could become stronger!

They didn’t want to remain as weaklings. They didn’t want to taste the bitter sorrow of being kicked around because they were demonic cultivators. That was why they had cast aside their old selves and journeyed to another country. And today…

Today would be their first time fighting with everything on the line after making that life-changing journey!

So, for them to back down? To run away? To cower in fear?

If they were still doing that, what exactly changed for them?

“Kill them! Kill those Jap sons of b*tches!”

“Yeah! Slaughter them all!”

The eyes of every demonic cultivator here became bloodshot.

Backing down now would mean they were going back to their old lives.

Only the first time was difficult for humans. Someone who backed down once was bound to do the same again. And when that happened, they would always back down from future challenges and hindrances to find an easier way around.

Not being strong now didn't mean these people didn't know how to become stronger. With a mindset of constantly backing down, one could never become someone powerful in the future.

No matter how accomplished and otherworldly a cultivation method or the demonic arts were, their overall effectiveness still heavily depended on who mastered them.

Could a treasure sword be able to exhibit its full potential when wielded by a coward? Of course not!

‘Well, I guess that's what being a member of the demon cult is all about.’

Zhu Gang helplessly chuckled. He suddenly remembered what kind of place the demon cult was. And what its ethos was.

The weak would be left behind. The weak would eventually die.

That mantra wasn’t about those with poor cultivation, though. No, it meant those with a weak mindset. If one lacked strength, at least one should be fiercely driven to the point of being villainous. That was what being a demon cult believer was all about!

“Get out of my way! I'll take the lead!” Zhu Gang roared while pushing aside the demonic cultivators to the left and right. He stood at the bow of the boat and took in the sight of the endless dark ocean stretching before his eyes… And the Japanese warriors angrily swimming toward his boat while creating large waves on the water's surface!

“Fuu-woo…!” Zhu Gang let out a lengthy but quiet sigh, then stiffened his expression.

‘I will not go back to how I used to be!’

He had no plans of saying some grandiose things like today would be his rebirth. No, he just didn’t want to shame himself anymore.

Zhu Gang yanked his sword out, then pointed it forward.

Either he dies, or the enemies die…

This was the beginning of that simple-enough equation.

***

“It's simple! Either those bastards kill us, or we kill them!”

“What the f*ck are you talking about, you lunatic! Hey, stop the boat! Stop it right now and reverse it!”

“What?! Are you a f*cking idiot?! How can a moving boat reverse like you say?!”

“Then, turn the damn boat around!”

While listening to everyone arguing vociferously, Cheon Tae-Hun thought his brain might explode.

‘What the hell?! How am I supposed to rein in these idiots?!’

Unlike other boats, Cheon Tae-Hun’s boat contained only the Assembly members. That wasn’t the only difference, though.

The thing was, other boats were populated with elites of their own little factions. On the other hand, Cheon Tae-Hun's boat had no actual elites riding on it!

The reason for that was simple enough.

After excluding the Demon Flames and the demon cult people whose cultivation was based on demonic arts, the strongest warriors in the Martial Assembly would obviously be middle-aged folks.

Originally, that role would have been fulfilled by the elders, but Wiggins and Vator had completely wiped them out. And there was no point in mentioning the private guards that used to protect Lee Jung-Geol either. After all, those poor fools had the misfortune of fighting Kang Jin-Ho back then!

Which meant the generation just after the elders should have taken up that role. In terms of physical age, they should be between forty and sixty. These folks were usually made up of elders’ disciples, who were teachers of the younger generations.

For instance, Bang Jin-Hun fell into this generation. And Cheon Tae-Hun was Bang Jin-Hun's disciple. So, this boat should have been ferrying folks in Bang Jin-Hun's age group, not Cheon Tae-Hun's!

‘So how! How did things end up like this?!’

Unfortunately, Lee Hyeon-Su chose not to select people in that age group. As for his reason… There were several.

First of all, their teachers were elders. As such, they would never truly be loyal to Kang Jin-Ho.

After all, they had been taught from a young age to obey their teachers like their own parents and grandparents. Even if their heads accepted the situation, and they had already come to terms with where they stood in the matter, they probably still couldn't overcome their instinctive repulsion toward Kang Jin-Ho.

That was why, while reorganizing the Martial Assembly, Lee Hyeon-Su decided to push this generation out of the picture. And he prioritized the younger generation on things like distributing new benefits and new martial arts.

The result of that policy was this situation.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. As payment for all the benefits received, the younger generation was dumped on this boat to enter the frontlines of a war that would determine the Assembly's future!

Cheon Tae-Hun could at least understand that much. That was how the world operated, after all. It was give-and-take, wasn’t it? Besides, it wasn’t as if these younger generation martial artists were forced into this position, anyway!

This boat’s passenger list still would’ve been the same whether everyone here had been drafted or they had volunteered. After all, they were all roaring to fight someone. And the thoughts of distinguishing themselves in this fight and getting noticed by the higher-ups had also blinded them.

All things considered, everything should have been fine. Yes, it should have been. But then…

“...Why! Why am I the one in charge of these idiots?!” Cheon Tae-Hun cried out in despair.

“Stop wasting time and turn this boat around, Cheon Tae-Hun!”

“Come on, Cheon Tae-Hun! Hurry up and make your decision already! Can’t you see all those Jap motherf*ckers coming right at us?!”

“Don’t be a wuss! When they come here, we’ll just fight them off!”

“You’re insane! Who says we can win against them?!”

Cheon Tae-Hun held his head in despair as the arguments continued on and on all around him.

‘Hah… You bunch of stinking trash!’

Just before despair could completely devour Cheon Tae-Hun, he heard a round of gentle laughter.

“Hahahaha…”

“Who the f*ck is laughing at…” Cheon Tae-Hun angrily frowned and spun his head to look, only for his eyes to shoot open wide.

A tall Frenchman smiled and muttered in smooth French. “It seems you've encountered some choppy waters, gentlemen.”

“Oh, uh…” Cheon Tae-Hun blinked his eyes several times after his brain blanked out for a second. What were these people called again? Shoe… No, Cheval…

‘...Right! Chevaliers! And, uh, what was this dude’s name again?’

“Since there’s trouble afoot, allow us to fight in the frontlines. It’s not like we’re looking down on you or anything like that. It’s just that your people still need more time to grow. And we’d like to pay for all the free meals you’ve given us until now.”

While the Frenchman explained, his fellow Chevaliers emerged from below deck, fully kitted out in their armor. They smartly spread out to various parts of the deck and got ready.

Cheon Tae-Hun watched this scene unfold, then tilted his head. “Hey, does anyone here speak French?”

“…”

Unsurprisingly, no one replied.