The ocean had morphed into a fierce battleground.

Maybe this situation should've been called naval warfare. Naval warfare encompassed every type of combat on the sea, after all!

However, the fierce battle taking place on this particular stretch of the ocean was a bit unique compared to other, more "standard" naval warfare.

It was a simple enough question. Could the Japanese board the boats or not?

Of course, that simple question was not so simple to some people. In fact, they were beyond desperate to answer that question!

“Hurry! Climb up!”

“Don’t fight in the water! We must get on the boat! Or we’ll all die!”

At least the ones on the boat enjoyed some breathing room, something the Japanese swimming inside the cold sea definitely did not have.

None of them thought about how cold the water could be while jumping into the ocean. No, it'd be more correct to say they couldn't.

Imagine a high-rise apartment you were living in was on fire. What if the exit was blocked, and the flames were gradually creeping closer? What would you do next?

There was only one way out of there. And that was to open the windows and climb outside. However, you could slip and fall while trying to escape. When that happened, death was the most likely outcome.

Even so, you still had one in a thousand… No, one in a million chance of survival. Rather than sitting still and waiting for the fiery end to your life, you could let Lady Luck decide your fate.

That was the Japanese warriors' sentiment. Remaining on that cruise ship equaled certain death. So, they had to flee. Jumping into the ocean was dangerous, but not as dangerous as staying on that ship!

All things considered, their decision seemed well justified. Unfortunately, there was a small wrinkle in that story.

Would those who slipped and fell while escaping still think they had made the right call? Even as the pavement rapidly filled up their vision? Wouldn't they bitterly regret the fact that they didn't look for another way out and instead chose this reckless option?

That was the state of mind of the Japanese swimming in the ocean.

Up until the moment they jumped into the ocean, the Japanese felt liberated. They believed they had made the most logical choice in that situation. When their bodies hit the icy-cold waters below, however…

They finally realized the truth. There was no way they could survive in the ocean! Their bodies instinctively realized it when the waves slammed into them and all the bone-chilling coldness invaded their innards.

Japan was too far away. Far enough that no human could possibly reach it by swimming. Even if these warriors were capable of swimming a distance dozens of times longer than regular people, their motherland was still beyond their reach. Besides, the icy-cold water would rob them of their stamina soon enough, anyway.

Only then did the Japanese warriors realize the truth. The only fate waiting for them now was to slowly drown.

It was at this point that they spotted another boat. It was obviously much smaller than the cruise ship the Japanese used to travel here. Even so, its size still seemed perfectly suitable for this occasion.

At a push, that boat should be able to accommodate at least a few hundred people.

Would that boat still remain afloat if that many people tried to climb on to it all at once?

Who cared about that?! Especially when the Japanese were facing imminent death?! That boat over there could help them avoid the fate of a watery grave, and that was all that mattered in this situation.

Even though too many people boarding the boat could capsize it, wouldn't the Japanese still be able to extend their lives for a little while longer? In that case, why were they wasting their breath debating their options?

The eyes of the Japanese warriors became bloodshot. All the cold waves slapping their faces and the inky-black darkness of the night drove them to the madness of desperation. If they failed to capture that boat and eliminate the ones riding on it, every Japanese would die for sure!

If their fate was to die either way… At least they should fight and then die!

No one said anything, but the Japanese warriors all thought of the same thing in that brief moment. And their thoughts were instantly converted into action.

“Drag them all down!”

“Kill those bastards! Kill them all!”

To call this a battle between martial artists, it… It was far too primal. Too savage.

The ones trying to cling to the ship and climb up were greeted by sharp weapons thrusting and stabbing into them. Arms got severed, and throats were sliced open… Yet the Japanese didn't stop.

“Dammit! Let’s jump up instead!”

Soon, the Japanese realized this approach wasn’t going to work and quickly changed their tactic. The ones in the front used their bodies to create footholds for their allies behind.

For regular people, using the body of another person to jump on to a ship sounded like the stuff of fantasy novels. But these Japanese warriors could bring that fantasy into reality. After all, they were some of the finest warriors carefully handpicked from the Japanese martial society.

As long as there were enough footholds, these warriors could jump up to the deck in one breath, no matter how high up it was.

Some crawled up, while some others soared into the air.

This was supposed to be naval warfare, but… But the actual battle had morphed into a rather bizarre siege warfare.

The defenders and the attackers had already reached a tacit agreement not to damage the boat while waging their intense and ruthless battle.

The foams bubbling on the ocean's surface were no longer white but already dyed in crimson hues. As a matter of fact, the ocean's surface had already turned red by now. It was just that the sun hadn't risen yet, which made it difficult to differentiate the colors.

There was no such thing as a clean and organized war. However, there was one exception to that rule. Just one place remained calm on this part of the ocean that had long transformed into a fierce battleground.

Nakata Yuji subtly bit his lip. Although he couldn't see, the noises he could hear were enough to help him make an educated guess on the situation down below. And that frustrated him to no end.

‘You pathetic fools!’

They only had to wait for a little while, so what were they doing down there?

Nakata Yuji had no thoughts of criticizing the Japanese warriors for abandoning ship. They did that to save themselves, after all. That was obviously better than increasing the number of sacrifices while trying to stop Kang Jin-Ho. As far as a measure to preserve the expedition's combat force was concerned, they had made an excellent choice.

In that case, they should have followed through and waited patiently.

Indeed, they should have waited for Nakata Yuji-led captain-level warriors to defeat Kang Jin-Ho and reclaim this ship as their own once more. And all they had to do was climb back up afterward.

However, they failed to think that far ahead and ended up doing something completely unnecessary.

‘So, so foolish! Idiots!’

The Japanese warriors were fighting a battle they could never win. Even if they somehow did emerge victorious, the losses would've crippled the expedition beyond saving.

Since time immemorial, the siege warfare always favored the defenders by several folds. Depending on the situation, an army ten times the size of the defenders could even lose the war!

Still, the Japanese should boast the numbers well over ten times that of the Koreans. In that case, wouldn't their victory be more of a sure thing?

‘Definitely not!’

That whole concept of the gap in strength was based on whether the attacker could decide on the length of the siege warfare and the intervals between attacks.

But the situation for the Japanese in the water was that they had to take over the boat as quickly as possible. Worse still, they didn't have any secure footholds either. Even as they flailed about in the undulating sea, they had to break through all the defenses and interference to board the boat.

From the get-go, this battle… was a losing effort. It could only result in a massacre. The Japanese would be the ones dying one-sidedly down there. Any general in charge of an army would want to avoid such a moronic battle.

Even if the Japanese warriors were idiots, were they so stupid that they couldn't think about this point before starting that nonsense down there? No, that couldn't be it. In that case, why did they choose to do something so extreme and reckless?

The reason for their decision was standing right here, on this cruise ship’s deck!

Nakata Yuji nervously swallowed his saliva.

Creeeeeak…!

The chilling noise of the sword tips dragging against the floor eerily agitated Nakata Yuji’s hearing.

Kang Jin-Ho, dyed from head to toe in blood, slowly walked toward Nakata Yuji and the rest of the Japanese warriors, his sword resting leisurely by his sides.

Nakata Yuji was stunned into silence by this sight, his soul almost freezing up at the same time. By now, he fully understood how powerful Kang Jin-Ho was. And how incredible Kang Jin-Ho really was, too. However, Nakata Yuji belatedly realized something else.

Calling Kang Jin-Ho a genius in battles would be severely underselling him.

Nakata Yuji didn't mean that in terms of how crafty Kang Jin-Ho's tactics were or how efficiently the latter fought his battles. He didn't evaluate Kang Jin-Ho as a tactician but as a warrior wielding his blade on a battlefield.

Kang Jin-Ho instinctively understood what he must do in order to maximize the terror his enemies felt.

From the way he walked to the expressions he made and even the simple hand gestures… None of them came from careful calculations.

Maybe Kang Jin-Ho wasn't even aware of the fact that he was threatening his enemies right now. He was simply doing whatever he felt like. That was all.

But these spontaneous actions still managed to grip and choke Nakata Yuji.

Creeeeack…!

Even the noises of the sword dragging on the floor acted like a noose tightening around Nakata Yuji’s heart. The thought of fighting Kang Jin-Ho horrified Nakata Yuji to the point of losing his mind and sent goosebumps all over his skin.

Grit!

Nakata Yuji gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

‘That is why we must kill this bastard right here, right now!’

Only by killing Kang Jin-Ho could they survive!

Nakata Yuji found himself getting dragged down to a realm he had never entered before. To him, battles were supposed to be like pieces of fine art.

He’d prepare soldiers and strategies, then operate his combatants in the most efficient, effective manner possible. He’d attack the enemy’s weak spots and blindspots to maximize his advantages. And he’d steadily shave away at the enemy’s forces.

That was how Go and Janggi were played. Even though the players of Janggi started with the same number of pieces, the game of Janggi and war were actually not all that different. That was because Janggi was based on principles of war, to begin with.[1]

However, this battlefield was unlike any other warzone Nakata Yuji had entered until now. Kang Jin-Ho appeared like a shadow to grip the Japanese's ankles and drag him down.

There was no such thing as artistically pleasing tactics and strategies with Kang Jin-Ho. This war was forcibly dragged away from the realm of battle of wits and into the realm of primal savagery where everyone either killed or got killed.

In that case, what was the point of tactics and strategies?

Even if Nakata Yuji could have come up with heaven-defying plans and schemes, none of that meant anything if he couldn’t stop Kang Jin-Ho. Instead of strategizing where he should strike the enemy to maximize the damage, Nakata Yuji might as well worry about who to sacrifice just to delay Kang Jin-Ho!

Maybe that was why Nakata Yuji was able to think with a clear head on what needed to be done next.

First of all, he couldn't be counted on as a combatant. He was easily the weakest among the top-tier experts here. As such, he'd be no help during the battle. So, he should be doing something else.

“Get ready…!” Nakata Yuji whispered quietly. As quietly as he could to not set Kang Jin-Ho off!

In a situation like this…! Nakata Yuji must rely on his head more than ever before precisely because he had been dragged down to a realm where strategies meant nothing. His brain was his greatest weapon, after all! And humans were meant to fight with the weapons they were given, now weren’t they?

Nakata Yuji rapidly scanned the situation behind Kang Jin-Ho. And it seemed the Japanese weren’t the only ones overwhelmed and suppressed by Kang Jin-Ho.

That man instinctively exerted a crushing pressure on the battlefield he had already taken over. The problem with that was even his allies were included in the range of his pressure.

Whether it was Vator, Wiggins, or Bang Jin-Hun… None of them dared to stick to Kang Jin-Ho right now. As such…!

‘Now is our only chance!’

If those three men stood next to Kang Jin-Ho and provided protection, the odds of killing him would fall precipitously low. That was why… All the Japanese here must combine their strengths and attack Kang Jin-Ho simultaneously!

Even the one-and-only Kang Jin-Ho should get flustered when faced with a response from enemies that defied his expectations. Nakata Yuji was aiming for that moment.

Since the beginning, this had been his plan, the one he had been thinking about while setting off on this expedition.

Nakata Yuji was confident that Kang Jin-Ho would want to step forward by himself. That man was not the type to hang back and wait, after all!

Kang Jin-Ho must be thinking that his victims would kindly step forward one at a time and try to fight him before getting killed by his blade. Since that was the case, Nakata Yuji and his fellow warriors decided not to play along.

Kang Jin-Ho's arrogance would be what killed him in the end!

Nakata Yuji’s brows shot up. He was about to shout, “Now!”

Once he gave his signal, everyone here would've pounced on Kang Jin-Ho simultaneously, as agreed earlier. They were going to attack with everything they had without worrying about their own lives.

Even if such an attack resulted in half of the warriors dying, it’d still be a net positive if Kang Jin-Ho also died in the process!

However, before Nakata Yuji could say anything… His eyes saw something strange. It was whitish and gray, and…

Something whitish and unidentifiable suddenly appeared in the center of Nakata Yuji’s vision like a small dot. And then, it rapidly grew larger.

Before long, though, it became clear what that mystery thing was.

By the time Nakata Yuji's brain figured out that the whitish something was actually the tip of Kang Jin-Ho's sword flying in toward his face, it was too late to do anything.

‘Y-you…!’

Nakata Yuji couldn’t even scream as Kang Jin-Ho’s sword thrust past his face.

...And it sent chills down his spine.

1. Janggi is basically Korean chess. Please refer to Wikipedia for more info. ?