Chapter 896: Cleansed (1)

“What the heck is going on up there?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan dazedly stared at the ship. He and his comrades had arrived at the destination some time ago, but none of them could work up the courage to climb aboard this imposing-looking ship.

Then again, who could?

Yi Myeong-Hwan glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Chief Lee… What should we do?”

“...For now, we wait.”

“But, sir! This doesn’t seem like the…”

“I said, we wait, you dipsh*t! I’m still thinking, okay?!”

“…” Yi Myeong-Hwan pouted unhappily.

‘Why does he always say things that way?’

Apparently, one’s mouth was the source of all trouble. And looking at Lee Hyeon-Su seemed to reaffirm that old proverb.

That man was a natural talent at saying things in a certain way that would definitely piss people off! At this point, Yi Myeong-Hwan had to wonder if Lee Hyeon-Su was doing this deliberately.

‘Still… Well, I get why he's like this.’

Yi Myeong-Hwan amply sympathized with Lee Hyeon-Su today. If he had been in that man's shoes, he would also have faced some difficulty deciding what to do next.

The reason for that was simple enough. Everyone would have felt the same while looking at that spectacle!

People were desperately jumping off the ship. Right now, that ship resembled a popcorn bucket held by a patron who belatedly found out that he was fooled into watching a genuinely scary horror movie. Popcorn pieces were… No, humans were messily flying out of the ship's side as if the popcorn bucket was being unsteadily shaken around!

...And that was happening practically endlessly, too!

Someone with no prior warning would look at this scene and undoubtedly get flabbergasted beyond description. Of course, the Martial Assembly people, including Yi Myeong-Hwan, could easily guess why the Japanese were behaving this way.

The ones who didn't find out ahead of time were the idiots.

‘Yup, our Assembly Master has done it again.’

Looking at the terrified expressions of the ship-jumpers told Yi Myeong-Hwan everything he needed to know.

If a zoo announced that a lion was running loose on its premises, all the visitors would've run outside while making expressions similar to what the Japanese were making right now.

In other words… These people were trying to flee from Kang Jin-Ho!

‘Even then… You know we’re in the middle of an ocean, right?’

Something similar had already happened to the Martial Assembly some time ago. Didn’t the Chinese demonic cultivators swim out to the ocean and climb aboard a waiting ship back then?

A martial artist’s stamina far exceeded that of a regular person’s. While most regular people would get too exhausted to continue after swimming four to five kilometers, martial artists could cover distances several times longer.

Even if that was true, there was a limit to how far the martial artists could swim.

According to Lee Hyeon-Su's calculation, the longest distance the demonic cultivators could swim was around twenty kilometers. Even if the Japanese warriors were much stronger than the demonic cultivators, were they strong enough to swim the distance at least ten times longer than that?

The most optimistic estimate for the distance to Japan from this spot was at least two hundred kilometers. So, for these people to jump into the water in the slimmest hope of reaching their motherland?

They must’ve lost their collective minds.

Despite thinking this way, Yi Myeong-Hwan still fully understood why they did it. He didn't have a choice but to understand them, though. After all, he would've done the same if he were in their shoes!

Maybe his unique circumstances allowed him to perfectly understand the Japanese's sentiments?

Yi Myeong-Hwan knew he'd make the same choice as these warriors.

Should he stay and fight against Kang Jin-Ho? Or jump into the pitch-black sea and bet his everything on the slim hope?

What an obvious choice that was. Yi Myeong-Hwan would unhesitantly jump into the water ten times out of ten!

Yi Myeong-Hwan looked up and scanned the ship one more time.

‘When would be the best time to climb aboard, I wonder?’

The Japanese warriors were abandoning ship because the situation up there was not in their favor. Since that was the case, Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't help but wonder if the Demon Flames should join their boss in the first place.

Comparatively much weaker people like him could only hinder Kang Jin-Ho if they unwisely tried to lend assistance, after all!

Yi Myeong-Hwan glanced back at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Still, don't you think it'll be better for us to board the ship, sir?”

Lee Hyeon-Su firmly shook his head. “No. We wait.”

“What’s the worst that can happen? We’ll just get killed, right?”

“Hah. You think I’m worried about you fools dying up there?”

“You weren’t?”

“...You actually thought your lives were worth that much? Don't you think you are too full of yourself? Is it narcissistic personality disorder or whatever? Go talk to a shrink when we're done here, okay?”

You… You son of a…!

Yi Myeong-Hwan’s cheeks twitched ominously.

This exchange confirmed it. Lee Hyeon-Su the bastard definitely had a top-tier talent for pissing people off with a simple banter! Would there be another person as talented as Lee Hyeon-Su in this regard in the Republic of South Korea?!

Lee Hyeon-Su tutted loudly. “You getting killed up there is actually preferable. What will you do if you get captured as a hostage?”

“...Eiii, I’ll just bite my tongue and kill myself, sir.”

“You can’t kill yourself by biting your tongue off.”

“...Oh, really?” Yi Myeong-Hwan tilted his head. He didn’t know that. “But, uh… I don’t think our Assembly Master is the type to hesitate just because a few of us got captured?”

“Well, I used to think the same, but not anymore after you idiots were taken hostage by the Crimson King's people. Do you have any idea how much we had to give up in order to bring you idiots home?”

“...No, sir. I don’t.”

“You should’ve just died over there. Why did you have to get captured like some punks and embarrass yourselves like that? And hurt us in the process, too? A bunch of useless trash.”

‘Holy sh*t! This bastard?!’

He really said it to Yi Myeong-Hwan’s face!

Humans were naturally sensitive toward benefits and losses. Even though everyone usually parroted the line of how human lives were more precious than anything, these same people would also tell you to take a hike if you told them to sacrifice one year of their salary to save some random person on the other side of the globe.

The truth was, the value of a stranger's life was not all that high to most people. That value heavily depended on how deep people's relationships were. Of course, some people would also genuinely think about other people's welfare. But they were too few in number to tip the scale either way.

Since that was how the humans operated, Lee Hyeon-Su prioritizing the pain of losing out on juicy benefits was understandable if he never felt close to Yi Myeong-Hwan and Co. Most people would think that way deep inside their hearts, after all. However…!

‘Bloody hell! Even if that’s true, who the hell says that in front of the person in question?!’

It seemed Lee Hyeon-Su’s heart lacked the capability to consider other people’s feelings. Yi Myeong-Hwan already suspected something like that was afoot. And this exchange had reaffirmed his suspicion!

“Kuh-Hum. Then, are we just gonna hang back and spectate, sir?”

“For now…” Lee Hyeon-Su narrowed his eyes and glared up at the ship’s deck. “It’s true that we should think about boarding the ship soon…”

“Oh?” Yi Myeong-Hwan blinked his eyes. “Then, are we going in now?”

“No. We wait,” said Lee Hyeon-Su while glancing in the distance. Two other boats carrying the members of the Assembly and the demon cult could be seen fast approaching this location.

To minimize the risks, the Demon Flames should work together with them. Haphazardly wading in would only get them killed off one by one. Kang Jin-Ho and Vator could provide protection, but doing so would tie their hands down, and nobody wanted that.

In that case, maybe the Assembly and the demon cult people could position their boats to surround the cruise ship from three sides and simultaneously…

Lee Hyeon-Su’s thoughts were interrupted when Yi Myeong-Hwan called out to him.

“Excuse me, Chief Lee?”

“I told you to wait, didn’t I?”

“No, sir. We have a situation here.”

“What the hell, man! Am I a joke to you! I told you to wait, so sit back and wait!”

“...I’d like to do that as well, you know?”

“What do you want now?!”

“The situation won't let us wait anymore.”

“Why not! Is waiting on your asses too boring for you or something?!”

“It's not that. Waiting isn't the tough part, sir, but trying to stop them is,” said Yi Myeong-Hwan while pointing to the ocean.

“...Huh?” Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly turned his head. And that was when he realized what the situation was. “...Eh?”

Something he did not expect was beginning to unfold out on the water. The Japanese warriors who had abandoned their ship to get away from Kang Jin-Ho… weren't swimming toward Japan. And no, they weren't simply floating in the water, either.

‘Huh. So… It’s like they are…’

What would someone think about after jumping into the middle of the ocean?

They had escaped the clutches of the monster called Kang Jin-Ho, so their immediate survival had been secured. However, they must've felt lost and hopeless after hitting the water. What they did was basically trade in the immediate death for the gradual one, after all.

The idea of swimming back to Japan was recklessly stupid. First of all, anyone thinking that they could swim that distance was being foolish. And, realistically speaking, even the experts with enough stamina to theoretically swim that far would still drown first after suffering from hypothermia.

The ocean was not a kind place for humans, after all!

That was the situation for the Japanese warriors, but then…

‘But then, they saw us.’

They saw this boat. A boat that didn’t feature Kang Jin-Ho as one of its passengers! In that case, what would they do?

SPLAAAAASH!!!

Splashes of water scattered in the air as the Japanese warriors began madly swimming toward the Demon Flames’ boat! This scene was like watching a pod of dolphins rushing toward a tourist ship.

‘Wow. Now there’s a sight to behold.’

Indeed, it was a rather memorable sight. Unfortunately for the spectators on the boat, though... The protagonists of this memorable sight happened to be targeting that very same boat!

Lee Hyeon-Su cried out urgently, “The f*ck?! Stop them!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan asked back in flabbergast. “And how are we supposed to do that?!”

“I don’t know! Just do something! Don’t let them board this boat! Stop them somehow!”

“F*cking hell, you goddamn Japs…!” Yi Myeong-Hwan loudly roared while rushing toward the bow of the boat. “Stop them from boarding this boat! Turn them into fish food, fellas!”

One of the Demon Flames urgently shouted back. “What the hell?! There are lots of them, though! How are we supposed to stop them?!”

“Are you saying you don't want to? What, you want them to kill you instead?!”

“Dammit! Come on, guys! Stop those f*ckers!”

The Demon Flames rushed toward the edges of the boat. They knew they would most likely die if the Japanese managed to climb aboard!

‘I screwed up!’

Despair quickly dyed Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression.

He didn't expect the Japanese to target this boat. However, who could blame him for that? No one could've imagined that they would be witnessing the Japanese abandoning their ship to survive before arriving here, after all!

Lee Hyeon-Su expected to see only a small number of Japanese falling off the ship during the heat of the battle. However, thanks to Kang Jin-Ho doing something totally off the walls up there, a massive number of Japanese jumped into the ocean. And that massive number was currently heading toward the Demon Flames' boat.

Even if these people were nothing more than weak, defeated soldiers… Wasn’t that evaluation only valid from Kang Jin-Ho’s point of view? From the perspective of the Demon Flames, those Japanese warriors might as well be grim reapers!

Japan already boasted a far higher standard of martial arts than South Korea. And those people were the best of the best handpicked from that superior environment.

They were supposed to be the members of the expeditionary force meant to bring Korea down to its knees! In that case, wasn't it obvious what might happen if they managed to board this boat?

“What the hell?! They are headed that way, too! Look! Over there!”

Lee Hyeon-Su's train of thought abruptly ended when he heard that.

‘That way? Say what?’

What way was he even talking about?

Lee Hyeon-Su urgently turned his head to look and reflexively cried out in alarm. “Dammit all to hell!”

The Demon Flames were riding on a high-speed boat. As such, it wasn’t the largest boat out there. Which meant it’d be impossible for all the Japanese to climb aboard. And it seemed they were also aware of this fact as many of them had changed their heading.

Their new destination? The incoming boats belonging to the Martial Assembly and the demon cult members!

Lee Hyeon-Su cried out urgently, “F*ck! Stop them! We gotta stop them!”

“How can we do that?! Do you want us to jump into the water, too? And pull them back by their ankles or something?!”

“God f*cking dammit!” Lee Hyeon-Su grabbed his head in despair.

At least the situation in this boat was manageable to a degree. Even if quite a few Japanese were headed this way, the folks in this boat should be able to fight them off somehow!

Lee Hyeon-Su might love to trash-talk Yi Myeong-Hwan, but that didn't change the fact that the latter was a Demon Flame. And this boat was ferrying other Demon Flames, as well. Weren't they supposed to be the strongest fighters in the Martial Assembly?

However, the ones riding on the other boats hadn’t reached the same level of combat prowess just yet. Even if they had been handpicked from the Assembly and the demon cult, the Japanese were also handpicked, weren’t they!

They could get crushed in the blink of an eye!

Lee Hyeon-Su yelled at Yi Myeong-Hwan. “T-then, contact them first! We gotta let them know what’s happening! They might be able to do something in that case!”

“Why are you telling me that, Chief! You’re the one who has the satellite phone!”

“Ah! That’s right!” Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly stepped back while yanking out the satellite phone from his pocket.

Yi Myeong-Hwan sighed deeply at this sight.

‘How did the situation devolve to this state?’

They got here as fast as they could to protect Kang Jin-Ho, but the situation was forcing them to protect their own lives instead. Then again, they were trying to fight the Japanese. Of course things wouldn’t be that easy.

Yi Myeong-Hwan glanced at his fellow Demon Flames. “Listen, boys.”

“What now?”

“This is for the best, wouldn't you say? If we go back without doing anything, we probably will regret it for the rest of our lives. Now that the situation has ended up this way… Why don't we show those Jap bastards what's what? Let's teach them who they are messing with.”

While saying those inspirational words, Yi Myeong-Hwan stood tall and proud.

The Demon Flames grinned while listening to his proud declaration.

“What the f*ck are you even yapping on about, you fool?”

“Let him be. You know how he’s lost his mind lately. He thinks he’s a general or something.”

“Hah. I guess a beating is in order, then?”

“Yep. I also think it's about time. Nothing is better than a good old-fashioned ass-whooping to fix a person right up.”

“…” Yi Myeong-Hwan’s shoulders drooped as he listened.

“Stop yapping like you’re some hot stuff and stand at the front like everyone else, you dipsh*t! Who do you think you are, standing at the back and ordering us around?”

“Yessir. On my way…” Yi Myeong-Hwan hurriedly rushed to the front while being subjected to the outpouring of all the cold, sharp glares.

That was when he locked gazes with a Japanese warrior who had begun climbing aboard. Yi Myeong-Hwan smirked deeply.

Slam!

Yi Myeong-Hwan ruthlessly stomped on the face of that Japanese warrior to force the poor sucker into the ocean below, then whistled loudly. “Count yourself lucky, you bastard. Admiral Yi isn't participating in today's naval warfare, you see?”[1]

“Someone sew that fool’s mouth shut. He’s getting on my bloody nerves!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan sheepishly clamped his mouth shut.

1. Yi Myeong-Hwan is referring to Admiral Yi Sun-Sin. ☜