Chapter 1548 Spectating (3)

“It’s still not enough.”

Kang Jin-Ho muttered quietly.

“Merely defeating the Crimson King isn’t enough. Because the outcome of the battle between his faction and the Martial Assembly is obvious. We will get crushed without putting up much of a resistance.”

Vator frowned. “It won’t be to that extent, though. We won’t get pushed around if you take into account all the support from our allies.”

“That’s only true if they give us time to respond. If the Crimson King’s faction invades us in full force right now, the war will end even before our reinforcements can arrive.”

“Mm...!”

Vator agreed with Kang Jin-Ho on this one. Even if the Round Table could dispatch reinforcements through the portals, it would still need a few days to gather enough troops. But the previous war against Japan had proven that an open war could end in less than a day.

In other words, the Round Table wouldn’t even have enough time to become a factor if the war broke out now.

“Are you saying that when the time comes, the only thing that matters will be your own strength?”

“That’s right.”

Vator smirked deeply at Kang Jin-Ho’s assured reply. “It’s always been that way since the beginning, has it not? No need to ponder too deeply about it, then.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that.”

“Don’t be too anxious, master.”

“...”

“Because you’re plenty strong right now. And you’re steadily getting stronger, too. Time favors us. Our odds of victory improve with every passing day.”

“Right...”

“And Wiggins will buy us enough time. In that case, shouldn’t we focus on our training?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly. It would’ve been wonderful if life was that easy, but alas.

Of course, he knew that Vator wasn’t saying all this thoughtlessly. No, the big man’s aim was to lessen Kang Jin-Ho’s anxiety.

Knowing that, Kang Jin-Ho could only nod right now.

“Speaking of which...” Vator slowly clenched his fists. “When you can’t think straight from all the complicated things, exercise is a good way to blow off some steam.”

Kang Jin-Ho replied disinterestedly. “No thanks. You don’t even count as a warm-up.”

Vator’s eyes became even more bloodshot. “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure you’re thoroughly warmed up!”

“Really now? Did you learn how to do a warm-up massage while I wasn’t looking?”

Griiiit!

Kang Jin-Ho smirked when Vator loudly gritted his teeth.

“Fine. Come at me.”

Vator charged at Kang Jin-Ho at full power without saying anything else.

***

Wiggins muttered, “You should’ve thought about your health, Sir Vator. At this rate, you might really die.”

Vator grunted while turning his body over on the large bed. “Blooming hell... Did I pass out?”

“Yes. Despite the severity of the latest smackdown, you should count yourself lucky since you haven’t broken any bones.”

“Urgh...”

“My lord deserves the full credit here, though. To think I’d see Sir Vator getting beaten up to the point of blacking out completely.”

“Don’t say that I got beaten up.”

“Then... You got your ass handed to you?”

“...!”

Vator shuddered grandly in anger, but couldn’t find any excuses here. Wiggins was correct on both counts, after all!

“My lord is gobsmackingly strong, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. He’s a monster, alright.” Vator groaned while scowling deeply. A stinging pain came from somewhere inside his bruised mouth.

Even though he had gone all-out, he couldn’t even land a single punch on Kang Jin-Ho. Again!

“Dammit. I really believed I could win one day...” Vator grumbled again.

“I commend you for your go-getter attitude, Sir Vator. Very highly, in fact. However, you should also remember the meaning of recklessness.”

“Urgh...”

Vator helplessly shook his head. Not being able to refute Wiggins pained him so much.

“There’s nothing to be disappointed about, since you’re not a weakling by any stretch of the imagination. Forget weakling, you’re incredibly powerful. It’s just that my lord’s rate of improvement vastly surpasses yours.”

“That does not comfort me at all, Wiggins.”

“That wasn’t my intention, though?”

“...”

“...?”

Vator narrowed his eyes. Maybe he should stop clinging to Kang Jin-Ho and take some time to “reform” this glib-mouthed fool the old-fashioned way...?

“I will never spar with you even if it’s the end of the world, Sir Vator. So stop glaring at me like that.”

“Tsk! How unfortunate.”

Wiggins grinned brightly. “Besides, what am I supposed to feel about myself if you get disappointed by what happened? After all, I can’t even get anywhere close to your rate of improvement.”

“That’s because you focus on too many sundry things.”

“...”

Vator smirked derisively. “If only you had thrown aside all the other sundry chores, and instead of wasting time on researching magic or whatever...! If you had focused solely on your swordsmanship, you could have rivaled me by now.”

“That’s... Well, such a thing isn’t my style.”

“Yeah, I can tell. And that’s why you’ll spend the rest of your life at your... current...” Vator stopped talking and suddenly grabbed his head. “Ouch...!”

“What’s wrong?”

Vator scowled deeply while groaning. “I asked my master if I should increase my speed, even though I’ve spent my entire life chasing after physical power. This must be what he felt after he heard me.”

“Mm? What kind of feeling would that be?”

“That feeling you get when you’re dealing with a blithering idiot.”

“...”

Vator muttered as stupefaction and emptiness seeped into his expression. “I mean, the path to attaining strength is right before my bloody eyes, but I insisted on doing the exact same thing as before. I sure know how to run my mouth off, don’t I? Flapping your gums doesn’t mean you’re talking sense, after all.”

Wiggins furrowed his brow. “You aren’t talking about me, I hope?”

“No, no. I meant me. I’m blaming myself.”

“But it feels like I’m receiving splash damage, though.” Wiggins stared at Vator as if something wasn’t to his liking. “In any case... Please, consider your body and do it in moderation. Sparring like madmen is all good and well, but what good will it do if you get injured in the process? It’ll be worse than doing it at a moderate but steady pace.”

Vator grunted. “My body isn’t as frail as you think.”

“You should listen to your body’s point of view first before...”

“I don’t have time for your nonsense,” said Vator with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Besides all that. What do you think?”

“About what?”

“The upcoming war.”

“...”

“If one of the Three Kings’ factions survives, will we be able to fight them off?”

Vator had to ask this question because he knew of the power the Crimson King’s faction possessed.

“If it’s only one faction, then yes, we have a decent shot at victory,” said Wiggins.

“Just one, huh?”

“Yes. But if two factions start working together, we don’t stand a chance.”

Vator furrowed his brow. “Such a thing won’t happen.”

“It’s a possibility.”

“Why?”

Wiggins calmly explained. “Think about it. The three factions can’t get into an alliance precisely because there are three of them. Two factions forming an alliance could benefit the other, you see. However, this story will change somewhat if there are only two factions remaining. It’s eminently possible that the two could agree to eliminate us first before deciding who gets to unite China.”

“...!”

Vator’s expression grew somber. He hadn’t thought of this possibility before.

Wiggins chuckled softly. “However, there’s no need to worry so much. The odds of this happening are very low, after all. It’s a mere possibility at this stage.”

“Mm...!”

“But the worst scenario for us isn’t that.”

“Mm?” Vator’s eyes opened wider. The worst scenario?

“The worst-case scenario for us would be... one faction uniting China, then staying put instead of coming after us.”

“Why would that be the worst for us?”

“Because they will also have all the advantages the Martial Assembly has been enjoying until now. Simply put, they will have all the time in the world.”

Vator sucked in a deep breath after realizing what Wiggins was saying. Yes, that’s right!

China obviously boasted a landmass incomparably larger than South Korea. Once the war between the Kings ended, the victorious faction would gain enough time to restructure their organization and recover their lost strength. Not only that, but they would absorb and lord over every martial artist produced in that vast country.

Would the Martial Assembly have the wherewithal to match that? Absolutely not.

Vator’s expression grew even graver. “Does that mean we must invade China instead?”

“That is the absolute worst-case scenario for us. Unfortunately, it is also something we must seriously consider.”

Vator saw the troubled look on Wiggins’ face and groaned deeply. Invade China? Really?

Just thinking about all the martial artists teeming on the vast land of China made him feel tight-chested.

How did the Martial Assembly manage to amass so much strength while enjoying continuous victory time and time again? That was because most of the important battles took place within South Korea or where the governments of other countries had no jurisdiction.

For example, within the halls of the Round Table, which didn’t belong to one European nation. Or in the middle of international waters not protected by the rule of law.

But that story didn’t apply to China.

Similar to how the Korean government had responded when the Japanese tried to invade South Korea, the Chinese government would also enthusiastically support the Chinese martial society if the Martial Assembly tried to invade China.

That meant the Assembly would have to fight against the “unified” Three Kings’ factions while dealing with the pressure from the Chinese government, too.

And that will be a disaster for us.

Vator finished analyzing the situation in his mind, then glanced at Wiggins. “It seems the situation facing us isn’t as straightforward as I thought.”

“It felt that way because we’ve been winning all along, and that has dulled our ability to sense danger. Even though our enemy remains inconceivably powerful still. Of course, this mindset is much more preferable than everyone moping about with no fighting spirit left, wouldn’t you agree?”

Vator slowly nodded in agreement. “Then, what should we do now?”

Wiggins shrugged. “The same thing as before, Sir Vator. You should continue with your diligent training.”

“Would that be enough for us?”

“I told you already that I’m not good at focusing on only one thing at a time. That’s why I handle matters like this.”

As he spoke, Wiggins’ eyes coldly flickered.

“I’m well aware of how... useless I will be against the powerful Chinese experts. That I can’t even serve as one of the main combatants. And I’m also aware of the gap between you and me. Or Elder Chang Min and me, for that matter.”

“...”

“That’s why I should do this. But that doesn’t mean I wish to shoulder all the burden. In a way, my task might very well be more crucial than your role during the war.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.”

“So! Don’t be so down, Sir Vator. Even if I fail, the worst that can happen to us is death, anyway.”

Vator tutted. “You’ve become a bit of a comedian, haven’t you?”

“...? I wasn’t joking, though?”

“...”

“...”

Vator stared weirdly at Wiggins before chuckling helplessly.

...And you used to be like a little rat, too.

When Vator met Wiggins for the first time, he would have never guessed that they would converse so openly like this one day. Back then, he thought this Englishman had a dastardly ulterior motive, after all.

“My apologies,” said Vator.

Wiggins tilted his head in confusion. “Why, all of a sudden?”

“I had judged you unfairly. I used to believe that your true intention was to exploit the Assembly for some dastardly ambition, and that’s why you’ve ingratiated yourself with us.”

“No need to apologize, then. Some parts of your suspicion are true, after all.”

“However, now that I’ve observed you for a while, you were merely one of those bastards. Someone with a twisted personality, a black heart, and who is hellbent on extracting as many benefits as possible. That kind of bastard.”

“...If you’re going to apologize, please do so properly.”

The two men stared at each other and smirked deeply.

“Sir Vator. Whether it’s you or me, we didn’t come here to do something to the Assembly. No, we merely went with the flow and arrived here before getting entranced by my lord,” said Wiggins.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“I’ve bet my future on my lord.”

“That goes for me as well.”

Vator nodded theatrically. That was because he already knew.

He knew that he could never become the strongest. Why? Because even he could see his own limitations.

Even though he was trying his best to overcome those limitations, the truth was that not everyone had what it took to reach the top. That was why he knew he’d never reach the zenith of martial arts no matter how hard he tried.

However, if that was the case for him... He might as well create the zenith for himself with his own two hands!

“I will turn my master into the ruler of the martial world,” said Vator.

“Yes, that’s my plan as well.”

“Then, at least I’ll become second-in-command.”

“Hmm...? I’m not sure if Elder Chang Min will approve that arrangement?”

“How long do you think that old fart will keep going at this rate? He might keel over any day now, after all... Mm?”

BAAAAANG!

That was when the door suddenly exploded into bits. Vator’s cheeks twitched weirdly. But that was because he could see Chang Min stomping into the room like a spirit of vengeance just now!

“What’s gotten into you, old fart?”

“My liege told me to speak to you. Apparently, you have some questions regarding demonic cultivation?”

“...”

Oh, that’s right. Bloody hell, my master can be so unnecessarily thoughtful, no? Seriously!

Chang Min cracked his head from left to right. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I shall satisfy your curiosity to the best of my abilities. However!”

As he said that, pitch-black claws of demonic qi began extending from his fingertips.

“Feeling the answers with your body will be much faster than listening to me yapping on and on!”

“...”

“So! I swear! I will make you feel it... Deep in your soul!”

Bloody hell... I mean, really?

What is up with this crappy timing?