Chapter 1158: Chapter 1158

Kang Jin-Ho subtly furrowed his brow.

Bang Jin-Hun resolutely nodded. “Yes, sir. Everyone.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s frown deepened.

Not every South Korean martial artist was affiliated with the Martial Assembly. For instance, when Kang Jin-Ho was driving out Lee Jung-Geol's faction, many mid-level executives from the Assembly and the Yeongnam Group chose to leave the organization.

Even so, those who remained easily outnumbered those who left. At the very least, it was safe to assume that every Korean martial artist under the age of forty was affiliated with the Assembly.

Since that was the case, it should be easy enough to guess just how many martial artists there were. That number might not exceed ten thousand, but it should still be more than five thousand.

However, Bang Jin-Hun wanted to mobilize them all?

“Bang Jin-Hun, I should repeat what I said to Chang Min.”

“I get what you’re trying to say, sir. Even so...”

Not everyone who studied and practiced martial arts was strong. After all, things like natural talent, the level of effort, and the length of time spent on learning martial arts played major roles in one's strength.

The strongest ‘regular’ martial artists were about on par with Bang Jin-Hun, but the weakest would be around the similar level of strength as ‘regular’ demon cult members.

In other words, they weren’t good enough to be deployed into a battle.

“Assembly Master, sir,” Bang Jin-Hun gravely spoke. “I’ve mentioned this before, but... the Assembly has changed now. This war must serve as the demonstration of that change.”

“You’ve transformed so much of the Assembly, sir. You’ve given everyone hope that following you will grant them greater strength. That alone is a massive achievement, but in a certain sense, it’s poisonous, too.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Poisonous?”

“Yes, sir. In the past, these idiots would’ve sprung to action whenever something happened. But these days, they wait for your command first.”

“That kinda attitude would’ve been perfect if we were an army. But we’re not. Protecting the Assembly is the duty of every Assembly member, sir. And for that to happen...!”

Bang Jin-Hun’s eyes coldly flickered.

“We must shed our own blood and fight! Those who can’t fight to protect something don’t have any right to enjoy its benefits, after all!”

His voice was just as cold as his eyes. However, no one here called Bang Jin-Hun out for being callous.

He cared about the Assembly’s members more than anyone here, after all!

He'd be in the most pain out of everyone here at the sight of the Assembly members shedding blood. And he'd undoubtedly lament the most at their sacrifices.

The others in this room were originally outsiders. As such, their sense of belonging to this organization would never match Bang Jin-Hun’s.

Someone like that said that the blood of the Assembly members must be shed. Who would dare stand up and criticize him for being so cold-hearted in that case?

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Quite a few will be sacrificed this way, though?”

“I know that, sir. But...” Bang Jin-Hun replied, his expression unwavering. “If the Assembly is filled with a bunch of bastards who can't do anything but grow fat off things they get for free... This organization won't last long, anyway.”

Wiggins cautiously chimed in. “A budding flower should be handled with care, Mister Bang. If you put them outside to ostensibly make them stronger, most will die, wouldn’t you say?”

“Sure, but the greenhouse gotta get cleaned out sooner or later, sir. If there's no difference between dying now or later, I say we do it now. Besides... It's not like we can keep providing them with a greenhouse forever, you know? If we only had to worry about this event, then sure, I would have tried to preserve our combat force as much as possible.

“However, if they can’t even make it out of the fight against the Japs, they might as well forget about surviving the war against the Crimson King’s lackeys.”

Everyone silently nodded in agreement.

That was when Chang Min glared sharply and raised his voice. “My liege! I shall also...!”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at him. “No. The story on your side is not the same.”

“You should try to differentiate between buds that might have a chance in a fight and buds that will wilt at the first sign of strong winds. The cult members still belong to the latter category. If you still want them to experience the winds, we should arrange something for them later on.”

Chang Min prostrated again. “Your words are indeed wise, my liege!”

Wiggins smiled wryly at this sight.

‘Chang Min still amazes me.’

It was fairly obvious to Wiggins that Chang Min desired the opposite of what Kang Jin-Ho said.

If the Assembly was allowed to mobilize every one of its members, Chang Min would’ve loved to do the same with the demon cult, too. Even so, he stopped questioning the moment Kang Jin-Ho issued his command.

It didn't matter what anyone thought, though, as Chang Min would unquestioningly obey Kang Jin-Ho regardless of what. And that attitude was undoubtedly instrumental in strengthening Kang Jin-Ho's authority over the demon cult.

Respecting someone inwardly wasn’t enough. No, respect needed to be demonstrated. Only then would it have any value.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the rest of the executives and addressed them in a calm, withdrawn voice. “As you might already know...”

When they heard his withdrawn voice which nearly invoked the images of coarse metal scraping against a rough surface, taut tension immediately washed over them.

“...Our enemy is strong.”

Less than half a year ago, the Assembly wouldn't even have dared to oppose the Japanese martial society. However, this organization went through so many changes during that time. It had become practically unrecognizable now.

Even then, Japan still remained a tough opponent to deal with.

It was foolish to underestimate the enemy's combat capabilities built up over the course of their lengthy history. The correct option to take should be to observe the enemy's capabilities as objectively and accurately as possible, then respond accordingly.

“Also, do not forget that this war isn’t about simply eking out a victory.”

Everyone here knew what Kang Jin-Ho meant by that statement. This war’s outcome wouldn’t just decide the fate of South Korea and Japan.

Winning or losing wasn't the only problem to consider here. Even if the Assembly won the war, it'd not count as a victory if too much of its combat force was lost in the process. The Crimson King's faction that had been drooling over this country would undoubtedly pounce on that opportunity, after all!

It was the same story for the Round Table, too. For the time being, that organization was submitting to the Assembly. However, how would they respond if the Assembly lost to the Japanese or suffered massive losses despite winning the war? The short answer was... unknown.

Wiggins had faith in the Master, but that faith extended only to the latter’s capabilities. In other words, it wasn’t trust. Besides, the alliance between the two organizations wasn’t one of trust, anyway.

“In the end, martial artists can only prove themselves through their strength. The victor has the right to claim everything, while the defeated will lose everything. The demon cult prospered because it was undefeated. It fell into ruin because it lost.”

...Or, more correctly, because Kang Jin-Ho was killed.

Back when Kang Jin-Ho ruled everything under the sun as a peerless and unrivaled demonic cultivator, could the demon cult legitimately claim to be powerful enough to fight against every force in Zhongyuan and win? Of course not.

Even then, the demon cult had no problem ruling over Zhongyuan. That was because the denizens of that vast land were under the impression that Kang Jin-Ho and the demon cult were simply undefeatable!

However, when Kang Jin-Ho was killed, that perception died alongside him. Despite boasting a still-considerable combat force, the demon cult gradually declined until it could barely eke out an ignoble existence in the modern era.

But that was what 'power' was like.

“The best outcome is preventing the enemy from reaching Korean soil,” said Kang Jin-Ho. The eyes of the directors ominously flickered. “And the second best outcome is ensuring that not a single enemy goes back home alive?”

A hint of chill ran down everyone’s back just then.

Although the number of the enemies still had not been verified, it should be well over a thousand, at the very least. And Kang Jin-Ho was saying he'd not let all those people leave Korea with their lives intact.

If someone else said that, it’d be seen as an indication of their unwavering determination. However, when it was Kang Jin-Ho saying that...

He was fully capable of actually going through with his threats, and then some! Everyone here knew that only too well.

“We need to teach them,” said Kang Jin-Ho, the corners of his lips ominously curling up. “They must learn that the price for not knowing their place and creating this mess is steep!”

The directors all nodded weightily.

Korea and Japan had already gone beyond the point of no return after the last failed invasion attempt. Since the possibility of reconciliation no longer existed, the only thing remaining was to kill each other until one side completely crumbled first.

The Japanese knew this. And that was precisely why they were pushing ahead with this seemingly unreasonable invasion. In that case, the only thing that mattered for them was to win regardless of the cost.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the Englishman. “Wiggins.”

“Take over and lead the meeting.”

“Understood!” Wiggins bowed deeply, then turned around to face the others in the room. “Please inform the members of the Assembly and the demon cult about the upcoming war! From this moment on, we enter the state of war. Please summon all those living outside to relocate to the Assembly's grounds. To prepare for the war, please create battle formations and units.”

Wiggins nodded. “I’ll also create channels with the politicians and the military just in case.”

Bang Jin-Hun tilted his head. “...Are you sure? Can the military even step in?”

“No, not exactly. But I figured they might offer some help, at the very least.”

Bang Jin-Hun chuckled helplessly.

‘The more I think about it, the funnier this whole thing gets.’

A war was about to break out on Korean soil, yet the military meant to protect it couldn’t do anything. What kind of an absurd irony was this?

‘Then again, I’m sure this state of things will end sooner or later.’

This situation of the ‘normal’ world hiding another world within and pretending to not notice anything was bound to end sooner or later. And when that happened...!

Bang Jin-Hun hurriedly shook his head. That was for another time. He shouldn’t worry about it in the current situation.

Wiggins’ briefing continued. “It’s unknown how much time we still have. The Japanese must’ve already anticipated information regarding their movement reaching us. Since they have pulled the trigger, so to speak, I’m sure they’ll try to invade Korea in the shortest time frame. From this moment on, we probably won’t even have enough time to rest, let alone sleep.”

Vator glared at Wiggins like an angry bull. “We only need to confirm where those bastards will land! If they manage to spread out, we’ll end up fighting a war of attrition instead. Don’t forget that someone else stands to benefit from us wasting all of our resources.”

“Of course, Sir Vator. We’ll do our best,” Wiggins nodded.

He suddenly recalled Cai Kechang’s face and began gritting his teeth. It was so obvious that that bastard was behind this. Of course, Wiggins wasn’t about to let that detestable man have his way with this war.

Bang Jin-Hun suddenly piped up. “Hold on? Aren’t we asking a lot from Mister Wiggins here? I mean, he needs to command the French boys, collect intel, and even operate his own units, too. But now, he needs to contact the surface world on top of that? Can he do all this in the time frame we’re thinking of?”

Wiggins chuckled at that. As expected of someone with experience in handling paperwork! Bang Jin-Hun knew what to be concerned about in this situation.

“No need to worry, Mister Bang. I won’t be the one contacting the surface world, after all.”

Bang Jin-Hun blinked his eyes. “You won’t be? Then, who?”

Just as he asked that...

The door was urgently shoved open, and Lee Hyeon-Su rushed inside while sweat poured down his body. “S-sir! I heard the Japs are about to invade us!”

The directors stared at Lee Hyeon-Su before nodding sagely.

“Oh, here he is. The one who’ll do that.”

“Yes, we can entrust him to do all the sundry chores.”

“A source of annoyance when around, but he’s indispensable in moments , no?”

Lee Hyeon-Su failed to understand what that banter was about and anxiously scanned the executives. Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly at this sight.

He did think something was missing, like a piece of a puzzle. But that must’ve been because Lee Hyeon-Su was absent from the meeting.

“The Round Table is providing us with information on the Japanese, right?”

“Use that information to compile the list of the upper echelons of the Japanese martial society.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly turned his head and stared outside the window. He studied the evening skies as the darkness slowly crept in. “It'd be nice if those bastards willingly walked into our backyard. However, those who are supposed to take responsibility always stay back in situations . We should teach them that hiding won't help them avoid responsibility.”

“Understood. I’ll get on it right away, my lord.”

Kang Jin-Ho had no plans to end this war as that, a war. Once it ended, he’d try to punish those who chose to invade Korea. And Wiggins was not going to stop his lord this time.

‘But that’s what an all-out war is like, isn’t it?’

In a war like that, you utterly and thoroughly destroyed your enemies. So that they wouldn't dare rise up against you ever again!

Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a cigarette and lit it with a lighter before leisurely puffing away.

“Blood must be repaid in blood,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Soon, the Japanese would learn a harsh lesson. The lesson on what it meant to provoke the Assembly... and Kang Jin-Ho!

Because he’d be the one personally teaching them!