“What about the injuries?”
“They’re critical. They are critical, but…” Wiggins said, his face grave as he examined Hong Wang’s condition. “It doesn’t seem to be life-threatening.”
“…A stroke of luck, I suppose,” Baroto muttered lowly.
“We should consider it the best-case scenario.” Jang Min’s face was also somber, and even Bang Jin-hoon, who was weakened by his injuries, looked down at Hong Wang with a troubled expression.
It was a relief that his life wasn’t in danger, but…
“Hong Wang actually lost…”
Bang Jin-hoon’s words expressed what everyone was feeling. Everyone had believed that Hong Wang, at least, would surely win. Who would have imagined that Hong Wang would be defeated?
This meant that the luck that had been favoring the Assembly was no longer on their side.
“Three losses and one win…” Jang Min also murmured, his voice low.
It wasn’t a bad record. It certainly wasn’t a bad record.
But…
‘This isn’t easy.’
Five of the nine matches had been completed. They had lost three of them. That meant that to reach the match between Kang Jin-ho and the Black King, the directors had to win two of the remaining three matches.
‘Two wins against those Twelve Blades [elite warriors]…’
This was too heavy a burden.
Baroto sighed deeply and lowered his gaze.
A long, red line was etched across the chest of Hong Wang, who lay pale and unconscious.
‘I don’t understand.’
A strange look crossed his face.
The Divine Spear’s blade had clearly cut through Hong Wang’s chest. It was such a severe wound that he would have died if it had been just one centimeter deeper.
But…
Baroto looked at Hong Wang’s unconscious face.
‘He should have had the strength to throw one punch.’
At that moment, Hong Wang had made a choice.
He could have used his last bit of strength to strike the exhausted Divine Spear and secure victory, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. Or he could have accepted defeat and saved his life.
Neither choice could be called right or wrong.
It was, after all, a choice.
But if it had been the Hong Wang he knew from the past, he would have thrown a punch without hesitation, trading his life for victory.
But the current Hong Wang had chosen a different path.
He had chosen to preserve his life instead of accepting the humiliation of defeat.
‘Has he become afraid, Hong Wang?’
In a way, he might have become cowardly. It could be said that he had valued his life over victory.
But at least Baroto didn’t think so.
The Hong Wang of the past was someone who didn’t think much about the weight of the burdens he carried.
It was true that Hong Wang felt he had to lead others as the greatest martial artist in the Central Plains [a region in China]. But for Hong Wang, this duty was something that came with being strong, not a goal he actively pursued.
But now, he must have realized.
The fate that would befall the Central Plains if he were to die.
Weakness?
That’s ridiculous.
Defeat never becomes familiar. No matter how many times you lose, each defeat feels like your heart is being shredded by a razor blade. Even Baroto felt this way, so how much more would it hurt someone as proud as Hong Wang?
But Hong Wang had willingly chosen to endure that pain for the sake of those who followed him. Who could blame him for that?
Kang Jin-ho wasn’t someone who cared much about the Central Plains. He wouldn’t pay attention to what happened in China, even if it was the Assembly [a powerful organization].
So, even if they won here, China without Hong Wang would be plunged back into a hellish civil war. No, even before a civil war, it was questionable whether they could withstand the pressure from the outside world without Hong Wang.
The presence of the Three Kings was that significant.
Knowing this, Hong Wang had chosen a defeat that might be more painful than death.
“…Damn it.” Baroto gritted his teeth quietly.
‘I can’t do that.’
If he were told to accept defeat for the future of Mongolia, could he really accept it like Hong Wang?
He couldn’t easily say yes. That meant that Hong Wang’s capacity was greater than Baroto’s.
The Baroto of the past might have laughed at Hong Wang’s choice. He would have said without hesitation that proving one’s strength was the right thing to do in any situation.
But after experiencing so much, and watching this match, Baroto had to admit a fact he didn’t want to acknowledge.
‘Strength might not just be about physical prowess.’
A body that never loses.
A rational mind that moves that body efficiently.
He had thought that was the measure of strength. But… at least that wasn’t the case here.
In this place where absolute beings gathered, the common sense he knew was collapsing. A weakling who should never win was victorious, and someone who seemed like they would never accept defeat accepted it for the sake of the future.
They risked their lives to save an enemy, and those who could never mix acknowledged their end.
Yes.
This was not a world where what he knew was true.
Baroto’s lips twitched.
He felt like a stone was rolling around in his stomach. He knew that personal feelings shouldn’t be involved in this match…
“Baroto.”
Baroto turned his head back.
Kang Jin-ho, who had already gotten up from his seat, was looking at him with his hands in his pockets.
His face was as expressionless as usual.
“Are you scared?”
Baroto’s face contorted.
“Watch your mouth, Master. I am Baroto.”
“That’s why I’m asking.”
“Hmph.”
Baroto, who would have growled and charged at him in the past, couldn’t easily continue his words now. He knew it too. That an unresolvable doubt had seeped into him.
This battlefield was not a place where you could win with physical strength alone. If there was even a fingernail-sized doubt in your heart, you could never hope for victory.
Even so, he couldn’t get his mind right.
“Master, I…”
Baroto, who was about to say something, closed his mouth.
Then, Kang Jin-ho glanced at the fallen Hong Wang and looked back at Baroto.
“You are not Hong Wang.”
Baroto bit his lip.
He knew.
He had spent his entire life trying to surpass Hong Wang, but he had never succeeded.
What shook Baroto’s inner self was that even after seeing the defeated Hong Wang, he felt an even greater gap than before. He couldn’t shake the doubt that there might be an insurmountable wall between him and Hong Wang.
“But…”
Kang Jin-ho stared at Baroto and opened his mouth.
“You don’t need to become Hong Wang.”
“What?”
Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.
“There is no right answer.”
“It’s just a different way. There’s no reason why Hong Wang’s strength and your strength should be the same.”
Baroto stared intently at Kang Jin-ho.
“The process doesn’t create the result. The result justifies the process. If you win by sticking to your way…”
Kang Jin-ho spat out the words.
“You’re right.”
Baroto, who had been staring silently at Kang Jin-ho, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then let out a deep sigh.
“…I must have looked incredibly unreliable.”
Click.
Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette, lit it, and chuckled.
“Because you seemed to be thinking foolish thoughts.”
“It’s not a foolish thought!”
“That’s the problem.”
“••••••What?”
Kang Jin-ho exhaled cigarette smoke and opened his mouth.
“You don’t need to think too much. What you’ve done is already built into your body.”
“This isn’t a place to worry, it’s a place to prove yourself. Go and prove it. That’s all you need.”
Baroto’s eyes twitched.
“Damn it, you’re good with words.”
Baroto shook his head as if he didn’t like it and turned his body around.
Then, he walked away without looking back.
As Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly at his large back, Lee Hyun-soo quietly approached and whispered.
“Master.”
“What?”
“Is it going to be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Baroto. Can he win?”
“I don’t know.”
Kang Jin-ho answered without a moment’s hesitation, and Lee Hyun-soo’s face crumpled.
“How can you say something so irresponsible?”
“…They haven’t even decided who’s going to be on the other side yet, so how am I supposed to discuss victory or defeat?”
“That’s true, but…”
Lee Hyun-soo hesitated slightly. He knew that Kang Jin-ho’s words were not wrong.
Then, Kang Jin-ho glanced at Lee Hyun-soo and said.
“You seem unreliable.”
“No, that’s…”
Lee Hyun-soo, who was about to make an excuse, eventually gave up and nodded.
“To be honest, yes.”
“Why?”
“The reason is…”
What should he say?
He had no choice but to be at a loss for words. After all, this was not a matter of logic. The feeling he had towards Baroto was a little different from distrust.
It wasn’t like he had any ill feelings towards Baroto either.
“It’s a bit difficult to explain… but, I’ve never seen Baroto discuss reality.”
“Reality…”
“Among the directors, Baroto is the only one who says that you will win, Master. No, it’s the same even if it’s not you, Master. When others are making cold calculations, Baroto…”
Kang Jin-ho nodded.
“That’s right.”
“So, I don’t know if it’s because of that, but I don’t really think Baroto will win. It’s not my place to say, since I don’t know much about martial arts.”
It was a battle between superhumans. It was ridiculous for Lee Hyun-soo to discuss the outcome. At least, that’s what Lee Hyun-soo thought.
But Kang Jin-ho seemed to think a little differently from Lee Hyun-soo.
“It’s not out of place.”
“Yes?”
When Lee Hyun-soo looked at him with a questioning gaze, Kang Jin-ho chuckled.
“Because he thinks so too.”
“…He does?”
“Baroto is the one who least believes that he will win.”
“Even after seeing the Divine Spear, who only cared about himself, win against Hong Wang and return, he felt a wall with Hong Wang.”
“Oh…”
“Stupid, isn’t it?”
Lee Hyun-soo looked at Baroto’s back with a renewed gaze.
That huge back.
That man, who was full of absurd pride, didn’t believe in his own victory?
“But Baroto…”
Lee Hyun-soo tried to say something but closed his mouth again. After hearing those words, he also felt something.
“Hoo.”
Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled cigarette smoke and looked at Baroto.
“Did you ask if he could win?”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll answer again. I don’t know either.”
Kang Jin-ho gave the same answer and then opened his mouth again.
“However…”
His eyes darkened.
“I just believe he will win.”
Lee Hyun-soo nodded and looked at Baroto.
Across from him, standing as firm as a mountain, a person was slowly walking out.