Chapter 337
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Chapter 337: Becoming Each Other\'s Shadow (2)
"Th-this is impossible..."
"This is... a nightmare."
"How many orcs are there?"
The endless line of orcs left even the Strongest Swords, standing bare and exposed, with their jaws agape.
"...Fuck, never thought I\'d find myself face to face with orcs, especially naked ones."
Just as Jang Jeongho, Strongest Sword of Dongdaemun said, seeing over seventeen thousand naked orcs in one glance was a truly shocking sight.
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
"Master Bang!"
Yeongwoo ran forward, calling out to Bantubangtong, who was supposed to be leading the brothers.
Tat-tat!
Soon, from within the ranks of red-skinned, similarly naked orcs, emerged Master Bang in his bare state.
-A small foot.
"Master Bang! Thank you for traveling such a long way!"
Yeongwoo greeted him cordially, but instead of acknowledging the greeting, Bantubangtong looked at the naked humans gathered behind the small foot.
-Who are they?
"They are the best swordsmen of Seoul. They have considerable martial skills and will help protect the brothers."
Yeongwoo intended to position these swordsmen among the brothers to face the Japanese army.
-I see.
After listening to Yeongwoo\'s words, Bantubangtong nodded.
Then, raising his head again, he searched for Jeonggu.
-Where is Jeonggu? Is he dressed as promised?
Bantubangtong wanted to verify whether the troublesome small foot had clothed Jeonggu as agreed.
Anticipating this, Yeongwoo gave a sly smile.
"I left my father safely in Seoul."
-...Are you sure? Is Jeonggu really in Seoul?
"If you don\'t believe me, you can visit Seoul after the war is over."
-......
Bantubangtong still looked doubtful.
However, with the war about to begin, Yeongwoo couldn\'t afford any more delays.
"There are far more brothers than expected. I think placing our people in units of around 2,000 brothers each would be best."
Just as Yeongwoo said this and was about to call the naked Strongest Swords gathered in the distance, a large timer appeared above the occupied territory far away.
Flash!
[00:04:59]
"Five minutes...!"
The war on Tsushima Island was about to begin.
But there was another issue.
Screeeech!
It wasn\'t just the timer that appeared with five minutes left until the start of the war.
"Huh, what is that?"
"...Huh?"
"Everyone, look at the sky!"
The Strongest Swords, already on edge due to their nakedness, were the first to notice the change.
A bluish barrier was forming in the sky above Tsushima Island.
Then, soon after:
Pop-pop-pop!
Tiny metallic objects started forming a mesh-like structure over the barrier.
"What... what is that?"
"They look like metal balls."
"What is this, a concert stage?"
The Strongest Swords\'s worried comments were pretty accurate.
Moments later, those \'metal balls\' started rolling around in place like eyeballs.
Seeing this, Yeongwoo let out a deep sigh.
\'These insane bastards are installing cameras out in the open?\'
Knowing that this war was being filmed as content by Lemu, Yeongwoo realized that those objects in the sky were thousands of miniature cameras.
Indeed, a few moments later:
Whirrrr!
Some of the metal balls in the center of Tsushima Island\'s sky fused together, forming a much larger, round camera.
\'...The main camera.\'
Yeongwoo realized there was no longer any point in hiding the fact they were being filmed.
As he closed his eyes in resignation, the Strongest Swords began screaming and pointing at the sky.
"Th-that, isn\'t that a camera?"
"What?"
"Fuck, it really is?"
"Is this all being recorded?"
The Strongest Swords, realizing they were being filmed by an advanced alien camera, directed their gaze towards Jeong Yeongwoo, the person behind this unbelievable scene.
"Yeongwoo?"
"You madman, Jeong Yeongwoo!"
"What is going on here? Explain yourself!"
"......"
Yeongwoo responded with a bitter smile, looking up at the camera.
"Yes, that\'s right. It\'s all being recorded."
"W-what?"
"Are you saying that\'s really a camera?"
The flustered Strongest Swords tried to cover themselves with their arms and weapons.
However, turning their backs to the main camera exposed them to the naked orc army, and turning around made them face the camera head-on, leaving them in a dilemma.
Eventually:
Thud!
Jo Sangik, the Strongest Sword of Gwanak District, gave up even trying to cover himself and stepped forward to face Yeongwoo.
"...Yeongwoo."
"Yes."
"Given the situation, I won\'t complain pointlessly."
"That’s what I expected from the Vice Minister."
At that moment, a holographic guide appeared in Yeongwoo\'s vision.
"......!"
Just as Yeongwoo\'s pupils dilated, former Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance Jo Sangik lunged at him, grabbing him by the throat.
"But, you crazy bastard! Have some damn sense...!"
Finally, Yeongwoo\'s devilish schemes had shattered even Jo Sangik\'s composure.
"You... argh!"
Jo Sangik, completely losing his temper, clung to Yeongwoo naked, screaming in rage.
Yeongwoo allowed him to strike a bit before gripping Jo Sangik\'s arm tightly and throwing him effortlessly.
Thud, wham!
"Vice Minister Jo, aren’t you part of the core of this country\'s administration? There’s a lot more ahead; if you lose your temper over this, how will you handle what’s coming next?"
Jo Sangik, sprawled on the ground, asked in a voice that sounded like he was about to cry.
"Over this? What the hell is going on next? What is this all about?"
"I’m sorry. It’s true that this scene is being filmed, and yes, we’re getting paid for it."
"Wh-who is filming...?"
"Lemu. It’s a galactic adult film production company."
"Are you saying we are currently appearing in some kind of... galactic adult film?"
"Yes, probably. Although I’m not sure exactly how it will be used."
"......"
Jo Sangik closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate.
The other Strongest Swords, who had been listening closely, did the same.
"Still, the people on Earth won\'t be able to see this footage."
Although the words \'most likely\' were left unsaid, the Strongest Swords knew what it implied.
If aliens could see it, then one day, the people of Earth would too.
After all, Jeong Yeongwoo\'s vision was to make Earth part of the universe.
"You’ve sold our dignity. To the galaxy, no less."
Jo Sangik muttered in agony, eyes still closed.
Yeongwoo pulled him up forcefully.
"Don’t be ridiculous, Vice Minister. Whose dignity did I sell? I sold your naked bodies."
Then, pointing south of Tsushima Island, he said:
"If a bit of nudity can make your dignity vanish, then you might as well go die out there."
And in the direction he pointed, there was the sound of a roaring crowd:
"Waaaahhh...!"
“There it is! I see the occupation flag!”
The enemy in this Tsushima War, the Japanese army, was charging forward.
And they were completely naked.
It was exactly as Yeongwoo had said.
“What... what is this?”
“Huh...?”
“They’re naked over there too?”
The Strongest Swords, seeing the naked Japanese soldiers, were confused.
It was one thing for them to be naked, but having everyone on this battlefield unclothed was an entirely different matter.
In that moment, Yeongwoo quickly took control of the situation.
“The Japanese army! The Japanese army is attacking!”
“...What?”
The term "Japanese army" wasn’t technically incorrect, but it was a deliberate choice meant to stir emotions.
As soon as they heard that the Japanese army was attacking, the fighting spirit of every Strongest Sword surged.
Perhaps it was a deep-seated national resentment.
In a way, it wasn\'t just the Red-foot Orcs who embodied history in living vessels.
“If we lose the occupation flag to the Japanese army, not only will we be defeated, but we won\'t get paid either! Stop them now!”
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Yeongwoo shouted roughly while brandishing his sword, and the Strongest Swords, who had been busy covering themselves up until now, hesitated before picking up their weapons.
No matter how much their naked selves were exposed in the universe, losing to the Japanese army right in front of them was something they couldn\'t bear.
“Damn it, this really is a Korean-Japanese War.”
“Why the hell are those guys naked too?”
“Let’s win this war first, then we can talk.”
Finally motivated to fight, the Strongest Swords sprang up from their positions, while Bantubangtong, standing in front of the Red-foot Orcs\' formation, looked at the timer in the air.
[00:00:23]
There were 23 seconds left until the protective shield around the occupation flag disappeared.
Bantubangtong turned back to his brothers and gave an order.
- It’s time to make our fallen brothers shine even brighter!
Then, waving his hand forward, he shouted.
- Spearmen, to your positions!
Seventeen thousand Red-foot Orcs immediately shifted their stances, and the spearmen, who had been preparing their spears among the infantry, stepped forward.
[00:00:06]
And with only 6 seconds left...
- Ready!
At Lord Bang\'s command, the spear-wielding brothers took their throwing stances, and as the timer hit 2 seconds...
[00:00:02]
With a shout!
A brother holding a large brazier ran forward from a designated section of the formation.
Boom!
And then...
[00:00:00]
Bang!
The moment the timer expired, he hurled the large brazier towards the direction of the occupation flag.
Whoosh!
The flames and torches inside the brazier scattered, creating a kind of flare effect, and the advancing Japanese soldiers were suddenly illuminated.
“Huh!”
“What, what is that?”
“Orcs...!”
“Orcs!”
The current time was exactly 7 PM.
The sky was growing dark, so the Red-foot Orc army was also revealed by the brazier\'s light.
Realizing that an Orc unit had been lying in wait across the Tsushima region, the naked Japanese warriors momentarily froze, and in that instant, the Red-foot Orcs launched their spears.
- Spear throw, commence!
At Lord Bang’s command, thousands of large spears soared into the air.
Whooosh!
It was as if they were under a massive storm cloud, with the sky filled with piercing sounds, and in an instant, spear tips rained down over the Japanese soldiers.
But even more surprising was the skill of the Japanese soldiers.
Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!
Naked, without a single piece of armor, the Japanese soldiers displayed incredibly precise movements, deflecting all the spear tips.
‘What is that? I’ve never seen this kind of weapon before.’
Yeongwoo’s eyebrow twitched.
He noticed that every Japanese soldier held something like a glowing sword.
It was a faint, slightly blurred light, as if light was refracted underwater, and every Japanese soldier had one.
This must be the special blessing granted by Lemu.
“What the hell... Why are they fighting so well?”
Seeing the Japanese soldiers deflecting thousands of spears, the Strongest Swords from Seoul suddenly became tense.
And finally...
Swoosh!
The Japanese side easily cut down the last spear and let out a triumphant cheer.
“Waaaah!”
“The Tsushima War will be our victory!”
“Charge forward, everyone!”
Having successfully defended against the first attack, the Japanese army\'s morale soared, and as they rushed toward the occupation flag, the Seoul Strongest Swords realized the identity of their opponents.
“Those are... Sword Masters, Sword Emperors.”
“Swordmasters? Aren’t those regional titles?”
Most of the 200 naked warriors Yuto had prepared were top-tier Japanese fighters with regional titles.
“Go secure the flag!”
By now, the Japanese army was almost at the white occupation flag, and the naked Strongest Swords, growing anxious, turned to look at Yeongwoo.
“Is it time to move in? We’ll lose if they take the flag, right?”
“Yeongwoo, are you going to fight or not?”
“Look at that! They’re about to capture the flag!”
The Strongest Swords hastily got into their fighting stances.
However, the Japanese force included hundreds of elite fighters.
Engaging without Yeongwoo would be a suicidal move, so everyone awaited his battle command.
Then finally, Yeongwoo looked around with a satisfied expression.
“It seems everyone is ready now.”
“What?”
“Ready for war, that is.”
Then, he suddenly looked up at the sky.
“General! It’s been a while since we requested artillery support. The target coordinates are...!”
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