Season 3: Chapter 227. The Crime of Leaving the Island (1)
Honda, who charged in at high speed, felt confident that the swordsmen would win this battle.
‘The distance has already been closed. They'll die with every swing.’
However, his expression didn’t look great. Even if they won this battle, Japan still had a long way to go. They had sacrificed a vice commander, countless swordsmen, and barbarian soldiers. Even if they won, it wasn't a victorious battle unless they could maintain control over the lake.
Despite the long road ahead, someone blocked his sword’s path.
Clang!
It was Spam.
“Don’t waver!”
Spam blocked the sword with his bow and drew the string.
Creaaak.
‘What? Here?’
Swish...!
Honda's pupils widened. He hadn't expected Spam to attempt a shot from such close range. Not only that—
‘All of them!’
The ones he thought had fallen drew their bows again even while lying down. All of them aimed at him. He instinctively leaned back as far as he could.
Whizz!
The arrows grazed the tip of his nose.
***
“...!?”
Spam tried to comprehend what had just happened with a bewildered expression.
‘No... Did he dodge all of that at this distance?’
Spam couldn't believe it. Not just his arrow, but all of theirs. The ultimate manifestation of agility felt despairing. His opponent’s head leaned back with a look as if saying, “Is it my turn now?”
“Gulp.”
Spam froze, unable to move. Just as Honda's sword came slashing down—
“!?”
He thought he was dead, but the sword's trajectory suddenly changed.
Thud!
“!”
An arrow pierced Honda's arm.
“Almond ham!”
It was Almond. He slowly walked over while continuously firing arrows.
‘A perfect no-mark... he can keep shooting!’
Almond stood quite far from the skirmish and was the only one who could properly shoot like an archer in this battle.
Thud!
Thunk!
His arrows kept striking the Japanese soldiers. Some swordsmen fell and others had to retreat.
“Almond bro is here! Hold on!”
Spam's shout rekindled the spirit of the demoralized archers.
“Hurraahhh! Let’s go!”
Pecorino, lying on the ground, picked up his sword and swung wildly.
Clang! Clang!
His quick thinking forced the swordsmen to step back.
“Nice!”
Latte shot arrows wildly in all directions.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
He fired four shots, but three missed due to his haste. Almond's arrows came in and filled the gaps.
Spam, back to back with Latte, yelled, “Watch where you’re shooting!”
“How can I!?”
They shot at the approaching enemies, but—
“Gah...!”
They were still at a disadvantage. The archers were dying much faster. Two more died just now. No, three.
“Argh!”
Pecorino’s head flew off as a swordsman swung his sword. He had no talent against swordsmanship.
“Damn...!”
Spam shot the swordsman who downed Pecorino.
Thud!
The arrow struck the swordsman’s head, but he didn’t die. Without full focus, even a headshot wasn’t enough with a short bow.
Thump.
The swordsman raised his sword toward Spam.
Thud!
Almond’s arrow pierced the swordsman’s throat.
“Nice!”
Only then did the swordsmen finally fall. However, another swordsman swung his sword at Latte from the other side.
“Aaah!”
Latte rolled on the ground and barely avoided the sword.
“You shouldn’t roll!”
“One hit and I’m dead! What choice do I have!?”
He had no choice but to roll with so many swords to dodge. Rolling on the ground would only spell out a clear fate, but he was desperate to survive another turn. As expected, a sword aimed at the fallen Latte.
Swish—
“Hup!”
Clang!
‘Huh?’
Someone’s back blocked Latte’s view. It was Spam. He had deflected the sword with his bow.
“Nice! Super save!”
Latte hastily stood up and shot his bow again. Spam also drew his bow again at close range.
Thud!
Two arrows struck the swordsman in quick succession, bringing him down. However, another swordsman came charging from behind.
Swish.
[Attack]
Spam reacted quickly. He turned and shot immediately.
Clang!
The swordsman deflected the arrow.
This guy?
It was Honda again. His sword flew toward Spam like a viper after deflecting the arrow.
Clang!
Spam blocked the slash again with his bow.
‘The durability...’
The bow’s durability was severely weakened now.
“Huff... Huff.”
Latte supported him from behind while Almond’s arrows flew in from afar.
Swish!
Honda dodged with uncanny precision.
‘Can we do this?’ Spam wondered amid the chaos.
The swordsmen mixed in again, making a mess of their formation. More archers fell. Their formation was in shambles as the distance closed.
Almond was the only one shooting from a distance. They needed to hold on in close combat until he helped all of them.
‘Right. Almond said it would work...’
He said they could win in close combat. Spam trusted that and fought, but he couldn't help but think—
‘Damn... Is it just him that can do it?’
It seemed like only Almond could manage this. These weren’t ordinary foes. They hadn’t defeated the Ottomans and risen to the top for nothing. Despite their best efforts, soon—
‘Again?’
Crack!
Spam’s bow broke and the final sword slash loomed over him.
‘It’s him again.’
Honda.
‘What about Latte?’
Latte was also on the ground. A sword loomed over him too. It was as good as over.
‘But...’
Why did Almond stop covering them? He had been shooting continuously. Then, it happened.
Thud!
“!?”
An arrow pierced Honda’s head. He hadn’t reacted in time.
‘Is he dead!?’
Spam’s dilated pupils clearly saw it. Honda’s head exploded with a spray of red. The focus shot burned white as it pierced through.
‘He charged it for three seconds!’
It was Almond’s arrow. Spam mustered all his strength to push the swordsman away.
“Now!”
Latte rolled and, in a last-ditch effort, shot his bow.
Thwip!
The trembling arrow flew and lodged itself in the falling swordsman’s head.
Thud!
“Huff... Huff... Where, where are they!”
Spam’s eyes scanned the surroundings. No commands, footsteps, shouts, or breathing came from the enemies anymore.
“Huff, huff...”
“Haa... Ha...”
Only Latte’s breathing, Spam’s own breathing, and Almond’s footsteps while running toward them could be heard.
‘What? Could it be...?’
The Japanese soldiers had all died. Joseon hadn’t just broken through the encirclement. They had killed all the Japanese soldiers.
Suddenly, Spam went deaf.
“Waaaaaahhhhh!!!” the audience wildly cheered.
Almond ran toward them with open arms and a wide smile.
“Almond ham...”
Spam realized it then. Almond wouldn’t act like this unless the game was over.
[Victory]
Indeed, Japan had surrendered. Latte and Spam hugged each other. Almond also leaped onto them.
“Waaaaaahhhh!!”
The three of them screamed with all their might.
***
Squeak! Squeaaaaak!!!
“Joseon didn’t break through the encirclement! They tore it apart! No wonder Japan surrendered immediately!!”
— Wow, insane
— They did it
— Is this Joseon?
— LOL wow
— The last moment was epic
— Truly amazing
The thunderous cheers announced Joseon’s victory to the world.
“In just nineteen minutes of playtime, Joseon wins decisively! The opponent even surrendered!”
“Even if Japan kept going, there was no hope! I didn't want to jinx it, but it would have been tough even if Japan had won that battle!?”
— True
— They were already winning by a lot
— Awesome
— So true
— It was overwhelming
— The gameplay was insane
“This is a strategic victory! The ultimate Joseon tactic! Ringo played well, but this new Joseon showed its might in the first game!”
“Yes! Joseon was quite fiery! And as you said, Japan played calmly while tightening the noose! It was truly suffocating!”
The highlight replay started. It showed the beginning of the final battle.
“Yes! Let’s watch the highlight. Japan’s method of tightening and cutting off air is something else!”
The mini-map scene zoomed in on when Honda entered.
“Look at this, they were already opening a path after deployment.”
“Oh... How... No way, is it that? The two barbarian soldiers splitting up?”
Before Honda entered, the archers spread out their aim.
“Yes. Creating a blind spot.”
“Oh... Without even moving them! Just spreading out their aim creates an opening for the swordsmen?”
Indeed, simply spreading the archers’ aim made it easier for the swordsmen to charge in.
— Oh
— Amazing
— Wow, during that?
— So scary
— Detailed strategy
“With such a detailed build-up, the victims couldn’t even understand how they got in!”
No one saw Honda rolling in. In a flash, he cut down three soldiers with his sword.
— Slaughtered
— Wow
— So OP
“The brutal blade trait was really brutal here. Their attack radius increases by 20% even without fully swinging!”
“Right. Even without a full swing, the next attack can be immediately launched. To the victim, it feels like being hit 1.5 times in the span of one strike.”
— Ah
— Wow...
— The combo speeds up
— It’s not just the radius, it’s the rapid succession
— OP faction
— It’s like every swing counts
“Without time to react, Pang and Carrot fell quickly. But Spam blocked it!”
“Ah, the blocking scene! That was epic!”
— For real
— Incredible
— Master of close combat
— The hero of Dongducheon
“Yes! But it didn’t lead to a kill even at point-blank range!”
Whoosh...!
The scene of Honda dodging Spam's arrow played in slow motion.
— Is he human?
— ???
— What?
— Agility is OP
— Wow
“This is agility. And Japan trains for this. Once they recognize an attack, they can dodge it.”
“Ah... it’s a trained movement!”
“But!”
Now came the final moment, Almond’s curve shot. He realized he couldn’t take Honda down with a regular arrow, so he charged his shot for three seconds and ensured the kill.
“He just suddenly hits a full three second headshot? Almond?”
Bam!
OrangeKing suddenly stood up and faced the camera.
“What!? Build-up!? My training mates said, ‘We play kick-and-rush! It feels like a weight off my chest! All this build-up just for one bang!!!”
Thud.
Honda crumpled to the ground as the highlight ended.
— What a huge head
— Kick-and-rush LOL
— Feels so good LOL
— All for the final finish
— His head is as big as the stadium
— LOL crazy
— Kick-and-rush soccer LOL
— They might be playing kick-and-rush too LOL
“Ah, wait a moment. Right now...”
At that moment, the caster received some information and touched his ear.
“I’ve just received word. The map for the next match has been decided?”
“...!”
The second match hadn’t even started, yet the map had already been set. Everyone wondered what was going on.
***
At the same time, the news spread through the community. First, everyone talked about Joseon’s victory.
[Breaking News: Joseon Wins First Match]
[Wow, 15-minute game]
[Isn't Japan getting demolished? LOL]
[Choi Sa-Rang is living up to the Yi Sun-Shin nickname]
[This is the land of rush tactics!]
Various reactions to the victory and expectations for the next game poured in.
[Breaking News: Second Match Confirmed as a Sea Map]
The news of a confirmed sea map for the second match spread. This post received immense attention and quickly rose to the top of the big board.
Big Board: Second Match Breaking News! Japan Penalized!
Suddenly, the news said Japan was facing penalties. Before reading the post, most thought it was due to their late arrival at the round of sixteen. However, the actual reason for the penalty turned out to be completely different.
[Subject: Japan
Crime: The Crime of Leaving the Island.
Judgment:
(Photos)
(Photos)
(Photos)]
The post included photos of a fighter jet flying over Admiral Yi Sun-Shin’s statue. Yi Sun-Shin looked out at the sea and the Turtle Ship breathed out fire during the Battle of Myeongnyang.
The final message read:
[Death! Penalty!]
— LOL
— I thought they were getting penalized for being late in the last match LOL
— What? Sea? They're getting wrecked?
— Crime of leaving the island LOL
— Info: Joseon’s fish diet is mainly Japanese.
— Death penalty LOL
— Fish-eating day
— Crime of leaving the island LOL