xii. Admiral Lee Howon

For seven days in a row, tirelessly the barricade of the pirates attacked Admiral Lee Howon's armada of forty ships. With the exact same strategy. Six hours of battle. Six hours of rest. Thousands of small canoes was sent. Thousands of pirates primed to climb the ships. Invading without fear. Then retreat.

The defense of Admiral Lee Howon's armada of forty ships was as expected by the pirates, growing weaker. Meanwhile, their strength somehow continued flowing like flood in each battle, as if undiminished even one bit. They didn't look tired or exhausted after injured.

On the seventh day, Eagle Eye with his Eye Gaze and another nine warships rushed forward. Admiral Lee Howon made a decision to take an initiative in the battle. But Pirate Zhang Yixing was quick-witted, all at once his barricade drew back as far as Eagle Eye pursued them. Then, responded by sending the canoes again.

It would be suicide to let the ten warships besieged by thousands canoes in the front line. On that day, for the first time in his battle histories at the sea, the dauntless Eagle Eye had to retreat!

The situation getting serious. The state changed drastically. Many soldiers got injured, helpless, with bandages rolled all around their body. They had lost hundreds of soldiers in that guerilla fight. The combat force of Armada of the Floating CIty weakened. Admiral Lee Howon, perforce, had to re-assign the low-rank soldiers to be reserve-soldiers, to patch their strength. Including Sunggyu.

That day, with trembling hand Sunggyu put on his armor. His hands sweating when touched the hilt of his sword. Full of trepidation when entering the battle arena. Never imagined by him to march up to the frontline with unsheathed sword in his hand. The weak and coward Sunggyu now had to fight the wild pirates, the legends of the continent border.

Luckily Sungyeol was on his side. No one knew that lanky, awkward sailor was very skillful with sword. Sungyeol looked like he was dancing with his sword. He was not only learning about science from the pastor in the old church. Sungyeol's skill in sword-fight, arguably, was on a par with the generals.

His first day in the battlefield, Sunggyu's hands and feet was shaking a lot. He just waited. Petrified. Panic-stricken. Barfing. So was in the second and third days. But the inevitable situation like that always forced someone to adapt quickly. Besides, there were only two options, fight or die. And Sunggyu made up his mind to keep his body and his soul together. He started to feel obliged to take part in defending every inches of Sky Blade. Looking on Admiral Lee Howon fired up his soldiers' moral, Sunggyu sighed quietly. Sunggyu decided to fight.

So Sunggyu steadied his hold on his sword. Firmed his feet on his standing position. Steeled his heart with courage. Hardened his face. Sharpened his glare. His teeth chattered.

Sungyeol in truth was the best teacher. Sunggyu could learn, looked at the swift motion from Sungyeol slashing the pirates. At the fast step of Sungyeol's feet jumping here and there. His body bent dodging the blade. And Sunggyu was in reality quick on the uptake, slowly but sure he grew into a fighter, as good as Sungyeol.

But luck was not always in Sunggyu's side. On the fifth days he serviced as a soldier, or the fourteenth days of that battle against Pirate Zhang Yixing, a machete made a gash on his chest. Not too deep, but enough to get him in bloodbath. Sunggyu looked down at his wet with blood shirt with unwavering stare. Sunggyu just stared impassively.

Since that slash, he really turned into a wild shark. Never imagined, Sunggyu who was once a coward, now shouted out loud intercepting the pirates that jumped in to the deck after climbing the ships' wall. Sungyeol glance at him from his side, swallowing his spit, then neck and neck countered the waves of Pirate Zhang Yixing's attack.

Sungyeol whispered in his heart, Sunggyu his friend would never ever deserve to be called the Crying Sailor. Would never ever again--

--

Sadly, the staying power of Admiral Lee Howon's armada of forty ships were limited. Their food was only enough for another two days. They lacked in medication and any other necessities. They had ran out of cannon ammunition for long, though they were not useful much. And everyone in that armada knew, the nearest land to consolidate their supplies was right behind the barricade of Pirate Zhang Yixing.

Worry quickly outspread through the entire armada. Even one or two started muttering desperately, calculating the deadlines of their death. Stepping staggered with bandaged wounds from the battle at nine in the morning or in the night, who knew from the how many days of fights.

Only Sungyeol who stayed calm. Every six hours of rest, Sungyeol always said to Sunggyu in confidence. "No one could beat this fleet, mate. No one could defeat Admiral Lee Howon. He is the chosen man to locate Land of Hope. He is the chosen man--"

Sunggyu just smirked at his comment. He reached out for his stringed board. Look, his palm was now calloused because of holding the sword, unseemly to strum the strings again. SI