Chapter 144
After days of waiting, the Immortal Cult, acting differently than usual, was finally forced to acknowledge the Grand Coalition’s victory, just as the coalition’s leadership had anticipated.
For the first time, they responded to a post on the Grand Coalition’s communication forum, initiating a proper conversation.
This essentially meant that the Immortal Cult had acknowledged that this defeat could not be easily dismissed.
“They took their time. I thought they would respond immediately.”
However, Jung Dong-gun considered the Immortal Cult’s response to be too slow.
This battle had completely erased all doubts regarding the Grand Coalition and was a decisive victory that established the coalition’s dominance in the war.
Now, the Immortal Cult’s headquarters itself was under direct threat.
With their stronghold at risk, they should have acted immediately to resolve the crisis, but instead, they were hesitant and delayed in their response.
“We have completely recaptured Northern Ulsan, and most of the mages deployed there have failed to return. Their leadership must be in chaos.”
Han Seong-geun explained that most of the middle-ranking officers in Northern Ulsan had been captured as prisoners, which likely caused confusion within the Immortal Cult’s leadership.
Indeed, this battle had resulted in the Grand Coalition capturing four powerful mages from the Immortal Cult, whose levels were…
“If they were merely expendable, they wouldn’t have negotiated with us. But it seems the prisoners we captured were highly valued mages within their ranks.”
“They are all level 15 or higher. That qualifies them as commanders. Even in our army, anyone above level 15 is treated as a non-commissioned officer or an officer.”
A level of 15 or higher.
Considering that Awakeners exceeding level 20 were extremely rare, a level 15 Awakener was a high-ranking officer within any faction.
Even in the Grand Coalition, those who reached level 15 were given the rank of sergeant or officer.
Allowing such valuable commanders to self-destruct like expendable troops, as they had done during previous raids on refugee camps, would have been a devastating loss, even for the Immortal Cult.
“If they’re finally responding after ignoring us for so long, it proves that the Immortal Cult has very few Awakeners above level 15.”
This was the decisive reason why the Immortal Cult had finally agreed to negotiate.
If they lost these prisoners, they would have no mid-ranking officers left to command their army.
These prisoners weren’t just any commanders—they had been leading the frontline forces in Northern Ulsan.
If the Immortal Cult failed to rescue them through negotiation, who would dare step forward as a battlefield commander in future engagements?
‘Impossible. Even in a faction that disregards human lives, a leader must at least show an effort to rescue high-ranking personnel. Otherwise, no one will follow orders when they realize their lives are disposable.’
From the Immortal Cult’s perspective, negotiating was necessary to maintain internal order and minimize the psychological impact of their defeat.
“Where will the negotiations take place?”
“They suggested Myeongchon Bridge. Since we already control the bridge, this is essentially their way of conceding some level of control over the negotiation process.”
“Heh. When they controlled Myeongchon Bridge, they refused to negotiate, acting like they wanted to kill us. And now they want a meeting?”
The Immortal Cult had no choice but to accept the Grand Coalition’s chosen negotiation site.
By doing so, their envoys would be walking directly into enemy territory, essentially gambling with their lives just to negotiate.
How mentally exhausting must that be?
‘They must feel like they’re suffocating. Even I would find that overwhelming.’
Jung Dong-gun imagined how suffocating the pressure would be for the Immortal Cult’s envoys, feeling as if an invisible hand was tightening around their throats.
After all, in his previous negotiations, Jung Dong-gun had always been in a position of power.
He had never experienced a negotiation under such crushing circumstances.
For a brief moment, he felt sympathy for the Immortal Cult’s envoys.
However…
“I will personally attend the negotiation. For security, I will bring Son Sang-hui with me.”
That didn’t mean he would go easy on them.
Jung Dong-gun was not the type to show mercy just because he felt a hint of pity.
Instead, he planned to increase the psychological pressure even further by attending the negotiation himself as the Grand Coalition’s Supreme Commander.
Depending on how the Immortal Cult’s envoys viewed it, the fact that Jung Dong-gun himself was participating could only mean one thing—
That the Grand Coalition had no intention of making any concessions.
“Wow.
Those poor officials are as good as dead.
What should we do in the meantime?”
“Monitor the situation closely in case of any unexpected developments.”
“Do you suspect an ambush?”
Jung Dong-gun ordered Han Seong-geun to prepare for contingencies, prompting him to ask whether he expected an attack.
“Considering their past actions, it’s always best to be prepared.”
From the beginning, the Grand Coalition had never trusted the Immortal Cult.
With both sides temporarily withdrawing their forces, the two representatives finally met at the designated negotiation site, right in the middle of Myeongchon Bridge.
At the center of the bridge, a table had been set up, and the two envoys shook hands.
“…Are you the diplomatic envoy sent by the Balhut Cult?”
“Yes. I am Jung Dong-gun.”
“Jung Dong-gun! So, does the Balhut Cult truly intend to negotiate with us?”
It was clear that the Immortal Cult perceived the Balhut Cult as the primary force they were negotiating with, rather than the Grand Coalition as a whole.
Upon hearing this, Jung Dong-gun simply smiled slightly, quietly stating his name.
Upon realizing who he was, the Immortal Cult’s envoy flinched, seemingly in shock.
“…You’re quite the powerful Awakener, aren’t you? By my estimate, you’ve reached level 18 as a mage. It wouldn’t be appropriate to send someone less experienced to negotiate with you.”
“Tch.”
The Immortal Cult’s envoy clicked his tongue, clearly irritated by the situation.
However, Jung Dong-gun merely scoffed, believing that his opponent was not much different from himself.
After all, while his opponent wasn’t as powerful as Jung Dong-gun, the Immortal Cult had also sent a high-level mage under the guise of a diplomat to this meeting.
If necessary, they could use magic to manipulate the opposing envoy, which was likely part of their strategy.
Because of this, Jung Dong-gun merely laughed at the accusation, and the Immortal Cult did not even bother to deny it, simply clicking their tongues in response.
As Jung Dong-gun pointed out, if the Grand Coalition had sent an ordinary representative, the Immortal Cult would have likely attempted mind control.
“Besides, the only reason I’m here is because we are actually willing to negotiate. But considering the magic your side uses… Did we ever have trust between us? As far as I recall, there was only hostility.”
“There wasn’t any trust.”
There had never been any trust between these two factions.
From the very beginning, they had maintained a hostile relationship, and this was their first direct conversation.
There had never even been an opportunity to build any kind of trust or mutual understanding.
“Moreover, with the Ghost Fleet appearing, the Balhut Cult has already proven that it cannot coexist with the Immortal Cult under the same sky. In fact, you should be grateful that we are offering such generous negotiation terms.”
“That’s nonsense. Generous? That’s the first time I’ve heard such a claim. Aren’t you the invaders who attacked the peaceful city of Ulsan?”
In an effort to dominate the negotiation, Jung Dong-gun brought up the Ghost Fleet, emphasizing that the Balhut Cult and the Immortal Cult had already reached the point of irreconcilable enmity.
He then asserted that the Immortal Cult should be grateful for the generous conditions they were being offered, as they were in no position to make demands.
The Immortal Cult, however, lashed out, accusing the Balhut Cult of being nothing more than invaders who had attacked a peaceful Ulsan.
They painted the Balhut Cult not as a righteous force, but as mere raiders seeking to expand their territory.
“That’s quite the accusation. Besides, I can’t say I agree with the claim that Ulsan was living peacefully. If that were true, then why is there still an active resistance against the Immortal Cult?”
“Isn’t that the same for the Balhut Cult? Whenever a government is established, dissidents always appear.”
“Oh, you mean Do Josoon’s faction? Well, that was because he strongly opposed the formation of a unified government. From our perspective, we could not afford to protect someone actively opposing the very idea of a unified state. That’s why we agreed to separate peacefully.”
With a tone of regret, Jung Dong-gun pointed out that the Immortal Cult was far from a perfect organization and that the resistance movement against them was proof of that.
The Immortal Cult then retaliated, arguing that the Balhut Cult was no different and used Do Josoon as an example, saying that every government naturally faces internal dissent.
In response, Jung Dong-gun dismissed the comparison, stating that the Balhut Cult was nothing like the Immortal Cult.
He emphasized that Do Josoon had merely been separated during the negotiation process and was not the same as an anti-government resistance.
“And besides, he committed crimes in North Gyeongju, and we merely eliminated him in accordance with public sentiment. His crimes are well-documented. If necessary, we can even present the evidence. So, are you saying that just because Jina Ahn, the hero of Fukuoka, opposes the Immortal Cult, she should be labeled a criminal?”
“Th-That’s right.”
Jung Dong-gun then pointed out that Do Josoon’s crimes were public knowledge, and they had evidence to prove it.
Turning the argument back on them, he questioned whether the Immortal Cult considered Jina Ahn, a hero, to be a criminal simply because she opposed them.
Flustered, the Immortal Cult hesitated before answering, but still claimed that Jina Ahn was a criminal because she opposed them.
Sensing an opportunity, Jung Dong-gun pressed further.
“In that case, where is your evidence? Any physical proof that Jina Ahn committed any crime? Or are you just making baseless accusations? Even in an apocalypse, shouldn’t we at least preserve the principle of presumed innocence?”
If they truly believed Jina Ahn was guilty, Jung Dong-gun demanded that they provide evidence.
If such evidence existed, he would reconsider his stance.
However, he was certain that they had no evidence whatsoever.
Unlike the Balhut Cult, which had carefully structured legal systems during its government formation, the Immortal Cult had no proper laws to determine what constituted a crime.
Even if they did have some form of legal precedent, it would likely be based on arbitrary rules, far too weak to be considered legitimate legal evidence.
“Did the Balhut Cult really come here to negotiate? Why are you bringing up unrelated topics?”
“You were the first to bring it up. Now, let’s get back to the negotiation.”
Realizing they had lost the debate, the Immortal Cult became frustrated, accusing Jung Dong-gun of derailing the conversation instead of negotiating.
But Jung Dong-gun simply pointed out that they were the ones who had first shifted the topic, before finally returning to the actual negotiation.
“We, the Grand Coalition, are willing to release the prisoners we captured under generous terms. In return, how about a ceasefire until winter passes?”
To solidify their hold on Northern Ulsan, Jung Dong-gun proposed a temporary ceasefire.
He pointed out that after their massive losses, the Immortal Cult would be unable to launch another battle immediately unless they recovered their captured officers.
“A ceasefire? Between us and you? Hah.”
The Immortal Cult’s envoy laughed mockingly, looking as if they found the proposal absurd.
“Yes. Winter is harsh for us, but isn’t it just as harsh for you? Even if the undead army doesn’t need food…”
Jung Dong-gun smiled, then pointed out a crucial fact about the Immortal Cult’s situation.
“You, however, do need food. How many calories will your men need just to survive this winter?”
True, the undead soldiers didn’t require food.
But through this negotiation, Jung Dong-gun had confirmed that the leaders of the Immortal Cult were still human.
And humans need food.
“So tell me…Have you stockpiled enough food to survive this brutal winter?”
Knowing that the Immortal Cult had cut itself off from external trade, the Grand Coalition had already calculated that their food supplies were running low.
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