Chapter 113
The problems at Ulsan Airport were not limited to just one issue.
Currently, the region had plunged into the depths of winter, with sub-zero temperatures exacerbated by severe cold waves and snowstorms.
Fortunately, the soldiers on the battlefield were all awakened beings, enabling them to endure the cold and continue fighting.
However, the cold caused a significant drain on their stamina.
After a single battle, the immense heat generated by their bodies caused steam to rise, while the sweat they had shed froze in the bitter cold, leaving their bodies encased in frost and making movement increasingly difficult.
“Damn it. Those undead are moving just fine despite this freezing weather.”
“Well, this is nothing. In other regions, blizzards have caused survivor camps to collapse or completely lose their foothold.”
“Blizzards, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s the worst.”
The undead army they were facing, unlike the allied forces, had no need to fear the cold or snowstorms.
If anything, the freezing temperatures made their bones harder and sturdier, giving them a slight advantage in these conditions.
Unlike the allied forces, the undead had no need for winter gear, nor did they consume any food. They were truly the army of the undying.
“Hey, let’s spray water on the roads or paths we’re not using.”
“Let’s make the roads slippery and see if they can still walk straight.”
“Hope they fall and smash their heads open, those undead bastards.”
From the perspective of the allied forces, the best strategy was to exploit the weather to delay the enemy’s advance and force them into making mistakes.
One solution was to spray water on unused roads or pathways.
The moment the water was sprayed, the freezing temperatures caused the roads to instantly turn into ice, making them incredibly slippery.
For the undead, who already struggled with balance, this often resulted in them falling heavily, and in some cases, breaking their own skulls.
In other words, every step the undead took resulted in losses for their ranks.
“Oh, it’s working.”
“Let’s do it immediately.”
Realizing the effectiveness of turning roads into icy traps, the allied forces began intentionally spraying water on roads to create hazardous conditions.
However, the undead responded in a simple yet effective manner.
“Wow, the undead are breaking the ice.”
“They’re shoveling too.”
“Looks like they’ve got a logistics officer or a work supervisor over there.”
As always, while the allied forces used Korean-style military problem-solving, the undead army responded with equally Korean-style military tactics.
The undead deployed their more agile and capable troops to shovel and pickaxe the ice-covered roads, breaking apart the icy traps laid by the allied forces.
In response, the allied forces retaliated by secretly spraying water at night using hoses or unmanned drones, freezing the roads again. The undead, in turn, resumed their ice-breaking efforts.
This back-and-forth use of weather became a key component of the preparations for the ongoing battle.
“It seems this battle will drag on longer than expected.”
This implied that the conflict was far from over and would likely stretch on.
If the undead had to address the problems posed by the icy roads, the allied forces needed to ensure proper winter equipment and supplies to keep their soldiers combat-ready despite the harsh cold and upcoming snowstorms.
The most urgent tasks for the allied forces were:
“Transporting the refugees and restoring the soldiers’ combat strength.”
“It’s slow progress. The former will be resolved soon, as we’ve already rescued the last survivor camp.”
The first issue was transporting the refugees still at Ulsan Airport, while the second was restoring the combat strength of soldiers weakened by the cold.
As for the first task, the refugee transport was already underway. With all the survivor camps supporting Ulsan Airport successfully rescued, it was now a matter of transporting the non-combatant civilians to safer locations.
“But the second issue won’t be resolved quickly. The cold and war will likely last for about three months.”
The second issue, however, was more challenging.
Winter had just begun, and the severe cold was expected to persist for about three months, continuously wearing down the allied forces.
Fortunately, their armored units were designed to function well in such cold conditions.
Additionally, the Balhut Cult headquarters appeared aware of the impact of the cold on combat readiness and was quickly supplying winter gear to the allied forces.
“At least the cult is swiftly providing us with what we need. It’s only a matter of time before our entire army is equipped.”
From high-calorie rations to warm, combat-efficient winter clothing, and reliable weapons that wouldn’t malfunction in the cold—everything was being supplied without any shortages, showing the cult’s commitment to supporting the allied forces.
“In that case, the decisive battle will likely come after winter.”
“Commander Jung Dong-gun, is the cult in such dire need of a quick decisive battle?”
“No, we’re in a very stable situation. The cult’s governance is functioning without any issues.”
This meant the allied forces had no reason to engage in a decisive battle during unfavorable conditions.
They could continue defending against the Immortal Cult’s attacks while waiting for the winter weather to pass.
The best approach was to drag the conflict into a long-term war, forcing the enemy to expend their resources and waiting for them to overextend or make mistakes.
The only potential concern was political pressure forcing a quick battle. However, the current allied forces were largely free from such constraints.
As long as the endless trust in the God Bahamut persisted, no political forces would be able to pressure the allied forces into a short-term conflict.
“In that case, there’s no need for us to fight an unfavorable battle. We’re steadily receiving supplies, while their leaders are living beings that require food, aren’t they?”
“Yes. While the undead don’t need food, the necromancers controlling them are all living humans. For us, with our stable supply lines, there’s no reason to engage. The real concern is the civilians under the Immortal Cult.”
The Balhut Cult was not under political pressure, and with the ability to trade with the United States and access farmlands capable of producing food, a long-term conflict was essentially in their favor.
While the undead army required no food, the Immortal Cult’s necromancers were living beings who needed sustenance.
Moreover, the civilians supporting the Immortal Cult also needed food, likely consuming enormous amounts of supplies.
The real concern was what the cornered Immortal Cult might do, as their desperation could lead to unpredictable actions.
“If civilian sacrifices are factored into a short-term battle, and land-based strategies prove difficult, we could always utilize the navy.”
“The navy? Does that mean we can deploy the marines stationed at Pohang, Commander?”
“Yes, if the navy is truly necessary, we may consider avoiding a fleet confrontation with the Ghost Fleet stationed in the Eastern Sea and focusing all our efforts on Ulsan.”
Upon reaching this conclusion, Jung Dong-gun proposed the idea of mobilizing the navy in case a decisive battle was necessary.
Han Seong-geun, surprised by the mention of a navy, asked if it was truly an option, to which Jung Dong-gun replied that as long as they avoided a fleet battle, it would be feasible.
By securing the ports and executing a landing operation, the allied forces could transport troops without the need for river crossings.
This would mean bypassing the defensive line of the Immortal Cult stationed at the bridges, defending their main base.
“If we have a navy, we could conduct a decapitation operation to eliminate the Immortal Cult’s leadership and reclaim Ulsan. If only we could take care of those damn necromancers… handle them… handle… hmm.”
Han Seong-geun, initially elated by Jung Dong-gun’s mention of a decapitation operation, suddenly grew pale as his thoughts trailed off mid-sentence.
His voice lowered, and his expression turned increasingly grim as if an ominous realization had struck him.
“What’s wrong, Han Seong-geun?”
“No, I was just wondering… What would happen to the undead controlled by the Immortal Cult if their leaders were eliminated?”
Jung Dong-gun, curious about Han Seong-geun’s sudden change, listened attentively as he shared his thoughts.
The undead army was currently under control because most of the Immortal Cult members were necromancers, capable of directly dominating and commanding the undead.
However, if a decapitation operation successfully captured or eliminated the upper ranks of the Immortal Cult, particularly the necromancers, who would then control the undead spread across Ulsan?
Would they rely on captured necromancers to maintain control?
That seemed absurd—entrusting their forces to prisoners was akin to handing them the perfect chance to escape.
“What?”
“If they simply turn back into skeletons, that’s fine. But what if they lose control and go berserk? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
If the severed connection to their magic caused the undead to revert to lifeless bones or dirt, a decapitation operation would be safe.
However, if they retained their undead state and lost their controllers, they could go on a rampage.
The number of undead currently stationed in Ulsan was something the allied forces had estimated.
“At least 500,000. If that massive army goes berserk, Ulsan is doomed.”
It was estimated at a minimum of 500,000.
And nearby was Busan. If the Immortal Cult extended its influence there, the undead in Busan would also have to be accounted for.
Jung Dong-gun briefly imagined the scene of 500,000 undead rampaging uncontrollably.
“Indeed. I understand now. That would certainly be dangerous.”
It didn’t take long for him to realize how catastrophic and unacceptable such an outcome would be, and he heeded Han Seong-geun’s warning seriously.
If over 500,000 undead went berserk simultaneously, not only would the survivors and civilians in Southern Ulsan perish, but even the civilians managed by the Immortal Cult would not survive.
The term “500,000” was staggering when compared to the allied forces’ current strength of merely 3,000 soldiers.
If 3,000 soldiers were asked to contain over 500,000 undead, the answer was obvious.
“If the Immortal Cult has gathered so many zombies and undead beyond what we can handle, the moment they lose control, Ulsan would become a city of death. This disaster could easily spread to Busan as well.”
It was a terrifying statement.
Han Seong-geun suggested the possibility of Ulsan turning into a city of death and speculated that such an event could heavily impact nearby Busan.
Logically, one might dismiss such a scenario as absurd, but considering the irrational actions of the Immortal Cult so far, Han Seong-geun’s concerns seemed all too plausible.
Jung Dong-gun, taking Han Seong-geun’s words seriously, let out a sigh before speaking.
“If that truly happens, our allied forces wouldn’t be able to handle it. In that case, there’s only one answer: we would have to rely on the power of God Bahamut.”
“God Bahamut… Are you saying that He would intervene directly?”
Jung Dong-gun’s suggestion implied that the Balhut Cult might use their ultimate trump card.
In essence, the allied forces were admitting their inability to handle an uncontrolled undead army and contemplating summoning God Bahamut to the battlefield.
“Yes. Yuna and Seol-hwa would have to be present. But if we successfully summon Him here, the undead army they’ve gathered could never pose a threat to us.”
If the summoning succeeded, they were confident in achieving victory.
Even in Gyeongju and Pohang, where massive numbers of zombies—no, undead—had charged at them, the scales of God Bahamut had remained unscathed.
Against the current undead, given what they had witnessed of God Bahamut’s might, this army would be nothing more than a slightly more resilient foe.
“Hm. That’s good, but last time I heard, wasn’t the God said to be too powerful? Summoning Him could destroy Ulsan.”
Jina Ahn pointed out a critical issue: the destruction that might result from summoning God Bahamut.
Jung Dong-gun, nodding in agreement, replied solemnly.
“In that case, we would need to either prepare a suitable battlefield for God Bahamut to operate or be ready to abandon parts of Ulsan.”
Abandoning parts of Ulsan was on the table.
This meant they were willing to sacrifice parts of the city to prevent it from becoming a city of death.
“It’s better to sacrifice parts of the city and save the rest than to let it all become a city of death.”
“Then we should prepare a place where God Bahamut can fight. The real issue is that figure the Immortal Cult keeps mentioning. What’s the plan for them?”
Both Han Seong-geun and Jina Ahn agreed with this resolve.
If Ulsan truly faced becoming a city of death, sacrificing parts of it to save the rest was a better option.
Given how many undead were already converging on Ulsan Airport, they were confident the Immortal Cult’s undead army far exceeded this number.
The problem lay with the mysterious figure often referred to by the Immortal Cult.
“I’ll consult God Bahamut about that.”
As for that issue, they decided to leave it to God Bahamut.
“…It seems Jung Dong-gun is facing difficulties.”
This discussion quickly reached the ears of God Bahamut in His shrine.
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