Chapter 114
“Stalemate?”
The news of the stalemated frontline was quickly understood by the Balhut Cult.
Since the primary force maintaining supplies and training soldiers for the front was the Balhut Cult, it was impossible for them not to know the current situation at the Ulsan front.
Naturally, in the face of this defensive situation, the cult internally deliberated extensively.
“It seems the Alliance is in a rather difficult situation.”
“Yes. The Alliance is currently maintaining a defensive posture at Ulsan Airport and transporting refugees.”
“Until all the refugees have safely reached a secure location, it’s better to remain on the defensive.”
Normally, God Bahamut only intervened in issues beyond the cult’s capacity to handle, but even he expressed his opinion directly regarding the Ulsan front.
The fact that Jung Dong-gun, who had previously carried out his missions flawlessly, suffered his first defeat and was pushed into a defensive stance drew Bahamut’s attention.
“Isn’t this dangerous?”
Given the circumstances, it was natural for Bahamut’s characteristic cautious nature to surface. This was the first time Jung Dong-gun’s advance team had been thwarted.
Even if he wanted to ignore it, the situation compelled his attention. Consequently, Bahamut began asserting his views within the cult—though that wasn’t entirely what he wanted.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
“Should we maintain the expedition as it is?”
Internally, the cult was brimming with anticipation over the fact that Bahamut himself had chosen to express an opinion.
“God Bahamut has spoken of the Ulsan front!”
To the cult’s leadership, it was unprecedented for Bahamut, who had ruled but rarely intervened, to personally involve himself and even preside over a strategy meeting.
The leaders interpreted this rare intervention as evidence that Bahamut had detected something invisible to them.
“God Bahamut, please give us your answer.”
‘But I don’t have a groundbreaking idea!’
When Yuna, representing the cult, requested Bahamut to deliver a decisive answer, he found himself internally flustered, trying to think.
In truth, this crisis was as sudden for Bahamut as it was for anyone else. He convened the meeting to gather opinions from other leaders rather than provide his own.
‘I’m no Zhuge Liang or Han Xin! There’s no way I can devise a strategy to win with one clever trick!’
Most of his advice thus far had been basic safety precautions and encouraging words, rather than prophetic foresight.
Even his earlier warnings to Jung Dong-gun were little more than, “Since they’re zombies, this might happen,” and not deeply thought-out strategies.
It was more like, “This monster has similar characteristics, so just go with that!”
A being like that wasn’t going to come up with a brilliant plan overnight.
“In conclusion, it seems this will become a prolonged and tedious battle.”
“Ah.”
Thus, after much deliberation, Bahamut’s declaration was that the stalemate was an unavoidable reality.
The cult leaders sighed deeply, lamenting this disappointing but realistic conclusion.
At the same time, it was an opportunity for the leaders to realize that even God Bahamut couldn’t resolve this battle immediately.
The fight against the Immortal Cult was not going to be easy.
“But if God descends, wouldn’t this be resolved in no time?”
Some leaders, unwilling to abandon hope, brought up the possibility of Bahamut’s descent into the battle.
Indeed, if Bahamut descended, the power imbalance would shift overwhelmingly in favor of the Alliance.
With such overwhelming strength, reclaiming Ulsan would be relatively simple.
‘They’re not wrong. Even Pohang was only reclaimed because I descended.’
Bahamut himself acknowledged this point. After all, Pohang was only liberated through his intervention.
If Bahamut descended upon Ulsan and displayed his overwhelming might, the Immortal Cult would surely crumble.
While Bahamut agreed in theory…
“It’s impossible.”
…he nonetheless denied their expectations.
Raising his hand and showing three fingers, Bahamut spoke calmly.
“There are three reasons. First, we haven’t secured a suitable area in Ulsan to deploy me. Second, the ongoing severe cold and harsh weather have placed the Alliance in a defensive position. Lastly, we still do not fully understand the identity of the Immortal Cult or the trump cards they possess.”
“I see.”
The reasoning was solid and convincing.
The trump card of the Balhut Cult, God Bahamut, was undeniably powerful and capable of overturning the tide of battle.
However, deploying such a force required proper conditions.
While it was technically possible to summon Bahamut without meeting those conditions, doing so would effectively mean sacrificing Ulsan.
Meeting those conditions was the task of Jung Dong-gun and his army.
However, with the Alliance forced into a defensive stance by the cold wave, securing the necessary site in a short time was unfeasible.
What concerned Bahamut the most was…
“Do you think the Immortal Cult is a formidable force?”
“Indeed. Controlling zombies is something a necromancer can achieve, but… yes, the existence they call ‘that being’ troubles me.”
“That being.”
The Immortal Cult’s ultimate weapon.
Among the information obtained through Han Seong-geun, there was mention of a figure revered to such an extent by the Immortal Cult that they dared not speak its name.
Bahamut considered this being to be the Immortal Cult’s trump card while contemplating:
‘If there exists a being like me, that would make sense.’
He was entertaining the possibility of an entity similar to himself.
After transforming into a dragon and recklessly pursuing his bucket list, Bahamut finally began to consider the possibility of another extraordinary being who had undergone a similar transformation in this apocalyptic world.
So far, there had been no reports of such a being discovered or wreaking havoc.
However, Bahamut assumed that, like himself, this being might be operating in secret or concealing its identity.
‘So, can I defeat it? That’s the question. If an opponent with power equal to mine were to appear… could I be confident of victory?’
If such a being existed, the best-case scenario would be forming a bond and gaining an ally.
However, the reality was that hostilities with the Immortal Cult had already begun before any dialogue could take place, and the war was ongoing.
Currently, the skirmishes were small in scale, testing each other’s capabilities. But if the entity referred to by the Immortal Cult were to descend upon Ulsan?
Could Bahamut prevail against such an opponent?
‘Hmm. I don’t know. I absolutely cannot say for certain that I would win. The outcome would depend on the circumstances.’
The only answer Bahamut arrived at was that he couldn’t guarantee victory.
Since he couldn’t confidently secure a win, Bahamut could not afford to initiate an all-out confrontation.
Some might say Bahamut’s three reasons for persuading the Balhut Cult stemmed from fear of the unknown being. Alternatively, it could be seen as a pragmatic and realistic judgment.
‘If I lose, there’s no going back. If the Alliance loses now, it’s just a failed campaign in Ulsan. The refugees have already been evacuated, so there’s still a future.’
Jung Dong-gun’s defeat could be written off as a personal failure, but the defeat of God Bahamut would spell the downfall of the Balhut Cult.
Considering the risk versus reward, Bahamut deemed himself a weapon of last resort, to be deployed only when absolutely necessary.
“In any case, we must maintain our defensive stance until the cold wave passes. Once this brutal winter is over, the soldiers’ combat strength will return to normal, and opportunities for counterattack will arise.”
“Yes, it can’t be helped. I’ve heard that regions like Honam are experiencing heavy snowfall. If Yeongnam were to face similar conditions, the road to Ulsan Airport could be cut off.”
Reports of survivor camps collapsing under heavy snowfall in the Honam region were already reaching them.
Efforts were being made to predict weather changes using the Pohang Observatory, but its capabilities were nowhere near those of the pre-apocalypse meteorological agencies.
Thus, it might be safer to wait out the cold wave before resuming offensives.
“Therefore, after this cold wave, we’ll move into an offensive. By installing barricades at critical routes and observation posts to monitor Southern Ulsan, there’s no reason for us to falter.”
“Yes, I agree.”
Bahamut reassured and motivated the Balhut Cult, emphasizing that setting up barricades and observation posts at key locations would eliminate their disadvantages.
Urban warfare was equally hellish for both sides, and the numerous structures leading to Ulsan Airport naturally served as barricades for the defenders.
By fortifying these vital points, the attackers—namely the Immortal Cult—would find themselves trapped in nightmarish urban combat.
If the Balhut Cult had to reclaim Southern Ulsan, then the Immortal Cult would similarly face the challenge of reclaiming Northern Ulsan. The terms of engagement were balanced.
“Meanwhile, trade with the United States is steadily increasing. Are we lacking in supplies?”
“No, we have more than enough. In fact, we might have too much.”
One advantage for the Alliance was the overwhelming supply chain from the United States.
Originally destined for China, much of this material was now flowing through Pohang into Balhut Cult territories due to the apocalypse.
This surplus allowed the expeditionary forces of the Alliance to be generously supplied with weapons, food, and ammunition.
As long as they could endure for three months, they would have no trouble holding their ground.
“Haha. The Americans are heavily demanding imports of our coins, which is quite amusing.”
“I’ve heard that Bahamut Coins are particularly popular in the United States.”
The demand for Bahamut Rounds was steadily increasing, driving up trade rather than diminishing it.
Pohang was experiencing an unprecedented boom, and even Gyeongju, the headquarters of the Balhut Cult, was undergoing a historic revival.
“According to the envoy, there’s been a sudden surge in consumption. Apparently, the demand for Bahamut Coins in the U.S. has skyrocketed to the point of impacting our own usage.”
“Thanks to that, we’ve made a lot of money.”
The only problem was that the volume of coins demanded by the U.S. was so large that it risked cutting into the Balhut Cult’s own supplies.
However, given their defensive stance, they could conserve their coin reserves and fulfill U.S. demand.
“In any case, there’s no need to be overly pessimistic. The situation is gradually improving. Once this cold wave subsides, we’ll have our chance to counterattack. Until then, endure and hold on to hope.”
“As the will of God commands.”
And with that, the meeting regarding Ulsan came to an end.
“Next… let’s see. This report comes from Administrative Official Lee Sua. What exactly is happening in Daegu, Lee Hyuna?”
“Well…”
It was now time to address internal issues within the Balhut Cult.
Bahamut turned his gaze toward Lee Hyuna, who had remained silent throughout the meeting, with a perplexed expression, questioning her actions.
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