Chapter 142
The ambush was successful.
The Immortal Cult failed to properly defend against the Grand Coalition’s amphibious operation,
Allowing the Decisive Assault Force, led by Jina Ahn and Han Seong-geun, to land at Dock 1 of Ulsan Harbor without resistance.
The landing was successful, and Dock 1 of Ulsan Harbor happened to be in close proximity to two key transportation hubs in the Ulsan War—Myeongchon Bridge and Ulsan Bridge.
In other words, the Decisive Assault Force, having secured their landing, was now in a position to attack the rear of Ulsan Bridge and Myeongchon Bridge in the blink of an eye.
“The rest of the fleet will attack Ulsan Bridge.”
“Understood. All ships, prepare for bombardment. It’s time to deal with those undead bastards.”
Furthermore, there was another unfortunate development for the Immortal Cult—
The undead forces stationed at Ulsan Bridge were unable to dispatch reinforcements to Dock 1 of Ulsan Harbor, where the Decisive Assault Force had landed.
Instead of retreating after deploying the Grand Coalition’s troops, the Pohang Fleet turned its course and advanced directly toward Ulsan Bridge, engaging the undead army positioned there.
The fleet initiated a naval bombardment, making it clear to the undead forces at Ulsan Bridge that the Pohang Fleet was a formidable threat.
“Turn Undead! Turn Undead!”
On the deck, the Priestess of Bahamut, Baek Seol-hwa, unleashed Turn Undead upon the undead forces on the bridges and docks, demonstrating to all present why the Priestess of the Dragon was the most fearsome enemy of the undead.
The moment she pointed her hand, even named undead were incinerated into white ash in an instant, and with a single sweep of her arm, over a hundred enemies were annihilated.
The Pohang Fleet, having witnessed this display countless times before, remained unfazed and continued their duties.
“Haha, she’s gotten even stronger.”
“So, that’s the Priestess of the Dragon I’ve heard about…!”
“She’s even more incredible than the rumors…!”
Leading the Grand Coalition’s forces in a standoff against the enemy at Ulsan Bridge,
Son Sang-hui couldn’t help but marvel at Baek Seol-hwa’s newfound power.
Veteran soldiers within the Grand Coalition, particularly those who had fought alongside Choi Yuna, were not too surprised by Baek Seol-hwa’s strength.
However, the new recruits, chosen through the Awakener Project, and those who had recently joined from Ulsan, were utterly awestruck by the Priestess of the Dragon’s overwhelming might.
The Balhut Cult had always declared her to be their trump card, but knowing about her power and seeing it firsthand were two vastly different experiences.
And then…
“The fleet is responding! All units, charge!”
What had initially seemed like an arduous battle for the Grand Coalition quickly turned into an inspiring spectacle that significantly boosted morale.
The overwhelming display of strength by the Priestess of the Dragon rapidly lifted the spirits of the Grand Coalition’s forces, and without hesitation, they surged forward at Son Sang-hui’s command, charging toward Ulsan Bridge.
“Our forces are charging! Suppressive fire—ensure enemy reinforcements do not arrive!”
“Roger!”
As Son Sang-hui deployed the reserve troops stationed near Ulsan Bridge, Kim Tae-sik immediately redirected naval artillery fire toward the undead reinforcements attempting to cross the bridge.
The Pohang Fleet’s cannons roared, unleashing devastating firepower upon the undead army attempting to reach Ulsan Bridge.
However, the undead had only a limited means of retaliation—they could only engage with their own long-range attacks.
“Haha, their effective range is far too short!”
Unfortunately for the undead, their attacks were completely ineffective at such a distance.
The Pohang Fleet was engaging from its maximum range with full firepower, while the undead army lacked the reach to return fire, leaving them no choice but to absorb the relentless bombardment.
At best, Skeleton Mages could attempt magic attacks, but even those were…
“Sanctuary Deployment.”
“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEK!”
…completely neutralized by the presence of Baek Seol-hwa aboard the fleet.
Before forming a contract with Bahamut, she had been a mage specializing in wide-area magic, excelling in battles involving large numbers.
That hadn’t changed even after her contract, and while Choi Yuna specialized in resurrection and single combat, Baek Seol-hwa was the battlefield support specialist.
“Healing Magic Circle. Echo of Salvation. Divine Blessing!”
She was the type of support mage who could empower vast numbers of allies at once.
Sanctuary Deployment established a holy attribute field around Ulsan Bridge, weakening the undead while simultaneously enhancing the Grand Coalition’s physical abilities.
Healing Magic Circle was a defensive spell, automatically healing injuries sustained by soldiers.
Echo of Salvation granted a one-time revival effect, ensuring that soldiers on the brink of death could escape danger at least once.
And Divine Blessing was an enchantment spell, imbuing weapons with holy attributes, making them devastatingly effective against the undead.
With her proper support, even ordinary soldiers could become holy warriors capable of annihilating the undead.
It was precisely because of Baek Seol-hwa’s capabilities that the Grand Coalition had consistently achieved victories against the Ghost Fleet in the East Sea.
“Turn Undead! And those barricades—boom!”
She not only sniped named undead with Turn Undead but also obliterated barricades and defensive troops with wide-area spells.
The undead defenders of Ulsan Bridge had no chance of holding out.
Had they received reinforcements from their main army, they might have lasted longer, but without support, they were nothing.
In no time, Ulsan Bridge was reclaimed by the Pohang Fleet and the Grand Coalition.
With Ulsan Bridge secured, the fleet adjusted its course once more.
“Shall we advance along the river and support the others?”
“Understood. All units, proceed up the Taehwa River.”
Their next target was Myeongchon Bridge, the most fiercely contested battleground.
At Myeongchon Bridge, the Grand Coalition’s elite forces, led by Jina Ahn and Han Seong-geun, were engaged in an intense battle.
Even the Immortal Cult’s northern expeditionary force, stationed in Northern Ulsan, had dispatched their troops to Myeongchon Bridge upon realizing the dire situation in Southern Ulsan.
The battle at Myeongchon Bridge had devolved into complete chaos.
However, in this chaos, the undead were disoriented, whereas the Grand Coalition moved with singular purpose.
“The objective is Myeongchon Bridge! Just take the bridge—we don’t need to push deeper into Southern Ulsan! Commander Jung Dong-gun is handling the enemies in Northern Ulsan; our job is to block reinforcements!”
“Understood!”
If Myeongchon Bridge was secured, control of Northern Ulsan would revert to the Balhut Cult.
With Ulsan Bridge already reclaimed, the remaining bridges were inconsequential. The Grand Coalition only needed Myeongchon Bridge to launch a decisive strike on the Immortal Cult’s main base.
There was no need to waste resources reclaiming other bridges when they could strike directly at the enemy’s heart.
“Lady Seol-hwa, we’ve received reports from our patrol fleet in the East Sea—the Ghost Fleet has reappeared.”
“It looks like things are about to get busy.”
With Ulsan Bridge fallen and Myeongchon Bridge on the verge of being captured, reports came in that the Ghost Fleet had suddenly appeared.
This confirmed that the Ghost Fleet was indeed connected to the Immortal Cult, removing any lingering doubts.
Upon receiving the report from Kim Tae-sik, Baek Seol-hwa, who had been preparing to attack the undead forces stationed at Myeongchon Bridge, furrowed her brows.
The timing of the Ghost Fleet’s appearance in the East Sea was far too blatant.
“Withdraw to the East Sea. Leave a few ships to assist the Grand Coalition, but the rest will intercept the Ghost Fleet in the East Sea.”
No matter what, the East Sea was a crucial region that could not be abandoned.
Lowering the hand she had raised towards Myeongchon Bridge, Baek Seol-hwa ordered most of the fleet to retreat, leaving only a few ships to support Jina Ahn.
Although she wished to remain in this battle until the end, the divine command of Bahamut to protect the East Sea was absolute.
The Divine Dragon had ordered her to protect the East Sea, so how could she possibly ignore a crisis in those waters?
“What a shame. This was a perfect opportunity to earn some military merit.”
Kim Tae-sik regretted missing a decisive chance to achieve recognition, but he strictly followed Baek Seol-hwa’s orders.
Leaving behind a few ships to support the Myeongchon Bridge operation, the Pohang Fleet began its withdrawal.
The naval forces had now retreated, and the small fleet that remained could not provide the same level of fire support as before.
At most, they could assist with artillery bombardments, but that was more than enough for the Decisive Assault Force.
“The goal is right in front of us!”
“Attack relentlessly! We must capture the bridge by tonight and split Ulsan in half!”
With the night assault breaking the enemy’s formation, their defensive lines were already collapsing.
The Immortal Cult may have summoned the Ghost Fleet to drive away the naval forces, but even if they succeeded, it was far too late to reestablish their shattered defenses.
The reinforcements heading for Myeongchon Bridge were blocked by Jina Ahn and Han Seong-geun’s elite troops,
Forcing the undead army stationed at Myeongchon Bridge into a two-front battle that was steadily wearing them down.
“Damn it! It’s only 7 PM?!”
The biggest mistake of the Immortal Cult was not expecting an assault at this hour.
Logically, they had assumed that an attack would come at 10 or 11 PM, a time when most people would be asleep.
No one had anticipated that the Grand Coalition would launch an assault while their forces were still awake at 7 PM.
However, due to the apocalypse, all streetlights had long since stopped functioning, leaving the entire city in complete darkness.
Furthermore, with the sun setting at 4 PM and full nightfall by 5 PM, 7 PM was actually the perfect time to strike.
“Alright! The bridge is secured!”
“Now, eliminate the remaining forces in Northern Ulsan!”
It wasn’t long before Jung Dong-gun’s troops successfully captured Myeongchon Bridge, physically severing the connection between Northern Ulsan and Southern Ulsan.
This meant that the Immortal Cult’s forces in Northern Ulsan could no longer receive reinforcements from Southern Ulsan.
Seizing this opportunity, Jung Dong-gun immediately ordered the complete annihilation of the remaining enemies in Northern Ulsan.
“Decisive Assault Force, construct barricades! If we can block the bridge, victory is ours!”
“We need time to set up the barricades! Who’s brave enough to follow me?!”
While Jung Dong-gun focused on eliminating the remaining undead, the Decisive Assault Force turned Myeongchon Bridge into a fortress, preparing for a defensive stand.
They transported barricades from Ulsan Airport, establishing a fortified defensive line that would make it difficult for the Immortal Cult to launch a counterattack.
Meanwhile, Jina Ahn led a small assault unit, charging into the enemy ranks.
The sheer force of their assault caused the undead main army to hesitate.
Once again, the Grand Coalition had entered a defensive siege, and the undead, traumatized by their past failures at Ulsan Airport, wavered.
“Damn it!”
With the Decisive Assault Force successfully halting the Immortal Cult’s movements, Jung Dong-gun was able to capture the Necromancers remaining in Northern Ulsan.
Each of them had served as battlefield commanders on the front lines, and their importance within the Immortal Cult’s leadership was immediately evident.
“Oh-ho… Their levels are quite high. They must be at least mid-Level 10.”
As Awakeners, they were only a step away from reaching the realm of transcendence.
The Balhut Cult treated individuals of their caliber as high-ranking officers, making their capture a huge strategic victory for the Grand Coalition.
Jung Dong-gun had the captured Necromancers restrained and transported to Ulsan Airport’s headquarters.
“Be careful. These guys are known to self-destruct.”
“Right… They did suicide bomb themselves during the refugee evacuation mission, didn’t they?”
Upon seeing the captured Necromancers, Jina Ahn immediately warned Jung Dong-gun that they were capable of suicidal explosions.
Jung Dong-gun, recalling what had happened during the refugee evacuation operation, nodded.
“Then the only solution is to seal their magic and lock them in solitary confinement.”
“Is it even possible to seal their magic?”
“There’s a set of magic-sealing handcuffs developed by God Bahamut. We’re already using them to keep an extremely dangerous prisoner locked up.”
At that time, Bahamut had successfully developed Mithril, and among the many byproducts of that research was a device capable of sealing magic.
Of course, this wasn’t something intentionally given to Jung Dong-gun for the current situation.
“It was a hassle to deal with, so God Bahamut just dumped it on me.”
During the international reconstruction meetings, Bahamut had little interest in managing such minor inventions, so they were simply handed over to the Grand Coalition for disposal.
At the time, Jung Dong-gun had not given much thought to these magic-sealing devices, but now, he had found the perfect use for them.
These handcuffs were particularly effective in restraining Awakened criminals, preventing them from using their abilities.
“Dangerous prisoner?”
“That’s a separate issue. Now, let’s seal their magic and throw them in solitary confinement. Just to be safe, all communication with them will be handled via radio devices.”
Because of this technology, even Do Josoon, who had been sentenced to death, remained imprisoned, unable to escape using his Awakener abilities.
For Awakeners, these restraints were absolute poison.
Jung Dong-gun used them to neutralize the Necromancers’ abilities and lock them away in isolation.
To prevent any possibility of self-destruction, communication with them was completely restricted.
“Name?”
“…Noh Tae-jun.”
Realizing that his abilities were sealed and that he had been completely cut off from the outside world, the captured Necromancer resigned himself to cooperating with the Grand Coalition’s interrogation.
After all, in this apocalypse, human rights no longer existed.
If the Grand Coalition wished, they could torture him without hesitation.
Moreover, as a Necromancer who had controlled the undead, no one would feel sympathy for his suffering.
If he wanted to survive, his only option was cooperation.
“Rank in the Immortal Cult?”
“Mid-tier officer.”
At least he was willing to disclose his rank.
“Would your side even consider negotiating with us?”
“Negotiate? With the Balhut Cult?! Our two factions are destined to fight to the death!”
When Jung Dong-gun suggested negotiations, the Necromancer reacted with fury, declaring that Balhut Cult and Immortal Cult were in an eternal war.
Hearing this, Han Seong-geun sighed.
“They’re beyond reason.”
“Probably because we crushed them so many times at Ulsan Airport.”
Saying this, Jina Ahn smirked.
Ignoring the Necromancer’s screams, Jung Dong-gun simply stated the undeniable truth.
“The ones at a disadvantage now… are you.”
—
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