Chapter 32
The movements of Do Josoon were naturally detected by the Balhut Cult’s scouting team, and the information they gathered was quickly relayed to the main suppression force.
“Yuna, a report has come from the scouts.”
“It looks like he’s finally making a move. Well then, let’s mobilize the special unit.”
“As you command.”
Since Do Josoon’s actions had been anticipated, the Balhut Cult began to move according to their plan without much surprise.
Jung Dong-gun sent a signal to those who had gone ahead as the special unit, and upon receiving it, they joined forces with the scouts and began moving gradually.
Now, the only thing left was for the suppression force to lure Do Josoon’s gang to a favorable location.
“Then, shall we move to a place that’s good for fighting? Ah, of course, from Do Josoon’s perspective.”
“Understood. All troops, march while singing the military song so that Do Josoon’s gang can see us clearly!”
And so, they began to move deliberately to a location that would be most advantageous for Do Josoon to fight.
Thanks to the marching soldiers singing loudly and moving grandly, Do Josoon’s side could easily track the movements and routes of the Balhut Cult.
“They’re heading straight for our base, boss.”
“Don’t worry. This is our territory.”
If there was one advantage Northern Gyeongju had, it was that it was their domain, and they could fully utilize the advantage of familiar terrain.
The reason Do Josoon’s gang could observe the Balhut Cult’s parade was due to this geographic advantage, which allowed them to monitor the Cult’s movements and plan their own accordingly.
With binoculars, Do Josoon’s gang kept watch on the Cult’s movements, positioning themselves in an optimal spot to ambush Yuna.
“Great. There’s a perfect spot to ambush them on their way to our base.”
After spotting the Balhut Cult’s suppression force heading for the base to subdue the King of Northern Gyeongju, Do Josoon took the lead in seizing an advantageous position for an ambush and waited for the Cult’s arrival.
Before long, the sound of marching and the grand echoes of the military song reached Do Josoon’s ears, as if the earth itself was rumbling.
“She’s right at the front.”
“Yeah, I see her clearly.”
It was truly lucky.
From the perspective of the ambushers, Choi Yuna was making herself an easy target by leading from the front.
Unlike the others, including Jung Dong-gun, who wore matching combat uniforms, Choi Yuna wore a dazzling ceremonial robe adorned with a dragon emblem.
With her shining platinum hair and a tiara and veil, most people would think of a saintly figure straight out of a storybook when they saw Yuna.
“Wow.”
In fact, Do Josoon’s henchmen, who caught sight of Choi Yuna, felt a surge of crude desires and a strong urge to possess her.
‘Wow, now I understand why the boss insisted on capturing her.’
They began to grasp why their leader had been so adamant about capturing Choi Yuna.
“She’s gotten even more beautiful.”
This sentiment wasn’t much different for Do Josoon himself.
He licked his lips, reveling in the twisted pleasure of imagining filling that beautiful face with suffering.
The thought of taking that exquisite young woman and making her his own was a tantalizing idea.
Above all, the current situation seemed to favor Do Josoon greatly.
“She’s an utterly foolish woman, isn’t she? The one who should be most protected shows herself like this.”
“It’s good for us, isn’t it, boss?”
The mere fact that she was wearing a ceremonial robe with seemingly no protective power made it clear that Yuna was defenseless.
If she intended to appear like that, she should have hidden among people, like some high-ranking official or wealthy noble.
Though Do Josoon despised such figures, believing they all deserved to die, at this moment, he thought that even Yuna should have hidden herself like those loathsome pigs.
But she hadn’t, and because of that, someone like him had a chance.
This time, Do Josoon sneered at Yuna’s foolishness and signaled to his men.
“Alright, the hunt begins. Get ready to snipe.”
And while envisioning the rosy future ahead, he began preparations for an ambush.
The pre-positioned snipers and wizards aimed at Yuna’s body from their strategic positions.
If they could shoot and capture Yuna, Do Josoon, the self-proclaimed King of Northern Gyeongju, could become the true ruler of Gyeongju.
As the true king of Gyeongju, he would have control over not only the Balhut Cult based in Southern Gyeongju but also that damn dragon, along with Choi Yuna’s beautiful hair and her maturing, alluring body.
“Such a waste.”
What bothered him was that in order to capture Yuna, they had to aim to shoot, which meant that her beautiful body might be damaged by his subordinates’ shots.
But he wasn’t too concerned.
Rumor had it that Choi Yuna was a healer who could heal her own wounds, so if it wasn’t a fatal injury, he could just order her to heal herself after capturing her.
“She’s an awakened one, after all, boss.”
“Make sure to aim for the vital spots.”
“Sounds good.”
Relying on this, some of the snipers and wizards targeted not only her limbs and thighs but also vital areas like her head and heart.
They believed that since Yuna was an awakened being, this wouldn’t be enough to kill her.
“Fire, fire, fire!”
With Do Josoon’s signal, bullets were fired, and magic aimed at Yuna was unleashed.
The loud noise and destructive sounds reverberated throughout Northern Gyeongju, causing confusion among the marching soldiers as the explosions and gunfire disrupted their formation.
The troops, who had been proudly marching moments ago, halted their advance.
“Hey, let’s finish them off!”
Chaos ensued.
Do Josoon assumed that the army had stopped because Yuna had fallen to a sniper’s bullet, leading to disarray among the troops. Without even confirming Yuna’s status, he ordered his men to charge, thinking he could seize victory while the enemy was in turmoil.
It was as if he were declaring checkmate on the Cult, determined to bring an end to their tiresome conflict.
“All troops, counterattack.”
However, it wasn’t the Balhut Cult that was cornered.
It was Do Josoon’s group that had made the miscalculated surprise attack.
Jung Dong-gun, the actual commander, remained calm even after Yuna was attacked and continued to direct the suppression force. The soldiers, who were already informed of the plan, did not waver for a moment and aimed their guns, loaded with special rounds, at Do Josoon’s gang.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The 500 awakened soldiers, maintaining their formation, quickly shifted into a phalanx, adopting a firing stance, and surrounded Do Josoon’s ambushers, unleashing merciless gunfire.
Contrary to Do Josoon’s belief that Yuna’s fall would cause significant confusion, the Balhut Cult responded with a fierce counterattack that seemed almost coldly calculated.
“The righteousness of this battle belongs to our Balhut Cult!”
“Ooooh!”
Under Jung Dong-gun’s command, Do Josoon’s attacking force faced a relentless counterattack.
The similar numbers between both sides meant that their decision not to concentrate their forces turned out to be a fatal mistake.
Do Josoon’s group, unable to withstand the relentless gunfire from the organized Cult soldiers, began to fall apart and get picked off one by one.
“Stop whining!”
“B-Boss! Their bullets are strange!”
But there was something peculiar.
Do Josoon and his followers, who had awakened abilities, usually couldn’t be easily hurt by ordinary bullets.
Using high-caliber bullets could cause significant bruising or even tear through flesh, but with low-caliber bullets, they could endure dozens of hits thanks to their durable physique.
The Balhut Cult’s rifles were the standard K2 rifles, and their lack of stopping power and firepower gave Do Josoon’s gang the confidence to launch an attack.
However, the bullets used by the Balhut Cult were different.
Even though the rifles themselves were familiar, the bullets fired from the Balhut Cult’s rifles overwhelmed the attackers, causing them to fall one by one.
The fallen gang members foamed at the mouth and convulsed as if they had been struck by lightning.
“Look, there’s a shield-bearer. Everyone, concentrate your fire!”
“Aaaaargh!”
One of the sturdier henchmen, holding a large shield, tried to withstand the hail of bullets from the front to allow the gang to charge. However, the Balhut Cult’s soldiers aimed carefully at the shield-bearer, firing in volleys, and even he couldn’t endure their assault, collapsing under the barrage.
“This is my first time using these bullets, and I’m not sure about the firepower, but they’re incredibly effective for suppression.”
“Of course. We chose non-lethal ammunition specifically for subduing awakened beings, as we need to capture them alive.”
The bullets they used were a new weapon crafted by melting down the Balhut Cult’s coins at the Foundry in Gyeongju.
The bullets, marked with a lightning symbol, emitted a powerful electric charge upon hitting the target, strong enough to paralyze the nerves of even awakened beings.
Though ineffective against the undead like zombies, these bullets, primarily used by the security forces for internal policing, were especially prepared in large quantities at the Foundry for today’s battle and distributed to the suppression force.
“Haha, truly impressive.”
“Agreed.”
“Well then, it’s about time to capture Do Josoon.”
Jung Dong-gun couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the power of these bullets, which proved mercilessly effective against not only wandering awakened criminals but also Do Josoon’s gang. He felt as though he wanted to ask the god watching over the battle if even this had been foreseen.
However, the battle wasn’t over yet.
Upon hearing the words of his lieutenant, Jung Dong-gun raised his voice and shouted confidently at the soldiers, or more accurately, at those following Do Josoon.
“Look! The Balhut Cult’s new weapon is effective even against awakened beings! Do you see now, Do Josoon, that you have no chance of victory? You have failed!”
“Ugh, aaaargh!”
“I just want to live!”
It was a harsh reminder of reality.
Even the awakened beings who had once dominated all of Northern Gyeongju were falling helplessly under the new weapon of the Cult.
They didn’t know what underhanded methods had been used to create these bullets, but Do Josoon and his gang realized that being hit by them was dangerous, leading to a loss of their will to resist.
There was no loyalty or reason left for them to continue fighting for the self-proclaimed king, Do Josoon, especially not when their formation had already been shattered beyond recovery.
Jung Dong-gun’s shout only served to confirm Do Josoon’s downfall, and as soon as his proclamation ended, Do Josoon’s gang began to abandon their positions or outright flee the battlefield.
“D-Damn it! Hold the line! Do you want to die at my hands?!”
“Alright then, all troops, advance and close in.”
As the gang scattered in their desperate attempt to survive, Do Josoon fumed at the deserters, while Jung Dong-gun took advantage of the situation to press forward.
Jung Dong-gun slowly advanced his troops, taunting Do Josoon, and the powerful sounds of marching, accompanied by the loud military songs, filled Do Josoon’s ears.
Unable to withstand the Cult’s tightening advance, Do Josoon eventually fled the battlefield, taking only his loyal followers with him.
“Hold out! We’ll barricade ourselves at the base!”
“Boss! Don’t leave us behind!”
“Shut up!”
Realizing there was no hope left, Do Josoon fled with the few subordinates he could gather.
With that, the battle was over.
Had Do Josoon not fled and chosen to fight the Balhut Cult, he might have managed to keep his group together, but with their leader now retreating in fear, his subordinates had no reason left to follow him.
Except for his closest followers, the rest of his men either fled into the city of Gyeongju or were captured by the Balhut Cult’s suppression force as they attempted to find their own way to survive.
“We have to save ourselves!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right!”
Even as his gang fell apart and his subordinates were being captured, Do Josoon clung to the notion that he had to survive and retreated toward his base.
It was a pitiful sight, seeing him and his gang flee from the Cult’s army. Yet, he believed that he could withstand the Cult’s assault from inside his base.
He had lost many of his men, but his stronghold had been fortified to the maximum in preparation for any unforeseen events, and he had stored a considerable amount of wealth and supplies within to prepare for a confrontation with Southern Gyeongju.
He trusted the defenses of his base and hoped that if he could hold out long enough, his scattered subordinates outside might regroup and launch a counterattack on the Balhut Cult.
With his assistance from inside, he believed that even the Cult would eventually be forced to retreat back to Southern Gyeongju, devising what he thought was a foolproof strategy.
However, there was one unfortunate truth for Do Josoon.
“Get lost!”
Do Josoon’s base no longer belonged to him.
The defensive walls that he had built to stand against the Balhut Cult now stood as an iron barrier blocking his entry.
The thought flashed through his mind—had one of the subordinates he’d left behind betrayed him?
“Who are you?”
“Naturally, a proud member of the Balhut Cult!”
It wasn’t a betrayal by one of his subordinates, but rather the Cult itself that had seized his base.
While Do Josoon was preoccupied with Choi Yuna, the main force and the detached unit had joined up with the scouts and launched an assault on his stronghold.
Though Do Josoon had left a few trusted men behind to guard the base, just in case, that wasn’t enough.
“Welcome, welcome!”
“Free pass for us!”
Yet, the flaw in Do Josoon’s plan was that he’d considered the possibility of betrayal by his subordinates, but he hadn’t anticipated betrayal by the slaves.
The slaves remaining at the base had opened the gates for the Cult’s special unit, allowing them to swiftly subdue Do Josoon’s men and seize control of the stronghold.
Afterward, they had taken the weapons stored in Do Josoon’s warehouse and armed the slaves, turning them into rebels ready to fight before Do Josoon could return after losing to the suppression force.
“Your misdeeds end here, Do Josoon.”
“End? Don’t make me laugh!”
And behind Do Josoon, a grim reaper followed, ready to finish him off.
Despite having been sniped earlier, the leader of the Balhut Cult, who bore a calm smile without a scratch, now stood before the foolish clown who had dared to proclaim himself the king of Gyeongju, signaling his end.
Yet, Do Josoon refused to acknowledge his demise, gritting his teeth and screaming.
“I am! The king of Gyeongju!”
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