Chapter 251

Chapter 251

The talks had broken down.

“Report on the war situation.”

“You’ve likely already heard, but Gahyang and Nojeong have been completely destroyed and occupied. We managed to hold Gongsak, but… the Great Seal has been completely half-destroyed.”

To Ilryun’s question, who had quickly returned to the Demonic Cult, a strategist who had been organizing the war situation quietly answered. And upon hearing that story, Ilryun asked in a quiet, subdued voice.

“I heard that Chilryun were at the enemy’s vanguard.”

“Who betrayed us?”

“We haven’t calculated it precisely yet, but……”

The strategist who had paused turned his gaze away.

“Hyeolgyeom, Ambi, Eungryong. Those three have been confirmed to be at the Blood Cult’s vanguard, destroying the Great Seal.”

“At least it’s not more than half who betrayed us. Where are the other Chilryun?”

“Lady Jeokyeol is currently outside on the Divine Maiden Deputy’s orders. As you know, one person is in charge of scouting beyond Xinjiang…… The last one, Cheongong, has been confirmed to remain within the Cult.”

“……We’re short on numbers. This is troublesome.”

Watching Ilryun shake his brow as if his head hurt, the strategist blinked and quietly turned his gaze away. And the following question.

“Hm?”

“The person next to you…… who are they?”

“Ah? Oh.”

At the sudden question directed at me, Ilryun waved his hand.

“The current Divine Maiden.”

“Ah, the current Divine Maiden……? What?”

“Meaning the last remaining bloodline of the Gongsun family. Introduce yourself. The name is Baek Riyun.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Riyun.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Sinroe Ujin, in charge of the Divine Cult’s strategy…… But what on earth does that mean.”

“That wretched girl Yeonbi went outside and had children, it seems. Three of them, at that.”

“This one is one of them. And it seems they’re not completely unrelated to the current situation, so I brought them along.”

I hadn’t originally intended to follow.

Even if the Great Seal was being attacked, that was strictly an internal matter of the Divine Cult. There was nothing I could do by following, and moreover, it would naturally be impossible to follow without Ilryun’s permission.

-If you’re of the Divine Maiden’s bloodline, you’re certainly not unrelated to this situation. Your very existence value is disappearing.

This wasn’t someone else’s problem.

Ilryun said that while forcibly dragging me to the Divine Cult. Telling me to see and hear the situation and relay it to the Central Plains search party.

“Don’t pay too much attention to this child. I just brought them along thinking they might be of some help.”

“Yes…….”

“Still, the war situation is strange. To attack the Great Seal, all four axes must be destroyed, yet the enemy is only attacking three axes. Was there no particular news from the Oyeon side?”

“No. There was an attack on the Oyeon side as well.”

“Hmm.”

“However, you know, don’t you. In Oyeon’s case…….”

“There’s the Yokai Hunter headquarters. It seems the Yokai Hunters joined forces and blocked it well.”

“The fact that our Cult’s Chilryun concentrated on the other three places is probably for that reason.”

“A blessing in disguise.”

Watching Ilryun exhale a sigh of relief and close his eyes to calculate the forces, I organized the situation. Three of the Chilryun had betrayed and sided with the Blood Cult. Two Chilryun remained in the Demonic Cult, including Ilryun.

‘Isn’t the situation quite bad?’

Ilryun is strong.

I haven’t yet reached the realm of Sipcheon, but having recently spent time with Sipcheon, I’ve heard about the realm above them. Shedding one’s frame. Being reborn as an existence beyond frames. ‘Talgak.’

Those who have achieved Talgak cannot be compared with martial artists of the stage below. Even if one has strength reaching the top among Sipcheon like Bulgoe or the Sado Alliance Leader, the gap with a Talgakja is large. Ilryun is probably a Talgakja, and could claim victory even in a two-on-one against ordinary Sipcheon or Chilryun.

‘That’s only talking about when considering just the three Chilryun.’

Chilryun are neither fools nor idiots.

There are no martial artists who would pick a fight with no chance of winning when there’s no profit or unavoidable circumstances forcing them to retreat. If they act, they naturally act to accomplish something.

From that perspective, there’s a high probability that the three Chilryun who betrayed did so because they were confident they could break the Great Seal if they betrayed. There’s no way Ilryun’s military force wasn’t included in that calculation.

“What about the half-destroyed Gongsak?”

“We’ve completely locked it down with formations and cut it off from the outside. The Blood Cult’s spell casters are probably working to unlock it, but it will likely take considerable time. Won’t it hold out for about six days?”

“Then all that’s left is Oyeon. How long will it take for the enemy to reach Oyeon?”

“If it’s a full assault, I’m thinking ten days; if it’s a quick attack, four days.”

“Ten days to four days…….”

After thinking for a moment, Ilryun turned his gaze to me.

“What does the Divine Maiden think?”

“……Are you asking me?”

“That’s right. That child Yeonbi was an excellent martial artist, but also an excellent strategist. If you received Yeonbi’s teachings, wouldn’t you have that insight as well?”

“That’s…… not incorrect, but.”

“Clearly, this is proceeding according to those bastards’ scheme. As long as they have an intelligence network, they wouldn’t be unaware that the Central Plains search party has come nearby.”

“Even considering that, they must have judged that if they attempt it now, they can win sufficiently, which is why they employed this strategy. What must be done to break through this situation?”

Before the opponent’s hand is revealed, before even clashing once, our entire hand has been revealed.

“Conventionally, we’d have to crush them with force.”

“There are limits to the responses one can take when the opponent’s hand is unknown.”

No matter how much of a genius strategist one is, one hand cannot block ten hands.

“If you crush the opponent with force so great that strategy becomes useless, strategy loses its meaning. Therefore, conventionally, crushing with force would be the standard approach.”

“……Saying ‘conventionally that’s so’ makes it sound like you have a different plan.”

“Are you reluctant to crush them with force?”

“There are rarely good outcomes when being led along by the enemy’s intentions. If the opponent is demanding a clash of force against force, shouldn’t we annihilate the enemy through a different method?”

Those aren’t wrong words.

Even though they’ve obtained information about the search party, if they’re still pushing forward with the plan, it clearly means they have some method remaining to break through this situation.

Being led along according to their intentions is correct to avoid. The idea of not clashing force against force is indeed good. However.

“It seems Lord Ilryun is overlooking something.”

“……What?”

“The enemy’s aim isn’t to clash force against force.”

Isn’t it strange to begin with?

No matter how much the settlement Oyeon is the Yokai Hunters’ stronghold, if they had the forces to face the Central Plains search party plus the remaining Chilryun including Ilryun, they wouldn’t have sent forces insufficient to capture Oyeon. If the Blood Cult committed its full strength, the Blood Cult Leader and the Blood Cult’s protectors would all have come, so it’s ambiguous to say their forces are lacking.

“The basics of strategy are thinking from the opponent’s position, but this is something we need to think about from our position as well.”

“The northern and western axes have been completely destroyed, and the eastern one is half-destroyed with formations activated, making it impossible to approach. In this situation, what action can we take?”

“Protect…… Oyeon?”

“Yes. We’ve been manipulated into thinking that. That protecting Oyeon is the only way. That it’s the only method.”

If we fight force against force at Oyeon?

There’s no way to bring forces exceeding our side’s strength, but clearly the other side has some scheme. Whether it’s a method to bind our feet, or like the Sado Alliance’s great transfer, a stratagem to blow us away somewhere, it means they have a way to break through that situation. That would be the same whether they bring force against force or any other strategy.

“There’s no need to specifically limit the battlefield to Oyeon. If the enemy has set up a trap, it means there’s no reason to walk into it.”

“……Then.”

“As far as I know, even if the formation’s axis is destroyed, it can be quickly repaired as long as the formation itself doesn’t collapse, isn’t that right?”

“……That’s correct.”

“Then isn’t it decided?”

Beyond Oyeon, past the east to the west. And if we strike a place they can’t even respond to.

“The north.”

We give up Oyeon. We temporarily evacuate the people and activate the formation to seal it. And in the meantime.

“We strike Gahyang to annihilate the enemy, cut off their retreat route, and restore the axis.”

Strategy starts with breaking the board.

To break the board.

One must move in a direction the opponent doesn’t expect.

“Well, I think this is a strategy Lord Sinroe would have mentioned on his own even if I hadn’t said it.”

If they’re a proper strategist, they should be able to do at least this much. Even if I hadn’t bothered to step forward and explain, Sinroe, the Demonic Cult’s strategist, would have said it on his own.

“I’m embarrassed. Haha.”

Acting all high and mighty in front of a pro.

Thinking that as I turned my gaze to the side, Sinroe was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“……By any chance, do you have any thoughts of becoming a strategist?”

What are humanity’s three great desires?

Opinions are divided on this matter. Some say sexual desire is included in the three great desires, while others say excretion desire is included.

However, even amid the divided opinions, there are two desires that people point to as the strongest. One is the desire for sleep, the desire that arises when one cannot sleep. And.

The other, the desire for food is also indispensable for human survival.

Just like how Baek Risan had now become the incarnation of appetite.

“An evacuation order has been issued from the Demonic Cult.”

“Eh?”

Yokai Hunter headquarters.

Baek Risan, who had been cutting meat procured from the Central Plains and stuffing it into her mouth while chewing, blinked at Gang Jin, the Yokai Hunter headquarters commander’s words. Gang Jin continued speaking regardless of her appearance.

“You can listen while eating. An evacuation order has been issued to Oyeon’s residents. They say there will be an additional Blood Cult raid here.”

“Ish that sho?”

“……How about speaking after you’ve finished eating?”

“Ish fine to lishten while eating, you shaid.”

“I said listen, not speak.”

“Itsh rally fine, I tell you.”

Baek Risan, who had been grumbling and shaking her head, gulped down what she’d been chewing and took a sip of water to rinse her mouth. And the following question.

“If they’ve issued an evacuation order to the residents, there will be a refugee procession. Where are they evacuating to?”

“The Demonic Cult’s main base.”

“The Demonic Cult’s main base…… Are the Yokai Hunters going there too?”

“No, they probably won’t accept even the Yokai Hunters. They’re quite hostile toward Central Plains people over there.”

“That would make sense.”

The situation where they’re entrusting the search for survivors to the Yokai Hunters.

If they move their base in this situation, all their efforts up to now will turn to nothing. Baek Risan, who had grasped the situation, frowned.

“I don’t know why those Blood Cult bastards are suddenly acting up and causing trouble. Of all times, in this situation…….”

“Perhaps they’re acting up precisely because it’s this kind of situation. In any case, we need to find a new headquarters.”

“Hoo.”

If they move the headquarters, there will be setbacks in searching for survivors.

‘Isn’t there some way……?’

Baek Risan, who had furrowed her brow, quietly fell into thought while picking up another piece of meat with her chopsticks and chewing. And at that moment, a voice was heard.

“Miss. May I ask for directions?”

“Is this by any chance the Yokai Hunter headquarters……?”

A man who had walked steadily into the Yokai Hunter headquarters, approaching Baek Risan with a smile, continued speaking then froze upon seeing Baek Risan’s face.

“Yeonbi?”