Chapter 259

Chapter 259

The most important thing in plotting an assassination is the target’s movements.

Whether you know or don’t know where the target goes at what time and what they do greatly raises or lowers the assassination’s success rate. Isn’t the reason monarchs deliberately change their bedchambers frequently because just knowing where the bedchamber is greatly increases the success rate?

Therefore, when plotting an assassination, gathering information about the target takes first priority. What the target likes, where they sleep, at what point they’re most defenseless—gathering such information comes first. And.

In that sense, gathering information about Ilnachar wasn’t particularly difficult.

“I’ve found out.”

Because Ilnachar was utterly defenseless.

“…Is all this information accurate?”

“Yes.”

Baek Risan, who confirmed the documents Eungryong had compiled, let out a hollow laugh and read the contents. Documents listing almost everything from Ilnachar’s personal details onward.

“You could… investigate all of this?”

Information that, knowing even one thing, would greatly help in assassination.

Information about Ilnachar’s carelessness was clearly organized before her eyes. Baek Risan frowned at this. Because it meant Ilnachar cared so little about her own life.

“She really trusts her technique.”

“It’s normally an impossible technique to overcome.”

“I suppose so.”

Self-replication technique.

The technique Ilnachar uses to replicate her own body is one with virtually no method of breaking. The essence of the self-replication technique is to keep one’s body separate and create replicas to operate, and to break that, one must either destroy all replicas and find where the operating original is, or track the original’s location from the start. A level of technique impossible even for Eungryong, one who has reached the pinnacle of magic arts. Therefore, normally, even with such carelessness from Ilnachar, no problems would arise.

However.

“But now we have a method.”

Transferring consciousness to a replica. That means, ultimately, consciousness is trapped in the replica.

Then if we can trap the consciousness returning to the original when the replica dies?

Wouldn’t that mean it’s not a replica?

“It’s possible to trap the consciousness, right?”

—Possible. After all, it passes through the flow.

“…”

—If you can cut the flow, you can also block the return path. More precisely, it’s closer to twisting the flow so they can’t find their way…

“No, even if you say it like that, I don’t understand… Anyway, it’s possible, right?”

—That’s right.

“Then that’s enough.”

Twisting the flow, cutting the passage to block the return path.

Even hearing it, there’s no way to understand. Baek Risan lightly shook her head at Nakcheon’s words and turned her gaze to the information Eungryong had organized.

“Then we need to decide when to attack. When would be good?”

“Wouldn’t attacking while she’s sleeping be best? No matter what creature, they can’t respond properly while sleeping.”

“Hmm. I don’t think that would necessarily work. If she were an ordinary martial artist, perhaps, but isn’t this person called Ilnachar also deeply versed in magic arts? She must have prepared countermeasures even while sleeping.”

“Of course, but… wouldn’t it still be less than when she’s awake?”

“Hmm.”

Watching Eungryong and Songbyeok Jinin exchange opinions, Dokgo Cheon snorted. Then came the answer.

“I thought only righteous path hypocrites were bookish, but the Demonic Cult is bookish too. Isn’t it obvious when to attack?”

“…Since you speak that way, it seems you have a plan. What do you think?”

“We should do it when she’s awake.”

“So when exactly…”

“When she’s in the bathroom.”

“…!”

When is a beast most vulnerable?

Not when sleeping with preparations, nor when conducting daily activities. The most vulnerable time is when they let down all guard and go to the privy.

“Even if it’s a replica, if there’s something going in, there must be something coming out. If we stab then, she can’t move.”

“Wh, what if she moves?”

“Even if she moves, it’s fine. She’s been interrupted mid-defecation—can she even fight properly? She’d be lucky not to fall over awkwardly.”

“Such viciousness…”

At the extremely vicious scheme, Songbyeok Jinin trembled. And just as he was about to respond, a roar was heard.

Kuuuuung—!!!

“This sound is…”

“Ah, it’s the sound of activating the formation.”

“The sound of activating the formation? What formation are they activating?”

“The formation to destroy the Great Seal.”

“What do you…”

What does it mean to install a formation to destroy a formation?

At the story difficult to accept with common sense, Songbyeok Jinin blinked. And for good reason, as the common methods of dismantling formations were only destroying the axes or reverse-solving them in a prescribed manner.

“Haven’t we already destroyed three axes of the Great Seal? If only the Oyeon axis is destroyed, all four axes will be broken—does it have meaning?”

“It’s not three but still two. One location has a sealing formation activated, so we can’t destroy it immediately. But well, setting that aside…”

Eungryong lightly shook his head and continued.

“Formations normally have axes, and dismantling them by destroying those axes is standard. Everyone probably knows this much.”

“Well, sure…”

“But the Great Seal is different. The Great Seal has no axes.”

“…? Then what are those four settlements?”

“Those are axes for maintaining formations located outside the Great Seal. To prevent easy access to the Great Seal.”

Though yokai can live in any extreme environment, the sensibilities they hold aren’t different from humans. If it’s an environment where humans live well, it’s the same environment where yokai live well.

“Yokai also like fertile land. They want land where greenery is thick and nature moves abundantly.”

“You mean they’re targeting Jungwon?”

“Yes. Not all yokai worldwide target Jungwon, but at least on this continent, they do.”

Jungwon is exceptionally fertile land even on this entire continent. Though there are lands of similar quality, most of those lands are already claimed by tremendously powerful great yokai.

“Some yokai think pioneering new territory is easier than clashing with existing fearsome yokai. So they target Jungwon. But.”

“Jungwon is protected by the Great Seal.”

“Yes. So the yokai’s goal is the Great Seal. And the formations existing outside the Great Seal serve as primary filters preventing such great yokai from encroaching.”

Even if all four axes are destroyed, it won’t affect the Great Seal. After all, those formations aren’t connected to the Great Seal.

However, the mere fact that the Great Seal is directly exposed to the outside is meaningful. No matter how solid the steel, if you strike it with a hammer a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand times, its shape will gradually change.

“There are two methods to destroy the Great Seal. The first is for the Divine Cult’s collective will to agree to it. And the second is to cause cracks in the Great Seal with overwhelming force.”

“Then…”

“Yes. That formation is for bombardment.”

Gathering the flesh and vital blood of ten thousand humans, forging it into pure force, and shooting that force at a single point.

It’s not a formation that can be used for war or combat against people. Installation alone takes over seven days and nights, and it can only fire at a predetermined location. However.

“If it strikes with all four axes destroyed, even the Great Seal that has endured for thousands of years can’t remain unscathed. At least a small crack will form. And once even a small crack forms, complete collapse is only a matter of time.”

“…Then shouldn’t we leave that alone either?”

“We should, but what can we do? There are limits to what we can accomplish.”

The moment Ilnachar is caught, destroying the formation becomes virtually impossible. Conversely, even if we focus on destroying the formation without catching Ilnachar, there’s no guarantee we can destroy the formation. Then what we must do is clear.

“Won’t the search party or the main sect handle the formation? Let’s focus on our task.”

“I suppose…”

At Eungryong’s words, Baek Risan nodded as if it couldn’t be helped and lowered her gaze.

“Anyway, the important thing is when to assassinate.”

“Didn’t we just finish that discussion? In the privy…”

“No, I’m not talking about that? Mister, step aside.”

“…I’m a mister?”

He’s only thirty-three, yet being called mister.

While Dokgo Cheon stood in great shock at words he never imagined, Baek Risan tapped the documents.

“Anyway, we can’t not consider what happens after assassination. Right?”

“Yes. After assassinating Ilnachar, we’ll need to devise an escape method. However…”

“This is the middle of a desert.”

In a desert, if you climb on a sand dune and look down at the surroundings, all the scenery is clearly visible. It’s not an environment where you can slip away with multiple people scattered searching, let alone one person.

“We need to do it in a chaotic situation to survive. It’s not that our forces are immediately strong, but that the search party’s forces are strong.”

“…”

At Baek Risan calling forces capable of steaming an average major sect overnight “not strong,” Songbyeok Jinin briefly fell silent then smiled bitterly.

“It doesn’t seem like our forces aren’t strong… But I do agree with Baek Risan Patron’s thinking. Not thinking about the aftermath and just rushing in like a moth to flame isn’t a good approach. Do you have a plan in mind?”

“As I said, I think we should do it in a chaotic situation, but hmm.”

What chaotic situations are there?

What immediately comes to mind is the day of executing the grand plan. Since activating the formation to destroy the Great Seal itself consumes so much manpower, naturally, if we succeed in assassinating Ilnachar, the probability of escaping will dramatically increase. However.

“Wouldn’t that be too late then?”

“That’s the problem.”

Even if we succeed in assassinating Ilnachar, if the Great Seal is destroyed, that’s too late. After all, the reason for assassinating Ilnachar is to protect the Great Seal—wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse?

“At what point should we strike?”

At what point should we assassinate to escape safely?

“Hmm?”

“…What is it?”

“No, just a moment.”

In the middle of their conversation, Eungryong suddenly frowned, closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate on something, then smiled broadly. Then came the answer.

“It seems we have a plan after all.”

“What?”

“The search party has just moved.”