Ch.104104. Alliance (3)

After reaching the Bahamut Temple and finishing his conversation with the great dragon god residing there, Han Seong-geun gave his answer.

“I will… cooperate.”

Resolving all the doubts and suspicions he had harbored until just moments ago, Ulsan Airport decided to cooperate with the Balhut Cult.

To be honest, hadn’t religions always been doubted by atheists because they couldn’t perfectly prove the existence of gods? But the Balhut Cult’s god actually existed in reality. One could actually converse with it, and the dragon god’s responses to its followers were relatable—it was an approachable being with whom exchange and connection were possible.

“You’ve made your decision.”

“Yes. But making the decision itself wasn’t difficult. Rather… when presented with such concrete evidence, I have no choice but to believe, whether I want to or not.”

In truth, looking at the practical aspects, Han Seong-geun had observed that the current trend on the Korean peninsula was flowing toward the Balhut Cult. They were the only force that had recaptured a city and operated a proper government, with recognition from the White House. And they had a great dragon god that actually existed. Seeing this firsthand had physically erased any option other than cooperation.

“Here and now, I declare that our Balhut Cult and Ulsan Airport will unite. Any objections?”

“None.”

“Then we shall temporarily call our alliance… the Anti-Immortal Alliance. We can decide on an official name later.”

And so, the alliance between Ulsan Airport and the Balhut Cult was immediately established. Back at the cult’s main hall, Jeong Dong-geon and Han Seong-geun witnessed the birth of the Anti-Immortal Alliance under the notarization of Choi Yu-na, the leader of the Balhut Cult. Since the name signified the alliance between the Balhut Cult and Ulsan against the Cult of Immortality, Jeong Dong-geon and Han Seong-geun nodded in agreement without further comment.

“However, our Balhut Cult will take the position of alliance leader.”

“We have no objection to that. Ulsan Airport has no qualification to claim the leadership position.”

Once the alliance was formed, Jeong Dong-geon immediately stated that the Balhut Cult would hold the position of alliance leader, and Han Seong-geun honestly acknowledged the cult’s superiority and respected them as the leader. This meant that even if new allies joined the alliance, the cult could exercise its authority as the leader, and at the same time…

‘It means they’ll treat other camps as equals.’

It was also a declaration that future survivor camps joining the alliance would not be greatly provoked and would be treated as formally equal to the cult.

‘They acknowledge the alliance but won’t give up the leadership position. But… we’re not equals anyway. The fact that they’re showing respect is already generous enough.’

Han Seong-geun understood the cult’s intentions but chose not to mention it. The power difference between the cult and Ulsan Airport was overwhelming, and he had already known they weren’t equals. Rather, he was greatly relieved by the Balhut Cult’s declaration to treat Ulsan Airport as a formally equal ally. He could feel that these people were treating them with respect.

“We need to organize forces to defend Ulsan Airport. We’ll also need supplies and food to hold out there. And those who cannot fight at Ulsan Airport should be evacuated to a safe place.”

“Yes. There are many children and elderly at Ulsan Airport. If they’re in a safe place, we can fight with peace of mind.”

With the formal alliance declaration complete, it was time to discuss practical matters. The first concern for both Jeong Dong-geon and Han Seong-geun was the evacuation of civilians at Ulsan Airport. If Ulsan became a battlefield, civilians would likely be the first casualties, so evacuating them before fighting began was the best option. For this reason, Jeong Dong-geon mentioned the need for troops and supplies to defend Ulsan Airport, while Han Seong-geun emphasized that there were children and elderly who couldn’t fight.

“Then our cult will dispatch transport vehicles and escort forces for the refugees. We’ll help guide them to a safe place as soon as evacuation preparations are complete.”

“Thank you.”

Yu-na agreed to the two men’s proposal, and evacuation preparations proceeded smoothly. By the time Han Seong-geun and Jeong Dong-geon returned to Ulsan Airport, they had received support from Yu-na in the form of over 200 Awakened troops and military buses capable of transporting thousands of people at once. Nearly 100 buses, each able to transport 30 to 40 people, were prepared and parked in the Ulsan Airport parking lot, waiting for refugees to board.

“Wow. This Balhut Cult organization is more generous than I thought.”

After that, materials and builders began arriving to construct defensive lines centered on Ulsan Airport. Jin A-yeon, watching from the side with a casual posture, stuck out her tongue in admiration at the Balhut Cult’s display of power. She wore a cheap staff around her neck and showed wariness toward the transport vehicles arriving at Ulsan Airport, but she was finally able to let her guard down when a certain man arrived.

“Yes. And from now on, they’re our allies.”

It was Han Seong-geun, who answered that these people were now equal allies and friends. When Han Seong-geun returned, A-yeon was glad to see him, but she seemed to have questions about the mention of allies.

“Allies? Not just doormats or subordinates? Is that just bluster? Are you serious?”

“Of course we’re not equals. But formally, the Balhut Cult has acknowledged us as equals.”

“Right. I guess if they’re treating us as formally equal, that’s good enough.”

Of course, it was just formality; in reality, they were treating Ulsan Airport as little more than a subordinate. However, Han Seong-geun judged that despite this difference, they were showing respect to Ulsan Airport at least formally, and that was enough.

“If you say so, I don’t mind. But I never thought an alliance would actually be formed. Honestly, after suffering under the Cult of Immortality, I thought you’d just finish a formal meeting and come right back.”

“This is completely different from back then.”

However, A-yeon admitted she never expected Han Seong-geun to form an alliance with the cult. Having suffered under the Cult of Immortality, he should have hated suspicious religious organizations, yet he had quickly established an alliance beyond just a formal meeting. A-yeon asked what had happened to cause such a sudden change, and Han Seong-geun dismissed it by saying this was different.

“You seem different somehow, mister. You weren’t brainwashed, were you?”

“You, as a magician, would know that best, wouldn’t you?”

“Hmm. No signs of brainwashing. What exactly did you see?”

A-yeon jokingly mentioned brainwashing magic, but when Han Seong-geun countered that she would know best if that were the case, she finally surrendered, raising both hands and asking what he had seen. What could he possibly have seen to cause such a 180-degree turn in the situation? Han Seong-geun smiled bitterly at A-yeon’s words and gave a sincere answer.

“I saw the dragon god.”

“What’s that? A dragon god?”

“Since you’re the leader and need to confirm it anyway, join the refugee transport to Gyeongju. Then see the dragon god in Gyeongju with your own eyes.”

He had seen the dragon god. Nothing more, nothing less. The statement was so compressed and concise that A-yeon looked at Han Seong-geun with a completely uncomprehending expression, but Han Seong-geun seemed to have judged that seeing it in person would be faster than explaining further. He told her to participate in the refugee transport and verify the dragon god in Gyeongju with her own eyes.

“By the way, are you planning to abandon Ulsan Airport? Can you defend this place without my strength?”

However, A-yeon asked with a surprised expression if he was planning to abandon this place. After all, if A-yeon, the strongest person at Ulsan Airport, left, there would be few high-level Awakened left to protect the place. Besides A-yeon, the only high-level Awakened were her companions who had come with her from Japan and Han Seong-geun, the leader of Ulsan Airport. It was natural for A-yeon to express concern about the defense of Ulsan Airport if she were to leave.

“No problem. The Balhut Cult has sent troops.”

“Huh? You mean those soldier guys…? Are they strong enough to be trusted?”

“I don’t know yet.”

To her concern, Han Seong-geun said he would trust their allies, the cult, and prioritize evacuating civilians. At this, A-yeon glared at the Balhut Cult soldiers gathering at Ulsan Airport and asked if they were strong, to which Han Seong-geun simply replied that he didn’t know yet. In response to his answer, full of doubt rather than confidence about defending this place, A-yeon sighed and spoke.

“Listen. At times like this, saying ‘it’s possible’ is enough.”

“But I haven’t seen them fight yet.”

“That’s true, but…”

His ambiguous response was unsettling. However, Han Seong-geun had never seen the cult’s soldiers fight, so he was in no position to evaluate them. Nor did he have any reason to exaggerate the cult’s strength. So Han Seong-geun’s compromise was to say he didn’t know yet, and to this explanation, A-yeon sighed but then said:

“At least they look like real soldiers. Let’s trust them for now.”

“Do you see something in them?”

“The magical power I sense from their weapons is no joke. It makes our weapons look like trash.”

It seemed that in her eyes, the Balhut Cult soldiers looked reliable. In particular, she evaluated their weapons as impressive, saying that their own weapons looked like trash in comparison.

“They are trash, aren’t they? Made from abandoned staffs and scrap materials.”

“Shut up, mister.”

Indeed, it was difficult to compare with the weapons held by the Balhut Cult members, as most of the weapons used by Ulsan Airport were made from factory scraps or garbage found on the streets. They were of incomparable quality to weapons born from Pohang’s high-quality steel, precision machinery, and the forging of Awakened craftsmen. When Han Seong-geun mentioned this, A-yeon seemed to feel the shabby reality of Ulsan and turned her head with a sulky expression, as if protesting, “I’m not happy about this.” Seeing A-yeon’s protest, Han Seong-geun scratched his head, sighed, and got to the main point.

“Let’s talk about the work then. The conclusion that the Balhut Cult and I reached is that Ulsan Airport will be jointly defended by us and the cult. And we plan to first evacuate civilians who can’t fight, the injured, children, and the elderly to Gyeongju. We’ll start with that.”

He said they would handle the urgent matters first. In reality, while there were Awakened who could fight here, there were many more who couldn’t. There were ordinary people who hadn’t awakened yet, those who had been seriously injured in fights with zombies and had left the front lines, and those who were too young or too old to fight. Since these people had nothing they could do on the frontlines, they needed to evacuate to Gyeongju, a safe rear area. This would allow the Awakened who remained to fight with a proper foundation.

“That’s what we wanted. Then, what about the Awakened who were here?”

However, not all Awakened had the will to fight. There were many cases where people who were scared or had no aptitude for fighting had become Awakened by luck.

“Those who want to stay and fight will remain here under our command. Those who don’t want to fight will be assigned to escort the refugees. Something might happen during the evacuation, and the scale is several thousand people.”

Han Seong-geun answered that he planned to keep only those Awakened with the will to fight and send everyone else to Gyeongju. Forcing people to fight wouldn’t result in proper fighting, so it was better to keep only those with the will to fight and have the rest join the refugee convoy. However, this meant that Ulsan Airport’s fighting force would inevitably decrease, so A-yeon sighed and spoke.

“Listen. Even if the Cult of Immortality is stupid, would they really attack refugees?”

“If they were sensible, they wouldn’t touch non-combatant refugees. But has the Cult of Immortality ever been sensible?”

“Hmm. I can’t deny that.”

She asked if there was really a need for escorts, saying that surely the Cult of Immortality wouldn’t attack refugees fleeing from Ulsan Airport, but Han Seong-geun’s answer was simple. If they were sensible, if they cared about justification or reputation, they wouldn’t attack a refugee convoy. But had the Cult of Immortality they had experienced so far really been a sensible force? No, they were not a sensible force but an unreasonable one. At these words, A-yeon scratched her head, saying she couldn’t deny it.

“Besides, not many people will want to stay in a dangerous place anymore. If an escape route opens up and we don’t give them a chance to escape, that will also build resentment.”

“So you’re saying you’ll only keep people who can fight?”

“It would be crazy talk without allies, but now we have reliable allies, so it’s possible.”

In fact, Han Seong-geun thought that few people would want to remain in Ulsan, which was ruled by the Cult of Immortality. Knowing that there was sentiment within Ulsan Airport wanting to leave this place, Han Seong-geun recognized the need for some traffic control to prevent further discontent. Most survivors had suffered greatly from the evil deeds of the Cult of Immortality, so even if this was their hometown, they would want to leave their hometown and find proper peace in another safe place.

“Haha. Then, I’ll take care of the refugees. Should they settle in Gyeongju if necessary?”

“I can’t be at peace in Gyeongju seeing this mess. I’ll quickly escort the refugees to Gyeongju and then return here to fight.”

“That’s appreciated! If the Hero of Fukuoka steps up like that, I should work harder too.”

However, it was fortunate that only a very small number of Awakened wanted to flee to Gyeongju and forget everything, as both the deputy leader Han Seong-geun and the leader Jin A-yeon seemed to have the respect of their people.