Ch.220220. Omens of War (3)

When the Cult of Immortality and Seorabeol clashed again, around the time the first battle was ending, a major upheaval also occurred in Seoul.

Or perhaps this was an inevitable conclusion.

“Well, at least I don’t have to see those bigwigs’ faces anymore. That’s a relief.”

It was a large-scale division that had broken out in Seoul.

Seoul could no longer withstand the contradictions of South Korea and began to splinter.

From the beginning, numerous South Korean political factions had never properly integrated, barely held together by Kim Su-ho’s charisma alone. The fragmentation of Seoul into various factions according to their respective ideologies was bound to happen sooner or later.

After all, these people had all been nurturing their own forces under Kim Su-ho, harboring sticky ulterior motives to become independent, and were actively leading Seoul’s division and chaos to achieve their own ideals.

‘If I wanted to, I could suppress all rebellions.’

It was true that Kim Su-ho’s authority had begun to crumble since the failure of the Gangbuk expedition, but the power that had succeeded South Korea wasn’t just about that. In fact, if Kim Su-ho had wanted to, he could have suppressed their division.

The force led by Kim Su-ho had once been the strongest on the Korean Peninsula, capable of controlling not only all of Seoul but also interfering with the proliferation of marauders in other regions.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been this comfortable.’

But Kim Su-ho allowed their independence to heal his exhausted body and mind.

Since they were the type to ignore their authority as Seoul’s protectors and form their own factions anyway, this division was more like Kim Su-ho cutting ties with them first.

“Is that guy some kind of immortal? I thought he’d put up more of a messy fight.”

“This is developing completely differently from our calculations…!”

“We are the real South Korea! South Korea is not over yet!”

In reality, Kim Su-ho’s decision to cut ties came as a surprise attack to these factions.

They had planned to grow their forces further and eventually consume Kim Su-ho’s power, but suddenly they found themselves forced into independence without proper preparation, outside the protective barrier Kim Su-ho had created.

With no defenses or countermeasures in place, they were left vulnerable outside Kim Su-ho’s protection. To establish legitimacy, they publicly declared their intention to succeed or revive South Korea.

“Sir! Sir! Something terrible has happened!”

“What is it?”

Meanwhile, the actual working-level officials who had sustained South Korea chose to follow Kim Su-ho rather than these factions.

The longer they worked in the field, the more their loyalty was directed toward Kim Su-ho. During this period of division, Kim Su-ho successfully kept every single working-level official under his command.

Despite the betrayal of these ungrateful bastards, Kim Su-ho silently watched their treacherous nonsense from the rooftop of an apartment in Gangnam.

He hadn’t expected loyalty in the first place, so he felt no sense of betrayal.

Rather, he was even willing to let them betray him if it meant they could end this undead war.

“The Balhut Cult and the Cult of Immortality have gone to war.”

“…That’s certainly shocking news just to hear.”

The faction Kim Su-ho was most interested in now was none other than the Balhut Cult.

He could easily predict that the news of the force now called Seorabeol starting a war with the Cult of Immortality would have a significant impact throughout the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Su-ho returned from his bored expression to the serious face of a warrior and responded as if there was no problem at all.

“But the conflict between the two forces was inevitable. Don’t be too surprised.”

“However…”

“We… We just do what we need to do.”

Indeed, there was no need to be surprised.

Considering that the two forces had been clashing since a year ago, they had merely resumed the war after an implicit ceasefire.

It wasn’t as if the two forces had declared a truce through negotiations; it had been an unavoidable ceasefire due to the harsh mirror.

The clash between the two forces was inevitable, so Kim Su-ho just needed to focus on what he had to do.

“…Yes, sir.”

“What’s the current situation in the demilitarized zone?”

“Undead continue to come down from the north. According to reports, the numbers are so massive that observers have difficulty counting them.”

Yes, the biggest problem was that due to changes in North Korea’s situation, undead were continuously coming down from the north.

It meant that the undead flowing from China to the Korean Peninsula were being lured to South Korea through North Korea’s prepared bait, and these terrifying undead were slowly crossing the border through the demilitarized zone.

Their numbers were too enormous to count.

“If the undead coming down from the DMZ fall under the control of the Cult of Immortality… that would easily cause a major crisis on the Korean Peninsula.”

“That’s correct.”

If the Cult of Immortality identified and gained control over those undead, Kim Su-ho’s prediction of a major Korean Peninsula crisis would not be wrong.

Currently, since they weren’t under anyone’s control, they were just numerous but not a threatening enemy to strong Awakened. However, the moment these undead came under control, they could instantly form an army of hundreds of thousands capable of easily destroying an entire country.

The Cult of Immortality, which currently had the highest understanding of necromancy, would intervene to control the undead flooding the DMZ as soon as they noticed this information, which would very likely lead to a major crisis for the Korean Peninsula and Seoul.

“That’s quite troublesome. Then we automatically need to take Seorabeol’s side in this war to prevent the Cult of Immortality from advancing to Seoul. According to my plan, Seorabeol needs to win on its own, though.”

“Sir?”

It was extremely troublesome.

It would be easy for Kim Su-ho to help Seorabeol.

He had preserved much of his power and maintained the foundation from the South Korean era, so he could make a simple declaration of support or even send reinforcements to Seorabeol through railways or roads.

But if he made a mistake, there was a possibility that the South Korean banner Kim Su-ho was holding would fall.

Kim Su-ho, who didn’t want these beasts to have a world to live in, shook his head and asked his aide one question.

“Hmm. Besides us, how are the other high-ranking officials reacting?”

“Some find it amusing, others say it’s divine punishment. Some are even aiming for a ‘two birds with one stone’ situation.”

These were the reactions of the high-ranking officials to this news.

The Seoul high-ranking officials’ reactions to the news of Seorabeol and the Cult of Immortality clashing were divided into two: those aiming for a “two birds with one stone” situation and those saying it was divine punishment for rebelling against South Korea.

“They’re always like that. I knew it. Just make sure we share enough information to protect Seoul.”

“They don’t seem very interested in sharing information with us.”

“Well, aren’t we the same? Not sharing important information… We’re not that close anyway.”

Since they had agreed to cooperate in protecting the city of Seoul, Kim Su-ho was sharing the information he collected with the Seoul forces.

However, he showed an attitude of checking the Seoul forces by not sharing the most important information, but that wasn’t a problem since they were doing the same to Kim Su-ho with similar logic.

“What’s the current status of Seongnam?”

“It’s currently under our control.”

“Good. That’s how it should be. If necessary, we’ll have to evacuate from Gangnam. It’s an important strategic city. What about Namhansanseong?”

The important thing was the direction Kim Su-ho would take from now on.

Having failed in the Gangbuk expedition, Kim Su-ho couldn’t accept Gangnam as a reliable collaborator, so he had recaptured various cities and strongholds around Gangnam with his followers, planning to establish a new base there if the Han River defense line collapsed.

He had already recaptured Seongnam and even Namhansanseong, which was easy to defend, and was gradually completing preparations for evacuation.

“That road has also been paved. If necessary, we can use Namhansanseong as a fortress.”

“Make sure to prepare emergency food supplies at Namhansanseong. North Korea’s movements are suspicious, and with the two cults clashing now, it’s inevitable that tremendous variables we can’t predict will come to the Korean Peninsula.”

The Han River defense line couldn’t last forever.

There would eventually be a limit, and it would be the worst move to just sit back and watch until that limit was reached.

With the determination to use all the best moves he could make, Kim Su-ho began stockpiling food in preparation for a possible evacuation crisis.

“As you command, sir. Then… how should we deploy our troops?”

“First, send troops to Gwangju as well. I’d like to target Incheon originally, but…”

For that, he first needed a port that could contact overseas to break out of the landlocked situation.

The Han River was a danger zone, and Gangnam was divided among South Korean high officials, not an area Kim Su-ho could use as he pleased.

This made it impossible for Kim Su-ho to contact overseas forces in the name of South Korea, which was becoming a major weakness for him, and he was well aware of it.

To overcome this weakness, he wanted to recapture Incheon right away, but…

“They won’t open the way for us.”

“Right. Our forces have been divided into quarters, and as we each go our own way for survival, we too must find our own path to survive.”

The problem was that those who didn’t want Kim Su-ho to grow would never want him to move his base to Incheon.

They were already suffocating from Kim Su-ho’s massive influence, so if he were to recapture the port city of Incheon?

Their independence would become a vain hope, and they couldn’t even dream of standing as independent warlords.

“As long as the framework of South Korea remains, we could demand cooperation in exchange for guaranteeing their positions.”

Of course, if Kim Su-ho negotiated with them and guaranteed their positions, the story would be different.

After all, this trouble had started because Kim Su-ho had treated them as mere survivors rather than respecting their positions from the South Korean era. If he guaranteed benefits that would satisfy them, they would immediately become Kim Su-ho’s strong supporters as if nothing had happened.

“We oppose guaranteeing their interests.”

“So do I.”

But both Kim Su-ho and his staff could not tolerate these people living well.

Could they forgive and show mercy to those who had witnessed their ugly deeds and betrayed them at the most critical moment?

Of course, if he wanted to, he could show mercy at any time.

But someone who betrayed once could betray again, and if someone appeared who guaranteed greater benefits than Kim Su-ho, they would immediately betray him despite their cooperation just moments before.

“Using Namhansanseong, if we stabilize Gwangju, which is easy to defend, we’ll circle around Seongnam City toward Incheon.”

“That’s a dangerous route passing through Suwon, Gunpo, and Siheung.”

“Yes, it’s difficult. But for us without a port, if we want to contact overseas, we need a port. We can’t die in isolation, can we?”

So Kim Su-ho declared that he would take Incheon by going around rather than directly.

It was a method with the disadvantage of having to cross several cities to reach a distance that would be quick in a straight line, but if it allowed contact with overseas forces, it was worth enduring.

“Or we could change our advance direction for easier food supply. How about Ansan? I heard it’s an area with large-scale farmland.”

“There’s also manufacturing…”

“Manufacturing that can be used for weapons production is good too. But right now, we need a steady food supply to feed the citizens. Spring is ending and summer is approaching. If we miss the farming season by choosing the wrong time for recapture, the year’s harvest is truly over!”

Alternatively, there was the option of changing direction and recapturing Ansan.

In this apocalypse, the value of food was gradually increasing, and businesses that could stably supply food were gaining attention.

“Of course, thinking about the future, capturing Incheon is more important. But for immediate survival, Ansan is also important territory.”

“You’re saying the present is urgent, sir.”

“Yes. If we could trade with overseas forces like Seorabeol, I’d focus on territorial recapture rather than food supply policies, but that’s impossible for us, isn’t it? If we had an airport, it might be different, but even that is in their hands.”

Unlike Seorabeol which had the sea, Kim Su-ho without access to the sea was at his limit.

If he wanted to secure the future, he needed Incheon, but if he wanted to secure the present, he needed Ansan for easier food supply.

Most people would choose Incheon with its sea access to secure the future, but…

“So realistically, we need to stabilize Seongnam and Gwangju, use Suwon as a base, and then take Ansan, Hwaseong, Osan, and Pyeongtaek in that order. If we can get that far, we can put out the urgent fire and catch our breath.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Facing food shortages and starvation, Kim Su-ho decided to target Ansan.

Yes, choosing the future was an option only for those with a comfortable present, and honestly, the current situation of self-destruction due to food shortages was an urgent matter that needed immediate resolution.

While they wouldn’t immediately die from being unable to trade with overseas forces, food shortages would cause massive starvation deaths even if they were just slightly deficient.

‘But the question is whether we have that time.’

The fundamental question was whether they would have the time to recapture Ansan and leisurely increase food production.

If asked whether they would have the time to comfortably supply food after recapturing Ansan…

‘We can’t hide the information about the undead coming from North Korea forever. Eventually, news from the DMZ will spread throughout the Korean Peninsula. For the Cult of Immortality, which is expanding its forces, absorbing the undead in the DMZ is an attractive option for military reinforcement.’

Kim Su-ho determined that if the Cult of Immortality learned about the situation in the DMZ, their intervention was certain.

From Seoul’s perspective, having failed to recapture Gangbuk, this meant the Han River defense line and Gangnam would become the front lines.

“The limit isn’t visible yet, but how long can we hold out?”

“Sir?”

When faced with that worst-case scenario, the Han River defense line would never be able to hold.

Kim Su-ho’s face darkened for a moment as he imagined the bleak future, but…

“Never mind. Let’s head to Suwon now. I hope there’s still a warlord or survivor camp representing Suwon.”

“I’ll escort you, sir.”

He moved toward Suwon to do what he needed to do now.