Ch.259259. Hero (3)

However, there was a clear reason why everyone on the Korean peninsula acknowledged Kim Su-ho as the hero of Seoul despite his many flaws.

This was something that Gyeon Gwan-im, who had been defeated by Kim Su-ho and pushed back to Daegu, knew best. Seorabel had summoned Gyeon Gwan-im to the cabinet to accurately assess Kim Su-ho’s character, and Gyeon Gwan-im had simply left these words:

“Kim Su-ho? He can cover all those flaws with victory, can’t he? In this apocalypse, winning is all that matters. All his flaws can be dismissed as the luxury and arrogance of a victor.”

“Are you saying he never loses? I heard rumors that he was defeated in the battle to reclaim Gangbuk.”

The reason why Kim Su-ho’s many flaws weren’t an issue was simple:

“Do you believe that ‘fought well despite losing’ is valid logic in the apocalypse? Kim Su-ho may be politically incompetent, but he has won every war. He has never truly been defeated. Even the battle to reclaim Gangbuk, known as Kim Su-ho’s defeat, was forcibly claimed as a loss due to the betrayal of a powerful figure. Wasn’t it almost a solo victory for Kim Su-ho?”

“Is that even possible?”

“The proof is that I was defeated by Kim Su-ho and became your slave.”

In the end, he kept winning, and those victories allowed all of Kim Su-ho’s flaws to be packaged as the luxury or arrogance of a winner.

In fact, when Yu-na was negotiating with Kim Su-ho to treat the wounded at the field hospital, Kim Su-ho declared:

“I will personally recapture Hanam City for the refugees.”

“Ah, you plan to lead the vanguard. I’ll help you as soon as I finish treating these people.”

“No. You don’t need to get involved. I’ll recapture it within a few days.”

He declared that he would recapture Hanam City, which was threatening the refugees settled in Namhansanseong.

Choi Yu-na thought he meant he would secure a path to Hanam City as a vanguard, like Jeong Dong-geon of Seorabel, but Kim Su-ho said that wasn’t the case and proclaimed he would recapture Hanam City within a few days.

“Huh?”

Yu-na looked at Kim Su-ho with an expression of disbelief, but Kim Su-ho just stared back at her as if there was nothing unusual about his statement.

At this completely unreasonable claim, Yu-na looked at the aide standing next to Kim Su-ho, who smiled bitterly and said:

“You’ll understand soon.”

“I’ll bring back good news.”

When told that there was something inexplicable about Kim Su-ho, Yu-na felt a sense of anticipation. After seeing Yu-na off, Kim Su-ho headed alone toward Hanam City.

Upon arriving near Hanam City, which was under the control of the Cult of Immortality, Kim Su-ho joined up with troops stationed in the area and began receiving reports on the current situation.

“What’s the status of Hanam City?”

“They’ve been silent since the Dragon God was summoned. They probably lost significant forces and need time to recover. They’ll likely get help from Guri.”

“That makes sense. Fortifying with support from Guri isn’t a bad plan. I would have done the same.”

Most of the forces that Hanam City had deployed were annihilated by the strike from Bahamut, the Dragon God summoned at Namhansanseong.

In this situation, very few troops remained in Hanam City, and it wasn’t strange for them to maintain a defensive posture to replenish their insufficient forces.

Even if they were attacked, Guri was just across the bridge, and if troops stationed in Guri provided support, they could defend Hanam City adequately even with their reduced numbers.

In this state, conquering Hanam in a few days seemed nearly impossible, no matter how many times they attacked.

“Where is my double attacking now?”

“Currently attacking Gwangmyeong City.”

But Kim Su-ho acted as if this wasn’t a problem and asked in detail about his double’s whereabouts. The aide informed him that the double was currently attacking Gwangmyeong City, some distance from here.

The news that Kim Su-ho’s double was attacking Gwangmyeong City could be interpreted as Kim Su-ho himself fighting the Cult of Immortality in Gwangmyeong.

“Has the enemy fallen for it?”

In fact, Kim Su-ho had dispatched his double to Gwangmyeong City with that intention.

“Yes. The Cult of Immortality’s movements are currently focused on Gwangmyeong City. With a superhuman who has reached level 20 rampaging on the battlefield, it’s difficult for them to suspect the double.”

Like it or not, the Cult of Immortality’s attention was focused on Gwangmyeong City, where Kim Su-ho was supposedly located.

Moreover, Kim Su-ho’s double was rampaging with tremendous force as if to prove that Kim Su-ho himself was there, and since the double was a level 20 superhuman, it was difficult for the Cult of Immortality to suspect that the Kim Su-ho attacking Gwangmyeong wasn’t the real one.

It was a classic feint strategy, and while the Cult of Immortality’s attention was focused on Gwangmyeong City, Kim Su-ho himself would attack Hanam City—that was the beginning of this plan.

“Then let’s begin.”

Kim Su-ho, armed with light equipment for quick movement, gave the signal to start, and the troops that had been positioned before the operation began to move according to plan.

There was no forced authority or flashy display in their movements.

Rather, they were movements that adhered excessively to the basics, and for Kim Su-ho, that alone was sufficient.

“First, block the path to Guri. Hold out for at least 30 minutes.”

They began by blocking the escape routes for the undead in Hanam City.

The Cult of Immortality began to respond to some of the forces attacking Hanam City, which seemed to have relaxed its guard believing that Kim Su-ho was in Gwangmyeong, but their response was remarkably slow.

Frankly speaking, their leader was supposedly in Gwangmyeong, so they didn’t think these attackers would risk their lives, and indeed, the movements attacking Gangdong Bridge were sloppy at best.

Or more precisely…

“Attack sloppily so they underestimate this attack.”

He ordered them to make the enemy think they were facing an uncoordinated rabble.

Following those orders faithfully, the detachment attacking Gangdong Bridge was quickly blocked by the undead army, retreated after a few attacks as if giving up, then attacked sloppily again when the undead withdrew—they aimed to be perceived as a unit eager for achievements.

It was a deception tactic to fool the enemy, and unlike Seorabel, which always unleashed UFC-style attacks, this WWE-style attack gradually made the Cult of Immortality take them less seriously.

They became complacent, thinking that even if these attackers reached Gangdong Bridge, they wouldn’t be able to capture it and would soon retreat.

“If they weren’t undead, they wouldn’t fall for such a trivial deception.”

As Kim Su-ho realized that the enemy was increasingly falling for his deception, he waited for the right moment to attack.

[Sir, as expected, the forces stationed in Bucheon are moving to support Gwangmyeong. It seems they won’t use the forces stationed in Anyang.]

“I thought this might be a chance to relieve pressure on Gunpo, but it’s not that easy. Let’s move to the next phase. How long can you hold out there?”

Shortly after, a message came from the double dispatched to Gwangmyeong City, and Kim Su-ho rose to his feet to resume the operation.

Before proceeding, he asked the double attacking Gwangmyeong how long they could hold out.

[If we avoid direct combat and delay as much as possible, about two hours.]

“That’s enough. I’ll capture Hanam and come to you soon. You decide the rendezvous point.”

[Yes, sir.]

After hearing the double’s report, Kim Su-ho confidently launched his attack.

“Anvil, the Cult of Immortality’s attention is focused on Gwangmyeong. You may now seize Gangdong Bridge.”

At that moment, the detachment that had been engaging in WWE-style attacks on Gangdong Bridge for about four hours suddenly switched to UFC-style attacks without any warning.

Their previously clumsy attacks transformed into deadly strikes aimed at the heart, and the detachment defeated the undead, quickly reached Gangdong Bridge, blocked the entrance, and began setting up barricades at every approach to the bridge.

As they rapidly seized the bridge and thoroughly prepared for a siege, Hanam City seemed flustered and was about to dispatch undead forces to Gangdong Bridge to confront them when—

“All forces, follow me! All positioned troops, emerge now! Today we recapture Hanam!”

At that moment, mobile units positioned around Hanam City began to move one by one.

Kim Su-ho’s main force charged at full speed toward Hanam City Hall, where the enemy command was likely located, and responding to the main force, mobile units appeared on the elevated roads, creating confusion so that Hanam City couldn’t properly identify which was the real attack.

Judging by momentum alone, the mobile units running on the elevated roads looked like the real attack, and the momentum of the mobile units coming from the path toward Gwangju froze Hanam City’s movements.

“F-first, let’s recapture Gangdong Bridge! We need Gangdong Bridge to receive support from Guri!”

Though Hanam City was confused by attacks seemingly surrounding them from all directions, they proved they had survived this apocalypse for over a year by deciding to secure a route for reinforcements first, moving to attack the detachment preparing for a siege at Gangdong Bridge.

They thought that the bridge had been temporarily captured due to a sudden strike while they were off guard, but considering the sloppiness shown earlier, they believed the detachment would quickly collapse if enough forces were deployed.

Indeed, if that sloppiness had been the extent of their abilities, that judgment wouldn’t have been wrong, but the problem was that the sloppiness was just a feint to deceive the Cult of Immortality.

“Hold firm! The commander will hammer them down anyway! We are the commander’s anvil!”

From the beginning, their objective wasn’t to capture Gangdong Bridge.

They were the anvil to support Kim Su-ho, the hammer, so he could properly strike the enemy, and they had sufficient forces available to directly confront Hanam City’s troops.

As the two armies began to clash without hesitation, and Hanam City was left defenseless—

“Push forward!”

Kim Su-ho and his suicide squad stormed in from behind.

The battlefield was instantly thrown into chaos, and the Cult of Immortality’s forces in Hanam City found themselves caught between hammer and anvil.

The Cult forces on the anvil began to be struck by Kim Su-ho’s hammer, and as he charged toward the center, the Necromancer stationed in Hanam City looked around the battlefield with an expression of disbelief as he watched his forces collapse.

“How is this possible?”

From his perspective, it must have been truly bewildering.

After all, until just moments ago, reports indicated that Kim Su-ho was in Gwangmyeong City, so how could he be here in Hanam City?

Moreover, Gwangmyeong City and Hanam City were about 40 minutes apart by car, and considering that battles were still ongoing in Gwangmyeong City, it was physically impossible for Kim Su-ho to have come here.

‘Could there be a mage with teleportation magic among Kim Su-ho’s forces? Or perhaps illusion magic?!’

In a world where magic had become real, suspecting teleportation magic was a natural conclusion, but Kim Su-ho had simply engaged in psychological warfare against his opponent, and the Cult of Immortality had fallen for it.

The Necromancer also considered illusion magic, but upon witnessing the front lines collapse and forces disintegrate as soon as Kim Su-ho was deployed, he determined that this Kim Su-ho was not an illusion but the real one.

So he tried to reorganize his troops to direct their blades toward Kim Su-ho, who was rampaging with his suicide squad in the main force, but—

“The commander has arrived! Switch from defense to offense and coordinate with the commander’s movements!”

When news spread that the hammer had struck, the detachment stationed at Gangdong Bridge, no longer needing to defend the bridge, immediately went on the offensive.

The situation turned into a complete encirclement, with the center already collapsed due to Kim Su-ho’s unstoppable charge.

And then…

“All-out attack! We no longer need to hide our presence!”

“Long live Commander Kim Su-ho! Long live Seoul! May Seoul be eternal!”

As the formation collapsed, Kim Su-ho ordered a general attack without delay, and the mobile units that had been making small attacks near the Cult of Immortality stopped their minor assaults and quickly switched to a charge formation, rushing toward the Cult.

As Awakened ones who had been lying in ambush from three directions began charging without hesitation, the Cult of Immortality’s forces stationed in Hanam City began to shatter.

“C-could it be deception…”

Only then did the Necromancer realize that Kim Su-ho had deceived him and the Cult of Immortality in Hanam City, but unfortunately, he couldn’t relay this crucial information to the Cult.

Kim Su-ho, who had approached unnoticed, executed the Necromancer without hesitation, and with the commander and controller eliminated, the undead lost control and became a disorganized rabble.

The war instantly turned into a mop-up operation, and the detachment that had been acting as the anvil switched tactics again to take a defensive posture, turning their blades toward Gangdong Bridge.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

In just five hours, not days, Hanam City was recaptured by Kim Su-ho, who immediately entrusted the city to his subordinates, changed into an ordinary soldier’s uniform, and headed toward Gwangmyeong City.

When Kim Su-ho arrived at the designated location via the Second Gyeongin Expressway that he had secured in advance, his double, who was heading to the same place, smiled brightly upon seeing Kim Su-ho’s face and called out:

“Commander!”

“I’ll take it from here.”

Kim Su-ho took the motorcycle helmet and clothes that his double was wearing and put them on himself, while the double received the military uniform Kim Su-ho had been wearing and began changing into it.

In this way, the fake Kim Su-ho in Gwangmyeong City could instantly become the real Kim Su-ho.

“Now! The enemy has been lured to the right location! Annihilate them!”

With the real Kim Su-ho now leading the troops, he began charging without hesitation toward the Cult of Immortality forces that had been pursuing the fake Kim Su-ho. He defeated the undead whose morale had risen for a frontal assault and achieved a great victory.

It all appeared as if he had lured them to favorable terrain and won through an ambush. When Kim Su-ho, who had been desperately buying time until just moments ago, suddenly began a counterattack at a certain point, the Cult of Immortality thought this was all part of Kim Su-ho’s plan and couldn’t notice that the Kim Su-ho they had been chasing was a fake.

“Hanam City has been recaptured? And Kim Su-ho was behind it? Then who is this Kim Su-ho we’re fighting?! If he’s not Kim Su-ho, then who is?!”

Even when news arrived through Guri City that Hanam City had been captured by Kim Su-ho, they didn’t trust this information.

After all, someone had just defeated the undead pursuing him head-on, immediately charged into Gwangmyeong City, and started rampaging inside—if that wasn’t Kim Su-ho, then who was it?

Kim Su-ho began ravaging Gwangmyeong City, which was under the Cult of Immortality’s control, using overwhelming mobility that the undead couldn’t match. When the Cult deployed their strategic weapon, an undead golem, he detected its movements, immediately halted his attack, fled, and began attacking Anyang City below Gwangmyeong.

Anyang City, being on the front lines, didn’t fall so easily to Kim Su-ho’s charge, but from Anyang’s perspective, when Kim Su-ho suddenly emerged from the roads of Gwangmyeong City, which had been their rear area, they couldn’t help but be internally confused.

“Didn’t they say he was fleeing from the attack on Gwangmyeong?! Why is he attacking Anyang now?!”

“I don’t know either!”

The guy who had been fleeing from the attack on Gwangmyeong suddenly counterattacked and was now attacking Anyang City too?

And Hanam City had been captured by Kim Su-ho’s attack?

With urgent information coming from multiple directions about Kim Su-ho’s attacks, they couldn’t determine what was true, and Kim Su-ho simply passed through the confused Anyang City and headed toward Gunpo.