Ch.319319. Busan (3)

# The Inevitable Rise of the Iron Flower Faction

Though these forces seemed to appear suddenly, their emergence could be considered inevitable.

To put it bluntly, this villain group calling themselves the Iron Flower Faction was merely a collection of society’s losers, an organization that had been crushed during the South Korea pacification operation carried out by Jeong Dong-geon under Yu-na’s orders.

From beginning to end, Jeong Dong-geon showed no mercy or hesitation toward raiders who opposed Seorabel. The reason they had no presence before Seol-hwa arrived in Busan was because most had already been eliminated by Jeong Dong-geon’s hand or were too frightened to act.

“Priestess. Someone from the NTS is here.”

“Please show them in.”

The Iron Flower Faction was an organization born from these societal losers gathering in one place. Even after the South Korean pacification ended, faction members fled to Gwangju and Busan, areas where Seorabel’s administrative power hadn’t fully reached, and established themselves there. Thus, the Iron Flower Faction was reborn as an evil organization controlling the cities from within.

They were fortunate that when the South Korean pacification ended, major events occurred in succession—Seoul’s reconstruction, merit-based rewards, negotiations with North Korea, and parliamentary elections—which inevitably diverted attention elsewhere. Moreover, as soon as the elections ended, the Japanese Integration War broke out, involving all East Asian powers. From Seorabel’s perspective, the Iron Flower Faction had to be pushed down the priority list. In fact, the only government agency that continuously monitored this sole villain organization on the Korean Peninsula was the Seorabel NTS, which had inherited the legacy of the former Republic of Korea’s National Intelligence Service.

“It’s an honor to meet the Dragon’s Priestess.”

“You’ve heard the news, I presume?”

“I express my condolences regarding the Busan citizens who lost their lives. First, let me share the results of the NTS investigation.”

The NTS agent visited the Dragon’s Priestess to report on the Iron Flower Faction they had been monitoring, and their report was shocking.

“First of all, the Iron Flower Faction is not just a simple villain organization. They are a new destructive force connected to international terrorist networks, aiming to oppose Seorabel.”

“That was expected.”

Given that they had already carried out a terrorist attack, Baek Seol-hwa already knew the Iron Flower Faction wasn’t just an ordinary villain group.

What mattered most to her was the faction’s size and how far their influence extended. That was what she needed to know most.

Understanding this would help her determine how to proceed and minimize casualties among the Hwarang in the field.

“The Iron Flower Faction is deeply connected not only with pirate forces in the South China Sea but also with weapons trafficking organizations in China’s Chu State. Their main source of income comes from smuggling Bahamut Bullets that have been released to Seorabel civilians and selling them overseas at high prices.”

“That means they have quite a large operation?”

“It seems there are also villains connected to the faction that was once based in Ulsan.”

True to the NTS’s grim warning, the Iron Flower Faction was indeed a massive organization with overseas connections.

They were linked to forces from the South China Sea and South China that had been involved in the recent Japanese Integration War. According to the NTS, the reason they could connect with foreign powers was because there were villains within the Iron Flower Faction who had previously collaborated with overseas forces.

This was possible because they were a coalition of numerous villain organizations that had been crushed by Jeong Dong-geon. They made enormous profits by smuggling Bahamut coins and bullets, making them a warlord group that Busan alone could never handle without Baek Seol-hwa.

“After analyzing the encrypted communications used by the Iron Flower Faction, we found that not only South China but also some countries in North China appear to be supporting them. According to the communication records, the Iron Flower Faction plans to turn the Busan sea area into a no-man’s land and set fire to Gyeongnam, where the Seorabel Academy is being built, beyond Ulsan.”

Seol-hwa fell silent for a moment at the revelation that they were targeting Gyeongju beyond Ulsan, had she not been present.

If the war had lasted even a little longer, it would have been perfect timing for them.

Dragon God Bahamut and the Dragon’s Priestess Choi Yu-na couldn’t leave Seoul due to issues there, and the Seorabel cabinet was also residing in Seoul.

Moreover, considering that the country had entered a period of reform to transform into a nation befitting its new status after its founding, with consecutive major events including parliamentary elections, government agencies and the media—except for the NTS—paid little attention to this matter. It was truly a case of darkness under the lamp.

“So they essentially want to turn the south into a lawless zone. How did you obtain this information?”

“We discovered it through a pre-attack plan for the International Passenger Terminal that the NTS acquired. The recovered digital document stated they would use Busan citizens as tools to spread fear by provoking them. They apparently judged that the cries of Busan citizens would serve as the best political message.”

“Still, with Kim Su-ho there, their destruction is inevitable.”

However, even if Baek Seol-hwa hadn’t been present, she didn’t believe their plan would have succeeded.

While Seorabel fundamentally didn’t pay much attention to the southern region, Seoul’s hero Kim Su-ho had been dispatched as the first dean of Seorabel Academy.

Moreover, many Awakened who admired and respected him had followed him there. The Dragon God’s training ground in Ulsan held interests not just for Seorabel but for other countries as well. If the Iron Flower Faction had seriously advanced toward Ulsan, they would have been crushed before reaching Gyeongju.

It would likely have ended with a report of some disturbance in the south. That’s why even though the NTS emphasized the danger, they didn’t actively resolve it themselves.

“Then who is their leader?”

“They’re thoroughly concealing their identity. According to our inside source, it’s a villain who was once defeated by Minister Jeong Dong-geon.”

So that was it. Baek Seol-hwa had asked about the leader’s identity with the intention of targeting them first, but the Iron Flower Faction’s leader was thoroughly hiding.

Even the NTS couldn’t identify the leader specifically, though they seemed to have found some clues suggesting they had once been defeated by Jeong Dong-geon.

“General Jeong Dong-geon has defeated so many villains. Can you be more specific?”

The problem was that Jeong Dong-geon had defeated countless villains over time.

Especially during the war that broke out across South Korea, the number of villains Jeong Dong-geon had defeated was innumerable. During the Seoul recapture operation, he had even joked that he had defeated more human Awakened than undead.

“That’s impossible. We could narrow it down somewhat, but all of them are villains who were killed by General Jeong Dong-geon’s sword…”

“I understand. I can see the NTS has worked hard. Thank you for your efforts.”

But as an intelligence agency, they had done all they could, and Baek Seol-hwa didn’t blame the NTS for this.

Rather, she thanked them for their hard work and stepped back.

“You heard all the information the NTS provided, correct?”

“Of course, Lady Seol-hwa.”

Seol-hwa called out to the Hwarang who had been guarding the Dragon’s Priestess while concealing his presence, asking if he had heard the entire conversation. The Hwarang nodded confidently.

“The enemy is a vicious villain intent on burning not just Busan but the entire nation of Seorabel. I’ve already said there’s no mercy to be shown to terrorists.”

“Are you saying you have even less intention of showing mercy because the enemy is a traitor?”

“Yes. Since Kim Su-ho is in Gyeongju, Seorabel’s system will remain strong from a national perspective. However, thinking of the Busan citizens who will suffer because of this, thoroughly cut off the roots here and now.”

She officially declared the Iron Flower Faction as traitors and enemies of Seorabel, and at the word “traitor,” the Hwarang’s expression gradually hardened.

In Seorabel, the word “traitor” literally meant an enemy that Seorabel must eliminate, and simultaneously, a group that could not be associated with. She was essentially stating that the Iron Flower Faction could not move forward together with Seorabel.

Moreover, since this declaration of “traitor” came directly from the Dragon’s Priestess, it could ultimately be claimed as the will of the Dragon God, making it all the more serious.

“I will carry out your orders.”

With that, the Hwarang quietly bowed his head and declared he would execute the order to eliminate the traitors.

“An official order from above! The Seorabel Mage’s Association must immediately dispatch detection mages to eliminate the traitors!”

The Hwarang was authorized to requisition all organizations within Seorabel for the operation.

The first place the Hwarang visited after receiving Baek Seol-hwa’s order was the Seorabel Mage’s Association, which had many mages with utility abilities. He requested them to dispatch mages specializing in detection magic, but…

“Do you think we’re pushovers?!”

Jo Gwang-jin, the head of the Seorabel Mage’s Association, was greatly angered by the sudden unreasonable demand and was about to scold the Hwarang for his rudeness, but…

“This is an order from the Dragon’s Priestess to eliminate traitors! We’re facing a villain organization threatening Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongju!”

“Ha, how embarrassing! If it’s an order from the Dragon’s Priestess, of course we must accept it!! We are indeed pushovers!”

Since it happened to be a direct order from the Dragon’s Priestess and simultaneously an order to eliminate traitors, Jo Gwang-jin’s attitude changed dramatically, and he began to bow to the Hwarang.

Yes, if you ask when the Seorabel Mage’s Association became a pushover group and since when, it would be best to answer “from today.”

Thus, early in the morning, before the fog had even lifted, the Hwarang, accompanied by mages requisitioned from the Seorabel Mage’s Association, deployed to the location of the Iron Flower Faction’s base wearing silver dragon armor.

The magical engravings on the mithril gleamed, and the Dragon God’s emblem was emblazoned like fire on the warriors’ helmets.

“Our objective is to eliminate Iron Flower Faction members who attacked the International Passenger Terminal.”

“Not capture—immediate elimination.”

The base showed signs of abandoned boxes and evidence that people had lived there, with a mana interference device operating dimly inside.

However, there was no one inside, but a mage from the Seorabel Mage’s Association sensed danger and shouted to the Hwarang.

“This is a trap! The Iron Flower Faction anticipated our raid and is lying in ambush!”

“I thought as much!”

It was an ambush operation by the Iron Flower Faction that unfolded in an instant.

The Iron Flower Faction remnants were hiding between the outer wall of the base and the warehouse, and they began firing smuggled Bahamut Bullets at the Hwarang wearing dragon armor.

While the Hwarang’s skills would normally allow them to easily dodge incoming bullets, unfortunately, they had the less mobile Seorabel Mage’s Association members with them. So except for a few Hwarang, the rest took defensive positions to protect the Seorabel mages with their bodies.

The bullets hit the Hwarang directly, and the Iron Flower Faction, sensing victory, began to rush toward the Hwarang who had been hit by bullets, but…

“Unfortunately, you can’t penetrate dragon armor with just one or two Bahamut Bullets.”

“What?”

However, the Hwarang’s dragon armor was resistant even to Bahamut Bullets. In reality, due to its strong magic resistance, there was only some scorching, with minimal impact on the Hwarang themselves.

They had used fire-attribute bullets to ensure a lethal explosion, but when this trump card had no effect, the Iron Flower Faction was bewildered by the unexpected development.

“These villains have been declared traitors! There’s no need to spare any of them! Eliminate them all except for a few we need to interrogate!”

“What?!”

Moreover, at the Hwarang’s declaration that they would eliminate rather than capture them, some regretted having carried out the terrorist attack so lightly.

Unfortunately, once declared traitors, Seorabel’s Hwarang were human weapons that fully displayed the violence of the Awakened. As they charged forward in their dragon armor, the blood and flesh of the Iron Flower Faction members began to splatter into the air and stick to the dragon armor.

However, with cleaning magic engraved on the armor, the blood and flesh quickly fell away from the exterior of the dragon armor. Thus, in an instant, the Iron Flower Faction’s base transformed into a scene of massacre led by the Hwarang.

“M-monsters?!”

“I hope you make the right choice. Otherwise, who knows what we might do.”

It was such a thorough massacre that even the survivors couldn’t harbor any resentment. The Hwarang smiled at the few survivors and warned them to make the right choice.

Because otherwise, no one except the Dragon’s Priestess could guarantee what would happen to them.