Ch.7777. Alliance (2)

# Alliance Between the Balhut Cult and the United States!

The Balhut Cult has agreed to trade weapons made from Bahamut coins in exchange for America’s vast food resources and materials needed for reconstruction.

However, one might wonder about something here.

Why would the United States, with the world’s greatest military power and nuclear weapons—known as humanity’s strongest weapons—want weapons made from Bahamut coins in return?

To be honest, while the cult’s weapons boasted excellent efficiency with limited resources, America’s own weapons could certainly reproduce the power of Bahamut Bullets.

“Um, with America’s proud arsenal already available, is there really a need to request Bahamut Bullets as payment?”

“We cannot use those proud weapons on our own cities.”

“Ah.”

The reason was incredibly simple.

America couldn’t use its proud weapons against its own cities.

This was why many democratic governments had hesitated to address the apocalypse—they couldn’t destroy their own cities, especially their capitals where all infrastructure was concentrated.

South Korea too, if willing to make the sacrifice, could have used their powerful weapons to turn Seoul into a sea of fire, which might have significantly contained the zombie outbreak.

But that was impossible.

“That would be suicide. It would mean the retreat of the nation—no, the retreat of civilization. If a government points weapons meant to protect citizens against those very citizens and cities, can it truly be called a government? The purpose of a democratic government would vanish, and all the authority it had built would crumble.”

As Steven said, democratic governments couldn’t choose that option.

Or rather, they wouldn’t even consider it.

For a government that adopted democratic ideals, it would mean abandoning the very foundation of its rule.

By giving up the reason for its existence, the government would inevitably collapse from that contradiction.

‘Right. That would mean losing central government authority and accelerating the independence of state governments.’

Yet ironically, because America hadn’t demonstrated its overwhelming force and violence, it now faced the great trial of division.

The White House, failing to show strong leadership, was losing control over state governments. These states had been brazenly declaring independence, only to return like prodigal sons when their export routes were blocked.

If the White House could secure its authority and prestige through this negotiation and others, it could send a strong warning message to states attempting independence or secession.

“I understand that. But besides those powerful weapons, wouldn’t regular firearms be sufficient?”

“Haha. In times like these, let’s just say we’re curious about weapons developed during this apocalypse.”

Additionally, the American side was interested in the weapons used by the Balhut Cult.

“I’m talking about weapons specifically made for Awakened by a blacksmith with actual blacksmithing skills. We’ve been quite interested in them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. In America, we’re seeing special enemies that can only be harmed by magical attacks. Our conventional weapons are becoming ineffective against some opponents.”

“That’s frightening.”

They were interested in weapons made by Awakened, and apparently conventional weapons had become ineffective against some enemies in America.

Lee Hyeon-a looked at Steven with a slightly fearful expression at the mention of new enemies.

Increasingly, weapons created by humanity were becoming useless against certain foes.

Of course, magical attacks still worked, so Awakened could defeat them, but the fact that reliable conventional weapons were becoming obsolete was enough to cause anxiety even in America.

“That is frightening. So you need weapons imbued with magical power to counter these enemies.”

“Exactly. There’s actually quite a bit of anticipation back home about this. Would it be possible to see a demonstration of the weapons made by the Balhut Cult?”

“Yes, I’ll show you.”

Naturally, Lee Hyeon-a needed to demonstrate the quality and performance of the cult’s weapons to secure America’s abundant resources.

If Steven was satisfied with the cult’s weapons, the scale of resources the Balhut Cult could purchase would increase significantly.

Following Steven’s request for a performance test, Lee Hyeon-a led him to what was once Mr. Choi’s ironworks… now the Balhut Research Institute, the cult’s weapons research facility.

“Wow, are all these craftsmen making these by hand rather than using machines?”

What Steven witnessed at the ironworks was the sight of craftsmen meticulously working on individual bullets.

He looked at Lee Hyeon-a as if asking if they really made each bullet by hand.

“Yes. Unless an Awakened makes them directly, they won’t perform at full capacity. Of course, as skill levels increase, more functions might be unlocked, but for now, the craftsmen gathered here make them by hand.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Lee Hyeon-a nodded at his comment.

What she didn’t mention was that the craftsmen weren’t actually making the entire bullet by hand.

Naturally, the specifications and shell casings were made with the help of machines. The craftsmen were simply engraving each pre-made casing and finishing them.

However, from the outside, it looked like the craftsmen were making each bullet entirely by hand, which led to this misunderstanding.

‘Hmm. The labor costs must be substantial. This looks like the kind of labor exploitation you’d see in a black company. Even in an apocalypse…’

The misunderstanding grew.

As Steven’s eyes narrowed, Lee Hyeon-a noticed and clarified:

“Um, most of the work is done with machine assistance. What they’re doing now is enchantment engraving—the finishing touches that give the bullets their magical effects.”

“Ah! I see. I almost had a strange misunderstanding!”

To clear up any potential misunderstanding, she explained that machines helped with bullet production, and this was just the finishing work.

Steven finally understood and gave an awkward laugh.

“Would you like to test one? These were just produced.”

“Yes, let’s try it.”

Steven and Lee Hyeon-a arrived at a large open space to test the Bahamut Bullets. Steven took the rifle she handed him and aimed at the target.

The target was quite large, and Steven fired with anticipation. When the bullet hit the target, there was a loud bang, and the target burst into flames, eventually turning into white ash.

“WOW. It feels like firing a cannon with a rifle. With this kind of firepower… Anna, what do you think?”

“It seems to cause a powerful magical explosion on impact. Even a tanker who could withstand machine gun fire might go down if hit by that.”

“That’s scary. So it’s like firing a rocket from a rifle.”

Steven consulted Anna about the bullet’s power. Anna assessed it as causing a powerful magical explosion, with enough force to endanger even tankers who could withstand machine gun fire.

At this terrifying response, Steven broke into a cold sweat, comparing it to firing a rocket from a regular rifle.

The target was still burning with magical flames even after the explosion.

Even if someone survived the initial explosion, they would likely be burned black by the remaining flames. Steven asked Lee Hyeon-a:

“When will those flames go out?”

“They’ll disappear on their own when the magical power engraved in the bullet is depleted.”

Lee Hyeon-a glanced at the still-burning flames with an unconcerned expression, saying they would disappear when the magic ran out.

“How long does that take?”

“In combat situations, about 10 seconds.”

“10 seconds… that’s both short and long.”

Steven commented that 10 seconds could be considered both brief and lengthy, thinking it lasted longer than expected.

“In a fight between Awakened, a single second can determine life or death. Being engulfed in flames for 10 seconds… that’s essentially a death sentence.”

Even if someone survived the initial impact, they would have to endure being burned for 10 seconds while continuing to fight.

Steven thought no sane person could withstand that, and the real question was whether they could survive the initial explosion.

Even if they could endure the pain of burning, the initial explosion would make even seasoned Awakened tremble.

“Conversely, if used carefully in urban areas, this could be a trump card.”

However, if even Awakened couldn’t withstand such firepower, then the monsters they faced likely couldn’t either.

For the U.S. military, which had to engage in hellish urban warfare within their own cities, being able to deliver tremendous firepower conveniently with a rifle—without deploying tanks, missiles, or drones—was a significant advantage.

For the White House, which had to consider the views of state governments and political attacks, Bahamut Bullets that could deliver enormous firepower from a rifle were very appealing.

“Yes. They’re actually used against powerful mutant zombies. Other bullets are used for different situations. These bullets are so powerful they could destroy cities.”

“They’d be good against named enemies.”

Lee Hyeon-a explained that the Balhut Cult also used them against powerful mutant zombies.

The cult also engaged in urban warfare and used these bullets specifically against powerful mutant zombies to prevent city buildings from collapsing.

“Then what do you use against Awakened normally?”

“This.”

Next, she showed him a bullet with a lightning symbol drawn on it.

After loading it into the rifle, she presented Steven with what appeared to be a human-shaped chunk of meat as a target.

Steven frowned briefly at the human-like target but, realizing it was made specifically for target practice, fired without hesitation.

When the bullet hit the human form, it suddenly began to convulse before collapsing.

“The meat is convulsing.”

“This is a bullet for subduing Awakened. We use it on the occasional dim-witted Awakened looter. The military calls it the Lightning Bullet.”

“Looters would be what we call villains.”

Steven was startled by what he saw, while Lee Hyeon-a calmly explained it was a bullet for subduing looters.

Steven mentioned that what she called looters would be called villains in America.

“I’ve heard that in America, Awakened are highly regarded as heroes. Yes, we call Awakened criminals ‘looters,’ so from an American perspective, they would be villains.”

“Indeed. Since our perceptions align, let’s move on to the explanation.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyeon-a seemed to know that America held Awakened in high regard as heroes, nodding at Steven’s words and explaining that the Balhut Cult referred to Awakened criminals as looters.

Steven confirmed their shared understanding and suggested moving on to the main topic.

“This weapon creates a powerful voltage inside the target, paralyzing their internal nervous system. Most Awakened will have their insides thoroughly cooked once hit. You could call it a stun bullet designed to subdue Awakened criminals who are stronger than ordinary people.”

“The Lightning Bullet would be really useful. It’s perfect for taking down villains causing crimes in America.”

Steven nodded with satisfaction at Lee Hyeon-a’s explanation, saying it was the perfect weapon for dealing with villains.

At his statement about using it against villains, Lee Hyeon-a cautiously asked:

“Is crime that severe?”

“Yes. Awakened criminals are extremely dangerous. They’re enemies of America who disrupt our society with their suddenly acquired powers.”

Steven strongly declared villains to be enemies of America, saying they disrupted American society as it tried to overcome the apocalypse.

“Plus, I’d like to give a taste of this to those who insist monsters have human rights.”

“There are such protesters?”

What was even more frustrating was that there were apparently protection groups claiming monsters had human rights.

It could be seen as a kind of anti-war protest, but considering that monsters were occupying cities, such groups would be maddening from the White House’s perspective.

Lee Hyeon-a seemed genuinely surprised by this and asked if such protest groups really existed.

“Yes. America is the land of freedom. There are even radical thinkers who claim monsters have rights and that America should protect them.”

“Even though people are dying at the hands of these monsters?”

“Yes.”

The answer was that America was the land of freedom.

Lee Hyeon-a couldn’t hide her bewilderment at the mention of radical thinkers claiming monsters had rights and should be protected by America.

While the Balhut Cult’s main enemy was zombies, they also faced threats from monsters hiding in the mountains.

At least zombies and monsters didn’t cooperate and were hostile to each other, creating a three-way dynamic between the Balhut Cult, zombies, and monsters…

“I’ve heard that America doesn’t have zombies but has many monsters instead. And that many citizens have been sacrificed to these monsters.”

“Haha, from the White House’s perspective, these are statements not worth listening to. If they just protest, we can pretend to listen and move on. But the problem is that some of them are carrying out extreme terrorist acts. Unfortunately, some of these terrorists are Awakened, making it difficult for regular police to subdue them. But now, a good solution has arrived.”

Steven dismissed these ideologies as ones the White House had no interest in hearing.

Unfortunately, American society had Awakened who pursued such extreme ideologies, and regular police with conventional equipment found it very difficult to subdue Awakened terrorists.

However, with the bullets shown by the Balhut Cult, even ordinary people could effectively subdue Awakened.

“Never use these on ordinary people. They’re exclusively for use against Awakened.”

“I understand.”

Lee Hyeon-a strongly warned against using them on ordinary people, and Steven nodded in agreement with her advice.

“Then there’s nothing more to see. Each one is an excellent product. They’re perfect for the urban warfare we need to conduct. Isn’t that right, Anna?”

“Yes. The bullets made by the Balhut Cult are exactly what we need in America.”

Steven clapped his hands, saying there was nothing more to see and praising them as excellent products.

Though initially skeptical, he now seemed to have no doubts about their performance. He asked Anna, who had been observing the bullets, if she agreed, and she closed her eyes and confirmed they were what America needed.

“But we also have Awakened with blacksmith skills in America, yet they don’t produce anything this powerful. Is there some secret to the manufacturing process?”

“That’s a top-secret matter for our Balhut Cult.”

One question remained: America also had Awakened with blacksmith skills.

However, the items made by those Awakened weren’t such excellent products and didn’t display such powerful effects.

Steven probed Lee Hyeon-a about the manufacturing method, but she lightly refused, saying it was a top secret.

“I see. So you won’t just give it away.”

“Yes. You’ll need to respect our intellectual property rights.”

“Haha. You drive a hard bargain.”

While Bahamut himself created the coins, the development of the bullets was the effort of Mr. Choi’s ironworks, the predecessor of the Balhut Weapons Research Institute.

So Lee Hyeon-a insisted that the intellectual property rights for the manufacturing process must be respected to reward those efforts. Steven made a troubled expression.

It was a strong refusal to disclose the process for free, and seeing Lee Hyeon-a’s determination, Steven reluctantly spoke:

“Then let’s make an additional deal.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’m a special plenipotentiary ambassador. If this technology benefits my country, I believe it’s worth purchasing even at a high cost. Don’t you agree, Anna?”

“…Sigh.”

With full authority, he could make additional deals if the technology would benefit America.

Since the Balhut Cult had accommodated America’s requests, America should also purchase the cult’s items.

The weapons’ performance was powerful enough to tempt America, so he judged this wouldn’t be a problem for his country.

Anna, who was escorting Steven, showed no particular reaction and simply watched the upcoming negotiation.