Chapter 89
“…If I leave, would you guys not have to go through all this trouble?”
“…Hmm?”
Was she cooped up in the cave all alone having such thoughts?
The Imugi looked quite depressed and full of worries.
Could it be…
Is she feeling sorry because the Blood Demon Corpse King came looking for her…?
“…”
“…”
It seems that’s exactly it.
‘She has a bit more of a dorky charm than I thought.’
Seeing her usual behavior, I simply thought she was a misanthropic grump, but I guess that wasn’t the case.
“Phew…”
I let out a sigh as I watched her dejected figure, and then…
SMACK-!
“Aaaaaagh-!”
…I gathered energy into my fist and slammed it right into the crown of her head.
Thanks to the Imugi’s hard head, I felt a sharp pain in my fist as well, but the Imugi was in much more pain.
Only then did the Imugi glare up at me with her usual rude demeanor and demand an answer.
“Hey-! What are you doing right…, aagh-!”
“What am I doing, what am I doing, you punk.”
And I continued to smack the Imugi’s back.
“You’ve been stuck in a corner of your room for hundreds of years, so of course you’re such a mess. You pathetic punk. Is this the time for you to be looking so pessimistic and tearing up? Huh?”
“What’s a pathetic…, ugh…”
I asked accusingly as I slapped her back over and over.
“Do you think us working our asses off is all your fault right now?”
“I-isn’t it my fault…?”
“Of course it’s your fault.”
“…”
At those words, the Imugi’s expression dropped twice as low as when I first saw her.
“Listen to the Korean until the very end, you punk.”
“Korean…?”
Of course, this wasn’t Korea, but since my soul was Korean, it was Korean anyway.
I ignored the Imugi, who tilted her head at the unfamiliar word, and continued speaking.
“It’s true that you caused a nuisance, and it’s true that everyone is suffering because of you.”
“…”
“But damn it, no one is complaining and everyone is doing their best. Because of you.”
“Because…, of me?”
“Yeah, to help you!”
Of course, there were several reasons why my Subordinates were working hard to prepare for the siege.
Part of it was because my orders were absolute, so they obeyed, and part of it was to protect the Hunan Green Forest, which had now become their home.
But among those reasons, there was definitely a desire to help the Imugi as well.
For a little under two months, this misanthropic, fussy Imugi had wandered all around our Green Forest and developed affection for many people.
Seeing her fly through the sky, even those who secretly thought of her as the Mascot of our Green Forest.
That was why everyone was working so hard to be a source of strength for this Imugi punk…
“So what the Hell is the person in question doing? Aren’t you going to get up?”
“Ah…, o-okay…”
“Are you going to take responsibility if morale drops because of you?”
“…Sorry.”
…With the Imugi herself showing such a lack of energy, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
Still, since I spoke so strongly, the Imugi got up from her spot, albeit with a slightly dazed expression.
I gripped the Imugi’s shoulders and said.
“You said that you could grant my wish before, right?”
“Right…”
“Actually, I don’t really like the bastards trying to catch you either. No, I fucking hate them. Maybe the most in the world.”
“You too…?”
“Yeah. So maybe my wish is… to crush every last one of those bastards without leaving a single one behind. Therefore…”
Slide-.
I lowered my hand from the Imugi’s shoulder and held it out in front of my chest.
“…Hurry up and come out. We have to prepare and fight together.”
Honestly, there wasn’t anything in particular the Imugi needed to do during the preparation process.
However…, the Imugi would definitely be a tremendous asset during the battle itself.
Her ability to adjust her body size, her immense physical strength, and her ability to fly would definitely be of great use.
Above all, the Imugi…, had a special task she needed to do in this battle.
But if the one who had to take on such an important mission was this dejected, even things that should work out wouldn’t.
“…”
The Imugi just stared blankly at my outstretched hand, and then…
“Okay…”
…She took my hand with a somewhat more relaxed face.
“Then let’s hurry up and go.”
“Yeah, got it. Let’s hurry up and get ready to sweep away those bastards like rotten leaves!”
No, the Imugi’s face had improved beyond just being relaxed; she looked completely full of fighting spirit.
Like that, I held hands with the Imugi and came down the mountain.
* * *
Finally, the promised day with the Blood Demon Corpse King arrived. True to his gloomy nature, he had set the time for the decisive battle in the evening, so we had some leeway even after the morning sun rose.
First, as soon as I woke up, I started by dividing our forces.
The total number of people in our Green Forest was about 500.
Originally, it was a little under 400, but it had gradually increased bit by bit to reach about 500.
First, I left only 300 of those 500 people behind and stationed 200 at the bottom of the mountain.
“Elder brother…, still, I think it’s better if I stay…”
“What are you going to do with that arm that can barely move? Just go down the mountain too and manage those guys well. You guys are the Reserve Forces.”
Just because they were separated didn’t mean they wouldn’t fight; they were the Reserve Forces.
Since the Muak Mountain Stronghold was too small to accommodate all 500 people, I planned to station 200 at the bottom of the mountain and use them to replenish our numbers if additional troops were needed.
And the one I put in charge of those Reserve Forces was none other than the Youngest.
The Youngest’s arm, which had been bitten by the Imugi, still hadn’t fully healed. Rather than him fighting in an unstable physical condition, it was better for him to take charge of the Reserve Forces.
Like that, we divided the Main Force and the Reserve Forces from early in the morning and began preparing for the battle in the evening.
Still, the fortunate thing was that the Muak Mountain Stronghold was somewhat of an Impregnable Fortress.
When Jeokyeom first settled on Muak Mountain, he chose a rugged terrain to avoid being easily noticed, and because the surroundings were thick with greenery, one could only enter the stronghold through the path in the south.
The east, west, and North directions were blocked, and the only passage, the southern path, was narrow and rough.
‘You could say it’s the optimal location for a siege.’
Not only that, but we had also installed mechanisms that would drop the enemies into a deep pit if stepped on, and set up various obstacles to restrict their path.
Was that all?
Thanks to the Haomun’s generous support, various ranged weapons were lined up, and we had an abundance of supplies just in case.
Furthermore…
“Just in case, I also called about 100 Haomun Martial Artists. I will instruct them to move together with the Reserve Forces.”
“No, you didn’t have to go that far…”
“It is merely repaying the grace I received from you, Great Hero.”
The endlessly giving Haomun Leader had even brought Haomun Martial Artists to support us.
Furthermore…
“Wait, but are you going to participate in the battle too?”
“Yes.”
She stood next to me, declaring that she would fight alongside us as well.
I looked at her…
“…”
“…Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”
…Honestly, I looked at her a bit suspiciously.
And for good reason…
“No, Haomun Leader. You aren’t a Poison Master anymore. So…”
“…Don’t tell me you were about to say that since I’m not a Poison Master, I’m useless…”
“…”
…She hit the nail on the head.
No, it made sense; if a Sichuan Tang Family Martial Artist who had trained in Poison Arts their entire life lost it, what use would they be?
‘A Sichuan Tang Family Martial Artist who can’t use poison? That’s just like a Pika-X that can’t use Electric-type moves.’
There was truly no answer. Was she just going to use Quick Attack and Tackle or what?
As if sensing my thoughts, the Haomun Leader looked at me with an incomparably hurt expression.
“No…, the thing is…”
“…”
…Seeing that look made me feel a bit sorry. Even if she was a Pika-X that couldn’t use Electric-type moves, she had still done a lot for me all this time…
Fortunately, the Haomun Leader quickly softened her expression. Then, she let out a sigh and said.
“…Even if I am no longer a Poison Master, my knowledge of poison hasn’t disappeared. And since the opponents are Jiangshi, not humans, what use would poison be in the first place?”
“Ah, is that so?”
Shing-.
As I was convinced, the Haomun Leader pulled a dagger from her person.
“The Sichuan Tang Family isn’t only famous for poison. Naturally, I also know how to wield a high-level Dagger Art.”
“Oh, Dagger Art…”
Right, the Sichuan Tang Family was of course famous for poison, but it also made a name for itself with various Covert Arts.
However, …
“…I don’t think Dagger Art will be very useful against Jiangshi either…”
“…”
Dagger Art wasn’t that great either…
“I mean, you have to cut off their heads in one strike to take down a Jiangshi, so what can you do by throwing a few daggers thwip-thwip…”
“…Great Hero.”
“Ah, I was talking to myself. Talking to myself.”
“…”
Well, whatever. Even if she was useless in combat, the Haomun Leader was smart, wasn’t she? It wouldn’t hurt to have a brain around.
As I nodded, accepting her reason for being here, and tried to move on, her voice caught me.
“Um, by the way, Great Hero. I have one thing to ask you.”
“Hmm?”
She asked me with a nuance that suggested something was amiss.
“Actually, I deployed personnel thoroughly to form a surveillance network all the way from Qinghai to here in Hunan. However…”
“However what?”
“…I couldn’t find any traces of the Jiangshi anywhere.”
“Hmm?”
As I nodded in a way that told her to continue, she went on.
“I suspected they might have disguised themselves as humans and searched thoroughly, but I couldn’t find any suspicious groups even in the vicinity of Hunan Province. This doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
Only after hearing the Haomun Leader’s words did I also think it was strange.
If hundreds of Jiangshi were moving in a horde, they were bound to stand out. But she couldn’t find a single trace.
‘…What’s the reason?’
It wasn’t like creating something out of nothing, so Jiangshi couldn’t just suddenly be made. And it wasn’t like hundreds of Jiangshi were all capable of using a Stealth Technique.
“Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan. Did you look closely in the south as well?”
“Yes, but I couldn’t find any traces even there.”
“…That is strange.”
I had my doubts…, but I simply couldn’t come up with an answer.
Right now, all we can do is thoroughly defend ourselves and welcome the Blood Demon Corpse King.
The time for the battle inevitably approached, with the question left unresolved like that…