Chapter 164
The scenery of Mount Hua was far Superior to that of Mount Zhongnan, but its interior felt much more modest.
The Mount Hua Sect Leader’s office did not have the capacity to accommodate so many people, so we had to continue our meeting in the wide-open Great Hall.
My seat was right next to the Murim Alliance Leader. It was quite the upper Seat.
I thought they would discriminate against me for being from the Unorthodox Faction, but I guess not.
Still, well…
“I will now explain the Proposed Strategy.”
Even though I was sitting in the upper Seats, there wasn’t really anything for me to do.
I just had to sit quietly and listen as Jegal Tak explained the strategy.
“First, before explaining the strategy, there is a traitor inside our Murim Alliance…”
Jegal Tak started with the cliché story that there seemed to be a spy inside the Murim Alliance.
‘You’re just figuring that out now.’
There was definitely a Demonic Cult spy inside the Murim Alliance.
And it was an elder-level figure at that. This was a fact revealed in the Original Novel as well.
“Was his title the Dark King?”
Thinking about the guy, I looked at Ha Jinseong, who was sitting at the lowest seat.
Even though the guy called the Dark King was an elder, his Martial Arts Skill was terrible. So even if I didn’t step up, that guy over there would take care of it on his own.
The problem was on this side…
“…Therefore, before the spy on this side can report to the Demonic Cult, we will gather our Troops and make a rapid One-Point Breakthrough into the Demonic Cult encampment to Strike them.”
Gathering Troops for a One-Point Breakthrough before the Demonic Cult spy could figure out the strategy and report it…
If it were a normal spy, this method might catch the opponent off Guard.
‘But the Demonic Cult’s spy is a total ace.’
The Elder Position wasn’t granted to a mere spy for nothing. Once a strategy was devised in the Murim Alliance, the Dark King would somehow find out and report it to the Demonic Cult.
“Chief Strategist.”
“Hmm?”
I wasn’t the only one who felt the Murim Alliance’s strategy was sloppy, as Ha Jinseong raised his hand first to interrupt Jegal Tak.
“Your strategy is excellent, Strategist, but I believe there are many Risk Factors. We don’t know how deeply the Demonic Cult’s spy has infiltrated, so gathering our forces for a One-Point Breakthrough carries the risk of us being annihilated instead.”
“Hmm…”
Even though the young Ha Jinseong interrupted and contradicted his words, Jegal Tak nodded instead of getting angry.
I also nodded at Ha Jinseong’s words.
Even in the Original Novel, Ha Jinseong was never a stupid character. He even had future information based on his Memories of Past Life, so just following what he said would get us more than halfway there.
“Thanks to the Chief Strategist’s excellent strategy, the Demonic Cult lost its supplies last time. Wouldn’t the Demonic Cult be the one in a hurry? I think it would be better to focus on Defense rather than a Surprise Attack.”
“Defense…”
“Yes, if we finish our preparations and wait for them, it will be much easier to fight and our chances of winning will go up.”
Yeah, I was also secretly thinking that Defense was better than Attack.
Who knew what would happen if we needlessly walked right into the Demonic Cult Bastards' jaws.
Feeling the meeting flowing according to my intentions, I was just about to nod my head.
However…
“Hmm…, then how do you think we should formulate our Defense Strategy?”
“It’s simple. If we move all the Troops of the Murim Alliance to Mount Hua, which is good for Defense, and hold out, the Demonic Cult won’t be able to easily conquer it.”
“…Eh?”
…I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Ha Jinseong’s next words.
Swish-.
When I showed a reaction of not understanding Ha Jinseong’s words, everyone sitting in the Great Hall looked at me.
I was momentarily flustered by their gazes before quickly waving my hands.
“It’s nothing, nothing. Please, continue.”
“…”
…Let’s hear him out first.
Moving the Troops to Mount Hua to defend from Mount Hua was a massive blunder no matter how I thought about it, but surely the guy who was the Protagonist wouldn’t say something like this without a plan.
Jegal Tak also seemed to want to hear Ha Jinseong out first, asking him in a calm voice.
“Is there a reason we must face the Demonic Cult Bastards specifically at Mount Hua and not Mount Zhongnan?”
“Yes, there is. Mount Hua’s terrain is rugged, making it difficult to approach and easy to defend, and its peaks are high, making it easy to spot the enemy’s movements. Considering these Geographical Features, wouldn’t Mount Hua be better than Mount Zhongnan?”
“…”
It sounded somewhat reasonable, so Jegal Tak closed his eyes and fell into thought. The others nodded as well.
Only I…
‘Uh-oh…, that shouldn’t happen…?’
…was keenly feeling the loophole in the strategy Ha Jinseong just mentioned.
“Should I…, step in?”
If this strategy was adopted, the Murim Alliance would be guaranteed to lose.
I prayed that Jegal Tak would quickly come to his senses and reject this strategy.
And not long after…
“…I have decided.”
…Jegal Tak snapped his closed eyes open, having finished his deliberation.
* * *
I looked with a heavy heart at the Murim Alliance Martial Artists who were beginning to gather at Mount Hua like a rising tide.
My Green Forest Subordinates who had joined from Mount Zhongnan were among them.
“Leader!”
“…Dongryong.”
Dongryong, who had led the Subordinates here, let out a carefree exclamation, completely unaware of my feelings.
“Wow…, so this is the famous Mount Hua. It’s my first time coming here in person, and it’s truly a spectacular view.”
“…Dongryong-a, was it the Rugged Path when you came up too, by any chance?”
“Pardon?”
Dongryong blinked as if wondering what kind of question that was, then answered.
“Yes…, well… The path was indeed rugged. But it’s famous that the path up Mount Hua is a Rugged Path, isn’t it?”
“…”
Saying it was a Rugged Path on the way up meant it was the same on the way down.
And Mount Hua was high and narrow.
All the personnel of the Murim Alliance were currently gathering there.
Naturally, since the Mount Hua Sect couldn’t accommodate so many people, the Murim Alliance Martial Artists were setting up camp at passes in between or at the Foot of the Mountain, but all the most important personnel were right here at the Mountain Peak.
“Man…, this is…”
…I think we’re fucked?
Still, the original Protagonist wouldn’t have done this without any countermeasures, but I also needed a minimum Safety Measure.
That was why I gathered Dongryong and the other Subordinates and asked them.
“Hey, you guys. You’re bandits in name at least, so you all know how to climb mountains, right?”
“…Pardon?”
At my question, the guys made dumbfounded expressions before nodding.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“We’re the ones who made paths even on mountains that had nothing…”
“You can just think of us as flying squirrels.”
“Then that’s great. From now on, go around and find an Escape Route that no one knows about.”
“…An Escape Route?”
“Yeah, so we can run away by ourselves if push comes to shove.”
“…”
Sensing something unusual in my words, the Subordinates nodded and moved stealthily.
As soon as I saw them scatter, I went to meet the original Protagonist.
However…
“Senior Martial Brother Ha Jinseong just went down to the Foot of the Mountain to inspect the camps.”
“…”
…I missed him by a split second and couldn’t meet him.
From that moment on, I couldn’t help but feel that something was getting seriously twisted.
* * *
Ha Jinseong showed up near his room only after the sun had set.
Swish-.
“You’re late?”
“You are…”
I had been hiding behind the building and only stepped out in front of him after he arrived.
Ha Jinseong looked at me in feigned surprise before quickly returning to a calm face and offering.
“…Let’s talk inside for now.”
“No, it’s fine. I just plan to confirm what I need to and leave.”
“From the way you speak like that, you must be…”
Ha Jinseong looked me up and down and continued.
“…You’re definitely a Regressor. Just like me.”
“…”
At those words, I couldn’t help but agonize over how to answer.
Because I wasn’t a Regressor, but a Reincarnator who had crossed over from a completely different World.
Nod.
But explaining all that would obviously be too complicated, so I just roughly nodded my head.
“…I knew it.”
Ha Jinseong wasn’t very surprised, as if he had already expected it.
Rather…
“…Then your goal must naturally be the downfall of the Demonic Cult, right?”
…he started to test me to figure out my inner thoughts.
“The downfall of the Demonic Cult…, yeah, I want it to be ruined too.”
It wasn’t really something to hide, so I spoke openly. Along with that, I also asked about what happened earlier.
“I have something to ask related to that.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you suggest that crazy strategy of going all-in on Mount Hua to stop the Demonic Cult? There’s another reason, right?”
“A crazy… strategy?”
“Hmm?”
At first, I thought Ha Jinseong was hiding something. But the moment I saw his expression…, I could be certain that something was going wrong.
“Currently, the Murim Alliance’s forces are objectively at an absolute disadvantage against the Demonic Cult. Why is a strategy to offset that gap even a little by using Mount Hua’s terrain crazy?”
“…”
I barely managed to grab hold of my momentarily dazed mind and asked Ha Jinseong.
“Do you happen to know about the Battle of Jieting?”
“Are you talking about the anecdote of Ma Su, the general of Shu Han?”
Ha Jinseong nodded as if he understood and continued.
“He stubbornly set up his encampment on a Mountain Peak and was heavily defeated. But now is different from then. Besides the Peak, countless Murim Alliance Martial Artists are setting up camp at the Foot of the Mountain and guarding the passes. Even if we are surrounded by the Demonic Cult, there are infinite ways To Break Through.”
“Ah…, yeah, let’s say that’s true…, then what about the Battle of Yiling?”
“…?”
“The Battle of Red Cliffs? Haha, fuck, the wind is even blowing from the southeast right now. What do you think about this?”
“Why does that…”
“What…?”
Ha Jinseong’s expression was far too innocent.
“Could it be…? Ah…”
Only then did it feel like the puzzle in my head was solved.
“You…, you don’t know that the Demonic Cult has an elder with Extreme Yang Martial Arts.”
“Among the Demonic Cult Elders…, Extreme Yang Martial Arts?”
Ah.
This kid didn’t know about the existence of that arsonist Bastard.
That guy was…
An elder who hadn’t appeared in the Original Novel…
“I was the only one who knew about his existence.”
As soon as my thoughts reached that point, I immediately informed Ha Jinseong of this fact.
“Among the Demonic Cult Elders, there is a guy called Fire King who possesses Extreme Yang Martial Arts.”
“…!”
“What do you think will happen if that guy surrounds Mount Hua with the other Demonic Cult Bastards and sets it on fire.”
“…Fuck.”
Having finally realized the severity of the situation, Ha Jinseong spat out a curse that didn’t suit him.
I smacked Ha Jinseong’s back hard and pushed him forward.
“If you now know, hurry up and run to that Chief Strategist Bastard. Quickly.”
“…Yes!”
He moved at a rapid pace without saying anything in response to my Command.
* * *
While Ha Jinseong went to meet Jegal Tak, I went to meet my Subordinates.
Among them, Dongryong was the first to run into me.
“Leader.”
“Yeah, Dongryong-a. Get ready to leave.”
“Get ready to leave? Ah, is that why you told us to look for an Escape Route? But about that… Mount Hua is just too rugged, so we couldn’t find another path to leave the mountain.”
“It’s fine. We’re all going to leave here together with the Murim Alliance guys now.”
Still, should I say it’s a relief that we found the problem quickly?
If we had been a little later and the Demonic Cult Bastards had noticed we had Set up camp here, we would have been turned into ashes…
It was then.
BOOOOM-!!
“…!”
At the same time as a sudden explosion was heard, a Cumulus Cloud billowed up from afar along with bright red flames.
“Uh…, fuck… Don’t tell me… already?”
These fucking diligent and hardworking Demonic Cult Bastards! Don’t tell me they’re already here?
Maybe not? Maybe it’s just a big forest fire…
“It’s a Demonic Cult Raid-!!”
“…”
However, someone’s shout completely shattered my wishful thinking.
Along with the shout of a Demonic Cult Raid, the surroundings moved in perfect order in an instant.
Dongryong also shouted urgently at me.
“Leader! They say they’re the Demonic Cult Bastards! We should move too!”
“…”
Having already fought the Demonic Cult a few times, Dongryong shouted with a certain level of confidence, but I knew.
This fight would be incomparably harder than the previous ones.
And for good reason…
BOOOOOOM-!!
Because those flames rising from below Mount Hua…, are right now practically the signal flare for the Reverse Battle of Red Cliffs.