Reload—
In front of this message, Seol-Hwi did not dwell on it for long. According to the AI, this present life was a one time chance which would not occur ever again.
He said that even if he died and came back, the same choice would still not come up, a small divergence which he noticed after a long time. And that can be assumed that the AI was not this involved with the “unknown existence” which the system spoke of.
In this life, depending on how he used this existence, he might have a life that the AI never experienced.
<No action has been taken.>
So Seol-Hwi did not do anything. Actually, he had not even thought of it.
It was better to just save for now, because to go to the second life which the Earth Demon suggested, he had to get the map.
Swish—
As soon as he was done saving, the time which stopped for a moment flowed again, and everything flowed naturally.
“The First Disciple will surely move now. He will do anything to hurt us.”
It was the Black Demon Warlord who said it. He was one the leading warlords. Originally, he did not want to join the power struggle, but now that he did, he did not want to be swayed either.
Accordingly so, he knew how each disciple acted.
“Definitely not a situation to just smile and watch,”
The Bloody Death Warlord also agreed.
“Perhaps he will go to the Silver Demon Hall?”
“I think so too.”
“This isn’t something to be taken so lightly. His skills are good, and he is the First Disciple of the Heavenly Demon for a reason…”
At the words of the Black Demon Warlord, the Bloody Death Warlord clicked his tongue.
The Silver Demon Hall was a place where the recluse warriors all stayed.
And the First Disciple was going to go to such a place? To be honest, they never even thought about it.
Two warlords of the eight—
Due to the strength these two had, the First Disciple was bound to think that he was being pushed back by the Earth Demon in the number of the skilled masters under him.
Therefore, he would surely go there and visit them, and start with the warriors who had stopped being active in the sect.
“If things were like this… shouldn’t we move for the Third Disciple first?”
Ack Bi on the other side asked. It would take a lot of time and effort for the First Disciple to recruit people to his side. So, if he planned to do something, then it would be better to deal with the Third Disciple who was the weakest first.
“Well. It looks like it has already been thought of.”
“…?”
Cho Ah-ran’s words caught their attention.
“The lady is one with amazing skills and intelligence. Given the current power structure with the disciples, she would make the least damaging choice.”
“If that is the case, you are saying she will stick with the Second Disciple?”
“It might be like that. The Earth Demon and the End Demon are fighting for first place so it is possible for the Second Disciple to think about it. No, they might have already started working together.”
It had not been declared anywhere, but it could have happened. Aren’t the current circumstances leaning more to the First and Fourth Disciple?
“If not, we can move ahead…”
“I think it would be better to hit the Third Disciple.”
“…!”
“…!”
As soon as Ack Bi began to speak, the Earth Demon joined in. And the Black Demon Warlord along with the Bloody Death Warlord—
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
They expressed their will to work together. Cho Ah-ran also nodded.
“If we plan to attack them, then we should do it sooner rather than later. Even if the two of them are temporarily allied, there is no way that they would be able to fight the troops of others. Even if the leaders decide on peace, it will not be easy to switch the stance right off the bat.”
Ack Bi added a couple words.
“Good points. Among the forces of the Third Disciple, there must be a group which doesn’t like this… hmm. What troops does she have?”
Their gaze shifted to the side, and one of the warriors accompanying the Black Demon Warlord bowed.
“The Evil Cliff Circle and the Black Bell Seven Flying are her main troops, but they are known to be around the level of the Hidden Truth Corps and aren’t so threatening.”
“And Supreme Demon level warriors?”
“Two. Both of them are recluse warriors who stepped back from the scene but one is Wang Mo-ryeok and the other is Ma Yang-chun.”
“Wait… Yang-chun you mean the… Ghost Sword Soul?”
“Right.”
“We need to avoid him.”
Ack Bi said it like he knew the guy and gave a rough explanation of it. If possible, it was an opponent to be avoided at all costs.
There, the Earth Demon’s people continued to speak,
“Actually, the problem is somewhere else. The forces of the former elders who said they would support her, even if not on the Supreme Demon level. Depending on whether they join the battle or not, the damage we will take will change.”
“Well, the elders cannot be ignored.”
The Black Demon Warlord stroked his chin.
Even if they attacked and obtained victory, if they took too much damage, it would not be worth it.
Regardless of if the Third Disciple’s power was eliminated or not, even their own power would decrease too much. And the advantage they managed to get would then be lost if the First Disciple made a move.
The Bloody Death Warlord said,
“Well, when we think about who they take orders from and that they follow the Third Disciple… I don’t think it will be easy.”
“Damn it. What is the sect leader even thinking?”
It was not a bad idea, but convincing them would not be easy. In the first place, those elder level figures were put into the role to keep others in the sect in check.
The existence of Second and Third Disciples were to keep the First Disciple in check. The balance was set by the Heavenly Demon, who felt bored of the one-sided struggle.
So the elders who participated were not those who willingly came in, so they could be persuaded or be ready to fight to die.
The problem was with the situation. The moment they try to persuade them, they might turn hostile too.
“We don’t know if they are good or not, until we get to know them.”
“My head hurts. For now, let us not think of that. Excluding the elders, what more does the Third Disciple have?”
When the Bloody Death warlord asked, the escort of the Earth Demon answered.
“Around 800 people. Half of them are warriors and about 30 of them are super master level warriors.”
“And two Supreme warriors.”
The Black Demon Warlord raised his head and asked,
“Now that we are thinking of this, what about a surprise attack?”
“Surprise attack?”
“To catch a snake, aim for the head. If you cut it off quickly, wouldn’t half the troops be unable to move? And the elders too.”
“So…?”
“Is it necessary for us to prepare for the fight against the elites? Strategy exists for a reason. It is to attract the elders with the right bait and then quickly take down the Third Disciple.”
“…!”
“…!”
Everyone was lost in thought at the words they just heard.
The greatest power of the Third Disciple was not her skills but the elders around her . If they fought against them, then the Earth Demon’s troops would take huge damage.
But what if they avoided fighting them?
The elders did not go out of their way to ally themselves with the Third Disciple, so it was a burdensome task for them to be under her and do what she ordered.
“We rush in like wind and cut her head down, after the situation is done, there is no reason to fight, so who would dare fight us when she is dead?”
“We are walking on a tightrope. Is it more like a gamble? It means that we have to protect our strength to match her in the right way.”
“But the gamble is a huge benefit if we win it. What… if we lose… then I don’t need to say it.”
Both Warlords smiled at those words and then turned to the Earth Demon.
“So, what will you do? We are ready.”
“Hmm…”
As the eyes of the people gathered on him, the Earth Demon closed his eyes.
Originally, this place was a place to make future plans while also being for celebration. Suddenly an opinion came to take down the Third Disciple and they were bold remarks which could possibly be the end of a person.
Now, he had to decide about it.
‘It would be nice if it succeeds. If it fails we lose everything…’
Win or lose—
The decision he decided on would determine the fate of those who followed him, and as the head of this faction, was he bound to be a burden to them?
Is that why?
He naturally turned the head to the person he trusted the most.
“Seol-Hwi, what do you think?”
“Hmm…”
Seol-Hwi felt burdened. He knew the personality of the Earth Demon.
He was someone who had no ambition to be a leader or be the next leader either. He just wanted to protect those who followed him.
Normally, the Earth Demon had small goals. But the battle they were preparing for was not something to be approached like this.
He also had to go through the bloody battle and take down the leader of an opposing faction.
And this isn’t the highest difficulty now.
Still, if there was a chance, now was the right time for him to get power.
If the Second Disciple and Third Disciple were joining forces, they would have troops unknown to anyone else and would not be ones that could be handled so easily. Unable to predict their power in the future would cause more problems.
Maybe the Heavenly Demon would be happy to see that, and with that thought Seol-Hwi said,
“To speak of what I think…”
He looked around and then said,
“I don’t think the other side will worry like the lord.”
“… not worry like me? In what way?”
“The current situation is a choice of die or kill. It is natural to hesitate if you are the culprit. This is because the Third Disciple will die, but many people who side with her will die too.”
“…”
“And it is a fight where you have to kill. In that regard, Fourth Disciple, if you decide to not concede because of the numerous things you lost in the past, then act up to make up for them.”
“Seol-Hwi…”
“Yes. I want to fight. We need to survive this war to be able to smile.”
“Ah.”
With a brief exhale, the Earth Demon’s eyes which had shown a weak will until a second ago changed. Because he knew there was a chance now.
“I get it. when you are ready, let me know.”
“…Uh?”
“Tell me when you are ready.”
What?
Seol-Hwi was taken aback at the odd tone. The same voice was speaking, but—
This happened in the past too.
So he stepped back and moved closer again.
<We compete now?>
Ah!
And he realized why.
This too, was the system intervening.
Since Seol-Hwi came this far, he agreed to participate in it.
However—
<No! Participation isn’t allowed. In order to participate in this fight, you need to meet with the captains of the Hidden Truth Corps at least once.>
…Ah, right. I forgot.
Seol-Hwi instantly realized what he forgot. Before entering the war, there seemed to be something he had to do.
