…So it is like that.
When Seol-Hwi returned to the room, everyone, including the Earth Demon, was motionless. Time passed naturally, as if it only stopped here.
Cheon Miryo didn’t come in. According to Seol-Hwi’s guess, there was a high chance that the unknown existence the system was talking about was her.
In order to win future gambles, it would be better to keep her as a hidden trump card.
<Want to participate?>
A statement appeared when he stood in front of the Earth Demon. Seol-Hwi made his mind up, one last time.
He met with the captains and made his own preparations so he might be able to carry out most operations.
However, it was not known whether the situation to come would play out the way Seol-Hwi would like it to. In the end, he had to try and judge it all.
<I will participate.>
When he made the choice to agree to participate, everything went dark before later once again becoming light.
“Success! The enemy didn’t seem to have expected our attack!”
“The troops in the garden are being swept away without being able to resist the Black Demon Troops.”
“It is the same with he Black Spirit Seven Assassins. They were annihilated without even being able to shake off the pursuit of the Blood Strong Troops and the Bloody Death Warlord.”
“Lord. Rejoice! A huge win!”
The words which flowed up naturally in front of the eyes—the decision to boldly choose a surprise attack and coming back as winners.
“Among the warriors under the Third Disciple, no one responded properly.”
“We have taken over everything from the Flower Garden which is known to be the central realm of the Third Disciple.”
“The secret warriors have secured the information from enemy lines! We are checking the information and the key warriors are beheading captain level figures.”
“With no loss of life, everyone is performing at the best of their capabilities.”
The news of victory lifted the mood of the Earth Demon, but it was not like this all the time. From the start, the strength of the Third Disciple was not that great.
There were the elders of the Heavenly Demon who supported her. Of course, the Earth Demon was also paying attention to this part. However, more important than them was the presence of the disciple.
If they stuck like lightning and decapitated the woman, everything would end. But the opponent knew important strategies.
“The location of the Third Disciple cannot be determined.”
“We have secured the troops which were under her command, the assassin troops.”
“We will send a scout for it. She cannot have gotten so far yet.”
Although the advantage of surprise was disappearing, the Earth Demon pushed harder.
If they could catch the Third Disciple alone, everything would end. Now they could not step back, leaving behind the scars of war. And finally this came—
“The news of the Hidden Truth Corps in the north, has been cut off.”
“It looks like an isolated incident. Send more people…”
“It is a trap, the Hidden Truth Corps who entered the place got countered. Casualties are known to be around 30.”
A voice of anxiety came.
“We need to get in troops.”
“The distance is too far. The front line of the Hidden Truth Corps is already attacking and is too far for us to reach.”
“The closest ones are the Black Demon Hall Troops. What do we do?”
“Earth Demon! Please order us. Immediately!”
“We have urgent news! About a third of the troops were destroyed by the enemy’s onslaught!”
“The elders and the guards which led by them are moving. This… Was a trap right from the start!”
“Please take action! At this rate, all the troops of the Hidden Truth Corps will be annihilated!”
…
…
Amidst the urgent voices of subordinates, the Earth Demon’s cry continued.
“Wait! There is no way Seol-Hwi could be so helpless. What just happened? Are you telling me to believe that the Hidden Truth Corps took a hit?”
And time stopped there.
For a while, no reaction came, just darkness, and at some point, a clear sound could be heard.
<Part 1: Hidden Truth Corps’ Crisis>
With phrases that came into sight when he just forgot—
Swish—
His senses came back. There was the sound of heavy rain hitting the surroundings. There was also darkness in his vision that was slowly turning clearer.
The rain in the middle of the night—
“…”
Seol-Hwi, who came to his senses, looked around. He was at a place halfway up the mountain.
Right below, one could see three monks.
And just in time was this familiar middle-aged man who approached.
“Commander. Are you alright?”
It was Heukgu, and in the lack of light, only the dark outline around his face could be seen.
“Can you explain this? What… happened?”
Seol-Hwi frowned and asked.
He did not rush. The situation was all too sudden, and this place was unknown to him.
Rumble. Flash.
The lightning would not stop in the heavy rain. At first glance, he saw five to six corpses next to him, and the clothes said they were part of the Hidden Truth Corps.
“I… I ran after hearing the news that the commander collapsed.”
“I collapsed?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“…You don’t remember?”
When Seol-Hwi did not speak further, Heukgu covered him with a blanket.
His entire body was drenched in rain, but once he wrapped himself in something, the coldness piercing through his body subsided.
“All I heard was that the troops had expanded their scouting range to find the Third Disciple and the commander got ambushed in the middle of it.”
“…Ambushed? Me?”
“Yes. As soon as I rushed in, I led the troops and managed to see the commander, but the enemies continued to chase after me, as if they were aiming for the right time. In the meantime, I tried to contact other troops close by, but I didn’t get an answer at all.”
“Hm….”
Seol-Hwi’s face went stiff as he explained this. The thing that could only be seen in his eyes, the thing which showed things which were difficult to understand—
3,111… 3,110… 3,109…
It was text which indicated the time, and it was counting down.
Seol-Hwi frowned for a while and then—
Wait, no…
Tatak
He hurriedly checked the condition of his body, and soon his face contorted. He could not feel his internal energy or stamina.
To be precise, something prevented his dantian from moving.
So a ban was placed. What trick was this?
Out of nowhere, he was put into the worst situation, and clearly at the time of spar, he felt his internal energy at its peak.
But now that he opened his eyes, his body could not even use a handful of energy.
What was this situation?
What situation was created, why did this system throw him so close to hell?
“And the current situation?”
Seol-Hwi asked while holding back his confusion.
The members in front of him were the Four Emperor Troops. It seemed like they were all enduring this situation.
They knew that it was suicide to flounder now.
Even if there was a sense of the situation getting out of hand, they were trying to figure out what the priority was.
“It is isolation. And in the process of pushing away the enemy’s pursuit, the education trainer lost his life.”
“Trainer?”
“Yes.”
Heukgu continued to speak with a gloomy expression,
“If the Four Emperor troops didn’t join in quickly, the entire troops of Bigun would have died. Everyone had been in a dangerous situation at least once, but fortunately, thanks to the divine weapons provided by you, their lives were saved.”
“Ah…”
Seol-Hwi let out a short sigh.
The weapons he gave them prior to this fight, he thought the preparation for the spar, which was forced by the system, was well done without wasting it.
If he did not arm them with divine weapons right before they came out…
Originally, he thought that there would be just Heukgu left back.
“And the scouting team…?”
When Seol-Hwi asked cautiously, Heukgu answered,
“At the time of operation, he was in charge of another area, so they didn’t join us. Should I consider this as fortunate…”
“Fortunate. Seo Ryeong… no, the captain of them even if they came, it wouldn’t have been of much help.”
Seol-Hwi stroked his chest. At least Seo Ryeong did not have a miserable life this time. It would be good if she was not involved in this.
“…?”
In the meantime, Seol-Hwi was startled and raised his head.
It was because of the laugh he heard from the side,
“Kuahahaha.”
“Euhhuhuhuh.”
It was the moment he managed to understand it clearly.
They aimed for the life of the Third Disciple and walked in too deep. Then, they got isolated and surrounded by her troops.
In a situation where the Fourth Disciple was too far, it was a position of facing the elite of the Third Disciple with just their limited troops.
And the worst was he had the dantian sealed.
Is it because of my mood…
According to Heukgu, he could have been ambushed by an elder of the Third Disciple. But that point was difficult to understand.
No matter how much he looked down on the enemies, it was just an elder. Even if they attacked him on a large scale, would he really be in this severe of a situation?
And also get his dantian sealed?
Even though I was conscious, my body and martial arts aren’t that weak.
In other words, it was a body that had reached the peak of Supreme Demon.
It was incomprehensible that he could not defend against the surprise attack of an elder. Rather, it felt more reasonable that someone had created this entire situation for them.
As if someone had come up with the plan which would never see a victory for the Earth Demon.
“Commander, you alright?”
“Fortunately, I am. The body…”
When Seol-Hwi was in deep thought, Hwa Sun came there and approached him, and when Seol-Hwi got up—
“Wait.”
Shhh
Seol-Hwi put the greetings behind and looked at the situation with serious eyes. On the other side he could see figures gradually showing their existence.
11, 12. The elders and the escorts of theirs…
He could feel it right there, the warriors who reached a considerable level. Among them, there were warriors who exceeded expectations.
“You people. How dare you attack without fear?”
From the dark came an elder who showed his face and then shouted.
“The Hidden Truth Corps is nothing but a strand of hair to us. We will kill one of the Fourth Disciple’s arms today!”
“It is even better if we catch them. As the Third Disciple said, there is nothing greater than a bargaining chip!”
Seol-Hwi’s expression contorted at these words. They seemed to have expected the Earth Demon would ambush them.
Or, in the first place they tried to give up two thirds of their troops for the Hidden Truth Corps.
However, their true purpose was Seol-Hwi since he was a person who performed well against the End Demon and was listed in the official ranks now.
It was an attempt to drag out the fight and use him as a bargaining chip. Among the powers of the Third Disciple, the elders were the best. And there were few who are exceptional.
However, seeing that the elders and the escorts were here, he was sure.
I need to find a way out.
The number floating in front of his eyes told him how much time was left. The number of the allies seemed around 100.
On the other hand, there were about ten or so considerably strong people on the enemy side.
Although there were a lot of numbers, Seol-Hwi could not possibly have an even fight.
“Hekgu. Hwan Su. Bigun.”
“Yes.”
Seol-Hwi’s voice turned low, and the captains all waited for the orders.
“Buy time. Right now I am in a situation where I am in a state of shock. Right now, I cannot use my strength at all. It will take around half an hour for my body to get back to normal.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The faces of his subordinates went stiff, but Seol-Hwi did not care.
“Do not worry. Because I have an easy way out of this situation.”
He explained the plan with a calm voice.
