C166 - Tsunami (1~)
Cale lowered the crown on his head with an outstretched hand. Suddenly, his eyes met with Raon's.
"Huuk, huuk," Raon was taking deep breaths.
"What are you doing?" Cale asked.
"No, it was just for a moment, but Human looked as big as Grandpa Goldie! I guess it was an illusion!"
The eyes of Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo lit up upon hearing these words.
Choi Han, in particular, looked at the palm of his hand.
When he asked Cale what he had achieved, he naturally expected Cale to say that he had gotten what he wanted.
"Am I sweating?"
The moment he saw the expressionless look on Cale's face with the crown, Cho Han was frozen.
"It seems that Cho Jung Soo still doesn't quite understand..."
Cho Han had observed the expressions that appeared on the faces of Raon, who approached Cale, and Choi Jung Soo, who stopped a little further away and, unlike him, showed a surprised face for a brief moment.
"Is he scared?"
Undoubtedly, Choi Jung Soo had felt fear from Cale. There was no doubt that he had been frightened. Although he himself was not willing to admit it.
"Cale-nim."
For the first time, Choi Han was curious about Cale's power.
He had never experienced anything like this before.
He wanted to ask what kind of power Cale had obtained this time. But at that moment...
Step, step.
Urgent footsteps were heard. Chief Eunuch Wi, who had come down the stairs after passing by Fist King, looked at Cale.
"Young Master Kim!"
The cold and calm expression of Chief Eunuch Wi, who had previously subdued the Sichuan Lord's Mansion, had disappeared, and urgency filled his face.
"The Blood Cult has released Jiangshis!"
Choi Han, who was looking at Chief Eunuch Wi, turned his gaze to Cale. Cale was looking at the ceiling. He slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again. His gaze met Choi Han's after lowering his head.
"What were you about to tell me?"
"No, I'll ask you later."
"Alright."
Cale nodded, and in no time, he stored the crown in his subdimensional bag. In his mind, he heard the deep voice of Dominating Aura.
-You should consider using Dominating Aura against the God of Death next time.
Cale ignored the excited voice and approached Chief Eunuch Wi.
"Where have the Jiangshis appeared?"
"It is reported that they have appeared in various areas of the Central Plains."
Cale climbed the stairs, and Wi followed him.
"Please continue with the explanation."
Wi began to speak in response to his words. At that moment, Cale passed by Fist King. Neither Chief Eunuch Wi nor Cale paid attention to Fist King.
"Hmm, hmm."
Fist King stared at Cale, who passed by him, while going up the stairs. He had no choice but to look at Cale as he climbed the stairs.
However, now, wouldn't it be natural to look at him like this?
Suddenly, that thought crossed Fist King's mind. In the past, he would have rejected that idea as absurd, but the current Fist King did not have the courage to assert that this thought was wrong.
He simply inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself.
Unconsciously, Cale emerged to the surface and looked at the maps and charts scattered in the Sichuan Lord's Mansion's study.
His expression became unusually serious.
"...Has it also appeared in the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes, after Jiangshis appeared in the capital and the Imperial Palace, they are now emerging in various areas."
Sigh~.
Cale let out a sigh, and Chief Eunuch Wi couldn't help but bite his lips.
'He must be going through a hard time.'
Young Master had gone through all sorts of troubles to purify the Living Jiangshi.
How tough must it be for him now that the Jiangshis had suddenly appeared?
Chief Eunuch Wi couldn't bear to continue looking Cale in the eyes, so he shifted his focus to the map.
And Cale was thinking seriously.
'Did those bastards from the Blood Cult go crazy?'
The appearance of Jiangshis... it was possible. At some point, Cale had thought he would have to fight Jiangshis when infiltrating the Blood Cult. But he hadn't expected the Blood Cult to release Jiangshis first in various places in the Central Plains.
'Did they do this because they felt they couldn't continue like this?'
Well, by now, the Blood Cult must have realized that there were problems with the Living Jiangshi they had infiltrated into the Three Factions*. Consequently, they might be taking the next step. (*Note: When I say "Three Factions," I refer to the Justice Faction, Evil Faction, and the Demon Cult.)
'But, sending Jiangshis to the Imperial Palace?'
This was madness! Were they looking for trouble with the Emperor? Were they trying to finish him off?
At that moment, Cale could hear Lee Soo Hyuk's murmuring voice.
"Did those Blood Cult bastards go mad? Are they desperate to die?"
Ah~
Cale let out a sigh. The eyes of the others focused on him. The corner of Cale's mouth curved up with malice.
"Those Blood Cult guys still don't understand, do they?"
"Huh?"
Lee Soo Hyuk's confused eyes suddenly brightened. His tone became more relaxed.
"That's right; it seems they still haven't understood."
"Exactly."
Toc, toc.
Cale, who was tapping the map with his fingers, spoke indifferently.
"The Three Factions, and even the Imperial Family. All factions are coming together. The Blood Cult still hasn't understood that."
The Blood Cult had only figured out two things.
'The Young Master Kim from the Imperial Family. This mysterious character who has been visiting various parts of the Central Plains.'
'As well as the Living Jiangshis they planted in the Three Factions, which were subsequently purified.'
Based on this, there were limits to what they could deduce.
'Because I moved discreetly in the middle.'
During the time in the Demon Cult, they even killed spies, and information didn't leak because the Demon Cult was completely isolated from the outside world. Furthermore, when they went to the Evil Alliance to purify the Living Jiangshis, it was also done in secret. Moreover, all these things hadn't happened over a few months but in a relatively short period of time.
"The Imperial Family," "Young Master Kim," "Justice Faction," "Evil Faction," and "Demon Cult."
The Blood Cult would have noticed that these groups were trying to bring about some kind of change.
'But I don't think the Blood Cult believes that the Imperial Family and the Three Factions would unite in such a short time.'
One would think they would limit themselves to discussing things as they always have, exchanging ideas, checking and balancing, trying to reach some kind of agreement.
Because the Three Factions had never seen eye to eye.
"It could be thought that, as far as they're concerned, the Government and the Three Factions are just exchanging ideas, because in the history of the Central Plains, these discussions tend to drag on for a very, very long time."
They distrusted each other greatly.
Neither Fist King nor Chief Eunuch Wi refuted Cale's argument.
"That's why the Blood Cult finally released the Jiangshis and directed them toward the Imperial Palace."
Cale's gaze turned to Chief Eunuch Wi.
"In that case, the Imperial Palace will have no choice but to confront the entire Murim."
Even if they knew that the origin of the Jiangshis was the Blood Cult.
"If they don't find the Blood Cult, the Imperial Palace will have no choice but to face the entire Murim."
In that situation, would the Murim factions open their doors to the Imperial Family?
'Definitely not.'
So, in the end, the Government and the Murim couldn't coordinate their interests.
"Finally, the Government and the Murim will be so focused on the Jiangshi problem that their cooperation will be complicated. Even if they align their opinions, that will happen much later than what is happening now."
If that were the case.
"It would be really beneficial for the Blood Cult."
They could exploit that rift to cause further confusion. Maybe this time it wouldn't be a battle between the Three Factions and the Blood Cult, but a fight between the Government and the Murim. With a force like the Jiangshis, they had the potential to do so.
The corner of Cale's mouth curved up slightly.
"Until the end, they're using their heads quite a bit."
The Blood Cult. They were undoubtedly experienced Hunters, and Hunters knew how to set traps correctly.
"But what will we do about this?"
Unfortunately, the Blood Cult had made a regrettable mistake.
"It will be difficult for the Blood Cult to get what they want."
Team Leader Sui Khan chimed in as if in agreement.
"Since everyone has united, right?"
Fist King added after regaining his composure.
"That's right. Everyone has already aligned their opinions."
With Young Master Kim at the center.
Fist King swallowed those last words.
Kim Haeil.
He was beyond his wildest dreams.
It was thanks to him that the Government and the Murim had reached an agreement so quickly. History had never seen anything like it.
"So..."
Cale's gaze turned to Chief Eunuch Wi.
"So, what are the plans of the Imperial Family?"
The urgency in Wi's expression was replaced by calm.
"His Majesty the Emperor has told us to continue doing what we've been doing."
Indeed.
Cale nodded.
"The Jiangshis will be controlled by the Government. He told me not to worry."
Initially, Chief Eunuch Wi didn't understand the Emperor's order. He thought it would be better to quickly resolve the problem with the help of Young Master Kim's group.
However, the Emperor had a clear priority in mind.
'The eradication of the Blood Cult, huh?'
Exactly. The fierce Emperor wouldn't settle for just capturing the Jiangshis. Chief Eunuch Wi's gaze shifted to Cale.
"Well, maybe that's for the best."
Looking at the smiling Young Master Kim, his mouth went dry.
Young Master Kim spoke calmly.
"The more Jiangshis they discard, the easier it will be to attack the Blood Cult. Isn't that right?"
Young Master Kim's smile was terrifying.
Then, at that moment...
"Elder!"
"What's going on?"
Chief Eunuch Wi's expression stiffened instantly when a man approached him addressing him as "Elder." He was an agent from the Eastern Depot who had infiltrated as a servant in the residence of the Lord of Sichuan.
"This..."
He hastily handed over a letter, disregarding formalities. Chief Eunuch Wi quickly opened the letter and then handed it to Cale.
"Young Master! They report that the Lord of Yunnan Province has died."
Cale opened the letter.
"Furthermore, it has been taken over by the Jiangshis, and it is currently impossible to enter Yunnan."
<The Lord of Yunnan Province has died.>
<At least around 1000 Jiangshis.>
<Yunnan Province has been taken.>
After passing through Sichuan, you reach Yunnan.
It was adjacent to Nanman, a foreign region.
And Nanman was where the branch or headquarters of the current Blood Cult was supposed to be.
<You cannot enter from the outside, nor escape from the inside.>
<The residents of Yunnan Province are being monitored and held hostage.>
<There is no further contact.>
The situation was dire.
"How was this information obtained?"
"We received it through a messenger hawk. It's probably the last message we'll receive until further notice."
Chief Eunuch Wi's gaze shifted to the Eastern Depot agent.
"We haven't received any more information. Moreover, those who traveled to the nearby Yunnan Province found many dead hawks, and we have lost contact with several of our agents."
Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Jiangshis, it seemed that the Blood Cult had made a move.
"If I hadn't known that the Blood Cult is in Nanman, I would have thought that taking over Yunnan Province was like other things that happen throughout the country."
Since Yunnan was on the outskirts, it wasn't as important. Rather, considering the capital and other strategic locations, there was a high probability that Yunnan Province would take a back seat.
Cale looked to the bottom of the letter.
Stains of dried blood.
The letter was stained with blood.
It was so crumpled that it was difficult to read. Blood was splattered everywhere. However, Cale could clearly read one word.
<Urgent rescue required.>
He folded the letter and handed it to Chief Eunuch Wi.
Then he casually stated, "We will go directly to Yunnan."
Chief Eunuch Wi asked cautiously, "... Do you intend to purify all these Jiangshis?"
There were at least a thousand Jiangshis.
To deal with them one by one, how many troops and Martial Artists would he need to bring?
It didn't make sense.
That meant they would have to fight to the death, and fight for their lives.
'A desperate fight...'
Yes, it would be a desperate fight, whether against the Blood Cult or the Jiangshis.
"Hmm?"
Chief Eunuch Wi abruptly stopped.
Cale shook his head without hesitation.
"No."
Not going to purify them? Is he planning to face them individually? Moreover, from the enemy's perspective, they have the advantage. Yunnan was a strong fortress located near Nanman, where the Blood Cult likely had its main base.
'It will take time.'
Taking Yunnan quickly would be difficult. Thinking about that, Chief Eunuch Wi nodded.
'Yes, it's not possible for Young Master Cale to purify the 1000 Jiangshis all at once, and even if it were possible, it would be madness to do so.'
Young Master Kim's life would be in danger. He was someone very important to the current situation, and they couldn't jeopardize him.
Just then, Chief Eunuch Wi heard Cale's voice.
"Are the walls of Yunnan strong?"
"What?"
For a moment, he wondered what he had heard, but then Cale spoke again.
"How much strength is needed to bring down the walls in one blow? Do you have the design data?"
...What strength could bring down a wall in one blow...?
As Chief Eunuch Wi began to doubt his ears.
-Cale. No, Kim Haeil.
Sky Eating Water asked in a low voice.
-Are you going to unleash a Tsunami*? (Note: There's a play on words here, as 'Tsunami' in Korean has a similar pronunciation to 'Haeil,' Cale's pseudonym.)
Where did you learn to speak like this? Cale sighed.
-Human! Why are you laughing while sighing?
That's right.
Why am I smiling?
For now, I'll respond to Sky Eating Water.
I don't know if it will be a Tsunami or whatever.
But first...
"Should we go?"
Of course, without using all of our strength, just...
-250%?
Hmm.
-200%?
Alright.
That should be enough to avoid coughing up blood.
----------
Pow!
The sun was setting in the evening.
Several people appeared at the mountaintop, bathed in bright light.
Of course, with a young Dragon.
"Human, look there! It's a castle!"
Cale's gaze shifted downward.
Yunnan Castle, which seemed quite sturdy, came into view.
-
