Episode 502:


    Inside thergemand barracks.


    The leaders of the Allied Forces gathered together and held a meeting.


    The person who presided over the meeting was the Murim lord Joo Hwabaek.


    Not only those from Sichuan and Henan, not to mention the warriors from Hubei, were not dissatisfied with the fact that he had takenmand.


    In this situation where martial people from all over the world havee together to form an allied force, who else but Maengju would take on the role of mediator?


    ‘If he hadn’t appeared on the battlefield, I probably would have been appointed as a representative.’


    To be honest, I was happy about this situation.


    Because I can move a little more freely.


    I felt relieved to have let go of the heavy burden.


    Basically, the role ofmander was to take on troublesome and difficult tasks.


    Although fame and achievementse with it, in fact, I have alreadyid all the foundations to be an elder.


    The time to obsess over such things has long passed.


    There is only one thing I am interested in right now.


    It was only the head of the Demon Cultist.


    ‘I’m d the leader came at the right time.’


    Until now, I had no choice but to perform my role because there was no one to do it for me.


    I had a good cause, but I had no intention of putting myself in a position to holdmand.


    “So what the head of the Zhuge family is saying is, let’s take some time and wait and see?”


    “That’s right.”


    Zhuge Seoju Zhuge Seojin nodded.


    Most of the people agreed with his opinion.


    If it was natural, it was natural.


    Because it was a correct theory with no room for disagreement.


    As time passed, it was our team that gained the advantage.


    The Maqiao side was isted, and its power would increase further if the Allied Forces, which hadpleted the upation of Hebei, joined forces.


    There was no reason to rush.


    “Isn’t that too passive?”


    There were some who questioned whether there was any reason to waste time when enough power had already been gathered.


    However, their ims were not only met with no response, but were almostpletely ignored.


    Those who have seen the power of the Demon Cult at least once spoke in unison.


    We must be fully prepared.


    “Good. “Then, ording to Zhuge Segaju’s opinion, we will further strengthen the siege and monitor the movements of the Demonic Cult.”


    “…….”


    “I’m thinking about ending the meeting soon, but if you have any additionalments, please let me know now.”


    No one opened their mouths.


    Everyone must have had a lot to say.


    There would be some sects like the Dongong sect who wanted to talk about the lost and regained sphere of influence of the monks, and there would also be martial factions who wanted to be recognized for their achievements or to honor those who sacrificed their lives.


    But now was not the time.


    Whether it’s a public service or a memorial service.


    All had to be postponed until after the war.


    Now was the time to focus on the enemy in front of us.


    “Then let’s disperse at this point. “I hope everyone will go back and work hard to prepare.”


    The meeting is over.


    As I left the barracks, I fiddled with my belt and muttered.


    ‘They said Hebei was pacified. I’ll be able to see you soon, Master.’


    * * *


    ‘hmm.’


    As I climbed up the tall tree and stared at the castle wall, I shook my head.


    I couldn’t find an answer.


    An impregnable fortress would be something like that.


    My bones were already aching as I thought about the main force of the Demonic Cult, such as the Eight Great Demon Lords and the Heavenly Demon Pce, staging a sit-in protest there.


    In terms of power, the Baekdo martial arts side had a huge advantage, but they had a geographical advantage.


    Above all, the existence of a demonic cult leader who could single-handedly turn the tide of the war was burdensome.


    The Allied Forces, especially the soldiers in Sacheon, must have felt it keenly this time.


    The terrible inaction of the Demon Cultist.


    As long as he is alive, victory in the war cannot be guaranteed.


    ‘Sporadic battles ur from time to time.’


    A full-scale conflict never urred.


    In fact, it was inevitable because the allied forces of the political factions that came to attack were showing a passive attitude.


    “This is ridiculous! “You hypocrites of political faction!”


    “Have youe all this way and be scared!”


    “Khahahaha!”


    A mocking shout pierced my ears.


    I burst intoughter and let out a long yawn.


    ‘Here we go again.’


    It was a provocation so obvious that I felt sorry for it.


    Sometimes, warriors from the Demonic Cult would climb up the castle walls and scream like that.


    It seems like they wanted to hasten the decisive battle somehow, but the leaders of the Allied Forces were not stupid enough to fall for such a low-level provocation.


    “Yeon Sohyeop.”


    As I was sitting alone and getting some fresh air, I heard a voice calling me from below.


    As I looked down, a familiar face came into view.


    Jegalhye.


    A direct blood rtive of the Zhuge family.


    Vice-military of the Murim Alliance, officially recognized by Commander-in-Chief Zhuge Huan as his sessor.


    He wasn’t someone I could talk to while looking down.


    I hit the tree branch andnded on the ground, stepping through the air.


    “What’s going on?”


    “I want to tell you something.”


    He had a serious expression.


    Looking at it, I didn’t think it was a story that others could hear.


    I formed a membrane covering the surroundings around me and her.


    “Before we talk, there’s one thing I’d like to confirm.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “I believe that Xiaoxiao is connected to Haomen. Isn’t it?”


    I nodded obediently.


    These were words spoken with confidence by no one else but Zhuge Hye.


    There would be no point in denying it.


    ‘There are probably quite a few people other than her who noticed.’


    Some of those who have looked back at my actions so far may have noticed that I and Hao Mun are connected.


    Just like King Jie did in the past.


    Even though Hao Wen was a senior officer, my position was not so fragile that it could be shaken even if some bad rumors were spread.


    Even if someone pointed it out and took issue with it, it didn’t really matter.


    “It is a secret to the public, but I understand that the next open owner is currently a member of the Cheonan Inspectorate.”


    “How did you know that?”


    “Bing a deputy military officer gave me ess to a little more information.”


    but.


    Originally, Gyeongjae was a group close to the Murim League, especially the Maengju faction.


    There was nothing strange about the fact that Zhuge Hye, who had officially be the Vice-Garrison, knew about the current situation of the opening of the country and about Yuanlong (夗龍).


    “Since Hao Wen and Opening are on the same side, it can be said that there is no force in the world of Tang Jin that canpare to Cheonan Gambu in terms of intelligence power.”


    “It’s just a coborative rtionship. “Cheonan Inspector General did not build a great information collection system on its own.”


    “Even so, great things are great things. “I am always amazed by the resourcefulness of the small cooperative.”


    I narrowed my eyes.


    I had no idea what the intention was for saying this.


    After taking a breath, Zhuge Hye made direct eye contact with me and said.


    “There is one thing that bothers me.”


    “Are you saying it’s something you’re worried about?”


    “It’s about the movements of the Demonic Cult.”


    “Are you saying they made a move that went beyond the military ministry’s predictions?”


    “no. “The reason I feel strange is because their movements are much more passive than I expected.”


    Passive?


    I tilted my head.


    In response to the allied forces of the political factions pushing through the four regions at the same time, the Demonic Cult insisted that the cult leader himself move out of the headquarters.


    It was an operation that could not be easily carried out by the Demonic Cult, which was controlled solely by the authority of its leader.


    It could be said that it was proof that they were in a situation where there was no going back.


    “Ma’s move alone was clearly beyond the military department’s predictions. But I can understand that part.”


    “…….”


    “What I’m wondering is why you didn’t use the main force you saved.”


    “What does it mean?”


    “This time, the Allied Forces in Sichuan suffered great damage due to Ma Jyoju. Just by moving on his own, he achieved such results. If there had been a supporting force….”


    “If the saved forces had been used appropriately, we could have inflicted much greater damage on the Allied Forces. Is that what you want to say?”


    “That’s right.”


    “well. My thoughts are a little different. From the Demonic Cult’s perspective, the situation was not so good for operating separate units. “Isn’t this a surprise attack on the Allied Forces in Sichuan as the Allied Forces in Hubei were rushing in?”


    Zhuge Hye nodded.


    This was probably the reason why she did not make such a statement in the meeting room.


    Just because she felt ufortable doesn’t guarantee that other people also felt ufortable.


    “To be honest, I still don’t understand the Demon Cult’s intentions. “It may be said that it was unexpected, but it is questionable whether it was necessary at all.”


    “……?”


    “A move that the opponent does not expect is not necessarily the best move. “Sometimes the straight method is the best method.”


    In other words, from her standards, the tactics chosen by the Demonic Cult were wrong.


    I had no idea what kind of picture she, who was skilled in the art of war, would have drawn in her mind.


    However, I felt like I knew roughly what she was trying to say.


    The Demonic Church’s response to the Allied Forces moving north has a hidden intention other than what appears on the surface.


    “This is just spection. “It could be seen as excessive worry.”


    “…….”


    “But from my perspective, the fact that the Demon Cultist moved alone seemed to be an attempt to attract the attention of the Allied Forces.”


    It’s a feeling rather than a confirmation.


    As it was based on spection, it was a difficult statement to make in an official setting.


    Now I know why she came to see me.


    She wanted to gain confidence in her hypothesis by borrowing my information.


    “If not, that’s good, but if the assumption is correct, a dangerous situation could arise. “Can you lend me your strength?”


    I nodded while rubbing my chin and thinking.


    Even if it helped, there wasn’t much loss.


    There might be some bleeding, but I could deal with that.


    ‘If I can leave a debt in my heart to the futuremander-in-chief, that’s all I have left.’


    Zhuge Hye’s expression brightened.


    Now it was time to hear about her hypothesis.


    She calmed down her flushed expression by pretending to clear her throat and said something surprising.


    “Maybe the main force of the Demonic Cult is not currently in that castle.”