Episode 224
“It’s raining.”
Gwonma muttered, looking at the darkened sky.
This was the first time I experienced heavy rain like this since I came to the Demon World.
Heavy rain fell continuously, hitting the dirt floor and turning it into mud.
I knew a horse with thick bones on the battlefield his whole life. This kind of weather is the worst when doing military service.
“Not bad.”
However, Ibrahim said that with a faint smile on his face.
“okay.”
The Sword Saint standing next to Ibrahim also expressed agreement.
They continued to capture castles mainly through surprise attacks.
This was possible because it was not a large army, but an elite group of 10,000 people with strong combat power.
And this weather was perfect for reviving the tomb of surprise.
“I don’t like it wet.”
Gwonma scratched the back of his head with an expression of displeasure.
Looking at him like that, Ibrahim asked.
“This opponent might be of some interest to you, Master Gwon. Is that okay?”
“Hmm, I didn’t mean I wouldn’t go.”
Gwonma answered by snapping his wrist.
“Then let’s go.”
Ibrahim stood up.
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“…Ligrat Castle falls.”
A demon with a pale complexion muttered.
“What…?!”
In an instant, the air in the audience froze cold.
Ligrat Castle was the castle of the Demon Lord of Death, the Great Demon King of the Western Land.
He was a strong demon lord, and at the same time he knew what happened in the east, so he was fully prepared.
So I didn’t expect anything to go wrong there.
In addition, humans have been adopting a strategy of avoiding strong areas and attacking weak areas first.
But this time, he was caught off guard and went into a stronger place.
The demons could not help but look like they had been hit hard in the back of the head.
“You bastards!”
Someone shouted in an exasperated voice.
That wasn’t wrong.
Their movements were clearly rat-like.
They are a force that can never be called a large army, and they are dodging and attacking like rats.
The problem was that the rat’s power was beyond negligible.
“Damn it, I have to attack first somehow….”
A demon muttered with a frown.
The war so far has proven that continuing to defend is not very fun.
So, in order to turn this unfavorable situation around, it was necessary to attack first.
However, the problem for now was that it was extremely difficult to capture human movements.
Above all, humans had no land to defend.
That was the biggest thing.
If there is a place to protect, troops have no choice but to be tied up there.
Just attack there.
However, humans devastated the land of the demon world and left it there as if they had no interest in it.
All the land.
Therefore, it was difficult to first understand the human movements and attack first.
As a demon, it was inevitable that it would be a headache.
“Damn, what on earth is Igni doing?”
Igni went down to negotiate with humans.
But there was no news yet.
It was a frustrating situation for the demons who were trying to find some kind of breakthrough in the frustrating situation.
“Hmph, that’s pathetic.”
Then I heard the voice I had been waiting for, saying that even tigers would come if I told them to.
Igni was slowly walking in.
“what?”
The atmosphere in the crowd became more hostile due to his tone of voice, which seemed to be fanning the flames of a house on fire.
But they knew.
Now is not the time to be at odds with each other.
“What happened?”
Another Great Demon King of the Western Land, the Demon King of Despair, asked.
“The deal has been made.”
Igni continued speaking in a clear voice.
“It means that there is a chance to turn the tide.”
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“Their movements are strange.”
Geomseong tilted his head and said.
Until now, the demons had divided their forces at various strategic locations and were in a defensive posture.
And it was a very standard strategy with nothing strange about it.
But suddenly the demons began to withdraw their troops.
And all at once.
The United States, which sensed such a movement, could not help but feel some suspicion.
“What’s strange about it? I guess they made the change because they thought there was no chance of winning with the same method as before.”
Gwonma said it as if it was no big deal.
“Is it simply that?”
“Right now, they are all scattered and retreating, but in the end, they are moving to one place. The place they call the Polar Canyon. Anyone can see that it is a natural strategic point. They will defend that place at all costs and hold on while plotting other moves. Isn’t that right?”
“So you’re going to abandon the other strategic points up there?”
“It’s probably because they don’t want to lose any more power.”
The swordsman and the martial arts warrior exchanged opinions with each other.
Although they were all veterans with extensive experience on the battlefield, their thoughts were slightly different.
Suddenly, their eyes turned to Ibrahim sitting in front of them.
In any case, he is the final decision maker.
“Hmm.”
Ibrahim was staring at the map with thoughtful eyes.
It was a map of the Demon World taken from the Demon Castle.
After a while, his mouth opened.
“This terrain is definitely key. It’s high and solid.”
“That’s right.”
Geomseong nodded.
In the Battle of the Great Plains that took place in the east, they were victorious in a head-to-head confrontation, but there were many difficulties in a head-to-head confrontation in such unfavorable terrain.
If you enter the canyon carelessly, you run the risk of being surrounded and suffering damage that could lead to destruction.
In addition, the enemy’s military power was greatly enhanced compared to then.
Of course, the great sage would also be clearly aware of such a situation.
And the Sword Saint knew very well that the Great Sage was not a man who would make foolish choices that would never clash head-on.
“What are you going to do?”
Gwonma asked.
It would be easiest to use teleportation, but teleportation is not available.
This was because not only the defensive magic circles but also the obstruction magic circles were spread out like land mines.
The enemies were prepared to defend the polar canyon with all their might.
“There are three paths.”
Ibrahim muttered while looking at the map. There is only one gate through which a large army can pass.
Therefore, it is a strategic point among strategic points where even 10,000 troops can block a force ten times that much.
But there were three other side roads.
The terrain is rough, but a small number of troops can somehow maneuver.
What the great sage was talking about were those byways.
This force, which consisted of an elite group rather than a large army, was sufficiently capable of moving there.
The great sage also chose a detour maneuver.
But it was something that even the enemies could predict.
It was clear that those roads had also been thoroughly prepared.
“Where are you going?”
Gwonma asked, looking down at the map.
“I have decided on a path forward, but before that, I think we need to split up our forces.”
“what?”
Gwonma looked dumbfounded.
The Sword Saint also had a puzzled look on his face.
The enemy was now concentrating all of their power on the polar canyon and taking a defensive stance. No matter which way we went, in order to penetrate such a place, we also needed to gather all our power and increase our destructive power.
But instead, split it into pieces?
It wasn’t easy to understand.
“Ah, isn’t that a bit like splitting it up? Then let’s change it to throwing bait.”
Ibrahim said with a smile on his face.
“Bait?”
Geomseong asked.
“Yes, that way we can confuse the enemy’s gaze. It is not best to just move alone.”
“Are you saying you want to sacrifice some of your troops as a discard card?”
These are not conscripts from a despotic state. Moreover, they are all B-level or higher elite groups.
Sacrificing such people as bait is a choice that no matter how great a wise person is, they cannot help but bear political burden.
“no.”
Ibrahim immediately shook his head.
“Other than that, what?”
“Now is the time to use the livestock.”
When they heard the word “livestock,” the swordsman and Gwonma looked understanding.
The Great Sage smiled and clapped his hands twice.
Then, quite a few people came crawling in from outside.
They were demons.
They had lifeless eyes like dead corpses. Among them was Jin, who was a prisoner of war in Korea and then handed over to the United States.
“They would make great bait.”
Ibrahim opened his mouth with a satisfied expression.
So far, not all demons have been killed while devastating the eastern land.
They also took quite a few prisoners.
And they were thoroughly brainwashed through torture, drugs, and mental magic.
It was for a time like this.
“But there is a risk of betrayal…”
“That can’t be right.”
Ibrahim smiled and looked down at the prone demons with utter contempt.
“I will ask.”
“Yes, human.”
All the kneeling demons answered in unison in emotionless voices.
“What are you?”
“They are lowly livestock that serve humans.”
“That’s a good answer. Since they are livestock, they should follow the orders of their human owners, right?”
“Yes, human. Just give me your orders. I will obey any command you give me.”
“What if I order you to kill another demon?”
“Of course I will kill you.”
“good.”
Ibrahim looked back at the swordsman and fighter with a satisfied expression.
“What do you think? Wouldn’t this make a great bait?”
“Hmm, you trained it quite usefully.”
Gwonma nodded.
The Sword Saint did not have a very happy expression, but he was able to understand because he knew the great sage’s deep-rooted feelings toward the demons.
Anyway, the important thing was that they would be quite useful in the war.
“Ah, there are no special movements from the emperor, right?”
Ibrahim asked as if an idea occurred to him.
There was a war going on in the Demon World, but the person the Great Sage cared most about was the Emperor.
Therefore, we had them scout Russian movements every day and receive reports.
“That’s right.”
“okay.”
Ibrahim continued speaking with a pleasant smile.
“Then I will show you the way forward. Let’s go here.”
His hand pointed to a corner of the map.
The eyes of the swordsman and the swordsman opened wide.
It was a mountain range lined with giant mountains located on the far left of the polar canyon.
On Earth, it was a place similar to the Himalayas.
It was not a place where any sane commander would operate his troops.
“Let’s outwit the odds.”
Ibrahim smiled coolly.
They throw the bait in a different direction and break through into a completely unexpected path.
That was the strategy designed by the great sage.
“But this is risky….”
Geomsung said, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.
It is not an easy road to just pass through. If there were any troops in such a place, they would be in great trouble.
“No, this is okay. It’s okay.”
Gwonma nodded repeatedly and continued speaking.
“I could really surprise you.”
“What if the enemy has deployed troops?”
“It is unlikely that troops will be stationed in a place like this, but even so, there will be only a small number. Wouldn’t it be enough to pass through?”
“hmm.”
That may certainly be the case.
However, Geomseong felt some unexplainable reluctance.
“Even if we throw bait, it would be too risky to go down a path that the enemy can predict. A less risky strategy would be to make a large turn toward the mountain range.”
Ibrahim spoke as if explaining.
“…All right.”
Geomseong answered.
Okay, maybe it’s just my mood.
After all, there is no strategy without risk.
Moreover, the Great Sage’s strategy has never been wrong so far.
And this time too, obviously.
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“ah.”
The saintess who was eating an apple suddenly blinked widely.
“Why are you doing that?”
Sihyeon, who was next to her, asked her with questioning eyes.
“He started moving.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The emperor.”
fantasy,
