Chapter 207: Preparing the Counterattack
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: Preparing the Counterattack
“…Still, that’s just…”
Baek Rang’s eyes widened.
“You saw the future? Does that even make sense?”
I had glimpsed the future.
And in that future, we all die horrible deaths.
“It may be rare, but it’s not entirely impossible.”
Tang Soyeong added.
“The Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, or the Dalai Lama of the Potala Palace. There are stories that they can see the future. Of course, even they can only catch extremely limited glimpses… so it wouldn't be strange for the priestess of the Gaegaek Cult to see the future.”
Nephila gave a slight nod.
It seemed my words had helped her recall some of her forgotten memories.
“…Well, I guess our big lizard wouldn't play a prank like this.”
Baek Rang gathered the wolves.
The bicorns also began to flock here one by one.
The fact that the enemy will invade is unchangeable.
What we need to do now is come up with a plan.
“If what our lizard said is true, then the Mount Hua Sect will attack in exactly one month, right?”
I nodded.
“The Mount Hua Sect… isn't that where the red lizard belonged?”
Baek Rang narrowed her eyes.
The Red Dragon, a member of the Mount Hua Sect.
The Mount Hua Sect's invasion began after the Red Dragon left my territory.
Looking at the situation, the only conclusion is that the Red Dragon betrayed us.
But something about that felt off.
None of our allies were harmed by the Red Dragon's flames.
In fact, some of the enemies had been turned to ash.
This means that in the future I saw, the Red Dragon fought on our side.
But all the evidence so far pointed to her betrayal.
“A betrayal? I'll admit I don't really like her, but I never thought she was the type to do something like that.”
The Red Dragon is still my follower.
Being a follower doesn't grant me absolute control, but considering what I've seen of her, it's true that she has no reason to betray me.
She was the one who admitted defeat to me while she still had strength left.
She calmly accepted that I might take her life. Betray me now?
The Red Dragon wouldn't do that.
“You said she just collapsed to the ground, right? Without any external injuries.”
Tang Soyeong said, as if something had occurred to her.
“She revealed information about Hero Go and arrived with the invading enemies. That's an undeniable fact. But the strange thing is… after all that, she fought on Hero Go's side.”
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the Red Dragon did betray me.
Then why on earth did she attack the Mount Hua Sect again?
It's not like she was playing both sides; our side would have been consistently pushed back.
“I think I have an idea. The Tang Clan is involved in this.”
An unexpected name came up.
“There's a poison called Gu. It's a type of venomous parasite that, once ingested, makes it impossible to disobey commands. It's an extreme poison. Of course, it's not about controlling them freely, but more like blackmailing them with the threat of activating the poison.”
Gu.
That would explain it.
The Red Dragon, while briefly visiting the Mount Hua Sect, was somehow forced to ingest the Gu-poison.
She had no choice but to give them information about me, and they wouldn't just let a powerful spirit beast like her go, so they mobilized her as well.
It would have been a strategy to shake me psychologically, and the Red Dragon herself is a powerhouse on par with me.
…The Mount Hua Sect.
These bastards aren't the kind I can just fend off and be done with.
Even after selling me out, the Red Dragon chose to come here and help me.
Pretending to cooperate, all so she could kill those detestable bastards with her flames.
The Gu-poison she'd swallowed was immediately activated, ultimately costing her her life. She must have known that would happen.
If she had just pretended to join the Mount Hua Sect obediently, her contributions would have been recognized.
She wouldn't have died such a pointless death.
“It would be nice if this were a situation I could resolve with words, but I don't think it will be that easy.”
Tang Soyeong's expression darkened.
“The Tang Clan can be broadly divided into two factions: the moderates and the radicals. The moderates, including myself, seek harmony with spirit beasts. The radicals want to exploit spirit beasts to create new poisons. The ones who tried to put the spider ladies into a Gu-poison jar were from the radical faction.”
Tus and Pus trembled slightly.
“The Gu-poison was also a poison the radical faction was experimenting with. The Patriarch issued a ban, but it seems they went ahead and created it again anyway.”
She let out a small sigh.
“So the red lizard was forced to side with them? ...Then what do we do? She's not someone you can just knock out casually.”
Baek Rang knew the Red Dragon's strength well.
Even for me, the strongest of the group, subduing the Red Dragon without injuring her is next to impossible.
Besides, there are countless other powerful enemies besides the Red Dragon.
The most prominent one is the middle-aged swordsman, presumed to be the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
And the giant rock snake, presumed to be Gongbok.
Not only them, but the swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect and the beasts under Gongbok were also formidable.
They wouldn't just stand by while I was subduing the Red Dragon, and besides Baek Rang, we have no one else strong enough to take them on.
“It's certainly a very disadvantageous situation. Even if the Red Dragon joins our side, she won't last long before collapsing because of the Gu-poison.”
The situation seemed hopeless.
“But you know…”
Tang Soyeong made a mischievous expression.
As if she could land a solid blow on certain members of the Tang Clan.
It was an expression that was even a little triumphant.
“What if we neutralize the Gu-poison?”
“Gekgek!”
I tried to keep my mouth shut, but I couldn't help but cry out.
To think such words would come from Tang Soyeong's mouth.
“There is a poison that only I can handle.”
Tang Soyeong's green eyes flashed.
“If I use that poison, I might be able to neutralize the Gu.”
Come to think of it, Soyeong had been insisting on something for a while now.
That she could use the Tang Clan's secret technique, the Sky-Filling Flower Rain.
That she had a secret poison and I should look forward to it.
I remember thinking, ‘This kid's lost her mind and is spouting nonsense again,’ and kicking her butt with my tail.
“This poison isn't some magical elixir that will neutralize the Gu instantly. But we have a month, so if I refine it, it should be entirely possible.”
Tang Soyeong pulled a small bottle from between her slender breasts.
“…Of course, there might be some minor side effects, but that's not what's important right now.”
Our crushing defeat in the future was likely because the Red Dragon fell to the Gu-poison.
But what if we prepare in advance and neutralize the Gu?
The enemy either doesn't expect the Red Dragon's betrayal, or they think that even if she does betray them, they can activate the Gu to minimize the damage.
But what if we use Tang Soyeong's poison to kill the Gu, and the Red Dragon immediately unleashes her flames on the enemy?
We could inflict additional damage while they're scrambling to activate the Gu.
Why does Soyeong look so pretty today?
“…Hehe, you're making me feel a little strange, looking at me like that.”
“Kioong!”
“Kieeeng!”
Tus and Pus also climbed onto Soyeong's head and waved their arms around excitedly.
“Oh, come on, it's not that big of a deal! …Could you get down now? I feel like my neck is starting to break…”
They say kids grow up fast. Tus and Pus were already bigger than medium-sized dogs.
It would be difficult to have them fight directly, but they could certainly serve a support role by riding on my or Baek Rang's back.
“That would be a relief. If we can just get the red lizard on our side, we'll definitely have a fighting chance. You said we cut off that middle-aged swordsman's arm even when we were at a huge disadvantage, right? If a situation arises where you can focus completely, you'll be able to take him down somehow.”
The swordsman presumed to be the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
In the future I saw, his arm was severed.
That means my attacks can hurt him.
Of course, my horn and tail were also cut off, but given the circumstances, it was probably unavoidable.
But now, things are different.
Thanks to glimpsing the future, I can devise a strategy to deal with him.
I'm confident in my firepower, so if it comes down to a one-on-one fight, I'll be able to handle the middle-aged swordsman.
“The problem is… the master of the rock mountain.”
This was what I was worried about.
The master of the Dragon Gate and a member of the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
Gongbok.
This guy's contribution to my defeat was likely significant.
There wasn't a single scratch on his body.
I must have attacked him somehow, but despite that, his body was completely unharmed.
A powerful enemy my attacks can't penetrate.
If a guy like that is standing in the way, things won't go smoothly.
“Like I told you, the masters of the rock mountain and the flower mountain are on a different level.”
Those were the words I heard when Baek Rang first explained the Dragon Gate to me.
That the masters of the rock and flower mountains were far more dangerous than the others.
That the master of the volcano was the weakest because it was a new generation spirit beast, and the next weakest was the master of the snow mountain.
Back then, I wondered how big the difference could be, but it seems that being a child of a dragon makes them unbelievably strong.
“His forces are formidable, too. And… if what she said is true, and the Tang Clan supplied the Gu-poison, it's highly likely they supplied troops as well.”
“…That's probably right. It's a bit awkward to say this about my own clan, but they can be insidious. They would have provided support while pretending not to.”
The swordsmen of Mount Hua.
The beasts of the rock mountain.
The spirit beasts of the Tang Clan.
Ten bicorns and the wolves would be nowhere near enough to stop them.
Even if we neutralize the Red Dragon's Gu-poison, victory isn't guaranteed.
Let's think.
How have I fought until now?
I test the waters, gauge the enemy's strength, and then decide how to approach them.
If they're weak to poison, I use poison.
If they're weak to fire, I deliberately bleed, then heat my body with Dragon Blood.
If they lack range, I create distance and use ranged attacks.
If they're weak in close combat, I close in as much as possible to force a melee.
This time is no different.
I just need to find the enemy's weakness and exploit it.
Let's consider what I have at my disposal.
I have one month.
Yes.
One month is enough.
Enough to overcome their numerical superiority.
Enough to shatter an unbreakable rock.
And enough to keep my followers safe.
“Grrrrrrr…”
I stood at the summit, looking down at my territory, and growled.
I will not be satisfied with simply repelling the invaders.
I will make it so that no one ever dares to covet my territory and my followers again.
So that the mere mention of the name Gomodo makes them tremble in fear.
What the Old Death with a Tail truly is.
I will carve it into their very bones, so they will never forget, even as ghosts.