Immortal Cult (2)
"Immortal Cult. Never heard of them."
The Immortal Cult! The ideology was somewhat visible just from the name, but Jeong Dong-gun was about to question Jin A-yeon standing before him for precise details when—
"I'll explain that."
"And you are?"
A man who had been quietly observing from behind Jin A-yeon raised his hand, offering to explain himself. As Jeong Dong-gun turned his gaze to him, the man appeared to be a middle-aged fellow around his own age. Awakened as an awakener, he still looked youthful despite his years, and he met Jeong Dong-gun's quizzical stare with confident resolve.
"Name's Han Seong-geun. I was the leader of the resistance here at Ulsan Airport before."
Jeong Dong-gun glanced around at the others upon hearing that Han Seong-geun had led the resistance before Jin A-yeon's arrival. Jin A-yeon, the current resistance leader, showed no particular reaction to his introduction—as if it were the most natural thing—and none of the survivors seemed fazed either.
Seems legit.
Judging from their demeanor, Jeong Dong-gun concluded Han Seong-geun's words were true, backed by solid grounds and confidence rather than hasty fabrication. Handing over leadership of a survivor camp to another in this apocalypse was a bold decision, after all.
"So you were the leader. But now it looks like Ms. Jin A-yeon holds the position. Any particular reason?"
"She's stronger than me and has the track record, so I passed the resistance leader spot to her and took deputy. Better symbolism having a pretty young lady lead than some drab old guy like me, right?"
He explained without hesitation, citing Jin A-yeon's superior strength and symbolic value as if it were no issue at all. Jin A-yeon was the strongest awakener at Ulsan Airport, with the feat of liberating Fukuoka under her belt. She was more than qualified for leadership, and her heroic image outshone the unknown Han Seong-geun. That's why he'd yielded the top spot and stepped down to deputy.
"I agree."
Jeong Dong-gun gave a wry smile, unable to argue. If pressed, he himself had been a survivor camp leader yet sworn loyalty to the much younger Choi Yu-na and served under her. In this world, visible power mattered most; even established leaders would yield for survival's sake. And Han Seong-geun was likely treated well under her, turning a potential loss into pure gain.
"Anyway. What exactly is this Immortal Cult?"
"They're a group that controls zombies and worships some entity as their god."
"Hm."
Controlling zombies was one thing, but worshiping some entity as a god drew a big reaction from Jeong Dong-gun and his team. They belonged to the Balhut Cult, which revered Dragon God Bahamut as its deity. Even if it wasn't Bahamut, the emergence of a similar cult stirred inevitable feelings and unrest.
"Some entity?"
"Yes. Immortal Cult members call it 'Him' or 'the One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken.'"
When pressed, Han Seong-geun admitted even he didn't know much—just that cultists treated it as unspeakable. Jeong Dong-gun sensed this god was utterly unlike Dragon God Bahamut, probably polar opposites in nature.
"…I see. But calling yourselves a resistance implies—"
"Ulsan is under the Immortal Cult right now. Public opinion, control of the city—everything's theirs."
Just as the Balhut Cult had swallowed Gyeongju, Ulsan was firmly under Immortal Cult rule. The camp at Ulsan Airport positioned itself as resistors against them, and Jeong Dong-gun thought…
This reminds me of when Gyeongju split into South and North.
Frankly, it mirrored the Balhut Cult's own history. The difference? Unlike Jo Sun-do's tyrannical rule in North Gyeongju, here cooperation and trust seemed solid, with civilians protected. Jeong Dong-gun, sensing wary stares from civilians hidden within the airport, judged it the opposite of Gyeongju's strife.
Especially since Jin A-yeon's joined them—Han Seong-geun's no black sheep. More like a white knight.
In this apocalypse, fame equaled trust. Jin A-yeon's role in Fukuoka's liberation lent credibility to the resistance. It explained why Han Seong-geun had handed over leadership to support her as deputy.
"Did the Immortal Cult oppress you from the start?"
"No. At first, they earned our trust by clearing zombies from Ulsan. We saw them as heroes."
Thinking of Jo Sun-do, Jeong Dong-gun asked if oppression began immediately, but Han Seong-geun said no—they'd been saviors.
"Heroes."
Jeong Dong-gun muttered the word in bewilderment, shooting a suspicious glance. Han Seong-geun smiled bitterly and continued.
"Imagine it: hordes of blackened zombies parting like the sea before them, walking through unscathed. It's a miracle, right? They cleaved the zombie ocean in two, brought the hordes under control, and promised us Ulsan citizens the zombie threat was gone."
Similar to Lord Bahamut's method… but not quite.
Bahamut had won Gyeongju's trust similarly—not just driving zombies away, but eradicating them, then persuading leaders through earnest debate. His vow to protect Gyeongju had smoothed things, aligning with Han Seong-geun's account in that regard.
"Then why form a resistance? If Ulsan's safe—"
"True. We weren't resistance at first—just a survivor camp at Ulsan Airport, not joining the cult. Their promise held for a while."
"Held. So it stopped after?"
"…Their posted decrees were the problem."
"Decrees?"
"This is the Immortal Cult's proclamation."
Unlike the Balhut Cult, which had consulted Hwang Seung-man early for legal input on ruling Gyeongju, the Immortal Cult's laws sparked backlash among Ulsan citizens. Han Seong-geun showed Jeong Dong-gun the poster in disbelief.
"Does this even make sense as a decree?"
- All political activities—including survivor camps, their leaders, organizations, assemblies, protests—are forbidden.
- Any denial of Immortal Cult rule, plots to overthrow it, fake news, opinion manipulation, or false agitation are prohibited.
- Ulsan's community is under cult control.
- Strikes, slowdowns, assemblies inciting social chaos are banned.
- Each survivor camp must join an Immortal Cult affiliate within 48 hours of this decree's distribution. Violators will be executed as enemies disrupting Ulsan peace.
- Except for anti-cult subversives, loyal citizens will face minimized daily disruptions.
Violators will be immediately arrested, detained, searched, and summarily executed.
"This is basically declaring dictatorship!"
It meant death for all survivor camps. They couldn't demand anything, oppose policies, or retain rights—they had to submit unconditionally.
Even the early Balhut Cult, heavy on religious tones, wasn't this bad!
The initial Balhut Cult had formed a coalition through dialogue with Dragon God Bahamut. This proclamation declared all dissenters enemies. It even threatened intervention in food sourcing, fatal for camps scavenging remnants.
"Some accepted it anyway."
"This?!"
"While you unified Gyeongju and pushed to Pohang, we fought zombies for half a year and grew weary. Easier to submit to the cult that cleared them, some said."
Exhausted survivors, amid war-weariness, trusted the heroes' decree. They'd proven power by expelling zombies. Pre-apocalypse, it'd shake the nation; apocalypse made it palatable.
"We weren't resistance at first. But even in the end times, this was too much—so I gathered like-minded folks and held Ulsan Airport. The cult was in the south, so no issue."
More opposed. Survivors oppressed by zombies weren't weak civilians anymore—they were powerful awakeners. Would they swallow this? The cult had cleared zombies, but inversely…
"Then it hit me: where did the zombies under cult control go? Did they dispose of them? We have no idea."
The cult failed to build trust. No info on controlled zombies' fate or disposal.
What if those hordes turned against them? Chilling thoughts for non-followers like Han Seong-geun.
Opposite again. We united against zombie foes.
Eradicating zombies outright and showing resolve would've built trust gradually. The Balhut Cult's liberation narrative bloomed in Pohang, earning love. Cult controlling zombies bred suspicion; Balhut eradicating them won faith. Polar paths—Jeong Dong-gun half-wondered if it was a hidden camera.
"Zombies vanished from greater Ulsan. Under cult control? Or smuggled away? No info given."
"Yeah, we noticed no zombies or survivors on approach. Felt off."
"They call it 'rescue operations' to Ulsan. Where to? We don't know."
The bizarre scene bred suspicions as Jeong Dong-gun's unit advanced. No street zombies, no villagers—inevitable doubt without explanation.
"External news turned chaotic, but Ulsan stayed quiet. That sparked investigation. Luckily, I awakened stealth skills to spy on the cult across the bridge undetected. Turns out, the whole city reeked of unexplained unease."
Fortune favored Han Seong-geun; he spied safely and detected citywide oddity.
"Ulsan citizens following the cult suddenly seemed… changed. Even acquaintances."
"Changed how?"
"Not sure. Cult teachings? Madness? End-times effect? Their behavior grew zombie-like."
He sensed cultists turning bizarre—teachings, madness, or apocalypse? But zombie-similar actions shocked.
"Zombie-like?"
"Slumped silently, sudden violence… or orgies in public. Couldn't watch my acquaintances' depravity—fled."
"Sounds like severe drug addicts high on hardcore stuff."
"Exactly! No intellect, ragged like zombies—drugged out."
Han Seong-geun rambled in horror; Jeong Dong-gun summed it as drug addiction. He agreed, describing citizens as hopelessly hooked.
"Felt ominous. Why no cult action? Why no community buzz? Doubts bred more: what the hell's happening here?"
"Must've been tough."
Like confession, he lamented unknowable horrors. Jeong Dong-gun offered sympathy for a mere man's burden.
"Necrophiliacs, that's what."
"Necrophiliacs?"
Jin A-yeon spat the slur, unable to hold back as Han Seong-geun paused in pain.
"Corpse-lovers! Despite the name, they turn people into zombies! Feed cultists to variants for strong ones!"
Shocking. She'd witnessed it firsthand.
"They even raise corpses from graves!"
"Immortal Cult executives seem like the necromancers commonly depicted in fantasy novels. Probably a cult revering undead."
Han Seong-geun calmed furious Jin A-yeon, confirming undead worship.
"When A-yeon joined, we saw that horror and formed the resistance. Good thing sane awakeners dotted the city—we expanded to Taehwa River."
"My crew helped secure the port."
Post-sighting, Han Seong-geun rallied his camp, built resistance around the airport, found urban allies, and secured up to Taehwa River.
One question lingered.
"Why no external leak? Couldn't seek community support?"
Ulsan stayed eerily quiet despite chaos. Even now, Ulsan posts droned peaceful banalities.
"Community mods control the board—cult affiliates. Our posts get deleted, downvoted, or dogpiled."
"Opinion control already?"
Simple: decrees started it. Cult gripped Ulsan discourse; board owned by them. No platform to expose.
"Yeah, lost external aid. Tell other communities? Labeled troll accounts. Need verified Ulsan info—but they control it."
"But internet, SNS… ah."
Pre-apocalypse, weak control over one board would've failed in real-time sharing. But apocalypse: internet a luxury for comfy camps, flaunting wealth. No sympathetic outsiders anyway.
"Right. Unverified local posts get dismissed as trolls or rumors. Plus, Ulsan's pitched as zombie-free haven externally."
"That's more suspicious!"
Trust their claims? Even leaks would drown as troll bait or flyers.
"Immortal Cult."
First named foe they'd met—and likely one the Balhut Cult must crush.