113. Winter (2)
However, the problems at Ulsan Airport weren't limited to that. They had now entered the dead of winter, with subzero temperatures and blizzards raging relentlessly. The soldiers on the front lines were all Awakened, which allowed them to endure the cold and keep fighting, but the bitter chill still drained their stamina at an alarming rate. After just one skirmish, their bodies steamed with heat turned to vapor, and sweat frozen solid in the extreme cold formed thick frost that chilled them to the bone.
"Damn it. Those undead bastards move just fine in this freezing weather."
"This is nothing compared to other areas. Reports say survivor camps are collapsing under heavy snow, or entire outposts have been lost."
"Heavy snow?"
"Yeah. Worst case scenario."
The undead horde they faced didn't shiver from the cold or blizzards like the allied forces did. If anything, the severe freeze hardened their bones, turning the weather to their advantage. They didn't need winter gear like the allies, nor did they consume food—the immortal legions marched on without such concerns.
"Hey, let's pour water on the roads and streets we aren't using."
"I'll make the paths so slippery, I'll test if you undead can even walk on them."
"Trip and smash your skulls, you undead scum."
From the allies' perspective, they wanted to maximize the weather for delay tactics, forcing the undead to expend effort. Their solution: douse key roads and paths they weren't using with water. In the intense cold, it froze solid in seconds, turning surfaces treacherously slick. Undead, already clumsy at keeping balance, frequently slipped hard or even smashed their own heads in the falls. Every advance cost them some losses.
"Oh, it's working."
"Do it now."
Realizing how effective turning roads into ice rinks was, the allies shifted openly to a defensive winter strategy, spraying water everywhere. The undead's simple counter?
"Whoa, the undead are breaking the ice."
"They're shoveling too."
"Looks like they've got some foreman or work crew leader over there."
As always, if this side pulled a classic Korean military fix, the other side had one too. They used their more agile undead—skeletons with decent mobility—to shovel or pickaxe the frozen roads, shattering the ice. In retaliation, the allies hosed water under cover of night or used drones to refreeze them. The undead broke it again. Back and forth they went, weaponizing the weather as full-scale battle prep ramped up.
"This fight might drag on longer than we thought."
But that just meant the current stalemate would stretch even further. If the undead needed to fix road losses causing attrition, the allies required winter gear, supplies for impending blizzards, and cold-weather prep to deploy troops effectively. Their top priorities right now?
"Evacuating refugees and restoring troop combat effectiveness."
"It's dragging. The evacuations from the last survivor camps inside the airport are nearly done, so that'll resolve soon."
Evacuating remaining refugees from Ulsan Airport and recovering stamina sapped by the cold. The former was underway, with all camps holding out now rescued—civilians unable to fight just needed transport out.
"But the second one's tough to fix short-term. We're locked into three months of cold and war."
The latter was trickier. Winter had just begun, with brutal cold tormenting them for about three months. Armored units were fine, designed for the freeze, and the Balhut Cult headquarters seemed aware of the combat drop, rushing winter supplies and supporting allied logistics.
"At least the cult's delivering essentials fast. Full supply distribution to the alliance is just a matter of time."
High-calorie rations, warm non-restrictive cold-weather gear, reliable weapons that wouldn't fail in the chill—the cult spared no effort for the allies.
"Then the decisive battle comes after winter breaks."
"Commander Jeong Dong-gun, does the cult need a quick victory that badly?"
"No, we're flush with resources. The cult's rule is stable."
No need for the allies to force a fight on unfavorable terms. Go defensive, hold as the defenders against Immortal Cult assaults, wait for the thaw. Drag it out, force their consumption, bait mistakes. Politics weren't pressuring a short war either—with the Dragon God's endless trust, no one could demand it.
"No reason to fight at a disadvantage. Supplies keep flowing to us, but their leadership needs food, right?"
"Yes. Undead don't eat, but the necromancers controlling them are living humans. With solid logistics, we don't even need to engage. The issue is... the civilians under the Immortal Cult."
No political pressure, trade with America possible, farmland for food—prolonged war was the Balhut Cult's specialty. Undead needed no rations, but their necromancer handlers and supporting civilians did, in unimaginable quantities. Hell, the trapped cult might do anything desperate, endangering civilians.
"If we push for quick victory risking civilian losses and land routes fail, we could use the navy."
"The navy? You mean the marines in Pohang, sir?"
"Yes. If we truly need naval support, we could focus on Ulsan while avoiding a showdown with their ghost fleet in the East Sea."
Jeong Dong-gun preemptively floated naval mobilization for a short war scenario. Stunned but intrigued, Han Seong-geun asked if it was viable; Jeong confirmed as long as they dodged fleet battle. Seizing ports for landings meant bypassing the cult's bridge defenses—no river crossings needed, just naval troop transport.
"With the navy, a decapitation strike on cult leadership could reclaim Ulsan. If we just take out those damn necromancers... take them out. Take... uh."
Han Seong-geun lit up at the idea, but his face soured mid-pitch, voice trailing off as he pondered deeply, paling blue.
"What's wrong, Mr. Han?"
"No, just—if they lose control of the zombies... no, undead, what happens then?"
Jeong asked; Han spilled his sudden doubt. Undead were controlled because most Immortal Cult members were necromancers dominating them directly. But decapitate the leadership—capture or kill the necromancers—who handles the horde? Hand control to POWs? Suicide—they'd bolt with the army.
"Pardon?"
"If they revert to skeletons or dust, great. But if they lose control and go berserk? Isn't that dangerous?"
If mana cut reverted them harmlessly, fine. But if they stayed undead and rampaged without masters? Allies estimated Ulsan undead at...
"Over five hundred thousand berserking—that ends Ulsan."
Minimum half a million. Nearby Busan too, if cult influence reached there. Jeong imagined the horror.
"Indeed. Understood. That's definitely risky."
He recoiled, agreeing it was madness, heeding the warning gravely. Half a million undead loose? No survivors in south Ulsan, no cult-managed civilians. Allies numbered just three thousand—couldn't contain that.
"If they've amassed more than we can handle, losing control turns Ulsan into a city of death instantly. Worst case, it spreads from Ulsan to Busan."
Terrifying. Han warned of that doom, and Busan fallout. Logic said impossible, but cult irrationality and past feats made it plausible. Jeong sighed heavily.
"If that's true, we couldn't handle it. Only one answer: borrow the Dragon God's power."
"Dragon God Bahamut... You'd have him intervene personally?"
Jeong suggested the cult play their ace first—admitting allies couldn't solo a berserk horde, needing Bahamut.
"Yes. Choi Yu-na or Baek Seol-hwa could come, but summoning the Dragon God here ensures their horde never becomes our enemy."
Summon and victory certain. In Gyeongju, Pohang—vast zombie swarms couldn't scratch his scales. These undead? Tougher fodder at best.
"Hm, sounds good, but last I heard, he's so strong summoning's risky? Ulsan could get wrecked."
Jin A-yeon pointed out the rub. Jeong nodded, conceding.
"Then we prepare a battlefield for him in advance. Or abandon parts of Ulsan."
Sacrifice sections if needed—city damage acceptable to avert total death city.
"Better than total loss. Save what we can."
"Then prep his arena early. But the cult's 'that one'? How do we handle him?"
Both agreed. Given horde size at the airport, cult reserves doubled it easy. Issue: the cult's mysterious "him."
"We'll consult Bahamut directly."
Jeong declared deferring to the Dragon God.
"...Jeong Dong-gun's struggling."
The meeting's details soon reached Bahamut's ears in the temple.