Chapter 208: Preparing for a Counterattack
“…Still, isn’t this a bit much?”
Baekrang widened his eyes.
“Does it make sense to say you’ve seen the future?”
I had glimpsed into the future.
And in that future, all of us died in a horrifying manner.
“It might be rare, but it’s not entirely impossible.”
Tang So-yeong responded.
“They say the Shrine Maiden of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or the Dalai Lama of the Podalap Palace can see glimpses of the future. Even though their visions are likely very limited... it wouldn’t be strange if the Gecko Faith’s shrine maiden could also see the future.”
Nephila nodded lightly.
Hearing my explanation seemed to revive some forgotten memories for her.
“Well, our big lizard wouldn’t play such a prank.”
Baekrang gathered the wolves together.
The Igaksu began to gather as well.
The fact that the enemy would invade remained unchanged.
What we needed to do now was come up with a plan.
“If what our lizard says is true, the Mount Hwasan Sect will attack exactly one month from now, right?”
I nodded.
“Mount Hwasan Sect… isn’t that where that red lizard was affiliated?”
Baekrang narrowed his eyes.
The Mount Hwasan Sect, where the Red Dragon belonged.
The invasion by the Mount Hwasan Sect began after the Red Dragon left my territory.
Looking at this situation alone, it seemed logical to conclude that the Red Dragon had betrayed us.
But something about it felt strange.
No one on our side had suffered from the Red Dragon’s flames.
Instead, several of the enemies had been reduced to ashes.
The Red Dragon I saw in the future had fought on our side.
However, the evidence so far pointed to her betrayal.
“Could it really be betrayal? Honestly, I don’t like her, but I didn’t think she’d be that kind of person.”
The Red Dragon was still one of my believers.
Although being a believer didn’t enforce any compulsion, based on what I’d seen of her so far, it didn’t make sense for her to betray me.
She had admitted defeat to me while still having strength to spare.
She had calmly accepted the prospect of death—so why would she betray me now?
The Red Dragon wouldn’t do that.
“They said she simply fell to the ground, didn’t they? Without any visible injuries.”
Tang So-yeong spoke as if something had come to mind.
“She relayed Go Dae-hyeop’s information and came with the invading forces. That much is undeniable. But the strange part is… she stood on Go Dae-hyeop’s side and fought alongside him.”
Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that the Red Dragon did betray me.
Then why did she later attack the Mount Hwasan Sect?
It wasn’t as if she had been hesitating like a bat, given that we had been losing from start to finish.
“I think I understand now. This must have something to do with the Tang Clan.”
A name I hadn’t expected came up.
“There’s a poison called 'Gu.' It’s a type of venomous parasite that, once ingested, makes it impossible to refuse commands. It’s an extremely potent toxin. Though it can’t be controlled freely, the threat of activating it is enough to ensure compliance.”
Gu.
If that were the case, it could explain everything.
The Red Dragon, having stopped by the Mount Hwasan Sect, might have been forced to ingest Gu for some reason.
She had no choice but to hand over information about me to the enemy, and the Mount Hwasan Sect wouldn’t have let such a powerful being as the Red Dragon go to waste, so they deployed her.
It could also be a strategy to shake my resolve, as the Red Dragon was a rival to me in terms of strength.
…The Mount Hwasan Sect.
These weren’t people we could simply fend off and be done with.
Despite selling my information, the Red Dragon chose to come here to help me.
While pretending to cooperate, she had used her flames to kill the despicable individuals among the enemies.
The Gu must have been triggered immediately, costing her her life—and she likely knew this would happen.
If she had obediently joined the Mount Hwasan Sect, she could have been recognized for her contributions.
She wouldn’t have died so meaninglessly.
“If it were something I could solve through words, that’d be great, but it doesn’t seem that simple.”
Tang So-yeong’s expression darkened.
“The Tang Clan can be divided into two factions: the moderates and the radicals. I belong to the moderates, who seek harmony with spirit beasts. The radicals, on the other hand, aim to exploit spirit beasts to create new poisons. It was members of the radical faction who tried to put the Spider Maidens into the Poison Jar.”
Tus and Pus shuddered slightly.
“The Gu was also a poison experimented on by the radicals. Even though the head of the clan issued a ban, it seems they’ve gone ahead and made it again.”
I let out a faint sigh.
“So the red lizard had no choice but to side with them? …Then what do we do? We can’t just take her down easily.”
Baekrang was well aware of the Red Dragon’s strength.
Even as the strongest among us, it would be nearly impossible for me to subdue the Red Dragon without harming her.
On top of that, there were countless other formidable enemies besides the Red Dragon.
The most notable ones included the middle-aged swordsman presumed to be the leader of the Mount Hwasan Sect.
And the enormous rock snake believed to be Gongbok.
Not to mention the swordsmen of the Mount Hwasan Sect and the beasts under Gongbok’s command were formidable as well.
They wouldn’t just stand idly by while I dealt with the Red Dragon, and apart from Baekrang, there weren’t any forces capable of handling them.
“This situation is extremely unfavorable. Even if the Red Dragon joins our side, the Gu will ensure she doesn’t last long before collapsing.”
There seemed to be no solution.
“But you know…”
Tang So-yeong suddenly wore a mischievous smile.
As if she had an idea to deal a blow to certain Tang Clan members.
Her expression even carried a hint of satisfaction.
“How about neutralizing the Gu?”
“Gekek!”
I tried to stay silent, but I couldn’t help shouting.
To think those words came from Tang So-yeong.
“There’s a poison only I can handle.”
Tang So-yeong’s green eyes sparkled.
“If I use this poison, it might be possible to neutralize the Gu.”
Come to think of it, So-yeong had been insisting on something for quite some time.
That she could use the Tang Clan’s secret technique, Mancheonhwau.
Or that she had a secret poison worth anticipating.
I remembered thinking she was acting foolish again and lightly swatting her rear with my tail.
“This poison isn’t some magical elixir that will instantly neutralize the Gu. But with one month to work on it, I think I can refine it enough to make it possible.”
Tang So-yeong pulled out a small vial from between her frail chest.
“…Of course, there might be some minor side effects, but that’s not what matters right now.”
The reason we were annihilated in the future was likely because the Red Dragon fell victim to the Gu.
But if we prepared in advance and neutralized the Gu?
The enemy wouldn’t anticipate the Red Dragon betraying them—or, even if she did, they’d rely on the Gu to minimize the damage.
However, if we used Tang So-yeong’s poison to kill the Gu, and the Red Dragon immediately unleashed her flames on the enemies?
We could cause additional damage while they panicked, trying to activate the Gu.
Why did So-yeong seem so beautiful today?
“…Hehe, it feels a bit strange being looked at like that.”
“Kioon!”
“Kieeng!”
Tus and Pus climbed onto So-yeong’s head, waving their arms gleefully.
“Oh, come on, it’s not that impressive! …Could you two come down now? My neck feels like it’s about to snap….”
They say kids grow fast, and Tus and Pus were already larger than medium-sized dogs.
It would be hard to use them directly in combat, but they could ride on my back or Baekrang’s and play a supporting role.
“If that works out, it’ll be great. If the Red Dragon joins our side, we’ll have a fighting chance. Even in a disadvantageous situation, didn’t we manage to cut off that middle-aged swordsman’s arm? If you can focus entirely, you’ll definitely be able to take him down.”
The swordsman presumed to be the leader of the Mount Hwasan Sect.
In the future I saw, his arm had been severed.
This meant my attacks could reach him.
Of course, my horn and tail were also severed in that scenario, but given the circumstances, that was unavoidable.
Now, however, things were different.
By peeking into the future, I could devise a strategy to deal with him.
Since I was confident in my firepower, if it came down to a one-on-one fight, I could handle that middle-aged swordsman.
“The real problem would be… the lord of the rocky mountain.”
This was what concerned me the most.
The master of Yongmun and a member of Yongsaengguja.
Gongbok.
A large part of my defeat was due to this creature.
It didn’t have a single scratch on its body.
I must have attacked it somehow, but its body remained completely unscathed.
An enemy immune to my attacks.
If such a foe were to stand firm, the situation wouldn’t proceed smoothly.
“Like I said, the lords of the rocky mountain and flower mountain are on a different level.”
This was something Baekrang told me when he first explained Yongmun.
He said the lords of the rocky and flower mountains were far more dangerous than the others.
The lord of the volcanic mountain had been replaced by a younger spirit beast and was the weakest, followed by the lord of the snowy mountain.
Back then, I thought the difference wouldn’t be that significant, but being the child of a dragon must have made them unimaginably strong.
“The forces under them aren’t negligible either. And… if the Tang Clan really did support the Gu, there’s a high chance they also sent reinforcements.”
“…That sounds about right. I shouldn’t say this about my own clan, but they’re a sneaky bunch. They probably supported them while pretending not to.”
The swordsmen of the volcanic mountain.
The beasts of the rocky mountain.
The spirit beasts of the Tang Clan.
Our forces, consisting of ten Igaksu and wolves, wouldn’t be nearly enough to stop them.
Even if we neutralized the Gu in the Red Dragon, victory wasn’t guaranteed.
Let’s think.
How have I fought up until now?
I’ve always observed the enemy’s strengths, tested their capabilities, and then devised an approach.
If they were vulnerable to poison, I used poison.
If they were weak against fire, I deliberately bled and heated my body with dragon blood.
If they lacked range, I kept my distance and used ranged attacks.
If they were bad at close combat, I closed the gap and forced close-quarters combat.
This time would be no different.
I just needed to find the enemy’s weakness and exploit it.
Let’s think about what I have at my disposal.
We have one month.
Yes.
One month is enough.
To overcome our numerical disadvantage.
To shatter unbreakable rocks.
To protect my followers.
“Grrrr…”
I growled, overlooking my domain from the peak.
I wouldn’t be satisfied with merely repelling the invaders.
I would ensure no one would dare encroach upon my domain or harm my followers again.
Hearing the name “Komodo” alone would make them tremble in fear.
I would etch into their bones the meaning of an ancient death with a tail.