After both armies retreated, the field cleared up, drowned in abundant moonlight. Only the mountain peak in the very center of the land blocked the moonlight. It was late at night, so even the insects were quiet. Under the shadow of the mountain peak, we went for a stroll.
“The Viper is over there?” I asked.
Kim Yul nodded. “Yes.”
He looked down at his notebook and nodded one more time. Starlight streamed down his silver hair. If I were to say that I sensed the experience of a veteran detective in his eyes, did that make me too biased toward my clan members?
“I’ve figured out the location of all the tents. The Skians prepared the Seven Skian Heroes’ lodging in the innermost region of their camp, but since we’re in our spirit forms, finding them won’t be impossible. Patriarch, trust me and the Requiem Unit members you assigned me as subordinates.”
Kim Yul was my clan shadow, meaning he was the head of my clan’s intelligence unit. The Requiem Unit, the top intelligence unit in gangho, was under his command. I could guarantee you that no matter what intelligence unit appeared in this world, they wouldn’t be able to take on my clan.
Avoiding the moonlight, we entered the Skian’s camp. It was like a maze as we passed between the tents where the Skians were snoring away their fatigue from the battle.
After crossing the maze of tents and floating Zs, we finally found a camp that looked somewhat luxurious.
“Cheers! Pour drinks here too!”
Those voices were clearly the same ones I heard on the battlefield today. Matching the rhythm of the fluttering red flag, the wind carried the voices and the smell of alcohol from inside the tent.
I was certain this was the tent where the Seven Skian Heroes stayed, and the home base of the enemy army. When I gestured with my eyes, Kim Yul also answered by slowly nodding. There was no need to hesitate.
I stepped into the Viper’s tent.
The tent where the Seven Skian Heroes stayed was luxurious. Red silk decorated the walls, and red-dyed sheep wool was laid out on the ground like a carpet. There were many soft pillows here and there, so each of the Seven Skian Heroes chose a pillow they liked and hugged it or lay their heads down. At the moment, there was a drinking party going on.
“Pour it down your throat!”
“Ugh... You guys really like alcohol, but excessive drinking is not good for your health. This is a well-known fact.”
“Haha. It’s pathetic to spoil the fun just because you can’t drink because of your injury, Dark Sword.”
“Ah, I’ve already shown my pathetic side once. Well, I’m not complaining. I did what I did for a reason.”
The Seven Skian Heroes were chatting while exchanging drinks. However, they were all the Viper.
“What the hell are you doing?” I muttered without realizing it.
The Seven Skian Heroes, or the Seven Vipers, panicked as if they were the seven dwarfs, freshly fired by Snow White.
“Everyone, get into the Heptagram Formation!”
“Oi, oi, wait... Seriously, you guys are too full of energy.”
The reactions were mixed. One Viper was panicking, another was wary, another tried to reach for his weapon, another tried to mediate the others after rationally analyzing the situation... I felt like I was going crazy.
I snapped. “Oh, pipe down already!”
All the Vipers cleared their throats in unison. The Dancing Sword spoke on behalf of everyone. “It’s you. What are you doing here late at night, Death King?”
“What kind of question is that? I came to ask why the war broke out.”
“Yes, you said you would tell me after the fight. Everyone is asleep, so answer me.”
The Seven Vipers faced each other, awkwardly scratching the back of their heads.
“Well, it’s a hegemony war.”
“Yes, your Terras and my Skians overlap in many areas, right?”
I gave the question some thought. Both species had a lot of muscles and liked fighting very much.
“Until now, there wasn’t a chance for them to battle because of the revival of art and the discovery of the New Continent. Still, two lions can’t live in the same plains forever, right? So, the king of Skians sent a letter to the chairman of the Terra council, challenging the species to determine a winner!”
I was dumbfounded. “Two lions? What are you talking about? The Terras kicked the Skians in the ass during the Holy Land War.”
“Hey! Third time’s the charm!”
“I don’t get it... I don’t want to, anyway. So that’s why the war broke out?”
“It’s true that the reason they kill each other isn’t really grand, but what can we do about it? They both agreed to this war.”
As she went on, the Dancing Sword sharpened her sword on the whetstone. Every time the blade and whetstone brushed against each other, her sleeves fluttered, giving off a fragrant rose scent. Still, she was still the Viper.
“That’s right. What can we do about it when both parties agreed to it? Can’t you think of it as a group duel to death?”
In response to the Dancing Sword’s question, a slim and tall woman shrugged. Her sharp eyes could make the night air feel colder. Even so, she was still the Viper.
“In short, what is happening now is a duel war where both species put their pride on the line! We have no right to stop them just because it is unsightly!” a girl with pigtails said, munching on an apple. In contrast to her petite figure, she was taking huge and energetic bites of her food. This gap moe made her look very cute. But yes, she was still the Viper... I should stop.
“Okay, I understand. But why did you possess seven people at the same time? It’s so distracting.”
This time, a sharp-looking young man answered, “Hmm, the reason is simple.”
Since I entered the tent, the young man had simply been standing with his back against the pillar. Maybe I was imagining it, but even the angle of the shadow covering his face looked perfect.
“It’s much more efficient to possess multiple people than just one because it’s easier to hold power. We, the seven heroes, are the leaders of Skians. This way, we can lead all the Skians in the way we want.”
The other heroes nodded.
“This is a measure to lead this war to the Skians’ advantage.”
“I would call this an appropriate judgment as a god leading a species.”
“True. That is what the seven heroes are for.”
It was an amazing sight in many ways, but I stopped commenting on it. With a sigh, I asked, “So, are all seven of you going to continue participating in the war?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
I bit my lower lip for a bit before saying, “We can talk about it later, but I have a proposal.”
“Proposal? What proposal?”
The playful smiles disappeared from all the Vipers’ faces. Sharp bloodlust was quick to replace them.
It was utterly ridiculous that the Viper had decided to play a different role for each of his seven heroes. The more true he was to the character, the more ridiculous it was. However, all of the heroes abandoned their personas as they stared at me expressionlessly. Now that they were all acting as if they were one person, it was no longer funny. Actually, it was very, very creepy.
“Surrender? Why?” the Viper asked.
I replied, “I understand why the two species are fighting and that we have no right to stop it.”
“So I get why you say that an overwhelming victory will decrease the casualties.”
If the fight couldn’t be stopped, it would be less damaging if one side won by a landslide.
“And, if we continue with this logic, the least damaging path would be for one side to surrender altogether. That’s why I’m saying this.”
The seven Vipers spat on the ground at the same time. “Oh, so you know you’re spouting bullshit, huh? How about this, Death King? Your species, not ours, is going to surrender. Would you look at that? The choice is the exact opposite, but the result is the same. Then wouldn’t it be okay to do it that way?”
“Sect Master, I’m serious.”
“So am I, you little shit. Do I look like I’m joking?”
The seven pairs of eyes glared at me like sharp arrows.
“I just want to reduce the damage taken as much as possible,” I said.
“Yeah, then you can go ahead and make your species surrender. Do you understand, Death King?”
“I can’t,” I said with a sigh. “My children—the Terras have a very strange political system. It’s both easy and difficult for them to reach a consensus. And it’s especially difficult in this case.”
The Vipers’ blazing eyes subsided a little.
I continued, “To make the Terras surrender, I first have to possess the strongest fighter among them. Of course, they need to agree with me taking over their body. Next, I have to propose surrendering to the Skians and beat up everyone who opposes that agenda.”
Realistically speaking, almost every Terra would oppose this agenda. Also, the chances for the person I possessed to be strong enough to beat everyone up were very low, almost zero.
“But, Sect Master, isn’t it easier for you to bring them together and reach a consensus?” I asked, looking around at all the heroes possessed by the Viper. “You just said that you can command all the Skians in any way you want. It’s faster for you to persuade your people. That’s why I’m asking you to surrender. Please, Sect Master. Could you please just do this for me once? I’ll be sure to make up for it. You also don’t want more of your species to die, right?”
The Viper countered, “My children lost too many times.”
The bloodlust in the seven pairs of eyes subsided, but the resolve still burned quietly.
“They first lost to the Inquisitor’s damn snails. Before they turned ten, the Skians’ horns were broken, and they were constantly whipped because they were slaves. Later, the alliance gathered in the Holy Land to relieve their anger. The Skians stood at the front line, but your species appeared out of nowhere and kicked mine in the ass.
“The Skians trained excruciatingly afterward. Even when other species were making a fuss with the revival of art and other extravagance, they went into seclusion and cultivated. But their efforts backfired again. In the end, they ended up falling behind even when the New Continent was discovered.”
Before I regressed, people from the Tower claimed that the one who saved the most people in the Tower was the Master Alchemist, and the one who killed the most was the Inquisitor. The most fearsome person was the Black Witch, and the most noble was the Paladin. However, the person most respected by their guild members was the Viper. This was his defining quality. Everyone in the Tower knew this.
“My children have lost too many times. They’ve been doing nothing but losing. Now you’re telling me to make them surrender?”
I couldn’t say anything.
The Skian heroes shook their heads. “I can’t. That’s something I really can’t do.”
I understood his perspective. My proposal was certainly harsh, but I stood my ground and clenched my fists. “They’ll lose again in the end.”
“Because of that big guy you brought? His name is Uburka or something, right?”
“Only a landslide victory will keep the damage to a minimum. It’ll be better for Uburka to pull out a mountain and throw it than seven of you running rampant on the front line and slaughtering my children. That will save a lot of our children,” I said, looking straight at the Viper.
The seven Vipers scoffed in unison.
“Death King, how lightly do you think of me?”
“Even the Skian heroes you possessed couldn’t even get close to him,” I replied. “Not much will change even if seven of them attacked at the same time.”
“You’re right. But do you really think I sat on my ass afterward?”
The Seven Skian Heroes looked at me with crooked smiles.
I frowned. “What are you planning?”
“Tsk, tsk. That’s spoiler territory. Let’s just say I have a trump card that can turn that white muscle pig into first-grade pork.”
“No matter how tough you act, the truth won’t change, Sect Master.”
“Why? Are you chickening out? The door is over there.”
Now that I was on the receiving end of being taunted, I caught a glimpse of what people felt when I did the same thing to them. I was pissed.
“So you won’t surrender.”
“Nope. You won’t do it, so neither will I.”
“Then I’ll see you on the battlefield.”
The seven Vipers and I glared at each other.
“Tomorrow then,” I said.
“Tomorrow,” they echoed.
We were done negotiating.