Episode 1007
Chapter 246: The Great Mitra Desert Battle for Supremacy (17)
At the Tower of Stories.
“The Red-Eyed Tribe has proposed a temporary alliance,” Keliak said as he read the letter sent by Limagas.
“Are they out of their minds? After stealing Drakka like that?” someone scoffed in disbelief.
But unlike the others, Ragal thought the Red-Eyed Tribe’s proposal was quite reasonable.
He had personally confirmed that Elona had returned injured. When Ziphl sent her this time, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of her getting hurt.
Even if the Red-Eyed Tribe suddenly went mad and attacked Elona, she would have been able to escape danger at any moment.
Yet, she had suffered such severe injuries from an attack crossing dimensions inside Laprarosa, and those reckless Red-Eyed Tribe bastards had immediately sent a letter.
It was a stark reminder of the threat posed by the Mingwang Tribe.
The leaders watched Keliak closely. He seemed visibly unsettled as he looked at the returning Elona.
“…Elona tried to avoid using the power of the Holy Water Pavilion until the very last moment. Moreover, she deliberately returned to the Tower, not the Sanctuary, to recover.”
That was a clear sign she was trying to break free from the Pavilion’s control.
Right now, the Sanctuary would have been the fastest place for her to heal, and every time she was healed there, the Pavilion’s control over her grew stronger.
Elona knew this well. Keliak was monitoring how the Pavilion’s grip was loosening faster than expected.
Unfortunately, the relocation and repairs of the Sanctuary were delayed because of Laprarosa. Keliak pressed his fingers to his forehead and sighed.
“Maybe I placed too much hope in these relics of the old era…”
“Keliak, my friend?”
“I’ll accept the Red-Eyed Tribe’s proposal. Once Elona recovers, we’ll deploy Kadun along with the Phantom, Ghost, and Spirit Squads.”
[Those Red-Eyed bastards won’t stab us in the back, right, Keliak?]
“If they intended to, they would have attacked the moment Elona got hurt. Besides, both sides have to bite each other whenever the opportunity arises. The situation keeps shifting rapidly.”
The battle for the Mitra Desert was unfolding breathlessly, impossible to predict. Neither Keliak nor any of the major powers could read the flow.
“In that case, maybe it’s better to just let the chaos deepen.”
[What do you mean?]
“I need to meet with Ganestoga again. And I should talk with the Sun God Cult’s phantoms too. We can’t let them just watch from across the river.”
May 14, 1804 — Above the Tikan Palace, aboard the Golden Ship.
Jin and the allied forces gathered in the ship’s laboratory, inspecting the liberation device crafted by Kwaul.
“Looks pretty ordinary. Was it really that hard to make, Kwaul?” Murakan asked.
Indeed, the device looked like a simple metal cylinder, about the size of his torso, weighing fifty kilograms.
But when you pressed the button protruding from its center, the device unfolded like wings, revealing dozens of metal rods inside.
Those rods were the components that tracked the ‘wavelength.’ The settings were naturally calibrated for Laprarosa, thanks to the resonance device they had already made for the past fusion battle.
“Why don’t you try making one yourself?” Murakan teased.
“Just saying. Great work! So this means we can pull the Mingwang Tribe out of Laprarosa?”
“If it runs smoothly for twelve hours, yes. The device itself is flawless. We’ve completed all performance tests and optimized the manufacturing process. It’s the result of all our researchers’ efforts…”
Kwaul’s eyes glistened unusually as he emphasized that this device was a collective achievement.
And it was true.
From Syael Rutber and the engineers recruited after the Fierce God War, to Teben Hister and Jen Rutber from the Maliet heritage site, to Ielo, Valeria, and Eltiot — Kwaul was certain that without even one of them, the liberation device wouldn’t have been developed so quickly. They had all sacrificed sleep to focus on research.
The once-grumpy, socially awkward genius engineer was now growing accustomed to teamwork and cooperation.
Murakan grimaced in mock disgust and handed Kwaul a handkerchief.
“Now, everything depends on the commander and you all.”
Next to the device lay an ancient, eternal iron protective box brought from the Blacksmith’s Isle by Bailam. It had handles on all four sides for throwing.
Thanks to the alliance with the mines held by Runkandel and the Blacksmith’s Isle, they could afford to use ancient eternal iron as disposable gear.
The team carefully placed the liberation device inside the box, then each lifted it to test the weight, checked the locking mechanism, and made sure the handles fit comfortably in their hands.
“It’s much lighter than my sword. Still, since it’s ancient eternal iron, it’s pretty sturdy. Even if we throw it hard, it won’t break.”
“Looks that way to me too, Baekgyeong.”
“If Luna and Lord Hedo say it’s good, then the box must be excellent. After all, it was made by Lord Pikon himself. Now… it’s time to begin.”
Jin looked around at his comrades with determined eyes.
Thirteen people were chosen to carry out the first liberation device throwing operation.
Team 1: Jin, Luna, Dante, Beliz, and Linfa.
Team 2: Thalaris, Eltiot, Vanessa, and Hedo.
Team 3: Valeria, Siris, Yona, and Owl.
“As we discussed earlier, Team 1 will break through. Team 2 will create distractions. Team 3 will gather intelligence and, when the time is right, deliver or throw the liberation devices to Teams 1 or 2.”
Every role was crucial. If Team 1 failed to break through, there’d be no chance to throw the device. Team 2 had to divert enemy fire so Team 1 wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
Since Teams 1 and 2 couldn’t fight effectively while carrying the devices, Team 3 needed to move flexibly.
“It’s unlikely we’ll succeed on the first try, but the feeling’s good. Let’s go!”
One by one, the operatives boarded the Red Owl and Motro.
Soon, the Red Owl and Motro swiftly carried them to the edge of the Great Desert. Each team started from a different point.
Team 3, led by Valeria, immediately took position upon arrival and began casting recording magic. They wanted to verify if the information gathered by the alliance’s informants matched the actual events in the desert and to look for new intel.
Meanwhile, Owl, Yona, and Siris scouted the infiltration routes.
“Hm, Yona, the shock from their dimensional gate attacks is reaching us. To protect the device, I’ll stay hidden while you patrol the battlefield.”
“Heh, yes, Owl. The youngest’s power—spirit energy—is really amazing. Wrapping it around the device definitely reduced its presence.”
“The fact that the spirit energy maintains its form over such a distance is impressive. We should keep moving within that range.”
Team 2, led by Thalaris, entered the battlefield as soon as they reached the desert’s edge.
“Hmph, I never thought I’d use the secret techniques of the Ten Thousand Ice Blades just to create a distraction. I hope the Red-Eyed Tribe and Ziphl fall for it.”
As they entered the desert, the enemy’s psychic wavelength thickened like a poisonous mist.
Thalaris planned to unleash the Ten Thousand Ice Blades just like during the Sword Emperor War. He intended to fake that his two swords, Daebingwon and Baek, somehow helped liberate Laprarosa.
Neither the Red-Eyed Tribe nor Ziphl could fully understand the uniqueness of the Ten Thousand Ice Blades or the randomness of the Laprarosa passage. So it was unreasonable for them to dismiss any connection outright.
Maybe Thalaris’s swords really did have some influence.
“As expected, just as Lord Sogaju predicted, Ziphl and the Red-Eyed Tribe have formed a temporary alliance, Lady Bigong. From what we can see, they’re not attacking each other at all.”
“Tch, that Red Sky King… no matter how unprincipled he is, teaming up with those who just took their capital? That Keliak fellow is just as shameless. Back in my day, this was unthinkable. No honor, no pride. Still, it seems our descendants are doing well, so that’s a relief.”
Team 1 infiltrated the battlefield slightly faster than Team 2.
Some of the fleet’s cannons targeting the dimensional gate even aimed at Team 1. But unless it was the air fortress’s main cannon, those five were no threat.
Simat didn’t hastily turn the air fortress’s main cannon toward Team 1, knowing full well that was exactly what Jin and his group wanted.
“These bastards are annoying, Brother Jin. Looks like we’ll have to start attacking the air fortress directly to get them to turn their cannons.”
“I agree, Jin.”
“Fortunately… it seems that, uh, Elona Ziphl… isn’t here yet.”
“I’ll target Rital first with my squad, while you and the Twin Kings hit Pibil. Sound good?”
Jin nodded, and Luna and Dante charged toward Rital, unleashing a flurry of sword energy.
“Ha, these aren’t even Mingwang Tribe members, yet they fight like us. Brother Jin’s kin are all impressive. I’m sure the others will be thrilled once they come out.”
“Yeah…”
Jin and the Twin Kings quickened their pace.
Pibil and the air fortress circled the sky, avoiding Marsalun’s curse again. But the intervals between the main cannon’s shots at the dimensional gate were much shorter.
“Uh…!?”
“Ah!?”
Just as they were closing the distance with Pibil, Jin and his brothers suddenly came to an abrupt halt, as if by unspoken agreement.
The three of them sensed a familiar energy radiating from the La Prarosa passage.
“Brother Jin! That… that’s Brother Teto’s energy!?”
Teto, the Twelfth King. His presence was pouring out of the passageway, just like when Beliz and Linpa had escaped.
But that wasn’t all. Moments later, the three felt another surge of energy pounding through the Great Desert, following Teto’s.
“…This time, it’s Brother Garmund!”
It was the energy of Garmund, the Eighth King.