Chapter 1010
Episode 246: The Battle for the Mitra Great Desert (20)
“Brothers!”
At the mere sound of that, the Tu-wangs immediately began defending Owl. Their weapons furiously intercepted the relentless barrage of enemy brain cannons.
Meanwhile, Jin scanned the direction from which Simat and Ziphl’s forces had appeared.
‘Once again, Lady Elona has shown up in person.’
He also spotted Kozek’s fleet of twenty ships. The Phantom Corps, the Spirit Corps, and the Wraith Corps were descending and taking their positions.
‘As expected… the Red-Eyed Tribe and Ziphl never attack each other. That’s why they even brought a fleet along.’
Since the liberation device had been thrown into Laprarosa’s passage, there was no reason to keep fighting. If Elona joined the fray, the tide would turn swiftly. The best course was to tend to the wounded Owl and retreat as quickly as possible.
‘We’ll need Runkandel covering our rear as we pull back.’
Luna and Vanessa had already come to the same conclusion and were approaching Jin.
But Jin wasn’t in a position to greet them. Simat was staring at him with cold, steely eyes.
“Looks like some plan of yours succeeded, Jin Runkandel. Trying to retreat so hastily, are you?”
“Yeah, you caught me.”
“Do you think I’ll just let you go?”
Ssshh!
Tetalon’s blood-red blade sliced past Jin’s eyes. Sigmund barely avoided a graze, but the trajectory was thrown off thanks to the air fortress’s brainwave interference.
‘Getting used to close combat with Simat isn’t easy.’
The air fortress covered every blind spot.
That was the most frustrating part of fighting Simat. The enemy brainwaves supporting Simat were so dense that even Jin found it difficult to push them away with a single strike.
The closer Jin got, the freer Simat’s movements became, while Jin himself was increasingly restricted.
“That would be nice.”
“You probably threw some device into the passage to summon Laprarosa, right? But it seems the Azure Wind Emperor didn’t explain that to you. Such precision machinery can’t survive in a malfunctioning pocket dimension.”
If that was the case, overwhelming force would be the best option—but no single warrior in this world could surpass Simat’s firepower.
‘Not to mention, the strongest air fortress they have—the Kree—has never even appeared in the Great Desert. If we can’t safely liberate all our brothers this time, there’s no future.’
Just as Jin and Simat’s blades clashed again, Luna and Vanessa broke through the brainwave interference and charged in.
The Tu-wangs, without waiting for Jin’s orders, synchronized their movements once more. Centering around Owl, they began opening a path for the others to retreat.
“You three alone think you can stop our pursuit…?”
[Kyahaa!]
[Die, die!]
The sudden voices of the three demons twisted Simat’s face in frustration. Meanwhile, Jin’s expression brightened as he quickly proposed a deal to Mashalun.
“Mashalun, five minutes of touching Shuri. How about it?”
[Contract accepted. Mashalun curses you, Simat.]
Even if Simat and the air fortress’s synergy was near perfect, the three demons were literally invincible within the Great Desert.
They were no longer weak like before, so Simat couldn’t just ignore them.
In fact, in some ways, they were even more troublesome than Luna and Vanessa combined. Though their destructive power didn’t match the two, they were completely untouchable.
No matter how powerful the Red Sky Divine Sword inside Tetalon was, it couldn’t cut down the demons. Led by Mashalun, they quickly forced a gap between Simat and Jin.
Jin watched them quietly before making another offer.
“Add five more minutes with Shuri, and Sreevi and Karmashu will keep Ziphl in check.”
[Fine. But Sreevi and Karmashu’s consent is also needed.]
[If Mashalun agrees, then so be it.]
[He’s always gloomy and sulking, so I guess we have to listen. But Jin Runkandel, what do we get in return?]
“If you want, you can touch Shuri too.”
[That’ll make Mashalun mad. Hmm! Alright, how about this: after the Mitra Great Desert battle ends, you watch over our kids for a while?]
‘Our kids’ obviously meant Kinzello.
“I didn’t expect you to ask for that. Surprising.”
[Well, you’re the one who summoned us. Orgal is… also an important figure in the Abyss’s history.]
“Alright, it’s a promise.”
Jin nodded without hesitation.
His request was deliberately vague. If they just refrained from attacking Kinzello for a day after the desert battle, that would count as holding up their end.
[Heh heh, the kids will be happy. Then we’ll go push back those Ziphl bastards. No backing out later!]
Sreevi and Karmashu laughed heartily, completely unaware of Jin’s true intentions, and advanced toward Elona.
“They’re really idiots, the youngest one.”
“Kinzello has always been easy to use, which is his only advantage. Everything else is a problem. So we have to protect that one strength well. Otherwise, I’ll kill them all myself.”
“For a moment, I thought the Lord spoke, Master.”
The three smiled slyly as they glared at Simat.
Simat, cursed by Mashalun, couldn’t close the distance properly with Jin’s group. He fired waves of light from the Red Sky Divine Sword, but that alone couldn’t bind the three.
Instead, the air fortress’s power shifted back to its main cannon, which relentlessly fired over the retreating allies’ heads.
If Teto and Garmund hadn’t appeared suddenly, the allied forces would have suffered heavy losses by now.
The Tu-wangs spared no effort blocking the brain cannon fire. Even at maximum power, it would be tough for them, but the air fortress kept the main cannon’s output below 50%.
If it unleashed full power, Ziphl’s forces would inevitably be hit, and more importantly, Jin, Luna, and Vanessa would be in danger.
Conversely, they could close in on Simat first and launch an offensive. If the air fortress lacked power to support close combat then, even Simat wouldn’t escape serious injury.
For the Red-Eyed Tribe, this was infuriating.
If it weren’t for the demons, they would have the upper hand in every aspect. But even when they tried to hold them back, it was impossible.
Of course, Jin and his comrades weren’t without worries.
“…Master, we don’t know when the demons might suddenly turn against us. We have to finish the liberation before that happens.”
If the demons switched sides, the Balmur Alliance would suffer heavy casualties—both wounded and dead.
“That’s exactly what I intend to prevent.”
Dodging the Red Sky Divine Sword’s light waves, Jin shifted his gaze toward Ziphl.
Sreevi and Karmashu buzzed around Elona like persistent mosquitoes. Unlike Simat, she took quite a few hits, but none landed any real damage.
Elona was also watching Jin. Once she fully unleashed her power on the battlefield, the Tu-wangs would have to deploy at least two superhuman defense lines in addition.
That was the most daunting prospect right now. Sreevi and Karmashu couldn’t hold Elona back as effectively as Mashalun.
In fact, Elona was closing in on the battlefield faster than Jin had expected.
For a mage of her caliber, distance wasn’t a significant factor. Once they could see each other with the naked eye, she could attack at any moment.
Elona’s gaze shifted to the retreating allies. Jin and his group tensed, sharpening their senses.
Meanwhile, Simat occasionally slipped through Mashalun’s curse to thrust Tetalon forward. Luna and Vanessa parried his blade, and Jin countered with Sigmund.
Neither side landed a decisive blow, but the Balmur Alliance felt the greater pressure.
‘But why hasn’t Lady Elona attacked yet?’
Since appearing, Elona hadn’t once swung her staff at the Balmur Alliance.
Kozek and his ships hadn’t fired their main cannons, and the rest of the forces were just holding position, waiting for Elona’s command.
Jin wasn’t the only one puzzled.
‘Why is Lady Elona holding back? Is there some danger in the Great Desert we don’t know about?’
‘It can’t be because of the demons—Elona hasn’t taken any damage. Could it be the reason the Phantom Captain Satlin feared…?’
Phantom Captain Satlin.
She had informed her subordinates that the binding power of the Holy Water Pavilion was incomplete. If things got truly desperate and Elona regained her senses, the Phantom Corps might have to disobey orders.
‘If the binding is weakening, damn it… Kadun should have come with us.’
For the Phantom Corps, the situation was delicate.
They couldn’t defy Elona’s will outright—the situation wasn’t urgent enough—and they weren’t even sure if the Holy Water Pavilion was truly the problem.
“Lady Elona, please give us orders…”
One Phantom soldier, unable to hold back, approached Elona. On the surface, she seemed perfectly fine.
“We will continue to wait.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t seem as well-trained as the Wraith Corps. How could someone who questions a superior’s orders become part of Ziphl’s elite special forces?”
Elona said with an expressionless face. As she said, the Wraith Corps showed no impatience and simply waited for her. The Spirit Corps, made of bio-golems, did the same.
“We apologize.”
“It might be because, whether you realize it or not, you see me merely as a high-ranking living weapon. As for what just happened, I will make sure to hold Captain Ghost fully accountable once we return.”
The Ghost operative lowered his head deeply and had no choice but to step back.
Meanwhile, Elona was lost in thought.
‘The one who fired that dimensional sword energy at me could easily kill everyone gathered here. And the Balmur Alliance is already retreating. Even if I join the fight, wiping them out is impossible. This is the wiser choice—better to avoid unnecessary losses from unpredictable variables. Besides…’
Elona met Jin’s eyes once more.
‘…Jin Runkandel. For some reason, I absolutely don’t want to be the one to kill him myself. I’m not sure if Keliak Ziphl will accept this excuse, but…’