Chapter 1036
Episode 249: The First Sortie of the Pluto Clan (3)
Ban nodded lightly, his expression as casual as someone going out for a stroll.
“As I thought, my instincts were right. I just need to go, kill it, and come back.”
He sprang up from his seat.
“Wait a moment, Brother Ban. You don’t mean you’re going right now, do you?”
“That’s right.”
Jin and the others stared at him, momentarily speechless.
This wasn’t some routine hunt against a common pack of monsters.
They were about to face one of the Five Kings of the Black Sea—a monster that had once nearly brought the world to ruin.
Granted, that was Gliek’s story, but the other Black Sea Kings surely possessed terrifyingly destructive power as well.
Jin and his comrades shuddered at the thought of Gliek and Luna thought of Kial.
“Your decision is… incredibly fast, Brother Ban.”
“Lightning is fast.”
“Huh?”
“And the Pluto Clan is lightning. In other words, I’m the fastest among the Plutos.”
It was Ban’s way of joking. Only Ameris and Eltiot chuckled softly.
“After spending a few days with you, I’ve realized you can be surprisingly witty.”
“Heh, a refined joke, indeed. It seems our Cheongmyeong humor has been well preserved through the generations.”
“…I see, Brother. I had no idea.”
“It’s fine. Jin is still the second fastest among us.”
“Wait, wait. Ban, the Five Kings of the Black Sea aren’t to be taken lightly. The expedition team, including myself and even my father, risked our lives for this…”
“But didn’t the expedition team quickly subdue the Sra, the second Black Sea King they encountered? I heard Siron Runkandel—your father—completely overwhelmed it.”
Couldn’t I do the same?
Ban’s expression said as much.
It wasn’t meant to belittle Siron, but rather reflected the usual mindset of someone who had always been an absolute being.
Jin, Luna, and the others couldn’t help but feel uneasy for a moment.
No one had ever imagined someone daring to compare themselves to Siron Runkandel in such a way.
“Of course, Siron might have been stronger than I am now, which is why he overwhelmed the Sra. But the important thing isn’t who’s better between him and me. The enemy is trying to use an unknown, dangerous monster. So, the safest person must go and take care of it, no matter what. That’s all that matters.”
Jin nodded in agreement.
For an enemy like the Five Kings of the Black Sea, the best choice was Ban and the Pluto Clan.
Adding Jin, Luna, and Murakan from the Changsung would be ideal, but this was wartime.
Besides, the letter they just read mentioned Ziphl had acquired power beyond imagination, so they had to allocate their key personnel carefully.
“So I’ll go and swiftly hunt down Nirganth and return.”
In the end, Jin nodded.
“You’re right, Brother Ban.”
“You’re still the second fastest among us.”
“Then how will you organize the sortie team?”
“All the Plutos except Boras, plus the Golden Ark. That should be enough no matter how strong the Five Kings are. And…”
For a moment, Ban’s eyes darkened with deadly intent.
He was thinking of the Solar Church, who sought to use Nirganth, and their High Priest, Luke.
“Those who have sullied the honor of Pluto, those who dared threaten Brother Jin, won’t be spared.”
Going after Nirganth meant a battle with the Solar Church was inevitable.
In other words, Ban intended to kill Nirganth and all the ancient ancestors who had ascended to Changsung.
“I understand. It’s a shame I can’t accompany you on this path to punish those who defiled Pluto’s name.”
At those words, Ban smiled gently and glanced at Jin’s waist.
Jin immediately understood and handed Ban Sigmund.
“This sword is you, Brother Jin. So take it and ease your regret a little. Show them the power of Pluto.”
“Understood. But please be careful.”
“I will.”
Preparations for departure began immediately.
Seventy-six Plutos, excluding Boras, boarded the Golden Ark, and Paytel greeted them nervously.
“Ahem, ahem…! Th-the Plutos… I’ve heard the news. You’re heading to the Black Sea?”
Paytel’s stammer wasn’t because of the Black Sea or Nirganth.
He had been terrified of Ban and the Plutos ever since Jin’s exploits in the Cheongsae Archipelago, especially after seeing Sigmund.
He knew how they had fought the gods during the Last War fifty thousand years ago.
Even after several conversations over the past six days, Ban’s presence still made it hard to breathe.
“Paytel.”
“Yes, Commander…!”
“Commander? The only commander of the alliance is Brother Jin. Are you Zett?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Let’s forget the past. We’re allies now, so don’t make me uncomfortable.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. But if you make another cowardly or despicable choice like before, things will be different.”
“N-no, I’m loyal to the commander. Well, I don’t have a body anymore, but I would never betray you.”
“Good. Brothers, today is the first day we step onto the battlefield together for Brother Jin. Time to get to work. Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go. Our target is the outskirts of the Black Sea, the ruins of the old Sarba Kingdom’s capital.”
The place where Jin had met Ozdok long ago.
Paytel immediately set the spatial jump coordinates.
Vwoooom…!
The core of the ship’s light fusion engine vibrated.
Its output was already the highest in Inse, but after the Red Star War, the alliance had further enhanced the Golden Ark.
Thanks to the technology analyzed from Boras and the Red Star Tribe’s equipment, combined with Pluto’s power.
“Roar! With Ban and the Plutos aboard, the engine feels different! At this rate, we could tear through even an airborne fortress!”
Even after opening a long-range dimensional gate directly to the Black Sea, the power didn’t falter.
Just as the Plutos resonated with the spirit warriors, the Golden Ark’s engine was strengthened by the same influence—it was made with light fusion technology, after all.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Swoosh!
The Golden Ark passed through the dimensional gate.
For a while, a snowy white landscape stretched out like another world’s frozen tundra, then the Plutos saw the outskirts of the Black Sea.
Paytel was so excited he seemed ready to plunge straight into the Black Sea.
But Ban decided to keep the Golden Ark waiting at the outskirts.
“Baltrock, Baba, Kaio—just the three of you come with me and disembark. The rest stay here and prepare for any unforeseen events.”
No matter how strong each Pluto was, entering an unknown realm like the Black Sea as a group wasn’t wise.
Especially if they were to face fierce battles against Nirganth or Luke, having ordinary warriors around might be more of a liability. They no longer had tens of thousands of peak warriors like in the past.
“Beliz, Brother.”
“Yes, Spirit Warrior Brother.”
“While we enter the Black Sea, you’ll take command. There might be monsters or other dangers that break through and head toward Inse. Patrol the entire outskirts with the Golden Ark and respond accordingly.”
“Understood.”
The bridge opened.
Ban took a moment to absorb the dark scenery of the Black Sea beyond.
He could sense it.
The enemies were trying to escape the Black Sea from deep within.
Only Ban could perceive this.
“Let’s go, brothers.”
Ban and the three Spirit Warriors leapt from the bridge and approached the Black Sea’s entrance.
All the monsters living there sensed their steps—more precisely, Ban’s entry into the Black Sea.
Since Siron first came to the Black Sea decades ago, the monsters had been imprinted with a primal fear of him and his aura.
That fear was passed down like a genetic memory, even to monsters who had never seen Siron in person.
And now, a new terror was added to their instincts. Every step Ban took made the hidden monsters retreat.
The sea of monsters was parting before Ban.
He deliberately didn’t speed up, wanting to detect the faint traces and directions of the enemy.
Soon, Ban identified their movements.
“The enemy is moving very fast. It seems a large number of dimensional gates or similar portals have been formed throughout the Black Sea. Probably some dark magic from the Solar Church.”
“What should we do, Spirit Warrior Brother?”
Instead of answering, Ban pointed with his index finger to the far left.
Kaio immediately understood and heightened his senses, shooting a divine arrow exactly where Ban indicated.
Fzzzzzt!
The long, blue arrow struck one of the dimensional gates Ban mentioned.
“We’ll destroy the gates they use as we advance. If they manage to slip past us here, it’ll wear them out.”
By reducing the number of passages near Inse, they could force the enemy to confront them through fewer routes. That was Ban’s plan.
As soon as the first gate was destroyed, the three Spirit Warriors spread out, swinging their weapons.
Lightning crackled relentlessly from one bow and two greatswords.
Ban advanced slowly, striking lightning bolts at the locations of other gates the brothers missed.
It took less than ten minutes to clear out most of the nearby dimensional gates.
When the scattered Tu-wangs returned, half of them were already examining the last remaining gate.
“As expected, it’s a dimensional gate powered by life energy.”
For those without immunity to life energy, simply passing through such a gate could cause severe radiation exposure—but that didn’t apply to the Mingwang clan.
Without hesitation, Ban and the Tu-wangs stepped through the gate.
It led to the entrance of the central region of the Black Sea.
Now that they were this close, Ban could feel Nirgand’s power more clearly than ever before.
“That guy who’s been moving so fast suddenly stopped. He’s realized we’re here…”
Though still some distance away, Ban could almost see it—the sudden recoil of Nirgand’s massive form, shrinking back from an unexpected threat.
In a low voice, Ban pronounced their sentence.
“The time for your extinction has come, enemies of Brother Jin.”