Episode 1089
Chapter 255: The Death of Keliak Ziphl, and Then… (6)
June 21, 1804.
Even after the Balmel Alliance had retreated, Keliak Ziphl and Malugia continued their fierce battle within the Empire for nearly another week.
No one witnessed that battle firsthand. Not even the Balmel Alliance dared to send troops back into the war zone.
It was simply too dangerous, even by the standards of the Changsung. For the Alliance, the most rational choice was to wait for those two terrifying beings to either annihilate each other or for one side to suffer devastating losses that would bring the war to an end.
The fight between Keliak and Malugia abruptly ended this morning.
The outcome remained unknown. Even the Changsung, who had been waiting in the Empire’s territorial waters to ambush the victor, couldn’t grasp what had happened—the battle ended so suddenly.
All that remained was the golden wasteland—the only trace left of the once-mighty Empire.
The Empire was no more.
Over seventy percent of its territory was ravaged by the aftermath of the conflict, and even more of its people perished. In any region touched even slightly by the power of those two beings, no survivors or ruins remained.
This was a landscape unlike any typical war-torn ruin. Instead, an endless golden desert stretched out, a symbol of Malugia’s overwhelming power.
No cries of grief, no desperate pleas for mercy, no prayers to the gods—there wasn’t even a single stone left from shattered buildings.
Faced with this overwhelmingly desolate scene, Jin and his comrades stood in stunned silence.
“We need to… record this. Analyze it, Valeria.”
“Yeah…”
They had to find out where Keliak and Malugia had gone. To exact vengeance on this world.
“We don’t know why the fight stopped so suddenly, but neither of them is in a normal state. We have to finish this before they recover.”
Bani gritted his teeth as he spoke.
It was already clear that whether Keliak or Malugia, each alone far surpassed the combined forces of the entire Alliance.
When they were at full strength, there was no way to defeat them. Every formidable enemy they had faced so far paled in comparison.
Tears fell from Valeria’s eyes as she analyzed the records. The death they couldn’t even begin to comprehend was relentlessly updating the data window.
“Maybe they didn’t end the fight—they might have shifted the battlefield to another dimension.”
At Murakan’s words, Jin nodded. The massive dimensional gate Malugia had opened by stealing Focal’s power had vanished.
“Even if we can’t find them, they’ll show themselves eventually. Both aim to either conquer or destroy this world.”
Which one would appear first? Which could they track first?
Jin had a hunch it would be Keliak. If he was still alive, he would now be leading his army.
‘Even if Keliak was severely shaken by the battle with Malugia, once the Demon Corps joins… how are we supposed to stand against that?’
The airborne fortress of the Divine Warrior Temple was complete, and Siron’s expedition had returned.
For now, those were the only two ways to strengthen the Alliance’s forces. But neither could be considered superior to the Demon Corps.
‘Solderet’s contingency…’
The last contingency in the Black Sea, held by Solderet.
If there was anything capable of turning the tide, it had to be there.
‘And the witch. We have to get her directly involved in the war. Even if she’s been constrained and made Orgal act in her stead, we have to find a way to remove those restrictions.’
Just as Jin thought this, a steel dimensional gate opened, and Orgal appeared.
Unlike usual, he wasn’t acting like a madman or wearing a mischievous grin.
He was grieving too—mourning the Empire’s destruction, the devastation already wrought upon this world.
And he was apologetic. For not being able to contribute much to this battle.
[Jin, I’m sorry.]
“If you hadn’t shown up then, even more would have died during the retreat. Don’t say that. More importantly, we need to meet the witch.”
[…Helluram?]
“You know better than anyone. Without her fighting alongside us, there’s no hope.”
[Let’s at least inform Helluram. But don’t get your hopes up. I’ve asked her for help in countless worlds… and even if she steps in directly, it’s hardly a blessing—it’s more like the lesser of two evils.]
-[Alright! Alright, alright. Let me sum it up, Helluram. I was your lover, your contractor. In countless identical worlds, Orgal Remilias was always your contractor. But we always failed. What did we fail at? From my perspective, it was Kinzelo’s resurrection. From yours… what was it? I think it was the disappearance of light from the world. That’s why we parted ways.]
-Yeah, that’s still true.
Orgal smiled bitterly, recalling his past conversation with Helluram. Erasing the ‘light’ from the world was ultimately just another form of apocalypse.
“But the lesser evil is better than the worst.”
[I understand what you mean. By the way, Dante Hyland just woke up.]
“…Dante?”
Dante Hyland had been unconscious since the last battle, rescued in a dramatic fashion. The accumulated trauma was too great.
But the bigger problem wasn’t physical—it was mental. Just before collapsing, he had glimpsed his friends and felt a moment of salvation, but then sensed an even darker future.
The feeling that the Empire might end like this—that turned out to be true.
[If Ainas hadn’t entered Dante’s dream personally, no one knows when he would have woken up. He still doesn’t know what’s happened to the Empire.]
Jin closed his eyes tightly.
“…I’ll go see him and talk.”
Without delay, Jin passed through Orgal’s steel dimensional gate and headed to Kinzelo’s hideout.
Even Bubarr and Ainas weren’t joking around as usual. When they reached the treatment room, they saw Dante and Veradin.
“Jin.”
“Dante.”
“The Empire… is it… destroyed?”
A long silence followed. Seeing Dante in front of him, Jin felt his words freeze.
“…Grandfather. The Sword Emperor’s light—the light you left behind—has it all vanished?”
“The Sword Emperor’s land is safe… Dante.”
Only the Sword Emperor’s land was safe.
Jin couldn’t bring himself to say more. The Sword Emperor’s land had miraculously suffered little damage, but every other major city and principality was lost. Only some small border towns remained intact.
But Dante could see it all. Tears of blood streamed from his hollow eyes.
“Jin. Can we… win? Can we truly take revenge on those terrible beings?”
Every word Dante spoke stirred Jin’s guilt. Why had he been the one to return? Why was he the one tasked with what Orgal had failed to do in countless worlds?
He had never understood before, and now the future seemed even more uncertain.
Still, Jin nodded heavily.
“We have to. No matter what.”
Dante stood, wiping the blood tears from his face. His fists and cheeks were flushed red.
“The souls of the dead will be honored after we’ve taken our revenge. So don’t prepare any memorial services on the Alliance’s behalf. I… just want to be alone for a moment. I’ll gather myself and return to the front lines immediately.”
Dante left the treatment room. Jin watched his back, then met Veradin’s gaze.
“Jin, I wasn’t sure whether to tell you this, but I think I should.”
“What is it?”
“When Silkia and Orgal formed the dimensional gate to retreat, I lost consciousness. You remember?”
“I do.”
“At that time, I had a dream. Or maybe it wasn’t a dream… but somehow, I think I heard Lady Elona’s voice.”
“What did she say?”
“It’s hard to explain, but from the moment Malugia appeared and throughout the battle, I felt as if Lady Elona inside it was aware of me. Malugia never attacked me directly—not once. I don’t know if it was because it had no chance or no reason.”
“Do you believe Lady Elona’s consciousness still remains inside Malugia, Veradin?”
“…Yes. It might just be wishful thinking or false hope, but the voice I heard in that dream has become clearer with each passing day. And only today did I fully remember what it said, and decided it was best to tell you.”
“What was it?”
“If Malugia kills Keliak, I will create an opportunity to kill Malugia. And when facing Keliak and the Demon Corps, use Octavia Ziphl.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“The first part makes sense if Lady Elona’s consciousness is still alive. It would be natural for her to say that. I hope she really is still inside that monster. But… who is Octavia Ziphl all of a sudden?”
“According to what Lady Elona told me in that dream, Octavia is the leader of the Demon Corps. That Keliak Ziphl strangely still has human emotions—whether pity, curiosity, or interest—only toward her aunt. She didn’t explain in detail, probably to avoid Malugia’s notice.”
Octavia Ziphl’s whereabouts were currently unknown. At least, there had been no news of her death until Keliak died and the Demon Corps’ leader appeared in this dimension.
“It’s a bit sudden, but right now, we have to cling to any hope. I’ll have Valeria and Lord Luet analyze the records on Octavia.”