Episode 1101
Chapter 257: The Demon Army’s Assault (5)
The Demon Army had already lost eight Changsung. The missing fleets were rapidly approaching ten thousand in number, and as Rondo had said, Siron hadn’t even begun to wield his sword properly yet.
“To think that this dreadful, black land alone could open its maw and devour the White Fleet—it’s enough to make one’s blood run cold… What are we to do now?”
“What can we do? After all, the enemy only has five Changsung left! In the end, we will prevail. Isn’t that right, Lord Rondo?”
Some were paralyzed by fear; others forced themselves to push it down, screaming in defiance.
Rondo swallowed a sigh as he watched the Demon Army’s officers. It was a relief that more of them were in the latter group, but at this rate, their morale could shatter in an instant.
“The more troops we lose, the stronger the dimensional interference becomes. Could Siron’s control over the Black Sea be affecting the stability of the dimensional gate? Or is it possible that Malugia’s will is at work…?”
Either way, the Demon Army was facing a cascade of misfortunes.
Meanwhile, the Black Sea churned violently, following Siron’s gaze and eyes. That dreadful, black land opening its jaws to swallow the White Fleet was terrifying enough, but now, through Rondo’s eyes, Siron’s sword shone with a brilliant white light.
“Send out more fleets at once. Include the Changsung as well! Our goal is to maintain over a thousand ships on the front line again. We must force them to bring out that main cannon once more!”
Instinctively, Rondo realized his mistake. Scaling back fleet deployments because of the threat posed by Laprarosa’s main cannon had been a clear error.
To send out over a thousand ships at once again would require even greater sacrifices than before.
“Come, then… all of you, come. It’s been a long time since I faced an enemy who doesn’t flee from me.”
Whoooosh! Kiiiiiing…!
Riding the blade of Barisada, a conical storm of aura spread out. In the blink of an eye, it grew large enough to engulf an entire White Fleet ship.
Could something like that be called just a sword?
Siron’s weapon looked less like a sword and more like a fortress shaped perfectly to fit his hand, or a fragment of nature itself—mountains and seas compressed into a single grasp.
The enormous blade moved with astonishing lightness and speed. Siron grinned as he swung a horizontal slash at the fleet blocking the dimensional gate. The blade’s endless extension meant he didn’t even need to release sword energy to strike the ships.
The storm-like sword swept through the fleet.
If the sky were an endless sheet of glass, this would be what it looked like when it shattered without warning.
A sharp crack appeared in midair, rapidly spreading like light, tearing apart the ships below.
About fifty vessels were destroyed with a single stroke, yet there was no explosion, no shockwave.
The White Fleet simply crumbled as if the water parted gently. Countless fragments rained down into the void, but even that was brief.
Huge shards shrank to the size of rocks, then pebbles, then finally to single glowing particles.
The White Fleet struck by Siron’s blow silently scattered somewhere unknown. The glowing particles from the destroyed ships lit the sky as brightly as midday for a moment.
Rondo’s words were true. Compared to Siron’s sword, the power to command the Black Sea was nothing but a mere trifle.
“What madness is this? What just happened!?”
“They say a single slash wiped out the first line of our fleet…?”
Fear swelled.
To the Demon Army, Siron Runkandel had always been a familiar foe—one who fought fiercely in any dimension but ultimately met his end.
But this Siron was different.
The Demon Army had known this from the start. No matter how strong this world’s Siron and the Balmur Alliance were, they were confident they had brought forces that would inevitably win.
But fear shakes even the strongest convictions.
Even Rondo briefly doubted his own judgment. Was it truly right to keep fighting like this? Could they really defeat the author without Keliak?
‘…We cannot change our strategy.’
There was no turning back.
In a way, this applied not only to the Balmur Alliance but to the Demon Army as well. Malugia had recently struck their main forces hard, and their losses were severe.
If they retreated now without gain, the Alliance would comfortably consolidate their position in Solderet, and the war would only grow more difficult.
Sssshhh, piiiit…!
The Barisada storm continued to swallow and dismantle the White Fleet.
With each step Siron took forward, the front lines of the fleet that had conquered entire dimensions were pushed back little by little.
And Siron was still holding back. The other Changsung fighting alongside him were the same.
“The lord has opened the path. Secure the front line!”
Jin shouted as he stood beside Siron. Behind the five Changsung, the superhumans who had escaped with Laprarosa and the fleet were pouring in.
The sky still echoed with the explosions of cannon fire from both fleets whenever Siron’s sword paused. The superhumans, supported by Murakan, Veil, and the fleet’s shields, quickly joined the front lines.
“This is a shock, Father.”
“Is it? It’s still too early.”
Siron lightly tapped Jin’s shoulder.
“You must feel it too, youngest. They’ve started sending out more Changsung. Ideally, we’d pull back our front line and activate the Pluto Cannon before they all get through.”
Jin agreed. But the reason he had called all the superhumans to the front was because Siron hadn’t given any such signal.
Confidence.
Siron openly showed his confidence that no matter how many Changsung came, he could cut them all down.
“They don’t know me yet. And those who don’t know me can never withstand my sword.”
No matter how many fleets or Changsung slipped through, he could annihilate them all in one fell swoop.
That was what Siron was saying. And to Jin, there was no doubt in his voice.
“What should we do?”
“Even among the Changsung, some will endure my sword long enough to gain sudden enlightenment. Of course, they won’t remain unscathed. We must finish them off so they can’t survive or create any variables.”
“Understood.”
As soon as their conversation ended, the Barisada storm that had swept the battlefield vanished as if it had never been.
Seizing the opportunity, the White Fleet hurriedly reorganized their lines, and the fleets trapped outside the dimensional gate began to accelerate.
Siron had stopped the storm to gauge the enemy’s reaction.
Would they continue to act as he expected, or would they change their strategy upon seeing the storm cease?
Rondo Ziphl had already given his orders earlier: push more fleets and Changsung forward, secure the front line at all costs.
Fleets naturally moved slower than a single person. And with the Demon Army overwhelmed by Siron’s effortless power, they had no choice but to be dragged along.
As the Demon Army expanded their front and escaped the dimensional gate, they felt uneasy about Siron’s sudden pause.
‘Siron Runkandel and the Balmur Alliance have already overwhelmed us. There’s no way a backlash or demonization suddenly occurred. So why…?’
‘We hurried to secure our position when the path opened, but this feels like a trap.’
‘Could it be that they’re deliberately trying to draw out the main cannon? No, that can’t be—the superhumans of the Balmur Alliance are too numerous within the cannon’s range!’
The commanders and Changsung of each fleet couldn’t read Siron’s intent.
They couldn’t imagine that he planned to end them all alone, without Laprarosa’s main cannon.
For the first time since Siron and the Changsung began their assault, the Demon Army formed a proper formation. Paradoxically, this only deepened their unease and humiliation.
Ten.
This time, ten Changsung boarded the White Fleet. Each was an undisputed absolute in their own dimension, but to Siron, they were just special soldiers—just as the late Andrei had described.
For a while, the Balmur Alliance and the Demon Army exchanged only cannon fire.
The Alliance had to wait for Siron to make the first move, and the Demon Army had to figure out how he would act. Even with more Changsung and a re-secured front line, they couldn’t move recklessly.
Above all, the Demon Army believed that with ten Changsung now in position, they could handle any situation.
Even if the Alliance concealed the dimensional gate and pulled Siron and their main forces back before firing the Pluto Cannon, they were confident they wouldn’t be wiped out like before.
‘If Siron and the Alliance’s plan doesn’t stray too far from our expectations, Lord Rondo’s main force will soon appear…’
Just as one commander thought this, Siron suddenly began to stride forward.
All eyes—friend and foe alike—sharpened their senses to follow his steps. His footsteps seemed louder than the cannon blasts, shaking the battlefield more deeply.
Then, in a low voice, Siron spoke.
“From now on, I will show you what the sky of this world truly is.”
Runkandel’s Secret Technique
The Realm of No Desire
The knight Siron Runkandel confirmed that the end of the sword was just the beginning.