Chapter 1108
Episode 257: The Demon Army’s Assault (12)
The fleet led by Rondo carried nearly thirty Changsung warriors.
It was clearly an overextension.
From the Demon Army’s perspective, there was no reason to send so many Changsung without knowing that the Meongwang Cannon had been completely disabled.
Moreover, the allied Changsung were visibly growing exhausted. Sticking to the original strategy—waiting for the allied Changsung to tire further while using the remaining forces to keep shaking up the central battlefield—would have been a far more rational choice.
Yet Rondo, fully aware of this, and knowing Jin would inevitably use the Meongwang Cannon, still marched onto the battlefield. He even went so far as to temporarily ease the dimensional interference restrictions by destroying a completed Demon Stone from another dimension.
“You’ve made us overthink things, Jin Runkandel. It’s led you to make blunders. But it’s a simple matter. In the face of truly overwhelming power, everyone stands equal. Sir Kelly isn’t here, but your airborne fortress will have to fill that role now.”
From the moment the battle began, Rondo and the Demon Army were shocked by the strength of the alliance at every turn.
The most staggering was undoubtedly the Meongwang Cannon. It unnerved the Demon Army more than Siron or Ban’s effortless power, which had overwhelmed other Changsung.
“As you said, we’re just soldiers without conviction or pride. But that’s why we can cross the line without hesitation.”
Lafrarosa ascended, aiming at the heart of the battlefield where the Changsung clashed. Rondo smiled coldly as he gazed at Lafrarosa, glowing like a rising sun.
“You’re prepared to slaughter both friend and foe, right? Madness isn’t yours alone, Jin Runkandel… Come!”
Zzzzzzzzt…!
A vast solar flare gathered at the barrel of Lafrarosa, which extended beyond the hull. Quall wiped sweat from his brow as he monitored the power readings on the screen.
“This is insane… You really want us to fire this? The power is skyrocketing beyond reason. They just used a massive number of dimensional gates to amplify Malugia’s power resonating with Beltian. If we fire now, our own Changsung could all be wiped out!”
Even Quall, who had developed the Meongwang Cannon, had never imagined such figures.
“Baba! Tell the commander to reconsider. This is basically an order to kill all our own Changsung!”
Baba shook his head gravely. No communication came from Jin or Ban indicating a change of decision.
“…Over thirty Changsung have already been deployed. There’s no other way, Quall. Focus on maintenance. This probably won’t be over with just one shot.”
When the Meongwang Cannon was first fired, the allied Changsung had clustered together to form a protective shield. But now, since they were directly in the line of fire, it seemed better to scatter and use the enemy Changsung as cover.
Jin naturally assumed his allies would make the same call. But instead of dispersing, the Changsung were moving to cluster around Jin.
“Everyone, protect the youngest at all costs.”
“Father?”
“Deciding to use the Meongwang Cannon was a wise choice. But what if you die? What will happen to Anbae? Even if the rest perish, you must survive.”
At Siron’s words, all the Changsung except Jin nodded.
Jin opened his mouth to object but closed it. It was too late to scatter again, and Siron’s words were true.
“Don’t complain about needing to focus, Jin.”
“…No, I’ll quietly accept protection.”
“That’s right.”
Kwoaaaaaah!
As Ban responded, the Meongwang Cannon fired onto the battlefield. The golden tidal wave, shot at a diagonal angle, first melted all the enemies camped nearby with its sheer heat.
The bombardment fell like lightning, but before the shells even landed, blood burst from the eyes, ears, and mouths of the allied Changsung.
“Ugh…!”
“Kaaah!”
Only Jin, surrounded by Changsung, remained unscathed. The shock meant for him was shared among the others.
Jin clenched his teeth, staring at the backs of Siron and Ban.
The golden wave from the Meongwang Cannon obscured the enemy’s forms from view. But within the flow of immense power, Jin could roughly discern the enemy Changsung’s movements.
“Youngest, read the enemy’s movements. We don’t have the luxury to protect you. Command as needed. We must take down as many enemies as possible before the Meongwang Cannon’s effect ends.”
“There’s no guarantee more enemy Changsung won’t join later. But it’s clear they’ve thrown their trump card.”
Only Siron, Ban, and the two Changsung protecting Jin spoke. This was a privilege exclusive to them—not just among the allied Changsung, but including the Demon Army’s as well.
Use that advantage.
Siron was telling Jin this: to endure the Meongwang Cannon’s blast and, using Siron and Ban, strike the enemies relentlessly in this golden hell.
No enemy Changsung had died yet. They stood still, forming a shield around Rondo, enduring the Meongwang Cannon’s fire.
‘As expected, none of them can operate within the Meongwang Cannon’s blast like Father or Ban can. If I choose the path well, just as Father said, only we can cut them down.’
The enemy Changsung, completely defenseless, could be finished off without needing a decisive move or special sword technique—if only Jin could break through the Meongwang Cannon’s wave and reach them.
He had to find the path. He had to push through the dense, chaotic golden tide and approach the enemies.
The Meongwang Cannon surged wildly like a storm. That meant the path Jin could take changed every moment.
As Jin observed the golden wave, he suddenly glanced again at Siron’s back.
It felt like glimpsing his father’s past. Against the ever-changing Black Sea terrain, his father had fought a lifelong battle and ultimately claimed victory.
‘Finding a path in this chaos today isn’t nearly as hard as Father completing the Black Sea’s fate… Focus. I can find it.’
One wrong step could cause disaster. Siron’s right arm could be torn off, or Luna could meet death.
“Father, Ban, how far can you attack?”
“Three hundred steps.”
“Three hundred steps.”
They answered simultaneously. That meant the Changsung had to advance about a hundred steps. They couldn’t afford a single misstep during that distance.
Jin took a steady breath and carefully watched the Meongwang Cannon’s light.
“From now on, everyone move in sync with my pace and stride. I’ll take the first step forward.”
As Jin moved, the Changsung followed.
“Move two steps left, then advance again. No, advance straight ahead…”
Over twenty steps, Jin never faltered. He perfectly read the Meongwang Cannon’s ever-shifting flow.
But there was a problem.
‘…The pace is too slow. At this rate, the Meongwang Cannon might end before Father and Ban can strike. If that happens, the allied Changsung will be in danger. One shot won’t kill more than three enemy Changsung, and the rest will attack immediately.’
Even if they fired a second Meongwang Cannon shot, the same situation would repeat. The problem was the brief interval before the next blast. The allied Changsung would have to endure attacks from over twenty enemy Changsung while battered and exhausted.
‘I have to take the risk and make a decisive move. I need to move faster, even if the path isn’t certain.’
Just as he was about to step forward, Jin suddenly flinched and looked ahead. Still Siron and Ban’s backs—but before them floated a familiar blue spear.
‘…Valeria!?’
It was the Record Window.
Among the reinforcements Silkia and Pokal brought was, of course, Valeria. But Jin had deliberately not called her to the Changsung’s battlefield.
First, she couldn’t endure this battle. The minimum standard to survive the battlefield was being a Changsung. Valeria couldn’t have displayed a record like this here.
Second, she needed to analyze the entire battlefield’s records to assess enemy troop strength.
Lastly, no matter how great her record magic was, analyzing the Meongwang Cannon’s “flow” in real time was impossible. The flow changed faster than the record could describe.
Yet now, the Record Window before Jin was showing him the path.
<Advance seven steps, then stop until the third wave ends.>
This was the first time Valeria’s Record Window had ever used conversational language. Seeing the sentence, Jin recalled what Valeria had said recently.
-
‘The Valeria from another world is helping us—the one who left that message…!’
It couldn’t be a trap.
Jin knew Valeria’s magic and its unique flow better than anyone. Without a doubt, this was Valeria’s magic—even if from another world.
“Another reinforcement has arrived. I’ll advance seven steps. Father, before the Meongwang Cannon ends, your and Ban’s swords can reach those guys!”
The Record Window continued updating.
Jin could approach the enemies several times faster than when reading the path alone.