Chapter 1109
Episode 257: The Demon Army’s Assault (13)
“What in the world… How can they move so fast inside that main cannon?”
Rondo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Once again, something incomprehensible was unfolding. Despite the Demon Army—thirty spear warriors including Rondo himself—being completely pinned down, pouring all their strength into defense, the Alliance suddenly surged forward as if by magic.
“Even considering Siron Runcandel and Ban the Duelist’s transcendent powers, this makes no sense. And those two are surely protecting Jin Runcandel, using him as their eyes… So how…?”
They had thrown everything into this decisive move, even committing the main force.
But from the very start, a grim premonition crept over them. Not just Rondo, but the other spear warriors of the Demon Army couldn’t grasp what was happening.
It was simply unacceptable.
“If the distance closes like this, we’ll be the only ones under attack…!”
Amidst Lafrarosa’s barrage, no one in the Demon Army could move. The moment they gave ground, until the barrage ceased, it would be nothing short of hell.
Even after deploying their greatest force ever to this 677th dimension, the Demon Army had lost countless spear warriors without any significant gains. If they were to be battered again in this barrage, they might truly lose the war.
“Stay calm. They definitely couldn’t move this fast just moments ago. That means, even with spear warriors atop spear warriors, their speed had a limit. If anyone was desperate, it was them, not us.”
So what had changed? Rondo focused on the energy of the Alliance’s spear warriors buried in the barrage. Other than their bolder movements, nothing seemed different.
“No one among them suddenly awakened to a higher level like Siron or Ban. The enemy’s main cannon flow hasn’t shifted. No matter how advanced their technology, it’s impossible to control such immense power solely to their advantage.”
Magic.
Suddenly, Rondo sensed someone was casting a spell—someone he hadn’t yet spotted on the battlefield.
And as far as he knew, only one person could wield such magic.
“…The Ban Army. They’ve been aiding the enemy!”
—It seems the remnants have finally revealed themselves.
—Yes. From now on, I must find and eliminate that individual. Unless their movements are deeply tied to this war, I won’t be joining the battle directly.
Rondo recalled what Silin had said earlier.
The survivors of the “Gray Owls,” a tiny handful of Ban Army members who had so far evaded the Demon Army’s pursuit.
If the person Silin was hunting was a high-ranking Ban Army leader, directly involved in this battlefield and aiding the Alliance, it would explain everything.
“It’s certain—the Ban Army is here! That person is feeding information to the enemy through record magic…!”
Rondo nearly missed this, crushed beneath the overwhelming shadow of the Alliance’s spear warriors’ miraculous feats.
But one thing was strange.
“Could Sirin have missed the Ban Army? No way… That monster has never failed a single one of hundreds of pursuits. It’s more likely there were other Ban Army members beyond the dimensional gates, or this is someone who just appeared now. Either way, we just have to kill them!”
Rondo pulled a chunk of black stone from his pocket.
A fragment of the completed Demon Stone’s heart. As he crushed it in his hand, patches of dark energy bloomed like stains across the Golden Tide of the Meiwang Cannon.
“The Ban Army’s leader is supporting them! Once the barrage dies down, we must find and eliminate that person!”
The spear warriors of the Balmel Alliance flinched at the sight of the black stains, halting briefly.
Crackle… crackle…!
At the same moment, Jin noticed the record window flickering, as if about to shatter under the stain’s influence.
“I don’t know what that black energy is, but it’s not directly threatening. Still, it’s a strange force that doesn’t falter even under barrage fire—it could cause problems at any time.”
“A problem has already arisen, Brother Ban. The messages from Valeria of another dimension are being cut off. It must be the effect of that black energy.”
The black energy leaking from the broken Demon Stone’s heart couldn’t harm the Alliance spear warriors directly. It only restricted the Ban Army’s unique abilities—record magic and dimensional travel—without any lethal power.
<No need to fear the black energy. It only… affects me… two more steps…>
A newly distorted memory window appeared.
Fortunately, the message wasn’t completely severed. From now on, Jin would have to predict and fill in gaps based on the partial information.
“Valeria.”
Before moving again, Jin thought of Valeria, the one sending the messages from another dimension.
In any world, she would be the last survivor of Hister. She must have spent her life fighting against the Giple, finally uncovering the truth of the multiverse, enduring relentless and brutal resistance.
Now, she was surely risking her life to appear on this battlefield. She had wandered the lonely worlds between dimensions all these years for moments like this.
“Trust me, Valeria. I trust you.”
Without the perfect information Valeria provided, speeding up meant performing a miracle.
Risking one’s life.
“From now on, I might suddenly die while moving. But it’s worth it. Valeria’s appearance here means she’s confident we can win. We will. Two steps forward, then five steps to the left!”
No sooner had he taken those steps than the record window opened again.
<…, step…, …five, 3…>
This time, the damage was worse than before. But Jin pressed forward without hesitation.
“Seven steps forward, pause briefly, then five steps, rest for three seconds, then one more step.”
The spear warriors moved as one with Jin.
Rondo could only gasp again.
“They’re maintaining speed without full records from the Ban Army!?”
If Rondo were Jin, he would have waited for the Meiwang Cannon’s barrage to subside, then reluctantly started the unfavorable fight. Here, a single misstep could turn the few remaining spear warriors to ash in an instant.
In reality, the Alliance spear warriors faced death every second, barely pulling back each time. They never got the direction or step count wrong, but even a slight misstep nearly caused Luna’s head to explode.
Still, Jin advanced over fifty more steps, despite the damaged messages. They had covered ninety-five of the hundred steps to their goal.
Only five steps remained. Though practically standing right in front of each other, the Alliance and Demon Army still couldn’t see one another due to the barrage and black stains.
A blackened record window opened before Jin.
<…, ……, ……, …….>
Not a single character was legible. Jin sensed this was the last record he would see on this battlefield.
Though he never met Valeria in person, he understood how fiercely and desperately she must have been sending messages while evading the Demon Army’s black energy.
Jin gently touched the black record window, as if feeling a bloodstained page.
“Huff, huff… Brother Jin, only five steps remain. Valeria’s record… huff… seems unreadable.”
“What shall we do?”
Siron and Ban panted heavily.
At what point, in which direction, and how to take those final five steps? Jin had already made up his mind.
“I’ll take the last five steps alone.”
“Brother Jin?”
“If I do that, they’ll think something’s wrong with us. Naturally, they’ll focus their assault on me, and the formation will collapse. Just for a moment.”
Even if the enemy leader suddenly appeared, thirty spear warriors wouldn’t lose their composure and rush blindly.
But for that brief moment, they would have to focus entirely on killing Jin. The Alliance spear warriors would do the same in that situation.
“As soon as I move, withdraw all the power used to protect me. Then, at the moment the formation collapses, enter—exactly matching the direction I took.”
“If you do that, Brother Jin will be the first to die. The reason we followed you despite the risk of sudden death was because there was almost no chance of that happening.”
“Ban is right.”
“Brother Ban, Father, you’re both exhausted. When this fight ends and you look back on today, you’ll understand. The only way to save me is to follow this plan.”
Jin had already taken a step past them. Siron and Ban reached out to stop him but let their hands fall.
“…Understood.”
“Let’s begin.”
Unlike before, Jin leapt the remaining four steps in one bound. As he expected, the Demon Army’s attack rained down immediately, one beam piercing clean through his left shoulder, leaving a grievous wound.
“It’s done!”
But it was a success. Jin had prepared himself to lose two limbs, not just suffer a piercing wound, and the enemy failed to inflict that much damage. From their perspective, it was an attack attempted despite risking damage to the Meiwang Cannon.
Siron, Ban, and the remaining spear warriors surged after Jin into the enemy lines.
“Finally, we see their faces up close. From now on, you’ll realize that the time spent just enduring the Meiwang Cannon was the easy part.”