Chapter 1110
Episode 257: The Assault of the Demon Army (14)
The Crimson Sword was the first to slash through the enemy lines—Luna’s Krantel carving a bloody path.
‘Is it really the same human who just endured that barrage and made it this far…?’
The spear-wielding warriors at the front of the Demon Army gritted their teeth, glaring fiercely at Luna. She was no transcendent being like Siron or Ban; she was just like them—a mere Changseong.
What’s worse, she had started the fight under harsher conditions and had fought through a more difficult path. Naturally, her strength should have been drained, yet her Krantel struck with a fierceness and intensity unlike ever before.
She had already lost a younger sibling.
Luna couldn’t be unaware that Heitona had died defending the center of the battlefield for the Changseong. There was no time to grieve—only a brutal, relentless fight.
And now, Jin had nearly been killed right before her eyes. Luna wrapped all her uncontrollable fury, hatred, and thirst for revenge around her blade.
“I am the sword that guards Runcandel. No matter the dimension, that truth has never changed. This time, I will not lose everything. I will annihilate you all and ensure my family returns to the Garden of Blades!”
Her shout was wild, her sword swings untamed—like the primal, destructive weapon she once was.
Yet, Eltiot did not scold her for it. In the eye of the storm, Luna’s sword embodied the harmony he sought.
Fierce yet precise, rough yet flexible. Her sorrow and hatred were what completed her blade.
She stood at the crossroads—either to fall into demonic corruption or to become more whole—and she had avoided the trap.
It was possible because of her conviction. A heart that those who fight only for destruction and conquest could never understand—or if they once did, they inevitably forgot.
Red tears of sorrow and resentment streamed from her eyes, yet her vision remained clear, constantly spotting the enemies’ weaknesses.
Screech!
A spear-wielder of the Demon Army was cleaved in two by the crimson Krantel. He was unable to counterattack properly due to the pressure from the Meongwang Cannon.
Most of the Demon Army’s Changseong were in the same predicament. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were being attacked relentlessly. Desperate to prevent Jin’s death, they tried everything.
The allied Changseong deliberately infiltrated deep into the Demon Army’s formation, using the enemy’s shields to endure the Meongwang Cannon’s fire.
“Hold the line! If more of them get in, it’s over!”
A voice cracked with urgency from the Demon Army’s ranks. Naturally, they couldn’t afford to deactivate their linked shields—that would be a death sentence for all.
Besides, with Siron and Ban on the allied side, the situation would only become more disadvantageous. The Demon Army had to endure this uncomfortable fight until the Meongwang Cannon’s barrage ended.
[You don’t really think the Meongwang Cannon will fire only once, do you, you idiots?]
Orgal shouted, covering Luna.
From the start, Jin’s forces had two shots left from the Meongwang Cannon. With Quaul’s maintenance, they could still fire at least twice more after expending one shot.
If this standoff continued, it was entirely possible for the allied Changseong to slaughter thirty of the Demon Army’s spear-wielders.
‘Damn it, even after all this, we’re still losing…!’
Rondo felt his head spin from the ongoing shockwaves as he surveyed the battlefield. The Changseong were falling without even mounting a counterattack.
‘If the barrage continues just one more time, it’s practically annihilation. But I won’t let that happen!’
He resolved to change his plan once more.
“All Demon Army Changseong, listen up! Scatter immediately after the barrage ends! Spread out across the battlefield to provoke chaotic skirmishes, and focus solely on assassinating Jin Runcandel!”
Rondo had now abandoned the idea of ‘victory.’
He accepted the horrifying truth that even with tens of thousands of ships and nearly a hundred Changseong deployed, they could still be defeated by the heroes of a single world.
But even if they lost the battle, they could still win the war. If they lost all their forces but managed to kill Jin within the remaining time, the Balmur Alliance would have no future. Even if Siron, Ban, and the others survived, without the legacy of Solderet, a comeback was impossible.
Rondo timed his order to coincide with the end of the barrage. As soon as he finished speaking, the cannonfire ceased, and the Demon Army’s Changseong began withdrawing from the battlefield.
“Where do you think you’re going? Is this how you boast about being the losers of all dimensions?”
Jin shouted, firing a blade of energy at a spear-wielder trying to retreat. But inside, he was burning with anxiety.
‘Having the Changseong withdraw now means they’ve given up on winning the battle. Are they waiting for Keliak? Or…’
Jin was confused. Until now, the Demon Army had shown confidence even using their Changseong as shields, but now it seemed they had abandoned victory.
Thrum—! Crackle!
Siron and Ban appeared beside Jin, deflecting a magical beam aimed at him.
“Brother Jin, I think they’ve decided to focus solely on killing you.”
“…I was thinking the same, Brother Ban. It’s clearly a choice made with the legacy of Solderet in mind. If they can prevent me from obtaining that power, they’re willing to lose everything in this battle to win the war. Or perhaps they’re just buying time until Keliak arrives.”
Jin quickly grasped Rondo’s intent. The enemy feared the mysterious transcendent power of Solderet above all else.
At the moment the Meongwang Cannon’s barrage ended, twenty-four enemy Changseong remained alive.
About thirty percent of those desperately trying to escape the battlefield would be struck down by the remaining cannonfire before joining other fronts.
The other seventy percent wouldn’t all survive either. Those severely wounded would soon fall to the allied Changseong’s combined attacks. Especially since they no longer maintained proper formations, they were vulnerable to being picked off one by one. Even as Changseong, none could handle Siron and Ban.
But from now on, it was the allied forces who would be on the chase, not the Demon Army. The allies had to pursue the scattered enemy Changseong.
In other words, the Demon Army had given up victory but seized the initiative.
‘If enemy Changseong start infiltrating the central battlefield, even if we win, we’ll suffer heavy losses.’
Jin clenched his teeth, gripping his sword tightly.
“If the Meongwang Cannon can fire four or more times, we can minimize friendly casualties.”
“We’ll have to trust Quaul. Brother Jin, from now on, Siron and I will stay close to you. So if enemy Changseong suddenly swarm, we can protect you.”
Jin nodded.
Though binding Siron and Ban to Jin meant more allies would die to enemy Changseong on other fronts, it was unavoidable.
“Understood. Let’s move. At three o’clock, that one whose arm Ban just severed—let’s take him out first and then start the pursuit.”
Of course, the two wouldn’t just guard Jin in one spot. The three of them together would actively hunt down enemy Changseong. With Siron and Ban, they could quickly finish off the foes.
“Central battlefield, slowly pull back the lines!”
Eltiot adjusted their positions to the rapidly changing flow of battle, while Lafrarosa detected enemy Changseong and reloaded the main cannon.
Kraaaah…!
As the golden wave exploded from the barrel, the Demon Army’s Changseong couldn’t withstand the power, just as before. They were retreating in groups of no more than three.
But some enemy Changseong slipped into the central battlefield during the cannon’s cooldown. They quickly shot down the golden ship and pressured the superhumans, with the allied Changseong always a step behind in stopping them.
They were still outnumbered. And since they couldn’t fire the cannon at enemies mixed among their own forces, the enemy was finally showing true Changseong prowess.
At least the Demon Army hadn’t penetrated deeply into the allied lines. Their goal was to kill Jin, so they needed to keep him within striking distance.
“Forty hours until the curse is lifted. As long as Keliak doesn’t come, protecting Brother Jin won’t be a problem.”
But that meant accepting heavy casualties.
Ban swallowed his words and wrapped his brainwaves around Sigmund.
“Curious.”
In Passage One, the Demon Army’s headquarters.
Keliak’s sudden muttering caught Octavia’s attention. She had just been about to meditate, absorbing the magic and power he had bestowed. Though the power was still unrefined, she had transformed into a youthful form, as if in her twenties.
“Why do you say that, Lord Keliak?”
“I have never once seen Silin handle things clumsily.”
“Silin… the one you mentioned before? A truly remarkable individual, unlike me.”
Keliak chuckled, amused by Octavia’s sulking.
“Yes. That Silin briefly lost control of the rebels on the Black Sea battlefield. Thanks to that, the Balmur Alliance gained the upper hand, and Rondo was pushed onto the defensive.”
He fell silent for a moment, recalling Silin.
There was only one rebel Silin couldn’t fully control—the leader of the Gray Owls, Valeria Hister, who had survived dozens of encounters with Keliak.
“…I had hoped not to move until my recovery was complete, but it seems I must go myself.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? What if Malugia shows up…?”
At that, Keliak shrugged and replied, “If that happens, it’s actually good for me. If I can take down Malugia while I’m at it, all the better. Get ready—we’re leaving right now.”