Episode 115
Chapter 36: Allies on Each Side (5)

“I may not be the Princess of the Ice Bow, but I won’t sully the name of Ziphl.”

Boom!

Another explosion erupted. Though it was blocked by a wall of ice crystals once again, Thalaris frowned with obvious irritation.

At that moment, Midor might have thought there was a chance—but that was a grave mistake.

“Hmph, a spatial explosion, huh? Kellyak lent me some power for a moment, and you’re acting way too cocky.”

Thud!

Thalaris lightly stomped her foot.

Crackle, crackle…!

The magical barriers set up by the wizards began freezing rapidly. Nearly thirty mages had erected defensive wards, but within barely three seconds, the entire barrier was frozen solid—and shattered like glass.

“W-what is this?!”

All the mages of the Seventh Tower knew Thalaris’s face, but none had ever fought her.

Had even one of them experienced her power firsthand, they would never have dared to attack.

Their faces drained of color. Even the drakes nearby let out low, fearful growls.

Meanwhile, Thalaris’s long hair whipped wildly in the cold wind as she began to wield her power.

Countless ice crystals swirled around her, their radiant glow lighting up the entire area.

“Maybe I’ve been slacking off lately. But still, for such insignificant pests to come at me like this… it’s a bit irritating. Haven’t you ever heard my name from your clan leader?”

Crack!

Some of the ice crystals gathered around Thalaris’s right hand, forming into a long, sharp shape.

A sword.

The one called ‘Manbing.’

“I’ll teach you a lesson.”

Whoosh!

With a single swing of Manbing, a razor-sharp wind formed at the blade’s edge.

A wind that literally cut through flesh. As the chilling white gust surged forward, the mages unleashed every defensive spell they could muster.

But as long as Thalaris held the sword, all their efforts were utterly useless.

“Ugh!”

Midor was the first to let out a short groan. As the wind passed him, the mages behind screamed.

It was as if thousands of blades had sliced through them—blood spattered endlessly from the mages who had been standing their ground.

Robes were torn, staffs shattered, flesh and bone mercilessly cut.

Thalaris sneered disdainfully.

“I’m not trying to kill you all.”

She hadn’t focused her mind for a critical strike, nor summoned extra aura for a secret technique.

She had merely swung Manbing lightly—and yet every single mage in the Seventh Tower was wounded, some fatally.

Five were already dead—and all of them were ranked seven stars or higher.

‘Is this really human strength…?!’

It was absurdly powerful.

Midor barely held onto his senses, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

With a gap this wide, the other mages would be incapacitated before they could even finish casting their spells. The only one who could still retaliate was himself, with his spatial explosion.

Just then—

“Oh, and you’re Midor, right? Kid, you made a mistake. Spatial explosions are a magic I absolutely hate. When I fought Kellyak before, it was so annoying.”

Surprisingly, Thalaris had already closed the distance, standing right in front of Midor’s nose.

“Gah!”

“What’s with the shock? You didn’t even notice your right hand disappeared just now.”

Reflexively, Midor looked down—and saw his right hand cleanly severed, lying on the ground.

The severed part was frozen solid, and he felt no pain.

“Mages are really terrible at this. Checking your hands in the middle of a fight? When I’m right in front of you? Trained warriors never take their eyes off their enemy at moments like this. Otherwise, the next moment, their neck gets cut.”

Flinch!

Midor clutched his neck and stepped back. Thalaris clicked her tongue, and a wave of shame so cold it felt like ice gripped his heart.

He didn’t dare glare back at her.

“Deputy Tower Master!”

“Protect the Deputy Tower Master!”

“You fools who can’t even match a background figure in loyalty. How do you expect to protect me? You should be blaming Midor instead—the foolish commander who underestimated the enemy’s power and led everyone to the brink of death.”

Thalaris’s cold smile left the mages grinding their teeth, powerless to respond.

She wasn’t wrong. Even Midor felt the bitter truth, but the absurdity of the situation was heartbreaking.

“Damn it. Even with the power of spatial explosion granted by the clan leader, this gap is insane! No matter how much support comes from other towers or the main house…”

They couldn’t win.

Not unless Kellyak Ziphl himself came, or the main house’s elite mages—the ‘White Night’—arrived.

“I have nothing more to say… wait, what’s that?”

Just as Midor sank into despair, a light suddenly stretched across the dawn sky like a lighthouse beacon.

The source was a massive flying galleon.

And Thalaris knew exactly what that ship symbolized.

‘The White Night’s ship? Kashimir never said anything about reinforcements like this.’

For the first time, Thalaris’s expression stiffened.

Midor and the mages also tensed, though their feelings differed. None had imagined the main house would send the White Night as backup.

Vroooom…!

The only flying ship in the sky.

As the ‘Kozek’ appeared, Jin sprang to his feet.

‘Damn, why the hell is that here?!’

The Kozek was known to move only when Ziphl declared ‘war.’ Jin had never seen it with his own eyes before, but he had heard of its overwhelming presence.

Bang!

Murakan transformed back into human form, unable to take his eyes off the Kozek. Siris’s eyes widened in shock as well.

“Wait a minute. Kozek? That woman won’t be able to handle that alone. Hey, Midor, was that guy really that important to Ziphl?”

“…I think Ziphl has gotten more sensitive since Andrei’s death. And since a pureblood Ziphl was attacked, they probably want to make an example this time. Besides, there’s an artifact hidden here that they’ve been searching for centuries.”

Jin shook his head.

‘Even if Lady Thalaris could handle the White Night alone… forget the mirror, at this point, it’s impossible to save the remaining natives and get them out.’

With the Kozek’s arrival, the battle paused, but the natives were still conscious.

It was only four in the morning. There were eight hours left until noon, when the ritual would end—and now the Kozek had appeared. Fulfilling Laosa’s request was completely out of the question.

‘Even if Lady Thalaris could fight the White Night alone, she wouldn’t need to go that far. She’d probably just take me and Murakan and escape.’

Thalaris’s request from Kashimir was to rescue Jin and Murakan.

There was no mention of protecting the natives’ ritual. That was something Jin and his group had to handle once Thalaris defeated the Ziphl mages.

Still—

Jin truly didn’t want to give up. He wanted to cling to hope, even if only at the very end.

Not because he desired the ancient masterpiece—the mirror.

But because, until just a few hours ago, he had empathized with the pain of the Colonists, who had suffered abuse for generations here.

And if he escaped Colon on the toad-mount with Thalaris now, that guilt would weigh on him forever.

“Kid, where do you think you’re going?!”

“I’m going to check on the natives.”

Jin covered his face again with Multa’s rune and ran toward the natives. Sensing this, Thalaris briefly lifted the ice barrier, and Tika grabbed Jin’s hand eagerly.

Her expression was urgent.

And she had no intention of letting him go. Neither did the Colonists around her.

“This won’t work. We know what that ship is. Jin, you have to escape. I’m sorry. You’ve tried so hard, but we… we can’t repay you. All we can offer is a messy ending.”

“Tika.”

“…In hundreds of years of exploitation, only you and Dino have reached out to us against Ziphl. You are our savior. Please, go quickly.”

In truth, everything that had happened since last night was a miracle for them.

Jin’s arrival in Colon, Myuron’s death, the creation of graves for their fallen kin, Thalaris’s appearance when the Seventh Tower mages pursued them—

They couldn’t expect another miracle. Especially not against Ziphl’s top force, the White Night.

“I don’t want to give up on you. Can’t the ritual be finished faster? If I can persuade Lady Thalaris, maybe she won’t have to fight the White Night head-on, and we could buy some time.”

“Before Priestess Laosa lost her divine power, that was possible. But now, it’s impossible. Please, just go. They won’t kill us until they get the sacred artifact—probably.”

Probably.

That word stabbed Jin’s heart. The same feeling he’d had when burying nearly two hundred Colonists earlier.

“Priestess Laosa hasn’t lost all her divine power. When she first saw me, she showed divine insight.”

“But…”

“I’ll bring the Raoza priestess with me. If that still doesn’t work, then we’ll give up.”

“No! There’s no time. Please, just run away. Jin, you don’t have to go this far for us. You’ve already moved us more than enough. We can’t let someone like you die.”

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a pure white dimensional portal opened beside Jin, and a snow-white toad-like creature, Mote, leapt out.

It was summoned by Siris, who had followed Jin.

“Get on.”

Siris, already mounted on Mote’s back, held out a hand.

“Huh?”

“Get on. It’s rare for Runcandel to risk their life for someone with no ties, so consider this a favor. But I can’t give you much time.”

Jin nodded firmly.

“I will never forget your kindness, Siris.”

“Just a simple thank you is enough. It’s no trouble. Let’s go.”