Chapter 294
Episode 91: Power, and the Worship of Power (5)
“I distinctly gave the Fourth Knight the chance to issue a direct retreat order. This is disappointing,” Barton said coldly.
The number of wounded was rising. A guardian knight with a shattered right arm was surrounded by mages, facing certain death. The infiltration squad tried to rescue him, but the spatial explosion blocked their approach.
“Don’t expect me to defend the Fourth Knight,” Barton added.
“Guardians, fall back immediately!”
Just as he was about to shout the order, Barton sensed Jin approaching nearby.
“…Twelfth Knight?”
“Sir Barton, sorry for the late support. We were just standing by, having received no further orders.”
“You should have stayed on standby. This mission is a failure. We’re retreating—return to base.”
“Why are we retreating?”
Jin’s provocative question made a cold glint flash in Barton’s eyes. It was as if to say, “How dare you, a mere knight, speak to me like that?”
Meanwhile, Defus felt a strange mix of emotions—hope that Jin might have a clever solution, and shame at his own earlier helplessness.
“…Because of the spatial explosion. That magic has completely taken away our air superiority. The fight has become difficult,” Defus answered on Barton’s behalf.
Suddenly—Bam!
All three took a step back as Veradin unleashed another spatial explosion between them.
“Indeed, it’s dangerous,” Jin said, looking up at the sky.
Veradin showed no reaction to Jin’s gaze. As before, he flew around on his red dragon, scattering spatial explosions.
Jin remained calm.
“Do you have some kind of countermeasure?”
“Fourth Knight, will you continue to make a fool of yourself? What could the Twelfth Knight possibly do…?”
“I can suppress the spatial explosion,” Jin interrupted Barton.
Defus doubted his ears, and Barton paused, turning his head.
“What nonsense is this, Twelfth Knight? Can you stand by that claim?”
“If the spatial explosion is neutralized, can we continue the mission?”
Jin looked Barton straight in the eye.
Barton hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.
“If it’s truly possible, execute it as soon as you can. It seems the guardian knights have reached their limit.”
To Barton, the spatial explosion was an unstoppable magic.
“If such a reckless brat could counter it, then all the warriors who challenged Keliak and died horribly were fools.”
Yet, given Jin’s history of miracles and anomalies since his cadet days, Barton couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding.
Barton was the only spy within Runcandel’s Ziphl who reported directly to Keliak.
Still, he had never been told how Ziphl would counter him in Ventica.
When he first saw the spatial explosion, he thought it a clever trick—a perfect excuse to retreat. He was also chilled by the fact that Keliak had shared the power of fire with Veradin.
“If the Twelfth Knight really neutralizes the spatial explosion, it will disrupt our plans. If it becomes serious, I’ll have to steer Ziphl’s forces to withdraw.”
While Barton was sorting through his thoughts, Jin was already weaving a spell.
A blue flame flickered to life in Jin’s palm, drawing the attention of every mage in the sky. They sensed it—the alien aura of the azure fire.
Graaah…!
Tess.
The master of the flame element roared as he passed through a dimensional gate.
He had grown much larger since returning from Laprarosa. His massive twin wings flapped like a dragon’s, but his presence was far more imposing than the red dragon’s shallow intimidation.
As Jin’s magic grew, so did Tess’s power.
The oppressive blue flames blanketed the air, swirling in thousands of spirals, quickly covering nearly the entire battlefield.
The air grew heavy—not just figuratively, but literally weighed down by the intense fire.
The dragons’ wingbeats slowed, and the mages controlled their breathing as they unleashed their magic.
The guardian knights didn’t have to bear the weight. Tess perfectly controlled every tiny spark of the widespread azure flames, ensuring Jin’s allies remained unharmed.
Only Kojek, most exposed to the pressure, seemed unaffected.
“It’s over, Sir Barton. Let’s proceed with the mission,” Jin said.
Barton didn’t ask what that meant.
The spatial explosions had ceased the moment Tess appeared.
Though not a mage himself, Barton immediately understood that Veradin hadn’t stopped his magic because of the sudden phoenix’s arrival.
This was an absolute domain of blue flames.
Unless Keliak Ziphl himself wielded it, no Shinuu flame could penetrate.
Ordinary fire magic, not borrowing Shinuu’s power, faced fewer restrictions.
Likewise, Tess’s flames couldn’t recklessly target Veradin. Even those unaware of the relationship between the flame element and Shinuu could see the blue fire deliberately avoiding Veradin.
Fragments of sword energy and cannon fire were dyed blue as they were engulfed by the oppressive flames.
“Fourth Knight, tend to the wounded guardian knights. And Sir Barton…” Jin looked up, searching for Veradin.
The red dragon carrying him was flying toward Kojek. With Tess’s arrival, spatial explosions were no longer possible outside Kojek, so Veradin’s safety could no longer be guaranteed.
Veradin didn’t meet Jin’s gaze. His still-glowing red eyes held hollow hatred.
“Don’t let Veradin Ziphl escape. This is the last chance to cut his throat.”
At that moment, Barton had only one choice.
Attack Veradin Ziphl with full force. Any hesitation would be tantamount to admitting betrayal, so he had to leap forward with everything he had.
None of the Ziphl present knew Barton was their spy.
“Sir Barton will never kill Veradin. He’ll pretend to fight at full strength, but that’s all,” Jin thought.
That was why Jin told Barton, not Defus, to bring Veradin’s head.
Defus, truly loyal to Runcandel, would protect the guardian knights’ lives.
Barton Viceña, loyal to Ziphl, would protect Veradin’s life.
“Protect the young master!”
“Stop the Black Knight…!”
Without the spatial explosion, suppressing a ten-star knight’s leap was nearly impossible.
Despite a torrent of offensive magic, Barton carved a path forward using only sword energy.
Watching Barton take flight propelled by sword energy, the mages’ faces paled.
Still, it was impossible for Barton to reach Veradin in a straight, shortest path.
Chasing the red dragon was difficult, and the closer he got, the more desperate the mages became.
“Phoenix contractors, summon all phoenixes! Squads one and two, strike Jin Runcandel! The rest, hold back the Black Knight! He must not reach the young master…!”
A commanding mage aboard Kojek shouted, and dimensional gates opened across the sky.
Blue flames, sword energy, cannon fire, countless spells, and their shattered fragments swirled together as nearly thirty phoenixes filled Ventica’s sky.
The colorful energies twisted and blurred vision.
Mages with poor spatial awareness couldn’t see an inch ahead inside their protective barriers, and even the guardian knights hesitated to swing their swords recklessly.
Graaah! Graaah!
Tess roared fiercely at the newly summoned phoenixes.
“If Murakan were here, he’d surely sneer. Humans have the nerve to summon phoenixes to attack the master of flames.”
Jin chuckled softly. It was absurd.
Among the mages, Tess was known only as one of the strongest phoenixes. Few knew he was the sole absolute ruler of the flame element.
Only gods who had visited the flame realm or those connected to such beings could know this.
Unfortunately, none of the White Night mages aboard Kojek fit that description.
Some of the summoned phoenixes were well-known spirits, but they ignored the mages’ commands and aimlessly drifted through the sky, clearly fearful.
As a result, the phoenixes originally meant to attack Jin’s squads one and two all turned toward Barton.
Given the chaos, the mages had no time to analyze the cause.
This was exactly what Jin wanted. The thirty phoenixes were nothing more than props to make Barton’s fake threat look convincing.
“If all goes well, Barton might crash with some moderate injuries.”
Barton was now completely engulfed by the phoenix flames, invisible to the eye. Veradin was barely visible through the fire, only glimpses of the red dragon’s tail and wings.
Amid the confusion, Kojek loaded its cannons, aiming at Tess.
“Fourth Knight!”
At the booming call, Defus snapped his head around.
He had just finished escorting the wounded guardian knights off the battlefield and was about to return to his position.
Jin pointed at the cannon with his finger.
It was a signal to intercept. Such a gesture from a 12th rank to a 4th rank was unusual, but Dipus didn’t hesitate and rushed forward to prepare a defense.
He had finally realized that the key to this mission wasn’t himself or Barton—it was Jin.
He didn’t want to admit it, but that was the reality.
Dipus wasn’t the type to make foolish choices just to protect his pride.
“How on earth did you stop the spatial explosion? Was that Tess’s power? If you had this ability earlier, you wouldn’t have needed to step in…!” he said, half-scolding.
But today, Dipus had never found his youngest sibling more admirable.
Jin replied coldly, “Shouldn’t you start by saying thank you?”
“I’m not used to it. Thank you. I mean it.”
“Keep intercepting the cannon fire until Sir Barton returns or falls. The moment Tess gets hit and her summoning breaks, the spatial explosion will start again.”
Dipus nodded.
Jin readied himself, preparing a new spell.
Now, it was time to turn the tide of battle.
‘This is the spell I’ll use on Giple first.’
The final form of the Annihilation Flame Jade.
The magic Jin was about to unleash was the legacy of Riol Giple.