Chapter 297
Episode 91: Power, and the Worship of Power (8)
Creak… creak…!
The fiery chains binding Kojek trembled precariously. Judging by the way they quivered, it seemed they would snap any moment.
Still, this was Ziphl’s ultimate weapon.
No matter how formidable Jin was, it was impossible for him to destroy it single-handedly.
Just pushing this far had already far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Originally, Ziphl had received prior intel about Runcandel from Barton and came here expecting an easy victory. With Kojek and the spatial explosion at their disposal, they thought they could quickly drive Runcandel back.
But now, they were retreating.
Against only two Runcandel riders, a single Black Knight, and ten Guardian Knights.
“Put every ounce of power into Kojek’s propulsion! All healers, tend to the young master!”
Over forty mages, including Baekya and the elite, had fallen, and all six enemy dragons were slain.
Meanwhile, Runcandel had yet to suffer a single casualty. Some Guardian Knights were seriously wounded, but all injuries were treatable once they returned.
All of this was possible because of Jin.
Kuhp!
A thin line of black blood trickled from the corner of Jin’s mouth. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down relentlessly.
‘I really pushed myself too hard.’
Just before this mission, he had already sustained severe injuries in the fight against Silderei.
Though he had received intensive treatment at the Holy Kingdom, his body was far from fully recovered.
He had poured nearly all his available mana into this battle in one go, so the backlash was inevitable.
But it wasn’t as severe as Veradin’s case. After about ten minutes of rest, Jin’s unique mana control allowed him to recover somewhat.
He had to recover.
‘After Ziphl retreats, I need to be ready to face Barton.’
Another battle was looming.
Though it was one challenge after another, there was no need to be overly anxious.
‘Barton took significant damage pretending to capture Veradin earlier. If I team up with Brother Dipus, we can definitely take him down.’
Flare…
The blue flames surrounding Jin began to fade.
With Tess’s summon dismissed, the pressure on Kojek eased.
“Cut off Jin Runcandel’s flames!”
The command mage, sensing an escape opportunity, shouted fiercely.
Kuhk! The fiery chains binding Kojek snapped.
Once one link broke, a chain reaction followed, and soon Kojek shook off all the chains.
Wheeeeee!
The roar of Kojek’s mana propulsion filled the air.
It was about to take off at full speed, fleeing the battlefield.
Only the bare minimum of mana was left to maintain the ship’s shield. The mages poured every last drop of their power into the propulsion system.
This was a glimpse into how desperately the mages were struggling to escape this nightmare.
‘A clear blunder. They must have been in a real hurry.’
Watching Kojek’s shield weaken, Jin thought.
Ziphl should have focused more on defense than on movement. Jin couldn’t unleash the final form of the Annihilation Flame Jade Demon King again, and Barton was injured, so Runcandel had effectively lost most of its anti-air combat capability.
Therefore, a calm retreat was the best move.
But the mages couldn’t be sure Jin wouldn’t unleash such a powerful spell again.
They didn’t know that Jin’s mana backlash had already begun.
Mistakes born of fear always come with a heavy price.
Because they were so fixated on Jin, Ziphl failed to anticipate the four Runcandel riders, their fury sharpened to a razor’s edge.
“I’ll kill every last one of you, you filthy rats…!”
Aura gathered around Dipus’s greatsword, Volgar. The concentrated energy caused a strange distortion in the air.
Runcandel’s Third War Machine
Meteor Shower
The aura flowing along the greatsword shot skyward in an instant, forming a pillar.
To make matters worse, there was no better way to describe Ziphl’s current predicament.
Dipus swung his greatsword in a huge, yet unbelievably swift motion.
No sooner had the motion ended than meteor-like slashes rained down through the torn clouds.
If Kojek had chosen to maintain its shield instead of full-speed flight, it could have minimized the damage.
No ship in existence could move faster than these sword slashes.
Even at top speed, Kojek couldn’t evade Dipus’s meteor shower.
The barrage of slashes fell like a natural disaster.
‘Meteor Shower, huh? It’s been a while.’
Compared to Luna’s Meteor Shower, this was clearly a step below in power.
Still, it was absurdly powerful for a single human to unleash.
Barrage.
True to its name, the sword slashes rained down on Kojek like meteors.
The mages’ shrill screams were drowned out by the sounds of Kojek’s hull breaking and crushing.
Some mages couldn’t withstand the violent shaking inside the ship and were thrown overboard. Though instinctively they tried to cast protective shields, it was all futile struggling.
On the ground, the Guardian Knights awaited.
Before the mages even hit the ground, the Guardians tore them apart.
Some cursed with bitter hatred, others screamed in agony, and some begged desperately for their lives.
Prisoners were unnecessary. This mission did not include capturing any.
Crack, crunch! Thud…!
Following the meteor shower, Barton’s sword slashes struck the lower hull.
Barton’s attacks were noticeably weaker than before.
It wasn’t smoke and mirrors.
Barton had exhausted too much aura earlier and was injured, leaving him quite fatigued.
Of course, even weakened, his power was close to nine stars, but it wasn’t enough to deliver a decisive blow to Kojek.
Dipus didn’t scold Barton but ground his teeth inwardly. Once Kojek retreated, he vowed to tear Barton to shreds.
Over forty meteors had already struck Kojek’s hull.
Yet the massive ship, unable even to raise a shield, had not crashed. It rocked as if about to fall but remained airborne.
Dipus had to make a choice.
Should he expend more power to keep trying to shoot it down, or conserve strength for the fight against Barton?
Giving up the former was agonizing.
‘If I destroy Kojek and capture Veradin, I’ll have the best record among this year’s riders. Not that damn Joshua.’
Even sharing credit with Jin, the odds were high.
But what if he failed?
It was a gamble. Even if he unleashed his ultimate weapon again, he couldn’t be sure of destroying Kojek.
Worse, if he mismanaged his stamina, he might struggle against Barton.
‘The youngest is right. We must prioritize completing the assigned mission. Reluctantly, I’ll push them hard but then stop.’
Above all, if he ignored Jin’s advice and things went south…
He feared earning Jin’s enmity. Though Jin still saw him as an “enemy,” they could cooperate at times—like now.
But once that grudge formed, things would be different. From what he’d seen today, Dipus judged:
Never, ever turn him into a perfect enemy.
‘Until we bring out Joshua, I’ll have to work closely with the youngest. I can’t afford to disappoint him for now.’
Having made his decision, Dipus controlled his aura.
The meteor shower’s intensity gradually waned.
They had survived. The mages wanted to cheer.
Wooooosh, sizzle! Kojek’s propulsion system heated up.
Seeing Kojek battered yet accelerating again, Dipus reaffirmed that his choice was right.
It was impossible to break it anyway. Even if more than five elite mages were aboard, Dipus’s ultimate weapon alone couldn’t destroy it.
In the end, Kojek escaped the battlefield.
In an instant, Kojek’s retreating form shrank to a mere speck.
Dipus didn’t take his eyes off Kojek until it vanished.
“Why did you stop attacking at the end, Fourth Rider?” Barton asked.
“Because pushing them further might have provoked a counterattack. I figured the next clan head wouldn’t come without some safety measures. Besides, I doubted I could break it with my power alone.”
Barton nodded as if satisfied.
Ventica was already a barren wasteland, dotted with massive craters, but the desolation after the battle was on another level.
“A wise decision. Though it hurts my pride to admit, I’m not in good shape either. Had we been counterattacked, it wouldn’t have been easy.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Sir Barton.”
Barton’s gaze landed on Jin, who sat composed, controlling his body.
“By the way, we owe a great debt to the Twelve Riders… I’ve learned a humbling lesson after a long time. At first, I was somewhat displeased to be assigned with the Twelve Riders, but Lady Rosa’s insight is truly remarkable.”
“I agree. Without the youngest, it wouldn’t have been Ziphl retreating but us.”
Having finished meditating, Jin approached the two.
Barton watched him carefully, then extended his hand first.
“Twelve Riders, I apologize for underestimating you. Thanks to you, we avoided the disgrace of mission failure.”
Jin quietly looked down at Barton’s outstretched hand.
An uncomfortable tension hung in the air. Behind Barton’s black helmet, his expression was unreadable.
Several tense seconds passed, but Barton did not withdraw his hand.
“Would you remove your helmet, please?”
“That’s not possible.”
“May I ask why?”
“Only knights of the fourth rank and above are permitted to see the Black Knight’s face. Though I do owe a debt to the twelfth rank, I’m not about to break protocol.”
“Under different circumstances, I would have felt infinitely honored.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Among the countless knights of our house, only ten are allowed to wear the black helmet. For the knight wearing it to extend a handshake first to someone as low-ranking as me—that should be an honor, shouldn’t it? But now, it seems that’s no longer the case.”
The sudden shift in the conversation made Barton withdraw his hand.
To draw his sword more easily.
“So that’s why the fourth rank held back their strength. Your real mission wasn’t to secure Ventica, but to assassinate me.”
His voice was calm, almost detached, rather than shocked.
As if he had expected this day to come all along.
“Whatever your reasons for turning your back on the glory of Runcandel, you once served the house faithfully. I will show you the respect you deserve.”