Chapter 407
Episode 120: Why Hailran? (Part 1)

The thunder was being pushed back by a surge of sword energy.

It was Ron’s sword energy. Every time he swung Rashid, a wave of sword energy shot up into the sky like a tidal wave.

Even the thunderstorm that seemed capable of engulfing the entire Sword Emperor Fortress looked like a child’s firework compared to Ron’s sword energy.

“How many people in this world could spread sword energy like an umbrella and defend a fortress this size?”

That question immediately popped into Jin’s mind. Such a feat was only possible for a ten-star knight—among them, only the very best.

What was even more astonishing was that Ron showed no sign of fatigue despite unleashing such immense sword energy without pause.

“Sir Ron!”

Jin called out, and Ron turned his head. After checking on Veradin, who was unconscious and bound by Shuri, he nodded firmly at Jin.

“Well done!”

That was the expression on his face. Although Veradin wasn’t completely unscathed, just rescuing him meant they could better withstand the enemy’s schemes.

Meanwhile, Rata, still on the front lines battling monsters and bio-golems, felt a strange emotion upon seeing Jin return.

It was a kind of respect.

A feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Jin had fought him, calmly overcome the duel, immediately assessed the situation when the unexpected terror began, pinpointed the core issue alone, and brought Veradin back.

No matter what their relationship had been until just moments ago, there was no reason not to respect him. Even Ron hadn’t realized Veradin was the key.

“What a remarkable guy. I never thought I, Rata, would find myself respecting a man like this.”

Shuri stomped on the giant monsters and landed beside Ron.

“I don’t know why I forgot about him. Was his injury serious?”

“His life is not in danger at all.”

“I see. Once this is over, I’ll make sure he’s properly rewarded. Those ice blocks… I have a rough idea.”

Until now, Ron had only slashed the mages to dust every time they tried to regenerate.

He hadn’t used any form of “sealing.” That was partly because he didn’t think like a mage, and partly because the mages waiting inside the fortress were all too flustered.

Besides, since Ron was unleashing such overwhelming sword energy without tiring, there was no need to resort to other methods.

“Mages inside the fortress! Seal the golems using thunder energy!”

At Ron’s command, the knights behind them swiftly opened a path. The mages slipped through, spreading freezing magic.

“But this is strange. Why isn’t the thunder dying down?”

Despite the ice blocks sealing the masters’ bodies erupting everywhere, the thunder pouring from the sky showed no sign of abating.

“Could there be more masters? Ron’s sword energy is so overwhelming it’s overshadowing them, but thunder energy like this can’t be from just a few masters. I didn’t think about it in the chaos.”

At least five hundred masters.

Or something else entirely. Otherwise, this thunder couldn’t be explained.

At a glance, it seemed all six masters attacking the Sword Emperor Fortress had been sealed.

But the thunder was growing stronger, confirming there was something else.

Ron shared the same thought as Jin.

“The ones trapped in the freezing seals feel completely different…”

Ron’s eyes narrowed as he looked up at the sky.

The sky, mixed with spiritual energy, sword energy, and thunder, shimmered in chaotic colors.

“I need to see what it is.”

With that, Ron withdrew his sword energy. The thunder that poured down afterward was like a broken dam, but much weaker than before.

And suddenly—

The sky was “opening.”

Through the gap appeared what looked like the underside of a ship.

“What is that…?!”

Everyone here, including Jin, knew there was only one ship that floated in the sky.

Kozek—the airborne warship of Ziphl.

But pushing aside the blackened clouds was not Kozek. It only resembled it in shape; it was a completely different flying warship.

“…Now that a flying warship has appeared, I’m starting to think these really might be Octavia’s minions.”

Ron let out a dry laugh and shrugged.

“It’s not Ziphl, but Kinzel, Sir Ron.”

“That figures. But do you really think they have nothing to do with this?”

Jin shook his head.

“At this point, I don’t think Ziphl is completely uninvolved in this terror. Even if they didn’t directly order it, they’ll tacitly accept the situation afterward since it benefits them.”

“Despicable bastards.”

Crackling sounds filled the air.

Thunderclouds charged with thunder energy gathered near the ship. The ship’s structure looked far more complex than Kozek’s, with protrusions all over its hull that seemed to gather magic to form the storm clouds.

As the ship appeared, the battlefield fell silent.

The frenzied monsters stopped moving, and the golems caught their breath, staring blankly at the ship.

Most were instinctively intimidated. After all, giant monsters and bio-golems had emerged from the ground, masters had appeared, and now a flying warship.

Jin turned to exchange glances with Murakan and Quikantel. The two dragons seemed to have no particular reaction, as if they were seeing this kind of ship for the first time.

Ron was the only one unmoved.

“State your name, uninvited guest.”

His voice was deep and resonant. Though spoken calmly, Ron’s words echoed powerfully, reaching the ship.

Then familiar faces appeared at the ship’s prow.

“As for this one, Behrakt Sidriker! The great warrior of the White Wolf tribe, chief of the Sidriker clan, lord of the Roskal Plains, absolute ruler of the Antomac Mountains…”

The one introducing Behrakt was a cold man named Jo.

“Shut up. Keep it brief, Jo.”

“Then I’ll skip the rest… I am the captain of Kinzel!”

Even Jin found it hard to read their plan this time.

Not only had they carried out the terror, but they openly declared it was them.

But the real shock came with Jo’s next words.

“We came to the Sword Emperor Fortress aboard the warship Grnil to rescue the deputy captain of our unit and his younger brother.”

Insane bastards…

A curse slipped out reflexively.

“They caused the terror and now claim they came to save Vishkel and Marjiela?”

Jin couldn’t easily read their intentions because it was too brazen and simplistic. It was almost as if they weren’t calculating at all.

“Did they orchestrate the terror to deliberately injure Vishkel and Marjiela, then use that as an excuse to claim they had nothing to do with it?”

Of course, it made no sense.

But on the other hand, it was possible. Everyone knew Vishkel cared for his younger brother more than anyone else.

No one would suspect Vishkel of using his brother’s safety as a pretext for such terror.

Most importantly, there was no evidence.

Though the warship Grnil wielded magic to control thunder energy, there was no concrete proof that the masters, bio-golems, and monsters belonged to Kinzel—only suspicions.

“Perhaps Sir Ron is so confident in his suspicions that he doesn’t hesitate to label them the culprits. They’re completely underestimating Hailran.”

Was this their plan from the start?

Jin quickly concluded it wasn’t.

“They probably intended to do just enough and retreat. But because I rescued Veradin, their plan was disrupted.”

If Veradin returned as he was, the hostile relationship between Hailran and Ziphl would be hard to maintain.

In fact, since Jin rescued Veradin under Ron’s orders, there was no reason for hostility.

The only reason they revealed themselves despite the plan’s failure was obvious.

“Kinzel intends to deal a severe blow to Hailran no matter what. Having lost the excuse to provoke Ziphl, they’d rather trample Hailran themselves.”

Otherwise, Behrakt and Jo wouldn’t have appeared to needle Ron like this.

Their actions were tantamount to declaring war.

“Hahaha.”

Ron let out a bitter laugh once more.

“Even the emperor speaks to me directly. And yet… I never thought I’d have to look up to anyone here in the Sword Emperor Fortress. Come down, beastfolk.”

Behrakt chuckled.

“What will you do if I refuse, human Sword Emperor?”

“I’ll make you come down.”

Ron didn’t ask Behrakt and Jo to explain why they attacked the fortress or what this charade was about.

Those questions were for when there was room for negotiation. Ron had already made up his mind—to go to war with Kinzel.

“They’re playing us like puppets. Ron wouldn’t be unaware of that.”

Still, there was no turning back. If Ron retreated now, with Kinzel showing such force, Hailran would never regain its prestige.

From the moment the warship Grnil appeared, everyone here shared the same suspicion about Kinzel.

Rashid’s blade blazed.

“I’ll warn you just once. Come down immediately and show respect.”

“I’ve already told you my purpose. Hand over the deputy captain of Kinzel and his brother.”

“So their lives aren’t that precious to you, huh?”

The sword spirit raised toward the ship unleashed a surge of aura.

The entire area was instantly bathed in a dazzling light from the sword energy Ron had fired.

The ship Grnil seemed to be sinking into the sea, completely engulfed by the sword energy.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the light to fade. Even if Grnil was a decisive weapon on par with Kozek, it seemed impossible for it to come through unscathed after such an attack.

It was a strike delivered with genuine intent.

Ron Hyeran, a 10-star knight, had extended his sword with serious resolve, and yet—

Amazingly, not even a single scratch appeared on the ship Grnil.

Ron Hyeran’s eyes flickered ever so slightly.

Grnil still hovered in the air exactly as it had before.

“If you truly want to fight me, then perhaps it’s better if the two of us move somewhere else, human Sword Emperor Ron Hyeran. If we battle here, not a single one of your people will survive.”