Episode 488
Chapter 135. Brotherhood United (5)
Jin, Murakan, Diffus, and Joshua lifted the masks that had been covering their faces.
Crack!
Only about a minute had passed, but the noise and vibrations of battle had already grown significantly louder.
Since the decision had been made, they had to move in immediately—every second counted. Drakka and the Second Tower would send reinforcements right away.
“Given the change in circumstances, we’ll skip regrouping after gathering intel inside. Once we enter, scatter and check sectors 4, 11, 17, and 19. The Black Knights and I will take sectors 4 and 11; the Fourth and Twelfth Squadrons will cover 17 and 19.”
Sectors 4 and 11 were relatively farther from the Second Tower compared to 17 and 19. Joshua was being extremely cautious. Even in this situation, Jin and Diffus threw out false moves to keep the Second Tower unaware.
“Secure the ship blueprints and destroy the most critical resources. Once either objective is achieved, survive and return to headquarters. If you judge that capture or death is likely, prioritize escape above all else. Beyond that, I leave all decisions to your discretion.”
“Understood.”
Joshua extended his fist toward Jin and Diffus. They glanced at it briefly before lightly bumping their fists together.
“Good luck, brothers.”
“Never thought I’d hear my big brother wish me luck. Well, if we all make it back safely, let’s celebrate with a drink for the youngest.”
“Good luck, Second Squadron.”
Joshua and the Black Knights entered the dry dock beyond the cave first. Jin, Murakan, and Diffus watched their backs for a moment.
“Hah! Kid, if you hadn’t jabbed me in the side, I’d have snapped his jaw off. I got pissed off telling you to decide quickly, and you talk back? Second Squadron, huh. Murakan’s taken a lot of hits. Every time, I wonder why you don’t wish me luck.”
“Yeah, thanks for holding back.”
“Murakan, that guy’s head will be off his body before dawn.”
“Right, he’s done for.”
“Little brother, I take back what I said about you being disappointing yesterday. You were right. Kinzello was unpredictable, though.”
There was no need to probe Joshua further, but they still had to carefully assess the situation after entering.
We have to time when Kinzello will strike the Second Tower precisely. Going too fast or too slow is a problem. But we must arrive after Joshua.
The key was to exploit the competition between Kinzello and Joshua at the Second Tower.
Now, it was time for improvisation.
“Reinforcements should arrive within thirty minutes at the latest. They might even be here already.”
Given the distance, even dragons flying would need at least half an hour to reach the Sota Desert.
“If that cube you mentioned is here too, that would explain it.”
The spacetime device—the mysterious cube Midor Elner used in the Gaipa Archipelago.
Jin had already shared information about it with Diffus. Since all survivors from Gaipa had witnessed the device firsthand, exclusive knowledge held little meaning.
“I think it’s highly likely the dry dock has one as well. Joshua might have received related intel from Vugo or Mother while here, so it’s best to assume they’re aware and acting accordingly.”
Zipple also knew the other three major factions were aware of the spacetime device, so there was no need to hide it.
When Midor Elner used the device blinded by revenge in the Gaipa Archipelago, Sandra Zipple’s furious reaction wasn’t without reason.
The device was supposed to be revealed at a more critical moment—like striking the Rune Candle headquarters directly or forcing a major power to its knees. Midor thought he could kill both Jin and the enemies without leaving evidence.
“In any case, we’ll have to team up with Kinzello for now.”
Instead of heading to the sectors Joshua assigned after entry, Jin decided to join Kinzello in wiping out the Zipples first.
“Take out as many as possible, especially those from the Second Tower.”
“That’s to reduce the forces returning after we enter the Second Tower, right? Especially if the cube is there.”
As Diffus said, they needed to minimize Zipple’s forces because of the cube.
Kinzello knew this well, which was why he was carrying out such a large-scale terror attack. It wasn’t just to make entry easier.
“Exactly.”
“Ugh, this is giving me a headache! So basically, kid, you’re saying we just go in and kill every Zipple we see?”
“That’s right, but don’t transform into your true form. Save your strength. If they find out you or I are here, the level of reinforcements could change. Anyway, let’s get moving.”
The cave led into sector 6 of the dry dock.
Inside, the first things they saw were collapsed structures, flames spreading everywhere, and the enemy Akho tribe laughing crudely like low-level thugs as they slaughtered the administrators.
“Die! Die, you tasteless humans!”
“From today on, this place belongs to our Kinzello!”
“P-please spare me!”
Jin and his group hid between machinery, pillars, and pipes, watching for a moment. Joshua’s group seemed to have already moved elsewhere.
Zipple is impressive.
Despite the destruction and fire, seeing the underground dry dock firsthand was astonishing. Sector 6 alone was packed with countless parts and machines.
At a glance, there were dozens of identical components. That meant they were mass-producing at least that many ships.
“When I first saw it, I was shocked too. Even if the ships only have half the power of Kojek, mass-producing dozens like this means the world will soon be entirely Zipple’s.”
Diffus whispered, reading Jin’s thoughts.
“Don’t be so scared, Diffus Rune Candle. I once destroyed a finished Kojek ship with a single breath.”
Unlike Murakan’s scoff, Jin felt a headache coming on.
When we get back, we need to analyze the spacetime device as soon as possible. Even if we can’t match Kojek, we have to acquire mobile summoning technology or countermeasures quickly.
Murakan’s feat of destroying Kojek with one breath in the Gaipa Archipelago was partly because his martial power had recovered to fifty percent.
It also helped that the mages aboard Kojek weren’t particularly skilled. The power source of flying ships depends on the magic and mana control of their occupants.
If the mages aboard those mass-produced ships were of the Phantom Corps or Zipple’s elite level, the outcome would have been different.
A heavy weight pressed on Jin’s chest.
No need to rush. We just have to catch up. No matter what.
If they could reclaim all of Temar’s legacy and lift the curse etched into their bloodline, they could restore the old glory of Rune Candle.
“By the way, it’s strange that Joshua, the second brother, and the Black Knights had no idea the information was leaking.”
“You mean the operation time? I don’t think Kinzello’s timing was a coincidence. But there’s no way there’s a spy among the Black Knights Joshua brought. He must be going crazy over the leak too.”
“Could there be a spy among the Execution Knights?”
“No. Even if there was, none of them knew the exact operation time. The control was perfect.”
“Joshua kept the operation orders with him the whole time, so it’s almost impossible. Plus, he was never alone—even when sleeping, at least one Black Knight was always with him. Saying this makes it sound like a ghost passed by…”
Suddenly, Diffus cut himself off, as if a thought had struck him.
At that moment, Jin was thinking the same thing, the same name coming to mind.
“No way.”
“Yona…?”
Yona Rune Candle.
Only a handful of people in the world could pull off something like this, and among them, Yona was the best.
Both of them thought of their youngest sister at once and felt an inexplicable chill.
“No, wait. It can’t be Yona. If she were involved, it would only be because Mother personally commissioned the Nameless. But why would Mother hide that from Joshua?”
Given the timing, it wasn’t impossible for Yona to be here.
But Jin thought that if his youngest sister knew about the dry dock, she would have given him a heads-up when he visited Tikan.
“No way.”
“Then, could it be Lord Owl of the Nameless?”
“I think if the Nameless are involved, it’s more likely Lord Owl than Yona. It wouldn’t be Mother, but Kinzello who commissioned the Nameless.”
“Right. Whether it’s a commission or something else, the Nameless wouldn’t use Yona for this kind of information gathering. If Lord Owl and the Nameless’ top assassins are involved, that explains a lot.”
Of course, it wasn’t something they could conclude for sure. As long as no traces were left, it was possible. But the Nameless had maintained neutrality so far, and there was little reason for them to get involved in such a sensitive matter.
“Hmm. Even if Muming showed up, they probably won’t get involved any further in this matter. Considering how things turned out, it’s not a bad situation for us, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“That’s right. They likely just passed on the operation intel to Kinzel and then withdrew. For now, let’s head toward District 17, Tower 2. We should also check on the other districts along the way.”
Leaving behind the scene of the Red Tiger Tribe slaughtering the managers of the District 6 shipyard, the group began to move forward.
‘But something feels off. Could it really be that my sister came…? No, that can’t be. It’s just my imagination. Even if she did come, like Brother Diffus said, she would have already returned to Samilo by now—just passing information to Kinzel.’
On a whim, he fully opened his mind’s eye and sharpened his senses, scanning the surroundings once more. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing unusual.
What he couldn’t have imagined—not even Jin—was that a woman was watching him with a sly smile.