Episode 508
Chapter 141: The Fall (Part 1)
On the battlefield, two crimson skies stretched out—on the side where Zephyrin stood, a red abyss was unfolding.
The Phantom Legion, having pursued Zephyrin relentlessly, was throwing everything they had into subduing her, but so far, they hadn’t landed any meaningful blows.
‘To think that such a monster was just recently a Level 3 researcher playing the role of a spy…!’
‘The signal flare went off ages ago, so how is this situation still unfolding like this?’
‘The fight over there is dragging on too. And that black power—it looks like a spirit energy. Are the 12 Knights themselves engaged in battle?’
‘We need urgent support from squads 4, 5, and 6, plus the main force. This doesn’t feel right.’
Despite Zephyrin’s true identity being carefully concealed to prevent Gipple from guessing, and even though their commander’s condition was still poor—meaning she wasn’t fighting at full strength—she was still holding the Phantom Legion at bay. Her axe swordsmanship, which she had only dabbled with clumsily back at Black King’s Mountain, was now so refined that those unfamiliar might mistake her for Luna.
Still, Zephyrin was just as confused as the Phantom Legion.
‘What is that? That’s not spirit energy—it’s the power of chaos. And it’s not even Yona Runcandel’s chaos… What the hell is going on, Commander Jin?’
From the edge of Lomin Forest, Joshua was desperately unleashing sword energy that almost looked like spirit energy. But Zephyrin immediately recognized it wasn’t.
‘It’s unlikely that the 4th Knight or the Black Knight is using chaos. It must be the 2nd Knight… and strangely, her power resembles that woman’s. It’s unsettling.’
But that wasn’t the only thing bothering Zephyrin.
She was also aware that the situation in the Sota Desert behind them was deteriorating.
The thunderstorm domain created by the warship Grnil was shrinking little by little. Meanwhile, the dragons of Kojek and Gipple seemed to be stabilizing.
‘After all this effort, if we can’t snatch the item from Commander Jin, I won’t be able to sleep out of frustration. Come to think of it, Caligo’s guys are too dumb to steal Commander Jin’s stuff. What should I do…?’
Her gaze shifted back to Joshua.
And there, she noticed something strange in the battle.
Aside from the chaos power Joshua wielded, there was no sign of spirit energy, aura, or azure flames.
The implication was clear.
‘The 2nd Knight is fighting alone…?’
Two reasons immediately came to Zephyrin’s mind.
First, by using chaos power, the 2nd Knight could fight the Phantom Legion solo and then rejoin the fleeing Runcandels.
Second, sacrifice.
Whether it was the first or the second, the important fact was that Joshua was left alone.
‘This might be the next best option.’
Rescue Joshua, take him hostage, and use him as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with the Runcandels over the item. Zephyrin quickly reached that conclusion.
Clang!
Deflecting a blade of red abyss stabbing at her back, Zephyrin pulled a signal flare from her pocket.
“Ahhh! Vice Commander! Help! Help! Is help ever coming?!”
Ainas Caligo, the second daughter of the great Caligo family, had been shouting like that ever since she spectacularly launched from the warship Grnil.
Watching her, sweat dripped down Vishkel’s forehead.
It wasn’t because he mistook Ainas for the female demon Bubarr. Despite her disheveled appearance, she was surprisingly holding her own in battle.
Though quite some time had passed since the fight began, the fact that she was still alive proved her capability.
Of course, Vishkel didn’t think highly of Ainas’s skill or effectiveness.
‘She’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach. She even reminds me of that disgusting fatso in that regard.’
Ainas’s constant cries for help weren’t because she was engaged in a fierce fight with the enemy.
It was her top-tier demon race’s transcendent regenerative ability.
Even if her body was torn apart, her head severed, or limbs dismembered, she would instantly recover and continue to irritate Vishkel and the enemy.
“Honestly, I don’t know how such a thing exists, Lord Hedo.”
Octavia shrugged. While Vishkel equated Ainas with Bubarr, Octavia felt she was more like Sandra.
“…I’m also puzzled. She’s nothing like the demon I fought earlier.”
Octavia didn’t doubt Hedo’s words at all, which made Hedo feel a little guilty.
“That demon is ridiculous, but honestly… the warship Grnil is shocking.”
A single warship, seemingly not even at full strength, and a demon with nothing but regenerative ability.
Octavia was barely able to accept that these two were holding their ground against the main force she had led so far.
“That ship has already withstood the Sword Emperor’s blade before. Judging by its condition, that sword hasn’t dulled. Still, it looks like they’re starting to lose ground.”
“If you hadn’t destroyed the armor and shields, the battle would still be evenly matched. If it weren’t for the demon who injured you, we would have already seized the advantage.”
Indeed, Grnil was damaged compared to before. Half of the thunderstorm-generating spines were out of commission, and aside from the main cannon, the other guns were no longer a threat.
“Anyway, we need to finish this quickly. The situation in Lomin Forest looks serious too.”
Octavia raised her magic power. The dragons gathered fresh breath, and the mages prepared large-scale chain spells once more.
‘We’re almost at our limit. If we take a few more hits like this, escape will be impossible.’
Unlike at Sword Emperor Castle, the commander couldn’t restore Grnil now.
‘Zephyrin, hurry…!’
Vishkel gritted his teeth, searching for her in his mind.
Then, far above Lomin Forest, a signal flare burst into the sky. It was Zephyrin’s flare.
Gipple’s forces immediately recognized it wasn’t their signal.
‘It’s happening!’
Ainas raised her greatsword to the sky as she watched the flare.
“Oh! It’s Vice Commander Zephyrin’s signal! Whatever it is, she’s done it! That’s our Vice Commander! Let’s get out of here!”
Kiiiiiing!
A sharp metallic whirring began from Grnil’s power source. It was the energy they had been saving despite taking heavy hits.
Those who had operated Kojek knew exactly what that sound meant: full-speed flight was about to begin.
“Retreat? After all this damage, they still have power left?”
Octavia narrowed her brows and shouted.
Everyone knew Grnil’s goal was to buy time. But Gipple had thought they could crush Grnil without the commander’s direct intervention, unlike during the Sword Emperor Castle incident.
“Hey, hey! Vice Commander! Vice Commander? I’m still here!”
Vishkel showed no intention of leaving without rescuing Ainas Caligo.
Not just because he disliked her, but because boarding would waste time and expose weaknesses.
‘If you die, so be it. If you’re captured, we’ll negotiate your release, Ainas Caligo. But I hope you survive on your own—no need to waste bargaining chips.’
Ainas dashed madly toward the turning Grnil.
But under the relentless fire from Kojek’s cannons, Hedo’s sword energy, the mages’ spells, and the dragons’ breath, she was pushed and battered, unable to get close.
“Vice Commandeerrrr! I forgot something—ugh! No, wait! Cough! Cough! Let’s go together!”
Grnil, turning toward Lomin Forest, focused all remaining power on rear shields and acceleration. Kojek couldn’t keep up, and the dragons barely followed, breathing fire but failing to land hits.
The massive barrier the mages cast shattered against Grnil’s prow.
At that moment, Hedo launched explosively toward Grnil.
“Ugh!”
Ainas, standing in his path, was sent flying by the shockwave from Hedo’s acceleration. Octavia summoned a magical whirlwind to coincide with Hedo’s leap.
Swoosh!
The floating greatsword veil unleashed twenty sword strikes like a storm.
As Octavia said, if not for his injuries, Hedo’s sword strikes would have surely broken Grnil’s rear shields and stopped its full-speed escape.
‘Maybe I was a bit too shallow.’
The sword strikes barely grazed the rear shields.
At the same time, the heat and gusts from Grnil’s power source engulfed Hedo and the dragons following him.
Still, Hedo scattered sword strikes in all directions to protect the dragons, who barely managed to descend and avoid the impact.
But Ainas was once again sent flying by Grnil’s shockwave.
“Pursue!”
Octavia’s eyes blazed with dark murderous intent as she shouted, intercepting Hedo at the front of Kojek’s formation.
Meanwhile, beyond Lomin Forest, at the central border of the Lutero Magic Federation.
A woman in a pure white dress was brushing blood off her greatsword. Before her stood a man, covered in cuts and deep wounds, breathing heavily with his left arm missing.
They were Bianca Caligo, the first daughter of the Caligo family, and the Black Knight Mon.
‘He suddenly stopped moving…’
Mon had just escaped the drying yard when he ran into her. Suddenly, she launched an attack, and he couldn’t shake her off. They ended up fighting—though could it really be called a fight? It was so one-sided. Even though Mon’s stamina was drained from the earlier battle in the drying yard, he was certain of one thing:
Bianca was an opponent he simply couldn’t overcome, even if she were at her absolute best.
The only reason Mon was still alive was that Bianca suddenly stopped attacking, as if entranced by something.
Are the others who fell into the magic tower… okay? He had to find a way to escape that monster and get help from his family. No matter what. But what was Bianca staring at so intently?
What caught her gaze was the signal flare Zephyrin had fired.
“Th-that’s… an anti-air signal. I have to go. What should I do…?”
Her voice was slow and hesitant. Bianca was torn.
Should she finish off the human in front of her, or just leave as quickly as possible?
“The anti-air signal… that takes priority. If I don’t follow it, I’ll get in trouble. You’re lucky, human. And this was fun.”
With that, Bianca turned and hurried off toward the Roman Forest.
It was baffling—such an important signal, and with her incredible physical strength capable of crushing him, why was she running off so casually, almost leisurely? Mon couldn’t make sense of it.