Chapter 509
Episode 141: The Fall (2)
Thud!
Mon dropped to one knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood. If he had exchanged just a few more blows in that fight, he would have met his death at the hands of that monstrous demon’s sword.
‘…I’d heard there were some incredibly strong demons still active, but I never expected one like that to be part of Kinzello’s faction. Was the First Rider’s demon also that brutal back in the day?’
It had been a long time since he’d been so utterly defeated and humiliated. Though he’d managed to retrieve his severed left arm, without treatment at the level of a Holy King, it would be impossible to continue his duties as a Black Knight.
But there was no time to wallow in despair.
‘The demons headed toward the Romyn Forest signal. The ship Grnil is flying there, and Kozek is following… Jane and the Riders might be there too.’
Mon didn’t know the full situation in Romyn Forest. But the fact that Ziphl and Kinzello’s forces were gathering there meant something significant was happening. The most important matter was the items in the Second Rider’s tower vault.
‘Did the Second Rider succeed in stealing them? Or did Kinzello get them, escalating the battle? Either way, my job is to call for backup.’
Trying to stop Bianca from going was pointless. Even if it was the enemy’s ship, since she survived, they had to move to ensure the mission’s success.
After stemming the bleeding and giving himself emergency treatment, Mon pressed on.
The defenses were tight.
Lights flickered atop the watchtowers lining the long stone wall that marked the border. The border guards from the five autonomous districts and eight autonomous nations were on high alert, their eyes darting between their sectors, Romyn Forest, and the Sota Desert battlefield.
The ships Grnil and Octavia’s forces were rapidly approaching Romyn Forest.
With the battle intensifying, the guards feared Romyn Forest might soon vanish entirely from the maps.
Commanders along the border dispatched search parties toward the area where Mon and Bianca had fought. Though it was a personal skirmish, not comparable to the chaos in Romyn Forest or the Sota Desert, it was still too significant for the guards to overlook.
Mon moved carefully, seeking gaps in the defenses to avoid detection.
‘Damn it, my body’s starting to stiffen.’
The bleeding was severe. Like Jane earlier, without the mental strength and willpower of a Black Knight, he would have lost consciousness from such injuries.
Haah… haah…
Leaning against a tree, he caught his breath. His vision blurred white from fever, and every tremor felt like his bones were shattering.
As his senses dulled from pain, Mon suddenly shifted his stance, sword drawn toward the bushes.
Someone was approaching.
‘Border guards…!’
If it was just a few soldiers below seventh rank, he could quietly take them out. But if there were more, killing them all before they could raise an alarm was impossible.
When the figures finally emerged, Mon let out a sigh of relief.
“Knight Mon!”
It was Jin and his group.
The routes that avoided border patrols were extremely limited. Jin’s group had taken the same path as Mon and had already noticed his bloodstains. Their meeting was less coincidence and more inevitability.
“The Twelfth Rider.”
“What happened… damn it. Your arm.”
“How did the mission go? Why are you the only ones here? Where are Jane and the Second Rider?”
Mon stopped mid-sentence, meeting the dark, heavy gaze of Jin’s group.
“…We escaped Romyn Forest thanks to Knight Jane’s sacrifice.”
Mon was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look back toward Romyn Forest—the place where his lover had met death.
Since becoming a Black Knight, he had completely given up on a personal life, but Mon and Jane had always believed their hearts remained connected.
They had promised to spend their remaining days together once they retired safely.
That hope was now gone.
“I see.”
Mon answered calmly.
Just as Jane had prioritized her family and mission over the words she wanted to leave him in her final moments, so did he.
Personal grief was of no use to the family. That was the creed of the Black Knights.
That was the black helmet of Runkandel.
“Is the Second Rider still with you?”
“Yes.”
Why the heir had stayed behind instead of another Rider, whether by choice or force, why the Black Sword Kainer was in Jin’s possession, and what the Second Rider was fighting with if not that—Mon didn’t ask. He had a feeling he already knew why Joshua remained.
“Was the theft successful?”
Jin pulled the items from his chest.
“As long as we escape safely, the mission is a success. We should discuss my injuries, Yona Runkandel, and Sandra Ziphl after we get out. For now, let’s move before I collapse.”
Mon’s gaze landed on Sandra. She was rifling through her coat pocket, searching for painkillers.
“Ah, good, I found some. Take these—they worked wonders on that lady earlier. It’s hard to run when you’re in pain, right?”
“…Lady? You mean Jane, Sandra Ziphl?”
“Yes, she thanked me.”
Mon silently took the painkillers and swallowed them, then lightly tapped Sandra’s shoulder.
Though Mon hadn’t revealed his relationship with Jane, the group somehow understood the meaning behind his gesture.
They resumed moving.
‘There’s no way we’ll get through without a fight.’
It was the heart of the Lutero Magic Federation, and the surveillance was several times tighter than usual.
As they debated the most efficient route to break through, Sandra spoke up.
“Haah, I guess it’s time to end our first date.”
All eyes turned to her.
She bit her lower lip, trying to suppress her disappointment.
“If I step forward now, Jin can escape. But don’t come looking for me like this again. Today, Jin almost got himself killed.”
Jin and Sandra’s eyes met.
“I’ll draw the guards’ attention. You get out without being spotted. Remember what you said earlier?”
—But thanks to you, my brothers and the Black Knights survived. I want to repay you somehow. If you need anything, ask. I’ll do what I can after we escape.
Jin and Sandra both recalled those words.
“What do you need?”
Sandra held out a golden prosthetic arm to Jin, making sure the face engraved on the inside of the forearm was visible.
“I’d like you to engrave your name under the picture.”
“Wow… you really are the best. There’s Enya, the little fan club president, but even she can’t compare to you. I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone like you again, even if I live three thousand more years.”
“I’m the official fan club president, you know? After the Golden Pangyi Guild’s ad, all sorts of random fan clubs popped up, but I even drafted and passed fan activity laws and got official registration. There were a few articles about it, even in Hupester.”
“Oh, I think I saw that. Wasn’t it someone named Nodav Sarsang or something?”
“That’s my alias. So Enya’s just playing fan games alone, but I’m official. There’s a difference.”
Jin silently drew a dagger and signed beneath the engraving on the prosthetic, just as Sandra requested.
She almost screamed but covered her mouth.
“Wow! I’ll treasure this more than my life!”
The feeling of having her severed arm replaced with a golden prosthetic bearing her own face—and now signed beneath it—hearing that it would be cherished more than life itself… there were no words to describe it.
Just as the signature was finished—
Rumble…!
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from Romyn Forest.
The shockwave was so powerful it was felt even at the central border. And it wasn’t caused by Kinzello or Ziphl.
It was the explosion of Runkandel’s ultimate weapon. Everyone recognized it instantly.
The family’s only self-destruct device, designed for the absolute last resort.
The Seventh Ultimate Weapon: Volcano.
Just as Joshua had done against Jin and Garmund in the Azure Archipelago, he chose Volcano as his final desperate move using replication.
Back then, Joshua’s Volcano obliterated the 32nd island of the Azure Archipelago. Now, enhanced by refined energy, this Volcano far surpassed that power.
The aura mixed with refined energy soared into the sky, raining down destruction on Romyn Forest. It was literally like a massive volcano erupting.
Even where they stood, the space and sky over Romyn Forest twisted and shattered from the impact.
The ships urgently deployed their shields to maximum, and the strong fought desperately to protect allies who couldn’t withstand the blast.
“Over there, they’re firing celebratory salutes for the birth of my treasure number one!”
Sandra shouted cheerfully, as if it didn’t matter that her family’s territory was being destroyed.
“Let’s go, Jin. Thanks to that explosion, the guards are momentarily stunned. If I cause a little chaos, there’ll be gaps in their surveillance.”
“Sandra Ziphl.”
“Yes!”
—Still, Jin, I have my own responsibilities. If the family is heading down the wrong path, I have to set it right. I’ll restore Ziphl to the proud family I once knew.
—That sounds unrealistic.
—If you all help me, I don’t think it’s impossible.
—Regardless of us being friends, some things just aren’t acceptable. There’s no way Runkandel would help Ziphl.
Suddenly,
Jin caught a glimpse of her as a friend. The conversation they’d had at Veradin’s villa came flooding back—the moment she told him to leave his family behind, to abandon the name Ziphl.
“It’d be nice if you could send my regards to Veradin.”
“Oh, I thought you might even want to hold hands or something… Actually, Radin was planning to meet up and talk about you.”
When Jin reached out his hand, Sandra’s eyes widened. Not because she wanted to indulge his request, but out of gratitude for the help she’d received this time, she offered a handshake.
“See you again, Jin.”
“Take care, Sandra.”
Turning away, Sandra slipped through the bushes. The moment she encountered the guards on patrol, she shouted,
“I am Sandra Ziphl, acting Tower Mage of the White Night Tower. Intruders are fleeing toward Outpost 16—pursue them immediately!”
As the guards sprang into action at her command,
Runkandel finally crossed the border and escaped through the West Sea, slipping away from the heart of the Lutero Magic Federation.