Chapter 533
Episode 145: The Omen (Part 2)
The fleet was collapsing under the combined assault of the Five Sword Saints and Kalmain’s dragon knights.
The powers of shadow and time continued to ravage the enemy ranks relentlessly.
Fragments of shattered mass-produced ships plummeted threateningly toward the ground, but even those were stopped by the Yonghwa Barrier, sparing the Bamel Alliance and Hailan’s knights from serious harm.
Amela’s rear artillery support pressed on without pause.
The number of captured dragon lances had now surpassed twenty, all converted into howitzers, bombarding the enemy’s rear lines.
“Dragon Knights! Crush the enemy! Block their magic so they can’t counterattack!” Kalmain commanded, and the dragon knights took to the skies.
No force in the world could match the mobility of the dragon knights.
Thirty dragon knights tore through the air like a storm, demonstrating the ultimate aerial supremacy over the enemy’s mages.
“Graaah!”
“Damage… no… ugh!”
Whenever Kalmain and the Sword Saints pierced through the enemy’s shields, the dragon knights would dive in and cut off the mages’ lifelines.
No one could have imagined the sight of Ziphl’s mages, accompanied by their dragons and fleet, falling so pitifully.
From the air and the skies, cries of agony and desperate pleas echoed in all directions.
Every time the five Sword Saints and dragon knights met those desperate eyes begging for mercy, they answered coldly:
“So you dared invade the land of the Sword Emperor with such shallow resolve?”
“Not a single one of you will survive!”
Whoosh!
Of course, Ziphl’s forces were not just taking blows passively.
While the ordinary mages faltered, Baekya showed fierce spirit and resilience even when pushed to the brink.
“The glorious light of Great Ziphl will ultimately consume you all!” one of Baekya’s commanders shouted, raising his staff with a roar.
At that moment, the flagship of his unit began to glow with magical energy, emitting an ominous resonance.
Few had experience with flying warships, and none fully understood Ziphl’s magic or tactics.
But instinctively, everyone knew what that sound meant: a self-destruct.
[They’re making a mess. Murakan, you’ll have to stop that. The power is too great to bind with your abilities. Even if it’s a mass-produced ship, a flying warship is still a flying warship.]
[Annoying little pests…]
“Praise Ziphl!”
“Dragon Knights, scatter!”
Just before the flagship exploded, Murakan closed the distance and wrapped his wings around it.
His wings, expanded with spiritual energy, had grown massive enough to fully cover the warship.
“Murakan-sama!”
“The explosion—”
“Foolish! You can’t stop it—!”
Rooooar…!
The worried voices of Hailan’s knights were drowned out by the ensuing blast.
The Baekya commander, who had spat out a mocking last curse, was torn apart in the explosion within Murakan’s wings.
Yet the self-destruction was invisible from the outside.
Murakan’s wings had held firm.
When he spread his wings again, only the ashes of the flagship’s remains fell like black rain, mingled with spiritual energy.
[You have a knack for irritating me. You always have, for a thousand years…]
Thousands of black spikes shot out from Murakan’s still-massive wings.
Astonishingly, these spikes caused no harm to their allies in the sky, instead spreading out to slaughter Ziphl’s mages, dragons, and fleet.
Murakan.
Everyone witnessed the legendary power of the Black Dragon, once revered as the sovereign of the skies a millennium ago.
No one could guess that this was only half of his true strength.
Because of this, Ziphl’s dragons mistakenly believed Murakan had fully regained his power.
For Ziphl, this was a devastating blow to morale.
The tide of battle had already turned the moment Jin appeared.
Now, with Murakan, Quikantel, the dragon knights, and the Sword Saints joining the fray, Hailan’s forces seemed poised for a decisive victory.
[Murakan!]
A blue dragon took position before Murakan.
It was Laramacua, whom they had met before at the Black King’s Mountain Fortress.
[Blue Dragon Laramacua. Have you come to throw away the life I once saved?]
[…Murakan, I know why you’ve intervened in this fight. It’s to save your contractor, Jin Runkandel’s friend.]
[You speak as if you dislike that, Laramacua.]
[Not at all. No one in this sky would dare say they dislike you. But… I have a proposal.]
Murakan’s wings grew even larger.
Laramacua looked crushed beneath his overwhelming presence, barely able to meet his gaze.
[Speak.]
[Would you withdraw if you took your contractor with you?]
[You let me speak only to insult me?]
[Not just your contractor, but his comrades and all of Hailan’s knights as well. If you agree, Ziphl will officially declare defeat and end the war immediately. I swear this on the honor of my bloodline and the sea god Kaon whom I serve.]
Laramacua’s words widened the eyes of everyone on the battlefield.
Especially the emperor, who stood at the very rear, his eyes blazing with fury.
“What nonsense is that mad blue dragon spouting now…!”
If Ziphl officially declared defeat, the empire would have no choice but to follow suit.
This would be more than a loss of prestige—it could mean the destruction of the entire royal family.
When the emperor made his deal with Ziphl to gain support in this civil war, no mention was made of such a scenario.
It was incomprehensible to him.
Ziphl’s reinforcements were still arriving, and the “spacetime device” had yet to be used.
The emperor’s forces also had a secret weapon prepared for the worst case.
‘Even if it were Siron Runkandel instead of the Black Dragon Murakan here, they couldn’t face all of Ziphl alone. Why spout such nonsense? This is our chance to seize the White Stone. Are they really so afraid of losing a few troops?’
If Murakan accepted that condition, the Bamel Alliance and Hailan would win an overwhelming victory over Ziphl and the empire.
Not only that.
As Jin had told Dante at the start, he could save not only Dante but the entire Sword Emperor’s domain and leave the battlefield.
His solo victory over Ziphl would elevate his family’s status even further, and Hailan, still largely intact, would likely fall under his influence.
The thunderous blasts and cries that had filled the battlefield moments ago vanished, replaced by an eerie silence.
Everyone stopped fighting, their eyes fixed on Murakan and Laramacua.
Murakan said nothing.
He believed this was not his decision to make.
The supreme commander of the Bamel Alliance, acting on behalf of Solderet, was his contractor.
“I refuse!” Jin shouted.
The emperor smiled broadly, Laramacua gritted her teeth, and the emperor’s troops sighed.
Hailan’s knights showed no change in their resolve.
From the moment they decided to oppose the emperor’s tyranny, what they sought to protect was honor, not life.
Besides, spilled water cannot be gathered again.
Though Hailan’s casualties were not yet severe, if even one had died by the knife of betrayal, it would be as if all had perished.
Then there was more than honor to protect.
They must never surrender what the enemy covets.
“The Blue Dragon is mistaken. Why did this war start? Because of the White Stone—the very object the emperor claims as his own. For that trivial thing, the empire betrayed the Sword Emperor’s domain, and Ziphl revealed their filthy greed by joining the fight.”
[The twelfth rider of Runkandel… your words are excessive.]
“I stand here not as Runkandel’s twelfth rider, but as the supreme commander of the Bamel Alliance. Show respect and speak properly, Blue Dragon.”
Laramacua was stunned, but Murakan’s fierce aura made it clear he could tear her wings apart at any moment.
“Show respect,” meant meeting his gaze.
Jin did not look up at Laramacua.
Eventually, she descended to the ground before Jin and transformed into human form.
Jin stared at her expressionlessly.
‘Is this really the same person I met at the Black King’s Mountain Fortress? Less than a year has passed…’
The pressure was different.
Back then, Laramacua had felt little awe toward Murakan’s might, but not now.
Even standing here as Runkandel’s representative rather than the head of the Bamel Alliance, a heavy, powerful energy pressed down on her from within.
It wasn’t just Jin’s dazzling growth.
It was the “power of existence” first revealed in the records left by Solderet, slowly awakening within Jin.
The countless changes Jin had brought to the world, and the power awakened by those who followed him.
That power formed a transcendent presence beyond mere skill or authority.
“…May I ask why you refuse my offer?”
“As I said, this war began because of greed for the White Stone. If anyone should withdraw, it’s you, not us. Surrender Hailan’s White Stone and retreat. If you accept my revised proposal, I will immediately persuade Dante and the Sword Emperor’s domain to declare an end to the war.”
“Is saving a friend and his people not enough? That White Stone isn’t even that important to Runkandel…!”
“That’s not for you to decide whether it’s important to Runkandel or not.”
“Are you seriously saying you intend to go to all-out war with Ziphl?”
If you only looked at the immediate situation, Laramaqua’s words might have made sense.
If the fighting continued like this, not only the Sword Emperor’s Star but also Jin and his people would have to brace for devastating losses.
But Jin was certain that if the White Stone fell into enemy hands, the outcome would be far worse.
Just seeing how much Ziphl craved it proved that it would ultimately become a tool to destroy everyone but Ziphl.
“There’s nothing I can’t do. But honestly, aren’t you the ones truly afraid of all-out war, not me? That’s why you proposed negotiations before this escalated further. If you’re so confident, then keep fighting. Consider this a warning: don’t insult me, my comrades, or the Sword Emperor’s Star with such pathetic offers.”