Chapter 541
Episode 145: Omen (10)
Inside the fortress, priests and medics were tirelessly tending to the wounded.
Though they had won a decisive victory in the first battle, the Sword Emperor’s stronghold had still suffered nearly two thousand casualties. It was impossible for the healing priests to care for them all within just two days.
Outside, Amela led the efforts to repair the fortress’s defensive equipment.
Her speed in restoring the gear was nothing short of miraculous. Even with a thousand top-tier engineers, none could match her skill.
Yet, like the wounded, the repairs couldn’t be completed in two days.
Dozens of hands formed from condensed mana worked nonstop since the war’s end, but the restoration was barely twenty percent complete.
“Uncle Valkas! From now on, I’m going to focus solely on upgrading and deploying the dragon spears. Since Enya’s dragon-fire barrier is down, I have to calculate all the variables for when we get hit… I need to find a spot where, even if we take a few hard hits, we can still fire at least two or three volleys… Ugh, the angles just aren’t working out!”
She had fought countless wars, but she had never felt war preparations so utterly futile.
“Better than doing nothing, I suppose, but this is like trying to crack a rock with an egg. If Keliak were here, the all-weather magic-infused cannon’s range would far surpass the dragon spears. The results just don’t match the effort.”
The Sword Emperor’s forces had to fight with even fewer troops than before, while Ziphl’s greatest powers were converging.
Even if Jin were still alive, even if the Empire hadn’t betrayed them and fought alongside Hiran, victory was impossible.
Only Runcandel could truly stand against Ziphl’s full might.
“Guikyeom.”
Valkas sought out Kashimir.
“What’s your assessment?”
“You mean Runcandel?”
Without further explanation, Kashimir immediately understood Valkas’s meaning.
The Balmel Alliance knew Runcandel had set up camp nearby.
Though they hadn’t seen it firsthand, they were confident their intel was accurate.
“Now that Ziphl’s main force has moved, the value of the White Stone has been proven. As the Duke said, they won’t just sit idly by. But Runcandel will hope the White Stone is destroyed somehow during the war, so they won’t have to intervene.”
“I agree. It’s an unknown dragon artifact, dangerous enough that even the Empress of the Secret Bow is wary. Runcandel would want it broken in battle.”
“Regardless of the stone’s value, a full-scale war between the two clans is unlikely. Negotiations will probably take precedence… I think the real key lies not with the two great powers, but with the Duke’s choice.”
Whether Runcandel and Ziphl go to war or negotiate depends on the Duke’s decision.
That was Kashimir’s understanding.
“If the Duke abandons his friends and Hiran, there will be negotiations. If not, full-scale war… that’s what you’re saying.”
“Exactly. And as you know…”
“The Duke would never choose the latter.”
“But he’s not the type to blindly choose the former out of emotion.”
They nodded in unison.
“The Duke trusts his clan. Or rather, he’s using it.”
To think he’d risk a full-scale war with Runcandel just to keep the White Stone?
Could he really handle that?
Kashimir believed Jin was pressuring Ziphl by leveraging his clan, Runcandel, as a backer.
That was why, even after the initial plan to rescue Dante and Hiran’s knights and leave the Sword Emperor’s stronghold failed, he chose to hold his ground.
Until now, Jin had overcome nearly every hardship relying solely on himself and his comrades, without his clan’s help.
This was the first time he was fully wielding the power of Runcandel, his birthright, and with Rosa directly commanding.
“If Ziphl withstands that pressure and full-scale war breaks out, the Duke will remove all Balmel Alliance and Hiran knights from the fight. From then on, this war won’t be the Sword Emperor’s battle, but a clash between Runcandel and Ziphl. Using the clan’s military might, Runcandel will exclude all allies except themselves.”
“Very much like the Duke. As you said, if war breaks out, there could be problems as everyone except Runcandel withdraws. He wanted to send them all away early, but those gathered in Hiran refused to retreat.”
“What do you think about Lady Rosa’s chances of subduing the Duke and negotiating with Ziphl?”
That was Kashimir’s greatest concern.
Rosa’s elite Runcandel forces, excluding Sir Siron and the former Black Knights, were nearly at full strength. The Balmel Alliance had grown powerful enough to be considered a fifth faction, but not strong enough to protect Jin against Rosa.
“I don’t think that’s a worry. The Duke is now the closest candidate for Runcandel’s next head. With Ziphl watching, no one would dare forcibly subdue or punish him.”
“Then Lady Rosa will have no choice but to respect the Duke’s decision.”
“The Duke is Runcandel too. Though their methods differ, Rosa and the Duke share the same goal. Even if the Duke leans on the clan and acts stubbornly, as long as it doesn’t harm Ziphl’s interests, it won’t be a fatal problem.”
“…I can’t help but feel this war will decide not just the Sword Emperor’s fate, but the world’s.”
“Likewise.”
“Even if Sir Dante awakens and we all escape the Sword Emperor’s stronghold, it will only delay the inevitable. Full-scale war or negotiations—one will happen, as long as the White Stone remains intact.”
The White Stone must be destroyed, and the chaos sealed within must never awaken.
Only then could the crisis end as peacefully as possible. But Talaris rated that chance as very slim.
“Our focus must be to support the Duke no matter what. He won’t give up on his friends, but if that puts him in danger…”
We must protect him, even if it means crushing his heart.
Valkas’s voice darkened as he finished.
His words carried many implications.
If Jin risked everything refusing to abandon Hiran even in the worst case, they would be willing to kill everyone from Hiran right before his eyes to force him to retreat.
“The Duke is strong, no doubt. But that very strength can be his weakness. I haven’t served him long, but that’s how I see it.”
“…I understand.”
“Let’s hope it never comes to that.”
Midnight passed.
They prayed desperately for the Sword Emperor to awaken and restore the land’s dignity, for Dante to escape the chaos seal safely, for the enemy to arrive even later, and for this, perhaps final, dawn not to be utterly bleak and empty.
But time mocked their hopes and prayers, moving relentlessly and cruelly fast.
“Ziphl’s main force confirmed over the Ketu Mountains. They’ll reach the Sword Emperor’s stronghold in about three hours.”
The knights on patrol reported the enemy was dangerously close.
“Sir Kashimir.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“Order the healing priests to return to the kingdom. Tell Sir Luton and my personal knights to withdraw as well. Also, evacuate all Balmel Alliance wounded and those with Gili’s forces and below.”
The youngest division officially belonged to Runcandel, not the Balmel Alliance. Luton, their commander, was an exile, so it was best for them to leave the battlefield before Runcandel fully engaged.
The healing priests had done their duty.
“Understood.”
This war was still called the Sword Emperor’s Battle.
So Jin commanded only the Balmel Alliance, but Hiran’s knights regarded him as their commander.
Jin hadn’t issued direct orders to them. Strictly speaking, the overall commander of Hiran’s forces in this battle was Luyan, leader of the Five Sword Saints.
But Luyan hadn’t given orders to Hiran’s knights either, treating Jin as their commander.
No orders were needed because every Hiran knight was already prepared to fight to the death, standing firm in their positions. Their loyalty to Jin was a sign of respect and admiration—he had brought everything to this stronghold the moment the war began.
Before ascending the walls, Jin looked once more at Dante trapped within the seal.
“Dante.”
The chaos seal imprisoning him now held a far deeper darkness than before.
The white glow of the stone, once mocking, was gone, and Dante’s faint form was nowhere to be seen.
Jin placed his hand on the seal and remained silent for a long moment.
No words could fully express his feelings, and he feared that if his troubled voice reached his friend, it might affect the battle raging within Dante’s mind.
Instead, he stared at his friend for a long time, silently telling him: I will never give up on you.
The time had come.
His comrades approached, informing him the enemy had arrived.
“See you soon.”
As Jin climbed the fortress walls, the Five Sword Saints and Dragon Knight Commander Kalmain bowed respectfully.
“Sword Saint Luyan, on behalf of Hiran, I offer you my respect and gratitude. It is an honor to fight alongside you.”
“Commander of the Dragon Knights, Kalmain Aita, Hailan and this land will never forget that you were our savior, even in death.”
Jin slowly met their gazes.
“I am Jin Runkandel, twelfth battalion of Runkandel, Supreme Commander of the Balmel Alliance. I offer my deepest gratitude to Hailan, who allowed me to fight for my friend, and to all those gathered here for Hailan’s sake.”
Jin lifted his eyes to the dark dawn sky stretching behind Luyan and Kalmain.
There, the fleet of Ziphl burned fiercely, engulfed in flames of magic, glowing a deep, ominous red. It looked as if a sinister sun was rising.
And in this world, the only person capable of protecting an entire fleet with such immense, searing fire and commanding such awe was—
One man.
‘Keliak Ziphl…’
The pinnacle of ruthless, corrupt sorcery.
He himself had led Ziphl’s fleet here to the Sword Emperor’s fortress.