Chapter 548
Episode 145: Omen (17)
Murakan’s escorting of Quikantel and his meeting with Misha was no coincidence. Nor was it mere chance that Jin had failed to find Misha despite searching all her hideouts until now.
“If you’re that worried, I’ll order more personnel to track Misha. That should ease your anxiety, right?”
“[…] Fine, I understand. It’d be better if we could at least hold Murakan’s sister captive.”
“It’s a shame we just missed her by a hair recently. Anyway, I’m more concerned about my son than the 12th squad or the Black Dragons.”
Misha had been hiding, evading Ziphl’s pursuit all this time.
Sensing the Empire’s tense atmosphere, she was preparing to meet Jin.
Even after the Sword Emperor War began, she had to be cautious about joining the battle.
If she were seriously injured, the entire operation she was overseeing in Solderette could suffer irreparable damage.
But Jin’s death or capture wasn’t just a setback—it was catastrophic. So she immediately joined forces with Murakan and stood here now.
As Jin’s other guardian dragon, her primary duty was to protect him.
Transforming into human form, Misha took her place beside Jin. Murakan loomed behind them like a massive black mountain, his amber eyes blazing like fire.
“Long time no see.”
Misha’s voice was firm yet clear, more reassuring than anything else.
‘If this keeps up, we might as well remove the Sword of the Underworld from the equation entirely.’
The Sword of the Underworld was literally a last resort. Even if Jin wielded it to defeat Octavia and the Phantom Corps, he would never live to see the war’s end.
Still, it was the only option left on the table.
Misha was, as far as Jin knew, one of the strongest dragons alive. He could still vividly recall how she casually beat Murakan, even after he’d regained 40% of his strength.
On the way here, Murakan had needlessly provoked Misha, leaving a streak of energy like blood at the corner of his mouth.
Not a serious injury, but it looked like he’d been properly smacked for his antics.
“I wanted to see you, Lady Misha.”
“Of course. I have much to discuss with you. But first…”
A black spear formed in Misha’s hand.
The spear technique, named ‘Shadowless Spear’ by Temar himself, had stopped Octavia and the Phantom Corps on Veradin Island two years ago.
“First, we need to clear out the nuisances interfering with our meeting. We’re old acquaintances, aren’t we? You’re Ziphl’s child.”
Octavia’s eyebrows twitched.
“Black Dragon Misha… back then and now, I thought you were only good at running away, but you’ve got a knack for getting under people’s skin too. You must’ve been busy evading pursuit, yet you still managed to find your way here.”
Misha smiled faintly.
“I’ve felt this before—you really should learn some manners. Even Riol Ziphl was extremely cautious when speaking to me, yet you keep talking down to me like that. It’s quite irritating…”
Everyone who heard that felt a chill run down their spine.
Especially Murakan, who hadn’t seen Misha genuinely angry in a long time. Old, unpleasant memories surfaced, making his scales bristle.
‘No mortal has ever survived unscathed after provoking this terrifying demon’s temper… That Octavia, whether today or any other day, will never have peace.’
Of course, Octavia showed no sign of backing down.
“Oh? I didn’t know that. I’ll have the family historians erase any record of the previous head of the Riol clan ever speaking to you with respect.”
“Hey, hey, you better stop that.”
Murakan instinctively interrupted, reading Misha’s mood.
He wasn’t trying to protect Octavia out of concern, but worried that the ferocious demon might vent her remaining anger on him later.
‘Damn it. That brat’s old enough now—I just hope she stops this nonsense. Once I regain all my strength…’
Misha’s unexpected arrival was a relief not only to Jin but also to the Balmur Alliance and the Sword Saints.
They were shocked that, even standing with her back to them beside Jin, she showed no vulnerability.
“So this is Black Dragon Misha, the lord’s second guardian dragon. The presence is unreal.”
“Murakan described her as a horror beyond words, and the others fear her deeply… no wonder she’s so formidable.”
“Scary, really scary. We better make a good impression.”
Rata, Balkas, and Amela thought this, and others shared similar feelings.
“Enough talk.”
Dark energy spread from the spear, forming black armor over Misha’s body. Fully armed, she looked like a legendary reaper.
“You think you can erase history as you please. But you’d better face the truth: the world you dream of is already breaking apart.”
KRAAAASH!
At that moment, the sky flashed with blinding light, followed by a deafening roar.
Kozek’s cannon, charged with Keliak’s magic, collided with Ron’s Imperial Sword technique.
The entire sky warped and twisted from the impact.
Even the protective barrier maintained by Jin, Octavia, and their group shattered into pieces.
The mages reflexively raised their shields again, while the warriors charged forward.
Jin didn’t need to give orders or signals.
At such incredible speed, the best a warrior could do against top-tier mages was close-quarters combat.
SWISH!
The black spear shot forward, followed by a flash of light. Just like two years ago, Misha’s single strike pierced the heart of Octavia and the Phantom Corps’ barrier.
Octavia seemed to expect it, immediately countering with light magic and trying to bind Misha’s feet with magic.
Thirty Phantom Corps members reacted almost as fast, unleashing a barrage of spells. All kinds of grand magic were being cast relentlessly.
The Balmur Alliance and Sword Saints’ blades emitted sharp waves of aura.
Dozens of swords and staffs clashed, shaking the earth with every strike.
‘This is manageable.’
In truth, Octavia and the Phantom Corps were somewhat exhausted.
Their path through the giants’ battle was far longer than the Sword Emperor’s forces, as proven by Octavia’s ship being destroyed upon landing.
Facing only the Balmur Alliance and Sword Saints was doable, but with Misha joining, the situation changed completely.
It wasn’t just a slight advantage.
Misha was stronger than Jin had imagined, and above all, she had faced the Phantom Corps for over a thousand years—far longer than anyone else.
The old Phantom Corps she remembered were nothing like the current ones, just as the difference between the Runcandel Ten Knights and the Black Knights.
“You said I ran away when we fought on that island two years ago. Is that really so?”
Misha’s black spear grazed Octavia’s cheek. Blood droplets flew as the spear struck again, but Octavia slammed her staff into the ground, unleashing a shockwave of light to block the attack.
In that moment, she launched a lightning-fast thrust. Without the Phantom Corps’ barrier, even Octavia would have suffered a fatal wound.
“We fought on that island with me and the Second Princess trying to kill as few of you as possible. Why? Because if too many die, it’ll only tire us out later. Ziphl types aren’t exactly known for clean victories or neat outcomes.”
“Quite the show-off.”
Octavia’s retort was partly bravado, but not entirely false.
Still, none of Octavia and the Phantom Corps’ magic seemed to faze Misha.
Thanks to Jin, the Balmur Alliance, and the Sword Saints holding the line, but mainly because Misha fully understood the current Phantom Corps’ magic—thanks to their battle two years ago.
Moreover, Misha possessed a strange ability that had made Jin break out in cold sweat when he first saw it.
“Quite the show-off.”
Startled…!
Octavia suddenly heard her own voice and instinctively turned her head, even with the enemy’s black spear right before her eyes.
It was an irresistible force.
The next moment, Octavia saw another version of herself standing there—identical in every way.
Of course, it was a fake formed from Misha’s energy. But the copy spoke to Octavia:
“What is this…”
What is this?
The expression said it all—she couldn’t understand why there was another her standing there.
In that instant, Octavia instinctively realized this was Misha’s ability and tried to respond, but—
It was already too late. Showing even the slightest opening in a fight was always fatal—especially when facing someone like Misha.
Thunk!
A dark spear pierced through Octavia’s shoulder.
“Hoh, so you really are the Wraith Captain, huh? Impressive that you dodged that. I was just about to shut that rude mouth of yours.”
The Wraith Captain stepped forward, and Octavia retreated, putting distance between herself and Misha.
Unlike their sudden shift in formation, Misha didn’t seem eager to press the attack further. Instead, a faint smile played on her lips.
Then she said, “I’ve defied fate once, just like you fools. How does it feel? Not so great, right? That’s exactly what you’re doing.”
The fake Octavia vanished, and at that moment—
The dawn sky twisted once more.
The battle between Ron and Keliak grew fiercer by the second. The advantage was clearly shifting toward Ron. His sword’s energy was gradually pushing back Keliak’s magic.
“Looks like even your leader is getting overwhelmed by the Sword Emperor. Somewhere out there, Runcandel must be lurking, waiting for his chance. And yet, you show no sign of retreat. You must be counting on something.”
Whatever that is—
You won’t live to see the outcome.
As Misha’s words hung in the air, Octavia clenched her teeth, unable to say anything in response.