Episode 639
Chapter 164: Land of the Ominous God (1)
A massive black ship hovered as if trampling the very sky.
With a hull length nearing ten ri, the ‘Ram’ utterly dwarfed every other vessel in the skies above Huepester.
“That thing… is a ship?”
Octavia’s voice was hollow, disbelief dripping from her words.
Indeed, the Ram’s form resembled not a mere flying ship but more of a floating fortress—a black island suspended in midair rather than a single vessel.
“When on earth did Runcandel build something like that…?”
Kadun gritted his teeth, shouting in frustration.
The great powers who had boldly come to Huepester were once again chilled to the bone by the hidden might Runcandel had concealed all along.
It was despairing.
What did we even know about Runcandel until now?
Every leader of the factions silently asked themselves the same question.
“We knew nothing… absolutely nothing… about the terrible power they were hiding!”
How could this be? How had they been so blind to the enemy’s true nature?
But regret was useless now.
“…My judgment was wrong. We should never have come to Huepester.”
Hedo quickly admitted his mistake in preparing for an all-out assault.
“It’s not your fault. Keliak also believed that judgment was correct and gave final approval. It’s the fault of all of us who never understood their power until now. Damn it! Even the fleet’s communication lines are in shambles.”
They had already plunged too deep into enemy territory to retreat.
The sky behind every fleet was pitch black, as if swallowed by darkness. The chaotic energy blocked all communication lines.
More than just interference, the chaos seemed to be pulling the fleets toward the Ram itself. Jiple was being forced into a decision.
To stand and fight.
Ram’s attack had not yet begun. Though its presence and aura were overwhelming, no one could say what would happen until they engaged.
Each great power had brought their full strength.
“Forcing a retreat will only leave us vulnerable to a one-sided attack. Besides, there must be some limitation to wielding such immense power. We have to find it and exploit it. Kinzello must be thinking the same!”
Kinzello’s words echoed Kadun’s exactly.
[This is beyond what I expected. To have built this already… Does this mean Rosa and Joshua Runcandel’s despair was this deep? Truly, the manifestation of a dreadful god…]
Orgal was the only one who had seen the Ram firsthand in the past.
Back then, even at his prime, Orgal had concluded he could not withstand the Ram’s firepower.
If there was any silver lining, it was that the Ram was not yet complete.
[Everything now depends on Jin Runcandel.]
“What do you mean, Commander?”
“Master?”
[Even if it’s incomplete, as long as the Ram exists, neither we nor Jiple can break through the skies to enter the Garden of Swords. Retreat would only bring heavy losses.]
The commander’s dimensional gate was also affected by the chaos. All forms of movement—Motte’s dimensional shifts, the Red Owl’s spatial leaps—were restricted.
If they forced open the gate, Kinzello would suffer devastating losses without dealing any damage to Runcandel.
[The only one fighting inside is Jin Runcandel. We must rely on him to strike at the Ram’s power source. Both attack and retreat only make sense if that happens.]
The Ram’s power source.
The chaotic energy centered on Rosa Runcandel that enveloped the entire Garden of Swords. It had to be damaged.
Only then could Jiple and Kinzello gain any foothold to plan their next move.
[I’m resetting the war objective. The entire fleet will engage the Ram and support Jin Runcandel. Saving him is our top priority.]
Orgal quickly reversed his previous orders. If Jin failed to damage the Ram’s power source and died, the great powers would face nothing but catastrophe.
Thus began the aerial battle between the two great factions and Runcandel.
Naturally, the Ram struck first. The center of its hull twisted like a vortex as chaotic energy gathered.
Its main cannon—comparable to a ship’s primary weapon—was about to fire.
But the next moment, the Ram unleashed a blast that far surpassed every known naval cannon in scale and power, refusing even comparison.
Kraaaah…!
A black band splitting the sky first engulfed Jiple’s fleet.
Kadun, already transformed into his true form and outside his ship, had to unleash his flames at full power from the start.
The ships clustered tightly, deploying shields. Jiple’s shields, infused with all their technology and magic, seemed to hold against the Ram’s black energy at first.
But within seconds, they were mercilessly torn apart.
The shield centered around the flagship Kojek 2 of the Second Fleet was the first to break. Kadun and the other strong warriors, along with nearby fleets, had no time to react.
[Kuahhh…!]
Kadun’s roar was drowned out by the thunderous destruction of the fleet.
Rosa, standing at the Ram’s forefront, let out a faint, amused chuckle as she watched.
[It’s pitiful, watching them flail like insects… Jiple’s Fire Dragon.]
Her voice trembled slightly with exhilaration. Yet the Prophet felt unease at her expression.
‘Her mind is breaking too slowly. I’ve proven everything, yet why does Rosa Runcandel still fear my power…?’
With a single blast, the Kojek 2 was silenced, and Jiple’s Second Fleet was nearly annihilated.
But the Prophet knew the Ram’s true power was about fifty percent greater than what had been shown. Rosa’s caution was suppressing its full potential.
Rosa saw right through the Prophet’s thoughts.
[You’re displeased that, despite proving this much power, I still hesitate to fully merge with you?]
“That’s not true.”
[Runcandel will never be completely subjugated by you. Your role is only to provide power. To parasitize my family…]
“Hah, it’s a shame you reject a more effective path. You always do.”
[Everything depends on my judgment. Don’t forget your true nature is merely a servant of the family, Illina Runcandel. Is the youngest still not ready?]
“Sir Stam and Sir Lionel are here, so it will be resolved soon…”
[You surely know that won’t be enough. You want me to intervene personally.]
The Prophet bowed his head.
Rosa was truly on a different level from Joshua. The Prophet could not manipulate her as he wished.
[This is your last chance. If after today you ever underestimate me again, I will terminate our contract.]
“I was wrong.”
[Summon him.]
When the Ram’s first blast ended, Kadun’s scales were flipped back, and he gasped with a metallic rasp.
For the first time in his life, he felt his fighting spirit utterly drained. Even when facing Murakan a thousand years ago, he had never felt this way.
Still, Kadun gathered every ounce of his fiery breath. If it had been any other dragon, they would have faltered.
[May Shinu’s blessing be with us…!]
As Kadun surged forward, Jiple’s fleet matched speed using the Ram’s gravitational pull.
They had resilience. Where Kojek 2 had fallen, a newly summoned phantom fleet had already taken its place, and the shattered shields were swiftly restored.
All were supported by the flames Kadun unleashed.
Hedo and Octavia rode the Wind Dragon Salion, firing sword energy, while the phantom fleets cast chain magic behind them.
The Ram’s main cannon needed time to recharge. The chaotic energy gathering into the Ram was not rapid.
From the rear, Kinzello charged forward. Unlike Jiple’s fleet, they had yet to suffer any damage.
Leading them was Zephyrin, larger than ever before, drawing on all of Orgal’s power previously restrained.
But since Orgal had not fully recovered, there were limits to how much she could replicate her prime.
About an hour.
Not long, but enough for her to fight as one of the strongest in the demon realm.
Zephyrin was confident. Unlike the foolish Jiple who hadn’t brought Keliak, she was sure they could land a solid blow on Runcandel.
At least until the Ram unleashed everything it held within.
[Didn’t I tell you, Zephyrin? Until Jin Runcandel creates a variable on the ground, the Ram can’t be struck. Don’t get greedy.]
“Damn it, Master! What is that!?”
[Chaos. Her creation…]
Graaah! Kaaak!
From the Ram’s hull emerged hundreds of dragons.
Helluram’s creatures, known as Chaos Dragons. Alongside them came hundreds of black ships.
The Chaos Dragons and Black Ships guarded the Ram, relentlessly breathing fire and firing cannons, deploying shields to withstand the attacks from both great powers.
The entire sky shimmered chaotically. The scene of war no longer felt like a mere clash between humans—it was as if watching mortals desperately struggling against a monstrous god.
Chaos dragons tore into Zephyrin and the fleet, unleashing eerie, guttural cries.
Amidst the explosions of human and dragon blood, fragments of chaos flesh and bone scattered everywhere.
Orgal fixed his gaze on the ground, right at the heart of the Garden of Swords.
Jin’s karmic flame was fading.
Haah, haah…!
Jin exhaled heavily, looking down at the fallen. Stam had stopped moving, his body barely half intact, while Lionel knelt on one knee, frothing at the mouth.
‘Lionel’s final battle rune was definitely dangerous… Even with his mind corrupted, he was still a head of the family.’
Between the shattered Multa runes and the spirit armor, Jin’s own wounds were visible.
His stamina had been drained rapidly, but not to the point where he couldn’t keep fighting.
Before finishing off Lionel, Jin looked up at the sky. There was Ram, and beneath him, the chaos dragons, the Black Ships, and the massive fleets of rival powers clashing.
‘Against all that… I wonder if the Elder can hold out.’
Like those outside, Jin felt a growing unease at the family’s power continuing to defy all expectations. From a glance, it was clear the two great factions were already being pushed back.
Lionel lifted his head.
“You are the strongest child of Runcandel I have ever faced… You were born in the wrong era. Had a child like you existed in my time… the family would never have birthed a monstrous god.”
Jin said nothing. He stepped forward and severed Lionel’s neck.
As he moved to find the prophet, Lionel’s severed head whispered one last thing.
“Also, the family’s heroes would never have fought such a dishonorable battle against their brightest descendant…”
Jin sensed the presence of another ancient hero’s spirit stirring within the mausoleum.
It was a power he had seen once before, long ago.