Episode 707
Chapter 179: The Inescapable Trap (6)
“How did you find out that Hister had been here?”
“You’re still spouting nonsense. Do you really think you’d only know if you checked for mosquito bites on your back? I am part of Mother. And all the spirits of the Huepester are formed by Mother’s power.”
The strength Dipus had received from Rosa far exceeded Illina’s expectations.
‘Why not give it to me instead? Why to the Fourth Cavalry…? Still, does the bloodline of Runcandel take precedence? Now, of all times?’
Dipus smiled wryly, as if he could see right through Illina’s thoughts.
“When will you ever shed that arrogance… You and Joshua have a lot in common. All you have is your background, yet you’re full of greed. And every time things don’t go your way, you falter.”
“Hmph. So you think I’m a joke just because I draw power from the Head of the House?”
“You are. Especially since you still cling to the idea of resurrecting Helluram through Mother… You revere her, but you don’t truly serve her. Your loyalty remains with Helluram.”
“Y-yeah, think whatever you want.”
“But, prophet, Helluram will never awaken. Do you really believe Mother wishes for the world’s end?”
“The end… that’s just an inevitable part of the Head of the House’s rebirth as a perfect malevolent god…”
Illina’s eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me the Head of the House doesn’t plan to attain full divinity?”
“Exactly. For the name Runcandel not to vanish, there must be people who remember and worship it. A world reduced to ashes and dust isn’t worth ruling. You believe that Mother’s instincts as a malevolent god will eventually crave the end, but if you keep thinking that way, you’ll soon end up like Joshua.”
Slowly, Dipus rose from his seat.
The eternal flame clinging to his upper body still burned fiercely.
“If you understand, stop wasting time holding onto a fire you can’t control. Go do your part. The youngest will arrive soon. That one never misses an opportunity.”
“…The fact that we paused our invasion because of the fire attached to you doesn’t give the Fourth Cavalry any chance. Even if they come here, we still hold an overwhelming advantage.”
“This is getting frustrating. That’s why you and Joshua always get beaten by the youngest. This is the greatest crisis yet. Mother can’t move, and the fire on me might not go out until the youngest arrives. If a battle breaks out, I might lose to the youngest.”
“You… you might lose?”
“Yes. So we have to set the stage. Even if I lose, Runcandel must not fall.”
Jin shared the information Valeria had gathered with Veradin and Zephyrin.
“So, the reason the Sword Garden halted their Inse invasion is because you dealt a blow to the Fourth Cavalry? Hister confirmed this by reading records of the dimensional gates left in the Shol Principality?”
“Exactly.”
“Until now, the main forces of the Sword Garden have shown rapid regeneration even after death, but the Fourth Cavalry has suffered injuries they haven’t recovered from for days… That’s unusual. Their regeneration must come from the malevolent god. Something must be wrong.”
“Whether something’s wrong or not, it’s almost certain the malevolent god can’t heal the Fourth Cavalry right now. I understand why Lord Jin insisted on moving quickly.”
Veradin and Zephyrin nodded, and Jin agreed.
“Time is critical. Once the Fourth Cavalry recovers, they’ll launch another large-scale Inse invasion via mass teleportation. All forces except ours in Tikan have already suffered heavy losses and failed to respond properly. We’ve only avoided attack because they haven’t come for us yet. If they invade a few more times like this, Inse could be finished before we even face the malevolent god.”
“So, this counterattack isn’t just about rescuing prisoners, but also about finding a way to suppress their large-scale teleportation?”
“Exactly, Veradin. If we don’t find that now, there’s no future.”
“We’ll need nearly full-scale forces. To bring back the rescued prisoners, each faction’s fleet is essential. It’s basically a rehearsal for the final battle against the malevolent god…”
“Not just troops, but special technicians and researchers must go too. We need clues about the mass teleportation.”
At Ziphl, the top researchers, along with Veradin and Kinzel, were ready. Since Chaga had already been captured, Bubar and Orgal, and from Tikan, Valeria, Quaul, and Latri would also join the front lines.
“How about dawn two days from now, Jin?”
“That sounds good. One of the greatest strengths of our temporary alliance is my master, but he needs at least that much rest to show his true power. He’s already exhausted and sent me to the meeting in his place.”
Jin nodded.
All that remained was to finalize the operation’s details and hope Dipus wouldn’t recover within two days.
May 22, 1803, just before dawn, near the bow deck of the adolescent ship.
The time for the counterattack was approaching. Valeria had been monitoring the dimensional gates in the Shol Principality and, thankfully, there was no record of the Chaos Gate reopening.
“See? What did I tell you? Your fire is special. That Dipus must still be writhing in terrible pain.”
Veil said.
Jin hesitated, unsure how to respond to the tactless old knight, and stayed silent. Mary must have heard Veil’s voice too.
Mary didn’t react to Veil’s words and kept her gaze fixed beyond the dark sky.
The Tikan forces were currently aboard Mary and Cosmos’s fleets, waiting for Orgal.
They planned to use his steel gate to instantly move to the center of Ricalton and the nearby Huepester waters.
“Youngest.”
“Yes, sister?”
“Just in case, don’t entertain any naive thoughts about saving Brother Dipus. He’s different from Runtia. Brother has already killed too many people. Even if it wasn’t his will.”
“…Yes.”
Jin shared the same thought. At first, he wanted to save Dipus like Runtia, but now there was no hope.
More than anything, Dipus was no longer someone they could afford to take lightly. If they faced him half-heartedly, their comrades aboard this ship would die.
Just like when they went to support the Sword Emperor’s war to save Dante, the Bamel Alliance had mobilized nearly all their forces.
From the survivors of Runcandel, including Mary and the Tona brothers, to the key figures always on standby in Tikan, and even large forces from the Nameless, Bigung, and the Empire had joined.
Only Kashimir and the King’s direct guards remained behind; everyone else was heading to the battlefield.
“Ugh, Lord Jin, do you think Tikan will be attacked as soon as we arrive in Ricalton?”
“We left the Red Owl behind for that reason, Enya. Valeria was just checking the dimensional gate records.”
Quikantel answered Enya’s question.
“Phew, I’m still worried. Especially about Yuria… Will she be okay? If she breaks down while we’re gone, I’ll feel terrible. The King has to stay on standby, so he can’t look after her, and the Master isn’t exactly good at comforting anyone.”
“Veris has surprisingly gotten along well with Yuria. There’s also Pinte and Kou. So don’t worry too much. Just focus on finishing the mission safely and coming back.”
“That’s right, Enya. Don’t forget you’re the head of the Tikan Magic Corps. If you lose focus, your subordinates will get even more anxious.”
Clank. Alisa checked her gauntlet and tousled Enya’s hair.
“Ugh, yes, Captain.”
“You probably don’t have many good memories of the Empire… but most of the Empire citizens captured in Ricalton are weak and powerless, just like you were back then. So let’s rescue them and send them back to their daily lives.”
“Hey, do you really think I’d be uncomfortable saving Empire people? I was just worried about the Captain’s daughter. If you thought otherwise, that’s unfair! Even if some nobles among the prisoners bullied me, it doesn’t matter. Thanks to Lord Jin, I’ve already overcome all that.”
“I’m just saying, cutie. I know better than anyone how kind you are.”
“Yeah, yeah. Among the captured, there must be members of my official fan club and your unofficial one. Since we’re the presidents, we have to save them.”
“Stop saying weird things, Miss Sandra.”
“Hey, if you ever mention my real name where our members are, don’t. Always call me Nodav Sarsang, okay? I need to keep my mystique.”
“Phew.”
“By the way, Orgal is late… I hope this doesn’t mean the operation’s already compromised.”
Valkas glanced at his pocket watch.
3:07 a.m.
Only seven minutes late, but with an operation this large, nerves were fraying.
Unlike Tikan, which would use Orgal’s dimensional gate, Ziphl and Kinzel’s fleets were flying directly to Ricalton.
Ziphl’s fleet (including Empire forces) would reach the northern border of Ricalton, and Kinzel’s fleet (with Bigung and Nameless aboard) would arrive from the west.
Then Orgal would split Tikan’s forces to move into Ricalton’s center and its territorial waters.
Tick, tick, clank…!
As the scheduled time slipped by, waves tinted by the night sky repeatedly crashed against the fleets.
As the minutes ticked past the half-hour mark, unease began to ripple through the entire fleet. Then, at last, a massive steel gate materialized out of thin air.
“Orgal!”
Orgal emerged from the steel gate, already looking quite worn out.
[Sorry for the delay. I’m sure you were all worried. But there’s no problem with the operation. In fact, something good came out of it.]
“Good news?”
Jin asked, and Orgal nodded.
[I had a bad feeling, so I went ahead to scout once more. During that time, the malevolent spirit’s energy flared up violently. The delay happened because the other allies waited for the aftereffects to subside before moving in.]
“How is that good news?”
[That outburst was like the spirit’s sleep-talking, Jin. For some reason… it’s currently immobilized, probably overwhelmed by despair. The sudden intrusion startled it momentarily. This means the chances of the spirit directly intervening in this battle have dropped significantly.]