Episode 724
Chapter 182: The Flaw of the Temporary Alliance (1)
June 1st, 1803.
After the operation concluded, the Temporary Alliance publicly disclosed all the intelligence they had gathered while confronting the Malignant God’s Runcandel.
The connection between the Malignant God and despair, the true identity of the deceased prophet, the reason behind Dipus’s corruption—all of it was revealed.
In response, people across the world wore black ribbons over their hearts, mourning those who had fallen victim to the Malignant God.
It was also a way for ordinary people to show the Temporary Alliance that they, too, were fighting alongside them.
A silent vow not to sit idly by and add to the Malignant God’s despair.
Those who wore the black ribbons didn’t prepare to flee or succumb to hopelessness. Instead, they resisted the terror of the Malignant God in whatever way they could, striving to maintain their daily lives.
This was how ordinary people stood against the Malignant God.
The entire continent was rallying in this way.
Of course, not everyone did.
Some accused the Temporary Alliance of lying to cover up their incompetence. Others whispered that Joshua, Dipus, Mew and Anne, Lan and Vigo—the Runcandels of Tikan—were secretly in league with the Malignant God.
But even those voices, buried deep within, shared a single desperate wish:
For this hell to end soon.
For someone—anyone—to restore the world to how it once was.
[Only the final notice remains now…] Orgal said.
At that moment, the Temporary Alliance was holding their last meeting in the Tikan Palace, preparing for the decisive battle against the Malignant God.
“The spread of despair, as mapped by Veradin, has clearly slowed. The gains from the last operation were significant,” Kadun reported. Representing Ziphl at this meeting, he was sent in place of Veradin.
From a strictly objective standpoint, the Temporary Alliance had lost very little in the recent battle.
Though only about 30% of the total prisoners were freed, that still amounted to nearly 30,000 people saved—and no critical losses to their main forces.
On the other hand, the Garden of Swords suffered a devastating blow.
First, the prophet was annihilated—along with the land of Ricalton.
The explosion that began from the orb at the battle’s end didn’t stop until Ricalton was wiped from the map.
Mew and Anne met their absolute demise with the prophet’s destruction.
No one witnessed their final moments; only hollow records remained.
No one cared, no one mourned.
It was a pitifully insignificant death.
Even the Tona brothers, who had tormented Mew and Anne the longest, had already forgotten them.
They simply weren’t worth remembering.
Most importantly, a portion of the Malignant God’s power vanished along with Dipus.
Exactly how much weaker the Malignant God had become was unknown, even through Valeria’s record magic.
But it was certain that after the Ricalton operation, the formation of the warship Ram had completely ceased.
This meant not only had the Malignant God weakened, but its growth had stopped as well.
Therefore, two factors were now crucial for the final battle:
Whether Jin could defeat Rosa in a one-on-one fight.
And whether the Temporary Alliance’s forces could handle the firepower of the completed Ram warship.
“I heard that at Ricalton Castle, the Temporary Alliance’s forces never once faltered against the Chaos Army. Without the prophet and the Four Horsemen, they probably would have dominated the entire time. Aside from the Malignant God and the Ram, our forces clearly hold the overall advantage.”
Kadun proposed that he, Orgal, and a few other top-tier fighters take on the Ram, while the rest focus on the Chaos Army.
“You’d be nothing but a decoy, all for your fight with Rosa. Just like last time, no other factors should interfere with your battle. You managed to take down the Four Horsemen and the prophet then, but the Malignant God will be different.”
Jin sneered at his words.
“Do you really think you can handle the Ram? During the first full assault, your fleet couldn’t respond to its main cannon at all. Especially you, Kadun—you nearly died. You were so injured afterward you couldn’t even join the last operation.”
Jin’s blunt anger left Kadun unable to retort in kind.
“Do you know why I’m here instead of Veradin?”
“With Kelliak absent, I’m the highest-ranking head of the family.”
“To think the famously proud fire dragon Kadun would give such a meek answer. Looks like Veradin was ordered not to cause any trouble at this meeting.”
[There’s only one big fight left. No need for pointless squabbles. This alliance may be temporary, but it’s one the world has never seen before. Let’s make a little more effort to end it well.] Orgal said, and Kadun lowered his glare toward Jin.
[Unlike the first full assault, I’ve regained some strength, and the prophet is gone. So the Malignant God won’t be able to properly control the Ram while fighting you. Normally, the prophet would have used the Ram on the Malignant God’s behalf.]
Jin said nothing, instead shifting his gaze between Orgal and Kadun.
He thought about the meaning behind the words “Temporary Alliance.”
Even now, with Rosa clearly weakened, Kinzello and Ziphl had no intention of using their trump cards.
Orgal’s recovery and the manipulation of history.
For Kinzello and Ziphl, those cards were to be played only after the battle with the Malignant God ended—when the power struggle resumed.
Or perhaps they simply couldn’t be played at all.
Orgal’s recovery required the lingering remnants of the Sun God’s veil, and history manipulation depended on Valeria’s abilities.
Either way, things wouldn’t go entirely according to their plans.
After the Malignant God was finished, it would be their turn…
Though Jin had fought alongside the Temporary Alliance several times, Ziphl and Kinzello remained like another Malignant God to him.
One sought to control the world through the Sun God, the other through rewriting history.
“What matters is that you’re confident. Then I have one promise to ask of you.”
“A promise?”
Kadun and Orgal exchanged puzzled looks.
“When the final battle with the Malignant God ends, the Temporary Alliance will naturally dissolve. I think we should agree not to attack each other for at least a year after that.”
[It’s a reasonable request.]
“You don’t expect such an agreement to have any real power just because it’s signed and announced to the public, do you? It’s meaningless. Once the war with the Malignant God ends, everyone will just do what they need to, regardless of the damage they’ve suffered.”
“Even a hollow promise is something I must have. I’m likely to be the one who suffers the most in this war.”
“Even if it’s a temporary alliance, a thousand-year war can’t just end like this. I’ll sign the document, but don’t expect much. I refuse verification through Az Mil’s contractors.”
“Why bring up Yuria? You know she’s in no condition to use her powers right now. I appreciate your honesty, but what if I take offense and side with the Malignant God?”
“Ha ha ha!”
Kadun burst out laughing at Jin’s words.
“You? Do you think you’d do that? You’d sooner die than side with the Malignant God. That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard in a while.”
“Glad you found it amusing.”
“Talking about this right before the final battle makes me think you’re confident in your fight against the Malignant God.”
Jin smiled in response.
[As Kadun said, documents hold no real power. How about we exchange hostages instead?]
“We don’t mind, but the Twelve Horsemen would hate that. You only brought up the promise so the side that breaks it first gets the world’s blame, right?”
Jin nodded.
“Exactly. The world should know who breaks the promise first. Judging by the current mood, it’ll be Ziphl.”
“Well, considering he’s the one who first stole our forces and used our secrets, I’m not one to talk. We’ll see in time.”
They were talking about Hedo and the Sanctuary.
Kadun was certain that Jin would be the first to move right after the final battle with the Malignant God.
‘If the Twelve Horsemen defeat the Malignant God more easily than expected, they might strike us immediately afterward. It’s likely they’ve already made a deal with Kinzello. So we must preserve all forces outside the fleet as much as possible for the Malignant God battle.’
Kadun stood up.
“That’s all for today.”
“I hope Veradin comes to tomorrow’s meeting instead of you.”
Orgal shrugged and rose as well.
[Everyone’s already thinking about what happens after the alliance breaks. I hope tomorrow’s meeting isn’t like that. The Malignant God still holds strong in Hupester.]
The two left the meeting room with their attendants.
Jin watched their ships disappear into the distance over Tikan.
Meanwhile, Kashimir arrived at the meeting room.
“Sir Kashimir, how is Yuria?”
Yuria was in no condition to use her powers anyway.
When Jin said this, Kadun didn’t suspect anything.
Before the Ricalton Castle operation, everyone in the alliance knew Yuria had suffered a severe mental shock from glimpsing the future.
But there was another, deeper reason why Yuria couldn’t use her powers now.
“She’s much better. But she’ll need to rest for a while longer.”
“You must have already been troubled by seeing the future of Ricarton Castle, and yet you’ve burdened that child with even more.”
“My daughter is actually quite proud, and the confusion she experienced during the verification process is clearing up well. Please don’t worry too much.”
Last night.
While verifying the words of ‘Lyn Milcano,’ who had suddenly come to see Tikan, Yuria was briefly exposed to a bit of confusion.
—Head of the Guardians…!?
—Twelve generations in, I’ve come to tell you something.
Lyn Milcano, Head of the Guardians.
She was still on the side of ‘Runkandel.’