Chapter 727
Episode 183: The Inner Frontline Begins (2)
Kwai’an of the Seven Archery Swords gently wiped the cold sweat from Siris’s forehead.
“Commander, could it be that you’ve been hit by a mental assault like Jin?”
“…Yes. It’s highly likely that the Balmur Alliance and the Temporary Coalition have also started experiencing Rosa’s mental attacks, just like me. Ras, go to Tikan and assess the situation. I’ll send you Mot.”
“Understood.”
Without hesitation, Siris rose and headed toward the training grounds.
There, Jin was still seated in meditation, sitting upright. Though he was sweating coldly and looked pained, he seemed to be holding on.
Suddenly, screams echoed from the quarters of Gilly, Valeria, and Quaul.
Among them, only Valeria had been struck by Rosa’s mental assault.
She appeared even more affected than Siris, convulsing violently. Blood trickled from her clenched teeth as she fought to hold onto her sanity.
Gilly was holding Valeria down with her entire body. The rampaging magic, beyond Valeria’s control, left faint wounds on Gilly’s skin.
“Oh no, our Valeria! What do we do?”
“Don’t panic, Quaul! It’s a mental attack from Rosa.”
“A mental attack?”
“Gilly, hold on a little longer.”
Siris summoned a chill to cool Valeria’s body. After several minutes, Valeria finally regained her senses.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
She gasped for breath.
Within the illusion created by Rosa’s mental assault, Valeria had relived the massacre of the Gray Owl Mercenary Corps—her only family in the past—not just the current comrades.
“Feeling any better?”
Siris asked. Valeria nodded blankly, sharing the same sorrow for Jin that Siris felt.
At that moment, the same thing was happening in Tikan, Drakka, and the Shin Headquarters of Kinzello, as well as the Empire.
Each faction had one or two people falling victim to Rosa’s mental attacks.
In Tikan, it was Kashimir; in Drakka, Veradin; in Kinzello’s Shin Headquarters, Margiela; and in the Empire, Dante.
Surprisingly, the faction suffering the most damage as a whole was Kinzello.
“Commander! You’re here! Margiela’s rampaging again!”
“Please, do something about our Margiela!”
Ainas and Bubar shouted urgently.
Kraaaang—! Thud!
The violet energy Margiela unleashed in her frenzy was tearing apart the underground of the Shin Headquarters.
Before them, Berakt, Jo, Bianca, Lanke, and Vishkel struggled to contain the energy.
Though others had been mentally attacked, none had gone into such a violent rampage like Margiela.
Just as Zephyrin arrived, she immediately joined the group.
“Sir Vishkel, you need to step back now.”
Zephyrin stood beside Vishkel, who was gravely injured.
“She’s my sister.”
Vishkel was usually the calmest among Kinzello’s ranks, but anything involving Margiela always shook his composure.
“I know the guilt and debt you feel toward Margiela. But if she sees you hurt when she returns, do you think she’ll be happy?”
“I’m still fine—ugh.”
Zephyrin struck Vishkel’s neck, knocking him out. She then handed him over to Bubar and focused her energy.
‘Of all times for this rampage… I hope the fiend hasn’t recognized the one bound to Margiela.’
Even after Zephyrin’s arrival, Margiela’s rampage wasn’t subdued for a while.
Though Orgal had regained some strength and Zephyrin had grown stronger, it was no easy task to restrain Margiela without seriously damaging the Shin Headquarters.
Margiela’s rampage finally ceased three hours later.
By then, Orgal had returned to the Shin Headquarters after finishing a meeting in Tikan.
He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
[Everyone’s done well. Especially the deputy director—he must be suffering a lot.]
“Master, did the meeting come up with any countermeasures against the mental attacks? If Margiela keeps rampaging like this, the Temporary Coalition might discover her true identity. More importantly, it’s a huge liability with the final battle against the fiend looming.”
[A countermeasure exists, but it’s beyond our capability.]
“Really?”
[Jin Runkandel. He’s the key again.]
Orgal explained.
The mental attacks spreading randomly across all factions will only end if Jin wins the war raging inside his mind against Rosa.
[The reason the mental attacks, which initially targeted only Jin, have spread to others is because he’s losing the fight against Rosa.]
This was what Orgal had heard directly from Jin during a visit to the Seven Archery Swords. Jin himself called it a ‘guess,’ but it was almost certain.
—This phenomenon started when I began losing to Rosa. When I was holding strong, there was no problem. As you can see… I’m not in good shape right now.
—[That’s true. If you dress him shabbily, he’d look like someone with a fatal illness.]
It had only been four days since Jin began living at the Seven Archery Swords.
Seeing his gaunt appearance, Orgal doubted whether Jin could recover to peak condition within the remaining eleven days, even if the mental attacks ended immediately.
“Hmm, Master. What if the demon falls even further behind?”
[More people will be affected by the mental attacks. From the meeting just now, the number of people exposed to the fiend’s mental assault is increasing in real time.]
“How absurd.”
[The enemy is a god; there’s no avoiding it. In the worst case, we might have to postpone the final battle… or consider alternatives besides Jin Runkandel.]
“Phew. So, in the end, the best we can do is sit tight and pray for Jin to win—while holding back Margiela. At least the rest of Kinzello won’t rampage like that, even if they’re mentally attacked.”
For a while, Orgal and Zephyrin remained silent, watching Margiela lying in her sickbed.
Veradin and Dante flew over Drakka on the back of the water dragon Tuyán.
Both wore dark, worn expressions.
“The mental attacks have now spread to ordinary people, Sovereign of the Sword Emperor. The Empire’s situation must be the same.”
Exactly one week had passed since the mental attacks began.
Now, people across civilian populations were hearing Rosa’s voice and losing their minds.
Because of this, the Temporary Coalition had publicly disclosed information about the mental attacks.
They revealed that the crisis would only end if Jin overcame Rosa’s assault.
“Yeah…”
Below Tuyán circling above the plaza, people knelt.
Ordinary citizens, wearing black ribbons on their chests, could only gather in one place and pray.
“At first, I couldn’t understand why people would come out to the plaza. Actually, I still don’t. But it’s amazing that such acts are slightly reducing the spread of despair worldwide.”
Naturally, the despair mapped by Veradin had been growing since the attacks began, but the gatherings to support or pray for Jin had slowed its spread, if only a little.
“That’s the power of solidarity, Lord Veradin.”
“Maybe. But fundamentally, the end of the fiend’s mental attacks depends not on the solidarity of ordinary people, but on the victory of one special individual—Jin. They’re only slowing the spread of despair a tiny bit. It’s hardly significant. More like a futile gesture.”
Thwack!
Suddenly, Dante punched Veradin in the face.
Though he didn’t channel any aura, the blow shook Veradin’s entire skull, forcing him to lower his head briefly.
“Why hit me? You know that’s a serious offense.”
“Oh dear. I guess I’ve been on edge lately. Sorry, your words were so irritating I couldn’t help myself.”
“I understand. But if you do it a second time, I won’t forgive you. Be careful.”
“But Lord Veradin, can you do what these people below are doing? Even for a moment, can you slow the spread of despair like they do?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Then don’t say they’re wasting their time. Even if you could do it alone, you can’t insult those who’ve come out to do something, anything.”
“I don’t get it, but I’ll consider it. It seems better for the cohesion of our dwindling Temporary Coalition.”
“You never know. Maybe the people gathering are actually helping Jin a little. Perhaps that’s why he might win the inner war he’s fighting alone.”
Dante truly believed this. That the tiny bit of resistance to despair was aiding Jin.
“So, we should encourage them and move on to the Empire. People are gathering in the Empire’s plazas too. You might question the point of encouraging them, but this is important. It’s a leader’s duty.”
Veradin nodded silently. Though he didn’t fully agree with Dante, he didn’t want to cause trouble by getting hit again.
More importantly, if even a little of this helped Jin, it was worth doing.
Ten days had passed since the mental attacks began.
Jin was reaching his limit. Even sitting still to meditate was exhausting; his body trembled. He couldn’t bring himself to eat or drink.
Rosa’s mental assault, spreading worldwide, grew stronger every day. The number of civilians exposed to it was increasing exponentially.
In each region, the number of reported cases had risen from around a hundred a day to nearly a thousand.
With only five days left until the final battle, it was hard to believe that all this chaos could be resolved in time, and that Jin would be in peak condition to face Rosa.
Sometimes, just watching was agonizing.
That’s how Jin’s comrades felt as they looked on from the Hidden Palace. They feared that Jin might suddenly collapse or even die, and it felt like walking on thin ice.
“…I think we need to postpone the battle,” Gilly said, watching Jin from a distance in the training grounds. “At this rate, it’s unlikely the young master can fight in five days.”
“I just got word from King Tikan,” Siris replied. “At the council, they suggested indefinitely delaying the battle until the mental attacks end.”
“Yes, Your Highness, you should rest. You look terrible,” Gilly added.
“Rest won’t help. This mental assault isn’t something you just recover from,” Siris said.
At that moment, Jin suddenly sat up.
His legs trembled so violently they seemed about to give out, and Gilly and Siris quickly steadied him.
“Young master!”
“Jin.”
“No, delay… it’s pointless.”
“Then what?”
“Siris, I need to use the Seclusion Training Chamber now.”
“I said I’d arrange that before, Jin, but with your condition, going in there alone is too dangerous. If something happens inside, we won’t be able to help you.”
“I don’t have the strength to explain in detail. Just open the chamber. Even speaking in reality is exhausting…”
Jin’s physical deterioration was a sign of the fierce battle raging within him.
Now, without the familiar noise of his comrades to guide him, he was preparing to face that fight alone.
Siris clenched his teeth, met Jin’s gaze, and nodded.
“Understood. I’ll open it right away.”