Chapter 730
Episode 184: Beyond Destiny (2)
June 20, 1803.
The decisive battle had begun.
A fleet of nearly five hundred ships and over six hundred dragons cut through the darkened skies above Huepester.
This night, on which humanity’s survival hung in the balance, stretched out like a slow, agonizing eternity.
From time to time, the knights, mages, demons, and beastmen aboard the ships were gripped by a chilling illusion—as if a cold wind were blowing through the decks.
Such deep-rooted fear often manifests itself through the senses.
The elite forces from each faction, having survived countless deadly battles, focused desperately on maintaining their fighting spirit.
If they lost that focus even for a moment, the fear would stab inward like a blade. They would be unable to fight.
Not because they lacked strength. But as they neared the Sword’s Grave, the night deepened—and with it, the influence of the Malevolent God grew stronger.
“There can be mazes even in the sky… The course should be precise, so why can’t we still see the Malevolent God’s fortress?” Veradin muttered.
Since earlier, a thick, misty haze had obscured their vision, preventing the fleet from gaining speed.
The scouting party led by Orgal faced the same problem.
The true mist spread by the Malevolent God was so potent that even his steel gates refused to open or close freely.
But soon, Veradin realized the truth.
“…We’re already close.”
Suddenly, as if a door had swung open, the fog lifted, revealing an absurdly massive fortress wall right before their eyes.
The mist had been concealing the fortress all along.
The fortress, completed in just two days by the Malevolent God, was no exaggeration in the reports they had received.
The hundreds of ships and dragons looked like mere mayflies before its towering walls.
The edge of the world.
All who saw the Malevolent God’s fortress couldn’t help but think the same thing:
This was truly the end of the world.
“Sogaju! The sky… it’s opening!”
Above the fortress, a crimson thundercloud split in two.
Disturbing the natural order, descending heavily, was the colossal warship symbolizing the Malevolent God’s power.
The shadow of ‘Ram’ cast a dark veil over the entire sky and land.
Its sheer mass made it difficult even for the dragons to maintain flight, and the mages sustaining the fleet’s propulsion sweated under the strain.
In fact, their altitude was dropping.
It felt as if an invisible hand was gently pressing down on the temporary alliance’s fleet.
No matter how hard the dragons and mages tried, they couldn’t hold their altitude.
The pressure only eased when the fleet reached about halfway up the fortress wall.
“So, we’re not allowed to fly over the dwelling of a god…”
Veradin understood this phenomenon as a kind of ritual: when facing a god, you cannot begin the fight from a higher place.
If they couldn’t break through head-on, they couldn’t enter the fortress.
“I expected that a direct descent into the fortress would be impossible. Everyone, don’t waste effort trying to gain altitude. Calmly prepare the protective shields. The welcoming ceremony will begin soon.”
At the same time, Kadun, Orgal, and Veil took their positions at the center of the fleet’s formation.
They were preparing to defend against the nightmare they had faced during the first barrage—the main cannon of Ram.
Kraaaak—!
But what suddenly echoed was not cannon fire, but the grim roars of the Chaos Dragons.
Their ferocity far surpassed what had been seen during the first barrage or the battle at Ricarton.
The Malevolent God’s power was amplifying the strength of the Chaos Dragons.
From beneath Ram poured out over a thousand Chaos Dragons in an instant.
Ram never ceased spewing forth Chaos Dragons and black ships.
Veradin’s expectation of a welcoming ceremony was shattered.
‘Instead of firing the main cannon, they’re unleashing Chaos Dragons and black ships?’
The initial phase of the battle was unfolding in a way that was hard to comprehend.
With that many Chaos Dragons and black ships, the skies would inevitably become a chaotic battlefield.
Even the Malevolent God wouldn’t fire Ram’s main cannon into a sky filled with his own forces.
‘Is he conserving the power used for the main cannon? Or does he consider these forces expendable after drawing us into a chaotic fight?’
Just as Veradin pondered this, an urgent report came from the watchtower.
“Sogaju! It’s reported that the power source of the ship Ram has been cut off!”
“What?”
“They say the main cannon, which protruded from the open central section of Ram, suddenly stopped moving. The mist gathering around the cannon has also dispersed!”
Ram’s power source was the Malevolent God’s own power.
If the power was cut, it meant something had gone wrong with the Malevolent God himself, and the Chaos Dragons and black ships should not have been strengthened.
‘The Malevolent God’s power remains intact, but the link to the ship Ram has been severed…?’
Rin Milcano.
The temporary alliance, except for the Bamel Union, was unaware of her betrayal.
So they had no idea why Ram had suddenly stopped.
“Sogaju, whatever the cause, this is our chance. We must break through before Ram reactivates.”
Octavia spoke.
Veradin agreed—there was no reason not to.
But an inexplicable unease swirled in his mind.
Still, Veradin decided to issue the breakthrough order.
Because no clear reason to dismiss the unease came to him.
“…All ships, switch to breakthrough formation. Among the three designated to defend against the main cannon, the fire dragon Kadun and knight Veil will lead the charge. Orgal, continue to prepare for defense.”
As the fleet shifted formation, the Malevolent God’s aerial forces began to block their path.
“To the gunners’ positions. From now until the breakthrough is complete, autonomous firing is authorized.”
At the command, the entire fleet unleashed a simultaneous barrage.
From the fortress came the breath of Chaos Dragons and the cannon fire of black ships.
A relentless roar filled their ears, and their retinas burned with the dizzying light of clashing fire.
“I’ll be heading out as well, Sogaju.”
“Good luck, Captain of the Phantoms.”
Octavia stepped onto the deck.
Above her and the flagship of each fleet, superhumans appeared.
Hedo’s sword, Dante’s intangible blade, Siris’s frost blade, Valkas’s Black King Fist, Amela’s war machine, Julian’s thunder bow Harmila, Berakt and Bianca’s great sword technique, Ranké’s berserk fury, Octavia’s light magic, and the Phantom Corps’ chain magic—all these sacred techniques slaughtered the incoming enemies.
Most prominent was Veil, leading the vanguard.
Each time his golden wings fluttered, hundreds of Chaos Dragons and black ships disintegrated into particles and vanished.
In aerial combat, Veil was a disaster for the enemy—too fast to intercept, single-handedly covering an attack range equivalent to an entire fleet.
Ram’s main cannon remained inactive.
The Chaos Dragons and black ships continuously replenished from below, but posed little threat.
For the temporary alliance, a war of attrition held no meaning.
Unless the enemy could produce forces capable of dispersing the superhumans’ power, breaking through to the fortress gates was only a matter of time.
But after about ten minutes, the temporary alliance faced another unforeseen situation.
“Frontline, a violet gravity field is forming!”
“The gravity field is pulling the fleet in…!”
With about five ri left to reach the fortress, the violet gravity field formed around the fortress began accelerating the fleet faster than planned.
The Malevolent God’s aerial forces were unaffected by the field.
As the fleet faltered to slow down, the enemy launched a counterattack.
Those most affected by the gravity field were the personnel on deck.
Most had raised their own shields or clung to something, struggling against the pull and unable to fight properly.
Dragons at the front were sucked into the field.
Veil summoned his golden power to pull some back outside the field, but some were inevitably trapped.
[Kahaaak!]
[Krahk…!]
The dragons caught in the field screamed once before collapsing like paper.
The fleet behind also struggled to escape the other side of the field.
‘Fortunately, the gravity field isn’t completely impervious to physical attacks.’
Each time the fleet’s barrage struck the field, small cracks appeared.
‘But the cracks heal too quickly. Relying on cannon fire alone will waste too much time.’
One by one, ships were sunk by Chaos Dragons and black ships.
Veradin watched the battle closely.
Cracks caused by attacks from individuals with special powers like Veil healed noticeably slower than those from ordinary cannon fire.
Therefore, Orgal and Veil had to be the core of breaking the gravity field.
But the forces of chaos knew this and relentlessly pressured the two.
“Change Orgal and Kadun’s positions.”
“That will take some time! The Chaos Dragons have seized the rear!”
Orgal, who had been on defense the entire time, was busy dealing with them and holding back ships being pulled into the field.
Veil at the front faced the same situation.
Changing formation to break the field around these two would inevitably take time.
At that moment, someone who had been in Kozek’s training room finally appeared.
“Veradin.”
“I was just about to call for you.”
Jin—the most uniquely gifted magic swordsman.
While the fleet advanced toward the Malevolent God’s fortress, Jin had been meditating alone in the training room.
It was a meditation to envision the duel with Rosa—the sword fight that must be exchanged alone, face to face, with the Malevolent God.
Jin stared intently at the fortress of the dark god, its silhouette blurred beyond the violet-hued checkpoint.
Deep within that fortress, Rosa was surely envisioning their inevitable confrontation.
Slowly, Jin nodded.
At that moment, a flame flickered to life at the tip of Veradin’s staff—the very ‘Seal of Fire’ Keliak had wielded during the legendary Sword Emperor War.
Veradin began tracing patterns in the air with his staff, and against the dim night sky, massive crimson letters blazed into existence.
“Jin Runkandel is descending.”
Like the opening of a cannon’s breach, Kozek’s windshield slid open.
Cradling the Bradamante infused with spiritual energy, Jin hurled himself toward the battlefield.