Chapter 781
Episode 192: Three Days Earlier (Part 2)
“Look where the head of the family is…!? What’s about to happen?”
Octavia couldn’t make sense of the words, but a chilling premonition stabbed sharply at her mind like a blade.
Hroti’s immense blaze forced Octavia to take a step back. Before she could intervene, the fight between Veradin and Kadun had already erupted.
Whoosh!
The magical energy gathered at Veradin’s staff instantly transformed into a massive fireball. It was the Annihilation Azure Flame Orb, Demon Magic Type 2—the great spell Kellyak had used when attacking the Azure Sword Fortress in the past.
But unlike before, Veradin didn’t transform into a figure resembling Kellyak. He remained in his youthful form, wielding Kellyak’s magic.
[Veradin, so you’ve finally revealed your true colors…!]
Kadun’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shouted. Even after witnessing Veradin unleash such power without any warning—and with the clear intent to attack him—it was hard to accept.
What was more shocking was that Veradin wasn’t even using the Demon Stone’s aid. This was pure magic, drawn solely from his own power.
“That’s what I should be saying, Kadun. You should have realized sooner that you’re no longer needed by the family. No, more than that—you’ve become a liability.”
Kraaaah!
Kadun gathered all his strength and exhaled a breath of fire. Unlike the beam-like breath, a fireball of monstrous size, similar to Type 2, shot from his mouth.
The two fireballs collided, sending a shockwave rippling through the battlefield. The other mages hurriedly raised protective barriers.
The raw destructive power of Veradin’s Type 2 spell surpassed even the ultimate form.
Therefore, as Jin had done during the Azure Sword Fortress battle, the best counter was to find and sever the flow of magic. Kadun, knowing the secret of Type 2 like Jin, quickly descended to lower altitude. His movements were briefly obscured by the explosions.
But just as he prepared to release his magic to trace the flow of Type 2—
Suddenly, two beams shot in from the left and right, piercing Kadun like spears. Taken by surprise, Kadun wrapped his wings around himself and was forced to retreat.
“Damn it, I got so caught up I forgot about these bastards…!”
The water dragon Tuyan, servant of the Water God Itelmion, and the earth dragon Phinia, servant of the Earth God Rikta—Veradin’s guardian dragons—had ambushed Kadun.
[Tuyan, Phinia. You’ve grown strong. Since the head of the family has gone mad, have you gone mad with him? As guardian dragons, your duty is to help the head make the right choices.]
Tuyan and Phinia said nothing, closing the distance and pressing Kadun.
It was strange.
Their combat power far exceeded what Kadun remembered. The Tuyan and Phinia he knew couldn’t even move properly in such intense flames.
Yet these two dragons bore the fire with their entire bodies and relentlessly attacked Kadun.
[Kaahk!]
Tuyan’s sharp teeth tore into Kadun’s shoulder blade. Scales and flesh the size of a human body fell heavily to the ground.
That sound was no less than the shattering of Kadun’s honor and status. His symbolic strength in Jiple had always been “the strongest force.”
Though he’d been caught off guard by the guardian dragons, such a powerful being was being pushed back so easily—less than a minute into the fight.
Octavia was stunned as well. She hadn’t expected Kadun to be overwhelmed so quickly.
Of course, the battle wasn’t over yet.
Veradin intensified the flames of Type 2 and spoke coldly.
“Will you continue? For the record, I have no hesitation in killing Kadun. If you surrender now, we can discuss how to use your arrogant body and mind for the family’s benefit.”
“Shut up!”
“Oh, right… You must have some backup, so you won’t stop. But soon, you’ll realize you’re wrong about everything.”
“What nonsense are you spouting…!”
“By the way, why is the Phantom Commander just standing there? Do you need more time to decide which side to take?”
Octavia flinched and met Veradin’s gaze.
An inexplicable fear tightened around her heart.
“That is—”
“The other mages have already finished preparing their attacks.”
Looking around, she saw the mages of the magic tower forming protective barriers and casting linked spells.
The mages stationed at Jiple’s First Magic Tower, the Tower of Stories, were all experts of White Night rank or higher. Many retired Phantom Commanders and family heads from branch lines were also present.
In Octavia’s mind, their loyalty should have leaned toward Kadun, not the head of the family, who had been abusing his power lately. Especially the retired Phantom Commanders—they prioritized their own commands over the head’s.
Yet all of them, without hesitation, were following Veradin to strike Kadun. Their eyes glowed pure white.
Octavia guessed why they had become “White Eyes.”
“Massive mind control…!?”
Though she’d never seen such dark magic firsthand, she recognized it instinctively. Veradin was puppeteering the mages through mental manipulation.
Veradin’s eyes spoke silently: I spared you this magic as a final courtesy.
“Mind control isn’t Jiple’s privilege alone, Phantom Commander. So there’s no need to be so surprised. Now, move quickly. We must finish Kadun as soon as possible.”
Veradin extended his arm, signaling Octavia to step forward.
Reluctantly, Octavia infused her staff with magic and aimed at Kadun. Kadun was already pinned to the ground, struggling under the weight of the two dragons.
“…Forgive me, Kadun. For now, I have no choice but to obey the head of the family.”
For the moment, she had to follow Veradin’s orders and attack Kadun.
Afterward, she would try to keep Kadun alive and wait for Kellyak’s return. Once the family head came back, this madness would surely be set right.
There was still no reaction from the tower’s uppermost floor.
As Octavia began chanting her light magic, Kadun roared in fury.
[Octavia Jiple! So even you obey that madman’s orders. After thousands of years of Jiple’s glory, today marks the beginning of its ruin!]
With Octavia and the mages joining in, Kadun was left barely able to defend himself. Only his furious roars echoed hollowly across the battlefield.
Minutes passed.
The once-mighty fire dragon, famed for his power, lay on the ground, his body torn to rags.
His ragged breaths rasped like metal, his wings half-torn and drooping, and pools of his blood scattered across the earth.
Meanwhile, Veradin’s side had suffered almost no damage. Tuyan and Phinia were wounded but would recover in days.
Even without Veradin’s abilities, it was impossible for Kadun to storm the Tower of Stories alone and win.
“If the mages had joined Kadun in rebellion, the outcome might have been different. But this is pathetic. You dared to insult me with such feeble strength?”
Veradin tapped Kadun’s forehead with his staff. The scene was utterly humiliating.
[Veradin…]
“I gave you multiple chances to correct your mistakes, Kadun.”
[Why are you doing this to me? Is it just because I showed displeasure toward you?]
“That’s part of it, yes. But you still deny it? You have quite the thick skin. Your body is too damaged to be of use anymore. It’s time to say goodbye. Would you like to leave a final message?”
[If I die, Kellyak and Shinu will… ugh… aaah!]
Veradin’s staff slowly pierced Kadun’s forehead.
The White-Eyed mages remained motionless, but Octavia’s chest tightened unbearably.
“Head of the family! Kadun’s wounds are deep, but with treatment, he can still fight for the family. He’s learned much from today’s events. Please, stop this—for the sake of the family head and the family’s guardian god, Shinu!”
Thud!
Veradin’s staff drove through Kadun’s forehead, sticky blood dripping down.
“No!”
At Octavia’s cry—
Suddenly, a grim vibration began shaking the entire sky and earth.
It came from the magic tower. The tremors spread from the top floor, where Kellyak’s preservation device was located.
Kraaaang…!
The tower’s uppermost floor exploded. Amid the chaos, Octavia turned and looked up at the tower.
“This… this energy…!”
It was the presence of the family head—Kellyak Jiple.
But the aura emanating from the mage tower carried a very different feeling from what Octavia remembered. It was a dark energy, filled with malice—something no human could possess—seeping out from the tower.
It was the spirit energy. Alongside the flames that symbolized Keliak, a dreadful, ominous spirit energy, like that of a fiend, was already blackening the sky above the first mage tower.
“Sogaju, what on earth is happening… How could the head of the family—”
At the same time, a similar spirit energy began to leak from Kadun, who appeared to have just taken his last breath. Veradin pulled Octavia back and raised a protective barrier.
“Until now, the fire dragon Kadun has been amplifying my father’s spirit energy. I don’t know his intentions, but I judged that it would bring nothing but harm to the family.”
“N-no, that can’t be! Kadun wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Look closely. The moment Kadun’s breath faltered, my father began to rampage uncontrollably. As hard as it is to accept, this was the reality the family faced. Both the roots and the pillars were rotten.”
Rooooar!
Filled with unmistakable hostility, Keliak roared. Revealed among the shattered debris of the mage tower’s uppermost floor, he looked like a fiend incarnate.
Behind him, Kadun spread his wings once more. The mages quickly formed ranks, and Tuyuan and Phinia landed on either side of Veradin, readying themselves for battle.
“If Kadun’s sinister plan had been completed as intended, we wouldn’t have been able to handle a father turned into a monster.”
“Sogaju, you don’t mean… what are you planning to do to Father!?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Veradin answered Octavia plainly.
“We’ll have to kill him. Fortunately, before Father becomes another fiend, I have the chance to grant him peace myself today.”