Chapter 806
Episode 200: The Secret of the Bimont Imperial Family (Part 1)
The dimensional gate that Rakiman Hog opened with his bracelet led directly to the Redname Tribe’s fortress—the launch bay of Patlock’s fleet.
Nearly a thousand ships were stationed there, ready for deployment. Along with the fleeing Redname warriors, the flames of the Cursed Fire had also descended upon the place.
As soon as they returned, the Redname Tribe was thrown into chaos. The Cursed Fire, no longer under Jin’s control, refused to die down and instead spread wildly, engulfing the launch bay in flames.
“Extinguish the fires! Scatter and board the ships! Activate the emergency shields!”
Simat took command in place of the unconscious Rakiman. Though he was battered and on the verge of collapse himself, if he fell now, Patlock’s Red Fleet would be finished.
“Destroy any ships already ablaze to prevent the fire from spreading to others. And get those two comrades in front to escort Rakiman to the infirmary immediately!”
If the Great King-class Redname warriors hadn’t been exhausted, putting out the remaining embers of the Cursed Fire wouldn’t have been so difficult.
But there was no choice now. The Redname Tribe destroyed the burning ships, tears of frustration burning in their hearts.
The only small mercy was that the Cursed Fire did not carry the trait of eternal flames.
Only after losing about a hundred ships did they manage to extinguish the fire. When the last ember died out, Simat and the Redname warriors sank to the ground, dazed and hollow-eyed.
They had lost too much in a single battle.
“Why did Jin Runkandel appear there…? After the Demon God War, the temporary alliance on the surface was supposed to have been dissolved, and they had returned to hostility.”
For Simat, it was a string of incomprehensible events.
Why had Jin Runkandel suddenly shown up at the Kinzel branch? Why had Rakiman insisted on fighting him head-on?
Simat had warned Rakiman several times. Even if they encountered Jin Runkandel or other transcendent beings during the hunt, they should have retreated first. They were no longer as strong as before, and the surface was filled with powerful enemies.
There had been time to escape. If they could summon the fleet, they could have sacrificed the prey or lower-ranked comrades at the Kinzel branch to safely teleport back.
“Useless worm… losing the fleet over something like this.”
Suddenly, Simat spat out the harsh words, causing Andolin and Ozen nearby to jump in surprise and stare at him.
“Comrade Simat?”
Simat himself was shocked by what he had said. Without realizing it, he had thought of Rakiman as a subordinate and blurted out the insult.
“…I was talking to myself.”
Andolin and Ozen felt uneasy but didn’t press further.
“First, we need to find out what happened between Jin Runkandel and Kinzel. Was there some secret deal? Or have they formed an alliance again?”
“I’ll make sure to confirm that on the next mission.”
“We need to wake the other Great King comrades quickly. Once Rakiman is treated, we must check the other fortresses. To stand against Jin Runkandel’s power… at least Great King Bakarun and his fortress, or the Fighting God comrades, must awaken.”
“Bakarun’s fortress is probably sealed like ours. But the Fighting God comrades… even when we were active, they suddenly disappeared.”
“Lately, I’ve been thinking that the Fighting God comrades vanished because they foresaw this sealing crisis.”
Though unexpected, Andolin and Ozen didn’t deny it. Simat had always shown competence, and many of his predictions, once ridiculed, had turned out true.
Still, they couldn’t fully accept that the Redname ‘Fighting God’ had abandoned his comrades out of fear of the seal and disappeared alone.
“Maybe some of the other Great King comrades know the whereabouts of the Fighting God brothers. Even if not, without the Great Kings awakening, we cannot revive. So, we need more than just hunting… we need a more revolutionary approach.”
The dangers of hunting had been proven beyond doubt by this incident. There was no guarantee such a disaster wouldn’t happen again.
“A deal… perhaps we should consider making deals or alliances with surface forces.”
“Do you have any surface factions in mind?”
“Jiple, or the remnants of the human royal family. On the next hunt, I’ll personally go out and make contact.”
Meanwhile, the surface leaders were receiving reports about the incident.
“The Redname Tribe, huh.”
Beradin nodded with interest as he reviewed the report.
“An offshoot of the Demon King Tribe, with combat power strong enough that even ordinary soldiers don’t die instantly to the Demon King’s Sword of Dominion, and incredible technology to boot. The Redname Tribe is quite an intriguing group.”
“I apologize for not having more details, Lord. According to the Phantom Corps and my mages, they only managed to get close and confirm details when the battle between Jin Runkandel and the Redname Tribe reached its most violent stage.”
“That’s fine. They survived operating near Jin and brought back useful intel. They deserve commendation. Was it the Phantom Corps or the Regent’s Ghost Squad who made the call?”
“My subordinates’ judgment, apparently.”
Satrin replied.
“Then the Ghost Squad should be rewarded. I’ll grant all members the opportunity to learn the family’s second-tier arcane secrets.”
“Thank you, Lord. But before the reward, there’s one more thing to report.”
“What is it?”
“It’s not certain, but there are rumors that something other than our mages was present on the battlefield.”
“Something else?”
“Yes. They said it was extremely difficult to sense its presence. It might have been Yona Runkandel or some unknown assassins… but they couldn’t confirm.”
“Hmm, it must be one of the two. Either the Balmel Alliance or someone sent by the Imperial remnants.”
“Does the Imperial remnant have operatives of that caliber?”
“I don’t know much about them either. That’s why we must always keep the Imperial remnant in mind. They may be lying low now, but we have to assume they could resurface at any time.”
“Understood.”
“If it is the Imperial remnant, they will surely try to contact the Redname Tribe as well. We need to keep an eye on that. Send agents to the Imperial territories they control and try to influence the remaining high-ranking officials.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“And the Phantom Corps will be given the chance to learn third-tier arcane secrets.”
“…Thank you.”
Just as he had done with Kadun, Beradin was deliberately undermining Octavia’s morale. All the key figures of Keliak were receiving similar treatment.
Yet Octavia and the others dared not voice any complaints. Bowing low and showing loyalty was the only way to survive within the family.
“We must try to make contact and negotiate. Phantom Commander and the Regent should keep sending mages to track their appearances.”
“Understood.”
“Order your reporters to write follow-up articles immediately. Something along the lines of: ‘The Redname Tribe has revived due to Jin and Kinzel, threatening the Inse.’ That should suffice.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure the news spreads throughout the federation by the end of the day.”
“Good. I’ll go to the holy site and see if the priestesses can assist. If we can acquire the Redname Tribe’s technology, we can hasten the time to strike our enemies.”
Thus ended the Jiple meeting.
At the same time, the Bimont Imperial Family was holding a similar meeting.
On a deserted island in the northern sea of the Lutero Federation, the remnants of the Bimont royal family had been hiding and inactive since the Demon God War.
“Rakiman Hog… it’s been a long time since I heard that name. He’s still as arrogant as ever, messing things up. Simat must be frustrated.”
He spoke as if he knew Rakiman personally. The royal family members sitting beside him nodded knowingly.
Airan Bimont, the leader of the remaining Bimont royals and followers since the execution of former Emperor Amir Bimont.
Before the Demon God War, he had received Yona’s betrothal from Joshua and attempted to assassinate Dante. During the war, he sent the Mains, including Latz, to kill key figures of the Balmel Alliance.
Yet little was known about Airan to the world.
Before Amir ascended the throne, Airan was only around 30th in the succession line and thus overlooked. Moreover, the Bimont family’s mysticism meant he never revealed himself.
But among the oldest members of the Bimont family—those who had watched over the dynasty for thousands of years—Airan Bimont was regarded as the true emperor.
Only Airan was the legitimate emperor of the Bimont Empire; the hundreds of emperors known publicly were mere smokescreens to conceal the truth.
Airan and the royals beside him had long hidden within the imperial family, changing names and appearances over the centuries. They were the originators of the imperial family’s mysticism.
“Vibol, well done. The harvest is substantial.”
The royal called Vibol nodded. He was the one who, along with Jiple’s mages, had secretly observed the battle with Jin.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Finally, the opportunity to reclaim and revive our empire has come. The underground forces, including the Redname Tribe, are still obsessed with the resurrection of the Sun God. We must use that to create a scenario where our enemies and they destroy each other.”
At Airan’s words, the royals’ eyes sharpened. The days of hiding under the guise of mysticism were numbered.
“To do that, first we need to help the Red-Eyed Tribe regain their strength… Bibol, go to their stronghold immediately and propose a deal—offer them a large supply of nutrients. You remember the location of the Patlock stronghold, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Good. They’ll definitely accept the offer. But knowing the Red-Eyed Tribe, once they’re full, they’ll lose their senses again and start plotting to stab us in the back. So we’ll need to dangle an even sweeter bait to keep them in line.”
“What else should I tell the Red-Eyed Tribe?”
Airan grinned and added with a sly tone, “Tell them that if they never betray us until the end, we’ll reveal the whereabouts of the Red-Eyed Tribe’s champion when the time comes.”