Chapter 813
Episode 203: The Red-Eyed Clan’s Resolution
Alpen and Ballas’ eyes gleamed fiercely as they surged forward toward Jin.
Drek was going mad—none of his vampiric powers worked against Jin or the former clan heads.
“I have to absorb as much blood as possible from the others and my own people while fighting. If I can’t buy time to use the Return Technique, it’s over…!”
Of course, Jin had no intention of letting that happen.
“Blame Simat and Rakiman. They taught me a lesson—that you lot are the kind who’d run at the first sign of trouble.”
Shing!
Bradamante’s sword slashed, leaving a massive gash across Drek’s right foot. As the Eternal Flame seeped into the wound, Drek clenched his teeth as if his jaw might shatter. No matter how much he focused his brain energy on the injury, the Eternal Flame remained like an unyielding brand.
“So, I’ll teach you a lesson too. I want to show you what happens when you recklessly provoke the Balmur Alliance, relying only on your tech. Forget about running away with Return or dimensional shifts. Instead, think about how you might die with a shred of honor.”
[Silence! I am the Great Grand King of the Red-Eyed Clan!]
“That’s exactly the attitude I want to see. Finally, you’re starting to understand. But constantly sucking others’ blood? That’s not a good look. Let’s move somewhere else.”
There were no civilians on the Quasel Plains. The Dragon Fortress had fallen, and all surviving Dragon Knights and Dragonlings had been safely evacuated by Dante, so the battlefield was wide open.
If Drek had invaded an area with many protected civilians, a large-scale massacre or hostage crisis would have been inevitable. We wouldn’t have been able to overwhelm him like this while protecting innocents.
The thought made Jin’s head spin for a moment. Especially since Drek possessed unique abilities specialized for mass slaughter and fighting superhuman warriors.
Teaching him a lesson wasn’t just talk. The Red-Eyed Clan had to suffer a crushing defeat so terrible they’d never dare invade the Balmur Alliance again. If Drek survived and returned, the Balmur Alliance would live in constant fear of such terror attacks.
Swish, crack!
Every time Jin charged and swung his sword, Drek’s massive body staggered backward. With the former clan heads pressing in from both sides, Drek was steadily pushed back. Even using Fortress Flame, he couldn’t turn the tide.
Sometimes he counterattacked—swinging his forelegs despite knowing he’d be hit by the Eternal Flame, opening his jaws to crush Jin when he leapt, amplifying his mad heart to rain down red brain matter and spears forged from it, and roaring to shatter the ground.
But none of it harmed Jin. Instead, each counterstrike only left Drek cut or stabbed by Jin and the clan heads’ blades.
Though futile, Drek’s ability to counter at all was thanks solely to his vampirism.
He was constantly regenerating by absorbing blood from the fleet side. Not just from the Red-Eyed Clan, but also from Balmur superhumans, fueling his rapid healing.
But even that was running out.
[Great-grandson! There are barely any drops of blood left for him to absorb.]
[Looks like that’s the limit of his vampiric reach. Without immunity like ours, he’d be an extremely difficult opponent.]
As Ballas and Alpen said, Drek could no longer drain blood from the fleet. His wounds healed far more slowly, and his breath sounded metallic.
“You must have been thrilled facing just Hedo alone. You probably thought that by breaking us down one by one like this, we’d collapse or surrender. But we recently defeated a far stronger enemy than you.”
Drek had no means left to resist. Even facing just Jin, he’d hit an insurmountable wall. With the former clan heads present, his power seemed utterly insignificant.
Shing!
A sword stroke passed through Drek’s chest, spraying blood. Realizing maintaining Fortress Flame was pointless, he deactivated his transformation.
Back in his Red-Eyed form, Drek gripped his spear and looked toward his fleet far behind Jin’s back. Though Ballas and Alpen had left the battlefield earlier, the Balmur Alliance members remaining there showed no signs of fatigue.
If Drek’s unique abilities had continued to affect the battlefield, things might have been different. But even on the fleet side, hope seemed lost. Veil was amplifying solar power, pressuring the entire fleet, and Hedo, having rejoined the battle, was tearing through the fleet recklessly as if venting his rage.
Victory had been abandoned from the start. Now, Drek had to give up on escape. He doubted anyone among his people would survive.
“Khahaha. This is why… the sun must be restored. Is the power you wield truly worthy of a lowly species called humans? Since the death of the Sun God, this world has clearly lost its way.”
“Well, you could say you’re part of the Sun God’s cult. Now that all hope is gone, you’re searching for your god.”
“No. I don’t believe all possibilities are lost yet, Jin Runcandel. Let’s make a deal. If you let me go, I’ll share the Red-Eyed Clan’s knowledge.”
Shing!
Before he finished speaking, his right arm, which had been attached moments ago, fell to the ground.
“A deal, huh? If you wanted to negotiate, you should’ve come before doing this. The Balmur Alliance now and forever refuses any negotiation with you or your kind.”
Drek didn’t look at his fallen arm but met Jin’s gaze. If he looked away now, it would be his neck next.
“…Are you saying you’d rather throw away the chance to advance your technology just because of anger toward me? If it’s about trust, I’ll give you the tech first. You don’t even have to keep your promise after receiving it. This deal costs you nothing.”
“That depends on how you look at it.”
“I’ll even give you the fleet behind you. Without my orders, you’ll never fully control those ships. They have self-destruct devices to prevent tech leaks. Analyzing the wreckage alone has its limits.”
Jin swung his sword again, severing Drek’s left arm. Thud. Drek couldn’t avoid Jin’s gaze this time either.
“…What do you want, Jin Runcandel? You didn’t kill me outright, so you must not have ruled out a deal. Tell me—I’ll do anything I can.”
Jin wasn’t uninterested in the Red-Eyed Clan’s technology.
But he was certain that if he spared Drek, the latter would scheme to escape while pretending to aid the Balmur Alliance. Much of the Red-Eyed Clan’s tech remained unknown, after all.
“The reason I’m not killing you now is simple. I think there are people in that fleet recording this moment—whether in writing or video. What I want is for that to reach your base intact. So you’ll fear me even more.”
Jin stepped closer. Drek instinctively took a step back.
Just as Rakiman had instilled absolute terror in the beastmen, Jin was imprinting his presence on the Red-Eyed Clan.
He was becoming their ultimate nemesis—the one they must never fight.
“You know what your final words should be, Drek Hon. If you truly care for those you call your people.”
Jin grabbed Drek’s shoulder. The fear radiating from him was palpable.
Finally, Drek gave up and shouted:
My people!
Never challenge Jin Runcandel or the Balmur Alliance again. We can never defeat them…!
Not until our champion returns.
He swallowed the rest of his words, tears of blood streaming from his eyes. Throughout the battle, he had casually absorbed the blood of other Red-Eyed Clan members, intending to use it as a catalyst for the Return Technique.
But deep down, he truly believed his people must never repeat this mistake. Until the champion returns, they must never even approach the Balmur Alliance.
Drek’s use of his people as expendable resources was, after all, an act for the Red-Eyed Clan. The clan was an extreme totalitarian group, and Drek was one of its most fanatical totalitarians.
“That’s the right answer. Now, I’ll free you from your humiliation.”
Fwoosh!
The Eternal Flame that had permeated Drek’s body suddenly blazed fiercely. Surrounded by blue flames, Drek met his end.
“Now, let’s clean up the remaining forces, ancestors. The images of Drek recorded by the fleet will be passed on by those who fled using the Return Technique. We’ll destroy every single ship of the Red Fleet without exception.”
[Ha! Our great-grandson reminds me so much of my youth!]
[The 57th generation’s youth must have felt very different from the clan heads.]
[In your twenties, you talk big for someone who just lost a bet.]
[Don’t you see the remaining ships? They probably wanted to end with one more destroyed than me, but unfortunately, the match isn’t over yet.]
[Heh heh heh! Fine, the outcome will be the same anyway. Let’s give it our all. Let’s go!]
And so, the Red-Eyed Clan lost their Great Grand King and his entire fleet in a single invasion of the Balmur Alliance.
“Fellow clansmen! Never again challenge the True Runcandel and the Balmur Alliance. We can never, ever defeat them…!”
A broadcast of Drek’s final moments was being transmitted to every fortress of the Jeokmyeong tribe, now that the seal had been broken. The Jeokmyeong people watching the footage trembled violently, overwhelmed by humiliation and fear.
No one had expected that not only had Drek’s spirit and the Red Fleet been utterly annihilated, but that such a recording would be left behind.
“What on earth is this… that Drek would go this far…”
“It’s a fabrication! They have a record mage—someone who manipulates memories and magic to create false footage!”
Amid the murmurs and doubts, Simat clenched his teeth and stared at his fellow clansmen.
“Have you not heard the testimonies of those who returned through the recall spell? That is Drek’s true final will. We must… we must follow Drek’s last words. Never, never again touch the Balmur Alliance. It has been proven to be the fastest path to the destruction of our Jeokmyeong tribe.”
From now on, our tribe will focus solely on Ziphl and Kinzello—until the Divine Warrior returns and all the Great War Kings fully regain their strength.
Simat spoke these words to steady his heart. The arrogant Great War Kings kept driving their own people to slaughter, blocking any chance of Jeokmyeong’s revival.
“Perhaps… this is for the best. This ordeal will make the remaining Great War Kings truly understand the danger of the True Runcandel and the Balmur Alliance. And since my warnings have been proven right, it’s finally time to exclude those monsters and focus solely on the hunt.”
Without hesitation, Simat requested a communication with the Great War Kings and shared his opinion.
“Yes, Simat’s words are correct. For the time being, the Balmur Alliance will be completely removed from our list of targets.”
“Wow… I never thought Drek would break down like that. I agree. If we keep attacking them like this, there won’t be any clansmen left alive. It’s a miracle that even Rakiman is still standing.”
The Great War Kings made their decision without a moment’s hesitation. Victory and defeat, the fate of the Balmur Alliance and the Jeokmyeong tribe, hung in the balance.