Chapter 855
Episode 213: The Rift, Omen of Cataclysm (2)
“Ameris, is there any way to close the rift?” Jin asked.
“Look closely at the center of the rift, Jin.”
“It’s a bit blurry, but I can make out a violet pattern, like a flower.”
“That pattern represents the Purple Thornflower of the Demon Realm. It symbolizes Jito. In other words, this magic was cast directly by Jito. There are very few beings or means capable of breaking his spell.”
At Ameris’s words, Jin drew his sword, Bradamante, and began to channel his spiritual energy.
“Are you thinking of cutting through it with your spirit blade?”
“Yes, Ameris. But… as soon as I decided to strike, an unsettling feeling surged through me.”
“That’s your instincts warning you. You might be able to cut the rift with your blade, but you’ll suffer severe backlash. If you end up needing rest and healing, it would be a grave risk for the entire Balmel Alliance.”
Jin lowered his energy and shrugged. Ameris was right—his health was directly tied to the defense capabilities of the Balmel Alliance.
‘When I tried to cut the rift… it felt like Jito’s will was wrapping around me like thorny vines. I could break it, but as Ameris said, I’d take a heavy hit.’
Just sensing the danger from merely attempting to break the rift made Jin realize just how immense Jito’s power truly was.
“You’d need the full power of the Creation Star, or an equivalent divine force, to destroy the rift without great risk.”
“Hmph, then let this Murakan at least try a breath.”
“No, Murakan. Don’t provoke the rift unnecessarily—you could get hurt too. Even though you’ve nearly regained your old strength, you’re still not the perfect Creation Star like before.”
“Ah, you’re hitting me where it hurts.”
The one feeling the most helpless was Dante.
“This is frustrating. Even if I push myself, I don’t think I could cut the rift like you or Murakan can.”
“I think you could, too, Sword Emperor. You’d just get hurt a bit more than us kids.”
“Besides, this is imperial territory… so you’re saying the best course is to just leave it be?”
“Sword Emperor, from what I see, you’re already a fine—no, a great leader. Leaving it be means taking no action. From now on, you must evacuate your people here and provide them with new homes and livelihoods.”
“That’s true, Ameris.”
“The rifts that you, Murakan, and Jin risk yourselves to cut should be ones where more lives and greater value are at stake. Places where simply evacuating the residents won’t minimize damage. From now on, countless rifts will appear all over the world. There may already be new reports coming in.”
If they used their power now to close the rift in Romph out of frustration, but that caused even larger rifts to open in Tikan or the old imperial capital?
Those lands couldn’t be saved by evacuation alone.
“Evacuate all the people of Romph to the old capital,” Dante ordered his strategist.
“Understood, Governor.”
“Make sure to convey our apologies for not being able to protect their homes. After all the wars—Demon Realm, Ziphl, Kinzello—I will build an empire where no one has to leave their land.”
Ameris patted Dante’s shoulder, who was clenching his teeth as he stared at the rift.
“Don’t blame yourself too much, Sword Emperor. Though your people are leaving Romph, no one has died. Thanks to your swift action. If we had arrived only after something emerged from the rift, no one would have survived. Or if we hadn’t taken proper measures like now, it would have been the same.”
The people of Romph immediately began evacuating under the control of the Meltador army.
The group returned to Tikan and the Second Castle of Hailan, promptly declaring a state of emergency across all territories and issuing orders to evacuate immediately upon any rift appearance.
Less than ten days had passed since the first rift appeared in Romph, yet new reports kept pouring in.
“This time it’s Valonso in the Kurano Duchy… that’s the second time for Kurano.”
Tikan was now overwhelmed. Since the Gliek War, requests for migration had been flooding in from all over the world.
“Your Majesty, please select appropriate regions to handle the migrations.”
“Understood, Prince.”
“What about Ziphl’s situation?”
“According to anonymous reports, the Lutero Federation is also experiencing spreading rifts. Recently, Ziphl suffered a crushing defeat against the Red-Eyed Tribe, likely because Elona and Ziphl were absent, dealing with the rifts.”
“It seems the current Demon Stones can’t easily close the rifts. If possible, have the anonymous source provide detailed numbers on the rifts in the Federation.”
It felt like bombs were sprouting all over the surface, ready to explode at any moment. So far, no casualties had occurred, and resources to support evacuees were sufficient.
But this couldn’t last. Land and resources were finite and would eventually run out.
‘This is maddening…’
As time passed, Jin realized just how dangerous it had been to try cutting the Romph rift.
‘If I’d been injured trying to cut it, I wouldn’t have been able to fight when my people truly needed me.’
Just then, the communication device in the Tikan conference room chimed. It was a message from Runcandel, the Garden of Swords.
Jin was gripped by a foreboding sense that the worst had come.
{Governor.}
“Speak, Chief Steward.”
{A massive spreading rift has appeared in Siatelo.}
Siatelo was one of Hupester’s major cities, not far from ‘Kalon,’ where the Garden of Swords was located.
It was naturally among the most populous areas in Hupester, and losing Siatelo would mean giving the Demon Realm a foothold near the Garden of Swords.
“…Massive?”
{Yes, and it’s quite different from most recent rifts. As I said, it’s much larger, and it’s continuously emitting a kind of shockwave. Fortunately, it’s in the outskirts, so there are no major casualties yet, but the spread is alarming.}
Jin clenched his teeth without realizing it.
“We’re leaving immediately.”
Jin headed straight for the Red Owl’s launch pad with Murakan and Ameris. Waiting there were Dr. Quaul and Valeria, who had briefly returned to Tikan that morning.
Moreover, the Red Owl was partially disassembled.
“Hey, Jin. Do you have to launch right now?”
“Is there a problem, Dr. Quaul?”
“Did you forget why I came this morning? The Red Owl has taken a lot of damage from all these frequent sorties. If we don’t finish maintenance properly, the power source might blow.”
“There’s a massive rift in Siatelo. We have to go now.”
“Damn it, Siatelo? Maintenance is almost done, but it’ll take at least two more hours to finish assembling the parts…”
“Can’t it be faster?”
“Two hours is the fastest Valeria and I can manage. If we go any faster, you’ll get trapped somewhere in hyperspace.”
“Jin, there’s no choice. Please wait a bit. Or we should contact the Secret Palace and ask for the Small Palace Lord’s help.”
Jin immediately requested communication with the Secret Palace, just as Valeria suggested.
{Uh, Governor? It’s Peng. The Small Palace Lord is currently patrolling Mot and the Western Sea… since rifts are appearing there too. What? It’s urgent? A massive rift in Siatelo? Oh no, what do we do!? It’ll take some time to pinpoint the Small Palace Lord’s exact location.}
Frustration boiled inside him. The longer he waited, the more damage Siatelo would suffer. The thought of ordinary people and the knights protecting them dying was unbearable.
[Governor, I’ll keep relaying reports from Siatelo as they come in. It’s only two hours—don’t worry too much. We’ve already dispatched the Black Sword Chairman and the riders, so it should be manageable.]
Jin sat before the communication device, struggling to calm his anxiety.
Ruet felt the same. If a Demon Realm stronghold was summoned in Siatelo before Jin arrived, Hupester would be forced into war with the Demon Realm. Balas, Merry, and the Tona brothers lacked the power to close the rifts.
‘There’s never been a case where something was summoned immediately after a rift opened… but I have a bad feeling. It seems like the Demon Realm deliberately chose Siatelo to create a massive rift.’
If the Demon Realm had knowledge of the mortal world’s geography, Siatelo was an ideal place to occupy. From the moment their city was summoned, they could strike the Garden of Swords directly.
In the end, the Secret Palace failed to locate Siris and Mot even after two hours.
{Sorry, Governor. We fired all kinds of signal flares, but it seems the Small Palace Lord is too far out patrolling the Western Sea to respond.}
“It’s okay, Peng. If anything else happens, contact Tikan immediately.”
The Red Owl, now fully repaired, awaited at the launch pad. Quaul and Valeria looked exhausted.
“Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Quaul, Valeria. I’m heading out now.”
As soon as Jin activated the Red Owl, he arrived in Siatello in the blink of an eye.
The massive rift that had opened there was far larger than Jin had anticipated. A violet crack spread across the outskirts of Siatello, and knights were locked in battle with mysterious violet ghost-like creatures.
“Jin, those monsters are manifestations of Zito’s will—the one who opened the rift. This is going to be a real headache…” Ameris explained.
At that moment, Jin flinched and glanced beyond the rift where the knights were struggling. There, standing unexpectedly, were five figures he hadn’t expected to see.
“Kid, what’s wrong? Huh… Whoa! That guy’s been gone for ages!?”
Murakan, spotting them late, shouted in surprise.
They were Luna and the former Black Knights, who had just arrived in Inse and were heading toward the Garden of Swords.
“Luna noona…!”
“Oh, the youngest one!”
The moment Luna and the former Black Knights looked up at the Red Owl, Jin felt the weight that had been pressing on his heart lift all at once.