Episode 860
Chapter 215: Reunion with the Gods (Part 1)

December 12, 1803.

Following the five members of the Black Sea expedition, and now with Runtia’s return, Gilbo’s influence in Runcandel was growing day by day.

Among the returnees were two individuals capable of handling the “Great Rift” phenomenon—just like the one that had appeared in Siatelo last time. Luna, with her crimson sword aura, and Runtia, known as the Brother Star.

Since Siatelo, they had each dealt with a Great Rift—one in Hupester and the other in the Empire. But it wasn’t just them; Jin, other riders, and the family’s knights were all continuously dispatched to rift zones.

News of Runcandel’s exploits flooded in daily.

The hierarchy war had ended, and now the current generation of Runcandel had finally united, preparing together for the future.

“Like Father said, Runtia’s Brother Star probably has a limited number of uses. It means it can’t be used endlessly until ascending to the Creation Stage,” Luna explained.

“That’s right, Luna. Unlike us, the youngest seems to have fewer restrictions on using Eternalization, as long as they can endure the injuries. But the speed at which these rifts are appearing is alarming.”

In the Sword Garden’s conference room, riders and leaders gathered, heads bent over a map marked with over a hundred rift locations.

“We, the So-gaju, First Rider, and Third Rider, can’t eliminate all these rifts. Until the demonic realm’s transference ends, we’ll have no choice but to defend only the key strongholds,” Leet said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

“The silver lining is that among the major powers, we’re handling the rifts most effectively. Kinzello and Ziphl seem to be struggling quite a bit,” another added.

Kinzello was slowed by Orgal’s injury, and Ziphl was tied up in war with the Red-Eyed Tribe, so their rift-clearing efforts lagged behind.

Given that they had fewer capable individuals than Runcandel, this was expected. Rumors had already spread among the common folk that Hupester was the safest land.

Though the demonic realm remained a ticking time bomb threatening the world, Jin no longer felt the suffocating despair he once did. With brothers, comrades, family, and allies, they would find a way. As always.

Runcandel was strong now.

Since Shiron was often absent, it was fair to say this generation was stronger than any since Temar’s.

“The key will be what happens after the transference ends. According to Ayula’s revelation, it won’t be long. I have a feeling it will coincide with the end of the Holy Kingdom’s prayers and Ayula’s manifestation. The Holy King expects the same,” Leet said.

“That’s right, youngest. No—ah, ahem! Yes, So-gaju,” Luna quickly corrected herself, avoiding Leet’s sharp gaze. Like Balas, even Luna and Runtia had to watch their words around Leet.

“The Holy King predicts Ayula’s manifestation will occur on the last day of this year or the dawn of the new year. If the rifts continue forming at this rate, we should be able to hold all key points until then.”

Though some areas might be lost, no matter what powerful beings emerge from the demonic realm afterward, Runcandel was confident they could defeat them.

“Surely, there aren’t hundreds or thousands of those demon lords like Paelito Belgassium—the one who crushed Orgal. I can’t imagine our family’s strongest knights losing to him or others. The real wildcard is Jito. But since he’s still regaining his strength, he probably won’t appear on the front lines early in the war.”

“Mary’s right. If there were hundreds of such beings, the ancient sovereign demons would never have held dominance back then.”

“However, while the Red-Eyed Tribe, Blue-Eyed Tribe, and ancient sovereign demons were sealed when Ameris fell asleep, those guys have no break in their history. Their technology is probably on par or better than the Red-Eyed Tribe’s, and judging by the number of rifts, their forces must be enormous.”

“Even if we assume superiority in top-tier strength and numbers, if their manpower and resources are overwhelming, the surface world will suffer irreparable damage—even if we win the war.”

The demonic realm’s goal was to turn the surface into hell through suffering.

From Runcandel’s perspective, these demons were a completely different breed from Ziphl, Kinzello, or the Red-Eyed Tribe.

Ziphl aimed to conquer without excessive destruction; Kinzello sought to realize their utopia through the sun god’s resurrection; and the Red-Eyed Tribe, though different in approach, shared the same goal of the sun god’s revival.

Therefore, they avoided indiscriminate slaughter. The Red-Eyed Tribe fed on life’s blood and treated humans like insects, but they still avoided harming ordinary people out of fear of Jin.

The demonic realm’s demons were not like that.

They delighted in mass slaughter without reason and routinely tortured innocent people.

Thus, Runcandel and the Balmel Alliance were forced into a defensive war.

But it was impossible for Jin and the top-tier superhumans alone to protect everyone.

“What we need is a powerful weapons system and defense capability that can wipe out demons as soon as they appear—something even non-specialists can use.”

As Jin organized his thoughts and spoke, the others nodded. This was exactly what Runcandel and the Balmel Alliance desperately needed. They had already recruited many superhumans capable of handling demon lords like Paelito.

The Golden Fleet and mass-produced Ielo.

If they could complete just these two, their lacking “general firepower” would increase dramatically. Runcandel’s magic knight units, using stored runic paper, were nearly ready for combat deployment.

“Ziphl is already mass-producing magic swordsman bio-golems, and their fleet is growing, so they have fewer worries than us. They also have the variable of the Demon God Stone. Kinzello has a fleet too, and unlike us, they have fewer people to protect. Their beastmen and demons aren’t numerous, but many are combatants, and they have fleets.”

Runcandel also had variables to counter the Demon God Stone and “the perfect Orgal.”

Shiron and the remaining expedition members’ return.

But Jin planned to fight the demonic realm’s war without Shiron again.

“Father is transcending his own fate. And entrusting me with the reins means he trusts me. I will protect the family and the world this time as well.”

Just knowing that Shiron, who had overcome demonic transformation, would return someday was a great comfort.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Yona spoke up. (This was Yona’s first time attending a formal family meeting, and Leet didn’t correct her use of So-gaju or honorifics.)

“Yona, why the sudden question?”

“Hehe, youngest, you were just thinking about the Golden Fleet and mass-produced Ielo, right?”

“Yes.”

[Ah, our Yona. Such a cutie! I’ve been waiting for you to speak, great-granddaughter! Eek… Sorry, but you’re just too adorable. So, Yona, what’s on your mind?]

“We’ve never really considered the existence of an underground world, have we?”

[Of course not. Who would think such a thing exists? Tsk, the world’s gone crazy.]

“Hehe, but I suddenly thought of the Phoenix, great-grandfather.”

[The Phoenix?]

“You mean the Phoenix, sister?”

“Yes, the Phoenix. They live in the Flame Realm. But we don’t even know where the Flame Realm is, and Murakan, who’s been there, can’t find his way back. Is it because he’s dumb? Anyway, what I want to say is this: if the underground can rise to the surface like this, couldn’t the Flame Realm do the same?”

Jin felt as if he’d been hit on the back of the head with a blunt object. It was a completely unexpected idea.

“Huh… that’s a good hypothesis, sister. If we could get help from Tes’s true form and the Phoenixes of the Flame Realm, no matter how great the demon forces, we could minimize damage on the surface.”

—The name “Flame Realm” is just a convenient term from our dimension. It’s a dimension filled entirely with fire and Phoenixes. Even the highest gods don’t know its true name.

—The gods don’t know? So the Flame Realm lies beyond the gods’ domain?

—Ding ding, correct. Even the fire god Shinuzo can’t freely control the flames of the Flame Realm. Likewise, Tes, the Flame Realm’s master, can’t control Shinuzo’s fire.

This was a conversation Jin had with Murakan when they first summoned Tes.

Of course, borrowing the Flame Realm’s power was just a wish. There were certain restrictions between the Flame Realm and the mortal world, which is why Tes had never been able to unleash full power.

But now, with the demon barrier broken and the world beginning to “change,” Jin thought there might be a way to lift those restrictions. Perhaps the Flame Realm’s location was somewhere underground as well.

“Murakan said he once saw Tes, with just a breath, annihilate mid-tier gods. It’s probably impossible to fully harness that power… but I have a good feeling. There must be a way. The world is changing.”

Jin imagined the Phoenixes of the Flame Realm burning the invading demons on the surface, and Tes overwhelming Jito. Just imagining it was sweet.

“Hehe, did I do well?”

“Yes, you did, sister. We need to act on this immediately. When Murakan arrives later, we should summon Tes and talk.”

[This great-grandfather always thinks Yona is the best!]

[The Black Sword Chairman is currently in a meeting… Ha, but please don’t show favoritism toward the great-grandchildren. I care deeply for Miss Yona, but the others might feel left out.]

Though he said that, Luet knew very well that everyone wasn’t feeling left out at all—in fact, they were quite pleased.

[That Yona, that Siron fellow—(at this point, Luet finally snapped the pen he’d been holding)—ahem! The head of the family sent Yona into obscurity way too early. So now I have to shower her with even more love, hehe. Don’t you agree?]

“I like great-grandpa too, though maybe not as much as the youngest.”

[Still, you prefer great-grandpa over the steward, right?]

“Heh, I’m not sure… Maybe if great-grandpa plays the ear-cutting game with me later, I might.”

[Hahaha! This old man’s already died once, so losing an ear or two won’t matter. As long as our Yona has fun. Let’s do it!]

While Yona and Balas chuckled together, the communication device chimed with a resonant tone.

{My lady!}

It was a message from Tikan.

“Jet, what’s going on?”

{Julian’s guardian dragon, Kaltor, has finally fully awakened! Miss Valaya says we should hurry to meet that Paytel fellow or whatever his name is.}