Chapter 872
Episode 218: The Cycle of Stronger Foes Arriving After Each Defeat (Part 1)
January 2, 1804. The new year had just begun, and a full day had passed.
This New Year brought an unprecedented flood of news reports. The Transference of the Demon Realm, the responses of various factions, the Golden Ark’s Stormships of the Barmel Union, and the battle between Ayula and Jito.
The people under the protection of the Barmel Union were ecstatic over their forces’ immediate and decisive actions as the war broke out.
It was certainly a cause for celebration, but beneath the excitement lay a desperate attempt to shake off the lingering unease. Though the Barmel Union had secured victories across all regions in their initial battles, the war against the Demon Realm was only just beginning.
Until the Demon Realm was completely destroyed or forced to surrender, and until the final war among the great powers—including Jinkandel and Ziphl—was over, the people could only live with anxiety ever present.
Still, those under the Barmel Union’s protection held onto a somewhat greater hope than civilians elsewhere.
This was because, after the battle with Jito, Ayula had entrusted Jin with the aftermath, expressing her faith in him.
“Jito has retreated because Jin Jinkandel and Murakan are here. I trust them. I have dealt an irreversible blow to Jito, the leader of the Demon Realm, with my vital energy. Jin Jinkandel will kill him and free the mortal world from the Demon Realm’s grip.”
These were Ayula’s final words before ending her manifestation. Every reporter present at the scene was broadcasting this message worldwide.
“I never imagined Ayula would be pushed back like that in over three thousand years of existence. Jito—that twisted, maddening pervert—is seriously strong.”
“That frivolous and vulgar behavior is the hallmark of Jito, the immortal. Simple pain, and the pleasure derived from it. Jito is the embodiment of that. That’s why there’s no room for compromise or negotiation with him.”
Jito was unlike any transcendent being Jin and his comrades had encountered before.
He neither put on airs nor flaunted his powers. His personality was more fitting for a street thug than a transcendent.
Yet, Jito was more dangerous than any other transcendent. To him, everything in the world except pain and pleasure was meaningless, making any form of compromise impossible.
“Hah, I’m really worried about Ayula. That Jito guy seems to have drained a lot of her strength.”
“Murakan, since when do you care about others? I haven’t met her personally, but if she says she’s fine, then she must be. Of course, it’ll take a long time for her to recover her lost powers.”
Ayula’s energy wasn’t depleted solely from fighting Jito. She had already been expending vital energy when she cast the protective barrier over the entire Holy Kingdom.
However, as long as that barrier wasn’t completely destroyed, it was expected to hold strong for a thousand years.
“Ameris, doesn’t that mean Ayula has effectively lost her status as a top-tier deity?”
“That depends on how humans perceive the form of immortals. The barrier she created is part of her physical being. So, mortals blessed by Ayula can feel closer to her. And the faith amplified through her will eventually elevate her back to a top-tier immortal.”
“That’s a relief, but it still feels off. The poor lady was on her last legs, yet she blessed those two necklaces she gave to me and the kid at the end.”
Rani had been told by Jin and Murakan to wear the volcanic necklaces as a sign of respect.
Just before ending her manifestation, Ayula had blessed two necklaces.
“It’s a blessing to protect the weakest among you at a critical moment. That’s what she said, right?”
“Exactly. She disappeared before she could explain further, exhausted. The weakest among us, huh? Then these necklaces should go to the weaker ones. Let’s see… I can think of one right away. Hey, Jet!”
“Yes, Murakan!”
“You take one.”
“Haha, Murakan, I’m just an informant, but I’ve trained quite a bit… Ugh!”
Murakan immediately punched Jet. Jet raised both arms to block the blow but felt a sharp pain as if his arms were breaking.
Before Jet could say anything, Murakan swung his fists at the other comrades gathered in the meeting room at the same speed. No one was hit.
“Gotta take it, right?”
“Oh, of course. I was just saying that because it felt awkward. It’s a bit much for someone like me to have such a powerful divine blessing.”
“Take it. It’s a powerful item, but you’ve done a lot since joining us. If you suddenly died at the hands of demons, it’d make us uncomfortable.”
Jet was deeply moved. He looked at Murakan with tears nearly in his eyes, and Murakan waved his hand awkwardly.
“Yay! I’ll use it well. I’ll take good care of it.”
“Jet.”
“Yes, sir!”
“The other one goes to Dr. Quaul.”
“Oh, right. Quaul should have one. If something happens to him, the entire union’s technology collapses.”
So Jet and Quaul were chosen as the two to carry Ayula’s blessings. Jin had a strong intuition that these necklaces would prove crucial to them—and to the entire Barmel Union—at a decisive moment.
After Jet left, the others fixed their gaze on the world map spread across the table.
The map marked the Demon Realm’s strongholds confirmed so far.
“A total of 79 transference points… over 80% are maritime.”
At the edges of each faction’s territorial waters and in neutral seas.
Most of the Demon Realm’s transferred castles, fortresses, and cities were located there. The Barmel Union and the Lutero Federation had managed to block and defend their homelands from transference.
About 20% of the transferred cities were within each faction’s territory and were the priority targets.
The inland Demon Realm strongholds were generally much larger than the maritime cities. Their size rivaled major mortal cities, and the concentrated forces within were too vast to estimate.
“The Demon Realm fortress in the Shol Principality was completely wiped out by the Stormship last night. Only one commander and about five officers escaped to other strongholds.”
“The Chilsikjo and Imperial investigation teams are currently inspecting the fortress interior. We should have a report by today.”
The fortress in Shol was the smallest among the inland transferred cities. However, Jin had no intention of continuing to deploy the Stormship for inland cleanup.
“The Stormship’s primary role is to serve as a barrier. If we use it for inland cleanup, the Demon Realm forces in the seas will try to break through to the land.”
Naturally, rumors about the Stormship’s power had already spread throughout the Demon Realm. Several demon generals had already fallen to it. The Demon Realm classified the Stormship as a legendary airborne fortress of ancient times.
“That’s right, Jin. The moment their main forces enter inland, the Union will be forced into a defensive stance. And since we have to protect civilians and territory, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”
“Yes. We’ll establish a barrier across the entire Demon Realm sea region centered on the Stormship, while the rest of our forces handle the inland extermination directly. Lord Veil and Lady Amela, coordinate with the Golden Ark to confirm the supplies and troops needed for the barrier. Those with mobility and heavy firepower suited for mass destruction will be deployed mainly to the barrier.”
“Understood.”
“Tch, got it.”
“Thanks to Ayula, Jito won’t manifest again for a while. So the Demon Realm will have to send their top-tier warriors to break through the barrier.”
However, if the Demon Realm’s strongest fighters are absent trying to break the barrier, the Union could launch surprise infiltrations in return.
Thus, the Demon Realm’s position wasn’t entirely favorable. After all, the entire Demon Realm hadn’t fully transferred to the surface, and their most overwhelming force, Jito, was unable to manifest.
“Once all inland Demon Realm strongholds are eliminated, we’ll be able to press the Demon Realm. Of course, for that to happen, our rate of extermination must outpace their rate of transference inland.”
The large-scale transference had ended, but the process itself was ongoing. Each faction was still receiving real-time reports of new transference rifts forming inland.
“The ideal time for their invasion is when we’re fully committed to inland cleanup. Since we don’t know the full extent of their forces, we might even have to send the Golden Ark inland.”
“Before that happens, we need to finish the inland extermination or mass-produce Golden Arks… Those are the best options we can hope for.”
“Exactly.”
Jin then pointed to a rift marked on the map in the Kingdom of Shucheron.
“This is the first area we need to clear. We’ll send Lord Tuben, Lord Heijin, and the family’s execution knights.”
Next was southern Delki.
“For the relatively smaller southern Delki, we’ll send Sister Mary, Brother Tona, and their troops. Sisters Luna and Luntia will handle the rifts in the central and southern Empire, respectively.”
Those named nodded in acknowledgment. Jin then assigned extermination zones to other transcendent members of the Union, including Hedo.
Fortunately, the number of superhumans wasn’t any less than the number of Jinma Realm strongholds established inland within the alliance. Soon, as they moved toward their mission area, battles would erupt simultaneously on multiple fronts.
“Victory is important, but survival is even more crucial. Commanders, don’t risk your lives recklessly for an immediate win. If you find yourselves overwhelmed, retreat at once and call for backup. Even if you lose ground in one area, everyone must survive for us to achieve overall victory.”
His comrades nodded in agreement.
“But kid, why didn’t they assign you and me to the inland front?” Murakan asked.
Jin grinned slyly.
“You and I are heading to the sea first. We need to see what those audacious bastards who dared invade Inse actually look like. Get ready—we’re moving out.”