Chapter 875
Episode 218: The Cycle of Stronger Foes (Part 4)
Facing the suddenly formed new Great Rift were not only Mary and the Tona brothers.
In the Kingdom of Shucheron, within the Oken Desert, Tuben, Heyjin, and the family’s Execution Knights were battling two Great Generals who had emerged from the Great Rift, along with a demonic force numbering nearly five thousand.
“I never thought we’d encounter such a brutal battlefield so soon after the Black Sea. Clearly, the family head didn’t send us back for nothing,” Tuben remarked.
“Requesting reinforcements does bruise the pride a bit,” Heyjin admitted.
The new Great Rift had opened immediately after Tuben, Heyjin, and their group had wiped out about half of the enemy forces in the previous rift.
As soon as they killed one Great General and roughly two thousand demons, securing a clear advantage, the sky turned purple, and the shockwave of the new Great Rift rippled outward.
“Who do you think’s coming, Tuben?”
“Well… probably the Third Squadron. From what I overheard on the comms, the First Squadron seems a bit worn out. They lost a Great General in just a few minutes, after all.”
Though Runtia had also used the Brotherhood’s power to clear the first mission area, they were naturally less fatigued than Luna.
“I have a feeling someone more familiar and welcome is on their way,” Heyjin said just as two Great Generals from the Demon Realm appeared within the newly formed Rift.
They stood beside the last surviving Great General from the previous battle, surveying the battlefield.
“Huh, Ragar’s dead?”
“Did those humans kill him? Hanalof,” said the two Great Generals who had just emerged from the Rift—Bargo Kalaga and Rimdon Groshae.
They were kin to the Great Generals recently slain by Luna: Plex Kalaga and Sakiel Groshae.
When Hanalof nodded, Rimdon shook his head in disbelief.
“We haven’t heard much about those two. Are they the knights of Siron Runkandel who recently returned?”
“Whoever they are, they killed Ragar. They’re not to be underestimated. Stay sharp and deal with them properly.”
Meanwhile, the Demon Realm’s fortress summoned through the Great Rift began to blanket the Oken Desert.
The knights of Runkandel dodged the rising structures and reformed their lines.
For this incursion, the Demon Realm had deliberately stationed numerous Great Generals and equivalent demons in the inland rifts.
While the seas could be easily conquered without sending Great Generals, the inland regions were a different matter.
The Oken Desert was the area where the most Great Generals had been deployed simultaneously.
The Demon Realm’s goal was to establish a foothold inland, starting with the Oken Desert, to expand their strongholds.
They already had their largest base at sea.
“Before we cross blades, I want to hear your names, human commanders. Speak—what are you called in Inse?”
Rimdon, the highest-ranking of the three Great Generals, stepped forward. Demons summoned alongside the fortress had already surrounded the knights.
“Black Helm.”
“Black Helm? Hah, you’ll learn soon enough when we capture and punish you. Now, attack!”
At Rimdon’s command, the demons surged forward, firing blades, magic, and cannons in unison.
“Runkandel, break through!”
“Understood!”
Led by Tuben and Heyjin, the knights formed a breakthrough formation and roared their battle cries.
Runkandel’s entire force consisted of two former Black Knights and five hundred Execution Knights.
Though outnumbered exactly one hundred to one, they showed no sign of intimidation. Instead, they charged as if to slaughter the desperate enemy.
The demons, driven mad with frenzy, met them head-on without hesitation.
Each time Tuben and Heyjin swung their swords, dozens of demons at the front were sliced into pieces, while the Execution Knights relentlessly cut down those swarming from the sides and rear.
It was as if a violet river surged through the battlefield.
Not just a metaphor—the blood and flesh of the demons flowed like a river beneath the knights’ blades.
“Indeed, they deserved to kill Ragar. If the underlings wear down their stamina just right, then the generals strike all at once.”
But Rimdon’s plan was about to be thwarted.
[Whoooooosh!]
Once again, a white dimensional gate opened in the sky, and Mote appeared.
Four people were aboard Mote.
Siris Endorma, Jed Runkandel, Vanessa Olson, and Hedo.
Except for Siris, the other three leapt to the ground and swung their swords, causing a brief tremor across the entire battlefield.
Siris immediately departed with Mote to another region, the otherworldly snowy plains.
“Is everyone alright?” Jed asked, unleashing a meteor shower.
The superhuman meteors, earned by breaking through the Black Sea alone, exploded demons like fireworks.
“Ah, just as Heyjin said, some more welcome faces have arrived.”
“I’ve brought the stray cat who used to be our joy in that desolate Black Sea, friends,” Vanessa said.
Stray cat.
When Hedo had wandered the Black Sea in his youth, Siron and the Black Knights truly saw him that way.
Fierce and troublesome, but occasionally spending time with him allowed them to momentarily forget the Black Sea’s desolation.
“…Vanessa, are you really going to keep calling me a stray cat?”
“Even if you became the Chief of Staff of the Bamel Union, in our memories you’ll always be that cute stray cat. Don’t expect that perception to change.”
“Heh, well then.”
“Oh, look who it is. Stray cat Hedo!”
“Still as cute and welcome as ever.”
The grim expressions vanished as Tuben and Heyjin chuckled, looking at Hedo.
Though a bit embarrassed by the nickname, Hedo was grateful to finally be helping the benefactors of his youth.
Had he not met Siron and the knights in the Black Sea, Hedo would have ended his life as a beast, never ascending the path.
He wouldn’t have met Sandra Ziphl, more precious than life itself.
“Tuben, Heyjin. You both look exhausted. From now on, just provide support.”
“When a stray cat talks, you have to listen.”
“Ah, come on.”
The sudden arrival of the three instantly shifted the battlefield’s atmosphere, much to the displeasure of the Demon Realm’s Great Generals.
“Still, we’ll finish off that Hanalof. You two handle the newcomers.”
Though stunned, the Great Generals couldn’t underestimate their opponents’ power.
Jed’s meteor shower was already slaughtering thousands of demons, and those who attacked Vanessa were swept away without a trace by her sword dance.
Hedo’s sword energy carved a path straight toward the Great Generals.
The sword energy pounded their shields like a tidal wave.
With five of the alliance’s top superhumans gathered, the nearly five thousand ordinary demons were practically meaningless.
Only generals of at least that rank could meaningfully contribute to this fight.
Since some generals were mixed among the troops, Jed took them all on at once.
Hanalof faced Tuben and Heyjin, while Bargo and Rimdon confronted Vanessa and Hedo respectively.
A new battle formation had taken shape.
Unlike Plex, the Great Generals had no intention of retreating. Capturing the Oken Desert was the primary objective of this great incursion.
“We’ve all risked our lives countless times in the Black Sea against foes far worse than you. So, don’t be too upset if you lose.”
Back at sea, the Demon Realm’s largest base.
Sakiel watched the entire situation through a crystal orb, maintaining a deliberately calm expression.
‘…So, after Shucheron, even the Oken Desert is slipping away. I knew there would be many variables, but not to this extent.’
Jin and Murakan couldn’t see the orb, but they received all updates via communication devices from Kashmir.
A complete victory.
The outcome of the first great incursion was practically a total win. Most of the Demon Realm’s secret weapon—the additional Great Rifts—were being shattered.
Not all battlefields had been won. Some areas of the Empire and Huepester had seen successful Demon Realm incursions.
They couldn’t block every new Rift appearing in real time.
But they had defended all key regions without civilian casualties. The lost lands would have to be reclaimed gradually through war.
“Well, I think everyone’s caught up on the situation. Sakiel, if you still have no intention of summoning Faelito, I have one last proposal before I leave.”
“A proposal?”
“Yes, or you could call it a final warning. It’s simple and clear: the Demon Realm should withdraw all Rifts now, return to your lands, and live as before.”
“…You’re far too intoxicated by this small victory. I refuse.”
“Well, I didn’t expect otherwise. Even if you retreat now, you might threaten Inse again someday. For future generations, we can’t leave the seed of unease. But tell me, you seem quite burdened by the two of us?”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“It’s strange. From your perspective, the Bamel Union is the enemy, and now its leader and guardian dragon have come right into your midst. Yet you keep telling us to just leave. If I were in your shoes, I’d try to finish this no matter what.”
Sakiel glared tensely at Jin. Jin smiled faintly.
“Before you go, I’ll give you a gift—try handling this, Murakan!”
The moment Jin called his name, Murakan’s form began to shift abruptly. His amber eyes blazed like fire, and a pair of wings sprouted from his back.
This was Murakan’s true form, the awakened state confirmed through the fake and ancient truths in Temar’s Seventh.
Sakiel, despite glaring intently, suddenly felt a strange sensation as if his vision was being swallowed by darkness.
Black Dragon Ultimate Technique
Jin 真 Dark Arrival
In Temar’s Seventh Tomb, Murakan hadn’t just recovered his memories—he had regained the ability to wield his long-forgotten ultimate skill.
Sakiel and the demon forces stationed there could only shudder as they faced a darkness as terrifying as the days before the artificial sun existed underground.