Episode 903
Chapter 227: A New Enemy, The Enemy of Our Enemies (4)
Bridge of the Ziphl Second Flagship, Kojek 2.
Originally, Octavia was the captain of Kojek 2, but now the fleet was being led by three extraordinary bio-golems serving as commanders.
Betty, Almatia, and Koon. Each of them was commanding the fleet in place of Veradin, Octavia, and Satlin respectively.
Inside Kojek 2, human mages were a rare sight.
The majority of the crew were bio-golems known as “Spirit Blades,” magical swordsmen constructed from living matter.
The endless line of ships trailing behind the lead flagship were the same.
Human mages made up only about 20% of the total forces.
“Do you really think the Bamel Union will follow our lead, just as the Lord predicted?” Almatia asked.
“I’m curious too,” Koon added. “The Lord decided to deploy this force without the help of the Demonstone. Didn’t he say that Jin Runcandel would surely understand his intentions?”
Betty shook her head at their words.
“Don’t doubt the Lord’s judgment. Besides, the Demonstone’s future calculations are still incomplete. It might be better not to rely on them for something this critical.”
Betty was the captain of the Spirit Blades.
The two deputy commanders nodded cautiously, watching Betty’s reaction.
“Just saying,” Almatia muttered.
“Of course. Whatever orders the Lord gives, we follow. And if those orders seem likely to make things worse, it’s our job to find a way to turn the situation around.”
Koon and the other two special bio-golems saw themselves as more than mere constructs.
They considered themselves people.
In truth, they possessed elements that could be called self-awareness and personality, and no one within Ziphl treated them lightly.
If anything, they were feared. The Spirit Blades were the strongest unit directly under the Lord of Ziphl, following the Phantom Blades and the Ghost Corps, and these three were their leaders.
They even held Ziphl’s noble status, receiving treatment superior to many pureblood Ziphl.
The Phantom Blades usually handled special operations, and the Ghost Corps had earned a notorious reputation as an execution unit since their founding.
The Spirit Blades specialized in large-scale warfare.
This was because their members were generally highly skilled fighters, and even if many died in battle, it didn’t cause major political problems.
Except for Betty, Almatia, and Koon, the rest were just bio-golems identified by numbers.
When a bio-golem died—or rather, was destroyed—it was simply recreated. Though resources were consumed, it was a small price compared to losing a trained human mage.
No matter how strong the average combat ability was, the others were still just bio-golems.
They could never hold more value than genuine 8- or 9-star mages.
“Unit 374.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Increase speed. The vanguard must be able to strike the defenses of Groshé Castle before midnight.”
“Understood.”
The Ziphl fleet advancing on Groshé Castle numbered exactly one thousand ships. Moreover, Ziphl planned to reinforce the front lines with additional fleets every two days.
Ziphl didn’t yet possess advanced technologies like spatial leaps or ultra-long-range communication like the Bamel Union, but their war materiel and production capacity far outmatched other powers.
This was thanks to the ability to utilize the “Holy Ground” through Sanna, the Sun God’s priestess.
Veradin was already planning to deal with her soon, based on new information the Demonstone had recently revealed.
“The traitor Keliak Ziphl… to think he recovered and established himself in Hell.”
“And the priestess knew this but didn’t inform the Lord, Betty. The Sun God’s cult clearly has no real loyalty to the Lord.”
“The Lord foresaw this from the start. He said the day would come when we’d have to part ways with the Sun God’s cult. We still need more from the Holy Ground, so for now, she must live. But we must eliminate her before she grows stronger.”
“One of the worst-case scenarios the Demonstone calculated was the priestess and Keliak joining forces. If only we could capture the Bamel Union’s Azmil contractor. Once the Demonstone’s future calculations are perfect, we won’t have to rack our brains anymore.”
“Since Jin Runcandel allied with Tikan, the Azmil contractor has never been exposed to danger. Securing Yuria Alfrion will only be possible after the Bamel Union starts to crumble. The ongoing wars have delayed the god hunts, so we must first clean up the Demon Realm with this invasion.”
“Don’t worry, Captain. Koon and I will start slaughtering those demon bastards tonight.”
“We’ve been bored cutting down leftover Red-Eyed tribesmen, so this is a welcome change. Those guys are still lost and can’t find their main base despite their weakened numbers. But the Demon Realm’s main stronghold, Groshé Castle, is openly on the sea, so it feels less frustrating.”
“There must be some kind of passage to the Demon Realm inside Groshé Castle. Once we take it, we can crush the real base. Until we capture Groshé Castle and enter the Demon Realm to assess the situation, avoid engaging the Bamel Union and Kinzello as much as possible. Everyone understands, right? Don’t recklessly charge at the Union’s elites on the front lines.”
“Yes, yes, we know. It’s a bit disappointing, but it can’t be helped. The mission is more important than our personal pride. We can always settle scores with the Bamel Union’s superhumans after we finish the Demon Realm.”
“Not just anytime—we must kill them. Our ultimate enemy isn’t the Demon Realm or the Red-Eyed tribes, but the Bamel Union and Runcandel. If we don’t defeat them, none of this will mean anything.”
The Ziphl fleet surged forward relentlessly through the sea of swords and magic.
A thousand ships cast a massive shadow over the ocean, and midnight was fast approaching.
11:45 PM.
At last, Betty spotted the Demon Realm’s defensive line far ahead beyond the bridge.
They had already dealt with several scouting planes and demons before reaching this point, so the Demon Realm had reinforced their defenses against Ziphl.
“Finally, the first battle… It looks like they pulled some troops from the Hupester barrier to reinforce this side. If this isn’t a trick, it means the Demon Realm’s forces aren’t truly infinite.”
Just as Betty spoke, a small craft flew in from the rear formation.
It had come to report information from the very back of the line directly to Betty.
The pilot entered Kojek 2 and found the bridge.
“What is it, Unit 1704?”
“About three hours ago, the Bamel Union’s barrier began moving. Also, many new superhumans are being added to the front lines of the barrier, Captain.”
Betty smiled broadly.
“As expected, the Lord’s prediction was accurate. Immediately relay this to all captains. There’s no need for us to retreat to the family in vain.”
“Understood.”
“All hands, prepare for battle. Unit 374, change formation to breakthrough with Fleet 5.”
“Yes.”
Boom!
A massive signal flare exploded into the sky, forming a cryptic pattern resembling the Seal of Fire.
“All fleets, scatter and prepare for bombardment. Engage and eliminate any fleeing or scattered enemies. Almatia, Koon, you two will command Fleets 6 and 7, forming the flanks of the encirclement.”
“Huh? You’re leading the breakthrough alone? Wouldn’t it be easier if we went in together?”
“We’ve been harassed by demons escaping through sudden spatial rifts, summons, and leaps to Groshé Castle. This is the first time we’re striking the enemy’s main stronghold first.”
“So you want to show the enemy just how many monsters Ziphl has?”
“Exactly. And they still haven’t grasped the situation. That’s why they only pulled this small force from the barrier. We need to warn them they can’t hold both the Union’s barrier and us at the same time.”
Betty left the bridge and took her place at the front of Kojek 2.
The Demon Realm’s defenses unleashed a barrage of spells and fire, but Ziphl’s fleet raised their shields.
A low hum filled the air.
Betty gripped her staff and sword, glaring at the enemy.
Flames of annihilation swirled around her staff, while light magic and aura enveloped her sword.
“I will kill every last one of you, starting now. I am Betty Ziphl.”
At the same time, Kinzello’s headquarters.
Kinzello had also received news that Runcandel and Ziphl’s forces were advancing on Groshé Castle.
“Hmm… unexpected. I thought Jin Runcandel would be the one to strike Groshé Castle first and draw in the other great powers. But Veradin Ziphl made this call.”
“Indeed, Master. As you said, the Imperial family holds the Red-Eyed tribes’ leash, so they haven’t fully recovered from their battles with Ziphl.”
“The Imperial family and Melka probably withheld blood and information from the Red-Eyed tribes on purpose. Now that the tribes are faltering and Ziphl has the upper hand, they’ll use this to pressure the Federation from within. But somehow, I think Veradin anticipated this to some extent.”
“So, what exactly are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to coordinate with the others like we did during the initial all-out attack on Hyungsinjeon?”
[Of course. Handling Jito alone is tough for us, so this is our chance. Immediately order the troops stationed at the barrier to advance alongside the Balmel Alliance.]
“Hmm, I’m a bit worried. Last time, when we tried to sync up with Jin, both Zipul and I ended up getting played. Hopefully, it won’t happen again this time. Then again, this time it’s Veradin who’s starting things off, not Jin, so maybe it’ll be different. I can’t recall Veradin ever pulling a fast one on us while we were trying to figure out his intentions.”
Zephyrin shrugged.
[Jo.]
“Yes, Captain!”
[Most of Zipul’s fleet is probably made up of bio-golems. We’ll send an additional fleet composed of masters.]
Masters.
Not long ago, when they encountered the mines in the underground city of Pirol, Orgal secretly collected some of their fragments.
Jo analyzed the data from those fragments and finally completed the development of the masters.
“Oh, finally, it’s time for my creations to shine! Understood, Captain. I’ll get everything ready immediately!”