Chapter 910
Episode 228: The Fierce Battle at Grosh Fortress (6)
Boom—crash—!
Distant explosions echoed through the air. Unlike the Barmel Alliance, which had already shattered the first line of defense long ago, fierce fighting still raged on the left, right, and rear defensive lines.
Only the Barmel Alliance had managed a perfect victory in the initial battle and secured time to regroup.
So far, it was confirmed that the Jinma Realm’s defenses consisted of five layers in total. That meant they had to break through four more lines before they could strike the main fortress.
“The real challenge starts at the fortress itself. We need to push through to it as fast as possible, then adjust our pace to figure out when Paelito will make his move.”
Alternatively, they could press the fortress so hard that Paelito wouldn’t even dare to interfere with the kingdom. That would be the ideal strategy.
“Veil.”
{This is Veil Runkandel. I’m listening.}
Since becoming the core of the barrier, Veil had rapidly built up his awareness and pride as a member of his family and the alliance.
The countless experiences he’d endured since joining the alliance had suddenly exploded within him. This was the result of protecting people as the guardian spirit of the barrier.
Now, Veil’s precious bonds extended beyond the late Sara Runkandel. He genuinely wanted to protect all the allies and comrades who trusted and fought alongside him. In other words, he was maturing—becoming worthy of his title as one of the Runkandel’s Tenteen Knights.
Jin smiled as he heard Veil’s voice over the comms, sensing the determination behind his words.
“Time to break through again. This time, you go first and take out the demons at the front line. I’ll rest for another thirty minutes, then head out.”
{Understood, Commander. But only thirty minutes after wiping out the first line with Murakan? If you want more rest, just say so—I can handle it all myself.}
“You’re sounding pretty confident, Veil. Thirty minutes is more than enough.”
[Well, honestly, you probably don’t even need to rest. Taking out those guys was just a warm-up. See you soon.]
Fwoosh!
Veil spread his wings and accelerated sharply. With a thunderous crack, a comet-like golden trail streaked across the sky.
The demons on the defensive line feared Veil.
They had witnessed firsthand the feats he’d performed as the guardian spirit of the barrier—how he had bathed the sky in golden power, slaughtering demons with ruthless precision.
Whoosh!
As Veil’s power began to fill the sky, the poisonous mist of Lagal quickly dissipated. This was a solo breakthrough, but the ones facing death were not Veil—they were the millions of Jinma Realm soldiers on the second line of defense.
“The enemy’s attack has resumed! All units, form up!”
“Target the cannons! Fleets 1 and 2 focus on Veil; the rest prepare for bombardment against the enemy!”
Aware of their painful defeat in the first battle, the demons had placed their demon lords and generals right at the front.
Grotesque main cannons emerged from the Jinma Realm’s ships. Veil didn’t even bother raising a shield when he saw the cannons aimed at him.
He could dodge them all.
[Our commander faces battle with his back to friendly cannons—even the main guns of the Golden Ship. Is there anyone among you bold enough to hold me down like that? If you don’t interfere like that, you’ll never hit me with cannon fire.]
No sooner had Veil finished speaking than a demon lord charged at him, swinging a sword.
Screech!
Veil used his wings to break the demon lord’s stance and slashed his arm. At that moment, the targeted cannons unleashed a volley of violet flashes.
The demon lord tried to pull back, but Veil kept him pinned with his wings, using him as a shield. The Jinma Realm’s cannons quickly tore the demon lord to shreds.
“Grah!”
[Don’t shoot your own allies, you idiots.]
Then Shakan cleaved the demon lord’s regenerating body in two. Golden sword energy spread like a tidal wave, wiping out six enemy ships.
The sword energy struck the lead flagship and then spread widely, ensnaring demons like a net. Even a slight brush against the energy caused demons to convulse in electric shocks; if they managed to hold on, they felt their bodies disintegrating.
In other words, Veil had no use for ordinary soldiers. Whether there were thousands or tens of thousands, their only role was to delay his advance by a few seconds.
[Those who only hold the title of demon lord, those who are merely called generals, and the lowly grunts worse than insects—they’re all meaningless.]
The Jinma Realm commanders had no energy to respond to Veil’s harsh words.
Jin had conserved some strength for the upcoming battles, but Veil’s solar power was nearly infinite.
Moreover, without someone capable of nullifying the solar power, Veil could not be brought to “true death.” Unfortunately, no one among the demons on the second line possessed such ability.
[I am invincible, immortal, while you are weak and finite. I am one of the Runkandel’s Tenteen Knights, the scourge of my family’s enemies. The natural predator of mortals… Yes, I am Veil. Veil Runkandel!]
Meditating aboard the Golden Ship, Jin couldn’t help but laugh at that moment.
“Looks like the kid’s going through a bit of a teenage phase, huh? Spouting such cheesy lines… it’s almost cringe-worthy. Pure self-absorption.”
“Still, it’s better than when we first met. When he matures more, these will just be embarrassing memories he wants to forget.”
Jin, Murakan, and their allies chuckled or felt a pang of empathy at Veil’s words.
But the demons did not. To them, Veil’s childish declarations sounded like the solemn verdicts of long-fallen demon gods.
With every blink, tens of thousands of demons turned to golden ash. The sea was littered with wreckage from the Jinma Realm fleet, and the air was stained with golden power and screams.
Of the thirteen demon lords stationed on the second line, most couldn’t even mount a proper counterattack against Veil.
It wasn’t just a matter of strength. Veil’s speed was so fast, like light itself, that they simply couldn’t keep up.
The demon lords aimed at Veil but ended up hitting their own troops, causing chaos and breaking their formations.
If they had thrown all their power at once, Veil would have been forced to hesitate. Thirteen demon lords were no small threat.
But they were wary of the alliance forces camped far behind, glaring fiercely. If they exhausted themselves and Veil slipped away, the alliance would close in—and that would be disastrous.
So the demon lords preferred to endure heavy losses among their lower-ranked troops, saving strength for when Jin and Murakan struck again.
But their judgment couldn’t hold for long.
Veil was now striking not only ordinary soldiers but the demon lords themselves. Whenever the demon lords’ unity faltered, Shakan swooped in without mercy.
“…We have to use the flesh shards! If this continues, we’ll just keep getting slaughtered. Even if reinforcements arrive, we must capture Veil at all costs!”
One demon lord shouted. Telbit, the strongest among the second-line demon lords.
Whether they lost troops now or were wiped out by the joining alliance, things couldn’t get any worse.
Thirteen demon lords decided to simultaneously use the thirteen flesh shards of Zito—the largest number ever deployed in a single battle since the Jinma War began.
They believed that by combining all their flesh shards, they could wield power comparable to the Zito’s artifact that Sakiel once used to block Jin and Murakan.
Goooooo…!
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Veil flinched and glared at the demon lords. The golden power that had filled the sky was being swallowed by demonic energy.
He unleashed his full power, but it only slowed the spread of the demonic energy.
“My infinite power… is being pushed back. Just like when I faced Jin’s eternalization…!”
Even Jin and Murakan had once retreated rather than confront Sakiel’s flesh shards head-on.
Veil couldn’t handle this alone.
Zito was the only one capable of nullifying Veil’s solar power, the “Trace of Life.” By using Zito’s flesh shards, the demon lords borrowed that power.
The old Veil would have been thrown off by this sudden crisis. Those who grow strong by birth rather than training often lose their way in moments like this.
But Veil pushed back the energy and steadied his sword.
Looking back, he realized that even a thousand years ago in Runkandel, and after meeting Jin and returning to Runkandel, he had been unknowingly becoming a true knight.
“If my will falters because of the gap in power, I won’t be able to face Sara with pride someday.”
Veil swung Shakan as if chanting a spell, like Jin, Luna, or the great comrades from a millennium ago.
The golden power clinging to the blade brightened endlessly, transforming into pure aura.
Veil’s sword traced a massive arc, sharply cleaving the center of the violet sky. This was no divine power he was born with—it was the result of a warrior’s skill.
The demon lords were caught off guard by the unexpected strike, but Zito’s energy quickly refilled the sky.
“…Damn, I thought you only relied on the sun god’s power. You’ve got some real roots, Veil.”
Telbit’s words drew a fierce glare from Veil as he shouted back.
“I am Runkandel, one who grows stronger not through divine power, but by the sword. Come forth… demons, I will cut you all down.”
“Why don’t you look at your own feet before speaking, you arrogant shard of the Sun God? Seems like you were so focused on swinging your sword like some ultimate knight that you missed what’s swirling right beneath you.”
Veil didn’t need to look down to sense it—the demonic energy churning as if ready to devour him.
Telbit had used Zito’s flesh as a catalyst, sacrificing the fallen Demon Lord and his soldiers to unleash dark realm magic. The highest-level sealing spells, curses, and illusions—directly taught by Sakiel—twisted and writhed within the vortex.
“Ugh…!”
The first to strike Veil was the illusion. He gritted his teeth as a vivid vision of Sarah’s brutal murder played out before him.
Just as the seals and curses began to tighten their grip around him—
“Your speech was a bit over the top, but today, you were the most Runkandel I’ve ever seen, Veil.”
“I almost laughed out loud at the things you said while fighting. Still, for a reckless punk who only cared about Sarah, you’ve come a long way. Yeah, you’re starting to look like a proper teenage knight now.”
Jin and Murakan cut through the demonic energy and took their places beside Veil.