Episode 930
Chapter 231: Resolve (3)
The Empire, Old Capital Hailan, Second Fortress.
The Great Rift was opening not only over Drakka but across all the major strongholds of the mortal realm’s great powers. Here, Luna and Luntia had stepped in to fill the void left by Dante.
“Thankfully, we managed to finish this before the civilian casualties got out of hand, sis,” Luntia said, gazing up at the sky.
Just minutes ago, the rift to the Demon Realm had filled the heavens. But before the demons could even begin to pour through, the two had completely sealed every crack.
Wherever the rifts had opened, traces of crimson sword energy and a profound brotherhood lingered. The crimson sword energy still burned fiercely, swallowing the scattered demonic energy and the corpses of demons alike.
“Sis, are you sure you didn’t overdo it? You used a lot of that crimson sword energy. Didn’t you get exhausted before because of the limit on how many times you could use it?”
Luntia studied Luna’s expression carefully. Though Luna showed no sign of fatigue, a heavy gloom hung over her.
“No, I’m not tired.”
“Then?”
“…My chest feels tight.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed. Throughout the battle, she had been haunted by a foreboding intuition.
“You’re worried about the youngest, aren’t you?”
“Yeah… This time, I think the youngest is facing an opponent too strong to overcome.”
Luna could vaguely sense Faelito’s power, just as Elona had read it before.
That power was endlessly dark and immense—like the kings of the Black Sea they had faced during the expedition.
“If you say that, you must have sensed something. Alright, leave this place to me. You head to the fortress.”
Luntia pointed toward the newly opening Great Rifts far off in the sky. But Luna shook her head.
“No, I’ll stay here. You go support.”
Her voice was firm.
Of course, Luna worried more than anyone about Jin. She wanted to rush to help the youngest immediately.
But the Sovereign had ordered them to defend the Empire.
So even if support was needed, the one best suited to stay and carry out that order alone was Luna.
Luntia didn’t argue. The captains knew the laws of Runkandel well enough.
“Understood. I’ll return to headquarters immediately and coordinate with the Sovereign. I’ll also send someone to replace me here.”
Luna raised Krantel high. The crimson sword energies swirling in the sky began to converge into the blade’s form.
“Alright, Luntia. I’m counting on you. I’ll come over as soon as this side is settled.”
Seongwang Fortress.
A golden shield enveloped the fortress. It was a protective barrier formed by Lani and the priests, gathering the residual energy of Ayula destroyed by Faelito.
“Hah, hah…”
Seongwang Lani knelt before the iron gate of the lowest underground floor—the Eternal Vault of Bankela—drawing upon her holy power.
Bright yellow divine energy mingled with the biting cold of the eternal ice Talalis had cast, filling the depths.
They were holding back the surge of Zito’s energy trying to break through the iron gate. Purple demonic energy seeped through the narrow cracks of the iron door, where not even a sheet of paper could pass.
The source of the demonic energy was the Eye of Zito, sealed deep within the Eternal Vault.
‘There’s a limit to how long I can hold this alone. That monster’s eye must be waiting for the moment the Vice Sovereign leaves.’
Talalis had gone outside as soon as Faelito’s invasion began. At first, she tried to slow Faelito’s advance with a barrier, and now she had to stop Bideluce.
Boom…! Creak!
Suddenly, heavy explosions and tremors shook the fortress from outside. The enemy had already breached the fortress’s shield. Lani gritted her teeth, a drop of blood trickling from her lips.
“Already!? No, this is too fast!”
The tremors intensified rapidly. As the earth shook, a crack opened in the iron gate, and the demonic energy surged wildly through the gap.
Outside, the situation was far worse than Lani could sense.
“Oh my, oh my, look at you all. You really thought you could stop Bideluce by gathering the remnants of Ayula’s shield? Such big dreams.”
Screeeech!
A thick purple beam shot from Bideluce’s grasp. Each time she lightly extended her hand, massive cracks spiderwebbed across the fortress’s shield.
Bideluce of Destruction.
In the Demon Realm, she was the very embodiment of annihilation. She paid no mind to her minions charging through the broken shield, firing her beams relentlessly. The demon army pressed on without hesitation, even as their comrades fell to Bideluce’s hands.
No civilians were visible in the streets. All had evacuated to underground shelters or deeper inside the fortress.
The paladins formed a living barrier around the fortress. Among them, Talalis glared at Bideluce.
There was no composure on Talalis’s face. She had already exhausted much of her strength holding back Zito’s energy and maintaining the barrier.
“You there, you must be the Vice Sovereign, right? Perfect. I was only after Zito’s body, but now I can take the eternal ice too.”
“Such confidence. But you demons should know—our Vice Sovereign, the Balmur Alliance, has never failed to endure moments like this. You’d better be prepared.”
“Ha ha ha, really? You trust those fighting Faelito? They’re about to die. The battle’s practically over. Let’s see… yeah, that spot looks good.”
Bideluce smirked, looking down at a patch of ground far to Talalis’s left. Beneath it lay one of the air-raid shelters.
As the purple beam descended toward the shelter, Talalis lunged forward, releasing a pure white sword energy. The blade sliced the beam in two, and before she knew it, Bideluce was standing right in front of her.
“Ugh!”
Bideluce’s fist collided with the eternal ice.
“Ah, a pity. If you hadn’t been so worn out, this could have been a pretty fun fight. But now, you’re just dull.”
“Do underground creatures who feed on the souls of the damned have the right to talk about taste? Stop your nonsense and wipe the blood off your cheek.”
Bideluce flinched, touching her right cheek where cold blood trickled.
“Oh… when did that happen!? I didn’t feel a thing. They say you were one of the strongest on the surface a generation ago. Not just a legend, huh?”
As she wiped the blood away, the wound healed instantly. At that moment, the ground near the shelter Bideluce had targeted exploded.
“But you didn’t save the humans hiding there either. Looks like nearly a thousand of them died in that blast.”
Talalis’s eyes twitched. Bideluce already knew the locations of all the shelters underground.
Talalis made a swift decision.
“All paladins, fall back inside the fortress and protect the Sovereign.”
It was impossible to fight while protecting civilians. Moreover, the paladins posed no threat to Bideluce. They would only get in the way.
“…Ayula will be with you, Vice Sovereign.”
—Even if you witness the slaughter of our people, follow the Vice Sovereign’s orders without fail. None of us can see the battlefield more clearly than she can.
The paladins recalled Lani’s command and retreated inside. The horror of having to turn a blind eye to the deaths of their people was unbearable, but there was no choice. All they could do was protect Lani and pray.
While this brief exchange took place, Bideluce detonated two more shelters, leisurely massacring civilians and pressuring Talalis.
“To be honest, killing humans isn’t that fun. But watching you pretend it doesn’t bother you? That’s quite the thrill. So keep up the act—it’s electrifying!”
Every time Talalis blocked Bideluce’s blows, she felt like her insides were about to burst. Exhausted, she was at a severe disadvantage in every way.
Until Murakan arrived.
Whoooosh…!
“Tch, you followed me already?”
Bideluce suddenly sensed darkness closing in and wrapped herself in a protective shield. The Dark Tide—the surge of spiritual energy rising like a tsunami in the shadows—was crashing down on her.
[“Talalis, are you alright?”]
“Still holding.”
[“Sorry I’m late. Had to deal with those demon minions.”]
“What about Jin and the Sword Emperor?”
Murakan didn’t answer. Talalis understood how grave it was for a guardian dragon to leave a contracted partner in danger to save others. It was the most terrible resolve a guardian dragon could bear.
[“You felt it too, right? The demons are swarming from all sides. I’ll protect you—focus on attacking. Break through somehow and finish this.”]
Talalis nodded. Even with Murakan here, ending Bideluce’s life was her responsibility.
Bideluce barely slipped through the darkness of the Dark Tide and was forming another beam.
The moment the purple beam left her palm, Murakan roared, unleashing his spiritual energy to the fullest.
Kaaaaaah!
The Dark Tide expanded rapidly, blocking the surge rushing toward Seongwang Fortress. Two colossal forces—spiritual energy and demonic energy—pushed against each other with a thunderous roar.
The force striking the Dark Tide was no longer Bideluce’s beam.
‘Faelito’s sword energy… it’s reached this far…!’
The third Celestial Annihilation Slash was the sword energy of Paelito.
After Murakan began chasing Bideluce, Paelito also pushed Jin and Dante beyond the Velium Plains, drawing ever closer to the Star Fortress.
Of course, even getting closer didn’t mean the sword energy could reach it—only a comet could bridge that distance.
After a moment, the shockwaves from the two forces subsided. Murakan and Thalaris fixed their gaze beyond the rift in the dark veil directly ahead.
There, similar to the Death Wall Sakiel had unleashed during the siege of Grosh, a hemispherical barrier stood. Inside it, Jin and Dante were holding their ground against Paelito.
“Where do you think you’re looking, kids? No matter how shocking the Celestial Annihilation Slash is, you can’t just ignore me like this.”
Bideluce clenched his fists, his face twisted with irritation.
“When it comes to sheer destructive power, I’m not exactly second-rate among the Sword Demons. Since you’ve hurt my feelings, let’s just finish this quickly.”
With that, Bideluce’s strike pierced through the layered spiritual energy barriers and struck the Star Fortress directly.
Every building revealed on the surface of the fortress disintegrated into particles from that blow. If Rani hadn’t been in the Eternal Warehouse on the lowest level, she would have surely perished.
Every holy knight who had entered the fortress to protect her met their end without exception.
Murakan and Thalaris turned around.
It wasn’t the shock of the fortress collapsing or the annihilation of the holy knights that made them look back. Turning their backs in front of a powerhouse like Bideluce would be suicide.
They turned because of the surge of spiritual energy rising rapidly from beneath the ruins of the Star Fortress.
It was the moment the eye that Jito had been desperately searching for was finally released from its seal.