Chapter 971
Episode 240: The Crisis of the Red-Eyed Tribe (4)
While Patl of Lakiman was successfully seizing Pirol, Bakalun was launching an assault on Meisil using the exact same method.
A massive spatial leap, followed by the invasion of the battlefield through waves of enemy brainwaves.
Especially Pibil—the airborne fortress operated by the strongest Great Fighting King—was equipped with weaponry far more advanced than Patl.
Airan Biment stared up at the blood-red sky over Meisil.
“I never thought I’d see a sky like this over Meisil…”
The enemy brainwaves pouring out from Pibil had already stained the ground below a deep crimson. Just like Pirol, all communication devices and dimensional gates in Meisil had ceased functioning.
Negotiations were impossible. The Red-Eyed Tribe, having planned their betrayal from the start, had no reason to propose talks with the Imperial Court.
Kraaaah…!
The bombardment from Pibil and the fleet began in earnest. The Mains, rushing into battle, had no chance to even swing their swords before falling.
The ancient Myungwang tribe hadn’t conquered the underworld solely through their overwhelming physical might.
It was their sheer technological superiority that made the Myungwangs a symbol of terror in those days.
To the Red-Eyed Tribe, the Imperial Court’s bio-weapons were nothing more than crude tools. They weren’t exceptionally powerful in combat, nor did they possess superior intelligence or any irreplaceable qualities.
“You who claim to be the Emperor of the Inse Empire, Airan Biment. You were lucky to have the chance to exploit the great Red-Eyed Tribe, yet all you managed was to create such crude weapons…”
Bakalun’s voice echoed clearly from Pibil’s bridge all the way into Meisil’s fortress.
Airan felt a bitter taste rise in his chest at those words. He had believed they had finally created Mains capable of standing toe-to-toe with the great terrestrial powers, but to the standards of the Red-Eyed Tribe at their peak, they were nothing but failures.
“I had forgotten, because I subdued them too easily. What the Red-Eyed Tribe truly was.”
Back then, the status gap between the Red-Eyed Tribe and the Melka Tribe was even greater than that between the Changsung and the Pyeonggi tribes.
Though the Red-Eyed Tribe had suffered humiliation, being pushed around by the great powers since awakening from their seal, they were, at their core, unparalleled conquerors.
At their prime, even all the demon gods of the Jinma realm held their breath, and the great serpent Amerisma avoided full-scale war whenever possible.
“No, Your Majesty. It’s my fault. If Manof and I had been more meticulous, they wouldn’t have dared betray us like this.”
“By now, Manof’s side in Pirol is probably under attack as well. And today is when most of the Chungsung Tribe’s buried souls were transferred to Pirol… Our luck is truly bad.”
Bivol had no words.
No matter how much he thought, no sharp solution came to mind. Promising to protect the Emperor felt like a ridiculous claim.
“Bivol, it seems only you and I will survive this.”
“Your Majesty?”
The other royals listening raised their heads.
Airan was ready to abandon them. To survive—or rather, to increase their chances of survival even slightly—that was the only option.
“Our grand plan has failed. From today on, we must hide again for a long time, waiting for our chance. Until the Red-Eyed Tribe that attacked us disappears, until Jiple and Runkandel fall and we are forgotten by the world. But waiting is what we do best.”
With just himself, Bivol, and Temar Biment, it was entirely possible.
Though it pained him to give up the chance to rule the world alone, which was now within reach, as long as they didn’t die, they could dream again someday.
The courtiers showed brief confusion, then knelt.
“May Your Majesty preserve your body.”
“May Your Majesty preserve your body!”
The courtiers drew their swords and moved toward the fortress’s outer gates. Since they were specially enhanced using Temar’s information, they would hold out a little longer than the Mains before falling.
“Wake Eltiot and trigger his berserk mode. He should buy us enough time to escape. Fortunately, there’s only one airborne fortress attacking here… Though it seems fully operational, it must be low on blood, so its active time is limited. Probably three or four hours.”
Though his power had waned since before the seal, Eltiot fundamentally possessed the power of Changsung. He could hold off the airborne fortress and fleet alone for several hours.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Bivol headed toward Eltiot’s sealing chamber. The Emperor looked at the Main standing beside him—Temar Biment.
“Temar Biment, can you protect us?”
“I will.”
“You don’t sound very confident.”
“It depends on how long Eltiot can hold out. If he falls before the fortress’s firepower weakens, it will be dangerous.”
“What if you awaken the memories left in your left arm?”
The real Temar Runkandel’s left arm—that was Airan’s greatest hope.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know the exact level of my original abilities. But it will definitely be better than now.”
“I see.”
Kraaaah—!
Suddenly, the top of the fortress exploded, and blue lightning surged upward. The lightning Eltiot unleashed in his berserk state instantly wiped out part of Bakalun’s fleet hovering above.
“Your Majesty, it’s done!”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Airan and his group started running toward the fortress’s rear gate. The underground tunnels were already consumed by enemy brainwaves and unusable, and even if they weren’t, it wouldn’t matter. Avoiding detection by the airborne fortress was impossible.
They decided it was better to leave Meisil as quickly as possible across the open plains while Eltiot held the line.
‘If we succeed in escaping, waiting through another long era won’t be difficult. But if we get caught… we need to think about what to do.’
Running from the Red-Eyed Tribe didn’t mean the crisis was over.
The moment the outside world learned of their situation, not only the Bamal Alliance but all the great powers would pursue them. Everyone had a reason to want Temar’s left arm.
‘In that case, negotiations with the Bamal Alliance will be impossible… dealing with Jiple is risky too. We might have no choice but to rely on Kinzel. How ridiculous…’
Behind Airan’s group, red and blue lightning crackled relentlessly.
As soon as Eltiot broke free from his seal, he immediately caught Bakalun’s attention. The sudden appearance of a Chungsung Main left even Bakalun stunned.
“…Eltiot! The Melka vermin even possessed a Chungsung Main. But he’s not in good condition. If we concentrate the firepower of Pibil and the entire fleet, we can suppress him easily.”
“Bakalun, Airan Biment is fleeing. Part of the fleet should pursue them…”
“No. The bio-golem escorting Airan can’t be handled by a regular fleet. Don’t bother with them—focus solely on Eltiot! If we can subdue him without destroying his radiant heart, his blood is incomparable to anything else!”
Even the cold, composed Bakalun couldn’t hide his excitement. If they could obtain the blood of a Chungsung Main, partially recreating the Red-Eyed Tribe’s true prime would be within reach.
“Understood, Bakalun!”
All the main guns of the airborne fortress and fleet turned toward Eltiot.
[Red-Eyed… Red-Eyed Tribe… You…!]
Even in his madness, Eltiot’s hatred for the Red-Eyed Tribe remained.
To his eyes, the Meisil fortress looked like the old Chungsung stronghold, and the dying Mains appeared as his Chungsung brothers.
If Eltiot were in his normal state, he could have handled an airborne fortress alone.
But now, it was impossible. Though Eltiot’s power was enough to turn the blood-red sky blue, it wasn’t sharp enough to corner Bakalun. The royals who had rushed out to preserve their bodies were already wiped out without a trace.
“Your Majesty, they’re coveting Eltiot! At this rate, we can escape.”
Beyond the plains, a dimensional gate still functioning would appear.
But Airan’s group was overcome by unease. They understood why the Red-Eyed Tribe coveted Eltiot’s blood, but they couldn’t fathom why they were being left alone like this.
That unease soon became reality.
“Ah…!”
Screeeech—!
Suddenly, the ground beneath Airan’s group crumbled like sand. Temar Biment shielded Airan from the shockwaves spreading from all directions, while Bivol stared at the empty air in horror.
A massive red dimensional gate was opening beyond the plains. The ground had collapsed due to the shockwave generated by the gate’s opening.
“Pa-Patl…”
Bivol’s voice was hoarse.
From inside the gate, Patl—the airborne fortress of the Red-Eyed Tribe’s third city—was emerging.
“Why would Bakalun let you go, Airan? Because we’ve already finished Pirol and can come here.”
A massive window opened atop Patl, revealing Simat’s face. He looked down on Airan’s group.
They had no choice but to stop in their tracks. Even with only Pibil, there had been no answer. Now, all hope was lost.
Moreover, Patl was in an even more stable state, having used the blood of the Chungsung Tribe from Pirol.
“This one seems determined not to reveal the whereabouts of our Main until the very end.”
Simat lifted Manov’s head and spoke. Manov, using part of the Immortal Army’s technique, was still alive despite having only his head left.
“Ugh… lungs… ha…”
“Manov…”
Without hesitation, Simat tossed Manov’s head aside and locked eyes with Airan.
“Airan Bimont, I clearly gave Manov the chance to make you our slave. But since he didn’t speak, you can forget about becoming a fully intact slave. As for the whereabouts of the Twin Gods, we’ll just dig them out slowly—starting with your heads.”
Simat grinned wickedly. In response, Temar Bimont drew his sword.