Chapter 972
Episode 241: Rescue (Part 1)
Tsu-zzu-zzu-zzt!
Patle was unleashing waves of enemy brain energy.
From the rear, Bakalun’s fleet and Eltiot’s shockwaves surged relentlessly, while the rest of the forces were completely blocked by Patle’s enemy brain waves.
There was no way out. Although Temar Biment’s power ranked among the top-tier superhumans, breaking through two airborne fortresses was impossible.
Even if Temar Biment fully awakened the “Memory of the Left Arm,” it wouldn’t change the outcome. His combat power would surge again, but he still wouldn’t become the true Changseong.
Aura gathered around Temar Biment’s sword. Rakiman sneered down at Airan and his group.
“The world has truly gone mad. These bugs refuse to give up hope until the very end… After today, our Red Name will restore a just world. Under the Red Name’s sky, bugs will live as bugs.”
“Comrade Rakiman, I suggest we do not destroy that bio-weapon.”
“Meaning it has research value? Comrade Simat?”
“No, not exactly. But the energy radiating from that weapon’s left arm is unusual. Especially the Jin Runkandel… it strangely resembles his energy. There’s a possibility it’s connected to him.”
Rakiman didn’t argue. So far, listening to Simat hadn’t led to any trouble, and there was a strange dignity about him that caught Rakiman’s attention.
“Understood. Then capture it alive.”
Cannons emerged from various points on Patle’s front. As they simultaneously unleashed enemy brain energy, Temar Biment gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
A massive sword energy shot straight forward, clashing with the cannon fire. At first, the sword energy seemed to swallow the barrage and advance toward Patle, but the second volley immediately blocked it.
“Your Majesty, please ride on me.”
Airan climbed onto Bibol’s back.
Temar Biment kept slashing sword energy as he charged forward. Even if the retreat was completely cut off, he had no choice but to push ahead. There was nothing else he could do.
But the Red Name tribe wasn’t foolish. If the targets to be captured kept struggling, they would simply erase the path itself.
“Isolate them with bombardment. Meisil has no value as a city or fortress anymore; destroy it all.”
Rakiman ordered, and enemy brain shells began falling around Airan’s group.
They were digging a massive pit. Within mere seconds, the enemy brain shells had created a crater large enough to swallow Patle whole.
“Damn it…!”
Bibol gritted his teeth as he fell into the pit. Temar Biment tried to jump up by stepping on falling rocks, but each time, the enemy brain shells targeted him precisely.
If he were alone, he might have broken through and climbed back up. But since he had to protect Airan and Bibol, he had no choice but to fall with them.
Thick stone dust rose inside the pit, obscuring Airan’s group’s vision. Meanwhile, enemy brain shells kept raining down—it was less a battle and more a one-sided hunt.
No matter how fiercely Temar Biment and Bibol fought, there was no way out of this pit.
Their stamina was rapidly draining in real time, while the airborne fortress’s power source remained untouched.
“Huff… huff…!”
Bibol gasped, looking at Temar Biment.
He could sense Temar Biment’s inner turmoil. Not a soulless puppet, but a man twisting his expression in pain.
It was proof he was awakening the memory of his left arm. But Bibol knew well that this was no cause for hope.
That was why Airan, riding on Bibol’s back, let out a bitter laugh—the hollow laugh of someone who had completely given up.
“Puhuhu. This is it, Bibol. Look down on me.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Born as the most wretched being in the world, I survived witnessing the destruction and despair of countless great ones. Yet, those born under the sun’s blessing in those days still float in the sky above, while we face ruin here in this dark underground.”
Airan stepped down onto the ground.
“Your Majesty, I can still fight.”
“Yes, fight valiantly and then self-destruct. They’ll try to capture us alive. They’ll want to extract information from me, and they’ve realized your left arm is special.”
Temar Biment nodded.
“Manof probably wanted to choose death too. The Red Name tribe increased the enemy brain wave density to prevent that. At least we have the option to die. If your left arm is destroyed, it will be a form of revenge against Runkandel. They won’t be able to find the records of our greatest ancestor.”
“Your Majesty…”
Bibol held back tears, looking at Airan.
“It’s a pity we can’t inflict more damage on Ziphl before retreating. We had to secure something precious from them. They were the ones who blocked our empire’s growth the longest.”
Crack…!
The walls of the pit began to crumble under the enemy brain shells. Occasionally, blue lightning flickered between the enemy brain waves. It meant Eltiot was fighting hard, but his collapse was only a matter of time.
Just as Temar Biment gathered his energy to self-destruct—
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice reached Airan’s group.
“Ah, luckily we arrived just in time, Priest Luke.”
Sanna, the Sun God’s Church priestess, was stepping out of the dimensional gate formed inside the pit. Beside her stood Luke, the former warrior of the Myungwang tribe and high priest of the Sun God’s Church.
And as soon as Luke appeared, the relentless enemy brain shells raining into the pit abruptly stopped.
It wasn’t that the Red Name tribe noticed something strange and paused the bombardment.
Luke’s brain energy had bound the falling enemy brain shells in place. The shells trembled briefly before flickering out like candles.
“You are…”
“I am Sanna, priestess of the Sun God’s Church. It’s an honor to meet you, Airan Biment.”
Sanna bowed slightly.
“Ah… Could it be you came to save us?”
“More precisely, we came for Temar Runkandel’s left arm. But we’re busy now; we’ll talk later. Priest Luke, open the dimensional gate again and buy us some time.”
“Understood.”
Luke stretched out his hand, summoning a massive greatsword matching his stature.
“Could it be another warrior has appeared!?”
Rakiman shouted, looking toward the battlefield near Pibil. Eltiot was still engaged with Pibil.
“That’s a different person, Comrade Rakiman. They’re from the Sun God’s Church.”
Gritting his teeth, Simat spat out the words.
Even he hadn’t expected reinforcements. The imperial family had been isolated the moment the Red Name tribe left, hostile to all other powers—Bamal Union, Lutero Federation, Kinzelro, and the Inse factions.
‘If anyone was to come to our aid, I thought it would be Kinzelro. But the Sun God’s Church? Why would they help the imperial family now? Could it be because of that bio-weapon’s left arm? And after Kelliak took power, didn’t the Sun God’s Church and Ziphl’s relationship end?’
A flood of questions raced through his mind.
How did the Sun God’s Church learn of the imperial family’s crisis? How did they reach this place? And who exactly was that monster?
But there was no time to ponder. As Rakiman and Simat shifted their gaze back to the pit, Luke’s greatsword had already torn through Patle’s shield.
Screech!
As the shield split, Luke sprang through the air like an arrow, closing the distance to Patle’s core in an instant.
Enemy brain shells tried to intercept him but flickered out like moths drawn to flame.
Luke, the former warrior of the Myungwang tribe, was once called the strongest before the fall. He had overwhelmed even the Fire God Shinu’s dimension, and Ayulazo had said only with great resolve could one face him.
Every swing of Luke’s sword unleashed lightning that blanketed Pibil. Its outer armor tore and burst like thin skin.
“Comrade Simat, should I go out and hold him off for a while?”
“No, Comrade Rakiman. If you go out now, you will die.”
Simat answered without hesitation.
“But if we don’t, Patle will take damage.”
“Better that than losing you, Comrade Rakiman. Pibil can be repaired. Besides, he probably has no intention of fighting us properly.”
The Sun God’s Church’s goal was to rescue Airan’s group. Even with Luke here, there was no reason to engage in full frontal war against two airborne fortresses.
“As long as the power source is intact, minor damage can be fixed. If we hold him off just enough, he’ll withdraw on his own. The dimensional gate is obviously open.”
Simat then raised his communicator and informed Bakalun of the situation. They would continue to handle this side, so Bakalun should focus solely on draining Eltiot’s blood.
“Sanna, what will become of us now?”
As Luke struck Patle, Bibol spoke up.
“It’s not complicated, Bibol. The two royal family members will now serve the Sun God’s Church. Nothing more than that—they just need to stay alive. At our temple.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“What we need isn’t the royal family’s technology or any hidden secrets. Iaran and Bivol themselves hold no real value. Like I said, all we want is Temar’s left arm. Of course, Iaran must have set it up so that no one can use that arm without his authorization. That’s why, reluctantly, we have to save him too.”
“You’re right that Temar’s left arm can’t be used without my approval. But Sanna, why exactly do you need Temar’s left arm?”
When Iaran asked, Sanna gave him a cold smile, as if dismissing him.
“Iaran, are you aware that Barisada is the key to unlocking an ancient secret of this world?”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Exactly. That’s why his left arm was more than you deserved. You probably thought of it as nothing more than a repository of information… but that’s the wrong way to look at it. The true value of Temar’s body lies in its ability to properly wield Barisada. The authority to open that secret door belongs solely to Temar.”