Chapter 983
Episode 243: The Red King’s Ambush (3)
April 25, 1804. A day had passed since the Red-Eyed Tribe launched their surprise attack on Drakka.
By now, the entire world knew that Drakka had fallen. They knew that Keliak had fled without putting up a proper fight, and that the Red-Eyed Tribe had conquered Drakka without suffering any casualties.
It was no exaggeration to call it the greatest shock since recorded history.
Even greater than when the King of Chaos manifested at the Sword Emperor Star, or when the Fiend was born in the Garden of Blades, or even the recent invasion of the human world by the Demon Realm led by the Demon King Jito—people were gripped by an even deeper shock.
Because to the public, Ziphl had effectively “collapsed.” Simat had described Ziphl’s true heart as the Tower of Stories, but the federal capital was undeniably Drakka.
“They ran off straight from Meisil, and now they’ve actually struck at Ziphl this quickly… and even taken Drakka?”
Tikan.
Luna set down a stack of bulletins on the conference table. The world’s media outlets were nonstop, flooding the airwaves with breaking news.
The Balmel Alliance was also releasing articles, led by Dino Jaglun. These weren’t reports on the damage to the Lutero Federation, but rather information for refugees fleeing from the Federation to the Alliance, and reassurances for current residents.
“Sir! Look at this. These just came out from Ziphl’s media.”
Zet entered the room, holding up the bulletins. These were from the press that had long served as Ziphl’s pen, managing the battle for public opinion.
(The Long-Reigning Ruler Sets, and the Red Sun Rises.
Despite the fierce battle that led to Drakka’s fall, there are surprisingly few signs of mourning anywhere in the city or its surrounding districts.
Amazingly, no civilians were harmed in the battle. The Red-Eyed Tribe kept their promise to the citizens when they declared war, and Ziphl left Drakka with near-total devastation.
…
Drakka’s evolution began immediately after the war.
The Red-Eyed Tribe, leveraging superior technology, swiftly rebuilt every destroyed building and institution.
Long-range communication devices, previously used only by the Balmel Alliance, have been installed throughout the city. Devices to replace the teleportation gates, which became unusable after the Fiend’s death, have also been introduced…)
“Wow, these ungrateful bastards. After all Ziphl did for them, they’re already spreading news that tears Ziphl apart?”
Beradin clicked his tongue.
Since Drakka’s fall, he’d been feeling a complicated, strange mix of emotions. Though his memories as a clan lord were mostly unpleasant, Ziphl was still his foundation, his home.
Of course, Beradin was now part of the Balmel Alliance and knew better than anyone the ugly, rotten truth inside Ziphl.
“Beradin, do you still have feelings for Ziphl!?” Enya asked.
“No, that was a joke. I want to see Ziphl fall too. But not like this. If they’re going to fall, they should at least atone and contribute to the world and society first.”
“You’re the one who knows best that Ziphl won’t fall this easily, Beradin.”
Jin’s words made Beradin nod.
“That’s true… but still, it feels strange. A whole day has passed, and Ziphl hasn’t even tried to retake Drakka. They’re focusing on defending the Tower of Stories. I’m worried that Keliak—that monster—will cross some line again in the process.”
It was a very real possibility.
Maybe he’d become obsessed with the Demon Stone through his connection with Ganesto, or suddenly complete the Demon Stone during this process.
Beradin feared that moment. If the Demon Stone was completed, the land and forces Ziphl lost this time wouldn’t really be losses.
“If he crosses a line, it’ll be about the Demon Stone. But that also means Keliak is nothing if he can’t complete it. So don’t worry too much, Beradin.”
The Demon Stone.
Lately, Jin had been thinking that the completion of the Demon Stone might depend on Elona.
From the tombs of Temar, they had confirmed that the core of the Demon Stone from a thousand years ago—when history was completely rewritten—was definitely Elona. Ziphl had caused the most damage to reality and history when she directly controlled the Tower of Stories.
‘But the Elona they found in the tomb’s subspace didn’t use the Sacred Vessel like she does now. She looked like an ordinary human back then.’
Jin had never seen Elona use the Sacred Vessel in the records.
Though she had grown stronger using it, the current Elona was no longer a person with will—just a terrifying war machine.
“Beradin, you once said during your time as clan lord that the Tower of Stories communicated with Lady Elona.”
“That’s right.”
“Then, can the current Elona, who’s lost her self, properly communicate with the Tower?”
Beradin’s eyes widened. It was a question he hadn’t considered.
“Probably not. So if I’m right, the Sacred Vessel is both a great power and a limitation for Keliak. Without communicating with the Tower, he can’t properly use the Demon Stone. But if he releases control of the Sacred Vessel, Elona won’t obey him.”
“That could be true. If Keliak asks for help to solve that problem… the first names that come to mind are the Solar Faith, Kinzel, and Ganesto.”
“But the Solar Faith severed ties with Ziphl after the Meisil battle. So it’s either Kinzel or Ganesto. More likely Ganesto—they’re already connected.”
There was still little new information about them. Kinzel was keeping a low profile, and the Balmel Alliance was wary of their dream abilities.
They had recently been tracking the “World of Lokia” through record magic, but with little success.
“Since Drakka fell, Ganesto will probably make a move to help Keliak soon. That’s when we’ll have to track them more closely. If they don’t move, that’s not bad either—it means their relationship isn’t as good as we think.”
Among their enemies, the Alliance’s top concern was the Red-Eyed Tribe. Their revealed war capabilities were enough to strike anywhere in the human world at any time.
“Drakka was attacked suddenly from underground… but even if they’d invaded conventionally, it would have been hard to hold out.”
Only two places in the world could rival Drakka’s defenses.
The Garden of Blades, and Tikan.
Under certain conditions, those two could even surpass Drakka’s defenses—when Jin, Murakan, and the Alliance’s superhumans were all on standby.
From now on, the Alliance would have to keep more superhuman-level personnel on constant alert.
The Red-Eyed Tribe could appear anywhere over the Alliance’s skies, crossing dimensional gates with their flying fortress. They held perfect preemptive strike capability against all forces except Ganesto.
“We’ll have to reduce the number of personnel sent on external missions… At least the rifts that opened all over the world after Jito’s defeat have disappeared, so unless the Red-Eyed Tribe invades, civilian casualties won’t spike immediately.”
“Hmm!”
Suddenly, Eltiot cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Master?”
Luna had already grown used to calling him “Master.” Though she didn’t fully trust him yet, becoming someone’s disciple didn’t feel so bad.
“You don’t really know Simat. But I know him better than anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t like taking risks. Like in the Drakka battle, he only fights when he’s sure he can win perfectly.”
Eltiot met Jin’s eyes.
“So if Simat attacks the Garden of Blades or Tikan, it’ll be when you, your guardian dragon, my disciples, and most other superhumans are absent.”
“That’s exactly what Jin was saying.”
“No, disciple. Your top forces can’t always be on standby. Imagine one day, the Ganesto suddenly appear, and to catch them, both Jin and Murakan have to leave. Do you think the Red-Eyed Tribe will just watch quietly then?”
“So, Lord Eltiot, do you have a countermeasure for that?”
Jin spoke politely out of respect for Eltiot, Luna’s master. Since Luna used honorifics, Jin felt uncomfortable speaking casually.
“Of course. Isn’t it obvious? I looked around and found your Alliance actually has a decent ship—the Golden Ship, right? It’s a bit shabby compared to a flying fortress, but you can mass-produce those.”
“We haven’t been idle because we don’t want to mass-produce it, Master.”
“Tch! Do you think I don’t know that? Disciple, I’m not just some brawler like you. Our Cheongmyeong Tribe, though slightly weaker than the Red-Eyed Tribe, had a civilization and technology far more brilliant than this era.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“Oh… Could it be, Lord Eltiot, that you can recreate the technology from that time?”
“Exactly. Before I became a warrior, I was one of the Cheongmyeong Tribe’s top engineers. But my memories aren’t fully intact yet, so I’ll need some materials to recover that knowledge.”
“Materials?”
“Right, the supplies. Just now, I was looking through the bulletins that Zett brought over, and it turns out those bastards have already placed Red-Eye Tribe artifacts all over Drakka’s public facilities. On top of that, by now, Simat has probably taken control of most of the neighboring districts, cities, and key points in the old Lutero Federation. And I bet they’ve installed ancient advanced equipment in those cities too. Seems like Simat wants to play the part of a benevolent ruler for now.”
Eltiot paused for a moment, a sly smile spreading across his face.
“Let’s go and grab some of those things, my apprentice. If I dismantle them one by one, it might help jog my memory. And you, as part of your training, can spar a bit with those Red-Eye scum—get some fighting practice and pick up knowledge along the way. Now, isn’t that a clever plan?”