Chapter 984
Episode 244: The Ambush on the Red-Eyed Tribe (1)

That evening, above the Chatin Grasslands, a dimensional gate shaped like a red owl opened.

“Hmm, this ship isn’t bad at all. Long-range spatial jumps, high speed, even cloaking… I haven’t tested the weapons onboard yet, but knowing Amela and Dr. Kwaul made it, they’re bound to be excellent,” Eltiot remarked.

As he spoke, Luna thought to herself that he was a man of swift action. She hadn’t expected him to suggest launching a surprise attack on the Red-Eyed Tribe today.

But she didn’t dislike the idea. Infiltration and ambush missions had been her favorite since her cadet days. More importantly, she hoped this operation would give her a chance to gauge Eltiot’s abilities firsthand, which were still somewhat uncertain to her.

“This is one of the most treasured assets of the Alliance,” Luna said.

“Oh? Then I suppose this teacher might earn your little brother’s resentment,” Eltiot teased.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, if you don’t pull this off, bringing the Red Owl back safely won’t be possible.”

Luna scoffed. “You’re seriously underestimating me, Master. I must say, it’s refreshing to be treated like this.”

“It’s more accurate to say you’re overestimating yourself.”

“Let’s not get into that.”

“And you’re also underestimating the Red-Eyed Tribe. That’s probably because the ones you’ve seen so far seemed weak. But you need to stay alert, my student. Most of them are indeed weaker than you, but that’s only when it comes to raw power.”

Though a flicker of irritation rose within her, Luna took his assessment seriously. These were the same people who had swallowed Drakka and the surrounding autonomous districts overnight.

The city they planned to strike was Barkel District, about fifty kilometers from their current location.

“Hmm, no artillery fire yet. Looks like Barkel hasn’t deployed full defensive equipment.”

“You mean if they had, the attack would have started already? Even from fifty kilometers away?”

“Yes. Their detection capabilities are beyond anything humanity can match. If they’d placed first-class equipment in Barkel, we should have changed our target. Still, second-class defenses are probably in place, so once we get closer, the bombardment will begin.”

“Understood.”

“Well then, time to start your first training. Let’s go! While we move, it’s naturally footwork training. Speed and power alone won’t cut it. You need to learn to wield your strength with grace.”

Eltiot took five steps with his footwork, gliding forward as smoothly as a water strider skimming the surface.

“Try running without leaving a trace until we reach enemy territory.”

“That’s not too hard,” Luna said, immediately mimicking his steps.

“Not bad. Now, increase your speed while keeping your breathing calm. Run fluidly and flexibly.”

Luna surged ahead of Eltiot.

Though fast enough to outpace most superhumans, it still felt lacking compared to her top speed.

‘Breathing is the real problem. Focusing on it makes it hard to concentrate on footwork.’

Breathing.

Eltiot had repeatedly pointed out that Luna’s biggest issue was her breath control. But she struggled to grasp what it meant to breathe calmly.

Isn’t it just about breathing evenly and quietly? Whenever she thought that, Eltiot would snap at her like a ghost.

“You already possess an aura stronger than Jin’s. You might even surpass your father. And that power is always surging inside you. Though humans can’t hear it, every time you exhale, a volcano erupts within your body.”

Eltiot matched his pace with hers as he explained.

“Oh, finally an explanation about breathing I can understand.”

“I’m telling you this because we’re about to enter combat, and you still don’t get it. You must calm the energy surging with your breath. That’s the foundation for wielding your sword like the wind.”

Changing a lifelong unconscious habit wasn’t easy.

Still, with this first concrete clue, Luna focused on forming a mental image while running: the fierce aura inside her gradually settling like a calm lake.

Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over her senses. Her body felt as if it were shrinking, and time seemed to slow.

At that moment, Eltiot barked sharply.

The Red-Eyed Tribe’s defensive systems in Barkel had activated. A red beam had already shot down from somewhere.

The beam struck right beside Luna, and a chunk of earth blasted up, hitting her shoulder.

“Did you forget? This is enemy territory. If you lose focus, absorbed in training, what do you think will happen?”

Luna hadn’t even registered the flying debris as a threat. The impact was so slight it barely registered, but Eltiot saw this as a problem.

“You might find it easier to just push forward with your tough body through a hail of artillery, but relying solely on brute strength is the way of amateurs. You must move like a master. The enemy must never be able to predict you.”

Of course, Luna had created countless unpredictable situations for her enemies before. But not in the way Eltiot wanted. She had always just wielded more power than they expected.

“Strength and destruction will always be broken by something stronger and more destructive. Do you think your power alone surpasses the entire Red-Eyed Tribe in Barkel? No. That’s why if you fight relying only on strength, you’re bound to fail today.”

Ssssh, ziiing…!

More and more enemy artillery shells rained down. Eltiot kept glancing at Luna but flawlessly dodged every shot.

Luna, on the other hand, was barely evading the fire, hampered by awkward footwork, breath control, and Eltiot’s constant nagging. She risked injury before even reaching the city.

Still, she refused to move as comfortably as before. She was determined to follow his training.

Gradually, she was adapting.

‘So this is what it feels like to move with relaxed strength. But if I slip up even a little, my body might go limp.’

As they neared, a red protective barrier enveloped all of Barkel.

‘The shield looks dense even at a glance. I’ll have to use real power to break through.’

If she unleashed too much energy, Eltiot would surely lose his mind again.

“To get inside, we have to break the shield, Master.”

“How do you suggest we do that?”

“Smashing it with brute force would be the amateur’s way, I suppose.”

“Exactly. The best method is to use energy identical to the neural energy forming the shield to cancel it out.”

“Like the mental heat technique fighters use.”

“Because of the Red-Eyed Tribe’s unique neural energy, you can’t do that yet. I’ll handle the shield. You focus on the mission—cut down any enemies blocking the way and secure the equipment.”

Luna kept her breathing steady until she reached the shield. It was the first time she’d run this far, drenched in sweat.

Crack!

Eltiot conjured a chunk of blue neural energy in his palm. It intertwined briefly with the purple neural energy of the shield, then gradually faded away.

A crack appeared in the massive shield, just large enough for two people to slip through.

From Luna’s perspective, Eltiot was breaking the shield with less effort than scooping a teaspoon of water from the ocean.

“I’ll teach you this technique once you’ve refined your skills and can handle neural energy.”

“Neural energy?”

“Your brother is human but can manipulate neural energy, right? Naturally, you should be able to do the same.”

“But there’s no troops waiting inside the shield.”

“Of course not. We haven’t even reached the city’s core yet. There’s no reason for close combat. Sitting in control towers and pressing a few buttons is far more effective. Like this.”

As Eltiot finished speaking, Luna suddenly felt her body grow heavy, as if a thousand-pound iron weight pressed down on her shoulders.

It was the effect of the enemy’s neural energy waves, wrapping around her like deep water.

She could have ignored it by unleashing her own energy, but this time she needed a different approach.

‘Cancellation.’

Reading the general flow of the neural waves, Luna wrapped her body in similar energy. Though not as refined as Eltiot’s, her body felt lighter than before.

Clap, clap, clap!

Eltiot applauded solemnly.

“You do have potential. Considering you can’t fully control neural energy yet, that’s excellent. Good. Let’s keep going until they crawl out from the control towers.”

Though inaudible to them, alarms blared nonstop between the control towers inside Barkel.

In the distance, a fleet was rising. The entire fleet’s main guns were targeting Luna and Eltiot.

“Oh, by the way.”

Eltiot dodged a beam in a flash. Luna had expected him to block it, but she had to react a split second later.

“This teacher won’t participate in the battle.”

“That’s a relief.”

“It’s better for you that I don’t join. Because if I do, it means you might die.”

Before Luna could respond, the fleet’s bombardment began. The Red-Eyed Tribe soldiers confirmed their identities and shouted loudly.

“Baekgyeong, and the author… it’s clear! It’s Cheongmyeong, the defector who escaped from Meisil!”

“Eltiet!?”

“I’m requesting the use of Level 1 defense equipment from Kritil immediately!”

“Contact the defector compatriots at once!”

As the Jeokmyeong tribe shouted, Simat’s face appeared above the bridge window.

“Jeokmyeong!”

After receiving the salute from his comrades, Simat gave a sly smile.

[So… Eltiet, that old man must have missed me after all this time. I’m heading there now, so make sure to take good care of those two.]