Chapter 986
Episode 244: The Ambush on the Red-Eyed Tribe (3)
“Damn it… Those are the flying fortresses I saw back in Meisil…”
The feeling now was completely different from when she first encountered them in Meisil. Back then, Jin was with her, so even facing the imposing flying fortresses head-on didn’t stir much emotion.
But now, Jin was gone, and the Red Sky King, Simat, was pressing her hard.
The flying fortresses looked like Simat’s wings. Even as Pibil and Patl fought him up close, they would strike Luna with pinpoint accuracy, without a single misstep.
Crack!
Tetalon slammed down on Luna. She raised Krantel horizontally to block, but the ground beneath her crumbled, throwing off her stance.
Still, at that moment, Luna twisted her right foot. The earth gave way beneath the impact, and Simat’s body briefly hovered in midair. Even with his spear, he couldn’t launch a follow-up attack in that state.
At least, that’s how it should have gone.
But suddenly, a blade closed the distance, nearly piercing her heart.
“Hoh, dodging this?”
The blade grazed Luna’s shoulder. How Simat managed to continue his assault was clear the next moment.
‘Is that a Red Brain Wave…?!’
Pibil and Patl, along with the flying fortress, had sent down a Red Brain Wave that instantly helped Simat regain his footing.
Simat was standing on a crimson platform formed by the Red Brain Wave, which was why only Luna had fallen into the crater created by the shockwave.
She had never experienced—or even imagined—combat support like this.
Simat seemed very familiar with it. Since the Solar War, he had preferred fighting alongside flying fortresses when facing strong opponents. No matter who the enemy was, he never wanted to lose.
“Huh? Not just simple bombardment support, but even a foothold? Isn’t that cheating?”
“There’s no such thing as cheating in war, Baekgyeong. If you’re joking, no one’s better at it than the master.”
“Yeah, the master is pretty entertaining.”
As Luna stepped left, trying to escape the crater, another crimson platform appeared right before her.
Of course, the flying fortress didn’t just assist Simat’s movements—it could also block the opponent’s.
“Tch!”
Unfazed, Luna slashed the crimson platform with Krantel. It collapsed easily, but the problem was how quickly new ones kept appearing.
Every time she made a small move to break a platform, Simat’s blade would fly in without fail. If she dodged the blade, precise bombardments from the flying fortress would strike her back.
“Are you even human? Taking bombardment head-on without a shield, with just your bare body?”
Though not deep, she already had over a dozen torn and bleeding wounds.
Warm blood trickled down her back. Her senses sharpened even further, and her eyes seemed to absorb everything around her.
At last, Luna truly felt the weight of ‘danger.’
‘Ah… so this is what it feels like to really be able to die.’
The threat was deeper and more suffocating than the deadly battles she’d faced with Shiron and the expedition in the Black Sea.
“What’s with all the fuss? My sister’s even tougher than me.”
“Jin Runkandel?”
“No, it’s Runtia. Though it probably won’t matter even if you know…”
“You mean the three warriors of Runkandel? Why wouldn’t it matter?”
Crack! Luna kicked forward with her right foot, shattering the crimson platform. As Simat swung Tetalon again through the opening, Luna caught the blade with her left hand and brought Krantel down over his head.
Simat grabbed the blade with his hand. Blood dripped from Luna’s palm, but Simat’s hand wasn’t cut at all.
“Because I’ve decided to kill you. With my whole life on the line… which means you don’t have much time left.”
Madness.
The moment Simat locked eyes with Luna, he recognized the deep, dark madness burning within her. It wasn’t something she’d always had—it had just ignited like a flame.
At the same time, Simat suddenly felt a sharp energy strike his side.
‘An old man?’
Still holding Luna’s blade, Simat naturally assumed it was Eltiot, who had been hiding somewhere, launching a surprise attack.
‘So he’s only hiding because he’s weakened… but he’s bold enough to come at me directly…’
As he turned his head, Simat faced not Eltiot, nor his usual blue brain energy.
Instead, a crimson, gleaming force—like the Red-Eyed Tribe’s brain energy—pierced his side like a blade.
It was Luna’s red power.
‘How?’
Caught off guard, Simat calmly twisted his body and struck away both Luna and the red energy at once. Luna was knocked back by the recoil, but the red power only briefly lost its blade form before reforming, still targeting Simat.
“Psychokinetic blade… that’s what we called it in our day. Strange form, but I didn’t expect you to be able to use it.”
“Well, I’ve only decided to kill you.”
Simat flinched for the first time. Awakening mid-battle was common, but suddenly mastering a specific technique was rare.
‘…It’s not a psychokinetic blade! It’s just the manifestation of killing intent through red power. Usually, that means losing reason, but she seems lucid.’
Luna barely held onto her sanity. If she relaxed even for a moment, the madness would consume her, turning her into a beast.
At the same time, she was enjoying it. The feeling of dedicating herself fully to killing her opponent filled her with a simple, primal pleasure.
It was like being Yona again, back when she couldn’t control her instincts. Luna charged at Simat, oblivious to her own injuries.
“Die!”
Luna was laughing. The Red-Eyed Tribe watching from the flying fortress shuddered at her wild, relentless assault.
Even though Simat and the flying fortress formed an impenetrable shield, they swallowed dry saliva.
But Simat, like a seasoned trainer handling a wild beast, parried Luna’s attacks. Krantel had become more ferocious, but it still wasn’t enough to break through Simat and the fortress’s defenses.
A power beyond fate.
Without being a spear master, it was impossible to even put up a fight against a fully prepared Simat. If Simat ignored the city and focused solely on Luna, she would already be fatally wounded. He deliberately kept their fight at close quarters to avoid destroying the city.
Still, Luna’s collapse was only a matter of time. Simat had only a few minor scratches, all healing quickly thanks to the Red Brain Wave.
“Looks like you want to self-destruct, Baekgyeong. No plans to run?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Or maybe you’re hoping your sister will come to save you. But me being here means spatial jumps in this area are blocked. It’ll take at least eight hours for Jin Runkandel to get here. Will you even be alive by then?”
Luna hadn’t considered Jin’s support at all. The madness of the red power kept her swinging her blade relentlessly, leaving no room for other thoughts.
Only killing intent filled her.
That killing intent, once just a blade, had now taken human form—an apparition resembling Luna herself, attacking Simat.
Its face was featureless, and its hands gripping the axe-sword had no fingers. Simat felt uneasy watching this red power transformed into a version of Luna.
‘If this power is refined, it could be dangerous.’
He wondered if he should just cut it down now.
‘But if it shatters before being refined, then…’
While Simat hesitated, Luna, covered in blood, ash, and dust, swung Krantel fiercely. Anyone who knew her would find this demonic, unfamiliar.
“Hah, ha…!”
Luna’s breathing grew ragged. The accumulated impact from the bombardments and Simat’s blade was finally breaking her body down.
‘At this rate, soon only that red power’s manifested form will remain.’
Even if she died now, Luna’s spirit would linger within the red power, fighting on for a while.
“Graaah!”
Just as Luna raised Krantel for a final strike, a sharp blue brain energy shot up between them.
“Hey! You told me to fight, not collapse!”
Eltiot burst into the battle, carrying a bundle on his back. After deflecting Simat’s blade, he punched Luna square in the forehead. Crack! Luna almost retaliated before realizing it was Eltiot.
Though she’d been losing her mind moments ago, Luna suddenly felt clear-headed. Eltiot had infused her with ‘blue energy’ when he struck.
“Master?”
“Let’s get out of here!”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, Luna answered. The madness that had consumed her vanished completely.
“Old man… so you were just up to some petty thievery.”
Before Eltiot could create distance, Simat slashed at the bundle on his back. Pieces of Red-Eyed Tribe public facilities spilled out, breaking apart.
“Ah, no! How did you gather all this? You damn fool, no respect for elders!”
“Quiet.”
Simat’s blade grazed the bridge of Eltiot’s nose. Eltiot rolled backward and landed in Luna’s arms. Without hesitation, Luna leapt away, putting distance between them and Simat.
Without looking back, she sprinted at full speed. She had realized by now that if she kept fighting, death was the only outcome.
“Master, prepare the countermeasure quickly! The shield will activate soon!”
“I’m too exhausted. Just smash it with your brute strength!”
“Do you have to put it that way every time?”
“Hurry!”
The airborne fortress and the fleet immediately took formation, beginning to encircle their enemies.
But Simat didn’t pursue them directly. A spear materialized above his bracelet, and Rakhiman’s face appeared.
{Comrade of the War God! We’ll set up a blockade and lure them to the outskirts of the city to eliminate them.}
Simat shook his head at the suggestion.
“No. Pretend to chase them, then let them go.”
From the start, Simat had no intention of killing Luna and Eltiot today. He’d only hesitated briefly because of Luna’s deadly intent and the danger it posed.
But to Simat, that lethal intent was clearly a double-edged sword.
{Pardon?}
“There are still many other enemies. There’s no need to start an all-out war with the Balmel Alliance, our greatest rival, just yet. The Qingfeng Empire came here knowing I would make that call. The old man… he’s grown weaker but is finally using his wits.”
Rakhiman didn’t argue with Simat’s order.
{…Understood, Comrade of the War God.}
Simat ended the video call and looked down at the scattered components on the floor.
“The great Qingfeng Empire is risking so much just to get their hands on these low-grade parts. What a bitter age we live in.”
As Simat crushed the remaining parts underfoot and shrugged, Eltiot smiled slyly, fingers brushing the ‘core’ components hidden in his coat pocket. From the days of the Solar War until now, this was the first time he had outmaneuvered Simat in their game of wits.