Chapter 989
Episode 245: Kinzello’s Clever Move (Part 2)
That night, Lanke, Shagal, Bianca, Berakt, and Badrey ventured into the Mitra Great Desert. The vast desert remained in chaos, still tainted by the lingering spiritual energy left behind when Gliek vanished, mixed with the chaotic waste discarded by the various factions of the mortal realm during the Demon God War.
The area where Kinzello’s old headquarters once stood, along with the lands corrupted by the tainted beastmen, had been utterly destroyed without a trace ever since Jin emerged from Laprarosa.
Mitra looked like a forsaken wasteland. Residual spiritual energy clouded the sky so thickly that even at midday, sunlight barely pierced through. Occasionally, lumps of what looked like chunks of flesh crawled sluggishly across the blackened sand.
“Tch, if my grand necromancy plan had succeeded, by now the legendary archdukes of the demon realm would be holding their ground firmly,” Lanke muttered.
“Still clinging to that ridiculous plan, are you? You really think it would’ve worked if Jin Runkandel hadn’t been around?” Shagal scoffed.
“Ridiculous? Watch your words, Shagal. Are you mocking me despite trusting Lord Pirops?” Lanke shot back.
“I’m just stating facts, Lanke. It’s a bit sad to see you so attached to a failed scheme.”
“Shagal… Lanke… don’t tease me. I did… try my best.”
“Who are you to defend him?”
“Haha, seeing this, it seems demons may be old in years but mentally stuck in childhood. Don’t you think so, Berakt? At least Bianca’s cluelessness is kind of endearing.”
“I’m not clueless!” Bianca snapped.
“Ha ha ha!”
“Badrey, you need to grasp the gravity of this situation. We’re here risking Kinzello’s very existence.”
“I know, Berakt. That’s why I’m trying to lighten the mood. Honestly, if we start causing a ruckus here and suddenly the Red-Eyed Tribe shows up with their flying fortress, or the Bamel Union dispatches forces to crush us, there’s no way we can handle it with just the five of us.”
The five who had come to the Great Desert were Kinzello’s core operatives. If things went wrong and they all ended up buried in the desert, Kinzello’s future would vanish with them.
“That’s why we’re all here—to make sure that doesn’t happen. Once the bait is set, Zephyrin will be waiting nearby. We just need to keep a close eye on the enemy’s movements.”
The regular members, clad in protective suits, began unpacking various devices inside the Grnil. All the equipment had been used before when Lanke attempted necromancy. In addition, there was Bubar’s invention—a device that emitted nothing but loud, flashy lights in all directions, which he called the “Chaos Lantern.”
Lanke skillfully set up each piece of equipment the team brought. The other officers stood back, arms crossed, merely watching.
When Shagal tried to help Lanke with one of the devices, Lanke suddenly shouted.
“Don’t touch that! These are all sensitive instruments!”
“…What do you mean, Lanke?”
“I mean put down the device you’re roughly handling.”
“Huh? We’re just pretending to pull off some grand scheme, right? Surely you’re not seriously trying necromancy again?”
“Of course I am!”
“Why bother with such a pointless act?”
“Whether it’s pointless or not, we’ll know once the results come in. Either we fake it or actually do it. As long as the operation goes smoothly, that’s what matters.”
Lanke saw this mission as the last chance to attempt necromancy.
“Hey, Lanke, you really don’t know when to give up, do you? Ha! You just keep piling on the trouble! Don’t you agree, Berakt?”
“Hmph! We’re desperate enough to clutch at straws. And if necromancy actually works? That would add serious strength to Kinzello. So don’t try to stop me, calling it useless.”
“Lanke, your dreams… are big. I’ll support you…”
Ainas voiced his support, while Shagal shrugged and looked at Lanke with a mix of pity and amusement. Berakt thought Lanke’s idea wasn’t entirely without merit. It wouldn’t take much effort, and if it succeeded, great; if it failed, no harm done.
“Do as you please. But if your obsession with necromancy causes even the slightest disruption to the operation, be prepared for the consequences.”
For over two hours, Lanke worked alone, installing dozens of devices, interspersed with the Chaos Lanterns.
“Phew, all done. From now on, I’ll focus on necromancy. You guys can turn on Bubar’s noisy inventions, dance around, or pretend to cast some ancient chain curse spell—whatever you want.”
Whirrrrrr—!
As Lanke activated the equipment, a heavy vibration spread through the heart of the desert. Muttering incantations like a possessed man, he drew magic circles all around.
The sight was unsettling enough that the group couldn’t help but nod in approval.
“Wow, anyone watching would definitely get chills. If I were the Bamel Union or the Red-Eyed Tribe, I’d be scrambling to figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Definitely gives off that vibe.”
“Lanke must have suffered a lot in his childhood.”
“Somehow… this is exciting…”
With all the Chaos Lanterns lit, it was like a sinister festival erupting amid the chaos.
The lanterns shot beams of light nonstop in every direction. Though the desert was shrouded in a misty haze from the spiritual energy, the lights were bright enough to be seen from very far away.
“Archduke of Flame, Karmashu, oh, let your cruel fire burn the world anew! Marsalun of Sorrow, long-time follower of the witch! I, Lanke, earnestly summon you—appear before me and curse our enemies! Oh, oh! Sriwi, the great demon of Mount Tekan…!”
Lanke’s eerie voice echoed loudly across the desolate desert.
Now, Kinzello’s task was to wait for the enemies to take the bait and appear. Praying fervently to the Sun God all the while.
The first to notice Kinzello’s strange activity was neither the Bamel Union nor the Red-Eyed Tribe, but Ziphl.
<May 6, 1804, 11:50 PM. Lanke Halobiche, Shagal Bahma, Bianca Caligo, Berakt Sidriker, and Badrey Ramul arrive at the center of the Mitra Great Desert.>
<They plan to use the hidden Laprarosa within the Mitra Desert to lure out both the Bamel Union and the Red-Eyed Tribe simultaneously. Currently, Kinzello is deliberately shining flashy lights everywhere and attempting necromancy to summon the ancient demons…>
At the Tower of Stories.
Elona was inside a transparent, spherical device at the tower’s center, using a demon stone.
Fortunately, the tower provided the ‘record’ that Keliak desired—information on Kinzello’s movements.
“Demon stone operation complete. Disconnecting.”
Clack! Fshhh, zzzzzzz…!
At Elona’s command, the thick tubes connected along her back inside the glass chamber detached. Her back looked almost melted from the heat, and blood boiled and dripped from the puncture wounds left by the tubes.
But as magic enveloped her body, the wounds rapidly healed. The bio-golems waiting nearby handed her clothes, but Elona’s face was more exhausted than ever. She staggered, barely able to walk properly.
“You okay?” Raghal asked. Seeing him, a surge of anger rose within Elona, but she suppressed it and nodded.
“I just pushed myself a bit too hard. At this stage of the demon stone’s development, this is the best purity of record I can get.”
She said “a bit too hard” lightly, but in truth, she had been close to death just moments ago.
Though she wore the Holy Water Vessel and could be called immortal, she was not without limits.
“Phew, well, at least you got the record. It would’ve been frustrating if, like last time, you came up empty.”
That failed attempt was when she tried to retrieve records about Simat. Back then, she pushed the demon stone even harder but gained no information.
Partly because the demon stone was incomplete, and partly because Simat had left no records in the mortal realm.
“Maybe he has a power similar to Jin Runkandel’s existence. On a smaller scale, though…”
The power of existence.
Elona pondered that strange power. Because of it, records about Jin and his circle were completely inaccessible. If she tried to force the demon stone to search for Jin’s records, it would outright refuse to operate.
“…But it’s strange. No matter how strong the power of existence, for the tower and demon stone to completely reject operation? Even Temar a thousand years ago didn’t have that ability. Could it really be that only Jin Runkandel’s power of existence causes the demon stone’s malfunction?”
It was a question she couldn’t answer right now. Erasing the thought, Elona looked at Raghal.
“Is Keliak on the top floor?”
“Yes. You look like you’re struggling to walk. Want to rest a bit?”
“No, I’ll go straight there.”
“Geez, you’re stubborn as always.”
“I’m not your friend.”
“Such a grump! Then at least let me support you.”
“I refuse.”
Raghal shrugged and matched pace with the staggering Elona. When they reached the top floor, Keliak turned to look at them both.
“Elona, you’re here. What’s the situation?”
“I’ve reviewed the reports. Kinzello is luring the Barmel Alliance and the Jeokmyeong tribe into the Mitra Great Desert.”
Keliak’s eyes darkened. Elona relayed the information she had just confirmed, word for word, without missing a single detail.
“I was wondering why those who are marked as the top targets by the Jeokmyeong tribe—the ones who should be most desperate—haven’t reached out to us. Turns out, Kinzello’s playing a pretty clever game.”
“Keliak, you say it’s clever? From where I stand, if either the Barmel Alliance or the Jeokmyeong tribe shows any real interest in the Mitra Great Desert, it’s Kinzello who’s going to lose.”
“Ragal, it’s impressive to see your intellect sharpening day by day. You’re right—if one side ignores the Mitra Great Desert, Kinzello will be in serious trouble. And that side is most likely the Jeokmyeong tribe. The Jin Runkandel will be watching the desert closely because of Lafrarosa.”
“Heh, all thanks to you, Keliak.”
“What’s the plan then, Keliak?”
Elona asked, and Keliak smiled.
“We should have our Ziphl support Kinzello’s desperate gambit. Make sure neither the Barmel Alliance nor the Jeokmyeong tribe can resist turning their attention to the Mitra Great Desert.”