Chapter 991
Episode 246: The Battle for the Mitra Great Desert (Part 1)
“So after Kinzello, now Ziphl and the Red-Eyed Tribe have appeared in Lafrarosa…? And they brought along three aerial fortresses?”
Jin furrowed his brow as he spoke.
He had assumed the Red-Eyed Tribe wouldn’t fall for Kinzello’s bait. But he never expected Ziphl to leak information about the ‘Underworld Tribe’ to the Red-Eyed Tribe.
“Every other faction except the Red-Eyed Tribe must have already suspected that Lafrarosa lies within the Mitra Great Desert. I never thought they’d try to drag us into this like this.”
Until now, Jin had deliberately avoided focusing on Lafrarosa. They lacked the technology to liberate the Underworld Tribe, and other factions hadn’t shown much interest in the Mitra Great Desert.
The desert had been used as a dumping ground for chaos waste ever since the Sword Emperor War. Even if enemies guessed the connection between Lafrarosa and the desert, it wasn’t a problem—because Lafrarosa existed within an extradimensional space inside Solderet. Even if the desert was damaged, the hidden extradimensional space wouldn’t be destroyed.
But Eltiot warned that if the Red-Eyed Tribe got involved, things could change.
“The Red-Eyed have the ability to track extradimensional spaces. Of course, Lafrarosa’s extradimensional space has special entry conditions, so they can’t just ignore those. But they could still affect the space itself in some way.”
“How so, Master?”
“They could seal or destroy the extradimensional space from the outside. Given enough time, they might even relocate the entire space to another region.”
If that happened, liberating Lafrarosa would become impossible forever.
“We need to secure the Mitra Great Desert immediately.”
Jin spoke calmly.
“It’s a bit sooner than expected, but the Red-Eyed Tribe must have already pinpointed Lafrarosa’s location. Since the moment Lord Pibil’s crucial components were stolen, liberating Lafrarosa has been our top priority. It’s time to settle this.”
Analysis of Pibil’s components was already over 90% complete. Kwal was working with a partially recovered Eltiot to develop a Lafrarosa summoning device.
“Lord Eltiot, when they track the extradimensional space, do they use any external equipment?”
“It’s not just equipment. It’s all installed on the aerial fortresses.”
“Then we could strike the fortresses directly to obtain those parts related to extradimensional tracking?”
“Well… it’s not impossible. If you can break through Simat, the fortresses, and the fleet’s defenses.”
“Would acquiring those parts help with the Lafrarosa summoning device we’re developing?”
“Of course. Extradimensional tracking is essentially an application of wavelength tracking technology. It would be even more helpful than the Pibil components we obtained.”
“Then this could actually be an opportunity. How long does it take them to track an extradimensional space?”
“It varies by space. But since Lafrarosa was created by an immortal the size of a great serpent in its prime, it probably won’t be quick.”
“Understood. The first sortie will be the three of us: me, Sister Luna, and Lord Eltiot. Starting today, the three of us will head to the Mitra Great Desert to engage the enemy, gather intelligence, and bring in reinforcements as needed.”
Unlike the Red-Eyed Tribe, the Balmur Alliance couldn’t afford to commit many key personnel. Since the Red-Eyed Tribe might suddenly invade their homeland, the rest had to remain on standby. It was an unavoidable situation until they closed the technological gap or liberated Lafrarosa.
Still, Jin’s mention of reinforcements meant there would come a time when they’d have to risk everything and go all in.
“Your Highness, are you leaving now?”
“Yes, Lord Kashimir. Also, please contact Sister Yona. Since the three of us will draw their attention, it would be best for her to gather intelligence as well. She’ll enter about an hour after we arrive.”
“Understood, Your Highness. Please be careful.”
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwang! Chiiiiiing…!
At the heart of the Mitra Desert, the aerial fortresses relentlessly rained down enemy brainwave cannons. Kinzello and Ziphl split off in different directions, dodging the barrage.
“Damn it! Why can’t those short Bubars make something like this? What the hell are those aerial fortresses? How are we supposed to fight properly against those?”
“If those idiots had that kind of ability, we’d have already achieved our great cause.”
Kinzello, being outnumbered, was faring slightly better than Ziphl under the bombardment. Berakt, Badrei, Bianca, Shagal, and Ranke—all five could withstand the fortress firepower as long as it wasn’t at maximum output.
“Ugh, I thought my necromancy would finally work this time. Damn bastards, why even give us hope if you’re just going to crush it?”
“Don’t be too disappointed, Lord Ranke. It was bound to fail anyway.”
“Shut up! The Red-Eyed Tribe knows my necromancy is valuable. That’s why they haven’t destroyed our equipment.”
“That’s just so they can analyze what we’re doing. Once they finish, they’ll destroy it. Don’t get your hopes up and end up more hurt.”
“Ranke, stay strong…”
The Red-Eyed Tribe was forming a brainwave barrier to keep Kinzello and Ziphl from leaving the desert’s center. Any attempt to break through a point was met with concentrated fire. So Kinzello and Ziphl were forced to circle endlessly within the barrier.
“Jin Runkandel, he’s here.”
Simat said as he scanned the battlefield from Pibil’s bridge.
There was no sign of Jin and his group on any of the battlefield monitors yet. Simat wasn’t relying on the fortresses’ or fleet’s sensors—he was sensing Jin’s presence with his own instincts.
“Prepare to engage.”
“Have you confirmed the extradimensional space’s existence?”
“Yes. The exact location of the wavelength is unclear, but the extradimensional space’s presence is confirmed.”
Simat paused, then checked on the aerial fortresses Patl and Rital. Both were hovering in place with their extradimensional tracking devices activated.
“Then immediately conceal the tracking devices on Patl and Rital. Cheongpungje, that old man must have informed Jin Runkandel. They’ll try to seize our devices again.”
The tracking devices on Patl and Rital began retracting. The devices resembled net-like structures extending from the bottom of the fortresses.
“Rital, withdraw immediately and bombard Tikan Palace. Skilled fighters like Murakan are waiting there. Use long-range fire to safely pressure them. The goal is disruption, not annihilation. Once they start deploying serious forces, return to the Mitra Great Desert.”
“Understood.”
“Pibil and Patl will keep their main guns at 30% power to block Baekgyeong and Eltiot’s approach. When I engage Jin Runkandel directly, I’ll adjust the main gun power dynamically to target the weakest among Jin, Baekgyeong, and Eltiot.”
The bridge doors opened.
Simat had no intention of letting the Balmur Alliance steal components from them again like last time. He planned to drag the upcoming battle in the Mitra Desert into a prolonged war.
He still didn’t want an all-out war with the Balmur Alliance. If they could just prevent the Alliance from making any gains in the desert, the biggest variable threatening the Red-Eyed Tribe’s dominance would be eliminated.
Of course, since they’d conduct extradimensional tracking mostly when the Alliance’s strongest were absent, the destruction of Lafrarosa would be delayed. But that was better than rushing and messing things up.
Simat leapt out of the bridge. Without even glancing at Kinzello and Ziphl’s groups nearby, he sent a blade of energy toward the direction Jin’s group was approaching.
Before the blade even entered his sight, Jin unleashed a meteor shower to counter it. A massive red blade clashed with the meteor storm in the middle of the desert.
“Sister, Lord Eltiot, focus on securing the device. I’ll hold Simat down.”
“Got it, youngest. Be careful! Simat, with the support of the aerial fortresses, showed me a level of skill I couldn’t even counter.”
“That guy has no romantic notions as a swordsman. Winning is all that matters. If it gets too dangerous, retreat immediately. At least he didn’t bring the Kree, the fortress specialized in vision, so that’s a relief.”
The three split up. Jin advanced alone toward Simat, while Eltiot and Luna moved together to locate the extradimensional tracking device.
The distance between Jin and Simat was closing. Jin quickly realized only two aerial fortresses remained.
“Where did the other one go?”
He couldn’t check by communication because of the brainwave barrier.
“Most likely sent to attack our base. Simat brought this force himself, and Kinzello and Ziphl’s troops haven’t been seriously damaged yet, so there’s no reason to send it now. But one fortress alone can’t break through Tikan or the Garden of Blades, so it’s probably just for disruption.”
He concluded they intended to drag the battle into a long war.
Jin injected a neural command into Sigmund. A prolonged war would be disadvantageous for the Balmur Alliance in many ways. They’d lose what little initiative they had left.
“For now, we need to fight and see if any variables arise. The best hope is Sister Yona’s intelligence gathering.”
Soon, Jin and Simat clashed.
“Jin Runkandel, you look troubled. Afraid your reunion with your brothers might fall apart, are you?”
“I was quite surprised to hear you were a dueling spirit, Simat. Even when you pretended to be a first-class dueling king, you seemed like one of the smarter ones among the Jeokmyeong tribe. But you’ve certainly become a real nuisance.”
As Sigmund and Tethalon clashed, shockwaves rippled through the air. Blue spiritual energy met red, their tangled auras piercing each other’s skin.
The place where they collided was about seven hundred paces from Lanke’s necromancy equipment.
At the very moment the first shockwave spread, both of them sensed it simultaneously: from the distant desert, magical energy was suddenly surging upward.
Lanke’s necromancy device was absorbing the shockwaves unleashed by the two like a ravenous beast.