Episode 998
Chapter 246: The Great Mitra Desert Battle for Supremacy (8)

Kiiing! Krakakakak!

The airborne fortress and fleet began unleashing their blazing red thunder cannons.

[Good, good! Today, we grow even stronger!]

[Marshaloon, hurry and absorb it!]

[Oh, Shuri.]

Sribi and Karmash surrendered their bodies greedily to the falling enemy thunder cannon blasts. Marshaloon still couldn’t take his eyes off Shuri, but Shuri, avoiding his burdensome gaze, slipped back into the red jade.

“Hmm!”

Beliz let out a heavy breath and swung his greatsword upward.

Jin’s mind flashed back to the day he fought Beliz during the Twin King Tournament, and a chill ran down his neck.

‘Back then, the Beliz brothers fought with reserve in their hands until the very end, yet they still defeated me… Though I did manage to sever the right arm of one of the Beliz brothers.’

As if reading his thoughts, Beliz flashed a grin at Jin the moment his sword swing finished.

“Our brother Jin, you earned the title of Jay Sword in the Twin King Tournament, but honestly, you were a bit weaker than me. Now, you’ve truly ascended to the heavens. I’m proud of you, brother.”

As Beliz spoke, a massive blue sword energy, as if to engulf the entire airborne fortress, tore through the enemy thunder cannon blasts and soared into the sky.

It was like sand being swept away by a wave. Although the main guns of the airborne fortresses weren’t operating at full power, the enemy Red-Eye Tribe had no choice but to withdraw their flagship.

‘This level surpasses even the Twin Kings of the Qingming Tribe back then…!’

‘How many like them could there possibly be? It can’t be just those two!’

Linpa’s sword energy followed suit.

Her sword energy had a strange acceleration that was immediately noticeable even within the fleet. It started slow and deliberate, but when it collided with the enemy thunder cannon blasts, it explosively accelerated, making its trajectory nearly impossible to predict.

“Changseong… amazing. To think they’re our brothers… it’s an honor.”

Two streaks of blue sword energy battered the crimson sky.

And through the middle, a massive golden flash rose. The Mingwang Sword, Geumroe-gi, newly awakened on Changseong, tore through the fleet’s protective shield with its golden thunder energy.

The thunder energy of the airborne fortress and fleet seemed comparatively weak. While the fleet’s sheer power was overwhelming, the condensed strength of Changseong and the two Twin Kings nearby completely disregarded scale.

“Oh! What’s that golden thunder energy? It’s so cool!”

“Me too… tell me!”

Jin and his brothers showed no sign of tension. The enemy thunder cannon blasts were pushed so high into the sky that “falling” was no longer an appropriate word.

[Oh! I came expecting some decent local food, but suddenly it feels like I’m being served the finest cuisine! Isn’t that right, Karmash, Marshaloon?]

[Exactly, Sribi! If the Red-Eye Tribe’s thunder cannon blasts taste like cheap fish drenched in spices, then this thunder energy tastes like the very essence forged from the souls of wretched humans. Marshaloon! What are you waiting for? Eat quickly!]

[Marshaloon is engulfed in sorrow. Shuri rejected him and disappeared… But perhaps this too is a way of praising sorrow. Marshaloon will deeply empathize with the loneliness and grief Shuri must have endured in the Black Sea…]

[That crazy guy, seriously.]

Sribi and Karmash darted through the air filled with thunder energy like fish in water. Marshaloon curled up, repeatedly whispering Shuri’s name, yet the thunder energy was naturally being absorbed into him.

Simat quietly observed this from the bridge of the Pibil.

“Haah.”

A deep sigh welled up from within.

The Bamel Alliance had suddenly gained two Mingwang Tribe members estimated to be of the highest superhuman level, and the demons were laughing wildly, so it was only natural for him to feel uneasy.

‘This doesn’t feel right… It’s almost as if a part of the Sun God’s will is blessing the Bamel Alliance.’

It didn’t seem like just a feeling.

‘Lanke Halobiche conducting a demon summoning ritual in the Great Desert, combined with a series of coincidences leading to the hidden Mingwang Tribe members from the subspace joining the Bamel Alliance…’

According to the technicians’ reports, the biggest factor in these coincidences was likely the firepower of the airborne fortress that struck the Great Desert.

Could that really be just a coincidence?

Simat thought not.

He was arguably the mortal who knew the Sun God better than anyone else in ancient times. He knew the Sun God’s will was not singular, and even though the Sun God was said to be dead, those wills still lingered throughout the world.

That was what made Simat uneasy. They were the ones trying to resurrect the Sun God and restore order to the world, yet he couldn’t understand why the god seemed to favor their enemies.

‘Are you trying to make me a heretical believer, Sun God Kinzello?’

Gritting his teeth, Simat calmed his anger and opened the video communication window. Dozens of windows appeared, showing the Twin Kings and various ship commanders.

“The demons are relatively more friendly toward the Bamel Alliance. So the Bamel Alliance has no qualms about using their strength. The fatter the demons get, the more it benefits them. We will focus on defense in this battle and carefully analyze the combat capabilities of the Qingming Tribe descendants.”

{Understood.}

“The order to increase reconnaissance remains unchanged. Track the White Whales that have left the battlefield; that will reveal the locations of Eltiot and the subspace tracking technicians. Prevent them from returning with new information.”

{Yes!}

“Also, while defending, we will focus on subspace tracking. Before all the Qingming descendants escape, we must find and destroy Laprarosa.”

Laprarosa.

The danger of that unknown subspace was already being proven by just Beliz and Linpa.

Seventy-seven in total.

Among them, only ten Twin Kings and half a Twin God remained. Simat didn’t know the exact scale but was certain of one thing.

The moment all the Mingwang Tribe members from Laprarosa safely escaped into the mortal world, the Red-Eye Tribe would lose their footing.

{Thanks to the recently summoned Mingwang Tribe members, the location of Laprarosa has been definitively identified, Twin God comrade. However, using subspace trackers to destroy it is difficult due to fierce enemy counterattacks, and the cracks that can be struck without special operations keep shifting locations.}

Rimagas spoke. He was tirelessly analyzing Laprarosa’s waveforms from the bridge of the Patl.

“Then, what’s your suggestion, Rimagas comrade?”

{I recommend deploying one more airborne fortress to continuously bombard the subspace location. That way, the randomly occurring cracks will inevitably be hit, and the aftershocks will be transmitted directly inside the subspace.}

Indeed, the ‘cracks’ forming at Laprarosa’s entrance were practically connected to the mortal world.

That was why the thunder energy used by Ban to widen the passage for Beliz and Linpa annihilated the Red-Eye Tribe’s reconnaissance squad.

The power used inside Laprarosa could strike the mortal world, and vice versa.

“Understood. We’ll deploy Kri.”

Rimagas immediately shook his head.

{No, Twin God comrade. While Kri could deal the greatest damage to the cracks at Laprarosa, it would leave our base too vulnerable. Above all, the thunder energy that initially wiped out the reconnaissance fleet is too dangerous.}

Ban’s thunder energy.

Since analyzing the remnants collected by Patl’s equipment, Rimagas had been gripped by deep fear.

Though the numbers didn’t seem extraordinary, the structure of that thunder energy resembled something Rimagas knew well.

It was almost identical to the essence of the Sun God used in the airborne fortress Kri and the Sun Sword Tetalon. Rimagas had analyzed countless energies from mortals and immortals alike, but had never seen anything so similar to the Sun God’s essence.

Clearly, that power would easily overwhelm their own Twin God Simat.

‘If there are many ears listening, some things cannot be said.’

Simat cut off all communications except with Rimagas.

“Explain in detail, Rimagas.”

{There is a being inside possessing power similar to the essence of the Sun God. We must assume it’s a much larger and more immense essence than that used in Kri and Tetalon… the owner of such power.}

Simat’s eyes widened.

“…It must be the Twin God among the Qingming descendants.”

{Twin God comrade, the battlefield is increasingly beyond our predictions. It’s entirely possible that this being could suddenly break through the cracks and escape.}

“So, Rimagas comrade fears that Kri will be destroyed if that happens?”

Rimagas glanced at Simat for a moment.

{…It’s not fear, Twin God comrade. It’s certainty. Even if you enter battle with Kri and the entire airborne fortress, my conclusion is that killing that being is impossible.}

You can never defeat him, no matter what you do.

Only Rimagas could speak such blunt truth to Simat.

In fact, whether in ancient times or now, Simat had never faced a situation warranting such bluntness. Even the peak Qingfeng Emperor or the Great Serpent couldn’t handle Simat when he brought the entire airborne fortress.

Rimagas was saying that rule might now be broken.

“Even if we use the Light of Annihilation?”

{That’s precisely why I say you must not deploy Kri. If that being appears safely in the mortal world, use the witch instead.}

Rimagas’s judgment was always spot-on. He was the first to insist that they needed to hide their identities and avoid the Great Sealing in ancient times.

Simat immediately nodded in agreement with his opinion.

“A witch… You’re saying she’s even more dangerous than that strange being? Understood. Then the best possible future right now would be for fate to stop the summoning of the Infernal Lords of Laprarosa.”

{Exactly. There are still some aspects we can influence directly, so I will do my utmost to prevent it.}

“In a way, more depends on you and your kin than on me at this point. Bring back good news, no matter what.”

{Understood.}

The communication window with Rimagas closed.

Simat shifted his gaze back to the battlefield, watching Jin, Beliz, Linpa, and the demons.

‘After the Azure Wind Emperor and the Great Serpent’s Great Sealing, I thought we’d never face such obstacles again… Yet, I never imagined we’d encounter foes even stronger than before so soon.’