Chapter 115: Respective Reinforcements (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: Respective Reinforcements (5)
“Though I may not be your equal, I shall not bring shame to the name of Zipple!”
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted. Once again, it was halted by ice crystals, but Talaris frowned, the persistent nuisance beginning to grate on her nerves.
Midore sensed an opening, but he was gravely mistaken.
“Hmph, Space Explosion. You’re acting far too bold with power Kelliark merely lent you for a moment.”
Thump.
Talaris lightly stamped her foot.
Cr-crack…!
The barrier the mages had erected began to freeze at an alarming rate. It took a mere three seconds for the defensive barrier—maintained by nearly thirty mages—to freeze solid and shatter like glass.
“W-what is this?!”
Every mage of the 7th Magic Tower knew Talaris’s face, but not a single one of them had ever fought her. Had even one of them experienced her martial prowess before, they would never have dared to challenge her.
The mages’ faces turned ashen. Even the Red Dragons let out low whimpers, seemingly sensing the encroaching dread.
In contrast, as Talaris began to exert her power, her long hair fluttered eerily. Countless ice crystals swirled around her in a vortex, their brilliance illuminating the entire area.
“I suppose I’ve been out of the spotlight for too long. Honestly, to think such insignificant nobodies would crawl out and challenge me… it’s a bit insulting. Has your Patriarch never told you about me?”
Cr-cr-crack!
Soon, the ice crystals gathered in Talaris’s right hand, taking on a long, slender shape.
It was a sword.
Its name was ‘Ten Thousand Ice.’
“Allow me to give you a lesson.”
Whoosh…!
With a single swing of Ten Thousand Ice, a sharp wind formed from the tip of the blade.
It was, quite literally, a ‘flesh-tearing’ wind. As the gale, mingled with pure white frost, surged forward, the mages desperately cast every defensive spell in their repertoire.
However, once Talaris gripped her sword, every action they took was utterly futile.
“Ugh!”
Midore was the first to let out a short groan. As the wind passed him, the mages behind him began to scream.
It was as if thousands of blades, rather than wind, were pushing through them. Fresh blood sprayed incessantly from the bodies of the mages standing in formation. Robes were shredded, staves snapped in two, and a gruesome scene of flesh and bone being ruthlessly carved apart unfolded.
Talaris let out a disdainful snort.
“I don’t intend to kill you all.”
She hadn’t focused her mind for a decisive strike, nor had she channeled her Aura for a secret technique. She had merely given Ten Thousand Ice a light swing, yet every single mage of the 7th Magic Tower had already sustained injuries of varying degrees.
There were even five fatalities—and considering every one of them was at least 7-star, the feat was staggering.
Is this truly the strength of a human…!
The power was so absurd it defied belief. Midore, barely clinging to his consciousness, felt his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
With a gap this vast, the other mages would be incapacitated by the next strike before they could even chant a spell. Just as he thought he was the only one who could counterattack using Space Explosion—
“Ah, and was it Midore? You made a mistake, little one. Space Explosion is a magic I particularly loathe. It was so annoying when I fought Kelliark in the past.”
To his shock, Talaris had already closed the distance and was standing right in front of his nose.
“Gah!”
“Why so surprised? You don’t even realize your own right hand is gone.”
Reflexively looking down, Midore saw that his right hand had indeed been cleanly severed and lay on the ground. The wound was frozen solid; he couldn’t even feel the pain yet.
“This is what I dislike about mages. You actually took the time to check your hand? While I’m standing right in front of you? A trained warrior would never take their eyes off the enemy in a moment like this. Otherwise, their head would be the next thing to go.”
Flinch!
Midore clutched his neck and stumbled backward. When Talaris clicked her tongue at the sight, he felt as if his heart was freezing over from an indescribable sense of shame. Yet, he didn't dare to even glare at her.
“Vice Tower Master!”
“Protect the Vice Tower Master!”
“You lot are less than background scenery, but at least your loyalty is decent. Though, how exactly do you plan to protect him against me? You should be censuring Midore instead. He is the foolish commander who failed to recognize his opponent’s strength and led you all into a death trap.”
As Talaris wore a chilling smile, the mages could do nothing but grit their teeth. Her words were undeniably true. Midore himself felt the weight of that reality, but he could only feel bitter resentment at how absurdly the situation had spiraled.
Damn it! I expected a struggle, but even with the Authority of Space Explosion granted by the Patriarch, the gap is this wide! At this rate, even if reinforcements come from the other Magic Towers or the main house…!
They couldn't win. Not unless Kelliark Zipple came in person, or the ‘White Night’—the main house’s most elite mages—arrived.
“Any last words… Oh? What is that now?”
The moment Midore fell into despair, a light suddenly stretched out like a beacon from the distant dawn sky. The source of the light was a massive sailing ship flying through the air.
Talaris knew exactly what that ship symbolized.
That’s a ship of the White Night. That brat Casimir didn’t mention there would be reinforcements like this.
For the first time, Talaris’s expression hardened.
Midore and the mages also froze, though for different reasons. They had never imagined the main house would actually send the White Night as reinforcements.
Vroom…!
The only ship that sailed the skies.
As soon as the ‘Kozec’ revealed itself, Jin bolted upright.
Holy… why the hell is that here!
The Kozec was a vessel known to move only when Zipple declared ‘war.’ This was the first time Jin had seen it with his own eyes, but he had heard plenty about its terrifying majesty.
With a poof, Murakan transformed back into his human form, his eyes glued to the Kozec. Siris’s eyes were also wide with shock.
“Ah, wait. The Kozec? Even that woman might struggle to handle this alone. No, Midore—was that guy really that important to Zipple?”
“…I think Zipple has become hypersensitive since Andrei’s death. Another pure-blooded Zipple was attacked, so they must be intent on making an example this time. Besides, there’s an object hidden here that they’ve been searching for for centuries.”
Jin shook his head as he spoke.
Even for Lady Talaris, facing the White Night alone seems like too much… Setting the Mirror aside, at this rate, it’ll be impossible to even get the remaining natives out alive.
While the battle had paused due to the Kozec’s appearance, the natives were still continuing their ritual. It was only four in the morning. There were still eight hours left until noon when the ritual would conclude, and with the Kozec’s arrival, fulfilling Laosa’s request seemed utterly doomed.
Even if Lady Talaris could face the entire White Night alone, she has no reason to go that far. She’ll likely just take me and Murakan and escape.
The request Talaris had received from Casimir was to rescue Jin and Murakan. Protecting the natives’ ritual was not part of the deal. That was something Jin’s group was supposed to handle once Talaris cleared out the Zipple mages.
Nevertheless.
Jin truly did not want to give up. He wanted to grasp at hope until the very last moment. It wasn't out of a desire for the ancient masterpiece, the Mirror. It was because he empathized with the pain of the Colon people, who had been abused here for centuries across generations.
Moreover, if he were to escape Colon now on the back of the Snow Toad Mort with Talaris, it felt as though it would remain a burden on his heart for the rest of his life.
“Kid, where are you going?!”
“I’m going to check on the natives.”
Jin ran toward the natives, his face once again hidden by the Rune of Mul-ta. Sensing his movement, Talaris briefly lowered the ice barrier. As if she had been waiting, Tika grabbed Jin’s hand.
Her expression was one of extreme urgency. And she had no intention of holding him back—none of the Colon people did.
“It’s no use. We know what that ship is, too. Please, Lord Jin, you must escape. I am so sorry. You worked so hard for us, yet we… instead of repaying you, we can only show you a bitter end.”
“Tika.”
“In our centuries-long history of exploitation, Lord Jin and Dino were the only ones who reached out to us against Zipple. Our savior, please. Go, quickly.”
In truth, everything that had happened since last night was a miracle to them. Jin’s group arriving at Colon, Myuron’s death, being able to build graves for their fallen kin, and Talaris appearing when the 7th Magic Tower mages pursued them.
They couldn't ask for another miracle. Especially not against the White Night, Zipple’s greatest force.
“I don’t want to give up on you. Is there any way to finish the ritual faster? If I can persuade Lady Talaris, she might buy us some time, even if she doesn't engage in a full-scale war with the White Night.”
“It would have been possible before Priestess Laosa lost her divine power, but now it is impossible. No, just go. They won’t kill us until they obtain the sacred object, probably.”
Probably.
That word pierced Jin’s heart. It was the same emotion he had felt earlier while digging nearly two hundred graves for the Colon people.
“Priestess Laosa hasn't lost all of her divine power. She used her divine insight when she first saw me.”
“But—”
“I will bring Priestess Laosa here. If it still doesn't work, I’ll give up then.”
“No! There’s no time. Please, just run! Lord Jin, you don’t have to go this far for us. You’ve already moved us more than enough. We can’t let someone like you die!”
Vwoom!
Suddenly, a pure white dimensional gate opened beside Jin, and the Snow Toad Mort hopped out. It was summoned by Siris, who had followed after him.
“Get on.”
Siris, already mounted on Mort’s back, reached out her hand.
“Huh?”
“I said get on. It’s a rare sight to see a Runcandel risking his life for the weak who have no connection to him, so I’m feeling generous. But I can’t give you much time.”
Jin nodded with a firm expression.
“I will never forget this favor, Lady Siris.”
“A simple thank you is enough. It’s not that big a deal. Let’s go.”