Chapter 293: Power, and the Worship of Power (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 293: Power, and the Worship of Power (4)
Could it be… he’s the one who came to Ventica?!
The distance was too great to see his face clearly, but recognizing a friend was not a difficult task.
Even though he hadn't swung his sword once, Jin’s heart began to pound.
He felt it instinctively: Veradin was not himself.
Suddenly, the last conversation he’d had with Veradin flashed through his mind.
—So, what are you going to do?
—About what?
—Leaving the Zipple family.
—Ah, that… It’s going to be difficult. The most realistic way would be for you to take me prisoner after you become a flagbearer. But that move could easily trigger an all-out war. Besides, I have no idea how much your siblings would torment me.
—Runcandel and Zipple will fight anyway, even without you.
—That’s true, but Jin, I have my own sense of responsibility. If the family is heading down the wrong path, shouldn’t I be the one to set things right? I’ll normalize everything. I’ll return the Zipples to the proud family they once were.
Shouldn’t I be the one to set things right? Shouldn’t I at least try to fix it…
In a moment where time seemed to stand still, that voice echoed repeatedly in his head.
I will set the family right.
Jin had never believed in Veradin’s ambition.
That empire of evil, which had not crumbled once in a thousand years, was already too far gone to be “set right.” The only answer left was its destruction.
Yet, it was so massive and solid that even destruction seemed impossible.
More than half the world was under Zipple influence, their alliances were ironclad, and countless people lived lives dependent on Zipple magic.
The world’s greatest family—one that felt as though it could not be toppled even if the entire world turned against it.
That was the Zipple family.
That was why Jin had hoped Veradin would run away. He wanted him to leave the family and live as his own person.
—No, if it were me, I would have left the Runcandels. Especially if I realized I was living a life where my own will was slowly disappearing without me even knowing it.
Massive waves of sword energy and the Kozec’s cannons fired wildly, and the fallout from their clashes blanketed the sky.
In that darkened sky, Veradin’s red eyes flickered with a dangerous light.
He’s not normal, Jin repeated to himself, clenching his teeth.
A life where memories were manipulated and one slowly lost themselves—no one would want such a thing.
Tainted by the Authority of Fire, Veradin looked like a madman as he stepped onto the battlefield. With those reddened eyes, he looked like a monster desperate to kill.
Boom! Bang! K-boom—!
Space Explosions erupted wherever Veradin’s gaze landed.
You, who resisted the family until the very end, would never have come to this battlefield of your own free will.
Jin hadn't considered the possibility of encountering Veradin on his very first mission as a flagbearer.
Of all the ways to meet, it had to be like this. A curse rose to the back of his throat.
He wanted to grab Veradin and flee the battlefield immediately, to try anything to bring him back to his senses.
But that was merely an emotional impulse.
In reality, it was impossible. Letting anger take the lead wouldn't improve the situation.
Returning Veradin to normal right now would be difficult, if not impossible.
He needed to control his anger and look at the situation coldly.
Of course, he couldn't erase his worry entirely, but Jin told himself this:
Veradin was not a child.
It wasn't Jin’s role to throw himself into danger to save him as if he were a helpless infant.
That was something Veradin had to achieve himself; Jin only needed to reach out his hand when Veradin finally asked for help.
Since resisting his family was Veradin’s own choice, Jin had to respect it as a friend—at least until he was certain Veradin had been completely broken.
Having quickly composed himself, Jin’s gaze turned calm.
First of all, the tide of battle has shifted drastically due to Veradin’s appearance.
To be precise, it was the change caused by the magic Veradin was unleashing—the Authority-level spell, Space Explosion.
There were only two people on the Runcandel side who could land effective hits on the flying Kozec and the Red Dragons: Dipus and Barton. They had been attempting to attack from the air using their sword energy.
However, their movements were now sealed by the Space Explosions.
Even for 9-star and 10-star knights with the blessed bodies of Runcandels, dodging Space Explosions in mid-air was nearly impossible.
Veradin exploited that fact, relentlessly obstructing the two men’s movements.
As a result, the two could only respond by firing sword energy from the ground, allowing the Zipple forces to pour on a nearly one-sided offensive.
Though the power was on a different level compared to the Space Explosions Midore Elner had used, a single spell had effectively tied down two transcendent warriors in an instant.
Brother Dipus must be having a hard time processing this. He won't understand why Veradin, not Kelliark, is using Space Explosion, and he’ll suspect Barton leaked information about the Ventica mission to the Zipples.
Just as he expected, Dipus was in a state of confusion. He didn't show it openly for the enemy to see, but it was clear as day to Jin.
Barton likely leaked the information to the Zipples before this operation even began. He probably told them he was assigned to Ventica and that if they wanted the Ancient Ten-Thousand Year Steel, they should use a "suitable method."
That "suitable method" was Space Explosion.
If the Zipples had deployed too much raw power to stop Barton and Dipus, Runcandel would have matched it with reinforcements, making the effort pointless.
But what if they could simply neutralize Dipus and Barton’s aerial combat capabilities with Space Explosion?
While Runcandel only had two people capable of aerial combat, the Zipples had deployed five dragons and the Kozec. Furthermore, it was unknown how many members of the White Night—the Zipples' elite mages—were aboard the Kozec.
No matter how strong Dipus and Barton were, the moment their aerial combat was cut off, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage.
The Zipples played their cards well. If Runcandel and Zipple had simply fought with more troops, a single Space Explosion would never have changed the tide of battle.
That was only true if there were knights capable of shielding Barton and Dipus from the Space Explosions. The ten guardian knights who came with them lacked that level of ability.
The infiltration team’s path was blocked, preventing them from advancing further, and the guardian knights positioned to kill deserters were instead being hunted by the dragons.
“Damn it, why does Veradin Zipple have Kelliark’s power…! Sir Barton! I’ll create an opening, so you take him down.”
“4th Flagbearer, how do you intend to create an opening? The White Night mages are focusing all their protection on Veradin.”
“I can tear through a measly shield like that as much as I want.”
“I am not questioning your martial prowess, 4th Flagbearer. But it’s far too dangerous. Now that aerial combat is blocked, we must be prepared to take significant losses if we want to see this through.”
“So you’re saying we should just retreat empty-handed?”
“Think rationally, 4th Flagbearer. As a Black Knight, I also don’t want to leave a stain like a failed mission on my record, but the enemy has deployed an excellent counter.”
“What did you say?”
“Is the Ancient Ten-Thousand Year Steel valuable enough to warrant risking the 4th Flagbearer’s life? Confirming that Veradin can use Kelliark’s power is a significant achievement in itself.”
Even as the conversation continued, debris and magic rained down incessantly.
Dipus and Barton continued to evade the Space Explosions using their transcendent senses.
However, the other guardian knights could not do the same.
The reason Space Explosion was so infamous was that it could kill a person without warning.
“Aaaargh!”
Suddenly, a guardian knight whose arm had "exploded" let out a horrific scream. The Space Explosion had originally been aimed at his head, but the knight had reflexively dodged, resulting in only the loss of his arm.
Space Explosion was a spell that even Dipus and Barton had to sharpen their senses to the limit to avoid.
Furthermore, Veradin’s Space Explosions were being cast with "Ultra-Simultaneous Casting," meaning three explosions were erupting in the air at once.
While Dipus and Barton could defend the guardian knights from the Kozec’s cannons, magic, and the Red Dragons' breath, Space Explosion was the exception.
It was only a matter of time before the other guardian knights fell to the explosions.
“4th Flagbearer! What is a Flagbearer of Runcandel? It is a role that leads and takes responsibility for the family’s knights. Do you intend to lead them to a dog’s death just because you hate the stain of a failed mission? Make a decision.”
You filthy traitor, do you think I don’t know what you’re up to!
Swallowing the rage rising in his throat, Dipus shook his head.
If the Black Knight here were anyone other than Barton, Dipus would have actively followed the suggestion to retreat. Not a single word he said was wrong.
But Barton was a spy, and the mission Dipus had been given was to secure Ventica and kill him.
“As you say, it seems the Ancient Ten-Thousand Year Steel isn't worth that much. But the story changes if it’s Veradin’s head. We cannot simply go back. We will seize Ventica and take the head of the Zipple successor.”
“Then I will issue the order to retreat.”
“Sir Barton!”
“Even the 4th Flagbearer cannot infringe upon my authority. I will give you one last chance. Issue the retreat order yourself. If you refuse, I, as a Black Knight of Runcandel, will take the knights and escape. If even a single person dies, it will all be the 4th Flagbearer’s responsibility.”
“What are you talking about? When else will we get an opportunity to kill the Zipple successor…”
“In my eyes, it only looks like the 4th Flagbearer is making a mistake because he’s blinded by glory. An opportunity to kill Veradin, you say? Do you really think the Zipples would leave their successor so vulnerable?”
Having no words to refute him, Dipus felt like he was going to go mad with frustration.
He couldn't reveal Barton’s betrayal in front of all the enemies.
Even if he did, killing Barton in this situation was out of the question. He’d be lucky if he wasn't the one killed instead.
Damn it! Do I have to retreat for now and wait for the next opportunity…! All because of a single spell!
Returning like this would be a guaranteed humiliation.
But that wasn't the main problem. Rosa would hand the mission to kill the Black Knight to another flagbearer, and there was a high probability it would be Joshua or Luntia.
If they, unlike him, managed to kill Barton cleanly, his standing within the family would inevitably shrink.
Suddenly.
Dipus thought of the one person who had not yet joined the battlefield.
Jin Runcandel—his youngest brother.
If it were Jin…
If it were Jin… he might have a clever scheme to overturn this godforsaken situation.
The thought itself was humiliating, but that was how desperate the situation had become for Dipus.
Damn it. How did it come to this, Dipus? But immediate humiliation isn't what’s important. I have to kill Barton. Today, right here. Without fail!
Jin was still watching them from outside the battlefield.
He couldn't hear the conversation between Dipus and Barton due to the explosions and the distance, but it wasn't difficult to read the situation.
Barton must be urging a retreat. Now that the variable of Space Explosion has come into play, it would be insane to risk Brother Dipus and the guardian knights’ lives just to get some Ancient Ten-Thousand Year Steel.
Jin had no intention of standing by and watching things go according to Barton’s plan.
First, I’ll have to neutralize the Space Explosions.
Having made his decision, Jin began to walk toward the battlefield.