Chapter 294: Power, and the Worship of Power (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 294: Power, and the Worship of Power (5)
“I clearly gave the 4th Flagbearer the chance to issue the retreat order himself. How disappointing.”
Barton’s gaze was chilling.
The casualty count was climbing rapidly. A Guardian Knight, his right arm obliterated, found himself surrounded by mages, teetering on the brink of death. The infiltration team attempted a rescue, but their path was cut off by a barrage of Space Explosions.
“Do not expect me to defend the 4th Flagbearer.”
Guardian Knights, all units retreat!
Just as Barton prepared to bark the command, he felt Jin approaching.
“...12th Flagbearer?”
“Sir Barton, I apologize for the late support. I was simply on standby as I had not received any other orders.”
“You should have stayed on standby. This mission is a failure. We are about to retreat, so get out of here.”
“What is the reason for the retreat?”
At Jin’s provocative question, a murderous aura flared in Barton’s eyes. It was a look that demanded to know how a mere brat like him dared to take such an attitude with a Black Knight.
Dipus, meanwhile, was caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. He felt a flicker of hope that Jin might provide some sort of breakthrough, yet he was simultaneously stung by the shame of having shown such a helpless side of himself.
“...It’s because of the Space Explosions. That magic has completely stripped us of air superiority. The battle has become too difficult.”
Dipus answered in Barton's stead.
Thump—!
The three of them stepped back simultaneously. Veradin had triggered a Space Explosion right between them.
“It is certainly dangerous,” Jin remarked, looking up at the sky.
Veradin showed no reaction to Jin’s presence. He continued to fly around on his Red Dragon, scattering Space Explosions with reckless abandon.
Jin maintained a calm, steady expression.
“Do you have some kind of plan?”
“4th Flagbearer, are you going to continue acting pathetic until the very end? What could the 12th Flagbearer possibly do—”
“I can suppress the Space Explosions.”
Jin cut Barton off mid-sentence.
Dipus doubted his own ears, and Barton paused, turning his head sharply.
“What did you just say, 12th Flagbearer? Can you take responsibility for those words?”
“If the Space Explosions are gone, can we continue the mission?” Jin asked, locking eyes with Barton.
Hiding his discomfort, Barton remained silent for a moment before nodding.
“If it is truly possible, do it as quickly as you can. It seems the Guardian Knights have reached their limit.”
As far as Barton knew, ‘Space Explosion’ was a magic that was impossible to neutralize.
If a greenhorn like him could break a magic like that, then the countless warriors who were blown to pieces challenging Kelliark in the past died for nothing.
However, since Jin had performed numerous miracles and anomalies from his cadet days until now, Barton found it difficult to shake off an ominous feeling.
Barton was the only spy for Zipple within Runcandel who reported directly to Kelliark. Even so, he had not received an explanation of how Zipple would stop him here in Ventica.
The moment he saw the Space Explosions, he thought it was a brilliant move. There was no better magic to provide him with a justification to withdraw. Furthermore, he had felt a chill down his spine upon realizing that Kelliark had shared the Authority of Fire with Veradin.
If the 12th Flagbearer truly neutralizes the Space Explosions, it will disrupt the plan. If it gets serious, I’ll have to induce a situation where the Zipple forces are sent back reasonably.
While Barton organized his thoughts, Jin began weaving a spell.
Whoosh! As blue flames spread from Jin’s palm, the eyes of every mage in the sky converged on him. They felt it—the energy of an alien, blue flame.
SCREECH—!
Tess.
The Ruler of the Fire Realm let out a resounding roar as he tore through the dimensional gate.
He had grown significantly larger than before the trip to Laprarosa. The sight of his two massive wings flapping was akin to a dragon, but it was incomparable to the flimsy intimidation of a mere Red Dragon.
As Jin’s mana had grown, so too had Tess’s power.
Before the mages could even react, the Flame of Pressure blanketed the atmosphere. Thousands of streaks of blue fire swirled in circles, covering almost the entire battlefield in an instant.
The air grew heavy. It wasn't just a figure of speech; the battlefield was literally being crushed by the Flame of Pressure.
The dragons’ wingbeats slowed, and the mages struggled to control their breathing as they released their mana.
The Guardian Knights did not need to endure the weight of the pressure. Tess was perfectly controlling even the smallest spark of this widely spread Azure Fire to ensure Jin’s allies remained unharmed.
However, the Kozec appeared completely unaffected despite being the most exposed to the pressure.
“It’s over, Sir Barton. Let us proceed with the mission.”
Barton didn’t ask Jin what he meant. The Space Explosions had stopped as if by magic the moment Tess appeared.
Barton wasn't a mage, but he could immediately tell that Veradin hadn't stopped the magic simply because a phoenix had suddenly appeared.
This was the domain of the absolute blue flame.
Unless Kelliark Zipple himself was the one using it, no fire of Shinu could penetrate that space.
On the contrary, ordinary fire-attribute magic that did not borrow Shinu’s power faced no major restrictions.
Similarly, Tess’s flames did not recklessly target Veradin. Even someone who knew nothing of the relationship between the Fire Realm and Shinu could see that the Azure Fire was spreading while intentionally avoiding Veradin’s vicinity.
Fragments of sword energy and ship cannons were swept up in the Flame of Pressure, turning blue.
“4th Flagbearer, please tend to the wounded Guardian Knights. And Sir Barton.”
Jin looked up, searching for Veradin.
The Red Dragon carrying him was flying toward the Kozec. Now that Tess had appeared and rendered Space Explosion unusable, Veradin’s safety could no longer be guaranteed outside the Kozec.
Veradin did not look at Jin. His eyes, still glowing red, held only a hollow hatred.
“Do not let Veradin Zipple escape. This is the last chance to take his head.”
At that moment, Barton had only one choice.
He had to attack Veradin Zipple with everything he had. If he showed even a hint of hesitation, it would be tantamount to admitting his betrayal, so he had to leap forward with all his might.
None of the Zipple members present knew that Barton was their spy.
Sir Barton will never kill Veradin. He’ll only pretend to fight with everything he has.
That was the reason Jin told Barton, not Dipus, to bring him Veradin’s head.
Protecting the lives of the Guardian Knights was a task for Dipus, who was at least truly on Runcandel’s side.
Taking Veradin’s life was a task for Barton Vichena, who was on Zipple’s side.
“Protect the Young Master!”
“Stop the Black Knight...!”
Suppressing the leap of a 10-star knight without Space Explosions was nearly impossible.
All sorts of offensive magic poured down like a waterfall, but Barton cleared a path with his sword energy, making their efforts look futile.
The mages’ faces turned pale as they watched Barton begin to fly, using his sword energy as propulsion.
However, it was impossible for Barton to reach Veradin in a straight line over the shortest distance. Following the flight of the Red Dragon was no easy task, and the mages became more desperate as he drew closer.
“All Phoenix contractors, summon your Phoenixes! Teams 1 and 2, strike Jin Runcandel! The rest, keep the Black Knight in check! He must not reach the Young Master...!”
As a commanding mage aboard the Kozec shouted, dimensional gates opened throughout the sky.
Following the Azure Fire, sword energy, ship cannons, and the countless fragments created by their collision, nearly thirty phoenixes covered the sky of Ventica.
Swirling energies of various colors blurred everyone's vision.
Mages without exceptional eyesight literally couldn't see an inch in front of them within their shields, and even the Guardian Knights couldn't swing their swords recklessly.
SCREECH! KRAAA!
Tess let out a fierce roar toward the newly summoned phoenixes.
If Murakan were here, he would have definitely been snide. He’d say humans are fearless for summoning phoenixes to attack the Ruler of the Fire Realm.
A smirk escaped Jin’s lips. It was an absurd situation.
Among mages, Tess was only known as one of the strongest phoenixes. Not many mages knew the fact that he was the sole absolute ruler of the Fire Realm.
It was information that could only be known by those associated with gods who had actually visited the Fire Realm, or beings of similar status.
Unfortunately, none of the White Night mages currently aboard the Kozec were such individuals.
Among the phoenixes summoned by the mages were several well-known spirit beasts, but they did not follow the mages’ will and instead hovered aimlessly in the sky.
They were visibly terrified.
Consequently, the phoenixes of Teams 1 and 2, who were originally supposed to attack Jin, all ended up heading toward Barton instead.
Given the situation, the mages had no time to figure out the cause of this phenomenon.
It was exactly what Jin wanted. The thirty phoenixes would be nothing more than props to make Barton’s fake threat look realistic.
If things go well, Barton might even fall after taking a reasonable amount of injury.
Barton was now completely invisible, swallowed by the phoenixes’ flames. Veradin was also only visible in glimpses—the tail or wing of the Red Dragon carrying him appearing through the fire.
Amidst the chaos, the Kozec was loading its cannons. The target was Tess.
“4th Flagbearer!”
At the thunderous call, Dipus whipped his head around.
He had just finished moving the wounded Guardian Knights away from the battlefield and was about to return to his position.
Jin pointed toward the cannons.
He was telling him to strike them down. It wasn't a gesture a 12th Flagbearer should make to a 4th Flagbearer, but Dipus ran over without a word and prepared to defend.
He realized that the key to this mission was not himself or Barton, but Jin.
He didn't want to admit it, but that was the reality. Dipus was not the type to make foolish choices just because his pride was wounded.
“How on earth did you stop the Space Explosions? Is it Tess’s power? If you had this ability, why didn't you step forward sooner...!”
Though he spoke reproachfully, Dipus had never found his youngest brother more reliable than he did today.
Jin replied in a cold tone.
“Shouldn't you start by saying thank you?”
“I’m not used to it. But thank you. I mean it.”
“Keep striking down the cannons until Sir Barton returns or falls. The moment Tess is hit by a cannon and his summoning is canceled, the Space Explosions will start again.”
Dipus nodded.
Jin took a stance, preparing a new spell.
Now, it was time to turn the tide of the battle.
I end up using this magic on the Zipple family first.
The final form of the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven.
The magic Jin was about to unleash was the legacy of Riol Zipple.