Chapter 295: Power, and the Worship of Power (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 295: Power, and the Worship of Power (6)
The heat radiating from dozens of different fires made it feel as though all of Ventica was about to melt away. The sky, in particular, was stained so deeply red that its original color had vanished entirely.
Above, the red dragon carrying Veradin flew toward the Kozec to escape Barton.
Dipus raised his greatsword.
The Kozec’s newly prepared ship cannons glowed with a golden hue.
Vreeeeeeee—
An ominous noise, the sound of mana being condensed, cut through the cacophony of the battlefield.
Boom!
An explosion erupted from the cannons.
At the same time, Dipus let out a roar. As his greatsword, Volgar, unleashed a brilliant radiance of sword energy, it collided with the cannon fire, sending fragments scattering across the ground like age spots on skin.
Alongside the Kozec, the mages launched a total assault toward the ground. The Phoenixes of the White Night shrieked as they attempted to intercept Barton.
The sky was a chaotic mess. Amidst the fire, magic, and cannon blasts, Barton’s sword energy stood out prominently. However, his strikes continued to miss Veradin by the narrowest of margins.
Dipus had to suppress his rage at the traitor’s acting, but for Jin, the situation wasn't bad.
Crunch, thud!
Dipus frowned as he batted away a fragment flying toward Jin and Tess. Even before the aftershocks had subsided, the Kozec was already preparing its next volley.
“I have no idea how those Zipple bastards made something like that. But Jin, there’s one thing I want to ask.”
“Speak, brother.”
“There’s no way a traitor would actually kill the next patriarch of Zipple. It seems it would have been better to ask Sir Barton to handle the recovery of our allies while I struck Veradin. According to you, that was our last chance.”
Dipus was aware that during Jin’s time as a reserve flagbearer, he had spent a night drinking with Dante and Veradin at the Arena of Cosmos. After Jin’s identity was revealed, Dipus had investigated his past. Among the Bellado nobles who had watched the finals back then, a few knew about the trio’s drinking session.
Of course, Dipus didn't think Jin had formed some deep bond with Veradin based on that alone. However, he found it difficult to understand why Jin had entrusted Veradin to Barton, the traitor.
“You sound as if you’re doubting me. Why did you follow my lead then, 4th Flagbearer?”
“Because I lost my cool for a moment. If I had been even a little slower, the guardian knights would have been in mortal danger.”
“4th Flagbearer, what is the mission we were given?”
“What?”
“Killing Veradin is not part of this mission. Of course, it would be ideal if we could take his head, but the priorities are securing Ventica and executing the traitor.”
Dipus did not look back at Jin, his eyes fixed on the ship cannons.
“The reason I entrusted Veradin to Sir Barton was based on the judgment that he would likely get injured while pretending to attack Veradin. That will make it easier for you to kill Sir Barton later. Does that explain it?”
Dipus nodded silently. A strange sense of unease rose within him, but the explanation was logical enough.
Once again, the Kozec unleashed its golden mana cannons.
The entire battlefield was filled with cannon fire, flames, sword energy, and debris. The guardian knights of the infiltration squad were retreating toward Dipus, unable to withstand the heat, and Barton looked as if he were about to fall at any moment.
“We have secured the Young Master!”
The mages shouted the moment the red dragon carrying Veradin reached the Kozec.
Bang!
As soon as he boarded the Kozec, Veradin cast Space Explosion toward Barton. Tess’s domain did not reach the entirety of the upper atmosphere.
“Urgh!”
Barton began to plummet.
The man who had defied the natural law that humans cannot fly was struck in the chest by the Space Explosion. Even as he fell, he displayed terrifying prowess, cutting down two red dragons and more than ten mages. The mangled corpses of the enemies rained down, mingling with the falling debris.
Had they not known he was a traitor, even Jin and Dipus might not have realized that Barton had let Veradin escape on purpose. Now that Veradin’s safety was secured, the Zipples had nothing left to hold them back. Though Tess caused significant restrictions on Space Explosion, it was now only a matter of time.
“Attack Jin Runcandel and Tess! Without them, there is nothing Runcandel can do!”
Zipple’s phoenixes began their descent. They still targeted the fallen Barton rather than Tess. From the sky, the ship, magic, and the breath of red dragons poured down. On the ground, the phoenixes spat fire.
The chaotic landscape of the battlefield was reaching its absolute peak.
And Jin finally completed the formula for the magic he had been preparing.
“4th Flagbearer, the tide of battle is about to change.”
Dipus reflexively looked back at Jin, his eyes widening. What he saw was Jin’s eerie form, his entire body drenched in spirit energy and stained pitch black.
“Youngest?”
“I will secure Ventica first. When the Kozec retreats, pursue them with Sir Barton, then pull back at the appropriate time.”
Retreat? What on earth are you talking about?
Dipus almost blurted out the question. Even if they were just acting, the enemy’s massive flying flagship was something that even he and Barton, a Black Knight, had failed to destroy. Yet Jin was stating with absolute certainty that he would ‘make them retreat.’
Wait, why is the sky suddenly…!?
The sky turned dark.
The landscape, which until a moment ago had been flickering with the frantic light of cannons and magic, was now being soaked in black—the same color as Jin’s body, which was shrouded in spirit energy.
— A mage’s Mana Release is the act of connecting one’s own mana to the mana existing in nature. What did I say I seek through that?
— Mana recovery and magic enhancement.
— Right. You use the power of nature to refill your depleted mana and increase the power of the next spell you cast. Spirit Energy Release is the same. However, there are a few differences.
— What differences?
— Spirit Energy Release isn't about connecting your power to nature. It’s about connecting nature to you.
This was the conversation they had when he first learned the concept of spirit energy from Murakan. The reason the sky turned pitch black was simple. It was because it had ‘connected’ with Jin, who had released his spirit energy. Even a night sky without a single point of moonlight or a single star could not be darker than this.
Dipus wasn't the only one bewildered. Even the mages momentarily ceased their attacks at the sight of the suddenly blackened sky. Everyone wore expressions of incomprehension. Yet, everyone felt it instinctively. Something dangerous was about to happen.
Dark Heaven.
There was a reason such a modifier was attached to a ‘Flame Orb’ type spell. Riol Zipple’s legacy was magic based on Solderet’s power. It didn't take long for everyone on the battlefield to realize that the black power covering the sky was spirit energy. Nor did it take long to realize there was only one person on this battlefield capable of using it.
Runcandel and Zipple. The commanders of both forces made rapid judgments.
“Deploy shields and snipe Jin Runcandel!”
“All Runcandel knights, assemble and protect the 12th Flagbearer!”
Jin looked up at the Kozec with a composed face. He wanted to confirm the sight of his friend, whose white hair was fluttering as he stood at the bow of the ship. Through the darkness of the battlefield, their gazes met.
Veradin let out a series of sharp, fragmented chuckles. His eyes were redder than before. It was by no means a laugh born of fond memories. Seeing that twisted smile, Jin chanted the final form of the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven.
I hope you don't get hurt too badly.
Like a giant beast opening its maw, a void opened in the center of the sky. From within that void, a sphere of fire began to emerge. The fireball was even larger than the Kozec; one could easily believe it was the sun itself.
Jin’s body floated into the air as if drawn by the fireball. The rune characters left by Riol Zipple wrapped around Jin’s entire body. Then, the runes left his body, leaving shimmering traces all over the battlefield. One mage, seeing a rune character fly near him, reached out instinctively. At that moment, a commanding mage who recalled the records of the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven could only scream in horror.
“Avoid the runes! They are markers—!”
The runes, which looked like shimmering petals, were markers. Targets for the massive sphere floating in the sky to deliver its judgment.
Whoosh! Sssssss—!
Before the commanding mage could even finish his sentence, a rain of fire began to pour from the fireball. It was impossible to count how many tentacles of flame there were. Following the floating runes, the flames struck down. Wherever the beautifully shimmering runes touched, people burned, screams spread, and ashes scattered.
Snipe Jin Runcandel.
The commanding mage’s order could not be executed. The mages could barely even deploy their shields against this ultimate magic, the likes of which they had never seen before. However, the shields were of little use. Not only because the power of the fire tentacles was close to 10-star, but because the spirit energy covering the sky was crushing the shields.
The spirit energy hadn't just changed the color of the sky. Just as the fireball was spitting flames, shadows spread within the veil of spirit energy, tearing the shields apart.
Crazy… is this really magic? And the youngest is the one who cast it…?
Dipus swallowed hard as he looked up at Jin floating in the air. There was no way he could understand a spell that even mages couldn't comprehend. To his eyes, what Jin had unleashed looked less like magic and more like the authority of a god.
Kelliark Zipple.
For a moment, the enemy leader came to mind. He felt the exact same way now as he did when he witnessed Kelliark’s terrifying magic firsthand once, over a decade ago. The fact that he was feeling that same sensation while looking at his youngest brother sent shivers down his spine.
The fire was growing more intense. More than half of the mages outside the Kozec had already met their deaths. Even the number of red dragons was dwindling at a terrifying rate. The tide of battle had turned in an instant.
However, the mages who had studied the records of ‘Riol Zipple’ knew. This was only the beginning. The moment the fireball itself exploded, rather than just raining fire, the Kozec could very well be destroyed.
“Young Master, we must retreat! The unexpected variables are too great!”
Veradin shook his head at the commanding mage’s voice. Indecipherable emotions swirled darkly within his hollow eyes.
“Young Master…!”
Veradin stepped forward as if possessed, watching Jin’s fires consume the battlefield. Flames were rising from his own palms as well. They were cruel, savage flames that the word ‘crimson’ failed to fully describe.
Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven, Demon Emperor Form 1—this, too, was magic left behind by Riol Zipple.
Veradin’s staff was aimed directly at Jin.