Chapter 403: The Banquet of the Sword Emperor Castle (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 403: The Banquet of the Sword Emperor Castle (8)
Very few people knew what those gray robes symbolized. Unlike the Black Knights of Runcandel, the Wraith Squad was a secret unit that had never been revealed to the world.
They stood amidst the monsters, watching the crumbling Sword Emperor Castle. It was as if they had been waiting for the walls of the central training ground to collapse.
Slowly, they began to advance toward the training ground.
‘Were they waiting near the castle to reveal themselves and escort Veradin?’
It was a possibility.
However, Jin felt a strange sense of dissonance emanating from the gray-robed figures. It felt as though they were the ones commanding the monsters and bio-golems.
He soon realized this wasn't just a feeling. The bio-golems were parting to create a path for the mages.
Ron watched them with impassive eyes. It wasn't a look of leisure, but the unique composure of a warrior who had reached the pinnacle.
Wooooong—!
Crimson mana began to coalesce at the tips of the gray-robed mages’ staves.
It was a spell Jin had experienced firsthand at Veradin’s villa, back toward the end of his time as a reserve flagbearer.
‘To think the so-called overlords of the human world would deploy the Red Abyss just to catch one kid. Even if the Wraith Squad of old rose from their graves, they’d have plenty to say about this.’
At the time, Misha had told him the name of the spell was the Red Abyss.
Huge red patches began to bleed across a sky already saturated by the veil of spirit energy. The Red Abyss, a Great Chain Magic that could be called the ultimate technique of the Wraith Squad, had once clashed with the spirit energy of the Black Dragons.
That day had been one of the most dangerous moments of Jin’s life.
Because of that, every detail remained vivid in his mind: the blood-colored swords and chains pouring from the crimson sky, and the sensation of his palms nearly tearing as he parried them.
And there was one specific impression Jin remembered clearly.
‘There are imperfections in the way their mana complements each other.’
That was what he had felt while reading the flow of the Red Abyss cast by fifteen members of the Wraith Squad. Based on that, Jin had intuitively sensed that the Red Abyss was a spell that required a larger number of people to be cast perfectly.
‘But their mana is flowing too cleanly right now.’
There were a total of six gray-robed mages who had come to the Sword Emperor Castle. Six people were perfectly casting a spell that even fifteen had struggled to stabilize due to a lack of mana.
According to Jin’s magical knowledge, this should have been impossible.
Having only seen the spell once, and with it being documented in no known texts, he had initially assumed it was the Wraith Squad’s Red Abyss. But upon closer inspection, while similar, it was clearly a different spell.
‘They aren't the Wraith Squad. But all six of them are skilled enough to mimic the squad and their secret magic.’
Jin was the only one who realized the truth.
To begin with, very few warriors present even knew of the Wraith Squad’s existence, and none had ever experienced the Red Abyss firsthand.
While it was possible for Zipple to attack Hairan, the combination of the Wraith Squad and monsters was an unthinkable scenario. It would be madness for Zipple to associate themselves with monsters when their image as a force of good had already plummeted after the Holy Kingdom incident.
‘It’s not Zipple. That leaves Kinzelo or Viment. Kinzelo has far more reason to strike Hairan. It would be strange for the Emperor to do something like this just to keep Lord Ron’s power in check.’
Kinzelo.
Irritation flared within Jin as he wondered what they were up to this time. There had to be a reason they were putting on this clumsy act of pretending to be Zipple’s secret mage unit.
Gooooooo…!
The atmosphere vibrated under the weight of the gray-robed mages’ chain magic. From the blood-red patches in the sky, crimson swords and chains made of mana came pouring down.
While it couldn't compare to the true Red Abyss of the Wraith Squad, it was still a chain magic cast by mages of equivalent caliber, and it possessed terrifying destructive power.
Murakan and the other dragons couldn't block everything. If their only role was to neutralize the spell, it might have been different, but they were too preoccupied with the giant monsters on the ground that continued to fire their cannons incessantly.
“I’m reluctant to use my Authority in Viment, but I have no choice.”
Ultimately, Quicantel decided to exercise her Authority of Time.
“Enya, deploy the Dragon Fire Barrier. Stay close to me.”
“Yes…!”
Quicantel did not take flight; instead, she fired her Authority toward the sky. A silver wave erupted from her forehead, ensnaring the chain magic.
With the Authority of Time and the Dragon Fire Barrier deployed, the situation on the ground seemed to improve enough for everyone to catch their breath.
However, the death toll continued to rise. Even among the warriors, some were mortally wounded or killed instantly.
“Aaaah!”
A woman let out a shrill scream as she was thrown to the ground.
“Margiella!” Vishkel shouted, his voice cracking as if he were coughing up blood.
Margiella had been caught in the fragments of the chain magic; her wheelchair was completely destroyed, and she lay sprawled on the ground.
For a while now, Vishkel had been slashing at anything that approached in his attempt to protect his sister. He cut through monster flesh and bone, mana cannons, and chain magic—and even other people.
While Vishkel didn't strike everyone, he was merciless toward those who blindly rushed toward them in a way that threatened Margiella. Bubar was already heavily wounded, barely holding himself upright behind Vishkel.
While frantically cutting down monsters, Jin’s gaze happened to land on them.
The fact that Margiella was in such a precarious state turned his suspicion into certainty.
However, as if she didn't care if she was caught—or rather, as if she were certain Jin would have identified the culprit by now—Margiella caught his eye for a fleeting moment and mouthed a message.
You’re going to benefit greatly from this, Jin.
He read her lips clearly.
The fact that Margiella was acting so boldly meant that Kinzelo had already achieved their intended goal.
‘…I see. Kinzelo doesn't care if it's revealed that the mages mimicking the Wraith Squad aren't actually from Zipple.’
Jin’s eyes swept across the battlefield as the realization hit him.
The conclusion was so repulsive it made his skin crawl, but he wasn't in a position to go over and confront them immediately. The number of giant monsters surging from underground showed no sign of thinning.
K-kooooook—!
Eventually, accompanied by the ominous sound of the foundations collapsing, the ground began to cave in everywhere. Every time a pitch-black pit formed, a crowd of people fell into it, vanishing with long, lingering screams.
Still, the desperate efforts of the Hairan knights and the other warriors were not in vain. More than half of those who had been in the central training ground were already escaping the inner castle.
However, since the monsters outside were still attacking the outer castle, safety could not be guaranteed until the threat was neutralized.
Who would ever think this was an attack orchestrated by Kinzelo?
There were few ways to prove it, and even if Vishkel’s group were captured and tortured, they wouldn't confess.
Hairan, anchored by a titan like Ron, would surely see the enemy for who they were. But the situation was different for the other small and medium-sized families who had suffered in this attack.
Among the victims, rumors would circulate that Hairan was using Kinzelo as a scapegoat to hide the fact that they were ‘attacked by Zipple.’ Out of fear of Ron, they might keep quiet, but Hairan’s reputation would never be the same.
Naturally, Zipple would reach out to the struggling Hairan. Or, the moment the Sword Emperor Castle demanded an explanation, Zipple could turn around and bite back, claiming Hairan was framing them for an attack by another faction.
Either way, it was a massive loss for Hairan.
‘Lord Ron will reject any deal Zipple proposes, and this incident will end with Hairan looking like fools.’
That was Jin’s conclusion.
If so, what was Kinzelo trying to gain in the process?
‘Hostility between Hairan and Zipple. They want the other great powers to keep Zipple in check more aggressively.’
It might be a leap in logic. However, Jin concluded that if he could just identify the ‘final piece’ of this incident, he could be absolutely certain.
‘I have to tell Lord Ron what that is!’
The gray-robed mages were withdrawing their chain magic. But that was merely a preparation for a new attack, not an intention to retreat.
Suddenly, a streak of sword light shot toward the gray-robed mages.
The flash pierced through four giant monsters, swept away hundreds of bio-golems, tore through layers of protective shields, and finally punched a hole through the chest of one of the gray-robed mages.
One dead. The remaining five scattered and reorganized their barriers.
“Did you think I’d be fooled just because you threw on those gray robes? Into thinking you’re Octavia Zipple’s subordinates?”
Though he had already cut down over a hundred giant monsters and thousands of bio-golems, Ron’s aura was growing even more immense. To Ron, the number of monsters or bio-golems was irrelevant, regardless of the scale. Just as a multitude of sparks meant nothing in the face of a storm.
Even so, there was only one reason he hadn't ended the situation yet. It was because the culprits had effectively taken everyone he was trying to protect hostage.
For the first time in a very long while, a fire raged within him. He felt a surge of rage even greater than when he had admitted defeat in his rivalry with Cyron.
“Ron Hairan, you are mistaken. Deceiving you was never part of our plan to begin with.”
“I’ll hear what that plan is soon enough, after I’ve torn your mouths open. Well? Is that all you have to show me?”
The gray-robed mages did not answer. They were preparing to eliminate the final piece of the incident that Jin had envisioned.
“Lord Ron!”
Ron turned his head to look at Jin.
“There is something more important than killing them. You must find Veradin!”
“What…?”
“If Veradin returns to his family injured, it will be impossible to thwart Kinzelo’s machinations. Hairan will be forced into open hostility with Zipple!”
Ron’s eyes widened at those words.
The various scenarios Jin had just considered flashed through Ron’s mind in an instant, identical in every way.
Jin was right.
If Veradin failed to return safely, Hairan and Zipple would inevitably become enemies, regardless of how the situation unfolded afterward.
Even if Kinzelo feigned ignorance, even if the victims suspected Hairan, and even if Zipple used those suspicions to pressure Hairan—as long as Veradin was sent back to his family without a single hair on his head being harmed, they could navigate the political fallout.
Though their faces were hidden by hoods, Jin felt as if he could see the panicked expressions on the faces of the gray-robed mages. And the distorted faces of Vishkel’s group, who were feigning their injuries in the background.
“There are surely more mages of that caliber, and they must be pursuing Veradin right now!”
Ron’s eyes blazed.
“Can I leave this to you, Jin Runcandel!”
Ron had a duty to save his kin and the guests who were dying before his eyes.
“Of course, Lord Ron. I accept this as an honor.”