Chapter 492: Everyone Had a Plan, Until... (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 492: Everyone Had a Plan, Until... (3)
A beat later, Jin looked back at the sky, and his eyes widened.
“Holy hell…”
A curse escaped his lips reflexively. Anyone not serving under the Zipple banner would have reacted the same way.
The fleet of over a hundred massive ships looked like a cluster of tumors festering in the vast, dark dawn sky. They blotted out the stars, stripping away the natural softness of the night and replacing it with a suffocating, gloomy darkness.
There were two small mercies.
First, while the illusion barrier made them appear close, the fleet was actually quite a distance away.
Second, not a single ship was lit. They were merely anchored in the sky, unpowered.
For several seconds, the three of them stood mesmerized, unable to tear their eyes from the heavens.
The Mirror.
Jin immediately thought of Colon’s sacred object.
To power that many ships, they would need tens of thousands of mages at the 7th or 8th-star level, minimum. Even more if they wanted to draw out the fleet's full potential.
If they had the Mirror—an artifact that provided infinite mana—they wouldn't need that many mages. Had he not secured the Mirror from Colon during his time as a reserve flagbearer, the sight of this fleet would have filled him with far greater despair.
However, even without the Mirror, the Zipples still had other means: bio-golems and Demon God Stones. He had already witnessed them using the resurrected dead to operate mass-produced ships back in the Gaifa Archipelago.
Of course, the Zipples' Demon God Stones were not yet perfect.
But for how much longer?
Once the Demon God Stones are perfected and the mass-produced ships are fully operational… if they use the Cube alongside them…
Runcandel—no, the entire world—would be finished.
There was no way to predict when the Demon God Stones would be completed. But one thing was certain: the most vital ingredient for those stones was Jin himself.
I need to focus on escaping. And… I must secure the ship blueprints.
Only with the blueprints could they effectively counter the mass-produced ships. They were the most critical means of identifying the ships' weaknesses and the key resources required for their construction.
Furthermore, Sandra Zipple’s right arm and the spacetime device likely share a common origin with the blueprints. Since they all utilize the power of the Demon God Stones, it will help with our research.
The realization that he was the core ingredient for the Demon God Stones sharpened his mind and body, sending a surge of adrenaline through him born from the tension of being in the heart of Zipple territory.
Murakan spat on the ground.
“Tch! Those crazy Zipple bastards. When did they build all these and tuck them away? About a hundred, huh… Well, if I take out one with every Breath, I guess a hundred shots would do the trick.”
Despite his bravado, there was a hint of bewilderment in his voice. Even Murakan was genuinely shaken this time.
“Damn it,” Dipus spat.
The moment he saw the fleet, a thought crossed his mind for the first time in his life.
Is it even possible… for our clan to win a war against the Zipples?
He had never doubted it before. He had always believed that one day, Runcandel would surpass the Zipples and become the true hegemon of the world.
But facing the aerial fleet that filled the sky, that future felt impossible.
And this might not even be their entire fleet. The Zipples could have more hidden somewhere else, not just in the Sota Desert.
As a Runcandel seeing the true face of the enemy for the first time, his vision dimmed.
Yet, he quickly pushed the despair aside and regained his composure. One fact had come to mind.
Even with a fleet like that, the Zipples couldn't strike Runcandel. Not my father’s Runcandel.
Jin knew this because he had heard it directly from Cyron, but Dipus had also begun to suspect it for some time now: their father, Cyron Runcandel, did not have much time left.
Father will disappear from the clan in the near future, one way or another… Before that happens, we must prepare for the vacuum at any cost. That must be why Mother favors Joshua so much, though I can't accept it.
Dipus’s gaze shifted to Jin. As he looked at his youngest brother, he saw an image of the person who had turned the Garden of Swords into a wasteland that day.
The Magic Sword.
The legacy of Old Runcandel.
To counter the Zipples’ power, they had to reclaim that strength.
I desperately need the Youngest’s power and abilities.
It wasn't just the Magic Sword. Just moments ago, Jin had used Solderet’s authority to instantly destroy the barriers and defensive magic of the 2nd Magic Tower. He also possessed the Pluto Sword.
The clan had to be purified as soon as possible.
As if he had made up his mind, Dipus turned around.
“Fine. Just as you said, Youngest… I won’t risk my life for the clan over some barrier.”
“Oh, Dipus. Are you planning on going out in a blaze of glory and destroying all those things right now?”
“If destroying those ships and dying in the process would deal them a fundamental blow, I would have done it. Hitting their resources isn't meaningless, but securing the blueprints comes first. We either need to build our own or find their weaknesses; otherwise, we won't even be able to put up a fight in the future.”
Once the despair was pushed aside, Dipus’s characteristic grit began to surge in his heart. He felt that he needed to stop fighting his siblings and instead grit his teeth for the struggle against the Zipples.
That didn't mean he was giving up on the position of Patriarch, but it seemed necessary to reduce unnecessary infighting as much as possible.
Build our own…
Jin chewed on the words Dipus had just uttered.
It was a thought he’d had before. Bio-golems aside, the spacetime devices and aerial ships were things they absolutely had to build if possible. However, since all of it was based on magitech and research—and Runcandel and Huphester couldn't hold a candle to the Lutero Magic Federation—he had never held much hope.
But then, suddenly.
Jin recalled a conversation he’d had with his brother Tantel just before leaving Laprarosa.
—It’s because we know that once our time stopped, we could never return to that world. This place is a perfect recreation of the Laprarosa we lived in, but in truth, it’s a sort of afterlife.
—Then wouldn't you be even more curious about the outside?
—What’s the point of desiring what you cannot have, brother? Besides, even if we reminisce, none of the brothers we loved are there. However! I did hear something from the Fighting God brothers.
—What was it?
—They said that since five thousand years have passed outside, perhaps magic or devices have been developed that could get us out. So, if it’s alright… I’d like you to look into it.
The reason that conversation came to mind was simple.
—We didn't have the concept of mages like other races, haha. Instead, everyone who knew how to handle mana became a blacksmith, like me.
Those were the words Fighting King Boras had said while implanting a new ‘Fang’ into Jin. At the time, Jin had been profoundly shocked by the ‘memory transfer magic’ he experienced through the Fang. The magical civilization achieved by the Pluto Tribe was superior in some aspects even to that of the present day.
Jin placed a hand on his chest.
Beneath his infiltration suit, he could feel the solid Heart of Light. The Heart of Light was formed from Fighting God Ban’s blood, but if it wasn't being transplanted into a human body, it might be possible to craft it in a different form.
Like an artist suddenly exposed to a vast sea of intense inspiration, these thoughts began to swirl in Jin’s head.
If I can use the Pluto Tribe’s technology to create an aerial ship that uses a Heart of Light as its power source…
It might be nothing more than a pipe dream, but he wouldn't know until he tried.
I need to meet my brothers in person. I should prepare for my third trip to Laprarosa. And find a way to bring them back into this world…
Not as the guardian forms summoned by Black Light Call, but his true brothers, brought back into the world of the living.
That had been one of Jin’s most important goals ever since his first visit to Laprarosa. It was the only way to repay what he had received from them, and as their brother, it was only natural to want to be with them.
I don't know the principles behind the Cube yet, but it’s an object that can even summon the resurrected dead. If I research and analyze it properly, it might help in bringing my brothers back.
Jin felt a sudden surge of gratitude that he could still harbor such deep hope, even after witnessing the Zipples' advanced technology and their fleet of over a hundred ships.
“Let’s keep following Joshua. Just as he had a way to ignore the barriers, there’s a high probability he knows the exact location of the blueprints. He wouldn't have expected us to breach the barriers like this, so the faster we arrive, the more we can catch him off guard.”
They began to run toward the White Night Tower, moving stealthily and swiftly.
Unlike the fleet floating behind it, the White Night Tower emitted a faint, soft glow. A tower that perfectly suited its name.
Even as they ran and drew quite close, the group realized with confusion that there were no additional security spells or barriers around the tower. Jin had naturally assumed there would be further traps and magic nearby. He had expected some that even his Spirit Sword couldn't easily dispel, yet even as they closed to within a few hundred paces, nothing was triggered.
“This can't be right. Was that barrier earlier really all there was?”
“It’s as if someone intentionally shut down all the barriers and security magic. I don't see any mages on guard, and there isn't even a single patrol.”
“Ever since that brat deactivated the barrier, it’s felt strangely lax. Hmm.”
“…Could it be a trap?”
At Dipus’s words, Jin’s eyes narrowed. At that moment—
Rumble, craaaaack…!
The ground beneath them began to vibrate and shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
It wasn't a trap being triggered under their feet, nor was it a barrier activating. The entire area around the White Night Tower was vibrating.
And the group immediately realized what was causing it.
Aura…?!
It was the telltale sign of a massive battle, the kind of tremor caused only when transcendent warriors unleashed their energy.
The epicenter was the White Night Tower.