Chapter 496: Tower Keeper of the White Night (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 496: Tower Keeper of the White Night (2)
“So, the Runcandels and Kinzelo have invaded the 2nd Magic Tower as well. Is that all?” the white-haired old man asked, his voice calm as he listened to the reports of those who had just scrambled through the teleport gate.
This was Kelliark Zipple, the greatest archmage of the era and patriarch of the world’s most powerful family.
When the shipyard was first attacked, he had been on a deserted island in the West Sea, the former site of Veradin’s villa. During the ‘Battle of the West Sea’—which had involved Talaris, Misha, Octavia, and the Wraith Squad—that island had been ground to dust and erased from existence. Now, however, the island, the villa, and even every last item Veradin had once used were perfectly restored.
“Furthermore, Lady Sandra has deployed all forces from the 2nd Magic Tower. If you give the command, I will return immediately and dispatch the mages of Drakka to assist them.”
Flip, flip…
Kelliark turned the pages of his book in silence. After a moment, a small smile touched his lips as if he had found an interesting passage. He manifested mana at his fingertip and used it to underline the text.
“There is no need for alarm. This was bound to happen.”
The reporters felt their insides burn with anxiety as they waited for Kelliark to finally speak. Every second was precious.
However, Kelliark had anticipated from the very beginning that external forces might strike the 2nd Magic Tower in addition to the shipyard.
He simply saw no need to make special preparations.
Hedo.
Because that man was at the Tower of White Night.
This incident will serve as another opportunity to test him.
Ever since Hedo had become one of Zipple’s men, Kelliark had constantly sought to test him. Not even Kelliark could easily gauge whether Hedo was truly a man who would offer his heart and soul in loyalty to the Zipple clan.
“Send reinforcements only to the shipyard. The capabilities of the invaders have already been confirmed, so any further loss of our own resources would be meaningless. Focus on securing as many of our assets there as possible.”
“Understood!”
The reporters bowed in unison before retreating into the darkness.
Left alone, Kelliark gazed quietly across the sea, reminiscing about the day he had first met Hedo so long ago.
*
“Urgh…!”
Suddenly, Murakan clutched his head with both hands. His back bent as a wave of unbearable pain washed over him.
Jin and the Runcandels quickly surrounded him, deploying their shields. They had anticipated something like this from the moment Hedo appeared, but the tension after witnessing his swordsmanship firsthand was on a completely different level.
Exposing such a weakness in front of a transcendent warrior like Hedo was, needless to say, a fatal mistake.
Fortunately, Hedo did not exploit Murakan’s opening.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t. Though his expression remained impassive, Hedo felt a flicker of interest in what Murakan had just said.
I’ve never met anyone who spoke as if they knew Vail. Not even Sir Cyron or the Patriarch seemed to have any idea about this sword’s true identity.
Vail.
On the blade of the unique longsword Hedo had chanced upon long ago, that name was engraved in small script.
He didn’t know for sure if it was the name of the sword, the blacksmith who forged it, or the person who once wielded it. In his youth, as he navigated the treacherous tides of the martial world in search of the ultimate peak, he had been curious about the longsword’s identity.
But Hedo soon concluded that knowing its origin was of little importance and decided that Vail was simply the name of the sword.
The reason he didn’t strike while Murakan was vulnerable was because he was waiting for the dragon to say more about Vail.
It was also a display of absolute confidence.
He believed that even if he allowed them this much leeway, the outcome of the battle would not change. It was the same logic that led him to believe Zipple would not send reinforcements to the 2nd Magic Tower. Kelliark knew he was here, so he surely wouldn’t bother.
“Murakan.”
Calling out in a low voice, Jin checked Murakan’s condition. He looked incredibly pained and utterly confused.
This is just like that day in Old Oterium, when the Leader of Kinzelo was talking about Temar. I don’t know why, but is Hedo’s sword stimulating Murakan’s jumbled memories?
Unlike Jin, who knew Murakan’s memories were incomplete and that such episodes could occur, the other Runcandels were completely bewildered. They could only stare in aghast disbelief as their family’s guardian deity suddenly fell into a panic in such a desperate situation.
“Krrgh!”
Murakan groaned again.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
For the Runcandels, every passing moment felt like it doubled the sense of crisis. If Murakan couldn’t fight properly, they would most likely be captured or annihilated.
Jin made a decision.
I hope this works like it did back then. Just like when the Kinzelo Leader was spouting nonsense!
WHAM!
A fierce impact echoed through the silent hall, ringing in everyone’s ears.
Jin had put every ounce of his strength into a single, lightning-fast punch to the back of Murakan’s head.
He was acting on past experience, but since the others didn’t know the context, they could only assume Jin had gone mad.
After being struck so hard, Murakan stood still as an old tree, as if he had been frozen into a stone statue. His head remained tilted slightly in the direction Jin’s fist had sent it.
“Youngest, what in the world…” Dipus managed to say, his voice trembling.
For a terrifying moment, he wondered if Lord Murakan had actually died. Of course, that was impossible, but the dragon remained so motionless that it wouldn’t have been strange if he had died standing up. The angle of his neck looked awkward, and taking a full-power strike from Jin while defenseless was a dangerous act in itself.
“Guh… Damn. That hurts like hell.”
Fortunately for the Runcandels, after a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Murakan finally spoke, his voice thick with annoyance.
“Are you back to your senses?”
“It seems I have a… a chronic illness? Yeah, my chronic illness flared up for a moment. Hey, kid, even so, how could you just wallop me like that?”
Crack! Snap! Murakan twisted his head, loosening his neck as he continued.
“Do you know how many people are watching?! I’m losing face! Losing face! Huh? Uh…”
Murakan, who had been speaking so boldly, suddenly staggered and lost his balance.
His mind had returned, but there was one thing Jin had overlooked. When he used the same shock therapy in Old Oterium, Jin had been exhausted. Now, he was in peak condition and had become incomparably stronger.
Ah, that crazy kid! Control your strength when you hit me! My brain is rattling, and the world is spinning. But what the hell is up with that guy’s sword? It definitely feels like it’s connected to me. My head feels like it’s going to explode whenever I try to remember.
He was dying of curiosity.
But for now, he had to focus on the fight. He had to keep his contractor alive.
That ‘Muscles’ over there doesn’t seem like the type to lie or use petty tricks. He said reinforcements wouldn’t be coming.
If that was the case…
It was time to give it his all.
“Kid.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m transforming. If by some chance that ‘Muscles’ is a pathetic liar and reinforcements show up, leave me behind and escape. Got it?”
Jin nodded heavily. He had no intention of actually abandoning Murakan, but it was better to agree for now. Whether reinforcements came or not, they stood no chance if Murakan didn’t go all out.
“…There are parts of that I don’t quite understand, but I will assume you needed time to strategize. Must I wait any longer?”
Hedo, who had been hoping Murakan would talk more about his sword, decided there was no reason to be patient any longer.
“Hah, you are definitely among the very best I’ve seen in this era. But I am Murakan. My dignity may have faded over a thousand years, tarnished by your master’s family and their long schemes, but Murakan is still Murakan.”
Vroooooom…!
As Murakan finished speaking, his shadow began to grow to a massive size. A moment later, he scattered into black smoke and reformed into the true form of a Black Dragon, his colossal wings beating against the air.
ROAAAR!
As the sharp, somber roar echoed through the hall, Hedo calmly adjusted his glasses with a refined gesture.
“I shall look forward to it.”
A black barrier unfolded across the ceiling, staining it dark. The swirling vortices of spirit energy within it looked like the eyes of giants, and every single one was fixed on Hedo.
Blue flames flickered on Bradamante as it was shrouded in spirit energy, while dazzling auras erupted from the swords of Joshua, Dipus, and Jane. The members of the Wraith Squad also drew up their mana as Hedo took a single, deep breath.
The air shimmered, threatening to tear apart under the immense, amplifying energies of the assembled superhumans. The entire tower began to vibrate with an unstable, unpleasant tremor.
It was the tense expansion right before the clash.
And it was Hedo who broke the precarious silence.
“Hmph!”
With a restrained shout, Hedo’s longsword, Vail, lunged into the chaotic landscape where spirit energy, aura, and mana had become a tangled mess.
It was a simple thrust.
It was also a perfect thrust. The trajectory his longsword traced pierced diagonally through the center of the clashing energies.
His target was Murakan.
Against a dragon’s characteristically massive body, the attack’s speed and range made it impossible to dodge. Normally, a dragon’s only options would be to neutralize it with an equal or greater power, or to counterattack while trying to minimize the damage from a fatal wound.
At that moment, however, Murakan evaded Hedo’s sword energy by scattering his body into black smoke once again. At the same time, he unleashed a counterattack with dozens of spirit energy vortices.
Tsk!
He didn’t escape completely unscathed. The realm Hedo had achieved, his Sword Tao, swept through the particles of the scattered Murakan, inflicting damage.
This time, Hedo chose to evade with his footwork rather than take the attack head-on. It wasn’t just Murakan’s attack raining down; the venomous strikes of the Runcandels were sure to follow.
Furthermore, as a result of Murakan dodging Hedo’s thrust…
Hedo’s peerless sword energy, no longer blocked by its intended target, swept toward the Wraith Squad positioned behind the Runcandels.
The members of the Wraith Squad could only curse their luck, their insides churning with frustration.