Chapter 518: Negotiations (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 518: Negotiations (4)
Zephyrin appeared in a form that could best be described as avian. Her overall shape was human, but her entire body, save for her face, was covered in black feathers, and massive wings were attached to her arms.
She flew with incredible speed. One moment she was a mere speck in the distance; the next, she was close enough for her features to be clearly discerned.
"Hmm, what's with the human crow? Is this some surprise costume show our son-in-law prepared for me?"
"She’s a Demon Dragon named Zephyrin. It seems she’s come to see me about something."
"Another woman, I see. You certainly are popular, son-in-law."
Naturally, Zephyrin did not look particularly friendly.
Not only had Jin toyed with her in the Sota Desert, but her plan to take Joshua hostage had also ended in failure. To make matters worse, the damage from their final battle and the volcanic eruption had forced her to overexert the Leader’s power once again. She was absolutely livid.
For some reason, I feel a chill…
Under different circumstances, Jin might have felt a degree of tension, but he simply turned his head from side to side and calmly surveyed the faces of his companions.
A smirk escaped his lips.
"Th-that's… Zephyrin. Isn't that Zephyrin!?"
"Zephyrin? That damned bitch…!"
"After how well we treated her!"
The eyes of the Black King Corps members standing guard on the perimeter grew as sharp as blades.
"She’s the Leader’s enemy! Prepare to load Black King Cannon No. 1!"
"Open all ports, including Black King Cannon No. 1! We will avenge the Leader!"
"The Leader’s sacrifice was not in vain!"
The Black King Corps members spoke as if Valkas had already died. It was unclear whether they were trying to stoke their own rage or if a strange momentum had built up simply because someone had shouted the word "enemy."
The cannons were aimed.
The members on the central watchtower were signaling. They were ready to blast that damn thing out of the sky and were just waiting for the order.
"Well, my lord. Make your decision."
"Let’s give our defenses a test run."
As Valkas raised his hand, the members on the watchtower nodded.
Clack! Whirrrr—clunk!
Simultaneously, the defensive equipment installed by the Black King Corps began to emerge from various points along Tikan’s outer walls. It was a disciplined transformation, like the rotation of precisely interlocking gears.
Embrasures opened across the walls to reveal cannon muzzles, while artifacts installed on nearby reefs deployed anti-air shields in unison.
Grappling cannons designed for suppression also emerged from all directions. There were artifacts that fired nets and over forty massive bows that each required several members to draw.
Countless other defensive armaments were aimed squarely at Zephyrin.
I heard they started fortifying the place, but to this extent? Hah, and to think I’m being treated like this when they should be welcoming me with open arms… This is absurd, Sir Jin!
"Commence firing!"
As the captains shouted, the sky was instantly dyed red with shells, flames, arrows, hooks, and nets.
An ordinary dragon would have met its end right then and there, but Zephyrin proved her skill by nimbly weaving through the barrage.
…This is actually quite lethal.
That realization was Zephyrin’s first shock. Normally, she would have scoffed with contempt. However, she was currently in a state where she could not draw upon the Leader’s power.
"Fire Black King Cannon!"
"Fire!"
The moment a blind spot was identified, Black King Cannon No. 1 spat fire.
BOOM—!
A heavy, satisfying boom—like something long-clogged had finally burst open—echoed only after the shell had already grazed Zephyrin’s cheek and shoulder.
Wait, just now… what was that?
If she had taken a direct hit in her current weakened state, she would have died or suffered a near-fatal injury. That instinct was so certain that when the next shot from Black King Cannon No. 1 flew at an unavoidable angle, she had no choice but to block it.
By drawing on the Leader’s power, of course. (Cough! At that moment, the bedridden Leader of Kinzelo coughed up blood, and the entire organization went into a state of emergency.)
"That’s quite impressive," Jin remarked.
During the Black King Corps incident, the battle had mostly taken place in a subspace, and their equipment couldn't be used because the members were evacuating. The power of Black King Cannon No. 1 was truly immense.
"It is the pride of our Black King Corps," Valkas said.
"I think I’ve seen enough of its performance. Now, please guide Zephyrin to land over here."
As Valkas relayed Jin’s command, the pattern of fire shifted from all-out suppression to one of guidance.
Afterward, Zephyrin spent about five minutes tumbling through the sky before finally landing in the front yard of the mansion, looking rather battered.
"Huff, huff… You… you… Jin Runcandel! You bastard, are you mocking me again? Have you forgotten our promise? Come out! I’ll tear you limb from limb!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, driven by a rage so intense she felt she would explode. However, all of Jin’s companions were standing before her.
"Hmm, whose limbs are you going to tear?"
"Zephyrin, you have a lot of nerve showing your face here after what you did to the Black King Mountain Fortress."
"Watch your gaze when you look at us, and mind your manners."
Talaris, Valkas, and Rata spoke one after another.
Before Zephyrin could even respond, Talaris closed the distance in an instant and drove a fist into her jaw.
CRACK! SMASH!
The sound of a fist imbued with the power of Ten Thousand Ice colliding with a Demon Dragon’s jaw was enough to make anyone wonder: Did she just die?
That single punch was Zephyrin’s second shock of the day.
"Gack!"
The shockwave and wind from the punch spread like a whirlwind, followed by a creeping frost that instantly froze Zephyrin’s limbs, binding her like chains.
"No… cough!"
"What do you mean, 'no'?"
"Hmph! Palace Master, you clearly don't know who I—urk! Argh!"
"Mmm, I think you need to be tenderized a bit first."
Thud, crack, thwack!
Without the other companions needing to lift a finger, Talaris pummeled Zephyrin with an overwhelming and exhilarating series of strikes.
After five minutes of merciless beating, Zephyrin was left with a heavily swollen face and a single thought.
This… this isn't how this was supposed to go…
Naturally, this was not the picture she had envisioned.
Even if she couldn't use the Leader’s power (though she had just used it once), Zephyrin’s own martial prowess was by no means shallow. However, she had been flustered by Tikan’s defensive armaments and had overexerted herself by drawing on the Leader’s power. She had landed on the ground exhausted, and her opponent was… well, that opponent.
Furthermore, Zephyrin had expected Jin to receive her with at least some decency, if he had any conscience at all. They did have the promise made in the Sota Desert, after all.
"Ah, I was wondering what all the fuss was about… Zephyrin, it was you. If you had contacted me before visiting, I would have welcomed you politely. I thought you were a terrorist. Well, I suppose you are a terrorist, being from Kinzelo."
As Jin spoke while feigning ignorance, Zephyrin’s eyes blazed with purple demonic energy, filled with venom.
"Jin Runcandel, you bastard!"
"Now, now, this isn't the time to be speaking so recklessly. It won't do you any good to keep acting stupid, will it?"
Zephyrin suppressed her fury and surveyed Jin’s group.
"...Sir Jin, it has been a while."
In the end, she had to admit that while things might have been different in the distant past when she possessed her full strength, acting up now would only lead to disaster.
"It hasn't been that long, my comrade from the Sota Desert. I see you managed to escape that desert safely as well."
This demonic brat…
Zephyrin barely suppressed the profanities rising in her throat and forced a smile.
"Of course. Even if I am in a situation where I cannot use my full power, do you think such a thing would stop me?"
"That sounds suspiciously like you're saying we'd be nothing to you if you could use your full power," Talaris said.
"Not at all. You are misinterpreting me."
"I’ve been curious about this for a while," Jin cut in, "but what exactly gives you the confidence to keep moving alone? Besides, this is my base. You shouldn't show up like this without an invitation."
The reason Zephyrin preferred to move alone was simple. As a Great Duke of the Demon World, she felt that traveling in a noisy crowd was beneath her dignity. However, it was too embarrassing to say that in this situation, so she remained silent. Dragons, demons—most beings that were nearly immortal tended to have such strange, old-fashioned mindsets.
"I was going to kill you," Jin continued, "but I spared you because of our promise. So, I hope there won't be a second instance of such rudeness."
"Hmph, fine… Now, can you release me so we can talk?"
"I don't want to."
When Talaris refused flatly, Zephyrin replied in a low voice.
"Palace Master, there is little to be gained from continuing this joke. There should be records left by previous Palace Masters about me…"
At that, Talaris let out a light laugh.
"Hmm, today is just full of kids who take things too seriously. Demon Dragon Zephyrin, there is indeed a very short record of you left behind."
"I suppose most of it has disappeared over time. I had quite a few interesting episodes with the Secret Palace. Does it not say that you should never make an enemy of me?"
It did. The record regarding Zephyrin in the Secret Palace was only one line long.
Avoid her if you encounter her.
She isn't designated for sealing or extermination, and her current martial power seems mediocre, Talaris recalled. But there must be a reason such a record was left.
Ssssss…
The ice binding Zephyrin crumbled into the air.
"I didn't see anything like that," Talaris said coolly. "Just know that if you threaten my son-in-law like this again, it won't end as a joke. Not for you, and not for your base."
The fact that Palace Master Talaris Endorma was close with Jin was something the whole world knew. Gossips already assumed that the marriage between Jin and Siris was a settled matter. However, those who knew the secrets of the palace knew that it maintained absolute neutrality. To resolve the world's anomalies, they sometimes needed to join hands with any faction.
To warn me while implying she could abandon her neutrality… I suppose the Secret Palace isn't what it used to be.
This was new information for Zephyrin.
"Hmph, I'll take that into consideration. Anyway, Sir Jin. Keep your promise to me."
Zephyrin had arrived full of confidence, but now she was resentful and anxious.
—That’s right. To Runcandel, those items are truly pearls before swine. You won't be taken for a fool like this in the next negotiation. So enjoy today’s small victory, Sir Jin.
If that treacherous brat decided to wash his hands of the deal now, she would once again return like a fool with nothing to show for it but a beating.
"I will," Jin readily agreed.
Zephyrin’s expression brightened. "Does that mean you will hand over the blueprints and the machine to us?"
"That’s going too far. I will hold a formal meeting with Kinzelo. At that time, I will give you the opportunity to decode the blueprints and the machine. The decoding will be conducted in the presence of both our factions, and all information must be shared with us."
"Ha! You're talking like a highwayman again."
"You're mistaken, Zephyrin. I was the victor in the desert that day. The items are in my hands, which makes Zipple and your Kinzelo the losers. Be grateful that I’m even showing this much generosity. If you don't like it… you can go back empty-handed. Leaving your head behind wouldn't be a bad option either."
"A day will come when all demons curse you, Sir Jin."
Jin smiled brightly and replied, "That’s fine. I’m immune. I’ll decide on the meeting date and notify you. It seems your business is done, so what will you do? We were in the middle of a meal. Feel free to have a taste before you go."