Chapter 535: Omen (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 535: Omen (4)
Despite the deaths of Myuron and Midore, not a single enemy faltered.
The flying fleet of thirty-three ships radiated a sinister crimson light. An overwhelming torrent of mana pulsed from them, creating a resonant roar that threatened to tear the sky asunder.
‘So this is why the Emperor and Laramakua were so confident.’
Dante had repelled the vanguard. The Barmul Alliance, the Dragon Knights, and the Sword Saints had crushed the first wave of reinforcements.
But those great victories from the battle’s opening and middle stages were now completely overshadowed. Although the Sword Emperor Castle’s forces were still standing, facing over sixty members of the Wraith Squad was an impossible task.
‘Even if these resurrected Wraiths are less skilled than they were in life…'
Each one possessed mana nearly equivalent to a 9-star knight. As a result, the ships they piloted would exhibit power far beyond anything the previous reinforcements could muster.
The vessels of the Red Fleet opened their bows like maws, deploying their main cannons.
“Enya, stay focused. The mirror’s mana is infinite. Theoretically, it can handle thousands of those things. Increase the barrier’s strength. Open your eyes, keep them open, and breathe…”
As Beris spoke, she knew Enya was already at her limit. Blood trickled from the girl’s nose and mouth, and her body trembled violently.
Enya managed a weak nod.
“I—I can do it. Ugh, cough! I’ll make it happen!”
“DEFEND—!”
The moment Jin roared with all his might, the ships unleashed their cannons.
Though not on the level of the Kozec's golden main cannon, the thirty-three cannons—infused with the Wraith Squad’s distinct crimson magic—looked more than capable of obliterating Sword Emperor Castle in an instant.
The only reason the castle didn't crumble the moment the first volley struck was Enya.
She had succeeded. Empowered by the mirror’s nearly infinite mana, the Dragon Fire Barrier perfectly blocked the bombardment.
“Y-You did it! Well done, Enya!”
Beris hugged Enya, her heart swelling with pride.
‘But this is the end. If she tries to control the mirror one more time... she’ll end up like me.’
Enya’s body felt like a ball of fire in her arms, and Beris’s clothes were instantly stained red as the girl convulsed, hemorrhaging severely.
“Gasp, heave… Hah…!”
Enya also instinctively knew that if she continued to use the mirror, she would either die or never be able to use magic again.
Nevertheless, she reached for the mirror once more.
“Enya, no more.”
“If I… don’t…”
Too many people would die.
The thought alone drove Enya to move again.
Most of the people gathered at Sword Emperor Castle were strangers, yet she didn't hesitate to risk her life for them. She did it simply because she believed it was the right thing to do.
Thankfully, the mass-produced ships couldn't reload their main cannons as quickly as the Kozec.
That was a small mercy, but their means of attack were not limited to the fleet’s bombardment.
Red Abyss.
The Wraith Squad’s grand-scale chain magic began to unfurl across the sky and ground.
Eradicate the enemies of Zipple…
The Patriarch desires the White Stone. Kill them and find it…!
The Wraiths’ gloomy voices echoed, all speaking as one. Their speech was slurred, as if they were intoxicated.
‘The density of the Red Abyss is also lower than I remember.’
From these factors—the identical voices, the peculiar resonance of the resurrected dead, and the magic that was weaker than the original—it wasn't hard for Jin to deduce the situation. There was a clear gap between these summoned Wraiths and those he had faced in the past.
Of course, it was only slightly inferior compared to the Red Abyss Jin had experienced before. By any normal standard, it was still a cataclysmic spell.
It was as if a rain of blood was falling from the sky. Crimson mana transformed into blades and chains, battering the ground below. Most were blocked by the Dragon Fire Barrier, but Enya continued to take the brunt of the impact.
Murakan also deployed a veil of spirit energy to protect the ground, and Quicantel let out a roar, scattering her Authority of Time.
However, the mana was too immense.
Alongside the Red Abyss, a deluge of other offensive spells rained down. Elemental magic like Hell Wind, Flame Orb, and Ice Splitting Sword was fired relentlessly, shattering what was left of the Dragon Fire Barrier.
The Dragon Knights and Sword Saints attempted to counterattack, but it was nearly impossible. Hairan’s signature techniques were neutralized by countless spells before they could even reach the enemy. Even when they managed to close the distance, concentrated bursts of magic forced them back.
Wraith magic began to seep through the cracks in the Dragon Fire Barrier.
The magic did not distinguish between friend and foe. The Imperial Army, caught in the crossfire, suffered even more damage than the castle’s defenders, who were at least partially protected by the Barmul Alliance.
“You madmen! We’re on your side—!”
“Aaaargh!”
A giant cauldron of death, boiling with screams and explosions.
The battlefield was transforming once again, and Jin had to make a decision.
‘Mother… still has no intention of joining the fray.’
There was still no sign of Rosa or the other Runcandels.
‘Mother likely plans to appear only when the White Stone is about to be destroyed or plundered—or when the Sword Emperor Castle has completely collapsed and can no longer fight back.’
Unlike Jin, the Runcandels’ goal was not to rescue Sword Emperor Castle. It was the White Stone. Their sole objective was to prevent Zipple from claiming it.
In fact, the best outcome for Runcandel was for the White Stone to be destroyed so that neither side could have it. While Zipple knew exactly how to use the stone, Runcandel did not.
Furthermore, the moment the Runcandels intervened directly, the risk of a full-scale war would skyrocket. Thus, Rosa was likely hoping Jin would pressure Hairan into destroying the White Stone themselves.
Therefore, the Runcandels would only emerge at the last possible moment—once Sword Emperor Castle’s forces had completely collapsed.
Should he grit his teeth and keep defending at all costs?
Or should he conserve the Barmul Alliance’s strength and force the Runcandels to appear, even if the Sword Emperor Castle suffered devastating losses?
Jin chose the former.
It wasn't an efficient choice. In fact, the strategically superior move was likely to let the castle fall, sacrificing thousands of knights to force the Runcandels’ hand.
But Jin couldn't bring himself to use his friend—and his friend’s people—as collateral. Some might mock him for being naive, but he was certain it was the right choice.
In short, Jin was making a choice for his friend and his people, while Rosa was making a choice for Runcandel.
‘If I had come here thinking only of Runcandel’s interests, I would have carried the Runcandel flag as the 12th Flagbearer, not the Barmul Alliance.’
As always, he would simply have to prove that his choice was the right one.
‘I can’t use Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.’
With Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, he could likely pierce the Wraiths’ barriers and destroy the entire fleet. But if he unleashed it, there would be no ‘next.’
As commander of the Barmul Alliance, Jin had to see this war through to the end, making judgments and issuing orders. No matter how Zipple and Runcandel rampaged, he had to protect the flame of Hairan. Unlike them, he was the only one who cared more about Hairan's survival than the White Stone.
Jin’s eyes snapped open as he called for Shuri. Shuri, who had been darting across the battlefield after moving Dante to the castle, rushed to Jin’s side like an arrow.
“To the wall!”
[Mya-mya!]
As Shuri sprinted at full speed, the Wraith Squad’s magic began to target Jin specifically. More than half of the Dragon Fire Barrier had already been destroyed and could no longer protect him.
“Protect the Lord!”
“Help the kid!”
Valkas, the Prochi siblings, and other warriors of the Barmul Alliance rushed toward Jin, clearing a path and striking down the incoming magic.
Jin swung his sword frantically, and Shuri let out a roar, firing beams from her eyes.
Several offensive spells and beams fired by the enemy struck Shuri directly, but they could not pierce the Curse of Immortality.
In the meantime, Enya was still attempting to control the mirror.
“Enya! Stop, you’ll die!”
“Gasp… haa…! People are… still dying…!”
“Young Master Jin is coming! If something happens to you, his heart will falter. That could result in even more people dying! Is that what you want?!”
If not for Beris’s desperate plea, Enya would have strengthened the Dragon Fire Barrier one last time and met her end.
Finally setting the mirror down, Enya screamed in agony, her face stained with tears and blood.
“They’re… such awful people. The Empire, Zipple… they’re all just bastards! Gak!”
Thwump!
A crimson spear of mana slammed into the wall right where Enya and Beris stood.
Fortunately, the first one only crumbled the wall, but the second spear that followed immediately after was aimed precisely at them.
At that moment, Shuri leaped onto the wall, and Jin cut down the crimson spear falling toward the two.
“Young Master Jin…!”
Jin took off his flagbearer coat and wrapped it around Enya’s shoulders.
Enya burst into tears as she looked at his back. Beyond that iron-like back, below the wall, the corpses of Hairan knights were piling up.
Enya wasn't as strong as Jin. The mere sight of so much death was an agony all its own.
“You did well, Enya. You too, Beris. If I were in your shoes, I couldn't have done what you did.”
The moment she heard those words, Enya lost consciousness.
Jin picked up the mirror lying on the ground.
“Beris, get on Shuri. Take Enya to the healers. And tell Dante this: we don’t know much about that White Stone, but he is not to even think about using that damn thing.”
Contrary to Jin’s fears, Dante didn't yet know how to use the White Stone. But as the war intensified, he could hear a dark voice whispering to him—the voice of the White Stone itself.
He remembered how Zipple had trampled countless natives of Colon in their lust for the mirror's power.
Now, it was Jin's turn to trample them with the very power they had failed to grasp.
A magic circle formed beneath Jin’s feet.
Kaaaaaaaang—!
Then, the sharp, whining sound characteristic of Reverse Flow spread through the air as a sphere of Heaven Reversal rose into the sky.
It was as if a new moon had appeared before their very eyes. Heaven Reversal, already far exceeding the limits of Jin’s personal mana, swelled with every passing second as it absorbed the ambient power of the Red Abyss.
“This is Heaven Reversal, imbued with infinite mana,” Jin thought, a cold smile on his face. “Let's see you flaunt your immense power now.”