Chapter 539: Omen (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 539: Omen (8)
The Imperial Army suffered approximately 20,000 casualties, while Sword Emperor Castle lost nearly 2,000.
The Empire’s 20,000 losses were not mere foot soldiers; they were composed entirely of knights and mages. Countless key figures had perished, including the Imperial Second Sword, Johnsina Perel. Furthermore, over ninety percent of their Dragon Spears and other war machines had been either captured or destroyed.
The casualties at Sword Emperor Castle were mostly members of Hairan or the rank-and-file knights who had gathered to support them. While individuals like Shuras had been wounded, the core members of the Barmul Alliance and Hairan remained largely unscathed. Among those at the commander level or higher, it was difficult to find anyone who had sustained a life-threatening injury.
With the Empire suffering roughly thirty percent casualties and the Castle only ten percent, the first battle was an overwhelming victory for Sword Emperor Castle.
In reality, however, both sides had suffered catastrophic damage.
The Emperor had lost far too many talented individuals in a purge that lacked any shred of justification. The prestige of the Empire—and with it, the authority of the imperial throne—would never be the same. It would not be surprising if a new rebellion were to break out, centered around the Henserck or Lilista families.
Alternatively, the people might rally around Hairan.
The Empire’s moral high ground and the public’s favor now belonged entirely to Hairan. Unlike the Emperor, who had forsaken his honor, Hairan had stood against his tyranny and kept their word.
The promise not to kill those who fled—Jin, Dante, and their allies had all put those words into practice. Now, even those who had been attacking Hairan just yesterday harbored a secret desire to stand on their side.
However, the Henserck and Lilista families had also taken significant hits, and since the world now knew that Zipple stood behind the Emperor, no such uprising occurred. Nor was it likely that Hairan would simply welcome those who had been pointing blades at them only moments ago.
Above all, the war was not over.
The news that a new Zipple fleet was heading toward Sword Emperor Castle was known not just to the combatants, but to the entire world. Sightings of the fleet were being reported from all corners of the continent.
Unlike Runcandel, the Barmul Alliance and Hairan were unaware of the changes within the 1st Magic Tower. However, based on the confirmed size of the fleet alone, it was easy to deduce that Octavia Zipple, or perhaps even Kelliark himself, was on their way.
As Rosa had said, the best course of action was to abandon Sword Emperor Castle and retreat. But just as she had predicted, it wasn't that Jin refused to leave.
He couldn't.
"Dante..."
Dante Hairan.
He was currently trapped within a seal, likely caused by the influence of the White Stone. He was completely unresponsive.
It was a black seal that pulsed like spirit energy.
The power forming the seal was the turbid energy of Chaos—something Jin had experienced several times before. This, however, possessed a purity higher than any chaos he had ever encountered.
Jin stared at his friend, who was suspended inside the semi-spherical seal that had manifested in the center of the Great Hall.
Sir Amela’s turbid energy doesn't even compare, and it’s even denser than the chaos Sister Yona showed me.
It felt as though it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it pure spirit energy rather than turbid energy.
Jin had always been able to cut through such seals with ease using the power of his own spirit energy and Azure Fire, but this time, nothing he tried had any effect.
The healing priests of the Holy Kingdom stood beside Jin, their faces etched with apology.
"We are so sorry, Sir Jin. After his initial healing was finished, we stepped away for a moment to tend to the other wounded, and in that time..."
"Don't say that. If it weren't for you priests, he might have died. This seal has nothing to do with you. It is the Barmul Alliance and Sword Emperor Castle who should be apologizing to and thanking the Holy Kingdom."
"...From the moment we began the healing, he did show an alarmingly fast rate of recovery."
After rescuing Dante from Johnsina Perel, Jin had told him to rest until he was able to fight again. In truth, Jin hadn't expected Dante to rejoin this war at all. Dante’s fragile body, which had always felt like a curse, had already been pushed past its limits several times over.
It seemed he would need at least three days just to walk properly and three months to recover enough to fight. Yet, only a few hours after the healing began, Dante had recovered so much that the priests felt comfortable leaving his side.
It was the power of the White Stone.
Afterward, like a man possessed, Dante had sought out the deepest part of the Inner Castle—the room where his grandfather lay unconscious—as if following the voice of the White Stone. The moment he took the White Stone from his grandfather and returned to the Great Hall, he had been sealed.
"...Priests, please continue to look after the wounded. The Barmul Alliance and Sword Emperor Castle will not forget the grace of the Holy Kingdom."
"We are the ones who are grateful. If it weren't for you, Sir Jin, we would not have been able to fulfill our duties as priests after the Holy Kingdom Incident. We will pray fervently to Ayula that you remain safe."
As the priests withdrew, Murakan and Quicantel entered the hall.
"How are the knights?"
"How do you think? Not a single one of them is willing to leave without Dante. Damn it, that White Stone is dragging us down to the very end. Even Quicantel and I have never seen a seal like this before."
Dante was only faintly visible through the seal of turbid energy, but the White Stone was spreading a gloomy light from within his chest. It almost looked like his heart.
"Even after seeing the White Stone exists, few of the humans are wavering," Quicantel observed.
"It’s no use even if you tell them you can't use that power again. I don't blame them, but just sitting here is a suicide mission..." Murakan grumbled.
After Jin had manifested the wills of Solderet and Klam, the mirror had lost its power. Although its functions were slowly returning whenever Jin injected it with spirit energy, the progress was far too slow. He couldn't use that power again in this war.
Jin understood the knights' feelings. He himself didn't have the courage to leave Dante behind like this.
Boo-oooong—!
The cry of Mort echoed from behind them.
Talaris had only transported Jin’s group via Mort and had not yet officially participated in the battle. Since she was here to fulfill her duty as the Palace Master rather than to act as Jin’s reinforcement, she had not revealed herself to anyone but his immediate companions.
Jin’s heart tightened the moment she appeared. If she were to step forward and declare she was fulfilling her duty because Dante was trying to use the White Stone, there would be no way to stop her. To any observer, it looked as though Dante had been sealed while attempting to harness the stone's power.
"Lady Talaris, Dante is..."
"I know what you're worried about, son-in-law."
Talaris knew exactly what kind of seal the White Stone had created. It was recorded in the annals of the Secret Palace.
"This is a barrier born from the rejection of Chaos. Your friend—Ron’s grandson—is currently fighting Chaos within himself. Therefore, I have no reason to fulfill my duty… yet."
A wave of relief washed over Jin, but the word 'yet' weighed heavily on his mind.
A barrier created by rejecting Chaos... If Dante loses this fight and begins to use its power, Lady Talaris won't help Sword Emperor Castle.
The Secret Palace believed the White Stone to be an artifact of Heluram. And Heluram was disaster itself. In any era, in any space, the moment the Witch’s power manifested, it brought great calamity to humanity. Always, without a single exception.
"Son-in-law."
"Yes, Lady Talaris."
"In my opinion, this war may no longer be just a conflict between the Empire, Sword Emperor Castle, Zipple, and Runcandel."
It was a problem for all of humanity. That was how Talaris perceived the White Stone.
Whirrrr—!
Ten Thousand Ice formed in Talaris’s grip. Simultaneously, she concentrated an immense amount of energy into the blade of ice and thrust it toward the seal.
However, her strike failed to leave even a tiny crack on its surface. Instead, Talaris was repelled, stumbling back as she caught her breath.
"...It's a seal that stands firm even against the absolute power of Ten Thousand Ice. Do you know what that signifies?"
It meant that a level of Chaos she herself could not handle was lurking inside. Talaris left the rest unsaid.
"Hey, Palace Master. Is it that serious?" Murakan asked, his voice low.
"It’s no exaggeration, Black Dragon brother. Right now, I can't even gauge which would be a greater problem for the world: this, or the other danger our Secret Palace is currently suppressing..."
Elona Zipple.
Most of the power held by Talaris and her Ten Thousand Ice was perpetually used to maintain the seal on Elona Zipple. She was now contemplating whether she should risk weakening Elona’s seal just to stop the White Stone.
"I guessed it was something significant, seeing how desperate Zipple was for it, but I never expected this," Murakan muttered.
"Can Dante... come back?" Jin asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"If I say he cannot, will you abandon him and flee?"
Talaris had seen similar cases in the Secret Palace records. In those records, humans exposed to Chaos had become monsters. Jin also knew of such a monster: Smarion Prochi.
Dante might have already crossed the point of no return.
"I will not."
"Then we can only hope that Dante can endure this postnatal Chaos as well as your father or your youngest sister did. In some ways... it might be a blessing that Zipple’s main force is coming and Runcandel is waiting nearby. If the Chaos of the White Stone awakens, they will have no choice but to fight it, whether they like it or not. If it isn't them or us, no one can stop it."
The great powers were fighting to seize hegemony over the world. Therefore, just as it had been during the Holy Kingdom Defense War, if an event occurred that could destroy the world itself, it was only natural that they would have to resolve that first.
"The same will go for you and your companions. The best-case scenario is that the Chaos does not awaken. Then, the situation will conclude through war or negotiation between the great powers."
At that moment, the White Stone within the seal began to emit an even gloomier light. The light coalesced into a shape that looked exactly like a human mouth, sneering at them all.
"...To be honest," Talaris said, her voice grim, "I don't think that's a very high possibility. This situation is not good in any way."
If the war continued without the Chaos awakening, Hairan would be annihilated one way or another. Conversely, the same was true even if the Chaos did awaken. Even if everyone on the battlefield united to fight it, Hairan could not avoid destruction.
Because in that case, the one who awakened the Chaos would be none other than Dante Hairan.
"Phew. First, I'll go check on Ron. If that man wakes up, it might provide a glimmer of hope for Sword Emperor Castle."
Talaris opened a dimensional gate and headed toward the Inner Castle to see Ron. Jin remained, his eyes fixed on the black sphere.
All he could do was stare at his sealed friend and pray he would win the fight within.