Chapter 541: Omen (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 541: Omen (10)
Inside the Inner Castle, priests and medical staff were rushing to tend to the wounded.
Though they had secured a great victory in the first battle, the Sword Emperor Castle had still suffered nearly two thousand casualties. It was impossible for the healing priests to treat them all in a mere two days.
Outside, led by Amela, repairs to the Sword Emperor Castle’s defensive equipment were in full swing.
The speed at which she restored the machinery was nothing short of miraculous. Even a thousand genius engineers would have struggled to match her individual pace.
However, equipment maintenance, much like treating the wounded, was not a problem that could be fully resolved in just two days.
The dozens of hands formed from Turbid Energy had not rested for a single moment since the battle ended, yet the restoration had only reached about twenty percent completion.
“Uncle Valkas! From now on, I’m focusing only on upgrading and deploying the Dragon Spears. Enya’s injured, so we can’t use the Dragon Fire Barrier. I have to calculate all the variables for when we get hit… and find spots where we can fire at least a couple of rounds even after taking a few heavy hits… Ugh, the angles just aren’t working out!”
Amela had fought in countless wars, but this was the first time she felt her preparations were so utterly futile.
“It’s better than doing nothing, but this is beyond just throwing an egg at a rock. If Kelliark is on that fleet, the range of their Mana-Injection Spray-Type All-Weather Crushing Cannons will far exceed our Dragon Spears from the start. The results are just pathetic for the amount of effort we’re putting in.”
While the Sword Emperor Castle had to fight with even less strength than in the first battle, Zipple was mobilizing the family’s greatest forces.
In truth, even if Ron were healthy and the Empire had not betrayed them, a fight against Hairan’s full strength was a battle with zero chance of victory.
The only power in the world capable of putting up what could be called a ‘fight’ against Zipple at full strength was Runcandel.
“Ghost Sword.”
Valkas found Casimir.
“What’s your assessment?”
“Are you referring to Runcandel?”
Even without further explanation, Casimir immediately understood Valkas’s meaning.
The Barmul Alliance knew that Runcandel was encamped nearby. Though they hadn't witnessed it directly, they were certain Jin’s prediction would not be wrong.
“The White Stone has proven its value. Since the Zipple main force has moved, Runcandel certainly won’t stay idle, just as the Young Lord predicted. However, they are likely hoping the White Stone gets destroyed in the fighting, saving them the trouble of intervening.”
“I think so too. It’s an object of unknown purpose and dangerous enough for even the Palace Master to be wary of. Runcandel must be wishing for it to break during the fighting.”
“Regardless of the stone's value, the possibility of the two families engaging in an all-out war is low. The atmosphere will surely shift toward negotiations… but in my opinion, the biggest factor isn't those two giants, but the Young Lord’s choice.”
Whether Runcandel and Zipple would go to war or negotiate depended on Jin’s decision. That was how Casimir understood the situation.
“If the Young Lord gives up on his friend and Hairan, there will be negotiations. If he doesn't, it becomes an all-out war… is that what you're saying?”
“Precisely. And as you know…”
“The Young Lord is absolutely not the type of person to choose the former.”
“But he’s also not the type to choose the latter out of pure emotion, without a plan.”
Both men nodded simultaneously.
“The Young Lord is trusting his family. Or more accurately, he is using them.”
‘Are you really going to go to war with Runcandel just to keep the White Stone? Can you handle the consequences?’
Casimir believed Jin was pressuring Zipple by using his own family, Runcandel, as leverage.
He believed that was why Jin chose to hold his ground even after their initial plan—rescuing Dante and the Hairan knights before abandoning the castle—had failed.
Until now, Jin had overcome almost every adversity through his own strength and that of his comrades, without his family's help.
This was the first time he was truly leveraging the full might of his family, Runcandel. And he was doing it with Rosa herself in command.
“If Zipple withstands that pressure and starts an all-out war, the Young Lord will make the Barmul Alliance and all the Hairan knights withdraw from the fight. From that moment on, this war will no longer be the Sword Emperor Holy War, but a pitched battle between Runcandel and Zipple. He would use his family's power to force everyone not of Runcandel off the battlefield, if necessary.”
“That sounds like the Young Lord. He will surely do as you say, Ghost Sword. He likely wanted to send them all away in advance, knowing there might be issues during the withdrawal in an all-out war. But those gathered at Hairan refused to back down.”
“What do you think about the possibility of Lady Rosa suppressing the Young Lord and negotiating with Zipple?”
That was Casimir’s greatest concern.
The Runcandel elites led by Rosa represented nearly their full strength, second only to Cyron and the former Black Knights. While the Barmul Alliance now possessed enough power to be called a fifth major force, they were not strong enough to protect Jin from Rosa.
“I don't think we need to worry about that. The Young Lord is now the flagbearer closest to becoming the next Patriarch. With Zipple watching, it's impossible for Runcandel to forcibly suppress or punish him.”
“Then Lady Rosa will ultimately have no choice but to respect the Young Lord’s judgment.”
“The Young Lord is also a Runcandel. Though their methods may differ, Lady Rosa and the Young Lord share the same goal as Runcandels. Even if it looks like the Young Lord is being stubborn, using his family as a shield, it won't become a fatal problem as long as he doesn't deviate from the greater goal of thwarting Zipple's ambitions.”
“…I feel like this war might decide the fate of the world, not just the Sword Emperor Castle.”
“I feel the same.”
“Even if Sir Dante wakes up and we all escape the castle, it will only be a temporary reprieve. All-out war or negotiation. One of the two must happen. Unless the White Stone is destroyed.”
The White Stone being destroyed and the Chaos lurking within never awakening.
That was the only scenario that could end the situation as stably as possible, but Talaris had rated that possibility as extremely low.
“We just need to focus on supporting the Young Lord in any situation. But if he ends up on the verge of ruin because of his friend…”
Valkas finished his sentence in a dark tone. “We must ensure the Young Lord doesn't fall, even if it means we have to trample on his heart.”
Those words carried heavy implications.
If the Young Lord risked his life by refusing to abandon Hairan when all was lost, then even if they had to kill every last person from Hairan with their own hands, right in front of him… they would force him to retreat.
“The Young Lord is a strong man,” Casimir said. “But that very strength is, at times, his greatest weakness. I haven't served him long, but that’s how it appears to me.”
“…I understand what you mean.”
“We can only hope it doesn't come to that.”
Midnight passed.
Prayers were whispered for the Sword Emperor to awaken and restore the dignity of his land, for Dante to emerge safely from the seal of Chaos, for the enemy to arrive even a moment later, and for today’s dawn—likely their last—not to feel so hollow and pathetic.
Time flowed heartlessly fast, mocking the countless wishes and prayers of those gathered at the Sword Emperor Castle.
“…Zipple’s main fleet confirmed over the Ketu Mountains. They will arrive at the Sword Emperor Castle in approximately three hours.”
The knights who had been out on scout duty announced throughout the castle that the enemy was close.
“Sir Casimir.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
“Return the healing priests to the Holy Kingdom, and give the order for Sir Luton and my Guardian Knights to withdraw as well. Also, evacuate all the wounded of the Barmul Alliance, along with Gilly and everyone else without sufficient combat strength.”
Currently, the Youngest’s Division was officially part of Runcandel, not the Barmul Alliance. Since Luton, who commanded them, was an exile, it was right for them to leave the battlefield before Runcandel stepped to the fore.
The healing priests had fulfilled their duty.
“Understood.”
The name of this war was still the Sword Emperor Holy War.
Therefore, Jin only commanded the Barmul Alliance. Strictly speaking, the commander-in-chief of the Hairan forces in this war was Luyan, the head of the Five Sword Saints.
However, Luyan did not issue orders to the Hairan knights either, and she too treated Jin as the commander-in-chief.
There was no need for orders, because all the knights of Hairan were already at their posts, ready for a desperate last stand. They deferred to Jin as a sign of respect, a tribute to the man who had cast aside everything to rush to the Sword Emperor Castle the moment war began.
Before ascending the walls, Jin looked one last time at Dante, who was trapped in the seal.
“Dante.”
The seal of Chaos imprisoning Dante was shrouded in a darkness far deeper than before.
The glow of the White Stone, which had shone as if in mockery, was gone, and Dante’s faint silhouette was no longer visible.
Jin placed his hand on the seal and remained silent for a long time.
No words could fully convey his feelings, and he feared that if his friend could hear a troubled voice, it might affect the war against Chaos raging within him.
Instead, Jin simply gazed at his friend, letting him know that the one who would never give up on him was standing tall, waiting.
The time had come.
His comrades approached Jin to inform him that the enemy had arrived.
“See you in a bit.”
As Jin finally ascended the castle walls, the Five Sword Saints and Dragon Knight Leader Kalmain bowed their heads in a silent salute.
“Sword Saint Luyan, on behalf of Hairan, I offer you my respect and gratitude. It is an honor to fight alongside you.”
“Dragon Knight Leader Kalmain Aita. Hairan and this land will not forget that you were our benefactor, even in death.”
Jin slowly met their eyes.
“12th Flagbearer of Runcandel, Commander-in-Chief of the Barmul Alliance, Jin Runcandel. I offer my infinite gratitude to Hairan for allowing me to fight for my friend, and to all those gathered here for Hairan.”
Jin raised his eyes to the dark pre-dawn sky stretching behind Luyan and Kalmain.
He saw the Zipple fleet, glowing crimson as it was enveloped in the mana of flames. It looked as if an ominous sun were rising.
And there was only one person in the world who could manifest such power, shrouding an entire fleet in flames so vast and deep.
Only one.
Kelliark Zipple…
The pinnacle of cold-blooded, filthy magic.
He had come to the Sword Emperor Castle, leading Zipple himself.