Chapter 545: Omen (14)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 545: Omen (14)
As the Hairan knights departed, the Zipple fleet increased its distance from the Sword Emperor Castle.
Just as Amela predicted, the cannons of the Zipple fleet, including those aboard the Kozec, far outranged the defensive armaments of the Sword Emperor Castle. There was no reason for them to get any closer.
If Ron weren't here, they could have obliterated the castle in an instant without a second thought. But the situation had changed.
As the Hairan knights left, the fleet seized the opportunity to move as far out of Ron’s reach as possible.
Excluding Cyron, Zipple had never faced an opponent more powerful than the man Ron had become.
Most of the mages aboard the fleet had never experienced Cyron’s power firsthand.
The dragons had never met Cyron either, yet Ron’s presence stirred ancient nightmares within them.
He reminded them of Murakan in his prime.
To the dragons, no being in the world was more terrifying than Murakan at the height of his power.
The problem was that this very same dread-inducing Black Dragon was standing right beside Ron, his eyes glaring with lethal intensity.
Of course, Murakan had not yet recovered his former strength, but the dragons were unaware of this. To them, Murakan was even more frightening than Ron.
The Wind Dragon Salion moved to Kelliark’s side. He had recently become Octavia’s guardian dragon after she became the new contractor for Melzaier.
“It’s like seeing one of the Ten Great Knights of Old Runcandel standing with Murakan… Huh?”
Salion tilted his head, trailing off in confusion. He felt a strange sense of dissonance at having used the term ‘Ten Great Knights.’
The other dragons who heard him simply assumed Salion had mistaken a Black Knight for one of the Ten Great Knights. They felt no particular sense of incongruity.
A moment later, Salion himself forgot he had even uttered the name ‘Ten Great Knights.’
Even if someone else were to bring up the name, the dragons would likely remain completely oblivious.
The power of the story has certainly weakened… Kelliark thought silently.
It might be Ron’s influence—a man who has approached the Realm of Creation and possesses the power to defy destiny itself. But the biggest problem is likely Jin Runcandel.
The Power of Existence.
Kelliark clearly recognized it in Jin.
The situation was worse than he had anticipated. Ron’s awakening, his exponential increase in strength, and Jin’s Power of Existence manifesting even more strongly as a result—all of it deviated from Kelliark’s predictions.
Kelliark felt a deep displeasure at this realization—an intuitive discomfort, a feeling that things were about to go horribly wrong.
“Octavia.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Once the battle begins, you will infiltrate the castle with the true Wraith Squad and secure the White Stone.”
It hadn't been long since their losses in the Sota Desert—a fleet, partial blueprints, and machinery.
If they failed to obtain the White Stone today, Zipple would return empty-handed once again, all for the sake of a battle against a warrior who had reached the threshold of Creation.
“Understood. I will prepare the Demon God Stone before I infiltrate.”
To seize the White Stone, which was already in the process of opening, the Demon God Stone was an absolute necessity.
“Since the Demon God Stone takes time to activate, I will fight alongside you until it is ready, Patriarch.”
“No, I will use the Demon God Stone. You are to stand by inside the castle and ensure the aftershocks of the battle do not damage the White Stone.”
“You are concerned that Runcandel might ally with Hairan.”
Since Ron had awakened to a new realm, the possibility of Runcandel siding with Hairan from the start was not zero, just as Octavia suggested.
However, Kelliark believed Rosa was unlikely to make such a decision. For Runcandel, Ron’s appearance was actually a perfect opportunity to remain a bystander and observe.
“No. The Demon God Stone is necessary to face Ron Hairan alone. As he is now… no one can defeat him except Cyron.”
Octavia flinched, her eyes widening.
She, too, had witnessed Ron’s transcendental martial prowess, but she couldn't gauge his level as accurately as Kelliark could.
Only those standing on a similar plane could truly recognize such power. Octavia and the other Zipple mages were all significantly below Ron’s current stage.
I didn't realize that failing to bring Hedo and Kadun would prove so painful. I never wanted to reveal the power of the Demon God Stone unless I was facing Runcandel.
Jin’s earlier provocation came to mind. He could no longer deny those words.
My reputation is already in tatters. Now I understand how the subordinates who have been dealing with Jin Runcandel felt.
Octavia nodded.
“…I understand. Please be careful, Patriarch.”
“You be careful as well. Infiltration will not be easy.”
The Wraith Squad began to gather around Octavia. These thirty gray-robed figures were the real deal, of a completely different caliber than the resurrected ones.
Even without looking at their faces, Kelliark knew what the dragons interspersed throughout the fleet were worried about.
“Murakan has not regained the power he possessed a thousand years ago. If he had, our first battle would never have ended that way. Dragons, do not let yourselves be haunted by ghosts and make mistakes.”
As soon as Kelliark finished speaking, a new and deeper fear filled the eyes of the dragons.
It wasn't because he was more terrifying than the Murakan of old.
Hiiiiii…
A chilling, whistling sound began to echo from somewhere within the fleet.
It sounded like the breathing of some great monster. As soon as the sound began, the Zipple dragons trembled, their scales standing on end.
It was the sound of the Demon God Stone beginning to activate.
That imitation of the ‘Origin Stone’ possessed the power to suppress dragons with instinctive terror—an effect Quicantel had first experienced during her fight against Andrei.
The current Demon God Stone was still incomplete, but it was incomparably more sophisticated than it had been back then. The dragons’ fear was amplified accordingly.
“Ugh…!”
“Quicantel!”
Even from a considerable distance, Quicantel staggered as if she were about to collapse. Murakan supported her as she let out ragged, unstable breaths.
“Those Zipple bastards… they brought the Demon God Stone… Damn it, I can’t put any strength in my body.”
“Don’t talk. Just take deep breaths. Kid, she can’t fight. She can’t even leave the castle on her own in this state. I’ll escort her outside the Demon God Stone’s range and come back.”
Quicantel didn't stubbornly insist on fighting. Though it was frustrating, she admitted that she would be nothing but a burden in this state.
Among the dragons currently active, those who could resist the energy of the Demon God Stone solely through their own strength could be counted on one hand. Among them, only Murakan and Misha were completely immune.
[If Quicantel is like this, most of those dragons over there should be foaming at the mouth and dropping from the sky… Look, those glowing things. Necklaces? It seems they’re blocking the Demon God Stone’s energy to some extent.]
Murakan spoke as he transformed into his true form and took Quicantel onto his back. Every dragon in the Zipple fleet was wearing something glowing around their necks.
[They look more like shackles than necklaces. And they seem unstable… Ron, those guys must really be afraid of you, bringing out the Demon God Stone even at the risk of harming their own allies. Everyone, fight well until I get back.]
Ron felt the Demon God Stone’s energy even more intensely than the dragons. The stone emitted an energy similar to the chaos from the White Stone that he had battled within himself during his coma.
As Murakan took flight, most of the Zipple dragons mistook his departure as a retreat, assuming he was fleeing the Demon God Stone’s power. A wave of relief washed over them.
“Jin.”
“Yes, Sir Ron.”
“There will be those who attempt to infiltrate the inner castle. Octavia will likely lead them. I will be overseeing the entire battlefield, but gaps will inevitably form. I need you, the Barmul Alliance, and the Sword Saints to stop them. Can I entrust this to you?”
It was a request that was no different than Ron entrusting Jin with his back.
“I would be honored.”
“When the fight is over…”
Ron placed a hand on Jin’s shoulder and continued.
“Let us share a drink together, along with my dear grandson.”
His voice was incredibly gentle, just as it was when he spoke to Dante.
Jin felt as though he were experiencing the warm affection of a ‘grandfather,’ something he had never known in his life. It felt like receiving an unexpected gift on the eve of a war that would decide their fate.
Screee…
Rashid slid from its sheath.
“Kelliark! Let us begin,” Ron’s calm, low voice vibrated through the area once more.
Simultaneously, the flames enveloping the Zipple fleet intensified, and the phoenix Belot let out a roar.
The war had resumed.
The first move belonged to the Sword Emperor Castle.
Ron thrust his sword toward the center of the fleet. The movement wasn't particularly fast.
However, that simple trajectory, which even an ordinary person could follow, contained the transcendental realm he had attained.
Even before the thrust was complete, his Invisible Sword energy began to ravage the fleet.
The unseen sword energy frantically gnawed away at the barrier of fire deployed by Kelliark and Belot.
That wasn't all. The Invisible Sword energy that slipped past the fire barrier swelled into a typhoon, completely enveloping the Zipple fleet and the area surrounding the Sword Emperor Castle.
To his allies, it was a protective shield; to his enemies, it was a horrific gale of blades that tore through bone and flesh.
With a single strike, Ron had turned the entire battlefield into his domain. His words about ‘overseeing the entire battlefield’ had not been mere hyperbole.
From the very start, Belot struggled against the monstrous Invisible Sword energy, while Kelliark swung Hrotti with wide, desperate eyes.
Octavia seemed unable to even begin her infiltration, unable to pierce through Ron’s domain.
Kelliark incessantly triggered spatial explosions in her direction to force a path open, but pushing one's body through such unstable gaps was no easy task.
The true Wraith Squad attempted to secure a path by deploying the Red Abyss, and Kelliark began to chant another of Riol Zipple’s legacies.
“Luyan!”
However, Ron was not alone on the battlefield. There was a reason he had kept the Five Sword Saints of Hairan by his side.
The Sword Saints could only exert their maximum power when Ron was present.
“I authorize the use of the Overlord Sword. Show the enemy the true might of the Hairan Sword Saints.”