Chapter 566: Gliek, King of the Black Sea (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 566: Gliek, King of the Black Sea (10)
“The moment he awoke, that place became his domain. The only reason you escaped the Sword Emperor Castle and are standing before me now is because he permitted it… not because you were particularly strong.”
A trap.
Zephyrin was certain that Gliek had simply lured them into a snare.
‘Given a little more time, he could have slaughtered them all or simply ignored them to awaken completely. The fact that he went out of his way to set this trap… there can only be two reasons.’
First, the existence of Cyron Runcandel.
Second, to devour Jin more efficiently.
‘But Cyron Runcandel has already entered the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea, so he won’t be able to join the fight. In that case, there’s no stopping Gliek from absorbing Jin Runcandel.’
If that happened, Kinzelo wouldn’t escape unscathed either.
They were still in the process of creating the Demon God Stone and its components, and just like Zipple, they needed Jin’s power at the core of it all.
However, unlike Zipple, Kinzelo possessed a means to pull Jin back out even if he were swallowed by chaos, before he was completely assimilated by Gliek.
Stam and Octavia couldn’t read her mind.
It couldn’t be helped; they didn’t possess nearly as much information about the King of the Black Sea as Zephyrin did.
“Are you saying we were deceived by that thing?” Octavia spoke, her voice laced with fury.
Given Zephyrin’s past actions as a spy in the Sota Desert, Octavia wanted nothing more than to tear her apart right then and there.
“Exactly, Octavia Zipple.”
“You’re awfully confident. Your leader has yet to recover, and the Black Knight Captain of Runcandel and I have orders to attack immediately if negotiations fail.”
“If I were afraid of that, I wouldn't have met you in our own headquarters, would I? It’s true my weakling master isn’t in top shape, but I can handle the likes of you on my own. If you wanted to threaten us, your leaders should have come themselves… with everyone they have. Ah, but I suppose that would have been impossible.”
“You claim you can handle Octavia Zipple and me, yet I sense no such power from you,” Stam said, and Zephyrin turned her gaze toward him.
“So let’s set aside these pointless provocations and get to the point. The fact that you agreed to hear our proposal means Kinzelo has something to gain from this as well, does it not? Otherwise, you could have simply sealed all the passages and waited for the battle to end.”
“Finally, someone I can talk to. Fine. The condition for Kinzelo’s participation in this war is very simple.”
“What is it?”
“Jin Runcandel. If that devil… ahem, if he swears loyalty to Kinzelo, we will join the war.”
Stam’s eyes narrowed behind his black helmet.
“Do you not know the 12th Flagbearer well?”
“I know him very well. I know he’s the type who would swear loyalty a hundred times over, only to stab us in the back the moment this is all over. However, we have measures to ensure that doesn’t happen. You just need to hand him over to us.”
“A Demon Contract. I see you plan to use that to force Jin Runcandel’s loyalty.”
Zephyrin nodded at Octavia’s words.
“That’s right. It’s something that can only be performed with the individual’s sincere consent. In other words, if that damn… no, if he wants to save everyone, he’ll have to offer his loyalty to Kinzelo with his entire being. I wonder what the future Patriarch of Runcandel will choose: his own life, or the lives of everyone else?”
Stam shook his head as if there was nothing to even consider.
“Negotiations are over.”
“A shame. So, are you going to attack us now, as planned?”
“We are leaving.”
“I won’t stop you. I’ll welcome you back, even if you return with your entire army.”
Octavia didn’t protest Stam’s unilateral decision. It was galling, but the situation was clearly in Kinzelo’s absolute favor.
“Still, deliver the message when you get back. Tell him that if he just signs a contract with us, he can save not only his clan but the entire world.”
Stam and Octavia turned and exited the meeting room.
As Zephyrin shrugged at their retreating backs, the executives who had been waiting in the adjacent room came scurrying toward her.
“Ooh! As expected of the Grand Duke! To drive away those powerful bastards with just a few words! Did you see that, Bubar? This is the dignity of the only Grand Duke of the Demon World!”
“I saw it! Inspiration is overflowing! I must work on a masterpiece today!”
“Grand Duke… good job. Our cookies… they gave you strength, right?”
As Zephyrin gave an awkward nod, the three of them began jumping around in a circle, giddy with joy.
“Hmm, regardless, this is quite unexpected,” Joe spoke, cautiously gauging the atmosphere. He wanted to voice his opinion but was worried Verakt might embarrass him again.
“I thought Runcandel’s Prophet or Zipple would pull out some other hidden trump card rather than prioritizing negotiations with us. Don’t you agree?”
For once, Verakt nodded in agreement with Joe.
The offer to negotiate had been an unexpected turn of events for them as well. Kinzelo had assumed that even if Runcandel and Zipple couldn't kill Gliek, they would at least be able to re-seal him, however precariously.
That was why Zephyrin, despite knowing Gliek would awaken, had hoped to ‘negotiate rationally’ with Kinzelo about the rewards Jin had obtained from the Sota Desert once the incident was over.
“Perhaps their potential isn't as great as we thought,” Verakt said.
“Perhaps. But Vice Captain, it’s only natural they can’t handle one of the Five Kings of the Black Sea. Even my master avoided antagonizing them when he was at his peak. More importantly, Margiella, you must be quite disappointed if Jin Runcandel refuses the negotiation.”
Margiella pushed her wheelchair closer to Zephyrin’s side.
“That is true, Lady Zephyrin. But even you acknowledged him, despite calling Sir Jin a devil you’d like to tear to death. Would you really not be disappointed at all if he were devoured by chaos?”
Margiella hoped Kinzelo would help Jin without conditions. Only then would there be a chance for an ‘intact’ Jin Runcandel to join them.
“Even if he is devoured by Gliek, we can just pull him out using the leader’s power. He might become a simpleton instead of the devil we knew, but the fact that he is Solderet’s contractor will remain unchanged.”
*
Eleven hours after he had left for Kinzelo, Mort returned to the battlefield.
The Secret Palace’s absolute seal, the Great Ice Plain, was still holding strong.
Until then, Ron had not rested for a single moment, swinging his sword against the barrier around the white stone.
The white stone remained within its barrier, a polished darkness without a single scratch.
Still, no one could stop Ron.
The sorrow of a man who had lost everything was gone. Now, only an immeasurable madness remained.
Because he could not fight while carrying such deep sorrow, he had simply thrown himself into the depths of insanity.
His sword grew increasingly destructive, but that didn't mean it had become stronger.
It was the opposite. His sword had lost its composure, merely venting power without focus.
However, Ron’s body, having unleashed the Overlord Sword, still held the same powerful energy as when he started, showing no signs of exhaustion.
“…That is all.”
Stam and Octavia finished their report.
Kelliark and Rosa had rejected Kinzelo’s condition, but a particular phrase from Zephyrin sparked an ominous feeling within them.
‘The only reason the Palace Master’s toad escaped this place was because the King of the Black Sea permitted it…’
‘If that is true, we must rethink our countermeasures,’ the two thought simultaneously.
They only needed to verify it.
“Runcandel will now invade the Land of the Beastmen.”
“Zipple, form up. We will open the way.”
They were excluding Talaris and Ron from their plan to strike Kinzelo. Not only were those two not forces under their command, but they also needed someone to hold back Gliek, even if only slightly, while they were gone.
Faced with the resolute decision of Runcandel and Zipple, Talaris was forced to make a choice as well.
‘The moment Runcandel and Zipple leave this battlefield, the world is finished.’
Elona Zipple.
Talaris decided to release the seal binding her. It seemed better for the world to be ruled by the hands of ‘humans’ like Zipple than to be consumed by the King of the Black Sea.
“Kelliark Zipple.”
Just as Kelliark and Rosa were about to unleash their power toward the frozen wall of chaos, Talaris spoke.
“It is an unavoidable choice for us as well, Talaris Endorma.”
“It’s not that…”
Talaris took a moment to catch her breath. The words were hard to say, but like Kelliark, she had no other choice.
“In the Secret Palace…”
There is a sealed mage of the old Zipple.
Just as she was about to finish her sentence, Talaris’s eyes suddenly widened.
It wasn't because she was hesitating at the last second.
It was because she felt the Demon Sealing Rite, the Great Ice Plain, shattering at an alarming rate. The seal, which had been holding strong just a moment ago, was suddenly collapsing, not even a full day after she had cast it—the minimum duration she had predicted.
“Cough!”
As soon as Talaris spat out a glob of dark red blood, the energy of Ten Thousand Ice that had covered the battlefield vanished.
At that moment, Kelliark and Rosa were forced to realize instinctively that Zephyrin’s words had not been a lie.
Whether before he was sealed or after he had ‘allowed’ himself to be sealed, Gliek had been watching and listening.
From the very beginning, he had been aware of their every action and every word.
Therefore, he knew they had attempted to find a way to survive by negotiating with the organization called Kinzelo, and he knew they had been rejected.
And he had even gleaned how Kinzelo planned to extract Solderet's contractor after he was absorbed.
[Jin Runcandel.]
Gliek’s eye, formed upon the white stone, fixed on Jin.
[With this, every opportunity granted to you and Solderet has vanished.]
The moment Gliek finished speaking, Jin felt his entire vision plunge into darkness.