C533
The fleet crumbled under the power of the five Sword Saints and the Sword of Tranquility.
Shadow and the power of time continued to trample the enemies.
The shattered fragments of the destroyed battleships menacingly crashed to the ground...
But even that couldn't cause significant damage to the Vamel Alliance and the Knights of Hairan, as they were protected by the Dragonfire Shield.
Amela, she, also continued her support from the rear.
The captured Dragon Spears were now more than twenty, and all of them became artillery to strike the enemy rear.
"Dragon Knights! Crush the enemy, block their magic so they can't counterattack."
At Calmine's command, the Dragon Knights began to fly toward the enemy camp.
There was no group in the world that could keep up with the Dragon Knights in aerial warfare.
Thirty Dragon Knights, soaring through the sky with unparalleled agility, were truly showcasing the greatest advantage in aerial battle against the mighty magicians.
"Kyaa!"
"Wounds, wounds... agh!"
As Calmine and the Sword Saints pierced through the protective shield, the Dragon Knights infiltrated and cut off the breath of the magicians.
No one would have ever imagined that Zipple's magicians, accompanied by a fleet and dragons, would die so futilely.
The cries and pleading voices of the enemies spread through the air and sky, everywhere.
Every time the five Sword Saints and the Dragon Knights encountered pleading eyes and voices, they responded like this:
"You invaded the land of the Sword Emperor with such light determination."
"Not a single one of you will survive!"
Of course, Zipple's forces weren't just taking a beating.
The White Night Magicians were showing fighting spirit and potential even while on the defensive.
"The brilliant light of Great Zipple will eventually devour you!"
One of the White Night commanders raised his staff, growling.
Then, the flagship of the unit was dyed in mana and caused an ominous resonance.
Not everyone had experienced the flight of battleships, nor knew all of Zipple's magic and combat tactics.
They could sense it intuitively.
The ominous resonance clearly signaled one thing: self-destruction.
[That was an ugly move. Murakan, you should do something about it. It's too massive for me to contain with my abilities. Even if it's a mass-produced ship, it's a flying ship after all, right?]
[They're annoying me, insects...]
"Praised be Zipple!"
"Dragon Knights, disperse!"
Just before the flagship exploded, Murakan, who had closed the distance, enveloped the flagship with his wings.
The outspread wings remained large enough to cover the flying battleship.
"Murakan-nim!"
"It's going to explode!"
"Fool, can you really stop that...!"
Boom...!
The worried voices of the Hairan Knights were soon drowned by the subsequent explosion.
The mocking White Night commander, who had been making disdainful comments, disintegrated within Murakan's wings, dragged by the fleet's explosion.
However, the self-destruction wasn't visible from the outside.
It couldn't penetrate Murakan's wings.
When Murakan unfolded his wings again, all that could be seen were the remnants of the exploded flagship mixed with Shadow Energy, falling to the ground like a black rain.
[You have a talent for bothering me, as you have for a thousand years...]
Thousands of black tendrils emerged from the still giant wings.
Surprisingly, the tendrils did no harm to the allies in the sky, and they spread, massacring only Zipple's magicians, dragons, and fleets.
Murakan.
People were astonished.
A thousand years ago, everyone revered the legendary power of the Black Dragon, the King of Sky.
No one could comprehend that he represented only fifty percent of his true strength.
That's why Zipple's dragons were mistaken now in thinking that Murakan had regained all his strength.
Zipple's forces were left with no choice but to lose all their will to fight.
The tables had already turned from the moment Jin appeared, and with the addition of Murakan, Quikantel, the Dragon Knight, and the five Sword Saints, it seemed that Hairan's victory was inevitable.
[Murakan!]
A Blue Dragon took her place in front of Murakan.
It was Lalamakua, whom they had encountered before on the Black King's Mountain.
[Blue Dragon Lalamakua. Have you come to repay me for sparing your life back then?]
[...Murakan, I know why you're involved in this fight. It must be to save your Contractor's friend, Jin Runcandel]
[It seems like you're talking as if you're not pleased with that]
[Never, I don't disapprove. There is no being in this sky who dares to say they are displeased with you. But... I would like to make you a proposal]
Murakan's wings grew even larger.
Lalamakua was weighed down by Murakan's arrogant demeanor, and it was difficult to even meet his gaze.
[Speak.]
[Can you take your Contractor and leave?]
[I allowed you to speak at most, but now you mock me?]
[Not only your Contractor but also his comrades and all the Knights of Hairan. If you do, Zipple will immediately declare defeat and a ceasefire. I swear by the honor of my lineage and the name of Kaon, the Sea God whom I serve]
At Lalamakua's words, the eyes of everyone present on the battlefield widened.
In particular, the Emperor, who was in the rear of the battlefield, was furious with bloodshot eyes.
"What nonsense is that insane Blue Dragon spouting...!"
When Zipple officially declared defeat, the Empire naturally had to follow suit.
This went beyond jeopardizing imperial prestige; it was something that could lead to the destruction of the entire imperial family.
The Emperor hadn't heard anything about this when he made a deal with Zipple to lend his strength in this civil war.
It was a proposal that the Emperor couldn't comprehend.
Zipple's reinforcements would keep coming anyway, and the "temporal space device" had not yet been used.
The imperial army also had several secrets prepared for the worst-case scenario.
'Even if Cyron Runcandel is here instead of the Black Dragon Murakan, he won't be able to face Zipple alone. Why is she spouting such nonsense? This is an opportunity to obtain the White Stone; is she implying that these troops are not worth it?'
The moment Murakan accepted the terms, the Vamel Alliance and Hairan would achieve a crushing victory over Zipple and the Empire.
Is that all?
As Jin told Dante from the start, he could leave the battlefield, saving not only Dante but the entire Sword Emperor Castle.
Jin's status would rise even more within his Family just with the great victory against Zipple, and there were high chances that Hairan would become his ally, maintaining all its strength.
The deafening roar and darkness that had resonated on the battlefield until now were replaced by an eerie silence.
People stopped fighting and fixed their eyes on Murakan and Lalamakua.
Murakan didn't respond.
Because he didn't believe it was a question to answer.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Vamel Alliance, and the one acting on behalf of Solderet, was his own Contractor.
"I refuse!"
When Jin shouted, the Emperor smiled and sighed, and Lalamakua gritted her teeth.
The Hairan Knights showed no change in their behavior.
It was because what they were trying to protect was the honor from the moment they decided to stand against the emperor's tyranny, not their lives.
Moreover, spilled water cannot be collected again.
Although the losses in Hairan were not severe yet, if a single person died due to the betrayal, it meant everyone had died.
If that was the case, not only honor but they had to protect one more thing.
They must never give up what their enemies coveted.
"Blue Dragon, it seems you are mistaken. Why did this war happen? Because of the White Stone: the Emperor claimed it as his possession. The Empire betrayed the Sword Emperor Castle just for that insignificant object, and Zipple engages in the fight with dirty desires."
[Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel... Your words are excessive.]
"I am here as the Commander-in-Chief of the Vamel Alliance, not as the Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel. So mind your manners and show some respect, Blue Dragon."
Lalamakua was stunned by those words, but Murakan, in front of her, seemed ready to tear her wings off at any moment.
"Mind your manners."
The meaning behind those words was a gesture.
Jin didn't look at Lalamakua.
In the end, Lalamakua descended to the ground and transformed into a human in front of Jin.
Jin looked at her with an expressionless face.
Is that boy, Jin, the same person I met on the Black King's Mountain?
'It hasn't even been a year since then...'
The intimidation was different.
At that time, Lalamakua hadn't felt particularly impressed by Jin due to Murakan's power, but now she did.
The heavy and powerful power weighing within Jin wouldn't lack even if he maintained this position as the representative of Runcandel, not as the leader of the Vamel Alliance.
It wasn't just a feeling that came from the result of Jin's remarkable growth in the meantime.
It was because the "Power of Existence," first known through records left by Solderet in the past, was slowly awakening in Jin.
The numerous changes that Jin had caused in the world, and the power awakened by those who followed him.
That power was forming a transcendent class beyond battle prowess and divine power.
"...May I ask why you reject my offer?"
"As I said before, the war was caused by greed for the White Stone. If anyone should withdraw, it should be you. Give up Hairan's White Stone and withdraw. If you accept my revised proposal, I will immediately persuade Dante and the Sword Emperor to declare a ceasefire."
"Isn't saving your friend and his people enough? It's not like that White Stone is so important to Runcandel...!"
"It's not up to you to decide whether it's important to Runcandel or not."
"Are you really planning a total war against Zipple!"
Considering the immediate situation, perhaps Lalamakua might have been right.
If they kept fighting like this, they would have to prepare for devastating damage to Jin and Jin's people, as well as the Sword Emperor Castle.
However...
Jin was convinced that if the White Stone fell into the enemy's hands, the consequences would be even more terrible.
Just looking at Zipple's desire alone, it was something that would end up bringing destruction to those who were not Zipple.
"There's nothing I can do. But the one who really fears total war is not me but all of you, right? That's why I suggested negotiating before the war escalated. If you're confident, go ahead. And what I mean is, don't insult me, my comrades, and the Sword Emperor Castle by making unreasonable suggestions."
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SYS (Novel)