Chapter 492

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Jin's eyes widened as he looked back at the sky a beat later.

"This is insane..."

A curse escaped his lips reflexively. Anyone, who does not belong under the Zipfel's flag, would have reacted the same way.

The enormous battleship, over a hundred in number, looked like a dark and vast tumor in the early morning sky.

The battleships blocked the stars, and the gentle serenity of the clear night sky was nowhere to be found, replaced by a gloomy darkness.

There were two fortunate aspects to the situation.

First, the fleet appeared close due to the illusion barrier, but they were actually quite far apart.

Second, there was not a single battleship emitting light. The ships remained parked in the sky, not in motion.

For a few moments, the three couldn't tear their eyes away from the sky.

'Mirror.'

Jin immediately thought of Colon's divine artifact.

'To operate that many ships, you'd need at least 7- or 8-star mages numbering in the tens of thousands. You'd need even more to maximize the power of the battleships.'

If there is an artifact like the Mirror, that provides infinite mana, so many mages wouldn't be needed.

If Jin hadn't obtained the Mirror from Colon during reserve flagbearer days, they would have felt a much greater sense of despair when seeing the battleships now.

However, even without the Mirror, there were means like living golems and Demon God's Orb. Jin had already confirmed in the Gaifa Archipelago that they could operate and produce battleships by reviving the deceased.

Of course, Demon God's Orb was not yet complete.

But for how much longer?

'When the Demon God's Orb is completed, and the mass-produced battleships are put into full operation. If even the cube is used together…'

Runcandel, or rather, the world, is over.

It was impossible to predict when the Demon God's Orb would be completed. However, one thing was certain: the most crucial material for the Demon God's Orb was Jin himself.

'I need to focus more on escaping. And... I must secure the battleship's blueprints.'

Having the blueprints was essential to effectively deal with the mass-produced battleships. The blueprints were the most important means to identify the weaknesses of the battleships and the most critical resources required for production.

'Furthermore, Sondra Zipfel's right arm and spatial-time device must also have something in common with the blueprints. Since they all utilize the power of the Demon God's Orb, it should be helpful for research.'

Jin remembered that he was of the core of the Demon God's Orb, so a renewed tension swept through his body and mind, making him more alert to the fact that this was Zipfel's headquarters.

Murakan spat out roughly.

"Tsk! These crazy Zipfels, when did they make and park something like that? Approximately a hundred ships... hmm, I can shoot down one battleship with one breath, so I guess hundred breaths would do the trick."

Contrary to the content, there was a hint of bewilderment in his words. This time, even Murakan was properly shocked.

"Damn it."

Diphus spoke as if chewing on the words.

The moment he saw the fleet, he couldn't help but think this for the first time in his life.

'Is it possible for our clan to win in a war against Zipfel?'

He had never once doubted or suspected it. He believed that someday, Runcandel would surpass Zipfel and become the true victor of the world.

But as he faced the fleet that filled the sky, it seemed like such a thing would never happen.

Moreover, this fleet might not be all there was. There could be another fleet hidden somewhere else, not in the Sota Desert.

Born in Runcandel, he had finally seen the enemy's true identity today and his vision became distant.

Still, he quickly pushed aside his sense of frustration and regained his composure, thanks to one fact that had come to his mind.

'Even with a fleet like that, Zipfel can't conquer Runcandel. They could not attack my father's Runcandel.'

Jin knew this because he heard it directly from Chiron, but Diphus had been vaguely guessing it for some time. The fact that his father, Chiron Runcandel, does not have much time left.

'My father will disappear from our clan in the not-so-distant future... Before that happens, I must prepare for any contingencies, whatever it takes. My mother's favoritism toward Joshua must be for that reason, although it's hard to accept.'

Diphus's gaze fell on Jin. Jin, who stood still, reminded him of the day when he turned the garden of swords into a battlefield.

Magic Sword.

The legacy of the ancient Runcandel.

To contend with Zipfel's power, he must regain that power.

'Jin's strength and ability are desperately needed.'

Aside from the Magic Sword, he had just used Solderet's divine power to instantly destroy barriers and defensive magic and he also had the Plutonian Swordsmanship.

He needs to purify the clan as soon as possible.

Diphus made up his mind and turned around.

"Yes, just as you say, Jin... I guess the reason I risk my life for our clan is not just because of the barrier."

"Oh, Diphus, are you thinking of dying to destroy all those things right now?"

"If destroying those battleships and dismantling them fundamentally could deliver a significant blow, I would do it. Damaging the material wouldn't be meaningless either, but our first priority is to secure the blueprints. We need to either reproduce them or identify their weaknesses. That's what we should do moving forward."

After pushing away the frustration, Diphus's unique tenacity throbbed in his heart. Now he felt like he had to grit my teeth and fight against Zipfels, not his siblings.

This didn't mean giving up on patriarchy, but it seemed necessary to minimize unnecessary conflicts.

'We reproduce them…'

Jin mulled over that part of Diphus's recent statement.

He hadn't considered this idea before, although it wasn't entirely foreign to him. Jin wasn't in favor of living golems, but spatial-time devices and battleships were definitely valuable if they could be produced.

Since all of these were based on magical engineering and research, there had never been high expectations for Runcandel and Huphester to keep up with the Lutero Magic Federation.

But all of a sudden...

Jin remembered a conversation he had with his brother Tantel just before leaving Laprarosa.

-After our time stopped, we can never return to that world. This is a replica of Laprarosa, where we used to live, but it's actually a kind of afterlife.

-Then wouldn't the outside world be more interesting?

-What's the point in desiring something we can't have, brother? Also, you should know that none of the brethren we loved were there. However! I once heard this story from sister Battle god.

-What is it?

-5000 years have passed outside, so there might be magic spells or devices developed that could bring us out. So, if you don't mind. I wish you would find that out, brother.

The reason Jin recalled this conversation was simple.

-We didn't have the concept of mages like other races, hehe. Instead, those who could manipulate mana all became blacksmiths, like me.

The words spoken by 5th battle king Boras as he implanted a new 'molar' in Jin's mouth.

At that time, Jin had experienced the 'Memory Transfer Magic' through the molar, and it had been an incredible shock to him. The magical civilization established by the Plutonian tribe had some remarkable aspects, even when compared to the present.

Jin placed his hand on his chest.

A solid illuminating heart was felt beneath the infiltration suit. The illuminating heart was formed from the blood of battle god Vahn, but it could be made in a different form if not transplanted into a person. 

It felt like an artist suddenly exposed to an intense wave of inspiration.

Thoughts like these were crossing Jin's mind.

'If we could create battleships powered by illuminating hearts using the technology of the Plutonian tribe...'

This might just be an extravagant dream, but he wouldn't until he tried.

'I need to meet my brethren again. I have to prepare for my third journey to Laprarosa and find a way to bring my brethren back to this world…'

Calling the real brethren back to the human world, not in the form of guardians of the black light call.

This had always been one of Jin's most important concerns since the first trip to Laprarosa. It was not only a means to repay his brethren but also a heartfelt desire to be with them once again.

'I don't know yet what the principle of the cube is, but it is an object that can also summon the resurrected dead. If I study and analyze it properly, it may be helpful in calling my brethren back.'

Even after seeing Zipfel's cutting-edge technology and fleet of over 100 battleships, Jin suddenly felt grateful that he could have such deep hopes.

"Let's follow Joshua again. Just as he had the means to bypass the barrier, it is highly likely that he also knew the exact location of the blueprint. He didn't expect us to break through the barrier like this, so the faster we get there, the more likely we will be able to catch him off guard."

Silently and swiftly, they began their run towards the White Night Tower.

The White Night Tower exuded a gentle glow, quite different from the fleet hovering behind.

A tower that truly lived up to its name of the white night.

Even after running for a while and getting quite close, the party somehow realized that there was no additional defensive magic or barriers near the Tower of the White Night.

Jin naturally assumed that there would be additional traps and magic around the tower.

Jin thought there would be some types that couldn't be easily disarmed even with the shadow sword, but even when they reached a distance of only a few hundred steps from the tower, nothing had been triggered yet.

"This can't be. Was the barrier we encountered earlier the only one?"

"It's like someone deliberately blocked all barriers and defensive magic spells. There's no sign of the mages who should be monitoring the defenses, and not a single guard in sight."

"Kid, ever since you broke the barrier, something has felt suspiciously lax. Hmmm."

".... Could it be a trap?"

Jin's eyes narrowed at Diphus' words, and at that moment.

Rumble, rumble, boom!

The ground beneath them began to shake and tremble, as if it were an earthquake. It wasn't caused by a trap triggered underfoot or the initiation of a barrier. The entire area around the White Night Tower was shaking.

And the group immediately realized the source of this tremor.

'Aura...!?'

This phenomenon occurred when an enormous scale battle took place, or when overwhelmingly powerful beings unleashed their energy.

The epicenter was none other than the White Night Tower.