CHAPTER 574

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"Wh-What is that!?"

"Shadow force? No, that's...."

The mages aboard on the watchtower of Zipfel's unfinished 3rd Fleet's flagship, 'Lucia' opened their eyes wide.

They were currently crossing imperial waters to provide support for the ongoing War of the Sword Emperor Castle (as it was known to them).

Kelliark did not directly order reinforcements, but as the war was taking longer than expected, Zipfel decided that something was wrong in the Sword Emperor Castle.

"Quickly inform the commander's office!"

Before news arrived from the watchtower, another mage on board burst into the commander's room.

"I just came in from a scout ship! Near the Sword Emperor Castle, the sky is turning black, and an unidentified energy continues to pour down..."

"Unidentified? You stupid bastard, that's the chaos energy! And it's from one of the Five Kings of the Black Sea!"

Kadun shouted, cutting off the words of the reporter mage.

He felt absurd, and it felt like his internal organs were all twisted. It was not only because of the mages' ignorance, who failed to recognize even the chaos energy, but also because they didn't know who the owner of that enormous power was.

'The white stone, it is not the chaos and records of Helluram, but the sealed king of the Black Sea…!?'

A throbbing headache came over him. He knew that without the power of the genesis knight, they would never be able to handle the King of the Black Sea.

Hedo, standing next to Kadun, also had a solemn expression. He doesn't know much about the King of the Black Sea, he had experienced chaos in the Black Sea in the past. It was the first time he had seen such vast chaos.

"It looks like the patriarch is in danger."

"Father?"

At Hedo's words, Sandra Zipfel tilted her head.

"We need to increase our speed. We have to clear the way. Hedo, you should take the lead and open the path."

"Lord Kadun. If we increase the speed, it will be difficult to maintain the state of young patriarch."

Veradin Zipfel had forced himself to go wild to prevent Kadun and Hedo from participating in the Sword Emperor Castle War.

Therefore, even though they decided to provide support, Kadun had brought Veradin, who was forcibly sealed in the device. As it is an object that should be firmly fixed, so they are flying at a speed slow enough not to burden the device.

The moment Veradin ran out of control, Zipfel had too much to lose.

Nevertheless, Kelliark was the first priority of Kadun as he was a guardian dragon. In fact, losing Veradin could be painful but replaceable, while Kelliark was not.

Hedo, on the other hand, observed the situation more calmly.

"Still."

"Just calm down. In my view, even me and Lord Kadun would have a hard time breaking through that level of chaos anyway. Furthermore...."

Hedo's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the sky over the sea.

"I can feel the energy of the genesis knight. Someone on the battlefield has reached the genesis knight. It seems to be the Sword Emperor. His aura is suppressing the chaos."

Originally, Kadun could have easily perceived it, but in his urgency, he missed it. Through the black sky, he could see the protective shield that Ron had spread, standing out little by little.

There was no way to know how Ron, who was immersed in internal trauma, became a genesis knight so suddenly. But Hedo felt that it was not an important issue.

"If the Sword Emperor has reached the Genesis knight, it would be even more problematic. Doesn't he already have a grudge against the patriarch?"

"He's not the type to seek personal revenge when he's dealing with something like that in his own territory. If he wanted to kill the patriarch first, he wouldn't have prevented chaos like that."

"What an impressive old man!"

"... Young lady. There must be the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel in this living hell."

 "Oh, yes! Baby! Damn! Hedo, what are you doing! As Lord Kadun said, we have to speed up right now!"

"He might already be dead."

"Say that stupid thing one more time with your mouth."

"Lord Kadun."

Hedo made eye contact with Kadun.

"It might be better to wait."

"What! Can't you hear me, Hedo!?"

"Why do you think that?"

"The way the chaos is spreading seems unusual. It seems impossible to break through. It might be better to take measures to prevent the chaos that breaks through the Sword Emperor's shield from destroying the clan's territory. At this speed, it will reach not only the Empire but also the clan's land soon."

Kadun thought for a moment.

'Hedo is right. Regardless, the Sword Emperor is the only one who can face the King of the Black Sea, and it's very risky if Veradin gets out of control.'

Besides, no matter how the battle of the Sword Emperor Castle ends, either Ron or the King of Chaos will surely die. The winning side is also unlikely to emerge unscathed.

Then, at that time, the side with the highest remaining power would be advantageous in every aspect. Therefore, it was necessary to conserve strength as much as possible, and for that purpose, defending the territory was a necessity.

"I'll do as you say, Hedo. Until there is a meaningful change in the situation, we will prevent the spreading chaos from reaching our territory."

* * *

Runcandel's reinforcements were exactly in the same situation as Zipfel. As the war prolonged, they were heading to Sword Emperor Castle according to the war scenario that Rosa said.

'Is that catastrophic power spreading from the known as Glyek, the king of the Black Sea?'

It was Diphus who led the Second division Knights of the Black Sword Association, and the allied clans on behalf of Jorden. Originally, he was protecting Tikan at Jin's request as soon as the Sword emperor castle War started, but given the circumstances, he had to command the reinforcements.

Diphus got the information that Glyek had awakened from the Vamel Alliance, who escaped the battlefield, not from the knights who went on scouting.

'Furthermore, what's preventing the chaos from spreading across the entire Empire is the power of genesis knight… Perhaps Sir Ron.'

Diphus was also checking Ron's aura that was holding back the chaos.

'It is impossible to advance through the battlefield with all our strength now. Anyway, we can't inflict damage if it's not a genesis knight, so even if we can enter, the chances of it being helpful are low. Rather, we will become a burden.'

So, as soon as Glyek woke up, Rosa ordered all the knights except for the Black Knight and the first division of the Black Sword Association to escape to the outside. Diphus was making the same judgment.

"Orabeoni, what are you going to do?"

Mary said, standing next to Diphus. She also recently started her personal training, entrusting all the work of the 7th flagbearer to Diphus, but she was urgently called.

There was a hint of nervousness in Mary's voice. The thought that not only Jin but the entire clan might come to an end made it challenging for her to maintain composure.

Diphus made a swift decision.

"There is no guarantee that the chaos energy escaping the empire couldn't invade the clan's land. Until it is deemed feasible for the main house and allies to enter the battlefield, we will contain the chaos and prevent it from spreading."

"Damn it, why do our elder sisters have to be absent at a time like this?"

Luna was in the middle of a battle with Kial, and Luntia was unaware of the current situation as she was tracking down Temar's legacy.

Mary tousled her hair as if frustrated, and she looked at Myu and Anne.

'Why do they seem strangely relaxed? Even their hushed conversations seem oddly carefree.'

Mary strode towards them.

"Hey, you two."

"What?"

"What are you whispering about?"

"Oh."

Myu smiled.

"I think you worry too much."

"What?"

"Would the 7th flagbearer be so worried even if our father was in Sword Emperor Castle? Ron Hairan has risen to genesis knight domain, so he will defend his territory, and even he is friendly to the 12th flagbearer. I don't think we need to worry about this much."

"How many of our knights do you think are dying in there?"

"I don't know exactly, but it's certain that we are taking less damage than Zipfel. Ron Hairan is helping the 12th flagbearer. Isn't it an advantage for our clan if the situation ends with relatively much damage to Zipfel?"

Mary was momentarily speechless.

There was nothing wrong with Myu's answer. But that wasn't why Mary hesitated.

"Oh, yes. You could think that way, right? You crazy folks, saying that now. Let's talk after the situation is over. Get out of here, I might punch you right now."

As soon as Mary answered, Myu and Anne left their positions.

"… Diphus Orabeoni."

"Yes."

"There is something that those two believe in. Something must have happened since the 2nd flagbearer has fallen. Let's find out after this job."

"Okay. We have to sort that out first, so prepare yourself."

* * *

At the word self-destruct, Jin hesitated for the first time and looked back.

'What...!?'

Not only Jin, but everyone on the battlefield were shocked to hear Glyek's voice. But Ron burst into laughter at his words.

"Self-destruct? You're spouting nonsense because you are cornered."

Ron didn't say this to hide his true feelings. Ron quickly erased his laughter and focused on slicing and tearing Glyek apart.

But Jin wasn't able to relax for some reason. An ominous feeling that was difficult to explain crept through his brain.

'This is not the time to lose focus on these worries. Let's just look at the situation. If Sir Ron really had self-destruction in mind in the first place, he would at least have told me.'

The energy of chaos penetrating Ron's guardian wall came into Jin's sight, who started running again.

'The rest of the great clans outside are not fools. They'll definitely choose to stop that instead of entering. There's no choice but to do that.'

The moment he wants to run again. Jin's eyes widened. It was because for the first time he felt movement from Dante on his back.

"Ugh, ugh...."

"Dante! Are you awake!?"

The reason Dante was regaining consciousness was clear.

It was because Ron began to deal a serious blow to Glyek, and the power of chaos affecting Dante became unstable.

A slight warmth circulated through his cold, stiff body.

Jin realized for the first time in a long time that it was so difficult to see his friend go through the crossroad of life and death.

"Jin...."

"Dante, don't try to talk until you're feeling a bit better. Just hold on a little longer, I'll heal you..."

A smile spread across Ron's lips. Amidst the deafening noise of battle, he could clearly hear his grandson's voice, a small voice that started so far away.

Dante seemed to want to say something more, but after struggling to breathe for a while, he couldn't muster the strength to speak. His consciousness was returning and disappearing each time as Ron slashed Glyek, the cycle of coming to his senses was getting shorter and shorter.

"Looks like it's time to put an end to it, Glyek."

Ron said as he tightened his grip on Rashid.