Chapter 844

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In the response from Zipfel, it was written that they would accept Runcandel's surrender. However, it was not a proper answer, but rather a mockery.

"Hand over the body of the patriarch? These bastards...!"

Sylderay yelled with a trembling voice.

Hand over the body of Temar to Zipfel, and all the Ten Great Knights and guardian knights will be executed on Zipfel's land. If Runcandel accepts these conditions, they will spare the clan members who pose no threat to Zipfel and use them as slaves.

That was the condition presented by Zipfel.

"I knew it, Diana. From the beginning, it was a crazy thing to say we would surrender. Why would those bastards have any reason to spare us? Showing the intention to surrender only shows them that we have no chance left."

Diana couldn't stop Sylderay anymore. She too was suppressing her boiling anger.

"Sylderay, how much time do you have left before you go mad?"

She was asking about the time he could endure the wraith transformation.

"I don't know. I could collapse at any moment. At best, I might last for a couple of months. And when I lose my mind, I may not even realize that I lost it. I'm in a state of confusion where I might have lost my senses right now, just like those who left before me... Maybe I've already lost my mind."

"I'm feeling the same way. We have a duty until we go mad, until then, we must somehow defend Storm Castle and the Garden of Swords."

Diana considered it to be fulfilling her promise to Solderet.

Accepting all of Zipfel's conditions would not be surrender. It would be nothing more than being subjugated without resistance. It wouldn't be keeping the promise, nor would it be an action for survival or a choice for the future.

"Yes, I was worried that you would ask me to accept these conditions. Clearly, you haven't gone mad yet."

"But I don't know what will happen if we refuse. All we can do is this. Unless a miracle happens, our clan will be destroyed."

"A miracle must happen. Just like the way the patriarch always did."

"You keep waiting at Storm Castle. There's a high chance they'll start an attack if we refuse."

"And what if they don't attack and only accelerate the manipulation of history?"

"We will attack them first. Before we turn into monsters, we should fight while we still have our reason. The only fortunate thing is that right now, it seems like Elona Zipfel cannot move."

If Elona were in perfect condition, there would be no reason for Zipfel to remain passive.

Apart from Temar and Murakan, the only entity among the Runcandels who could engage in 'combat' was only Sarah.

However, Sarah's body and mind were devastated by consecutive battles and manipulation of history.

At this moment, even Sarah wouldn't be able to stand against Elona. Even in the time when she could somewhat fight, she could engage in combat, but victory was absolutely impossible.

If all the Ten Great Knights gathered, they still wouldn't be able to defeat Elona.

Zipfel was well aware of that fact.

Yet, the reason for not sending Elona must have been because there was obviously something wrong with her.

The manipulation of history that turned Temar and the Ten Great Knights into wraiths.

At its core was undoubtedly Elona, and she was in the state of exhaustion as Diana had predicted.

"I will immediately return to the Garden of Swords and inform the members about this. I'll also try to find someone to take your place in subduing the patriarch's rampage. Since he has weakened, you don't have to directly deal with the patriarch."

"Understood, Diana."

Diana promptly returned to the Garden of Swords.

On her way back, she also prepared a response to send to Zipfel. 'We have no intention of accepting those despicable conditions of yours, so let's stick together until the end.'

"Kean, was there any news from the Head butler while I was gone?"

"None. Where the hell did she go…? She should be safe."

"Hmm, I think Luet ran away."

It was Lokia's voice. As she revealed herself in the dim corridor, Diana narrowed her eyes.

"Lokia, be careful with your words. Not only did you carelessly mention the name of the Head butler, but you're also talking about her running away?"

"Oh, you're being strict again. Why would she run away? If she wants to keep her promise with Solderet, then running away might be the best option for her, right? She is from a race that can live for eternity, unlike us."

"Even if the clan has weakened, it doesn't mean the law has collapsed. Stop the blasphemy, it's your final warning."

"Yes, yes, it's scary, scary. But my words are not wrong, are they? The Head butler could have judged that."

"If that's the case, it's the Head butler's will, and it must be the right choice. We don't need to figure out everything. We just need to do our part."

"Well, the Head butler is not the type to betray us. If she had any intention of betrayal, she would have had plenty of better opportunities. How many sweet offers did Zipfel make to the Head butler and the fairies? The Head butler refused them without any hesitation."

"You know that, so why did you blurt out such annoying words then?"

"Diana, do you think this world is fair?"

"What?"

"That's right. In this world, if we were to compare, we are the ones pursuing justice and liberation, but we have no choice but to suffer more compared to Zipfel, who is manipulating history and committing evil to become the ruler of the world. Is that really fair?"

"No one forced us to fight Zipfel. Neither the patriarch nor anyone else. We just couldn't stand by and watch what those bastards were doing, so we decided to fight back. It's not something we did expecting a reward, so it is bound to be painful."

"You are so optimistic, Diana. Not just you, but others too. Ah, I should exclude one or two... like Bale. He doesn't have such a great heart."

"I hope that one or two does not include you, Lokia."

"I have no intention of betraying or running away. In fact, if Zipfel had readily accepted our surrender, I might have considered running away. As you know, I have inflicted too much suffering on the Zipfel Purebloods, and they hold a grudge against me. Even if Runcandel and Zipfel were to become one clan, there would be no place for me."

"Then, that's fortunate."

After that, Diana and Lokia made plans on how to initiate their final fight with Zipfel. Of course, they couldn't expect any extraordinary turn of events. They could only think of ways to uphold their pride and face their end.

"Okay then, I need to go meet Padler."

"Padler?"

Since the destruction of Idal, Padler had become a revenant, threatening Runcandel. He did not attack the powerless civilians and ordinary knights, but all the remaining Ten Great Knights were his targets, including Sarah.

Padler believed that the destruction of Idal was not solely the work of Temar alone. He thought that the clan had betrayed him first, and Temar and the Ten Great Knights followed suit to destroy Idal. Like them, he was also turning into a ghost of manipulation of history.

"Right. It's the final resistance, and having Padler around will cause us great damage even before we start fighting. Just like how Murakan sent his comrades, I should do the same. After all, we'll meet again somewhere even if we die. I won't mourn as much as Murakan does. This is also for Padler's sake."

"Whoa."

"I'll go right away. If that damn god of the patriarch shows himself, let me know. Even when our comrades are forced to kill each other, he does nothing to help. If he has the power to create a barrier for the patriarch, he should at least protect the remaining people."

Thus, Runcandel began its final resistance.

It was a desperate struggle with no real hope, and the results were as expected. They managed to achieve some minor victories only because Elona couldn't participate, but there was no change in the overall situation, which was already tilted heavily against them.

Murakan opened his eyes once again in the midst of such war. This time, he woke up after a month.

Next to him was Diana, who was lying in the hospital bed.

"Diana... Why did you get so hurt?"

"I was fighting with Zipfel. Fortunately, it's treatable."

"Ah... I see. My head is hazy, and I don't know what to say."

Murakan soon fell asleep again, and this time, when he woke up, there was no one in sight. The silence quickly triggered Murakan's painful memories.

As he screamed and clenched his fists, servants passing by rushed into the room. In Murakan's eyes, they looked like the comrades he had killed.

His shattered mind couldn't accept reality.

However, after that day, Murakan remained awake for several days and months without falling asleep.

He only sat in a chair, staring blankly at the sky, but that alone was a great comfort to the members of Runcandel.

For the past few days, a sudden glimmer of hope had arisen in the midst of the war.

"Murakan, how do you feel today?"

Sylderay sat next to Murakan and asked.

"Cold coffee..."

"Have you completely forgotten how to speak? I heard from the servants that you occasionally say something that sounds like words. I haven't had a chance to hear it myself because I've been busy killing those Zipfel bastards."

"Ooh."

"I found out yesterday that Elona's condition is much worse than we expected. So if you come back, we might have a chance. If, if it's possible. If Solderet can fix your heart and you can regain your sanity... we might actually have a chance to turn the tide."

Murakan looked at the sky, not understanding Sylderay's words. Sylderay didn't get disappointed and instead put an arm around Murakan's shoulder.

"If Elona can't come forward, we'll have quite some time to spare. Lately, the wraith transformation has weakened noticeably. Those crazy bastards, the main reason Zipfel could gain an advantage over us was Elona. But now, as the war is coming to an end, they're rejecting her out of fear."

"Ah."

"Anyway, I bought some fruits that you like today. The cooks will make pies soon, so eat and gather your strength."

"Sylderay!"

Suddenly, Diana's voice was heard. She sounded anxious but also cheerful. Sylderay met her eyes, sensing good news.

"Diana, what's going on?"

"We received a message from the Storm Castle. Lord patriarch... he regained consciousness briefly and left a command!"

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